by Mav Skye
She heard her Aunt chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
Chloe wiped the slobber off her cheek and called out, “The dog is covered in mud.”
But, her warning came too late. By the sound of her Aunt’s scream and the slurping sounds, Tanya was being licked to death by the mud beast.
“Flip Flop! No!”
And then came the sound of Chev trying to pull him off her. “Down, boy, down!
Chloe shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the coat rack, pausing a second to lean her head against the wall. She was exhausted, not physically, but emotionally. She’d barely had time to process the new memories, let alone the surprise of meeting people from her past, and the things they had told her. AJ knowing her first name had startled Chloe, along with seeing the clown with a hatchet leaping down the street outside of Sara’s Diner.
She knew the clown was real, knew it. The little boy had even seen it.
Her Aunt’s voice commanded, “Sit!” from the kitchen, then scolded, “Chev, when did you let Flip Flop in?”
“A few minutes ago, he was cold, Aunt Tanya.”
“Yes, but do you remember the rule?”
“Wipe his paws with the towel by the kitchen door.”
“And?”
“Make sure he sits on his carpet until he dries.”
“Here’s the spray bottle and rag, go clean the carpet.”
“But I want to help with the salad, you promised.”
“I’ll wait.”
Chev came around the corner of the dining room, holding a spray bottle and rag. He dropped them both when he saw her. “Mommy!”
Chloe smiled and opened up her arms to hug him. He said, “I thought you were Shayla.”
Chloe ruffled his hair as he squeezed her again. “Isn’t she already home?”
He shrugged. “I think she’s at her boyfriend’s house.”
Chloe said, “Boyfriend? I haven’t heard anything about a boyfriend.”
Aunt Tanya called from the kitchen. “She texted earlier, and I thought you wouldn’t mind. It’s fine.”
Chloe frowned. That certainly wasn’t fine. She didn’t know who the kid was. She kissed the top of Chev’s head. “How was school?”
He smiled. “Good!”
“Good.”
“Guess what?” he said, half whisper.
She whispered back, “What?”
He said, “I made a friend today.”
Chloe smiled. “That’s wonderful, honey.”
She left him to scrub the carpet as she walked through the living room, rounded the corner into the dining room, where she found Flip Flop sprawled happily on his giant carpet in front of the sliding glass door, and entered the kitchen. Tanya had pulled a tray full of chicken breasts out of the oven and was flipping them over with a spatula. The chicken smelled heavenly. Chloe plucked a piece of cauliflower off the chopping board and popped it in her mouth. “Smells delicious in here. Thanks for making dinner, Elogi.”
“You’re welcome, Nvda, anything I can do to help out.”
Chloe plucked up the Chinese cleaver—that Wes insisted on dicing veggies with—and started to chop a head of lettuce. “Where did you say Shayla was?”
Tanya whirled around and pointed. “Oh, don’t do that. I promised Chev he could make the salad.”
“Oh,” Chloe stopped and set the knife down. She felt like she had to be doing something, then spotted the wine bottle sitting by the sink. Her Aunt saw her notice and said, “I was saving that for dinner.”
Chloe glanced at the cabinet above the fridge. “I’ll get the whiskey, then.”
Her Aunt frowned, then touched Chloe on the shoulder. “Never mind that.” She swept the wine off the counter and handed it to Chloe along with the corkscrew. “There’s plenty to go around.”
Chloe took the wine bottle. The whiskey had sounded better, but her Aunt was right, she didn’t need that strong of a drink before dinner.
Tanya asked, “Was your day that bad?”
Chloe shrugged while unscrewing the cork, and poured herself a half glass of dry red wine. “Auntie?”
“Huh?” Tanya turned down the burner where potatoes were boiling on the stove.
Chloe took a long sip of the wine, and felt the fluid flow down her throat, giving her a light buzz. “Where’s Shayla?”
“Oh, right, she’s at a friend’s house.”
Chloe felt a little irritated at her Aunt’s vagueness. “Okay. Is it a boyfriend’s house?”
