“Really? Larsen broke up a fight between you and Jax?”
“Yeah.”
Jinxsy looked momentarily confused. “I don’t think I know Larsen. Oh, he’s the kid Arielle hired as her assistant, right?”
Erik nodded. “Yeah, he’s workin’ at the theater with that lady and my dad.”
Eve smiled. “Well, I’m glad Larsen stood up for you, but in the future, I hope you will both avoid Jax. If he keeps this up, he’ll end up getting expelled all on his lonesome.”
“I know, Ms. Carrow. Sometimes it’s just so hard …”
Jinxsy laughed. “Oh, don’t I know it. You should have known me in high school. I was the warrior child. I still am, but I’ve grown up a lot. On my seventeenth birthday, I found out that my parents were keeping a major secret from me. To fast forward for a sec, the secret turned out to be that I was adopted. But that night, before I ran off, I had no idea that Eve had given birth to me and the mom who raised me was mentally ill. But that’s another story. Anyway, I just knew there was a big secret they’d been keeping under wraps for years. I was so pissed at them that I escaped through my bedroom window and ran out into the desert. Not gonna get into it, but I came way too close to being raped and killed. Seriously. I get what it’s like to want to act first and think later. But if you make a mistake, it can be a life changer. Sometimes you just need to chill.” Jinksy took a moment to slow herself down. “And FYI, I don’t normally divulge my business to strangers, but I’m making an exception here for several reasons.”
Eve turned to Erik. “Jinxsy is giving you excellent advice. Listen, I know it’s none of my business, but I just need to ask you something. You can tell me to butt out. I’ll respect that.”
Erik was intrigued. “What do you want to know?”
“This young woman who’s carrying your child: are you in love with her, or are you marrying her to do the right thing?”
“I don’t mind answering that, Ms. Carrow, because I love Carrie Lynn with all my heart. We’ve been together for three and a half years. She’s everything to me. Yeah, I wanna marry her and be a good husband and father to our child. I would marry her even if she wasn’t carrying our baby. How come you’re asking?”
“Okay, well, I wouldn’t ordinarily share this with my students, but like my daughter, I think I can help. You’re also older than my other students and a father to be. That alone makes a big difference.”
“What is it, Ms. Carrow?”
Eve glanced at the door to make sure nobody else had come into the room. “I didn’t know this until a few years ago, but my mother’s parents and my evil father’s parents got together and forced them to marry one another when they were both just a bit younger than you.”
Erik was stunned by his teacher’s openness. “Day-um. Why’s that?”
“Apparently my mother’s family was desperate to have their only child marry into money, and no doubt my father’s family wanted to make sure he married a beautiful woman of their choosing. She came from a poor family, but she was well educated, unbelievably gorgeous, and had a lot of class. The Carrows wanted to control my father’s future, and I suppose that’s why he spent his life controlling everyone else. Anyway, Jinxsy and I wouldn’t be here if that marriage hadn’t been forced, but it was sheer hell for my mother. I just want to make sure that it’s what you really want.”
Without hesitation, Erik responded, “Yeah. It’s what I really want.”
Jinxsy smiled. “Good. Then you’ll take my advice and put your future wife and child’s welfare, and your own, ahead of Jax Reinhardt’s bullshit. It should be a no-brainer. I know it’s easier said than done when someone pisses you off, but you can’t afford to mess up. You know?”
“No, I can’t. So, what’s your deal? Aside from owning half of this town, what else do you do?”
“I’m earning my business degree. Thought it might come in handy just a smidge.”
Erik hinted at a smile. “Yeah. For sure. Good choice.”
“I’m happy with it. And how about you, Erik? What do you plan to do when you get back east?”
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a corrections officer on Riker’s Island. That’s until I met a dude who actually was one. When he told me what his average day was like, I was like… whoa, I don’t need to be in a chamber of horrors just to make a living. The guy told me that a lot of the officers bring all the anger and rage home with them. I got enough on my own that I’m tryin’ to get rid of, you know? My dad is really talented, and he has a whole lot of connections in the building industry. So I’ll probably start there and see what happens. But I never want to see Riker’s Island. Not as a CO or a prisoner. Enough shit goin’ down on the outside.”
