Lacy's End (20 page)

Brenda nodded her head. “I see. So Reuben still works here, but Elaine works at the clinic. How did that happen?”

“Elaine and her family are just the first of many Henry has helped. After Henry had given Elaine the job, I started coming around to check up on them. We both knew Henry couldn’t possibly pay Elaine enough to support her three kids. That’s when I met Angela Martin. I knew we had a social services rotation at the hospital, so I contacted them. Angela was on call that week and answered my page. We got together and came up with a game plan. She got in touch with the local vocational training school, who agreed to help. There’s money out there in grants to help fund training, and whatever that didn’t cover, the school agreed to arrange to either delay payments, or waive tuition altogether. Angela contacted Elaine, convinced her to enroll in night school, and now she’s a certified medical assistant.”

“Wow! What a great success story.”

He nodded. “Henry agreed to keep Reuben on. He’s saving half his money for a car, and putting the rest away for college. Minus whatever expenses he has.”

She smiled appreciatively. “I’m really impressed. I’ve never known a doctor who cared so much. I thought that ended when you walked out of the exam room.”

He gave her a half-hearted chuckle. “For many that’s true, but plenty of us care beyond what goes into our pockets. Every physician at the clinic is a volunteer.”

They fell silent. She played with her coffee cup, refusing a refill when Reuben offered more. Finally, she said, “What do you expect from me, Allen? Am I one of your charity cases that you expect to don a waitress uniform and serve pie and coffee?”

He shook his head, his face a contorted mass of emotion. “This isn’t what you’re about, Brenda.” He reached out, covering her hand with his own. When she looked down, he touched her chin with his finger, lifting her head so their eyes would meet. “I care about you, Brenda. Probably more than I should.”

She turned her head away, trying to ignore the sound of her own heart wildly beating in her ears. He pulled her face back toward him. She tried to turn away again, but he held her chin tight.

“I’m married,” she whispered.

“He abuses you. He doesn’t love you.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He leaned closer, his lips coming to within a fraction of an inch of hers. She closed her eyes, expecting the touch of his flesh. “You deserve so much more,” she heard instead.

She opened her eyes. He was still just as close. So close, she could smell the cherry pie on his breath. “Lacy…”

“Is fine,” he objected.

“He tried to get to her.”

“He’s getting to her at home, too.”

Having nothing to reply, she fell silent. Pulling her hands away from his, she sat back. “I need to go now.”

He nodded and stood to leave. “You will think about it?”

“Yes.”

They drove in silence.

When he pulled up to the trailer, her heart began to beat. “He’s not home yet.”

“Let me come in and stay with you.”

She shook her head. “No. There’s no telling what he might do if he finds you here.”

“You’ll call me if you need me?”

“Of course.”

She began to climb out of the car. He reached out and took hold of her arm, letting his hand slip down to clasp hers. She looked back at him. “It’s not too late,” he said.

“I’ll call you.”

He leaned across the seat and kissed her on the cheek. “Be careful.”

She nodded, stood, and closed the door.

She felt a moment’s hesitation as she watched his car drive out of sight. She turned and looked at the trailer. A sense of dread permeated her body. What am I doing here?

When they discharged her from the hospital, Lacy had managed to sneak into the house and get a few items of clothing for her, but the bulk of her belongings remained.

Brenda stared at the trailer for several moments. “I could simply pack my things and leave. I only need my clothes,” she said aloud.

Sighing, she began the walk to the trailer. With each step her heart beat more rapidly, her palms sweated, her neck became moist. She put her key into the lock and turned it. The tumblers seemed to reverberate in her head. The door squeaked as she opened it. Odd she had never noticed that before. She’d have to remember to lubricate it.

The house seemed so quiet without all the daily activity. She could almost hear an echo. She walked into the kitchen, her kitchen. The dishes still sat in the dish drainer where she had left them to dry. Several cereal bowls and empty glasses littered the sink. That figured; surely she hadn’t expected Peter to wash up after himself. The coffee pot sat half full, a furry growth covering the surface. Apparently, Peter hadn’t made any coffee, nor had he bothered to clean the pot since she had left.

