Autumn Leaves (26 page)

“We’re going to find them for questioning right now. I promise you, Rebecca, this won’t go away.”

“Like the other thing they did was about to go away?” Rebecca asked sharply. Callie flinched.

“Rebecca.” Bev looked apologetic. “Everything has to be by the book. I don’t want to risk them getting away.”

At least she was sincere about it, but at the moment it was a small consolation. If Craig had not taken the issue too seriously, the lawyers of Beckett and Weller would laugh at it.

“Craig thought a dead pet wasn’t enough of a big deal, but they are going to have their bail revoked, right?”

Rebecca stood beside Callie’s chair, touching her shoulder. Distantly, she was aware that the current gossip might have reached the Wilkins’s, too. She didn’t care. Bev hesitated for a moment.

“Don’t let Craig know I told you,” she said then. “They’re going to jail the moment we find them. They raped another woman on Halloween night.”

In the following silence, her words lingered as everyone struggled with the implications of them.

After Beth and her colleague went, Rebecca kept going through the motions rather mechanically. She found that shoe box and some plastic wrap, rubber gloves. In a stray thought, she remembered the shotgun locked away safely in the cabinet. Rebecca had told everyone to stay away which obviously worried Callie and pleased a rather clueless Laurie.

After all, Rebecca had to deal with the consequences. In Maggie’s room, she put on the gloves and gently picked up the dead animal, tears springing to her eyes. She remembered how happy Maggie when they brought it home a year ago. She’d always been careful and responsible. Rebecca and David had often joked that she was almost ready for a dog now.

Her stomach churned as the surface of the gloves became stained red. She added more plastic so the blood wouldn’t seep through, and then closed the lid of the box. Rebecca felt helpless, and at the same time, a rage so overwhelming it literally made her dizzy. Another woman. They couldn’t just get away with everything like this. The bruises on Callie’s face were just barely fading. The invisible ones would stay with her for longer. She slept restless, with regular nightmares. Now Maggie would have nightmares too. When would it ever end?

The day kept turning more surreal and frightening. It was dark already when they stood in the garden around the tiny makeshift grave, with the flower Rebecca had put on top. Even Laurie and Dina were silent. Maria hadn’t said much since she’d come here, but she appeared sad too. She stayed with Callie while Rebecca made these preparations. Rebecca wondered if there’d be as many people coming to her funeral. If she kept this up, she still might get sick or start to laugh hysterically, and neither would be good.

She wanted to sleep next to Callie tonight, but she knew it wasn’t really an option. With the obvious threat, Callie couldn’t stay alone, either, no matter what she said, so with Laurie occupying the guest room, there was still the living room couch. Rebecca would take Maggie with her to the master bedroom
. Anyone else wants to stay? It’s a party!

Back in Maggie’s room, she stripped the sheets off the bed. There were stains on the mattress, too. Maggie would never again sleep in this bed. The sheets and mattress went into the garbage, the wooden parts in the basement for now. Doing everything that had to be done. There were soft voices coming from the kitchen, Callie telling Maggie a story. Good. She needed something sane and safe now. Rebecca locked herself in the bathroom downstairs, simply letting herself slide to the floor, her back against the tub. She gave up resistance, opening the door to the meltdown that became inevitable.

* * * *

“Rebecca, are you in there? Please open the door.”

There was no answer, but after long moments, the key was finally turned in the lock. Callie tried not to let it show how deeply scared she was. Rebecca had made her decision, but the ground on which she stood was brittle, with bits and pieces of it breaking away slowly. Coming out wasn’t the easiest thing to do under the best of circumstances. Rebecca hadn’t started out with the best of circumstances, and they were just getting worse. At some point, she might still ask herself if it was worth it, making herself a target for ridicule and threats that went far beyond a prank played by the neighborhood kids.

“I’m so sorry.” She pulled the door closed behind the two of them, wrapping her arms around her lover.

