Damaged Amazon

by Kim Pritekel

  ****

  Sylvia met Nora and Bella at the door, and she gave her aunt a quick hug and her little cousin a huge squeeze.

  “Hey, kiddo,” Nora said, setting the chocolate crème pie she’d brought down before helping Bella out of her jacket and shrugging out of hers. Sylvia hung them up.

  “Mom’s waiting for you in the kitchen,” she said, disappearing.

  Nora picked up the boxed pie, grabbed Bella’s hand, and headed deeper into the extravagant house. “Hey,” she called out, rounding the corner into the large kitchen.

  “Hello.” Jill stood at the counter, opening a bottle of wine. “Want some?” she asked coolly.

  “Uh, sure. I brought this,” Nora said, setting the pie down on the massive island, knowing how much her sister loved a good chocolate crème pie.

  Jill glanced at the pie, which Nora was removing from the white cardboard box. “Don’t tell me that’s from Foster’s,” she said, eyeing the dessert.

  “Is there anybody else?” Nora said with a small grin.

  Jill rolled her eyes as she poured two glasses of wine. “God, you’re cruel. I guess extra spin class tomorrow.” She smirked.

  Nora accepted the wineglass and took a sip, smacking her lips for a moment to decide if she liked it. “Not bad.”

  “How much?” Jill asked, sucking some whipped cream off her thumb from slicing the pie.

  “That looks good,” Nora said, nodding at the piece already on a plate. “How’s Tyler doing?”

  Jill let out a heavy sigh and shrugged, her back to Nora. “Okay, I guess. I’m still shocked at the entire situation, to be honest.” She turned with the two plates of pie, putting one before Nora and one before Bella, who had climbed up on the stool next to Nora. She smiled down at the little girl. “You enjoy that, sweetheart.”

  Bella grinned, picking up her fork in a fist and tucking in.

  “What do you say?” Nora asked softly.

  “Thank you.”

  Jill plated herself a piece and put the remainder of the pie in the fridge before joining the two. “Andy said things got exceedingly ugly.”

  Nora nodded. “You can say that again. I mean, I knew Andy wasn’t Dad’s biggest fan, but I’ve never seen the fire come out of him like that. And, I know you’re going to get all up in arms about this, Jill, but Dad acted like a complete”—she glanced down at Bella—“a-s-s. The way he talked about everyone and what he did to Tyler…Jill, there’s no excusing what happened today.”

  “Any of it,” Jill said, cutting through the rich mousse, whipped cream, and crust to take a bite.

  Nora sipped her wine, studying her older sister. For years, Jill had always defended their father’s actions, no matter what. It had been a point of contention between the two sisters—and LJ—more than once. She was surprised by the absolute look of defeat on her lovely face.

  “What are you guys going to do about Tyler?” she asked softly, cutting her own piece, though she put the fork down on the plate when she noticed the mammoth bite on Bella’s fork was about to fall into her lap. “Here, honey.” She helped Bella take a smaller bite.

  “Adrienne told me she thinks it’s likely he’ll get expelled.” Jill met Nora’s surprised gaze. “She said there’s too much on his record, too many screwups.” She set her fork down and rested her elbows on the granite countertop, her chin in upturned palms. “How did this happen, Nor?”

  “How did it happen with Shannon?” Nora asked, wrapping her fingers around her wineglass. “I think it snowballs.”

  Jill blew out a breath and eyed her sister. “Andy said the police wanted a DNA sample from Daddy. Why?”

  “Sarah won’t tell me, only said it was needed. I’m scared, Jill, I won’t lie.”

  “What will happen with…” her eyes fell briefly to a completely unaware Bella.

  “I’ve thought about that,” Nora said, reaching a hand over and running her fingers through long, brown hair. “Worst-case scenario, I want to keep her with me.”

  “Seriously?” Jill said with a chuckle, taking her wineglass in hand. “Miss, ‘I never want kids’?”

  Nora grinned. “I know.”

