Thirteenth Child (12 page)

Kate pretended not to hear. Angie had been after her to go with her to visit Steve, but Kate continued to refuse. She wouldn’t even listen to her stupidly optimistic reports. Her father wouldn’t be home by the time school started; how they would manage the station and the snack bar then she didn’t know. There was one thing and one thing only she was sure of—she would not drop out of school to help out. No matter how bad things got. School was her only way out of this place. Her only escape.

But Barney—her one friend—hadn’t come around again. He wouldn’t be there for her at school either, she supposed. Remembering his face the day of the funeral, she couldn’t blame him. And underlying everything else, lurking in the back of her mind all the time, was the question she couldn’t avoid: did Mike do it? If he did,
by not telling on him, was she responsible? Was she responsible for Melanie’s death?

The snack-bar door slammed open, breaking into her thoughts. The young biker, Rod, stumbled in, closely followed by the older one, Bud. Rod tripped on the doorsill, then crashed into a chair and knocked it over. Conversation in the snack bar ceased, and all eyes focused on him. There was an audible grunt of disapproval from Bob Dowles.

“Drunk, looks like,” he said, just loudly enough to be heard.

Rod glared at him and raised a fist, but Bud restrained him.

“Hey, guy. Sit down. Chill out, man.” He looked up and saw Kate. “Can we have a couple of Cokes here, Kate?” he called out.

Kate put them on a tray and approached the table warily. When she got closer she could see half-healed scratches all down the side of the young biker’s face. Bud saw her looking at them.

“Fight with his girlfriend,” he said, laughing. “Kid’s got a mouth on him that never stops. Guess you know that. He’s a little the worse for wear today—she dumped him and he’s taking it hard. Cut him some slack, okay?”

The boy didn’t seem to be in any shape to give her trouble, but Kate avoided going around to his side of the table anyway. He was a real weirdo. For all she knew, he could be the killer. She caught her breath and stared at him. He
could
be the killer. Could have done the robberies too. He was just strange enough….

You’re clutching at straws, Kate, she told herself grimly. Just because he’s a biker and you don’t like him. Still, she kept well out of reach of his grubby paws.

“You going to come over and test drive a bike?” Bud went on, still laughing.

“Not likely,” Kate answered, trying to keep her voice light. He was only teasing, she knew that, but her nerves were raw. She took the money for the Cokes, made change, and headed for their own kitchen.

“Kate?”

Angie’s voice floated after her, but she kept on going.

Labor Day weekend was looming up; the blistering heat wave still hung on. Kate came down to open the snack bar and by the time she had put the coffee on she was already dripping sweat. She sank down behind the counter and dropped her head into her hands. Her notebook was stashed under there, but she ignored it. She hadn’t written anything since Melanie’s death. The way she felt now, she wasn’t sure she would ever write anything again, and she didn’t care. The police had been back, still asking questions about Mike. The only consolation was that if they were still asking about him, they still hadn’t found him. But was that really so much of a consolation? If
they found him, maybe he could clear himself. But then again, maybe he couldn’t.

She didn’t hear the bus stop outside; the door opening startled her. She looked up and there, as if he had stepped out of her thoughts, was Mike. It was so much like the first time she had seen him that for a moment she didn’t even notice the girl standing beside him.

The girl was blond, her long hair straggly and unkempt, as if she hadn’t yet had time to comb it this morning. Dark roots showed at the part. She was wearing a thin, crumpled white dress. A shiny black jacket, probably Mike’s, was draped over her shoulders, crushing an already wilting, sad little corsage of deep red roses. She looked wan and tired.

The swing door opened and Angie swept in with a tray of sandwiches, then stopped dead.

“Mike!”

Mike grinned. A flustered, sheepish grin. A grin that Kate had never seen on him before. Then he put his arm around the girl. Pride, defiance, embarrassment, all seemed to be fighting to get the better of him. The girl leaned her head against his shoulder. She looked just plain scared.

“Mrs. Halston, Kate, this is Stacy.”

“Stacy?” Kate managed to get out.

“My girlfriend from back home.” He paused for a moment, looked down at the girl, and his grin widened. “I guess I mean—my wife. We were married yesterday. We’ve been on buses all night.”

“Your wife!” Kate felt suddenly hollow. She flinched as if she’d been struck. She stared at Mike, but he wasn’t even looking at her. All his attention was fixed on Stacy.

