Deadly Accusations

by Debra Purdy Kong

  “She’s working days this week. Today she’s meeting a friend at the Silver Groove after work.”

  The club Ursula had mentioned when Casey first met her.

  “Thanks, bye.”

  As Eisler drew nearer, she sat up straighter. “Miss Holland.” Eisler’s icy tone reached the table before he did.

  “Mr. Eisler.” She sipped her coffee.

  Eisler rarely sat with people. He seemed to prefer standing and looking down at them.

  “Are you feeling better after yesterday’s mishap on the M10?”

  “Pretty much.” She picked up her coffee and stood.

  “Have you completed an injury report?”

  “I will this morning.” She’d felt too lousy to complete the form yesterday and had forgotten about it until now.

  Anxious to get out of here, Casey left the room. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Eisler had another reason for approaching her and that it had everything to do with Jasmine.

  FIFTEEN

  FOR SUMMER’S SAFETY, THE PRINCIPAL had allowed Casey to park close to the door so Summer could enter the car quickly. As she waited inside the school’s exit, Casey watched, through the glass in the door, for anyone who looked like he shouldn’t be on the grounds. Her cell phone rang.

  “Hey, it’s Lou. Mom says you can bring Summer over anytime.”

  “Great.” Barb’s house was only five minutes from her place. “I’ll take her after supper.”

  “Think she’ll want to go?”

  “Given that Winifred moved in yesterday, she’ll be running out the door.” Casey scanned the grounds. “Would you like to go dancing tonight? Summer will be safe and neither of us have early shifts tomorrow, and the club I have in mind plays your kind of music.”

  “Disco? Really?”

  “Totally.” Casey grimaced. Much as she loved Lou, she didn’t share his taste in music.

  “I thought you hated disco.”

  “Yeah well, things have been stressful lately, and I wanted to make up for dragging you to Birch’s trailer.” The strain Casey had sensed in their relationship since she’d agreed to help Marie hadn’t eased, and the danger to Summer had made things worse. “We could use a fun night.”

  “I’m kind of tired. How about a rain check?”

  Casey glanced down the empty hall. “That’s not going out, and this is Thursday, so maybe the place won’t be too crowded.”

  “Is going out that important to you?”

  The bell rang and kids began rushing out of classrooms. “There’s another reason, which is to talk to Jasmine’s landlord’s wife about David Eisler.”

  Casey spotted a frowning Summer shuffling down the hall. She hadn’t been happy when Casey told her she couldn’t hang out with friends after school, but Casey wanted her close to home.

  “What about Eisler?” Lou sounded edgy.

  “Ursula Gallenski apparently talked to a man at her building who wanted to see Jasmine. Based on Paval’s second-hand account, it sounds like him, but I need to talk to her to be sure.”

  “I thought you’d quit investigating.”

  “It’s just one simple question.”

  “We need to talk about this.”

  “Oh, Summer’s coming, I’ve got to go.”

  Lou could talk all he wanted, but he wouldn’t change her mind. One way or the other, the truth about Eisler had to come out.

  • • •

  “MUST YOU USE the back door?” Winifred glared at Casey as she and Summer stepped into the kitchen. “It’s very disruptive.”

  Utensils covered the counter, and Winifred was wiping out a drawer.

  Casey wrinkled her nose at the smell of bleach. “Since I park my car out back, it’s also very convenient.”

  “Where’s Cheyenne?” Summer scanned the kitchen and hallway.

  Winifred kept wiping. “In the basement, where she belongs.”

  “Thanks a bunch, Grandma.” She dumped her backpack on a chair and headed downstairs.

  The Winifred invasion was twenty-four hours old and she’d already overstayed her welcome. Cheyenne bounded into the room and jumped up on Casey.

  “Her leash was tied to the stair railing,” Summer said, glaring at Winifred.

  “Animals don’t belong in kitchens or bedrooms. They’re filled with disgusting germs and parasites.”

  Summer rolled her eyes. “Casey thinks it’s okay, right, Casey?”

  “Well, let’s compromise.” She calmed the dog down. “How about if Cheyenne stays out of the kitchen during meal times?”

