The Widow of Papina

by Katie Hamstead

  Her gaze shot to me as her eyes widened. But then, she shook her head and turned away.

  “Why not?”

  Without looking, she lifted her hand and rubbed her fingertips together.

  “Don’t be worried about the cost. I can cover it.”

  She shrugged and pressed her head against the window.

  We dropped her off at her appointment, then headed out to a furniture store to trade in my bed.

  As the shop assistant assessed its value, I became lightheaded. I suddenly felt uncertain about getting rid of it. The bed was part of Forrest. So, when they took it inside, I turned away, unable to watch it go.

  Once the bed was gone, we went inside to pick out a new one, where a shop assistant met us.

  “Hello. I’m Jane. Can I help you with something?”

  “I’m just looking for a new bed,” I replied. “I want a queen and not too expensive.”

  “A queen?” She smiled and looked to Paul. “Surely you’d like the extra space of a king.”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and flushed. “Ah . . . ”

  “We’re not a couple,” I said, cutting off the awkward situation. “He’s just my muscle for the day.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I just saw your ring and the stroller and assumed . . . ” She leaned over to look at Jackson and her smile faltered. “You’re the widow of Papina, aren’t you?”

  My heart hit my stomach.

  Pity filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry. That’s so . . . ” She turned and hurried farther into the store. “We have some lovely oak queens back here, and for you, I can throw in the mattress.”

  Paul touched my back as we followed.

  After we picked out a bed—which Jane arranged a huge discount for me—we strapped it into the truck and headed to the next store. An awkward silence hung between Paul and me, and we didn’t speak until we arrived.

  “What are you thinking of getting?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” I replied with a huff. “Forrest was talking granite, but without his income, I can’t afford that.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can do.”

  Inside, we found the counters and searched them. I found imitation granite and examined it.

  “Show me your dimensions,” Paul said.

  I handed him my notebook.

  He looked them over and hurried off. I shrugged and left it to him. He’d be installing it, after all.

  I pushed the stroller up and down the aisles, while Jackson babbled and pointed at everything. Then, I got a whiff of poop. Fantastic. I hurried to the bathrooms to change him.

  When I came back out, Paul stood at the checkout. As I watched, he swiped his own card.

  I hurried over. “I hope that’s something for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled.

  “What? No, I can’t—” I gasped, seeing the price. “Did you get real granite?”

  “I said don’t worry about it.”

  “What? Paul!”

  He smirked. “Hey, you actually used my name.”

  He walked toward the door.

  I rushed to follow. “I still owe you for Nova’s bail. I can’t—”

  “You don’t owe me for this. I got it.”

  I huffed, but stopped arguing as the store employees loaded the countertops up beside the bed. Once they had gone, and we made our way to the baby store, I turned to him. “You can’t pay for them.”

  “I just did.”

  Gritting my teeth, I folded my arms. “Look, I know you think you owe it to Forrest to look after me, but I can do things on my own.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I like helping people. Why is that so hard for you to understand? You said you and Forrest wanted granite, so I helped you get granite.”

  “It’s just a countertop!” I said sharply. “The imitation would have been fine.”

  “The Elwood house deserves better than fine, and so do you.”

  “What’s so special about my house anyway?” I folded my arms and slumped back.

  He smiled, his eyes sparkling. “I had some seriously fun times in there growing up. The family who lived in it was huge—eight kids. My best friend is the second youngest.”

  “Who’s that then?”

  His smile widened. “Clint.”

  My gaze shot to him. “Clint lived there?”

  He nodded. “I remember one night his parents were gone, so we had some friends over. You know, like teens do. We sat in that front room and decided to play spin the bottle. I had my eye on one of the girls and tried to make it spin to point at her. Unfortunately, it backfired and pointed at Clint. He laughed and rushed at me, and I gave him a black eye.”

  I gnawed at my lip to fight back my laugh, but it forced its way out and I let out a strange snort.

  He laughed. “What was that?”

  “Shut up.”

  He smirked and went on. “I remember climbing that tree out the front and falling and breaking my arm. I remember staying overnight in what’s now your nursery, crammed in with two of Clint’s brothers. We stayed up all night talking football and guns. Then, after his brothers moved out, he took a girl in there . . . ” He winked at me.

  “Ew.” I began planning a switch for Jackson’s room and the office.

  He laughed. “Oh yes, I could tell you stories about that house. It made me sad to see it abandoned after his parents moved out. It had always been so full of life. So, that’s why I like working on it and seeing you in there, raising another family in it.”

  “Hmm.” I unfolded my arms. “Raising one child and an almost adult isn’t really what I’d intended.”

  “How old are you, Bray?”

  “Twenty-five.”

  We pulled into the parking lot and he parked the truck. “Do you really think you’ll be single for another fifty or so years?”

  Memories of his bare chest and shoulders flashed through my mind, making my face rush with heat. “I haven’t even thought about it. I’m just barely accepting not living those years with Forrest.”