  “I hope you take this as a compliment, Nora, because it’s meant as one. You’ve completely surprised me with how you’ve been with her, handled this. I was initially concerned when you said you were keeping her during all this.” Jill smiled at Bella when she glanced up at her, chocolate smeared all over her mouth. “Oh, sweetie.” Jill chuckled, hopping down from the tall stool and wetting a paper towel before moving over to the five-year-old and gently wiping her face. She looked over the girl’s head at Nora. “You’ve done a great job.”

  Nora knew that ordinarily what Jill had said would have been meant to be bitchy or a backhanded compliment at best, but something had changed in her oldest sibling. She seemed humbled, somehow.

  “Thank you, Jill.” She cleared her throat at the awkward silence that filled the space as Jill moved back around to her stool and finished her pie. “Oh,” Nora said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Do you know this woman? This is one of the reasons I came over tonight.” She slid off her stool and brought up the picture she’d taken of the mysterious redhead framed on her father’s wall. She moved around to stand beside her older sister and handed her the phone.

  Jill studied the picture for a long moment, stroking her bottom lip, which her tongue flicked over to catch some errant mousse in the corner. “I know I’ve seen her before, but jeez, it was forever ago. She came around when I was…I want to say around…eight or nine, maybe. I remember she was really nice to me. It was the Christmas party that Mom and Dad always threw, remember?”

  Nora nodded. “Yup.”

  “I think I saw her again a few years later.”

  “Why do you remember her so well?”

  She smirked. “Because every time she was around, Mom and Dad would get into a nasty fight. I remember Dad telling me to call her Aunt Rhea or something like that. Rhea, Rita, something.” She handed the phone back to Nora. “Why?”

  “Now look at this,” Nora said, swiping her finger across the screen of her phone to the next picture she had ready. Again, she presented the phone to her sister.

  “Oh wow,” Jill said, head jerking back slightly as though startled. “How did you get a recent picture of her? There’s no way, she hasn’t aged a bit…” She brought the screen closer to her eyes then glanced over at Nora. “That’s Shannon.”

  Nora nodded. “Yup.”

  Jill slowly lowered the phone, handing it back to Nora, her wide gaze unflinching.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Okay, lift higher, guys,” Sarah said through gritted teeth, muscles straining and sweat beading between her breasts and across her forehead. “It’s fifty-two fucking degrees out here and I’m sweating.”

  The couch finally made it over the edge of the truck. “It’s in,” one of her fellow men in blue blew out, letting his end of the couch go.

  “God, what made that thing so damn heavy?” the other asked, bending over at the waist, hands on his knees.

  “Sleeper sofa,” Sarah said, a sheepish grin on her face as they groaned. “Come on, guys.” She glanced over her shoulder back at the townhouse. “She’s getting out, okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, fair enough. Come on, let’s finish this bitch.”

  “So, I hear you boys needed some help, huh?”

  Sarah glanced up to see a cute little blonde walking up the driveway dressed in jeans that somehow managed to show off muscular thighs and a narrow waist while still being baggy. She wore a cap-sleeved olive green tee with the sleeves of a fitted long-sleeved white tee covering muscular arms.

  “Hey, Devon,” Sarah said, walking toward her. It was the first time she’d seen the fire chief without her gear and not covered in soot. Her hair was short and tousled; no makeup but a tanned face with naturally cute features rounded off the portrait. “I know it’s not exactly what you had in mind when you mentioned lunch, but
your offer is definitely appreciated.”

  “Hey, no problem,” Devon said with a smile and a shrug. “I was in town to see my grandfather anyway. So, how can I help?”

  “How do you feel about moving a freezer?” Sarah asked with a grin.

  Two hours and two showers later, Sarah sat across from Devon at Bingo Burger, an amazing burger joint where a true burger lover could get pretty much anything they wanted. The two carried their trays after their bingo order number had been called to the outdoor patio. It was a chilly afternoon, but it was quieter.

  “I love these,” Devon said, preparing her sandwich with the little plastic cups of condiments she’d grabbed from inside. “In the Springs we have Five Guys, which is awesome, but I love Bingo Burger, too.”

  “So,” Sarah said, sipping from her fountain drink, their version of Coca-Cola. “You were saying you initially wanted to be a military surgeon. Not saying that being a firefighter is anything less than fantastic, but quite a leap.”

