by Leger, Lori
“Hey, come here,” Sam said, as he pulled her to him and rubbed his hands up and down her arms and her back. “Those aren’t from the cold that’s for damn sure. It must be near eighty degrees in here.” He craned his head to search the area near the back door. “Okay, babe, I want to go check around the house, and I want you to stay in here.”
“Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t that type of girl?” She threw on her heavy overcoat and latched onto his arm with both hands.
The two of them walked outside arm in arm, circling the house, and found nothing suspicious. “I’m going to call Len tomorrow and see about a security light.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, let’s go back to my place. When you’re ready to come back with the kids, I’ll come with you to check it out.”
She nodded, then went in to get her keys to lock up. During the walk to Sam’s, she stopped to look back at her house. “I don’t want to say anything to the kids about this, but I’ll sure feel better when Toto’s here.”
“Any chance that’s the big-headed Chesapeake? I bet he’d cause someone to think twice about snooping around your house.”
“No, Lucas is Dave’s hunting dog, but Toto’s mine. It’ll be fine once he’s here.” Carrie tried to stifle a yawn.
Sam opened his front door for her. “You must be exhausted. Go stretch out on the sofa until the kids get back.”
“Maybe I will,” she replied, stifling another yawn. “Is there anything good on t.v. tonight?”
“Let’s check it out,” he said, sitting down with the remote. Opening credits of The Christmas Story flashed on one of the cable networks.
“Ooh, leave it there, please!”
Sam grabbed a knitted afghan and a pillow from a chair before seating himself on one end of the sofa.
Carrie had nearly dozed off with her head tucked snugly in the crook of Sam’s arm when their four teenagers drove up in Grant’s truck. She groaned, giving Sam a look of apology, and moved to the opposite end of the sofa before the kids came bursting through the front door.
“Mom, we met so many people,” Gretchen told her.
“They do the same thing here as we do in Gardiner,” Grant chimed in. “They ride around and meet up in a store parking lot to talk. There are some good looking girls in this town.”
Lauren plopped herself down between Carrie and Sam. “I love this movie!”
The others planted themselves in various positions on the living room furniture and even on the floor.
Carrie reached out to touch Lauren’s hair. “Did y’all meet any kids your ages?”
“Yeah, our landlord’s son,” Lauren told her. “Nick, what’s his name? Kyle something?”
“Kyle Martin,” Nick told her.
“He’s cute, Mom,” Lauren said.
Carrie smiled over at her daughter. “I haven’t met him, but his dad seems like a nice man.”
“Kyle’s a good kid, stays out of trouble…” Sam added.
Gretchen snorted. “He must not hang out with you then, huh Nick?”
Nick gave her a playful shove. “He’s two years younger than me, and besides…Shut up, twerp.”
Gretchen laughed as she shoved him back. “Make me, punk.”
Sam met Carrie’s gaze across the top of Lauren’s head. “You know, Kyle lost his mom to cancer a few years ago.”
“He did?” Lauren said, facing Sam.
“Yep, it was rough on him. On all of them. She was a real nice lady,” Sam told her.
“That’s so sad. It must be awful to lose your mom like that.” She turned to face the television set, but leaned back to place her head against Carrie’s shoulder.
Carrie cradled her daughter with one arm, and placed a kiss on her crown. Nick pulled out a gift canister full of popcorn and the six of them settled in to watch the movie.
When Lauren vacated her seat to go to the restroom, Carrie took the opportunity to snuggle close to Sam, covering herself with the afghan. When Lauren came back Carrie pulled her close to share the afghan with her.
After awhile, Sam leaned over and whispered in Carrie’s ear. “This is nice, isn’t it?”
She smiled up at him. “It is, but it would also be nice to go home, take a hot bath and go to bed, too.”
“But this is on cable and you don’t have it,” he reminded her. “You wouldn’t want to deprive our children of a great Christmas tradition?”
“What tradition?”
“Maybe we could make it our new Christmas tradition,” he whispered.
