Anyway, she didn't seem to notice their differences. She demonstrated nothing but pride in being Alan's girlfriend. She never mentioned the run down backdrop of his life. So he tried not to fret about his shabby home when she came around.
That morning she'd appeared after breakfast, bouncing up the front walk wearing her characteristic gorgeous smile. He was sweeping the front porch and accepted her kiss as a greeting.
"So," she said, plopping onto the rickety front porch swing. "Did you hear another girl has gone missing?"
Alan gave her a look of shock as he took a seat next to her. "No! Who is it?"
"Gisèle Pettigrew from our class!"
"Oh, no," he said frowning. "This is really getting crazy. I don't think you should be walking out here by yourself, Roxan."
She waved off his concern. "Well, there's another interesting development. It turns out; Gisèle's father was actually reported missing the night before she went missing. And now he's back, and she's gone."
"Wow, that's crazy. Where does he say he was?"
Roxan's eyes sparkled, intrigued by the mystery of the whole thing. "He was found roaming some country road fifty miles away. Now get this. Mr. Pettigrew claims he was in some evil town in the woods and that a beast from there took Gisèle. And he doesn't know how to get back to it."
Alan pondered the odd tale for a moment. "Roxan," he said, afraid she might think him a little crazy. "Do you remember those old wives' tales people told about the woods when we were kids? Doesn't this sound a little like that?"
"That's what I thought too," she whispered conspiratorially. "But, of course, authorities are saying he's had a mental break down and he's in the hospital under surveillance. They think he's done something to Gisèle. And maybe Clementine and Julienne too."
"It's sad," he commented gravely.
Roxan nodded. "Especially because, I think Mr. Pettigrew's telling the truth."
***
Roxan stayed through lunch then agreed to let Alan walk her back to her home in Enchantica. She invited him in, but feeling intimidated by the mansion and the possibility of running into Mr. Richelieu, he passed. He had work to do at home anyway.
Later he shared a quiet supper with his mother. His brother Jack was at work. Both twin LeBeau boys had jobs in local restaurants, but Alan was enjoying a day off. It was when he was clearing the dinner dishes that there came a knock at the front door.
Helene's ears perked. "You expecting somebody?" she asked nervously.
"No, Mom," he said moving in the direction of the front door.
"Well then don't answer!" The poor woman was always afraid of debt collectors at the door.
"Mom," Alan said gently. "It's OK."
"Alan! Don't answer!" she cried again as he walked away.
Ignoring her irrational paranoia, he went to answer the door, where he found an exceptionally tall man. Everything about the man was dark. Messy hair, shadowy eyes, even his complexion. He wore work overalls that looked dirty and disheveled. Something about his expression seemed menacing. Alan disliked him on sight.
"May I help you?" Alan asked, his tone hard, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"As I live and breathe! Samuel LeBeau!" Helene exclaimed as she walked up next to her son. She gave Alan's arm a gently slap. "It's your uncle, let him in!"
Frowning, Alan reluctantly stood aside to allow the man entry. He watched his mother warmly embrace him, even crying happily over the reunion. All the while, Alan wracked his brain for any memory of this man and came up with nothing.
Helene ushered them into the living room. She took a seat on the couch with Samuel, while Alan sat across the room eyeing the man suspiciously. His mother explained that Samuel was his father's brother who'd disappeared decades ago. She gushed over the man, saying she'd though he was long since dead.
Alan listened as Samuel gave some flimsy explanation for bailing on the family. He didn't buy it for a minute, and felt aggravated that his mother apparently did. Then Samuel went on to make grandiose promises of helping Helene out and restoring the farm.
Helene blubbered gratefully. Alan's blood boiled. He didn't know how he knew; he just knew the man was a snake in the grass.
Samuel went on to say he had a job for the boys that very evening. Alan quickly informed that Jack was already at his job, and that he personally wasn't interested.
Helene's face fell and the subtle darkening of Samuel's expression didn't escape Alan. But the long lost uncle kept his tone light to keep up appearances for Helene.
