Identity

by Nat Burns

  “Smells heavenly,” Don said, brushing the bushes as he strode the narrow sidewalk.

  “I think that’s the idea,” said Shay, chuckling and nudging him.

  “Behave, you two.” Liza chided, smiling as she opened the heavy metal doors.

  Inside the party was in full swing. Festive music sounded from a small portable CD player just outside the kitchen doors. The homeless, mission guests and the staff milled about the large dining hall. The smell of roast turkey and fresh rolls wafted through the room.

  “This is wonderful,” Shay said. “You mean all these people can stay here if they need to?”

  Liza nodded as she led the way to a punchbowl- and cookie-laden table. “Absolutely. The whole back area over there is divided into two big dorm-like rooms that can house twenty people each.”

  “Are they usually full?” Greg asked. He was glancing around the dining hall trying to imagine the full footprint of the mission.

  “I can’t even believe I’m eating this after that dinner you served,” Liza muttered, chewing a peanut butter cookie. “Usually, Greg, but it’s such a transient population that it fluctuates. Sometimes two people, sometimes thirty. When there’s a cold snap, it fills pretty fast.”

  “And don’t forget the people who just come in to clean up or get a meal,” Rosemary added, coming up behind them. Kim was at her side and both wore Pilgrim hats.

  Liza laughed. “Don’t y’all look cute.”

  “Every day,” Kim answered smugly, “but I thought you knew that.”

  Rosemary drew Shay into a quick bear hug, and Liza hastened to introduce Don and Greg.

  “Sorry we can’t stay and visit guys,” Kim said, “but we’re going to start serving.”

  “We’re here to help,” Greg told her. “Just tell us what to do.”

  As Rosemary gratefully pulled Don, Greg and Shay behind the serving area and gave them direction, Liza studied the room. More than thirty people crowded the brightly decorated dining room. Most had already found seats at the hodgepodge of donated tables while others milled about looking for seats. Though she spied and waved to locals such as Doc and Paula King, Doc Huffner and the Jacksons, she didn’t see Arlie and Mindy. She hadn’t talked to either of them since that day at the Java Cup and was worried about the outcome of their difficult confrontation.

  “Liza, you okay?” Rosemary asked, coming to stand next to her. She studied the room as if wondering what had snared her friend’s interest.

  “Have you heard from Arlie and Mindy?” Liza asked thoughtfully.

  Rosemary frowned at her. “No, I called to say hi earlier in the week but didn’t get an answer so I just left a message. Should I have?”

  Liza sighed. “No, just haven’t heard anything lately.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine. Maybe they went over to Seminole to visit Min’s mom.”

  “You’re probably right,” Liza said, smiling to put Ro at ease.

  Rosemary sensed that Liza was troubled, however. “You know, you could call. I’m sure they have their cell phones with them.”

  Liza nodded. “You’re right. I may do that. Have you seen Chris? I need to ask her something.”

  Rosemary nodded. “She and Tommy were here, but she said she had to do something for the shelter so they took off just a few minutes ago. They’re trying to get a place here in town so if you hear of anything, let me know.”

  “Sure, will do.”

  The two made their way toward the serving area so they could help dish up food onto plates for the people seated at the tables. A tribe of teen volunteers stood ready, awaiting plates so they could serve as wait staff.

  “So, what’s the latest?” Rosemary asked, glancing sideways at Liza.

  Liza grinned and blushed. “She’s fantastic. I can’t believe my luck stumbling onto her the way I did.”

  Yeah,” Rosemary agreed dryly. “Trampling my girlfriends is always the way I like to trap ’em.”

  “Whoa, what’s going on over there?” Liza said, taking Rosemary’s arm, halting their progress. She was looking at the food service bar where Don and Greg, behind it, were arguing heatedly. Liza couldn’t hear what they were saying because the whole argument was sotto voce and just between the two men, but it was clear something was amiss.

  “Should we intervene?” Rosemary asked cautiously.

