“I been seeing you on the news, Mona,” said Cheryl. “I was so worried about you.” “You should watch that thing,” said Jesse, pointing at the gun. “If it's loaded.”
Cheryl looked down at the gun in her hand. Then she put it in the pocket of her housecoat. “Sorry, gotta be careful around here these days. You must be that lawyer guy.”
“Yes,” said Jesse. “And we can't stay.”
“They keep saying that you two are like Bonnie and Clyde, that you're--”
“Cheryl,” said Ramona, “I need you to give us your car.” “My car? But it's not legal. The plates are from Texas and close to expired.”
“That will be the least of our worries,” said Ramona.
“Okay, okay,” said Cheryl. “I just have to find the keys. I don't drive it. I've been waiting to get some money to make it legal.” Cheryl walked out of the kitchen.
Jesse and Ramona followed Cheryl as she moved into the dining room. The house was run-down but homey. The furniture looked secondhand, and the place needed a new coat of paint. Cheryl went to an old bureau and rifled through a mess of junk in a big drawer. Jesse watched the street through a window.
“So, how are you?” asked Ramona.
“Good. I'm gettin' along fine,” said Cheryl.
“We have to be going,” said Jesse. He saw the looks on Ramona and Cheryl's faces, then said, “Sorry, but we do.”
Ramona ignored Jesse's interruption. “Find any work yet?” asked Ramona.
“No, I-- I haven't been looking lately,” said Cheryl. She glanced nervously at Jesse. “Nothing out there. I'm on the aid right now.” Cheryl didn't look at her sister.
“No need to be ashamed,” Ramona said. “You had it tough. Tony was an asshole. He broke his promise to you. You just need some time. And hey, you're doing better than me.”
“You always know what to say,” said Cheryl. She fished out a ring of keys. “It's one of these, I think. It's the red Toyota outside.”
Ramona took the keys. “Thanks. So, can I see him?”
Cheryl walked into the bedroom off the dining room and quickly returned with a sleeping child. “He's been kinda sick lately, so be careful,” she said. “You know how baby germs are.”
Ramona took the baby boy in her arms. He was only about one. Jesse saw her face light up. Ramona kissed him and rocked him in her arms. She was serene and happy. Jesse envied her.
“How old is he now?” asked Ramona.
“He'll be one in two weeks,” said Cheryl.
“Happy birthday, Anthony,” Ramona said. “Too bad you got stuck with your daddy's name. I'm gonna come back and see you after I--”
Her voice cracked, and she sat down with the baby, looking misty. Cheryl comforted her. Jesse went to the window and looked away, not wanting to embarrass Ramona more than she already was. He got the feeling that there was a lot of history here that he didn't know about. He thought about his own sister and her kids.
“It's okay, Mona,” said Cheryl. “You'll be fine.”
“We got some family, don't we?” Ramona said. “Another generation coming and look at us. Just look at us, Cheryl.” Cheryl didn't say anything; she just kept hugging her sister.
“Car!” said Jesse. He was still looking out the window.
Cheryl rushed to the window. “It might be my neighbor, Alice. She gets off work about now.”
“It's not a police car,” said Jesse.
“Damn,” said Cheryl, her voice tensing. “It's Mama.”
“Mama?” said Ramona.
“I thought no one knew she was here,” said Jesse.
“When did you start talking to her?” Ramona's voice was tinged with anger. “Just a few days ago,” Cheryl said. She looked away from Ramona's stare.
“You promised,” said Ramona. “We promised.”
“That was a long time ago,” her sister protested. “Tony left me. I had the baby, and I was back here. I got lonely. So I called her. But she promised not to say anything to my friends here.”
“You broke your promise,” said Ramona angrily.
“We gotta go-- right now,” said Jesse.
Jesse began to walk to the back door, but Ramona just stared at her sister, not moving.
“I'm not leaving. I want to see her,” Ramona said.
“Are you crazy?” said Jesse.
“Yes,” said Ramona. “I'm completely crazy right now.” She stared angrily at her sister.