As the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, Erik stood up and extended his hand to Jinxsy, who eagerly shook with him. “You’re okay, Jinxsy. Too bad you don’t live back east. You and Carrie Lynn would like each other. I’d introduce youse two. Thanks for being there.”
Erik hurried out of Eve’s classroom and closed the door behind him. Turning to Jinxsy, Eve’s eyes sparkled. “Have I told you today how much I love you?”
Jinxsy stood up and walked over to Eve, still sitting in the chair, and wrapped her arms around her. “I kind of love you, too.”
Eve drummed the desk with her forefingers. “Come on, catch me up on everything. First, are you here for the weekend?”
“Yeah, I am. I haven’t spent time with Jess in ages, and I want to hang out with you and Grandmomma, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was coming sooner. It was kind of last minute.”
Eve looked concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, sure. School’s fine. My love life is showing promise. I’m cool. You told me in your last email that all of the building projects were on schedule and budget. Anything weird or bizarre to report?”
“Nope. Don’t think so, Jinxsy.”
“Really? No more ghosts in our fair town of Mystekal?”
Eve cracked up. “No, honey, I’m afraid we’re just a normal desert town now.”
Chapter 15
“Hey, am I disturbing you?”
Larsen looked up from his laptop to see Gabe standing over him. “No, it’s cool. I’m just looking at vintage theater posters. Mrs. D wants to hang them in the restrooms and the lobby. There are so many here, and it’s hard to choose. I definitely want to use one or two from the vaudeville era. I just have to be sure not to confuse old movies for theatrical productions, you know?”
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Listen, I just wanted to thank you for being good to my kids. Erik said you and Arielle’s kid are the only ones in the school he can trust. You got their back; I’ve got yours.”
“Sure, Gabe. I like Avalon and Erik. I know he doesn’t want to be here, but I can see he’s a good guy. And Avalon is sweet.”
Gabe was about to respond when his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket and walked back down to his desk at the opposite end of the trailer. He was talking softly, but Larsen was still able to hear him.
“Listen, you need to stop calling me. How many times do I have to tell you that? I’ve changed my mind about everything. I’m seeing something very different from what you told me … I don’t really care. I’m not getting involved in whatever bullshit you’ve got planned. I want no part of it. You don’t need to call me again, or I might just start talking … yeah, well—”
Larsen could see that someone had hung up on Gabe, and he pretended not to hear the stream of expletives that Gabe mumbled as he put his phone back in his shirt pocket.
Gabe walked back to Larsen’s desk. “You know where Arielle is?”
“Yeah, she went into the theater to talk to the guys before they leave for the day. Do you need her?”
“No, I just wanted to say good night and wish her a good weekend. Will you do that for me, Larsen?”
“Sure thing.”
“Same to you. Thanks again. Well, it’s five-thirty, so I’m go
nna hightail it outta here. See you next week.”
Larsen went back to work, taking screenshots of his favorite posters, including his beloved West Side Story, and putting them in a folder to review later with Arielle. About ten minutes later, Arielle and Muggins returned to the trailer. Muggins ran over to Larsen and jumped all over him as if he hadn’t seen his friend in days.
“Hey, Lars. How’s it coming?”
Larsen laughed as he tried to keep Muggins from licking the entirety of his face. “Fabulous. I’m having the most fun of my life, and I can’t believe you’re paying me to do this. I’m just thinking how awesome it would have been to see these shows back in the day, you know?”
“Maybe someday we’ll produce one of them here. Did Gabe leave?”
“Yeah, he said to say good-bye and that he’ll see you on Monday.”
“Okay. I can talk to him then. Muggins, get down. Muggins!”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. D. We’re cool. Just best buddies.”
Muggins, with all fours on the floor again, sat down by Arielle’s chair and looked up at Larsen.