  Liza glanced toward Shay, standing ready over by the green vegetable station, and found her oblivious to her friends’ distress. “I don’t think so, not without Shay’s involvement. I know you’re worried about the servers but they don’t seem affected.”

  As they watched, however, it became a moot point as both men abruptly ceased arguing and quietly resumed dishing up mashed potatoes and gravy onto the line of plates conveyed along the counter.

  Rosemary and Liza looked at one another. They shrugged and donned the aprons awaiting them behind the serving area.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  “Listen, guys, we need to talk.”

  Don’s voice arrested them as they entered a darkened house still fragrant with good cooking smells. Shay glanced at Don in surprise as she pressed the door closed and engaged all the locks.

  He took Shay’s hand and led her to the sofa. He took both hands and sat her gently down and then motioned for Liza to sit on the other side. Liza switched on a nearby lamp and sat. Greg stood nearby, face ashen, and Liza had a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach.

  “I have some bad news,” he began gently. “But I don’t want you to get too crazy about this. We will deal with it. I don’t want you to worry.”

  Shay’s eyes grew wide and her breathing rate increased. “What is it?”

  “Rachel, Dr. Frye, is dead. She’s been murdered.”

  Shay gasped. “How? When? How could this happen?”

  Don held Shay’s hands more firmly as his large eyes filled with unshed tears. “Two weeks ago; someone broke into her office and stole some of her files.”

  Liza stood suddenly and moved to the bar. She poured several fingers of straight, single-malt scotch and brought it to Shay. Loosening her hands from Don’s, Liza pressed the glass into one. “Drink this, Shay. Now!”

  Don’s wet eyes connected gratefully with Liza’s as Shay did as she was told. She shivered once, as the scotch went down, then spoke quietly. “She’s the only other person I gave the new address to. My file’s missing, isn’t it?” She leveled her gaze on Don, daring him to lie.

  Don sighed, his eyes tortured. “Yes,” he whispered. “Yes.”

  Shay studied him a long time, her thoughts going back to that first time they’d met. How he had helped her, cuddling her into a blanket and into his arms like a loving father.

  “There’s more, isn’t there?” she said finally. She lifted the glass to her lips and took another, deeper drink. Liza laid one hand on Shay’s shoulder, as if bracing her.

  “Pepper’s out…”

  Tears welled in Shay’s eyes, then spilled over to cascade along her drawn cheeks. “No, Don,” she wailed. “No, don’t…”

  Don pulled her close and buried her face in his neck. He held her as she sobbed. Liza, her own eyes moist, looked at Greg. He shrugged, portraying his feelings of helplessness. They waited. Liza fetched a nearby box of tissues and sat down next to Shay, setting aside the drink and pressing several tissues into her hand. She handed the box to Don.

  “Okay,” she said finally. “What do we need to do?”

  “Wait,” Shay interrupted, her voice muffled by tears. “I want to know how that bitch managed to get out.”

  Don sat back, mopped his face with a tissue and then scrubbed at his face roughly with both hands. “You won’t even believe it. It was damned politics!”

  Shay dabbed at her own face, then pierced him with a look of annoyance.

  “Really, it’s insane. It seems Pepper is a Brit. She was born in the U.K. but has been in the U.S. so long that she has dual citizenship.”

  Shay nodded. “I know about that, bu
t my lawyer said that wouldn’t matter because she’d lived here so long. He investigated that!”

  Don rose and moved to his briefcase which was resting against the leg of Shay’s desk. He fished through it while Liza wrapped a comforting arm about Shay’s shoulders and helped dry her face with the tissues folded in her free hand.

  “Here,” he said, returning and handing her a small newspaper clipping. “Read this.”

  Shay squinted at it, finally handing it to Liza. “Please?”

  Liza smoothed the clipping and began to read aloud as Don mixed himself a drink at the bar.

  Dorothy Presley Pope, a 32-year-old U.S. Government Navy Department supply clerk, who was convicted of aggravated assault with intent to commit bodily harm in 2005, has received a full pardon from Governor Timothy Robinson. The governor said in a statement that he decided to pardon Ms. Pope to prevent her from being deported to Britain, where Ms. Pope was born and lived until the age of thirteen.