  “See?” Summer stuck out her tongue at her grandmother.

  “Summer, stop it,” Casey said.

  “What on earth is the matter with you?” Winifred stared at her granddaughter. “You were never this rude before Casey became your guardian.”

  Summer’s smug expression vanished. “It’s not because of Casey. And it’s not because of school or my friends.”

  Winifred tossed her sponge on the counter. “Are you on drugs?”

  “No!” Summer’s lower lip quivered. “You don’t get it.”

  “All I get, as you put it, is that you’re more belligerent everyday.” Winifred plunked her hands on her hips. “Why is that?”

  A tear rolled down Summer’s cheeks. She started to say something else, but stopped and paced around the table. Part of Casey wanted to intervene, but part of her wanted to hear what Summer had to say.

  “Answer me,” Winifred said.

  “You never talk about Mom!” Summer’s anguish tore through the room. “You act like she’s dead! No one’s called her in weeks, or even asked if I want to talk to her.”

  Guilt warmed Casey’s face.

  Winifred said, “Your mother doesn’t call us either—”

  “You’ve never once said her name since she went to prison,” Summer went on.

  “Are you trying to tell me that mentioning your mother’s name now and then will improve your manners?”

  While Summer began to sob, Casey slumped into a chair. Just as she’d feared, Summer hadn’t really accepted or adjusted to life without Rhonda. She’d hoped that the camping trips, shopping excursions, sports, and tons of movies during those first few weeks had helped Summer; but since school started, they’d both been busier. New friends had entered Summer’s life. It had been easier to blame those girls for Summer’s actions than to understand what was really happening.

  “Acting out while your mother’s away won’t solve anything.” Winifred pointed her finger at her grandchild. “You might as well make the best of it, young lady.”

  “How can I?” Summer shouted. “She’s a thousand times better mom than you are!”

  Winifred’s eyes blazed. “She’s not a real mom at all. She doesn’t know the first thing about giving birth or watching a child die like I have!”

  “Winifred, no!” Casey leapt to her feet.

  Winifred’s eyes bulged as if surprised by her own outburst. Casey wanted to slap duct tape over the stupid woman’s mouth. Winifred knew that Rhonda had never wanted Summer to hear the truth.

  “What’s she talking about?” Summer turned to Casey. “Mom gave birth to me.”

  Oh lord, what was she supposed to say?

  “No,” Winifred answered, crossing her arms. “She didn’t.”

  Summer gasped. “What?”

  Casey wanted to explain, but it felt like someone had kicked her in the ribs. She rushed to Summer and started to put her arms around her, but Summer pushed her away.

  “Tell me!” Summer’s gaze darted from one to the other.

  Cheyenne whimpered and nudged Summer’s hand.

  “I had another daughter, ten years younger than Rhonda.” Winifred’s mouth quivered. “Anna died of a heroine overdose two months after she gave birth to you. She was eighteen.”

  Casey gripped the back of the chair while the color drained from Summer’s face. The old bat hadn’t approved of Rhonda’s desire to keep the past a secret. Helpless to
stop what was about to unfold, she braced herself.

  “Anna tried to take care of herself when she was pregnant,” Winifred added. “Right after your birth, she picked up that filthy habit again.”

  Summer slumped into a chair. “Who’s my dad?”

  “No one knows.” Winifred fumbled through her pockets, as if looking for something. “You had health problems at first, but with professional help, you recovered. When Anna died, Rhonda adopted you.”

  Summer jumped up and dashed out of the room. Cheyenne bounded after her.

  Casey’s heart pounded so hard she could only take quick shallow breaths. “How could you do that?”

  Winifred picked up her cleaning rag. “It’s wrong to live with deceit.”

  “It was Rhonda’s call to make, not yours!”

  “Rhonda’s not here! My daughters aren’t here because they made bad choices.” She glowered at Casey. “Do you actually think you’re competent enough to control that girl?”

  “Are you?” Casey’s voice rose. “I mean, your track record isn’t too great, is it?”

