The Blood

by Nancy Jackson

  “Yeah she did talk to a few of the hands. They were playing pool, and she played a few games with them.” Ike switched his gaze back to Randy and dropped his smile.

  “And...” Randy prodded.

  “And after a couple of games she left with two ranch hands,” Ike said with resignation.

  “Do you remember which hands?”

  “No, but I don’t think one was Justin.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, it seems as I remember, not sure what night is what, but the night she came in Justin and Keith was just here for a couple of beers sittin’ here at the bar and then they left.”

  “Were there any fights or altercations around here lately?” asked Randy.

  “Not really. I have a tired clientele. They come to drink and the regulars all know each other and keep to themselves.”

  “When was the last time you remember seeing Justin?” asked Carrie.

  “Probably that night he and Keith came in for just those couple of beers. Don’t remember seeing them again after that.” Ike seemed sad then, realizing that was the last time he had seen Justin. He had liked him. He was young and good natured and had the entire world before him.

  “Can you tell us more about this woman you saw?” asked Randy.

  “Well, when she walked in, all the heads in the place turned. She was in her late twenties I’m guessing and walked into the room as if she owned it. She had a kind of brownish hair. It was long. She had on a fire engine red blouse and black leather pants. That I remember.

  “She sat at the bar and had a whiskey neat. She drank it like she lived on them. Downed it while she was surveying the room. When she spotted the guys playing pool, she went back to them and worked herself into the game. She didn’t have to work hard at it either. They would have done anything she wanted.” A wide smile grew across Ike’s face.

  “Has she been back? Did you see what she was driving? Do you remember what time it was?” Carrie was once again rapid firing. Ike’s head slowly swiveled around to look at Carrie.

  “Didn’t see a car. It was maybe around nine o’clock. I think it was after Justin and Keith had left, but the night was still quite young.”

  “We just want to find who killed Justin. I can’t imagine you wouldn’t want the same thing. If you think of anything at all, please call us. Here’s my card,” said Carrie as she handed her card over to Ike.

  He nodded as he took the card. She was right, he thought; he had no reason to not help them find out who did this to Justin.

  Ike looked her in the face, “I will. I promise. I like to keep to myself and I certainly don’t like getting in others’ business, but Justin was a good man and if I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

  ~~~

  Lately, the days seemed long to Senna. She enjoyed her job, but she kept remembering the moms at the park and how they laughed. She had misjudged them, assuming them self-absorbed because they were enjoying each other’s company, laughing and having a good time.

  But she had been wrong. The instant her child was in danger that mother was there. The mother had a loving touch, a soft word, and had been a solid rock to her toddler who needed her.

  Senna was also thinking of Blake Burton. She tried not to, but his face would not leave her mind. It would pop into her head unannounced and she would squirm. If all men were like her father, then she wanted nothing to do with them. Her life was safe and orderly and she wanted it to stay that way.

  “Senna,” called Andrea, breaking her trance, “I’m going out to lunch. I am taking extra time to run an errand.”

  “Okay, that’s fine. I will be here.” Another change of routine. Andrea did that a lot so it shouldn’t bother her, so why did it bother her, she wondered to herself?

  So often, she felt like a huge vat of emotions and unvoiced thoughts that swam around and around, each one surfacing fleetingly and randomly. Feelings she didn’t understand, and nothing she did seemed to order them into submission.

  Reaching down to pick up a book she had dropped, she noticed an earring on the floor. It lay at the corner of the counter near a table. It was close to the back of the counter and might have been Andrea’s or it could have belonged to someone who had sat at the nearest table.

  As she bent down and picked it up, she felt dizzy. The room began to swim, and she literally fell into the nearest chair. She felt like she was going to pass out.

  Turning in the chair she put her arms up on the table and laid her head to rest on them. Tears escaped, and she didn’t even understand why.

  ~~~

  Upon seeing the beautiful earring Senna’s mind went immediately to her grandmother, who loved to wear jewelry.

  The first time Senna ever saw her grandparents’ home she was five years old. They had come one summer day to get her and wouldn’t take no for an answer, promising they would only have her for seven days and then bring her home.

  Her father was severe, and they knew they must follow what he said regarding Senna. They also knew that allowing them to have Senna for seven days was a gift from heaven, and they knew not to push it, or they would never get to see her again.

  The car ride was nice, Senna recalled. The car smelled peculiar like a new pair of shoes, and the seats were firm and smooth. She remembered running her hand along the seam and remembered how new the stitches had looked.

  She could barely see out the window in the back seat and did not know if the treetops looked familiar or not. Then after about an hour or so the tree tops vanished and there were rooftops.

  The drive seemed to take a long time, but to Senna any drive longer than ten minutes was long. That was how long it took to get to the grocery or to church from her home.

  When the car pulled up to their house and Senna got out, she remembered thinking that she had never seen a home so grand. It seemed to stand to attention, proud and regal. Even the flowers in the front flowerbed stood firm and tall.

  Six steps led up to the wide front porch with two wooden rockers and a wide swing. Imagine, a swing on a porch! The front door was not just one, but two side by side. Whatever did you need with two front doors?

