At the theater, the girls paid and grabbed a quick snack, as they were still full from their dinner. The theater looked newer than everything else on the street, a smaller establishment with three screens. The exterior was plain, just a sign announcing the movies, shining against white walls. The interior looked like that of any other movie theater, with the cashier, the snack bar, and the ticket taker right at the front. Now that Clara knew the title of the movie, she was intrigued to see what it was about.
Stacy pulled out tissues as they sat down. “Just in case,” she said, indicating that these had been needed before. The other girls giggled and turned their attention to the movie. Clara had to admit, it was a good choice. It made her laugh and cry – totally crazy how that could happen. It felt nice to be lost in a fantasy.
On the way home, Clara sat in the back, enjoying the conversation, but not really saying a lot. Stacy suggested they stop for ice cream and everyone agreed.
At the parlor, Clara thanked the girls for the night out. “It was nice to be included in something normal,” she said gratefully.
All three exchanged a glance and then Stacy looked at Clara.”We wanna do this again, like a lot. You’re so sweet and so much fun. It would be great to get to hang out with you more,” she said happily.
Clara looked surprised, which made the three girls laugh.
“Let me guess … you were told we don’t let many people hang out with us, right?” Stacy asked. Clara nodded.
“I bet from Samantha?” Hannah asked. At Clara’s nod, she snorted. “Still jealous after all this time.”
Clara looked confused, so Hannah explained. “Samantha has grown up with us. Gone to school with us our whole lives. When we were little, we all played together but as we got older, she grew apart from us. She started doing things differently. Which is OK but she thinks that we ostracized her. In reality, it was she who did that to us. Then, on top of it all, Stacy went on one date with Andrew sophomore year. He and Samantha weren’t even an item then, but because it happened, she feels betrayed. Like we even knew she liked him in the first place.”
“But, Hannah, we did know. It was all over the school that she had a major crush on him. He just wasn’t crushing on her at the time,” Tracy said, trying not to be mean about it – just honest.
Hannah rolled her eyes.
“Guys, it’s not really that big of a deal. So, she’s bitter about it. It’s in the past.” Stacy said, not looking upset at all.
This made Clara curious. She shook her head, dismissing her feelings. She wanted to just enjoy hanging out. Stacy turned to her and concluded, “So, this means you’re invited to my sleepover next week.” Clara grinned.
“And to shopping tomorrow,” Tracy added.
Clara frowned at that, thinking of the money she had. Not much and because she didn’t have a job, she wasn’t about to get more any time soon. “I don’t have much money. Where can I get a job around here?” she asked.
Hannah laughed and said, “There really aren’t very many jobs. We do odd jobs for people around town to make a couple bucks.”
Clara nodded and the pleading look on her face made Hannah continue. “You can join us on our next one. We’re gonna wash Mrs. Meadows’ windows in two weeks. You should come with. We always get paid really well.” Clara nodded in excitement.
“Don’t look so happy. It’s not fun. Her house is HUGE!”
Clara nodded again, this time more slowly, and looked down at her watch. She almost fell over when she saw the time. “Oh, crap! Guys, I hate to do this but I gotta be home soon. My parents set a midnight curfew. I figure as long as I live with them, I need to follow their rules, ya know?” The other girls agreed, and they headed out, leaving their ice cream half-eaten.
Clara practically sprinted from the grey four-door sedan to the front door. She waved at the girls as she tumbled inside. Clara looked at the wall clock and sighed. “Just in time,” she whispered to herself. She turned from the door and almost jumped out of her skin. Rodney sat in the recliner, grinning at her.
“Very close there, little sis. You’re getting good at this,” he said, impressed.
Clara glared and said through clenched teeth, “I see you’re my welcoming committee.”
He shrugged. “Better than Mom, right? How many times have you had my back? I told them I’d wait up for you so they could sleep.”
Clara relaxed and grinned.”Thanks, Rod.”
He stood up and stretched.”So, are your friends hot? And available?” he asked innocently.
