Summer Flash Burn

by Unger, Erin;

  The nice leather in Jillian’s SUV was like silk against my palms as I rested against the seat.

  The urge to pace hit me as strongly as it was affecting Jillian. I hated sitting and not being involved in the action going on at the mobile home. Since when did women protect men? It was out of order, and I couldn’t stand it. I may not own a gun, but I could take care of myself. I only agreed to go along with them in their insistence on watching me because I wanted to be a part of the investigation this week. Let them think they were protecting me. But it was the other way around, and I’d prove it by intercepting the slightest chance of an altercation between Shauna and Tony.

  As I checked the screen of my phone, I leaned out to see where she’d gone, but she’d been out of sight for the past five minutes. But Ava would not be standing there if Shauna was in danger, so I should stop worrying. What was it about Shauna that had pulled me in so fast I wondered how it had happened? There was her outdoor nature like my own, and her boldness. And those were great things, but I couldn’t put my finger on what else. She was very accepting. Was that it? Even when she started talking about God, she never seemed to judge me or force me to listen or believe what she said. It wasn’t my typical experience with religious people, that’s for sure. I scanned the road, but my mind wasn’t on it at all. Whatever it was, she seemed like the whole package, and there weren’t many women I’d say that about. In fact, there weren’t any women I could think of. Except Aunt Eena.

  I hated the awkwardness that lay between me and Shauna right now. The kind which happened at the beginning of a relationship. Except we weren’t in a relationship. I rubbed my jaw and tried to relax. Could something develop between us, and did I want it to?

  Thoughts flashed to my mother, her face, her warm hands encircling me in a hug, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Aunt Eena had been telling me for so long that I needed to face my abandonment issues. And too many times I’d forced away even the tiniest thought of Mom. But it was time to reconcile with the past, even if I didn’t want to. I braced myself against the seat and closed my eyes, and then returned to the memory. To say it was like a knife stabbing me in the chest was an accurate description. But I hunkered down and let the memory flow through my mind as long as I could bear it. Before I let another one in, another one came. I began to fight it. No, I had to remember.

  The slap of rocks against the SUV’s hubcaps shook me out of my reverie. I opened my eyes in time for an old red sedan to pass. Was Tony behind the wheel? I craned to look. It had to be. Had Shauna and the other investigators talked to him or had Tony beat it out of there before they had a chance? I looked back to the trailer park and didn’t see the women anywhere. Where were they?

  I yanked the keys out of the ignition and then got out of the vehicle. Was I about to step on toes? Did I care whether I did? It was more important to know that Shauna was safe.

  Another car, a new hybrid, moved at a sluggish pace to exit the park. When it passed, someone appeared on the other side of the road and began to walk away.

  Isabelle Johns.

  I watched Isabelle continue down the road to the main entrance where I hid behind the SUV. What was she doing at the trailer park? It didn’t bode well for her to be here. Did she have a boyfriend out here? And where was her car?

  34

  Shauna

  Christopher kept pulling at his seatbelt as if it was choking him. What was up with him?

  On Main Street, Jillian stopped at the stoplight. “And he admitted he was selling herbal remedies to your dad. Not that he’d say a word about St. John’s Wort.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “You won’t believe who I saw at the trailer park while you all were questioning people.”

  He had our full attention, even Jillian, who glanced through the rearview mirror several times.

  “Isabelle Johns. I don’t know what she was doing, but she was walking to the entrance. Seemed odd she didn’t have her car.”

  Using the dashboard for leverage, Ava turned in her seat. “I hope this has nothing to do with Tony Slaiger. She should stay away from the guy.”

  I watched him out of the corner of my eye.

  When he looked out the window for the third time, he held up his hand. “Do you mind dropping me off here? I need to go to the station and check out some things.”

  Jillian pressed the accelerator as the light turned green. “I can drop you at the station.”

  Ava looked back over her shoulder. “It’s no problem to take you there. We’re here to help.”

