There Was a Little Girl

by Cynthia Luhrs

  “Didn’t know you baked.” A small laugh escapes. “You must really like her.”

  A sheepish look crosses his face. “I met her on one of those dating sites. I might have said I cook in my profile. She’s nice…the second girl I’ve dated since my ex and I split up.” He looks lost standing there in my living room. “The first one was a disaster.”

  I grin at him. “Everybody makes themselves look better online. It’s the selfie culture.” He follows me into the kitchen, perching on a barstool, watching me as I rummage around, pulling out measuring cups, bowls, the grater, and the sugar. “What’s all that?” He’s wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a t-shirt. Like most guys I know, he doesn’t wear sandals, no matter how hot it gets.

  “Do you have measuring cups to make the bread?”

  “Thought I’d eyeball it.”

  “Maybe if you don’t want to see her again.”

  He laughs, and I pack everything into a tote bag.

  “How’s work going?”

  As he talks about his job, I hear the door open.

  “Getting a baking lesson?” Jackson nods to Grayson. “You see her hair? I hate it. I love long hair, and hers was amazing.”

  “It’s only hair. It will grow.” I roll my eyes.

  He ignores me. “Here’s a secret. Stay clueless. Let her do the cooking.”

  Some guys have a thing for long hair. Like a girl I know who only dates blond guys. Whatever. I swat him with a dishtowel. “Funny. I’ll remember that the next time you beg me to make chicken potpie.”

  “You wound me.” He nudges Grayson. “I don’t know what I did, but she’s punishing me.”

  Grayson watches us with a sad look on his face. I know he’s remembering similar intimacies shared with his ex. He’ll find someone else. Someone better.

  “Here, you big baby.” I hand Jackson a Bloody Mary. “Grayson?”

  “Hit me.” He takes a sip. “This is fantastic.”

  “The Old Bay makes the difference. Now both of you, out of my hair so I can see if there’s anything else I need to pull together, like bread pans.”

  “Right. I was going to cook it on a plate.”

  “You are such a guy.”

  They move into the living room, leaving me to it. My gram makes amazing zucchini bread. I’ve got the recipe in my laptop, so I can print it out and add it to the bag.

  “Jackson? Can you turn on the printer?”

  “Sure, babe.” I hear his low voice rumbling as they talk.

  Grayson chuckles. “Don’t I know it.”

  When I hand the overflowing bag to Grayson, I see Jackson looking at him like he’s some kind of new male species. One never before seen. I press my lips together to keep from laughing.

  Jackson grabs the printout. “She must like you. Her gram is an amazing cook.” He adds it to the bag. It would never occur to Jackson to cook. His mother doesn’t cook; they have someone come in every day.

  Grayson truly believes with enough education and work, people can change. I used to believe people were basically good. They’re not. I’ve seen too many rotten ones. Now I know the truth. People suck.

  Back from an art gallery fundraiser, Jackson and I are relaxing on the couch.

  “I’m going to make a cup of coffee. The new caterers were fantastic, but I ate way too much. You want one?”

  I shake my head. “No, I’ll never sleep if I drink coffee this time of night. I don’t know how you can drink it from morning to night and still sleep like a baby.”

  “Been drinking it since I was eight. Wanted to be like my dad. Guess you get used to it.”

  Uncomfortable, I stand up. “I’ll make it for you.”

  I know his kitchen as well as my own. It’s been hours since I checked my phone. My bag is on the counter. Out comes the black phone. There’s a message, an alert I set up. The photo makes me go still. I’d recognize that red hair anywhere. What on earth was Kevin the state highway patrol officer I met at the gun range doing in Fayetteville? Damn.

  “Honey? You okay in there?”

  Startled back to my surroundings by the sound of Jackson’s voice, I call out, “I’m fine. Just thinking about what I plan to do to you tonight.”

  “Screw the coffee, come here.”

