“I’m sorry, Billy. Your childhood was rough. If Jeannie had ever managed to pull herself together…”
“Gran, my childhood wasn’t all bad, thanks to you. I always knew Mama loved me. But she was as sick as Sally is. I’ve been pushing hard for a long time. In a way, I got as addicted to work as Mama and Sally were to the alcohol. When I did let someone into my life, I thought I had to be in charge, call all the shots, control everything or it would all fall apart. That sure didn’t help me make a relationship work either.” He shook his head. “I’m finally ready to let go of the reins to make this relationship with Shannon stick. As for work? It’s cold comfort at night.”
“That’s good, Billy. If Shannon taught you that, then maybe she is the right woman for you.” Gran gently shut the bars and locked them. “Take care. Let me know how the proposal goes and what she thinks of that ring.”
“I will.” Billy checked the corner but the usual gang had obviously found beds for the night. He’d tried to contact the owners of that apartment complex, but they dodged his calls. He decided to drive by and see what was going on. Albert had said there was action in the warehouse day and night. He got in the car and picked up his phone. He had a text from Shannon. She was staying at home with her sisters and would see him tomorrow night. Damn, he missed her. Maybe he’d sleep some more tonight, take that herbal thing.
He drove down the street and saw lights on in several apartments. There were quite a few vehicles parked in the slots behind them—jeeps, a few motorcycles, and a couple of SUVs. One of those SUVs was black with fancy hubcaps. It could be the one he’d seen the night of the Ballet Ball. Of course, if it belonged in the neighborhood, then there was no reason to think it had anything to do with him.
He turned the corner and checked out the nearby warehouse. Lights on inside and a pair of pickup trucks parked by the garage doors. He was tempted to get out and see if he could get a glimpse inside. No, without backup, that would be stupid. Especially if these were drug dealers.
Instead, he got on the phone to one of his connections in the Houston Police Department. It wouldn’t hurt to give a buddy a head’s up about this new bit of action. He let the car idle at the curb while he made the call.
“Yo, Pagan. A little late for you, isn’t it?”
“Buchman, you should know I never sleep. You running the streets tonight?” Billy was using his hands-free option so when he saw movement at the garage doors, he put the car in gear and drove on down the street. Once he got around the corner, he stopped again. He still had a view of the apartment building’s parking lot. Lucky for him but unlucky for the neighborhood, the street light was burned out and he sat in the dark. He turned off his headlights to blend in.
“Yeah. What are you up to?”
“I’m in my grandmother’s neighborhood. You remember where that is?”
“Sure do. My auntie still lives a few blocks over. Did you know they’re getting ready to tear down some of those old places and put up fancy townhomes? Bet they run a couple of hundred grand each. Ugly shit.”
“I’ve seen them. Three stories and they look like shoe boxes standing on one end.” Billy couldn’t imagine living in one of those. “They take a decent-sized lot and cram four of them on it until there’s no yard left.”
“Man, it’s a shame. Soon there’s going to be no place downtown where the working poor can rent a decent home.”
“I’m sitting near some apartments that are getting gentrified right now. But there’s something going on here. Owner bought a warehouse too. Action this time of night. Seem strange to you?” Billy gave him the address.
“After midnight? I’d say so.” Buchman said something to someone, probably his partner. “You be careful. Don’t play detective, Billy.”
“I hear you. But if you get a chance, you might swing by, take a look. I was thinking drugs. We sure don’t need that moving in here.” Billy thought he heard a door slam and slipped down in his seat.
“Hell, no. I’ll check it out. Knock on a few doors. Got a young cousin who dropped out of school and runs with a crowd of kids that are just looking for trouble near that location. He told me you gave one of the punks your card.”
“Yeah. I’d like to do something for the neighborhood. Put up a place for those kids and offer job training or a rec center. Maybe tutoring for a GED, you know what I mean?”
“I sure do. Sounds like a great idea. Count me in. You need security, I’ll hook you up. No charge. About time we pushed for positive change in the inner city. All those bulldozers coming in so that rich folks can build McMansions? It makes me sick.”
