by JB Lynn
He audibly gulped, and reared back in his seat. I thought for sure he was going to back out of the deal he’d just offered, but instead he said, “Kevin Belgard is not a friend to this family.”
I nodded encouragingly.
“He was always too chummy with your mom. I tried to tell her that but she just ate up the attention he gave her.”
He looked away and I felt a stab of sympathy for him. He adored my mother and admitting that she was anything less than perfect had to be hard for him. “Go on.”
“He was always sitting in his house watching ours. It got so bad, that I built that fence in the back. But it didn’t work. He built a second story on his house.”
“He was obsessed.”
Dad nodded sadly. “And what could I do? Can you imagine an ex-con going to the cops to complain about one of their own? It would have made things worse.”
“I understand. Did you know that, according to her, he’s the one who gave her the tickets to the carnival?”
He frowned. “Didn’t know that.” He thought about the new information for a long moment. “It’s almost like he left a trail of breadcrumbs leading you girls to the exact spot he wanted to go.”
I nodded, unsure if I felt better or worse that he was drawing the same paranoid conclusions as I had.
“Bastard,” he swore softly.
“Did you see Darlene’s body?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. The medical examiner said it would be easier if I didn’t. He identified her from dental records.”
“Dental records Belgard could have supplied?” I asked carefully.
Dad sat back in his seat again. “What are you saying?”
“I think you know.”
My usually ruddy father went pale. “You think Belgard made her disappear and faked her death?”
I nodded.
He processed the idea for a minute.
“I know it’s a lot,” I apologized.
“I’m gonna be sick.” He jumped up from the table and lurched toward the bathroom.
Griswald followed quickly after.
“Get you something?” a waitress asked as I waited for the two men to return.
“Coffee, please.” I wrestled with the guilt I felt for upsetting my father. Had the cost to him been worth it? He hadn’t told me anything new, just confirmed my suspicions.
The waitress brought the coffee and I stirred a container of creamer into it, finding the motion meditative. Since he hadn’t been able to shed new light on the Belgard situation, I decided to ask him about the other thing that he might be able to answer.
My parents had planted a line of trees to commemorate the birth of their children, but there weren’t just four trees, one each for myself, Teresa, Marlene and Darlene. There were five. And it was high time I found out who the fifth was for.
I waited and drank my coffee.
After a while, concerned that they hadn’t come back, I went to check on them.
I knocked on the men’s room door. “Hello?”
I got no response.
“Dad? Marshal Griswald?”
Still nothing, I pushed the door open and had to stifle a scream.
Lawrence Griswald was lying on the floor, blood trickling from his temple.
My dad was nowhere to be seen.
I called the one person I knew I could count on in this particular situation.
Detective Brian Griswald arrived just after his uncle, the Marshal, had regained consciousness. By the time Brian burst in, Lawrence was sitting up and I’d wiped away most of the blood from his wound.
“What the hell happened?” Brian crouched down so that he could get a better look at his uncle.
“He got the jump on me,” Griswald groaned.
“I am so sorry,” I apologized for the hundredth time since he’d woken up.
“My fault for breaking the rules.”
Brian shot me a worried look. “This could ruin his career.”
“That’s why I called you and not 9-1-1.” I felt terrible that Griswald had been doing me a favor and my father had done this.
We helped the Marshal to his feet.
“This is going to mean a lot of paperwork if word gets out,” he joked.
“I won’t say anything,” I pledged.
“And Lee has taken off before,” Brian reminded us both. “No one will find it suspicious that he’s done it again. But they probably won’t let him back in the program.”
I nodded my understanding. “He made his choice. He’ll have to live with the consequences.”
I just hoped those consequences didn’t impact the rest of my family, as so many of his bad choices had in the past.
Chapter Twenty-three
Leaving the older Griswald in his nephew’s care, I didn’t even bother to search for my father. I was too angry at him for betraying Griswald’s trust. And I wasn’t happy that he’d bailed on me yet again before I’d gotten all the answers I was looking for.
Instead of looking for him, I returned to The Corset to get my pets. The air smelled sickeningly sweet when I stepped inside the shop.
I was alarmed to find DeeDee curled up in a ball, whimpering.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Bending down, I stroked her head.
“She ate an entire bottle of strawberry-flavored lubricant,” God informed me smugly. “I told her it was a bad idea, but the stubborn beast refused to listen.”
