The Demon Conspiracy

by R. L. Gemmill

  ***

  Traffic was congested on the way to school and Angie grew weary of stopping and going every inch of the way. I know because I was in and out of her mind a lot during the drive. Still very sad, Angie leaned her head on the driver’s side window as she waited for the cars in front of us to move again. She thought about Chris and how he’d filled her life with tenderness and love. And how, with the addition of the children (namely us), she had finally achieved the one goal in life she coveted above all else. With the help of her willing husband, Angie now had a family of her own. That made me feel really good inside. I even heard her think the A-word again.

  Chris had never been a particularly brave man and he wasn’t driven by financial success. He was a schoolteacher, which most likely meant they’d never be rich. But for Angie, their relationship was much more than that. For her it was strongly personal. Chris had something inside him that no other man had ever displayed to her. He had the subtle ability to emotionally move her, heart and soul, and she loved him deeply. Angie had been proud and happy with her simple life—until Pandora’s Cave ruined everything.

  Sooner or later she had to face the truth. Something had happened to change her man, and it wasn’t just the cave. Chris no longer acted like Chris, not in the slightest. Angie tried to see some of the old personality traits in him, but after only two days she knew there weren’t any left. Where he had once been her best friend and lover, now he was more like a boarder in her basement who didn’t pay rent, never slept, and grouched at her whenever she went down to see him. He still looked like Chris, but his voice was different and his personality was, well…disturbed. She didn’t want to admit what she really felt was wrong with him, but it finally came out in her thoughts. Chris might be insane. She forced the idea out of her mind, but I knew it would come back to haunt her.

  Angie sat up again and glanced in the mirror. Travis and I had taken the captain’s seats, but Jon had chosen to sit alone in the back of the van. She studied Jon for a moment and realized that he wasn’t the same person anymore, either. What could have happened in that cave to make two well-adjusted people become so strangely different? Had they really been struck in the head as Jon suggested? Or was it something more sinister? Angie sadly shook her head. She had no answers for her own questions. Neither did I.

  Traffic began to move along at a regular pace again. Angie looked up and saw an old man standing over a recycling box on the side of the road sifting through the trash. He had white hair, a tan, leathery face, and wore glasses with clear frames that seemed to add to his age. Beside him was a red, three-wheeled bicycle with a large basket mounted on the front and two more baskets on the back. In the front basket was a black trash bag filled to the top with aluminum cans.

  Angie smiled. “Hey, kids, it’s Doug One. I haven’t seen him for years. Wave to him.”

  Angie gave the man a friendly honk as she rode by. He looked up and waved, but the distraction nearly sent him stumbling over his bicycle into a ditch. Somehow Doug One caught himself and went back to rummaging through the trash.

  “Who’s Doug One?” I asked, leaving Angie’s mind and offering a half-hearted wave to the old man.

  “Why’s he pickin’ up trash?” asked Travis.

  “Doug One doesn’t pick up trash,” said Angie. “Doug Four picks up trash. Doug One only picks up aluminum cans.”

  “Doug Four?” That got me. “How many Dougs are there?”

  “Seven,” said Angie. “They each pick up something different. And they give out chewing gum to kids.”

  “Gum? They must be pretty cool,” said Travis. “Are they really all named Doug?”

  “I think so,” said Angie. “I remember my grandfather said they used to ride bikes around picking up stuff in the area when he was a little kid. He said they all lived in the same house, and their neighbors called it the House of Seven Dougs. It’s like they’ve always been old. I don’t know much else about them.”

  ANGIE

  After dropping off Kelly and Travis at their respective schools, Angie drove Jon to the high school and went with him to the main office. She explained to the principal, Mr. Dillon, about the caving incident and about Jon’s possible head injury. Dillon was a short man, barely taller than Angie. But she discovered that what he lacked in stature, he made up for with a take-charge attitude and a loud voice.

  “I understand,” said Dillon agreeably. “Dr. Parrish told us all about it. Has Jon seen a doctor?”

  “I’m taking him to one today, but he insisted on coming to school. Except for his memory he seems perfectly fine. I guess he needs to be around his friends.”

  “He should stay out of caves from now on, too, if you want my opinion. They all should. Anton Edwards called in sick today, and so did Chris, though they both waited until this morning to contact us. Please remind Chris the next time he needs a sub to call our secretary the night before. And if he can’t get here himself, he can email the lesson plans to us.”

  “Chris called in? I’m surprised he remembered. He’s acting very strangely, Mr. Dillon. So is Jon, for that matter.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Jon speaks with an British accent now. And he seems to have some minor memory loss. He forgot how to drive, which is why I had to bring him today. And he’s forgotten what classes he takes. But Chris…” Her voice trailed off sadly. “I think he’s in shock. He started working on some project in the basement. Nothing else seems to matter and I don’t think he’s slept at all.”

