Page 99 of A Hero Comes Home

But he didn’t come back.

She wailed aloud and cried some more, falling back on the bed, then curled into a ball of misery. Eventually, she fell into an exhausted sleep. Which didn’t last long. It was still light outside when she opened her swollen eyes, realizing there was a noise downstairs.

She jumped up and rushed down the steps, only to find it was Joe, on his knees under the sink, turning off the water valve.

He stood and looked at her. If he’d been going to ask about Jake’s whereabouts, he stopped at whatever he saw on her face. Instead, he opened his arms to her and they cried on each other’s shoulders.

“I never even asked him to come into the fishing business with me. I kept waiting for the right moment.”

“He knew,” she assured him.

“I didn’t tell him that I love him,” he said. “What kind of father am I, that I couldn’t say those words to a son that’s been missing for three years?”

“He knew,” Sally assured him again, but thought, I didn’t tell him I loved him, either. I showed him, though, didn’t I? Oh, God, I hope he knows that, at least.

Izzie came in then. He might have knocked, but they hadn’t heard him. He took one look at the mess, winced at the blood on the wall, then sat down heavily on one of the undamaged kitchen chairs. “Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

There were tears in Izzie’s eyes, too.

“Do you have any idea where he went?”

He shook his head. “I went to the ferry landing, heading north, to see if I might catch him, but he wasn’t in the lot. And with all the tourist influx today, it was impossible to ask anyone if they’d seen him.”

“Maybe he didn’t leave town at all. Maybe he’s over at my house. I should go check,” Joe said hopefully.

Sally put up a halting hand. “He took his truck.”

“Could he have gone out on your boat?” Izzie asked Joe.

Joe shrugged. “I suppose he could be on the boat, but he didn’t have keys.”

None of them were inclined to go check, it was that improbable.

“Dammit!” Sally said finally. “I have things I have to do.”

“What can I do to help?” Izzie asked.

“Go. Find out whatever you can about where Jacob might be, but be discreet. I’m just going to tell people . . . to tell the kids, oh, my God, the kids!” She choked on a sob and continued, “I’ll say that Jacob was called away suddenly on some military duty, and that he’ll be back as soon as he can make it.”

Joe looked at her, questioning. It wasn’t like her to lie.

“Whatever the hell has happened to him is related to military duty, and he will be back, dammit, if I have any say in the matter,” she insisted defiantly. “You better tell that Major Durand what’s going on, Izzie. But make sure you let him know that if he shows his face here, I might just rearrange his nose with a whack from my favorite rolling pin.”

When Izzie left, she asked Joe to help her clean up while she made a few calls. First off, she called José and Mary Lou to see if they could handle the business for the next day or two. “Jacob had to leave suddenly on some hush-hush Army business, and I need to do some things with the kids.” The first of her little white lies. They, of course, agreed readily, then added compliments on her singing routine that day. Turns out she and her sons won a trophy, according to Mary Lou. That would please the boys to no end.

After that, she called her parents, who were clearly distressed at both Jake’s and her leaving the Conti mansion so suddenly. She assured them that she was all right, using the same excuse she’d given her employees.

“I have a big favor to ask of you, though,” she said to them both, as they used their speakerphone. “Would you be willing to take the boys back to Manhattan with you for a week or so? Sort of a mini-vacation.”

“Now? Won’t they be missing school?” her mother asked.

“Yes, but they’re only in elementary school, not college. I can get them an educational leave of absence, and I’m sure their teachers would give me their assignments for that period.”

“Sally, what’s going on?” her father asked. “You know we’re always willing to have the boys, but this is an odd time for them to come. Has something happened?”

“They’re going to be upset that their father had to leave so suddenly, and so soon after their being reunited with them. I figure this trip with their grandparents and the city itself will distract them enough so they won’t be too sad. By then, Jacob might be home again.” More lies. “By the way, tell them we won a trophy. That should make them happy. Even Binky Jones didn’t win a trophy.”

“Who’s Binky Jones?” her father asked.