  Pushing the bag inside the cabinet, I take a deep breath. Putting a smile on, I walk over to Jackson, take his hand, and lead him up the stairs. It’s one way I’m able to quiet the voice. It’s become all consuming. Whispering in my ear all day. Even in my dreams I find no peace. The only time it’s quiet is when we come together. His lips raise goose bumps along the back of my neck as he trails kisses around to my collarbone.

  “I’ll get used to the hair. You have a beautiful neck.”

  I close my eyes and lose myself in him. If only for a little while.

  CHAPTER 28

  GRAYSON PULLED INTO THE GRAVEL driveway. Knocked several times before the lanky man with greasy hair opened the door. “Yeah? What you want?”

  “There’s a bad storm coming. Your dog doesn’t have shelter.” Grayson pointed to the dog tied to a pole in the yard. There was nowhere for him to get out of the rain. He looked miserable.

  “I can write you a two-hundred-dollar ticket, but your dog will still be out in the storm. You need a doghouse or some type of shelter for him before this gets worse.”

  The man looked back into the house. A thin, reedy voice made the guy flinch.

  “Mama won’t let me bring a dog in the house. Can’t he stay out there?”

  Grayson wiped the rain from his glasses. “No.”

  He thought for a moment, and while he probably shouldn’t say anything, the dog’s welfare was more important. “You know your neighbor down the street?” He pointed in the direction of a man who’d been charged with cruelty. No more dogs for him, but he still had three doghouses in the backyard. And since he couldn’t own animals for the next two years, he wouldn’t have any use for them.

  The guy scratched his chin. “Yeah, I know him. What about it?”

  “He has doghouses in the backyard he’s not using. Go ask him for one.”

  The guy looked as if the idea had never occurred to him. “Harold does owe me some money. Be an even trade.”

  “See that you get it now. I’m going to drive by in a couple hours and I want to see the doghouse in the yard. Are we clear?”

  The guy nodded. “I’ll get it done.”

  At least now the dog would be under shelter. The guy seemed surprised the animal would care he was out in the rain. When Grayson explained why, it finally clicked. At least now the dog would be sheltered from the storm. He looked to the sky. Ominous clouds rolled by. It had been some crazy weather lately.

  “Just getting home?” Grayson jogged toward Hope. She looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes. The short hair made the bones in her face seem more prominent.

  “Long day. You know how it is. Can you believe this weather?”

  He’d gone for a run as soon as the rain had stopped. A momentary lull. “Yeah, I had a call where a dog was tied out in the yard with no shelter. He’s got a doghouse now, so he’ll be out of the storm.”

  “I never noticed the car. Nice.”

  “It’s a 1965 MG roadster. I love the old girl, even if she is temperamental at times and doesn’t have airbags.”

  When he looked closer, he noticed she’d lost a fair bit of weight. She and Jackson seemed fine. Maybe work was a problem. She had some kind of stressful but well-paying job.

  Hope self-consciously touched a hand to her short hair. “I read recently that people in the US spent over sixty billion dollars on their pets last year. And then I find out from you there are people who don’t even provide their poor dog a house to get out of the rain.”

  “The guy thought the animal would be fine in the rain. Just like a cow or horse. Once I explained why he needed shelter, he got it. Sometimes you have to help them understand.”

  She looked unconvinced. “Whatever you say. You�
��re the expert. Any big plans this weekend?”

  “I’m going to check in on Fred. See how he’s doing. They’re releasing him from the hospital soon. He’s going stir crazy in there. How about you, any plans?”

  He watched her eyes dart to the left. Secrets. She had a lot of them. He’d seen her coming home really late one night. Maybe things weren’t so good with Jackson. Hope didn’t look like the cheating type, but then again, he was a terrible judge of a woman’s character. His ex had been screwing around for two years before a friend told him. He hadn’t a clue.

  “Oh, you know, cleaning and catching up on some chores. Hopefully a lot of relaxing and reading. I’m behind on the TBR pile.”

  “TBR?”

  When she smiled, he held his breath. There was something fragile about her when she smiled. The rest of the time she seemed forged out of steel.

  “Sorry. To be read.”

  “Got it. I don’t think I’ve ever had a TBR pile.”

