Chapter 79 The Tarnished Ring

Chapter 79 The Tarnished Ring
It had been the longest two nights of Shayne’s life. She missed Jeffrey so much that it felt just like having a hole punched through her chest. Despite her sadness, she knew she had done the right thing. She found her rest and hope in knowing that although he wasn’t with her, Jeffrey was safe.

When she made it to breakfast on Thursday morning it was really the first time she had been out of room since Jeffrey left. She found Brian and Kevin both sitting at the table looking like their dog had died. The table was empty except for Kevin’s coffee cup and Brian’s milk glass. The minute they saw her, they both jumped from the table and ran to hug her. She could feel the tension in the room.

Kevin released her and disappeared into the kitchen while Brian led Shayne to the table. She sat down silently, and Kevin handed her a glass of ice water. Both of them sat down across from her.

“Not hungry this morning?” She asked that she pointed to the empty table. She vaguely wondered if any of them had eaten anything in days.

“I guess not,” Brian said. “I'm not feeling like doing much of anything these days, it seems.” He looked away. “But I guess we should be asking how you're doing?”

“I'm holding up as well as can be expected.” Shane said. “I'll go back to work tomorrow. It seems weird that life goes on, but it does. Even when I'm feeling like I do. But I keep telling myself that I can't give up. I have to think about Baby Bean now.” She gripped the edge of the table. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I keep telling myself, at least he's alive. He might not be with me, but he's alive,” Shayne say that she tried not to sob.

“You're right,” Kevin said. “And you're right about life going on. Brian and I will try to go back to work tomorrow too. I told the boss that Jeffrey left for training camp early. I apologized on Jeffrey's behalf and explained that he didn't get any notice. Old Man Harris says if football doesn't work out, Jeffrey can have his old job back anytime. I think it just means we're all going to miss him.”

“What about you Brian? I never heard the details of your date. Did it go well?” Shayne said changing the subject.

Brian smirked. “We're going out again on Friday. He has been like a rock through this whole thing.”

“Have you told your mom?” Kevin asked.

Brian laughed, he understood the question. “Yeah, my mom knows, she's known for a while. I sent her a picture through email already.”

“What about Jamie? Has anyone talked to him?” Shayne asked.

“We gave him the same story that we gave Old Man Harris. Jamie was pretty pissed off that Jeffrey didn't at least say goodbye. He's been acting weird for the last couple of weeks. I'm starting to worry about him.” Kevin explained.

“I think maybe I'll slip down and try to talk to him.” Shayne said. “How about we make breakfast right quick, and that'll give me an excuse to see him.”

Shayne and Kevin fried up the bacon and eggs, while Brian made toast. Afterwards Shayne slipped down the stairs. Seeing all the work that Jeffrey had put into the basement only made her heart ache more. She stopped just outside Jamie’s door to catch her breath before she knocked, so Jamie wouldn’t see her upset.

As she tried to wrangle her emotions, she heard Jamie speaking to someone. It took her a second to realize he was on the telephone. The small bits of the conversation he was having drew her in and the next thing she knew she was definitely eavesdropping.

“What do you want me to tell you? Jeffrey's gone. He left sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday night, but I didn't even see him. Kevin told me he went to that training sports camp. And Shane hasn't been out of her room in days.” Jamie said to whomever was on the phone. He sounded frustrated and angry.

Shayne couldn’t hear what was being said to him on the other end of the phone. She could only hear Jamie. Whatever the person said, only seemed to make Jamie mad.

“I can't help that. I know we need the money. I need it worse than you do. I promised a lot of people a lot of things to get what I have. I was banking on a football scholarship. The worst part is that Shayne and Jeffrey don't even appreciate the money. It should have always rightfully been mine anyway. I had a plan, but Jeffrey was always getting in the way,” Jamie complained. Shayne couldn't believe what she was hearing. She pressed her ear to the door.

“You think I don't know that! Without that money, there's no way out of this town for me. I lied, I've been lying. There's no scholarship for me. I didn’t get into college. Once the recruiters figured out that my transcripts were doctored, they dropped me like a hot potato. There's no future for me without that money.” Jamie sounded desperate. He was quiet a few minutes while he listened to the part of the conversation she couldn’t hear.

“But there's nothing I can do now. Jeffrey's gone and I don't know when he's coming back. I cut Jeffrey's brake line Wednesday morning before they told me the news. Without him here to drive the stupid car, it was pointless. He can’t have an unfortunate accident if he's in Virginia. It was all for nothing, just like planting that fake will. We can’t collect the money if either of them are still around.” He hissed.

Shane was horrified. The realization of what Jamie was saying sank in. If Shane hadn't sent Jeffrey to the future, he would have died in a car crash caused by his so-called best friend! Tears sprang to her eyes. She was completely gut shot.

“Shut up Shawna,” Jamie screamed into the phone. “Killing Shayne won't do us any good and so we have a way to get rid of Jeffrey too. If there was another way, I would do it. I'm not a murderer, I just have to do what I have to do. We just have to wait.”

She couldn’t believe it. This was twice that Shawna and Jamie had taken Jeffrey from her. As purple light filled the room, she made the decision it was going to be the last time.