Sit! Stay! Speak! (24 page)

“How do you think I found out about the undercover cop? How do you think I found out about you?”

“I'm not working for anyone.”

“You must think I'm stupid.”

“I don't think you're stupid,” Addie replied. “Honestly, I don't.” She didn't think Redd was stupid. She thought he was mean. She thought he was terrifying, but she didn't think he was stupid.

“What were you looking for when you went snooping around my house?”

“Which time?” Addie replied without thinking. Shit, this was getting her nowhere. So far, she'd managed to accomplish nothing but make Redd even angrier.

“Yeah, Bobby told me he'd brought you 'round. I shoulda decked him for that shit.” The armpits of Redd's T-shirt were sopping with sweat. His face was melting into a puddle on Addie's floor. “You didn't find nothin', though, did ya?”

“I found that gun you're pointing at my face,” she replied. “You shot another man's dog with it when your dog beat his in a fight. You shot Felix with it. I bet you shot the dog buried in my backyard with it.”
Shut up,
she screamed inside of her head.
Just quit talking!
Why couldn't she quit talking?

“You're pretty slick, ain't ya?”

“It's an awful pretty gun to be doing such ugly things with.”

“Redd?” Frank interrupted. He peered through the curtains of the bedroom window. “Redd, I think there's someone here.”

“Take care of it.”

Frank slunk out of the room muttering under his breath. Addie had underestimated him. The first time she talked to him, that day on Redd's lawn, he'd seemed slow and uneven, but friendly. He'd been downright scared of her at the hardware store. But he wasn't afraid right now. He didn't seem to have a problem breaking into her house and watching Redd Jones threaten her with a loaded weapon.

“Why don't you just put the gun down and we can talk,” Addie said. “Maybe we can get this all figured out.” The closet door threatened to burst open every time Felix jumped up against it, and Addie was afraid Redd might notice how close Felix was to escaping.

“Shut up. Maybe I should just shoot you for taking up so much of my goddamn time.” He aimed the gun.

“I don't think you want to do this.” Addie held up her hands. “Can't you hear the sirens? They'll be here before you can escape.”

“But not before I can kill you.”

“What do you want from me?”

Redd cocked the gun. “I want you to beg.”

“What?”

“Get on your knees and beg.”

Addie dropped her hands to her sides. She stepped away from the door where Felix was trapped. She knew he was going to kill her. It didn't matter if she got down on her knees. It didn't matter if she begged. He was going to aim that beautiful gun at her head and kill her. She took a breath, the air sticking inside of her throat so that she hiccuped slightly. With one hand behind her she pulled open the door to the closet. “I'm not going to do that.”

The shot went off a second before Felix was on top of Redd, his
teeth sinking into the soft tissue of the man's neck. Redd let out a yelp, dropping the gun.

Addie was watching the scene underneath water—as if someone heavy had cannonballed right into her. The bullet shattered her left shoulder and knocked her backward onto the bed. She lay there and listened to the commotion on the floor beneath her. She tried to jump up and help Felix, but she couldn't get her legs to cooperate. She pulled herself along the side of the wall and out into the hallway. Nothing was working right. It was then that she realized the warm sensation down her left side was blood.

Her blood.

Then there were people hovering over her, talking to her, touching her. Jasper was there. He was saying something but she couldn't make out the words.
Maybe this is all a dream,
she thought. Like those dreams about Jonah and the man in the white coat. Maybe the last few years had been a dream. Maybe she'd wake up back at the store or their apartment, surrounded by furniture and sandpaper. Maybe it was her birthday and Jonah was letting her sleep late because he'd stayed up all night building her a bench for her breakfast nook.

No,
Addie tried to say out loud.
No, I don't want that. I want what's here. I want this life.

But nobody was listening. Nobody was paying attention at all. They were too busy. And her eyes were so heavy.
If it's okay,
Addie thought,
I'm going to close my eyes now. I'm just going to rest my eyes for a while.

T
HE NEXT TIME
A
DDIE OPENED HER EYES SHE WAS IN AN UNFAMILIAR
room. There were white walls surrounding her, machines beeping next to her, and everything smelled sterile.

“Where am I?” Addie's throat was raw. “Can anyone hear me?”

“Adelaide! You're awake!” Addie heard her mother's voice. She grabbed Addie's hands and face. “We were all so worried!”

“Mom. Quit. You're hurting me.”

“Oh, I'm sorry!” Her mother gasped. “I forgot. Your shoulder.”

“What's wrong with my shoulder?”