  “I read a lot. Jackson’s out of town, so I’m looking forward to having a bit of me time.”

  She reached in her bag and came out with a black iPhone. He frowned as she hurriedly dropped it back in and came up with an identical phone in white.

  She looked nervous. “I got the other phone for selling stuff online. You can’t be too careful nowadays.”

  “Makes sense.” But it didn’t. Rain fell and she waved bye, scurrying up the stairs like she was running from something. Grayson knew she was hiding something. Jackson was a great guy. Why would she cheat on him?

  CHAPTER 29

  FACEBOOK. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER to love the social media site or hate it. Barry doesn’t have his privacy settings locked down. His posts are visible to all. Looks like he’s planning to take his girlfriend and her kids to the zoo in Asheboro this weekend. They will be at the zoo on Thursday. The kids are out of school for a couple of days.

  We have an office in Asheboro and I’m overdue for a visit. Can I make it work? One way to find out. Time to make a few calls.

  “I didn’t mean to overhear, but I heard you’re going to the Asheboro office for a workshop. I’ve been wanting to meet the people there. If you don’t mind, I thought we could ride together?”

  What can I say, no? “Sure. I’ll rent a car.”

  “Already taken care of. I’m happy to drive.”

  Anger wells up. Now I’ll be stuck riding with him. At his mercy. There is no way I can borrow the car; the company is strict about drivers. Plus he’ll wonder why I need it.

  Good old Barry has even posted a picture of the hotel he’s staying in, showing it off to his friends.

  “Let me take care of the hotel.” I want to stay at the same place. Maximize my opportunities.

  “That would be great, since I don’t know the area.”

  “Why don’t we meet at the office tomorrow morning around eight and go from there?”

  “Sounds like a plan.” He scoots back into his cube.

  The zoo is full of people, but there are many areas where you can walk, trying to catch a glimpse of the animals, and not see another soul. Some of the areas in the African section are huge.

  Barry Hinkle, 37, of Ocracoke Island, was charged with animal cruelty. A couple on vacation walking their dog on the beach found the collie mix. She was tied to a stake and drowned as the tide came in. Mr. Hinkle claimed he had no idea who would do such a thing. Animal control officers responded to the scene, along with local police.

  “I’m coming for you, Barry. Your days of harming animals are over.”

  “Did you say something?”

  I jump in my seat. “No. Just talking to myself.”

  Mr. McNosy is going to be a problem. We can take care of him. The whisper caresses my skin. I look across the aisle, horrified.

  Grayson met Zane and some of his cop buddies for a drink after work on Wednesday.

  “Grayson, you believe this shit?” Zane threw up his hands.

  “What’d I miss?”

  The guy named Kevin spoke up. “A guy in Fayetteville was gunned down. Next-door neighbor swore he saw a woman fleeing the scene.”

  “Okay…”

  Zane swore. “What he didn’t tell you is he thinks it was a drug hit. By a woman.”

  “Isn’t that rare? I thought the cartel used guys they flew in.” Grayson didn’t know much about drug problems, only that North Carolina was fighting a losing battle. He hoped the DEA would make it like Miami and the Mexican cartels would set up shop in another state.

  “Come on, Kevin, next you’re gonna tell me you believe in Santa Claus too? No way. There’s been an increase in gang activity. It was some guy with long hair.”

  Kevin shrugged. “He seemed sure.”

  “Walt was gay. His sister lived with him. She would have known if a woman was hanging around. There haven’t been any females connected to him. We all know women typically poison. The whole angel of death or black widow thing. A woman isn’t going to shoot you unless it’s a crime of passion.” Zane waved to their server. “Another round.”

  He turned back to the table. “We may never know. There was no gun, no shell casings. And the bullets we recovered were too fragmented to get a match to anything. I’m telling you. Ghost gun equals drugs. Just look at Durham. They’ve had eighty-nine drug-related shootings this year, and it’s only June.”

  Grayson spoke up. “An ACO I know down in Wilmington said a guy got popped back in April. They found oxy and Vicodin stashed all over his place. It’s a real problem. A lot of areas have gone downhill. Not such a nice place anymore.”

