Dark Moon Crossing (23 page)

“Were
you an only child?‌”

His
eyes shifted away, then back as a look of supreme melancholy clouded his
features. “No,” he said at length, “I had a beautiful little sister named
Laura. She died three years ago.”

I
frowned, remembering Bethany’s shrine comment. “I’m sorry. What happened to
her?‌”

“Laura
was born with an enlarged heart. She never really got a chance to run and play
like normal kids, but she was a real trooper. Of course the medical bills were
staggering. Little by little, my dad had to sell off pieces to the Beaumonts
and a couple of other ranchers until we were down to fifteen thousand acres out
of the original twenty-five.” He sugared his coffee and took a sip before continuing
with, “But, even so, I think we’d have been okay if…if it hadn’t been for my
father’s sudden death. My mom…well, she went to pieces afterwards. I remember
the night she packed up my sister and me and drove us over to my uncle’s place
near Benson. She told us she needed to get away by herself for a little while
and that she’d be back to get us in a few days…but that was the last time we
ever saw her.”

A
surge of sympathy rocked my heart. “Payton, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
pried….”

He
waved away my concern. “Hey, it’s old news. Everyone in this county knows
about the Kleinwort tragedies so don’t feel bad. Anyway,” he added with a wry
smile, “it gets worse.”

And
it did. In between bites of his sandwich and fries he relayed how he and Laura
had lived with his Uncle Alvin, his new wife, Myra, and older cousin, Gordon,
for the next seven years until his uncle had been laid off by the railroad.
When Payton’s mother had been declared legally dead, his uncle sold his house
and they’d all moved back to the Kleinwort ranch. “He thought he was going to
resurrect the place to its former glory, but he was no better at operating it
than my dad was. So, in order to get enough money to send Gordon to medical
school, he systematically sold off more acreage.”

“Wait
a minute, he was selling off your inheritance so your
cousin
could go to
medical school?‌ What about you and your sister’s rights?‌”

“What
rights?‌ He was our legal guardian and I was only fifteen. Actually, I didn’t
even know what they were up to until a couple of years later when it came time
for me to go to college. They never let us forget for a minute what a burden
we’d been to them and claimed the money had mostly been spent on Laura, but I
know that wasn’t true.” He drew little circles in the sugar that had spilled on
the table as he explained how he’d become reacquainted with the Beaumonts
again. “Even though I only saw Bethany at school, I daydreamed about her all
the time. I didn’t think she ever noticed me, but about a year later she
suddenly started coming around a lot. At first I thought she was befriending
Laura, and then I fooled myself into thinking she was as nuts about me as I was
about her…but it was really Gordon she was interested in. He was the
good-looking one. He was the smart one, but she couldn’t seem to get him to
notice her.”

My
chin sagged. “How is that possible?‌ Is he blind?‌”

Chuckling,
he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. “She didn’t look quite
the same then as she does now.” He proffered a photo and I stared in amazement
at a plumpish teenager with limp blonde hair and rather unspectacular features
before raising questioning eyes to meet his. “That’s quite a transformation.”

His
smile soured. “With a little help from cosmetic surgery.”

“I’d
wager a lot of surgery, paid for by daddy, no doubt.”

“No,”
he said dryly, “mostly paid for by me.”

“You?‌”

“Her
therapist convinced her that she needed it to create a more positive
self-image. I worked seven days a week at three jobs to support her and
Brett. Plus, I had to care for Laura while she waited for her heart
transplant.” His voice grew somber. “The fact that my sister and I were so
close was always a sore spot with my beloved ex.”

“Why?‌”

“She
was always whining that I loved Laura more than her, even though I know now
that Bethany never really gave a crap about me.”

“Okay,
I’m totally confused now.”

“Sorry,
I’m getting ahead of myself. I guess, being a writer, you might want to title
the rest of this sordid tale
love is blind
,” he said stringing imaginary
letters in the air between us. “Or maybe, men are the biggest saps on the
planet, or something to that effect. Anyway, when I was eighteen, Gordon
suddenly eloped with one of his professors, ten years his senior. Bethany was
devastated, a total basket case, and who do you think was there to comfort
her?‌”

“You.”

