Beth turned and waved indicating she was coming. She returned her attention back to me and said, “I’ll be off in thirty minutes. Do you guys want to ride with me when you’re done?”
“No, I have your mother’s car. Actually, I think I should take him home now. Can you help me get him to the car?”
“Sure.”
I scooted out of my seat, and Beth took her brother out of the booth and held him in her arms just like a baby. She looked at me like it was a miracle, and her eyes welled up. I understood the tug he had on her at that moment. Walter moaned and reached for me. That broke her heart. I turned quickly hoping not see any more of Beth’s reaction. Beth walked us to the entrance, and she held the door open. She followed us to the car. I placed him gently on the back seat, where he shifted and got more comfortable.
Beth looked at Walter like he was a stranger.
I was being cordial to her because I knew there was a small connection made with her brother back in the diner. She felt his peacefulness. Maybe, for the first time in a long time. “Will you cancel the order for me, Beth?”
“Of course, Angela, no problem.”
“I’ll see you back at the house, okay.” I got back into the car and drove away. I glanced at the rearview facing mirror and saw Beth still standing on the sidewalk. I knew that Beth was bothered by how close we were, but what made me unsettled was the fact that Beth was not bothered by what Dillon was doing to Walter. I didn’t want to think anymore. Thinking about Dillon, caused an insurmountable rage, and I didn’t want that rage to be the center of my attention, not yet. I didn’t want the manifestation of my anger to reveal itself until it was the right time. The people that deserved it were nowhere around. So, it wouldn’t do any good for me to get mad at that moment, and again, I pressed it down into my inner being and let it sizzle. I was going to let it stay at a temperate level for now because a time will surely come to let it go.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Shannon met me at the door. Cecil came over when he saw me holding Walter. Cecil laughed when he saw the shades, and he took the boy to his bedroom and put him in bed. I waited at the front. Shannon came over to me with open arms and hugged me. “Thank you, Angela. Did you guys have a great day?”
“It was fun.”
Cecil sat back down on the sofa without any fanfare, and he returned his attention to the baseball game.
“Was he good?”
“He was really good, Shannon. He made a couple new friends. One of them is coming over tomorrow. She lives a couple doors down from you.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Cecil, Walter made a friend!” Shannon turned to see Cecil’s reaction, but he only glanced over for a second, smiling half-heartedly.
“Tell Walter I’ll see him soon.”
“Wait a minute, dear, let me take you home. It’s still kind of warm out.”
I wasn’t going to let her, but I had second thoughts. Shannon was already out the door before I could answer, anyway.
When we got to Beth’s house, I graciously thanked Shannon for the ride home, but I didn’t get out of the car yet. This was my chance.
“Shannon, I wanted to talk to you.” I said. My heart was pounding in my chest. If I couldn’t do it now, then when? I had to speak my mind.
“Alright,” Shannon smile spoke of pure oblivion, more like she didn’t know what I was about to say.
“I want to talk to you about Walter.”
“Did he do something wrong, Angela? I’ll talk to him...”
“And Dillon.”
She stared at me.
I stated, “I know what he’s been doing to Walter.”
Shannon shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. She asked, “What do you mean?”
There was an inner battle. It took every bit of strength I had not to lay this woman out. I had to think of Walter and the fact that Shannon was his mother. I said, “You know what I mean, and you should be ashamed of yourself to allow it to happen.”
“Angela...”
“I haven’t been with Walter a whole lot, but I’ve been around him enough to know that he is being abused. And you’re allowing it to happen.”
Shannon covered her mouth and the tears escaped her eyes. I expected her to deny it just like she did with the social worker, but she didn’t say a word. Her chest heaved up and down as she cried.
“You’re worse than Dillon because you turned your back on your own child.”
“I am not!” She could barely speak from crying. “I am not!”
“Shannon, the reason why he misbehaves is because you’re not there for him. Keep him away from Dillon.”
“Angela...”
“I mean it. As long as I’m in Wisp, I better not see Dillon anywhere near Walter.”
She wiped her tears away and asked, “Are you going to tell the police?”
“I’m surprised you won’t.” Now, that pissed off.
“I can’t, Angela, you don’t understand.”
“You right, I don’t understand and no matter what you say, I won’t understand. You just keep Walter away from that asshole.” I got out of the car. I couldn’t be in there with her anymore. I said what I had to say. I think I got my point across.
I stormed into the house, mad as hell. What goes through people’s minds to do stuff like that? What sick psycho thinks it is okay to mess with a child? I think Dillon deserved to die. I couldn’t help it. He was a monster, leaching off of a boy, and bullying people around him. I just could not stand him. I was going to fix him for good. He’s not going to see it coming, that’s for sure.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I had to cool down before visiting Ms. Emma. That took a good two hours. I hid in my bedroom and sat in front of the dollhouse. I straightened everything again. After I was finished and feeling better, I went to see Ms. Emma.
Ms. Emma arrived at the door wearing a tight fitting gold dress with a shiny red belt around her waist. I tried not to stare, but it was really hard. I lifted the bag, and Ms. Emma stepped out looking surprised.