I probably should have berated the dog, but I didn’t have the heart when she looked up at me with those pathetic eyes.
“Don’t good I feel,” she whined softly.
“It’ll be okay,” I promised her, wondering what a vet would charge me to pump her stomach. Then I read the packaging for what she’d eaten and found that it was a vegetable oil-based product, which meant it was edible. I decided that if people don’t get sick from it, it probably wouldn’t kill the dog, so I brought her home and let her sleep off the after effects…outside, in case they made her vomit.
I sat in the backyard, watching her nap.
“Everything okay?” Angel asked, joining me. He silently offered a cup of coffee, which I gladly accepted.
“She made herself sick eating strawberry lubricant.”
“Poor mutt.”
“Dumb dog,” God opined from my chest.
The squeaking startled Angel.
“Lizard,” I reminded him. Then I told him about Doctor Donna’s recommendation that Katie be enrolled in school.
“Poor kid is exhausted every day,” he warned. “And she’ll still need PT and OT afterward.”
“That’s why I was thinking of putting her in half days, a few times per week. I think that would give her the stimulation she needs, but also allow her to build up her stamina.”
Angel nodded his approval. “Makes sense to me.”
“Now if I can only convince Aunt Susan.”
“You think she’ll object?”
I shrugged. “She’s not the biggest fan of mental health professionals. She doesn’t think they’ve done that much for her sister.”
“What do you think?”
I glanced over at him. “What?”
“What do you think of the care your mother’s gotten?”
I considered the question carefully. “No one ever asked me my opinion on the matter before.”
“I’m asking now. You must have some thoughts on it.”
I nodded slowly, focusing my attention on the slumbering dog. “When I was a kid, I was angry with them. I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t make her better. If something was wrong with me, I’d go to the doctor, get a shot, or some pills, and I’d be cured in a couple of days.”
“But there’s no cure for her.”
“Exactly. Sometimes, even as an adult, that’s a hard thing to believe. Especially on her good days when she’s kind and beautiful and happy.”
“I know.”
Remembering that his cousin was in a similar situation, I asked, “How do
you deal with it?”
He put down his coffee cup. “When I was a kid, I avoided her. Her temperament could be dangerous. You never knew what she’d do next.”
“But you visit her now.”
“She’s medicated.”
I didn’t respond to that part since I’d once thought his sister was going to kill me in the stairwell of the facility.
“And I’ve lowered my expectations,” he continued. “If she’s having a good day it’s a bonus. If not,” he shrugged, “that’s what I expect.”
“But she’s safe.” I took a sip of coffee. “That’s how I feel about mental health professionals. They do their best to keep my mom safe from herself and from the world.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, each thinking about our damaged loved one.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Katie except that she’s been through a lot,” Angel finally said.
“Thanks for saying that.” I offered him a grateful grin.
I knew that my smile hadn’t reached my eyes when he scowled. “I mean it.”
“I know. And I know you’re right. I just wish I could fix everything for her.”
“You’re doing your best.”
“But what if my best isn’t good enough? I never wanted to be a parent. Hell, before the accident I was barely taking care of myself. And now the kid is stuck with me.”
“You love her.”
I laughed, the brittle sound waking the dog. “My mom loves me and, trust me, that love wasn’t enough.” A tear slipped from my eye and slid down my face. “And it sure wasn’t enough to help Darlene.”
“Hey,” Angel soothed, reaching out and patting my arm.
Dashing away the tear, I said, “I’m just overtired. I’m going to follow DeeDee’s example and take a nap. Thanks for the coffee.”
Without looking at him, I left the dog at his feet, walked over to the storm cellar door and descended into the basement.
I hadn’t really meant to go to sleep, but once I’d put God in his terrarium, I nodded off and didn’t wake until the next morning when the daily alarm set on my phone disturbed my beauty rest.
“I’ve been thinking,” God said as I brushed my teeth.
“Too me,” DeeDee, who someone had let back inside during the night, insisted enthusiastically.
“We all have been,” Piss purred, emerging from her favorite hiding spot beneath the couch.
“Fine,” God agreed. “We’ve all been thinking. You need us.”
I spit out my toothpaste. “Of course I need you. Why do you think I was so crazed trying to find the resonance?”
“What he means, sugar,” Piss corrected, “is that you need us to pull off this hit.”
“I do?”
“We think so,” God explained. “You need to 'accidentally' bump into him, right?”