“Don't you remember?”

“No.”

“Honey, you were shot.”

“I got shot?”

“Yes, you were shot. Two days ago.”

“At my house,” Addie said.

“Yes, at your house.”

“In my bedroom?”

“Yes.”

Addie blinked. It was so foggy inside of her head. “I think I remember,” she said. “I was at home. I was taking a bath. Felix started barking.”

“Wanda said you were on the phone with her.”

“I was.” Addie's shoulder was throbbing. “Someone was outside the house.” The memory of the entire incident came flooding back to her. “I remember! It was Redd! He was outside my house. And Frank. They were both there. Redd shot me, didn't he?”

“Yes.” Her mother's voice was shaking. “Oh, baby. I'm so sorry.”

Addie remembered everything. Redd. Frank. The closet. Felix. “Mom, where's Felix? Where is he? Is he okay?”

Her mother clasped Addie's hand from the side of the bed and said, “He's fine. He's just fine. He's staying with Jasper at the farm.”

“I think he saved my life, Mom.”

“Jasper told us that he was still on top of Redd when the police got there.”

“But Felix is okay?”

“He's just fine.”

Addie heard a voice in the doorway. Jerry was standing there. He was staring at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. “How are you, kiddo?” He clutched his hospital coffee tightly in both hands.

“I guess I'm going to live,” Addie replied, trying to smile. “My shoulder really hurts, though. Everything really hurts.”

“Why don't I go and see if I can find the nurse,” Addie's mother said. “See if we can't get you something for that.”

Jerry bent down and kissed Addie gruffly on the forehead. “I'm glad to see you back with the waking world.”

“I feel like crap.”

“I bet you do,” Jerry replied. “Jasper told us that you hit a deer a couple nights before . . . all of this happened. The doctors said that's probably the reason for your black eyes and the bruising on your ribs.”

“Where is Jasper?”

“He's had quite a few things to take care of.”

Addie didn't know what that meant, and she was afraid to ask. She reached up and touched her face. It didn't hurt as much as she remembered. “Are my eyes still black?”

“Just barely.” Jerry smiled at her. “You looked so awful when we got here”—he swallowed at a lump in his throat—“your mom and I were so worried.”

“I'm okay.” Addie reached out and took Jerry's hand. “I love you, Dad.” It was the first time she'd ever called him that.

Jerry looked up at her, his eyes rimmed with water. “I love you, too.”

There was a knock at the door, and Wanda stuck her head in. “Is it okay if we come inside?”

“Sure thing.” Jerry stood up. “Come on in. I'm going to go and check on your mother, Adelaide.”

Bryar skipped over to the bed and looked up at Addie, his eyes as wide as quarters. “Mommy said you got hurt,” he said.

“I did get hurt,” Addie replied. “But I'm going to be okay.”

“And the bad man is gone.”

“Yes,” Addie replied. “The bad man is gone.”

“Bryar, honey, be careful over there. Don't hang on Addie.”

“Can I tell her our surprise, Mommy? Can I?” Bryar's eyes danced around the room. “Please?”

“You better go outside and check to make sure that it's time,” Wanda said with a grin.

Once Bryar was out of the room, Addie turned her attention to her friend and whispered, “The bad man
is
gone, right?”

Wanda stroked Addie's hair. “Girl, we've got to get you to a shower.”

“Wanda, tell me Redd is gone.”

“He's gonna be, sugar,” Wanda said. She was using the reassuring voice she usually reserved for Bryar. “But right now he's just down the hall.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, it took them sixteen stitches to close him up after Felix got hold of him,” Wanda replied. “And then Jasper shot him, Addie. Shot him right in the belly.”

Addie struggled to sit up, but the searing pain shooting through her body prevented her from being successful. “He shot him?”

“He had to.”

“I'm going to need you to be more specific.”

Wanda scooted closer to Addie and said, “According to Alice Baker—her mama answers phones down at the police department—she heard that the wet-behind-the-ears police officer put the cuffs on Redd all wrong and didn't even pick up his gun afterward. Well, everybody thought this kid was watchin' Redd in the other room, but he wasn't, and Redd got outta them cuffs, picked up his gun, and was comin' back for ya, Addie, so Jasper had to shoot him. He just had to.”

Addie closed her eyes. The skin of her lids burned. “But Redd's not dead?”

“Nah, but he's a lot worse off.”

“And he's down the hall from me?”

“Ain't but one hospital in this town.”

“Great.”