  Dillon studied her. “I’m sorry to hear that about Chris. I hope his condition doesn’t last long; we need him. As for Jon, if his injury isn’t too severe, I suspect he’ll probably remember things once he gets back into his schedule. I’ll assign a student to show him where his classes are each day until he’s reoriented. Let me know if there’s anything we can do for him.”

  BRANDON

  Brandon Cole considered Jon Bishop to be his closest friend, so he wasn’t surprised when Mr. Dillon chose him to guide Jon around the school. Ordinarily, it would have been cool, since he and Jon hung out anyway. But Jon didn’t even recognize him, not at all. In fact, he didn’t seem to know anybody, including the love of his life, Maria Sanchez! Brandon knew a little about amnesia, but this was the first time he’d ever experienced it. And the British accent, man! That was strange! With what Brandon knew about memory loss, picking up foreign accents didn’t seem to fit.

  By lunch Maria had gotten pretty frustrated with Jon, but Brandon convinced her to stop by Dr. Parrish’s room before chemistry class and talk with him again. He was sure Maria was the key to Jon’s memory. Maria was one of the hottest girls in school and no boy could spend time with her and not have his memory jogged. When Maria met them by the door to Parrish’s room, Brandon stepped aside to let them talk.

  “Jon, do you want to come over to my place after school?” asked Maria, taking his hand. “I think we need to get reacquainted.”

  “I can’t. I have much work to do…”

  “Stop it!” Maria cut him off. “You said that ten times at lunch! And stop that stupid accent, you don’t talk like that! I want my old Jon back. Two days ago you said you loved me more than anything. Ever since the cave you don’t even remember my name.”

  “Your name is Maria.”

  “Not bad, only three tries. Look, call me tonight…if you still want to. I’ve got to go to class.” She hurried off and left Jon standing at the doorway. He looked blankly at Brandon, who nudged him into the room and directed him to their lab table in the back.

  Brandon traded troubled looks with Dr. Parrish as they passed by his desk. Parrish had on a new pair of glasses and some bandages on his head. Brandon was relieved when Parrish didn’t ask about Jon’s memory loss. He was tired of explaining it to everyone, especially when he really didn’t know anything. Brandon patted Jon on the shoulder and held up the chemistry textbook.

  “This is chemistry, Jon. Here’s the book.”

  Jon nodded
. “I saw one like it in my locker. What do I do with it?”

  “You bring it to class. Or take it home to study if we have homework, or a test.”

  Parrish found a spare notebook in the prep room and gave it to Jon, then proceeded to give notes for the chapter. Jon took notes like everyone else, but he seemed distracted. When the school day was over, word had gotten around that Jon was much different than he used to be. Brandon gave up trying to defend him. Instead he told everyone Jon had gotten a head injury and left it at that. The last bell finally rang and everyone left.

  “Where’s your car?” asked Brandon, loading up his backpack.

  “My car?” said Jon.

  “Your Mustang, man. Did you drive today?”

  “No. Angie brought me. I forgot how to drive.”

  “You forgot?” Brandon scratched his head. “Do you need a ride home?”

  “Angie told me to wait here with Dr. Parrish.”

  “Okay, that’s cool. So do you want to get together tonight? We could go by Maria’s and try to help you remember who she is. She’s pretty pissed at you, man, but don’t worry, she loves you. She’ll come around when you get it back together. Right now, though, you’re freaking her out. You’re freaking us all out.”

  “I don’t have time to get it back together. I have much work to do…”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re in a hurry. Look, man, I gotta go. Don’t forget to study for the history test tomorrow.”

  “Test? Study?”

  Brandon looked at his friend, disbelieving. If this was how Alzheimer’s patients were, then he had a whole new respect for their caregivers. “If you don’t study you won’t keep up your grades. Do you know what grades are?”

  “Grades?” Jon nodded slightly. “Yes, I know what grades are now. What kind of grades do I get?”

  “I don’t know, you just started school here last month. But you got a C on a homework assignment in chemistry. And in history you got a couple A’s. That’s probably your best subject. You should try to get at least a B in everything.”

  “Okay, I will get Bs. Then I can work hard and fast.” Jon walked away from Brandon without another word. Brandon felt bad for Jon. That boy was all messed up.

  14

  MAGIC

  KELLY

  We got a surprise when Angie picked us up from school that afternoon. She’d spent a good part of her day at a store picking out cell phones for the three of us. Travis got a bright yellow phone that was hardly bigger than a credit card. I got a pink one. Jon’s was red.

  I couldn’t believe it. All my friends had phones and I always felt dumb when one of them asked for my cell number. It was kind of hard to explain that I lived with foster parents who really didn’t have the money for something like that. Well not anymore! I hugged Angie around the neck and thanked her big time.

  “You’re certainly welcome,” she said. “I think it’s important that each of you has a way to call home.”

