Fort Lupton

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Why are you standing there?” There was the muffled scraping sound of Rodney rubbing his head, which he did when he was confused.

  “We want to remind her that we’re going to stay here until she does her job,” Yvonne said with a sniff.

  Rodney chuckled.

  “Don’t you laugh, Mr. Smith,” Yvonne said.

  “I just cannot imagine you letting go of anything, let alone this,” Rodney said.

  “I know!” Yvonne said. “Imagine someone thinking that of me. Insulting, that’s what that is.”

  Rodney burst out laughing, and she smiled.

  “How’s my baby, Jabari?” Yvonne asked.

  “He’s at the Marlowe School,” Rodney said. “He seemed happy to go there. He found someone he’d played with before and forgot all about me. He is very adaptable, that boy.”

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Yvonne asked.

  “He is,” Rodney said.

  “Any word on Fin or Jake?” Yvonne asked.

  “Nothing,” Rodney said. “Not a word. Tanesha said they expected to hear or feel something.”

  “And?”

  “Nothing,” Rodney said. “They are pretty worried.”

  “I am too,” Yvonne said.

  “I’m sure...” Rodney started.

  “Oh, I have to go, there’s the agent,” Yvonne said and hung up the phone.

  Agent Angela Muniz’s running shorts and exercise top were wet with sweat. Her ears were plugged with headphones. Yvonne and Dionne jogged down the steps to her. She was walking back and forth to cool off.

  “I thought you’d left,” Agent Muniz said between puffs of breath.

  “We’re going to be here until you do something,” Yvonne said.

  Agent Muniz scowled at Yvonne and paced back and forth before stopping in front of them.

  “Ready to get to work?” Agent Muniz asked.

  “Us?” Dionne asked.

  “Sure, why not?” the agent asked. “You’re here. You’re going to be a pain in the ass, so why not put you to work?”

  “Doing what?” Yvonne asked.

  “Phone calls,” Agent Muniz said. “You call all those people you told me about.”

  “Okay,” Yvonne raised her cell phone. “What are the numbers?”

  Agent Muniz looked at Yvonne for a moment before she laughed.

  “Just like that?” Agent Muniz asked. “You’re ready to go?”

  “We’ve had some years to get ready,” Dionne said.

  Agent Muniz gave a slow nod.

  “Then let’s get this done,” Agent Muniz said. The agent ran up the stairs to the building. At the door she yelled, “Coming?”

  Yvonne and Dionne ran up the steps. They followed Agent Muniz into the building.

  Chapter Three hundred & twenty-three

  Absence

  Monday morning — 8:45 a.m.

  Denver, Colorado

  Jeraine opened his laptop at the dining room table to read his email. They had gone for a grueling long run, stuffed down breakfast, and now Tanesha was finishing getting ready. She had a lab class this afternoon, so school started a little later today. But since Fin disappeared, she was going to school for both of them. She had to be there early enough to get the results of Fin’s last exam. Jeraine was turning on his computer when Tanesha’s feet pounded down the wood stairs from their bedroom.

  “When’s Jake going to . . .” Tanesha started.

  The rest of her sentence was garbled by the kitchen wall between them. Her voice continued with the addition of her banging around in the kitchen cabinets.

  Trying to decide if he should go in there, he stared out the window. If he went into the kitchen, he would know what she was saying, but given the velocity of cabinet opening and closing, she was likely to yell at him. If he stayed here, she’d probably yell at him anyway. He squinted his eyes to try to decide if it was worth the risk.

  “What do you see?” Tanesha leaned over to look out the window.

  He jumped with surprise. She tipped her head back and laughed. Still laughing, she went back into the kitchen. He heard her root around in the kitchen drawers. For the first time, he realized she was looking for something, and that he might be able to help. He went into the kitchen.

  “What are you looking for?” Jeraine asked.

  “My tea,” Tanesha said. “You haven’t seen it, have you?”

  Jeraine shook his head with such determination that she laughed again.

  “I value my life,” Jeraine said.

