Secret Sisters

by Tristi Pinkston

  Anne raised her shoulders. “Sure, she can repent and all that, but it’s not really going to change anything. I mean, she’ll still be pregnant.”

  “Of course she’ll still be pregnant, Anne, but in the Lord’s eyes, the sin will be gone. She will have the opportunity to find joy again. And when the baby comes, she’d be able to look at it and see it for what it is—a precious manifestation of a miracle, and not the evidence of sin.”

  “But what about getting married someday? Will she be able to find someone who wants to marry a girl who had a baby at her age?”

  “She’ll be able to find a man who believes in the power of the Atonement and who will love her for who she has become.”

  Anne grabbed another tissue. “What if she decides to keep the baby?”

  “Then the Lord will help her raise it. Anne, the world has not come to an end. Darcy’s life is just taking another turn. She knows she made a mistake. She wants to turn things around. Give her the chance to use this as a learning experience. I know Darcy, and I think she’s going to make it.”

  Ida Mae finished her piece and sat back, emotionally exhausted. The mask of bitterness was still on Anne’s face, and Ida Mae didn’t know if anything she’d said had penetrated.

  Tansy was closing up the visit now with promises to check back in a few days. Ida Mae stood, only then realizing that her exhaustion was physical as well. Her knees nearly went out from under her, but she stubbornly forbade them to collapse. She made it out to the car, but sank into the seat, taking a deep breath.

  “I didn’t know about your daughter, Ida Mae,” Tansy said as she buckled her seat belt.

  “It was a bad time in our lives.” Ida Mae shoved from her mind the memory of her husband yelling at their daughter, throwing abusive words in her face.

  After dropping Tansy off, Ida Mae returned home to find a blue Honda parked in front of her house. The driver, a young woman, was still seated, but she got out when Ida Mae pulled into the driveway.

  “Excuse me?” She approached, her high-heeled boots clicking on the concrete. Ida Mae had to fight a sharp stab of criticism. Those boots will break her neck . . . but don’t they make her legs look nice and long, and the belt matches perfectly, and so does her purse. Phew.

  “I’m looking for the Babbitts’. Is this the right place?”

  “Yes, it is. I’m Ida Mae Babbitt.”

  “I’m Ashley Marshall. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  Ashley offered a hand that was clad in a black leather glove, which matched the boots and the purse and the belt. How cute and trendy. “It’s nice to meet you. What brings you to Omni?”

  “I’m looking for Ren. I understand he’s living with you.”

  Ah, she’s looking for Ren. Very interesting. “Why don’t you come in for a bit? Ren’s not here, but he should be home soon.”

  “That would be nice. Thank you.”

  Ashley followed Ida Mae into the house and took the offered seat in the living room.

  “Can I get you anything, Ashley? I’ve got all kinds of refreshments, sandwich makings, drinks.”

  “I’m fine, thank you. I’ll just sit here and read this book, if that’s all right.” She motioned toward Ida Mae’s latest library find, and Ida Mae nodded.

  “I’ll be starting dinner in the kitchen.”

  She was halfway through assembling her chicken enchiladas when she heard Ren call out. He came in through the garage and kitchen door, bypassing the living room.

  “Aunt Ida Mae, I think I’ve figured out the gadget we need at the Dunns’. It’ll be a motion sensor, and—”

  “Hello, Ren.” Ashley stood in the kitchen doorway, rather rudely interrupting Ren’s sentence. Ida Mae didn’t know why she couldn’t let Ren explain his new invention. It sounded fascinating.

  “Ashley.”

  Ida Mae glanced back and forth. Ashley looked pensive, Ren looked stoic, and she realized she’d better leave the room.

  “I’ll go check my email,” she said, knowing her excuse sounded stupid, but also knowing they weren’t listening to her anyway.

  She went into the guest room and closed the door behind her, but Ren and Ashley were speaking loudly enough that she heard every word. It wasn’t eavesdropping if they didn’t care, was it?

  “So, how have you been, Ren?”