  Governor Robinson announced today that he has granted Dorothy Presley Pope a full but conditional pardon of her 2005 conviction in order to allow Pope to seek relief from deportation from the federal immigration courts.

  Pope has not fully served the sentence imposed upon her for her convictions but has had an exemplary disciplinary record while in prison. In that time, she has participated in work release programs with youth outreach to counsel youth against violence and has become a symbol of rehabilitation for many young people.

  Ms. Pope faces deportation under a federal statute that mandates the removal of a lawful resident alien upon conviction of an aggravated felony or a weapon offense. For certain offenses removal can be avoided by a governor’s pardon.

  The governor’s decision was based on, among other things, the “unusual and outstanding equities” of this case.

  Shay moaned. “You have got to be kidding me! What kind of justice is that? I wish she had been deported.”

  Don nodded. “It seems she has everyone snowed, that’s for sure.”

  “Maybe she has been rehabilitated, like the article says,” Greg said hopefully.

  Liza studied the article. “When was this? There’s no date.”

  “There isn’t?” Don took the paper from her hands. “Must’ve gotten lost when it was faxed. I asked the librarian for info from the past month so it’s no older than that.”

  Shay studied Liza. “Do you think she’s here, El?”

  Liza shrugged. “Honey, I’m just not qualified to make that judgment. I’ve never met her and can’t predict how she’d act. What do you think?”

  “I think she won’t give up.” She lifted a pained expression to Liza, then looked at Don. “What am I going to do?” she whispered.

  Liza stood and pulled Shay to her feet. She shook her once, hard, eliciting a gasp from both Don and Greg.

  “You are going to pull yourself together, Shay. You’re going to fight this bitch with every ounce of your being. I know you’re scared, honey, we all are to some extent, but fear won’t help you now. I can’t believe you would allow this worthless piece of crap to dictate the rest of your life.”

  “But…” Shay began, staring at Liza with tear-swollen, frightened eyes.

  Liza shook her head firmly, her hands still holding Shay’s upper arms in a heavy grip. “No buts, Shay. Only you can decide whether you’ll be afraid. Don’t give in to it. Think of what your parents would want. Do it for them, honey. Be strong for Don. Do it for us, Shay, us. I want to build a life with you, but I can’t do it if Pepper is in the room with us all the time. Let the fear go, baby. I’m here for you. I’ll be here for you, Shay.”

  For a moment Liza thought she was imagining it, but Shay’s back seemed to straighten, her jaw grow more firm. She remained silent for a long while. She looked at Greg. She looked at Don. She looked at Liza. Her temper flared.

  “What kind of idiot governor would allow such a psycho to get out? Now I have to watch my back twenty-four/seven, all because of a stupid loophole and some bleeding heart asshole.”

  She forcefully shoved Liza’s hands aside and stomped around the living room. Greg hastily moved out of her way, and Don watched her with wide eyes.

  “I have just about had it with her. She’s a heartless…monster. But I don’t care. So what if she comes to Alabama? So what if she has my address? It’s only a post office box. There’s no way she could find me short of following me home from the post office.”

  “And here, it’s wide open, easy to see if someone’s following you,” Don added.

  Shay paused and turned on him vehemently, shaking an index finger toward him. “You’re right! That’s absolutely right! The roads are huge here, nothing like in DC,” she crowed.

  “She won’t be able to get within a mile of you without you seeing her,” Greg chimed in, eager to help.

  “She better not let me see her, because I’ll run her butt down if I see her first,” Shay declared.

  Liza stood and pressed both palms toward Shay. “Okay, let’s calm down now.” She eyed Don angrily. “All of you. Let’s talk about this as reasonable adults. I said to be unafraid, not crazy.”

  Shay smiled crookedly, clearly embarrassed. “I just hate the bitch so much, El. What she did to my life is unspeakable. How could she have killed Dr. Frye?”

  “I know, honey, and we’ll deal with that over time. Just remember, strong baby steps. We’ll take things a day at a time and cross the Pepper bridge only when we absolutely have to.”