Angie was the first to recover.

“On buses all night? No wonder you both look so beat, you poor things. Sit down. I’ll get you coffee and some breakfast.” She bustled around behind the counter.

Mike led Stacy over to a table.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice so low Kate could hardly hear her. “That would be really great, Mrs. Halston.”

Kate stared at her. She was trying to remember what Mike had said about her.

Mike finally turned to Kate. “I guess I got some explaining to do,” he said.

Kate could only manage a nod.

“I’m really sorry I took off like that. Without letting you know or anything. It was just—this came up so quick.”

“What? What came up so quick?”

“I’d been thinking about Stacy more and more. All the time, actually,” Mike said. “Worrying about her, you know?”

No, I don’t know, Kate raged silently. You never said anything. Or hardly anything….

“We’d had a fight. A really bad one. My fault. I thought she was pushing me too much—to get a job, go back to school—I just got fed up and left. Just wanted to get away from everything—my
mom, Stacy blaming me for being such a loser—”

“I didn’t, Mike,” Stacy cut in.

“Yeah. I know. I was just being a jerk.” He put a hand on her shoulder. She reached up to cover it with her own.

Kate winced at the sight of the narrow gold band on Stacy’s finger.

“Anyway, I thought I could just leave—walk away and forget her—but I couldn’t. I tried to pretend it was okay, but the longer I was away, the worse I felt and the worse it got. Finally it was so bad I couldn’t stand it any longer and I phoned her up. That’s when she told me. She wasn’t going to, but I could tell something was wrong—something more than just the fight—and I made her.”

“Told you?”

“She’s pregnant. She hadn’t told her parents or anybody yet. Hadn’t even gone to a doctor. She was too scared. I knew I had to get back and help her, so I just hopped the first bus out.”

Angie took two cups of coffee over to the table. She put them down, then gave Stacy a pat.

“I’ll get you a bowl of cereal and some milk, honey, that’s what you need. Either of you want some bacon and eggs too?” she asked.

Mike flashed another grin. “Thanks. I sure do. Didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Not for me, thanks,” Stacy put in quickly. “Cereal would be just fine.” She made a small grimace. “Seems I’m beginning to find out what
morning sickness is all about.” She put a tentative hand on her stomach and looked up at Mike. There was a world of love in the look. Then she looked back at Angie. “Let me help you get it,” she added, and went to stand up, but Angie pushed her down gently.

“You just sit right there,” she said.

Kate’s mind was in a turmoil. What had Mike done? The idiot! Any chance he might have ever had to do anything with his life….

“We went to a doctor, got Stacy checked out. Then we told her parents.” Mike’s face turned grim. “Her dad just threw her out. There wasn’t anything we could say, anything her mom could say. Not that she had anything to say that we wanted to hear, anyway. She never did like me.” His grip tightened on Stacy’s shoulder. “We figured … we figured we’d just face this and get through it somehow. I’ve got that room down at Jed’s, and work there for a couple more weeks, anyhow, then I’ll just have to find something else. We’ll make out. I’m sure we will.” For the first time, his voice faltered.

“You certainly won’t go back to Jed’s.” They all looked at Angie in surprise. “It seems to me you two are the answer to our prayers. With Steve gone for now, and Kate going back to school soon, I was at my wit’s end trying to figure out how we’d manage. How about helping us out here? We can’t pay you much, leastways not right now, but we’ll give you what we can.
We can even fix up that room over the garage for you.”

Kate stared at her mother as if a stranger had suddenly walked in and taken Angie over. This was
Angie
talking?
Angie
taking control and ordering everyone around? And she was offering Mike and Stacy a place here? To
live
here?

Mike’s whole face lightened. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do.”

“I’ve got experience,” Stacy put in. “I’ve wait-ressed lots of places.”

Mike grinned. The old, familiar grin. To Kate, it felt as if someone was twisting a knife inside her.

“That’s the first good thing that’s happened to us since this whole thing started. Mrs. Halston, what can I say? Thanks. Just—thanks!”

“Nonsense. Ill probably end up thanking you.”

Angie fussed over Stacy until she finished eating, then hurried her out of the snack bar. “Stacy, honey,” she said, “you come with me and we’ll see about fixing up that room. Then you are going to lie down and take a good rest. You’ve got to take care of yourself.”