She picked up the pot, dumped the contents down the drain, emptied the mold-encrusted filter basket into the trash bin, and ran a sink full of hot soapy water. She put all the cereal bowls, spoons, and glasses into the sink. She added soap to the coffee carafe and filled it with water, setting it aside to soak.

When she’d finished washing all the dishes, she took a can of scouring powder from under the sink and sprinkled it liberally over the entire countertop. As she scrubbed, her mind wandered back to the diner. It had felt so good to sit down and have someone serve her for a change. She thought about Allen’s lips so close to hers. She had wanted him to kiss her, but he hadn’t. She wondered why. Was it because she was married? Indeed, it should matter to her. She had taken a vow to be faithful. But then again, so had Peter, just as he’d also agreed to love, honor, and cherish her? Would it still be wrong to lie with another man if her husband had long ago broken his vows?

She finished the dishes, got out the lemon dusting spray and wiped away days of dust and grime. Then she went to the hall closet and took out the vacuum cleaner. She vacuumed the living room, the den, and the hallway, coming to a stop in front of Lacy’s door. Turning off the vacuum, she pushed open the door and stood in the doorway. What she saw made her heart sink. It was as if a stranger had occupied it. Many of Lacy’s things were gone. She assumed she had snuck in at various times and taken them.

Brenda walked to the center of the room. She pirouetted, closing her eyes as she attempted to get a feel for her daughter. It did no good. Lacy’s spirit had left this place, no doubt the better for Lacy.

Allen’s words in the diner came back to her.
He’s getting her at home, too.

She wondered what Lacy was doing right now. She glanced at her watch, three o’clock. Lacy would just now be getting out of school. Would she worry when she got back to Angela’s and found her mother gone? No doubt she would.

She noticed a hole in the wall next to the door. Stepping closer, she bent to examine it. She balled her hand into a fist and sized it up, putting her fist all the way through. Just the right size for Peter’s fist, she mused. With both her and Lacy gone, he had taken his frustrations out on the wall.

She left Lacy’s room, deciding not to vacuum it. Somehow it seemed wrong, as if by doing so she might erase all traces of Lacy.

She pushed the vacuum down to her and Peter’s room. Walking in the door made her blood run cold. The bed was unmade so she made it. Peter’s bathrobe was on the floor. She picked it up and hung it on a hook on the back of the bathroom door. The disarray she found there shocked her. Peter had haphazardly thrown clothes at the laundry hamper and they lay draped over and around it. None of them had made it inside. She threw them all inside and dragged the laundry hamper into the bedroom. She would take it to the laundry room when she finished cleaning the bathroom.

As she was turning back toward the bathroom, she noticed a bright red spot on the carpet. Stepping close, she bent and examined it. It was blood. She looked up and saw several more spots, some large and some small. Where did all this blood come from?

She touched a spot. It was dried. She was wondering how old it was when a sudden vision hit her. The last time she had been in the trailer when Peter had nearly beaten her to within an inch of her life, he had thrown her against the wall, the dresser, and the bedside table. She couldn’t remember how many times he had slammed her head against something. She had been dazed that day. In fact, she had barely been able to call for help. Had she actually bled this much? She shuddered, then she said aloud, “Get a grip, girl. If he keeps this up, you’ll be dead before you reach the prime of your life.”

She went to pick up the laundry hamper, but suddenly was seized by a rage so severe she couldn’t control herself. In one clean swipe, she pushed all of Peter’s things off his dresser. Then she opened the drawers and began grabbing out the items, piles at a time, and throwing them all over the bed. She tore his uniforms from their hangers, throwing them in heaps on the closet floor, stomping on them, grinding them into the worn carpet. His treasure box came next—all the little trinkets he had spent his life collecting went cascading about the room, showers and showers of mementos.

She screamed with each exertion, mumbling and cursing his name. All the years of pent-up anger came flowing out in a verbal torrent. When she was done, she collapsed on the floor and sobbed, her chest heaving, her eyes heavenward, watching the ceiling fan spin around…just like her life.

