by Kim Pritekel
Eleanor grinned. “Me too.”
Lysette glanced at her watch. “Oh, your father should be here soon. Maybe enough time for you to…freshen up?” she offered, reaching over to wipe a bit of her lipstick off Eleanor’s lip, showing her the bit of color on her fingertip.
“Oh, yes, definitely.”
Nearly fifteen minutes later, they stood together in the entryway of the house, Eleanor glancing out into the darkness every few seconds, looking to see the head lamps of the truck pull up the drive. Only the darkness beyond met her every time.
“He’s usually not late, right?” Lysette peeked outside over Eleanor’s shoulder.
Eleanor shook her head. “No. I figured he would have shown up half an hour early, to be honest.” She turned away from one of the tall, narrow windows that lined the door on either side. “It was one heck of a fight to get him to let me come here in the first place.”
“Ellie, it’s almost twenty after,” Lysette said, concerned eyes meeting Eleanor’s.
“Crud,” Eleanor muttered. “He forgot, it’s the only thing I can think of. I’m going to go, Lysette. If he’s just late for some reason, I’ll run into him on the way. Otherwise, I’ve got to get home.”
“I’m so sorry Maman has the car, or we could just drive you,” Lysette said, pulling her into a tight hug. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked into the hug. “I can send Samuel to walk with you.”
“No. No, really. I’ll be okay.” She hesitated for only a moment before leaving a quick kiss on Lysette’s cheek before grabbing the front door handle. “Practice,” she whispered with a grin, leaving Lysette laughing in the foyer.
It was a little unnerving making her way home in the dark, Eleanor had to admit. Though she knew the entire town and every back road like the back of her hand, the moonless night from an overcast sky left a chill in the air. She hadn’t brought a sweater with her when she’d gone to Lysette’s house, not figuring she’d need one.
As she walked, she thought back to her time with Lysette, not just the kissing, but their time in general. A smile came to her lips, thinking of the easy way they could talk and laugh together. It had been such a long time since she’d had a close friend who was a girl. Some of the boys in town who were her age were sweet, but she got tired of being asked to get a soda with them. Why couldn’t they just be friends?
She had left the more condensed area of town and was walking along the country road she knew was R19, which stood for Rural 19, a long stretch of dusty road before she hit Mudd Forest. She could go the long way and keep following R19 or she could cut a mile off her walk and head through the forest, which would deliver her almost to her backyard. Well, it would get her to essentially her block, anyway.
Whistling softly to dispel the discomfort she was feeling, her eyes grew wide in the evening chill, the sounds of the night critters alerting her to their presence as she veered off the dirt road and into the forest. No more than a few minutes in, and she began to think it was a real mistake.
She could feel sweat building between her shoulder blades, and her hands reflexively flexed as her palms became clammy. She knew she was getting close to the clearing that she could cut across, which would mark the halfway point. She reached out to see if she felt the thick trunk of the two trees that had grown together and was always a visible—in this case, tactile—cue that she was close to the curve in the path, which was impossible to see without the help of the moon or the stars.
Feeling what she expected to on the tree, she hurried forward. Confused, she slowed as she heard the snap of twigs perhaps twenty feet ahead. She had mere seconds for that to register before, with a WHOOSH! a massive tongue of flame licked upward, and within seconds, Eleanor was staring at a ten-foot wooden cross, fully alight.
Mouth open and eyes wide in horror, she backed up a few feet. It was only then that she noticed a group of about fifteen figures stepping out of the shadows and into the ring of light. They were all dressed alike in white robes with pointed white hoods, circular cutouts for their eyes. Absolutely nothing of their faces could be seen.
Fear and panic gripped her as they gathered around the cross, and she backed up another step, crying out in surprise when she backed into something. She whipped around when she felt hands on her shoulders. Another of the hooded figures loomed over her. In her fear, her school bag fell to the forest floor at her feet.