“Thanks, Buchman. I’ll be in touch. And you have my number. If this apartment owner will cooperate, I’d like to see it become the start of something. We could use a unit, I’d pay for it, to begin the outreach. Now if they’re thinking to do something illegal out of there, then I’m counting on you to run them off. You hear me?”
“Sure do. Shit, got to go. Call’s coming in on a robbery. Not near your grandma. Go to bed, Billy. Leave the night to those of us who have to cover it.” He ended the call.
Billy watched that black SUV roll out from the parking lot. Where were they going at this time of night? He waited until it was almost out of sight and then followed. But the streets were almost empty. Damn it, he was going to be made if he kept trailing the car. When it stopped at a red light, Billy decided he’d better make a turn and go on home.
What did he hope to see? A drug deal? Then what? He wasn’t going to pull out his gun and make a citizen’s arrest. Besides, those damned Exiles had his gun and he hadn’t had time to replace it yet. He’d been focused on his call and didn’t have any idea how many people were in the SUV either. He would probably be outnumbered and outgunned.
Don’t play detective. Good advice.
He yawned again and concentrated on his driving when his eyelids felt heavy. Almost zero traffic. Then he saw lights behind him. Was he being followed now? He made a couple of turns to test it. Still lights. So he stopped at a McDonalds and went inside. He needed to eat, had forgotten to earlier, and hadn’t wanted to bother Gran about it. He filled up on fries, a shake, and a Big Mac. No big black vehicles pulled into the lot while he ate. Finally, he walked out to the car and looked around. He was alone except for a couple of workers power-washing the lot. Good. It must have been a false alarm. Time to go home. With a full stomach he thought he just might sleep.
* * * *
“Come on, I want to see clean plates. I didn’t get up and make my famous pecan waffles so you could just drink coffee and ignore them.” Janie had her hands on her hips and looked ready to start swatting each Calhoun with her wooden spoon. She’d been good at that when they were growing up.
Shannon picked up her fork. They looked delicious. “You did go to a lot of trouble. Thanks, Janie.” She tried, she really did, but it was hard to swallow past the lump in her throat.
“Hey, I’m eating. I’ll take another one.” Ethan held out his empty plate. “No one cooks like you, Janie.”
“I may need you as a reference, boy. Since my Calhoun stock doesn’t seem to be holding up like I planned.” She headed back to the waffle iron and poured in more batter, sprinkling in a liberal amount of chopped pecans. “I may move to Fredericksburg and find I have to get a job in a diner to make ends meet after I retire.”
“We’re working on a plan, Janie. Don’t give up on us.” Megan sat next to Shannon at the kitchen counter. She’d managed to eat half of her waffle. Now she got up to refill her coffee cup. “I know the dividends were your pension plan. Daddy gave you stock every year as a bonus.”
“Now I realize that was to avoid paying me cash.” Janie stared at the waffle iron like she could make it hurry. “I thought I could trust him. Now I’m questioning everything Conrad ever did for me.”
“I know.” Megan hugged the housekeeper and looked back at S
hannon. “Say something,” she silently mouthed.
“He loved you, Janie. I’m sure Daddy thought he was doing the right thing, giving you that stock. When oil was at its peak, the stock price was through the roof. I know your dividends were good then. Just wait. When we get the company back on its feet, you’ll have a comfortable retirement.” Shannon glanced at Ethan.
“Cassidy’s doing a fantastic job. I wish she’d stayed over so she could explain her plans.” Ethan sipped his coffee. “Trust us. We’ll make sure you don’t have to work in some coffee shop in Fredericksburg.”
“Boy, if I do, you’d better come see me there and order an expensive breakfast. I expect big tips too.” Janie sniffed and returned Megan’s hug. “Oops, waffle’s ready.” She opened the appliance and used a fork to pull out a perfectly browned masterpiece. “Now tell me why you’re all so upset.” She dropped the waffle on Ethan’s plate. “You think I can’t see there’s something bothering all of you this morning? Besides the usual Calhoun thing?”