When she finished crying, she rolled on her side, catching sight of the bloodstains through her swollen eyes. Slowly she got to her knees. She looked around the room, taking it in as if for the first time. Most of the items in the room belonged to Peter. She never had any money to buy things. Peter kept her on a strict budget. She was allowed the barest of essentials for meals, just enough to pay the utilities, a measly amount for clothing, bargain rack items only, and a weekly gasoline allowance. She functioned on an allowance—just like a child. She laughed when she realized her own daughter had more money than she did.

Rising to her feet, she dragged the laundry hamper toward the center of the room. She dumped it out, rummaged through it, taking out her clothes, stuffing Peter’s back inside. Next, she went to the closet and began taking out her clothes. She pushed Peter’s clothes from the bed to the floor, replaced them with hers. She went to the garage, found a large box, carried it back to the room, and began stuffing all her clothes inside. When she had emptied the closet, she started on the drawers. Soon she had all her things stowed inside. She closed it, taped it up, and, pushing aside the pain from her injured ribs, struggled with it to the driveway and into the back seat of her car.

She went back into Lacy’s room and looked around, wondering if there was anything Lacy would want. In the corner, she spied Lacy’s old Mrs. Beasley doll. She had dragged the thing around until it resembled a bundle of rags. She picked it up by the arm, hugging it to her chest. It appeared Lacy had gotten the important stuff.

She walked to the front door, took a last look around, and smiled. She stepped onto the front porch, breathed in the air, and broke out laughing. She ran to the car, slipping several times on the gravel. Now that she had made the decision, she couldn’t wait to get out of there. She raced down the driveway, turned on the radio, and sang joyously, as she drove down the road. She was drunk on freedom, and she didn’t care who stared at her.

She honked, waved, and laughed with gusto. One man honked and waved back, rewarding her with a wolf-whistle. Yesterday, he wouldn’t have given her a second glance, for all her usual dourness, but today she was radiant and beautiful.

The school bell rang, and hordes of children poured from doors that flung open with exuberance. Shouts and screams erupted from within. Laughter bubbled up and spilled over into the parking lot. Lacy watched the various groups hop into cars, some driven by concerned parents, who looked frustrated as they maneuvered their cars between pedestrians. Fellow students drove their friends but not Lacy—Lacy had no friends.

Lacy sat on the brick wall, searching for Angela, who was supposed to pick her up. Jake sat beside her. “She’ll be here,” he assured her.

“I know, but why does she always have to be late? And why does she even have to pick me up? I can walk. I’ve been walking home since I was a kid.”

“You know the reason, Lacy.”

She sighed, made a mocking face as she said, “We can’t risk your father finding you.”

Jake laughed at her expression, which made her laugh, easing tension.

“It’s sweet of you to wait with me, Jake.”

He picked up her hand, holding it tightly in his. “That’s what I’m here for,” he said.

“So, are you going to the school dance?” Lacy asked, changing the subject.

“Are you?” he asked in return.

Lacy took on a shocked expression. Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t go to dances.”

“Then neither am I.”

“Why? Just because I’m not going, doesn’t mean you can’t go.”

“I go where you go,” he said. “I told you that, Lacy. I’m here for you. To help you get through this ordeal. Whatever decision you make, I have to support.”

She turned and looked at him. “Who sent you, and how did you know I need help?”

Jake smiled. “The one who sent me knows everything.”

She laughed. “That’s creepy, Jake.”

He didn’t reply, just looked at her.

“Seriously Jake, how did you know I needed a friend?”

“You asked for me.”

She snapped her head around. “I did?”

Suddenly she felt a sharp thud against her back. She turned around to find Millie standing behind her, a group of girls surrounding her. “Who are you talking to?”

Lacy looked beside her but found the place Jake had occupied empty. She shook her head. “Nobody.”

“You need to get a grip, girl. I think your father has given you one too many blows to the head.”

The group laughed, and Millie smiled in satisfaction. Was she trying to earn favor with her new group, at Lacy’s expense?

Lacy’s eyes misted over. “Why would you say that, Millie? That was mean.”

Millie softened at the hurt look on her friend’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Lacy looked away. “It’s okay,” she said.

“Hey! We’re going for ice cream on the way home. Do you want to come along?”