“Yeah,
stupid me. I figured with Gordon out of the picture maybe I finally had a
chance, but she was just using me to stay close to him. We were out partying
one night a couple of months later. She had a lot to drink and when she threw
herself at me, well, I didn’t turn her down and well….”

“She
got pregnant?‌” I filled in wryly.

Flushing,
he admitted, “You guessed it. We discussed abortion, but she said her folks
would have a fit if they found out, so we drove to Las Vegas and got married.
About that time my uncle died, Myra left, and I hired a foreman to run what was
left of the ranch so I could keep working the other jobs.”

“Did
you work for your Uncle Dean?‌”

His
pale brows bunched together. “No, why?‌”

“That
guy, Joe, said you were a vet’s assistant or something.”

His
face softened. “Yeah. I love working with animals. My dream was to study
medicine like Gordon, but I had to drop out after a year. No money,” he said
with a tight smile. “So, being a veterinary technician was as close as I ever
got. Bethany’s happiness always came first. I worked part-time as a shoe
clerk,” he said, pulling down fingers, “a vacuum cleaner salesman, bartender,
night-manager at a convenience store…I’ve lost track now, but none paid enough
to provide her with the lifestyle to which she felt entitled.”

“When
did you have time to sleep?‌” I asked, my contempt for this self-centered woman
rising by the second.

“I
didn’t. I was like a zombie. And nothing I did ever seemed enough to satisfy
her. Oh, I tried to convince myself that she’d learn to love me someday, but
she was still obsessed with Gordon and set about making herself into a living
Barbie doll until she finally got his attention. She had her nose done, cheek
implants, laser skin resurfacing, liposuction, dyed her hair light blonde,
hired a personal trainer, the works.”

I
shook my head as he went on to explain how she’d finally ensnared Gordon in an affair
that resulted in his wife leaving him. Payton, mired in debt because of her
lavish spending and the astronomical medical bills piling up while his dying
sister awaited her transplant, could do nothing to stop Bethany when she’d
taken Brett and moved to San Francisco with his cousin. “She finally got what
she’d always wanted, a big house by the bay, fancy car, all the things she said
I couldn’t give her because of my devotion to my sister.”

“And
that was a bad thing to her?‌”

His
smile was rueful. “She likes to tell anyone who will listen that my concern
for Laura bordered on obsession, but I’ll tell you what,” he said, pushing his
empty plate to the side, “my sister taught me a lot about love and courage, and
I don’t regret a moment of the time I spent with her.”

I
couldn’t help but admire his upbeat attitude considering all the crappy things
that had happened to him. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, instead of
suffering from some major neurosis, he appeared to have reached a comfortable
level of acceptance that granted him inner peace. But, it made my blood boil
to hear how shabbily Bethany had treated this very compassionate, very
sensitive man. I said, “Personally, I think you should be nominated for
sainthood.”

Reddening,
he grinned. “Well, thank you.”

“So,
I gather since she’s back, things didn’t work out with your cousin?‌”

Scorn
danced in his eyes. “He finally saw through her shallowness, called me up,
begged my forgiveness and kicked her butt out. She got a real rude awakening when
she came slithering back to the Sundog thinking she was going to continue her
cushy lifestyle courtesy of mom and dad. Wrong! Things had changed for them
financially, so in order to stay she had to agree to pull her own weight
helping out with the guests.”

“What
happened with your cousin?‌”

“He’s
still trying to reconcile with his wife and I’m trying to make up for lost time
with Brett.” He exhaled a protracted sigh. “And Bethany’s new goal in life is
making it as difficult as possible for me to see him. In case you hadn’t
noticed, she’s a master at laying down roadblocks and manipulating
circumstances to her own benefit.”