Carrie felt Lauren’s arm curl around hers and felt a moment of doubt wiggle its way into the mix. “We’ll see,” she murmured.
They watched the rest of the movie, cheering, and laughing as they watched Ralphie run from bullies, get caught cussing, decode a message, and finally get his bb-gun. They all sang the fa-ra-rah’s at the last restaurant scene and applauded as the credits rolled.
Carrie stood, holding back a yawn. “Okay, kids. We’ve bothered Sam and Nick long enough. It’s time to go home.”
“At least you don’t have far to go,” Nick said.
“Sure don’t.” She slipped on her coat and smiled as Sam reached for her.
He adjusted her collar. “Y’all are welcome here anytime.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled. “Are you ready to go, pretty girl?”
The twins, who stood off to the side, exchanged tortured looks. “Oh God, y’all aren’t going to get all mushy on us or anything, are you?” Gretchen said, as Lauren rolled her eyes.
Carrie grinned at Sam. “Everybody got their coats? It’s way below freezing out there.” She turned to Nick. “Thanks for showing them around, Nick. See you later.”
Grant and the girls told him goodbye and piled out of the door to run on ahead.
“Watch those steps!” Sam called to them just as the twins slipped on the already iced over steps and fell into a giggling heap. They recovered quickly and raced to the house on the corner.
As Sam and Carrie approached, she stopped to make sure she hadn’t left anything in her car. She locked it and turned to Grant as he addressed her in a voice tight with concern.
“Mom, did you see this?”
She walked around to the back of the car, where Grant and a grim mouthed Sam stood, staring at the rear windshield. As her gaze fell in line with theirs, her sharp intake of breath made her wince as icy air filled her lungs. In the layer of thick frost, coating the rear windshield, someone had drawn a heart with the word ‘CARRIE’ in it. Below that, and infinitely more disturbing to her, was the word SAM with a circle and a slash drawn through it, a universal sign for NO.
Carrie’s knees grew weak as she took a step back from the windshield and groaned. “Oh God.”
Sam caught her and pulled her close. “This is really starting to piss me off, now.” He scanned the deserted streets. “I sure wish he’d show himself.”
The twins walked up to check out the commotion. “That’s too freaky,” Gretchen exclaimed.
“That is not dad’s handwriting,” Lauren said.
“She’s right,” Grant said. “I should know, I write like him.”
Carrie stood there shaking her head. “They’re right.” She turned toward Sam. “I don’t know what’s going on here.”
“Do you think you have a secret admirer?” Gretchen asked her.
“Whoever it is doesn’t like Mr. Sam too much,” Lauren commented.
Carrie was afraid to say anything about what she’d felt earlier. She didn’t want to scare her children unnecessarily, but she didn’t want to take any situation too lightly, either. She shook off a chill and stared into the darkness. “I don’t think ‘Secret Admirer’ is quite the word I’d use in this situation.”
Moments later, Doug Courville and his family pulled into their driveway on the opposite corner. Sam called him over, and both he and Nick joined the group gathered around the car.
“We have a situation here,” Sam said,
and had Carrie explain how she’d seen someone in the back yard and felt watched. “This could only have happened in the last two hours. I walked past that car earlier and there was nothing written on it. Somebody was watching her on that back porch, and whoever it was hung around quite a while, waiting for her to get back home.”
Doug gave a low whistle. “Whoever it is doesn’t appreciate you being in the picture, Sam. Think it’s your ex, Carrie?”
“I thought so at first, but Dave couldn’t write that neatly if his life depended on it.”
“Do you mind if I call someone over here to get a picture?”
“Go ahead,” she said, lifting her hands helplessly. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“Try not to worry, we’ll take care of this,” Doug told her. “Let me check out the house first, and then I’ll go make a call.”
Carrie locked tight onto Sam’s arm. “I want to go in, Sam. I don’t feel comfortable out here,” she whispered.
Sam nodded, and began herding the kids toward the door. “Let’s all go inside.”
