by Louise Clark
"Don't get out," Christy said, as Ellen, seated in the front passenger seat, put one hand on the open door frame and angled a foot out of the car.
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
By this time Natalie had emerged from the driver's side and the third person—Aaron DeBolt—was half out of the rear seat, passenger side.
Christy ignored Ellen and rounded on Aaron. "And you! I don't know how you dare to show your face here! All of you, away." She made swishing motions with her hands. "You're not welcome here."
Over the top, Chris. Ellen's family.
The voice, sounding nearby, was grudging. Christy looked down and saw that Stormy had left his post on the porch and was standing beside her. His back was arched, his fur stood on end and his eyes were narrow slits. As Christy watched, the cat crouched, ready to pounce.
Aaron on the other hand, is a good call. If he won't get back into the car, I'll help him along.
"Shit," said Aaron, looking down at the cat.
"Language," said his mother.
The cat growled, a low ominous rumble that promised danger.
"It's that crazy cat." Aaron flung himself back into the car and slammed the door.
"Aaron, what are you doing, darling? Ellen has invited us for tea," Natalie said. She ignored Christy and started round the car, clearly heading for the house.
Christy shot one look at Natalie, then focused on Ellen. "Did you talk to Trevor?"
"Yes," Ellen said, frowning. She was wearing the same clothes she had on when she left the house two days before. She looked rumpled and drained. Christy resisted the urge to give her sanctuary and let her come inside. "Then you know that your presence here puts Noelle's future in jeopardy. Trevor and Roy have been getting your place in order so that it would be ready for you when Trevor posted bail." She glanced at Natalie, now around the car and standing by Ellen's open door, then looked back at Ellen. "Why are you here with her, anyway?"
"Natalie looks after me," Ellen said. "Friends do that." She sniffed. "Family should too."
You have got to be kidding. There was disgust in the voice and some resignation too. It reminded Christy that Frank had spent much of his childhood being hassled and manipulated by Ellen Jamieson. Right now she understood what he was feeling. Ellen's refusal to see anything but good in the DeBolt mother and son made it easy to banish compassion and guilt.
"Uh-huh. And how did Natalie look after you?" Okay, her hostility was rude and maybe over the top, as Frank had said, but Christy couldn't help it. Aaron DeBolt, a man who had always treated her like unwanted trailer trash and who had helped to kill her husband, was sitting not three feet from her and Ellen was accusing her of behaving badly?
"She posted the bond to secure my release," Ellen said. Her voice was cold, but underneath there was a quaver. "She knew how desperately I wanted out of that place."
Christy could understand that desire. No one wants to stay in jail any longer than they have to. But to allow the mother of the man accused of killing your nephew to post bail? What was Ellen thinking?
Why is Aaron here?
Christy voiced Frank's question.
Natalie opened her eyes wide and her mouth curved into a delighted smile. "Aaron is free! Even though Brittany Day is no longer with us, her affidavit has been accepted by the justice system. Aaron is no longer charged in Frank's murder." The smile broadened, if that was possible. "I was at the police station picking Aaron up, and I asked about Ellen. When I learned that she was still incarcerated I couldn't let my dearest friend languish behind bars any longer. So I got her released too!"
The statement ended on a squeal that made Natalie sound like a brainless bimbo who had just maxed out her sugar daddy's credit card buying a new wardrobe. But Christy knew Natalie wasn't brainless. What was up? She narrowed her eyes as she said to Ellen, "Trevor arranged the bail money with your bank this morning. He planned to get you out today. In fact, he may even be down at the police station now."
Ellen, still seated in the car, now had both feet now on the pavement and her body angled out the door. "I knew his intentions," she said. "But Natalie was there and—"
Natalie reached down and grabbed her hand. "Come on. Let's go inside and celebrate!"
Aaron opened his door again. The cat growled, then hissed as he once rose into an angry pose, back arched and ears flattened.
Aaron shut the door with a snap.
Christy put her hand over Natalie's and said in a low voice that was her version of the cat's growl, "Celebrate somewhere else. I want you gone."