“They've got guards at his door all the time,” Wanda said. “Redd's cuffed to the bed and cuffed right. They won't let nobody in or out of that room. He's part of a federal investigation now. That's why Jasper ain't been here to check on ya. He can't be near Redd till everything's all sorted out.”

“Because Redd shot me?”

Wanda shook her head. “No, 'cause of somethin' else, but nobody will say nothin' about it.”

Before Addie could formulate a response, her mother and Jerry came back into the room with Bryar.

“Look, Addie! Look! It's Felix!”

Felix dragged Bryar over to the bed, slobbering and whining the whole way. Before Bryar could stop him, Felix jumped up onto the bed and was licking Addie's face.

“I missed you, too.” Addie laughed in between licks. “Watch my shoulder, buddy.”

“He sat at the door every night waiting for you,” Wanda said. “I told him you were coming home, but I don't think he believed me.”

“I'll be home soon,” Addie whispered to Felix. “I promise.”

Felix wagged his tail so hard that his entire body started to shake.

“Hey, quit it!” Bryar squealed, swatting at Felix's swishing tail. “You're hitting me in the face!”

“When will I get to go home?” Addie asked. “Have the doctors said anything?”

“Someone is coming in to talk with us,” her mother replied. “I think I overheard someone say it could be as early as tomorrow.”

Felix settled down on top of Addie, his paws resting on her chest. His weight was killing her, but she couldn't bear to make him move. “What about something for my shoulder?”

“The nurse should be on her way.”

“We need to get Felix down off your bed,” Wanda said. “It was like pullin' teeth to get him in here, and that nurse will blow a gasket if she sees him sittin' on your bed.” She took his leash from Bryar and gave it a tug.

Felix didn't budge.

“Go on,” Addie said to him, giving him a nudge.

Felix yawned.

“Looks like we're going to have to get a new gasket for the nurse,” Jerry said with a chuckle. “He's not going anywhere.”

“That's okay. I owe him my life.” Addie buried her head into his fur and caressed his half ear. “Thank you for returning the favor.”

J
UST AS
A
DDIE'S MOTHER HAD PREDICTED
,
THE DOCTORS ALLOWED
her to leave the very next day. There were strict orders to abide, and many follow-up visits prescribed, but Addie felt relieved to be leaving the beeping monitors and the looming presence of Redd Jones just feet away from where she slept.

Although she understood that Jasper couldn't come to the hospital because of Redd, it didn't make any sense to her that he wouldn't at least call. Nobody, not even the DEA agents who'd come to speak with her the day before, would tell her about the investigation. All they could do was assure her that Jasper wasn't in any trouble and that Redd wouldn't be going
anywhere
without handcuffs for a long, long time.

“Are you about ready to get out of here?” Jerry asked.

A nurse in bright pink scrubs pushed a wheelchair into the room.

“Oh, I don't need that,” Addie said.

“Doctor's orders.”

Addie swung her legs over the bed. Getting dressed had been more difficult than she'd anticipated, and her mother had to go buy her several oversized button-up shirts that she could put on by herself. The tank top she was wearing had taken her fifteen minutes to put on, and that had been with the help of her mother
and
an orderly. Secretly, Addie wondered if she'd ever be able to button another pair of pants. Her mother, true to form, made sure that everyone in the hospital knew that she was a nurse with thirty years in the field. By the time Addie was ready to leave, everyone, including the doctors, was calling her mother Nurse Miranda.

“Sit down, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Let's get this show on the road.”

The nurse backed her out of the room, making beeping noises as she did so. When Addie turned around to look at her, the nurse grinned and said, “Hey, I've got to get my kicks where I can.”

Addie was so relieved to be going home that she felt a sense of unexpected euphoria. Despite the pain, despite everything that had happened, she wanted nothing more than to be sitting with Felix in the living room of her little house.

“Do y'all want me to turn around and go the other way?” the nurse asked. She looked behind her to Addie's parents. “We can go through the doors at the end of the hall and walk around to discharge.”

To Addie's left, there were two men standing at the door of one of the rooms. They were big men, and they were both bald. She could see the black wires hanging out of their ears. In fact,
everything they had on was black, all the way down to their shoes, which were so shiny that she could see the reflection of the floors in each one of them.

They were the agents Wanda had told her about, which meant that Redd Jones must be inside that room. “Just a minute,” Addie said. She stood up.

“You've got to ride out in the wheelchair,” the nurse reminded her. “Sit down.”

“I'll sit down in a minute.” Addie was already walking toward the men. They looked down at her. They weren't smiling. “Is Redd Jones in there?”

