The Joining Tree

by Claire Fogel

  However, my boots were not the kind that looked good with shorts. I sighed and took out the softest pair of jeans I owned. Leaving the tank top on in deference to the summer weather, I tucked a pair of knives into my boot sheaths, brushed my hair back into the loose bun that I’d hoped would make me look older, added the lip gloss Amy had given me, and I was ready to go.

  After I tucked some cash into my back pocket, I left the house. As I crossed the street to the campus, I looked down the block but there was no green van in sight.

  The sun was low as I walked through the campus, but the heat hadn’t let up much. I was enjoying the way the sun was shining through the branches of the trees, creating a much different atmosphere on campus than there’d been earlier in the day. It was a more mellow, end-of-day mood and I felt myself relaxing.

  When I walked into the Café, I heard Lily’s shout. “Over here, Cara.” I followed her voice to a corner table near the wide window overlooking the treed side of campus and found her, the guy I’d met in the book store in January, Freddy, and another girl with dark brown hair streaked with gold in no discernible pattern.

  Lily grinned at me. “Everyone, this is Cara. I’m sure her face is familiar to everyone who was here last term. Cara, you’ve already met Joel.” The young man from the bookstore smiled and nodded. Lily added, “And the young lady with the interesting hair and the big brown eyes is Paula. She’s a first-year student like you.” Paula gave me a friendly smile and a wave, and I sat down with them.

  Lily looked me up and down. “I didn’t even notice earlier. You’ve got a little bruising on your face that wasn’t there last year. You haven’t taken up kick-boxing, have you?”

  I laughed. “No, just an auto accident a few weeks ago. The airbag did some damage as it was saving my life.”

  Ginger was once again behind the counter and waved at me. I smiled and called, “Hi, Ginger.” Looking around the table, I asked, “Is everyone having dinner here tonight?”

  Lily looked at everyone and said, “I think so.” They all nodded.

  Joel said, “Since school hasn’t officially started yet, this week the menu is basically whatever can be found in the freezer and fridge. Ginger hasn’t even written it on the board tonight.

  “Hey, Ginger. What are we eating tonight?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.” She grinned at me. “I’m saving the bagels and bacon for breakfast tomorrow.”

  I laughed. “Thank you!”

  Lily looked confused. “What did I miss?” she asked me.

  Ginger winked at me. “You’ll find out tomorrow morning. You’ll love it, Lil.”

  She counted heads. “Are you all having the tomato soup and the grilled cheese?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said.

  Joel nodded. “Me too.”

  Lily and Freddy looked at each other and Lily said, “Okay with us.”

  Paula said, “Just the soup for me, please. I don’t eat bread. Or cheese.” She shrugged, then asked, “Do you have any lettuce?”

  Scratching her head, Ginger asked, “You want lettuce with your soup, or in your soup?”

  I couldn’t help laughing. Freddy and Joel were grinning, each shaking his head. Laughing, Lily said, “Paula lives on salads. Ginger, can you make her a salad?”

  “Oh, sure. I’ve got a few tomatoes in the fridge, but that’s all. Just lettuce and tomatoes, is that okay?”

  Paula was smiling, looking relieved. “Sounds good. Thanks.”

  We were all looking at her so she added, “I don’t want to gain any weight. They say your first year in college, you’re bound to gain twenty pounds. I can’t let that happen!”

  Lily rolled her eyes. She said, “Paula’s from my home town, folks, so we know each other fairly well. I don’t think she’s ever weighed more than a hundred pounds.”

  About fifteen minutes later, Ginger brought a big tray to our table. We all had soup, and the grilled cheese sandwiches looked delicious. She wasn’t stingy with the cheese.

  Paula was happy with her soup and salad and a bottle of Ranch dressing. She used so much of it on her lettuce and tomato, Freddy said, “You know, you probably have as many calories in your salad dressing as you would have had from a grilled cheese sandwich.”

