by Sofie Hern
–
“Jordyn?”
“Yeah?”
The girl is on the bed, facing the wall and Irene sits by her side. She knows she needs a strategy and needs her daughter’s help. She wants things to be better between the two so they can work together to bring Adam home.
“I'm sorry, honey.”
Jordyn says nothing and they are in silence for a long time.
“Adam is leaving and…”
“Good for him.” The girl’s voice is low and calm.
Keep your cool, Irene tells herself.
“I need your help, honey.”
Jordyn finally turns to face her mother and props herself up on her elbows.
“How?”
Irene walks over to Jordyn’s desk and looks around.
“We need to bring Adam home.”
Jordyn groans and rolls her eyes before sitting up on the bed. “Mom, just let him go.”
Irene slams a hand on the desk. “No!” And Jordyn put her hands over her ears.
“I'm sorry, honey,” she says again, attempting to hug Jordyn who walks to the opposite side of the room.
“You're scaring me, mom.”
“I'm sorry.” Irene buries her face in her hands and says, “What are we going to do without him?”
Jordyn goes to sit next to her and puts her arms around her mom. “How can I help?”
“I'll think of something. But I want to know that you’re with me in this.”
Jordyn nods and Irene returns the hug.
“Thank you, honey.” She wipes her tears and takes out a twenty-dollar bill from her pocket. “Here,” she offers.
Jordyn narrows her eyes and says nothing.
“It's been a long day. Go to the mall or the movies or something. Take Karina with you.”
Jordyn smiles. “Really?”
“Uh-huh. Call me later so I can pick you up.”
“Thanks, mom,” she says and hugs her mom one more time. “Will you be okay?”
“Yes. I'm going to catch a nap.”
–
When Jordyn leaves the house, Irene is too revved to sleep. Instead, she goes into the kitchen where she takes a glass and a few crackers from the pantry and from the refrigerator takes the wine, a few cubes of cheese and takes them to the table.
She needs to put a plan in motion to get Adam back. The first thing she needs to do is get rid of that bastard. Then, somehow, remove Jaycob from the picture; send him with Colin to Colorado or something. Once they’re gone, Adam will have no excuses. She’ll never give him the divorce if that’s what he’s shooting for.
She takes a sip of wine and looks around; pleased with the way the house looks. She spent hours cleaning because she wanted Adam to come back to a clean house. She did laundry, washed the sheets, cleaned the bathroom and even scrubbed the walls.
The doorbell interrupts her thoughts.
–
Levy is standing on the porch. She steps aside to let him in then does a quick scan of the street before closing the door to make sure no one saw him at her door.
“So what is it that—”
Irene throws herself at him and kisses him passionately. Levy reciprocates and they begin to breathe hard and heavy.
He wraps his arms tight around her waist and pulls her in closer and she imagines that it’s Adam the one she’s kissing. They make their way to the family room without detaching their lips.
30
ADAM
We’re sitting in the living room, exhausted after a draining day. I’m on the sofa resting my head back with Aaron by my side. Jaycob sits on one of the chairs by the window with his elbows on his knees, cracking his knuckles. “Now what?” he says.
And I have no idea. After such a hectic week the sudden stillness is overwhelming. What is next? How can we move on after such a sudden and tragic loss?
I close my eyes; clear my throat and say, “We need to figure out our sleeping arrangements.”
“Aren’t you taking my mom’s room?”
I give Aaron a sideways glance and know why he’s asking. We know what it means if I take Tianna’s room; another inevitable task of putting away her belongings. They are both staring at me, waiting for my response.
“If that's okay?” I say finally.
They exchange glances and nod.
“I'm starving,” I say and go to the kitchen to prepare a late lunch.
–
Outside, the rain is starting to fall and I cross the kitchen to close the window. I open the refrigerator to survey its contents, then I hear a knock on the front door.
I recognize Rita’s voice when she greets the guys and seconds later, she’s standing in the kitchen, followed by Jaycob and Aaron, who are carrying grocery bags and place them on the table then they walk back out. I narrow my eyes at Rita as she removes her jacket to put it on the back of a chair.
“What?” she says innocently.
“What's all this?” I ask peeking into the bags as she proceeds to put groceries away. “Thought you guys might need a few things.”
She moves around the kitchen with ease and knows where everything is. I wonder how many times she has been in this kitchen, how many good talks, she had with her best friend.
“This is a gift from a bunch of us at work,” she speaks without looking at me while opening cabinet doors, drawers, the pantry.
I take cans of soup out of a bag and pass them to her.
“That's nice,” I tell her. “Please tell everyone we say thanks.”
“For sure.”
She pulls a large plastic container from one of the bags. “Homemade tomato soup,” she says, handing it to me.
I open it to smell the contents and my mouth waters. “Holy… that smells good. Did you make it?”
She snorts and continues to put away the groceries. “I’m not much of a cook. My mom, on the other hand, is a genius.”
“I can tell.” I take one more sniff before she takes it from me.
She takes a pot, pours the soup into it and places it on the stove, covered, on low heat.
“Lunch will be ready in no time,” she says with a smile. The last thing in the grocery bag is a six-pack of beer.