  What was making him so antsy that he wanted to get a few streets away from his actual destination?

  “Oh, this is fine, and I don’t mind walking. I need a little bit of air. I’ll catch up with you back at the B&B.”

  “But we can’t protect you—”

  “I mean it, Shauna. Let me be—” He bolted out the door before I said another word and sprinted down the street.

  “What was that about? How does he expect us to take care of him if he keeps going off on his own?”

  Ava shrugged and Jillian watched him walk away but kept driving. “We can’t protect him if he doesn’t want us to.”

  But I wanted to guard him regardless of what he thought. It was the most important job I had. I watched him in the rearview window until he turned down a street, and then I strained more to look. His moods were keeping me on my toes. Was it all from his recent loss, or did his temperament play a big role?

  Jillian kept driving even though I wanted to yell at her to stop so I could jump out and tail Christopher. Two streets passed. I studied the upcoming intersection. A teenager skipped off the road onto the sidewalk. Her wavy, black hair made me take a second look. Isabelle? “Hey, that’s Isabelle, right? I want to talk to her. I think she would do better with a one-on-one conversation, you know what I mean? Let me out, and I’ll catch up to her.”

  I jumped out of the backseat when Jillian pulled over. She leaned over and looked out the passenger window at me. “Call me, and we’ll come back around to get you when you’re finished. We’ll talk to some of the locals while you’re doing your thing with her.”

  Waving to my friends, I rushed down the sidewalk of the side street. Isabelle moved fast and managed to clear two blocks before I caught up to her. “Hey, it’s me, Shauna. We met at the village yesterday, remember?”

  The teenager jumped at the sound of my voice, and I backed off a couple steps. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  As she turned, Isabelle pulled her backpack straps tight against her body. “No biggie. What do you want?”

  Looking up and down the street, I didn’t know what to say. That was a complete surprise to me since I always had something on the tip of my tongue. At our last meeting I may have come on a little strong. “Look, I know what it’s like when you have something you can’t tell anyone.” I.e. my own possible reenlistment. “You didn’t tell us everything when we talked last time, and I bet it’s eating at you. And it won’t get any better until you talk to someone you can trust.” If I’d only take my own advice. “You think the law is against you, but they’re there to help. Or I’m here. And my friend saw you at the trailer park too. What’s going on? I want to protect you if need be, but I can’t unless you tell me what you know.”

  Isabelle slumped her shoulders. “Fine. Come with me.”

  No point in asking questions about where we were going. I followed the teenager back to the main street and into a bookstore. The dark atmosphere gave me pause as I caught the off-beat music that blared a little too loud for a bookstore. How did anybody read with the lighting so low and the music so high? As if to prove my point, even the cashier squinted and slumped over the counter, her face mere inches from a book.

  Isabelle retraced her steps to the front window and looked up and down the street. She moved into the interior of the store but not without another glance over her shoulder.

  Hmm. Should I do a quick check too? No one could convince me there
wasn’t something to this case that involved a bigger circle of people than we even suspected when we arrived.

  I did my own sweep.

  A bunch of bean bags and chairs occupied several different areas for customers to lounge and read around the store. The smell of coffee in the quaint old building reminded me of one of my favorite chain bookstores where I found the best how-to manuals. But the place did have atmosphere with its brick walls most likely original to the building and a loft at one end, along with the ceiling that had to be at least twenty feet high. I ran my hand along one of the bookshelves and wished there was time to pick up something new to read on this trip. I wouldn’t mind a new edition manual on my truck, Beast.

  Isabelle pretended to be interested in a book featured at the counter, but anyone looking closely could tell she didn’t care about it at all. She threw another glance at the window.

  I moved away from the thriller shelf. With my voice lowered, I whispered, “It’s going to be kind of hard to talk in a bookstore.”

  Isabelle rolled her eyes and gestured to a stairway. “Let’s go up there.”

