Molly stirred at her feet, stood, and stretched. Time to take a break. Letting Molly out, she popped a chicken breast and sweet potato into the microwave for a quick dinner. Robbie wouldn’t be home until late from practice. She popped a cork on a bottle of white wine and poured herself a glass to celebrate taking the time to clarify her goals. She filled Molly’s dish with kibble and let the dog back in. Taking her food and wine out to the dining room table, she grinned at her bouquet of flowers. They were already beginning to wilt, but still offered color and a faint scent of the tropics. I can’t toss them yet.
As she ate her dinner, she again pulled up the reply email Matt sent the night before. She hadn’t been sure he would reply, even though it had been his idea to keep in touch.
Dear Renee,
It was great to hear back from you. Work is busy. We still don’t know what happened to the girl that went missing when you were here. We don’t have much for clues. It’s as if she disappeared into thin air.
Hank is tired of me working so much. Yesterday I came home to a mess. He chewed and scratched his way through the cupboard under the sink, then flung garbage all over the kitchen floor. Guess that adds one more item to my fix-it list.
Talked to my little sister Laura, my niece Olivia, and my nephew Aiden earlier today. God I miss them. Laura has an ass of a husband and is going through a nasty divorce. We talk about once a week, but I wish there was more I could do. She spends lots of time helping Dad, too. Our mom died ten years ago and Dad has some dementia, plus he doesn’t take care of his diabetes. Growing up, we always had cows and chickens on the farm. Now Dad is down to just his dog Henry and Bessie, his cow. She wandered off on Sunday. Dad must have left the gate open again. Laura and the kids drove around for an hour before they found Bessie.
Sure wish it was easier to travel back home.
Hey, how is the job search going? Any good prospects? Hope you land something soon. I know you were worried about getting back to work. Send me updates.
Matt
Renee remembered the bright, childish artwork on Matt’s fridge and suspected the kids he mentioned were the little Picassos. She would hate to be so far from her own family.
She planned to reply to Matt soon, but wanted to finish laying out her goals. Setting her dirty dishes in the sink and refilling her wine glass, she got comfortable in her favorite chair and focused.
Chapter 27
Gift of a Mess
Renee put on her walking shoes, jumped in the car, and headed for the mall.
Time to get my butt moving. I’ll just walk for an hour and then head home. Way too cold to walk outside . . . I really miss Fiji.
She kept only her keys and her driver’s license in her pocket—no real shopping today. Nothing wrong with window shopping . . . and people watching, she thought as she walked around the mall.
The hour passed quickly and she headed out to her vehicle, reinvigorated and ready to start working on her resume. But the phone rang.
“Mom, can you come pick me up? I feel like crap. Got a killer headache, puked after gym.”
Renee couldn't remember the last time Robbie called because he was so sick that he needed to be picked up at school. On the way, she made a quick stop to pick up a digital thermometer and over-the-counter medicine.
Once home, she got Robbie settled on the couch in front of the TV. “Here, try to relax, sweetie. Use this if you get sick again.” She thrust their popcorn bowl into his hands. “I’m gonna go clean up that room of yours so you get some sleep tonight. Call if you need anything. I’ll bring you some 7 Up and crackers in a bit if you don’t throw up anymore.”
She stripped his bed, picked up all the dirty clothes strewn on the floor, and took the pile to the laundry room.
“Ugh,” she exclaimed aloud. “Teenagers can be real pigs.”
She usually cut him some slack and didn’t get on his case unless a nasty smell started drifting out of his room. She picked her battles, and his room wasn’t usually one of them.
As she went through his jean pockets before throwing his pants in the washer, she was surprised to find a small baggie containing two small white pills.
“What are these?” Renee stared at the pills, confused. Little warning bells went off—had she just stumbled on a big problem?
Now what the hell am I supposed to do? Maybe it’s aspirin . . . should I just go ask him? She looked closer at the pills, looking for an innocent explanation . . . but there weren’t any marks on the pills. If Robbie was getting into something he shouldn’t be, she didn’t want to talk to him about it when he was downstairs suffering from the stomach flu.
I’ll approach Robbie about it later.
“I hope to hell it isn’t anything illegal,” she muttered to herself.
She stashed the pills in her room for now. She didn’t know if she could deal with any more drama at the moment.
She had always been so sure her own kids would never get involved with drugs.
Chapter 28
Gift of Connections
By morning, Robbie said he felt better and wanted to go to school so he could still play in the weekend basketball tournament. “Thanks for picking up my room, Mom.” If he remembered leaving a small bag with two pills in his pocket, he gave no indication. He caught a ride to school with his buddy Paul, leaving Renee in an empty house and a sick feeling in her gut.
I can ask Robbie about it when he gets home tonight. Maybe it’s nothing. But do I just believe whatever he tells me? I need some facts.
She didn’t know how she could figure out what the pills were, and she wanted to be careful. If the pills were illegal, she wanted to know what she was dealing with before involving anyone else. I have to call Matt. He’ll know what I should do, and I can trust him.
She grabbed her cell, found his number, and dialed, her hands already clammy from nerves. The call took longer to go through, but it eventually started to ring. It rang so many times, she was prepared to leave him a message when his gruff voice came over the line.