  He stared at me, then tipped his hat. “Come on. Let’s get those gates before we run out of time.”

  As I climbed out and watched him pull Jackson from the car, I couldn’t help but feel like something strange had passed between us. It made me uneasy.

  In the store, I kept him in my sight to make sure he didn’t pay for anything. He focused on the safety ratings of all the gates and didn’t notice.

  Finally, we picked a pair of gates and headed toward the door. But, along the way, he paused and changed direction.

  “Where are you going?” I called, trying to readjust the direction of the stroller.

  As I came around the corner, he lifted a giant teddy bear with a pink bow.

  “What do you think?” he asked. “A peace offering for Nova.”

  “I don’t . . . she doesn’t have any stuffed toys.”

  “Of course, she doesn’t.” He rested the bear in the cart. “She has been bumped from house to house for several years. I think this is the longest she’s stayed in one place since her mom abandoned her.”

  My gaze fell onto the bear. That gesture felt like something Forrest would do, so I couldn’t say no.

  As we walked to the truck, he asked, “Did you still want to get that laptop?”

  I gasped. “Oh no! We’re out of time.”

  “No, we’re not. Jump in.”

  We rushed to a small electronics store. Inside, Paul called out, “Hey, Matthew?”

  A man appeared who looked strangely familiar. “Paul! How’s it going?”

  They shook hands, greeting each other warmly before Paul gestured at me. “This is Bray. She needs a laptop that’s not
too expensive.”

  The man, Matthew, offered me his hand. “Bray, huh? Where’d you come from?”

  “Las Vegas,” I answered.

  “She’s living in your old place,” Paul said.

  His face lit up. So, that’s why he looked familiar, he looked like Clint.

  “How are you liking the old place?” he asked as he gestured for us to follow him.

  “It’s lovely,” I answered. “A dream home.”

  He grinned as he motioned to several laptops. “What does your husband do?”

  Paul cleared his throat and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry. I just assumed with the baby and the ring . . . ” He trailed off as his eyes widened. “Oh.”

  My face burned as my stomach churned. It seemed everyone knew about me. “I need the laptop for my fourteen-year-old. She does school online, so it would need a word processor and wireless.”

  He hesitated, before nodding. “I think this one will work for you.”

  I set the drastically discounted laptop on Nova’s seat for her. I hadn’t thought about my story being big news outside of Papina, but then, the area was no Vegas. They were a collection of small, peaceful towns, where the only things that to get killed—ever—were livestock and the occasional rouge beast. It still made me sick to know Forrest’s death provided such an exciting source of gossip.

  “Bray?”

  Paul stared at me over the car seat with concern in his eyes.

  I sighed. “I’m okay. I just didn’t expect so many people to know about Forrest and me.”

  “I should have warned you. It’s been all over the papers. Nothing ever happens out here, so it’s a big deal. I’m sorry.”

  I forced a smile. “It’s fine. Come on, let’s get Nova.”

  Nova stood kicking at the gutter as we pulled up. I jumped out and hurried to her. “How long have you been waiting?”

  She lifted her watch and held up five fingers.

  “Five minutes?”

  She nodded.

  “That’s not so bad, is it?”

  She scowled and glared toward the truck.

  “It wasn’t his fault.”

  She grabbed my hand and walked around to the door to climb in. As she opened it, she froze, her hand tightening around mine. Her free hand lifted and she touched the teddy bear sitting on top of the laptop.

  “Do you like it?” I asked.

  She spun to me with tears in her eyes. She nodded and threw her arms around my neck.

  “Oh! Nova, sweetheart, it’s not from me. I bought you the laptop.”

  She pulled back, alarmed.

  “Sheriff Davis bought it for you. He thought you might like it, and he wanted to let you know he was sorry for hurting you and—”

  She reached around and tossed the bear on the ground.

  “Nova!”

  She climbed in and shut the door.

  I picked up the bear and brushed off the dirt. “I’ll take care of it until you’re ready.”

  She leapt out of the truck and grabbed for it.

  I pulled it out of her reach. “Nova! What . . . ”

  She clawed at my arm and pulled the bear free, tossing it across the parking lot.

  “Nova!” I turned to go pick it up, but she grabbed me.

  “Hey, that’s enough.” Paul pulled her off. “How dare you treat Bray that way!”

  She swung around and slapped him across the face.

  “Nova!” I grabbed her hand as she swung again. “That’s enough. Get in the truck.”

  She pointed at Paul, then waved her finger at him before pointing at me. Then, she climbed in.

  Sighing, I rushed over and picked up the bear, secured it beside the bed, and climbed into the truck. As we drove, I glanced back to see Nova open the laptop with a smile.

  ~ ~ ~

  Nova stormed to her room, laptop under her arm. I groaned as I watched her go while pulling Jackson out of the truck. “Am I even getting through to her?”

