What We Find (Sullivan's Crossing, #1)(85)

“I’m not bored yet,” was all he said.

He only went to Denver the one time. He didn’t want to leave Sully shorthanded while Maggie was away in Denver for a night or two. Besides, there were other things going on over summer in addition to fishing, roasting marshmallows, and cleaning the public bathroom and showers. There were wildfires. One had been contained recently after raging for two weeks northeast of Colorado Springs. Another took out hundreds of acres near Salida and the smoke drifted over the crossing. Even though they were in no immediate danger, Cal wanted to be nearby in case Sully had to evacuate the camp and himself.

Maggie adored him for his care for Sully and others.

The summer routine was relaxed and low-pressure but Maggie noticed that Cal had become mysteriously morose and quiet. He went off by himself several times; she spotted him standing at the edge of the lake a few times, tossing pebbles into the water. She tried asking him what was bothering him and he brushed her off, saying he was just thinking.

Frankly, Maggie was getting a little scared. Had he been thinking about his mission statement and come to the conclusion that it was time to move on? She decided the best approach was to demonstrate that she was mature and rational, but, unable to help herself, she pitched a fit.

“What the hell is up with you? Why are you depressed? Why aren’t you talking to me? When did we become strangers? How do we go on from here if you can’t talk about whatever is on your mind that makes you go silent? How am I supposed to take it? Are you ready to dump me? Is that it?”

Cal took a deep breath. “I have to go to Iowa for a few days. My sister is in the hospital and my father has gone off the rails. I’d like to ignore the situation but I can’t. And, I think you should come with me. In fact, I insist, unless there’s some reason you can’t leave here. Maggie, you have to know where I come from so you can decide just how involved you want to be.”





If any man seeks for greatness,

let him forget greatness and ask for truth,

and he will find both.





—Horace Mann





Chapter 17



“Let’s get this over with,” Maggie said. “I know your family’s troubles are hard on you and you worry about the effect on me, but I’m a doctor. I’m sure I can keep this in perspective.”

“We’ll see,” Cal said.

“You have so little faith in me,” she said.

Cal explained to Sully that he wanted Maggie to meet his parents because they were pretty wacky. He didn’t want to terrify Sully so he described his father as unstable and his mother as nutty but loving. He could’ve said schizophrenic, but he hadn’t.

When Cal was out of earshot Sully spoke to Maggie. “Be nice to his wacky parents and don’t screw this up.”

“Oh, very nice, Sully!” she said.

“You know what I mean. I like him and he fits in and I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a man who treats you better, including one husband and one steady boyfriend.”

“Oh my God,” Maggie said. “I had more than one boyfriend! And I was engaged in med school for three weeks.”

“You were engaged?” Sully asked.

“It wasn’t worth mentioning,” she said. “I didn’t want to be engaged, but... Never mind, it doesn’t count. But I’ve had boyfriends.”

Sully just shook his head. “Be nice to his wacky parents. And don’t tell them where we live.”

Cal took care of the tickets—Denver to Des Moines, one plane change. Maggie packed and as she did so, she was confident she could handle meeting Cal’s parents, even if they were in crisis. She’d been around plenty of mostly functional people with mental disabilities. It was standard fare in emergency rooms. She knew neurological disorders weren’t exactly easy on behavioral patterns. But, Cal was completely sane and nearly ideal. And she was of above-average intelligence and had a great deal of medical experience. She could help him and put his mind at ease.

We all have our issues, she reminded herself.

Pratt, Iowa, a tiny farming community between Des Moines and Iowa City, had a small population—just a couple hundred. The drive from Des Moines with all the crops in lush maturity was lovely. It was hot and humid and buggy and there were some dark clouds gathering in the west. Cal stopped at a motor inn in Newton and checked them in.

It was perfectly adequate and she decided not to even ask why they wouldn’t stay with his parents. It was early afternoon so they had a bite to eat and headed for Pratt. They drove another thirty minutes to a completely charming little village. The Jones farm was just on the outskirts of town. It was shaded by big leafy trees and the fields were full of wheat and corn. There was a big barn and a darling little farmhouse at the end of a drive through the fields. As they got closer Maggie noticed the details. The windows were covered with tinfoil. The weather vane on top of the house had tinfoil streamers on it.

“Oh boy,” she said.

“Yeah,” Cal said. “We’ll visit for a couple of hours and get the lay of the land, then head back to Newton.”

“Just a couple of hours?” she asked.

“I’m sure that’ll be enough,” he said.

Finally, she was starting to see why bringing her here was important to him and she grew nervous.