“Not your fault,” Rebecca mumbled. She was trembling slightly, and Callie held on tighter, hoping to convey a little warmth. Literally, and otherwise.

“We’ll get through this. Right?” Callie cursed herself for the question mark at the end. Now was not the time for doubts, and how could she blame Rebecca for having them if she couldn’t be certain?

“Bev seems okay,” she continued. “She’s not going to let this slide.”

“People get hurt, Callie.” There were tears still unshed in Rebecca’s voice. “I never wanted you to get hurt.”

“I know. It’s them. It’s not you. Once those jerks are arrested, we’ll all breathe easier.”
Please tell me you’re not letting go of me over this.

Rebecca’s look said that she wasn’t sure if she’d ever breathe easier again. “Gives new meaning to the term raising hell, right?”

“Raising hell, those idiots did,” Callie said. “It’s only fair that there is where
they’re
gonna burn.”

Laurie and Dina weren’t too happy with her presence, Callie could easily tell by the twin scowls that greeted her. Callie had expected Dina to take the upcoming changes harder, because in a way, she could relate to the girl. Hiding her own pain was something Callie had always been good at. Maggie was more like her mother. She had her anxieties, but she could express them.

Callie knew, however, she needed to stay close somehow, too afraid that one little step sideways would risk what she and Rebecca had, beautiful but fragile. Too fragile. If Rebecca wanted her to stay that was what she was going to do, even risk running into David on Sunday. Everyone had to face the facts at some point—him, and his mother too. Callie wasn’t going to let go again now that she had found what she hadn’t even known was everything she needed and wanted. Somewhat assured by that thought, she locked her front door after quickly packing some clothes for an overnight stay, jumping when the shadow fell over her.

“I told you, you didn’t have to come with me...” Getting a few clothes would take her less than five minutes, and what could happen in that time?

“I absolutely had to,” the voice, making her skin crawl, said. Callie wasn’t about to let him see that she was terrified.

“What the hell did you do, scaring a little kid like that? You’re a bloody psychopath!”

Tim Beckett grinned. “Maybe, and it’s kinda fun when you know you’ll get away with it. Matt’s got his tail between his legs because he’s scared Daddy is going to take the Porsche away, but you know, I thought why not finish what we started.” He stepped closer. Callie took a hasty step backwards. This was crazy. She could just run back inside and call...or across the street...The keys dropped from her numb fingers.

“The police are on to you. They know about the other woman.”

He shrugged. “I won’t take too long. Now shut up. Remember I’m a bloody psychopath with a bloody knife. You tell anybody, I might use it on the little girl next time.”

“There’s not going to be a next time. I swear to God.”

Callie sank back against the door, her jaw dropping at the sight of Rebecca carrying the shotgun.

“Callie, go inside. Call the police.”

She wanted to, but she was unable to move—fear, fascination, hard to say which of them was stronger.

“Fuck you,” Beckett spat. “You think my Dad is gonna pay you any more for those silly sites you make? Go home and make dinner for your husband! You can’t just come here and point a gun at me, bitch.”

“Oh, I can,” Rebecca said calmly. “That Second Amendment your Dad is so proud of? There’s something to it. Too bad though that accidents are prone to happen when just about everyone can carry a gun.”

“You’re crazy!”

“No, Tim. I’m realistic. I’m warning you, you better not move until the police get here. I might have to use my right to defend myself. You’ve threatened my friends, and my family. It ends here.”

Callie finally picked up the keys, opened the door, and ran for the phone. She was afraid of what could happen if she stayed too long.

* * * *

How could it have come to this? She and David often joked about that gun in the basement. Neither one of them ever considered picking it up, until that moment. Rebecca was very much aware of what she did. She knew she wasn’t the best partner to Callie, trying to deal with her own family and everything she’d taken for granted just falling apart.