  Paula stopped eating and thought about it. “Maybe, but I still think I’m safer with a salad. Bread makes you fat. I refuse to get fat.”

  Lily chuckled, shaking her head.

  When we’d all finished eating, we carried our dishes to the counter and Lily brought one of the two pots of coffee back to our table with her. Once we all had our coffee, we started talking about art and the new school year. Joel asked me what medium I was working in. I said, “Watercolors and pen and ink. How about you?”

  “Oils, only oils,” he said. Freddy said it was watercolors for him, and Paula said she’d been working strictly in pen and ink. “My specialty is cartooning, especially political satire. I’d love to work with an on-line publisher and poke fun at our major political figures,” she said with a grin.

  Lily laughed. “Back home, Paula did a satirical cartoon that featured our fat-cat mayor. The local paper loved it and printed it, and the mayor threatened to have her arrested!”

  We were all laughing about the political cartoons that were so popular during the last election, when I looked up to see a good-looking man wearing a well-tailored suit come in the door. He looked around the café, obviously searching for someone until his eyes met mine.

  He approached our table, saying, “I’m looking for Cara Blackthorne. That would be you, wouldn’t it?” His eyes pierced mine, and I guessed denying it would be useless.

  All conversation at our table stopped as everyone turned to stare at the very attractive man who appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His hair was that bronze shade, neither brown nor red, cut short at the sides and back, longer on top. His eyes were a very light blue, almost gray. I felt as though they could see into my brain. It was not a good feeling. He had to be a cop.

  “I’m Cara. Who are you?” My tone of voice let him know he’d better have a good reason for tracking me down here.

  He lowered his voice and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset anyone. I’m Lieutenant Fox of the Syracuse Police Dept. My Captain spoke to Chief O’Donnell in Thornewood recently. They asked me to introduce myself as soon as I had time to get over here.”

  He glanced at the curious faces around the table. “Cara, is there somewhere a little more private where we could talk?”

  “May I see your badge and I.D. please.” After all, how did I know he was with the Syracuse Police?

  He nodded, serious now, pulled his badge and I.D. out of his inside pocket and handed it to me.

  It certainly looked legitimate. His full name was Aidan Fox. “How did you know where to find me?” I asked him.

  “I went to your house on Birch Street first. Miss Williams told me I might find you here.” I nodded. I was sure she would have checked his I.D. too.

  I looked around the café, but all the tables were close to each other. Through the window on the other side of the room I could see a few small tables and chairs on an outside patio. It was so warm, no one was out there, but the group I was sitting with would be able to see me while I was sitting with him. I pointed to the patio and he followed me outside.

  Lily stood and asked, “Is everything okay, Cara?”

  I looked back at her, smiled and said, “It’s okay. Nothing to worry about.” Of course, I could see by the looks from my table, no one actually believed me.

  Lieutenant Fox and I sat down at a small table on the patio. I waited for him to speak.

  “Cara, have you recovered from that accident I heard about?”

  “Almost. There’s still a bit of bruising, and some sore muscles, but I feel fine. I’m guessing Chief O’Donnell called you.”

  He nodded, sat back and smiled. “You’re not quite what I expected, Cara
.”

  That surprised me. “What did you expect?”

  “Well, you don’t look like the kind of girl who would tangle with a drug dealer, stab him, survive a serious auto crash, have the guts to go to court injured and testify against him, and still be willing to leave home by yourself to start college away from everyone and everything you know. Oh, and carry knives with you that I understand you’re highly skilled at throwing.” He raised both eyebrows.

  “I wasn’t expecting a small, delicate looking girl who doesn’t look any older than sixteen.”

  “I’m seventeen.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, I know. That’s still very young, Cara.”

  There were obviously a few things he didn’t know about me.

  “Lieutenant Fox, I was kidnapped twice last year. That’s why I developed my skill with knives. I don’t ever want to feel like a victim again.”

  His eyebrows popped up again. “Twice? I wasn’t told about that.”

  “It was a tough year. So I had to get tough to survive.”

