Sleep Savannah Sleep

by Alistair Cross

  She nodded. “Liam’s a decent boy. Never been in any real trouble so far as I know. And sweet as a piece of pie, too.” She sipped her coffee. “That Savannah’s the only bad egg in that family. Well, I suppose that’s not entirely true. Her mother, Evie, has a bit of a pill problem. I know because we go to cooking class together once a week. Sometimes, she can barely keep her eyes open. But she’s harmless. That Savannah, however … you just keep away from her.”

  Jason agreed and hoped it would be a long time before he saw Savannah again - or That Savannah, as Dottie would say.

  “She’s nothing but trouble and no good can come from having dealings with her. You remember that.”

  Jason had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to forget it. He looked at his watch. “I’d better get running, Dottie. I need to get some things done around the house before we head out to the carnival tonight.”

  “Do you have an ice pack for your eye?” Dottie pushed herself out of her chair and walked to the freezer on joints that had obviously gone stiff. “Now, I know I’ve got one here somewhere.”

  “It’s okay, Dottie. Really. I have one at home.” It was a lie, but he didn’t need the woman worrying herself.

  “Well, if you need one, just let me know.” She continued moving things around in the freezer. “Now where on earth did I put it?”

  “You’re a sweet lady, you know that, Dottie?”

  She shook her head at him. “Oh, stop. Now go on home and get ready for tonight.”

  7

  Carnival

  The buzz of energy was invigorating, the moon full and bright. The delicious scents of hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy drifted on the warm night air, and the flashing colors from the myriad rides and booths created a sense of adventure and excitement that tugged out sweet memories from Jason’s boyhood in Los Angeles. A collective scream resounded as nearby roller coaster cars plummeted down their tracks.

  Jason’s eyes swept over the crowd in search of Coop, who’d texted to say he was near the mirror maze. Now it was just a matter of figuring out where that might be.

  “Maybe it’s over there.” Brent pointed past the carousel at the series of small multi-colored structures that comprised the midway.

  Moving through the ocean of smiling faces, they ignored carnival barkers wanting to guess their weight or tempt them to try to win a massive stuffed animal they’d be stuck carrying around the rest of the night.

  Jason spotted the mirror maze - a squat red-and-yellow edifice with flashing lights and a line that wound all the way around it. Coop stood beside the ticket booth, talking with a dark-haired man in beige shorts, hiking boots, and a fishing hat. Pushing past a knot of people applauding as a clown in an oversized rainbow afro twisted balloons, Jason and Brent approached.

  “I was starting to think I wouldn’t find you,” said Jason.

  Coop smiled and nodded the bill of his red baseball cap toward his friend. “This is Fred De La Paz, a buddy of mine from my school days. Fred, this is Jason Crandall.”

  Fred shook Jason’s hand and winced as he looked at his eye. “That’s a hell of a shiner you got there.”

  “Yeah, well,” said Coop. “You should see the other guy, right Jason?”

  Jason laughed. “Whatever you say, Coop.”

  “Hey, Jason,” said Coop. “You like books, right? Fred runs the bookstore.”

  “Tome After Tome?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “I’ve seen it. I’ve been meaning to stop by and check it out.”

  Fred smiled. “Well, if you do, I’ll give you the Buddy Discount. That’s twenty-five percent off, just for putting up with this crazy bastard.” He hooked a thumb at Coop.

  Jason laughed, the drifting scents of hot dogs and churros reminding him that he was famished. “Thanks. I’ll take you up on it.” He ushered Brent toward them. “This is my son, Brent.”

  Brent awkwardly shook hands with the men, and after some pleased-to-meet-yous, he returned to his position behind Jason where he resumed staring at his phone.

  Jason looked around for the closest concession stand. “What are you guys planning on doing?”

  Fred grinned. “There’s a coochie show near the back. I was just trying to talk Coop into coming with me. I hope you’ll join us.”

  “Actually, I’d like to get something to eat,” said Jason. Amber had been a trial all afternoon and he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She was terrified the clowns were going to kill Jason and Brent, and only after promising to call Dottie’s every hour to report that they were safe had he gotten her settled down. “Why don’t the two of you go ahead and I’ll meet up with you later?”

