The Lying Woods

by Ashley Elston

  “You’ll look exactly like the rest of those boys in town,” Gus says.

  I’m dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt, both pressed so stiff I’m wondering if I can actually move in them. My hair has grown out a bit since Betty cut it and Gus let me borrow a razor so I could shave. After working here the last couple of months and getting regular meals, I’ve bulked up some, and Gus and I are the same size. We’re in the small apartment he’s been working on in the barn. It’s almost finished and it’s nicer than I thought it would be.

  “So where is she taking you?” Gus asks.

  Maggie and I are actually going out on a date in town. And because I’m trying to do things the right way, I’m going to meet her parents when I pick her up.

  “I think we’re going to eat somewhere then stop by some party her friend is having.”

  Gus makes a grunting noise as he hands me a pair of shoes that look like they belong to someone going boating.

  “I have to wear these?” I ask.

  “What else are you going to wear? Those muddy boots? Sylvia will love you when you track dirt across her polished wood floors.”

  Not going to lie, I’m terrified to meet Maggie’s parents. I feel like our entire future hangs on this meeting.

  “Got any pointers for meeting the folks?”

  Gus laughs. “Well, you can see I did a terrific job in that department,” he says sarcastically. Abby’s parents are still here and showing no signs to leaving. “Just be polite. Shake Martin’s hand. Don’t be afraid to look him in the eye. You’re a good guy. They’ll see that.”

  I nod along to what he’s saying until he gets to the good guy part. I’m not a good guy. Have never been a good guy. And if they decide to check into my past, they’ll see that.

  “Why don’t you take Abby’s car? It’s cleaner and nicer than the truck.”

  Abby’s car is a black SUV with all the bells and whistles that’s the envy of every person who sees it. “Gus, I can’t…”

  “You can. She’d be happy to help you win over Maggie’s parents.” Gus moves to a small chest on the cabinet and pulls out a set of keys. “Don’t let anyone make you feel like you’re not worthy of them.”

  I nod and he drops the keys in my hand.

  I make good time since it’s a short drive to Maggie’s house, following the directions she gave me. I pull up outside and stare at the two-story house complete with wraparound porch and white picket fence while I’m in someone else’s clothes, driving someone else’s car.

  I feel like such a fraud.

  “Here we go,” I mumble when I get out of the car. The front walk stretches out in front of me and I can see the curtains move in an upstairs window. Someone’s been watching for me.

  I ring the bell and it’s opened almost immediately. Maggie’s mom pulls the door wide and says, “Come on in. I’m sure Maggie is just about ready.”

  “Thank you,” I say and step into the house.

  The house is spotless. I can almost see my reflection in the wood floor and I’m glad I didn’t wear the boots. The rooms I can see from the foyer are full of fragile-looking antique furniture that I’d be scared to sit in for fear of breaking something. Maggie’s mom looks as prim and proper as I remember her being the couple of times I’ve seen her. Her dark hair is short and styled in neat curls like she just left from getting it fixed. I don’t think gale-force winds could knock a hair out of place. Her khaki pants are as pressed as mine and her white blouse has ruffles and bows and a lot of other useless fabric all over it.

  “Hey!” Maggie is bouncing down the stairs and I’ve never been happier to see someone in my life.

  “Hey,” I answer back. Her mom is eyeing me so I refrain from touching her in any way once she’s close.

  “Mom, I don’t think you’ve officially met Noah. Noah, this is my mom.”

  Her mom extends her hand and I gently shake it.

  “Who’s this?”

  Her dad comes in from a side door, looking me up and down like he can see through the borrowed clothes.

  I close the distance between us, look him in the eye like Gus suggested, and shake his hand. “Hello, Mr. Everett. I’m Noah. Nice to meet you.”