“This ain’t no place for you, little girl,” a man’s voice said from behind the hood. “Thinkin’ y’all should be runnin’ home now.”
Eleanor began to hyperventilate, eyes feeling as though they’d bulge out of her head as she stared up into the soulless depths of the shadowed cutouts in that hood.
Turning, she was about to bolt when she froze, feeling eyes on her. One of the hooded figures across the fire was staring right at her, the angry flames reflected off the round lenses underneath that hood, making his gaze that of fire, burning right through her.
He said nothing as he stared at her. He didn’t have to.
Chapter Fourten
“James Mathew Vaughn!” Lysette waited at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed over her chest and high heel tapping on the floor.
“Hey, honey, got home as soon as I could,” Jim said, surprising Lysette as he approached her from the direction of the kitchen. He’d obviously parked by the detached garage and entered through the back door. He was still dressed in his suit and carried his briefcase. “How long do I have?” He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across the bench where Lysette’s attention had initially been focused on. With the clearing of her throat, he looked down. “What is all this?”
“Your son felt it was perfectly all right to run in from school and drop everything here.” She indicated where Jim had just tossed his jacket, followed by his briefcase, and he was working on his tie. She glared at him.
Without a word, he gathered the growing pile, revealing Jimmy’s school bag, basketball shoes, and the family tree project that he’d finally brought home, a large red “A” scrawled atop it.
“Let me get changed, and I’ll help round up the gang.” Jim left a kiss to Lysette’s cheek and was about to head to the stairs when he stopped.
Lysette watched him, curious what had caught his attention. Reshuffling everything he held in his arms to one arm, he reached out and grabbed the piece of sugar board.
“What’s this?” he asked, eyeing the pictures.
“Oh.” Lysette walked over to him and waved his question away as she tried to grab it from him, but he held on. “Just a project Jimmy had to do. I had to gather some old pictures so he could make his family tree.” To her relief, the pounding sound of shoes on stairs interrupted the moment.
“I have been beckoned by the master,” he said with a dramatic bow.
Lysette managed to hide her smile, but just barely. Long ago, her oldest child had figured out that his charm and adorable nature would get him out of just about any bind. Steeling her resolve to get her point across to him, she eradicated any humor out of her expression and heart.
“What’s my name?” she asked dryly.
The smile froze on Jimmy’s face. “Uhh, Mom?” He blew out a breath. “No, okay. Mrs. Vaughn?” He took a step back at the look that one received from her. “Okay, super no. Um, Lysette?”
“Very good,” Lysette said, her voice syrupy sweet. “Now,” she said, taking a step over to him and tapping the end of his nose with a perfectly manicured fingernail. “In that little list you gave, did the word ‘maid’ pop up anywhere?”
Jimmy looked at her with utter confusion on his handsome face until she sent out an elegant hand waving over the mess he’d left behind. It was comical as he gave her a huge grin before he was off like a shot, gathering up his school bag and sneakers and ripping his school project out of his father’s fingers, and bolted up the stairs.
“And remove those photographs from that poster tonight when we get home!” she called after him. “I do not want to fin
d it under your bed in a month!”
He stopped so quickly on the stairs that he nearly fell back down them. “Wait, back from where?”
“Your sister’s dance recital is tonight,” Jim said, continuing to loosen his tie.
Jimmy turned and looked down at them, hand resting on the banister. “Why do I have to go?”
“How many basketball games of yours has Bronte sat through?” Lysette asked, irritation in her voice.
He looked away as though doing some sort of mental calculation. “All but two,” he said victoriously. “So can tonight be one of my two?”
“Do you have tonsillitis like she did?” Jim asked.
“You know,” he hedged, “I’m going to have to go with a ‘no’ on that one, Daddy-O.” He let out a sigh. “I’ll go get ready,” he grumbled, continuing up the stairs.
