Shona Jackson- The Complete Trilogy

by Vicky Jones

  “Good morning. I’d like one of your chicken pies, please,” Chloe asked, her voice barely audible.

  “Hi Chloe,” Alice chirped, giving her an inquisitive look. “How’s Shona today?”

  “And four of those fresh baked biscuits if you please,” Chloe said, ignoring Alice’s question.

  “Sure thing.” Alice bagged up the biscuits and boxed up the pie. She took Chloe’s money, smiling as she spoke. “Shona’s real nice, isn’t she? Always comes in here for her afternoon snack.”

  Chloe didn’t respond, but noticed Alice’s fresh face, sparkling eyes and bright green summer dress. The ribbon in her light brown hair reminded her of how she used to look and hearing her talk about Shona sparked a pang inside of her.

  After sitting in the park area in the center of town for the last half an hour thinking about what Alice had said, and the way she’d said it, Chloe stood up and headed over to the garage but as she reached the sidewalk she saw Shona in a heated exchange with two police officers, one with his handcuffs at the ready.

  “Oh no, what now?” she exclaimed, then raced over, the brown bag containing her box of pie and biscuits flapping in the breeze as she ran.

  “Shona, what’s going on?” Chloe said.

  “Nothing, it’s fine. These gentlemen were just checking up on their cars, right, guys?” Shona raised her eyebrows at the police officers.

  “Um… Yeah, so I want it ready by this afternoon, OK?” one officer replied. He put his handcuffs back on his belt, then smiled at Chloe as he led Shona a few feet away from her and his partner. “Shona, look, you know I hate to do this, but the boss wants me to pull you in for what happened the other night. I know you helped some of us and I appreciate that, but what do I tell Lawrence if I don’t?” The young police officer took his hat off and wiped his sweaty brow.

  “Just tell him you didn’t see me do anything other than just stand there,” Shona whispered back. “I didn’t get involved, so he can’t touch me for any felony. He knows that, he’s just sore about it, Donny.”

  “OK. But I can’t promise he won’t send Barnes over here. He’s his little pet now. Bring back Bill Everett, that’s what I say.” Donny walked back over to his partner, gave him the signal to leave, then tipped his cap to both women.

  “What was all that about?” Chloe asked again, her stare more pointed this time.

  “Lawrence,” Shona replied. “What smells so good?” She looked down at the bag Chloe was holding.

  Minnie’s car pulled up. She gave them both a beaming smile and almost leapt out of her seat. “Shona.”

  “Hi Minnie, you OK?” Shona asked as Minnie trotted up to them.

  “I’m fine, dear. How are you both today?”

  “We’re doing good. How’s William?” Shona asked.

  “Oh, he’s OK. One of his better days, actually. We got to chatting about the old days when he was in his prime, ruling on all the important cases here in town. Oh, the memory that man has,” she paused and bit her lip, “well, when he’s not confused. But anyway, we got on the subject of that nasty piece of work Lawrence and what he’s done to you and your family and he was furious. Especially after everything you’ve done for me. Then we talked some more and, well, we might just have come up with an idea.” Minnie’s eyes sparkled.

  Minnie had followed Shona and Chloe back to the beach house after Shona had quickly locked up the garage. Now sitting on the couch in the living room, Chloe and Shona waited for Minnie to begin speaking.

  “The way William and I see it,” she said, leaning forward in her armchair, “the only reason they had to take your boy away was because they assumed you two were living as a couple, right?”

  Chloe and Shona looked at each other. “Well, yeah. But we can’t deny that now, can we?” Shona replied, sweeping her hand through her hair.

  “But you haven’t confirmed it to anyone other than me, right?” Minnie’s eyes were keen.

  “Only Doctor Thomas, but he’s bound by oath,” Chloe replied. “Shona?”

  “Only the girls at the bar, but they won’t say anything. Many of them are in the same boat,” Shona replied. “They pride themselves on their loyalty. Well, apart from Bertie, but her call to the police was anonymous so they won’t be able to chase that one up. And I made sure she knew how much damage she’s done. I actually believe she’s sorry for what she did,” Shona added. Both their hopes grew higher as Minnie began telling them her idea.

