“But you bought me these things, didn’t you?”
He told him that he and Andi had. “She doesn’t like me. I don’t blame her, but
she doesn’t. Dad…he made me be mean to her or he’d take my food from me. Most
of the time he’d just beat me. It was hard to not do those things to her when
he’d hurt me like he did. But she always made sure that I had something to eat
when she could. I love her very much, you know.”
He played with the zipper again, and Mac
wondered what it was about it that seemed so fascinating. Then Jim started
talking, mostly to himself, Mac thought. But it was no less chilling to him.
“I used to watch over her when she came home
from the hospital after Mom died. Aunt Hester came to live with us when Mom was
in the hospital, and then stayed when Mom passed away. Aunt Hester hated Andi
more than she did my mom. But Aunt Hester would come into her room and try to
smother her with the pillow or put her hand over her mouth and nose and try to
kill her off. I caught her doing that a couple of times, so I moved into her
room with her.” The zipper went up and down faster now, like he was afraid of the
words that were spilling from his mouth. “Then one night I didn’t hear her. Andi,
I mean…I didn’t hear her breathing. Aunt Hester, she had come in when I was
sleeping and took her out of her bed. When I went to look for her, Aunt Hester
was holding her under the water in the tub. She was trying to kill my little
sister.”
“What did you do?” Mac was sure that whatever
he’d done, it had made an enemy of his aunt for him. And when he stopped with
the zipper and looked at him, Mac saw sorrow. And pain. “Did she beat you?”
“Told me I had no right to hit her like I
did. I broke the broom on her, I was so scared that she was gonna kill little
Andi. Then she just let go of her and I had to hit Aunt Hester again and again
until she didn’t move no more. I scooped up Andi and took her away from there.”
Jim sobbed now, much like Mac would bet he had all those years ago. “She near
drowned her. And for what? There was no call for her doing that to my sister. None
at all.”
Mac got up and went to the couch where Jim
was sitting and pulled the man into his arms. The zipper was still being pulled,
but Jim leaned into him. When he started to cry, heart wrenching sobs that hurt
his soul, Mac held him until he calmed down.
“I’d be appreciative if you would tell my
sister something for me.” The crying was finished now, so Mac moved back to his
chair. Ennis had come in and left again, leaving the two of them alone for now.
“She don’t have to do nothing about it, but I want you to please tell her for
me. Tell her that I’m sure sorry.”
“About what?” Jim said that he’d not been a
good brother. Hell, he’d not even been a good man. “I’ll tell her. But you want
her to believe you, then you work hard at this job you’re going to get to do,
save up your money, and make something of yourself. All right?”
“I can do that. I’m going to try my best to
do that.” When he was ready to go, Jim just got up and left. Mac sat there, his
mind trying hard to grasp why someone would want to harm a child, a baby
really. Ennis came back and looked upset, but didn’t comment on Jim. They were
in the car on the way home when everything Jim told him hit him.
“Pull over. Now. I’m going to be sick.” Ennis
pulled over, and Mac fell out of the truck. He landed on his hands and knees
and stayed that way while he threw up twice. There wasn’t much on his belly,
thankfully, but he still felt like shit. Rolling to his ass, he looked up at
his brother as he stood over him after handing him a bottle of water. “She
tried to kill her. Hester tried to drown Andi when she was nothing more than a
baby.”
“That isn’t even all of it.” Mac asked him if
he wanted to know. “Yes. I talked to Jim’s doctor. When I got him in here, one
of the conditions was that he had to see someone. Just to figure out what sort
of person we were going to be dealing with. Now he’s seeing him daily to help
him work out…Christ, Mac, it’s far worse than you can imagine. Hester let their
mother die.”
“I thought she died from childbirth.” Ennis
shook his head and sat in the dirt with him. “We can’t kill her, can we? Hester,
I mean. We can’t just let Stormy hire some man she knows to go and find this
bitch and make all of our lives a good deal better.”