Her Aunt turned. “Shayla made it very clear that he was a friend, not a boyfriend.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Great.”
“What?”
Chloe said, “Where does he live? I’m going to get her.”
Tanya whirled around and wiped her hands on her apron. “Oh now, Chloe, I said she could stay for dinner. She needs new friends. I don’t understand what the problem is.”
Chloe bit her lip and tried to overlook her Aunt’s naivety. “The problem is she’s too young to be visiting with boys—even boys that are friends—at their homes. Do you even know if his parents are home?”
Tanya raised her eyebrows and made a face, then shrugged.
“You don’t know?” Chloe went to set down her wine glass, but the counter was full of chopped vegetables, so she brought the glass with her, heading through the dining room toward the front door.
Tanya followed after her. “Let her be, Chloe, I’m sure it’s fine. You were that age once, remember?”
Chloe paused in her tracks, and Tanya bumped into her. “No, I don’t, Elogi, because you won’t tell me.”
Her Aunt sighed.
Chloe marched through the living room and reached for her coat. It was drenched in mud. She scowled and hung it back up, then asked, “Does Wes know?”
Tanya said, “Does he know what?”
Chloe glanced down at her wet shoes and recalled the dog slobber that was still on her face. She turned to her Aunt. “Look, I’m going to change out of these clothes and shoes. Call Wes. If he’s fine with it, then I am.” Chloe could picture her husband’s eyes bugging out of his face when Tanya told him. He was not going to be happy. “And be sure to tell him it’s a boy’s house she’s at, not just a friend’s house.”
Tanya walked back to the kitchen. “Fine. Fine.”
Chloe stepped over her son who had gone from scrubbing the carpet, to playing a video game on her Kindle and walked down the hall to the bedroom she and Wes shared.
The rental was considerably smaller than their last. Their bedroom furniture was squeezed in there as if it were a doll house. She’d almost sold the beautiful ebony set before the move, but Wes had bought it for her for their fifth anniversary. She couldn’t let it go.
Chloe stepped inside the dark room, closed the door and slid out of her shoes. She turned, stubbing her toe on her dresser.
“Ow!” She almost spilled her wine as the pain jolted up her leg. She set the wine glass on top of the dresser and plunked down on the bed. She crossed her foot over her knee, trying to glimpse her toe in the pale light pouring in through the open drapes. Her big toe had ripped through her pantyhose—another pair lost—and like in a cartoon, was red and throbbing.
It just wasn’t her day.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Chev yelled from the hallway.
“Fine.” She didn’t shout it. He probably didn’t hear her. She put her foot down and sat in the dark and quiet, reveling in the calmness of it for a minute before going to the closet and retrieving a pair of fuzzy socks, yoga pants, and a hoodie. She brought the clothes to the attached bathroom, popped a few Tylenol, and changed her clothes. Chloe flipped off the bathroom light and retrieved her wine from the dresser. She sat down cross-legged on her bed a moment, looking out the window. She breathed in through her nostrils, held it, then let the air out her mouth. She tapped into her senses, noted what she felt against her skin—the softness and warmth of her fuzzy socks, what she could taste—the aged fruit on her tongue, what s
he could hear and see. Chloe focused her eyes on the window and trained her senses to the outside world.
The wind blew, pelting the window with rain, and casting shadow tree limbs over the walls.
Chloe felt the tension in her body begin to slide away and she sipped her wine slowly, wrapping an arm around her chest. The calming methods Doctor Morgan had taught her activated her sixth sense as well. She became aware of a shadow in front of the window that wasn’t moving.
Chloe’s gut twisted, and she leaned forward on the bed, examining the shadow further. There was something odd about it.
She watched it for several moments, the branches waving all around it. Chloe thought about the trees in the yard, wondering which trunk it would be.
And then the shadow moved, just a step to the left.
Chloe froze.
The shadow moved again. Chloe set down her wine, wishing she hadn’t already put her gun away in the safe.
She scooted off the bed toward the window, slowly, making sure not to make a shadow of her own.
The shadow turned and looked at her.