Clara laughed.”Oh, Rodney. They’re seniors. Still in high school. You really wanna date girls that young?” she chided.
He shrugged. “The nearest college is an hour away. Besides, if they’re 18, they’re legal,” he joked. Clara shook her head as he laughed and headed upstairs. She followed him, trying not to grin. Stacy might actually like Rodney. That would be surprising.
Clara got ready for bed, thinking about the new friends she had made and the Greek god she had met. She got goose bumps just thinking about him. Clara crawled into bed and pulled out her journal, smiling.
She wrote, “Made new friends tonight. Going shopping in the morning. The Greek god who served me dinner looks extremely available. This town might not be so bad. Looking forward to the next couple weeks.” She tucked the journal under her pillow and closed her eyes, dreaming of shopping, movies, and Greek gods.
3.
LEARNING ABOUT THE TOWN
“ Clara, I think that top looks amazing on you!” Tracy exclaimed as Clara twirled in front of the mirror. The top was dark green and low-cut, exactly the kind that Clara liked to wear.
The girls were at the mall, showing Clara around and trying on clothes. Stacy popped her head out of another stall.
“Can we get food after this? I’m starving,” she asked.
Clara laughed and nodded. Food sounded really good right about then. She twirled again in the top.“I’m not 100% sold on this. I look a little chubby,” she complained, eyeing herself in the mirror.
“No you don’t! You know you look good in it!” Stacy exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at Clara and popping back into the stall.
Clara blushed. “OK, I’ll get it,” she agreed. She changed and gathered up her picks. All in all, she walked away with three shirts and two pairs of jeans for a ridiculously low price, plus she had enough money for lunch.
The four girls headed to the food court, discussing what they wanted to eat. Luckily, there was something for everyone. Hannah and Tracy got subs, while Clara got tacos and Stacy got pizza. As they sat down at a table in the corner, Hannah looked up and her eyes almost popped out of her head.
“He’s here!” she squeaked out. The other girls glanced up, following her gaze.
“Who’s that?” Clara asked.
Tracy giggled and whispered, “Hannah’s biggest crush.”
Hannah glared at her.”No. That’s Alex, Andrew’s older brother. He was the starting quarterback before Andrew,” she said quietly.
Stacy watched him walk across the room. Then they heard a soft voice call. “Alex, over here, sweetie.” The girls watched as a slender brunette carrying a baby walked over to him and embraced him. He kissed her and she grinned up at him.
“And that would be his wife, Natalie.” The contempt in Hannah’s voice surprised Clara.
“She looks familiar, but I don’t know from where,” Clara said, eyeing the petite girl.
“She was head cheerleader back in the day. Only the best for Natalie. She went to our school when Alex did,” Stacy said, taking a bite of her pizza.
“Are you sure she was head cheerleader? Didn’t we win an award or something that year?” Clara asked.
The girls were surprised.”Clara, how did you know that?” Tracy asked.
Clara shrugged. “The awards case. Their picture is right there in the center. But she’s not listed as the head cheerleader. It’s Betty Something.”
Hannah glared and declared, �
��Betty Marron. Natalie became head cheerleader after her.”
“What happened to her? Did she move or something?” Clara asked between bites of food. The look on Hannah’s face made her drop her eyes.
“No, she didn’t move. You wouldn’t understand,” Hannah grumbled. If looks could kill, Hannah’s would have.
“Hannah!” Stacy exclaimed, looking shocked.
Clara held up her hand.”It’s OK; it seems like a very sensitive subject. No worries.” Clara thought fast and said, “So, um, how did Natalie manage to get such a good-looking guy like Alex to settle down with her? Didn’t he want to play college ball or something?”
Stacy gave her a grateful smile. “She got pregnant. That baby there isn’t their only child. She got pregnant in high school, he married her, and she miscarried. Then she got pregnant again. That baby is their second child.”
Clara nodded, finishing her tacos. Tracy and Stacy stood up, waiting for Hannah. She was still looking in Alex’s direction. “Um, Hannah, we’re gonna leave you sitting here if you don’t hurry up.”