  “Okay, Cara. I think what you’re telling me is not to underestimate you. Am I right?”

  “Yes.”

  He said, “Okay, I won’t. But Chief O’Donnell is still concerned about you and asked us to keep an eye on you. Have you seen anyone suspicious since you got to Syracuse? Any weird phone calls or anyone following you?”

  “No, nothing that set off my internal alarm. That drug dealer is in prison now, so I’m not expecting any trouble.”

  “Do you have any knives with you now?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “May I see one of them?”

  I pulled a knife out of my boot and handed it to him.

  He looked it over, felt it for weight, and handed it back to me. I tucked it back into my boot.

  He pulled out a business card and handed it to me. “My cell phone is listed on the back. If you suspect anything at all, even if it’s just an uneasy feeling, call me. You’ve probably learned to trust those feelings, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Every cop learns to trust his instincts, so don’t hesitate to call, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll be checking in with you regularly, Cara, and your neighborhood will be patrolled more often than usual. Chief O’Donnell hasn’t established a connection between that drug dealer and the driver who caused your accident, but we’re taking this seriously. Call me anytime.”

  We stood, and he shook my hand. “A pleasure meeting you, Cara Blackthorne.” He gave me an appraising look, smiled and left for the parking area.

  Before I walked back into the Café where people were waiting for me, I had to decide how to explain the Syracuse P.D.’s interest in me.

  I returned to our table to a group of expectant faces, all of whom looked eager to learn what business the police department had with me.

  Lily gave me a conspiratorial smile. “Tell the truth, Cara. Is your face on a ‘Wanted’ poster somewhere?”

  The looks on the other faces told me they were considering it too.

  I sat down, shaking my head. “It hasn’t been proven, but the auto accident I had might have been a deliberate attempt to prevent me from testifying in court against a local drug dealer.”

  Everyone gasped and stared at me, even Lily. I thought Lily could handle the truth, but I regretted the fact that Lieutenant Fox had found me when I was with a group of people who didn’t know me.

  I sighed and shook my head. I explained about the problems I’d had with the drug dealer and how he’d tried to cut my throat.

  Paula said, “But the drug dealer is in prison now, right?”

  I nodded. “Thornewood’s Police Chief still suspects my accident might have been set up deliberately. He contacted the Syracuse Police so they’d be aware of the history since I’m now living here.”

  Joel said, “We can all keep our eyes open for any strangers on or around campus. I don’t know about the rest of you, but if I see anyone who doesn’t belong here, I’ll call your Lieutenant Fox right away. I think we all should.”

  Freddy added, “Absolutely. Five pairs of eyes are better than one, Cara.”

  Lily and Paula were both nodding. I was relieved that no one seemed taken aback by my weird history. Of course, they didn’t know the weirdest part of it, which was just as well.

  “Thank you. It’s always a good idea to have your eyes and ears open, something I’ve learned the hard way.”

  By that time, there weren’t any other people in the café, other than Ginger. She came over to our table and said, “I couldn’t help overhearing, Cara. I’ll keep my eyes open too. Just give me that cop’s number before you leave.”

  I made sure all my new friends had the Lieutenant’s number before they left for their dorms. I seemed to be the only one lucky enough to have an apartment off campus. Of course, that meant I might be more at risk too.

  During Orientation, we’d been given our first semester class schedules. Mine included four classes each day: “Principles of Drawing,” which I didn’t think I really needed, “Watercolor Painting,” which I knew I did need, “Art History,” which I was really looking forward to, and “Oil Painting and Mixed Media.” I couldn’t wait to get started on Monday.

  Meanwhile, I had the weekend to get through. I hoped Lily would be around, but after talking to Lieutenant Fox, I was tempted to simply stay in my apartment. That felt cowardly.

  Finally I decided I didn’t want to feel like a coward. I would do a bit more shopping. I wanted a TV for my living room. Even though I wasn’t in the habit of watching TV often, I knew there would be weekends during the winter when I’d be unable to get home. A TV would be a good thing to have for those weekends. It might be fun to invite my new friends over if they were stuck on campus too.

