by M T Stone
“What are all the orange flags?” Mandy asks once we reach the clearing and turn toward the tree.
“It looks like they are surveying it or something,” I reply, giving her my best guess.
We are early because Mandy wants to show me the path where her and her mother used to go for walks. “Come here,” she nods her head toward the lazy creek that is trickling past the bottom of the hill.
“I can see why you would like this as a kid,” I tell her upon seeing the sandy creek bottom and the clear running stream. “This must have been a nice place to come on a hot, humid summer day.”
“Exactly,” she says, kicking off her shoes and holding up her dress while wading into the water. “Take off you shoes and roll up your pants!” She cocks her eyebrows to let me know that I really don’t have a choice in the matter.
“Okay.” I pull off my shoes and socks before following in her footsteps. “Good God! This is freezing!”
“It’s refreshing,” she corrects me with a broad smile. “Mom would never come in with me either, but she would sit right there on that mound and watch me play in the water.”
“Didn’t Darla come down here with you guys?”
“Not normally, she didn’t like the cold water either.” She smiles reflectively. “I guess I’m kind of weird that way. Feeling the cold water rushing over my feet makes me feel alive.”
“It definitely wakes you up.” I shutter as a shiver runs through me. “But I think my feet are already going numb.”
“Well, you’re in luck because Dad and Darla just pulled up.” She smirks and stops short of calling me a pansy, even though I know that is what she is thinking.
“Being back here is exactly how I want to remember Mom,” Mandy says as we walk back up the hill to meet the rest of the family. “After cooling off here on a hot afternoon, we would take the Mustang to the Dairy Bar before heading home. I wonder if it’s still open?”
“Since we have the Mustang, I think we should find out after the service.” I pull her into my side and we walk stride for stride the rest of the way up to the big oak tree.
Ray starts out the informal ceremony by reminiscing about when they first moved out here from the city. He had grown up in Manhattan and had never imagined that he could be happy in a boring rural setting such as this. Now his concerns have shifted to whether or not he would be able handle the hustle and bustle of the big city again. He smiles and looks over at his in-laws. “Thank you for taking us in and being so good to us all of these years,” he says with utmost sincerity.
“You stop that talk,” Maggie’s oldest sister replies on the verge of tears. “You are all family and you would have done the same for us. Now lets talk about something happier, before I start crying again.”
“This was our favorite spot,” Mandy pipes up. “Mom and I came here a lot when I was little and I’m glad she wants us to spread her ashes here. There is no place I would rather come to visit her.”
After everyone takes their turn telling stories and offering memories it comes around to me. “I didn’t really know Maggie,” I admit. “But I’ve seen a different side of Mandy since I’ve been here. Between the clothes, the Mustang, this creek and seeing her around all of you, I have a real appreciation for where she comes from. It’s awesome.” I look into Mandy’s eyes and can see the tears that she is bravely holding back. “Thank you for making me feel welcome,” I add, looking over at Darla and Ray.
“You are welcome, son,” Ray says, nodding his head. “I do want to bring up one thing before we leave, however.” He closes his eyes momentarily as if he’s composing himself. “You might have noticed all those little orange flags on the way in.” Everyone nods their heads in unison, as we had all seen them. “Well, the Coomer brothers inherited this land from their great uncle last year and I hear they are dividing it up into a dozen different parcels for development.” He sighs and the small crowd grows silent except for a few gasps and moans.
I look over at Mandy who looks like she just went into shock. “When is this happening?” she asks following several seconds of silence. “You knew about this?” She walks toward her father.
“I just heard about it a couple weeks ago, but I didn’t have the heart to tell Maggie. They haven’t even finished surveying the lots yet, so it’s only in the early stages,” he explains calmly. “We can still spread her ashes down by the creek, honey.”
“I know, but it will never be the same.” She closes her eyes as tears burst from the corners of her eyes.
The look on her face just about breaks my heart. “Don’t worry about it,” I whisper, putting my arm around her. “I’ll figure something out.”
“But they obviously have plans to develop it. I’m sure they have already found some interest since they are going ahead with it,” she says through her tears.
“When I tell you not to worry. Don’t worry,” I reiterate, looking her directly in the eyes. “I will take care of it.”
“Everyone come over to the house for some lunch,” Ray tells everyone as they begin to shuffle about. “We’ve got a ton of food to eat up.”
“I still want to go to the Dairy Bar.” Mandy gives me a cute little look that I’m sure she gave her mom as a little girl.
“You’ve got it,” I agree, slowly turning to head back to the Mustang.
“Mom and I talked a while back,” Darla says, coming up to us as we get into the car. “You get all her jewelry and stuff, but Bill and I get the Mustang,” she declares with a somber look on her face. “Bill is really mechanical,” she adds, as if that justifies it.
Mandy doesn’t say a word, so I reply, “Okay, I’ll be careful with it then.” With that, I turn the key, slap it into gear and let out the clutch. She stands there with her hands on her hips tracking us as we drive around the oak tree and head back toward the driveway. “Hmm, maybe I don’t like Darla that much.”
