PART 7 — WHAT HAPPENED TO REBECCA
Jeremy went completely still.
Randall’s voice was still coming through my phone.
“He disappeared because he found out what Jeremy did to Rebecca.”
I looked at my husband.
His face had lost all color.
“What did you do?”
Jeremy shook his head.
“Jill, hang up.”
Randall laughed.
“That’s right, Jeremy. Tell her to hang up.”
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“No.”
Jeremy stepped toward me.
“Jill.”
“No more protecting me.”
“I’m not protecting you.”
“Then who are you protecting?”
He didn’t answer.
Randall did.
“Himself.”
Jeremy snapped, “Shut your mouth.”
Randall’s voice turned almost cheerful.
“Ask him about the night Rebecca died.”
Lacey covered her mouth.
Tyler stared at his father.
Emma whispered, “What happened?”
Jeremy looked like he might be sick.
I spoke into the phone.
“Tell me.”
Randall paused.
Then said, “Jeremy was there.”
My stomach dropped.
Jeremy shouted, “That’s enough.”
Randall continued.
“He was the last person to see her alive.”
“Stop.”
“And he never told police the truth.”
I looked at Jeremy.
“Is that true?”
He didn’t answer.
That silence hurt worse than Randall’s words.
“Jeremy.”
“Yes.”
Tyler stepped backward.
“Dad.”
Jeremy rubbed both hands over his face.
“Yes. I saw Rebecca the night she died.”
I nearly dropped the phone.
Randall laughed softly.
“Finally.”
I hung up.
Jeremy immediately said, “Why did you do that?”
“Because I want the truth from you.”
“He’ll twist everything.”
“Then don’t give him anything to twist.”
Jeremy looked at Tyler.
Then Lacey.
Then Emma.
Finally me.
“Rebecca called me around midnight.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
“The night she died?”
“Yes.”
“What did she want?”
“She was scared.”
“Of Randall?”
Jeremy hesitated.
“Yes.”
Lacey whispered, “She was still seeing him?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said she was your ex.”
“She was.”
I crossed my arms.
“But Caleb was yours.”
Jeremy looked down.
“I believed he was.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Yes. I believed Caleb was my son.”
“Did Rebecca ever tell you Randall might be his father?”
“No.”
“Never?”
“Never.”
Jeremy sat down.
“She called me and said Randall had been threatening her.”
“Why?”
“She had documents.”
Of course.
Always documents.
“What documents?”
“Loan records. Company transfers. Old property files.”
“Connected to Mercer Roofing?”
“Yes.”
“How did she get them?”
“She used to do bookkeeping for Randall.”
Lacey looked shocked.
“I didn’t know that.”
Jeremy nodded.
“Years ago.”
I asked, “What did Rebecca want from you?”
“She wanted me to take the papers.”
“Why you?”
“Because she trusted me.”
Tyler let out a bitter laugh.
Jeremy looked at him.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Tyler turned away.
I said, “Keep going.”
Jeremy took a breath.
“I drove to her house.”
“What time?”
“A little after one.”
“Was Caleb there?”
“No.”
“Where was he?”
“Working nights at a warehouse.”
“And Rebecca?”
“She was crying.”
Jeremy’s voice broke slightly.
“She kept saying she had made a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“She wouldn’t say.”
“She had documents?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to them?”
“She gave me a box.”
I stared at him.
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jeremy.”
“I don’t.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I put it in my truck.”
“Then?”
“She asked me to stay.”
“Did you?”
“For about an hour.”
“What happened?”
“She calmed down.”
“And then?”
“I left.”
“What time?”
“Maybe two-thirty.”
“And she died when?”
He closed his eyes.
“Police estimated between three and five.”
The room went silent.
“How?”
Jeremy didn’t answer.
I stepped closer.
“How did Rebecca die?”
“Her car went off the road.”
“A crash?”
“Yes.”
“Accident?”
“That’s what police said.”
“But Randall says you did something.”
Jeremy looked at me.
“I didn’t kill Rebecca.”
I studied his face.
“I didn’t ask if you killed her.”
He froze.
There it was.
Another hidden piece.