“Oh, wow. They are generous,” I tease, holding the pack of beer and Rita smiles again, a sweet smile.
“Those are from me,” she says and I take the beer to the refrigerator.
“Can you take out the cheese, please?” she says opening a bag of sliced bread.
“Grilled cheese?”
“That ok?”
“Mm-hm. Need help?”
“You can get four bowls for me.”
I go to the cupboard and take the bowls from the top shelf. “Is Frank coming?”
“Nope. He’s at work.” She’s spreading butter on the bread. “It's ugly out there. Thank God it wasn’t raining this morning.” She changes the subject and I take that as a hint to stay off the husband talk.
I can hear Jaycob and Aaron talking animatedly and laughing. I poke my head into the living room where Jaycob is hooking up a Play Station to the TV.
“Is it yours?” I ask Rita.
“Frank's,” she says placing some sandwiches in the center of the table.
“He has no time to play anymore.”
“Work?”
“Work, work, work.” Her tone is not a happy one and she seems annoyed.
“He’s still in the motorcycle business?” Let it go, Adam.
“Yep.”
I nod, lean back on the chair and cross my arms over my chest. After a long silence, with the sizzling of the pan, she asks, “How are you feeling?”
“Lost.”
“How come?”
“Everything, you know? The thought of packing her stuff…” I trail off. I’m finding it easy to talk to her; it feels good to share my thoughts, my concerns.
“I'm here if you need help.”
“Thanks, Rita.”
She places a bowl of soup in front of me and thr
ee more at each chair, then pokes her head in the living room.“Lunch is ready!”
–
Aaron and Jaycob join us and they ooh and awe at the wonderful aroma. They take a seat while I get the drinks and Rita pops open a beer for me and one for herself.
The soup tastes delicious and the grilled cheese is just as good. Aaron breaks off a piece of his and a long strand of cheese stretches like an accordion in his hands, then he opens his mouth allowing the cheese to touch his tongue. Jaycob is eating so damn fast I’m not entirely sure he’s even savoring the food.
“Hungry, Jake?” I say and the table erupts with laughter.
He nods, shrugs and continues eating.
We talk about Tianna and the weather, airplanes, and music. After a while, Aaron says, “That was yummy, Rita!”
“Thanks, little man.”
“Did you bring any games?” He’s ready to return to the living room to play.
“They're all downloaded into the system.” She tells him.
“Sweet!”
–
Outside, the rain continues to fall with a persistent downpour.
“Thanks for this.” I gesture with my hands at the kitchen, the food, the beer.
“Don't even mention it.” She chews on her final bite of grilled cheese, then I start to clear the table.
“I used to do this with Tianna,” she says and I see tears welling in her eyes. “On rainy days I'd ask my mom to make us lunch and I'd bring it for her and Aaron.” The tears fall now.
I stop what I’m doing and glance at her. She wipes the tears with the back of her hand and stands to help me clean. As she walks past, I touch her arm and our eyes meet. Hers are a pale gray, sad and alert. I want to take her in my arms and comfort her, but the moment passes. “You're a good friend, Rita.”
She smiles.
After we finish doing the dishes we sit at the table and open another beer.
“It’s gonna be difficult,” she says. “One thing’s for sure though, knowing you're staying here brings me comfort. Tianna trusted you more than anyone.”
I smile and wonder what Rita knows about my feelings for her friend.
“Thanks, Rita. That means a lot.”
“Please know that I’m here too. I’m not abandoning that kid. If you need help, never hesitate, okay?”
“I appreciate that. That’s exactly what I told Jake. Aaron will need us more than ever.”
“For sure.”
We are in silence for a while—a very comfortable silence—Rita props an elbow on the table, supporting her chin. “Did you talk to Levy?”
Her question takes me completely off guard and I shake my head. “But I know Irene told him.”
“What? Seriously?”
I nod.
“Wow. She scares me,” she says, but doesn’t elaborate so I say, “I'm glad I'm done with her.”
There’s a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “Just, please don’t let your guard down. Levy showing up out of the blue can’t be good. Especially after showing up at the funeral. The nerve if that guy. Ugh! Please be careful.”
Her warning sends a chill down my spine.
I finish my beer and put the bottle in the bin before going to the living room.
–
I’m sitting on the sofa when I hear the sirens approaching and flashing lights reflect off the windows. I rise and cross the room to look out the window.
“What is it?” asks Jaycob.
“There’s an ambulance outside.”
Jaycob puts down the game controller and joins me at the window. The ambulance pulls up in front of Mrs. Wallace’s driveway.
Jaycob takes his jacket off the rack and puts it on as he walks outside where the rain has turned to drizzle. I step onto the cold porch and see Jaycob cross the yard into Mrs. Wallace’s. Seconds later a car pulls in behind the ambulance and Michael, her son, steps out and exchanges a few words with Jaycob but I go back inside.
“What happened?” asks Aaron, still sitting on the floor with the controller in hand while Crash Bandicoot is paused mid-jump.
“Don't know, buddy.” I sit and wait for Jaycob in silence.
