“Yeah, that’s why my mom told me I had to turn on the ceiling fan instead of opening my window when my room got too hot the other night. Because of the weird stuff.”
“Right. Exactly. So, until we figure out what’s going on, I’m just going to hang out with you and your mom. Not that your mom isn’t strong or can’t protect you on her own, but sometimes it’s nice to have another adult in the house.”
“Protect us?” Eliana asked, her eyes filling with fear.
“Look, there’s nothing for you to be afraid of! It’s probably just somebody doing bad things to get attention. But I’m on it, and you know Jack? From the police station? Well, he’s on it, too. We’ll put a stop to this bad guy before you know it.”
“Mom says Jack is a hundred years old and wouldn’t be able to stop a baby from drawing on a wall.”
Micki shot Savannah a dirty look. “Well, that’s not true, Eliana. Jack is an excellent police officer.”
Eliana acquiesced, but she didn’t look entirely comforted.
“El, if you don’t want Micki to stay with us—” Savannah began, but she couldn’t get the words out before Eliana interrupted.
“No, I do! I do! We can play video games and eat ice cream and play Barbies in the living room!”
“Well, no, but I’m sure we can set aside some time for fun. Micki, why don’t you help the girls get their things together?” Savannah asked, turning her attention to Rebecca.
Micki tried to speak up, but Rebecca cut her off. “Great idea. Savannah can help me clean up.”
Riley and Eliana dragged Micki out of the kitchen by her sleeves, though Micki looked back at them with a frown. Neither acknowledged her.
When they were out of view, it was Rebecca who spoke first. “Savannah, what is your endgame here? I know you don’t like Micki, you don’t like Eliana spending time with her, and now you’re asking her to move in with you? Is this some kind of long con to get her out of Winter Valley? To get her fired as police chief?”
Savannah was taken aback by her directness but not surprised by the content. “Actually, Rebecca, you’ve misjudged me, as you usually do. Chief Blake may not be as idiotic as I once thought her to be, though she can still be quite infuriating.” Savannah cleared her throat to rid herself of the lilt in her voice and the smirk she couldn’t contain. “However, it was not my idea for her to stay with me. I’m not sure exactly how much you know about what’s going on, but it’s…unpleasant, to say the least.”
“Yes, Micki told me what was happening. I’m sorry. It’s awful that someone is doing this to you.”
Savannah nodded curtly and continued. “Chief Blake thought it would be in my best interest, and Eliana’s, if she stayed at the house until this whole thing goes away. Last night was the most terrifying night of my life. I am quite grateful that the chief came so quickly and was able to chase the boogeyman away.” With the way things were going, Savannah wondered if she should just call in to a radio show and tell the world what was happening to her and how it was making her feel. First Micki, now Rebecca. Savannah checked her sleeve to make sure her heart wasn’t pinned to it.
Rebecca clearly didn’t know how to respond. She’d been watching Eliana after school since kindergarten, but the only exchanges they’d shared were confined to lists, expectations, and reports that involved Eliana. She looked at Savannah skeptically.
“I know you think I’m a monster. I assure you, Rebecca, in this case, I am not.”
Rebecca swallowed. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”
“Don’t. I’ve overheard you with some of the mothers at school. Do you remember El’s autumn talent show? Casually saying how bad you felt for my daughter, that she had to grow up with an ice queen like me for a mother? I would have made a scene, but I didn’t want to upset Eliana. So, I left. My point is, I know how you feel about me.”
Pink crept up Rebecca’s cheeks as she crossed her arms. There was no way out of that one. “I admit, that was childish and petty. I’m sorry, and I don’t actually believe that to be true. I wouldn’t be your child care provider if I didn’t think you were a good mother or neglected Eliana in any way. You’d reprimanded me that morning for letting Eliana watch Family Guy. Which, in my defense, is a cartoon, so who knew it would be so crass? Anyway, I was angry and engaged in that kind of talk when I shouldn’t have.”
