The Homecoming Read Online Free

to fix it, his name was Tony Bock—”
    “Short, squat guy with a face like a frog? Black hair and bad skin?”
    “Well, he wasn’t pretty to look at. But his name was definitely Tony Bock. How odd, isn’t it?”
    “Bock works for Niceville Utility, I know that. He’s a bad person, Beth. Just so you know.”
    “Okay. If I ever see him again, which I won’t.”
    “Anyway, my point is, guys like Tony Bock and your husband, if those guys are willing to punch you with a closed fist—Tony Bock used to beat his wife too—why would they draw the line at taking all your money?”
    Beth reached up and touched the bruise, wincing slightly as her fingertip met the skin. Last night, while Nick had gotten Axel and Hannah safely tucked into bed, Kate had used her digital camera to take several shots of Beth’s face. She had also walked Beth into the master bedroom and demanded to see the rest of her body. When she did, she felt a bolt of pure anger flash through her chest. It was clear from the bruises beaten into Beth’s blue-white skin that Byron had done this sort of thing before. Often. Kate took shots of these old injuries as well. While she did, she tried to think of a way to kill Byron that wouldn’t get her life in prison.
    Nick could find a way
, she had thought at the time,
and he’d be happy to
.
    Here in the conservatory, looking at Beth’s face in the soft sunlight this morning, Kate was still thinking it. It must have been on her face, because Beth managed a smile.
    “No, honey, we can’t kill him,” she said.
    “Was it that obvious?”
    Beth even laughed.
    “Kate, Reed and I always thought you could kill people if you wanted to.”
    “Byron’s lucky Reed
didn’t
kill him. I know Nick wanted to. But you always held them off.”
    Beth looked away, and then came back.
    “Reed wouldn’t have just beaten Byron up. He’d have hurt him badly. Badly enough to lose his job. Maybe even killed him. He has a terrible temper, you know that. And Nick is just as crazy, only with him it’s under better control, maybe because of the war. And isn’t it true that wife beaters who get that sort of punishment, sooner or later, they find a way to take it out on the wife or the kids—”
    “Not if they’re dead.”
    “But this is real life, Kate, and you can’t kill them, because you’ll go to jail. Besides, I thought … I thought he’d stop. I did love him, once. He was always so … sorry. So crushed.”
    Kate shook her head.
    “Oh, he’s sorry all right. Sorry for himself, sorry that he has to be sorry. And after a while he’ll be mad at you again for making him feel sorry. Beth, he’s never going to stop until somebody stops him. They never do. You cannot ever go back to him. Never.”
    Beth was crying again, in silence, deep, wracking sobs. She fought for control.
    “I know that. But we can’t stay here.”
    “Yes you can. The house is too big for us as it is. It’s just the two of us.”
    “What about Rainey Teague? Isn’t he coming to live with you soon?”
    “Yes. So that makes three.”
    “Well, that’s what I mean. You’ve already got Rainey Teague coming. Poor little kid. Abducted, traumatized, an orphan. Now you’re going to clutter the place up with three more fugitives from life? Why don’t you just open a shelter for abused kids and be done with it?”
    “Family’s enough, Beth.”
    “Rainey’s not family.”
    “He will be. Look, Beth, we have five bedrooms and four baths. Plus the carriage house at the back. There’s even a second kitchen in the carriage house. Dad rebuilt this house for a large family. You could even have your old room back.”
    Beth’s face altered.
    “Dad … I can’t believe he’s gone.”
    Kate took a breath, a shaky one.
    “He’s
not
gone, Beth. He’s … missing. And only for a few hours. I talked to him yesterday. He was supposed to come down and see us—”
    “And he never showed up.”
    “No. That’s right. He didn’t. But