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Back The Lighthouse Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. PART ONE
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. PART TWO
  13. 12
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 18
  18. 19
  19. 21
  20. 22
  21. 23
  22. 24
  23. 25
  24. 26
  25. 27
  26. 28
  27. 30
  28. 31
  29. 32
  30. 33
  31. 34
  32. 35
  33. 36
  34. 37
  35. 38
  36. 39
  37. 40
  38. 41
  39. 42
  40. 43
  41. PART THREE
  42. 44
  43. 45
  44. 46
  45. 47
  46. 49
  47. 50
  48. 51
  49. 52
  50. EPILOGUE

“I wish that were true, Jack, but Helen was the glue that held our family together. I’m lost without her.”

There was silence for a moment as Kevin’s thoughts were derailed by the jovial chatter filling the bar. He moved the phone away and quietly sniffed back a tear before wiping his nose on the cuff of his shirt.

“Can I ask you something, Jack?”

“Anything.”

“Do you ever stop and think about it?”

“About what?”

“About this job we do, and why we do it.”

Jack went silent for a moment, needing a moment to process the sudden swerve in the conversation. “You know why we do this,” he finally said.

“To protect the ones we love, right?”

Jack hesitated again. “Don’t go there, Kev. There’s no use in beating yourself up over what happened. Helen’s death was a tragedy, a terrible car accident. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that’s all. There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

“I know, but that’s not what I mean. I want to know if you’ve thought about what this job does to you. The sacrifices we’ve had to make, the time away from our families, the awful side of humanity we’ve had to bear witness to.”

“It’s not an easy life, I won’t deny that.”

“But do you ever wonder if it’s all been worth it?”

“Kev, where exactly are you going with this?”

Before Kevin could answer, he was interrupted by the bartender, the same overzealous woman who had checked him and Amy in earlier.

“Something wrong with the pour, mister?”

Kevin stared at her for a moment. “Jack, we’ll have to pick this up later.” He ended the call and put his phone down. “I’m sorry?”

The bartender gave a not-so-subtle nod at Kevin’s whiskey, which had been sitting untouched for so long that the ice had melted and the liquid inside had turned a pallid shade of yellow.

“Your drink,” she said. “Something wrong with it?”

“Oh, not thirsty, I guess.”

“Would ya like another? On the house?”

“Thanks, but no.”

“You’re a cop, aren’t you?”

“Pardon me?”

“Saw your badge when you checked in, right there in your wallet.”

“Just here to enjoy a quiet drink,” Kevin said, mustering a smile that was obviously fake.

“Except you’re not. You haven’t touched it.” She kneeled next to his table, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’m not one to pry, but you wouldn’t be down here in some official capacity now, would ya? Perhaps investigating that big case?”

“Really, ma’am, if you don’t mind.”

The bartender straightened and threw a rag over her shoulder.

“Suit yourself,” she said, and walked off.

PART TWO

PART
TWO

12

12