  Paul walked around to the back and paused, pulling the bear out. “Yes.” He waved the bear. “She was protecting you.”

  “Me?” I scoffed, setting Jackson on my hip. “I don’t need protecting.”

  “She doesn’t like me hanging around you. That’s why she tossed the bear away.”

  He yanked the gates out. “I can install these right now on my own, but I’ll get someone to help me with the bed and countertops.”

  “You don’t even seem to care,” I said, grabbing the diaper bag.

  “About Nova?” He stepped around the vehicle. “I do, but I don’t care that she’s trying to protect you. Not meaning to frighten you, but she knows what happened to Forrest, so . . . ” He shrugged. “I just hope it means she’ll eventually open up to you about it, at least before the feds start questioning her and getting her cold, silent glares in response.”

  My breath caught. “Will it come to that?”

  He nodded. “They’re already pushing me for access to her. It’s only a matter of time. They’ve been talking to her psychiatrist.”

  I clung to Jackson, looking up at her window. “Is she in danger?”

  He let out a long breath. “Honestly, she’s their prime suspect.”

  I gasped and grabbed his shirt. “No!”

  “It’s not really a surprise, Bray.” He pushed me off. “Her bag was found nearby with a notebook filled with I love Forrest Miller, she disappeared at the same time, and now she’s not talking. It doesn’t look good for her.”

  “But, she wouldn’t . . . and . . . and she’s not strong enough to overpower Forrest.”

  I covered my mouth as a tear fell. She couldn’t have done it. I knew deep down inside me that it wasn’t her.

  “They aren’t sure what the puncture wounds are yet. She could have stabbed him in the back with something.”

  I glared at him. “She didn’t do it.”

  His eyes widened. “I didn’t mean . . . I meant that’s a theory they—”

  “Well I have a theory of my own, and they aren’t going to blame this on an innocent girl as long as I’m here to take care of her.”

  He grunted. “Here we go.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He gritted his teeth. “Nothing. I don’t want to argue with you, especially about this. I don’t think Nova did it either—”

  “Then, there’s nothing to talk about. You’ll keep them away from her.”

  I stormed into the house.

  Chapter 13

  Nova snapped her laptop shut and grinned.

  “How’d you do?” I asked.

  Her grin widened.

  “You think you did that well?”

  She nodded.

  “Easy?”

  She nodded again.

  I walked over and kissed her head. “I knew you could do it. You’re a smart girl. Now, we just have to wait.”

  She smiled up at me, a bright light in her eyes.

  I sank into the chair beside her. “Jackson’s birthday is coming up in two months. What should we do?”

  She beamed and scribbled down; Party.

  I chuckled. “Big or small?”

  She stretched her arms out and I laughed.

  A loud rapping from the door made us both jump. I hurried over and came face to face with a pair of Feds, dressed in tailored black pants and white shirts. “Mrs. Miller?”

  “Yes?”

  “We need to talk to Nova.”

  My breath caught. “Why?”

  “We need to question her about your husband’s death, ma’am.”

  “She’s still not talking.”

  “Mrs. Miller.” One stepped
closer to me and I leaned back. “We know Nova was at the scene. We need to talk to her.”

  “Come back when she’s talking, then.”

  He caught the door. “I didn’t want to do this, but I have her arrest warrant.” He lifted a sheet of paper in front of my face.

  “No . . . ”

  A hand rested on my back and I glanced down at Nova. She smiled sadly at me, and stepped toward the Fed.

  “Nova.” I caught her arm. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  She nodded, and let the Feds take her away.

  I slammed the door shut and hurried to my phone.

  “Sheriff!” I yelled as soon as he answered.

  “Bray?”

  “They took Nova!”

  Pause. “Oh.”

  “Where will they take her?” My voice grew higher pitched, but I didn’t care. I needed to get Nova back.

  He moaned. “Into Bearville. I’m on duty right now. If you come by the station, I’ll take you down when I’m done.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  I packed up Jackson and hurried out.

  No one was in the station when I arrived, so I hurried next door to Sarah. She grinned as I entered.

  “Thank you. I am beyond bored.” Her smile fell. “What’s wrong?”

  “They took Nova.”

  “Oh no.” She rushed over and held me in her arms. “Paul thought that might happen.”

  “He was supposed to stop them. He said he’d protect her.”

  “He tried, but there’s only so much he can do.”

  I rubbed my temple to try to ease the throb that suddenly came up. “I know.”

  She glanced around. “Hey, let’s go have lunch at the café.”

  I nodded.

  We sat outside in the warm spring air as a gentle breeze rustled through the pines. By this time in Vegas, the temperatures reached the high nineties, but there in the valley, it wouldn’t have been much more than seventy. I wished Forrest could feel it.

  Sarah handed me a sandwich as she sat beside me. “Hope it’s okay.”

  I nodded and bit into it as she set a cup of water on the table for me. We ate in silence until she sighed. “Bray, I think you need a break from all of this.”