“Is this for me?” She squealed. She peaked in the bag, and her smiled seem to reach every corner of her face when she realized what it was. Ms. Emma pulled the microphone out of the bag, and she held the packaging in her hand like it was a delicate flower. “Angela, did you really get this for me? I absolutely love it!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I answered.
“Oh, I must give this a try.” Ms. Emma opened the packaging, and she set the speakers on a nearby chair.
“I think it needs batteries.” I stated.
“I have some in the house, but I must give it a practice run. Stand back for a moment, dear.” Ms. Emma posed holding the microphone in her right hand, and she placed her left hand on her hips. She was mouthing words instead of singing outright, and she started bouncing a little. She waved her arm slowly like she was making a sweeping motion in the air.
Ms. Emma stopped and brought her attention back to me. She said, “This will do. Oh, I just love it, Angela. Thank you so much.” She gushed and hugged the microphone like it saved her life.
I remarked, “You’re welcome, Ms. Emma.”
“I will give a concert tomorrow to celebrate this new microphone. Will 5 o’clock be okay with you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I nodded. “It is perfect.”
“Oh good,” Ms. Emma held up the microphone like it was a trophy, and she took everything inside without saying another word. She wasn’t being rude. She was just excited to have something in her hands that she hadn’t seen since her days of performing. I figured it was a gift she treasured more than her Elizabeth Harrow novels, at least for the immediate moment.
I went home and took a shower. My mind was blank, not an emotion to conjure up. My energy level was spent from being in the sun and talking to Shannon. I’m glad I confronted her. Maybe, I saved Walter. Maybe, I put a stop to it. I wasn’t so sure, though. Beth was another issue, and that truly hit me to the bone. I would de
al with her in another way. I wasn’t going to outright confront her yet because there was always that possibility in the back of my mind that she would put me out. I had to stay close to this family because it was not finished.
I was too tired to keep my eyes open. The sun had beat the energy right out of me, and I now know how Walter felt, exhausted.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Beth sat on my bed gently rubbing my shoulder. I slowly came back to life. I still felt drained, but I wasn’t as tired as before.
She spoke in a soft tone, “Angela, Brandon is here. Did you forget you had a date tonight?”
I did forget! I jumped out of bed nearly falling to the floor in the process. I asked franticly, “Where is Brandon?”
“He’s waiting for you in the living room. He just got here. So, freshen yourself up first.”
“I hate to keep him waiting like that, Beth.”
“He doesn’t mind if you get yourself together first.” She smiled confidently and left the room.
I decided to take another shower, just to rejuvenate. I found a black dress to wear and sensible black flats to put on. I made sure my hair wasn’t standing on end. Beth didn’t have any gel for me to spike it a little, but that’s okay. I decided the subdued looked was fine.
When I came out, he stood from the sofa. He was wearing a nice navy blue jacket and matching pants with a white shirt. He looked so happy to see me, and for some odd reason, I was glad to see him, too.
Brandon pushed his glasses further up his face and said, “Angela, you look really nice.”
“Thank you, Brandon. So, do you.”
Beth laughed as she stood in the entry to the kitchen. I laughed, too, and I waved at her.
“You guys have fun, Angela.”
“Thanks, Beth.”
Brandon opened the door for me to leave first, and we walked to the car together. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, and I sensed easiness around him. He opened the car door for me and waited until I was comfortable before closing it. He was at a near sprint as he rounded the car to the other side. I thought it was kind of cute.
Brandon took me to a restaurant right in Wisp called Medevaro near the beach. I had no idea there was a place to eat near the water. We were seated the moment we arrived, and we had a view of the Atlantic Ocean. I could not tell where the ocean and the sky met in the far distance and the stars were beautiful as they hung in the darkness.
We ordered our drinks immediately, and we both stared at the menu. Brandon was trying his best to start the conversation, but he didn’t know where to begin. I said letting him off the hook, “How was work today?”
“It was good, busy a little.” He answered, “I got another shipment of reference books. So, now I got the Wayward Hawke Guide finished.”
I smiled not really wanting to dive into work like that.
He cleared his throat and asked, “That’s boring, right?”
I laughed and said, “Yes, Brandon, it’s very boring. Why don’t you tell me about yourself? Have you always grown up here?”
“Yes, I grew up here.”
“Have you ever travelled to any place?”
“My family and I went to Hawaii for a week, but that was about it. What about you?”
“I’ve been to Atlanta, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama, and Wisp, North Carolina. No exotic places.”
“Well, you’ve been to more places than I have. Where are you originally from?”
I tried to remember what I told Beth, but it wasn’t coming back to me. I had to say something. So, I answered, “Dallas, Texas.”
“Oh, wow, you’re a long way from home.”
“I guess so.” I sure hope he wasn’t going to ask me questions about Dallas because I wouldn’t be able to answer a single one.
The waitress set our drinks down, and we gave her our food order. I got the pork chop dinner, and Brandon ordered chicken cordon bleu.
“So, is Olivia your only sister?”
“No, I have an older sister.”
