by Rea Winters
“I was in the same class as Cas all through school,” Daisy prefaced. “Our classmates were something else back then; calling her ‘rape baby,’ excluding her or getting in her face with warnings to stay away from the shaequas just in case she turned out to be just like her dad. That’s around the time she started getting into fights every day. That got her kicked out of art club and off the sports teams, even though she was a star player in a lot of them. And the older we all got, the worse things were. She ended up causing a lot of trouble for the school.”
Because it wasn’t until Cas started winning those fights that other parents had a problem with it. A lot of them made threats – from suing Chea to pulling their kids out of school – until problem child Caspar was dealt with. The teachers wanted her to be checked out mentally, put on pills and who knows what else.
“Her mom came to the school one time,” Carla added. “Flipped out in front of the whole staff, screaming about her daughter not being crazy. Telling them to stay away. It was a complete mess.”
Former classmate Daisy continued. “After that, a lot of our families drilled it in us to keep our distance from Caspar, but I always felt kind of sorry for her. We were in art club together, too. If you could have a moment with her one on one, she was actually pretty sweet, even during the bad years.”
Carla interjected with a wag of her manicured finger as she topped off her drink. “Sure, but what happened to Chea six years ago should tell you that sweet isn’t always so sweet.”
“Are you talking about her mom’s suicide? That’s not her fault,” Amie defended, her mood bordering on annoyed.
“No, no, of course not.” They all rushed to say in unison with a strong shake of their heads and furrowed brows.
“Not directly anyway,” peeped Gina. “I mean, if she killed herself, then clearly raising Caspar messed with her head because she was never really able to recover. But that wouldn’t be the kid’s fault, just a sad fact of the matter.”
“If?” Amie probed.
“Well, legally her death was ruled a suicide in the end, but the truth of the matter was a mystery for a little while. For a lot of people, it still is.”
“Why?”
The ladies exchanged glances again, then Gina leaned forward and spoke lower.
“Because Caspar kept her mother’s body for three whole days after she died. Dressed her up and set her in her favorite chair by the fireplace.”
“No, she laid her in a bed of flowers,” Carla corrected.
“Wait, I thought she was found in Caspar’s bed.” Daisy wasn’t sure either.
“Point is, once her body was discovered, the police couldn’t be sure what happened. Caspar had a violent streak and considering the event that created her, it just wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities that she might’ve been prone to…victimizing.”
Cas was proven innocent – or rather, not determined a suspect – and the official word on why she took so long to call in her mother’s death after discovering the body: a simple case of shock.
“Let’s make one thing clear,” Carla opened. “None of us at this table think that Caspar Adami is a killer. It’s just…well…”
“You’re just worried she could have a screw loose in general,” Amie gathered with a slight sigh, beginning to feel drained. “Is that why none of you took the promotion as her assistant?”
Sheepish nods abounded.
“Oh, we must sound awful,” Daisy whined. “I mean, it’s not like we can’t see that she seems normal enough now. A little shy and on edge, but she's always polite…ish. Way less scary than she was in high school, for sure.”
“Doesn't do eye contact very well, I noticed,” Carla added between sips. “My husband took psychology classes at a Five-Year and he said that could be a sign of a guilty conscience.”
“And with that perfect amount of buff and just a little too much broody she’s got going on, she’s hot as hell. But the crazy ones usually are,” Gina lamented.
The former manager had announced his retirement a week before he was leaving the region and informed them that the owner of Adam & Hammer, the last and most infamous member of the Adami family, would be taking over his position effective immediately. Ever since then, their relatives and spouses have been checking in more during work hours, telling them to keep their distance from the new boss.
“We don’t want to believe there’s something wrong with her,” Carla clarified. “Best case scenario, the things we’ve heard about her and what we’ve seen with our own eyes are all just the unfortunate consequences of having a tragic fate. That’s why I go out of my way to engage with her, to treat her just like everybody else…well, as much as I’m comfortable with.”
“Okay.” Amie adjusted in her seat. “And why are you telling me all of this?”
“You were bound to hear it sooner or later.”
“We’d rather it be sooner,” said Daisy with a comforting pat to Amie’s forearm. “You’re allowed to believe what you want, do what you want, but you should at least have all the facts before deciding.”
Amie blinked at them, watching them nod at each other in agreement.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to quit here and now,” Gina said. “But just know, if you decide to stay on, we’ve all got each other’s backs.”
Carla seconded the declaration. “So, if you ever start to get a weird feeling, Ka forbid, we want you to know you can come to us and we won’t think you’re crazy. No one in this town would.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Amie lied in bed with one hand idly grazing the v-shaped scar down her belly, still trying to digest the crash course she was given about her new boss at dinner. The story sounded more fitting of a daytime soap opera. The ladies couldn’t even agree on some of their so-called ‘facts.’ But Amie also knew from experience that all embellishments started from grains of truth.