  While they finished off another round, they all lamented the sad state of affairs. Drugs and gangs becoming such a problem. Grayson remembered Hope saying they had an office in Wilmington. He’d warn her to be extra careful if she made another trip. Be aware of her surroundings. Did she have any protection? She should be carrying mace. If Hope ran into one of these guys when she was traveling alone, she’d be in deep trouble.

  “Cracker Barrel was a great choice. I can’t believe I’ve never been there before.”

  Lewis is making an effort to be friendly, and I’ve been nothing but cold to him. All because I’m annoyed he screwed with my plans. So I make an effort to be nice.

  “I totally agree.”

  As we’re getting our room keys, he turns to me. “You ready to head over to the office?”

  “No, I’ve got a few things I need to take care of and a couple of conference calls, so I’m planning to work from the room the rest of the day. But you go ahead.”

  I see the question on his face and am in no mood to deal. “How about we meet for breakfast around eight tomorrow? Then we can head over to the office. The client has the meeting set up to run until three. They’re bringing in lunch.”

  “We’ll head out when it’s over?”

  “Absolutely. Beat the traffic.”

  “Sounds good. You heading up?”

  “I’m on the first floor. Don’t care for elevators.”

  In my room, I exhale in relief. I thought I’d never get rid of him. After this many trips, I’m fast. My dress hangs in the closet ready for the meeting tomorrow, and the rest is quickly unpacked. Makeup and toiletries are arranged around the sink, the temperature’s adjusted, and I change clothes. Sling my messenger bag over my shoulder. I told him a big fat lie. There are no conference calls. And I’ve made sure everything with a deadline is taken care of for the day.

  Both phones go in the bag, along with the blue gun. One of the many good things about driving—no one searches you when you get into a car. Though perhaps they should…

  We don’t have work-issued cell phones. The company pays an allowance each month and expects you to use your own phone. While a lot of my coworkers think it’s great they get the money, I know the real reason…it makes us accessible twenty-four-seven. Not today. I flip the switch to vibrate. It was stupid to let Grayson see the black phone. Obviously he didn’t believe my flimsy excuse.

  He
thinks I’m cheating. The accusation filled his eyes. I could smell the disapproval on his skin. His ex cheated on him, so it’s the first conclusion he jumps to. Guess it’s better he thinks I’m a cheater instead of a murderer.

  “I thought I’d visit the zoo. Could you call a cab?”

  The guy at the front desk smiles. The lobby is tastefully done in dark blues and dark wood. “I’m happy to call a cab, or you can take our shuttle.” He checks the monitor, fingers clacking on the keyboard. “There’s one leaving in fifteen minutes. It drops off at the zoo and picks up at five. Free for guests. Would that work?”

  “Perfect, thanks.”

  I’m walking away when he calls out, “Miss?”

  “Yes?”

  He hands me a bottle of water. “It’s supposed to hit ninety-eight today, and you’re dressed all in black. Better take this.”

  “Thanks.”

  A hotel shuttle isn’t ideal. In fact, it’s horrible. I should bail and find another time. But I’ve been checking Barry’s social media. His last post had a picture of him wearing a baseball hat and saying he was ready to leave. As spread out as the zoo is, I was worried about finding him but this guy posts incessantly. Everywhere he goes, checking in, throwing up a ton of pictures. Don’t people know anything? He should at least lock down his privacy to his friends. I guess some people are perfectly content living their entire lives online. They’ve become the animals in the zoo, letting people gawk at them all day and night.

  “Want to share the joke?”

  An older man and his wife are standing by the curb waiting for the shuttle.

  “I was just thinking about people. How so many seem to live their lives online and how much things have changed.”

  The man and his wife shake their heads and launch into a discussion of how social media is killing the country and our youth. Periodically, I smile and nod, but I’m trying to think through what I’m about to do. Get my mind right. Push away my feelings. Barry is not a good person. He’s cruel and deserves to be punished.