“What are you not telling me?”
Jeremy stood.
“She followed me.”
“Who?”
“Rebecca.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“You left her house and she followed you?”
“Yes.”
“In her car?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“A few miles.”
“What happened?”
“She started flashing her headlights.”
“Did you stop?”
“No.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Because I was angry.”
“At her?”
“At everything.”
“What did she want?”
“I didn’t know.”
“So you kept driving?”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
“I saw her headlights disappear.”
Lacey whispered, “Oh God.”
Jeremy’s eyes filled.
“I turned around.”
“What did you find?”
“Her car was down an embankment.”
Emma covered her mouth.
Tyler stared at his father.
“Was she alive?”
Jeremy whispered, “Yes.”
The room went dead silent.
I could barely speak.
“She was alive?”
“Yes.”
“Did you call 911?”
Jeremy’s face collapsed.
“Not immediately.”
My whole body went cold.
“What did you do?”
“She was trapped.”
“Jeremy.”
“She was bleeding.”
“WHAT DID YOU DO?”
“I tried to get her out.”
“Then call for help.”
“I know.”
“How long?”
He looked down.
“How long?”
“Maybe twenty minutes.”
I felt sick.
“Twenty minutes?”
“I panicked.”
“Why?”
“Because of the box.”
I stared at him.
“What box?”
“The documents Rebecca gave me.”
It clicked.
“You were afraid police would find them.”
“Yes.”
“So while she was dying, you were worried about yourself.”
“I was worried Randall would know.”
“Did you leave her there?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I drove the box away.”
Tyler whispered, “Dad.”
Jeremy looked at his son.
“I drove about a mile and hid it.”
My stomach turned.
“Then you came back?”
“Yes.”
“And called 911?”
“Yes.”
“Was she alive?”
He started crying.
“Barely.”
I closed my eyes.
“How long after the crash did you finally call?”
“Thirty-four minutes.”
I couldn’t breathe.
Thirty-four minutes.
Maybe it wouldn’t have changed anything.
Maybe it would have.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was he chose secrecy first.
Again.
Always secrecy.
I asked, “Did Rebecca die at the scene?”
“No.”
“At the hospital?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“About an hour later.”
“And did she speak?”
Jeremy nodded.
My eyes opened.
“What did she say?”
“She said one word.”
Lacey leaned forward.
“What?”
Jeremy whispered, “Caleb.”
Tyler turned away.
I asked, “What did you tell police?”
“That I came upon the crash.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t tell them she had followed you?”
“No.”
“The documents?”
“No.”
“The thirty-four minutes?”
“No.”
“No wonder Caleb disappeared when he found out.”
Jeremy shook his head.
“He didn’t know all of it.”
“Then what did he know?”
“I don’t know.”
Lacey stared at Jeremy.
“Where did you hide the box?”
He looked at her.
“I went back the next morning.”
“And?”
“It was gone.”
My skin prickled.
“Someone took it?”
“Yes.”
“Who knew where you hid it?”
“No one.”
“Then how?”
Jeremy’s voice dropped.
“I think someone followed me.”
“Randall?”
“Maybe.”
“Price?”
Jeremy looked at me.
“I don’t know anymore.”
My phone buzzed.
A text from Caleb.
One word.
LEAVE.
Then another.
NOW.
I stared at the screen.
Jeremy noticed.
“What?”
I showed him.
Tyler grabbed his backpack.
“Good enough for me.”
I looked toward the front windows.
Nothing outside.
Still.
Too still.
“Everybody move.”
Lacey struggled to stand.
Emma helped her.
Jeremy grabbed the black duffel he had packed.
I stopped him.
“What’s in there?”
“Clothes.”
“Open it.”
He stared at me.
“Jill.”
“Open it.”
He unzipped it.
Clothes.
Shoes.
A flashlight.
And a small revolver.
I stared at it.
“No.”
“I have a permit.”
“I don’t care.”
“If Randall comes—”
“We are not turning this into something worse.”
Tyler looked uneasy.
Jeremy removed the gun.
He locked it in the metal cabinet.
I watched him pocket the key.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“The key.”