  Travis gawked at his phone. “Where do I put it?”

  “Put it in your backpack,” said Angie.

  “Or your pocket.” I demonstrated by stuffing my phone into my blue jeans pocket.

  “But I dunno anybody’s number.”

  “You will,” said Angie. “Why don’t you get Mathew’s number tomorrow in school? You’re going to spend the night with him next weekend, right?”

  Travis nodded. “Yeah! Thanks, Angie!”

  “You’re certainly welcome.”

  “Angie?” I asked. “Are you sure we can afford these? You know how Chris worries about money all the time.”

  “Chris worries about everything, at least he used to. I went to the basement this morning to ask him about the phones before I ever went to the store. You know what he did? He grunted at me, like I was aggravating him, or something. I took his grunt as a yes and got the phones anyway.”

  “Can I call Melissa?” I asked eagerly.

  “It’s your phone,” said Angie. “But try not to use too many minutes.”

  By the time we got to the high school the buses were long gone and most of the students had cleared out. A guidance counselor gave us directions to Dr. Parrish’s room, where we found Parrish at his desk working at the computer. He got up and smiled when he saw us.

  “Hey, kids. Hey, Angie. Jon said you were coming. What can I do for you?”

  “I was hoping you might have some things we could borrow for a while,” said Angie. “Chris needs them for his project and I didn’t know where else to get them. Here’s his list.” She gave the list to Parrish.

  Parrish scanned the list and nodded. “I’ve got everything but the groceries. And there’s no rush to return it, just bring it all in by June. Here, let me get it for you.” Parrish went off and found a box, which he began to load up with test tubes and beakers. Travis and I followed him.

  That’s when Travis noticed Jon in the back of the room, sitting alone at a table. He nudged me and pointed. Jon either didn’t see us, or he didn’t care that we were there. He sat utterly motionless with one hand in front of him, palm up. He stared at his hand as if he were in deep concentration. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but I was impressed that anybody could be completely still for so long.

  Suddenly, a light green tennis ball appeared in his hand. He hadn’t moved a muscle, so there was no slight-of-hand trickery. It just appeared.

  “Wow!” said Travis. “Do it again!”

  “Is that a real ball?” I asked.

  Jon bounced the ball on the floor to show it was real. He placed it back in his hand the same way.

  “Watch,” he said softly. He stared at the ball hard.

  I only had a vague idea what was coming next, so I counted off the seconds in my head. As soon as I hit three, the ball vanished. I blinked. That was no ordinary trick. Once again Jon had never moved at all. Maybe he was going to be the greatest magician in the world. Could a head injury cause such a huge change in someone? Maybe he wasn’t possessed. Maybe he’d just gotten his brain wires crossed.

  I looked back and saw Parrish gawking at Jon as if his whole way of scientific thinking had just been crushed. The big man gave us a look of troubled amazement, then wrapped more glassware in newspapers and loaded them in the box. I changed the subject away from magic and tennis balls.

  “So, Dr. Parrish, you said you’re a microbiologist. What exactly do you study?”

  “I’ve developed a faster method of classifying or identifying spores of all kinds.”

  “What’s a spore?” asked Travis, giving up on Jon. He sat on the counter and dangled his legs.

  “It’s kind of like a seed, usually much smaller. Lots of organisms use spores as a way to reproduce, like some plants, most fungi, and even bacteria.” He put several beakers and a graduated cylinder into the box. “Angie, I’ve got an electronic scale that Chris might want instead of what he’s got listed here. Would that be okay?”

  Angie answered. “It’s okay with me. I don’t even know what he’s using it for.”

  Parrish nodded and set the electronic scale in the box. “Kelly, how’d you like me to teach you a few things about chess before your big tournament?”

  “Really? That’d be cool!”

  “Yeah!” said Travis. “Can I watch?”

  Angie shook her head. “I can’t stick around while you guys play chess. I want to get this stuff to Chris right away so he can get this product thing out of his system. If he doesn’t do it soon I might go crazy. You can play chess another time.”

  “Angie, you can go if you want,” said Parrish. “I’ll bring them home. Besides, I need to stop by the old place and make a list of materials I’ll need. I’ve decided it’s time to finish the house.”

  “Really?” said Angie. “That’s great, Mark! I know Chris will be excited to hear we’ll be neighbors after all.”

  “Well, I’m not sure I want to live there. It’s a lot of house for one person. I’ll probably just sell it.”

  Angie’s e
xcitement faded. “That’s too bad. Chris and I were hoping you’d move in. But it’s good you’re going to finish it.”

  “What house?” asked Travis. “Is it big?”

  “The house next door to you,” said Parrish.

  “Yuck! That place is a mess!”

  “You own that?” I was surprised by that bit of information.

  Parrish laughed. “Yes and yes. It’s not so bad on the inside, though I haven’t worked on it for a couple years. But I’m psyched now. I’m getting restarted bright and early a week from Saturday.”

