The Deposit Slip

39





Jared felt comatose from jet lag after a sleepless flight. At the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport he retrieved his bag from the carousel and stumbled toward the airport exit.

Though it was early evening, it was already dark outside. Jared was standing in the entry to his parking level trying to recall where he’d left the car when his phone went off. Caller ID showed it was Jessie.

He wasn’t sure he was ready for this conversation, but set aside his qualms and punched Answer on the screen.

“Jared? Are you back at your townhouse?”

“Still at the airport. Sorry I didn’t call from Europe. I just needed to figure things out.”

“I get it. Jared, we need to talk.”

“I know.”

“No, I mean about the case. Something’s happened. We need to talk.”

Even through his haze, Jared was struck by the urgency in her voice. Though he’d held back many details, he’d already sent Jessie a text about his inability to bring Cory back, so he couldn’t imagine what she needed to share. “I’m beat, Jessie. I can call you in the morning.”

“It’s really important. We need to meet.”

“All right,” he surrendered. “I’ve got to get up to Ashley tomorrow to finish the motion anyway and explain things to Erin. Let’s meet at Dad’s house around noon.”





At ten o’clock the next morning Jared walked through his father’s door and headed to his room to drop his bag. A note from Samuel on his pillow informed him what he already knew—Jessie was in the Twin Cities.

Rachel’s summary judgment papers were on the living room couch. Jared scanned them. Not bad. At least not bad given that they contained no evidence to defeat Stanford’s motion.

Taped to Jessie’s computer screen was an envelope with Jared’s name, scribed in her handwriting. The single sheet inside was topped with a sticky note: “This may be something.”

He scanned the document. It was interesting, but too little and too late to raise Jared’s flagging hope. This couldn’t be the news Jessie wanted to share.

Mrs. Huddleston needed a ride to the meeting today, he recalled. She had become virtually another legal assistant in the case, and he wanted to tell her about the crash of the case at the same time as Jessie and Erin. He headed back out to the CR-V to pick her up.

He drove slowly through town. The streets were peaceful. All of the leaves were down now and long ago hauled away. With school in session, only occasional adults graced the sidewalks, walking dogs or strolling on errands.

The route took him past the First Lutheran Church, and on an impulse, Jared turned into the church driveway. He’d come on foot when visiting Pastor Tufts the last time and had not circled the building to the acreage behind. Now he was curious about his father’s domain.

He parked in the rear lot amidst the sweep of grassy fields, a paved walking path, and a baseball diamond. There was one other car in the back lot. His father was trimming some bushes on the far reach of the grounds; a man strode the path in his father’s direction.

The grass was immaculate, the edging on the path crisply defined. The baseball field was perfectly chalked, even though the season was long past. Only a few stray leaves marred the surface of the lawn.

All this from a man who’d hardly touched a yard tool in all the years Jared was growing up. He’d painted a landscape right here in the heart of town, out of grass and trees, dirt and paving stones.

Through his windshield, Jared watched the man approach his father, who put his clippers down and straightened. The visitor looked familiar. He extended one hand, which Samuel accepted, and grasped his father’s shoulder with the other.

It was some distance away, but now Jared recognized the man as Verne Loffler, the man who’d hit him at the Legion Hall.

Jared marveled again at the yard. Mrs. Huddleston must pass here every day when she walked to the library. Only a few blocks from downtown, and on the main route to the high school, half the town would see these grounds each day; would watch his father toiling on his hands and knees, with mower and clipper and shovel.

Jared started his car to drive on.