Mercy pulled out her business card and set it on the accent table. “Can you give me your son’s address?”
“Don’t need that. Just turn left after you leave my drive and then take the next left off the main road. But he’s gone for a few days.”
“Do you know when he’ll be back?”
“No.” The anger rose again.
“Can I get his phone number?” She wrote down the number he rattled off. “Please call me if you think of anything that might help us figure out what happened to this family.”
“Don’t know nothing. I rarely saw them. I hardly see anyone.”
Mercy escaped the hostile-feeling house. She darted between the puddles in the yard and climbed into her Tahoe, shaking the drizzle from her hair. The sour atmosphere still clung to her. The cat raised its head, gave a jaw-stretching yawn, and went back to sleep. Mercy stroked her back, wondering how long the cat had been alone at the Hartlage home.
Does the cat miss her owners?
Mercy pictured the skeletal remains she suspected might be the Hartlages.
There’d been two male skulls in the culvert. One Asian, one Caucasian.
Kenneth Forbes claimed the brother-in-law wasn’t Asian.
If the Hartlage family was in the culvert, is the father or brother-in-law still alive?
“I might have gotten a cat,” Mercy told Rose over a late lunch.
“Might?” Rose asked in surprise, nearly dropping her glass of soda.
“I might have to give it back if someone claims it.” Mercy shared that morning’s cat-acquiring incident with her sister at the diner in Eagle’s Nest.
“Where is the cat now?”
“I stopped and bought cat litter, cat food, a cat bed, and a covered litter box and dropped her off at my place before coming here.”
“Does Kaylie know?” Rose grinned.
Mercy grimaced as she took a bite of her BLT. “I texted her so she wouldn’t be surprised when she walked in the door. She was ecstatic, of course.”
“Of course she was. She’s a teenage girl.”
“I don’t need a cat.”
“No one needs a cat . . . until you get one and wonder why you never had one before.”
“Just like a baby?”
Rose laughed and touched her rounded stomach. “Honestly, I don’t remember what it was like to not be expecting this little one. I think that’s a pregnancy hormone thing. It’s made my brain forget how life was before.”
“I’ve heard you forget the pain of birth too. Makes you willing to go through it again,” said Mercy. She suspected that was a lot of bull. People didn’t forget pain. She remembered every bit of the agony from when she was shot in the leg.
Rose looked thoughtful. “I’ve heard that. I can’t say I’m not worried about the pain. But my biggest fear is getting to the hospital in time.”
“Call me and I’ll drop whatever I’m doing.”
“Nick has promised the same thing.”
“How is it going with Nick?” Mercy asked. She tried to meet Rose once a week for lunch and catch up, but this was their first visit in three weeks. Nick Walker had been very clear about his attraction to Rose. At least to Mercy. Rose had been slower to believe his interest was real. Rose’s baby had been conceived during a rape by a serial killer, and Rose struggled to believe that any man could consider becoming involved in her situation. The baby hadn’t bothered Nick, and neither did her lack of sight. The adoration that Nick consistently showed for Rose took Mercy’s breath away. And the two of them were officially dating now.
A faint blush appeared on Rose’s cheeks. “Good. We went out to dinner in Bend last night.” Her brows came together as she frowned slightly.
“What is it?”
Frustration crossed Rose’s face. “He’s a bit overprotective. Always asking if I need help or trying to do things for me.”
“Ah.” Mercy believed that. Many men assumed Rose was a helpless flower, but she could do almost anything. Except drive a car. Rose was tough as nails under her rose-petal exterior. “He needs to spend more time with you. I’m sure he’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so.”
“Stand up for yourself now. The two of you need to learn if you can work together. Don’t back off because you’re afraid of offending him.”
“You make it sound like we’re coworkers.”
Mercy shrugged. “Dating and marriage is a balance. He has a lot to learn about you and vice versa.”
“He always wants to know how I feel and how each prenatal visit went. I finally said I’ll let him know if there is something unusual to share. It’s a small thing to be annoyed about . . . I should be happy he’s interested.”
“He did lose his wife to breast cancer,” Mercy pointed out. “I can see him having anxiety about your health, but is your relationship at the point where you’re sharing everything about the baby with him?”
“It’s pretty serious,” Rose whispered with a small smile. “He told me he’s in love with me last week.”
“Oh, Rose. That’s wonderful!” Mercy’s heart warmed at the happiness on her sister’s face.
“We’ve talked a lot about the baby”—she sucked in a big breath—“and how it was conceived. He’s such a good man, Mercy. He swears it makes no difference to him.”
“Have you accepted that yet?”
Her sister was quiet for a second. “I’m getting there. We haven’t been together that long.”
Rose hadn’t said that she’d told Nick she loved him too. “You need to feel absolutely certain of his commitment to the baby before you tell him you love him, right?” Mercy asked softly. She’d seen the dedication on Nick’s face, but Rose had to make her own decision.
“Is that horrible of me?” Rose tipped her head to the side a little, reminding Mercy of Kaylie.
“I don’t think so. Your baby is your priority now, right? Your actions and decisions are based on what’s best for your baby . . . even if it might break your heart.”
Rose held perfectly still. “That’s exactly how I feel,” she whispered. “I can’t go any further with Nick until I know.”
“You’ll know soon,” Mercy said, remembering when she’d realized she loved Truman. “One day you’ll simply realize that he’s the right one.”
“I hope so.”
“How long do you have left?” Mercy asked.
“Three months.” A dreamy smile filled her sister’s face.
Mercy was glad to see her sister’s happiness about the baby. The thought of the challenge of her being blind and raising a baby gave Mercy anxiety but not Rose.
“I hope . . .” Rose trailed off, a thoughtful look on her face.
“You hope what?”
“I hope as an adult, my child will look back and be grateful to have a mom who was different. I’ll learn as much from her as she does from me.”
“Her?” Mercy jumped on the pronoun.
Her sister laughed. “No, I’m not hiding the sex. I’ll be as surprised as everyone else. But in my mind, I think of it as her.”
Mercy did too. “She’ll be lucky to have you as a mom. What will you do about your preschool when the baby comes?”
“I’m going to close up for the summer. I usually do anyway, but I don’t know what I’ll do in the fall. Mom has offered to watch the baby while I teach, but if possible I would like to bring the baby with me. I’ll know better what I’m capable of once she’s born.” Rose leaned toward Mercy. “Just promise you’ll be in town the week I’m due. Seriously . . . I don’t want to have this baby at the farm. Even if Mom is a skilled midwife.”
“I promise. You’ve also got Mom and Dad as backup drivers. Nick too. You could even call Kaylie or Truman or an ambulance, if it comes to that. There are a lot of options.”
Rose sat back, her face clearing as she nodded. “True. I’ve had dreams that I can’t get there and it’s just me and the baby alone at the farm. Something is wrong, and I can’t take care of her.”
Mercy reached across the table and took Rose’s hand. “That won’t happen. No apocalypse is scheduled before the baby is to be born.”
Her sister laughed, and Mercy sighed in relief, but part of her brain immediately started to make plans in case a national crisis happened before Rose’s baby was born.
I’ll bring Rose to my cabin. Shit! The cabin won’t be done by then.