Going through her routine by habit, she put her cell phone in her pocket and her purse on the foyer table. She left her shoes to the side of the door and slowly went into the kitchen.
The officers gave her polite nods, but they, too, looked solemn.
“Justin?”
“He’s upstairs with Lang.” Corbin pulled her close. “Darcie overdosed again.”
Her stomach bottomed out. “How bad?”
“She’s...gone.”
Oh, dear God. Tears burned her eyes. “Does Justin know?”
“We didn’t talk in front of him, but the look on his face...” His mouth flattened. “I think he’s guessed.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No. I’ll be done here in just a minute.” He touched her cheek. “I’m worried. Would you check on Justin?”
Nodding, she said, “I’ll go to him right now.” On impulse, she went on tiptoe and hugged Corbin. To the two officers, she nodded her thanks that they had given the news in person.
Not knowing what she might find, she took the steps upstairs two at a time. At the moment, seeing Justin, ensuring that he was okay, seemed the most immediate concern.
Justin’s bedroom door was closed, likely so he couldn’t overhear. Ivey lightly tapped her knuckles to the wood, then turned the knob and stepped in.
Lang stood with Justin at the window, looking out at the lake.
“Hey, guys,” she said softly, aware of how Justin hunched his shoulders.
Lang turned with a forced smile. “You really ran late today. Everything okay at the clinic?”
With a questioning look, she said, “Yes, just had a few last-minute things to do.” She came farther into the room. “Justin?”
Lang shook his head, indicating that Justin didn’t want to talk.
Unsure how to proceed, Ivey came closer.
In a raw whisper, Justin said, “Police are here.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Yes, I saw them.” Emotion tried to choke her, but Justin didn’t need her to be weepy. “You okay, honey?”
“I’m not a baby,” he snapped, and then he sniffled, wrapping his arms tightly around himself.
She reached out to him, but Lang took her arm and urged her to follow him to the room she shared with Corbin across the hall. Very near her ear, he said, “I think he’s guessed, but I haven’t confirmed anything. Corbin needs to be the one to talk to him.”
“I agree, but we can’t leave him alone.”
“Why don’t you stay with him? I’ll go downstairs with Corbin.” He frowned. “Or vice versa. Whichever you want.”
“I’ll stay with Justin.” At the moment, wild horses couldn’t have dragged her away. The urge to comfort him, to shelter his feelings, to help him believe that a bright future was ahead whether he could see it right now or not, flared inside her.
Going back into his room, she pasted on a smile. “Guess what? I had to do some quick surgery on a cat today.”
Grudgingly, Justin glanced at her. His eyes looked red but dry. “Is the cat okay?”
God love him, could there be a more compassionate little boy? As she’d hoped, the cat’s welfare drew him out of his own misery. “Yes, honey. He’s fine. He’ll probably be groggy for the rest of the day, though. Odds are, he’ll throw up a time or two.” She sat on the side of his bed and began talking about the cat, ad-libbing his adventure sneaking out and trying to tangle with a Rottweiler.
Almost against his will, Justin moved closer. “Why did the dog bite him?”
“I’m pretty sure he was surprised to find a hissing cat in his bushes.” Taking his hand, she guided him to sit beside her, then stroked his hair—and he let her. “It would have been really easy for a dog that size to kill a cat, but I know Rory. He’s a good dog, friendly, and usually he’s great with other animals.” She leaned closer and said in a conspiratorial way, “That is, when they don’t jump out at him from the bushes.”
A ghost of a smile, there and gone, teased over his mouth. “I’m glad the cat is okay.”
“Me, too. Mrs. Tassie loves him as much as I love Maurice. And speaking of Maurice, where is he?”
Justin looked down at his hands. “He went to bed with the dogs.”
Ivey felt him struggling, and because of that, she resisted the urge to baby him. Instinctively she knew it might cause him to lose his fragile hold on control.
“I was getting ready for bed, so they all went into the laundry room.” He fell silent again. “I’d just finished brushing my teeth when the cops got here.”
“I see.” They both heard the front door open and close.
Justin stiffened, his bottom lip quivering. “I gotta go to the bathroom.” He stood again, looking as if he wanted to escape the reality of what would come.
Corbin stepped into the room.
Ivey took one look at him and her heart crumbled. No man should have to tackle so much in such a short period of time. She wished for a way to help but didn’t know what to do.
Corbin’s hands flexed, he watched his son, then came closer. “Justin, I—”
“I gotta use the bathroom,” Justin blurted again and darted past his dad into the hall. They heard the bathroom door close a little too hard.
Ivey was horribly afraid that Justin had just sought privacy for a good cry, and she wasn’t sure if she could stand it.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered to Corbin.
He came over to sit beside her, his elbows on his knees, his head bowed. “The fact is, I knew this could happen. But I couldn’t help hoping...” He shook his head. “She had my information on her. That’s why the police came here. I don’t know anything about her parents, and neither did the cops.”
Their shoulders touched, and their voices were low. Corbin heaved a long sigh and straightened, glancing back at the door. “He’s struggling.”
“He doesn’t want to cry in front of anyone.” She touched his jaw. “But you’re his dad, Corbin. He loves you, and I know he trusts you.” Her own eyes burned with the truth of that. Yes, Justin had a very difficult background, but that wasn’t his future—and he knew it. “Don’t let him be by himself. Go to him, show him that it’s okay to cry and hold him while he grieves.”
As if that settled the indecision for him, Corbin stood and crossed the room in a few long strides.
Ivey watched him go, praying that father and son could console each other...and wondering how much right she had to take part in it all.