Arielle shuffled through the stacks of materials on her desk. “Oh, darn. I can’t find that catalog of vintage knobs you ordered from the specialty hardware store for me. Have you seen it?”
“Yeah, it was tucked under your arm when you went into the theater to talk to the guys.”
Arielle smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. “Duh! Of course! What would I do without you, Lars? Do you mind going into the theater and tracking it down for me? I’m sure I left it lying around somewhere.”
“Sure. No problem.” Larsen stood up, and Muggins did the same.
“Well, I guess you’ve got company! See you boys in a few.”
`*`*`*`
Larsen was surprised to find that it was growing dark already. Daylight savings time had ended a few days ago, and that always took some getting used to. He hurried over to the back door of the theater. Once he and Muggins were inside, he stopped to answer his phone only to find that it was not ringing. But the music from the Broadway version of “Tonight” continued to play. Larsen remembered what Lisa had said earlier in the week about hearing the song. It had freaked him out, but he had forgotten about it. Probably because it was too bizarre to comprehend, he thought.
“W-Woof.”
Looking down at Muggins, Larsen saw that the dog’s ears were perked up, and his tail was up, wagging. “What is it, boy? Damn. I wish you could talk.”
Still standing just inside the theater, to Larsen’s left, were stairs that led upstairs to the dressing rooms and wardrobe room. Across from him was the closed door with a stairway behind it that led to the basement-level rehearsal area, kitchen, lounge, and set storage. The thought of going either upstairs or downstairs unnerved him. These were not the areas currently being worked on, and he imagined them dead from disuse and dulled from dormant dreams that had nestled in for a forty-year sleep.
Standing by an old board of faded messages, notices, and announcements, contemplating his fears, he noticed that Muggins was a lot more interested in what was happening in the backstage area.
Feeling goose bumps form on his skin, he decided against walking down the breezeway to the stage. Instead, he reasoned that going into the main hall of the theater would allow him to get a look at the entire stage from front to back, as the curtains had just been taken down. Gently holding Muggins by the collar, Larsen walked straight ahead, pulling the dog to the door of the auditorium.
Once inside, he spied Arielle’s hardware catalog on the apron of the stage, to the left. Slowly, Larsen began walking toward the steps to the left of the stage. As he walked, “Tonight” became louder and louder.
Muggins ears were now pointing forward. His mouth was opened slightly, and he began to pant. Larsen noticed that his legs were bent, poised to charge ahead. “Who’s there, boy?”
Just as Larsen put his foot on the first step, he heard a scream, followed by cries of anguish. As Larsen stepped back, Muggins raced up the steps and toward the back of the stage. Now center stage, Muggins began to sniff frantically, but there was no sign of anyone. The music had stopped, and an eerie silence embraced the theater.
Larsen looked at Muggins. His ears were laid back on his head, and his tail was between his legs. He was shivering.
Looking around just one more time and seeing no one at all, Larsen raced up the stage stairs, ran over to the catalog, grabbed it, and then, with Muggins behind him, walked quickly toward the backstage area. As he passed the part of the stage that Muggins had been so interested in, he felt a distinct chill, as if that one spot was a good twenty or thirty degrees colder than the rest of the theater. But he didn’t stop to investigate the reason. Taking a sharp turn to his left, he headed down the breezeway to the back door. Once outside, it was now dark and cold. Hurrying toward the light of the trailer, which seemed to him like finding a port in the storm, Larsen ran until he and Muggins were safely inside.
`*`*`*`
“Welcome home, Larsen. Did you have a good day at work?”
Larsen was tempted to tell Kathryn about his end-of-the-day fright, but he thought better of it. His story was so fantastic that he began to wonder if his imagination hadn’t played a powerful trick on him. Perhaps his subconscious was acting on what Lisa had said about hearing “Tonight” playing. But if that were the case, how could her mind have known to play the same tricks on her? And why? No, it had to have happened. But that was just it. What had happened?
