The Executioner

Chapter 3: Scarlett

The last thing she remembered about that day had been watching her small brick childhood home fade as the car drove away. Her mother had come into her room, scooped her up along with a bag of clothes and she and Cameron had been loaded into the car within minutes. Then they were just gone. Scarlett remembered that day but couldn't for the life of her remember what the last thing she said to her father had been. She had been just a little thing. Holding Cameron's much bigger hand as they watched the only home they had ever known disappear. Tonya never cried, or yelled. She never explained.

This was why, when the lawyers called to tell Scarlett she needed to come to New Orleans for her fathers will reading, she had been floored. It had been twenty years. Not a single word from him. And now, he was dead and she was one half of his devisees.
She sat cross legged on the unmade bed, exhaustion put on the back burner. How could she sleep? Her father had died, the lawyer had been brief, sparing no details. But being very clear she needed to be in his office in New Orleans Wednesday morning. He had mentioned Cameron also, but she informed him that her brother would be on deployment until September.
There was no way she could go. Could she? She thought about the vacation time she had saved. The ER would be even more short handed in her absence, which she felt terrible about. Though she felt even worse calling Jan to let her know, using her fathers death as an excuse. Unbeknownst to Jan she hadn't really even known the man. Her boss had sympathized and gave her all the typical condolences one receives when they lose a loved one. But to Scarlett they didn't mean all that much. If anything, she was making this trip primarily out of curiosity. Why would a man who she hardly remembers, ask that she be at his will reading.

So now she was on a plane, on a two hour flight into New Orleans. The lawyer, Mr. Cline, had arranged the flight, and a car to pick her up. She had used one of those discount hotel sites to book a room at a small local hotel right down the street from the lawyers office. She slept some on the flight, but shed never been a big fan of airplanes, every bump and shake gave her anxiety. She was relieved when the fasten seatbelt came on and the pilot announced their decent into "the beautiful big easy".