by S. E. Akers
She quickly grabbed a pair of her sunglasses. “How’s this?”
“It’s a start,” I assessed.
“Does Bea have anything I could use to cover my head?” Katie asked. “Like a big floppy hat or something? Most old ladies do.”
“There is something we could use,” I answered with a crafty grin. “Wait here.” I hurried to the backyard with a shovel in hand. Surely that thing has baked, or whatever it has to do long enough. It has to be dug up eventually, I thought as I scooped up my first chunk of dirt. Now is as good a time as any…
I strolled into the bedroom with my treasure in tow.
“What’s that?” Katie asked.
“A wig,” I replied.
“Just what I need…something to cover up a bald spot I’ve got working in the back, no thanks to you-know-who!” Katie fumed. She picked it up and inspected the locks thoroughly. Some remnants of dirt fell onto the floor.
Katie’s head sprang up like a Jack-in-the Box. “Wig — MY ASS! This is Gallia’s HAIR! Isn’t it?”
“It was,” I corrected.
She flung it onto the dresser with a shudder. “Gross! I’m NOT wearing that.”
“Bye,” I replied with a cutesy wave and whirled around without a second-thought, headed for the door.
Katie stomped her foot on the floor. “Please don’t make me!” she begged.
I crossed my arms. “If you wear it, I’ll stop by CVS on the way home and pick up some hair color? We can dye yours tonight. Any color you want. Deal?” I opted not to tell her the real reason behind my pharmaceutical store pit-stop. She would find out soon enough.
“But it’s someone else’s HAIR!” Katie whined. “It was ATTACHED to Gallia’s HEAD!”
“It’s only for a little while. There’s no reason we should be spiltin’ hairs over this,” I said, biting my lip to restrain my growing grin.
“Ha. Ha,” Katie responded, unamused. My pouty bosom friend started to reach for the wig, but paused thoughtfully. “Mani-Pedi, too?” she added with a cock of her head, sweetening the pot.
I let out a laugh. Yeah, It’s official… My bosom friend is back.
Katie waved her hands in the air and shoved them in my face. “Come on! Look at these cruddy things!” she pleaded, wiggling all ten of her piggies.
I had to agree. “Okay,” I replied and took a purposeful second-look. “Just remind me to run out to Daddy’s workshop…so I can snag the belt-sander.”
Katie retracted her fingers — Well, all them except one.
Chapter 31 — Come What May . . .
If I’d learned anything over the past several weeks, it was this: There truly was fifty feet of crap underneath that crusty layer of earth we affectionately referred to as “rock bottom”. My plummet commenced with a swift shove off the cliff by good ’ole grief. But it wasn’t just over Bea. Not even close. I soon realized that all these months of supernatural distractions (evil beings, training non-stop, and tending to Katie) had interfered with me properly grieving for Daddy. Yeah, I’d thought about him a lot (cried a lot too), but I hadn’t really made a decent dent in the whole grueling process. And the way I felt right now, there wouldn’t be a foreseeable end — Not ever!
And that was only one slice of my melancholy pie. I had to keep up my “happy-face” façade around Katie at all times. I was so thrilled to have her back, but between keeping her cabin-fever at bay and reeling with anxiety over how the heck I was going to get the amethyst back, I was ready to march downstairs to Bea’s secret room so I could scrounge up something that would knock her out for at least a week — just so I could focus on all the other crap that was swirling in my toilet bowl.
Ty kept coming by to see if Bea needed anything, and every time I sent him off with a “no” and an evasive reason that ended with him leaving with a funny look of suspicion lingering on his face. I had to tell him. I just didn’t know “when”. Seeing his picture on the mantle everyday made my indecision even worse.
And then there was Kara, constantly wanting me to “hang out with her” and shooting me texts like her phone was a fully automatic machine gun. The thought behind her repeated requests was nice, but the collateral damage with Katie kept me on edge. I even caught my sneaky BFF in the middle of sending Kara a pretty harsh reply when she’d texted me with an invite to her house for a sleepover with the cheerleaders. Thankfully I blew the daggone phone out of Katie’s hand before she was able to hit “SEND”. I may have resorted to some “covert” conversations with Kara’s unsuspecting brain, just so her feelings wouldn’t get hurt from my constant stream of rejections. Frankly, I didn’t need the guilt.
