SNOW GLOBE (25 page)

“Oh, yeah!” Aja said, happily.

“No lentil loaf?” Maggie asked.

“Aja.” Officer Smith took a seat on the couch next to her. “Clay Richards isn’t talking, but the girls at the detention center are.” She sighed. “I’m sorry we didn’t see what was going on.”

“There’s more good in people than bad,” Aja’s mom said, looking at Ms. Lewis.

Ms. Lewis didn’t respond to Aja’s mom, but said to Aja, “I spoke to Tish and Sissy today.” She stopped, like something was caught in her throat. “I didn’t realize Julia was a victim, too.” A tiny tear threatened to fall. She turned to Aja’s mom. “You’re right. I should have listened to her.”

“Find her and tell her.” Aja’s mom gently touched Ms. Lewis’s arm.

“Maggie and I are trying to track her down,” Officer Smith said. “Aja, all those girls today opened up like a Christmas gift as soon as they realized we were on their side. Thanks for standing up for them. For making us see them differently.”

Maggie spoke up. “Clay Richards’s bail hearing is being set soon. The judge is waiting to hear testimony from the girls and you. Officer Smith is going to take your statement today. I’ll put the case together and hope the judge sets his bail so high he’ll never see the light of day.” She sipped her tea. “And all charges against you have been officially dropped.”

The front door opened, and Clara Wells came in with her usual flourish. “Aja! I heard you busted some balls last night—or twisted a schnozola. I talked to the doc who worked on him.” Clara worked at the hospital. She went into the kitchen with her foil-wrapped cake. “I made this special for you.”

“I can’t wait, thank you,” Aja said. As weird as Aja considered her mom’s friends, she was learning to appreciate their individuality. Clara, who wore a tiara and feather boa for her driver’s license photo, now sported pink leg warmers over her black tights. Even if her mom’s friends had streaks of strange, they were always there for them.

“Why don’t we get your statement first,” Officer Smith said.

“Oh, heck no. The last time Mrs. Wells made this, I only got one dinky piece that I had to share. I’m not talking until I stuff myself.” Aja jumped up and got some plates while Mrs. Wells sliced the cake.

“I get the biggest piece,” Aja said. “By the way, how is Clay Richards’s nose?”

“Permanently twisted,” Clara said. “He’ll never smell the same again.”

“He didn’t smell that great to begin with,” Aja joked.

“Ha! Good one.” Clara handed Aja a plate with a huge piece of cake, so heavy with butter, cinnamon and sugar Aja could barely hoist it to her mouth as she bit into it straight off the plate.

“Get a fork,” Aja’s mom admonished, as she took plates to their guests.

Aja sat with the others on the couch and dug into her cake.

“Mrs. Wells, did you happen to hear how Mrs. Poston is doing?”

Clara laughed sharply. “The nurses are threatening to overmedicate her, she’s such a pain-in-the-ass patient.”

“So she’s going to be okay?”

“Twisted her leg, but I was asking my friend about Clay Richards so I didn’t find out much about Bea Poston.” Clara winked. “She wasn’t supposed to tell me anything, you know all those patient confidentiality laws.”

“So, Aja, how did you beat up Clay Richards,” Officer Smith asked, wiping crumbs from her face. “He’s been trained for combat and is a real sharp-shooter. Oh man, this cake is good.”

Aja’s mom squirmed nervously. “I hate to think of what could have happened.” She squeezed Aja’s knee. “It scares me more than you know,” she whispered.

“I had some help,” Aja said to her mom. “A kind of,” she smiled, “force field.”

Officer Smith talked around a big bite. “In my self-defense class, I’m going to recommend that all girls carry around needle-nose pliers. Who would’ve thought?”

Chapter 47

Finals were a breeze. Aja aced all her classes and had one of the highest GPAs in her school but the worst attendance record. On the last day of school, she sat in Mrs. Burnett’s office, glad the school year was over with no summer school tour of duty.

“Well done, Aja,” Mrs. Burnett said, sitting at her desk, now cleared of all the files that usually cluttered her office. “What do you think of the scholarships you were offered?”