They walked in as a group, turning on every light in the house. Sam and Doug checked out every room, every closet, and every space that anyone could possibly fit into. When Doug left to put a call in to the station, Sam checked out all of the windows to make sure they were locked. The only window without a lock was the large picture window that didn’t open.
Carrie stood in the middle of the living room, her gaze following Sam’s movements around the house. She fought back tears, wondering how a place could go from cozy to foreboding so quickly. She placed a hand on her stomach, fighting off a queasiness. “I wish Toto was here,” she murmured. “Grant, would you pick him up for me tomorrow if I give you gas money?”
“Sure will, Mom. Toto may not be much for hunting, but he’s a good watch dog.”
When Doug knocked on the door a few minutes later, Sam opened up for him along with two on duty officers for the Kenton PD. One officer asked questions to verify everyone’s whereabouts over the last two hours, while a second took pictures of the windshield. Sam, Carrie and the kids had all been together during the only time it could have occurred, and none of them had heard or seen anything.
“We’ll send patrols by at least once every hour.”
“Thanks Doug,” Carrie said, as she and Sam stood out on the front porch to see them off. Enveloped by the quiet of the deserted street, Carrie frowned into the darkness.
Sam placed his hand on her arm. “What is it? Do you see something?”
She shook her head. “I don’t see anything. It’s just this feeling I have—and there’s a smell.” She scanned the area in all directions and settled her gaze on the house just north of hers. She pointed toward the house. “Someone’s over there.”
“Stay here, while I—” The look Carrie sent stopped him
mid sentence, as she grabbed his arm. “Okay we’ll both go. I know the neighbors are out of town visiting her family,” Sam said.
Carrie loosened her grip and walked to the back corner of the house. “Can you smell that?” she asked, sniffing the area.
Sam did the same but shook his head. “I don’t smell anything.”
“I smell cigarette smoke,” she explained. “Marlboro.”
“Sorry babe, I don’t smell it,” he told her again.
“It’s here,” she insisted. “He stood right here and smoked. You have a flashlight?”
He took out his penlight key chain, a Christmas gift from Nick, and used it to illuminate the area where they stood.
“There!” Carrie said, after a few moments of searching. She bent down to pick up a butt that was still smoldering. She straightened up and held the butt under the light for a closer look. “Marlboro Reds,” she told him. “That’s the only kind my dad ever smoked. I’d recognize that smell anywhere.”
Sam uttered a low curse. “I’ll never doubt you again, babe. I can’t believe you could smell that. In this cold, I can barely smell anything.”
“It’s just the opposite for me. Smells get sharper when it’s cold. But he’s gone now,” Carrie said, pulling on his arm. “Come on, the kids will be worried.”
As soon as they hit the porch, the door opened for them.
“Did you see anything?” Grant and Nick asked.
Sam held up the cigarette butt and related the story of Carrie’s expert sense of smell.
Nick stood up. “Someone really was out there?”
“Yep, we just don’t know who or why.” Sam adjusted the blind in the living room window and pulled Carrie into her room to speak in private. “Are you all right?”
She walked over to the bed and tugged nervously on the blanket to smooth it. “I’m exhausted, Sam. I’d love to take a long soak in the tub and hit the sack.” She picked up the radio he’d given her and walked back over to the door. Pausing, she heard her kids talking in low tones, and motioned Sam over to listen.
“It’s true,” Grant said. “Nobody else could tell if I’d been smoking but Mom always knew, even hours later. She’s got an unbelievable sense of smell.”
“Yeah,” Gretchen agreed. “We can’t get away with anything. She always catches us.”
“I swear, it’s like she has eyes in the back of her head, or something,” Lauren added.
Carrie tapped the side of her head and grinned. “Secret Parental Superpowers,” she whispered.
Sam gave a low chuckle. “All teenagers think they invented sneaking around behind their parents’ backs. If only they knew we did it first.”
“And that’s why we know what to watch for,” she added.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gazed seriously at her. “I don’t want to leave you alone. Nick and I could bunk down here. You’re couch looks comfortable enough.”