But the biggest stinker in my bowl had to be the mess with Charlotte. I found a bright red envelope she’d hidden in the back of her sock drawer the other day. Our house was officially in foreclosure and would be put up for sale if the bank didn’t receive what they were owed in arrears within thirty days. And still, my mother paraded around the house like there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG — proof that denial wasn’t just another river in Egypt. Chloe was another story. Since I had been staying at Bea’s, she thought I’d already abandoned ship, leaving them to sink into the abyss without a care. She wouldn’t speak to me at school, though she hardly bothered that much before. In all honesty, the dirty looks she shot me in the halls were fierce, but the things I heard roaring in her head hurt the most. Simply put, I was an “insensitive, heart-less, selfish bitch”. On the bright side, at least she wasn’t praying I would get run off the road by a speeding coal truck whipping around a sharp curve — just for a chance to score some bank after selling my land.
Oddly, of all the stress I had brewing, I figured the house and Charlotte’s debt situation would be the easiest thing to fix. But to my dismay, weeks had gone by with no word from Samuel. After the first week of leaving countless voicemails and texts that were never returned, I drove out to his house — several times. His Jeep was always parked out front, but no one was ever home. I wasn’t too alarmed until I spotted the same newspapers I’d seen over and over, still lying at the foot of his walk, untouched. Even his mail was spilling out of the wall box hanging beside the front door. Right then and there, I resorted to a full-fledged manhunt worthy of a prime-time crime scene show. Even though Samuel was still on a medical leave, I headed over to the mine to see if anyone had heard from him. Of course, no one had. No real “surprise” there. Daddy was the only person around town Samuel considered a friend, but I thought it was worth a shot. Then I took a different route. I called the Gary Rehabilitation Center looking for Ms. Marion. The person I spoke with wouldn’t tell me much over the phone, just that she was on vacation. So, I headed out there for a more persuasively-personal interview with someone who could give me the answers I craved.
The man at the information desk ushered me back to their Human Resources department (but only because I’d told him that I was looking to fill out an employment application). It worked — no compulsion necessary. At least I went in with a clean conscience.
I entered the small office and immediately closed the door.
“Can I help you?” a raven-haired woman sitting behind a desk asked.
I pulled up a chair and cut to the chase —magically speaking, of course.
“You have a nurse that works here, Marion Silverberg…Where is she?” I asked my unsuspecting mark.
The woman’s cornflower blue eyes glazed over. “On a leave of absence,” she replied.
“For how long?” I asked.
“Till after Labor Day,” she said listlessly.
The synapses in my brain were searing. My gaze dropped to the floor, defeated. “Through the summer?” I mumbled, out loud.
“Yes,” the woman confirmed.
“Do you have any other contact numbers for her, other than her cell phone?” I specified.
“No.”
“Do you know where she went?”
“On a cruise,” the woman answered.
My head crashed into my han
ds. A CRUISE? My fingers scraped through my hair as I lifted my head. “Do you know which one?”
The woman looked painfully thoughtful for a moment, only to reply, “No.”
I threw myself back against the chair. “Do you know anything?” I scoffed.
“Yes,” the woman replied with a nod. “I know she’s getting married while she’s away.”
Well that just popped the cherry off my sundae. “Not to Samuel Clark?” I posed, very slowly.
“Yes,” the woman affirmed.
I found myself in such a state of shock that I’d accidently lost my connection to her mind.
“Miss?” the woman asked, now fully alert. “MISS? Is there something I can do for you?”
I rose from the chair in a daze. “No. You’ve done enough,” I muttered and strolled lethargically out the door. I didn’t know what was more distressing: Not being able to find out about the diamonds or the fact that Samuel had run off to marry a woman I despised and hadn’t bothered to tell the girl he thought of like his own daughter about it? Seriously? Talk about a punch to the gut. I felt so sick I puked right beside my car — Twice!