“We can't,” said Jesse. “If your mother knows your sister is here, she could have told anyone. We don't know if the police have found out.”
“He's right, Mona,” said Cheryl. “You should go.”
“I don't want to talk to her,” said Ramona. “1 just want to see her. I'm not leaving.” To Jesse she said, “And I've got the keys to the new car.”
“I don't believe this,” said Jesse.
“Give Anthony to me,” said Cheryl. “I'll put him back into bed.” Cheryl took the sleeping boy and went into the bedroom. There was a knock at the door.
“Don't be silly,” Jesse whispered. “We've got to leave now.” “No.” Ramona was defiant. She went into the bedroom with
Cheryl.
Jesse threw his hands up and followed. The knocking at the door continued.
“She's always been stubborn,” said Cheryl to Jesse as she came out of the room.
“That's not the word I was thinking,” said Jesse.
“You'd better go in there with her,” said Cheryl.
Jesse slipped into the little room with Ramona as Cheryl went to the door. Cheryl collected herself, then opened the door. Her mother walked in carrying a bag.
“What's wrong with you, girl?” asked Bethel Blake. “It's cold out there.” She walked in like she owned the place and headed for the kitchen. Cheryl followed.
“I was putting the baby to bed, Mama,” said Cheryl.
In the bedroom Ramona and Jesse stood in darkness. Ramona was close to the door, listening. Jesse stood behind her, fighting off the urge to ram her head in the wall. The baby slept peacefully in the bed.
“You've seen her, okay?” Jesse whispered. “So let's slip out of this window and get the hell out of here.”
“No, I want to hear what that woman says about me,” said Ramona. “And in case you didn't notice, the house has bars on all the windows. Damn, I can't hear them in that kitchen.”
“We don't have time for this,” said Jesse. “I don't want to have to take those keys from you.”
Ramona turned to face Jesse in the little room. He could barely see her face, but he was aware of her body so near him, and it made him uneasy.
“Here,” she said. “Take them and leave me here.” She held up the keys. “You can run right now. My mother will just think you were some man Cheryl was shacked up with.”
Jesse reached out and took the keys from her. Ramona walked back to the door. Jesse waited a moment, then walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.
“You know I'm not going without you,” Jesse said.
“You probably guessed we don't get along with our mother,” said Ramona in a low voice. “When I left home, Cheryl stole some money and gave it to me. When she got pregnant and left a few years later, my mother tried to have her get rid of the baby. When Cheryl said no, she tried to send her away. I helped Cheryl get away. We promised that we would never speak to Mama again. But I see how much she cares about that promise,” she ended bitterly.
“You can't really blame her, can you?” said Jesse.
“Yes, I can,” said Ramona in a hushed voice. “It was a promise between us. But Cheryl was never the strongest of us.”
Jesse's eyes were adjusting to the dark, and he could see the pain in Ramona's face. “I don't mean to belittle all this,” said Jesse, “but we do have other things to do right now.” “Quiet, they're coming back in,” said Ramona.
Bethel Blake and Cheryl walked into the dining room carrying soft drinks. Bethel was a tall, thin woman. She had salt-
and-pepper hair and a face accented with wrinkles at her eyes and the corners of her mouth. She seemed elegant as she walked; you could see that in her day she probably turned the head of every man in town.
“Those groceries were heavy,” said Bethel. “I knew you didn't have any food here. My grandson will starve to death if I leave it up to you.”
“Don't start, Mama,” said Cheryl. “I didn't get a chance to go to the market today. And I thought I asked you to call if you were coming over.”
“I was visiting Sister Helen from the church. I didn't think about it. She practically lives right around the corner from here.”
Bethel sat at the small dining room table and crossed her legs. Cheryl flopped down across from her. An awkward moment passed between them.
“So, your sister, the murderer, was on the news all day today,” said Bethel.
“Mona didn't kill anyone,” said Cheryl.
“I knew she'd end up like this. She was never no damn good.”
“Mama, if you're just going to sit here and dog Ramona, you might as well leave. “
“Sure, you feel that way. You didn't have the police drag you downtown. You didn't have reporters all over your house when you came home. And you didn't get calls from every member of Holy Grace Church asking why your daughter killed the mayor!”
