Chapter 46
A/N True Heartache
I am warning all the readers that this will be a really hard few chapters. It will deal with some life changing events and may be hard to read. I don't want to give it away here, but if you watched the series you will know what is coming up.
Summer break was almost over. School would be starting tomorrow and Lizzie was excited. She will be a sophomore this year. She had decided over the summer to give up all her extra curricular activities so she could concentrate solely on her studies. She was determined to get an academic scholarship to go to college and UVA would be her destination. Math was her passion now and she loved all aspects of it. She had talked to her counselor before school let out for the summer and she had let her borrow some math books to study while on break.
Her parents wanted her to enjoy her break and not study so much, but she told them that studying hard and getting good grades were her goal now. They both shook their heads and agreed. Benjamin and she could often be found studying after dinner. He called her his little "Euclid", the father of geometry.
She would saddle up Buttercup and ride to the lake most days and sit under a tree or dangle or legs in the lake as she studied.
Will spent a care free summer spending all his time playing with his friends or riding his bike all over the farm. He would tease her relentlessly about always having her head in a book. She was determined and didn't let his teasing bother her.
School started and by late September, Lizzie was fully engrossed in her studies. She had a test on Tuesday and planned on spending all weekend getting ready for it.
Saturday afternoon she was sitting in the middle of her bed studying, when Will came bursting into her room. "Lizzie are you in or out?"
"Are you insane Will? Knock" Lizzie asked him.
Will knocked on the open door and repeated his question.
"Of what?" she asked
"Milkshakes at MGs" he said.
"I have to study," she told him, as she looked up and saw her Dad in her doorway.
"Come on Euclid, it's 15 minutes," Benjamin told her.
"You could use the break," her Mom said as she came in too.
"Yeah, your head is actually starting to take the shape of an egg," Will teased her.
"Will," her Mom admonished.
"At least there is a brain inside," Lizzie chirped back.
"Let's go Lizzie, last chance," her Dad called over his shoulder as he walked down the steps.
She tells her Mom, "bring me something back, Strawberry."
Will teases her more and her Mom forces him out of the room. Suzanne turns to leave and Lizzie yells at her, "Close the door."
Suzanne backtracks, apologizes and closes the door.
On the ride to town, his parents are lecturing Will about being more like his sister. "You could take a page out of her book, you know," Suzanne tells him.
Will chirps back and tells them that everyone thinks Lizzie is a nerd.
Benjamin defends her telling him, "She is not a nerd, she is gifted."
Will chirps back a smart remark.
Suzanne tells him he has just as much potential he just doesn't apply himself.
Suddenly tires screeching catches their attention. A car is heading straight for them.
Benjamin pulls the wheel to the left to avoid it. When he does the car spins and rolls off the road. The car rolls several times before it finally comes to a stop.
Will comes too and shakes his Dad. He gets no response. He crawls out of the back door and comes over to the passenger door to where his Mom is. "What can I do? What should I do?" No getting an answer he runs up the hill to the road side to try and flag down a passing car.
He doesn't see any cars so he falls to his knees. He is not sure how long he sits there before a passing vehicle sees him and stops.
"What is wrong son?" the driver asks.
Will is still too stunned to answer and just points down the hill. The man runs down the hill and sees the car all beat up. He runs up and sees Benjamin and Suzanne in the front seat. He runs back up the hill and tells the passenger to go get help. The lady slides over to the driver side and takes off in the car.
The man walks over to the driver's side and puts his hand in the window. He reaches for Benjamin's neck and places his fingers on it where a pulse should be. He doesn't find one. He then goes to the passenger side and repeats his action. No pulse there either. He takes a deep breath and walks back up the hill to check on the young boy.
He squats down in front of him. The boy is obviously traumatized and his eyes are staring off in empty space. He has a cut on head and some on his hands. He is not sure how to help the boy. "Son, are you okay? I am Louis. Can you tell me if you are hurt somewhere?"
Louis looks up when he hears tire screech. His wife Mary runs toward them. "I had the neighbors up the street call 911 to let them know what happened. How is he?" she asks.
Louis shakes his head, "I think he is in shock or the hit to the head he took has him dazed."
"Why is he out here alone, he is much too young to be by himself?" Mary asks.
Louis doesn't answer, just nods his head towards the hill. Mary stands and walks to the hill and sees the car and understands Louis's message to her. Mary can see the two bodies in the front seat. She brings her hands to her mouth to cover her whimper. She walks back to them and they can hear the sirens in the distance.
An ambulance and a police car arrive almost simultaneously. The medical crew grab their gear and run over to them. Louis points them towards the car at the bottom of the hill.
