Bones by the Wood (27 page)

“You’ve met Terry, Dolly’s husband.  They adopted Jenny a few months since.”

They’d adopted Jenny.  But it hadn’t even been a year since the Rabid Dogs had vanished off the face of the earth.  It had barely been even half a year.  Thea’s mind was racing.  How had they found Jenny?  Where had she ended up?  What had happened to that poor girl in the last six months?  Thea’s mind snagged on something unthinkable.  The system, what she knew of it, just didn’t move that fast... oh shit, oh shit, oh shit....  How had they known that little girl needed new parents so quick?

Thea’s knees nearly buckled.  She felt Dizzy feel it in the way that his arm tightened around her.  She pulled herself up, stiffened her spine, and fixed her expression to blank.  Her blood was running cold.  Her head was whirling.  Too many thoughts.  Too many strands.  Everything was knotted.  She had no clue how else to explain that Josh and Jenny knew each other, so the words were out of her mouth before she’d decided whether it was safe for them to be free. 

“She used to live in our town.  Went to the same school as Josh.”

She felt Dizzy’s fingers clench.  “You know her parents?”  Fuck, but his voice was ice.

“I knew her daddy.  Never met her mama.  She’d run out on them before I knew them.”

Moira was several degrees less friendly than she had been a moment ago.  “I’m goin’ to check on Ashleigh.  I think you two have some things to talk about.”  That last she directed very pointedly at Dizzy.  “The ceremony will be startin’ soon.”

Moira walked off, across the room, and disappeared through a door.  Dizzy was looking down at her, his expression was inscrutable.

“She’s right.  We need to talk.  This ain’t the time or the place for it, though.”

He hadn’t called her sweetheart.  He nearly always called her sweetheart.  Thea had the distinct feeling that her world was crumbling from under her feet.  She couldn’t make words.  She had no idea what she could say that would be appropriate for a room full of people.  She looked over at her boy, so happy and so joyous, talking so animatedly with his friend.  His world was going to fall apart, too, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.  Emptiness swept over her.

Dizzy still had his arm around her waist.  She knew the score, he was keeping her close so that the other men in the room would know she was with him, but the muscles in that arm were rigid, and he was holding himself stiff.  She couldn’t have said whether he was angry with her, because the only thing she could feel rolling off him was coldness.

The ending of her world was interrupted by the opening strains of a song that Thea recognized, being played over the sound system at a volume that foretold the start of the event.  It was a guitar and vocal piece by a British artist that Thea couldn’t name, but she recognized it. It was strangely melancholy for the event, so Thea assumed there must be something in it that had special significance for the couple concerned. 

Almost immediately, all the guests parted to form an impromptu aisle between the door that Moira had disappeared through, and a pair of double doors that had been closed when she had walked in, but which were open now.  Thea hadn’t seen Moira re-enter the room, but she was standing in the room that had been revealed beyond the doors.  It looked to be the Chapel of this clubhouse.  Thea caught a glimpse of a large table behind the group of people who were standing there, waiting expectantly.  As well as Moira, there was a man in a black suit and a black shirt with a white priest collar.  On his other side, stood Shark and Chiz.  The big, bald man, who had seemed so imposing, even next to Shaggy and Scooby, looked to be absolutely blown away with love and nerves.  It made Thea’s heart ache to see his emotions so obviously drawn across his face.

A collective murmur rippling through the assembled crowd drew Thea’s attention back to the other side of the avenue of people.  Samuel appeared at the door with a young, blonde woman on his arm.  This was obviously his daughter, the bride.  Thea was a little surprised, and immediately ashamed for being so, to see that the bride was pregnant.  Who the fuck was she to judge?  The gentle swell of belly barely disturbed the line of the strapless ivory dress which had a high waist, just under the bust, and was made of layer upon layer of almost transparent, shimmering material.  The dress ended at the knee, and when Thea took in the whole of the outfit as the bride walked past, she realized why she’d wanted her legs visible, she was wearing sky high platform pumps, encrusted with crystals that caught the light like rainbows and had a very distinctive red sole.  Thea knew that if she even attempted to wear shoes like that she’d manage to break her ankle before she’d even taken a step.  Other than the spectacular shoes, the bride wore no tiara or veil or any other accessory that Thea could see.  The effect was understated, and appropriate for the setting.  The bride was literally glowing.  Thea could have cried for how deeply in love these two people obviously were.

All the while that the ceremonial words were being spoken and repeated, Dizzy remained statue still, but never took his arm from around her waist.  Thea tried to keep her attention on the happy event they were supposed to be being a part of, rather than thinking about the tornado that was about to engulf her own relationship.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss the bride.”

At the priest’s utterance of the famous phrase, and the happy couple’s literal and enthusiastic undertaking of his permission, the room erupted into applause and cheers.  Thea clapped along with everyone else, unable to find her voice to cheer because she wasn’t sure what sounds would come out if she actually opened her mouth.

As the bridal party walked into the tide of embraces and congratulations of the crowd, someone turned the music system up again and the atmosphere changed from respectfully ceremonious to all-out boisterous party. 

“Stay here.”  Since she was still in a state of emotional shock, it didn’t occur to Thea to argue with Dizzy’s command.  She watched him melt into the crowd.

There was a surge towards one side of the room.  By the rush of mouth-watering scents, Thea guessed that the food was being served. 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a cool hand on her arm.

“Come on, cher.  You’re boy’s still with Jenny.  I’ll introduce you to Dolly.”  Moira’s tone was tense, but civil. 