“I appreciate that. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
Rebecca visibly recoiled. “You’re right, it doesn’t. I really am sorry.”
Micki and the two girls emerged from the living room where blankets and pillows were still scattered on the floor. She had a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder and a canvas bag filled with junk food. Fritos and Smartfood stuck out of the top. Savannah eyed the bag suspiciously.
“What?” Micki asked. “I can’t be expected to subsist on spinach and low-fat yogurt, can I?”
Eliana smiled broadly at her mother.
Savannah shook her head but didn’t say anything. They thanked Rebecca for the sleepover and headed down the stairs of the apartment building. The worn red carpet had seen better days, but the exposed brick added some old-world charm to the place.
“See you tonight, kiddo,” Micki said to Eliana, waving as Savannah confirmed that her seat belt was buckled tightly. She met Savannah’s eyes when she stood up. “You, too.”
Savannah just nodded.
“Let’s go, Ri.” Micki started her engine and flicked the switch so that the blue lights on the top of her car flashed. Riley laughed and called out a loud good-bye to Eliana from the passenger seat.
Savannah watched the cruiser pull out of the parking lot, the sun glinting on its fading taillights. The thought of Micki coming over after work, staying the night, created an alien knot in Savannah’s stomach. There was so much about Micki that was exasperating, maddening even, but somehow, Savannah was unable to muster up the usual feelings of distaste toward her. She was appreciative. Maybe Savannah was just scared, and fear trumped just about every other emotion. Or maybe, after all these years, she was just going soft.
Chapter Eleven
As she sat on the sidelines of the soccer field, her legs crossed and her behind sore from the sagging canvas folding chair, Savannah looked at her phone repeatedly. One of her contacts, “Mom,” was up on the screen, just waiting for the green dial button to be pressed. She continued to hesitate.
She hadn’t talked to her mother in, what? Four, five months? They’d been close when Savannah was young. After her father died when she was just seventeen, their relationship began to slowly deteriorate. Her mother found fault in everything. No matter how much Savannah succeeded, there was always a gentle prod for how more could have been achieved, how it could have been just a little bit better. She’d gone from a caring, tender soul to a bitter widow who was angry at the world. And Savannah had receded right along with her into the uptight and controlling woman who’d pushed her away in the first place.
When Eliana was born, Savannah was sure that her mother would want to be heavily involved in her granddaughter’s life. It had started out that way, but once her mom went back to Stowe, that was pretty much it. Savannah had asked her to move in with them, to stay for as long as she wanted to, but her mom declined. Said she had to get back to her daily life, her routine. She was president of the Rotary Club, and they simply couldn’t get on without her. Savannah hadn’t been close to her own grandparents when she was young, but that was because her belo and bela lived an ocean away. Her mother had always stressed the importance of extended family, but it never seemed to materialize in their lives. Savannah didn’t know what it was like to be surrounded by grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins in the way that so many Hispanic families were portrayed. Her family had been an island of three, and in the blink of an eye, an island of two. History had a funny way of repeating itself. Savannah had done her very best not to cry as she said good-bye to her mother, who was settling herself into the town car, prepari
ng to go back to her solitary life. The baby on her shoulder had slept through it all.
In a moment of weakness, Savannah hit the call button. She put the phone to her ear and chewed on her lip. Calling your mother shouldn’t be this nerve-wracking.
“Hi, Mom,” she said when the call was finally answered.
“Hello, Savi. It’s good to hear from you. I can’t even remember the last time you called. How have you been?”
Savannah found it effortless to slip back into Spanish, something her mother had always encouraged. Savannah’s father couldn’t speak it, so it had become a sort of secret code between Savannah and her mother She’d promised herself she’d teach Eliana to be bilingual, but so far, she was falling short. Eliana only knew a few sentences at most.
She decided to look past her mother’s signature passive-aggressiveness. “It has been a while. Sorry about that. Everything is fine.”
“And Eliana?”