  This time I took the lead and hurried up the stairs, careful to make sure Isabelle was behind me. There must be a good view of the street from here. Maybe then I could see whatever it was Isabelle was trying to avoid. The loft-like space stretched to the back of the store with unfinished beams and blond planked flooring. Even though it was warmer on the upper level, I saw why the girl liked it so much. After checking every corner and taking a peek through a few of the shelves, I looked over the railing. Two empty chairs rested far away from the nearest customer. I sat down and waited for Isabelle to join me. How do I reach her? My teen years weren’t that long ago. Think.

  Isabelle took her time coming. She dropped her bag at her feet and sat hard onto the lounge chair. “What did I do to deserve my own personal investigator?”

  “Be a hard-nosed teenager.” I was sorry for the remark as soon as it was out of my mouth.

  Isabelle raised her eyebrows, her mouth tightening.

  I better head in the right direction before the girl got up and left. “You know…I have a bunch of brothers who give me the worst time in the world. I can’t even breathe without them causing me trouble. I even went into the military because that’s what my family expected.” I made air quotes.

  Isabelle looked to the floor. “It’s like being part of the tribe,” she rolled her eyes, “and they never leave you alone.”

  “Uh-huh. It makes you want to break out and do something different sometimes, doesn’t it?”

  With a half-smile, Isabelle sat back and dropped her head against the top of the chair. “I guess. That’s why I come here, ’cause none of them would guess this is where I am.” She slid a glance to me as if she’d said too much. “I mean…”

  I waved off the comment. “No worries. I won’t tell your mama or anyone else. If this is your hideout, you keep it. Everyone needs a place of their own.”

  Running her hand through her hair, Isabelle studied me. “I saw you all talking to Tony.”

  Was Isabelle as curious about our visit with Tony as we were about hers? “Things aren’t adding up about him.”

  We sat in quiet companionship for a few minutes taking in the music and the atmosphere. I relaxed in my chair and watched the front door through the railing. It was at a very good vantage point from where I sat, and only a couple people remained in the store. No one came in, and no one peeked through the window. “What do you like to read?”

  Isabelle’s foot tapped to the music. “Anime.”

  I stifled a yawn. “You like that genre, huh? I’ve read a handful, but it’s been a while.”

  The teenager ticked off her favorites. Once again silence prevailed between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Then Isabelle stopped tapping her foot. “You just wouldn’t get what it’s truly like to be in ‘the tribe.’ Queenie always makes everyone keep an eye on me like I’m two.” Why did teenagers want to refer to their parents with their given name when they were mad? “And she’s always preaching—preaching about everything. Literally. If you get it stuffed down your throat all the time, you’d hate it too.”

  I rolled my head to the side to gaze at Isabelle. “Hate is a very strong word.”

  She raised her eyebrows and dropped them. “Maybe but I need to figure this stuff out on my own, you know.”

  My heart ached for the teenager who teetered on the brink of one of the most important decisions in life. Please, Lord, don’t let her throw You aside. Let her see Your love.

  “All she ever thinks about is everyone else. She’s always late coming home because of some big meeting or talk that she had to do. And you can forget her appreciating anything you do for her. I gave up on that a long time ago.”

  She was hurting, but what could be done about it? I’d be gone before there was time to make a difference in her life. “I can’t make excuses for her, but I can tell you I’ve been there.”

  I fingered a small thread hanging from the seam on the chair arm. “About Tony Slaiger. You were at the trailer park where he lives, and I’m guessing it’s possible you were there because of him?”

  Isabelle sat forward, her restful stance completely disintegrated. “Who says I was there because of him?”

  I put out my hand. “Do you have a friend or boyfriend who lives there?”

  Reaching for the straps to her backpack, Isabelle huffed. “Listen, I need to get going.”

  I had to move fast if I was going to stop Isabelle’s departure. I jumped up and moved in front of her. “You’ve got to start talking to someone, Isabelle. Why won’t you tell me what’s happening? I really need to know.”