  By eight o’clock, I pulled a more modest t-shirt over my tank top and went out. I’d seen a big electronics store about a half mile away, so I hopped in my car and drove over there.

  It was a well-known chain store, and there were a lot of people in the store, which helped me relax. I wandered around the TV department, comparing prices and features, grateful there was no salesman on my heels.

  Prices had come down so much, I decided to buy a larger TV than I’d originally planned. I had plenty of space in my living room for a big flat screen. I finally chose a forty-inch Smart TV and looked around the store for a salesman. When I turned around, my eyes met a pair of amused pale blue eyes I’d looked into just a few hours ago. Instead of his well-tailored suit, he was in jeans and a blue polo shirt. He looked good in those too.

  “Hi, Lieutenant. Are you shopping for a new TV?”

  “Yes. Against my will, I promised my sister a bigger TV last Christmas and she won’t let me forget it.” His face turned serious. “I was surprised to see you here. I’ve been watching you for a while.”

  “Why? I can assure you I plan to pay for my new TV, not steal it.”

  Suddenly he laughed, which changed his whole look. Unsmiling, he had a stern appearance even though he was a good-looking man. But when he laughed as he had just done, he was drop-dead gorgeous, as Amy would say. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

  “Cara Blackthorne, you’re one of a kind. I think I understand why Chief O’Donnell is so concerned about you.” He was clearly trying not to smile.

  “Well, you’re probably wrong, Lieutenant. Chief O’Donnell went to high school with my mom. They’re good friends.”

  He got serious again. “What I wanted to say is that you shouldn’t be out shopping at night alone. Next time you want to leave campus, I’d suggest you bring a friend, or even several friends. It would be safer.”

  “Oh. I wasn’t thinking about that.” I took a deep breath. “You’re probably right. I guess it’s a good thing I ran into you.”

  “Yes, it is. And since you’re here, how would you like to help me pick out a TV for my sister?”

  It would certainly be better than shopping alone.

 
“Sure. How big a TV are you looking for?”

  It seemed his sister was a football fanatic and also liked to catch up on certain TV shows by streaming them. He would need a Smart TV too, a big one.

  A relaxed Lieutenant Fox was actually a very pleasant shopping companion, and he finally settled on a fifty-five inch TV that he thought his sister would love.

  When I complimented him on his choice, he snorted. “Maybe now she’ll stop bugging me about it.”

  “How old is your sister?”

  “She’s twenty going on thirty-five, in my opinion.”

  “Oh, a lot younger than you.”

  He turned to look at me. “I’m not an old man, Cara.” He sounded insulted.

  “Of course not. Um, how old are you?”

  One eyebrow went up and he gave me what I have to call “a look.”

  I shrugged. “Well, you know how old I am.”

  He sighed. “True. I’m twenty-eight, which isn’t old.”

  I nodded. “Okay. It isn’t old.” I tried not to smile. He sounded a bit defensive.

  He finally found a salesman, indicated the TV’s we had each picked out. He had to arrange to have his behemoth of a TV delivered, but I said I wanted to take mine home with me.

  The salesman nodded, but looked surprised. Lieutenant Fox asked, “How are you going to get it into your house?”

  “Well, I don’t think it’s very heavy, and Miss Williams can help me. I’d like to set it up tonight.”

  I heard a heavy sigh and looked at him. One eyebrow was again raised, an amused expression on his face. The expression was familiar. Where had I seen it before?

  Oh. Adam used to look at me just that way when I amused him. No, not going to think about Adam.

  He wrote a check and I used the credit card Mom had given me, after a lengthy lecture on the use of credit cards.

  The salesman brought my TV out in a big box and I balanced it on a shopping cart. If I was careful, I was sure I could get it to my car safely.

  There was a firm tap on my back and I turned to see a disapproving look on the Lieutenant’s face.