Hannah looked at them in surprise, gobbled down the last of her sub, and jumped up.
As the girls waited for Hannah to throw away her things, Clara looked at her watch. “Oh, perfect timing. I need to get home soon. Mom has things she wants me to do around the house.”
“Chores, huh?” Tracy asked. With her red hair tied up in a pony tail she looked younger than her almost eighteen years.
Clara nodded.
They headed to the car, chatting about the upcoming week of school. Clara noticed Hannah’s silence but didn’t comment on it.
Once they had dropped off Clara, the other girls headed home. Hannah finally broke the silence, crying out, “Why does she have to be so damn nosey?”
Tracy sucked in her breath at the cuss word.
Hannah turned on her. “Oh, Tracy, get over it. You’re not a child anymore.”
Stacy sighed and said, “Look, Hannah, I know you’re touchy on the subject, but it’s going to come up and Clara is going to find out. Her dad is a sheriff, her brother a detective. It runs in the family. I know that you and Betty were close but come on. You have to learn to let it go.”
“You have no idea what it’s like. You’ve never lost someone that close to you. And it’s none of Clara’s business. She doesn’t need to know,” Hannah said stubbornly. Stacy could feel Hannah’s eyes boring into the back of her head.
“What do you have against Clara?” Tracy asked meekly.
“I just get a vibe from her. I don’t know. I don’t really like her,” Hannah mumbled.
Stacy snorted and said, “More like you’re jealous of her.”
Hannah’s face turned red. “How can I not be?” she choked out. “Her dad stole my dad’s job. She’s way too nosy for her own good, AND she’s too pretty.”
Stacy burst out laughing.
“Oh, you find that funny? What’s so funny about what I said?”
“Hannah, do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? Going on about how pretty she is? You’re pretty too. Why does it matter how attractive she is?”Stacy asked, shaking her head.
Hannah let out a sigh. “It just … I don’t know, irks me. She asks way too many questions.”
Tracy piped up, “Maybe she’s just trying to make friends and be nice. She’s new, and she doesn’t know anyone or know about anything. She’s just trying to fit in. Cut her some slack.”
“What Clara doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Maybe if we don’t tell her anything, no one else will,” Hannah implored, slumping back in her seat.
“Hannah, why does it matter if she knows or not? Everyone else in this town knows,” Stacy said, sounding confused as she turned into Hannah’s driveway.
Hannah looked at Stacy in the rearview mirror. “You wouldn’t understand, Stace. Just leave it be,” she begged. She got out of the car and walked up to her house, her hips swaying.
The house was a one-story country home, all her father could afford on his salary. The roof had been freshly shingled, and the trim repainted white. The house itself was dark grey – Confederate grey, her father had called it. Three concrete steps led up to the front door, made of mahogany with three small windows in the top portion. The yard was tidy, with a small garden under the front windows –windows that Stacy knew were in the small living room. The house had three bedrooms: Hannah’s dads’ room, Hannah’s room, and a guest room. Two bathrooms were attached to two of the rooms and the kitchen and dining room were one and the same. A large oak stood in the middle of the significantly larger back yard.
Tracy leaned forward, asking, “Is she gonna be OK?”
Stacy sighed. “I don’t know, Tracy. She’s very bitter about it. Maybe now isn’t a good time to invite Clara along to stuff. Hannah may need more time to heal.”
“More time? How much more is she gonna need? I’m not going to sit here and wait around on her. I like Clara and I want to get to know her better,” Tracy pouted. Stacy nodded in agreement and pulled out of the driveway.
Clara sat at the kitchen table when her mother walked in and asked, “Hey, honey. Did you have fun?”
Clara nodded and mumbled, “Yeah, I did.”
Her mom smiled. “Good. I hope you’re ready to get down to work.”
Clara sighed and stood.
