Cicada Song

by Bradford Combs

  Chapter 10

  “Hello, Mr. Barnes. I hear you and my daughter were inappropriate in your motel room this morning?”

  Ellis stopped just outside of the library’s door, stunned by Ms. Beverly’s accusation. He struggled to explain himself, but a quiet giggle told him she wasn’t as upset as she had first feigned.

  “I trust my daughter far more than the inquisitive eye of Riley James,” she said with a kind smile. “Please, come in.”

  “Sorry if I’m late,” Ellis said as he closed the door. “Sara said you were busy, and I was never given a set time for when you wanted to meet.”

  Ms. Beverly accepted the apology and motioned for him to follow her to a room on the second floor. Four computers sat on tables along the walls, and a fairly large conference table stood in the center of the room. Paper and books were stacked upon it to various heights.

  “If you don’t mind waiting,” Ms. Beverly said in her soft, kind fashion, “there’s a friend downstairs that needs my attention. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  “Take your time.”

  Ms. Beverly offered a smile that lengthened the creases of her eyes and lips before disappearing down the stairs.

  Ellis paced a bit before casually rummaging through the paperwork stacked on the table. He could see that these were notes for Cicada Song but found very little regarding his book signing. Then a thin book on the far end of the table with the words Directory of Anderson 1999 on the spine caught his eye. He thought nothing of it at first but then grew curious.

  Crossing the room, he took the book and began thumbing through it. The names were in alphabetical order, but the person he was searching for wasn’t listed. Disappointed, he set the book down and plopped into the nearest computer chair.

  He typed the name into the search bar and hit the enter key. The ancient computer was painstakingly slow, but Ellis was willing to wait. He couldn’t help but look over his shoulder every few seconds as if he were doing something wrong. This was silly, of course, since there was nothing wrong with researching Anderson’s recent history, but Ellis felt compelled to keep an eye on the door anyway.

  He was surprised to see several articles referring to Office Clem and clicked the first link. There wasn’t much to it, so he went back and checked the next link down.

 

  Anderson – Terror struck a quiet town of hundreds last night as 39 year-old Office Clem is said to have begun a sudden and obtrusive crime spree, breaking into three homes and two retail stores before pulling a gun on a teenage girl, demanding her purse. The local authorities intervened at that point and pursued Clem into a nearby wooded area where several shots were fired, frightening residents.

  “This is a quiet town,” offered Anderson taxi driver, Riley James. “We ain’t used to this sort of thing like in those bigger cities. It’s a real shame is what it is.”

  A full account of the night has not yet been released, but it has been confirmed that Clem and at least one other person were injured during the fire exchange leading to the arrest. The teenage girl who was held at gunpoint is reportedly unharmed after the horrifying confrontation.

 

  Ellis finished the newspaper article and attempted to find another but was quickly becoming agitated by the computer’s lack of speed. Then, after several minutes and having had enough, he closed out the internet and frustratingly shoved the mouse. If there was one thing that wore his patience thin it was a slow computer.

  He couldn’t help but wonder if the teenaged girl was Sara. Office Clem’s name upsetting her would have made perfect sense if that were the case.

  The Directory of Anderson 1999 caught his eye again and he opened it, searching for Sara’s name. Finding her, he saw that she was born in 1980. Three years after him. This struck him as funny because he had always been attracted to older women, but then, she did have her mother’s looks. He chuckled softly to himself.

  “If town directories make you laugh, then phonebooks must be exhilarating.”

  Ellis turned, expecting Ms. Beverly, but found Sara standing in the doorway instead. She had changed out of her blue dress and now wore a simple pair of gray sweats and a white t-shirt, as if ready to pop in a movie and snuggle on the couch. Ellis had changed clothes prior to coming to the library so it seemed that, for the two of them, 1841 Anderson was officially over.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, stumbling over his words as he set the book back on the table. “I was just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “I was wondering if you were old enough to even drive yet,” he answered with a smile.

  Sara lifted a challenging eyebrow and entered the room, a slight smile creasing her own lips.

  “And just how old are you, grandpa?”

