From the moment I met the man wearing the mountain-man clothes and staying in the remote cabin, I had been enthralled. I didn’t want to change the man he was then, and I wouldn’t change the man he was now. Leaving the hospital on his own two feet was Van’s statement to the world.
Donovan Sherman was back.
He was alive.
He was strong.
And as always, he was in charge.
Van didn’t need to say any of that aloud. He proclaimed it with each step.
At the entrance to the hospital, we were met by a small group of reporters. Pictures and video captured his departure. While neither Van nor I offered a comment, the questions were hurled our way. With a wave and a slight grin, Van and I disappeared into the back seat of Michael’s car.
Now after a flight to Ashland where a car was waiting for Michael to drive us the final leg of our journey, we were finally home.
“I need to call Margaret,” I said. “Everything is perfect.”
Van had his phone out of his pocket. “I can see the floor plan.”
“I’ll go see the third floor,” I volunteered. Turning back to Van, I said, “Unless you need me.”
“Go.” He lifted his chin. “Look for both of us.”
Michael stayed with Van as I went with Albert.
As we passed through the living room, I paused at the front door.
My curiosity got the better of me, leading me through the French doors to the large entrance. This was where Madison shot Van. I’d been told the story, yet standing here I could see there was nothing, no hole or blood. A cold chill came to my skin as I fought unsuccessfully to block images of what I’d heard. It was as if the ghosts of the past were hiding but not gone.
Albert waited.
“It’s hard to believe Van was shot right here.”
Albert nodded. “It was hard to believe when it happened, and I was right here.”
“Was Madison wearing my ring?” Van said he saw it.
Albert nodded.
“I was wearing it when I woke in Chicago.”
“Yes, ma’am. It didn’t belong to her. She’d already taken too much.”
I looked down at the diamond and back to Albert. “Thank you.”
“I think I forgot to tell that part to the police.”
“What part?”
“If you want to know more…”
I could ask for his eyewitness account, but I knew more than I wanted to know. Those memories would forever be present in the scar Van would have on his abdomen. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Together Albert and I went up the stairs to the second-floor landing. With each step, I searched for any outward sign of the invasion. My thoughts filled with the fact that Madison had been in the house without our knowledge for possibly days.
Together we made it to the third floor. Using a key, Albert unlocked the door at the top of the second set of stairs, pushed the door inward, and turned on the overhead lights. Much as it had been weeks ago, the room was empty.
“I don’t remember seeing anything when Madison brought me up here,” I said. “What made you think she had been staying?”