Lacy caught the expression on the other girls’ faces and knew they did not welcome the invitation. She shook her head. “Thanks, Millie, but I can’t. I’m catching a ride.”

“Oh. Is your mom out of the hospital?”

“Yeah, but she’s not the one picking me up. Angela is.”

Millie’s smile dropped. “The social worker?”

Lacy nodded. “Mom and I are staying with her.”

“Yeah, we know. It’s all over the school how your dad tried to kill your mom, and they took—”

Lacy put her hand against Millie’s lips to stop her words. “I know all about it, Millie, and I’d rather not have people continually reminding me.”

A horn beeped and they turned to look toward the car. Angela waved from behind the wheel. Lacy waved back. “I have to go now.” She jumped down from the wall and rushed to the car. “I have a shift in an hour. Maybe I’ll see you at the diner?”

Millie nodded. “Yeah, maybe.”

She got into the car and fastened her seatbelt.

“Are those your friends?” Angela asked as they drove away.

“Millie used to be. She’s hanging with a new crowd now.”

“Did you two have an argument?”

Lacy thought about it for a minute. “Just a parting of the ways, I guess.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Angela said.

Lacy shrugged. “I have Jake now.”

Angela stopped for kids in a crosswalk. She looked over at Lacy. “Jake,” she said. “That’s the kid you were calling for in the hospital. Is Jake your boyfriend?”

“Just a good friend.”

“Does he go to school with you?” She eased the car forward as Lacy frowned.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I see him at school all the time, but I don’t have any classes with him.”

Angela took a deep breath. “Where did you meet him?”

Lacy thought about it for a minute. Technically, she met him here at school, but she remembered the day she had driven her mother to the hospital. He had been standing across the pond, and she had waved to him, but she didn’t want to tell Angela that. She might think she was crazy. “I met him here at school.”

Angela let out her breath. “How often do you see him?”

“Geez, what is this, trivia hour?”

Angela blushed, glanced quickly at Lacy, and then back to the road. She pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, swung into her marked space, and put the car in gear. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m not trying to pry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t really mind,” Lacy said. “It’s not as if I have anything to hide.”

They each exited the car, shutting the doors simultaneously.

“I’m used to dealing with kids who have things to hide,” Angela said, laughing. “You’re like no other kid I’ve ever dealt with.” They walked to the front of the car, meeting near the center of the hood. “You’re a good person, Lacy. I just want to help you do as much as you can with your life.”

“I know. I don’t blame you for doing what you did—taking me from my parents, I mean. I get why you did it.”

“You and your mom will be on your own soon. In the meantime, it’s nice having the company.”

They entered the apartment, and the empty feel of the apartment surprised them. They looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

“Mom?” Lacy called.

From the corner of her eye, Angela noticed the broken chain and door jamb on the front door. She walked to it, picked it up, and examined it.

Lacy went pale. She ran through the apartment, looking for her mother. “Mom!” she called, repeating her name with each room she searched.

“She’s not here,” Lacy said, looking ashen. “We have to call the police. Oh, God—Dad has her.”

Angela’s primary focus was to calm Lacy. She held her by the shoulders and made eye contact. “Breathe, Lacy. Nobody has called so I’m sure everything’s okay. I’m going to call Allen.”

She dialed the direct line to his desk but received no answer. She pressed the receiver button, disconnecting the phone. Then she dialed the operator and had him paged. She hung up the phone to wait for his return call.

“Why don’t you just call his cell?” Lacy urged.

“He doesn’t carry it in the hospital. It interferes with the machines or something like that.”

“I’m calling the police,” Lacy firmly said.

Angela did not make an effort to stop her, and when the police arrived at her door, she was the one who let them in.

There was an older officer, and a younger one, who looked out of place in his uniform. The older man nodded at her when she opened the door. “Good afternoon, I’m Deputy Chief Charlie Renton, and this is Officer Billy Sikes.” He indicated the younger man. “You reported a break-in?”

The younger man looked sternly at Lacy. “Hey, Lacy,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

Angela looked at the two. They looked as if they could be classmates.

“I’m staying here with Angela.”

“Does your dad know?”

“Why? Are you going to run and tell him if he doesn’t?”

