Ugly Young Thing

by Jennifer Jaynes

  “That wouldn’t be contraband, would it?” she asked, using a word Miss Bitty used often.

  Big Joe glanced at her from where he sat. He was smoking a cigarette, and an empty gallon of what had been a green smoothie was next to him. And next to that, a bottle of whiskey.

  Miss Bitty was at a conference in Dallas and would be gone all day. Before the old woman left, she’d instructed Allie to stay in the house with the doors locked. The only exception, she said, was when she needed to let Piglet out.

  She wasn’t to open the door for anyone. And Allie had followed the old woman’s rules all day. She completed the homework Louis had assigned. She even worked ahead of the curriculum and read three extra chapters in her science text. But now the house felt awfully empty, and she was lonely. Plus, she had a question she was desperate to ask someone. It was something that had been bothering her a lot lately.

  Venturing outside, it took her all of ten seconds to find Big Joe sitting on the guesthouse porch, doing things he wouldn’t normally be doing had Miss Bitty been around. “Bitty asked me to keep an eye on you while she was gone,” Joe said. “I was just about to check on you.”

  “Yeah?” Allie grinned. “Before or after you got drunk?”

  “Heh.”

  Allie set Piglet down to roam in the grass. “Anyway, I can keep an eye on myself.”

  “Not sure how you can manage that. At least physically,” he said, then took a long drag off his cigarette.

  Good one. The big man is actually clever.

  “She told me not to open the door for anyone, so how were you supposed to keep an eye on me?”

  “She wanted me to call you.”

  “Oh.”

  Allie studied the man for the first time in weeks. He looked different. Slimmer. Much less bloated. She lowered herself to the opposite side of the porch and contemplated asking him her question.

  The two grew silent. Allie knew now was the perfect time to ask, but she was a little afraid.

  A gust of wind sent bed linens fluttering on the clothesline a few yards away. Joe dragged on his cigarette, then stared off into the woods. “So what’s the deal with the sheriff coming around yesterday?” he asked, flicking some ash into a cup.

  “Just asking more of their same stupid questions,” Allie said. She dug some dirt from the ground with her bare toe. She was sick of the sheriff and the FBI agent’s visits. Her brother was dead, so even if she wanted to give them information, which she didn’t, it was all pretty much pointless anyway.

  “Questions about what?”

  Allie narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “You don’t know?”

  “No. Why? Should I?”

  Allie shrugged. “They’re just asking questions about my brother and the murders. I guess they think I know something I’m not telling them. Either that or they have nothing else to do.”

  Big Joe looked incredulous. “Brother? Murders?”

  Allie realized that he didn’t know. She’d just assumed he did, but with him being from out of town, she supposed it made perfect sense that he didn’t.

  “Yeah. My brother killed two teenagers last year. But he died, so I don’t know why they still care so much. They say they’re just wrapping up loose ends, but they could just be saying that. I really don’t know.”

  “He killed people? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  She wished she were kidding. Piglet let out a few yaps, then bounded out from around the house. The pup came to a stop a few feet in front of the two, then poked her head in a bush.

  “I didn’t know that. I’m really sorry, Allie.”

  Allie watched Piglet disappear around the corner of the guesthouse and thought about her question.

  “Why did he do it?” Joe asked, his voice almost a whisper.

  Allie didn’t want to answer any more questions. From the law, from Big Joe . . . from anyone. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Okay. I understand.”

  Allie listened to the crickets chirping as she watched the puppy root around. She wrapped her arms around her middle and realized she was getting tired. She thought about the comfortable bed awaiting her in the main house.

  “Looks like it might storm again. I swear, in all my years, I’ve never seen such bad weather,” Joe said, peering at the sky.

  It had been unseasonably rainy. But Allie was used to storms. Gazing at the dark sky, she wondered how she could ask Big Joe her question without sending up any red flags. She’d just be casual about it . . . although it really wasn’t a casual subject. What she needed to know is how uncommon (or common) it was to hear things, and see things from time to time. Things that weren’t actually there although they sounded and looked as real as anything else.

  Maybe if it happened to others—people who seemed totally normal—she was normal, too. She needed to hear that she wasn’t being haunted. But more importantly, she wanted to rest assured that she wasn’t losing her mind, and for now, talking to Miss Bitty about it wasn’t an option. She wanted the old lady to be proud of her. Not worried that she had a head case on her hands.

  The longer she procrastinated about asking him, the more exhausted she felt.

  “You look tired,” Joe said.

  “I am,” she said, deciding it was a bad idea after all. She called for Piglet and scooped the puppy into her arms.

  “C’mon. Let me walk you inside.”

  “You’re not supposed to be in the house at night when Miss Bitty isn’t here. Remember?”

  “Well, what she doesn’t know won’t exactly hurt her, will it?” Joe smiled. “Let me walk you.”

  Once inside the main house, Allie and Big Joe walked down the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

  “Hey, I’m really sorry about the slamming-the-door-open thing,” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately and I wasn’t thinking. It’s easy for me to be that ‘bull in the china shop’ kinda guy if I’m not careful.”