  Inside, the rooms were spacious and there was dark wood, mahogany Senna now knew, everywhere. There were wood crossbeams on the ceiling and beautifully colored rugs on the floor.

  Senna’s eyes could not take it all in. She had never seen anything like it. And she did like it!

  Her grandmother was bubbly and happy and loved to tell Senna things. Things about people and places. Senna laughed often with Gran.

  The day after her arrival, her grandmother took her to a department store, and they shopped. Up until then, Senna’s mother had always made all of her clothing. In fact, she didn’t even know clothes came from a store.

  If she had thought her grandparents’ home was grand, it was nothing compared to the glitter of the department store. Beautiful ladies stood behind glass counters with their hair perfectly done, wearing pretty red lipstick.

  They smiled as she passed and she smiled back. There were smells, too. Some were sweet, and some were spicy and she wasn’t sure she liked them. There were women with little bottles and sometimes they would spray them on cards and hand them out as people passed by.

  Grandmother had tugged her along but not in an impatient or mean way. She was excited and wanted to buy Senna things, beautiful things.

  The girls’ department had more clothes than she could imagine. They picked out one after another and she got to try them all on. Then they went to the shoe department and Senna got to pick out three pairs of shoes!

  Then there were new socks and underwear, headbands, and bows. Once they had finished, they had more packages than they could carry. With the help of a clerk, they loaded the car with their purchases and from there went to eat ice cream.

  There was a whole store with only ice cream! She didn’t even know what kind to pick. She finally picked the pink one.

  The day had been filled with laughter. She remembered
laughing now like the little boy in the park had laughed.

  Each morning when Gran dressed, Senna stood at her grandmother’s dresser to look at the jewelry laid in beautiful glass trays. They were so sparkly. Little earrings and necklaces. She loved picking them up and holding them up to herself.

