This Heart of Mine (30 page)

The Mansfields—and Riley’s parents—were so caught up they watched with open mouths.

“You were officially divorced four years ago,” Riley went on. “But the marriage fell apart much sooner. From what he told me, you two fought constantly because of your drug habit.”

She seemed stunned and confused that he knew so much. “No...”

“I had a background check done.”

She blinked at him. “Which means...what?”

“I have the police records to prove it. You’ve been arrested for trying to run Roger down with your car, striking him with your fists and trying to set fire to your own apartment. Once you were arrested for being naked in the street, so high that you didn’t know who you were or where you were, and—”

“I want to go,” she broke in.

Phoenix could hardly hear above her own heartbeat. What was Riley doing?

“What kind of drugs do you use?” he asked. “Because you clearly haven’t stopped.”

“That’s none of your business. This has nothing to do with my habit or my marriage or anything else.”

“It has
everything
to do with your habit,” he said. “You came here for the money, am I right?”

“No.” She shook her head but it was a pretty obvious lie. “I suffer from depression, so...so I’m on medication for that. But a lot of people suffer from depression.”

Riley clicked his tongue. “This is a little different. Roger said things would get so bad you’d disappear for a week at a time. He told me you were haunted by a terrible tragedy that occurred during your senior year, said you just couldn’t put it behind you.”

She waved a hand to indicate the room at large. “Haven’t we
all
been haunted by Lori’s death? I was in a vehicle that struck and killed another human being!”

Riley lowered his voice but spoke as if there was no question about the veracity of what he said. “Because you grabbed the wheel.”

She blinked repeatedly. “No. And if Roger said that, he’s lying! He doesn’t know what happened because he wasn’t there.”

“But you told him, didn’t you? When you were high or sad or unable to forget, you shared your dark secret.”

“You tricked me into coming here!” She turned on Corinne. “You said all I had to do was show up and tell my story, and you’d give me two hundred dollars for my time and pay for my flight. I want my money, and I want out of here.”

“Two hundred dollars?” Phoenix said. “That’s all it took to get you to try and hurt me again?”

“How can anything I say hurt you now? You’re out, aren’t you? There’s nothing more they can do to you. I might as well get the money.”

Corinne pressed a hand to her throat as if she needed to pry someone’s boot off it. “Is it true?” she gasped. “What Riley’s saying?”

Wearing an expression of concern, Corinne’s husband stood and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t listen to her, Mom,” Buddy said. “This is all Phoenix, trying to confuse us. She did this...”

“That’s ludicrous!” Riley shouted. “You guys are the ones who brought Penny here! But now that we’ve got the chance to talk to her, I want the truth. If you don’t—or can’t—accept being wrong, feel free to walk out.”

Tears were beginning to run down Penny’s face. “I didn’t do it.”

“Then why would your ex-husband say you did?” Helen asked.

Penny’s eyes took on a look of fear that reminded Phoenix of a cornered animal. “He’s bitter, angry. He’s an
ex
, for Christ’s sake. Some exes will do
anything
to get back at their former partners.”

“He didn’t sound bitter to me,” Riley said. “He told me part of him will always love you, but that you need help. That you’ve fallen so far, he doesn’t know if you’ll ever get back up.”

Closing her eyes, she covered her face, but the tears continued. Phoenix could see them dripping off her chin.

“Tell the truth,” Riley said, unyielding, insistent. “For once in your life, tell the fucking truth!”

She began to tremble. “I didn’t mean to hurt her,” she whispered through her fingers. “God knows I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It was—it was an
accident
. No one should be punished for an accident.”

Phoenix was so surprised that Penny had finally admitted her culpability that it took a second to sink in. She looked at Riley to see if he’d heard it, too. Then she looked around the room and saw that everyone else was equally stunned.

“And yet you made what you did even worse by letting an innocent person take the consequences,” Riley said. “For an accident like that, with no ill intent, you probably would’ve been sentenced to five years, if that. Instead, you let everyone believe Phoenix
tried
to run Lori down, and you let her sit in prison for
seventeen years
. She missed out on raising her son, and she had to come home to face the anger of the people who believed she’d murdered a member of their family.”

“I know! But I can’t fix that now! It’s in the past.” Penny crumpled to the carpet, sobbing so loudly that they could no longer understand her. Something about, “I never meant to hurt anyone. It was a joke.”

