TO DIE FOR (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 8) - Willow Rose Page 0,19
didn’t even leave him a note. I felt so bad for him. He was my best friend.”
I looked up. “Was your best friend?”
Bryan nodded. “He died six months after she disappeared. He was struck by a car, right over there, actually.”
Bryan pointed down Park Avenue.
“On the corner down there by the Panera Bread. He was crossing the street when a car rammed into him, then drove off.”
“A hit and run?” I asked.
Bryan nodded. “I know that my sister would have wanted to say goodbye to him at least. But we couldn’t find her, so what can you do?”
I looked at Bryan, narrowing my eyes. “And the driver? The hit and run? Was the person ever found?”
Bryan shook his head. “Somewhere out there is a person with a very guilty conscience. I don’t even know how you could live with yourself after doing something like that. Even if it was an accident, you still killed someone, you know? You can’t just run from something like that.”
I couldn’t argue with that, and as we said goodbye to Bryan later on, it was all I could think about. How do you hit someone with your car and run from it, then go on living with good conscience? It had to be beyond tough—unless you did it on purpose, of course.
Chapter 20
My house was a regular warzone when I got back home. I opened the door and heard babies crying, not one, but two. Alex was screaming in the living room, yelling at his sister, Christine, while the TV was left on, some cartoon blasting loudly while no one watched. I turned it off, then told Alex and Christine to take their fight upstairs.
Matt came toward me, holding Owen on his arm. His white T-shirt had two big yellow stains on the chest; his hair was tousled and had leftover food stuck to it. I would have laughed had he not looked so profoundly destroyed. I heard Angel crying from the kitchen. Matt saw the frustration on my face as I realized my baby wasn’t being cared for.
“I already fed her,” he said, “but I had to take care of Owen too. Angel has been crying all morning.”
I hurried into the kitchen. It looked like a bomb had gone off. Bowls of cereal everywhere, milk and crumbs smeared on the counter. Meanwhile, Angel was in her Maxi-Cosi rocker chair, strapped down, crying her heart out.
“I was gone three hours, Matt,” I said. “I take care of those two babies all day long while you’re at work, and you couldn’t even do three hours?”
“That’s not fair, Eva Rae.”
I exhaled while unstrapping my child and grabbing her in my arms. She was helplessly crying while I rocked her from side-to-side until she finally calmed down. Meanwhile, Owen took over, and Matt tried to calm him, but with no luck. With Angel on my hip, I warmed milk for him and handed Matt the bottle. Owen finally calmed down, and soon Matt could put him down for a nap while I cleaned the kitchen with Angel strapped on my chest in her sling. She cried every time I tried to put her down like she was afraid I would leave her and never come back.
Matt sat on a stool and rubbed his temples. “I don’t think this is going to work, Eva Rae.”
I gave him a look. “What do you mean?”
“We can’t have two infants in the house at the same time. It’s too much. I can only carry one around at a time. I am not made for this.”
“You could have asked Olivia or Christine to help. They would be happy to hold one of them,” I said.
“I told Christine to take care of Alex,” Matt said. “He spilled milk on his pants during breakfast but refused to change them. That’s what they were still arguing about when you came home.”
I grabbed a cloth and wiped up some spilled milk mixed with sugary cereal. The sugar had made it almost stiff. I felt so tired and alone. I knew Matt would always step up and try his best to help me out if I asked him to, but I felt alone in the end.
“Can’t we call the DCF now?” Matt asked. “They can find a foster home for Owen.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. I am certain Amy is coming back. I won’t give up on her.”
“Then at least drop whatever it is you’re doing with Scott.”