“I
noticed.” I hunched forward, resting my chin on my hands. “Tell me something,
what did she mean about you erecting a shrine for Laura in the desert?‌ Is your
sister…buried out there?‌”

He
shook his head, clearly irritated. “Bethany has a habit of over-dramatizing
the situation. It’s really not a big deal at all. Laura’s dying wish was to
have her ashes spread in the spot where we used to go for picnics when we were
kids. I go out there sometimes, say a little prayer and just, you know, listen
to the wind. I’ll tell you, it was the saddest thing on earth watching her
waste away waiting…waiting for the healthy heart she never got.” His voice
faltering with emotion prompted me to place my hand over his. “Payton, I’m so
sorry.” He turned his palm upward and clasped my hand, his misty eyes brimming
with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you for caring. It was a terrible ordeal,
but at least one good thing came out of it.”

I
noticed the four elderly diners at the next table eyeing us with eager
speculation, so I gently disengaged my hand from his. “What’s that?‌”

“It
made me aware of the appalling shortage of organ donors in this country. Get
this, even if one does become available, it doesn’t mean the most deserving
person will receive it.” His lips twisted. “Money, power and celebrity go a
long way in pushing certain people to the top of the list.”

I
eyed him closely. “Is that what happened to your sister?‌ Did she get bumped
for someone else?‌”

“The
hospital denied it, but yes, I think so. Did you know that over sixty-five
thousand people are on waiting lists for transplants at this very moment?‌ And
like Laura, over five thousand a year die before receiving either a heart, or
liver, lungs or a kidney?‌”

“I
had no idea.”

“It’s
definitely been an eye-opening education.” He fixed me with a solemn look.
“Tell me something, have you ever donated blood?‌”

“Sure.”

“And
have you filled out an organ donor card?‌

“No.”

”Did you know they’re available at every blood bank?‌”

Guilt
gnawed at me and I squirmed under his intense gaze. “No, I didn’t.”

“Bet
you never gave it much thought, did you?‌”

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but no.”

“Don’t feel bad. Most people aren’t aware of it, or
choose to ignore it. That’s what’s so sad. Think about the thousands of fully
intact cadavers buried each year in ridiculously elaborate funerals when it
would be so easy to have given the gift of life to another human being.” His
rough breathing and passionate tone of voice had curious heads turning in our
direction again. Apparently we were the lunchtime entertainment.

Blushing under the scrutiny, he steepled his hands
against the flat line of his lips for a couple of seconds. “Making people aware
of this problem has become my personal crusade since Laura died.”

“That’s all right,” I answered, admiring his
sensitivity. “You’ve convinced me. I’ll fill out a donor card the very next
time I donate blood.”

His smile matched the sparkle in his green eyes.
“Bravo.” A silence fell between us and he glanced at his watch. “Well, thanks
again for lunch. I’d like to stay and chat longer but I’ve got to make a
couple of phone calls…”

“Hey, it’s nothing considering how helpful you’ve been
to me.”

He rose and then hesitated beside my chair. “Do you
think you’ll ever be back down this way again?‌”

I shrugged. “It’s possible.”

“Well, if you do, be sure to look me up.”

“You can bet on it.”

“Enjoy your new kitty.” Smiling, he accepted my
outstretched hand and then with a final wave, strode towards the outside door
leading to the saloon. When I looked around, everyone in the place was staring
at me with a knowing smile. Good grief. No doubt they’d interpreted our
meeting as a lover’s rendezvous. Good thing I was leaving town today. I hailed
the waitress for the bill. The aspirin I’d taken earlier had helped dull the
beginnings of a headache but my throat was growing increasingly raw. If things
worked out as I hoped, I’d snag an interview with the caretaker at Morita,
collect my new kitten and then get home as quickly as possible.

I stepped outside into the wind, smarting with the
knowledge that so far I’d failed to come up with anything viable to help Lupe.
It weighed heavily on me as I pulled my car keys from my purse and I nearly
walked by the dented orange truck before I realized it was Froggy’s. I
hesitated. This might be a perfect opportunity to corner the little weasel in
the saloon and try to extract more information, but one glance at my watch told
the story. I didn’t have enough time.

I’d just stuck my key in the door when the sudden
squeal of tires from behind startled me. Turning, my heart jerked
uncomfortably as Jason’s red pickup skidded into the nearby parking space. The
nasty-faced skinhead with the pit bull eyes sat next to him. Oh, brother.