“I don’t think they’re open yet,” she fretted, thinking aloud. “And you may need a card to buy a hot dog, but if there are stores around, that’s a start. I’ll call you once I’m on the road and cell service kicks in. You may not be able to reach me for the next hour, so make sure you’re good and safe, okay? Is your phone charged up?”
He went silent for a moment, giving her time for two heart attacks.
“Not so much,” he admitted. “I’ll get off now and turn it off for an hour.”
Amber swore every curse word she’d ever heard as the line went dead.
She called Walker. He was already down the mountain, talking to the sheriff’s office. She called Sam, but no one answered. Tullah didn’t have a car. Cass might, but she shouldn’t be driving. Mariah probably shouldn’t be driving either, and Keegan would be at the mine. Teddy.
She called the jewelry shop. “Do you have anyone who can mind your shop for a few hours? I wouldn’t ask, but it’s a bit of an emergency.”
“What’s wrong?” Teddy demanded. In the background, voices grew insistent.
“It’s my nephew. I think he’s run away. He’s down in Monterey by himself. He’s safe, for now, if my mother hasn’t called the cops to look for him.” Amber looked at her own empty shop and realized just because she wasn’t busy, that didn’t mean Teddy wasn’t. Jewelry store, June weddings, rings. . .
“Kurt and Monty are on their way into the city. Let me see if they can turn around. I’ll call you. . .”
“No, wait, I’ll call Aaron. You sound busy.”
“It’s a bit crazy. And my sister and her kids are on the way up. But we can’t leave your nephew stranded. Call me back and let me know what’s happening.”
Amber had never had a car or learned to drive. When she’d been old enough to buy one, she didn’t have enough money left or anyone to teach her. She still didn’t have the funds. Josh was right. Tarot reading wasn’t much of a business plan. But she’d been happy, until now.
She hadn’t thought Dell would return to haunt her. She’d told herself that other kids had real parents who made informed decisions about using their child prodigies—parents who watched over those kids so nothing happened. Most of the time, nothing did happen. But Crystal had never made any attempt to be a real parent. Amber kicked herself ten times over for not realizing her mother might exploit whiz-smart Zeke.
She reached Aaron, who said he could drive her, but he’d have to wake Harvey to cover the store. Since Harvey was a night owl who had probably only just gone to bed, Amber took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. “Let me make one more call before you wake him, okay?”
Gathering her courage, she called the lodge, identified herself, and asked for Josh. Ernest answered, but this time, he passed her immediately to his employer.
“Amber? What’s happening?” He sounded concerned.
“I don’t know if you remember my sister Amethyst, but she had a kid a few years after the show shut down. He’s twelve now, and I think my mother is trying to set him up with Dell’s studio.” With Josh, she didn’t have to explain what that meant. “He ran away, and I need to reach him before my mother or the cops do.”
“I’ll be right there.”
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her pounding pulse. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been until he’d said yes.
She didn’t see Zeke often, but she’d made it one of her goals to establish a relationship with him. They Skyped regularly. He’d visited a few summers for a week or two. Or she took him to the beach or Disneyland or anywhere away from Crystal. He was built like a block, had a real brain and no interest in acting. She thought he was smart enough to stay safe, but he was so young. . .
She and Josh had had each other back then. They’d needed the studio job and knew better than to complain to outsiders. They whined to the staff like any school kids about the diets, the exercise, the long hours, but they didn’t know how to complain about the prickly feelings Dell gave them when he physically manipulated them on the set. So they’d ganged up against him, persuaded the other kids to interfere as well, and he’d backed off—most of the time.
Zeke might be better informed than she’d been, but he’d be all alone—as she had been once Josh left.
Instead of hiding her shame and licking her wounds, she should have gone after Dell. . . But he’d been too powerful, and she’d been only sixteen, and she had to fight one monster at a time.