  “Oh?” Tanesha said before walking into the pantry.

  “I never touch your tea,” Jeraine yelled so she could hear him.

  She poked her head out of the pantry.

  “Except when you get more, right?” Tanesha asked.

  “That’s right,” Jeraine said.

  “Did you get more?” Tanesha asked.

  “Was s’posed to?” Jeraine asked.

  Tanesha groaned, and he laughed. She gave him a “you’re an ass” roll of her eyes. She grabbed her lunch and stuffed it into her backpack.

  “I like to have a cup of tea before lab,” Tanesha said.

  She grabbed a water bottle and held it to their water filter.

  “There are all these rich white kids,” Tanesha said. “Well I don’t know if they’re rich. They look rich — nice hair and . . .”

  “They freak you out,” Jeraine said.

  “They freak me out,” Tanesha said. “I was okay when Fin was there — you know, power in numbers — but now . . .”

  “And it doesn’t matter that you’re married to the Hottest Guy in R&B?” Jeraine asked.

  Tanesha glanced at him and shook her head.

  “You won?” she asked.

  “I won,” Jeraine said.

  “Does it come with another phallic statue?” Tanesha asked.

  “They’re coming here to take an impression of my penis,” Jeraine said.

  Tanesha stopped moving and looked at him.

  “Really?” Tanesha asked.

  “No,” Jeraine said.

  They laughed.

  “I figured they’d need it for the museum,” Tanesha said. She went to the coat rack and started pulling on a sweater.

  “Museum?”

  “Tiny Dick Museum,” she said. Her head poked through the sweater and she fought to get her arms in the holes.

  “As opposed to the Largest Asshole Museum?” he laughed.

  “Are you in that one too?” she laughed.

  “I think so.”

  “Can you get me more tea?” Tanesha asked. She winced. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you bring it to school?”

  “I’d love to get you more tea, but we get it from your mom,” Jeraine said.

  “She’s in Arizona,” Tanesha said. She grabbed her Delphie-made, long-as-hell scarf. “No back up?”

  “Abi?” Jeraine asked.

  “Can you ask Crazy Aunt Phy?” Tanesha asked. “You know she’s a . . .”

  “No, I will not,” Jeraine said. “I mean, I know she’s a fairy and all, but the last time we got tea from her, she decided to change the mix. You didn’t like it.”

  “Oh yeah,” Tanesha nodded. “That was bad.”

  “You’re telling me,” Jeraine said. “We’re trying to finish this custody business. If I get tea from Aunt Phy . . .”

  “I’m likely to go crazy.” Tanesha nodded.

  “I was going to say ‘grow a horn,’” Jeraine gestured off his forehead.

  Tanesha laughed. He grabbed her jacket and held it for her. When she turned around, he kissed her ear.

  “You’re going to have to do without,” he said.

  He patted her shoulders when she had the jacket on.

  “Shit,” Tanesha said. “What am I going to do in lab?”

  “Your best friends are white,” Jeraine said. “Why do you care?”

  “I just . . .” Tanesha started. She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

 
“It’s hard,” Jeraine said. “When you stretch out and try new things, it’s hard. You could always quit school and go back to waiting tables.”

  “I have to . . .”

  “Exactly,” he said. “I know how you feel. I feel that way a lot, especially when I’m trying new things.”

  “Which is all the time now,” Tanesha said.

  Tanesha nodded. She gave him a peck on his lips and headed toward the back door.

  “I could just make a naked calendar and we’d be . . .” Jeraine yelled after her.

  Laughing, Tanesha waved at him. She went out the door. He listed for her to start his Dodge Dart. He locked the door and returned to the table. He was an hour into dealing with his email before he remembered that Tanesha needed her tea for something specific.

  He couldn’t remember what.

  Shrugging, he wrote himself a note to ask her why she needed her tea. Whatever it was, it would have to wait until her mother came back.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday morning — 10:25 a.m.

  “Who are you?” Charlie said to the young man sitting by his bed at Seth’s home.