And if they didn't depart soon, she'd have to leave them behind, free to do whatever they wanted, because she had to be over at the school to pick up Noelle.
"I don't understand why you are being so hostile, Christy," Ellen said.
Christy looked down and sympathy tugged at her. Ellen's face was a frozen mask, but there was misery in her eyes. She was holding herself together, but at a tremendous cost. Christy sighed. "Do you remember Joan Shively, the child services worker?"
Ellen nodded.
"She's made it very clear that she will take Noelle into care if she is living in the same house with you. I have to decide between you and Noelle. There is no choice."
To her credit, Ellen nodded. At that point another car came down the street. This time it turned into the Armstrongs' driveway. Roy and Trevor were back.
Stormy bounded toward them. Evidently Frank intended to fill them in on the action. Good thing too, Christy thought. She could use the support. "Please get back in your car, Natalie," she said as politely as she could. "There will be no tea party this afternoon."
"Nonsense!" Natalie said. She smiled down at Ellen. "Ellen, tell her."
"Christy, Noelle isn't even at home yet. Natalie has done me a great service and I am so very grateful..."
Roy reached the Mercedes a few steps ahead of Trevor and the cat. "Ellen!" he said. "What are you doing here?"
"She's with me," Natalie said. She smiled.
Bared her teeth, more like, Christy thought, eying her. She looked at Roy and Trevor. "I have to go pick up Noelle. I don't want them here when I get back. Can you handle it?"
Roy nodded.
Trevor looked into the back seat. "So this is Aaron DeBolt."
Roy and Christy froze. Stormy hopped up onto the planter box beside the walk. Standing on the wooden frame he was just about eye level with the window in the car door. He hissed and arched his back in a threatening way.
Trevor was now bent over so he too was eye to eye with Aaron. "The cat doesn't seem to like you," Trevor said affably. "I wonder why?" He straightened, then stared at Natalie, assessing her. "Can't say I blame him."
Natalie's mouth tightened into a thin line. Temper flashed in her eyes.
On a roll, Trevor extended both hands to Ellen. "Come, fair lady. It's not a wise idea for you to be consorting with a DeBolt—"
"But we are such dear friends," Natalie said. The temper was gone and now her mouth was screwed up into a teasing pout.
"Really?" Roy said.
Ellen accepted Trevor's hands and eased out of the car until she stood in front of him. Trevor smiled approval. "Come over to Roy's house. I need to talk to you about your case." He shot a cool look at the still pouting Natalie. "This needs to be a private consultation. I know you understand, Mrs. DeBolt."
Impulsively, Christy leaned over and kissed Trevor on the cheek. "Thanks!" She looked at him, then Roy, and finally Ellen. "I've got to go. I'll see you later."
Roy patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about anything. We'll be at my place when you get back."
Christy nodded. As she hurried down the hill to the main road, she heard Roy say cheerfully, "You're a sinking ship, Natalie. Better get out while you still can."
There was a moment of silence, then Natalie said, "I know when I'm not wanted," followed by the slam of a car door.
As the engine roared into life, Christy chuckled.
Chapt
er 21
With Christmas fast approaching, Christy decided that this weekend was the time to take Noelle shopping. She wanted to choose presents for her parents and mail them early enough to ensure they would be delivered in time for Christmas. It was important, too, that Noelle take part in searching for the gifts. With her grandparents living across the country, she saw them only occasionally. Any link Christy could foster to bring them closer was important.
The mall was festively decorated and in the central court, outside the venerable Hudson's Bay Company store, Santa Claus presided over a snowy compound staffed with photograph elves, organizing elves, and cashier elves. Noelle was entranced.
Jamiesons didn't visit shopping mall Santas. Mainly because Jamiesons didn't shop at the local mall, but also because Ellen Jamieson considered mall Santas tacky. Noelle's annual visit to Santa always took place at the Jamieson Ice Cream family Christmas party. There, in that clean and protected environment, she was the first child to sit on Santa's lap and tell him her secret wishes.
