by Maisy Morgan
“I’m sure they could set that up,” Lilly said hopefully. “This place is kind of fancy. I never in a million years thought I’d be in a place like this. You know… they even have their own spa.”
“A spa?” Mary asked. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’ve been a couple of times. I go to the pool here a lot for their pool yoga that they do. Never thought I’d be into something like that, but it’s really relaxing. Keeps my mind off things,” she said. “They have all sorts of tools and methods they’re teaching me about coping with my addiction. I was having some pretty awful withdrawals when I first came in, but Matthew was here for most of it. He was so sweet.”
“You’re going to have to tell me more about this Matthew guy,” Mary said. “He sounds like a good one.”
“I don’t deserve him,” Lilly said. “He’s incredible. And, you know what’s even crazier? His mom likes me. I’m a druggie, let’s face it, and he brought his mother here to meet me. Of all places to meet the parents, right?”
Mary laughed. “No, probably not the most ideal situation.”
“She is so nice,” Lilly said. “I thought she was going to hate me. She told me her sister died of an overdose when she was a kid. She’s a therapist who specializes in drug abuse.”
“Seriously?” Mary asked. “What are the odds? Lilly, I think God must have really been looking out for you when he put Matthew in your life.”
“I think so too, Mom,” Lilly said. “It’s just incredible. I really don’t believe it. She comes here all the time. She brought me some cookies yesterday—not as good as yours from what I remember, not that I would ever tell her that.”
“Well, you know what I’m doing out in Georgia, don’t you?” Mary asked.
“What? No, I haven’t asked, have I? I’m sorry about that, Mom!” Lilly exclaimed. “Why are you in Georgia?”
“I opened up a sweets shop,” Mary said. “Retired from the station, and I decided I wanted to move somewhere a bit quieter. I named it Lily Pad Sweets.”
“Mom, you’re going to make me cry,” Lilly said.
“No, we’re done with crying,” Mary said. “You just keep doing what you’re doing, sweetheart. Focus on you, and then we can focus on us. It’s just… it’s just so good to talk to you again, baby girl.”
Chapter Eleven
The following day at church, Mary felt a bit at odds. For one thing, Cindy and Hannah hadn’t made it—and they had an impeccable attendance record for church.
“Any idea where Cindy and Hannah are today?” Mary asked Anna and Roy as they all sat in the sanctuary together.
“No, I’m afraid not. I haven’t heard anything,” Anna said.
“Is everything okay with Draco?” Mary asked. “I noticed this morning when the kids headed to the youth building that he and Tripp weren’t really… walking together. Though to be fair, Tripp seemed a bit distracted by his phone.”
Roy and Anna exchanged glances as though to confirm with one another that they hadn’t heard anything. “No, Draco hasn’t mentioned anything. He was a little annoyed at the party Friday, I think. He mentioned that one of the other boys was a little short with him, but he didn’t really want to go into details,” Anna said. “He seemed okay this morning, though.”
“I think I might just be getting paranoid,” Mary said. “Tripp got really snippety with me Friday night. I guess I’m just worried he is going to start rebelling or something.”
“All teenagers rebel,” Anna said.
“Believe me,” Mary said with an eyeroll, “I’ve been there, done that. I just don’t want to be on a repeat cycle. I feel like I messed up with my daughter. I don’t want to push Tripp in the wrong direction.”
“You’re a good mom, Mary,” Roy said. “A good grandma. And, Tripp is a good kid. You can’t drive yourself crazy worrying.”
The sermon had started, so the conversation had to be dropped. After the sermon, she and the Morris’ stood out in front of the church, waiting as the youth made their march back to the main building. She could see that Tripp and Draco were now walking together, talking to each other about whatever had taken place in youth group. She sighed, feeling relieved and reminding herself that she needed to take a step back for a moment.
She was just about to suggest that they go to lunch with the Morris’ when Tripp, pausing to look at his phone, perked up and asked, “Hey, Grandma, is it okay if I go to the movies with Kara?”