Its face was half white, half black with a lightning scar that ran down the middle. It hissed and flicked out a forked serpent’s tongue.
Chloe screamed and fell off the bed. She rose quickly to the window frame and saw it sprint over their fence toward the road.
Chloe burst out of her room, leaped over Chev, and flung herself out the door and into the night.
Flip flop barked and was soon behind her. They ran down the driveway, pausing at the road. She looked left and right and heard a noise above the wind that sent both her and Flip Flop looking over to the left. There was a shadow of movement behind a truck parked along the sidewalk from Diana’s house. Something or someone was hiding behind it.
Flip Flop growled.
Chloe said, “Go get it, boy.”
The giant dog broke out into a full lunge; Chloe trailed behind him in her fuzzy socks. He leaped behind the truck before she could.
Flip Flop let out a ferocious bark. And then a fluffy white cat yowled and bounded on top of the hood. It hissed at the dog, hackles raised, swiping at Flip Flop’s nose when he drew close.
The claws struck where they aimed, and Flip Flop let out a Yarp!—as if a giant had kicked him.
Chloe rolled her eyes. Geez!
She went to grab the dog when a movement further down the street caught her eye. She was about to give chase to it when she felt a tug on her sleeve.
“Mom! Mom, you jumped straight over me like a superhero! What did you see? Was it Mrs. Hackworthy’s cat?”
The moment was gone, and Chloe knew whatever it had been was already down the street and out in the woods.
Chloe followed Chev over to the truck where Flip Flop still bounded about, keeping his distance from the cat’s claws.
Chev said, “Yep, that’s Mrs. Hacksworthy’s cat. It’s white with a smooshed in face, see?”
Chloe said, “Huh, I didn’t know she had a cat. Head back inside the house, I’ll put Flip Flop in the backyard. We’ll have to clean him up again.”
“Okay.”
Chloe snatched the giant dog by the collar, and pulled him to the backyard and slipped him through the gate. She looked down at her muddy socks, then the porch light at her house, thinking about what a mess she was when the cat mewed miserably from atop the cab of the truck. The white Persian was absolutely terrified. Chev called for it, and it flicked its soaked tail back and forth like a grandfather’s clock pendulum. By the time Chloe was back to the sidewalk, Chev had wooed the cat, and it was sitting in his arms purring.
Chloe said, “Let’s bring him back to Mrs. Hacksworthy. I’m sure he’s not supposed to be outside.”
Chev cooed to the cat smothering his face against its soft white fur as they walked up to the neighbor’s front door.
Chloe knocked, and Diana opened her door as if she knew they were coming. “Oh! You found Bubbles. Thank you!” She swept the kitty out of Chev’s arms. “I’ve been looking all over for him! I thought he was hiding under my bed, but when I moved my hat boxes around, he wasn’t there. Naughty, Bubbles!”
Chev giggled. “That’s a funny name.”
“Well,” said Diana, ruffling his hair. “He’s a funny cat.”
“That’s cuz his face is all smooshed in.”
They all laughed. Then Chloe said, “Hey, Chev, run along home and help Auntie with that salad. I’d like to ask Mrs. Diana something.”
“Oh?” Diana’s eyebrows arched high, and her eyes danced.
As soon as Chev left, Diana asked, “Would you like to come in?”
Chloe said, “Oh, I don’t want to take much of your time, but I do have a question for you since you seem to know this area, and well, you know a lot about crime.”
“That I do, Ms. Sevenstars.” Diana continued to pet Bubbles.
Startled, Chloe said, “How did you know my—”
“Your Aunt told me. Ha! Your Aunt is a busybody, that one.”
Chloe shook her head. “Apparently, more than I realized.”
Diana shrugged. “I think she’s used to having a lot to do. She doesn’t have as much up here, so she’s making your business, her business.”
Chloe said, “Pretty much. Thanks for letting me know, I’ve had no idea what she’d been up to. And here I thought she was happy taking care of the kids and the place.”
Diana laughed. “Older women are filled with curiosity and love a good mystery, too. It’s not just for the young folks.”