“She’s fine, too.” Savannah heard her voice crack and chastised herself. She was such a cliché. Hearing her mother’s voice, no matter how long it had been, no matter how much distance between them, gave her the right to give up a little bit of the control she so longed for.
“Savi, you don’t sound fine. Tell me what’s wrong.”
And that was it. The dam broke, and Savannah watched through a curtain of tears as her daughter chased fruitlessly after a soccer ball.
“I’m not fine, Mom. I’m not. Someone is after me, and I don’t know why.”
She told her everything, including the details of the Pikes Peak snow globe. Her mother gasped when she told her about it.
“Do you need me to come? I can rearrange some things here if I need to. I can come to you.”
Savannah’s heart filled. “No, Mom, you don’t have to do that. The deputy chief is actually staying at my house for the next few nights until we can figure out who’s doing this.”
“Deputy chief? Like a security guard? Does every town manager get a security guard at their home?” Her mother was clearly confused.
“Well, no, not exactly. She’s really—”
“She?”
“Yes, the deputy chief is a woman. She’s really doing me a favor. When whoever it is showed up at my house last night, I panicked. And she came to my…” Savannah clenched her jaw. “Rescue.”
“Okay. That sounds strange to me, but if she’s willing to do that, I’m grateful. Savi, I know how you can be. You have to do everything yourself; you take help from no one. Don’t do that. Let her help you. Don’t be alone.”
Savannah felt fresh tears spring to her eyes. For someone who cried once a year on average, she was breaking all sorts of records lately. “I know, Mom. I’ll try. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Not right now, anyway.”
“Good. I’m going to come visit this summer for a few weeks. I’ll let you know the dates when I’ve figured them out. I don’t want us to be strangers. I’m tired of being alone, too. Your father wouldn’t want this for us. You be careful, and you take care of that little angel.”
Savannah nodded even though her mother couldn’t see her. “I will, Mom. I’ll call you when I know more.”
“I love you, Savi.”
“I love you, too.”
“Goal!” someone screamed from the field. Savannah looked to the field hopefully, only to see a downtrodden Eliana standing inside the net with a ball rolling at her feet. She sighed and jogged over to the field to comfort her.
Eliana sucked in her bottom lip. “I couldn’t stop it. I tried to kick it, but my foot went right over the top.” She looked at Savannah expectantly. Savannah curled the end of Eliana’s hair around her finger.
“So? Big deal. You’ll get the next one. Or maybe you won’t. Doing your best is more important than being the best. I will never expect more of you than your best. Eliana, do you have any idea how proud you make me? I don’t care if you stop every goal that tries to come through or you never stop another goal in your life. You are enough.”
Eliana smiled at Savannah. A girl on the other team yelled at her to throw the ball back in. “You have to get off the field, Mom! This is embarrassing!” But the look in her eye told Savannah that she was feeling something very different.
As she walked back to her chair, for the first time in a long time, Savannah felt as if she was the mother Eliana needed. Family was so important to Savannah’s mother and father, and when her father died, Savannah’s mother had let that part of her die, too. It had only been the three of them, since conceiving her had proven to be a lot more difficult than her parents had hoped. Her father had wanted a house full of children, but once Savannah had arrived, he’d told her that a hundred other children couldn’t fill his heart the way she had. She’d never forgotten that, and she wanted to make damn sure Eliana felt as comforted by it as she had.
* * *
“So, where should I put my stuff?” Micki asked, her duffel bag in hand.
Eliana came in behind her, holding the offensive canvas bag with all of the treats in it. She set it down and popped open a can of Pringles.
“Eliana, put those away. Dinner is in an hour.” Savannah turned to Micki. “You can take the guest room next to Eliana’s,” she offered, starting toward the stairs. Micki followed.
This is really, really, weird. Micki felt as if she was spending the night at some great-aunt’s house she had never met before, careful not to leave any footprints in the carpet.
