Now Vince looked confused.
“What then?” he asked, his brows drawn together.
“There were…” Lace sucked in a fortifying breath and started again.
“Two kids in a truck decided to go out and cause a bit of mischief that night,” she managed. “They were drinking. Their judgement was impaired, and they thought it would be a lark to take their vehicle out onto the ice and run down a bunch of fishing huts.”
“Oh, no,” Vince moaned, reaching over to pick up her hand. “I get the picture, Lace. You don’t have to go any further.”
“Yeah. You can imagine what happened,” she agreed, a tear poised to leak from one eye. “The only blessing is that the coroner said they died instantly. They didn’t know what hit them, and were probably having a giddy time right before…it was all over.”
“The kids?” Vince asked softly. “What happened to them?”
“Convicted of involuntary manslaughter, which in Maine is still considered a Class A felony. They got twenty years.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “They were good kids. No prior convictions. Just a bad decision. I’ve…forgiven them.” She choked up.
It had taken a long time and a lot of introspection, but Lace eventually understood that kids made bad choices when their brains weren’t fully developed. So, she’d taken the high road.
“It’s been nine years since it happened,” she told Vince. “The boys are in their mid-twenties now, and have been exemplary inmates.”
“You’ve kept up with what’s been happening to them? Inside?” Vince asked, almost incredulously.
“I have,” she acknowledged. “I came to realize that theirs was as big a tragedy as my grandparents’ deaths. And I’ve…visited them. On more than one occasion.”
The first couple times it had almost been too painful, but Lace had continued seeing them, and had actually ended up liking them both.
“They’ll be up for their first parole hearing next year,” she continued quietly. “I’m going to be there and advocate for their release.”
Vince let out a hiss of air. “Christ, Lace. That’s more than I could do. If someone killed my parents…” He left that thought hanging.
“I know,” Lace responded. “But I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and I believe they’ve paid for it enough, and it’s the right thing to do.”
They pulled into the Sothard driveway, parking in front of the huge front porch.
“You’re amazing,” Vince said.
He turned off the vehicle, leaned over the console, and kissed her, gently.
The tear that had been lingering, dropped, but Lace didn’t feel quite as sad anymore.
Sharing her memories with Vince had lifted a weight from her that she hadn’t known she’d been shouldering. Having someone close who validated her feelings and actions without judgement was a blessing she hadn’t seen coming.
The front door opened, truncating the quiet moment, and Vince drew away from her.
“You ready?” he asked tenderly. “If you’re not, I can make excuses and we can come back another time.”
“No,” she answered decisively dashing away her tears with the back of her hand. “I need one of Ellen Sothard’s epic hugs. I remember them from years back.”
Unbuckling her seatbelt, her anticipation ramped up as she opened her door.
Seeing Ellen’s dear face, Lace felt…lighter than she had in a long time.
“Lace Heiger.” Ellen’s strident voice called down from the porch. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
“Ellen,” Lace greeted excitedly as she slid from the cab before Vince could come around and help her out.
The two women flew at each other, and hugged it out like nine years had barely passed.
“You look fantastic,” Ellen told her when they pulled back and held each other at arms’ length, mutually examining each other for differences that time had wrought.