“No sighing. I have a couple boxes I need you to take up to the attic for me.” Clara’s mother pointed to some boxes in the hallway. Clara grabbed the first one and headed upstairs. At the end of the hall, a string hung down. Clara pulled on it and a ladder descended. She clomped up the stairs, huffing and puffing.
She found a lot of stuff in the attic. There were boxes and an old piano – things Clara had never seen before. After she carried all the boxes up there, she went looking for her mom. “Hey, Ma, is all that stuff upstairs ours?” she asked.
Her mom looked up from the stove. “No, the family that lived here before us left a lot of stuff behind,” she replied.
“It would be really interesting to go through all that stuff,” Clara said hopefully. In reality, Clara looked like she couldn’t wait to get her hands on that stuff.
Her mother looked at her and said, “Well, right now you’re going to help me make dinner. I need you to set the table.”
Clara rolled her eyes, saying dejectedly, “But Ma, I’m not hungry.”
“Clara, just because you aren’t hungry doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t,” Mrs. Young said forcefully.
Clara sighed and set the table. Once done, she started peeling potatoes. She was cutting them up when Rodney came downstairs, followed by Samantha. Her blonde hair gleaming in the afternoon light leaking in from the kitchen window.
“So, do you like it here?” Clara heard her ask. She didn’t hear Rodney’s response, but it must’ve been good because she could hear Samantha laughing.
Samantha looked around the kitchen with a grin. Her green eyes lit up when she saw the décor. “You didn’t throw out everything. Debbie was so afraid you would,” she said.
“Who’s Debbie?” Clara asked.
“Debbie Marron. She lived here before you,” Samantha replied casually.
Clara’s head popped up at that last name. “Marron? Any relation to Betty Marron?” she asked.
Samantha’s smile faltered. She whispered, “Yes, she was Betty’s mother.”
Clara asked, “What happened to Betty?”
Samantha went white. She looked nervous and started running her hands through her hair. “I really shouldn’t talk about it,” she stuttered.
Clara threw down the potato peeler. “Why won’t anyone tell me? I’m going to live in the town and become a part of it, but no one will tell me what’s going on,” she cried.
Samantha rubbed her temples. “We don’t really talk about it around here. It’s still very painful, even after all this time,” she whispered.
Clara stood and faced Samantha. “But I’m not just anyone. I’m a student at that school and
I’m tired of stumbling over myself because of something I don’t know anything about. I’m not going to be disrespectful or say something I shouldn’t, I promise,” she pleaded, with both her voice and her eyes.
Samantha sighed. “Someone will eventually tell you all anyway, and I’m sure your dad and brother are already aware. She was murdered.” The pain on Samantha’s face looked fresh.
Clara looked shocked. “What? Murdered? How?”
“In the bathroom by the library. In stall number four,” Samantha said, sitting next to Clara at the table.
“That’s why the girls didn’t want me to use it,” Clara concluded, looking to Samantha for confirmation.
“They don’t want anyone to use it,” she agreed. She smoothed out her cheerleader skirt. “The police hit a wall and couldn’t solve the case. No one knows who killed Betty. And the girls don’t want any evidence to be destroyed. A lot of people are also pretty sure that’s why your dad got the job and Hannah’s dad didn’t, although no one will say it to her face.”
“They do realize that it will degrade over time, right?” Clara asked.
Samantha sighed. “Yes, but they still hope it can be solved. It’s not like the case is top-secret. The last sheriff didn’t think it could be solved and many suspected it was a fight gone wrong. Problem is, Betty didn’t fight with anyone. Everyone loved her.”
Clara thought for a minute. “What if I could get the files and solve it myself? Would you want to go over them and see if we could figure it out?” she asked excitedly.
Samantha looked worried. “You could do that?”
“My dad is a cop. I don’t see why not. It can’t hurt to have a fresh set of eyes on it and I’m really good at mysteries,” she bragged. She looked at Rodney, who had been listening the entire time. He nodded, knowing that Clara would most likely need him to investigate the case in the first place.
The Murder in Stall 4 Page 3