Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
My phone rang and I dug it out of my back pocket, groaning when I saw Mom flash on the screen. My mother and I had a strained relationship, but she at least attempted to keep in touch.
Falling back across the bed, I put the phone to my ear. “Hello.”
“Hello, son. My one and only son, might I add.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, that sounds like the beginning of a guilt trip.”
“No guilt,” she said haughtily. “I just think it says a lot that I got a call from your aunt saying you were in Clovert and I am the very last person to know.”
Jesus, word traveled fast in that town. “It wasn’t a planned trip. Some…business came up.”
“Oh, I’ve heard all about your business there, Camden. What I don’t understand is why you would fly all the way across the country to get into a tuffle with Jonathan again. Can you just leave that man alone for once?”
I barked a laugh. “Is that what you think is happening, Mom? A tuffle?”
“I honestly don’t know what to think. You’ve spent your entire life fighting with him. At some point, I just assumed you’d grow up.”
Clenching my teeth, I suddenly sat up, gripping the phone so tightly my fingertips turned red. “Oh, I’ve grown up. I went to law school, and while I was there, they taught me that it’s not okay for a cop to harass a victim’s family and especially not pull her over and plant drugs in her purse.”
“My God, Camden. Is this about that girl again?”
“Her name is Nora, Mom. Say it with me: Nor-a. And she’s not some girl. In case you don’t remember, dear old Auntie Caskey’s son and Jonathan’s prized brother raped her.”
“Jesus, Camden. Don’t be so crude.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that uncomfortable for you to hear? You know what else I bet is uncomfortable? Being a twelve-year-old girl and having someone force themselves on you.”
She let out a loud sigh. “And here we go again. After all these years, you’re still stuck on this. We don’t know if he did that to her.”
“I picked the splitters out of her back!” I boomed. “But fine. You want to pretend Josh didn’t do anything to Nora. Let’s talk about facts. We know he did do it to Thea. You can’t argue with that. There are medical records that say otherwise.”
She could have argued a lot of things right then. My mother was a bright, educated woman. After marrying my dad, she’d never needed to work a day in her life, but she was intelligent—albeit a little Southern Stepford at times. She could have pointed out how death had been ruled an unconstitutional punishment for rape. She could have stated Josh had deserved a fair trial before a jury of his peers. She even could have just kept her fucking mouth shut altogether.
My mother chose none of the above.
“Have you ever considered that maybe it was consensual?”
My.
Head.
Exploded.
“Are you off your fucking rocker?” I shouted, shooting to my feet.
“Camden,” she hissed. “Don’t you dare raise your voice at me like that.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I began pacing the room like a caged animal. “You have no idea what you are talking about. Just when I start to think you aren’t like the rest of your screwed-up family, you start spouting shit like that.”
“They’re your family too. And you’re going to embarrass all of us if you don’t drop this little grudge you have against your cousin. He’s a police officer. Arresting people who break the law is his job.”
“And upholding that law is mine. I don’t give a shit if the person is a Caskey, a Kennedy, or Christ himself.”
“You don’t mean that.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “You have no idea just how much I do mean it. Look, I have to go. Take care of yourself.”
“Camden!” she shouted across the line, but it was too late.
I pulled the phone from my ear and hit the end button.
It wasn’t two seconds before my phone started ringing again, but I did not have the time, the energy, or the patience to deal with any more bullshit. I knew better than to assume she’d give up though, I’d be lucky if she wasn’t already in her car, on the way to Clovert. Whatever. My mom was the least of my worries at the moment.
I tossed it onto the bed and continued to pace, hoping to burn away enough of the adrenaline so I could actually catch a few hours of sleep and be worth a damn the next day.
And to think, I’d assumed keeping my hands off Nora was going to be the hardest part of this trip.
“I’m sorry. Come again,” I whispered across the phone, slowly sinking down onto the couch.
My principal cleared her throat. “It’s just temporary.”