  He shakes my hand, gripping it tight, and we hold eye contact for longer than I would think is normal. He’s a big guy. His chest barrels out and I have to look up at him. He’s dressed like he’s been working in the yard, worn jeans and T-shirt with holes in it, and I watch for Mrs. Everett’s reaction when his muddy tennis shoes leave marks on the clean floors. A simple glance is all I get, but I can tell the second I’m gone she’ll be out here with a mop cleaning it all up.

  He lets go of my hand but points to the small gathering of chairs in the next room. “Come have a seat. Tell me about yourself.”

  Mrs. Everett says, “Wouldn’t y’all be more comfortable on the front porch?” She may start sweating at the thought of him sitting down in one of those fancy chairs as dirty as he is.

  Maggie rolls her eyes and says, “Dad,” in a pleading voice.

  I give her a look that I hope lets her know I’m cool with this and follow Mr. Everett into the room. I lower myself gently in the chair but then don’t quite know what to do with my arms so I end up letting them rest in my lap. It’s awkward looking, I know.

  “So, Noah, Gus called and vouched for you. I’ve known Gus his whole life, knew his dad, too. Said you’re one of the best employees he’s ever had and that he trusts you completely.”

  Trying to hide my shock that Gus went out of his way for me like that, I say, “Yes, sir. I really enjoy working out there but I have plans to go to college soon. If not this fall, hopefully by January.”

  Mr. Everett nods. I glance around for Maggie and see her and her mom having a quiet conversation by the front door.

  “What do you plan on studying when you go to college?” he asks.

  Remembering what Robert said, I answer, “Business. Then try for my MBA.”

  He looks impressed and I start to relax. “And what are your plans for tonight?”

  I look back at Maggie and thankfully she comes to my rescue. “We’re going to eat at Geno’s then going by Annie’s house. She’s having a few people over.”

  Mr. Everett nods, looking between the two of us. “I want you home by eleven.”

  “Eleven?” Maggie says. “That’s ridiculous. I’m a month away from going off to college.”

  “I’ll have her home at eleven,” I say.

  Maggie rolls her eyes again and says, “Fine,” then storms off to the front door.

  I gently get out of the chair, thankful it didn’t collapse while I was in it, and follow her. Mr. Everett stops me before I get too far.

  “I don’t know you or where you came from but the only reason I’m trusting you with my daughter is because Gus Trudeau vouched for you.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand.”

  Maggie and I walk to Abby’s car with a respectable distance between us.

  “That was brutal,” I say when we’re finally inside.

  “Sorry my parents are so weird. And I can’t believe I have to be home by eleven. You should have let me talk him into letting me stay out later.”

  We pull away from the curb and she scoots closer to the center console and threads her fingers through mine.

  “It’s a miracle your dad let you leave with me. I wasn’t going to push for you to stay out any later.”

  “I can always sneak back over to your place after you drop me off.”

  She gives me directions to the restaurant and I pull into a spot in the side parking lot. Before she opens the car, I say, “Maybe we shouldn’t risk it. If your parents bust you and know you’re coming to see me, then any progress I’ve made with them will be lost. We need to do this the right way.”

  Maggie turns around in her seat and faces me. “I get you want to impress my parents but they’re wrong. They treat me like I’m a little girl. They only want me to date boys from families they�
�ve known their whole life.”

  “They might not know my family but I can become the kind of guy they’d be happy to see you with.”

  Her eyes squint. “So you’d change who you are for them? For their approval?”

  “I’d do anything to be with you. If being accepted by your family and this town makes that possible, I’d change in a second.”

  “But I don’t want you to change. I want you just the way you are. And they can only control my life for a few weeks more…”

  “And then you’re gone,” I finish for her.

  “Baton Rouge isn’t that far away. You can come visit and I’ll be back.”

  “Yeah, to stay at your parents’ house.”

  “You could come with me,” she says.

  I don’t say anything else. I want that more than anything but it will take a miracle for that to happen.

  She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “We’re not worrying about all of that right now. Let’s enjoy tonight and the fact we’re going on our first real date. I’m going to introduce you to all my friends and this is going to be the best night ever.”