  “Just fine. And you?”

  “Fine.”

  A long pause.

  “What brings you to Omni?”

  “You.”

  There was a bold statement. Ida Mae would never have said something like that when she was a young lady. Times were changing, that was for sure.

  “I don’t understand, Ashley. What do you want?”

  “I miss you, Ren. I want you to come back.”

  Ida Mae leaned forward. This was a new development.

  “I can’t do that. You know I can’t.”

  Ashley’s sigh of exasperation was loud enough to be heard plainly, closed door or not. “But why? Why can’t you?”

  “I’m not the man you want, Ashley. You want someone who’s ready to step into your father’s shoes at his company, run things like he would. I can’t do that. I don’t want to do that.”

  “But you love me, don’t you, Ren?”

  “I did, very much. But I think you were in love with the idea of me, not who I really am.”

  “So that’s it, then. You’re going to let me walk out the door.” Ida Mae couldn’t see Ashley’s face, but she’d bet there was a pout involved.

  “If you’re ready to love me for who I am, I’ll come with you. But if you still want me to be someone different, I’ll stay right here.”

  Ida Mae silently applauded.

  “Is it so wrong to want you to be successful? Why is that bad?”

  “I am successful. I have enough money, I’m happy, and I have a family who loves me. I don’t know what else you want.”

  “All right, then. But don’t come crawling back to me when you change your mind.” Ashley’s tone went from wheedling to hard as nails in two seconds flat.

  “I won’t.”

  Won’t come crawling, or won’t change his mind? Ida Mae wondered.

  She listened to the tap-tap-tapping of Ashley’s heels cross the floor and step over the threshold before she came out of the room. She was anxious to check on Ren. He had sounded so calm during his talk with Ashley, but she wanted to know how he was really feeling.

  He sat at the kitchen table, staring into space.

  “Ren? Are you all right?”

  He turned his head and met her eye. “I’m fine, Auntie. I’m just tired of the whole dating game, you know? A girl gets you in her sights and starts wanting to change you. Sometimes it’s little things, sometimes it’s big things, but they all want you to be someone else. Why can’t anyone just appreciate who you are?”

  “I don’t know, dear. But I think you’re pretty wonderful.”

  “Now I just need to find someone like you,” he said, standing up. “Can I help with dinner?”

  “You can set the table, please.”

  They worked together in companionable silence until the meal was ready.

  “Why would I want to get back together with Ashley when I’ve got you?” Ren raised his water glass in a toast. “To Aunt Ida Mae. May her cheese grater never fail.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Thank goodness you all came,” Ida Mae told her counselors after dinner. “Ren’s been home for an hour, and he won’t tell me anything.”

  “Good for you, boy,” Arlette said. “No fair spilling the beans without everyone here.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Ren said.

  Ida Mae wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Ren and Arlette ganging up on her. “Now, on to business,” she said. “Ren, the floor is yours.”

  “I have two things to report,” he said. “First, I followed Nick today. He left his house and drove into Salt Lake, stopping at the McDonald’s on the outskirts of town. He ordered, I believe, a break
fast muffin.”

  “I bet it had meat on it,” Arlette said.

  “I bet it did too,” Ren said. “After McDonald’s, he drove to a warehouse a few blocks away. He spent the day driving a forklift in and out of the building. Sometimes it had pallets on it, and sometimes not. It looked like a pretty normal work day to me. He took a break around noon and ate from a lunch pail in his truck. Then he drove the fork lift until around four this afternoon. From what I could tell by glancing through the bay doors, he then worked for half an hour in the shipping department, putting containers in cardboard boxes and covering them with packing peanuts. He came home by way of the grocery store. I stayed in the car, but it looked like he bought milk.”

  “That’s so . . . unsuspicious,” Tansy said, disappointment on her face.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. But there’s more.”

  Tansy immediately perked up. “What?”

  “Most of the cars in the employee lot were trucks or economy vehicles. All except for one.”

  “A black Jaguar,” Arlette inserted.

