Todd rested his arm around my shoulders as we walked out into the warm night. “Looks like you left the lights on in your shop.”
I stared across the church parking lot to where I could see C. Willikers above the hedge. “I always leave that small one on in the front window, but I must have forgotten to turn off the other ones before I left earlier. I came straight over here.”
“Want to go turn them off?” Todd grabbed my hand and smiled down at me. “I’ll walk you over before I head home. Luke’s here for the weekend.”
“I thought he wasn’t going to be able to come until next weekend.”
“Me too. But I guess his mother had something come up this weekend. Luke wasn’t invited.”
Ah. I always chose to tread lightly around the topic of the ex-wife. “Well, I’m glad he’s here. Harry’s birthday party is tomorrow, remember?”
Todd’s face cleared. “Looking forward to it. Has Dot managed to keep it a secret?”
“As far as I know. But it’s a good thing she doesn’t have to keep it much longer. I think she’s about to burst.” I smiled up at him. It felt good to have someone to talk to about the ordinary stuff of life again. I had forgotten how nice that was. “Oh, and I haven’t had a chance to tell you about what Sharlene said about Harry. The way she said it was kind of weird—”
“Stop.” Todd pulled on my hand, his body suddenly taut. “Move slowly, Callie. But get down onto the pavement.”
I obeyed, gravel biting into my palms and knees as I shrank down. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, staring through the dark toward C. Willikers.
“Is someone in there?” I whispered.
He reached for his gun. I squinted, trying to see through a thinner spot in the hedge. We were only about ten feet from the bushes, and the store was another twenty feet or so beyond that.
Todd shifted, but never took his gaze from the shop. “Did you give Sharlene a key?”
“No, not yet.”
He settled back on his haunches. “Well, she’s in there.”
“Why would she be in the store this late in the evening?”
Todd grunted. “The question is, is she alone?”
I leaned forward as if that would help me see better. I so wanted Sharlene to not mess up again.
I did?
God must have put that love in there, because I wasn’t feeling it so much until now. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, then opened them to peer through the nandinas again. This time, I clearly saw her profile through the back-room window. “I hope it’s something simple. Like maybe she forgot something when she was there today?”
“Then why wouldn’t she text you, instead of sneaking over to the store in the dark?”
“Well, she’s not exactly sneaking, since she’s walking around in there with every single light in the building on.”
“I still don’t like it.” Todd rose, keeping his gun out. “You stay here, Callie. Promise me.”
“What are you going to do?” I half-rose, but he pushed me back down gently.
“I want to make sure there’s no one else with her. It could be that she’s the bait to draw you over there.”
Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. How did I always end up in these situations?
God, please protect us.
Todd kissed the top of my head, then slipped away into the dark.
My phone vibrated. Karen again. Argh. I forgot I had told her I’d call her back after the meeting. Must be something important for her to call me again.
I texted her. Can’t talk right now. Call you in a few. I hope.
I disobeyed Todd and scooted closer to the bushes to see what he was doing. I watched him edge around the front of the store in the dark shade of the pecan tree, then make his way to the door. He paused, then pushed the door in. “Sharlene?”
She screeched, and I started running. Todd stood over her where she sat on the bottom step of the attic stairs.
“What are you doing?” I surveyed the piles of things on the floor around her...books, clothing, silverware. Silverware?
She looked up at both of us.
“I... don’t know.”
Todd growled. “You’re trespassing on Callie's property, is what you're doing.”
She stood slowly. “No. I mean, I didn't mean to.”
Todd and I exchanged glances.
She tucked her thin hair behind her ear. “I... didn’t mean to do anything bad, Callie. It's just that ever since I came to this place, I've been thinking about weird things.”
Oh, boy. I crouched on the floor in front of her.
“What place? My store?”
She looked around. “No. Short Creek.”
“Why did you come here?” Todd's voice grew softer.
“I came because I was, um, dating this guy online. He said to meet him here at the donut shop, but he never ever showed up. And then I stayed because I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I kept feeling like maybe I had been here before or something.”
Wow. “Like deja vu?”
“Kind of. Like I get this memory of something, but it's only a piece of a memory and then it disappears, and I can't grab it.”
“But why are you digging through my stuff?”
She shook her head. “From the first time that I came into your store, I had a weird feeling that I had been here before or something. I remembered those stairs up to the attic. And today when we were in here, I saw all these boxes and thought maybe something in them would give me a clue or something. I don't know. I'm so stupid. Now you probably think I was trying to steal your stuff.” She fingered the chain of her necklace.
“The thought crossed my mind,” Todd drawled.
I shook my head at him slightly. I was pretty sure she was lying, at least about parts of it…but something was niggling at my brain about the whole thing. “How did you get in here? I haven't given you a key yet.”
