by M. S. Willis
Momma sat down next to me and Daddy sat in the rocking chair to our right. It was rare that my parents took a moment out of their day to rest and have a conversation, but they made sure to at least give me an hour when I came for my weekly visit. I was never upset that they couldn’t afford to give me more uninterrupted time than that. I understood that what they were doing was so important to the people they were helping. Momma asked me about my job and they gave me their full attention as I told them about Mr. Weber, the miracle skier. They laughed at my rendition of the story and Momma made her usual comments about how it is so important for me to be careful. Concerned that I would get caught one day and that someone would react with violence, they asked that I arm myself to protect against attack. Momma, Daddy and I all shared the same distaste for firearms, but I agreed to pick up a can of pepper spray to make them feel better. My job isn’t as dangerous as they think but I have heard stories of investigators accidentally stumbling upon drug deals or other criminal behaviors undertaken by the people they were watching.
After an hour, Momma and Daddy excused themselves to take care of whatever chores they had to accomplish and I turned to find David reading a book to the kids. They all were laying on top of him and snuggling into his side. As he was otherwise pre-occupied I decided to go check out the backyard.
When I refer to the backyard at The Center, I may be using the wrong word. The Center was backed up to the outer perimeter of the state park and a large half acre yard led out to a marsh land that fed into a lake. Daddy would mow the grasses closer to the building, but he left the area down near the marshes as natural as possible. The beauty of the place was always startling no matter how many times you have seen it. There were seven large camphor trees that had now grown out to the point that a massive canopy shaded the first thirty feet or so by the building. Momma and Daddy had added a medium size veranda and sitting area since I moved out and it’s the perfect place to sit and read a book or watch out over the water.
The breeze carried cool winds with it today which perfectly complemented the heat of the sun. It was one of those days where you could easily fall asleep in a hammock or lounge chair and not wake up for hours. The weather combined with the natural music of the wetlands was an instant relaxer and you couldn’t help but feel hopeful about life. As usual, I felt an instant connection to my surroundings and I knew I would spend several hours just absorbing it all.
I spent a few hours walking around and visiting all my favorite childhood hiding spots. Nothing has changed around this place since The Center started and looking around the yard I remembered the dream again. I glanced over to my right and stared at the Cypress tree I had fallen out of years ago. It had grown taller since then and I shuddered at the thought of how high I had gone that day. I was a fearless child and I’ve stayed that way for the most part except for when it came to heights, spiders and zombie clowns; well, I guess I should say any clowns.
Momma came out after a while and found me sitting down in the grasses. She took a seat next to me and threw her arm over my shoulder and started rocking me slowly from side to side. I looked into my mom’s face and she had a knowing look to her.
“What are you thinking about, Baby Girl? You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
I hung my head down and was busying my hands, tying a piece of grass to another. I looked up at Momma and then over to the lake. “I had a dream last night that bothered me.” I paused and my voice became quiet. “It was about Buddy.”
Momma nodded her head in understanding and then stayed quiet to give me time to continue.
“It wasn’t about what happened on my birthday, it was just a scene from when we had been climbing trees. But then the dream shifted and I remembered the time I fell out of the Cypress. The pain and the fear and everything else was so real. I woke up Momma and I carried those emotions into my waking life. I’ve been trying to shake them all damn day, but they won’t let me go.” I put my head into my hands. “I haven’t dreamt about him in years, why now?”
Momma was thoughtful for a moment. She was one of those people that took their time to really think about what they were going to say before she said it. Her responses were always so well stated and honest that I appreciated the way she communicated with me. Momma never had to take back a hurtful word or apologize for not being forthcoming. She had a pure spirit and it was evident in everything she said and did.
“Well, Baby, I don’t know exactly why you had the dream and I don’t know what it was trying to tell you. I know that the brain has a funny way of processing information and sometimes our subconscious knows something we don’t and for whatever reason it won’t easily share what it knows. Dreams are a way for us to look farther inside ourselves and every once in a while a memory will sneak in there and it’ll be like you are reliving it.”
She squeezed me closer to her and her voice took on a regretful tone. “I often worry about you, Paige. I know how hard it is for you to let people in. You give so much of yourself to the people you love but you never leave yourself vulnerable where it matters the most. Don’t get me wrong, Baby, I’ve always said it’s important to guard your heart, but sometimes, and for the right person, you have to lower the drawbridge and let someone inside those walls.”
My eyes started to well with tears and I kept my head turned so Momma wouldn’t see.
Momma sighed and continued. “I want to think it is strange that you are still so affected about what happened with Buddy. It’s been sixteen years, Darling, and you are at an age where you should be able to move past it. For as short a period of time that you knew each other, you two bonded like twin souls. I regret having taken you to those apartments that day. You were too young to witness something so terribly tragic. Baby Girl, I know he meant a lot to you, but you’ve got to let go and move on. Constantly looking behind you will only keep you from ever looking forward. That’s no way to live a life.”
I reached up and quickly wiped that tears that had escaped my eyes and then I turned and leaned into my mother. “Did you ever look for him Momma, you know, after he was taken?”