“Right.” I spit out my toothpaste.
“What better way to do that than to have a dog chasing a cat through a crowd of people, knocking everyone off balance?” The lizard flicked his tail triumphantly, pleased with himself.
I considered that for a moment. As plans go, it wasn’t half bad. “What better way?” I agreed.
“So after your test this morning, you come back here, change into a sheep lamb, and pick us up,” God declared.
I couldn’t argue with the logic, and I I could certainly use the help. “If you’re sure.”
“Positive,” Piss meowed.
“Yes! Yes!” DeeDee barked.
“What about you?” I asked God. “What are you going to do?”
He puffed up proudly. “I’ll be the general leading this offensive, cupcake.”
Shaking my head, I said, “Now you’re watching too many war movies.”
“Strategy. I’m mastering strategy.”
“He watches too much TV,” Piss said, siding with me. “It makes him more delusional than usual.”
Leaving the animals to squabble amongst themselves, I got Katie up and dressed before leaving to go take my real estate test, which ended up being the one thing in my life that was easy.
When I was done, I returned to the B&B, intent on putting the assassination plan into action.
I’d just gotten out of my car when a man yelled, “Hey!”
Turning in the direction of the voice I found Kevin Belgard marching toward me. “What were you doing talking to her?”
His usual oily veneer was gone and in its place was the face of an angry man about to become unhinged.
I glanced at the house wondering if I could get inside before he caught up. I didn’t think I’d make it so I stood my ground, tightening my grip on my keys, the only weapon at hand.
Eyes. Nose. Throat. Groin.
Those were the spots where an attack could do the most damage.
“What were you talking to my ex-wife about?” Belgard demanded belligerently, making a show of resting his hand on the butt of his holstered gun.
Even though I was afraid, I acted brave. Deciding not to play coy, I answered, “History. I had some questions about my sister’s disappearance.”
A vein throbbed in his forehead. “Did you get any answers?”
“Inadvertently, yes, I believe I did.” I met his enraged glare steadily, knowing that my best defense was to not show fear.
“What do you think you know?” Belgard sneered.
Leaning toward him, I pitched my voice lower and asked, “Wouldn’t a better question be, what do you think I know?”
Belgard moved closer, his hand leaving his gun to curl into a fist. He raised it, preparing to swing at me.
Eyes. Nose. Throat. Groin.
My keys dug into my fingers as adrenaline coursed through my body. I might not be able to hold my own against him, but he was in for a surprise if he thought I’d go down easily.
“The best question would be, what do you think I know?” Marshal Griswald stepped out of the shadows, gun drawn and pointed at Belgard.
My would-be attacker froze, then very slowly lowered his hand. “You don’t have anything on me,” he said with false bravado.
“But I’m working on it,” Griswald assured him, keeping his weapon trained on the cop.
Hands raised, signaling surrender, Belgard slowly turned and walked away without another word.
Once he was gone, I looked to Griswald. “I’m sorry about that.”
The man shook his head as he holstered his gun. “Your family impairs my judgment. Or maybe I’m getting old and it’s time to retire. Time was when someone like your father wouldn’t have gotten the jump on me.”
I winced. “Again, I’m so sorry--”
He held up a hand to silence me. “I’m a grown man, Maggie. I’m responsible for all my choices.” He pursed his lips. “Just as you are.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but before I could ask, he’d turned and gone back inside the house.
I piled the dog, cat, and lizard into the car and drove off to find a spot where I could pull on a peanut butter-laden sheep costume.
I chose the cemetery, figuring that the dead wouldn’t tell anyone what I was up to. It wasn’t until I was pulling on the head that I realized that I wasn’t dressed as a sheep, but a lamb.
“How appropriate,” I muttered, pulling the headpiece on. It smelled liked vomit and body odor. I gagged a little.
“Great look you,” DeeDee panted supportively.
“Thanks. It’s hot in this thing.” I drove to the courthouse, parked a couple of blocks away from the barbecue restaurant, let the cat and dog out, put God on the ground after reminding him to be careful, and walked toward my fellow costume wearers.
Chapter Twenty-four
I didn’t even have to make up some crazy lie about being a new-hire. The cow handed me a platter of samples to hand out. I took it and immediately marched across the street to stand on the courthouse side.
By the time the police arrived, ninety minutes later, I’d given away ten trays worth of samples, was soaked wit
h sweat, and my feet hurt.