The Courage Tree - Diane Chamberlain [120]
Gravel crunched in the Ayr Creek driveway, and Janine paused the videotape. Standing up, she pulled aside the curtain to look outside. Joe’s car was headed toward the cottage, and she watched as he pulled into the turnaround.
“You’re here,” he said, surprised, when she met him at the door.
“Yes.”
“I was coming over to see your parents,” he said, “but when I saw your car in the turnaround, I thought I’d see if you were home.”
“Come in,” she said, standing back to let him into the cottage.
Joe glanced at the television, at the still image of Sophie and the clown.
“Damn,” he said, his voice quiet. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shut his eyes.
“Sit down,” she said.
He drew in a long breath as he opened his eyes and took a seat on the sofa.
“I’m relieved to see you here, Janine,” he said. “To see that you’re not still hunting for Sophie.”
“I haven’t given up, if that’s what you mean,” she said, sitting at the other end of the sofa. “I had to come back because Lucas was with me, and he got sick.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
She shook her head. “You’re not going to believe this. He has end-stage renal disease.”
“What?”
“I know. It’s crazy. I guess he kept it from me because he didn’t want me to have to worry about him when I already had Sophie to worry about.”
“So…what happened? I mean, what sort of symptoms was he having?”
“He’s on dialysis,” she said. “That’s why he had to come back here the other night. It’s also why he missed some work when he was the Ayr Creek gardener. So, he was having the sort of symptoms you’d expect from someone who wasn’t being careful about getting the right amount of dialysis. He was very tired and weak and short of breath. His face and hands and feet were swollen. He’s in dialysis right now, and they’re probably going to admit him to the hospital to get him stabilized.”
“I just can’t believe this,” Joe said. “Do you think that’s why he’s been so interested in Sophie?”
“Of course,” she said. “Or, at least, that’s part of it.”
“What’s the rest of it?”
“He had a daughter with kidney disease, too, Joe. She died when she was ten.”
He looked at her blankly. “Have you known that all along?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I only found out tonight, and not from Lucas, either. His nurse let it slip.”
Joe looked at the still image on the television screen. “Janine…” he began, but his voice trailed off.
“What?” she prompted.
He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “I need to get some answers from Lucas, that’s all. This is getting weirder and weirder.”
“What is?” she asked. “Answers about what?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that he wound up working at Ayr Creek, where there just happens to be a little girl with the same disease his daughter had?”
“Maybe that’s why he took the job,” she said. “Remember, my father said that Lucas seemed uninterested in working at Ayr Creek until he mentioned that Sophie lived here, a little girl with kidney disease. I think Ayr Creek probably seemed like a step down from Monticello for him, but when he heard about Sophie being here, he couldn’t resist.”
“Well, maybe,” Joe said, but he didn’t seem at all convinced. He looked at the TV again. “Do you think I could borrow some of these videos?” he asked. “I’d love the chance to look at them sometime when I’m in…a little better control.”
“Of course.” She leaned forward to pick up three of the tapes from the coffee table. “I’ve already gone through these,” she said, handing them to him.
“Thanks.” He rested the boxes in his lap, running his fingers over the smooth cover of the one on top. “Are you serious about going back to the woods to look for Sophie again?” he asked.
“Absolutely. She’s out there, Joe. I mean, I realize that from a logical perspective, she may not have been able to survive, but I still want to find her. And the truth is…I still have a feeling she’s okay.”
“I’d offer to go with you, but I—”
“No, thanks,” she said. “I have no problem going