Surrounding the Santa enclosure was a miniature train ride. The cars were the perfect size to fit a small child, though the sturdy engine was able to haul the weight of adventurous adults as well. Sitting at the front of the train, on the cheerfully chugging engine, was the engineer. Dressed in traditional striped shirt and cap, he waved cheerfully to the children lined up to visit Santa. The regular toot of engine's horn added to the buzz of voices and the squeals of excited children.
Wide-eyed, Noelle watched the busy scene, her hand tightly clutched in Christy's. On Noelle's other side, Quinn also surveyed the scene. "This," he said, "is chaos."
Christy laughed. She was having a lovely time. Christmas shopping was usually a quiet business since she'd become a Jamieson, with visits to exclusive shops where the staff spoke deferentially and were never far away, or home visits by store managers who brought a representative selection of exquisite goods with them for Christy to review and choose. She'd forgotten how much fun the hubbub of a busy mall could be.
"Mom," said Noelle, "Can I ride on the little train?"
The awe in her voice made Christy laugh again. "Of course. Do you want me to go with you or will you be okay on your own?"
Noelle sucked in a deep breath, opened her mouth, then closed it again. Christy had a feeling she was about to ask that her mom accompany her, but when she tried again, she said, "On my own."
"Brave girl," Quinn said, rubbing her cheek with his knuckle and smiling at her. Noelle beamed and scampered ahead as they went to buy tickets. When Quinn had offered to come along today, Christy was delighted. It would be like a family outing and having Quinn suggest it made her say yes immediately.
The next time the train stopped to pick up passengers, Christy helped Noelle find a place midway along the parade of cars. Ahead of her was a father holding a bemused one-year-old, while behind sat one of the boys from her class. As soon as he recognized Noelle, he began to brag about the number of times he had ridden the train. She sniffed and ignored him, holding her head high and assuming an air of unflappable boredom. In that instant she looked so much like Ellen that Christy uttered a soft cry.
"What?" Quinn said.
Christy shook her head. "Nothing bad. There was just a moment when I saw Ellen in Noelle's expression."
"And it reminded you of all the problems stacking up around you."
Christy nodded.
Quinn took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Enjoy the moment, Christy. Look at Noelle. She's having a ball."
When Christy looked, she saw that Quinn was right. There was a huge grin on Noelle's lips, though she hung on to the side of the car with a death grip. As the train chugged slowly around the track, Noelle began to look around and her hold on the car eased.
"I bet once this ride is over she'll want another," Quinn said. He appeared to be watching the train with as much enjoyment as Noelle was having riding it.
Christy elbowed him. "You look like you're itching to have a go round yourself."
His face lit up and he laughed. "My parents used to take me to the park where the miniature train enthusiasts have a permanent setup. The place is huge and the tracks go through tunnels and up and down hills. It was an awesome way to spend an afternoon."
"Good memories," Christy said.
"Yeah." He looked down at her, the smile still on his mouth. "We'll take Noelle there when they open up in the summer. There's a picnic area on site. We can make a day of it and we'll all ride the trains."
"Sounds like a plan," Christy said. She found herself lost in his gaze and thought that this day would linger forever in her memory as special.
The train's whistle hooted as it neared the junction point. Catching sight of her mother, Noelle waved frantically, a huge grin on her mouth, her nerves forgotten. Christy waved back as the train rattled past for its second circuit. When the engine finally drew to a stop, Noelle bounded off her seat, excited, happy, and demanding—as Quinn had predicted—a second ride. There was a lineup though, so Christy suggested they do some shopping first, then come back to do the train once more and to visit Santa.
Noelle's eyes lit, then she frowned. "I'd like another ride, Mom, but can I visit Santa later?"
It was Christy's turn to frown. "Why? We're here now."
Noelle dipped her head and stared at her feet, not answering.
Christy looked at the milling crowd around them. The lineup for Santa visits snaked past the train tracks and wound around a corner toward an exit door. People were jostling others to make their way around the display and the train tracks to the big department store beyond. There was noise and action and so much going on. Noelle was probably frazzled. The train ride would be enough for today. Santa would be at the mall for a while yet. "Okay, kiddo. We'll come back later. Maybe one afternoon after school when the mall isn't so crowded and Santa has more time to visit with the kids who come to see him."