“Not legally. No. But when Andi and her mom
came home from the hospital, Jim and his aunt were taking care of her. Catering
to her, Jim told my friend, is what his aunt had called it. And Hester
apparently thought that she’d had enough taking care of a brat, as she called
Andi, and a lazy woman. So when April, that was her name, needed to get up to
use the bathroom, Hester told her she was on her own, that she was done helping
her. Jim tried to help her, but she was too weak and he wasn’t strong enough to
get her to the bathroom and back on his own. When his mom fell to the floor and
started hemorrhaging, he panicked, and in doing so pissed off Hester so much
that she beat him again. Then she made him hold his mother’s body in his arms
until she was dead. She bled out while Jim cried for Hester to please help him.
And when his dad got home, he tried to tell him what had happened and George,
in his infinite wisdom, cuffed the boy in the head and told him to clean up the
mess. Can you imagine doing that? A little boy who just held his mother taking
her last breath having to clean up the blood? Those people deserve whatever
happens to them.”
“Does Andi know?” Ennis said he didn’t know.
Jim had gone catatonic after that for a few hours, the doc had told him. “We
have to do something about this woman. She has to pay for this.”
“Yes, I agree. But as far as the law is
concerned, she’s done nothing wrong. I mean that they can prove. Yes, she hit
an officer. Even Liam had a run in with her, but legally, she’s clean.” He’d
bet that Storm could find something on her and said that to Ennis. “She’ll kill
her. You know that, right? Storm would just pull her gun, pop a bullet in her
head, and go on talking to you about the weather. And that, my dear brother,
will be murder.”
“I don’t think we should tell her.” Ennis
agreed. “I think she’d figure out a way to have her accidently die, and I don’t
know what I’d tell Andi if I ever found out.”
“You think she’d care?” He didn’t know, but
he didn’t want to take the chance of her finding out. “Okay, I see your point.
But mother fuck, you have no idea how much I’d like to be the one that sees her
pay for this.”
“Andi has to do it. And Jim. They have to be
the ones that make her pay for the things she did to them. I’m not sure how—I’ll
have to think on that—but I think both of them will heal a good deal faster if
we can let them settle this.” Ennis agreed and helped him to stand up. “I want Mom
and Dad to know this. They’ll need to know to protect Andi when I’m not there.
I have two projects in the works that I cannot leave going.”
“I heard that she was going to work at the
diner for Storm. I think they’re both excited about it. Early morning shift to
help out with the vets for Storm. I’ll see if I can get someone to keep an eye
on the place. I know a few people too. Not like Storm does, but I can call in a
few favors.” Mac knew a few friends too that would help him out. And Billy. “We
have to get going. I told Mom that we’d run into an issue and that I would
explain when we got there. And she said that Andi is sitting on the deck alone.
Not doing anything, but when Dad went out to talk to her, she asked him to let
her think for a while. Is she going to be all right?”
Yes, Mac thought. She was now. He was going
to make sure of it. As they made their way to the grocery store to get the
things on their list, he reached out to Andi and asked her how she was holding
up.
I think I upset your father. I just needed a
minute or two.
He told her that he’d understand that.
This thing with my aunt, I’ve been
thinking about what you said she was planning. How do you suppose she’s going
to sue you and your family? She has no money that I’m aware of. And according
to what Riordan found, the house that she always told me was hers—and she only
let us live there—was a rental. What on earth does she think is going to
happen?
Storm is looking into a few things. She has
people who know people who know people.
Mac had tried to make her laugh, but failed
miserably.
Hester is not going to be able to do anything to us. I swear it.
And anything she might make up, it won’t stand up either. My family is a good
one and there are no skeletons there. Hell, honey, Stormy is best friends with
the president. He’ll be in our corner.
She didn’t say anything, but he could feel
her sorrow. When she told him she’d talk about it when he got back, he settled
in the seat. Ennis asked him if she was all right and Mac told him he had no
idea.