  “Me?” The young man pointed to himself with a bony finger. He had a mess of brown hair, big green eyes, and long gangly limbs.

  “Is someone else here?” Charlie asked.

  “No, why?” the young man asked.

  Charlie grinned, and the young man scowled.

  “Did I say something funny?” The young man blew into the palm of his hand. “My breath’s okay. I brushed my teeth this morning.”

  “Who are you?” Charlie asked again.

  “Oh, sorry,” the young man said. “I’m Dale. I live here with O’Malley and Maresol.”

  “You do?” Charlie asked.

  “We’ve met before,” Dale said.

  “We have?”

  “Sure,” Dale said. “I used to live with Ava. I moved in here when . . . you know.”

  “Saint Jude,” Charlie said almost in a whisper.

  Dale nodded. Charlie mimicked his nod.

  “Ow,” Charlie said.

  “I bet that hurt,” Dale said.

  Charlie grinned.

  “What?” Dale asked.

  “No, ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘Sorry about that’?” Charlie said with a grin.

  “Do you need that crap?” Dale asked.

  “No,” Charlie said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Dale said. “I’m supposed to help you stand.”

  “Stand?” Charlie’s voice cracked with anxiety.

  “Just to see how you do,” Dale said. “You’re supposed to put weight on the breaks to help them heal. Plus, don’t you want to pee on your own?”

  “Where’s Maresol?” Charlie’s voice betrayed his unease. Dale laughed. “No really, where is she?”

  “She goes to the market on Mondays,” Dale said. “She asked me to see if I could get you to stand.”

  “Oh,” Charlie said. “And yeah, I do.”

  “You do what?”

  “I want to pee on my own,” Charlie said.

  “Good,” Dale said. “Then, we play.”

  “Play what?” Charlie asked.

  “Halo 4,” Dale said.

  “In 3-D?” Charlie’s voice caught with excitement. “But . . .”

  He held up his broken hands.

  “I knew you’d have some weak excuse,” Dale sneered at him.

  The sneer was so foreign to the handsome young man’s face that Charlie smiled.

  “How old are you?” Charlie asked.

  “How old are you?” Dale asked.

  “Sixteen,” Charlie said. “Almost seventeen.”

  “Twenty-three,” Dale said. “No, twenty-two. Ava’s twenty-three.”

  Charlie smiled.

  “Where’s Honey?” Charlie asked to cover his smile.

  “Turns out you’re not the center of her life,” Dale said.

  “Maggie?” Charlie asked.

  “MJ went to New York to guard Noelle,” Dale said. “Maggie needs her shots.”

  “Poor Maggie.”

  “Well, poor you in a minute,” Dale said. “You ready?”

  “Give me a sec.” Charlie took a few deep breaths to get ready.

  “Why’d you smile a minute ago?” Dale asked. “I’m about to cause you terrific pain and then kick your ass at Halo.”

  “Just a feeling.” Charlie shrugged.

  “Like you met your best friend?” Dale asked.

  “How’d you know?” Charlie asked.

  “I thought the same thing when I came in here,” Dale said. “Maresol said that Delphie told her to put us together. I guess we’ve been friends before.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember,” Charlie said. “You cleaned out my chamber pot.”

  Dale laughed.

  “Now.” Dale stood next to the bed. “Get out of bed.”

  Charlie screamed.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Monday afternoon — 12:15 p.m.

  “I mean, really, what are you doing?” Jill asked.

  Heather shrugged her shoulders. “I’m helping Blane and taking care of the girls and Mack and . . .”

  “Worrying,” Jill said.

  “So?” Heather said.

  Heather’s voice was so peevish that she even noticed. Jill grinned, and Heather shrugged.

  “There’s Sandy,” Jill said when their friend came into the coffee shop.

  Jill waved, and Sandy came over to their table at Starbucks. They got up to hug each other in greeting. Sandy set her tea down and went off to get some water.

  “Well?” Jill asked Heather as Sandy returned.

  “Well what?” Sandy asked. She took off her outer coat and sat down.