  “And you have no record at all!” Shades of red mottled Winifred’s face. “You’re destroying Summer!”

  “She’s a grieving twelve-year-old who misses her mom. I know what that’s like.”

  The bitterness and resentment toward Mother was still vivid. Casey wished she’d ended their estrangement when Mother offered her the chance.

  “Do you have any idea how agonizing it is to watch that bright, beautiful child unravel?” Winifred’s eyes glistened. “It was hard enough losing one daughter to drugs, and a husband who had nothing to say to me even as he took his last breath.” Her voice wavered. “But to have my oldest child kill another human being in one insane moment is unbearable.”

  Casey recoiled. This was the first time those words had been spoken in this house, the first time she’d seen a tear spill from Winifred.

  “I devoted my life to my family.” Winifred removed a tissue from her apron pocket. “And all I got was shame and heartbreak. I don’t want Summer to turn out like them.” Her hand shook as she wiped her eyes. “Rhonda wasn’t in the proper frame of mind when she made you guardian. A judge should decide who’s best qualified to raise that child.”

  Casey’s jaw clenched. “Is that a threat?”

  “I’m just saying that Summer’s guardianship should be re-evaluated.”

  “Rhonda would have something to say about that.”

  “Rhonda’s lost her right to have a say in Summer’s upbringing, and I will not let that child become as unstable as her mother.”

  “I don’t want to hear that crap, and especially not anywhere near Summer.”

  Winifred looked taken aback. “How can you forget and forgive what Rhonda’s done?”

  “Stop it!” Fury roiled in Casey. She had no right to throw the past in her face. “Let’s get one thing straight, you’re only in this house because I’m allowing it. I was hoping you and Summer would find a way to connect, but if you don’t start offering more support and less criticism, you’re out of here.”

  Winifred plunked her hands on her hips. “No one speaks to me that way.”

  “I just did.” Casey charged out of the room. By the time she reached the second floor, she was out of breath and shaking. “Summer?” She tapped on the door. “Can we talk?”

  “No!” Something struck the door hard.

  Casey flinched. “I’ll be upstairs if you change your mind.”

  Inside her apartment, Casey leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Tears slipped between her lashes and trickled down her face. How on God’s earth was she supposed to handle this?

  The whistling guinea pigs caught her attention. Casey retrieved carrots and lettuce from the fridge. While she replenished water and pellet dishes, she took deep yoga breaths to ease the tension, but it wasn’t enough.

  Once the animals were fed, she hopped onto her stationary bike and pedaled fast as memories of things Rhonda and her parents had kept from her eventually surfaced. Casey shoved them back. This wasn’t the time for self-pitying nostalgia. She was building up a sweat when a light rap on the door made her stop.

  “Come in.” Casey got off the bike.

  As Summer stepped inside, followed by Cheyenne, relief and trepidation bombarded Casey. A bulging backpack hung from Summer’s shoulder. She’d put on pink lipstick, mauve eye shadow, and a ring of black eyeliner around pain-filled eyes. It was too much makeup for a twelve-year-old, but this wasn’t the time to criticize her.

  “You don’t have to knock anymore, remember?”

  “I’m still not used to it.”

  Meaning she hadn’t yet accepted that they were officially a family now, and that Summer was welcome to come and go as she pleased up here. When she remembered, Casey kept the door open, but she also had a hard time breaking habits. Now that Winifred was living here, though, she kept it closed.

  “In the car, you said I can stay with Lou’s mom. Can I go there now?”

  Not until they’d talked a bit. When Casey’s marriage ended and she moved here, Summer was nine years old. They used to drink cocoa and talk through all sorts of stuff. But this child’s monster-under-the-bed worries had evolved into real-life hurts. Goodnight kisses and soft assurances wouldn’t make them go away.

  “Can I eat something first?” Casey asked. “I’m starved.”

  Summer hesitated, then shrugged off her backpack and slumped into the rocking chair. Cheyenne sniffed at the guinea pig cages.

  “I didn’t know you owned makeup,” Casey said.

  “It’s Mom’s. When I put it on, it’s like she’s with me.”

