Bayou Judgment

by Robin Caroll

  He disappeared and returned in a flash, toting two bottles of water. He set them on the coffee table and pulled it closer to the couch. In a flurry of activity, he grabbed the cordless phone and handed it to her, retrieved the extra throw pillow from the chair and slipped it behind her back, then brought her a package of crackers.

  “I’ll be fine.” Felicia laughed, feeling the full effect now of the injection the doctor had given her.

  “It shouldn’t take me long to get your cane. Can I get you anything else while I’m out?”

  “A new leg?” She let loose with a fit of laughter.

  Spence stared at her as if she’d sprouted lichen. “Pain must not be too bad.”

  “Nah. This medicine seems to be working well enough.”

  “Better than that, I’d say.” He smoothed down her hair, his fingers lingering as they brushed against her face.

  She leaned into his touch. It felt so nice. So warm. She was so sleepy.

  He jerked his hand away and coughed. “I’ll leave the door unlocked so I can get back in. Is there anything else you need before I leave?”

  Even her toes were warm and cozy. “How about a kiss goodbye?”

  He froze, his body going rigid. If he hadn’t looked so shocked and scared, Felicia would’ve laughed. “Never mind. Didn’t mean to traumatize you.” Her body felt as if it were humming. She closed her eyes.

  Then blinked suddenly as his lips grazed against hers for only a heartbeat. He kissed her temples, the tip of her nose, and both her eyes.

  Blood raced through her veins. Now her body not only hummed, it practically sang opera.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he whispered.

  She really wanted to read some Scripture while he was gone, but her eyes were too heavy. She set the Bible on the table and snuggled under the edge of the quilt. She had a final thought before sleep overtook her, which made her smile.

  What would it be like to have Spence tuck her in like that every night for the rest of her life?

  Br-rring! Br-rring!

  Felicia jerked her head forward. Then immediately regretted it as the beginning pulsations of a headache ravaged her temples. She rubbed the aching area.

  The phone rang again. She thought she’d been dreaming before. She snatched the cordless. “Hello.”

  “I just talked to Spence. Are you okay?” Luc’s voice held a load of concern.

  “I think so. Yeah.”

  “You don’t sound so good. Why don’t CoCo and I come over and bring you some supper?”

  “No. I’m just groggy from the pain medicine. I was asleep when you called.”

  “I’m sorry for waking you.”

  “I’m okay. Really. I’ll sleep off this painkiller hangover.”

  “Bubba called me today as well. Heard you went and visited Wesley Ellender in jail on Sunday afternoon. Care to explain why?”

  “Not particularly.” Wow, Percocet—backbone in a bottle.

  “Boo, I don’t have to tell you that wasn’t a smart move. Bubba’s royally teed off. Said he has half a mind to charge you with interfering in a police investigation.” Static sounded over the connection as thunder rumbled enough to rattle the living room windows.

  “That’d be a neat trick. He’s already arrested someone. As far as I can tell, he isn’t investigating anymore, and that’s a shame, because Wesley Ellender isn’t guilty.”

  Luc let out a loud sigh. “They found the murder weapon in his truck.”

  “Which they were led to by an anonymous tip. Allons, you know it screams of a setup.” Her head felt all cottony. “I’d think you’d be more understanding, considering Uncle Justin almost did the same thing to you.”

  “Aren’t you being snappish?”

  She closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Luc. I’m tired, the painkillers are making everything fuzzy and I just want to go to sleep.”

  “Bubba said you’d been digging into the origin of the knife.”

  She sighed deeply. “Somebody has to.”

  “He’s following up on your lead, Boo. He’s doing the best he can.”

  “While Wes sits in jail.” She yawned, long and loud.

  “I don’t like you being there by yourself.”

  “Spence will be back in a few minutes. He went to get my cane.” She squinted toward the clock on the wall, but couldn’t make out the time. Looking to the window, she couldn’t determine an idea of the time as rain battered against the panes. Had she slept through a storm?

  “I know. Remember, I talked to him?”