  Ren threw her an admiring glance. “That’s right. There was a black Jaguar parked right by the loading dock.”

  “Could you tell if it was the same car?” Ida Mae asked.

  “There weren’t any distinguishing marks on it, so I can’t say for sure. But I did get the license plate number.”

  “It didn’t have mud on the plates?” Tansy asked.

  “No, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the same one. He could easily have taken it through a car wash.”

  They all sat in silence for a minute, Ida Mae transcribing the new information onto her chart.

  “I don’t suppose any of you have a friend who works for the DMV?” she asked. Everyone shook their heads.

  “I did a big favor for the DMV when I got Earl to stop driving,” Tansy said. “They sent me a Christmas ham that year.”

  “Ren, who owns the warehouse?” Ida Mae asked.

  “It belongs to the Baby Mine company.”

  Ida Mae jotted that down. “So, what does this mean?” she asked, looking up. “Nick is working at a warehouse. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “If the black Jaguar belongs to someone at work, why did that person drive all the way out here?” Arlette asked. “Why not just talk to Nick at work?”

  “Excellent question.” Ida Mae wrote it down and circled it. “Unless it’s a coincidence and we’re dealing with two cars.”

  “But how many people can say they know two people who own black Jags?” Ren asked. “I don’t even know one and I used to live in San Francisco, where there are a lot more cars to be had.”

  “Good point.” Ida Mae wrote it down as well.

  “Now, here’s the thing,” Ren said, leaning forward. “There’s a help wanted sign in the window. I asked in the office—don’t worry, Nick didn’t see me—and they said they need a clerk.”

  Tansy tapped a finger on her lips. “What we need is someone to infiltrate the warehouse,” she said. “An inside man.” She cast her eyes over at Ren.

  “It can’t be Ren,” Ida Mae objected.

  “Why not, Auntie?” Ren asked. “Surely in today’s modern world, a man can be anything he wants to be.”

  “Sooner or later, Nick would find out that Ren’s from Omni,” Ida Mae explained. “If he’s doing something shady, he’s not going to want anyone from home that close to his situation.”

  “And it certainly can’t be me,” Arlette said, with the air of someone who is being begged but must, regrettably, say no. “The last time I tried to type, it was on one of those horrid manual things, and I nearly broke my pinkie finger trying to hit the a. I’m under doctor’s orders never to type again.”

  “I can type thirty words a minute,” Tansy said hopefully, but Ida Mae shook her head.

  “We’re all too old, ladies. I hate to admit such a nasty thing, but it’s true.”

  “I’ve got an idea, but I need to make a phone call first,” Arlette said. “Let me get back to you tomorrow.”

  “All right.” Ida Mae made another note on her pad. “Now, Ren, you said you had two things to report.”

  He sat up a little straighter. “Indeed, I do. I do, indeed.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a mass of wires. “This is my new invention.”

  Tansy clasped her hands together. Arlette scowled. Ida Mae asked, “What is it?”

  “A motion detector. We’ll string it across the trees there by the Dunns’ shed, and it will record any movement that takes place.”

  “Any movement? What about birds and things like that?” Arlette asks.

  “I thought about that myself, but I think I’ve worked out the kinks. It will record movement that is slower than twenty miles an hour. If a car pulls back there, it has to go about fifteen to make it around the potholes. This will help us figure out when the Jaguar comes and goes.”

  “I think it’s too risky,” Arlette said. “Anything could trip it.”

  “That’s why I attached the second part,” Ren added. “This is an old-school camera that takes film—it’s activated by the motion sensor. When the sensor is tripped, the camera snaps a picture. And it has a timestamp feature on it.”

  Arlette gave a grudging nod. “Very good.”

  “I don’t know when I can go set it up. I’ve got to work tomorrow, and I’m just beat after today. But we’ll get it up there in the next day or two.”

  The group broke up and the ladies made their way to the door. “What is this phone call you’re going to make, Arlette?” Ida Mae asked.

  “I’d rather not say until I know for sure it will work,” Arlette said. “I’ll let you know.”