  Allie opened her bedroom door and deposited Piglet, who happily bounded inside. “Apology accepted,” she said. Then a crazy thought popped into her head. “But there is a way you could make it up to me if you really wanted to.”

  CHAPTER 35

  BITTY’S BIG PLAN was unraveling . . . fast.

  After learning about the murder, she knew that everything she had set into motion would need to come to a grinding halt.

  The girl’s trust in her had grown immensely, so much so that Bitty had been ready to move to phase two of her plan. But now that would have to wait.

  She lowered her windows and the car filled with cool, evening air as she sped out of downtown Dallas toward I-20 and Grand Trespass. She was heading home from a conference, an obligation she would’ve canceled if she could have, but it had been planned far in advance and too many people had been counting on her. She had asked the girl to come with her, but crowds made her nervous, so she let her stay home under a few conditions.

  After learning about the murder, she hadn’t felt comfortable leaving Allie alone for very long—much less an entire day. Making matters worse, she’d tried calling. But no one had answered. She berated herself again for a lifetime of mistakes. This being just one of so very many.

  The depression Miss Bitty had battled over the years was also descending upon her again, making everything hopelessly murky, making her question her instincts.

  During the conference, she had intuited that something horrible was going to happen again. She cursed her ability for the millionth time. It gave her just enough warning to cause her to worry. But rarely was there enough information to be helpful so she could put a stop to whatever it was that was going to happen.

  Her eyes burning with tears of frustration, Miss Bitty floored the accelerator, sending her car thundering toward Grand Trespass.

  CHAPTER 36

  ALLIE LAY UNDER the covers with Piglet and switched Joe’s iPad on.

  Since Hannah had mentioned Facebook, she had been dying to che
ck it out and see if Johnny was on it. There hadn’t been many days since the morning he split on her in the motel room that she hadn’t thought of him.

  Had she really fallen in love with him? Would he fall in love with her if he had the chance to see how much different—better—she was becoming?

  About a week before he left, Allie had found one of his credit cards on the motel room floor. Without giving it much thought, she had hidden it in her bag just to have something of his. She looked at the card now to double-check the spelling of his last name.

  She powered on the iPad, navigated to Facebook, and found the “Search” bar. She typed in “Johnny Girard.”

  Several listings came up. She scrolled through the different thumbnail-sized profile photos until she finally found one that looked like him. Bursting with anticipation, she clicked on it and the photo grew larger.

  Yes—it’s him! It’s Johnny!

  She clicked on an album containing seventy-six photos, but the site wouldn’t let her access it because she wasn’t a friend of his.

  She frowned—and her frown grew deeper when she saw that next to his relationship status, it said “It’s Complicated.” Did he have a girlfriend? And if so, when had that happened?

  Before or after me?

  She scanned the rest of his information and nearly gasped when she noticed it said he lived in Dallas, Texas.

  But Johnny had told her he lived in California?

  She clicked the word “Message” and typed:

  Hey, it’s Allie!

  Remember me?

  Found your credit card on the floor of the motel room after you left. Maybe I can mail it to you or something?

  Later,

  Allie

  Her finger hovered over the “Send” button for several minutes as she read and reread the message to see if it sounded casual enough. Finally deciding it was okay, she sent it.

  A few minutes later, Allie powered the iPad off and, in the darkness, set it on the bedside table. Piglet shifted, her little paws scrabbling lightly against Allie’s stomach. She repositioned the pup and pulled the covers up to her neck. Yawning, she glimpsed something blocking the light from the hallway that squeezed through the narrow crack beneath the door.

  She frowned. “Joe?”

  Silence.

  “Joe, is that you?”

  Again, no answer.

  Her body tense, she stared at the door.

  From beneath the covers, the puppy emitted a low, long growl, and whoever—or whatever—it was went away.

  CHAPTER 37

  THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS to the ranch house were burning when Bitty finally pulled into the drive. It was well into the morning hours and if it weren’t for the adrenaline still throbbing in her old veins, she would have been exhausted.

  Unlocking the back door, she hurried into the house and headed straight to Allie’s room. She eased the door open, blinked, and let her eyes adjust. Then she saw her.

  Buried beneath the covers with just a slender arm hanging out. She waited for some movement. Any at all, to set her mind at ease. Piglet’s small head popped out from the comforter and the dog emitted a low growl, which pleased Bitty. It was exactly why she’d wanted Allie to have the little dog.

  For protection.

  Allie mumbled something in her sleep and turned over.

  Thank you, God. She’s okay.

  Safe and sound in her bed. Exactly where she should be.

  With a sigh of relief, Bitty closed the door and headed to the kitchen to uncork a bottle of wine.

  CHAPTER 38

  “I IMAGINE IN a few weeks, you’ll be more than ready to ace your GED,” Louis said, cleaning his glasses.

  Allie and Louis were sitting at the patio table on the deck. They’d just finished some reading comprehension. Allie had passed everything with flying colors.

  Louis sat back in his chair and laced his fingers over his head. “After you get your GED, Miss Bitty wants us to work on some practical stuff, like personal finance and sharpening your interpersonal skills. We’ll also look into courses at Truro Community College for the spring semester. How’s all that sound?”