Momma was quiet again. She let out a slow breath before she responded. “I did look for him baby. He was placed in the foster system a couple days after Kristi died. It was his natural father that had killed her and then himself that day, so they tried to find family that could take him in. None of his extended family wanted him and he was placed with a foster family after that. Your father and I applied to be his foster parents, but the State didn’t think it would be proper for him to be raised around The Center. We understood the concerns they had and we couldn’t argue that our home life wasn’t exactly normal. Once he was in the system for a few years, they stopped giving us information. Being that we weren’t blood related, there was nothing else we could do.”
I put my arms around my mom and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay Momma, I know you tried.”
We sat together silently for another hour, but then Momma had to get back inside to tend to dinner. It was getting late and I knew that David and I would have to be leaving shortly. I pushed myself up and brushed off my bottom. I looked over at the Cypress tree again and then, as if by their own will, my feet somehow carried me over to it. I looked down at the base of the tree to see the roots spiking out of the water. There was enough sunlight left that I could see the sooty bottom of the marsh and I took off my shoes, rolled up the bottoms of my jeans and walked into the cool water. When I was about shin deep, I stopped and looked out over the lake.
I heard the back door slam open and I turned to see David coming outside. I called out to him and he began walking in my direction. When David had gotten close to the marsh he waved his hand at me and started saying something but he was cut off when his foot stuck in the ground near the edge.
I ran out of the water while he was attempting to tug his foot out and only making matters worse.
I shouted out to him as I ran in his direction. “Hold still David! Moving your foot around will o
nly get it stuck deeper.”
David ignored me and continued frantically tugging at his foot. “Hurry up, Paige. The freaking swamp is trying to eat me!” David stepped forward trying to gain leverage to tug some more. When his other foot started sinking into the muck as well, he shrieked.
I finally reached him and had to keep myself from doubling over in laughter. He was moving in such a way that it appeared he was dancing, the whole time waving his hands in the air and cursing the Florida swamps. “It’s not funny, Paige, I’m about to die here and all you can do is sit around laughing your ass off. Now do something! I’m stuck in quicksand!”
I got myself under control, lost it again, then controlled myself again before I sprang into action. I carefully placed my feet in areas that I could feel were solid and I grabbed David’s right leg. “Now hold still, David. You’ve stepped into the edge of the marsh and I have to pull your leg out straight in order to break the suction.”
David looked at me with a surprised expression on his face. “What do you mean I’ve walked into the marsh? I thought the marsh is where you were standing.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Well, it is, but marshes tend to extend out a little further and you can’t really tell because of the grasses.”
His eyes narrowed and he glared in my direction. “So if you knew that little tidbit of information, why did you feel it necessary to call me over here in the first place?!”
“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to walk into a swamp. I was turning around to come meet you, but you ran in like you knew what you were doing.”
David’s face turned purple with frustration. “I’m from CHICAGO. We don’t have swamps, and weird reptiles, and freaking quick sand! How the hell was I supposed to know this would happen?”
His face took on an incredulous expression. “You, my little friend, are a blasted siren! You called me out here like I was some lonely sailor in hopes that I would get stuck in the marsh and drown. Don’t even try and deny it!”
I shook my head in response to his accusation and tried to suppress my grin. “Just hold the fuck on, David. I’ll have you out of this in a second.” I tugged his leg straight up and after a loud sound like a vacuum seal opening, his foot popped out; sans his shoe.
David looked down and noticed his missing footwear and let out another shriek. “Those were three hundred dollar shoes! You need to reach down there and get it, Paige!”
I placed his foot on solid ground and then turned to tug on the other. “There is no way in hell I’m reaching down there to get your shoe. And who the hell buys shoes that cost three hundred dollars, much less wears them into a swamp?!” When I gave his other leg a good tug it broke free as well, and also did not have a shoe. I found a solid spot for that foot, set it down, and brushed off my hands. “Sorry David, but that was a really dumb decision on your part. I think you should really consider your footwear better while planning out your day.”
David’s jaw dropped and then snapped shut again. “Shut up, Paige! You’re really not going to get my shoes out of there?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Consider them buried. I can say a eulogy if that would make you feel better.”
David hung his head down and sighed. “They were a good pair of shoes and they will be missed.” His head turned up for dramatic effect. “I remember the first day I walked past the window that contained those shoes…”
I laughed. “Give it a rest and come on. We have to get home, it’s getting late.”
I grabbed David by the hand and showed him where to step until we were safely out of the marsh area. We walked inside and Momma immediately noticed how muddy David’s feet and pants were. She tsked at David and then grabbed a towel for him to wipe himself off. He pulled off his socks, wiped down the bottom of his jeans and then rolled them up.
While watching him clean up, Momma asked, “Do I even want to know what happened to you, David?”
David’s head shot up and he pointed to me while looking at Momma. “Your daughter tried to kill me. She was out in the marshes and then she called me over without warning me they extended out into the grasses. I was sucked into quicksand and I barely made it out alive. If it hadn’t been for that large stick that I was able to grab onto and use to pull my way to safety, I would have been a goner for sure!” He paused. “And what’s worse, the swamp ate my favorite pair of shoes. They cost three hundred dollars!”