Chloe laughed with her. “I think I’d prefer the opposite, really. Way too much mystery in this universe for me.”
Diana got straight to the point. “It’s no problem. Now, you had a question?” She wrapped her lavender shawl tighter across her shoulders and covered up the wet and muddy Bubbles, who had buried his face into her hair and purred.
Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, aware of how soaked and cold she’d become. Her big toe throbbed. Still, she had a question that weighed heavier on her than any physical discomfort. “Do you know about the clowns in this town? And what crimes they are associated with?”
Diana made a spitting noise. “Heavens, yes! Ever since that Carnival Circus opened up ten years ago, Spindler has been infiltrated by clowns. You don’t see them much walking the streets. But,” She tapped the side of her nose. “I keep my eyes and ears open, and I’ve heard several accounts of clowns breaking into homes. Following children home from Spindler Park.”
Chloe shivered, and glanced back toward the street.
Diana waited for Chloe to turn around before she whispered, “And even rape.”
“Ugh,” Chloe shook her head. “If the town has a problem why haven’t they shut Carnival Circus down?”
“Because Carnival Circus is a kid’s amusement park. It’s busy, brimming with tourists, and makes this town a lot of money, even with the economy as down in the dumps as it’s been. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my research, people are willing to turn a blind eye to crime when it’s financially advantageous.”
Chloe thought of what Thomas had said earlier at the restaurant. They had both spoken the truth, and it saddened Chloe. She worked hard at what she did, whether it be a street cop or parole officer. Does one person trying to do the right thing make a difference in a world where only the corrupt held power?
Diana held Chloe’s eye for a moment as if considering something, then finally said, “Your Aunt told me what happened to you all those years ago.”
Chloe said, “I don’t even know what happened. That’s the problem. And now, I can’t tell what is real or what is only in my mind.”
Diana leaned out the door as if sharing in a conspiracy. “Chloe, do you really want to know?”
Chloe said, “Yes. No. I mean, I think so.”
Diana nodded. “I would too, if I were you. Listen, I don’t know this for a fact, but it’s a suspicion. Do you remember those pills your Aunt gave you to forget all those years
ago?”
“I stopped taking them after I graduated from the Academy. I didn’t need—”
“They can be crushed and easily sprinkled into a beverage or onto your dinner. I’ve been researching ever since your Aunt told me.”
Chloe stepped back, shocked. “What? No. My Aunt would never do that to me.”
“How do you know for sure that she stopped? Did she tell you?”
“No. It was my choice.”
Diana raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”
Chloe folded her arms across her chest, doubt filling in. “After the Academy, I told her I didn’t need them anymore. And I just stopped.”
“You stopped, but did she?”
Chloe furrowed her brow and frowned at Diana. “My Elogi would never go behind my back. She’s a lawyer. She’d never break the law. Besides, I moved out after the Academy. When would she have had the chance?”
Diana said, “Isn’t that when you met Wes?”
Chloe said, “Yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with any— Oh.” Her gut sank further, and suddenly Chloe was furious. “I cannot believe what you are implying, Diana. My husband? How dare you?”
Diana held up her hands. “I’m not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, but sometimes, people do things, horrible things, from a place of love. I should know, I read about this stuff day and night for my daughter. But, I am curious Chloe, why you haven’t had many memories? And why do you doubt yourself so much? If you see something, it’s there no matter what anyone else says. Even if it isn’t physically present, it is in here.” She pointed at her chest. “Inside you. And what’s inside you is what you need to trust.”
Chloe bit her tongue. As much as she thought Diana was wrong, her gut told her there was truth to it. Some of it, at least.
Diana said, “Keep your eyes open and trust yourself.”
Chloe shivered in the rain and wrapped her arms about herself tighter. Her anger shifted from Diana to her Aunt. Why had her Aunt told Diana all her secrets, her past? And who else had she told?
Diana put a hand on her shoulder. “Chloe, you okay?”
“Chloe!” Tanya called out from the porch. She turned, spotted her niece on Diana’s porch, and waved. “Oh, there you are. Hi, Diana!”