“I hope so, but I just don’t know. This is
nothing I’ve ever had to deal with before. And it hurts me that she’s been hurt
by all of this shit.” Ennis agreed and they agreed to finish up and hurry back
to the house. Mac thought that an excellent idea.
Andi poured batter onto the grill to make a
plate of pancakes before the diner opened. Billy was having some, as was the
dishwasher—Danny from the Bakery. She had bacon going, some sausage, and was
mixing up the biscuit batter for the other customers when Billy came back in
the kitchen with her.
“Coffee is made. I got all the filters ready
and full of measured coffee like you suggested. That’ll save some time. I have
a feeling that we’re going to be really busy this morning.” She handed him his
plate of pancakes and told him where the meat was. “I called in Danny. He
needed a minute.”
He was just sitting down when Danny came in. The
man was smiling, a rarity as far as Andi had been able to see. He asked her how
long the biscuits were going to be, and she thought the man had a real sweet
tooth when he pulled out a quart of strawberry jam to go with them.
“I can pop some in the oven to be done in
about eight minutes.” Rolling out a portion of the dough, she watched the two
men eat. “You guys ever hear of moderation?”
“Sure, it’s one of those diet words.” Andi
laughed at Billy as he shoveled a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. When he was
finished chewing, he turned to her. “You cook like this at home? If so, I bet
Mac will be hitting the gym a lot more.”
“I cook us dinner when Bethany and Rogers are
out. Did you know that they were bears?”
Billy said that he did. She knew that Billy
was something but not sure what, and that Danny was human. A human who had a
lot of problems. Mostly in dealing with depression.
“I knew that, yes. Does that bother you?” She
told him it didn’t, but she was learning a lot of things that she’d not known
before. “I’m betting you are. And these are the best pancakes that I have ever
eaten. Hell, girl, you haven’t cooked a bad thing yet.”
“Yeah, you got that right. I tell you, a man
could go on up to heaven if he knew this is what he’d be getting every day up
there.” Billy asked her how much longer on the biscuits. “I’m gonna get me some
honey next time I’m in town. They got some next door, but I didn’t think I
could bring me in a gallon of it. Stormy, she uses it for some cookies she
makes.”
“I’ll put honey on the list of things we
need. I love honey and butter on a warm biscuit.” When the timer dinged, she
turned to pull the dozen warm breads from the oven. They were just the way she
loved them, golden and flaky. The buttermilk on the top helped with that pretty
color. “Here you go, boys, have at it.”
There was a noise out front just as she was using
the large round cutter to cut the batch of biscuits for the diner. Billy said
he’d go look, it was more than likely someone wanting in early. When he was
gone, Andi pulled down a large baking sheet and began putting the treats on it.
Martha came in the room and started pulling on her apron. Andi looked over at
Danny and nodded to the door to get out. He slipped out the back door using his
fingers to show her he was making a call.
“You just go on and get those done for me,
Andi, and when the place opens up, I’ll take over. I know you don’t want me to
lose my job, so I have to make myself useful. You don’t mind, do you?” Danny was
safely gone when she felt her heart pounding in her chest ease just a little.
And she didn’t know where Billy was. “What’s the matter?”
“Where is Billy? I know he had all the work
done out front before he sat down. Did he leave? And I thought you were told
that you no longer work here?” Martha just waved her off and started mixing up
pancake batter, having dumped Andi’s mixture in the sink. “Martha, I don’t
think you’re supposed to be here. I thought that Storm spoke to you.”
“Oh that. She and I did talk, but I don’t
think she knew what she was thinking. She’s had time to think things over now,
and I just knew that you’d be here messing things up for me. I don’t know why
she hired you in the first place. I was doing just fine before you got here.”
The gun was pulled from Martha’s apron, and she pointed it at her. “Now you go
on ahead and finish up there and then I’ll take over. I just can’t lose my job.
Medicines are so expensive, you know, and I really need the money. And when we
get the doors open, you’ll have to move Billy out of the way so no one sees him.