The invasion of her daughter’s personal space was the final insult. If it didn’t stop there, Rebecca thought, she’d lose her mind. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Tim Beckett, threatening Callie, threatening Maggie. Rebecca just knew she had to put an end to this anyway. As she sat on the couch, looking at her hands that had held the gun with the intent to use it if necessary, she couldn’t stop shaking.

Once David was here, she’d pack up the girls and move them over to Callie’s. Take a stand. Now that the most dangerous threat was gone, they could finally move on with their lives.

This time, Craig accompanied Bev. He hadn’t apologized, but Rebecca supposed that his presence was a statement in itself. He had even spoken to Maggie who was now asleep upstairs. So was everyone else in the house except for Rebecca. She couldn’t let her guard down yet, waiting for the next worst thing to happen.

* * * *

Callie wanted to touch Rebecca. To make love to her, to get all of this tension out of her body that kept her awake and unsettled and nearly going crazy. She was quite sure Rebecca had to feel the same since the light in her office indicated she was still up, too, but there was an inhibition. They weren’t alone in the house, and even if they were, the presence of Rebecca’s family was overwhelming. Of course. They lived here.

If her thoughts were taking a turn to silly, it was because she really needed to sleep. Things might be different in the light of day, with the certainty that no one would bother them anymore. She felt for Maggie who was subjected to a terrible shock. Callie could easily imagine having the quiet girl around. Then there was Dina. Rebecca might have been right when she said she was accepting things too easily. Maggie had questions and worries, and if you explained them to her, she’d be placated. Not so with Dina whom reality had just barely hit.

What would it be like, to be a family like that? Part of her was scared of it. What if she couldn’t handle it? Then again, what she saw in her somewhat rose-colored fantasy made her happy and excited for a life that would be so different from what she’d envisioned. Why fear? It hadn’t gotten her very far. There were things she couldn’t do right now, but not even Laurie Lowman could forbid her to talk to Rebecca.

“Hey. I saw the light. I assumed it was you.”

“I woke you.” Rebecca sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Yeah. You had one hell of a day too. I didn’t forget.”

“I know. You were great today, Rebecca. You were there for each of us.”

Rebecca smiled tiredly. “It’s moments like this that a little flattery goes a long way.” She got up from behind the table, stifling a yawn. “You should try to get some sleep. I’ll do the same.”

Callie walked into her embrace, simply enjoying the closeness. However, when she tilted up her face for a kiss, Rebecca stepped back. “This place...It just doesn’t seem right. Can you bear with me a little while longer? Just until David and I have sorted things out.”

“Of course,” Callie whispered. As long as Rebecca didn’t change her mind over anything family or the neighborhood could throw at them, they’d be fine. She could be patient. “I can’t wait until I can actually sleep next to you again.”

There was so much longing in Rebecca’s gaze it was almost too intense for Callie to watch.

“Me too,” she said.

After breakfast, Callie took Maggie into town with her for some shopping and a promised hot chocolate for afterwards. She would have taken Dina too, but the teenage girl refused. Callie had no intention to push her, so she and Maggie browsed the book stores together and finally went to the tiny library of Autumn Leaves. Francine, the young librarian who also sang in the choir, did a double take when she saw the two of them.

“Callie! Hey! Isn’t that little Maggie?”

“Don’t you have work to do?” her superior, a balding man in his early sixties, interrupted her briskly, giving Callie a hostile stare. Francine blushed and turned to disappear behind some office door.

“I don’t suppose this library has an GBLT section?” Callie asked pointedly.

The man snorted. “You really have to draw children into this?”

“Into what?”

“You know very well, miss. If you could at least stay among yourselves and not destroy families that—”

“That’s enough, thank you very much. We’ll find our way out.”

Callie told herself that the looks didn’t matter. She could walk around a lot more freely and relaxed since Matt Weller and Tim Beckett were arrested. It didn’t matter what anyone thought. After the purchase of some books, jeans for Maggie, and a sweater for Callie they finally went to the little café in town to sit down for awhile.