Momma couldn’t help but grin and she shook her head. Daddy came walking up behind her and said, “Who wears three hundred dollar shoes into a swamp?! You know, David, you should really consider your footwear better when planning your day.”
David’s jaw hit the floor and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. I howled with laughter and fell to the floor clutching myself. Momma and Daddy joined in the laughter shortly after I went down.
After everybody had calmed down, we talked for a few moments and then said our goodbyes. I climbed onto my bike and watched David shake out his pants before climbing into his car. We started our vehicles and began our journey home.
Chapter Six
I woke up Monday morning feeling refreshed from my trip to my parents’ place. Alex hadn’t been at the apartment when we arrived home and I didn’t hear from him by phone or text either. Annie was also out when we arrived and I went to bed after David locked himself in his room muttering something about swamps and footwear.
I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to take care of business. I didn’t bother changing out of my pajamas because I wasn’t planning to do anything but curl up on the couch with junk food and watch old kung fu movies for the entire day. Annie and David usually object to this particular choice of movie marathon but they give up when I convince them that the movies are necessary components of my ninja training.
I shuffled out to the kitchen and went through my normal stare down with the coffee maker. After experiencing my usual loss to the whims of the machine, I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. I picked up the remote and started the first movie.
I didn’t even make it through five minutes of the movie before my thoughts drifted to Daemon. I had to admit to myself that I didn’t hate all things Daemon, he was just able to piss me off like no other person could. I gave some thought to what David had said at breakfast yesterday and I decided that it was time to put my skills to good use and find out all that I could about Daemon. Unfortunately, the only information I had about him was his first name and the fact that he worked as a bouncer at Tomb. Even the most seasoned investigator needed more than that to go on. I resigned myself to the fact that I needed more information and that the only way I could get that was to go to Tomb.
I started formulating my plan and I determined that I would need a second set of eyes and ears with me at the club. I considered taking Annie or David, but quickly dismissed that idea realizing that I would end up babysitting one or both the entire evening. I pulled out my phone and texted Alex.
Me: I have a mission, if you choose to accept…
It was still early so I was surprised when my phone chirped back almost immediately.
Alex: Excellent. What is it and when do we rendezvous?
Me: We’re going to Tomb. You will be playing the role of my doting boyfriend. Rendezvouz at my place. Six o’clock.
Alex: Mission accepted.
I returned my attention to the kung fu goodness on the screen when Annie staggered into the kitchen. She emerged a moment later and then padded her way into the living room. I watched as she sat down on the couch and sipped from her cup. As usual, the caffeine kicked in and she suddenly came to life.
“Morning Paige!”
Odd. Even for Annie after her first sip, this was a little too chipper.
“Morning. Where were you last night? Or do I not want to know?” I gave her a sly grin.
Annie laughed and her face was absolutely beaming. “I had a date last night and I know it’s early, but I think I’m in love. He’s incredible, Paige, and i
t feels so different this time.”
Annie’s speech is familiar. In fact, it’s the same speech she gives every time she meets a new man. I started to point that out to Annie, but then changed my mind. “How’d you meet this one?”
She jumped up and down in her seat as she started her story. “When I left work, I decided to stop at the grocery store before heading home. I finished my shopping and was walking out to my car when I saw him trying to put his groceries in the back of his car. He had a splint on his hand and couldn’t grip the bags and boxes, so I stopped to help him. He wanted to thank me, so he took me out to dinner.” She got a dreamy reminiscent look in her eye. “It was the best night of my life, Paige. This guy could be the one.”
I wanted to be excited for her but I inwardly groaned at the thought of another boyfriend. “That’s great, Annie. Tell me about him, and you can start by telling me his full name, date of birth and social security number.” I flashed her my brightest smile.
Annie laughed and then shook her finger at me. “Oh no you don’t. I know what you’re up to and I’m not letting you investigate him. His name is Chris and he’s really a nice guy, so when he comes over, I want you on your best behavior.”
I shot her a look. “He’s coming over?”
She had an innocent look on her face and she rubbed her finger along the rim of her cup. “I invited him to come over and hang here tonight.”
I shook my head and responded. “Well, you are in luck Annie. I have plans to go out to Tomb tonight so I won’t be around to screw up your future marriage.”
Annie smiled but then gave me a strange look. “You’re going to Tomb. I thought you were going to avoid that place?”
“Well, yeah, I was, but I like it there and I’m taking Alex with me to keep me company.”
Annie nodded her head and I returned my attention to the television.
~
Alex arrived to the house promptly at six. I quickly briefed him on his role for the evening and explained that I was on a fact finding mission and needed my boyfriend there to appear innocent. When our pow wow was complete and he understood his task, I went back to my room to get ready. I looked in my closet and choose a black, corset style top which I paired with skinny jeans and my boots. I took some extra time with my makeup by lining my eyes and applying a light layer of eye shadow to bring out their color. I left my hair loose but curled it at the ends.