“That’s why I rarely mention her.” Mandy sighs. “My family is so messed up.”
“Your family is no different than mine.” I laugh. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well. We might be the only half-assed normal ones out of the whole bunch.”
“Where are we going on that dream vacation?” Mandy asks, giving me a weary look.
“I don’t know yet, but I do know there probably won’t be any cell phone reception.”
I take her hand and give it a kiss. I’m going to find her a Mustang just like this one.
CHAPTER 13
Early Sunday Afternoon
Mandy
Leaving the farm in Dad’s pickup truck, I’m struck by the realization that another chapter of my life is officially closing. There is little doubt that Dad will clean out the house and put it on the market now that Mom has passed. I know the past few years have been especially tough on him as he watched the continual decline of her health. He deserves to find some happiness.
“When are you coming to New York?” I ask, figuring that will be his next move.
“Oh, after spending so much time out here I’m not sure I can handle the big city anymore,” he replies with a reminiscent tone in his voice. “I’m getting too old to deal with all that traffic and crap.”
“Really?” Trey asks, seeming shocked by his admission. “What about Mom?”
“We had a nice talk last night,” he says with a sigh. “I’m just not ready to pull up roots and leave right away. She understands.”
“But you two have been pining for each other for years,” I say, turning in my seat. “Now you don’t think you are ready? What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t know.” He raises his hand and rubs his forehead trying to come up with a good answer. “I guess I’m a little afraid of jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.” He smirks and leans forward to give Trey a sideways glance.
“I know Mom has had her issues over the years, but after learning about her relationship with you, I think that has been the source of her issues,” Trey tells him with utmost confidence. “I thi
nk you need to at least give her a chance. I don’t think she is tied to New York, she just hasn’t had a good reason to leave.”
“Good point,” Dad replies, staring straight ahead through the bug splattered windshield.
“I’m glad Mom knew about everything and had come to terms with it,” I tell him. “I would still be awfully mad at you if she hadn’t cleared the air the other night. I could barely stand to look at you when you picked me up at the airport.”
“I know, I’m glad too. I don’t think I would’ve been able to live with you hating me.” He turns and gives me a sad smile. “You’ve always been my little girl and I just didn’t want you to think less of me,” he says, apologizing with his eyes.
“One thing I’ve learned Dad, is that you rarely lose the respect of someone by telling them the truth. It’s usually the other way around.” I reach over and pat him on the arm. “I’m still your little girl.”
“You always were the smart one, Amanda.” He leans forward and looks over at Trey. “You take good care of her.”
“I plan on it,” he replies, slipping his arm around me.
By the time we reach the airport I’m feeling at peace with everything. Even though everything is changing, it’s probably all for the best. Mom is no longer suffering, Dad can move on with his life and I think there is something very special growing between Trey and I. We probably won’t know for sure until we work through everything and let the dust settle. Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later though, I’m getting emotionally drained.
Trey
After Ray drops Mandy and I off at the airport, my phone begins to ring obsessively. I look down and there are several missed calls in a row from Tommy. He has either been drinking or something must really be urgent. Immediately after boarding the plane, Tommy’s number pops up on my screen for the fifth time.
“Hey Tommy, is there a problem?” I answer, feeling a little annoyed by his persistence.
“Where are you?” he asks in a scolding voice.
“I came to Tennessee for a memorial for Mandy’s mom,” I reply matching his derogatory tone.
“Oh, I was wondering why you keep disappearing. First you leave Monaco in the middle of the night and now you’re not in the city,” he replies, acting like I owe him some sort of explanation. “You’re a hard guy to nail down.”
“Do you need something?” I ask after a several second pause.
“Yeah, I have a few things that I need to go over with you,” he says, not offering any specifics.
“Okay, I’m going to be flying for the next hour, so I have time to talk.” I walk to the back of the plane and take my usual seat.
“There are things I would like to discuss in person. What time do you land?” he asks, seeming rather edgy. “Have you had a chance to talk to your brother?”
“They are keeping him sedated, so no, I haven’t talked to him. Why?”
“I was just wondering if he had come around at all. Vanessa hasn’t been answering her phone,” he says nervously. “I thought maybe he had come out of his coma.”
“Her and Mom have been taking turns staying with him, so she’s probably trying to get some sleep. She’s been staying nights and Mom has been taking the day shifts.”
“Okay, maybe she was just sleeping then. When are you going to be back?” he asks for a second time.
“I’ll be landing at JFK in a little over an hour,” I tell him, lying through my teeth.
“Okay, do you need a ride?” he asks eagerly.
“No, everything is covered. Can we meet at the office tomorrow morning?” I ask, not wanting to meet with him on a Sunday evening. “I’m assuming you will be there.”
“I would rather meet privately,” he says suspiciously. Leaving me wondering about his true intentions.
Right from the start this conversation has been giving off a weird vibe, so I continue to follow my gut. “I’ll stop in at eleven thirty tomorrow. That way if you don’t want to talk in the office, we can go have lunch somewhere quiet.”