I told Katie the news as soon as I got home. I have to say, she was equally as floored, but she was more concerned about the diamonds.
“Let’s go to Atlanta tomorrow,” Katie urged. “You can compel them to tell you.”
“I can’t. Tomorrow night is a full moon and Tanner’s coming early…Remember? He should’ve already been here.”
“We can go after he leaves,” Katie insisted.
I plopped down on the bed. “What’s the point?” I posed. “Whatever happens, happens. All I can do is wait,” I grumbled. “I just can’t believe Samuel left town without a peep. And he’s going to marry THAT WOMAN…if he hasn’t already!”
“So will she be like your surrogate mom?” Katie posed, not even trying to hide her grin.
I tilted my head. “That’s NOT funny.”
“I’m kidding,” Katie apologized. “So did the woman say when the ship-of-fools was headed home?”
“No,” I grumbled. “She didn’t have any details.”
“Why don’t you try calling him again?” Katie pressured.
“NO!” I protested like a pouty child and threw myself back on the bed. “I’m mad!”
“About the diamonds or the wedding?”
“Neither,” I replied as I lifted my head. “The diamonds are out his control. He did his part. And if he really loves her, I can respect that.”
“REALLY?” Katie posed.
“I said, ‘respect’…I didn’t say, ‘I liked it’,” I clarified.
“Then WHY are you so pissed?”
I rose up in a huff. “As silly as it sounds, I’m mad that he’s not going to be here for my graduation. Of all people!”
The sound of a door closing rattled through the house.
“That’s Tanner,” I whispered as I tried to purge my emotions and tightened the last screw on my perky smile. “Not a word about this,” I warned. “I don’t need a conversation about Samuel triggering any slip-ups about selling diamonds.”
“You’re right,” Katie whispered and gave me a pat on the head. “I’m not as good a liar as you.” With that, she hopped off the bed sporting a conquering grin and sauntered out the door, walking straight past the Amethyst Talisman.
“Anything wrong?” Tanner asked me suspiciously.
Yep. His radar is well in tune.
“Just a little worried about the full moon,” I replied. She was right. Shamefully, I was pretty good at it.
That next evening, we sat scattered around the living room. Katie was hunkered down on the sofa, flipping back and forth between channels, I chose an uncomfortably upright and alert spot in a walnut Windsor chair, and Tanner paced back and forth, wearing a hole in one of Bea’s oriental rugs. A bad thunderstorm had rolled into town that night. The Weather Channel may have predicted rain a week ago, but I had a feeling its intensity had kicked-up all on account of me, and my precious little moonstone.
Katie’s choice of movies didn’t help. She had stumbled across an all-night horror marathon. Why she thought THAT would be a “good choice” was beyond me? Maybe to stay awake? But her daggone eyes stayed closed most of the time, when she wasn’t hiding under her blanket.
A woman’s blood-curdling scream blaring from the TV sent me springing out of my seat.
“Could you watch something else? PLEASE?” I snapped.
Katie lowered the blanket. “Sorry,” she cringed and tapped the remote. I’d no sooner turned my back, when an explosion “boomed” through the speakers, forcing me to clutch my chest. I didn’t have to turn around. Silence engulfed the room not a second later. Katie handed me the remote as she strolled past. “I think I’ll just turn in. You’re scarier.”
The sound of the front door opening sent me rushing into the foyer. Tanner had opened it intentionally, but he remained well inside the house, simply staring out into the darkness.
I sidled beside him. “Do you think she’s out there?”
“Yes,” Tanner replied with a watchful eye.
A howling gust of wind blew down the street abruptly. I peeked out the sidelights as he closed the door, strangely hoping to see something, but there was nothing there. Well, nothing I could see. But something veiled by the murkiness had their sights on me — ’Cause I sure got whacked with a sudden wicked-cold case of the creeps!
Tanner pulled my edgy-yet-intrigued frame away from the door and steered me into the living room.