“I don’t know; they’re all from Texas schools. I was hoping to get to California.” Aja had gotten a few hundred dollars from some scholarships she’d applied for.

Mrs. Burnett shrugged. “I understand, but I’d hate to see you give up some good opportunities here. You could go to community college there, establish residency then transfer into another school.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“You should be proud of your grades, and don’t wait too long to decide,” Mrs. Burnett said. “Most kids are already committed to a school. I’ll be around most of the summer. Don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thanks again for everything,” Aja said. “Who knows where I’d be if you hadn’t helped me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe all you said.”

“It’s cool, I get it. There was a lot of sh…stuff.” Aja bit back a bad word.

“Check in with me tomorrow. You will be at graduation Friday night?”

“I don’t know.” Aja smiled. “I might have to work.”

Mrs. Burnett raised an eyebrow.

“I got my job back at the residence home. Fridays are dinner and bingo. Big night at Golden Leaves.”

“Lauren said her dad is doing much better.”

“Yeah, he’s been eating and is even walking a little.” Aja didn’t tell her that Mrs. Jensen let him know that she’d wait for him. He was still needed here. “He may go home soon.”

Ever since the night with Mrs. Poston and Clay Richards, Aja had been hailed a hero and victim and she’d spent time at the residence home. Dr. Landers was her biggest supporter and had convinced Edna Jones to rehire her. Aja had spent her afternoons studying in Mr. Jensen’s room. He’d helped her with all her classes, but especially physics.

“They’re lucky to have you. But I wish you’d consider going to graduation. You’ve worked hard for it.”

“Thanks,” Aja said. “I’ll think about it and I’ll have a decision made about college before you go on your Alaskan cruise.”

Mrs. Burnett looked puzzled. “How did you know I was taking a cruise?”

Aja smiled. “Lucky guess.” She’d decided to learn to be more open to her intuitive side.

She left Mrs. Burnett and saw Mr. Carlisle at his computer. He glanced at her, frowned, and looked back at his screen.

“Don’t play that poker hand; you’ll lose it all,” Aja said.

Mr. Carlisle looked like he’d been caught with his pants down. “What are you talking about?” He stood up and closed the door.

As she walked out, she heard him say, “Damn, no!”

Walking out of the school, Aja felt so light she thought she could fly. School was finished. She’d done it. Clay Richards was in jail, and she’d been vindicated for all she’d been blamed for. Life was good again. Or would be, when her physical scars healed.

She scanned the drive-up lot for her mom. Aja’s car had been totaled in the accident. It was practically totaled
before
the accident, but at least it got her where she needed to go. Aja wasn’t sure where she was going to get enough money to buy a car and move to California. She regretted spending any money on those cool clothes from Abercrombie. Her mom told her to send positive thoughts out to the universe and good things will happen. Aja tried to send a thought out to her mom for making her wait for her in the boiling heat—it wasn’t positive.

A familiar sky-blue Buick turned into the school lot. Walker. Aja’s heart clutched a bit. She hadn’t talked to him since the night they’d found Mrs. Poston and she’d ignored the incessant phone calls from him ever since. It still bothered her that he would think that she could have hurt the woman.

He pulled in front of her and rolled the window down. “Need a lift? We can start over, like the day I gave you a ride to work.”

“I’m waiting for my mom,” Aja said, crossing her arms.

“I called her, and she said she’d be happy for me to pick you up.” He smiled, heating up the hot air more.

“You two sure talk a lot.”

“I told her I wanted to apologize to you for ever doubting you.” He leaned over the passenger seat to better see her. “I’m sorry, Aja. Can we start over?”

“Walker, you’ve doubted me since you found out I’d been in jail. You actually thought I took the jewelry, and you keep waffling between me and Kendall. I don’t know what to think.” She remembered the feeling of goodness he’d projected when she first met him and still admired his ability to see the good in people.