Draco, shrugging slightly at this, headed off with his parents after a swift goodbye to them both. “The movies?” Mary asked.
“Yeah,” he said, looking quite eager. “She offered to come pick me up, and I’d like to take her to the movies. I mean, I can spend my own money I’ve been earning from the shop. You don’t have to pay for it or anything.”
“She offered to pick you up?” Mary asked as the two of them started towards the parking lot.
“She’s sixteen,” Tripp said. “She’s been driving for almost a year.”
Mary wasn’t so sure about this. “Don’t you think she’s a little old for you, Tripp?” she asked as they hopped in the car to head back home.
Tripp’s face scrunched up. “Seriously? I’m fifteen—she’s sixteen.”
“You were fourteen less than a month ago, and if she’s been driving for a year, she’s almost seventeen,” Mary said.
“Grandma…” he moaned.
“Fine,” Mary said. “Send her our address and she can come and pick you up to go to the movies. But that’s it—just the movies.” She wanted to tell him no, but she’d had her experience with teenagers already. If you pushed too hard, you almost always wind up pushing them towards the problem instead of away. Tripp was thrilled, and it was evident he really liked this girl.
Once home, Mary fixed them both some lunch, and before too long, their doorbell rang. Tripp rushed to answer it, and Mary called down the hall for Tripp not to be rude and invite Kara inside.
She entered, all smiles. “Hey, Ms. Hopkins!” she said politely as ever. She was dressed modestly enough—wearing a cute, though tight, blue top and slimming white jeans.
“Hello, Kara,” Mary said. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good,” she said perkily. “Thanks for letting Tripp go to the movies with me.”
“What movie?” Mary asked.
“There’s this cute little dog movie that just came out I’ve been wanting to see,” she said, giggling slightly.
Kara seemed rather sweet. Mary had to remind herself that she had liked Kara when they had met in Helen. There was just something about sending Tripp off with a teenaged girl with a driver license that made her nervous. But, before she knew it, it was time for them to get going if they were going to make it to the theater in time.
Mary, realizing now that she had a few hours to herself, decided to call Preston to see what he was up to. “About to go to a photography studio in Peachtree City,” he said. “The one Nat and Lana run. Headed there to talk to them now—you want in?”
“Definitely,” Mary said, and soon she was bidding Sweet Feet farewell as Preston arrived to pick her up.
It didn’t take them long to reach the photography studio, and Mary was quite impressed with the setup of the place. They entered a large gallery setting, and Mary recognized the little receptionist right off the bat. It was Stacey, Bradley’s girlfriend. “Hey!” Stacey said perkily, kicking someone who was seated in a chair behind the counter.
There was a slight snort sound, and Mary laughed to see Stacey’s little sister, Becky, jump in her seat. “Mom!” Stacey called, and Lana came scurrying out of the back.
“Oh, Officer Preston, Mary,” Lana said, coming over to them and greeting them.
“I just love the pictures you have hanging up,” Mary said, nodding towards the wall of photos.
“Thanks,” Lana said. “Nat is in the back with a client—she’ll be out in a bit.”
“We can go ahead and start with you if that’s all right, then?” Prest
on asked. “You obviously know why we’re here.”
“Yes, to talk about what happened with Ken,” Lana said with a sigh. “Still don’t know what to think about that.”
“Can you tell us where you were when it happened?” Preston asked.
“Yes, my husband Bob and I were on the back patio watching the burgers on the grill when we heard Mary here shouting,” Lana said. “I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to tell you much of anything useful. I’m afraid I didn’t see anything.” Lana, noting that Preston was looking at a lovely blown up photograph of a flower, said, “Nat took that photo forever ago when she had her own studio.”
“How did you two wind up in business together, again?” Mary asked.
“Well, we each owned our own photography studios for the longest time. We met through our husbands. They’re business partners. Eventually, you get to know the wives of the people your husband works with. It was coincidental that Nat and I were both photographers, and since our husbands got along so well, we finally wound up merging our companies as well,” she said.
