Dead Enemies

by K. E. Garvey

  For several moments neither of them said anything. She assumed he was trying to make sense of what she’d just told him. When he finally spoke, it was to ask where she was and to tell her he was coming to her.

  “Paul, no. Please, not tonight.” She glanced at the bedroom door, and lowered her voice. “I appreciate you wanting to be here, but I can’t. There’re unresolved feelings between you and I, and… you know what, it was selfish of me to call you tonight. You made your wishes known. I’m sorry, I just didn’t know who else to call, and—”

  He interrupted her by insisting she allow him to come to her. She considered his request once more, but quickly decided against it. She couldn’t bring herself to hang up, and he wouldn’t stop insisting. Their conversation ended when she relinquished her whereabouts and he promised to wait until the following evening to come. She needed time to mentally prepare for his visit. She had many questions, but wanted them to come out calmly and sensibly. The last thing she wanted was to sound like a scorned child or bitter ex during the first opportunity she’d had to talk to him face-to-face since he had ended their year’s-long relationship. Once she had agreed to see him, they said their goodnights and ended the call.

  She was nervous about seeing him, but now that it was over, relieved she had reached out to him. Aside from Sali and Johnston, she hadn’t talked to anyone about what had happened, what she knew, or how she felt. Sali had her own worries, she knew that. Sali also had her own recent relationship-gone-sour to analyze and move on from. She didn’t want to put any more on her sister than she had already. If Paul heard what had happened, including the seedier details of her upbringing, and wanted nothing to do with her because of it; she wasn’t losing anything she hadn’t already lost. Thinking of it like that made her more anxious to see him the following night.

  She lifted herself off the bed and padded her way to the bathroom a little less quietly than she had passed through the rooms earlier. Sali didn’t stir as she walked by her. Amy lifted the afghan that hung over the back of the couch and draped it over her sister. The house had become stifling over the course of the day and she knew that without the air conditioning, she would never sleep. They had agreed not to use the window units because doing so might tip off Warren that someone was staying there. She knew Sali would be upset when she woke and realized it was on, but she was too hot to care. She pushed wet tendrils of hair from her face and neck, and turned the unit on medium. She waited until the air it pushed out became cooler, and stood directly in front of it and held her nightshirt out to let the air circulate underneath her clothing. Her skin prickled as the air cooled her damp skin. Feeling better than she had several minutes earlier, she went to the bathroom, flipped the light on to get her bearings, and then immediately off before she used the toilet. When through, she felt her way back to the bedroom and left the door open to invite the cooler air from the living room in.

  She thought of Paul as she lowered herself onto the bed. Their conversation. Their past. Their meeting tomorrow night. There was no way to know how it would go or where their conversation would leave them, but for the first time in weeks she had hope, and that hope was enough to help her to fall asleep without the usual worry.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Warren - 2018

  The average person would find it difficult to sit in quiet darkness without falling asleep, especially if it had been weeks since they’d had a decent night’s sleep. But Warren had never considered himself average. No, the eerie silence, the trepidation, the waiting on the moment he would make himself known served to keep him alert and charged. He entertained dozens of scenarios on how their reunion would go and tried to visualize the look on her face when it happened, a juxtaposed look of shock and fear being the image his mind conjured up.

  He saw the trunks of the maples on the side of the house briefly illuminate and instinctively straightened in his seat. The sudden and unexpected strain on his joints reminded him of just how long he’d been in his crouched position. The flash of light happened so fast he might have missed it if he hadn’t been looking in that direction. He remained in the car, watched, and waited.

  Although the light meant he would have to find someplace else to hide out until he found his opportunity, it also meant his search may have come to an end. In a perfect world, he would find his daughter inside making his task much easier. But he couldn’t count on that. The girls may have rented it out, or maybe someone like the guy at the baseball field had seen or read about what had happened in the house and figured they enjoy the free shelter for as long as it lasted. Barging in without knowing who was on the other side of the door could easily create another loose end, and he was running out of time.

  He waited, and he watched. He didn’t expect anyone to leave the house at this early, or late, hour, depending which side of the dream they were on, but he remained still and waited for something. Another light. Maybe a silhouette moving past an illuminated window. Anything that would bring him closer to what he needed to know.

  He had been a restless child, easily bored and prone to trouble. He never saw it being his fault as much as he saw it as the business of boredom. Boredom was like a lit fuse on a powder keg. Without proper attention and care, it would surely blow and radiate to everything around it. His old man preached about patience being a virtue, but to his young self they were merely words where a paddle might have had more effect.

  It wasn’t until he landed himself in jail that he learned the virtue in patience, not that he had had a choice. Finding himself serving a twenty-five-year sentence, and having nothing to look forward to except standing on the other side of the fence, patience became a lifeline.

  He shifted in his seat again. The sun would soon rise. He had been sitting in one position for so long, his ass had gone numb and back several times. He smiled as he thought about his father’s words of wisdom, and realized, Patience might be a virtue, but it sure as hell comes with a price, as he clenched his buttocks several times in an attempt to stir the feeling back into them.

