J. Horn - The Line

I didn’t know how to respond. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her about his last request—that I go with him. All I could do was hope that for her sake he was well and truly gone and that someone better would come along to take his place.

“They’re going to be looking for me soon,” Maisie said. “And I won’t have time to talk to you again until after the investment, so please listen to me.” I met her eyes to let her know that she had my full attention. “I need to apologize to you for how I behaved on the night of the drawing. I must have been out of my mind to treat you that way. When you ran from me, I realized how much I must have scared and hurt you. I wanted to call you back, but…”

“It’s all right,” I said.

“No, it isn’t . You are my sister. My best friend. Sometimes I think my only real friend. The way I treated you, the way I treated the entire family, was unforgiveable.”

“I can’t speak for the rest of the family, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re forgiven.”

“You sure do live up to your name, don’t you,” she said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “You have no idea what your forgiveness means to me.” She paused. “You know, some of the family felt that the line had chosen you as anchor and I was stealing its power from you.”

I laughed. “I am pretty darned sure that the line never intended me to be anchor. And frankly, even if it did, both of us know that you’re the better choice. I know Ginny shared things with you that she shouldn’t have, but maybe it’s for the best. You’ve been training for this your whole life, and you’re going to be the best anchor the line has ever known.”

“So you’re saying that you wouldn’t object to the power falling to me even if you were the one who was selected? I don’t care what the others think, but I need to know that you don’t feel that I’m stealing from you.”

“You,” I said, “are stealing nothing from me. Anybody who thinks otherwise will see how wrong they are after you’ve had time to settle in as anchor. You are going to be wonderful.”

“Thank you,” Maisie said and kissed me once more. “I can feel the others tugging at me,” she said. “I need to go join them, but when all of this is over, I want the two of us to take a couple of days to talk about what happened with Connor,” she said and held up her hand to fend off any protest I might make. “You need to be able to tell someone exactly how much you hate him for what he did, and Iris is not going to be up for that. And given Wren’s involvement in the whole thing, we should spare Ellen and Oliver as well. They created and nurtured a murderer. They may be acting like they don’t feel horrible about that fact, but they’re just trying to shield you from any further pain. Now, I’ve got to go.”

“Wait!” I said, reaching out and grabbing her skirt like a little kid. She looked down at me with an amused expression on her face. “There’s something important I need to tell you.”

“Okay, but make it fast.”

“No,” I said, letting go of her. “You go on, it can wait.” I smiled at her, and she shimmered and disappeared right before my eyes.

Soon the investment would be over, and we’d have the rest of our lives to catch up. “We can wait to tell her about you, can’t we, buddy?” I asked, placing my hand over my stomach. “You are well worth waiting for.”

The drawing of the lots had taken place thirteen days after Ginny’s death, and the investment ceremony would take place today, thirteen days later. Oliver’s prediction had been spot on—other than the few minutes I’d shared with Maisie upon her arrival, the families had kept her pretty much sequestered. What she’d told me had surprised me. I couldn’t believe that some of our family members truly believed that the line had truly chosen me as anchor. I chuckled to myself as I finished packing an overnight bag for my stay at the Mansion, not my ratty old backpack, but one of Ellen’s fancy, honest-to-God overnight bags. She had blanched when I’d told her I was planning on taking my backpack and had practically flung the thing at me. And even though we only lived about ten blocks from the hotel, Oliver had arranged for a town car to pick me up.

There was a rap at my door. “Your coach awaits, Cinderella,” Oliver’s voice called out to me.

“Tell the driver I’ll be right down.” My own reflection caught me by surprise as I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. The woman I saw in the mirror looked happy. In spite of everything that had happened over the past several days, I honestly felt like it would all turn out okay. Once the investment was over, I’d spend time with Maisie. We’d catch up and finish working things out. And then I’d get Iris away from here for a while. My first installment from the trust had hit my checking account on my birthday, and I was astounded by the size of it. There was plenty enough to take us to Paris, or maybe Florence. It would do us both good.

Uncle Oliver had decided to relocate his business to Savannah. He was staying home for good this time. That would be good for all of us, especially Ellen. Oliver might be a tad self-centered, but he would look out for her until she was back on an even keel. Peter, well, we’d work things out. Whether or not we got back together, we’d raise our boy right. Colin Taylor Tierney would be a blessing to this family—he’d be the new start that we all so badly needed. I smiled at my reflection and went down to meet the car. I gave Oliver a quick peck on the cheek on my way out, then winked at the driver as he took the bag from my hand and opened the door for me.

“It’s only a few blocks,” I said. “It feels downright decadent.”

“Nothing wrong with a little decadence now and again. Enjoy it, ma’am.” After closing the door behind me and stowing my bag in the trunk, he got into the driver’s seat and pulled out onto the street, showing much more care than the casual driver. “Scenic route?” he called back to me, glancing at me in his rearview mirror.

“Please,” I said. He turned the car in the opposite direction of the Mansion and zigzagged around so that he could circle the six closest squares.

As we neared Pulaski Square, he looked at me in the mirror again. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, handing me a small but beautifully wrapped package over the seat. “Your sister asked me to give this to you.”

“Thank you,” I said and took it from him. The box was covered in velvety midnight blue paper and tied with a single silver bow. I undid the bow and tugged open the box. On top was a note from Maisie. I unfolded it and read. “Even if you can’t be here with me, I’ll be able to feel your presence if you wear this.”

“Everything all right back there?” the driver asked.

“Yes. Everything is perfect,” I smiled up at him then took the necklace out from the box, kissing the beautiful stone that I recognized as azurite. Rounded and polished, it looked like a small globe of the world. As I slipped the chain around my neck, I closed my eyes and held the stone tightly in my hand, thinking of Maisie and sending her all my love.

When I opened my eyes, the driver was still looking at me in the rearview mirror, but his brown eyes had changed to a sapphire blue. The face beneath the driver’s cap had morphed into a completely different one. I’d know those eyes anywhere. That face. “Jackson?” I said, gasping.

“She told you I’d be back,” he said, throwing me a grin over his shoulder. His eyes were gleeful, crazed, and full of hate. I reached over to try the door, but it was locked.

“I don’t understand,” I said. He turned the car onto Barnard and sped across Liberty Street with the gas pressed to the floor. I screamed as he pulled into oncoming traffic.