  “You’ll miss the chess tournament,” I said, half hoping he might come and support me.

  “That’s true,” he acknowledged without any hint that he wanted to go. I was a little disappointed until I scanned his thoughts. Though he’d saved me from the demons in the cave, he still wasn’t comfortable hanging out with kids he hardly knew. “Maybe I can help you. Angie, how about if I bring Kelly and Travis home right after I teach her a few things about the game.” He winked at me and reached into a cabinet to get a chessboard and a box full of chess pieces. He placed them on the table and I set up the pieces.

  I tried to wink back, but of course, I blinked instead. “Sounds like a challenge,” I said with a grin.

  “Are you sure, Mark?” Angie looked at Parrish, who nodded. “Thanks, so much. And thanks for this stuff. Let’s go, Jon.”

  Jon got excited. “We’re going home? Good! I can practice magic!”

  “That’s all you’ve been doing since school ended,” said Parrish. “How do you make that ball disappear, anyway?”

  Jon smiled devilishly. “I can’t tell you. It’s magic.” Angie gave Jon the box of materials to carry and took out the red cell phone as they left the room. I heard them talking in the hall.

  “I got you a cell phone, Jon,” she said. “Do you like the color?”

  “I like the color,” said Jon. “What is a cell phone?”

  Angie stopped in her tracks and gawked at him. “I can’t believe a teenager doesn’t know what a cell phone is. You must have hit your head pretty hard. Speaking of, I got you two doctors appointments tomorrow. You’ve got a physical in the morning so you’ll have to fast tonight. And you’ll see a psychiatrist later. Maybe they can help you get some of your memory back. You’ll have to miss school.” They went on down the hall.

  Travis climbed onto a stool to get a good view of the chess match as we sat down to play.

  “You go first,” I said.

  “Thanks,” said Parrish, moving one of the pawns.

  I moved my knight to see how he’d react, and sat back in my chair. I watched Parrish carefully while he thought about his next move. After he made it, I smiled slightly.

  What do you think? asked Travis inside my mind. Can you beat him?

  My response didn’t surprise him. This’ll be a quickie.

  ANGIE

  The next day Angie took Jon to the doctor for a complete physical examination. Apparently his vitals were all humanly normal, which was a good sign. The doctor even took X-rays of his head, but she found nothing to explain why he had lost so much memory and why he now spoke with a British accent. She thoroughly searched his scalp, almost like she was picking for lice, and didn’t find a single bump or scratch. She finally declared that the stress and fear of being trapped in the cave could have been a contributing factor. Jon was still young, and though he seemed tough on the outside the prolonged worry may have been a little more than he could handle.

  She also said the amnesia and the possible personality disorder should be looked at by a mental health professional.

  “We’re seeing Dr. Sanderlyn at one,” said Angie.

  The doctor nodded enthusiastically. “Dr. Sanderlyn is the best! You’ll like him.” She sent Jon off with a note to stay out of school for the rest of the week.

  When Angie got him back home, Jon rushed upstairs, wild-eyed. “Now I can practice magic!”

  “Hold on, Jon!” she said, aggravated by his newfound obsession. “The doctor said you should rest in bed and that’s exactly what you’re going to do. Don’t even think about practicing magic until you’ve rested.”

  “How long do I have to rest?”

  “At least until I get back. I need to run some errands. Remember we’re seeing the psychiatrist at one.”

  Jon nodded obediently and went straight to bed. Angie was surprised and a little suspicious. What? No argument about going to bed in the middle of the day? She decided to check up on him before she left, but once again she was impressed. He appeared to be fast asleep. The doctor was right. He did need rest.

  15

  SATAN’S SIDEKICKS

  TRAVIS

  By five o’clock that afternoon Travis Bishop was going crazy. Not crazy like Denny Martinez at the children’s home. Nobody was that crazy. Denny and Travis had been roommates at the home and Denny would wake up in the middle of the night screaming about monsters that were hiding in dark corners or in the closet. They’d turn on the lights and he’d still see them in the shadows, though nobody else saw anything. It scared Travis to think about it. No, Denny was insane crazy. In fact, he’d been placed in a crazy house two years ago, a hospital called Sunnyside Mental Health Clinic. Sunnyside was Denny’s home now.

  Jon had been to Sunnyside, too, earlier that afternoon. Angie had taken him to see Dr. Sanderlyn, who spoke with Jon for an hour before determining that nothing was wrong with him. Even so, they set up a second appointment for the week after Thanksgiving.

  No, Travis wasn’t Sunnyside crazy, not at all. He was bored crazy. He wanted to play with some friends, but they all lived too far away to walk to their houses, which meant Angie would have to take him. His best friend in the whole world was Mathew Dunlop, but he hardly ever got to play with Mathew. He decided to let Angie know how he felt. He sat beside her in a rocking chair on the front porch.