“Where is she?”
“She’s dead.”
Brandon wasn’t expecting that answer and said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think that would be an answer.”
“It is.”
“Yes, it is. I’m truly sorry. How did she die?”
“She was hit by a car, and she died later at home.”
“That’s awful, Angela. Were you there?”
“No, I was out of town at the time. She had a lot going on anyway, Brandon. I’m not saying she deserved it or anything like that. It’s just the whole ordeal is a very complicated thing to explain, and honestly, I don’t want to talk about her right now.” I was getting misty eyed.
“I’ll back off, but may I ask about your other sister? You don’t know where she is?”
“No, and that’s another little complicated issue. The last time we spoke it didn’t go very well. We have been battling a long time, and everything that has happened was my fault.”
“I guess it’ll be too much of me to ask what happened.”
“I can’t even begin to tell you. It’s a private matter, anyway.”
“Well, my offer still stands. I can get you signed onto the website, and you can connect with her.”
“I appreciate your help. I’ll think about it.”
I will admit Brandon was a great guy. He didn’t excite me like Alex first did, but I wasn’t going to hold that fact against him. I liked how the conversation continued on without me feeling like I had to prove something. We mostly talked about our families and really nothing else. When we started on Dillon, the chat didn’t last long. Brandon did not like talking about his brother. Talking about him clearly made him angry and uncomfortable. I bet what little money I had that Brandon was well aware of what Dillon has done, and it made him beyond the point of anger to think about it, much less talk about it.
I asked, “Why do you tighten up so much when it comes to Dillon?”
“Why do I tighten up? What does that mean?”
“You tense up, Brandon. You get a disgusted look on your face. I can tell you’re not very pleased with him.”
“If you know the things I know, Angela, you wouldn’t be, either.”
Oh, I know what you know, but I wasn’t going to admit it.
“I meant to ask you, Angela, if you had any kids.”
“No, I don’t have children.”
“Good,” Brandon seemed to relax more after I answered him.
“I’ve been asked that question before by Evanna. Why would you ask me that same question?”
“Because if you did have children, I would have to warn you about living in that house.”
I stared at him. I mouthed, “Walter.”
Brandon gazed downward. He shook his head and said, “If I was brave enough, I would have stopped him the first time.”
“He’s killing Walter.”
“I know he is, Angela.”
My heart was heavy. I tried to stop my tears, but how could I? Wait a minute. Did he just say the first time? Was there another child? And if I remembered correctly, Ms. Emma stated when she first revealed Dillon was messing with Walter that he’d gotten away with it before. I asked, “Brandon, what do you mean by the first time? Has he abused another child?”
“Angela, I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Brandon looked like he was about to cry.
I was at a loss. What have I gotten myself into? I was in a worse situation than I was before.
Our dinner ended early, but it was mutually agreed that the discussion ruined our appetites. Brandon took me home, and he apologized. I could only come up with a sad smile. We parted not really saying good-bye which was fine with me.
Beth wanted to talk about my date with Brandon, but I couldn’t. There was a major problem. She pulled me into the kitchen and sat me down. She was so worried that Brandon and I weren’t getting along, but that wasn’t the case at all.
I said, “We’re okay, Beth.�
�
“Did he say something or do something?”
“No, he’s a gentleman just like you said. It’s just there are some problems.”
“I can talk to him if you want.”
“The problem is not with me, Beth.”
Beth nodded and continued, “I thought you two were hitting it off pretty good.”
“He’s nice, but like I said before, I don’t think there’s going to be a relationship between me and him.”
“Angela, just stay and make a life here. Give Brandon a chance.”
“Brandon and I will make our own decision. I appreciate you trying to hook us up, but if it’s going to happen, then so be it. But for right now, no.” I knew for a fact, I wasn’t going to officially be his girlfriend. As nice as Brandon was, I still had to get out of Wisp and plus his brother was an issue. I can’t see myself involved with a family that let an animal roam.
“Well, I hope it gets better between you two.” Beth shifted in her seat more towards me and said, “On a better note, I got good news. Can you guess what it is?”
“I don’t even know where to begin to guess.” Honestly, I knew very little about Beth. She was hardly ever at home. That’s all I knew for sure was that she like to wear her hair in a messy ponytail on top of her head all the time, and she prayed before every meal. I know my guesses would be dead wrong.
Beth said, “I got the job at the club. I’ll be going to training tomorrow, and I’ll be gone for three days.”
Oh, great! More of an opportunity for her crazy boyfriend to bother me. Maybe, I need to get closer to Brandon for protection. I said, “Congratulations.”
“I really believe I am moving ahead, one more step closer to my goal.”
I bet. Why every single time I talk to this girl she drives me up the wall? I just can’t have a conversation with her without getting frustrated, and then I have to hide how I feel because she doesn’t have an inkling as to what she’s saying to me.
I cut the conversation short, and I returned to the privacy of my bedroom. That place was becoming my solace away from the madness. I’m glad I had a place to hide. My bedroom was becoming my favorite place in the world.
The Ex Killer Series Page 43