Oh, shit, I forgot the time difference! Renee realized in horror.
“Oh, Matt, I am so sorry if I woke you. This is Renee. I feel terrible. Were you sleeping?”
There was rustling on the other end. Renee could picture Matt trying to get his bearings, probably snapping on a bedside light and rubbing his eyes to wake up.
“No, that’s OK, Renee. What’s up?”
Renee could tell he was trying to act as if he wasn’t still half asleep. But this probably wasn’t an unusual occurrence for a sheriff. Hopefully.
“I didn’t know who else I could talk to,” Renee began, trying to explain the unexpected call. “Feeling a little desperate here. I think Robbie might be in big . . . trouble.” Her voice caught on the last word.
“Now, Renee, slow down a little bit. Robbie seemed like a good kid when I met him. Has something happened? Did he get hurt?”
“Oh, Matt, I don’t know, maybe I’m just overreacting. I found pills in his jeans when I was doing his laundry last night. They were in a little baggie and there weren’t any marks on them. He doesn’t take any medication, only ibuprofen once in a while, that kind of thing. I’m going crazy here, thinking maybe he’s on drugs. Could I have missed the signs?”
“Did you ask him what they are?”
“No,” Renee said, feeling a bit silly. “He came home sick from school yesterday, so I didn’t want to confront him. This morning he said he was better and rushed out before I had a chance to mention the pills. Besides, if he told me they were something harmless . . . I don’t know if I could believe him. There’s just so much shit in schools these days, you know? I’m scared. I thought you might know what I could do to find out what they are . . .” Her voice trailed off as she fought to stay in control of her emotions. “Am I overreacting?”
“Maybe. But you’re right. Kids are exposed to a lot of shit these days. You’re right to be careful here. Tell you what. I have a buddy on the force back in Minneapo
lis, name of Ross. Owes me a favor. I can give him a call, see if he can run the pills through the lab, find out what we’re dealing with before you talk to Robbie. He’ll do it on the QT.”
“Oh Matt, you have no idea how much I would appreciate that.”
“Tell you what. I’m gonna take a quick shower and head into the office. I’ll give my buddy a call and let you know what I find out.”
“Thank you so much. I’m sorry to drag you into this . . . I just didn’t know where to turn.”
“No problem, Renee. Glad to help. Maybe we’ll get lucky and they won’t turn out to be anything to be worried about. Sit tight, I’ll give you a call back as soon as I can.”
Unable to concentrate, Renee distracted herself by cleaning out drawers while she waited to hear back. Her cell phone rang forty-five minutes later, and she was relieved to see it was Matt. This time he sounded more himself and had some information. His old friend was willing to help. Matt gave her his name and phone number and told her the man was expecting her call. Matt promised his buddy would run the pills through the lab and get back to her, no questions asked.
“I trust him, Renee. He will get to the bottom of this for you.”
“Thank you so much, Matt. You have no idea how much I appreciate this,” Renee thanked him profusely for the second time that day. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
***
Hands shaking, she dialed the number and held her cell to her ear.
A man answered. “Brown here.”
“Mr. Brown, my name is Renee Clements. Matt Blatso gave me your name.”
“Oh, hey, Renee,” Matt’s friend replied. “Yep, Matt told me you’d be calling. Call me Ross. I’m tired of owing that son of a bitch a favor. Glad to finally get the chance to pay up, get him off my back.” Renee hoped he was joking. “Matt told me you found some pills in your kid’s pocket and you just need to find out what they are. That the skinny of it?”
“Yes,” Renee breathed, somewhat relieved.
“No problem. Can you meet me downtown somewhere? If I can get them to the lab by noon, we should be able to get an answer tomorrow morning.”
They agreed to meet in an hour at a coffee shop downtown. Knowing it would take her time to find a place to park, she wasted no time heading into the heart of the city. Traffic isn’t nearly as bad at 10:30 as it always was before 8:00 a.m., Renee reflected as she drove around the block, looking for a parking spot. She hadn’t been back downtown since the day she lost her job. Renee arrived fifteen minutes early, so she ordered a latte and found a small table in the corner. Feeling apprehensive, she watched for the police officer named Ross. Five minutes before they were to meet, a tall man in a black leather jacket entered the shop and looked around. Spying her in the corner, he approached.
“Renee?”
She gave him a quick nod. She was expecting someone in uniform but was relieved he was in street clothes.
He took a minute to order coffee at the counter and then came back and sat across from her.
“God, I think I’m gonna have to take a little vacation, take a trip to Fiji just to thaw out. Matt’s been bugging me to fly out. Might have to take him up on it one of these days. Too friggin’ cold here. So why don’t you show me what ya got?”
Just as Matt had promised, Ross didn’t ask any questions—not even how she and Matt knew each other. He made sure he had Renee’s number and told her he would be in touch. With that, he was gone, and Renee was alone again.
She sighed. I feel like I’m in a damn detective novel.