Reassured, Noelle looked up and beamed.
"Let's go shopping," Quinn said.
"Yeah!" Noelle said.
Quinn found Christy's hand and took it in his. She looked up at him as she felt his warm skin against hers. He smiled down, a question in his eyes. She grinned in return and eased a little closer to his body. Satisfaction gleamed in his gaze and he squeezed her hand. The moment of unspoken communication pushed her pleasure in the day a notch higher. The stresses of the past week seemed very far away as they set off on the hunt for the perfect gifts for Grandma and Grandpa Yeager.
At the bookstore, Noelle found a pretty bound book for her grandmother to write in and a few doors down, a fancy tie for her grandfather. Christy supplemented these gifts with a lovely set of jade earrings and a necklace carved in the form of a thunderbird for her mother and a beautifully carved cedar box designed to resemble a totem pole for her father. They wound up the afternoon with a stop for a snack at one of the small restaurants in the mall. Quinn treated Christy to a glass of wine, while Noelle had a milkshake and regained the energy that had been flagging at that point.
They headed home after a final visit to the miniature train. This time Noelle demanded Christy record the event by taking photographs with her phone as she rode around the track. Laughing, Christy agreed. She snapped some shots of the Santa enclosure at the same time. Just in case Noelle wanted to reassure herself a visit to Santa would be fun, not scary.
"I want to show Mr. Three and Roy my train ride, Mom!" she announced as they pulled into the Armstrongs' driveway. She had talked non-stop all the way home, filled with a sugar overload from the milkshake and an afternoon of fun.
"I'm not sure Mr. Three will be there, honey," Christy said. "And maybe Roy will be writing. We shouldn't disturb him if he is."
Quinn laughed as he cut the engine. "My dad will be delighted. Come on, moppet," he said to Noelle. "Let's go find him."
"Yeah! Can I have your phone, Mom?" Noelle was the first one out of the car and she was up the stairs and knocking on the front door, the cell ph
one clutched to her chest.
Christy and Quinn followed more slowly. Ahead of them the door remained firmly closed. Noelle raised her fist and hammered another impatient series of knocks with the flat of her hand.
"Noelle," Christy said sharply. "Manners. Give Roy time to answer before you knock again."
"But Mom!"
Christy frowned at her.
Noelle managed to look contrite. "Sorry—"
The door opened. Roy, his expression distracted, blinked at Quinn and Christy, then realized Noelle was the one who had been knocking. He looked down at her and raised his brows as she waved the cell at him. "Your mom bought you a new phone?"
"No! This is hers. It has pictures of me on the little train. Want to see them, Roy?" Noelle demanded, hopping from foot to foot.
Roy opened the door wider. "The miniature train from Confederation Park?"
"They were set up in the mall, by the Santa enclosure," Quinn said.
A dreamy look flashed over Roy's face, then he smiled at Noelle and ruffled her hair. "Sure. Come on up, little one. Three and your Aunt Ellen will want to look at them, too."
"Aunt Ellen is here? Yeah!" Noelle bolted into the house.
Roy remained behind. His smile faded as he looked from Quinn to Christy. "There's been an incident. We'll talk about it after Noelle has had a chance to show off."
A quick glance at Quinn showed Christy that he was feeling the same grim foreboding she was. "Is that why Ellen's here?"
Roy nodded before he turned to head up the stairs.
Christy swallowed hard. "How bad?"
Roy glanced over his shoulder. "Really bad."
Quinn caught her hand and squeezed it. His support helped steady Christy. They'd handle it. Somehow they would handle whatever was about to come their way.
Noelle's voice floated down from the living room where she was energetically describing the train, Santa's castle, and her snack, in no particular order. As Christy reached the top of the stairs she saw Ellen sitting on one end of the sofa. Trevor was beside her at the other end. She was leaning forward, doing her best to keep up with Noelle's excited rambling, but from the confused expression on her face she was losing the battle.