  She remembered.

  ~~~

  The memory, or the dream, faded as Senna felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder. She was still at the table at the library with her head on her arms. She had fallen asleep.

  Senna jumped up and tried to shake the fog from her brain.

  “Are you okay,” the older lady asked.

  “Oh, yes ma’am. I’m so sorry! I felt dizzy for a moment and rested my head. But I’m fine now.” She tried to regain composure but felt uneasy, unsteady. The fact that she had fallen asleep made her nervous.

  As she helped the lady in the library, she tried to push memories of the happy times with her grandparents aside. It was always so painful to have that time with them only to have to go back home and have it all fade away. Her mind felt foggy. She tried to concentrate on navigating the library to help the lady, but just couldn’t seem to gain control of her mind and her thoughts. The dream memories wouldn’t leave her alone.

  That first trip to her grandparents’ was so joyful. They had laughed, shopped, cooked, and they had played. She’d been able to wear new clothes and Gran would let her play with her beautiful jewelry. Senna tried on all of Gran’s bracelets, and necklaces even though they were way too big.

  She remembered running her little fingers along the pretty stones and along the carved details of the metal, wondering how anything could be so pretty.

  On the trip home from her first visit, she was so full of new experiences and couldn’t wait to tell Mother. Gran even bought her a new suitcase just to hold all the new clothes and shoes. Senna wore her favorite new dress home and couldn’t wait to show it off to Mother.

  She had jumped out of the car with her five-year-old joy as soon as they pulled in the drive, but when her Mother came through the front door, her face was pinched with worry. The creases in her forehead were deep and Senna could tell something was wrong.

  Seeing her mother’s face, Senna couldn’t read what the matter was, she thought maybe something bad had happened to Father or something else horrible was wrong.

  But when Mother saw her in the new dress and Gran carrying the suitcase with the new clothes, Mother knew exactly what her Father would do.

  Father was out in the field working, so Mother hustled them all inside. Mother and Gran had a very heated and nervous discussion. It was about the clothes. Her Mother wanted Gran to take the clothes and the suitcase back home with her.

  Her Gran was upset, and they argued. Finally, Mother said Gran had to take the new things back or Father would punish Senna and she would not get to go back and see Gran again.

  When Senna heard that, she ran to her Mother and cried that she had to go back, that she loved Gran and Grandpa. She looked at Gran with tears in her eyes and said, “Take them, please. I want to come see you again.” Senna was sobbing so hard that she could barely form her words.

  Gran nodded with resignation. Her face steeped in sadness. She had gotten down on her knees and looked Senna right in the face and said, “Senna I will take the clothes because I want you to come see me again. I do not want to do anything that will cause you or your mother pain. Gran loves you so much.”

  They hugged. Senna laid her little head on Gran’s shoulder and cried hard. She remembered her Gran’s smell, the perfume she wore mixed with other things that were uniquely hers. She remembered feeling the texture of her jacket on her cheek, and the feel as it grew wet from her tears. It was rough just like that moment.

  Senna did not want to let her go, and she now remembered the pain of that moment. Gran was holding her tight and, with one last squeeze she let go. She had tears, too. Senna could see them rimming her eyes.

  “Okay, Senna. Be strong for Gran now. It will all be okay. Gran will write you letters and you will come again.”

  They agreed that she could keep the one dress she was wearing, but Gran took the suitcase full of all the other beautiful things.

  She couldn’t help crying as Gran drove away. Mother waved goodbye to Gran “You can’t cry over this. Father will be home soon and you can’t let him see you crying. He will ask why. If he thinks you are crying after Gran or the pretty things, he will never let you go back.”

  Senna had choked back her tears and wiped her little cheeks with the back of her hand. She had been determined to see Gran again. It wasn’t because of the nice house or beautiful things. It was because she loved Gran more than she knew she could love anyone and she knew Gran loved her.

  No other person had ever made Senna feel loved that way before or since. She had smiled with her and they laughed. She felt free with Gran to be herself and she resolved herself to do whatever she had to do to see her again.

  The memories flooded through Senna as she worked. Andrea would talk and Senna would respond woodenly, her mind was trapped in those memories. She felt so sick inside.

  Suddenly, she remembered the earring which had started the avalanche of emotional memories and rushed over to where she had last seen it. It had been knocked just under the edge of the counter. It was crushed a bit and bent.

  The earring was like so many of her Gran’s things, forbidden things. Things that she did not need and should not want. She pulled resolve from somewhere deep inside and hardened herself to the beauty of the earring and the memory it revived within her.

  Andrea came over to see what she was doing, and she handed her the earring explaining about finding it on the floor. They put it aside on the counter to wait for its owner.

  Chapter Five

  Senna sat at her usual park bench for lunch. The park was almost empty today. It was windy and hot, but she didn’t care. She liked the park, and it was her routine to sit on the bench for lunch.

  Suddenly there was a movement from her left and as she looked up, Blake Burton was standing there with that smile of his again.

  “Could I join you?” he asked.

  “Sure, I guess.” Senna immediately felt uneasy.

  Blake sat down next to her on the bench and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. Senna noticed he had long legs and sitting like that seemed casual and natural to him.

  “Kind of windy and hot out here today,” said Blake.

  “Yes, it is, but I try to sit out here as much as possible to eat lunch. I like the park.”

  “I know. I’ve seen you. My office is just over there on the second floor. When I turn my chair around and look out the window, I have a great view of the park and this bench,” he said. He was grinning at her.

  Senna squirmed. She hadn’t known she was being watched.

  “Don’t feel uncomfortable. I don’t just sit and watch you. I’ve just noticed that, at lunchtime, you are out here eating your lunch.”

  Senna looked down and nodded. “I guess I never thought about anyone watching me.”

  “Oh, everyone watches everyone else from time to time, don’t you think?” He turned his head to look at Senna.

  She remembered watching the mothers with their children and realized he was right. “Yes, I guess we do.” She looked at him and gave him a brief, shy smile.

  “I’m assuming you work around here close since you eat here so often,” said Blake. He wanted to ask outright where she worked but didn’t want to be so bold.

  “I-I work at the library.”

  “The library,” he mused out loud.

  “I’m a lawyer. I’ve done my fair share of reading in my life.”

  Nervous and fidgety, Senna wanted to have a genuine conversation with Blake, but anxiety in these types of situations always blocked the words she sought. She felt a tug to at least give it a try rather than shut herself off as she usually did.

  “Do you read for fun or just for work?” she asked.

>   “I read for fun when I can. I like Clive Cussler and John Grisham novels.”

  “What does someone who works in the library like to read? With all the books in the world at your disposal, what do you choose?” Blake leaned back on the bench and crossed his ankle over his knee. He placed the arm nearest Senna on the back of the bench turning to face her fully.

  “I like love stories,” she said as she dipped her head and blushed. She couldn’t believe that she had admitted that. It would mortify her father. He had been so strict on Senna, never letting her date or attend school functions where there would be opportunities to socialize with boys. But, secretly, Senna longed for a relationship. Reading about them seemed the closest she would ever get.

  “Most girls do, I think,” Blake replied. His casual demeanor helped to put Senna at ease.

  “Where does your dog stay while you work?” Again, Senna attempted conversation.

  “Oh, he hangs out in the backyard. I have a doggie door from the backyard into the garage where I keep his water and food, so he can go back and forth.”

  Senna smiled. There was something about animals that was soothing to her. She had never had a dog as a pet, but she would spend hours on the farm with the animals. They had been her only friends.

  “You have a pretty smile, you know. You should do it more often.”

  Senna turned her head to look at him. She rolled Blake’s words over in her mind and pondered them, a pretty smile. Her look was inquiring, searching his face for truth or jest.

  “I think you have had far too few people in your life tell you how beautiful you really are.”

  Hot fire flushed up through Senna. Was it shame or fear or something else? She looked at the ground in front of her.

  No, it was embarrassment and disbelief. Her parents had taught her that beauty was vain and so her parents never told her she was beautiful. Her Gran had, but those times were so few and any belief she could have had in her words was suffocated once she was back home.

  “I didn’t intend to make you uncomfortable. I think the fact that you don’t realize just how beautiful you are is one of the most attractive things about you,” said Blake. “I get so tired of women whose whole focus is on their beauty. Yes, I understand the desire to dress pretty and look nice, but it seems women today have become obsessed with it. It is nauseating.” Blake looked out into the park.