“I always believed that mothers and sons had a special bond,” Taylor continued as they chased the ambulance across Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road, past the numbered streets from Twenty-First to First on the north side, some of which had names instead of numbers, though Annie did not know why.

“Kevin and Donna do have a special bond,” Annie replied.

“I wanted one with Jonas. But it didn’t work out that way.”

Annie tried to think of something kind to say, instead of asking Taylor to please be quiet so she could concentrate on what might be going on in the back of the vehicle ahead. Would Kevin text her if anything else happened?

She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Taylor. But have you heard from Jonas? Is he settled in . . . somewhere?”

“If he’s settled anywhere, it would be at his grandparents’ place in New York. He has no money of his own. But no, I haven’t heard a word.”

“I’m sorry, Taylor. I wish I could have helped.”

The ambulance turned right, down County Road; Taylor steered the pickup behind it. “You could start by finding out who that bone belongs to. I think Jonas became obsessed with thinking it’s his father. For some reason, he still thinks I might have killed the only man I ever loved. So, yeah. The sooner you find that out, the better. Though I don’t expect that if it’s him, they’ll be able to tell from half a skull that I didn’t push him.”

Annie didn’t respond. She certainly didn’t want to tell Taylor what Lucy had said about the email Jonas had received from the woman up in Boston. Taylor had enough reasons to be angry at the world right then.

They passed Farm Neck Golf Club where former President Obama was known to play, then they slipped through the intersection where Barnes Road cut across to Wing Road toward the center of Oak Bluffs. Just as Annie knew the emergency protocol on Chappy, she also knew the route to the hospital.

Though it seemed like more than an hour, only minutes had elapsed when they pulled into the ER entrance at the hospital, where the EMTs were already rolling the gurney from the ambulance. Annie sucked in her breath and got out of Taylor’s truck.

* * *

“No change?” Annie questioned Kevin once they were inside and Donna had been whisked down the hall to a private room. They’d been asked to take a seat in the waiting room until the doctor examined her.

They sat, pitched halfway off the chairs, ready to leap when they were told they could go in.

Kevin shook his head, then rubbed his hands together. “She came to—twice—in the ambulance, but went out again. Now I know she’s sicker than we thought.”