Larsen took a seat next to Kathryn on the couch. “Uh, it was a really interesting day.”
“Was it? Will you share with me?”
“Oh, just that Mrs. D put me in charge of selecting and ordering vintage posters for the theater. Well, I’m going to do an initial selection, and then together we’re going to decide which ones to buy. It’s just so amazing to even have a part in something like this. To have my opinion matter, you know?”
Kathryn’s eyes twinkled. “I do. Your passion for theater reminds me so much of the joy that Peter got from his activities. He started acting when he was just eleven.”
Larsen looked over at the framed photos on the end table. “You have so many cool photos of him in costume. And he’s smiling in every single one.”
“Yes, he smiled a lot. I’ll tell you, Larsen, some people go an entire lifetime and never find anything to be passionate about. Peter was born with a passion, just like you. I had some dreams once upon a time, but Peter’s death destroyed them.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t feel bad for me. I’ve made the best out of the life I have. And I refuse to have the conversation turn maudlin every time we chat about the theater. So let’s not do that. Now, how do you feel about ordering in some pizza? After a long week behind the counter, I need a short break.”
“Oh, you never have to cook for me! And you don’t have to buy me pizza.”
“I love cooking for you. For us. It’s been a long time since I’ve had company at dinner. Besides, what I do at the school isn’t very exciting. As for ordering pizza, I haven’t done that in years. The smallest pizza I can order is way too much for me. Will you let me place an order? What do you like on your pizza?”
“Pretty much anything except anchovies.”
“Ha! Peter didn’t like them either. Larsen, are you okay? You look a little shaken … nervous.”
Larsen silently chastised himself for letting any trace of the theater incident show. “Uh, no. I’m fine. Really. It’s just been a long week. Are you okay? Because now that I look at you, I’m thinking you look a little nervous, too. Or are we both going nuts together?”
Kathryn laughed, then abruptly stopped. “You’re very astute. Actually, there is something, and I am feeling a bit nervous.”
“Tell me. What is it?”
“Well, when I got home earlier, I noticed this old blue Toyota across the street. And it wasn’t the first time, either. It was there on Monday and then again t
oday. The first time I saw it, I didn’t pay any attention to it. But today, it was closer to the house. And I saw a woman behind the wheel, and—”
“And you think she’s my mother, right?”
“Well, yes, I do. I thought you might notice the car when you came home, but it’s parked in front of our neighbor’s pickup truck, so it would be easy to miss.”
“I’m going to check it out. But I’m going to do it from upstairs where there aren’t any lights on.” Larsen jumped up, raced up the stairs, and came back within a minute and stood on the landing. “Uh, yeah. That’s my mom.”
“Doesn’t she work on Fridays and Saturdays?”
“Yeah. She’s usually off Sundays and Mondays. But sometimes she works on her day off for someone else and then gets a different day off. You know, she switches around. Yeah, that’s what she does, and, uh … yeah, so I’m wondering what she wants.”
“Most likely to see her son. I’m sure she misses you.”
“Yeah, but … sorry, I know I’m kind of rambling all over the place. I’m really nervous. I’m not sure what to do.”
“I think maybe you should go out and see her. If you want.”
Larsen, still standing at the foot of the stairs, walked over to the front door, opened it, and walked outside. He crossed the street and walked to the passenger side of his mother’s Toyota Corolla.
Raylene lowered the window. “She told you I was out here, didn’t she? You sure as hell didn’t look in this direction when you came home.”
“Yeah, Mom. Kathryn told me you were out here. At least she thought it was you.”
“Well, seein’ a black lady sitting outside her house in an old car couldn’t have been too much of a mystery for her now, could it? You come sit in the car and talk to me.”
Larsen looked nervous. “Um … are you—”
“Am I what, boy? Don’t tell me you think I’m gonna kidnap you or something!” Raylene took the keys out of the ignition and handed them out the window to Larsen. “There. Now you trust me? Come sit in this car with me and stop your paranoid nonsense.”
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