"Aw, come now. If you do a good job tonight, there will be more jobs for you. There's ten bucks in it for you."
"No thanks," Alan said firmly.
"Alan!" Helene snapped. "This family is in no place to turn down a paying job. Now you'll go with your uncle and do as he says." Her face softened as she peered at her son. "Besides, it might be fun. You can get to know your Uncle Sam!"
Chapter 20
Alan rumbled into Enchantica with Samuel in a beaten up pick up that sounded as though it would die forever at any moment. He sat plastered against the passenger door, his arms crossed over his chest, and face set in an angry frown.
"What's your problem, man?" Samuel said, breaking the icy silence when they reached the center of town.
"No problem," Alan claimed.
"Really? Because you haven't said a word to me."
Alan shrugged. "I don't know you."
Samuel sent a seething sideways look at Alan. "I'm your father's brother. That's who I am," he snarled.
Alan gave him an equally hateful stare, refusing to back down. Everything about the guy set his nerves on edge. "So what?"
Samuel returned his attention to the road and traveled on in silence. Alan wanted to know where they were going but refused to speak to the man if he didn't have to.
His question was soon answered anyway.
The truck rolled into the worst part of Enchantica; the area everyone's mother told them never to go. Alan stared at the window at the slums, a busy neighborhood that never slept, just on the edge of town. Once they were almost clear through the town and ready to drive out the other side, Samuel pulled into a gravel drive that led to an old warehouse that had been abandoned for years. He slowed to a crawl as they crossed the debris covered parking lot. The last streaks of daylight splayed across the darkening sky behind the tall building.
Samuel pulled right up to the place's door which was boarded up. He killed the engine and hopped out. He grabbed a crowbar out of the truck bed then went straight to work prying boards off the door.
Alan became nervous as the sound of his uncle working the old rotten wood filled the otherwise quiet lot.
"What are you doing?" Alan demanded.
Samuel paused his work and turned back toward Alan, mopping sweat from his brow. "Get over here and help me," Samuel growled.
"Tell me what you're doing first. Are you allowed to be here?"
Samuel thrust the crowbar to the ground and stomped the few steps to the truck. He jerked open the door and yanked Alan out by the shirt collar. Taken by surprise, Alan stumbled toward the door.
"Do what I tell you, punk!" Samuel bellowed.
Alan hated himself for shaking. A life time of work on the farm had made him strong. But he didn't have a mean bone in his body unlike his uncle, who was clearly a criminal. He didn't know if he could handle himself if he were attacked. Despite the fact he was certain they were breaking and entering, he decided he needed to cooperate.
Soon, Samuel led him inside into an empty corridor. Alan followed him through a door that hung crudely from one broken hinge. It let an ugly shriek of protest as Samuel shoved it open.
Alan found himself standing inside a huge, filthy space. There was a smell of dust and something rotten hanging on the torrid air. There were a few old pieces of machinery left, and a broken down forklift, but the place was mostly just filled with trash. He could see the twilight sky high overhead through gaping holes in the ceiling. Wat
er could be heard dripping somewhere nearby, likely from the recent rain storms.
"Somewhere in this hell hole is my pay from a job I done yeeeeeaaaars ago," Samuel grumbled. "And you need to help me find it."
"What?" Alan said, chuckling at the absurdity. "Your pay for a job? Here? Why in the world would your pay be here?"
"Because my partner back then stashed it here, then he up and died! I had to wait all this time to come for it, and now it's gonna be all mine!"
"That makes no sense."
Samuel flinched angrily as he moved to grab Alan again, but Alan jumped out of his grasp.
"Alright alright!" Alan cried, throwing his hands up. "I'll help you look!"
"Good," Samuel spat. "Get to work. You'll know it if you find it."
Alan roamed further into the warehouse. He concentrated more on keeping an eye on Samuel than searching for some elusive pay. If the opportunity presented itself to bolt, he intended to do so. But Samuel seemed to be keeping himself between Alan and the exit.