“No, but I unlocked the back door after you locked it. I was going to lock it again behind me.” She cracked her knuckles. “I’m sorry. I know you don't know me at all and now you won't trust me ever again, but I had to see what was in these boxes and figure out if I could see why I keep having all of these weird ideas. Like that guy, Harry? I'm positive I know him from somewhere. But how could I? I've been living in Forsyth since I remember, and I can't even remember my own father.”
“But you told me that Harry looked like your dad.”
“Yeah. But that was the first time I remembered what my dad looked like...when I saw Harry.”
Todd cleared his throat. “Um, Callie, maybe you could make Sharlene some tea. I think we need to talk about this a little more before we call it a night.”
I left Sharlene on the floor amid the piles of attic stuff and filled the kettle. I scrounged around in the cabinet next to the mini-fridge, remembering that I had apples and leftover pizza in there. If Todd wasn't hungry, Sharlene probably was. She could use some fattening up. I couldn’t figure her out. She was not high, but she was also so...spacey.
By the time the water was boiling, Todd and Sharlene had moved into the main room.
“Let’s sit in the book nook,” I waved my hand that direction.
Sharlene plopped down in the old Morris chair and tucked her feet up under her. She looked so young.
“You are so nice to me,” she said again as I handed her the cup of tea.
I shook my head. “Tell me again why you were here.”
“I moved here because...no, no I already told you that.” She sipped her tea and frowned. “This guy stood me up, and I decided to stay. I got a job caring for Miz Erma, and I was so sad when she passed, but then I visited you in the store and I kept feeling that I should, like, come back and talk to you or something.”
Todd paced in front of us. “Where did you move here from, Sharlene?
“I moved from Forsyth, Arkansas. But before that, I lived in Maine. My mom died recently.”
I rolled my shoulders.
“It’s weird because I don't remember much about my birth dad...only little bits. But I think I’ve been here before.”
“Here? Like in Short Creek?”
She nodded. “I walked around town when I first got here, because things seemed so familiar, but in a strange way. Like I remembered them from a dream or something. But then when I saw Harry...”
I glanced at Todd. “Harry was in the store today. I think he recognized something about her too, because he wanted me to call him. But then things got crazy and I never did.”
“But you moved here a couple of months ago, right?”
She nodded, twisting her hair around her finger. “I had, um, lost my job and everything, and I met this guy...”
“But you were in jail for a little while, weren't you?” I asked softly.
She dropped her gaze to her hands. “I knew someone would find out.”
“It’s okay. But I wish you'd have told me up front.”
She was silent.
“Why don’t you tell us why you’re really here?” Todd crossed his arms over his chest.
I sensed her inner struggle. God, please give her courage. I touched her forearm. “We’d like to help you.”
She stared at my feet for a long moment before lifting her head to meet our gazes. “Why are y’all so nice?” She cracked her knuckles again. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I’m probably in trouble already for snooping around in your attic.”
I made a dissenting noise.
She took a deep breath. “Yes. I spent a couple of months in the county jail up in Dallas County. That was enough to get my attention and help me realize I never wanted to be there again for any reason whatsoever.”
“Good for you. May I ask what you went to jail for?”
She winced. “Theft. I figured out a way to add cash back to debit transactions at the store where I worked.”
I really didn't want to know this.
Todd's gaze bored into her. “So you moved down here to get away from your record.”
“No. I told you, I’m done with that.” She stared down at her hands for a minute before meeting his gaze. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I’ve changed since then.”
I thought of my brother, Jason, who had surrendered his life to Christ in prison last year. “I want to believe you, Sharlene.”
Her lips trembled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“What changes have you made?” Todd took a swig of his iced tea. I appreciated that he was at least trying not to be as intimidating as he could be when he was in cop mode.
“I know it might sound hokey, but some ladies came to the jail and did a Bible study a couple of times a week. I think Benji and I went to church a few times when we were super little. I figured the Bible was, like, a bunch of rules, you know? Plus, it sounded really boring.”
I winced.
“Anyway, I was in there for like three months. That's a long time to be sitting in there with nothing to do, so I started to go to the study mostly because it would get me out of the noise of the pod and I could talk to people from the outside, you know?”
Not really, but I nodded.
“Anyway, I kept going. Those ladies were real. They were like school teachers or something, but they had troubles, too. One of them had been married to an alcoholic and had three kids. The other lady had a couple of kids who were struggling with addiction. They told us how God helped them through. Like He was a real person, sort of. Only more powerful, I guess.”
Todd nodded.
She bit her thumbnail. “They gave me a Bible, and I started reading it. I couldn’t believe it at first. It all seemed like a fairy tale or some weird mythology stuff...especially the parts in the front. What’s it called? The Old Testaments? Anyway, I kept reading and reading and it started to make sense. I did what those women told me to do and asked God to show me if He was real.”
“And?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “At first, it seemed like nothing happened, but I started to feel like, a little bit of hope, you know? ’Cause when I first got to jail, I didn’t have any hope for my life. I didn’t have anyone who cared about me. My mom died six months before.” She swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. “I lost my job when I went to jail. My brother hasn’t contacted us since he left home at fourteen—he’s younger than me. I don’t know what happened to him…or my dad. But then when I heard these women talking about God, like, helping them in real life, I thought maybe He could help me, too, even though I haven’t been a good person or nothing.”