When she curled into a fetal position, Phoenix stood up to go to her. She wasn’t sure what she felt. It wasn’t forgiveness exactly. That would take a lot more time. But it was a profound sadness that even though Phoenix was the one who’d been punished, Penny
hadn’t
avoided the consequences. The lie she’d told had destroyed everything admirable about her.

“Come on.” Phoenix took her arm to help her up. “I’m guessing you won’t be getting the two hundred dollars you were hoping for. But Riley and I will drive you to the airport.”

It wasn’t until later, when they were on their way home, that Phoenix was able to ask Riley about Roger. “You told me he
didn’t
tell you that Penny yanked on the wheel,” she said.

He glanced over as he drove. “He didn’t—but
she
didn’t know that.”

“You
tricked
her into admitting the truth?” Phoenix cried.

Riley tucked a length of hair behind her ear as he gave her the same smile she’d dreamed about for seventeen years. “It was a bluff. But it was all I had. Thank God it worked. But I wish we could’ve gotten her to sign a statement accepting responsibility.” They’d tried, but by the time Riley had come up with the idea on their drive to the airport and they’d stopped to buy some paper, Penny had pulled herself together and refused. They’d sat in silence all the way to Sacramento. Then she’d gotten out, slammed the door and stalked off.

“It probably wouldn’t have held up in court, anyway,” Phoenix said. “Not without being notarized.”

“We should hire a lawyer,” he said. “I wish I’d thought of bringing one with us today, but I was too worried about how you’d be treated and the fact that I couldn’t come up with anything solid. It never even crossed my mind.” He shook his head. “Even if I’d thought of recording the conversation on my cell once we got there, we would’ve had
some
proof of what she admitted.”

“We have witnesses. Your parents won’t lie, will they?”

“No, but I’m sure the Mansfields would rather keep the truth quiet. They were so sure you were at fault, it’ll be more than a little embarrassing when everyone learns just how wrong they were. Fortunately, as much as my mother loves her best friend, she loves me more. We can depend on her to tell the truth.”

“Then that’s enough for me,” Phoenix said. “Let’s not waste our time fighting for more. I’ve heard about ex-cons suing for compensation. But it’s not easy to get, especially if there isn’t some sort of forensic proof that’d make the question of guilt
un
questionable. With someone like me? Even if we got Penny to repeat what she said to us today, they could say that memories are faulty. That she was coerced or whatever. There’d be so much red tape we’d never collect. As a matter of fact, we’d spend more money going after it than we’d ever receive.”

“But the system failed you. It took seventeen years of your life! And what about clearing your name? Isn’t that important to you?”

“I might pursue that at some point. Who can say if it’ll become more important to me later on? I just don’t want to deal with it right now, not when the people who matter to me the most know the truth. I just want to put it behind me, start over. Besides, it wasn’t the system that failed me. It was the integrity of one person. No system can compensate for a lack of integrity.”

“You’re serious.”

“Absolutely. At least it’s over. At least
you
know the truth and your family knows. That’s more than I’ve dared to hope for in a long, long time. And I have so much to look forward to.”

“Being with me and Jacob—that’s enough?”

“What more could I ask for?” Phoenix felt lighter than air. She’d be able to walk through Whiskey Creek with her head held high. She wouldn’t have to fear the Mansfields or endure the hatred that had barraged her before. She could go to Jake’s games without any hesitation and feel he had no reason to be ashamed of her. “I’ll never forget the way the Mansfields hung their heads after Penny broke down, and how apologetic your parents were.”

“They were wrong, and now they know it.” He threaded his fingers through hers. “So what do you think?”

She studied his profile as he drove. His tone indicated that he was taking the conversation in a different direction, but she had no idea
which
direction. “About what?”

He grinned. “Isn’t it time for you to make
me
a bracelet?”

* * *

Riley couldn’t wait to tell Jake what had happened with Penny, and he knew Phoenix was even more excited. She kept wringing her hands and shifting her weight while they stood outside the entrance of Just Like Mom’s and watched Jake park in the restaurant lot. Jake knew they were happy about something, because they’d invited him to join them for a celebration sundae. But he didn’t know what they were going to tell him.