Her phone rang and she picked up on the second buzz. An automated message informed that she was receiving a collect call from a Detainment Facility. She accepted the charges.
“Baby bear,” a man greeted. “You weren’t sleeping, were you?”
“No, wide awake actually.”
“How’s the home front been treating you?”
“So far so good. My first week here, I just walked around trying to remember as much as possible. You know that clown-themed pizzeria from my nightmares? Turns out it’s a real place. It’s like ten blocks from my motel.”
“No shit? Mami must’ve taken you there once when I wasn’t looking.”
“You’ll be happy to know I got a job today. Hired right on the spot.”
“Ey, that’s my girl. See, I bet it feels good, getting right back to the way things used to be.”
“Yeah. Easy-peasy.”
“Where you working?”
“A masonry shop. I’m the personal assistant of the CEO.”
“Ah, desk jockey. You too good for hard labor now?”
“Well, considering the things I just learned about my new boss tonight, who knows if I’ll be staying at this desk for long.”
“What things?”
Amie gave him the rundown of everything her co-workers shared.
“Ay dios mio, those people, man. Leave it to them to turn somebody else’s business into the next issue of their soap digest.” He scoffed. “Don’t get too caught up in the rumors and stories over there. The people in that town create more drama in their heads than what exists right in front of them. They did it with your ma and me. Spread it around that I was some Chicano thug from the city looking to take their sweet Bethie down the wrong path. Her dad was some kind of preacher man or something, gave me icy cold hell every time he saw me because of them. And for what? A few tattoos? I’d never done a drug in my life, never even been to jail.”
“Didn’t you go to juvie?”
“C’mon. Juvie doesn’t count, everybody knows that.”
Amie laughed and her dad joined.
“Look, I’m
just saying, those people are notorious for getting the wrong idea about people and running with it. They did it to me. And sure, maybe that’s ironic now or whatever, but back then it was wrong.”
“Mmhm.”
“Still though, rumors can also have a tiny bit truth to them. Don’t get me wrong, fucked up situations can make people do some weird things. It’s just usually, the weirder things are done by weirder people. But y’know, you’ve always been good at reading people, so I know if anything gets sketchy, you’ll get yourself out of it.”
“Always.”
“Been to see Mami?"
“Not yet. I found the cemetery, just couldn’t work myself up to go right then and there.”
“Take your time. You know what to tell her when you do.” Some gruff shouting in the back pulled his attention. “Alright, my time’s up. Love you.”
“Love you, too, papa bear.”
Chapter Nine
Amie’s bike required parts Caspar surprisingly didn’t have on hand, so she stopped at the hardware store before heading home. She had to take a breath before going in, bracing herself for the fluorescent lighting and narrow aisles that made her feel like a bear in a china shop. A couple of slackers pretending to sweep and stock shelves were the firsts to notice her and stare.
“I heard she might still have a dead body up there.”
“Think she bangs it?”
“Aw, sick.” They snickered.
Two slaps against the back of their heads echoed over the quiet intercom music. “Get back to work,” their manager ordered. Then she came into the aisle on the other side of Cas and pretended to rearrange items on the shelf.
“You couldn’t have gone to a different store?”
Cas didn’t take her eyes off the shelves. It wasn’t ideal, walking into an establishment that belonged to the spouse of the woman she was screwing, but with the Becker name branding over half the booming businesses in town, it was also difficult to avoid.
“Once I get what I need, I’ll be out of your hair.”
Natalie looked around a bit, still nervous, but trying not to show it. She noticed the two knuckleheads still glancing and laughing. “Don’t worry about those assholes.”
“I’m not.”
“Larry Melvin and his friends said they saw you at his motel with the new girl in town. Dropping her off.”
“Okay.”
“So, how’d that happen?”
Caspar sighed. “We met at the lake. Her bike broke. I gave her a ride into town.”
“And now she’s working for you at your shop?”
Caspar glanced at her, the question of how she knew that etched on her face.
Natalie shrugged. “I had lunch with Paula last week and she mentioned the new girl came by her flower shop looking for work. Paula’s the one who told her about the ad for an assistant position at Hammer since her staff was full. And Jo’s friend Gene mentioned that he saw her go in there today when he was delivering the mail.”
Caspar shook her head at the government spy level of nosiness in this town, then grabbed the parts she needed and went to the counter, where Natalie was supposed to be. She rung her up, commenting on each item at the beep.
“What kind of project you got going now?”
“Fixing a bike.”
Natalie paused, staring at her for a few seconds too long before flipping her hair and finishing up the transaction.
“Wow. A few days among civilization and you’re already making new friends. Good for you.”