  “So what if I was at Tony’s? My mom keeps making his new girlfriend babysit me.” So the single mom staying with Queenie was Tony’s girlfriend? “But she wouldn’t if she only knew—” Isabelle skirted around me and rushed down the stairs, calling over her shoulder, “Maybe I’m the one keeping an eye on him. Don’t worry about me.”

  There was no stopping the teenager. The door closed behind her before I even cleared the bottom step. And there was no use chasing after her.

  Frustration poured out of every part of my body. Whatever Isabelle had kept from us was still a huge unknown. And it might be the literal key to the case.

  There was a whole lot more to Isabelle and Tony’s interactions, and it stuck in my gut. She needed protecting—something I never really had at her age. What could I do to make her safe again?

  35

  Shauna

  What happened when a kid couldn’t turn to any adult for help? Isabelle didn’t trust me any more than the other grownups in her life, and the implications scared me. Pulling out my cell phone, I stood at the huge bay window of the bookstore and stared out onto the sun-bleached street. “Hey, Jillian, I’m finished here. Isabelle ran off, and I didn’t get a good answer from her about Tony, but she did admit to being at his place. She said his girlfriend was keeping an eye on her.”

  “The single mom living with them is Tony’s girlfriend? Huh.” She paused. “I’m on my way. We talked to a group of locals but didn’t find anything new.”

  At the self-help bookshelf, I picked up the one that had caught my eye earlier and took it to the counter to pay for it. The cashier continued to read the book she’d been looking at earlier and ignored me. “Ex—”

  She held up her index finger and read through a few more pages.

  She didn’t believe in work? I crossed my arms and stared down at the wood flooring that creaked as I shifted to my other foot. The cashier closed the book and rang me up a minute later.

  With the bag in hand, I returned to the window again. No Jillian yet. A couple of men in fatigues walked down the sidewalk. That could be me soon. I watched them. It was time to tell Jillian and Ava what my thoughts on reenlisting were. But had I prayed enough about the decision? Was it what God wanted? And what about Christopher? I played with the thick plastic handle of the bag. What do You
want me to do God? I don’t know what direction to go no matter how much I pray about it. Please, God, tell me.

  Perhaps I did know, I just didn’t want to face the answer.

  Once again, restlessness slid over me. Sometimes I wished He would tell me every move He had in mind for my life. Wouldn’t that make life much easier? I looked up and wondered if He was looking back at me. All seeing, all-knowing.

  Moments later, Jillian pulled up across the street. I checked the store one last time and exited its dark interior. Jillian began to roll the window down a little.

  Holding the bag up, I waved my other hand. “Do you need to stop and get anything before we leave? They have a few of your favorite author’s books in there.”

  As I stepped off the curb, the squealing of tires jolted my attention to the road. A truck barreled into my path. I jerked to the left and tried to jump back. Its wheels fought against the brakes, creating tarry smoke. The acrid smell sizzled in my nostrils.

  Where had they come from?

  The person was going to intentionally hit me. I tried to force my legs to move backward to the sidewalk but they wouldn’t. The vehicle halted less than three feet from my shaking knees, and the driver hurtled out of the vehicle, his body posed as if to fight. My chest refused to suck in air as someone began to yell behind me.

  He had aimed his vehicle at me. He had. It wasn’t an accident.

  I realized it was Ava’s voice crescendoing behind me.

  Please, brain, start working. “What do you think you’re doing?” I had looked each way before beginning to cross, and no vehicles had been on the road. I was sure. One hundred percent. He literally came out of nowhere.

  The rich, tanned skin of the man reminded me of a few of the dancers at the Monacan village. I took a hard look at the passenger as I grabbed my chest and tried to breathe. Their faces were a tiny bit familiar. The driver held up his fist. “You need to watch your step and not walk into the street when vehicles are trying to drive here.”