Thea was about to say that Dizzy had told her to stay put, but the grip on her arm brooked no defiance.  Wondering how the hell she was going to get through the rest of the day, she allowed Moira to lead her over to a table.  As they made their way through the partying people, she saw Josh and Jenny both sat with full plates, piled with an assortment of food in front of them.  There was a plate in the middle of the table mounded with pieces of cake and chocolate covered fancies.

Thea wondered what Moira’s game was.  Surely she must know that something serious had shifted between her and Dizzy when she’d recognized Jenny Cross.  Why in the hell was she still acting like she needed to be brought into the fold?  Thea didn’t think that there were any guarantees that their place here was still warranted.

There was a blonde woman standing behind the chair that Jenny was sitting in.  She was wearing a scarlet dress that looked like an oversized peasant blouse that had been gathered at the waist and was short enough to show off a lot of immaculately toned leg. The impression that Thea got was of a blonde, slightly brassier, more made up, version of Moira.  The woman had a similar air of command about her, but a lot more foundation and eye makeup and had done something much more elaborate with her hair. As Moira dragged Thea over, Jenny looked up from her food.

“Hiya, Thea.”  Jenny was looking her usual adorable self.  Her long brown hair had been curled into ringlets, which highlighted her huge brown doe eyes.  She was wearing a dress that seemed to be predominantly multi-colored tutu, a modern, princess-ballerina fantasy.

“Hiya, Jenny.”  Thea had never insisted on being addressed formally by Josh’s friends.  She wasn’t a Mrs., and she’d be damned if she was going to be talked at like a kindergarten teacher, being called Miss Colby all the time, and she wouldn’t make anyone, let alone a child, call her Ms. anything.

“Dolly, this is Thea.  Thea, this is my friend, Dolly.”  Moira motioned vaguely with her hand.  From the way that she’d spoken, Moira had made it sound like Dolly was her only friend.

“So you’re the one they’re talking about then.”  The blonde woman addressed her while looking her over thoroughly from head to toe and back again.

Thea did not enjoy being judged this way, not at all, but she knew that these people were important to Dizzy.  Only for his sake was she prepared to present herself for this level of scrutiny, but only for his sake.

She wasn’t sure how to respond to Dolly’s proclamation, but was saved from doing so by Dizzy’s arrival.  It seemed that her disobedience of his instructions was waived in the event of the cause being Moira.

“Come on, we need to talk.”  He said in a low voice at her ear as he slipped his arm back around her waist. 

Before he pulled her away from the little group, he turned his attention to Josh.  “You all set, li’l bro?”

“Sure, Dizzy.”  Josh spoke around a mouthful of something.

“Good.  I just need to speak to your mama for a moment.  You’re okay here.  Anythin’ you need, just ask Moira or Dolly.  Okay?”

“Okay.  You’re gonna be gross and kiss and stuff aren’t you.”

For one utterly shocked moment there was complete silence in the group, and then through her total mortification Thea realized that Dizzy, Moira and Dolly were laughing gleefully.

“That’s none of your business, li’l bro.”  Dizzy chuckled.

But his smile dropped as he turned her away from the table.  Josh, surrounded by food and friendly people, hardly even seemed to notice that his mama had barely said a word, or that she was leaving.

Worries about the forthcoming conversation and astonishment at whatever Josh, in all innocence, may have been alluding to, crowded each other out of Thea’s brain until only crackling static remained.  She allowed Dizzy to pull her along with him, through the door that Samuel and his daughter had made their entrance through.  It led to a corridor that was lined with doors in a similar manner to the one in the Texas clubhouse.  Dizzy stopped about halfway along and fished a single key that wasn’t attached to a chain, out of his pocket.  He unlocked the door and ushered Thea inside the bedroom.

Once inside he closed the door and locked it behind him.  Fear spiked in Thea, but she drew herself tall, determined to hold her own in the confrontation.  She would not cower before the coming storm.

She hadn’t intended to cut Dizzy off from whatever he was about to say, but the imprudent words just spilled out.  “You killed them, didn’t you?”

Dizzy’s face turned to stone.  “Hold up.  First things first.  What was your association with them?  How did you know Cross and Jenny?”

Thea didn’t see any point in holding anything back.  Hiding facts would only make things worse, as if they weren’t bad enough already.  “Like I said, Josh and Jenny know each other from school.  Josh caught some kids picking on her.  He stepped in for her.  That’s how I met Jenny.  I met Cross when I started fucking Elvis.  I’m guessin’ you knew who he was.”

Dizzy was completely still.  Thea couldn’t even see the rise and fall of his chest.  It seemed that an age passed before he spoke.  “Our clubs were associates.  We worked together in the same business.  We dealt with them for years, until they betrayed us.  And yeah, I knew your fuck buddy.”

“And you killed him.”  That was the horrifyingly logical conclusion that she’d arrived at.

Dizzy regarded her silently for what seemed like forever, then his posture suddenly relaxed.  “I’m not gonna tell you.  If we’re gonna do this, if we’re gonna have a life together, you need to accept that there’re things that I can’t, that I won’t tell you.  I won’t even try.  And some of those things might land me in the joint.  We don’t do trials, we plead, it protects our business.  So you might never know why I’ve been sent away, and it could be for years.  If you can’t deal with that, say so now.  Because, sweetheart, if you can’t deal, we need to end this here and now, before it’s too late, before any of us get in any deeper than we already are.”