He comes back moments later and removes his coat. “You're not going to believe this,” he says.
Aaron stops playing and we wait for Jaycob to elaborate.
“Mrs. Wallace is dead.”
We all look at each other.
Mrs. Wallace has been living next door since before my parents moved in. She was the first neighbor to reach out to them and they became good friends. My dad often helped make repairs to her house and when I was old enough, I helped mow the lawn or water her grass. She used to babysit for my parents when Julia and I were kids.
Jaycob tells us that the cleaning lady, who comes once a week, found Mrs. Wallace on the kitchen floor and immediately called 911. According to her, Mrs. Wallace had a bluish tint to her skin, indicating she’d been dead for hours.
“Oh my God,” says Rita to Jaycob. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. It’s just crazy, you know? Tianna last week and…”
“What about Tony?” Aaron asks, referring to Mrs. Wallace’s dog.
“Michael’s taking him,” Jaycob tells him and Aaron nods.
No one says anything more for a long time.
“Well.” Rita gets to her feet. “I should get going.”
Aaron stands to give her a hug. “Come back soon,” he tells her
“You bet.”
I walk her to her car and thank her for all her help then wave her goodbye.
31
KEN
After returning from the funeral, Ken gives Sarah the rest of the day off. He stands in the dark by the window with a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigarette in the other, watching the rain. His neighbors include a laundromat, a liquor store, a Chinese-slash-Mexican food fusion restaurant, and a doughnut shop. The other three spaces are vacant. He stares out the window waiting for Poole to arrive. Despite the heavy rain, people still need their laundry done while others run in and out of the liquor store.
His thoughts go to Irene and how beautiful she looked at the funeral. He must admit that he’s a little jealous of Irene’s love—obsession—for Adam. He has nothing against Adam, and for the most part, they stay away from each other as the relationship between Ken’s wife and her twin brother is non existent.
Yes, Ken still loves his wife. Probably. But Irene is a completely different animal. Where Julia is modest and loyal Irene is narcissistic and bitchy. Julia is good in bed, but Irene… Irene is excellent. The contrast between the two is staggering and he considers himself lucky to be able to switch gears, so to speak, between the two whenever he damn well pleases.
When Julia and Irene discussed their plans with him to get rid of Tianna, Ken knew he’d have leverage for years to come. Getting rid of Adam’s nosy neighbor had to be done, but he needs to be careful and not mix business with pleasure. Does he like killing? He’s never thought about it overmuch (okay, maybe he does. A little bit.), it’s simply his job, his livelihood. Irene is his weakness, and though he may regret offing Tianna, it has given him power over Irene. Something he otherwise might not have acquired.
The first time they had sex, he and Irene, was during a weekend when Julia was in Utah for an event. He was relaxing at home watching an episode of True Detective when Irene showed up. Looking back now, that night might have been the beginning of the end for Tianna Novak.
Just a little after two, Poole’s Suburban makes its way to the parking lot. “About damn time,” says Ken under his breath and steps away from the window to put out the cigarette in an old ashtray on the desk. He then closes the blinds, turns on the light and goes to the lobby to get his friend.
Poole rushes in with an umbrella in hand and closes it in the lobby, making a mess. While Ken holds the door open he surveys the parking lot and when satisfied, closes and locks the door.
–
In the office, Ken sits behind his
desk still holding his glass and points to the chair across from him.
“Have a seat.”
Poole obliges.
Ken takes the bottle of scotch from the desk, pours himself two fingers and offers some to Poole who declines. Drink in hand Ken leans back in his chair and sips. “So?” he says after a moment.
“All done.”
Ken smiles. “Good job Poole. Hope you made sure nobody saw this time? We don't want this to happen again, understand? Especially when it’s a personal favor.”
“I waited until her neighbors left for the funeral before going to the house. I looked in balconies, front yards, opened garage doors and even tree houses. No one saw me this time. The old woman recognized me from before, but she was easy to manipulate. Not as easy as Tianna but it all worked out.”
Ken angles his head and studies his friend for a moment. After the stare down, he says, “Alright, good. Good.” He nods and opens the top drawer of his desk to retrieve a stack of cash and throws it on the desk.
Pool pats his chest saying, “This one’s on me. I fucked up the last one, can’t take it.”
Ken considers this, picks up the cash and places it back in the drawer, then leans back in his chair. “We better stay low for a while,” he says.
“Everything okay?”
“I can't afford another one right now. Not here, anyway.”
Poole nods.
Ken is thoughtful for a moment. The future looks promising and he lets his thoughts and plans roam in his head. “I may need your services in Texas. El Paso,” Ken says finally. “I’m leaving tomorrow to do some scouting. I think we’ve done all we can here. Business is slowing down and we need a new venue.
“I have big plans for us, Poole. I still have to discuss this with Ralph and Gene but I think they’ll be on board. I want to get out of this dump,” he spits out the word. “We can expand along the Mexican border towns and make our way to the mother lode: San Diego, LA and eventually New York. Are you in?”
“I’m in.”
Ken is pleased that his friend didn’t have to think about it twice. “Great. I’ll give you the details once I get there.”