Angela noted the sharpness in her voice and turned to look at her. Then she noted the accusation in the young officer’s stare. Clearly, there had been issues in the past. Angela stepped in. “Lacy’s here under court order.”

“We don’t owe Billy any explanation, Angela,” Lacy said.

“Tell us what happened,”Deputy Chief Renton interjected.

“Lacy and her mother, Brenda, are staying here with me by court order. There is a restraining order against Sheriff Waldrip in regards to both of them.”

Charlie nodded. “I’m aware of the situation,” he said, remembering the sight of the Waldrip’s bedroom. “What does your break-in have to do with Sheriff Waldrip?”

“They’re bogus charges!” Officer Sikes exclaimed.

“That’s enough, Billy,” Charlie said. He turned to Angela. “I tried,” he said, “but it’s out of my hands now
.
I’m transferring to Vegas next week.”

Angela sighed and shook her head, thinking this was all a waste of time. She showed them the door. “We came home to find someone had busted in my door, and Brenda Waldrip is missing.”

“You don’t know it’s the chief who did it,” Billy said, his fiery accusation slicing the air.

“Ugh…Billy, I swear. You are no smarter now than you were when you graduated last year. Hasn’t the police force taught you anything?” Lacy asked.

Both Charlie and Angela stifled a chuckle but were unable to hide a grin. Billy blushed in embarrassment, and Lacy’s cheeks became pink with frustration.

Charlie started to make his way to the door. “You’ll get this fixed right away?”

Angela nodded and began to close the door after him.

He stopped it. “Make sure it’s a strong one.” She nodded again.

The phone rang. “Maybe that’s Dr. Petoro,” Lacy said.

Angela picked it up, nodding in affirmation to Lacy.

“Hi, Allen,” she said.

“Hey, Angela. What’s up?”

“Someone busted down my door, and Brenda’s missing.”

“Yeah, it was Sheriff Waldrip.”

“You know about this?”

She watched the deputy chief’s eyes narrow.

“It happened around noon.”

“Is Brenda there with you?”

“I wish,” he said. “I took her to lunch, introduced her to a few people, and then she insisted I take her back to the trailer.” He grew silent. “The sheriff threatened her and Lacy. She thinks she’s playing it safe.”

“Safe! The man’s a time bomb.”

“We both know that, but Brenda’s not convin…” He stopped in mid-sentence, stared at the doorway with wide-open eyes.

“Allen?”

“I’ve got to go, Angela. Brenda just walked into my office.”

“Is she okay?”

He looked her up and down. She leaned against the door, her arms crossed in front of her. Noting her dazzling smile, he said. “She looks perfectly fine to me.”

He hung up the phone. Rushing to her side, he grabbed her against him. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

She bobbed her head rapidly, talking excitedly. “Oh, Allen—I can’t take it anymore. I’m through being that man’s punching bag. I had no idea how bad the last beating was until I saw the room.” She took a deep breath, gasping for air. “It was like this big reality hit me in the head—I don’t deserve this—and neither does Lacy.”

They stared into each other’s eyes, each of them grinning. Then grasping her face with both hands, he pulled her mouth toward his own, kissing her with a passion she had never felt before.

When he broke the kiss, she gasped. She whispered, “He’s going to be angry when I’m not there tonight.”

“I know that.”

“He’s going to retaliate.”

“I know that, too.”

“It’s not going to be easy.”

“You’re worth the effort.” He silenced her further protestations with another kiss.

When he pulled away the second time, it was she who was reluctant to let go. She grabbed the back of his head, forced their lips into a tight bond. His arms went around her, encircling her waist. He pulled her hard against him, crushing their bodies until they looked like one. His lips found her neck and kissed it hungrily. He whispered words of love into her ear. She smiled, enjoying the feelings rushing through her.

He pulled away, breathless. “I have to go. My patients are waiting.” He took a card from his wallet, wrote something on the back, and pushed it into her hand. “Meet me at my house at six.” He turned to leave, turning back at the last minute. He kissed her again, tenderly. “I love you,” he said. He opened the door and walked out, leaving her standing in his office with her mouth agape.