  A lump rose in Casey’s throat.

  “Was Grandma telling the truth about my birth?”

  “Yes.” Casey’s legs felt weak and she sought refuge on the sofa. “Your mom thought the truth would upset you.”

  Summer began to sob. Casey hurried to the bathroom, grabbed a couple of tissues, and rushed back.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway.” Summer blew her nose. “That person’s dead and Mom isn’t, even though everyone acts like it.”

  Casey saw the accusation in Summer eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetie, but given the way her last phone call went on your birthday, I was afraid mentioning your mom would upset you all over again.”

  Summer watched Cheyenne settle in front of the cages. “Why hasn’t Mom tried to contact me?”

  “I don’t know.” Rhonda was the one who broke off communication; said she wouldn’t call again until she’d gotten her act together.

  “She doesn’t even know my new friends.” Summer stared at the floor. “I haven’t seen her in over four months.”

  At the time, Casey thought Rhonda had done the right thing by pleading guilty to spare Summer the anguish and humiliation of a trial, but her decision had given Summer virtually no time with Rhonda after her arrest.

  “You never told me why you stopped hanging with your old friends.”

  Summer’s face grew scarlet and she gazed at the floor. “Like I had a choice.”

  “Oh.” Casey’s heart sank.

  “They said mom was insane and that I might be too.”

  Casey leaned back against the sofa, her stomach in knots. She’d been too afraid of the truth to come right out and ask.

  “I want to go see Mom,” Summer said, looking up.

  Oh geez, would Rhonda want that? “I have a mailing address. Maybe you should start with a letter.”

  “No, I want to see her. Please?”

  “Oh honey, I don’t know.”

  Summer covered her face with her hands. More guilt shredded Casey’s peace of mind. She stood and wrapped her arms around Summer.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “This is all a mess, isn’t it? You haven’t mentioned your mom since your birthday, so I really thought you didn’t want to talk about her. Then I started wondering if no contact might be better.”

  Summer stifled her sobs. “Don’t you mi
ss her a little?”

  “Yes.” Yet the anger was still there, lurking in the back of her mind, appearing in unsettling dreams.

  She hadn’t forgiven Rhonda for what she’d done, and hadn’t had much to say during any of her three phone calls. By letting Rhonda become a taboo subject, though, she’d made things worse. Casey’s eyes filled with tears. How could she have let this happen? Hadn’t her own father made her adulterous mother the forbidden topic when he kicked her out of the house? God, she was only a year older than Summer when Mother was banished and became the unseen specter who was always there yet never acknowledged.

  “Can’t we at least phone her?” Summer’s voice was small and fearful.

  “Okay.” She wiped her eyes. “I’ll do it tomorrow when we’re less emotional.” She just prayed that Rhonda would want to talk to them.

  “Do you hate being stuck with me?” Summer asked.

  “What? Heavens, no. It’s just that I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time.”

  Ralphie stood on tiny hind legs and placed his paws on the wire mesh cage as if waiting to be picked up. Casey lifted the critter and gently stroked him while Cheyenne watched with great interest. Someone knocked on the door.

  “If that’s Grandma, I don’t want to see her.”

  Casey sympathized. “Who is it?”

  “Lou.”

  She hadn’t expected him for another two hours. Still carrying Ralphie, she opened the door.

  “I thought I’d come early,” he said, smiling tentatively.

  “And you brought a six-pack. Thank you.” She could use one.

  Stepping inside, his smile faded when he spotted Summer.

  “Hey, Lou,” Summer mumbled.

  “Hi, I hear you’re going to stay at my mom’s; the land of pool tables and big-screen TVs.”

  Summer attempted a smile. “Can’t wait.”

  “Want us to keep you company at Barb’s tonight?” Casey returned Ralphie to his cage. “We could change our plans.” She’d told Summer she’d be out with Lou at the Silver Groove. Summer hadn’t seemed to care one way or the other.

  “No, go. I need to do homework. Just promise you’ll call Mom tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “I might as well start the stupid homework now.” As she headed for the door, Cheyenne followed. “Call me when you’re ready to go.”