  “I offered Heather a job,” Jill said.

  “You did?” Heather asked.

  “Didn’t I?” Jill asked.

  “No, you asked if I would help you with the Marlowe School remodel,” Heather said. “You didn’t say it was a job.”

  “What else would it be?” Jill asked.

  “Oh.” Heather looked down at her cocoa and tried to think it through. Finally, she shrugged.

  “But first . . .” Jill looked at Sandy, who gave her an encouraging nod. “We want to know . . . I mean . . .”

  “What?” Heather asked.

  “Were you laughing at me when I was reading you that stuff from Wikipedia about Hedone and . . .” Jill leaned forward. Her voice dropped to a whisper, “ . . . everything?”

  “I wasn’t laughing at you,” Heather said. “I’d never laugh at you.”

  “But you knew what I was saying,” Jill said.

  Heather nodded and looked away.

  “Why didn’t you just tell me?” Jill asked.

  “Embarrassed, mostly,” Heather said.

  “Why?” Sandy asked.

  “Because it seems so crazy,” Heather said. “Stupid, and . . .”

  “But you told us already that your mom might take you . . .” Sandy said.

  “We just thought it was some place like Alaska,” Jill said.

  Heather nodded.

  “Why would it matter to us you were a goddess?” Sandy whispered

  “Half,” Heather said automatically.

  “Like that matters,” Jill said.

  Heather sighed.

  “Yes?” Sandy asked.

  “I’ve never really had friends,” Heather said. “Lovers, children, husbands, that kind of thing.”

  “What about the Charities?” Jill asked.

  “They’re sisters,” Heather said. “They are a unit. I usually just hang around them.”

  “Like the statues,” Sandy said.

  “Exactly,” Heather said. “I’m just a satellite. I don’t think they even like me. I’m just there because we’re about the same age. And, it’s not like they’ve missed me while I’ve been here.”

  “I would miss you,” Jill said.

  Sandy nodded.

  “You guys . . . You’re my first-ever re
al friends.” Heather nodded. “And Blane is . . . He really is my soul mate.”

  “You didn’t want to screw it up,” Jill said.

  “Like I always do,” Heather said. “You sure you want me to help you with anything?”

  “I’m sure,” Jill said. “With Jake gone, I need the help.”

  “What can I do?” Heather asked.

  “You can help me manage the schedule,” Jill said. “Keep the contractors on track. You’re really good at that.”

  “And talk to the old guys, the artisans really,” Sandy said. “They’re used to Jake.”

  “I know what you mean,” Heather said.

  “You’re good at that.” Jill nodded.

  “What’s Sandy going to do?” Heather asked.

  “Help me with colors,” Jill said. “I had the whole place designed and signed off on. But since we moved the house, the light is different. I need to go through and check each color or it will look crappy. And, with Jake gone, I can’t just focus on colors.”

  Heather nodded.

  “Before you make up your mind, why don’t we go over and take a look?” Jill asked.

  “Where is it?” Heather asked.

  “It’s right around the corner,” Jill said.

  “That’s why we’re meeting here.” Heather nodded. “I wondered.”

  Jill nodded. Sandy stood up.

  “We should go,” Sandy said.

  Heather looked up at her.

  “I’m freaked out because of the kids,” Sandy said.

  Jill leaned over as she got up and said, “Leave it.” Heather smiled.

  “I heard that,” Sandy said.

  She started out the door. Heather and Jill jogged to catch up with her. They crossed the street and walked a block and a half. The new Marlowe School and ex-demon-haunted house loomed over the property. Heather was surprised she hadn’t seen it when she went into the coffee shop.

  “Wow,” Heather said under her breath.

  Jill nodded. They went up the steps to the front door. Jill produced a key and they went in.

  “Go, take a look,” Jill said. “See if you don’t think I need your help.”

  Leaving Sandy and Jill at the door, Heather wandered from room to room. She was down the hallway when she yelled out, “You know there’s a ghost.”

  “We know,” Jill yelled back.