“Sorry, ma'am. No admittance.”

“You see this cast? This sling?” Addie pointed with her good arm. “That man in there shot me, but I suppose you know that by now.”

“Yes, ma'am,” one of the men said.

“I want to see him.”

“We can't let you in,” the other one said.

“I won't say anything.”

“We're sorry.”

“Just open the door and let me look inside,” Addie pleaded.

The men exchanged glances with each other.

“Please.”

“Just for a second,” one of them said.

They both took a step sideways, allowing Addie to push the door open. Redd was lying back on the bed, and he was indeed handcuffed to the metal sides. He was staring blankly at the television screen. He looked insignificant compared to the last time she'd seen him, when he was looming over her with a gun pointed at her forehead.

She opened the door an inch more to get a better look, and that's when he saw her. Their eyes locked, and Addie had to fight the urge to look away—to run, to turn around and not look back.

Redd was the first one to look away. He pushed the button on the side of his bed, struggling to reach it through the cuffs. The volume on the television shot up, and he fixed himself once more staring at the movement on the screen. He didn't look at her again.

She closed the door and took a step back between the two men. “Thank you,” she said to them. “Thank you.”

Addie hadn't anticipated the circus awaiting her when she arrived home. Jerry could hardly get down the street for all the cars and people milling about.

“Did the blues festival move to my house?”

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” her mother replied. “Some of the locals wanted to welcome you home.”

“Some?” Addie was incredulous. “It looks like the whole town is here!”

“If you're too tired, we can tell them to go home.”

“No, that's fine.” Addie waited for her mother to unbuckle her seat belt. “I'm just surprised, that's all.”

The first thing that Addie noticed was that her screen door had been fixed. It was back on its hinges perfectly, and even the tricky handle had been replaced. Wanda was standing in the doorway when they approached, and Felix was on her heels.

“Addie!”

“Are you behind all of this?”

“I don't know what you're talkin' about,” Wanda said. She winked at her friend. “I really didn't know there would be so many people. I'm sorry about that.”

“It's okay,” Addie replied. “Did you fix my door, too?”

“What?” Wanda turned around to look at the porch. “No, that was Jasper. Had to go two towns over to find the damn hinge.”

“Looks good,” said Jerry. “Looks real good.”

“Come on in, y'all.” Wanda ushered them inside. “There's food!”

And indeed, there was food. The Three Sisters had cooked up quite a spread. It was all set out and gleaming on Addie's kitchen table. Patty Mae, Fannie Lou, and Opal Ruth stood beside it proudly.

“You did all of this for me?” Addie asked.

“Sure did, sweetheart,” Patty Mae replied.

“I'm going to have food for weeks!”

“That's the plan,” Opal Ruth said.

“There's even some chocolate gravy for string bean over there.” Fannie Lou pointed to Jerry. “Eat up, sugar!”

Addie didn't know what to say. She hardly knew these women, and yet here they were in her kitchen, with enough food to feed a small army and then some. She felt warm from her head to her toes. They'd cooked for her, for her family, and that food was love. Addie knew this because it was what Aunt Tilda would have done if she were alive. It was what she'd done for Addie, and it was, Addie now realized, what her aunt had done for Zeke that summer. The love her aunt poured into that food was the love she couldn't have expressed for him. It filled up the wagon and spilled over into Zeke's hands that sticky day in July. It was years and years of being strong that had somehow turned to bitterness. It was her aunt's only way of saying what needed to be said. She hoped Zeke understood. Addie clutched the recipe box to her chest. She wouldn't let her aunt down. She wouldn't be bitter.

As her mother and Jerry busied themselves filling their plates, Addie counted the chairs at her table. There were four. “Wanda?” Addie called out. “Did somebody fix my broken chair?”

“I'll give ya six guesses as to who it was,” she hollered back. “And the first five don't count!”

“Jasper,” Addie mumbled. Where was he?

“How are you feeling, Adelaide?” Doc was in front of her, a half-eaten piece of pie on his plate.

“I'm okay. A little overwhelmed, but okay.”

Doc nodded. “I tried to tell Wanda that this would be too much.” He gestured around the room. “But she insisted. You know how she can be.”

“Oh, I know.” Addie laughed. “I just can't believe so many people even wanted to come.”

“We care about you,” Doc said. “Despite our disagreements, I am quite fond of you.”

“About that,” Addie began. “I need to apologize to you . . .”

“Don't,” Doc cut her off. “Talk to Jasper first, and then you can decide whether you want to apologize.”