She wouldn’t fail Zeke. She called Teddy and Aaron back to tell them they were off the hook, then gathered up anything she thought she might need, including Fee’s food bars.
Not until Josh’s little blue Prius pulled up outside the shop did she realize what she’d done. . . put herself in a position to be seen with Josh/Jack. Praying no one noticed, she locked the door and got in as quickly as she could manage.
He took off before she was even buckled in.
“Where?” he said curtly, obviously in a mood. Wearing a collared shirt and linen blazer, he looked as if he’d been born behind the wheel of a pricey sports car instead of in a rural dump in Nevada.
“Bus station in Monterey. He said it’s near a Costco and that’s where he was headed. Do you have one of those GPS things on your phone? When we’re down the mountain, I can call it up.” She didn’t have to put up with Josh’s mood. She was in one of her own.
She handed him a food bar, and he crunched it as if chewing nails.
“How could you leave a kid with Crystal?” he finally snarled, taking the narrow two-lane at terrifying speed.
“I didn’t have a choice. Amethyst lived with our mother after Zeke was born. There’s no dad in the picture. After Amethyst flamed out, rather literally, my mother got custody of Zeke before I even learned my sister was dead. It’s not as if Crystal would call me.” Amber squeezed her eyes shut in a futile attempt to block memories of those horrible days when she’d realized how useless she was to help anyone.
Josh relaxed a hair and drove with one hand as he fiddled with buttons. A GPS screen showed up on the dash, and he left her to add directions.
“Now you have a custody fight on your hands. Bloody hell.”
“I have a lawyer on it. I’ll need to call her, but I think I’ll wait until we have Zeke. Maybe if Crystal is forced to call the police, that will aid our case. I have no idea.” Amber played with the GPS buttons until she’d figured them out and could add a search for Costco in Monterey and look for bus stations.
“It might be easier on the phone.” He swung into the only gas station on the way down the hill and dug around in his pocket until he produced his high-tech device. Then he hit the road again.
Josh’s father had been an alcoholic who had left his family homeless. He understood desperation better than anyone, Amber knew. He remained silent while she worked with the devices. Once they were up and running, he followed the route and began talking.
“I told Willa I wanted to put Dell out of business. While the Jack and Ginger show was churning out cash, he mostly behaved himself. But now that he’s not had another hit, he’s branching out. To keep the money machine rolling, he filmed a few kiddy shows for the local stations and for cable. Ugly rumors started flying, and after one of the mothers sued one of his actors for molestation, he lost that programming. I have a suspicion he’s filming porn now, but no proof. And lately, he’s been pedaling a new version of Jack and Ginger and has some serious nibbles. Willa said she’d help me put an end to that.”
Amber had a lot of experience in blanking out those long ago days. Her insides rebelled at churning up old memories, but she needed ammunition if she went to court. “He’s not even paying the residuals he owes me from the last show, so how can he start another?”
“He’s cheating you. The show is running on cable. I get decent checks. You need to lawyer up.”
“Lawyers take money,” she muttered, mentally cursing her passivity. “How did Willa plan on taking Dell down?”
“She ha
d rights to one of his productions. After I asked her to help me, she had him audited. I don’t know if the audit found anything, or if I can legally ask for the results, but the bastard needs to be stopped before he can traumatize more kids.”
Or worse. Fighting the gnawing troll in her insides, Amber glared at the road ahead. “Crystal must have heard about the new production and thought she could sell Zeke as the new Jack. That would be hot publicity—Ginger’s nephew as you. I refuse to believe she’d stoop so low as to sell him for kiddy porn.” But she had reason to believe it of Dell.
“Your mother encouraged Dell’s abuse. I know she’s your mother and you’re trying to protect her, but Crystal is an abusive asshat. And Dell is slime from the bottom of a shit bucket.” Hitting the highway, Josh picked up speed.
Josh was only talking about the daily verbal abuse and punitive diets and exercise. Dell was even worse than Josh knew, but Zeke was the more important topic.