****
The small theater was dark, curtain still closed as all the young dancers prepared for their first recital of the year. Lysette sat in the second row with Jim to her right and Jimmy on the other side of his father.
She read through the small program they were given at the door, listing the dancers’ names, what school they went to, and what productions—if any—they’d appeared in. The house lights hadn’t been dimmed yet, and she glanced to her right when she felt a bit of pressure against her right shoulder. She met Jim’s gaze as he leaned toward her.
“Who was that girl standing next to you in the picture?” he asked quietly, so as not to disturb those getting settled in around them.
Lysette felt her heart rate pick up and stomach knot in a nervous tic. “You mean the entire class I was surrounded by?” she asked, trying to hedge.
“Obviously you were, but who was the one you had your arm intertwined with? You two were close, I’m guessing.”
“Jim, we were fifteen. I haven’t seen or spoken to her in decades. What do you care?”
He shrugged, glancing toward the stage as the lights flashed, alerting the audience that the show would begin soon. “I’d never seen that picture before. What’s her name?”
Lysette wanted to argue further but knew that would simply get him even more interested. “Ellie Landry.”
He nodded, uncrossing the left leg from her right to reverse the position. “How long were you close?”
She eyed his profile as he seemed to be studying the red velvet curtain that hid the stage. “We were friends for about a year,” she said, keeping her tone nonchalant. She knew him probably better than anyone on the planet, and she knew that his questions were because either he recognized Eleanor for who she was or because he thought he saw something he didn’t like.
“Have you seen her since?” he asked, equally nonchalant; however, she saw the trial lawyer peek his head out. She had to be careful not to perjure herself on the stand.
“Jim, I’m not sure why the Spanish Inquisition, but I haven’t been friends with Ellie since I was sixteen. End of story.”
He nodded as he began to applaud, the curtain rising.
****
Lysette sat nervously at the table waiting. She’d shown up early on purpose, giving herself time to settle in and settle her nerves. She hadn’t seen Danny in almost a year, and it had been two years since their one and only intimate encounter. But they’d remained in touch, not her usual behavior with a woman she spent a single afternoon with, out of the small handful she had in twenty years.
She heard the bells jingle above the door in the small diner and glanced over from the booth she occupied at the back of the establishment. It wasn’t hard to make out Danny Felts. She was a statuesque woman with the confidence of a Paris model and looks of any Hollywood starlet. Her black hair—longer than it had been when they’d met—was shoulder-length and tucked behind an ear. She wore wide-legged slacks and a button-up blouse underneath an unzipped bomber jacket.
As Danny made her way down the aisle toward where Lysette had waved at her, she caught every eye in the place, male and female. Danny, meanwhile, was oblivious.
“Hey,” she said, sliding into the booth across from Lysette. “Glad you could have lunch.”
“I’m glad you called,” Lysette said, waving over the waitress. Drink orders taken, Lysette studied the onetime intimate partner who had become a friend. “What are you doing in town? You’re still in Nebraska, right? Working on your new company?”
“Yes. My business partner, Allison, and I formed F&H Industries last year. I think we were still in the talking phase last time I talked to you about it.”
“What do you guys do again?”
“Well,” Danny said, pausing as the waitress dropped off their iced teas and took their lunch orders before jetting off again. “With my history of construction work back on the farm where I grew up, then with the Navy during the war, we’re getting contracts with the government to build projects for them, that sort of thing. Plus,” she said, adding a bit of sugar from the canister into her drink, gently stirring it with a spoon. “I have a bit of a business on the side.” She met Lysette’s gaze. “Building furniture, which I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Lysette asked, squeezing the wedge of lemon brought with her tea, the juice mixing with the light brown liquid. “I love surprises.”
Danny grinned. “I know. We’re donating the rocking chair I made for you to auction or raffle off to raise money for your cause. Allison and I think it’s pretty great what you’re doing.”
“Oh, Danny,” Lysette breathed with a smile. She reached a hand across the table and lightly touched the other woman’s before retreating. “Thank you.”
