The Grove by John Rector Read Free Book Online

the other.
    Jessica’s ring.

CHAPTER 11
     
    I walked through the field and crossed the ravine to the cottonwood grove. There was no wind, and the trees were silent and still. I saw the black fabric of Jessica’s uniform in the bend of corn beyond the trees, and I squeezed the ring tight in my hand, feeling it dig into my palm.
    I stopped at the edge of the grove, looked down at the ring, and traced the embossed goal posts with my finger.
    I still couldn’t believe it.
    I had no memory of taking the ring off her finger and no idea how it’d wound up in my pocket, but it was there just the same. The only explanation I could think of was one I wasn’t ready to accept.
    I looked at Jessica’s body in the corn then moved closer. The rain had been heavy the night before, and the ground around her was soft and damp. If I had been out there last night, any sign had been washed away.
    Jessica’s uniform was wet and covered with leaves that had been knocked loose off the corn. I crouched next to her and brushed them away, then looked at her right hand. The palm was facing up, but I could see the metal band on her middle finger.
    The ring was still there.
    I held up the one I’d found in my pocket and examined it again, then reached for her right hand and turned it over.
    The ring she had on was a JHS class ring, just like the one I’d found, except this one had a baseball and an American flag embossed on the side.
    My ring.
    I felt the air rush out of my lungs and tore at the ring on her finger, trying to get it to come off. It was tight, and when I pulled, I felt her skin slide loose over the bone.
    When it came off I held the ring up for a better look. I knew every scratch and imperfection. It was definitely my ring.
    I sat down hard on the ground next to her body and tried to calm myself. It didn’t work.
    I had been out the night before. I’d swapped the rings and had no memory of doing it.
    I got to my knees and put my ring in my pocket, then took Jessica’s hand and tried to slide her ring back on her middle finger. It wouldn’t go. Her finger had swollen, and the ring wouldn’t slide past the second knuckle.
    I felt my heart throb in the back of my throat, and tried to peel the tape off the band. My hands shook and it took a few tries, but eventually the tape came off. When I tried again, the ring slid on easily.
    I put her hand back at her side, palm up, then stood and gathered the tape from the ground and started back toward the grove.
    I told myself that no one knew the tape had been there and that everything was going to be OK.
    As long as the rings were all there was.
    I thought about the night before and tried to remember anything else I might’ve done, but all I remembered was climbing into bed and going to sleep, nothing more.
    I’d never had a blackout so total, and it scared me. In the past I’d always been able to piece together my actions, but this time there was only emptiness.
    A skip in my memory.
    I passed through the grove and back into the ravine. My tractor was still where I’d left it. I walked over and leaned against it and tried to think.
    The idea of going back on my pills didn’t seem quite so bad anymore.
    I was in over my head, and it was obvious.
    I wanted to find the people responsible for Jessica’s death, and I wanted to show Liz she could trust me again, but without my pills I wouldn’t be able to do either.
    I had to stop kidding myself.
    I climbed out of the ravine and walked through the break in the cornfield toward home. As I walked, I heard Jessica’s voice in my mind. Not strong like before, but just as clear.
    “It never used to fit. They’ll know.”
    I stopped walking and looked down at the crumple of tape in my hand, then back toward the grove.
    When they found the body, they’d know I’d been out there. I wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
    They’d know.
    Everyone would know.
    The cornfield seemed to spin, and