Chapter 39

If I can be of any help, please call.

Larry.

Derrick watched as—there at the side of the snowy road, in the brilliant sunshine, with tears once again glistening on his cheeks—Cooper removed his gloves, pulled back his coat, and put the bracelet on his wrist next to his own. Then, calling to Lexie, he walked up the drive toward the cabin.

When they reached the house, Derrick could hear the phone ringing inside. Cooper walked up the stairs, stomped the snow off his boots and went in. He slowly walked to the hutch where the phone was situated. The call had gone to the answering machine.

“Hi, this is Coop. I can’t come to the phone right now but I’d appreciate it if you’d like to leave a message. Please wait for the sound of the beep.”

The machine gave its signal and a voice came over the speaker.

“Hey, Coop, this is Ned.”

Derrick looked at Cooper to gauge his reaction…there was none that he could see. He just stood leaning on the counter top, staring at the answering device.