  “Angie, I’m going crazy.”

  She looked at him and rubbed his hair. “You’d better not be. We’ve got enough crazy people in this house.”

  “But Dr. Sanderlyn said Jon wasn’t crazy.”

  “Dr. Sanderlyn doesn’t know as much about Jon as I do. Everybody who knew Jon before the cave trip has noticed changes in the way he acts. I tried to explain it to Sanderlyn, but he didn’t get it. Honestly, I think he was psychoanalyzing me instead of Jon.”

  “What’s sykoanzulizing?”

  “Psy-cho-an-alyzing. It’s just doctor talk. They like big words. It basically means they study your mind.” She took in the view in front of the house and sighed contentedly. Travis liked the feelings she was having, all warm and fluid. She went on. “I love fall. Look at all the different colors in the leaves. You know, it’s so nice outside, I think we’ll eat on the deck tonight. We won’t get many more days like this before winter. Do you and Kelly like hamburgers and hotdogs?”

  “Yes!” cried Travis emphatically. “With cheese?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.

  Hours later Travis heard his stomach growl, so he wandered out on the deck where he found Angie cooking burgers and dogs on the charcoal grill. She had already set up dinnerware on the picnic table and the smell of all that food made Travis’ mouth water. He was starved as usual. He leaned against Angie.

  “Angie, I’m bored.”

  “Not crazy anymore? That’s good. Are you bored or just hungry?” Angie flipped a row of burgers, one after the other. Flames shot up as juice from the patties spewed over hot coals. The grill was situated next to the outside wall of the house, allowing the smoke to be drawn up and away from where they were standing.

  “Both. There’s nothin’ to do.”

  “Why don’t you find Kelly? I’m sure you guys can come up with something to keep you busy. You could play a game.”

  Travis swiped a pickle from the relish tray and popped it in his mouth. It crunched all sweet and juicy. “Maybe.”

  He moped through the house and up the stairs into Ke
lly’s room, but she was talking on the phone with her new friend, Melissa.

  “Go find Jon,” said Kelly, waving him off.

  Travis left disappointed. He could usually count on Kelly to come up with something fun to do. He stopped in the hall. The door to his room was closed, so he tried to open it, but it was locked. Jon was most likely inside practicing magic, which was mostly the only thing he did anymore. He didn’t bother to knock, Jon had gotten too weird lately, kind of scary, too.

  Travis hung his head and went back downstairs. He thought about watching TV, but nothing was on. He went out on the front porch and sat in one of the five rocking chairs Angie had bought so they could all rock together. As he rocked back and forth he imagined the thrill of going on an adventure, but that only reminded him how bored he still was. He wanted real excitement and he wanted it now!

  That’s when he heard the distant rumbling of powerful engines. At first they were far away and the noise only made him curious. But they got closer and became louder and louder. Whatever made the noise was definitely coming this way. Travis sat up, alarmed. The noise was so loud it was getting scary.

  Angie came out on the porch and stood at the top of the stairs. Surprisingly, Chris also showed up, looking very nervous, Travis could feel it. Chris had gotten so protective of the secrecy of his product in the basement that the family rarely saw him anymore. He’d gotten mean, too. Angie was cautiously calm, so Travis moved closer to her.

  “What is that noise?” asked Chris, his eyes darting fearfully from Angie to the road. Travis could barely hear him.

  “I think we’re going to have a visitor,” shouted Angie. “I almost forgot.”

  “Forgot what?” Travis practically screamed as he covered his ears. This was louder than the stupid fire alarm at school!

  A moment later, Jon and Kelly joined them. Jon stood off by himself levitating the tennis ball. Kelly went to the end of the driveway and looked up the road. She ran back.

  She yelled excitedly. “Bikers! Like fifty of ‘em!”

  She’d no sooner said it, when a long line of motorcycles rolled down the street into the cul-de-sac. The noise was deafening and powerful. Travis swallowed hard.

  Angie turned to her husband. “I can’t believe she came.”

  “Who?” asked Chris. “They better stay out of the basement.”

  Angie shook her head at his narrow train of thought. “I finally get to meet her.”

  Dozens of bikers made the loop around the cul-de-sac, then found places to park in the road, the driveway, and all over the yard of the vacant house next door. Luckily, most of the bikers eventually put their powerful machines into a sputtering idle. Even so, one of them gunned an engine now and then. The sudden, earsplitting blasts made Travis jump halfway out of his skin.

  Travis shivered and grabbed the back of his neck—ghost fingers! In his mind bikers were dangerous. These bikers didn’t act threatening, but their mirror shades, Nazi looking helmets and dark leather jackets were disturbing.

  One of the riders, a husky woman with broad shoulders, parked her bike in the driveway behind the minivan and turned off the motor. She stepped off the bike, removed her helmet, and adjusted a rag tied over her head as she strutted toward the house. She wore a black leather jacket and faded blue jeans.