He handed it over.
I put it in the kitchen drawer.
“Now we go.”
We slipped out through the back.
No lights.
No talking.
Tyler and Emma went with Lacey in my car.
Jeremy followed in his truck.
I didn’t tell him where we were going.
I didn’t know.
I just drove.
South first.
Then east.
Back roads.
Every pair of headlights behind us made my pulse jump.
After fifteen minutes, Tyler leaned forward.
“Mom.”
“What?”
“There’s a truck behind us.”
I checked the mirror.
Dark pickup.
Two car lengths back.
“Has it been there long?”
“Since we turned off Highway 31.”
My hands tightened around the wheel.
“Jeremy’s behind it.”
I checked again.
His truck was farther back.
Then the dark pickup moved closer.
Emma whispered, “Is that Randall?”
“I can’t tell.”
I turned right without signaling.
The pickup turned too.
Lacey grabbed the door handle.
“Jill.”
“I know.”
I sped up.
The truck followed.
Tyler twisted around.
“Dad’s flashing his lights.”
I checked the mirror.
Jeremy was trying to pass.
The pickup blocked him.
My heart started hammering.
“Call 911.”
Tyler pulled out his phone.
No signal.
“Nothing.”
Of course.
I took another turn.
Gravel road.
Trees on both sides.
Bad choice.
Very bad choice.
The pickup came closer.
Then Jeremy’s truck suddenly surged forward.
He clipped the pickup’s rear corner.
The pickup swerved.
Lacey screamed.
Jeremy passed on the shoulder and pulled beside us.
He pointed ahead.
Then pointed left.
A gas station.
Lights.
People.
I aimed for it.
The dark pickup slowed.
Then turned around.
Gone.
We pulled into the gas station.
I got out shaking.
Jeremy jumped from his truck.
“Everyone okay?”
Tyler nodded.
Emma was crying.
Lacey looked pale.
I looked at Jeremy.
“Did you see the driver?”
“No.”
“Plate?”
“Covered.”
Of course.
Then my phone buzzed.
Caleb.
A picture.
I opened it.
It showed a dark pickup parked outside my house earlier that afternoon.
Same truck.
The next message said:
PRICE’S.
I stared at it.
Jeremy read over my shoulder.
“No.”
Another message appeared.
CHECK THE DRIVER-SIDE DENT.
We looked at the picture.
There was a dent near the front wheel.
Same place.
Same shape.
Jeremy whispered, “That was Price.”
Maybe.
Or someone using his truck.
I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
Then Caleb sent another message.
YOU NEED TO FIND THE BOX REBECCA GAVE JEREMY.
I typed:
IT DISAPPEARED.
His response came instantly.
NO.
I KNOW WHERE IT IS.
Jeremy grabbed my arm.
“What?”
Another message.
I MOVED IT THE MORNING AFTER SHE DIED.
Jeremy’s face changed.
“You knew?”
I typed:
WHERE?
Caleb sent coordinates.
Then a short message.
OLD BAPTIST CHURCH OUTSIDE CULLEOKA.
UNDER THE FLOOR BENEATH THE PULPIT.
Jeremy whispered, “That church.”
“You know it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He looked sick.
“That’s where Rebecca and I used to meet when we were teenagers.”
I stared at him.
Then I remembered Caleb’s description of the hidden archive.
A train.
Water.
A church bell at six.
I felt the pieces snap together.
“Jeremy.”
“What?”
“The archive.”
His eyes widened.
The church wasn’t just where Caleb hid Rebecca’s box.
It might be where Randall hid everything.
And Caleb had been giving us clues without saying it outright.
I typed:
ARE YOU THERE?
No response.
Again:
CALEB?
Nothing.
Then one final message appeared.
Not from Caleb’s number.
Unknown number.
DON’T GO TO THE CHURCH.
I stared at it.
Another message followed.
CALEB IS LYING TO YOU.
Then a photo arrived.
It showed Caleb.
Alive.
Sitting in a chair.
Hands tied behind his back.
Blood on his shirt.
And standing behind him, visible only from the neck down, was a man wearing a sheriff’s badge.
TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 8…
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