“I don't want to get into it with you, Mama,” said Cheryl wearily.
“I'm just telling you what I've been through. Every day it's something new about your sister,” said Bethel. “Once again she's managed to bring tragedy on our family.”
“Why do you come here to punish me like this?” asked Cheryl. “Okay, I messed up my life, but I'm trying to get it back together. Can't you ever encourage us?”
“I'm not punishing you,” said Bethel. “I'm talking about your sister. After all the things she's done to this family, you could at least see my side of this.”
Cheryl laughed. “I knew it. Always the same. You against Mona. You know, some mothers would be sad about what's happening to Ramona. But not you, Mama. You gloat, happy that you were right about her. Happy that you finally beat her. But you know what? You're wrong. Ramona may be a lot of things, but she's not a killer.”
“How can you say that when you know what she did to your sister,” said Bethel.
“I don't want to hear that again,” said Cheryl, exasperated. “Let Sarah rest in peace. “
“This is your problem, Cheryl,” said Bethel. “You don't like to face up to the truth. The truth about Ramona, that man who got you pregnant, and yourself.” Her voice rose and gained righteous conviction. “The Book says--”
“Please don't quote the Bible, Mama. I can't take that tonight.”
“The Word is the way, Cheryl. You been reading that Bible I gave you?”
“No. I'm tired of all that stuff,” said Cheryl.
“You'd better hope a lightning bolt don't come down and strike you dead for saying that,” said Bethel. “Blasphemy.”
“I don't care,” said Cheryl. Then she added: “And neither does God.”
Bethel reacted as if she had been smacked in the face. “Well, you finally got what you wanted. I'm leaving. I'll just kiss my grandson and I'll go.”
“Anthony is sleeping in there, Mama,” Cheryl said. She raised her voice a little so that Jesse and Ramona could hear.
Something shuffled inside the bedroom.
“Sounds like he's up to me,” said Bethel.
Cheryl went to the bedroom door first and pretended to have trouble opening it. There was a closet in the room, and she prayed that Jesse and Ramona had heard her and gotten inside it.
Cheryl and Bethel started to walk inside the dark room when suddenly the lights went on. Ramona stood next to the light switch, glaring at Bethel. Jesse stood next to her, looking like a deer in the headlights.
“Hello, Mama,” said Ramona calmly.
Bethel screamed. Cheryl quickly clamped her hand over her mother's mouth. Jesse ran over and held Bethel with Cheryl.
“I'm sorry, ma'am, but you have to stop that,” said Jesse.
“Please don't make us have to do something we'll regret.”
Bethel's eyes were wide with fear. She stared at Ramona, who smiled like the devil at her.
“Okay,” said Jesse, “we have a situation here. Okay, Ms. Blake--”
“Her name is Bethel,” said Ramona. Her tone was nasty.
“Okay, Bethel,” said Jesse. “Your daughter is going to take her hand away from your mouth. And you will not scream again, okay?”
He looked at the woman for a response. She nodded her head. Cheryl slowly took her hand away. Ramona walked past her and into the dining room. Bethel stood dumbstruck. Jesse put his hand on Bethel's shoulder and guided her out of the room. Cheryl followed.
Ramona sat at the table and took a sip of Bethel's soda. She stared at her mother over the rim of the cheap glass. Jesse kept a close eye on Bethel as she sat down with Ramona.
“What are you going to do to me?” Bethel asked Jesse.
“We're not going to do anything, ma'am,” Jesse said. “We're just trying to clear our names. “
“They need help, Mama,” said Cheryl. “How could you let her suck you into this?” Bethel hissed at her younger daughter.
“No one sucked her into anything,” said Ramona.
Bethel was frightened, but she didn't seem to be getting ready to scream again, Jesse thought. If she did, well, he would have to incapacitate her. He couldn't take the chance that someone would call the police.
“That was my drink,” said Bethel to Ramona. “Didn't have a name on it,” Ramona said. She took another swallow.