“I’ve spent my life following the leader, doing what’s expected, trying to make everybody happy. You’re teaching me to be stronger. I’m sorry Aja. Really sorry.”

“You need to teach yourself to be stronger. Quit relying on others.”

“You’re right.” He looked away thoughtful. “I’m learning to think for myself more.” He looked at Aja with hope in his eyes. “I admire you for your ability to realize who you are. You don’t back down. I need to figure out how to do that.” He smiled.

Did you really think I’d hurt an old woman?”

“No, although I wouldn’t blame you for thinking of it the way she treated you.”

Aja crossed her arms deciding whether or not to get in the car. The sun made her stitches practically sizzle.

He looked at her slyly and grinned, “And besides, your mom invited me to have some of the coffee cake Mrs. Wells brought over.”

Aja sighed; she couldn’t resist him. “Okay, but you only get a small piece.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“Can you take me to work later?” Aja asked. “Are you seeing your grandparents tonight?”

“Yes and yes. And I know they’ll be happy to see you, too.”

Aja got in and let the air conditioner blast her face. Her stitches itched from the heat and sweat. “What about Kendall?” she asked irritably. “Does everybody know she stole the jewelry?

“Yes.” Walker slumped in his seat and looked out the hot windshield. “She sent a letter to Mrs. Poston, my grandparents, and Edna Jones apologizing for taking the jewelry. She wasn’t happy about it, but her parents threatened to cut her off if she didn’t do the right thing. I told her and her family that if she didn’t I would let everybody know, both here and Chicago.” He sighed. “And we are officially over. This time nobody will try to convince me to stay with her. I’ve made it clear to my family and hers that we’re done.”

Before Walker put the car in drive, he turned to Aja and took her hand. His eyes followed the line of stitches in her forehead. “Oh man, that looks like it hurts.”

“Throbs mostly, but I’m okay.” Aja’s side hurt more from the seat belt cutting into her, but it wasn’t too bad. She decided to drop the Kendall issue. Only time would tell if they were really through.

“Will you be okay to work?” Walker asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve been going there to visit Mr. Jensen, and I told Edna that I’d be ready to start as soon as school was out.”

“I’m glad she rehired you. The whole place was rooting for you after they found out the truth.” Walker stroked a small strand of hair off Aja’s face. “Especially Dr. Landers and Janie.”

“Yeah, they’ve been great.” Aja sat back in her seat as Walker began driving. “I’m going to have to work as much as I can this summer, since I have to buy a car and pay for tuition.”

“Are you going to start community college here? I can carry your books for you.”

“I don’t know, Walker. I really want to move to California.”

“The gang at Golden Leaves will really miss you. I understand there’s a real art to getting the food to the right mush consistency.”

Aja laughed and looked out the window. What was she going to do? She glanced at Walker, wishing she could get an intuitive read off him. Maybe she wasn’t practiced like her mom, but for some reason the auras of people she was closest to were like static on a TV. Like she wasn’t supposed to know about them, and she’d have to find out for herself. The only read she could get off him was a beam of goodness. Like a magnet, it’s what had drawn her to him again and again.

Chapter 48

Friday night at Golden Leaves was meat loaf or tilapia. Not the best menu to start work again, Aja thought, almost gagging on the smell of over-cooked fish. After Walker dropped her off by the kitchen, she went in to check on Janie and Gabe, hoping to take a few minutes to visit with Mr. Jensen before work.

After a bear hug from Janie and a welcome nod from Gabe, Janie said, “Mr. Jensen got out of the hospital wing this morning. He’s back and hopefully can come down for dinner tonight.”

“That’s great. How’s he doing?” Aja asked, tying an apron over her wrinkled, but clean, white shirt. “I’d hoped to see him before you guys put me to work.”

“I think he’s okay. You can check on him later. Mrs. Poston is back, too, but probably won’t be down. She has a full-time helper until she’s back in the saddle. I told her we’d bring dinner to her tonight.” Janie stacked salad plates on trays. “I’m so glad you’re back. How’s your head?”

“The stitches will heal. The brain damage won’t.”