I do believe he’s dead.”
“You killed him?” Martha told her that it was
a misunderstanding between them and he’d not wanted to listen. “I’m going to
call the police.”
“Now you don’t want to do that, Andi. I will
lose my job for sure if you do. Make the damned biscuits.” She felt someone
touch her mind, and she was terrified that it was Mac. He was on his way to
Nevada today. His plane had left an hour ago. When he asked her what was wrong,
she told him.
Get out.
She told him that she didn’t think
that was possible, as there was a gun pointed at her.
Mother fuck. I’m
calling my dad. I know he’s pretty close. Don’t get hurt baby. I can’t…I’m too
far away to help you.
I know. I’m not sure, but I think she’s nuts.
Mac laughed and she smiled.
Martha told her to get busy, they opened in ten minutes
. She’s acting like
this is all okay. That she’s going to work here and that when we’re ready to
open the doors, she wants me to help move Billy’s body out of the way.
I can’t reach Billy, so he’s either
unconscious or dead. Christ…. I don’t…not even any of the people next to you. I
don’t have a connection to them.
She said that she understood and finished up
with the baking sheet.
Just do what she says. My dad said that he’s on his
way.
Tell him to be careful.
He wouldn’t, she
knew that. He’d come right in the building and get himself shot. And as scared
as she was right now, she was more afraid of Ordan getting hurt.
Okay, I can’t
think with you and have her talking to me. I’ll be all right.
“I have to redo this every time, Andi. Your
batter just isn’t as good as mine. Don’t make it up anymore. It’s a waste of
money.” She told her that she’d not do it again. Then asked her to move so she
could put the biscuits in. “Yes, this time it’s okay that you changed things
up. I wasn’t here to tell you that we only serve these fools pancakes. Pancakes
are filling and cheap. They do not deserve the best of anything. Did you know
that Storm doesn’t charge them for this food? I think that’s the dumbest thing
she’s done. If she has that kind of money to burn…what do you think you’re doing?
You put buttermilk on those biscuits? I’m going to have to teach you how to
make things with little cost, I guess.”
“I think it makes them look pretty. But in
answer to your question, I’m turning on the timer so I can put these in the
oven.” The knife slid into her apron pocket just as she picked up the first pan
and slid it in the oven. The oven door was open and Andi thought this was the
most surreal thing she’d ever done…baking with a gun pointed at her head. She
also didn’t want anyone else to get hurt, but she had a feeling that Martha
wasn’t finished just yet with her killing spree.
Just as she picked up the empty to put more
bread on, she shoved it at Martha, trying to knock the gun out of her hand with
the big pan just as the sucker went off. The pain took her breath away, but
Martha was falling backwards and Andi knew that if she got up, she’d be as dead
as poor Billy. Andi hit the floor hard, jarring her teeth together in the
process, but was leaping up even as the gun was pointed at her again. The
second time the gun went off, the shot went toward the front of the restaurant
and she was glad that they weren’t open yet. Martha pointed it at her again,
and Andi decided that enough was enough. She was sick of people trying to hurt
her. Picking up the first thing that she touched, the cast iron skillet jerked
in her hand when Martha shot at her, hitting it instead of her again. Andi
brought it down on Martha’s head just as another shot was fired, and everything
went black.
~~~
Ordan moved slowly toward Andi. She was
hurting bad, he could see that. But she wasn’t letting go of the skillet, and
he wasn’t fool enough to think that she’d not hurt him right now. Terror would
do awful things to your mind, he knew. Reaching to his wife, who was just down
the street with the aunts, he asked her if she’d called the police yet. Danny
had gotten them out of the Bakery as soon as he could.
Yes. I have. And if you get hurt, I’m never
going to forgive you.
He told her that he was just fine; he was more concerned with Andi right now.
Is
Billy really dead?
I don’t know, love. The only place I’ve been
is in here in the kitchen. Martha is, that’s for sure.