  “But that’s so simple,” Chloe gasped when Minnie had finished speaking. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

  “Doesn’t matter now,” Minnie replied with a sense of glee. “We’ll put the plan of action in place first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Chloe couldn’t hold back any longer. She wrapped Minnie up in a tight hug and held her while she composed herself. “I don’t know how to thank you for this, I really don’t.”

  “It’s the least I can do after all the good deeds Shona’s done for me these last few years. I just hope it works.”

  Chapter 29

  Sheriff Lawrence pulled up outside the beach house still mystified by the call he’d received an hour ago from the Children’s Bureau. “Meet me at the Clark residence at 3 p.m. There’s been a development,” the voice had said. Stepping out of his truck, he could see that she was already there.

  “Well, good afternoon, Barbara. What are we doin’ here?” Lawrence said as he made his way over to the suited woman from last week.

  “We’ve had new information passed to us by a trusted source, not some random anonymous tip-off,” Barbara said with disdain. “I’m here to assess the suitability of the residence where the child is to live.”

  “I thought we’d already decided what was in the best interests of the child.”

  “Sheriff, did you or anyone else who reported this case to me actually check the living arrangements in that house before calling me?” She gestured towards him with her clipboard.

  “They’re all built the same way, these beach houses.” His confident grin turned to a snarl.

  The front door opened and Chloe appeared, Shona standing behind her.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Haskins. Won’t you come in?” Chloe said, not bothering to acknowledge Lawrence’s presence.

  “Thank you, I will,” Barbara replied, following Shona and Chloe into the house. Shona slammed the door as Lawrence made a move to follow. He stood outside, impatiently waiting. Not even five minutes had the chance to pass before Barbara reemerged. She stormed down the porch steps towards her car, her face red with embarrassment.

  “On behalf of the Children’s Bureau, ma’am, all I can do is apologize,” she called back over her shoulder. As she fumbled with her car door handle, she shot a look of pure annoyance at Lawrence. “Sheriff Lawrence here gave us false information, but I really should have checked myself. I’ll be in touch as soon as I get back to the office.” She roared away up the driveway.

  “What the… Get out of my way.” Lawrence pushed past Chloe and Shona and stormed into the house. Shona grinned at Chloe.

  Lawrence stalked along the hallway hunting for the master bedroom. When he found it, he swung the door wide open. The room was beautifully furnished, with crisp white linen on the bed and a blanket with little red flowers sewn on it. The drapes matched perfectly and all around were soft cushions. The handmade pine dressing table was painted white and an assortment of hairbrushes and makeup was lined up neatly. It was unmistakably a woman’s bedroom and, as he walked up to the double bed, Lawrence let a sly grin drape across his face.

  “Just as I thought.”

  “So, now you’ve invaded my privacy, Acting Sheriff Lawrence. Are you satisfied?” Chloe said, appearing behind him with her arms folded.

  “Oh yeah, I’m satisfied. Satisfied that we had that kid taken away from you pair of…” He paused, looking for the most offensive word he could think of. “It’s disgusting, and illegal, what you were doin’ in here.”

  “What are you insinuat
ing?”

  “Insinuatin’?” Lawrence replied with a snort. “Look, if that’s the kid’s room through there,” he pointed to the room directly across the hallway, “then where the hell does she sleep?” He jabbed a finger towards Shona.

  Shona stepped forward, her face expressionless. “In there.” She pointed at the much plainer-looking door about three feet further along the wall to the door to David’s room.

  “What?” Lawrence said, the grin melting from his face. “But that’s not possible.”

  Shona went over to open the door. Lawrence was out of Chloe’s room and into the snug single bedroom in two bounds. Sure enough, inside was a neat and tidy, perfectly laid out bedroom, complete with single bed, desk, chair and wardrobe in the corner. Muttering several curse words, Lawrence flung open the wardrobe door to see all of Shona’s work shirts ironed and hanging up. Her spare pair of work boots sat nestled in the bottom. On the back of the desk chair hung her jacket and on the desk was her comb and a few coins. He turned around to see both Chloe and Shona watching him, their faces set.