  “Yeah. Look, I’m gonna go back to sleep now. I’m really tired and my head hurts. I’ll talk to you later, yes?”

  “Okay. But if you need anything, you call me.”

  “Will do. Love you.” She didn’t wait for a reply but turned the phone off and let it slide to the coffee table.

  Oh, her head hurt bad.

  A loud clap of thunder rattled the mirror over the buffet in the foyer. Lightning stretched across the darkened sky. A chill settled over her. She inched down further under the quilt.

  What time was it, anyway? How long had Spence been gone? She glanced at the coffee table. Where was the television remote? Oh, on the chair’s side table. Not close enough. Probably just as well. Spence had probably only been gone a few minutes. Just long enough for him to get to his truck and call Luc. She smiled to herself. Two men cared about her.

  Lightning slashed…an electric pole sparked…a loud crack drowned out the thunder rumbling. Spencer planted his foot on the brake. As if in slow motion, the pole broke and fell across the road, missing Spencer’s truck by a couple of feet. The transformer sent sparks off like fireworks as flames shot up.

  He slammed the gear into Reverse and punched the gas, getting his truck away from the fire that danced in the barrage of rain. Dialing 911 on his cell, he told Missy about the fire and its location. There was nothing more he could do but try to keep others from getting too close.

  Staring into his side mirror to detect any cars topping the hill behind him, he pressed on his hazard lights and let out a slow breath. That’d been a close call, and the adrenaline continued to speed through his veins. The full-flavored aroma of homemade chicken and dumplings filled the truck’s cabin. He glanced at the brown paper sack on the passenger’s seat. Moisture rings crept up the side. Great. He’d spilled it when he’d slammed on his brakes.

  He straightened the bag and groped for napkins in the console. Probably not a good idea to stop and get takeout, but he was sure Felicia would be hungry later. She definitely needed something in her stomach to absorb the pain medication. It’d made her downright loopy.

  She’d asked him for a kiss.

  Had to be the drug talking, not her.

  He hadn’t been able to turn down her request. Planting feathery kisses over her face had squelched any doubts he’d had that he was in love with her. Totally and completely. And he’d made up his mind—he would tell her. Whether she’d give him the boot or agree to date him, he didn’t know.

  But he’d find out.

  After the painkiller wore off.

  The sky behind him flashed red and white. He twisted in his seat to see the fire truck pull up parallel to his truck, splashing water from the road over his windshield. He stepped into the driving rain.

  “What happened?” the tall fireman asked.

  “Lightning hit it, I think.”

  The fireman nodded, his hat bobbing in the rain. “Happens a lot in these kinds of storms.” He glanced at the smoldering transformer, then at Spencer’s truck. “We’ll take care of it from here. You can head on back.”

  Spencer shook his head. “I need to get down this road.”

  “Well, it’ll take us some time to make sure the wires are dead. Then we’ll have to cut the pole to get the road cleared. We don’t have a saw on this rig, but we’ll radio for one to be brought out.”

  “About how long?”

  “Thirty minutes or so, after we get the saw.”

&nbs
p; Maybe he should backtrack. But no, going the long way around would take him about fifty minutes to get to Felicia’s apartment. With the rain, who knew what other delays he’d encounter. “I’ll wait.”

  The fireman nodded again. “Then back your truck up a couple hundred yards. We’ve already called the electric company to kill the feed here.”

  Spencer did as instructed, letting the heater stay on an extra minute or so after he moved the truck. The rain had soaked his clothes and the wind bit into him. Maybe he’d dry out a little before he got back to Felicia’s. She’d probably get irked if he muddied up her floors.

  He lifted his cell phone. Should he call Felicia and tell her he’d been delayed? He recalled her dazed expression. No, he wouldn’t call. She probably crashed before he even got to the parking lot, and she needed her rest.

  As the storm raged and the firemen worked, Spencer wondered how to broach the subject of his love to Felicia.

  Bam! Bam! Bam!