“Ms. Blake,” said Jesse, “I want you to know that we didn't do anything. This whole thing is a big conspiracy.” He looked at her for a response, but he almost didn't believe what he had just said himself. “Look, we have to go, but we have to have your assurance--”
Ramona laughed. “She'll call the police as soon as we hit the door. And if Cheryl tries to stop her, she'll just leave and call them, right, Mama?”
Bethel was silent. She just kept staring at Ramona.
“I'll get you another drink, Mama,” Cheryl said. She went into the kitchen.
“I don't know what to do about this,” said Jesse. “But I do know that we have to get going here.” The situation was unnerving him.
“There's no end to the misery you cause this family,” said Bethel.
“I could say the same thing about you, Mama,” said Ramona.
“That's comical,” said Bethel. “And just like you. Diverting your sin to others.”
“No. That's what you do,” said Ramona pointedly. “You forced your bullshit upon us, disguised it as religion, and when we got hip to it, you beat us down like it was our fault.”
“You were a bad seed,” said Bethel. “You corrupted your sisters with your willfulness and indecency.”
“Bullshit!” said Ramona. “This whole thing was always about you. You had a life until you started having kids, and you blame us for losing Daddy. And what you never realized is it all started because you couldn't keep your legs closed.”
At this insult Bethel jumped out of her chair. Ramona stood up with her, defiant and angry.
“Who the hell do you think you're talking to?” said Bethel. Her face was different now. It had hate and violence in it. It was as though she'd become another person, and for a second Jesse was scared of her. He watched the two women, afraid that the police were coming but fascinated by their hatred for each other.
“Go on,” Ramona taunted. “Hit me like you used to. Make me believe that I have to respect you.”
“You killed your sister,” said Bethel. She said it slowly and with conviction. “You shot at those drug dealers and killed your own flesh and blood. You brought your filthy street friends into our life, and she died.”
“I didn't kill Sarah,” said Ramona, hurt by the statement. She began to tremble as she faced down her mother over the che
ap wooden table.
Cheryl came back in with another soda. She stepped between Ramona and Bethel and put the drink on the table.
“Here, Mama,” she said. Bethel took the drink and sat down. She took a drink of her soda and grimaced a little. “This pop tastes funny,” she said.
“It's generic pop, Mama,” said Cheryl. “You bought it. What do you want for fifty cents a quart?”
“Look, we have to go now,” Jesse said to Ramona. “Mrs. Blake, we can't let you go to the police.”
“So are you gonna kill me like you did the others?” said Bethel, sneering at him. “Go on, I have faith in the Lord.” She took another drink.
“Nobody's gonna kill you, Mama,” said Cheryl.
“Look, we'll just disconnect the phone or something,” said Jesse. “That will at least buy us some time.”
Ramona had not given up the argument. “Even with all the trouble I'm in,” she said, “I'm glad I'm not you, Mama. My life may not be the best, but I don't blame anyone for that but myself. We had a family, and you ruined it. Family, Mama. That never meant anything to you.” She turned to Jesse. “Come on, let's get the hell out of here.”
“You can say anything you want,” said Bethel. “But you still killed your sister. You know it, I know it, and God knows it.”
Ramona turned to her mother defiantly. “I know it was part my fault she's gone. I accept that. It's part of who I am now. But if it wasn't for the way you treated us, she might still be alive. We both did it, Mama. Only I take the blame for what I did.”
Ramona headed for the door. Jesse stood and, not knowing what to do next, watched her.
“You know what I see every day?” said Bethel. “Each morning before I go to work, I see a vase by the door. Those drug dealers shot it to pieces when Sarah was killed. After we buried your sister, I sat for weeks gluing that vase back together. I found every piece except one, a piece with a little green flower on it. I loved that vase so much that I didn't care, so I put it back on the table, but you can see the piece that's missing. Every day I see that vase, I think about Sarah and the life that I'll never get back. I think about how I could have stopped it by stopping you. But I didn't bring sin, evil, and bullets into our house. You did.”
Double Dead Page 24