“But I want to help.” Stacy smiled, and her face looked suddenly pretty. And very young.

“You will,” she said. “Oh, you will. I’ll run you off your feet, depend upon it. But first you’re going to rest.” She threw a meaningful look at Kate. “Kate—you’d better bring Mike up to date on what’s been going on around here.”

The murder! Things had happened so fast
she’d forgotten all about that! The police were going to be after Mike as soon as they found out he was back.

Angie put an arm around Stacy’s waist and led her out the door. Mike looked at Kate curiously.

“Anything wrong, Kate?” he asked.

“You haven’t heard—what happened here?”

“I’ve hardly seen a paper or watched TV since I left. Too much else going on.”

“Melanie Davis. She was murdered. No one knows who did it or why, but the police were around here asking after you.”

“Me? Why me? I don’t even know her.”

“I know. It’s just—the robberies happened right after you came. Melanie was in one of the stores that got robbed and was telling people she thought she might know who did it. Then you left right after she was killed…. People are talking, that’s all.”

“The police were around
here?”

“Yes.”

“What did you tell them?”

“The truth. I didn’t know where you were. I didn’t know why you’d gone, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with anything that had happened here.”

“Did they believe you?”

“I don’t know.”

“People—other people are talking too?” “Some of Melanie’s friends. They said something at the funeral.” Kate half turned and
began to straighten things on the shelves behind the counter.

“What about you? What do you believe?”

“Oh, Mike—of course I don’t think you did it. Of course I don’t.” But she couldn’t quite face him. A throbbing began behind her eyes. She reached a hand up to rub at her forehead.

“You sure?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

“Sounds like maybe you’re not.” Mike’s face hardened. “Why should you be? After all, the first time you met me, I was trying to rob you. I threatened you. You tell the police that?”

Kate whirled around. “Of course not!”

“Why not?”

“They didn’t ask. At least….”

“But you are wondering, aren’t you? You are worrying?” His voice was soft. His eyes had gone dangerous again.

“No! I’m not!” Then—she tried to stop herself, but couldn’t—”Mike,
did
you have a knife that day?”

“Yeah, actually, I did. So what do you think now?”

Kate drew in her breath with a ragged, painful gasp.

“Guess you’ll just have to wonder a bit more, won’t you? If I did do it, I’m sure not going to confess now, am I?”

“Mike—”

“I’m going to see Stacy,” he said. He turned and pushed his way out the door.

They came back in, together, just before noon. Angie and Kate were rushing, trying to serve two carloads of tourists. Mike carefully avoided looking at Kate.

“I’ll take care of the gas pumps now, Mrs. Halston,” he said. “Stacy’ll help in here.”

“Oh, Stacy, you should take it easy today,” Angie protested.

“No way, Mrs. Halston,” Stacy answered. She looked as if she had rested, and showered in the portable stall shower that was set up in the garage. Her hair was shining and pulled back in a ponytail. She had changed into jeans and a T-shirt. “I’m just fine. I’d like to start right away. What do you want me to do first?”

Kate dropped her dishcloth. “Be back in a sec,” she said. She followed Mike out to the gas pumps.

“Mike, we’ve got to talk. What are you going to do?”

“I didn’t tell Stacy anything. I don’t want to worry her,” Mike answered.

Stacy! Couldn’t he think of anything except her?

“She’ll find out. The police will come around again as soon as they hear you’re back.”

“I’ll tell her tonight. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to her first.” The words were cold and formal.

“Of course I won’t.”

A car pulled in; Mike turned his back on her and went over to service it. Just then another car passing by on the road caught Kate’s eye. It
was Jerry’s. It slowed down abruptly—Mercy’s face was at the passenger window, staring at Mike. Then, just as suddenly as he had braked, Jerry put on the gas and sped away.

The day was a long, drawn-out hell for Kate. In spite of clouds that had been threatening all day, and the fact that the forecasters had promised a break in the heat wave, the weather was heavier and more sweltering than ever. It weighed Kate down to the point where she could barely move. There was an electricity in the air that set her nerves on edge. Stacy and Mike joked and laughed as if they hadn’t a care in the world. Even knowing what he did, Mike acted as if they were on some kind of honeymoon. Every time Stacy walked by, he reached out to hug her, pat her or stroke her hair. Kate couldn’t bear to watch them, couldn’t bear to take her eyes away from them. She’d never known anything could hurt so much.