  A huge, bearded man on the lead bike called out to her. “Later, Matilda!”

  The woman turned and waved. “See ya, Jake! You blokes take care!”

  Travis saw a picture of an evil-looking devil on the back of her jacket with the words Satan’s Sidekicks printed underneath. A second later the bike noise blasted the air again as the powerful machines roared back up the street. Travis kept his hands over his ears until the last one was gone and it was quiet again. For a while the silence seemed to make his ears ring.

  It’s a good thing there aren’t any neighbors, thought Kelly to Travis. They’re so loud! Right now Travis didn’t care about neighbors. He was too worried about this stranger named Matilda. Who was she? Why was she here? He decided maybe being bored wasn’t so bad after all.

  The woman turned and faced them again. “G’day, Angie,” she said in a thick, Australian accent. “It’s been a while.”

  “A lifetime,” said Angie coldly. “So you made it.”

  “Looks like it.”

  “You’re early. We didn’t expect to see you for another month. This is my husband, Chris McCormick.”

  Matilda offered to shake his hand, but Chris stood there stupidly. Angie nudged him. “Shake hands.”

  Chris reached out and took Matilda’s hand. She squeezed hard. He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let go. It wasn’t until he grimaced in pain that she released him. Chris rubbed his throbbing hand. “That hurt. You stay out of my basement. You stay away from my product!” He turned and retreated into the house. Matilda was baffled by his response, but she felt good that he was weaker than her.

  Travis sensed the woman was trying to conceal a deep sense of hurt, but mostly from herself. As hard-nosed as she seemed on the outside, he could tell she had delicate feelings. She might have been fooling everyone else, but she wasn’t fooling him.

  Matilda’s gaze went from face to face as if sizing them up for a fight. She settled on Travis, who was practically glued to Angie’s side. Angie was utterly calm; he could feel it. But this biker lady had him shaking.

  “Hello, li’l mate,” she said warmly. “How’s it going?”

  That was weird. She seemed friendly. Travis nodded slightly.

  “It’s okay, Travis,” said Angie. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet Matilda Price. My birth mother.”

  KELLY

  “I’m not looking to stay long,” said Matilda, sounding humble and embarrassed. “I’m hoping to reconnect with you, that’s all.”

  “I’m not looking for you to stay long either.” Angie was curt, cold as ice. “And I wouldn’t call it reconnecting, Matilda, since we’ve never connected to begin with.”

  I looked at Travis, who shrugged. I couldn’t tell if Angie liked her mom or not, but it sure didn’t seem like it. The two women were alone in the living room, while the rest of us had gone some place else to give them privacy. Chris had escaped to the basement, and I do mean escaped. He’d only just met Angie’s mother, but he was pretty upset about that handshake.

  Travis and I were in the den pretending to watch TV, but we were really spying on Matilda Price. Jon sat in a rocking chair on the front porch throwing the tennis ball into the yard and making it come back to him without moving a muscle. I think he couldn’t have cared less about Matilda.

  “I want to show you I’ve changed, Angie. I came to listen to whatever you want to say to me. I deserve yer worst. I’ve never been a mother to you.”

  “No, you haven’t. It’s only the third time you’ve ever seen me, if you count being born. Do you remember when you came to my high-school graduation? At first I didn’t want you anywhere near me. But then I thought, she’s my mother, I need to meet her. Before long I got brave and thought we were going to finally meet that day. But we never even talked. You took off on that damn motorcycle without saying hello or goodbye!”

  “I couldn’t. I didn’t want to go, but I couldn’t face you either.” Neither of them spoke for several moments, which I guess you’d call an awkward silence. Heck, I felt awkward and I wasn’t even involved.

  “Why are you here? Why shouldn’t I just tell you to leave right now?” Angie meant it like an ultimatum.

  “You’d be right to tell me to leave. But hear me out first, please. I can’t explain it, but I got feelings, you know? Like you might need my help.”

  “I…we don’t need your help. I’ve been just fine for forty-one years, and I’ll be fine for the next forty-one—without you.”

  “Angie, I was a dipstick parent and never pretended to be otherwise. But I’m through with that. I want to be as good a parent to you as I can with the time we have left. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  �
��It’s too late. In my heart you’ll never be my mother. Never.”

  “I understand that, really I do. But you’re the only living rellie I’ve got. I just hope we can be friends.”

  “Friends don’t get on their motorcycle at a whim and just leave.” Angie sounded bitter, but I knew she was afraid. I mean, who’d want to waste her time getting to know someone who might just run off again and stay gone for decades?

  “I won’t do it again. I have changed, you’ll see that for yourself. I’m no bludger, I’ll get a job right off and start by paying for my room and board for whatever time you’ll let me stay here. That is, if you have any room. I didn’t know you had kids.”