  “Sounds good,” said Coop.

  “It was nice meeting you.” Fred gave Jason a handshake.

  “You too. I’ll see you guys around.” Jason and Brent headed for the hot dog stand a few yards up the crowded midway.

  “I don’t want anything,” said Brent.

  “All right.” Jason got in line and watched his son head toward an iron bench.

  He sat down, pulled out his phone, and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his thumbs flying over the keypad with impressive speed. There was something arresting about seeing him sitting there - the spatter of acne on his chin had cleared up and he filled out the red polo shirt and blue khakis in a way he never had before. His white baseball cap sat backwards on his head bringing his handsome, clean-shaven face into prominence. On the drive, Jason had even caught a whiff of cologne - something Brent never wore. It thrilled him that his son was taking pride in his appearance; it meant he was coming out of his shell - a shell that had shrouded him his entire life. Jason felt good about the move to Shadow Springs.

  After a surprisingly short wait, he ordered a couple of hot dogs and a large Coke. The smell of cotton candy proved too tempting and he ordered some of that, too, calling Brent over to help him carry it. They headed back toward the bench and sat. Brent handed Jason his hot dogs.

  “Liam’s on the Ferris wheel,” Brent said. “He’s with his parents.” His face was riddled with anxiety. “You won’t say anything to them, will you? About last night, I mean?”

  Jason sucked ketchup off his thumb. “What makes you so sure they don’t already know?” He wolfed down the first half in a single bite. “It’s not like it was hard to see you were stoned.” Jason held the huge fluffy ball of pink-and-blue spun sugar out to his son. “Cotton candy?”

  With one hand, Brent plucked off a piece. With the other he held his phone, thumb-texting. He’d become a professional texter since he’d met Liam Sturgess and lately, Jason thought a bomb could go off and Brent wouldn’t notice.

  But when a group of teenage girls walked past, that got his attention. A cute brunette gave him a smile and Brent sat up straighter, resting an arm casually across the back of the bench. Once she passed, he resumed texting.

  “She was cute,” Jason said.

  “Who?” But Brent’s cheeks were already going pink.

  Jason laughed. “You know who.”

  Brent rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dad.”

  But Jason caught the little smile at the corners of his lips. “Why don’t you tell Liam where we are. He can come and meet us.”

  The tiny smile crashed.

  “I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

  “You promise?”

  “I promise. And after I meet him, the two of you can take off by yourselves.”

  Brent blinked at him. “Really? But you said … What if you don’t like him?”

  Jason shrugged. “Then I don’t like him. I think you’re old enough to choose your own friends. I trust your judgment.”

  Brent watched him a long moment. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Brent went back to texting as Jason sipped his Coke and picked at the cotton candy.

  “He’s on his way,” said Brent. “And his parents are coming. They want to meet you.” His annoyance was o
bvious.

  “My lucky night.”

  Brent cleared his throat. “Dad? Before they get here … What I said last night, you know, about Mom and stuff? I didn’t mean it. I was just mad, you know?”

  It wasn’t an I’m sorry exactly, but Jason knew he’d probably never see another one of those and appreciated his son’s efforts. “It’s all right, Brent. I’m sorry, too. Things will get better for both of us in time.”

  Brent nodded. “I think so, too.”

  “I know so.” Jason put an arm around his son’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “I love you, kid.”

  Brent let it happen without cringing, pulling away, or complaining, which was the most Jason could hope for.

  “And I think you look pretty badass with a black eye.” The handsome warmth on Brent’s face made it impossible to chastise him for using bad language.

  Jason laughed. “I’m glad someone thinks so.”

  They sat together in silence, their shoulders touching like children waiting for their mother to pick them up from school. It was nice. Jason finished his hot dogs and Coke and got up to toss his cup and wrappers in a nearby trashcan.

  As he sat back down, Brent pointed. “I think that’s them.”

  “Already?” Jason stood and quickly brushed crumbs off his shirt.