  Once he had stretched as best he could, he opened the car door, stepped out, and twisted his frame to work out the rest of the kinks. He pulled in a deep breath of the heavy night air, exhaled, and watched a faint puff of steam evaporate in front of him. He then turned his attention to the darkened house. Several windows were at ground level and unobstructed. From where he stood the faint hum of a window air conditioning unit sang with morning’s earliest birds.

  He crossed the street and approached the house with caution. All of the windows appeared to be closed. Knowing they were most likely locked as well, he didn’t risk detection by trying them. He cupped his hands and leaned into the first of the ground level windows. There was not even a candle to see by inside what would be the living room if his memory could be trusted. After backing away, he took careful steps around the side of the house. There was a small but full garbage bag next to the side door he had entered and exited through on his last visit. Knowing there wasn’t much he could do until he knew who was in the house, he picked up the bag and returned to the car.

  Without turning the lights on, he started the engine, put the car in gear, and creeped down the shoulder of the road until he was far enough away from the house to not attract attention.

  He pulled into a Burger King parking lot and parked in the back between a white Camry and a dumpster. After a careful scan of his surroundings, he pulled the bag of garbage closer and ripped a hole in it near the top. One-by-one he lifted items from the bag examining each piece before tossing it to the floor on the passenger side. Near the bottom he found a prescription bottle. Amy Bloo - Tramadol - 100 mg. That took care of the whereabouts of one of the girls, but not the one he was concerned with. They were as close as any ordinary sisters might be as children, and he had seen them together at the race. But did that mean they’d be together now?

  The inside of the car began to warm as the sun topped the horizon and burned the dew off the hood. He knew his time with
use of a car was limited, but he had to return to the school where she worked. He saw no other way. If she wasn’t there, then he’d bet good money she was holed up in Katherine’s house with her sister. If she did show up, he’d follow her to wherever she headed when school let out. The risk was enormous, but without it the risk of running out of time was even greater.

  When he was through examining the contents of the bag, he scooped up handfuls of garbage from the floor and returned them to the white bag. He scanned the area again and not seeing anyone, walked the bag to the dumpster and returned to the car. The gas needle hovered on three-quarters of a tank. Hopefully that would be enough to get him to the school and then to wherever he had to go next. If Lady Luck were riding shotgun, Sali would head straight to Katherine’s house when school let out to hide out with her sister for the weekend. If not, he’d have to think on his feet. Literally. He had to choose a point where he’d part ways with the car and it would have to be done sooner rather than later. At some point, the risk of being seen in it would outweigh its usefulness. The risk of being caught became greater with every passing minute he kept the car; and for all he knew, the risk may have already eclipsed the advantage.

  He put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. The sun was clearly visible now, seemingly perched atop the car dealership next door. Would this be the last sunrise he’d see? And if he did see another, would it be this one or one from an otherworldly place he couldn’t imagine?

  He pulled into light traffic and headed toward the Saint Frances School where he had first seen Sali. As he drove, a feeling much different than what he’d expect came over him. Instead of anxiety or anticipation, rather than feeling nervous or worried, he was calm. His head was wrapped around a hundred scenarios and outcomes, but his gut had the truth in its fist. The end was near, that was a certainty. Another certainty was that whatever the outcome, it would be final.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Amy - 2018

  Amy didn’t wait for Sali to answer the ringing phone as she had been doing since their arrival. Instead, she rose too quickly, which caused her to wince. Although she was nearing a complete recovery, rushed and irregular movements still sent a jolt of discomfort through her shoulder.

  “Hello,” she said even before the receiver had reached her mouth. After a moment, she said, “OK,” and hung up the phone.

  “Johnston?” Sali asked.

  “Yeah.” She walked to the window and pulled the curtain back. “He said another officer should be dropping our security guard off any minute. Did you leave the garage door unlocked as he asked?”

  “Yes.” Sali rose and joined her at the window. She laid a hand on her sister’s shoulder, and said, “Are you OK? How’d you sleep?”

  She glanced at her and quickly returned her attention to the other side of the window. “My injuries are feeling better every day. Sleep is another story.”

  Sali rubbed her hand over Amy’s back several times before returning to the couch. “Do you want to know what was in Mom’s journal? I stayed up to read it last night once you went to bed.”

  She turned her body to face Sali, but her eyes searched the room as if looking for an answer to the question. Finally, she said, “I want to say yes, but I’m afraid I’ll end up regretting my answer. Maybe this is a case of curiosity killing the cat?”

  Sali shrugged with one shoulder, and replied, “I hear satisfaction brought it back.”

  Amy pursed her lips and turned toward the sound of an idling engine. She pulled the curtain back to find a youngish, olive-skinned officer step out the passenger side of a patrol car, look up and down the street, and head directly to the garage. The officer in the driver’s seat pulled away before the first officer disappeared into the garage. “He’s here. I thought he’d come in, maybe introduce himself.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s in the garage. I suppose this sounds a little cliché, but I assumed he would stand guard at the door all day. The garage seems a little far away should anything happen in the house.”