  15

  The sound of glass breaking wakes me up but the flames have me jumping off the couch. I throw my blanket over the fire that is eating through the rug and then stomp on it. Smoke fills the room and the stench of the rug’s melting synthetic fibers makes me gag. Once I’m sure the fire is out, I run to the door, throw it open, and try to see who’s out there, but all I get is screeching tires and fading taillights. Mom and Lucinda barrel down the stairs and Aunt Lucinda starts screaming when she sees the big hole in the front window and the black smoke filling the room.

  “Oh my God! What happened?” she shrieks.

  “Owen, your foot,” Mom says.

  I look down and see blood pooling underneath my left foot. “It’s fine. I just stepped on some glass.”

  She pulls me to the closest chair and pushes me to sit down. “Stay here. Let me get a towel and some water to clean you up and then check if you’ve got any shards stuck in there.”

  Mom’s calmer than I expected but Aunt Lucinda is freaking out enough for all of us. She’s on the phone with 911 trying to explain what happened while sobbing profusely.

  “They’re on the way,” she says after she hangs up the phone. “Did you see anything, Owen?”

  “No. I was asleep. Heard the glass break and then saw the fire.”

  Mom’s back with a towel and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She pours a liberal amount over my foot then blots it away with the towel as I grind my teeth so I don’t scream out. Damn that stings.

  “You’re getting that all over the rug, Maggie!” Aunt Lucinda screams.

  Mom turns around and looks at her. “The middle of the rug is missing because it was on fire. It’s a little late to worry about a stain.”

  There’s really just one cut along the edge of my left foot and Mom has it cleaned and bandaged in no time. She gets up and moves to the closet where my clothes are stored and brings back a pair of slip-on shoes.

  “Keep these on until we get this cleaned up,” she says.

  Aunt Lucinda paces the front hall and gives periodic updates as to how many minutes have passed since she called 911.

  “I mean, we’d be dead by now if we had to wait on them to save us.” She turns to Mom. “This is all your fault. This wouldn’t have happened if y’all weren’t staying here. No one wants to rush over here to help us because it’s you.”

  And as if on cue, the room fills with the flashing lights of the first responders. Aunt Lucinda rushes out to meet them but Mom and I wait inside. She tucks herself into the corner of the couch and pulls one of my pillows in her lap as if she’s trying to hide behind it.

  Within seconds, uniformed officers and firefighters file inside until there’s barely any space left. Must be a slow night around town because it looks like every cop on duty answered this call.

  A couple of the firemen examine the hole in the rug without actually touching it while one of the police officers approaches Mom, crouching down next to her so they are eye level. He’s older than most of the other guys in the room, and since they’re all looking to him, I’m assuming he’s in charge of this shit show.

  “I’m Officer Hadwin. Can you tell me what happened?” he asks. While every other person gives their full attention to Mom, Mom looks at me.

  “I was upstairs. Owen was asleep on the couch. He can tell you exactly what happened,” she says, nodding toward me.

  Officer Hadwin stands, moving closer to my chair and repeats his question to me.

  “Like Mom said, I was asleep. The glass broke. That’s what woke me up and then I saw that the rug was on fire. Once I put it out, I opened the door to see who did this but they’d driven off.” I look around the room again. “Is Detective Hill coming? This is his case, isn’t it?”

  “I called him on the way over. He’ll be here shortly.” Officer Hadwin moves to the center of the room and toes the charred edges of the rug.

  One of the firemen says, “It looks like whoever did this used a glass bottle filled with some sort of accelerant. Probably had a rag or something stuffed in the top. Lit it and threw it in. You’d have to be pretty close to the window or have a helluva arm to chuck it in here from the yard, past the porch.”

  Officer Hadwin nods along while pulling on a pair of gloves. Once his hands are covered, he picks up a piece of broken glass and looks at it.

  “Let’s find as many pieces as you can and test them for prints,” he says.