Savannah led her to a nicely furnished bedroom. It was larger than Micki’s own and a hell of a lot neater, too. The walls were a soft blue, and the bedding complemented it nicely with different hues of green. Micki nodded gratefully as she dropped her bags on the floor near the bed.
“TV?” she asked, scanning the room.
“No. But if you find it necessary, I can move the one from Eliana’s playroom up here.”
“Nope, that’s okay. I should make the most of my ten bucks a month on Netflix anyway. Catch up on Zombie Hunting or something,” she said, waggling her phone back and forth.
“Sounds educational. Anyway, towels and sheets are in the hall closet, and anything else you might need, please ask. I want you to be as comfortable as possible while staying here.” Savannah maintained a stiff position.
Micki struggled not to smile. She was acting more like a hotel concierge than a host. “I will,” she said, straight-faced.
Savannah swallowed. “Again, Chief Blake, I do appreciate the upheaval you’ve put yourself through to ensure Eliana’s—and my—safety.”
“Wow, you suck at this. I’ve already told you, it’s no problem, Ms. Castillo. I want to catch this guy as badly as you do. It’s really not that much of an upheaval. Promise.”
Savannah huffed, but the corners of her mouth turned up anyway. “I apologize for sucking at this, but I don’t frequently have houseguests, as you may have imagined. Especially not under these…circumstances.”
“You really don’t need to call me Chief Blake. I actually liked it before because it was so formal. I felt like a big deal. But now it just feels weird. I’m sleeping in your guest room.” Micki stretched out on the bed, crossing her arms behind her head. Her sneakers were still on.
“Something wrong?” Micki asked, eyeing Savannah. She could tell that Savannah desperately wanted to say something about her shoes. She kicked her feet back and forth so that the toes tapped against each other.
“No, nothing at all. I’ll go check on dinner.”
“That’s great,” Micki said. She began moving her feet faster so the tapping leather became louder and louder. “Thank you so much for cooking, it’s so nice—”
“My God, can you please get your shoes off the bed? You’ve been outside all day! Walking through dirt. Mud. Vomit, for all I know. I tried to let it go, I really tried.” If Savannah had on pearls, she’d have been clutching them.
“Ha! See, I knew it. Look, Savannah, this isn’t going to work if you can’t be honest with me. I will definitely anno
y you over the next few days. There’s no doubt about it. But you just have to tell me. I’m a big girl, you’re not going to hurt my feelings if you tell me to knock something off. Clearly, we lead very different lifestyles. You’re going to annoy me, too. It is what it is,” Micki said, shrugging.
“How will I annoy you?” Savannah asked. “I may be a lot of things, but annoying isn’t one of them.”
“Lots of ways. You’re annoying me right now, acting all high and mighty about being annoying.”
“I am not acting high and mighty!”
“Little high. Little mighty. Just saying.”
“Listen, Micki, you wouldn’t know annoying if it slapped you across the face. You can’t see the forest for the trees when you yourself are a majestic redwood!”
Micki scrunched her eyebrows thoughtfully. “So, what you’re saying is that you think I’m majestic?” She nodded. “Makes sense.” Micki was enjoying a riled-up Savannah, not out of anger but out of comfortable banter. Maybe they’d be able to get through cohabitating with minimal bloodshed after all.
“That’s actually not what I said at all. At all.”
Eliana crashed through the door, a DVD waving frantically in her hand. “It’s part two. Wanna watch it with me?”
Micki smiled at Savannah and ruffled Eliana’s hair. “Absolutely. Lead the way.”
* * *
Savannah looked on as the two of them left for the living room where Eliana insisted upon watching movies on the “big” TV. She didn’t know whether to kick Micki out for being obnoxious or laugh at the way she was able to get under her skin. There were very few people who were able to rattle Savannah, and Micki seemed to have perfected it. She left the guest room door ajar and went to her study to tidy up a little work before dinner. And to pour herself a much-needed glass of gin.
Secrets in a Small Town Page 7