“We’re going to see Mama today.” Shannon pushed her plate away. The smell of the maple syrup was making her a little nauseated. “Her doctor called me. She’s getting really agitated and insists she has to see us. All three of us. We’ve been putting it off, but this is the one day this month she’s allowed visitors. The doctor says we have to come if at all possible.”
“She is your mama.” Janie settled on a stool with her own cup of coffee. “I know she’s done some bad things, but…”
“Some bad things?” Megan slammed her cup on the counter so hard it cracked. “Shit!” She mopped up spilled coffee with a towel then threw the cup into the trash compacter.
“Calm down, sis.” Ethan got up and found her a new cup, filling it at the pot. “Here.” He put an arm around her and led her back to her own stool. “Janie, we’ve all had to face the fact that both our parents weren’t who we thought they were. They lied, cheated and, in Mama’s case, tried to physically hurt people.”
“I know. It’s been hard to take in for me and I don’t carry their blood.” Janie wiped tears from her eyes. “Kids, you have to know that I never saw it. Oh, we all knew your mama had her spells. Mental illness is just that, a sickness. So I cut her some slack. When she took her medicine, she was a fine and loving mother.”
“That doesn’t excuse what she and Daddy did to those people when they started Calhoun Petroleum, Janie. They hurt so many lives.” Shannon needed fresh air. She got up and walked to the French doors and threw one open. It was a cool morning and she just breathed, trying to get the nauseatingly sweet maple smell out of her lungs. What was wrong with her?
“Okay, so they were crooks. Mama’s in what amounts to a cushy jail and Daddy’s dead. So we’re trying to clean up their mess.” Megan walked over to put her arm around Shannon. “That’s all we can do, Shan. We’ll go out there and see Mama and tell her we’re done with her until she can show some remorse. I don’t care what she wants. This will be our last visit for a long time.”
“You can cut ties with her? Just like that?” Ethan stood on Shannon’s other side. “She wasn’t all bad. I remember special birthdays. She brought ponies out here to this very yard. We had great times.” He chuckled. “Ice skating in the Galleria. The four of us had the rink all to ourselves. She bought out the whole place so you could practice your twirls, Shan.”
“Yeah. When she was up, she was way up.” Shannon leaned against Ethan when he put his arm around her too. She loved her brother and her sister. But her mother? She never knew what she’d find when she saw her. The laughing lady who would do anything for her? Or the screaming banshee who couldn’t be pleased no matter what her daughter tried? Ballet had been a refuge for her. She’d spent most of her summers away at camp because she couldn’t stand being in this house. As the oldest, she’d tried to shield these two and made sure they’d had their own summer camps. Ethan had always loved computers, Megan riding.
“Stop remembering the bad times. I can feel the tension in your body.” Megan shook her a little. “We’ll get this over with and that’s that. Mama’s getting therapy and medication while she serves her sentence. That’s a good thing. Maybe someday we can have a rational talk with her. I wouldn’t count on that today, though.” Megan hugged her, then looked her over. “Now tell me about you and Billy. Is it serious?”
Shannon faced her. Billy. He was her anchor, steady and always there, loving her. No uncertainty with him. She was about to tell Megan how much she loved him when the fresh air quit working. She was going to be sick. She ran for the bathroom.
Later in the car, she sat with an ice pack on her forehead. Ethan was giving her looks, Megan had decided she knew what was wrong.
“Could you be pregnant?”
“I don’t know. I had this implant, oh, years ago. It’s supposed to be really effective. But maybe… I need to check and see how long that thing was supposed to last.” She thought about it. She and Billy were so exclusive they’d given up condoms a while ago. She’d stopped the pill in her mid-twenties because it made her occasional migraines worse. When had she last had a regular check-up?
“Would it be a disaster or a blessing if you were?” Megan was driving. They’d stuck Ethan in the back seat. Youngest always had to ride there.