  “My grandpa,” Devon said simply, grabbing a napkin to wipe a dribble of mustard from her lip. “He raised me. Had a stroke when I was twenty-two, so I left school to take care of him.” She shrugged. “Figured joining the fire department would give me a decent wage and good bennies to take care of him.”

  Sarah studied her for a long time, noting the casual, easy demeanor of her companion. “That’s cool, Devon,” she said quietly. “A hell of a lot more than most would do.”

  “What about you?” Devon asked, dipping a couple fries in her ketchup-and-mayo mixture. “How did you end up in police work?”

  Sarah was about to answer when her phone went off. She glanced at it where it rested on the table and put up a finger to forestall anything else Devon might have to say. “Hey, Mark, what’s up?” She listened, grabbing her drink and sipping from the straw. Slowly she lowered the cup back to the table. “They were able to get a fingerprint after all? And?” She brought a hand up to her forehead for a moment. “Yeah. Okay…No, I’ll do it. Bye.” Sarah put her phone down after her partner ended the call. It took her a moment to catch her breath but finally she looked at Devon. “I’m sorry. I need to go.”

  ****

  “‘Beeeeeee ouuuuuur guest!’” Nora finished with a flourish, the five-year-old next to her managing to sing twice as loud as her forty-one-year-old aunt. Giggling like the child she’d swung around in a circle, Nora collapsed on the couch, Bella in her arms and just as out of breath. “You pooped me out, kiddo,” she managed. After an hour of watching and singing to a wonderful children’s classic, Nora was ready for a nap.

  She glanced over at the dining room table when her phone rang. Tossing a giggling Bella aside onto the couch, she grinned as she stood and made her way to the phone. It was Sarah.

  “Hey,” she said, still slightly out of breath. “Wanna be our guest?” Her smile fell almost instantly. “What?” She glanced over at Bella who had popped up from the couch and was dancing with a newly repaired Sam. “Okay. I’ll uh, I’ll make the calls,” she said with a heavy sigh. “See you soon. Bye.”

  ****

  “Brady!” LJ roared, popping the whistle into his mouth and blowing loud and long. “Get over here!” When the tall quarterback reached him, he grabbed the face mask of his helmet and tugged his head down until they were eye to eye. “You pull that shit again, and I’ll bench your ass, you got me?”

  The player tried to nod but was held in place by LJ’s iron grip. “Yeah, Coach. Sorry.”

  “Now get the hell back out there and show me what you got.”

  “What do you wanna do?” Thom, his assistant coach asked, glancing over to meet LJ’s gaze. He held a clipboard where he took all the notes LJ shouted out during practice.

  “Shit, I don’t know,” LJ mumbled, reaching up to readjust his baseball cap. He felt a vibration in his back pocket and withdrew his phone to see Nora’s name on the screen. Putting the phone to his ear, he opened the call. “Sis, I can’t right now. We got a shit quarter—” He was cut off by his sister’s words, words that froze his heart. He swallowed hard. “I’ll be right there.” Turning to Thom, he said, “Take over.”

  ****

  Andrew sat on the bench at the end of the bed, feet spread wide with elbows resting on his thighs and fingers clasped between. Jill sat in the wingback chair in the corner of the room, curled up and staring at him. He’d come home early to talk.

  “So, what do you think?” she asked softly, out of ideas.

  He shook his head with a heavy sigh, a hand coming up to run through thick dark hair. As Jill stared at him, she couldn’t help but remember that his hair was one of the things that caught her eye that first night they met at some crazy party. So thick and shiny. She couldn’t stop the small smile and looked away.

  “I think we should consider military school or something, Jill,” he said. “I mean, what happened with your dad the other night, we already agreed it was beyond inappropriate and just damned…” He shook his head and shrugged. “Just weird. But, it doesn’t get Tyler off the hook. He has to be forced to be responsible for what he’s done.”

  Jill agreed. She was about to speak when her phone rang. She glanced at it where it sat on the Ottoman and saw it was Nora’s number. She pressed the Ignore key and turned back to him. “Yes. I…” She looked away with a sheepish smile before she glanced at him. “I have to admit, though,” she hesitated, a hand raised in her own defense, “I don’t want to.” She couldn’t help the simile at her own schoolgirl ridiculousness as her gaze flickered to Andy’s hair again. But then, what else had her life become? “I’ve added to all this.” She grew serious as she felt a deep and profound sadness fall over her like a veil. She looked over at her husband who was looking down at his manicured hands. “We need to do something. Military school or whatever.”