“Too bad Jaden wasn’t a photographer too,” Preston said.
“Well, she does interior design,” Lana said. “She gets to work with the guys a bit more than we do. Though we do work with Jaden on occasion. They flip houses sometimes—the guys do, I mean, and Jaden will do the interior decorating. Nat and I do the photoshoots.”
“I think it’s cool,” Stacey said from behind the counter.
“You two girls work here too?” Mary asked.
“I do,” Stacey said matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes a bit at her younger sister who was fiddling with her phone. “Becky just had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon.”
“Oh, shut up,” Becky said.
“Girls,” Lana said in a warning tone. “Don’t start.”
Mary chuckled. “You don’t work here, Becky?” Mary asked.
Becky shrugged. “Stacey is the one into photography.”
“I want to go to school for photography,” Stacey said. “Becky isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, but she’s still just a freshman. She does like taking pictures, but only of herself.” Stacey said this just as Becky was taking a selfie, and the younger girl lowered her phone quickly, causing Lana to laugh slightly at her younger daughter.
“You’re fine, Becky—and, Stacey, stop picking on your little sister,” Lana warned.
Nat, along with the client who had been having her dogs’ pictures taken, arrived in the lobby. The woman thanked Nat, and Nat told her when to expect the pictures to be ready, and soon the woman hurried out the door, her large dog in tow. “I hate doing animal portraits,” Nat said, shaking her head.
“Better you than me,” Lana said, earning a nudge from Nat.
“Does Kara work here too?” Mary asked curiously.
“No, she doesn’t have aims to become a photographer like me, I’m afraid,” Nat said, shrugging.
“Nat, can you tell us about the party?” Preston asked. “If you saw anything, and where you were when Ken was pushed from the roof?”
“Yeah,” Nat said. “Well, I didn’t really see anything. I can tell you that I was with Jaden and Darren in the kitchen having some wine when Ken fell.”
Mary frowned—that was pretty much their entire suspect pool eliminated. Lana claimed she and her husband Bob were on the back patio together and Nat claimed she was with Jaden and her husband Darren in the kitchen. They continued talking for a bit longer about the evening of the party when Stacey checked her phone suddenly. “Oh, Mom, I didn’t realize what time it was—I’ve got to go meet Bradley,” she said.
“That time already?” Lana asked. “Okay, hon, you’re good. Thanks for watching the front for us. Please send Bradley our love and let him know if he needs anything, we’re here.”
“I will. Bye, Mom,” Stacey said, snatching up her purse.
Suddenly a couple came hurrying into the studio, apologizing for being late for their shoot. Lana and Nat disappeared in the back with the couple, promising to return in a moment. Stacey was just about to head out the door when Mary asked, “Stacey, can I ask you something really quick?” Mary questioned, and Stacey turned around and faced her in the doorway.
“Yes, ma’am?” Stacey asked politely.
“Were Bradley and his dad close?” Mary asked, and for some reason, this comment seemed to make Stacey shift uncomfortably.
“I mean, I guess,” she said. “I mean…not especially close, I guess? I don’t know. Why?”
“Just wondering. Did they get along okay?” Mary asked.
“Fine, I guess,” Stacey said. “Well, I’ve gotta go,” she said, and she was out the door.
Becky sighed heavily. “Guess I’m working the counter now. So, Tripp and Kara are on a date?”
Mary glanced back in Becky’s direction. “How did you know that?”
“Kara puts everything online—Instagram,” Becky said, still scrolling through her phone as they talked.
Preston smirked. “Looks like she’s not the only one.”
Becky shrugged. “Yeah, I like looking at the pictures and seeing what everyone is up to.”
“What about you and Draco?” Mary asked. “You two seemed friendly in Helen.”
Becky had an undeniable look of disgust, and a small part of Mary wanted to smack her for it. Becky realized her mistake quickly, though, and stopped making the face. She smiled. “I mean, he is sweet, but he’s really not my type.”
“Aren’t you a little young to have a type already?” Preston asked, laughing slightly at the thought.