“He’s already proposed and I sort of said yes. I love him. He loves me. So a blessing.” Shannon leaned against the door and closed her eyes, thinking. “I want his children. He’ll make a wonderful father.” She sniffled and looked at Megan. Her sister always acted tough but looked a little teary too.
“Auntie Megan. That’s awesome, Shan.” Megan grinned.
“Are you kidding me? How can I be a decent mother? Look at our role model.” Shannon’s stomach lurched.
“Shut the fuck up. You’ll be great. You sure know what not to do.” Megan patted her hand.
Ethan, who’d refused to wear a seatbelt, reached forward to hit her lightly on the back of the head. “Megan’s right. You’ll be great. And Billy’s a hell of a guy. A lawyer in the family. You couldn’t do better. Tell Megan about the reservation. You know he’s part Indian, Meg. And Shan got chased by crazies through the piney woods. Awesome.”
“Not so awesome. I had to be interviewed by the FBI recently. Those crazies tried to kill us. The only reason they didn’t finish the job was because they stopped to harvest their marijuana and take it with them.”
“No shit. You didn’t tell me that part.” Ethan leaned between the seats. “They were drug dealers?”
“Dealers, dopers, tax evaders. All of the above. The FBI is hot on their trail except it’s grown cold. I talked to them last week. They grilled me for hours, hoping I’d remember seeing something in the cabin where they held us that would give them a lead.” Shannon put the ice on the back of her neck when a wave of nausea hit her. “Convenience store coming up. I need a Coke to settle my stomach. Can we stop?”
Megan exited the freeway. “I could use a drink too. Ethan?”
“Sure.” He leaned back. “You both have had adventures lately, and all I’m doing is sitting in front of a computer all day. Life is not fair.”
Megan and Shannon exchanged looks.
“Really, little brother, the kinds of adventures we’ve had? You don’t want.” Shannon clutched the door handle. “Hurry, Meg, I think I’m going to throw up again. Shit. I may be pregnant. I wonder how Billy feels about eloping?”
* * *
When Shannon, Megan, and Ethan walked into the conference room, Missy was already there. She jumped up from a wing chair as soon as she saw them and rushed to embrace Ethan.
“My baby!” She clasped him to her bosom with tears of joy. When she moved on to Megan, she was met with a stony look and hands held out to block her.
“Forget it, Mama. I’m not feeling the love.”
“Megan!” Mama pulled back her hand like she was going to slap her. The
muscular guard at the door took a step forward and she let it drop. “Shannon, are you going to be mean to me too?”
“Afraid so, Mama. Sit down. Tell us why you wanted us to come out here.” Shannon couldn’t believe that her mother looked exactly the same. You’d think that being in a mental hospital would show on the surface, but it didn’t. Apparently, this facility had a beauty salon. Hair and makeup were freshly done. Too bad those tears had made her mascara run. A good daughter would send her waterproof. Shannon decided not to mention it.
“Ethan, come sit next to me.” Missy sat on a velvet loveseat and patted a spot next to her. “At least one of my children still loves me.”
“No, thank you, Mama.” He took the wing chair she’d vacated. “You hurt all of us with what you and Daddy did. We’ve done nothing but work to try to clean up your mess ever since we learned the truth. If you think we can just forgive and forget, you’re wrong.”
Her lips quivered. “That mess, as you call it, paid for everything you’ve enjoyed all of your lives.” She lifted her toned chin. She’d had a facelift right after the divorce from their father. Alexandra, the woman Daddy married after her, had taunted her about waiting too late for it. Now she looked years younger than her fifty odd years. If she ever got out of this place, she’d probably hunt for a new husband. Shannon felt sorry for whoever got stuck with her.
“Why did you want us to come out here?” Megan was determined to get to the point.
“Why do you think? What in the hell are you doing at Calhoun? I have stock in that company. It was part of my settlement from your father. I can’t sell it yet because that was a condition in the divorce decree. So I have to live off the dividends. The lower the stock price, the lower the dividends.” Her face flushed and she jumped up. A glance at the alert guard and she sat again. “I need you to stop ruining that company!”
Texas Pride Page 27