  Felicia shook herself awake and reached for the phone. If Luc was calling her back…She must’ve scooted the phone over the table because it lay just out of reach of her fingertips.

  Bang! Bang!

  Not the phone, the door. Didn’t Spence remember he left it unlocked? She sat as upright as she could. Probably it was Luc and CoCo, despite her telling him she didn’t want him to come over. She let out a groggy sigh. “It’s open.”

  The door pushed open. Felicia opened her mouth to give Luc a good talking-to, only to let her jaw hang slack.

  A young woman stood in the doorway. The one Felicia had talked to the other day by the Dumpster.

  “May I help you?”

  “I need to talk to you.” The woman shut the door behind her and turned the dead bolt.

  Why would the woman lock the door? Pinpricks of apprehension shot over Felicia. “Do I know you?” Her voice came out squeaky.

  “Kinda.” The woman moved across the room and plopped into the chair. The very wet woman in the new chair.

  “I’ve seen you around here a few times. Do you live in the apartments?” Felicia felt like she was caught in some cross between a Stephen King movie and the Twilight Zone.

  “Nope. Don’t live here.”

  The pinpricks graduated to the size of lily pads. Felicia fought against the fuzziness of her mind. There was something she should remember about this woman. Something odd, different. But she couldn’t remember; the medication dulled all her senses.

  Finally like a rod being cast, Felicia remembered. The woman had mentioned Felicia’s wheelchair when they spoke the other day.

  No one in the complex knew she used to be wheelchair-bound!

  Felicia’s mouth felt as if she’d been eating sand. From the drug or fear, she didn’t know. She leaned forward, throwing her full body weight toward the table and reaching for the phone. The edge of the table dug into her shoulder, mixing with the already-throbbing pain of her leg and head. The cordless skidded off the other side and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

  Felicia shoved herself back to the couch, rubbing her shoulder.

  The woman laughed. Callous cackling.

  Felicia’d heard it before. Not when she talked to her before. Not here at the complex. Not at church. At work…

  Winnie!

  The last vestiges of confusion from the painkiller fled like a motorboat over water.

  The woman laughed at Felicia as she lifted the phone and shoved it behind her on the chair. “I see you figured out who I am, princess.”

  Winnie shoved the coffee table away from the couch. Her eyes darkened and narrowed. “You and me, we need to talk.”

  EIGHTEEN

  Those chicken and dumplings smelled mighty good right now. Wet and cold, Spencer knew a bowl would warm him right up. But he wanted to share supper with Felicia. He glanced at his watch. For forty-five minutes, the firemen had worked. They’d put out the embers and now waited on whoever was bringing the saw. The constant rain didn’t seem to help matters.

  He let out a long-suffering sigh. It probably would’ve been much faster if they’d allowed him to assist and just move the encumbrance into the ditch. No such luck when he’d made the suggestion. Policies and procedures. He gave a snort and stared at his cell phone.

  What if Felicia had awoken and wondered where he was? Maybe he should call her and let her know he’d be on his way shortly. But what if she was still asleep? He didn’t want to wake her.

  What should I do, God?

  He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. What to do, what to do? He opened the phone and dialed Luc.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, it’s Spence.”

  “You back at Felicia’s?”

  “Not yet. Lightning hit an electric pole and it went down over Highway 1. The firemen are clearing the road now.”

  “Anybody hurt?”

  “Nope. I was the only one on the road.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Has Felicia phoned you?”

  “Nope. I called her after I talked to you. She sounded pretty out of it and said she was going back to sleep. Those painkillers must be knocking her for a loop.”

  How about a goodbye kiss?

  Yeah, he’d say the medication wasn’t allowing her to think clearly. “I was thinking maybe I should call and let her know I’m on my way.”

  “Any idea how much longer you’ll be stuck there?”

  “Probably another twenty minutes or so.” If the other truck would ever show up with the saw.

  “Then I wouldn’t worry about it. She’s probably still sleeping. She didn’t even warm up to the suggestion of me and CoCo bringing her supper.”

  “Well…”

  Luc laughed. “You got her something, didn’t you?”