  Sali seemed to consider her words before shrugging them off. “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.” Sali finished speaking, but her half-open mouth and pointed stare told Amy she had more to say.

  After a moment, Sali said, “Warren wasn’t my father.”

  “I’ve been careful not to refer to him as our father for your sake. Sorry, I didn’t realize I slipped.”

  “You didn’t. I meant he truly wasn’t my father. It seems their marriage had no honeymoon stage. Mom cheated on him from very early on.”

  “Mom cheated. Wow, I would have guessed that the other way around. Did he know about it?” Amy asked.

  Sali nodded. “Apparently, both he and my biological father were told, but my biological father was killed in a work accident the following day. Had things happened differently… well, my life might have turned out much differently.”

  She joined Sali on the couch, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her head down to rest on hers. “I’m so sorry. You’ve been through so much and I feel helpless comforting you since it always seems to be the other way around. I wish I could make that, this,” she made a sweeping motion with one arm, “everything go away.”

  “I think that’s what Mom was trying to do when she lied about Warren being dead, moved us so abruptly, and changed our names.”

  She rested her head on Sali’s. “Mom wasn’t a stupid woman. She might have been a little vulnerable and maybe a bit naive, and I’m sure she felt trapped in her marriage to him, but she wasn’t stupid. She must have known that when he got out he’d come looking for us. I mean, she went to extremes by changing our names, and allowing us to choose them. After all, who names their kid after a 1960s song on purpose?” She let out a soft giggle.

  Startled by a knock on the kitchen door, she sat upright and waited for Sali to rise. She remained several steps behind her sister as they made their way to the door. Relief washed over her when she spotted a badge pinned to a black uniform. The policeman stood with his shoulders squared and his thumbs hooked in his waistband. Sali opened the door.

  “Good morning, ladies. I’m Officer Peyton and I’ll be here for the next six hours. To avoid being seen, I’m going to utilize your garage during daylight hours with periodic checks of the property. I don’t want you to be alarmed if you should see me, but I recommend you stay away from the windows.”

  “I’m Sali, and this…” Sali turned to find Amy still standing in the archway between the rooms, “…and this is my sister, Amy. Nice to meet you.”

  He looked past Sali offering Amy a tooth-bearing smile and then doing the same when his attention returned to Sali. “If you need anything I’ll be in the garage. Please keep your doors and windows locked.”

  Sali said, “We will, and thank you,” before closing and locking the door behind him.

  There were a few moments when neither of them said anything. Amy was trying to decide whether she felt safer knowing there was a trained officer protecting them, even if it was from a bit of a distance, or if his presence made their situation more real. Before he came along they were hiding out in their aunt’s house, toying with scenarios that may or may not happen. It felt similar to one of the make-believe games they played as children. But their childhood games never came with a living, breathing protector. It was as if they had been teetering on an imaginary line between light and darkness and his arrival had pushed them over. Her skin began to crawl with apprehension.

  “Maybe we should find somewhere else to go. A hotel in another city maybe.”

  Sali turned to face her, a quizzical expression on her face. “When it was just you and I here you seemed content to stay put. Now that we have security you’re afraid to stay? What’s up?”

  Hearing her thoughts said back to her made her feel a little foolish. “Never mind. I’ve never had an armed guard at my door. I think his being here is just freaking me out a little, that’s all.”

  �
��Something tells me this will all be over soon,” Sali said as she lowered herself onto the couch.

  Amy sat next to her. “That doesn’t exactly ease my mind considering how many different ways it can end.”

  “I don’t have that twisting knife feeling in my gut that I tend to get when I feel like something bad is going to happen. I realize the feeling in my gut isn’t exactly proven science, but it’s generally right.”

  “You would have had a better chance of convincing me had you left the word generally out.”

  She relaxed into her sister as Sali rubbed her arm. “If you want you can tell me what else was in the journal now. My mind could use a distraction from knowing there’s a cop in our garage.”

  Sali reached to the end table and lifted the journal. “How about I read it to you? Most of what happened we already know, but it gives a lot of insight as to how Mom felt during that time and her personal reasons for everything she did.”

  Amy clutched an accent pillow to her chest, took a calming breath, and then gave Sali the go ahead to begin. She gave brief thought to the man in their garage and decided his presence did help to put her at ease. Added to Sali’s soothing voice as she read, her eyes grew heavy and before long, she was out.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Sali - 2018

  Although they had been told to stay away from the windows, Sali couldn’t help but to take periodic peeks at the garage. She hadn’t seen the officers switch, but on her last check she spotted an older, slightly heavier officer walking the property line.

  There hadn’t been a word from Johnston all day and she hoped no news was good news, but somehow, she doubted that.

  She had only been in the bathroom for a short time when Amy began banging on the door and demanding she come out.