  Again, Jill’s phone glowed to life, Nora’s name front and center. She grabbed it.

  “Nora, this isn’t a good time—” She listened for a moment and her body went cold. With nothing left to say, she whispered, “We’ll be right there.”

  ****

  Nora sat in a wooden chair with a thinly padded vinyl cover. Her heel did a better thumpa-thumpa on the floor faster than at any dance club. With a WHOOSH, the cold air came in through the automatic sliding door. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw LJ, Jill, and Andrew rush in. It would have looked like a sitcom if not for the fact it was her life.

  Pushing up from the uncomfortable chair, she met them and their worried, confused looks.

  “What the hell?” Jill said. “You said to rush to Parkview and it was an emergency. Is it Daddy? What’s happened?”

  Nora looked all of them in the eye. “They found her,” she said softly. “She’s alive.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The siblings and Andrew sat in the ICU waiting room, a nurse having gathered them up in the main hospital lobby to explain that a doctor would be around to talk to them soon. So, now here they all sat. The chairs were as uncomfortable as the ones downstairs, and Nora’s heel was thumping against the floor again. She sat huddled, legs together and elbows on her thighs. She was chewing on her thumbnail, scared to death.

  Glancing around the small corner they’d decided to inhabit, she saw LJ sitting with his head resting back against the wall, still dressed in his sweatpants and school logo T-shirt. His Cyclone’s baseball cap rested in his lap. He seemed to be staring off into space, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

  She glanced over to her right. Andrew sat with one leg crossed over the other, a hand on his knee the other stretched out on the back of the chair that Jill sat in next to him. Jill was pale and looked as though she were about to cry.

  “Did anyone call Dad?” Nora asked quietly, feeling if she spoke too loud, somehow Shannon would slip away.

  “I left him a voicemail,” LJ said.

  They all turned when someone entered the waiting room, which was decorated with carpeting, plastic and living plants, and decorative art hung
on the walls. Sarah walked in, carrying a box of Starbucks coffee and a cardboard tray of paper cups and cream and sugar. She set everything down on the low-slung coffee table near LJ.

  “Figured you guys could use this,” she said softly, pulling the stacked cups apart and laying everything out on the table. She asked each if they wanted a cup and each accepted. She made her own cup after serving everyone else then dragged a chair from the other side of the room to the opposite side of the coffee table and sat, essentially facing the group. “How’s everyone doing?”

  “I think we’re all in shock at the moment,” LJ said quietly, sipping from his cup.

  Jill set her coffee aside and pushed to her feet, walking over to Sarah, who stood. The two women embraced, Jill, squeezing just a bit. “Thank you,” she said into the hug. Nora watched as Jill pulled out of the hug and held Sarah by the hands looking her over. “How on earth have you gotten even more beautiful?” She gave her a small smile. “You must have a deal with the devil.”

  Sarah smiled. “Well, you must have the same deal.”

  “Oh,” Jill said, waving her words away. “It’s good to see you again, Sarah. I’m sure you remember my husband, Andrew?”

  “Sure do.” Sarah reached over to shake his hand. “Hello, Andrew. It’s been awhile. Your wedding, if I remember, but it’s good to see you.”

  “You as well, Sarah. Thank you for all that you’ve done for Shannon.”

  Nora watched as Jill sat back down and Sarah turned to look at her before she, too, sat. They shared a lingering look for a moment. The intensity in Sarah’s dark eyes was too much for Nora to take and she had to look away.

  “Are you the Schaeffer family?”

  Nora turned her head to see an older man enter the room dressed in suit and tie and a white medical jacket. “Yes,” she said. “How is she?”

  Sarah vacated her chair and stood next to Nora’s chair, and the doctor sat in her place. “I’m Dr. Frederickson and I’ve been overseeing Shannon’s transfer here via Angel MedFlight from where she was cared for at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. Once she was identified, we were able to bring her here.”