I nodded.
“Then one night, I was lying on my bunk and praying. I wasn't sure I was even saying the right words or anything, but those ladies always told me to talk to God and not worry about saying the words right. I was talking to Him because I was so scared and cold and hungry, and I couldn't trust talking to anyone in there. Those people are crazy, you know? And I did what the Bible leaders told me to do. I said, ‘Jesus, I know I’m a sinner and I can't believe you would love me. Even my own dad didn't love me because he gave me away. I felt kind of...what is that word? Pre—, pre—?’”
“Presumptuous?” Todd supplied.
“Yeah. Kind of presumptuous, I guess...asking God, the one who wrote the Bible, you know, and I was like, talking to Him?”
I shifted in my seat.
“But I did, and I asked Him to forgive me and help me and if He would, I would do my best to follow Him and like, let Him show me what to do and stuff.”
“That’s so cool, Sharlene.”
She nodded. “I didn't feel anything different right away, but I finally slept all night that night. My first time since I got to that terrible place. And so, I knew something had happened in my heart. And then it was only a few nights later.” She dug around in her pocket, then wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I don't know if you'll understand this or believe me.”
She glanced back and forth between us. “I was dreaming that someone was sitting at the foot of my bunk. Usually I was kinda scared to sleep in there because you never knew what someone might do to you while you were sleeping, but in my dream, it was like someone...loving...was sitting there. I could feel the weight on my feet, like he had laid his hand on my foot or was sitting super close, you know? I had never felt so loved before in my whole life, and I sort of woke up. And...” She stopped. “I’ve never told anyone about this before.”
“It’s okay if you don't want to share.”
“No, I really do. It's just...I woke up and the whole pod was kinda dark and still, which it hardly ever is. And I saw...I saw that it was an angel sitting there on the edge of my bunk. He was glowing and had the most beautiful smile. I felt this peace well up in me and then he said to me, “Sharlene, it's going to be okay.”
My throat tightened. “That’s beautiful, Sharlene. Thank you for sharing that with us.”
“I’ve never forgotten it.” She smiled at both of us. “Not that things have been great. I had to go to a homeless shelter when I was released. That was tough. But then I met Shawn online and that seemed to be a good thing.
Todd stiffened. “But?”
“Well, we chatted a lot online, you know? I was working a little bit and trying to get back on my feet. He sounded like such a nice guy, and I fell for him. We started talking on the phone, and he said he lived like near Austin. I didn't have much money, but I scraped together enough for a bus ticket. I made it as far as Temple, but he never showed up where he said he would and never answered my texts or calls again. I don't know what happened.” She smiled sadly. “But at least I made it here to Short Creek.”
Wait. What?
“You came here to Short Creek, Texas on purpose?”
“Yeah.”
So… “So you were lying a little while ago when you said you were supposed to meet him at the donut shop here?”
She picked at a frayed spot on her jeans. “Sort of. I really did meet a guy and was, like, planning to meet up with him. But I was hoping to make it do
wn here once I got to Texas. I found some papers in my mom’s stuff, and I think I used to live here when I was like a little kid.”
“Here? In Short Creek?” Todd’s eyebrows reached his hairline.
I sucked in my breath. She would be about the right age…twenty years ago she’d have been a little girl. “Your last name wasn’t Janosic, was it?”
“Janosic?” She looked at me. “No. Why?”
“Just a random thought. What were your parents’ names, if you don’t mind me asking?”
She shrugged. “My mom’s name was Esther, and my step-dad’s name was Colin.”
Hmm. “So why did you come here to Short Creek? Just to see what it was like where you used to live?”
“Yeah. I’ve walked around town a lot since I’ve been here, and I don’t remember any of the places. We moved around so much, all of the different places kind of blend together. But I always had this feeling as I was growing up that there was a time…or a place…in my childhood where I was…happy, I guess. When I felt loved.”
Which would mean that for the rest of her life she hadn’t felt loved? “So you came here, hoping this is where that one happy place was?”
“Yeah.”
“And your birth dad? Where does he fit in?”
She shrugged. “I wish I knew. My mom said he left when I was young because he didn’t love us. She didn’t know where he went.”
How sad. “Did he live with you and your mom here in Short Creek?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t like, ever talk about him. I only know some stuff because I went through her papers when she passed.”
“How did you start working for Erma?”
She smiled, her first real smile since I saw her this evening. “I met her in Walmart, if you can believe that.”
Knowing Erma, I could definitely believe that.
“I was pretty down and out, you know? We started chatting in the frozen food aisle and she was so nice. I told her I didn’t have anywhere to live. The next thing I knew, she had invited me to her house for dinner. I kept coming back every morning to help her until...well, you know.”
Where There's a Will Page 12