  “Old enough,” Ellis replied. He had hoped for a wittier response, but her playful demeanor entranced him and stole away his wit.

  The two stared at one another in silence. Sara’s mocking expression softened, and their eyes remained locked. Ellis felt compelled to kiss her, so he slowly leaned forward and, though for a moment it seemed as if she would meet his embrace, she hesitantly stopped and looked at the floor. She didn’t move, however, and Ellis could see that she was breathing as heavily as he was. She finally laughed humorlessly and took a casual step back.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, but she shook her head and held up a hand to silence him.

  “We’re horrible people, Ellis.”

  This surprised Ellis, and he failed to find a reply.

  “You have Lilly,” she said, “and I’m attracted to you, but I have someone else, too. We can’t do this. I’ve been leading you on. I didn’t mean to, but…”

  “No,” Ellis finally said, “don’t blame yourself.” He debated on revealing the truth about Lilly, but if Sara really was with someone else, then there was no point in revealing anything. They stood in silence a moment longer before Ellis’ curiosity got the best of him. “Your guy—is he good to you?”

  Sara nodded.

  “May I ask who?”

  She denied him with a headshake, and the confidence that she often emanated faded with the denial. He thought of how her voice would trail away at times, or how her smile would vanish only to return artificially. This relationship, or whatever it was, was obviously stunting her emotionally, and it pained him to see it.

  “Is it Stan?” he asked curiously.

  “I already told you, no. And please, I don’t think I can talk about it.”

  “Did Stan put you up to this?”

  For the first time since they met, Sara cursed and covered her face. Ellis could see the hidden emotion, the anger, but she took a deep breath and calmed herself before speaking.

  “Stan has nothing to do with it,” was all she said.

  Ellis wasn’t sure he believed her but opted to let it go. Then he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and softened his voice. “This other guy’s not good for you, that’s obvious, but I’ll back off if you want me to. I’m still your friend, though, and as your friend I promise to be here if you need me—for anything.”

  She laughed without there being a hint of humor in it.

  “Yes, for the next day or two,” she said quietly, “until you leave.”

  He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that he would always be there for her, but he couldn’t. What support could he possibly offer her from five hours away?

  “Listen,” she finally said, regaining her composure. “We were both wrong for doing what we were pretending we weren’t, but it’s over now. I’ll be here if you want to be friends still, but that’s where it has to end.”

  Ellis felt his heart ache but knew she was right.

  “Would your guy be alright with that?”

  “I think so,” she answered softly.

  They heard the sound of footsteps approaching from down the hall. Sara dried her damp eyes and put on a smile just as Ms. Beverly turned into the room.

  “I see Sara found you,” she said
with a smile, but it quickly faded. “Oh!” she said, looking from Sara’s slightly distraught face to Ellis’ rather numb expression. “Have I interrupted something?”

  “No,” Sara said with an exhaled breath. “I think we’ve covered everything we needed to talk about. I’ll be going.” She put on another forced smile and nodded to Ellis as she left.

  Silence filled the room as Ellis sat down. He was about to speak when Ms. Beverly stopped him.

  “I’m sorry, Ellis. I shouldn’t have encouraged you.”

  “You knew that she was with someone else, and you pushed me toward her anyway?”

  Ms. Beverly began pacing, obviously torn over how to answer. “I meant well. I did. You see, Sara’s been in a difficult situation for a long time and, as her mother, I saw in you the potential for happiness.”

  “And that’s why you invited me here?” he said almost bitterly.

  “No! I invited you because I felt you had real talent, and I wanted to help expand your readership. I didn’t expect you to be so handsome and personable. When I saw Sara starring at you through the window yesterday—I just couldn’t help but dream for her. I was wrong.”

  “How bad can this guy be that you’d try to put someone else between them?”

  “It’s not like that,” Ms. Beverly said softly, looking away.

  “Then would you mind telling me what it is like? You involved me in this after all.”

  “I’m sorry, Ellis, but that is one thing I refuse to talk about without my daughter’s permission. It’s a very personal situation, and it isn’t my place…”

  “Does he hit her? Physically or emotionally abuse her?”

  “No, he’s never done any of that.”