Danny gave her a smile. “Of course.” She sipped from her drink before setting it back down, eyeing Lysette. “How are the kids?”
“They’re really good,” Lysette responded, beaming. Any mention of her babies filled her with such pride and love. Truly the best decision she’d ever made out of a sea of bad ones. “The other night, Bronte had a dance recital.” She laughed. “Poor thing got a split in her leotard, but like the little trouper that she is, she kept on going. Perfect pirouettes across the stage,” she added, using her finger to make little circles across the table. “Right off into the wings,” she concluded, her pirouetting finger disappearing off the table.
Danny joined her in laughter. “And,” she said sobering, “how’s Jim? How’s the law office doing?”
“You know, it’s finally really picked up. He’s extremely busy, good for me.” Lysette snickered. “But seriously, I’m happy for him. He loves what he does. I’ve been doing the accounting for him. In fact, I’m headed to his office after we’re done here. Taxes are coming up, so…”
“Lord, don’t remind me. So,” Danny said, blowing out a breath as she sat back in the booth. “You mentioned on the phone you needed to talk about something. What’s up?”
Lysette studied her friend for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to approach her thoughts and musings. Finally, she said, “When’s the last time you saw Kate?”
Bright blue eyes went from mild curiosity to surprise to guarded. Danny looked down at her hands, which rested on the table. “Not since I left the Navy,” she said. “It’s been about seven years now, I guess.” She cleared her throat and grabbed her glass of iced tea, playing with the straw, seemingly needing something to do with her hands. “Why?”
“I’m in an interesting situation right now. Well,” Lysette qualified, “I guess it really doesn’t have to be a situation, but…” She gave the woman across from her a sheepish grin. “You’re the only person I know of who could possibly understand my potential predicament.”
“Sounds mysterious.” Danny moved her iced tea glass out of the way to make room for the waitress to set down their lunch plates. She smiled at the older woman before returning her gaze to Lysette. “Do tell.”
“Well, I just feel you’re uniquely qualified to understand and hopefully give me some clarity,” Lysette muttered, feeling somewhat awkward in her question, which she felt was
basically regurgitating what she’d previously said.
Danny cocked her head slightly to the side. “Which part of your situation am I uniquely qualified for?” she asked quietly, ensuring nobody around them would overhear. “Being in the Navy during the war? Or that I lived in the bottom of a vodka bottle for a few years to try and forget the immense betrayal by the woman I love more than my next breath? Or,” she added gently, “the part that it’s been seven years since I’ve seen her and her daughter, Megan, and her husband, George?”
Lysette was about to bring her spoonful of cheddar broccoli soup to her mouth but stopped, returning the utensil to the bowl. “My goodness,” she said softly, sparing a glance at Danny. “I feel positively foolish worrying over my situation.”
Danny shook her head. “No. We all have our crosses to bear, and they’re not comparable. What is a walk in the park to one person is traumatizing to another. In any case…” She sat forward in her seat, eyes boring into Lysette’s. “What’s her name?”
“Eleanor Landry.” Her smile was soft. “Though I called her Ellie.” She felt a small thrill race up her spine at those words and the memories that fueled them. Unfortunately, they all landed in her heart with a painful thud.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen Ellie?”
Lysette let out a breath before forcing herself to resume her lunch. “Let’s see…twenty-two years.”
“Damn,” Danny muttered. “Guess I shouldn’t complain about seven.” She gave her a sweet and understanding smile. “That long ago, you two were young.”
“Yes,” Lysette said with a nod. “Too young, perhaps. Too young to realize that it all meant far more to me than to her.” She felt the sinking disappointment and hurt that she thought was long buried. “I guess the plan didn’t mean anything to her,” she whispered.
“Ouch,” Danny groaned. “Sadly, that scenario is far older than a mere twenty-two years ago. I’d go at least to the times of George Washington for that one.”