“I’m not disagreeing. I told Zeke to call me if he ever felt uncomfortable. Even Amethyst warned him to call me if Crystal did something he didn’t think right. He’s a smart kid. He might be trying to skip finals, but I don’t think so.” Now that she had cell service, she tried punching in his number but only reached voice mail. “How much does it cost to have Dell audited again if you can’t get the results Willa paid for?”
“A lot and I may not have the authority to ask,” he admitted. “And I doubt Willa’s father will give up those results. All these old guys are in bed with each other.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I can’t gamble my savings on going after the residuals either, not if I’m taking in Zeke. There’s no school in Hillvale. I’ll have to move.” She really didn’t want to move, but she supposed if she could find a place in the next town down, if she could learn to drive and commute to her shop. If, if, if. . .
“Hillvale needs to recruit a few teachers, like in an old western, bring the schoolmarm to town.” Josh spoke in an upbeat voice, but his expression was still grim as he maneuvered the highway at high speed.
“Once the Kennedys start developing the land above town, that might be feasible, but that all takes time. We’ve been looking for new kinds of income to support community projects like a school, but everyone is afraid of following the path to destruction that afflicted the commune when the artists became successful.” It was easier to talk about local politics than think about Zeke, all alone in a strange city. Or what she’d have to do to keep him.
“Fear and paranoia hold back needed change,” Josh said prosaically. “Someone just has to grab the ring and show the way. You have a famous musician and singer living there. You could have a musical dinner theater if your talented cooks joined in.”
Amber smiled imagining Val and Harvey performing for a crowd in Dinah’s small restaurant. “Just a year ago, those two hid so well that no one ever knew where to find them. Since then, the art gallery has brought in a lot of strangers, and they’ve learned not to be so wary, but the wedding productions are stretching their limits. And why should they support the town? They don’t have kids who need a school.”
But Teddy’s sister did. She was an interior designer and didn’t have much work to occupy her in Hillvale. But if she could be persuaded to stay. . .
“I’m near the Costco,” Josh reported. “Have you reached him yet?”
It was after ten. The store should be open. Amber punched again and still got voice mail. She left a message saying they were near and to sit at the benches by the food. She clutched the phone in her fist, willing it to ring.
Josh pulled into the enormous parking lot and cast her a glance. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No reporters here,” she decided. “No reason for anyone to recognize us, right?”
He accepted that and climbed out without waiting for further instructions.
It felt awkward walking at Josh’s side in public again. Amber was too aware of her ample frame, her unconventional attire, and Josh’s stiff stride. He was still angry—about Dell, she hoped.
He didn’t touch her but stayed close, for which she was grateful.
No outside picnic benches, dang. “I don’t have a Costco card,” she murmured. “Do you think I could sign up for one, and they’ll let me in today?”
“I have one.” He already had his wallet out and was sorting through it. “Willa might have minions, but I still do my own shopping.”
Wordlessly, they entered the warehouse. Josh led her straight to the food area.
“There’s Zeke,” she cried, recognizing her skinny nephew in shorts and t-shirt. “Who is that with him?”
Eleven
Zeke looked up and grinned. “I haven’t finished my hot dog! Mrs. Garagiola bought me two.”
Amber felt Josh stiffen. She normally avoided touching men, but she daringly placed a hand on his arm to keep him from blowing steam. The gray-haired lady looked harmless. People sometimes were as good as they seemed, even if their experiences had been otherwise.
“Bless you, Mrs. Garagiola, that was generous of you. I had no idea Zeke was coming or I’d have been at the station waiting for him.”
“I’m just relieved he was telling the truth. Sometimes children stretch it a little further than they should. If you hadn’t arrived soon, I would have had to call the police.”
Zeke frowned. Amber tapped him on his red head. “That’s what any responsible adult would have done, old boy. You should have turned your phone back on. I tried calling.” She turned to the stout older lady. “Let us reimburse you. Hungry boys aren’t cheap.”