Ordan got down on his knees in front of Andi
and said her name. “Darlin, you gonna have to give me that pan. They won’t come
in here and fix you up if you don’t.”
“She was going to kill me.” He nodded at that,
but didn’t move to reach for the pan. He waited on her to hand it over. Stormy
had told him to let her give it to him. It wouldn’t get him hurt. “She told me
that I’d have to help her move Billy out of the way for the customers before we
opened, like it was nothing at all for her to have killed him.”
The timer went off and he turned to look at
the oven. Ordan asked her what that might be for, and she told him that he’d
have to take her biscuits out for her, please. He had a moment of worry that she’d
baked them up after killing Martha, but she spoke then.
“I set the timer and that sort of upset her
for some reason. And the fact that I put buttermilk on the top of them. I think
it makes them look all inviting, don’t you? Then I put them in the oven and
shoved the empty I’d picked up at her. If you would take them out of the oven
before they get too done, when they help me clean this mess up, I’ll get
started on the milk gravy.” Ordan nodded, somewhat relieved but very worried. “She
tried to kill me. I didn’t do anything.”
“I know, sweetheart. Mac said to tell you
that he loves you.” She laid her head back but held onto the frying pan, like
one would a weapon, handle first. Which, he supposed, it was for her. He heard
the sirens now and hoped that there was an ambulance with them. He took the
skillet and laid it beside him, trying not to think of the big split in the
bottom of it and what had been done to put it there. “Thank you. I’ll keep hold
on it in case someone else decides to come in and try to take your job from you.”
“Can I call you Dad?” He nearly fell back on
his butt he was so surprised by her question. “You see, I don’t have any good
memories of my own father. And you and Bri are the nicest people I’ve ever met
in my life. And you treat me like I’m a part of…well, I know that I am a part
of your family, but you don’t treat me as a…never mind. But I would very much
like to call you Dad. And Bri Mom. I’d feel so much better if you’d think on
that.”
She put out her hand to him and asked for
some contact. Ordan held her hand in his, feeling like he was finally helping
her. He knew enough about crime scenes to know that you never touched anything.
But he didn’t figure that anyone would care if he’d taken the pan from her and
held her hand. When she closed her eyes, it scared him a little, but the medics
were making their way in and he thought she’d be all right. Mac touched his
mind, and Ordan could hear the terror in his voice.
Dad, I’m taking the next flight home.
Ordan told Mac he
thought that was a grand idea. He wiped at the tears that threatened and told
him he loved him.
I love you too, Dad. I’m so glad that you were there. Is
she going to be all right? She told me that she’d been shot. Mom said that they
just found Billy. Martha killed him.
Andi has been shot twice. Once in the
shoulder and once in the belly, but it’s gone on through her, and the medic
doesn’t seem to be all that concerned.
He looked up when he heard Storm and Riordan
and stood up to hug them as he talked to Mac.
Asked me if she could call me Dad.
Proudest moment of my day, I have to tell you. But she is talking out of her
head a little. Worrying about the biscuits she’s made. I don’t think she
realizes that she’s been hurt all that bad.
I’m coming home. Tell her that I’m coming
home and I’ll never leave her again.
Ordan didn’t think that was going to be
possible, but told him he’d tell her. But before he could say anything to her,
the police arrived and ushered them out of the kitchen.
“She tell you anything?” Ordan nodded while
he held onto his Bri. His knees had about given out on him when one of the
medics started yelling something about losing her. He’d never been so afraid in
his life. “Mr. Harrison, she’s going to be fine. He only meant that she was
falling over and he was worried for my crime scene.”
“Well, I’m thinking he might have picked a
better way of telling us all that, don’t you think? Darned near had a heart
attack. That girl in there is my son’s wife, and it’s up to me to keep her safe
when he’s not here.” The officer nodded, and he looked for someone to take him
away from the man. “You want to know what she said? She said that Martha tried
to kill her. Told her that Andi should have understood that she couldn’t lose
her job.”