“I mean, maybe,” Becky said, and she immediately went back to what she had been doing on her phone.
Chapter Twelve
Tripp felt a little odd in the passenger’s seat of Kara’s car as they sped down Highway 85. She was a safe driver, but she was still just a couple of years older than himself. He had never been in a car with such a young driver before. She seemed so cool to him, and her car was brand new. Her parents had bought it for her on her sixteenth birthday, nearly a year ago, but she had to work at home and do occasional babysitting to pay for her gas and insurance. Tripp thought about the ugly Volkswagen his grandmother had promised him, and a part of him felt a tinge of jealousy at the idea that other teenagers were being bought brand new cars. He shook the thought off though because he felt rather grateful; he was learning to work on cars because of this little deal she had made with him. He supposed she saw it as a teaching moment—adults liked that sort of thing.
The theater they were planning on going to was in Fayetteville, so it was a rather long drive from Brooks. Soon, the small city came into view. Most of the businesses around Fayetteville were inside old homes, so it gave the uppity population a rather charming look. They passed by a large white courthouse. “Whoa,” Tripp said as he hadn’t noticed it the last time he and his grandmother had been through town; he only noticed it now because they had gotten stopped at the light right by it.
“Yeah, it’s old too. It’s supposed to be the oldest one in Georgia because it predates the Civil War,” Kara said insightfully. “My dad’s a big history buff. Made me take all these tours with him when I was younger. Especially any that will give you a tour of local architecture, but I suppose that’s the constructor in him.”
Tripp thought about Mr. Darren and nodded approvingly. That seemed to fit rather well; he had only met the man a few times, but he seemed like a grown-up dork compared to some of the other adults he hung around. “There’s a lot of history out this way,” Tripp said.
“Yeah—everyone in Georgia, I swear, is obsessed with Civil War history,” she said. “I think it’s because a lot of the battles were around here, and the whole Sherman’s March to the Sea thing.”
“Huh?” Tripp questioned.
“You know, Sherman,” Kara said. “The Union guy? Okay, so apparently Civil War history is not as big of a deal in Cali…”
Tripp laughed slightly. “I could tell you all abo
ut the California gold rush.”
“I’ll pass,” Kara said, laughing as well.
Tripp knew where the Fayetteville movie theater was as he had gone with Hannah and Draco once before, so he was surprised when Kara suddenly turned down a side road and wound up in a fairly empty parking lot. There was a wing shack near a bunch of trees, and Kara parked a little ways away from the building, right under some shade and far from where most cars in the area were parked. “Um…” Tripp said softly, looking at her with a curious gaze. “Aren’t we going to be late for the movie?”
“I wasn’t planning on actually going to the movies,” Kara said with a hand wave. “I can’t really talk to you and get to know you there.”
Tripp felt slightly uncomfortable knowing that Kara had lied about her intentions, but he supposed she had a good point. But, then again, why not just tell his grandmother they wanted to grab a bite to eat or something? They sat and talked for a bit in the car, and he learned that Bradley and Stacey were meeting them but they were coming from Peachtree City, so they had plenty of time to themselves. As they spoke, he felt that Kara kept getting closer and closer to him, and he realized she wanted him to make some sort of move, but frankly, he didn’t have any moves. She seemed to realize this, so she finally reached over and put a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her so that he would kiss her.
He did, expecting it to be something similar to what had taken place in Helen. A quick, sweet kiss, but this time she held onto him a bit longer. It was very awkward for Tripp, them both leaning over the center console with their lips locked like this. She seemed to think so too because she abruptly pulled away, muttered, “hang on,” and then proceeded to climb right over into his seat with him, squishing him against the car door—though he liked being this close. They started kissing again, and she played with his hair as they did so. He liked kissing her, but he had absolutely no idea what to do with his hands. He eventually settled them down on her lower back, and he felt less awkward now. Just when he thought he was starting to impress her and wasn’t acting like a little boy who didn’t know what he was doing, someone knocked on the window and caused them both to jump.