  “Will that be all, Acting Sheriff?” Chloe purred.

  Lawrence, with a sharp intake of breath and without another word, stomped out of Shona’s room and out of the house.

  He hadn’t noticed the smell of wood shavings and fresh paint.

  Part 3: September 1964

  Chapter 30

  Stuck in the same routine as before, and with David getting more boisterous by the day, Chloe had found it harder and harder to cope with the exhaustion. Her visits to Doctor Thomas were weekly now, an hour each time, where he could talk her through her raging emotions. When September came around, she was almost relieved that David was ready to start preschool. He’d turned five that April and, with his black hair and dark eyes, was looking like Kyle more and more each day, a fact that especially bothered Shona who was now spending most of her time at the garage.

  “Sorry I’m late. I stopped off for a Coke at the bar,” Shona said as she walked into the kitchen to find Chloe cleaning up the dishes from her and David’s dinner.

  “We already had dinner. I left you some on top of the stove,” Chloe replied without turning around. She busied herself at the sink washing the dishes and placing them on the drainer.

  “Have we got everything ready for tomorrow?” Shona asked sorting through the pile of neatly folded laundry and finding David’s best pair of blue shorts and white tee-shirt.

  “I’ve already picked out his outfit. It’s hanging up in his room.”

  Shona looked hurt. “I thought we were going to choose what he was gonna wear on his first day together?”

  “You weren’t here,” Chloe replied, turning to face her as she dried the bubbles from her wet hands with a dish towel.

  Shona leaned against the counter. “OK. Well, I’ll eat, then go read him his story.”

  “He’s already had it. It’s half past eight, Shona,” Chloe shot back. The frustration in her voice was obvious. “You should be here for those things, not drinking in some bar that you said you weren’t going to go to anymore. I thought you wanted to stay away from those girls?”

  “They’re OK. There’s been no trouble these last few years since the police laid off them. Bertie has rights now since she registered with the Tavern Guild, and Lawrence knows he can’t touch her now, or anyone who goes in the bar. The town’s sick of his shit now anyway. They just want a quiet life. You remember when Lawrence was warned to leave me alone too, because of all that embarrassment the Children’s Bureau suffered when the papers got hold of it? Well, it’s been over a month since he last snarled at me in the street. I think he’s mellowing.” She laughed, then stopped as Chloe shot her a sharp look.

  “It’s not funny, Shona. If it hadn’t been for Minnie and her quick thinking, we would have had the whole town chasing us out. Again.”

  Shona’s grin melted away.

  “If Judge Barker hadn’t made that call to the Children’s Bureau to get them to come and check the house afterwards, we might never have gotten David back. You should be glad Lawrence is staying away from us now, not gloating about it. A ‘low profile’ is exactly what we should be keeping. I don’t need you worrying me sick all the time by drinking in that bar and getting all riled up by those table-banging radicals pushing their luck.” Chloe threw her dish towel onto the drainer and left Shona to eat her dinner in the kitchen alone.

  Chloe was just about to leave the spot on the end of David’s bed where she’d been sitting for the last twenty minutes when he turned over and looked at her.

  “Momma?”

  “Go back to sleep, baby. I was just checking in on you.”

  “Will it be OK tomorrow?” David said, rubbing his eyes.

  “Oh, of course it will be,” Chloe replied, rushing up to tuck him back in. She tapped his chin and smiled. “You’ll make lots of new friends and learn so much. Now close your eyes. You need a good night’s sleep.” She kissed him on his forehead and smoothed down his covers.

  When she returned to the living room, Shona was already sitting on the couch. She smiled up to Chloe where their eyes met in a mutual apology. “He OK?”

  “Yeah. I think he’s a little worried.” Chloe sat on the couch next to Shona, who lifted up her arm naturally for Chloe to snuggle underneath. “I think I am too.”

  Shona kissed Chloe on the head. “Why’s that, baby?”

  “Well, I heard that the principal is a bit of a force. It’s not ideal, but Fairview is the only elementary school in the town. It’s our only option. The other three in the book are miles away. What if the principal asks a lot of questions about us? I just want a decent education for our son. He deserves that.” Chloe bit at her fingernails as she spoke.