  Freaking awesome! “It sounds fine.”

  Louis grinned. “Just fine? Really?”

  Allie felt her lips turn up at the corners.

  “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

  Me? College? Really? Who would’ve ever thought?

  Allie’s eyes wandered to Ted and Miss Bitty, who were a few yards away, discussing the additions to the guesthouse. Allie watched Ted, as he gestured at the building with his hands. Miss Bitty seemed to be listening to what he had to say, then she walked into the guesthouse. Ted turned and his eyes locked on hers.

  Allie quickly looked away.

  “What’s wrong?” Louis asked, glancing from Allie to Ted.

  “Huh? Nothing. Why?”

  Louis’s eyes lingered on Ted, who was now walking around the side of the guesthouse, staring at the roof. “Well, I just saw the way you looked at him,” he said, frowning. “You looked . . . upset.”

  Not upset. Confused. I just wish I knew whether he liked me or not. Approved of me being friends with Hannah. “Really. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Does Ted make you uncomfortable?”

  “No.”

  “Would you tell me if he did?”

  Allie realized she had no idea. Would she feel comfortable enough to go to Louis?

  “Allie, you’re a beautiful young woman—and Miss Bitty’s job is to protect you. And I’m not saying Ted would do anything inappropriate, I’m not saying that at all because he seems to be a very nice guy, but sometimes beauty makes men do things they shouldn’t do. So if he makes an advance on you, or in any way makes you uncomfortable, you need to tell either Miss Bitty or me. Do you understand me?”

  Louis thinks I’m beautiful?

  “Allie?”

  “Sure.”

  “Sure what?”

  “I would tell one of you guys.”

  Louis stared at the guesthouse for a moment, then drained his coffee and set his mug down. “You’re a smart girl, but you’re still very young.”

  Beautiful. Smart. Allie tried on the images in her head—and felt like she’d swallowed a flutter of butterflies again.

  She loved how Louis saw her. How Miss Bitty saw her. Even Big Joe and Hannah. They all treated her with respect. They all thought she was worthwhile. Through their eyes, she was beginning to see herself much differently.

  “I’m just saying that if you need help with something, or just need to talk about something you don’t understand, you should.”

  Something dark passed through her mind’s eye. Louis was right. Even though things were going great, there were things bothering her. Things she wanted to talk about. Things that had absolutely nothing to do with Ted. She just didn’t know where to start.

  “Allie? Did you hear me?”

  “Uh, okay.”

  “Does that mean you’re listening to what I’m saying?”

  Allie met Louis’s eyes and held them; eye contact was one of the things she was getting much better at these days. “Yes, I heard you.”

  “Is there anything you want to share with me before I go? I want to listen if you do.”

  Yes. I’m hearing voices and I’m seeing things. And it’s starting to scare the shit out of me. I really need to talk to someone about it, but I’m too scared to.

  Allie willed her mouth to open. To just spit it out. But nothing happened. She was too afraid to say anything, because she felt that if she did, it would make it more real. Plus, Louis might not have such a high opinion of her any longer. He would probably think she was crazy.

  “Allie?”

  “No.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Louis sighed. “Okay then.”

  He stood. “Oh, I almost forgot. I’ve got a little surprise for you.” He pulled a handful of books out of his backpack.
“I know you don’t like to go out much, so I checked these out for you at the library.”

  Allie took the books. Three young adult books that looked like an adventure trilogy of some type.

  A thrill shot through her chest at just holding them. For their curriculum she’d only read classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Jane Eyre, which were good, but this would purely be pleasure reading.

  “Just let me know when you’re done with these and I’ll return them and get you some more if you’d like.”

  Allie had the urge to jump up and hug Louis for his thoughtfulness. But, of course, she didn’t.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he said and began packing his backpack. “Well, you did a fantastic job this morning. Have a great day and make sure to have your homework completed by Friday.”

  “Okay.” She beamed. “I will.”

  CHAPTER 39

  JEALOUSY SOURED ALLIE’S mood as she watched Hannah interact with the others across the dining room table.

  After not hearing from the girl for weeks, Hannah had somehow weaseled her way into an invitation to not only eat dinner at Miss Bitty’s but also stay the night.

  At first, Allie wasn’t so sure she wanted her at Miss Bitty’s house at all. And now that she was there, she was certain she didn’t want her there, because as soon as she’d arrived, it seemed like Allie had become invisible. The girl had it all: beauty, charm, great social skills. She had it so easy.

  Too easy.

  Yes, maybe most of the males over the age of twelve who Allie had encountered since she was thirteen years old had shown signs of being attracted to her in one way or another. Perhaps Miss Bitty was right and she was more attractive than she thought, because her looks had always gotten her male attention. It didn’t matter who the guys were: single, in a committed relationship, married, divorced, widowed, if they were fathers, grandfathers, Bible thumpers or atheists. She always noticed the lingering looks, the double- and triple-takes. Some didn’t bother to hide it. Some tried unsuccessfully. They flirted, ogled, and, in the last couple of years, many had even paid for dates.