  Spencer’s face heated. “I thought chicken and dumplings might make her feel better.”

  Luc chuckled louder. “Man, you’ve got it bad.”

  “What?” Spencer white-knuckled the steering wheel.

  “You’re over the moon for her, aren’t you?”

  He worked his throat, trying to dislodge the lump sitting sideways. “Um, um…”

  “Hey, man, been there, done that. I know how you feel.”

  “It’s complicated.”

  Luc roared with laughter. “Pastor, when women are involved, it’s always complicated.” A rustling came over the line, followed immediately by an “ouch.”

  Spencer laughed himself. “CoCo nailed you?”

  “Did she ever. Woman has a mean right jab. Tyson ain’t got nothing on her.” More rustling preceded another ow!

  Spencer chuckled. “I’ll let you go work that out.” He struggled to see through the rain pelting the windshield. A second truck had appeared on the other side of the road, lights flashing. “I think they’re about to be done here.”

  He closed his cell phone and blew into his cupped hands. Even talking to Luc didn’t seem to alleviate the ominous feeling overcoming him.

  Call her!

  He snatched the phone and dialed her number. It rang four times, then went to her voice mail. Spencer left a brief message before closing the phone. Maybe she was just sleeping. But he’d given her the phone to keep with her. Why wasn’t she answering?

  His gut twisted. He didn’t feel good about this. Not at all.

  He stared at the firemen about to saw away at the pole.

  Hurry!

  Winnie held the now-silent phone in her hand, staring at the caller ID. “Bertrand, Spencer. That’s the preacher man, right?”

  Felicia nodded, the movement causing her head to pound in synch with her heart.

  How’d Winnie find out where she lived, anyway?

  “Well, we don’t want to be interrupted, now do we?” Winnie slipped open the back cover of the phone and removed the battery. She tossed the battery onto the chair behind her and laid the phone on the table.

  “Look, I don’t kn—”

  “Shh.” Winnie smiled, revealing a row of perfe
ctly straight and white teeth. She really was an attractive young girl. Except for her eyes. Dark rings of hatred surrounded her irises. “I don’t want you to talk right now. You’re gonna listen. That’s what you do, right?”

  Felicia bunched the edge of the quilt into a ball. Lord, help me. This woman’s crazy. And with her bum leg, Felicia was helpless.

  “You think you’re so high and mighty, taking calls from people who have problems. You think you can solve everyone else’s issues. Must be nice to be so perfect.”

  “I’m not perfect.” Hardly. Especially now, when her body throbbed and fear seeped into every pore.

  Winnie pointed and inched to the edge of the chair, leaning toward Felicia. “Uh-uh-uh…I told you not to talk. You’re supposed to listen.”

  Anger mixed with the fear strangling her throat. Felicia snapped her lips together tightly. Where was Spencer? He should be back by now.

  “What gives you the right to tell people what to do? You just stick your nose in places it doesn’t belong.”

  As if she’d answer when Winnie’d told her twice to keep silent. Felicia stared at the young woman unraveling before her eyes.

  “You aren’t any smarter than the rest of us, except you have a big mansion, have a limo, and you think that makes you better than me? Smarter?”

  Felicia licked her lips. Dare she try to explain? By the look in Winnie’s eyes, she’d do better to remain quiet. Why had she told Luc not to come over?

  “Well, I’m smarter than all of you. All the stupid people here in Lagniappe and that idiotic Christian call center.”

  Biting the inside of her cheek, Felicia let her gaze leave Winnie while stiffening her back. She’d fought too hard to gain her independence. No knight in shining armor would be arriving to rescue her, so she’d better find something she could use to defend herself.

  “What is it with y’all and God? He’s a crutch. Something stupid people cling to instead of working out their problems.”

  Felicia refrained from reminding Winnie that she’d called a Christian crisis hotline for help.

  The pillar candle? Would that work? Nah, it’d probably just break.

  “I’ve got news for you, sistah, God isn’t real. He’s a figment of the imagination.”