  Ida Mae double-locked the door behind her presidency and turned, leaning against the jamb. She was so tired, she could hardly stand up.

  “Ren,” she called out. “I’m going to bed.”

  He appeared immediately. “Are you all right, Auntie?”

  “I’m fine, dear. It’s just been a long day.”

  Bed had never looked so good. Ida Mae brushed her teeth and expected to be asleep before she even got the covers pulled up, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the DMV.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hannah met Ida Mae and the Hunters at the front door, holding it wide open for them to pass inside.

  “I brought Joey some gum and coloring books,” Ida Mae told Hannah, passing over a bag.

  “Thank you. I know he’ll be so glad to get them.”

  Ned sat with the boys while Hannah took the Hunters and Ida Mae to see the apartment. Rose expressed her approval of the yellow and forest green décor, the daisy curtains in the kitchen, and the spacious bedroom.

  “I think this will work for me, if you don’t mind having me down here,” she said to Hannah. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “You’d be no bother,” Hannah assured her. “We’d love to have you around.”

  “That’s what everyone says until they’ve actually had me around for a little while.” Rose winked.

  “Let’s go back upstairs and take care of the rental agreement,” Hannah said, leading the way. When they walked into the Eyres’ kitchen, Rose spoke up.

  “Can I see your little boy for a minute?”

  “Sure.” Hannah led Rose to the back while Ida Mae pulled out chairs for Reed and Heidi.

  “The apartment is very cute,” Heidi said. “I think Mother Hunter will be happy here.”

  “I think so too,” Reed said, the first opinion he’d shared all morning.

  “The boy is a darling,” Rose said, reentering the room. “And I wouldn’t worry—he should be out of pain soon. It’s just a natural part of healing.”

  “Mother was a nurse for several years,” Reed explained.

  “Are you sure the children won’t be too loud for you?” Hannah asked.

  “They’ll be just fine, dear. I raised children myself and know how they are.”

  The papers were signed, and the Hunt
ers went home after arranging to move Rose in the following week. Ida Mae stayed behind to talk to Hannah and Ned for a minute.

  “Thank you for arranging this, Sister Babbitt,” Ned said, bouncing Jeremiah on his knee. “I don’t mean to sound greedy, but that extra money will really help us out.”

  “I’m glad I was able to help. And if it gets to be too much work, just let Reed know, and he’ll find her another place to stay.”

  “I can’t predict the future, but I think we’ll get along just fine,” Hannah said.

  *

  “I don’t see why I have to be the decoy,” Arlette said. “Do I look like a duck to you?”

  “You have a special role to play,” Ida Mae told her. “We can use your natural grumpiness.”

  “Natural grumpiness? Is that a compliment?”

  “It will be an asset to us today.”

  The Secret Sisters, plus Ren, sat in Arlette’s minivan outside the Omni Department of Motor Vehicles. Ida Mae knew that only one employee was inside at a time—the city simply couldn’t afford more, and to be honest, there wasn’t a need for more. The office was only open one day a week.

  “Who’s working today?” Tansy asked.

  They had a fifty-fifty guess on that one, with only two employees on staff. It would either be Bertha or Donna, and they would both suit the purpose. Ida Mae leaned forward and squinted, trying to see through the window. After a moment, she caught a glimpse of a blonde beehive. “It’s Donna,” she said.

  “Well, we might as well get this over with.” Arlette opened the driver’s door and slung her bag over her shoulder.

  “Break a leg!” Tansy called out.

  Arlette entered the double glass doors, a determined set to her shoulders. Ida Mae and the others counted to a hundred, then got out of the van. Ren led the way as they approached the building and peered inside the door.

  “She’s in the back,” he said, opening the door the remainder of the way. Ida Mae entered with Ren close behind. Tansy stayed outside on the sidewalk, standing guard.

  Ida Mae could hear Arlette’s voice from the back room where the camera was kept.

  “I just don’t like the way I look in this picture,” she said. “Can you take a new one?”