  The Sturgesses approached like three porcelain figurines all smiling and twinkling as they moved through the crowd of laughing fair-goers. They were an eerily beautiful family, fronted by a tall, slender man who butted in front of his wife and son, extending a hand. “Hello, Mr. Crandall. I’m Scott Sturgess. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” He had a well-groomed blond mustache, a perfectly straight nose, and a false smile. His skin was so tight it shone.

  “Pleasure.” Jason pumped his hand.

  “You’re from Los Angeles, I hear?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, I’ll be.” Scott Sturgess dove into a one-sided conversation about his visits to LA, and the perks of living in a small town. His Ho-Ho-Ho Santa-like laugh was an interesting - if overdone - affectation. He was plastic - and not just his personality, but his face too, which appeared to have undergone a lift or two. Jason didn’t care for the man and as he half-listened, he turned his attention to Liam, who was surprisingly short, perhaps only five-seven, with curly golden hair and the face of an angel. Jason had a hard time believing this was the kid who was drinking booze and smoking pot with Brent. But then Jason noticed his eyes - they were bright, but there was an emptiness in them that only added to his doll-like appearance.

  “Oh, and this is my wife, Evie,” said Scott, coming up for air and realizing he hadn’t yet introduced his family.

  Evie stared at Jason’s black eye like it might be contagious, then gave him a half-hearted smile and a limp clammy handshake. Between her frilly white blouse and cascading golden locks, she looked like she belonged in a curio cabinet. She, too, struck Jason as not quite real, and like her husband, appeared to have undergone some face tightenings.

  “A pleasure,” she said in nasal tones. There was a drowsiness about her that gave the impression of someone who’d just landed after a twelve-hour flight. Jason recalled what Dottie had said - ‘Evie has a bit of a pill problem.’

  “And you must be Liam.” Jason held a hand out to the young man.

  “Pleased to meet you, sir.” Liam stepped forward to shake his hand, and when his dimples flared, Jason imagined he saw a snake inside those sparkling eyes. The boyish good looks would serve him well. With a face like that, you could leave the knife at home when you went on a raping spree. But he wasn’t being fair - his distrust of Savannah was clouding his judgment. Liam was a more masculine spitting-image of his sister, and it was hard not to think of her when Jason looked at him.

  “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” said Jason.

  “Likewise, sir.”

  “Please, call me Jason.”

  After shaking hands, Liam joined Brent. As Scott Sturgess droned on about life in Shadow Springs, Jason watched the two boys.

  They bumped fists then huddled together in conversation, their heads bent over Liam’s phone. They were tight, Jason could see that. Brent had only had one other close friendship in his life and that had been in grade school. Watching him with Liam now, Jason was glad he hadn’t intervened.

  As Scott Sturgess’ monologue shifted - somehow - to a business trip he’d recently taken to Ireland, a familiar voice broke in.

  “Why weren’t we invited to this little family reunion?” Savannah Sturgess wore a red halter top that made it clear she was without a bra and a pair of black leather leggings that showed off her curves in nearly profane ways. She’d opted for a red lace choker in lieu of the signature gold cross that still rested in a drawer in Jason’s basement. She made her way toward them, dragging the ever-beaming, prematurely-graying Flynn Garvey behind her. He wore a gray sports shirt with an honest-to-God Izod alligator on the breast.

  Jason’s discomfort level quadrupled as the realtor grinned at him. He felt as if the man somehow knew that just yesterday, Jason had very nearly had sex with his fiancé.

  “Hello, Mr. Crandall.” Savannah gave him a shy smile and chewed the end of a blue fingernail. She couldn’t quite meet his eyes and that was fine with Jason. He had trouble meeting hers, too.

  “Hi,” he managed, heat crawling up his neck.

  Flynn Garvey, his smile so wide the ends threatened to meet at the back of his head, gave Jason a nod.

  Jason nodded back, feeling the shame as surely as if he’d carried out the indecent deed.

  But before there could be any awkward silence, Savannah wrapped her arm in Flynn’s, and launched into a recount of her terrifying experiences in the house of horrors. Jason relaxed, not listening, just glad that things weren’t as uncomfortable as they might have been.