  Another cop walks in from outside. “There’s something out here you should see,” he says to Officer Hadwin.

  Hadwin follows him out and of course we’re all right behind him, me the last in line since I have a slight limp. It’s hard to see anything because it’s so dark outside.

  Aunt Lucinda, not being able to stand the suspense any longer, pushes through the crowd. “Well, what is it?”

  The cop takes his flashlight out of his belt and shines it on the grass in the front yard. The words burn in hell are written in orange spray paint across the entire lawn and house of thieves is painted across the front of the house.

  Mom shrieks and throws her hand over her mouth while Aunt Lucinda lets out a string of curses I didn’t know she was capable of.

  “My house! My yard! It’s all ruined!” Aunt Lucinda screams, pointing at Mom. “Because of you! If you have any of that money, give it back!”

  Mom crumbles and I catch her just before she hits the ground. She looks at me, tears pouring out of her eyes, and says, “If I could give all the money back, I would. I promise I would.”

  I brush her hair out of her face. “I know, Mom.”

  Headlights sweep across the front yard and everyone tenses up. But it’s just Detective Hill barreling up the driveway. He stomps across the yard and it looks like he crawled out of bed, grabbing the nearest pair of jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt.

  Officer Hadwin catches him up while Detective Hill inspects the yard, the spray paint, the window, and finally turns his attention to the crowd watching him.

  “Carl,” Detective Hill says to the officer, “send some guys to check with the neighbors, see if they saw anything or if they have any exterior cameras that may have picked up who did this.” The officer pulls a few of the uniforms to go with him. Detective Hill turns to one of the cops. “Bag the rug and let’s figure out what was used to start the fire.”

  Officer Hadwin nods. “We’ve collected some glass fragments from what we believe is the container used to break through the window and start the fire. We’re hoping to pull a print or two off of them.”

  “Probably a dead end but let’s go over everything with a fine-tooth comb and maybe we’ll get lucky,” Detective Hill says, then runs his hand through his hair, messing it up even more. “And get the location secured.”

  By the time the rug is removed, the window is boarded up, and everyone clears the room, it’s almost four in the morning. I w
onder if anyone would have gone to this effort had Detective Hill not shown up.

  Aunt Lucinda takes one long last look around the room and silently trudges up the stairs. A minute later we hear her door slam shut.

  Detective Hill is across the room, talking on his phone. I only catch bits and pieces of what he’s saying but it sounds like he’s catching someone up on what went down here, then offers reassurances that the location is secure and cops will be posted outside around the clock.

  He ends the call and moves closer to where we’re sitting on the couch. We’re the only ones left in the room.

  Detective Hill sits in a chair by the couch and says, “I’ll post an officer on the street. And I’ll let you know what we turn up. Let me know if you think of anything that might help.”

  “Are we in danger? Is my son in danger?” Mom asks him.

  He runs a hand through his hair. “I am worried because the violence seems to be escalating. It’s probably in direct result of the latest news that just came out. No one knew for sure if there was any money left until now, so speculation that you have some or know where it is was bound to increase. Plus we know he had help, but we can’t figure out who it was. Good chance that he split town without giving his partner his cut.”

  Mom turns to me. “I want you to go back to Sutton’s. I’ll call William Cooper right now and tell him you’ll be there tomorrow.”

  I stand up. “No way. If you’re staying here, I’m staying here. I’m not leaving you.”

  We’re in a standoff and it doesn’t look like either of us is budging. Detective Hill holds his hand up.

  “Maggie, while I’m concerned about what happened here tonight, I think whoever is doing this is just lashing out. Hoping to scare you.”

  Mom’s voice trembles when she says, “Someone wrote ‘burn in hell’ in the front yard and then threw a flaming bottle through the window!”

  He’s nodding. “I know. And we’re on it. There will be a cop outside twenty-four/seven. No one is coming near this house without us knowing it.”

  Mom doesn’t look convinced. “I still don’t like it,” she says quietly.