  “Just relax. We’ve lived in this town for over five years now. We’re just as good as anyone at that school, with just as many rights now. Well, you have them as his mother,” Shona added with a mirthless laugh. “Just tell her that you’ve heard all good things about her school and that it’s our first choice. Then get the heck outta there.”

  “Yeah, I guess. I wish you could come too.”

  Shona shook her head. “No, I won’t come this time. It looks better if it’s just his mother with him on his first day.” She paused and picked at a loose thread on the arm of the couch.

  “You know you mean the world to David, don’t you?” Chloe affirmed, stroking Shona’s arm.

  “I love him like he was my own. But there are some things you gotta do that I can’t be a part of. Maybe that’ll change in the future. But right now, this is the best we can hope for.”

  “I guess.”

  “Anyway, I was thinking, with David at preschool in the daytime, you’ll have so much more time to take up your hobbies again. I’ll go up in the attic and get your painting things down, how about that? I ain’t seen you paint for ages.”

  Chloe’s face lit up. “Oh, would you? That would be amazing. Thank you.”

  “Of course. I’ll make you some new canvases too this weekend. I’ve got some wood out in the shed that will work just fine. Hell, maybe you could paint me?”

  Chloe blushed, remembering the painting she’d done, purely from memory, of Shona on her horse Storm, back in Alabama when their feelings for each other were unknown. Having her sit for her in person would be exhilarating. “Thank you, Shona. That really means a lot to me. It’ll be nice just to be normal again. To be me,” she added, her eyes glowing in the semi-darkness of the living room.

  “I’ve missed you,” Shona said as she kissed the top of Chloe’s head. “I’ve missed us.”

  Chloe nodded, then snuggled deeper in Shona’s arms.

  Principal Margaret Miller strode down Fairview Elementary school’s main hallway, her Chanel heels clicking on the perfectly polished parquet flooring. She had just that year turned fifty and had been in charge of the school since the last principal retired ten years ago. As she approached a patch of dull wood on the ground in front of her, her face cre
ased into a frown.

  “Bennett, get over here,” she barked.

  Henry Bennett, the janitor, scurried over to her. He wore blue coveralls and had a wooden broom tucked underneath one skinny arm.

  “Yes ma’am,” he said, tipping his blue cap to her.

  “When I said I wanted this floor polished to the point where I could see my face in it, I meant the entire floor. Not just the parts I can see. Look down there.” She pointed to the patch just behind a coat stand that Bennett had missed.

  “Right away, Mrs. Miller,” Bennett replied, taking out his polishing cloth. He maneuvered himself behind the coat stand and began buffing the floor. “Oh, by the way, you have a visitor waiting in your office. Polly asked me to let you know if I saw you. It’s your son, I think.”

  Miller looked surprised, then set off back to her office.

  “Is he in there?” she asked Polly, who was sitting at her assistant’s desk outside Miller’s office taking a phone call.

  Polly clamped her palm over the telephone receiver and nodded. “He didn’t say what it was, but he looked pretty nervous.”

  Miller entered her office to see her tall, well built, twenty-three-year-old son standing by her window looking out onto the green space where the third-grade children were playing. He was wearing grey slacks and a smart blue shirt. “Hello, Jonathan, to what do I owe this pleasure?” She kissed him on the cheek, then sat at her desk.

  “Hi Mom, I was just passing by and I…”

  “Get to the point, son. I’m a busy woman.”

  Jonathan ran a hand through his dark brown hair. “Well, I know we’ve had this conversation before but…”

  Miller’s heart sank. She knew what he was going to say. It had been the same conversation they’d had for the last year, and no matter how much she’d wanted the idea to go away, the subject kept coming up.

  “I’ve made some more inquiries and the draft office said I can join this month.” He watched his mother’s reaction, then his eyes hardened. “You’re not going to talk me out of it this time, Mother. It’s what I want to do. I can’t wait tables all my life—I need to be doing something that matters. It won’t be long until they make us enlist anyway. I want to go over there on my terms.”