Tommy pauses, making it obvious that he is trying to think of a reason why that won’t work. “So, you are busy tonight?”
“More tired than busy, but if I do anything it will probably be going up to the hospital,” I reply, curious to see what comes out of his mouth next.
“Where are you staying?” he asks sounding even more pensive.
“I think we’ll stay at Dad’s place, since it’s been sitting empty.” There is silence again at the other end, so I add, “I hope to be there by about ten o’clock tonight. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. I was just wondering if you needed a place to stay,” he replies, seeming a bit distracted. “If you’re sure we can’t get together tonight, I’ll plan on seeing you for lunch.”
“Sounds good. By the way, I think you should quit calling Vanessa,” I tell him, considering how conflicted she has become lately. “She’s got enough going on right now, she doesn’t need you messing with her mind.”
“You have no idea what is or isn’t going on between us, so why don’t you just mind your own business,” he snaps. “I’ve always considered her a close friend.”
“Well, I’ve known her since fifth grade and I can tell she is really in a bad place right now. She doesn’t need any additional stress,” I blast back at him.
“If she wants to get rid of some stress she needs to dump your brother,” he counters snidely. “He’s a fucked up mess.”
I click the hang up button, ending the call. I’m not going to listen to him taking shots at my brother. We all know that Tyler needs some help, but Tommy doesn’t need to kick him while he’s down. I’ll bet he has been putting ideas in Vanessa’s head. That would explain why she has been acting so weird lately. I send Vanessa a quick text telling her to call me when she has a moment. My phone rings before I even have a chance to get up out of my seat.
“What’s up?” she asks, sounding as if all is well.
“I don’t know. I just got off the phone with Tommy and our whole conversation just left me with the weirdest feeling. Have you been talking to him lately?” I ask, still feeling uneasy as a result of my conversation with him.
“Yeah, I talked to him on Saturday. He was just wondering how Tyler was doing and whether or not you were at the hospital. I told him that Tyler was still in a coma and that I didn’t know where you were,” she explains.
“Why was he wondering about me?” I ask, hoping she might be able to provide me with a little insight.
“I don’t know. He just was wondering if either of us had talked to Tyler,” she further elaborates.
“He asked me the same thing. That’s a little weird.” The sick feeling in my stomach begins to return. “Are you with Tyler now?”
“No, your Mom is. I’m going back up there in a couple hours and staying the night again.” She sighs. “Do you think he is going to come out of this?”
“I think so, but I don’t want him to be left alone. I’m going to stop up there when I get back. I’ll probably get there about the same time as you.”
“Okay, see you there,” she replies and the line goes dead.
Mandy
Trey comes back to the front of the plane and plops into the chair next to me. Judging by the look on his face, he has gone right back to dealing with his brother’s situation.
“How are things in New York?” I ask, hoping he will let some of it out.
“I honestly don’t know,” he replies with a vacant look in his eyes. “I keep going over things in my head, but I can’t figure out exactly what is bothering me. Tommy is acting really strange and so is Vanessa.”
“Okay, lets just write down everything we know.” I reach down into my bag to pull out a notepad and a pen. “Someone, other than you, hired a hit man to kill your father.” I jot that down on the top of the list. “Someone poisoned your brother and made it look like he confessed to killing him in a suicide note.” I jot that down as well. “Do you still have the voice mail messa
ge that Tyler left you?”
“Yeah, I kept it just in case it was the last time I heard his voice.” A sad look crosses his face as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. I know he still regrets not talking to his dad one last time.
He clicks to play the message. “I know you are pissed at me, but this is so fucked up. First Vanessa and now he’s taking over the company. I told Dad that Tommy was a fraud. He’s such a fucking fraud.” Then there is a noise that sounds like his phone hitting the floor and him grunting.
“Tommy got pissed when I told him to stop calling Vanessa,” Trey immediately goes to that aspect of the call. “I wonder what has been going on between them?”
“Why does Tyler call him a fraud?” I point out the obvious fact that not only did Tyler believe Tommy was a fraud, but he had also told Victor. “If Tommy is a fraud and Tyler found out about it…”
“Tommy needed to shut him up!” he says, completing my sentence.
“Exactly! And he also says that he told your dad about it.”
“You think that explains why dad was killed?” he asks, acting like it’s a real stretch. “Would Tommy really kill dad and Tyler over a stupid job?”
“It’s a CEO job, plus you said he gains control of the company because of the voting rights. That wouldn’t have happened if Victor was still alive,” I blurt out as thoughts pour into my head. “Besides, you said yourself that he has a gigantic ego. If he was exposed as a fraud it would be devastating both professionally and personally.” I sit back in my chair and stare at him, convinced that I am definitely onto something.
“Good point. With all the shit swirling around me I hadn’t really thought about the fact Tommy had gained so much control over the company. I was thinking maybe that was an oversight on Dad’s part,” he says, looking up at the ceiling. “But why would control over the company be so important to him? It’s not like he can do anything dramatic. Everything has to approved by the board members and voted on by shareholders.”