“I think it would be best if you leave Welch early, right after graduation,” Tanner stressed. “There’s one too many full moons between now and when your semester starts. Lorelei wants the moonstone more than anything…and then there’s Helaine to consider. I’m sure it won’t take long for the news that the wand has be reclaimed to make its rounds…knowing that trap of hers,” he grumbled. “So, I would feel more at ease if you stayed the summer…with me.”
A warm feeling flickered inside me, like someone had just struck a match in the center of my chest. Probably my red-suited devil. Then, the arousing warmth gave way to a rush of wariness with some assertive assistance from the little chick with the white flapping wings. My mouth may have been open, but I couldn’t form a daggone syllable to save my life.
“Alone?” I inquired, finally.
Tanner stepped closer. “Yes. Alone.”
My heart started to race. “W—What about Katie?”
“Haven’t you made arrangements for her yet?”
“I didn’t realize it would be this soon,” I replied.
“Is there a problem?” Tanner asked.
“No. No problem,” I assured him. “Consider it done.”
Our entire evening went without incident, thankfully. Tanner headed up north just as soon as the full moon had officially set. I waited another day before I told Katie about our summer plans. She was sad at first, as expected, but she came around after she realized a summer in Welch would mean three more months in her isolation box. But she made me promise we would see each other every weekend, regardless of what was hanging in the sky. I did, without the slightest reservation. I couldn’t stay away from her any longer than she could from me.
The next three weeks flew by. Apparently time not only flies when you’re having fun but when you’re in fear of losing the childhood home your father built too! The day before graduation had arrived and I greeted it with a somber glance in the mirror, a glaring red zit on my cheek, and the realization that I’d barely made a dent in my Valedictorian speech. Thankfully there wasn’t school for seniors today — that was a much-needed plus with what all I had on tap for the day. To my surprise, Katie was already up and in the kitchen making breakfast. TV and cooking was really all she had to do around here. Though I think all the extra kitchen-time reminded her of whipping up stuff with her mom.
I was heading into the kitchen when a ditty that I hadn’t heard in ages started ringing out of my purse. No
“beep”. No “swoosh”. Not even a “ding”. Someone was actually calling. I scrambled to dig out my cell, praying it was Samuel and that I answered it before the daggone thing went to voicemail.
I knew my pleas had fallen on the cosmos’ deaf ears once I’d spotted a strange local number on the screen. I shook my head and answered it with a pissy tap.
“Hello?”
“Yes. Hi,” a professional sounding woman replied. “Is this Shiloh Wallace?”
“Yes,” I answered as I plopped down on the sofa.
“Great. This is Timpy Overton, from McDowell First Savings,” she said. “I was calling to see if you could help us clear something up.”
That’s perfect. Now my mother’s creditors are calling me! “Look, I think you should speak to my mother about this.”
“Well, according to our records, her name isn’t on your account,” Ms. Overton stated.
Suddenly my mind went blank. “You mean, my checking account?”
“Yes,” Ms. Overton replied.
I reached for my purse to get my checkbook. “Did I bounce a check?”
“No. It’s not that. I was just reviewing our electronic fund transfers from yesterday and I wanted to make sure your wire-transfer wasn’t a mistake.”
Suddenly I forgot how to breathe. “O—oh,” I mumbled and then swiftly cleared my throat. “So it went through all right? No problems?”
“Yes. Your funds are available now,” she insisted. “I apologize for having to call you, but we wouldn’t want any of our customers checking their account balances and finding an inaccuracy. An error like this could get us and them into a lot of trouble if it were a mistake.”
“And all of it’s available?” I hinted, fingers firmly crossed.
“Yes. All One-Hundred Fifty-Four Thousand dollars of it.” A jubilant wave catapulted me out of the chair. My feet may have hit the floor, but I felt like I was still floating up on Cloud-Freakin’-Nine.
I glanced at the time on my phone. “Y’all close at five, right?”
“We’re open until six tonight,” Ms. Overton corrected. “It’s Friday.”