Alan sifted through trash and grime for what seemed like eternity. He grew filthy as the moon rose high in the sky casting an eerie light through the holey ceiling. He made his way to a side wall where there was a series of doors. Wandering through the first doorway, he came to find himself in utter darkness. He felt around on the wall, finding a switch and flipping it on. To his surprise, a naked bulb suspended from the ceiling came on.
It had once been an office but all that remained was an old metal desk shoved crookedly in a corner. The room was small, windowless, and stifling hot. He briefly wondered about who once worked in this depressing place.
Alan ambled over to the desk and pulled open a drawer, expecting it to be empty of anything except perhaps mouse droppings. Once again he was surprised, finding a black gym bag shoved inside. He tugged on it, pulling it out and placing it on his desk.
When he unzipped the bag, he found it stuffed full of banded stacks of one hundred dollar bills.
Alan gasped, staring down at the money. This was so much more than "pay" for a "job." This was without a doubt, bank robbery loot. There was no other possible explanation. He wondered about Samuel's dead partner and exactly what his cause of death may have been. A million thoughts raced through his mind.
Such as the fact that even just one of those stacks of cash could solve all his family's problems.
"I found it, Samuel!" Alan called excitedly.
The sound of running footsteps preceded Samuel's entrance into the office. Alan stood clutching the heavy satchel against his chest.
"I don't think ten dollars is going to be enough pay for this job," Alan said smugly. Access to an obscene amount of cash had increased his confidence exponentially while diminishing his moral compass.
Samuel's eyes narrowed with the malevolent glare he cast upon Alan. "Hand it over, punk."
Alan smirked. "Oh, I'm the punk? I'm not the bank robber here sooo… Listen, you said you wanted to help my mom, and that's what I want too. I don't want much, not even enough that you'll miss it. Uncle." He spoke earnestly, feeling certain his father's brother would understand.
Instead, with lightning quickness, Samuel raised the crow bar in his hand and connected it with Alan's temple.
***
Alan woke in blinding pain. Dizziness accompanied him to consciousness leaving him confused and briefly forgetful. He lifted his hand and gingerly touched the source of the pain. Wincing, his fingers came away bloody. Then he remembered his uncle's brutal attack.
The sudden memory provoked him to sit up way too quickly and he cried out with the pain. He found himself still in the office with no sign of the money or his uncle. He struggled to his feet and went to the door. The knob turned, but the door wouldn't open. He began yelling and throwing himself against the door, forgetting the pain in the urgency of the moment. It was no use. The door seemed to be padlocked on the other side.
After near exhaustion from his effort, Alan slid to the floor where he buried his face in his hands. He thought of his so called uncle. Any man in possession of what had to be a million dollars or more, who would hit someone in the head with a crow bar, wasn't planning on returning. He could be certain of that. He was locked inside a place nobody ever came to and no matter how much he pounded at the door of walls, he wasn't going to escape. Even if Samuel returned to finish the job, or if Alan was left alone to starve, the ending for him would not be a happy one. Overwhelmed with the crashing realizations, he began to weep.
Roxan Richelieu played through his mind then. He wished… He wished… He wished so many things.
***
Eventually, Alan slept, curled up on the desk. But a metallic clink and then a clatter woke him. When he noted the door knob turning, he instinctually leapt from the desk and ran to cower in a corner.
To his intense relief, it was not his uncle who came through the door.
The man stood only about five feet tall. He wore a simple uniform of blue slacks with a blue button down shirt, and black bow tie; not unlike the Maytag Man from the old television commercials. His head was perfectly smoothed bald, and he wore golden hoop earrings in both ears. His odd appearance might've been comical, except Alan was still on high alert that the guy could've been dispatched by Samuel.
"Who are you?" Alan asked.
The man smiled. "I'm Gene Fay. Caretaker here."
Alan glanced around. Wow, dude, you suck at your job, he thought.
"Are you alright, son?" Gene asked.