“Hey!” The cleats on Jake’s shoes clicked on the walkway as he approached. He’d come straight from baseball practice, so he was sweaty and his uniform was covered in dirt. He’d asked if he should stop and shower first, but they’d been too eager to see him.

“Hi!” Phoenix rushed toward him and hugged him, which probably wasn’t a good idea, because she broke down in tears almost immediately.

Jake glanced at Riley as he returned the embrace, looking a little uncertain, and Riley winked to say he shouldn’t be concerned.

“We met with Penny today,” Phoenix announced with a sniff as she let him go.

Jake removed his baseball cap and put it on backward. “And?” He sounded even more uncertain than he looked.

“She finally told the truth.” Riley spoke up since Phoenix’s tears had welled up again, and she had to keep wiping her face. “She admitted that she was the one who caused Lori’s death.”

“Are you kidding?” Jake nearly yelled, he was so excited, which drew the attention of a party walking past. But Riley felt like shouting it to the whole world, anyway, and he was confident Phoenix felt the same.

Smiling through her tears, she shook her head and Jake swept her into his arms again. “Mom! Do you realize what this means?”

She laughed as he swung her around. “It means you no longer have to wonder about me or feel as if other people believe the worst,” she said.

“We believed you even before. Didn’t we, Dad?” he said. “Someone like you could never do anything like that.”

The sight of Jake clasping his mother with such happy relief made Riley emotional, too. He was afraid his voice could crack, so he cleared his throat in an attempt to conceal his emotions and nodded instead of speaking.

“Did Grandma and Grandpa hear it?” Jake asked, setting her down.

“They did,” Phoenix replied. “The Mansfields heard it, too. And we owe it all to your father. He’s the one who got her to admit that she pulled on the wheel.”

“How’d he do that?” Jake asked.

Riley had recovered enough to speak without losing control, so he interrupted before Phoenix could retell the story. “Let’s go in, and we’ll give you all the details.”

“This is awesome!” Jake told Phoenix.

Her smile stretched wider than Riley had ever seen. “It’s so good to be free—really free—at last,” she said, and slipped under Riley’s arm as they walked into the restaurant.

Epilogue

June 2

Dear Coop,

So much has happened since I got out that I don’t even know where to start. I’m happy. I guess that’s a good place to begin. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life—so happy that I’d go through ten more years of prison if I had to, in order to get where I am now. I still live on my mother’s property in a run-down trailer, but it’s not so bad, since I’ve made it my own. It lets me stay close to her and take care of her. She needs that. I haven’t even pressured her to get rid of the junk yet. I figure there’s time. We can take it in small increments, work with her limitations so that she’s not too miserable about the whole thing.

My bracelet business is growing like crazy. I’m surprised by how fast. I can barely keep up with the orders. Who knew they’d catch on? I just bought myself a new laptop (it’s a used one but that’s all I need for now) and ordered internet service. Hallelujah for the small things! I’m saving up for a car next. But that will take a while. I put some money on your books, by the way.

I’ve included a picture of Jake. Isn’t he handsome? He’s the best son a mother could have. He comes to see me often, and I go to all his baseball games. You should see him pitch! I’m sure he’ll get a college scholarship (and I’ll be weeping in the audience when they award it to him).

Now you’re probably chuckling about the other picture. You always teased me that I’d get with a man right away after going so long without...you know. But that’s me and Riley. Yep,
the
Riley. LOL! I never could get over him. I think you knew that. Only now being in love isn’t such a bad thing, since he claims he wants to marry me. It might take a few months to actually convince me that he means it. But he’s trying, and I’m fine to let him keep trying—for a while.

At least he knows I didn’t kill Lori on purpose. That’s the important part. How he figured it out is a long story—too long to write now—but Penny (the other girl in the car when the accident happened) finally admitted the truth. You’re probably wondering if that means Lori’s family is going to try and have her prosecuted. I doubt it. I think they understand there’s not much to be gained by punishing someone who never meant to do anything wrong in the first place. And even if they want their vengeance, prison would be an improvement over the life Penny’s leading now. Turns out she’s a junkie, living here and there and all over, with few friends and very little contact with her family. Things never got
that
bad for me. I’ve had my fair share of enemies—this heart of mine has been shattered in a million pieces—but even during the worst of times, I had you. One of God’s tender mercies.

Love,

Phoenix

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from COME HOME TO ME by Brenda Novak.