Nowhere To Hide

“Who, honey?”

“The man in the black car.”

A chill ran down Lydia’s spine. “Did the man in the school yard wear one?”

Tyler nodded, his eyes wide, his forehead wrinkled with worry. “An A.P. digital. I didn’t see his face, but I saw his watch when he tried to grab me.”

Lydia’s stomach roiled at the memory of that frightful afternoon. Before this, Tyler had never mentioned a watch. Another clue, but would it help her find the man who tried to grab her son?

“You know, honey, sometimes I overreact. Now that I think about it, that wasn’t the same car as in Atlanta. And the driver wasn’t wearing a watch.”

No way she could have seen the man’s wrist, but she needed to reassure her son.

Tyler’s lower lip inched forward in a pout. “Then why’d we have to leave?”

Lydia sighed. How could she explain her immediate panic? Seeing the car had made her heart pound with fear. Her only thought had been to protect Tyler. So she’d pulled him from the beach activity.

Now, the look on her son’s face made Lydia realize her mistake. From here on, she needed to remain calm. Sanctuary Island was far from Atlanta. She and Tyler were safe here. At least for a while.

“I know you wanted to stay longer.”

He scrubbed a sandy hand across his face and captured the tear trailing down his cheek. “Bobby and Chase said we did the best. We could’ve won.”

Tyler needed stability and security, not a mother who ran scared. She smiled reassuringly. “I’m glad you had a good time.”

“Can I see Bobby again?”

“Maybe later.” A normal life, that’s what Tyler deserved, filled with friends and fun.

“Bobby said he’s having some of the guys over next Saturday. He invited me.”

Lydia’s throat constricted. She swallowed the lump threatening to shut off her airway. She wasn’t ready to let Tyler out of her sight for an hour, let alone a whole night. “We’ll see,” was all she could promise.

Turning into Katherine’s driveway, Lydia felt an unexpected sense of coming home. The house that loomed ominously two nights ago seemed like a safe refuge in the light of day.

Birds flittered in the trees, chirping a welcome song as a rambunctious squirrel dug for nuts at the foot of the live oak tree. At the far edge of the lawn, brick-red begonias nestled next to azalea bushes, thick with blooms, while purple periwinkles fluttered in the breeze.

“Get the library books from the backseat,” Lydia told Tyler as she pulled the key from the ignition.

“Bobby doesn’t have schoolwork. He’s on vacation.”

Lydia smiled. “But you’re not. Your school is still in session. At least for another two weeks. You’re on…” She thought for a minute. “A sabbatical.”

Tyler scrunched up his face. “What’s that?”

“It’s time away from your regular work so you can concentrate on special projects.”

“Was that what you were doing on the computer at the library?”

Lydia sighed. She hated lying, but she never wanted her child to know about his father’s nefarious activities.

“I’ve got an idea for a project I think you should do.”

Tyler’s shoulders slumped as he grabbed the books from the backseat, slammed the door and sighed. “More work.”

“Would a PB&J make it better?”

His face brightened. “Yum!”

Lydia had just handed Tyler his sandwich when the phone rang. She tensed. Who would be calling?

Slowly, she raised the phone to her ear and smiled with relief when she heard Katherine’s hello.

“How’s your sister-in-law?” Lydia asked immediately.

“Feisty and stubborn. The doctor said her progress is remarkable.”

“Because you’re there to help. You’ve been so thoughtful to us, as well, Katherine. Clothing and toys for Tyler, groceries—”

“Enough of that. I knew you’d never use my credit card. I decided to take the situation into my own hands. Besides, we’re family. And that’s what families do. Help one another.”

“How can I ever thank you?”

“By taking care of yourself and Tyler. You’ve been through so much. Use this time to heal.”

Tears stung Lydia’s eyes. She blinked to keep them from spilling down her cheeks, grateful Tyler had gone into the living room to play.

“I know what you had to put up with when it came to Sonny,” Katherine said.

“He tried to be a good father. It was the husband role that seemed to be the problem.”

“I blame his upbringing. And that sister of mine who ran off and left him as a child. Then his father thought he could raise him and wouldn’t ask for my help. Without God in his life, Sonny never learned about sacrifice and commitment. Tell me, dear, were you ever happy?”

The question caught Lydia off guard.

“At first everything seemed good. Maybe I was naive. We were young and poor.”

Despite their differences, she and Sonny had made the best of a bad situation. Until the day she had walked into his office and discovered the vile pictures on his computer screen.

Change of subject. “You know, Katherine, I saw some photos on a bulletin board in the Community Center.”

“Joel Cowan’s work. He’s the island photo bug.”

“Funny, but a man in one of the pictures looked like Sonny.”

“Why that’s odd. Sonny always said he was too busy to visit the island.”

“But he encouraged you to move here.”