  “How could you know anything about me? Unlike you, I can’t physically have children of my own. Also unlike you, I’ve always wanted them. Chris and I see them as precious gifts, not inconveniences. We wanted children any way we could get them. We’re foster parents, Matilda.”

  “Foster parents? That’s noble. So what about these kids? Are they any trouble?”

  “Trouble?” Angie’s tone instantly went from angry jilted daughter to loving mom. “They’re wonderful. We’re so lucky. They’ve only been with us a couple months, but I already feel a connection, like they belong.”

  Travis and I exchanged happy looks. It’s always great to hear when someone likes you, especially someone you care about.

  “That’s great.” Matilda sounded sincere. “You have so much love to give to them. I can tell, even if I don’t know you. You see, Angie? What we just did, that’s all I’m hoping for by being here.”

  “What did we do?”

  “We had a moment together, you know? You talked about the kids and how much you care for them. All this time I assumed they were your own children. Don’t you understand? That’s the kind of girl talk I’m hoping for. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you at any time in your life. Crikey, I’m really sorry I left you at graduation: that was a stupid mistake. And I know it sounds selfish, but I’m sorry for me, too. I’ve only gotten to know you for twenty minutes and already realize I’ve lost a lifetime by not staying around.” Matilda sniffled.

  She’s crying? I thought to Travis.

  She’s pretty upset, he replied back.

  Wonder if she’s ever done that before?

  “Chris and I share in all big decisions,” said Angie. “If you stay here, well that’s a big one all right. It’s as much his choice as it is mine.”

  “I understand. I’ll go outside while you talk to Chris. I have a tendency to intimidate people.”

  “Really?” Angie’s voice dripped with sarcasm, but she must have been smiling because both women chuckled as they started for the foyer. I caught a flash of confusion from Matilda when she saw that Jon had been sitting within hearing distance.

  Matilda stepped out on the porch and glared at him. “Get an earful?”

  “What?” said Jon, clueless. Travis snickered, so I covered his mouth.

  I peeked out the window and saw Matilda shoot Jon a challenging glance. She stepped down to the sidewalk. A moment later Angie came outside and marched right up to her. Jon threw the ball almost to the mailbox by the street. It came to a complete stop, then began to roll back to him. It rolled past the big oak tree, bouncing over its roots, and then up the steps and into his hand. I was amazed. Travis tugged on my arm to make sure I’d seen it. For the first time Matilda noticed what he was doing. Jon shot a cocky glance to the older woman and went inside.

  “Does he always do that?” Matilda scratched her head.

  Angie ignored her. “Chris doesn’t care if you move in as long as you don’t go in the basement. He’s gotten kind of weird. On the other hand, I’m not so sure if you should, even if you do pay room and board. You’ve been such a lousy mother.”

  I cringed. It wasn’t so much the word as it was how she said it. She sounded almost nasty. Was she testing her mother?

  “Yes,” said Matilda, not reacting like I thought she would. “I want us to be friends, if we can. I want to get to know your husband and your kids, too. I want to be part of your life, at least for as long as you’ll let me.”

  Angie went on. “We don’t know anything about you except that you rode up with a motorcycle gang called Satan’s Sidekicks. I suppose you can be nice when you’re not crushing the hands of people you meet for the first time. You could have hurt Chris, squeezing it like that! And I wonder what kind of influence you’ll be on the kids, because I assure you, the kids will continue to live here whether you stay or not. Frankly, I don’t see you fitting in.”

  Matilda hung her head and I kind of felt sorry for her. I had a feeling Angie was going to tell her to hit the road. She went on.

  “The five of us, well, we’re a little late getting together, but we’re a family. Matilda, as long as your influence on the children remains positive, then the family includes you, too. And if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor, you can have the small bedroom at the top of the stairs. We’ll bring up an old mattress from the basement.”

  Matilda smiled and nodded politely.

  Boy was I shocked. I didn’t expect Angie to say anything close to that.

  “Travis?” said Angie. “Kelly? Kids, you’ve already met Matilda. Well, she’s going to live with us for a while. One more thing, Matilda. Don’t you dare bring any guns into this house. I am staunchly against firearms. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” repeated Matilda with a slight nod. “Lots of folks don’t want guns around.” She lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “Until they need ‘em.”

  I smiled, but didn’t say anything. I nearly raised my hand to tell on her, but that would have been stupid. To my surprise Travis did raise his hand. I winced. I didn’t want him to say what I’d just been thinking.

  Matilda seemed bewildered. “Is that for me?”

  “Yes,” said Travis nervously. “I have a question.”

  “Oh. Well, go ahead, li’l mate. Fire away.”

  Travis lowered his head shyly, then looked up. “Whutta we call you?”

  I let out a breath of relief when he didn’t mention guns.

  “What do you call me? You mean, like Angie and Chris call me Matilda?”