Something about the man's crystal clear voice and calm demeanor put Alan at ease. His shoulders relaxed slightly and he stepped out of the corner.
"I've been attacked," Alan admitted pitifully.
Gene nodded. "I see that. Should we notify the authorities?"
"I'd really like to get home and check on my family. Could you please give me a ride?"
"Of course, any help I can offer," said the kindly man.
***
Gene drove an impossibly tiny gold car. Once inside it, Alan felt safe. There was no way this odd character could be affiliated with his evil uncle.
"Sir, I am so grateful to you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you," Alan said as they pulled out of the parking lot of the nightmarish place he never wanted to see again.
"No repayment necessary, glad to help," Gene said jovially.
"Seriously. I thought I was going to die in there. Had some time to think about my life. You have no idea how much I wished for help to come."
Gene momentarily took his eyes from the road to give Alan a penetrating stare. "Oh? What other wishes have you, son?"
Despite the strangeness of the question, Alan found Gene incredibly easy to talk to. Something made him want to confide in the man. "Well, actually, funny you should ask. I thought a lot about my girlfriend, Roxan. I love her so much," Alan admitted. "But, she's rich, and I'm poor. Her father hates me. He calls me a street rat. I know in the end, we won't end up together, and I wish beyond measure that wasn't true."
Gene gave a small mysterious smile. "What would you say if I told you I could make that wish come true, son?"
By the time the short trip to Alan's farm was made, Gene told a tale of a city where Alan and Roxan could be together and have the life they wanted and deserved. Alan could be somebody special and important. No one would ever judge or separate them. They could be happy. Forever. "How does that sound, son?"
Alan didn't even have to think twice about a life with Roxan. If she agreed, he would leave with her in a heartbeat. "Yes! That sounds wonderful!"
"Lovely! Why don't you bring Roxan to meet me for breakfast at Java Enchantica at ten a.m. and we'll chat. My treat."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Alan exclaimed excitedly as he climbed out of the car.
"My pleasure. See you in the morning, Alan."
He was so excited walking up the front path; he didn't stop to think that he hadn't told the odd man his name.
Chapter 21
Alan led Roxan hand in
hand onto Java Enchantica's patio where Gene Fay already waited for them. He could feel his palm sweating and hoped Roxan didn't notice. He was incredibly nervous to present the idea of running away to her. Why on Earth would she say yes? After all, she had the whole world at her fingertips. But he loved her so much; he felt he had to ask.
He introduced her to the little man dressed in blue. As always when she met someone new, Roxan greeted Gene warmly and gave him one of her gorgeous smiles. She was the sort of person who never met a stranger. She always seemed relaxed and content in social situations and made others feel that way too.
Alan didn't offer any specific explanation as to who Gene was. He had no idea who the man was, truthfully, but that thought had somehow failed to cross his mind. Instead he got straight to the point.
"Roxan," Alan said timidly, regarding her with wide dark eyes.
Her smile faded slightly. "What is it, Alan?" she asked softly, her brow furrowed with sudden worry.
"Oh, nothing bad, my love," Alan said with a quick, reassuring smile. "It's just that, I… Have an important question. Extremely important… To me."
He looked to Gene for help. Taking his cue, Gene began his tale of a lovely place where Alan could be whatever he wanted; a person her father could be proud of. A place with both color and darkness. He managed to describe a new life in an intriguingly vague way, while offering no specifics. However, Roxan was drawn into his words and gazed enraptured at him as he spoke.
When Gene finished, Roxan finally tore her eyes from him to study Alan. Alan stared down at the table, his cheeks blazing with embarrassment. She must think I'm such a fool, he thought gloomily.
Returning her attention to Gene, Roxan had a few questions. Gene gave a charming smile, and vague responses that really didn't answer a thing. Alan felt certain Roxan would soon get up and walk away. Maybe forever. His heart plummeted.
Roxan sat there silently, lost in thought for so long that the end of all his hopes and dreams flashed through his mind. But then she spoke.
Wonder Never (The Fairytale Diaries #2) Page 9