They run down, but soon realize they could have saved their running because there is nothing they can do for the couple in the front seat. The paramedic stays with the bodies. The police officer stopped off to check on Will and then ran down the hill also.
Officer Brian Sims has been on the force for 15 years, but even he has to turn around when he realizes what he is looking at.
He walks back to his car to radio the station to tell them what has happened. He requests a supervisor and tells them they are going to need the justice of the peace at the scene. All law enforcement know if the JP is requested there is death on scene.
He walked back over to where the boy was sitting and asked him what happened?
The boy had a 100 mile stare on his face and appeared to be catatonic. He would have to wait until later to get any details.
The paramedic cleaned up Will's head wound and when he tried to walk him over to the back of the ambulance realized he had a leg injury of some kind. He would need to be transported to the hospital. The thought came to him, who would authorize medical treatment. He had just glanced at the victims in the car, but odds are they were his parents.
More emergency personnel and vehicles arrived on the scene.
Arthur Sims had been the JP for 40 years and was Brian's grandfather. He called Brian over when he got out of the car. "Brian what do we have?"
"Roll over motor vehicle accident. Two victims in the front seat and a young boy who survived. Not sure of how it happened yet, the boy is non responsive. The victims appear to probably be his parents. They are down the hill in the car, let me walk you down there," Brain told him.
They walked down the hill and Arthur surveyed the scene. What a way to spend a Saturday he thought to himself. He walked up and looked through the shattered windshield. The car looked familiar, but he couldn't remember from where. He walked around to the driver's side door and looked in. His breath hitched in his chest. Oh dammit it is Benjamin Adams and his wife Suzanne. Benjamin was his finance guy for his ranch. He dropped his head and looked back at Brian.
"I know the victims, Benjamin and Suzanne Adams. This is a terrible tragedy. Her parents were killed in a wagon accident a few years ago. Where are the kids?" Arthur asked.
Brian dropped his head, he had worked that accident also and he knew this was going to be a terrible blow for the family. He had gone to school with Eric Adams and his parent's death nearly did him in. He looked over at the victims and seeing Suzanne like that was heartbreaking.
"The son William is up in the ambulance. He has a leg injury and they want to transport him. The daughter Elizabeth wasn't in the car. Doesn't Benjamin have a sister that lives in Charlottesville? I met her a few years ago." Brian said as he looked over at Will.
"Yes, Joan. She travels for work a lot, but she has a place in town. Better send a unit over to notify her. Let me get my camera and take some photos then we can release the scene and transport the bodies," Arthur told him
Joan Adams was currently at Langley CIA headquarters working on a project. She was scheduled to head home to Charlottesville next Monday for a month. Suddenly her supervising agent appeared at her desk.
"Joan, the director wants to see you in his office," he said.
"What for?" she asked
"I don't know, I just got a call to find you and send you to him."
Joan rode the elevator to the 7th floor. She walked down the hall with a queasy stomach. She had met the director only once and it was when he was chewing out a team over an op that had gone bad. She had been on the team and his ire was not to be taken lightly.
She knocked on the door and when she heard, Come In, she opened the door and walked in. "Director, I was told you wanted to see me."
"Yes, Agent Adams please have a seat. There is no easy way to tell you this. I just got a call from the Chief of Police in Charlottesville Virginia. Your brother Benjamin Adams and his wife Suzanne were killed in a car accident earlier today. They need you back down there to take custody of Elizabeth and William their children," he told her as he read from his notes.
All the air left Joan's body and she felt like she was about to faint. She leaned forward and put her head between her knees. The Director jumped up and walked around his desk to check on her. He kneeled down in front of her to see if she was still breathing.
The Director called out to his secretary. "Get the onsite Doctor in here immediately,"
He looked back down at Joan to try and see if there was anything he could do for her. She was still gasping for breath.
Once the Doctor and his team arrived, they loaded her on the stretcher and took her down to sick bay.
It took an hour or so to get her breathing under control and check her over.
She sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed, just as the Director walked in.
"How are you doing? You gave us quite the scare." he asked.
"I am not sure, but at least I don't feel like I am going to faint anymore. Do you have any more information about my brother and his wife or their kids?" she asked him.
"Just what I told you earlier. We have arranged one of the Agency planes to fly you home and as soon as the Doctor clears you we will get someone to drive you out to the airstrip. Do you need anything else?" he asked.
"I am not sure right now Sir," she said.
"You are family, so if you need anything you let us know," he told her.
Two hours later she was sitting on a plane heading to Charlottesville. What would be waiting on her when she got there would be a nightmare.