  Travis nodded. Matilda thought about it for a while then smiled again. This time the smile was warmer and made her look pretty, like Angie.

  “Well, li’l mate, here’s what I think. I’m hoping you three and Angie and Chris will all be together for a very long time. That would make me sort of like your grandmother, wouldn’t it? So why don’t you call me Granny?”

  “Granny?” Angie’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  “We’ve got a grandmother,” I said calmly. “Wait till Jon hears.”

  “We never had a grandmother before,” said Travis. “Not a live one, anyway.”

  I smiled and nodded but I wasn’t sure how I felt about this unusual woman. Something else got my attention. “What’s burning?”

  Angie looked up with a start. “Omigosh! The burgers!” Suddenly, she charged back into the house. We started to go with her, but we didn’t want to leave Matilda—Granny—stuck outside alone.

  “So much for supper,” I said.

  Travis smiled. “Granny, I hope you like pickles.”

  16

  THE FIGHT

  KELLY

  Giant flames from the grill shot up in the air, licking at the vinyl siding on the back of the house. Angie freaked when she saw it, but reacted like a pro. Crouching, she moved the grill away from the house to the center of the deck. Then she carefully scraped the ruined burgers and hotdogs onto a large plate. When the juicy meat was off the grill, the fire died down a bit.

  Granny helped by grabbing a box of baking soda from the fridge and sprinkling it all over the coals. It was mostly dead in seconds.

  The burnt siding looked and smelled as bad as the burgers. The heat had melted and charred an area eight feet above the grill, warping the vinyl, and giving it a curdled textu
re. Angie hung her head.

  “I wonder how much that will cost?” She was so frustrated I gave her a big hug. Travis joined us. Granny looked on without comment.

  “I’m sorry about supper,” said Angie. “Chris is the one who usually cooks on the grill. Would anyone like to go with me to Tony’s Pizza?”

  “Why not send Jon or Chris?” asked Granny. “Though it’s not my business.”

  “They forgot how to drive,” said Travis.

  “Forgot how to drive?” Granny half shrugged. “How does that work?”

  “We’ve had some, uh, issues to deal with,” said Angie. “Kelly, can you make a list of what everyone wants? Travis, I’ll need you to help carry the drinks, okay?”

  “Okay!” said Travis. “Kelly, I want a turkey sub!”

  “Figured that.” I found a sheet of paper in a kitchen drawer and jotted it down. “Can I have a pepperoni pizza?”

  “You can have whatever you want,” said Angie. “Let’s get a large, we’ll split it. Matilda, what would you like?”

  Matilda “Granny” Price had two requests. “A roast beef sub would do me fine, Angie. Thanks. Would you mind if I joined you on this trek? I’d like to pick up some job applications.”

  “Not a problem. Let’s go, guys. I’ll get Jon.”

  When Angie left the room Granny looked at me confused. “Forgot how to drive? I mean, Chris must have been driving for what? Twenty years? Kelly, what’s going on?”

  “It’s complicated,” I said. “One of those long stories.”

  “Can’t wait to hear it.” She called out to the other room. “Angie? Would you mind giving me five minutes to freshen up a bit? I don’t want to make a bad first impression with any potential employers.”

  “Hurry.” Angie was so upset over burning both dinner and the house that Granny’s delay nearly set her off. I heard her think, If you hadn’t shown up I might not have burned anything. At the very least I wouldn’t be waiting for you now! I quickly got out of her head.

  I followed Angie into the den where Jon sat on a bar stool, staring out the front window. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

  “Jon, Tony called yesterday. He asked me to remind you about your paycheck. He also wanted to know when you were coming back to work. He hired Brandon to fill in while you’re out.”

  “I know Brandon,” said Jon in his British accent and deadpan expression. “I met him at school.”

  “He’s your best friend, or he was. You really need to go with us and talk to Tony.”

  “I will talk to Tony. You must introduce me.”

  “Introduce?” Frustrated, Angie gave up any attempt to spark his memory. She tried a different strategy. “Maria’s working tonight, so if you want to take some time and visit with her we can eat at the restaurant.”

  “I know Maria. It took me three tries to learn her name.” Jon spoke like a robot with half a brain.

  Twenty minutes later Granny had showered and changed into a newer looking pair of blue jeans and a white blouse. Her hair was fixed nice, too. I was impressed. Without the do-rag she looked a lot like Angie. But waiting twenty minutes was nearly too much. Angie was beyond irritable.

  “Can we go now?”

  “Sorry,” said Granny. “Yes, certainly.”

  We hurried to the van before Angie blew her top. Granny looked back at the house. “Did anyone get Chris’ order?”

  “Chris doesn’t eat anymore,” said Angie. “Or he doesn’t appear to, though he hasn’t lost any weight. And don’t ask why because we don’t know what’s going on either.”