“Nope, we’ll be fine. Go on now, you take your boy home.”
Sam groaned on his way out to the living area. “Come on Nick, it’s time to go.”
Gretchen’s eyes grew wide with panic as she turned to Sam. “You’re leaving us here…alone…with no phone? What if that stalker comes back for Mom when you aren’t around?”
Sam raised his hands. “I offered for Nick and me to stay. I could sleep on the—”
“We are not inconveniencing you boys anymore tonight. Besides, we’ve got Sam’s two way radios,” Carrie cut in.
“There you go, that’s as good as a telephone,” Grant said, sounding impressed.
Carrie followed Sam and Nick out to the porch. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for us today.”
“It makes me feel good that I could help.”
She managed a tired smile as she perused the area. “I don’t think he’ll be back tonight. Don’t ask me how I know, it’s just a feeling.”
“Yeah, well. Don’t turn that radio off until morning. As soon as I get home, I’ll switch mine on.”
Carrie placed one hand on Sam’s chest then took hold of his coat and drew him closer. She gave him a feather-light kiss on the lips, held it for a few seconds, before placing her hand gently on his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. And call me later.” She held up the radio.
“Yes, ma’am, I will.” Sam backed slowly off the porch and waited until she closed and locked the door. He met Nick in her driveway, slinging his arm loosely around his son’s shoulder as they began the walk home. “It’s been a strange day, Nick. Good, but strange.”
“Things are about to change for us, huh, Dad?”
“It’s possible. We’ll see how it all turns out. What do you think of Carrie and her bunch?”
“They’re okay,” he said. “They’re fun to be around. Except they talk funny.”
Sam grinned, knowing that was a brilliant review for a seventeen year old kid who didn’t volunteer much information. “Yeah, well, if you ask them, they’ll say it’s us that talk funny. Carrie’s always calling me a big Redneck. Did they talk about their dad or the divorce? Are they mad at their mom?”
“Grant says she should have done it years ago. They’re all real proud of Carrie. And the twins…” He shrugged. “They just don’t want to move.”
“She feels guilty for asking them to, but this is much closer to her work.” He saw his son’s grin. “Okay, I’ll admit it’s convenient as hell for me.” He gave his son a playful shove. “Give your old man a break, will you kid?”
Nick laughed. “Merry Christmas, Dad.”
“Merry Christmas, Son.” The two walked into their home and closed the door against the chill of the cold, winter night.
***
The truck’s beefed-up engine started on the first crank. He waited a few seconds before throwing it into drive and hitting the highway. Damn, but that was close. He’d high-tailed it to his truck, parked two streets over, to avoid getting caught. How the hell did she know he was there? How was she able to pinpoint the exact spot he’d been standing?
He stared at the dimly lit roadway, allowing himself to latch on to what he wanted to believe. We’re connected…Bound by some invisible tether shared by two people who are meant to be together.
His truck hit an icy patch on the road and he fought to keep from skidding off into the ditch. Once he’d cleared the danger, he stared soberly at his image in the rearview.
“Pay attention, buddy. All you need is to get caught in Kenton, three parishes and sixty miles from where you’re supposed to be tonight.”
***
Carrie soaked in the tub long enough to let the tension ease from her body. Later, she emerged from her bathroom, dressed in her warmest pajamas, thick robe, and terry cloth slippers. She roamed the house and checked first on Grant sleeping on his futon.
The second bedroom remained empty, the sheets and blankets still neatly spread over the mattress. Gretchen’s room…everything placed just so…not a speck of dust anywhere on the bedroom set from the McAllister family. She definitely owed them a visit.
The third bedroom, Lauren’s room, looked like a closet had exploded. Both twins sound asleep, sprawled out on the second McAllister donation. Carrie smiled to herself, knowing she’d hear complaining in the morning. Lauren would be stuck picking up her room with no help from her sister. Gretchen was good at making messes for everyone else to clean. Throughout their entire oh-so-dramatic lives, they’d fussed about having to share everything. Yet, here they were, sharing a space when they didn’t have to.