  As Savannah giggled and prattled, Jason noticed that an unsavory tightness came to Liam’s doll-like lips. He was irritated - if not downright outraged - by his sister’s presence.

  As she tossed her head back and tinkled laughter at something her father had said, Liam’s gaze shifted around uncomfortably, as if to see who might be watching them. He’s embarrassed by her, thought Jason. Maybe it’s because of what she’s wearing. He wondered if Liam knew about his sister’s reputation. He must. And what about the parents? Did they hear the sordid stories that went around about their daughter?

  The word massage snapped Jason back into the moment.

  “... poor Jason’s got his work cut out for him,” Savannah was saying.

  “I’m sorry - what?” asked Jason.

  Savannah smiled, her eyes now reaching and holding his. “I was just telling them about those dreadful ghosts in the house of horrors and I said I may just need another of your wonderful massages. My muscles are so tense!”

  Jason opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Is she serious? There was no way he was letting her back into the massage studio.

  “Dad?”

  Grateful for the interruption, Jason turned to Brent.

  “Is it okay if me and Liam go hang out?”

  “As long as Scott and Evie are okay with it,” said Jason.

  Scott gave his permission while Evie yawned and looked at her watch.

  “Liam,” said Savannah as he and Brent were leaving. “You’re not going to the house of horrors, are you?”

  “No,” said Liam, and again, Jason sensed quiet hostility toward Savannah.

  “Good, don’t!” she said. “I know how squeamish you are about spiders so I’m warning you now - don’t do it!”

  Liam reddened.

  “And I know how squeamish you are about ghosts,” Flynn told her. “I might just make you go again!” He tickled Savannah which brought ear-splitting giggles and further proof that Savannah was braless beneath the halter top.

  Her younger brother’s eyes darkened and Jason wondered if Liam’s hostility was directed at Savannah, Flynn, or perhaps at both of them. Why? Before Jas
on could make any further guesses, Brent said, “I’ll keep my phone on if you need me.”

  “Okay, son.”

  Brent and Liam disappeared into the crowd.

  Jason looked at his watch. He needed to call Dottie’s and let Amber know the clowns hadn’t gotten him. “It was nice meeting you, but I’ve got to make a call.”

  Scott Sturgess opened his mouth to say something but Savannah cut him off.

  “Wait! You haven’t seen my ring!” She held up a hand to show off a sizable diamond.

  “We’ve finally decided to take the plunge.” Flynn grinned, oblivious fool that he was.

  The news clearly came as no surprise to Scott and Evie - which meant Liam must have known about the engagement as well. Maybe that’s the source of his hostility. But Jason couldn’t figure out why that should bother him. “It’s beautiful,” he said to Savannah. “Congratulations, both of you.”

  “You can expect an invitation in October.” Flynn’s smile was so bright it could have burned off ground fog.

  “I’ll be there.” Jason couldn’t imagine Savannah Sturgess in a white wedding dress.

  “Oh! One more thing, Mr. Crandall.” Slowly, Savannah had metamorphosed back into the sex-charged vixen from the massage studio and the bar.

  Jason found himself stepping away from her. “What is it, Savannah?”

  “Did I leave my necklace at your house?”

  “You did. I tucked it away in a nice safe place.”

  “Oh, thank you! Could I swing by tomorrow and get it?” The wanton flicker was in her eyes again - it let Jason know that despite her recent engagement, she was still willing to give herself to him.

  Now he wondered if she’d deliberately left the necklace. “I’d hate for you to trouble yourself,” he said. “I’ll have Brent give it to Liam and you can get it from him.” Then he quickly told Scott and Evie that it had been a pleasure, turned, and walked into the crowd.

  After phoning Amber, Jason found Coop and Fred, and the three of them went on the roller coaster. They also hit the tilt-a-whirl, the zipper, and the famed house of horrors - which wasn’t nearly as scary as Jason had been led to believe. At the ring toss, Coop won a panda bear keychain, and of the three of them, Fred was the only one able to ring the bell on the high striker. For this, he won an inflatable hammer and a coupon for one free candy apple.