Chapter 29
Gift of a Scare
Renee received a call from a number she didn’t recognize at eleven the next morning. It was Friday and they were scheduled to leave town mid-afternoon for the basketball tournament. It had been incredibly hard not to say anything to Robbie the night before. I hope I get good news today.
It was Ross calling back with results . . . but the news wasn’t great.
“Renee, it’s Ross. Hey, I got some answers on those pills. They’re a designer drug kids are getting off the Internet. They aren’t exactly illegal, but they’re dangerous as hell and you need to have a heart-to-heart with your son right away.”
“Oh my God. Why would Robbie have those? How could he order them off the Internet? He doesn’t have a credit card. Wait . . . how dangerous are they?”
“Because they aren’t technically illegal, kids assume they’re safe and take them in high doses. The pills are supposed to boost energy and precision, the drug of choice among athletes. Some kids are getting dangerously sick. A sixteen-year-old died last month from an overdose in St. Paul. As to how he got the pills . . . the unfortunate truth is that they’re easy to get. Another kid probably got a bunch, probably going around school, selling ’em to others under the pretense they’ll help the kids improve their grades or do better in sports.”
“Oh man . . .” Renee replied. “You hear about this stuff happening, but you always think your kid is going to be smart enough to stay away from that shit.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, I see it all the time. Maybe you got lucky. Maybe you caught it early. But I’m serious when I say you need to talk to your son first chance you get. He can’t take that shit. It’s like playing Russian roulette.”
“I will, I promise. Thank you so much for getting me answers so quickly.”
“It’s a good day when I can do something to keep a kid safe. Take care, Renee, and good luck.”
Renee slumped onto a stool in the kitchen. Now what should she do? She decided to look the drug up on the Internet. She was surprised at all the sites that popped up. Many were splashy, making big promises to improve sports and academic performance. Other sites warned about the use of these same drugs. After only a few doses, some kids became lethargic and experienced severe headaches. Renee remembered Robbie’s flu bug earlier in the week. Maybe it wasn’t the stomach flu. Holy shit, has Robbie already gotten sick from the pills?
Disturbed by what she had learned, now she had a choice to make. Should she refuse to let Robbie go to the tournament? Or should she talk to him about what she found during their drive over? Or should she wait and bring it up afterward so he wouldn’t be distracted during the games? He had worked so hard to make the team and might even get to dress for varsity. She was trying to be careful not to jump to any conclusions before giving Robbie a chance to explain. But she was having a hard time coming up with any explanation she would be OK with, given what she learned from Ross.
***
She still hadn’t decided the best course when she went to pick him up from school.
“Hey Mom, Coach said I could ride the bus with the varsity guys instead of driving up separately. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you. You OK with that?”
Robbie stood at the open door to the car expectantly. Paul stood next to him, all grins, apparently having received the same invite. Normally, kids on the junior varsity team had to find their own rides to out-of-town games and stay with their parents. The school only had enough money to put up the highest-level team. Renee was surprised they invited Robbie on the bus.
“That sounds fun,” she said hesitantly. She didn’t want to ask about the pills in front of Paul. “Go ahead. I’ll get checked into our room, and I’ll see you at the game.”
***
Renee called Matt from the car on her way up to the tournament to report what she had learned.
“Ross was able to have the lab run the pills right away. Turns out they’re called ‘pearls.’ Ever heard of them?”
“No,” Matt replied. “What are they?”
Once she explained what Ross had told her, Matt asked, “So what did Robbie say when you talked to him, then?”
Renee had been dreading that question. “Well . . . I haven’t had a chance to get him alone yet. Ross called me back just this morning. I’m heading up to that basketball tournament I told you about. Robbie’s on the bus with the team, but I’m driving up separate.”
<
br /> “You are going to talk to him, right?”
“Oh yeah, for sure. I’m scared to death about those damn pills—what if he has more? I have to talk to him about this.”
“All right, just do it as soon as you can, OK? Stick as close as you can to him until then and watch to make sure he isn’t acting any different than normal. Now get off the phone—you shouldn’t be talking to me when you’re driving,” Matt scolded.
“Yes sir, Officer, sir,” Renee laughed. “Hanging up now.” It felt good to have a moment of fun, even if she still had the heavy cloud hanging overhead.
***
Renee didn’t have a chance to talk to Robbie about the pills until late Sunday afternoon when they got home from the tournament. Anytime Robbie was with Renee, others were around. Paul stayed in their room, since his parents couldn’t make the tournament. It was a fun weekend, but she watched Robbie like a hawk, looking for any signs of trouble, all the while dodging guilt for not yet fulfilling her promise to Ross—and now Matt—to talk to Robbie right away. The games were exciting, at least. Robbie’s team won their first two, but lost the last. He played most of the JV games, and dressed for one varsity game.
By the time they got home, Robbie was beat.
“Heading up to shower, be back down. How ’bout we throw in a pizza?”
By the time he got back to the kitchen, a pepperoni pizza and two sodas sat ready on the island. It was time to talk.
“Robbie, I have to talk to you about something important.”
Her tone caught his attention and he looked at her warily. He didn’t even pick up a pizza slice. It didn’t sound good.
Whispering Pines (Celia's Gifts Book 1) Page 15