“I told her you read tarot,” Zeke said proudly. “She wants you to read her cards.”
“Here?” Amber glanced around at the bustling crowd. “Awkward.”
“Please?” the lady asked, her face a wreath of anxious wrinkles. “I’ve never had my cards read, and I’m curious.”
She was more than curious. The lady looked lonely. She was missing someone was Amber’s guess. Her psychic vibes pinged, and she sat down next to Zeke on the picnic bench. “I can do a short read and maybe no one will notice. I don’t have much time. I need to take Zeke shopping. I’m gathering he didn’t bother packing a suitcase.”
Standing to one side, unintroduced, Josh stepped up. “I can take him around and see what we can find.” He held out his hand to Zeke. “Hi, I’m an old friend of your aunt’s.”
Amber bit her tongue on her fear. It was silly to be afraid of saying his name in public. “Zeke, this is Josh. Your mother knew him, so he’s good. You’ll need a toothbrush and a change of clothes, at least.” She glanced up at Josh, who seemed to have let down some of his thorny attitude. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back when you’re done.”
Mrs. Garagiola watched the two walk away with a hint of envy. “You are fortunate to have two such handsome men in your life.”
With amusement at such naiveté, Amber removed the deck of cards from her purse—one that was safe even for children. “Never tell a tarot reader or psychic anything that will give them a hint of why you’re visiting them. I can practically read you without help of the cards. You’re like a beautiful piece of crystal with your warm heart beating inside.”
The lady grew somber. “That’s sweet of you to say. I’ll be quiet now.”
“I’ll just do a brief reading, past, present, and possible future. It’s really not possible to predict a certain future, only a judgment of what might be based on the other cards. If you’ll shuffle the deck, please, and divide it into three stacks.”
She let the old lady take her time, study the cards, get a feel for them. She didn’t expect Josh to return quickly.
Once the cards were admired, shuffled and divided, Amber flipped the card on the first stack—The Sun. In this deck, it took on deeper nuances, and she let her mind drift along the patterns. “You’ve lost someone you loved, your husband, I’m guessing. It looks like you had many children?” She traced the childish figures on the card.
“None of my own,” the lady said with a sigh. “I regret that. John would have loved having children.”
“Then you’re a schoolteacher? Look at all these happy cherubs surrounding the sun! Did your husband also work with children? I’m picking up lots of warmth and goodwill.”
“Bless your heart, yes! I taught school for fifty years. John worked with the Boy Scouts on his weekends. But I’m not supposed to be talking, am I?”
“No, but that’s okay. You’re just clarifying what I already see.” Amber flipped the next card—the Ace of Cups. “This is your present. The children are gone and you’re missing them. But you’re surrounded by love. You’ve changed lives for the better. Look, this is you with the shining halo. See how all the people look at you with longing? They want to connect with you again but don’t know how. You ought to try Facebook, see if your students are on there. I’m thinking you didn’t need your own children because you had the opportunity to be such a positive influence on so many others.”
“It’s true. I didn’t have to work. I might have stayed home if I’d had children. John used to tell me that he didn’t mind that we had an empty nest, but. . .” She sniffed and pulled out a Kleenex.
“He doesn’t mind,” Amber assured her. “Look at him smiling at you here.” She tapped the armored knight in the card. “He’s watching over you, and I’m betting he wants you to find more children to love. Do you belong to a church?”
“I do.” She caressed the card Amber showed her. “Do you really think he’s watching?”
“You know it in your heart, don’t you? He’s with you.” She flipped the last card. “And here you are, surrounded by children again. You can make it happen, if not through your church, then other organizations. Your students will have children of their own by now. They’d visit, if they had a way to find you. The cards show that you need to open your heart again, open your doors and windows, let life back in. See how well you helped with my nephew. There are plenty more like me, grateful for your kindness.”
Amber Affairs Page 10