  “I still say she better not let me see her following me,” Shay said defensively, wiping away new tears brought by thoughts of Rachel Frye.

  “Now, Shay, we don’t want you in jail…” Don warned. “I agree with Liza. We need to take it easy and speaking of that, I’m turning in, I…I can’t deal with any more. It’s been a long day for us.”

  Shay shook her head as if amazed at her own capacity for violence. “I’m sorry, guys; I’m just so pissed.”

  Don rose and pressed a kiss to Shay’s forehead. “No one’s blaming you, sweet girl. I didn’t know how to tell you, hated to tell you, and Greg and I’ve been arguing about whether to tell you now or later, just before we leave. It was a tough decision.”

  “I know, but thank you for coming in person. You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yes, we did. And you have every right in the world to be upset,” he said. “Just don’t let fear get the upper hand. You’re a lot more powerful than you realize.”

  Shay nodded and, after both men hugged Liza goodnight, she led the way toward the guest bedroom and helped the men settle in.

  ***

  “Do you really want to build a life with me?” Shay asked sometime later when she reentered the living room. Liza was sitting in an armchair, gently sloshing an iced amber liquid in her glass. She looked up at Shay, and Shay felt the look all the way to her toes.

  “Stay here tonight,” Shay whispered. “Can you stay?”

  “I’ll stay,” Liza said, rising and moving to stand with Shay. The electric current between them was all-encompassing. They kissed gently and Shay could taste the bourbon on Liza’s breath.

  “I’ll lock up and be right in,” Shay told her. “Get the bed warm.”

  “No problem there,” Liza said with a short laugh.

  After Liza quit the room, Shay took a deep breath. Oddly enough, with a house full of people she felt more unafraid than she had in a long time. My protectors, she thought as she performed her nightly routine, securing the house. Now if only she could talk all of them into staying here with her forever.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  The house was empty again after two days of rebonding. Don and Greg, having spent time with Shay and accomplishing their unpleasant mission, had flown back north to spend the holiday at the New York home of Don’s plump, sweet mother, Adelynn. Shay had met her once at Don’s house and fallen head over heels for her. They still e-mailed several times a week.

  Liza had gone with her to the airport to see Don an
d Greg off, but then, as soon as the two returned to Shay’s house, had apologetically hurried off, late for a New Life Mission board meeting. She had already called once to check on her and to apologize again for leaving Shay during such a difficult time.

  Shay’s thoughts meandered to the previous night. Liza had loved her with such gentleness. Though Shay sensed she was filled with avid need, she had restrained it and loved Shay. Loved her.With spirit and soul as well as body.

  Difficult time.

  Shay moved to the bulletin board and studied it. Fear nibbled at the outer corners of her psyche and it was a mighty fight to keep it at bay. Sorrow was prominent as she realized anew the loss of Dr. Frye. She hadn’t known, hadn’t even been able to go to the funeral. A good thing as Pepper had probably been watching and waiting for her.

  Pondering her condition, she realized she felt much stronger than before. Having Liza in her life had changed her somehow. Her total love and acceptance had proven to her that these things were there for her still. During that awful time with Pepper, she had begun to feel alienated from all that was good and whole in life. Losing her parents so quickly after the abuse had further embedded that feeling because the two people who had always loved her that way were abruptly gone. Shay’s mindset had become one of isolation, further hemmed in by the ever-present fear of Pepper.

  Shay sighed and turned from the bulletin board. She moved to the French doors and imagined she could see the new dog run out back. It was time she rebuilt her life. It was unlikely that she would seek out the prestigious position she’d held in DC and that was okay. She’d been nationally acclaimed as one of the best trainers in the Mid-Atlantic region, an easy title since she got dogs and dogs seemed to get her. She spoke their language, if one could call it that, a gift she’d possessed since early childhood. The gift was still there and surely she could put it to good use here in the South. She lived simply and had a good financial cushion at the moment, but she would need to go back to work someday. Wanted to go back to work.