  “Who was Office Clem?” The question rolled off his tongue without much consideration. He was surprised by his own boldness, but Ms. Beverly’s expression told him she was surprised far greater than he.

  “How do you know about Office Clem?”

  “Did he rob Sara at gun point?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that why she’s so messed up?”

  Ms. Beverly looked blankly at Ellis’ stern stare, but he did not relent.

  “No, Ellis,” she finally answered. “Her being held at gun point is not why she has problems.”

  “Then why does she have problems?”

  Ms. Beverly lowered her head, her face losing that beautiful kindness it always seemed to radiate. After regaining her composure, she looked at him with a pure businesslike expression. “That is a personal matter, Mr. Barnes. I was wrong to encourage your flirtation with my daughter—I know that, and I am sorry—but I will not gossip about my daughter’s misfortunes.

  “As for your table tomorrow, I can prepare it alone if you’d like. That should hopefully give you enough time to clear your mind in preparation for your book signing. I’ll speak with Sara in the meantime and explain what I did to clear the air between you two.” She took a breath, and her features softened once more. “I hope you don’t hold this against us—against me, Ellis. You have no idea how badly I want to see her happy again.”

  Ellis wanted to be angry but felt himself forgiving Ms. Beverly, considering her circumstance. He finally sighed and shook his head. “I understand your position, but I’m going to need the night to cool off. I’m not a fan of being used.”

  Ms. Beverly looked as if she wanted to defend the accusation of her using him but ultimately resigned.

  “Understandable,” she said. “I’m going to lock up the library in about an hour. Feel free to stay and read a book or use the computers until then.”

  Ellis was about to declare his intention to leave but then thought twice about it. He turned to the old computer after Ms. Beverly had left and typed Office Clem’s name into the search engine once again. After ten minutes of slow searching, he found a newspaper article that had the information he had been searching for:

 

  Anderson – A young man fights for his life after being shot in the head by Office Clem of Marietta, Georgia. Reports state that Clem broke into and robbed several homes and businesses before being interrupted by members of the Anderson Police Department. Their pursuit ended at Anderson’s northern border where gunshots were reportedly exchanged. According to Police Chief Stanley Cromwell, Office Clem opened fire, striking Jacob Ramsey in the head just prior to Cromwell’s own bullet putting a stop to Clem’s reign of terror. There is no report as to why Jacob Ramsey was present at the time of the shooting.

 

  Office Clem was treated and released into police custody early Monday morning. Jacob Ramsey remains in critical condition.

 

  Ellis leaned back and remembered an earlier conversation that he’d had with Sara. She had told him that her and Stan’s artificial wedding was performed by a boy named Jake, who went by Jacob at the time. He also thought of her standing on the church’s porch looking up at the stars, having just sung a song about miracles. He had previously seen initials carved into the railing where she was standing. SC + JR 4-Ever likely stood for Sara Campbell and Jake Ramsey. He also noticed that Ms. Beverly had referred to Sara’s relationship in past tense. He thought it odd at the time but was too surprised and frustrated to question it. These things combined with how upset Sara had been after hearing Office Clem’s name made for a perfectly clear picture.

  Ellis left the library with only a nod toward Ms. Beverly.

  He considered Sara’s situation and felt he understood it now. She had been in love with Jake Ramsey when he was shot and killed by Office Clem. Stan had told him that there were things she wasn’t finished with yet—things she needed to see through. Could those things have been her feelings for Jake Ramsey? This scenario would make sense of Stan’s involvement as well. He was likely the person she clung to the most during her time of grief, his being friends with both Sara and Jake.

  Ellis’ anger vanished, replaced by a deep sense of pity. Sara didn’t have another man in her life; she was still honoring the memory of Jake Ramsey. She had been so hesitant about building a relationship with Ellis. Was it because she felt jumping into another relationship would be cheating on Jake? Her inability to forget her former love could have had something to do with Phil’s broken heart as well.

  He rubbed his eyes and finally released a long, abated breath. After much consideration, Ellis realized that he should have listened to his gut that first night. He should never have gotten involved with Sara in the first place.