“Where is Jasper?”

“I don't know. But I'm sure he's around here somewhere.”

Doc wandered off, and Addie was left alone in her kitchen. People were buzzing all around her, eating food, laughing, and waving in her direction. She knew most of them. They were clients from the clinic, friends of Wanda's and Jasper's, and people from around the neighborhood. Sitting on one corner of her couch, alone in a tweed blazer, was Augustus Smoot. Addie could hardly believe her eyes.

“Mr. Smoot, what are you doing here?”

Augustus looked up at her. In his hand was a glass of whiskey, his own; Addie recognized it from the day she'd been there. “I was invited.”

“I'm glad you're here.” Addie sat down beside him. “I'm just surprised, that's all.”

“Eleonora and I had a talk,” he said. “She told me I was being crotchety and that I should be nicer to the pretty neighbor.”

Addie grinned. “I think I like her.”

Augustus took a sip from his cup and said, “I know you would have.”

“Addie.” Her mother was calling to her from the other side of the room. “Come over here.”

Addie stood up and took Augustus's hand in hers. “Maybe we could have tea one day this week?”

“I'll have Magdalene clear my schedule.”

Addie made her way over to her mother and a woman who looked vaguely familiar. She couldn't place her, but she knew she'd seen her face somewhere before.

“Addie, this is Delores. She says you've met.”

“I think so,” Addie replied. “But I just can't remember where.”

“Lily's Boutique,” Delores said. “I own it.”

“Oh!” Addie's eyes lit up. Now she remembered. “How are you?”

“Well,” her mother cut in, “Delores was just telling me how she asked you to bring some of your creations to the store and you never did.”

“I guess I forgot.”

“Well, now you have my official request.” Delores gave Addie a broad smile. “Any friend of Jasper's is a friend of mine.”

“Have you seen Jasper?”

“I think I saw him out back a few minutes ago,” Delores replied.

“You two will have to excuse me for just a minute,” Addie said. She walked away from them despite protests from her mother.

She opened the back door and Felix followed her. At the other end of the yard, she finally found Jasper. He was standing on a ladder in front of the shed, holding on to a brand-new door. The fresh wood stood in stark contrast to the wood around it, and Jasper was cursing and coaxing it into position.

Felix barked and bounded down the steps, and Addie followed him. “Jasper, what are you doing out here?”

“What does it look like I'm doing?” he huffed. “I'm trying to fix this door. There are just too many things to fix in this house. Too many.”

“Come down from there,” Addie demanded. “You're going to give yourself heatstroke.”

“I wanted to have everything fixed by the time you got home.”

“Please, come down.”

Jasper sighed and stepped down off the ladder. He squinted into the sunlight at her. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”

“I'd hope so,” Addie said with a laugh. “I was covered in blood and lying on my bedroom floor.”

“I remember.”

“Why aren't you inside with everyone else?”

“I've been trying to make everything perfect for you.”

“Why?”

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Yes. But it's only when I move. Or talk. Or breathe.”

“Addie, I'm so sorry. I should have told you everything. I never should have left you alone here.”

“You came back.”

“I got there too late,” he muttered.

“You shot him!” Addie exclaimed. “You shot him, Wanda told me.”

“I figured you'd find out before I could tell you.”

“You saved my life, Jasper.”

“It's because of me that your life was ever in danger,” Jasper said.

“I don't understand.”

Jasper twisted the hammer in his hands. “This whole time you thought you'd brought this trouble into
my life
when it was the other way around.”

“Jasper, you're talking in circles,” Addie said. She took a step closer to him. “What are you trying to say?”

“What do you remember about that night? About what Redd said to you?”

“I don't remember a whole lot of the conversation.” Addie shrugged. “But I told the police that he kept asking me who I was working for, which I thought was strange.”

“What else?”

Addie thought about it. That night was a cloud resting in her brain somewhere, and bits and pieces were still breaking through. “He said something about a DEA agent? On your farm. Said you didn't know anything about it.”

“That's what I should have told you about all along.”

“Tell me now.”

Jasper took a deep breath. “The Jones family has been suspected for decades of manufacturing and selling drugs all over Eunice and the state of Arkansas. But nobody could ever really prove anything. When Redd's daddy died, he took the family business to a whole new level.”

“What kind of drugs?”

“Meth, primarily,” Jasper replied. “Redd took the operation across state lines into Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee. When the Jones farm was foreclosed on and I bought the property, the DEA came to me to ask for help. I agreed to work undercover. So did Doc.”

“Doc was in on this, too?”