Page 10 of The Haunting of Paynes Hollow
I nod, staying quiet, trying not to think about that.
“You could go to med school after all,” she says. “Or, with that kind of money, if you invest it right, you wouldn’t need to work.”
“I’d still work.”
“Of course you would. You’d go stir-crazy otherwise. But you could go to med school and become a doctor and not give a damn what kind of wages you’re pulling in. You wanted to be a small-town GP. You could do that.”
“I want to focus on Mom first.”
She squeezes my knee. “Okay, I’ll take a hint and stop dreaming for you. Let’s dream for me instead.”
I smile. “Three kids, a dog, and a house in the country?”
“Of course. Should I add a guy to the mix?”
“Nah. You can rent one.”
Her laughter fills the tiny car. “I just might do that.” She glances over. “Did I tell you that Ms. Jimenez already wired me five grand?”
“Nice.”
“Do you know where it came from?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “My asshole brother.”
“Uncle Mark?”
She nods. “Dad left me the dining room set, which your aunt Ellen has always had her eye on. So we agreed on a price, and I now havefive grand burning a hole in my pocket. Wanna know what I’m doing with it?”
“Buying five grand in booze to get us through the next month?”
“Ha! That’ll get us through the first week. And don’t worry—I’m not pushing the money on you. I know you were able to rent outyourapartment and negotiated to pay a portion of your mother’s tab.”
“I did. So what is the money for? A splurge, I hope.”
“Kind of. If you consider it a splurge to make the cottage habitable.”
I arch a brow at her.
Her voice goes serious. “No one’s used your family cottage in fourteen years, Sam. No one has usedanyof the cottages.”
Because after my father killed a local boy, my family didn’t dare stay there. I’d like to see that as proper respect for their grief, but if my grandfather gave a shit about that, he’d have left the property to the dead boy’s family—or to the town itself.
My grandfather had always been the biggest local donor. He stopped after my dad died. It wasn’t just Mom and I who betrayed his favorite child. Paynes Hollow did, too. We were the founding family, damn it. There’s a long tradition of rich folks getting away with murder. The fact that we weren’t granted that courtesy is, apparently, unforgivable.
I realize Gail is waiting for me to say something, and I pull from my thoughts to focus.
“No one has used the cottages…?” I say, and then her meaning hits. “What state are they in?”
“I asked Ms. Jimenez, but she wasn’t sure.”
“She only knows that I need to stay in mine—the one my parents used.” I look over sharply. “Considering what my father did, are we sure the locals didn’t burn it? I wouldn’t blame them.”
“There’s a caretaker, and he says the cottage is still standing. No loopholes there, I’m afraid. However, ‘still standing’ isn’t the same as ‘habitable.’ But it will be. I have five grand to spend. With any luck, Ikea will deliver. If not, I’ll pick up what I can in my car.”
I thump back against the seat. “Because I’m not allowed to leave the property for more than an hour, once a day. I should be gratefulfor that concession. Otherwise, if you weren’t there, I couldn’t exactly count on the locals to bring me food. Not unless it’s poisoned.”
She shakes her head. “People will feel nothing but sympathy for you, Sam. You were a child.”
The child of a killer. Gail always forgets that part. I can’t.