The thin layer of abrasiveness in her sarcastic tone wasn’t missed. Before, Cas would worry about what that meant, but today she hadn’t the energy to guess, so she stalked off with her bags without another glance in Natalie’s direction.
Across the street from the store, a police cruiser rolled up behind a civilian car where a man stood by the trunk. Caspar got in her truck, but didn’t start the engine, the scene catching her eye once she saw it was Desmond who popped out of the cruiser. Des gripped the man by his collar, then glanced around and noticed Caspar, roughly tugging on the man when he tried to look back, too.
The unfamiliar man held his hands up, apparently saying something that convinced Desmond to let him go, then got in his car and drove away. Desmond stood tensely with his teeth grit, not relaxing a muscle until the car disappeared around the corner. Then he huffed a few calming breaths and trudged across the street to the truck.
“You alright, kid?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah, yeah. All’s good.”
“Who was that?”
“Nobody. Go on and get home. I’ll check on you later.”
Something about that didn’t sit right with her, but knowing that Desmond could clearly handle himself, she didn’t think she needed to worry.
✽ ✽ ✽
As night settled in, so did thunder and lightning. Not long after the first crackle and pop did the shower start.
“Shit,” Cas hissed. The tool in her hand kept slipping from her grip, which she made loose to avoid irritating the gash in her hand. She was just about to call it quits for the night when a loud thrash of metal switched her gears from frustrated to guarded. She grabbed her rifle off the garage wall and stalked around to the front of the house where her trashcans were tipped over. Despite the blinding rain, her aim was steady. If it was punk kids trying to break into her mom’s room again like last year, the first set of legs she saw were getting a kneecap full of lead.
After half a minute, nothing came into view. Another ten seconds more, however, she spotted movement under the porch behind the crisscross wood paneling.
She went around until she found the hole the movement entered from and kneeled, peering into the black crawlspace with the rifle tucked behind her back. Strikes of lightning revealed a black scruffy dog curled up and shivering in the back corner. Its whining grew louder. Rather than frighten the poor thing even more, Caspar huffed and went back inside.
With a couple blankets and a bowl of meat in hand, she went back out, crawled through the hole and laid everything out opposite of her uninvited guest.
Chapter Ten
One Month Later
“Hi, Mami.”
Autumn decay consumed the edges of Ambergreeve Cemetery. Trees shed half their yellowing leaves and bush flowers returned to green buds. In this time of dormancy, Amie was finally ready to open up. She sat in the grass and cleared fallen leaves from her mother’s in-ground stone.
“Sorry it took me a while to get here. I want to blame it on work, but I won’t waste your time with a lie. Truth is, it’s a little hard for me…stepping foot in a place like this. If things went a different way last year, we would’ve had an early reunion on our hands. I was prepared for it when things were at their worst, heard the Ancesti calling my name some nights. But Papa Bear would hear none of that. You’d be proud of him. He really stepped up, managed to stay on the straight and narrow when I needed him to the most.”
A breeze whistled by, its nippiness grazing her skin like a cold kiss. Amie touched her cheek where a warm tear fell moments later.
“It’s up to me, I think. To live for both of us, all of us now. I won’t let you down.”
With her promise made, she wiped her tears, breathed deep, and picked herself up.
Gaines Park was still an active spot despite the growing chill. Joggers, couples, kids, a few pet parents. Amie had made it a part of her routine to sit on a bench and watch them during her lunch hour. A familiar face came into view, sniffing around a nearby trashcan across the path. Amie whistled and her new friend came trotting over as she tossed the leftovers of her sub on the ground at the other end of the bench. His favorite part of the routine.
“I finally did it, Rough Road. I went to see my mom. She looked good, thanks for asking. The Ancesti are treating her well. Works going well, too, in case you were wondering. In a typical day, I’m in early and out late, prepping everything I’ll need to get started on the next day. I’d say I
’ve gotten to know everybody by now. I never forget a name or a face or a voice. So, between dishing out special orders to the masons and filing work orders and supply reports just chock full of personal information, I like to think I’ve met or at least seen or heard of every employee under both roofs.”
Amie checked on Rough Road’s progress. He was about done wolfing down the sub, so she took out a bag of snacks and tossed them on the ground in increments, paying for his company a couple of peanut butter crackers at a time.
“The boss…well, she’s still a mystery. But a nice one, so far you know, not the suspicious horror movie kind that Carla and the others made her out to be. You can tell she hates every second she spends in that office, but she’s also determined to try her best. It’s pretty funny actually, the face she makes when she doesn’t get something but doesn’t want to say anything until she’s figured it out. Or when she does take the lead on something and actually does it right the first time so I don’t have to correct it. She gets this sort of…grimace of pride on her face. Don’t tell anybody, but I think it’s kinda cute.”
Amie grinned as she thought back to the handful of times where she’d snuck a few lingering glances on the boss’ handsome face and broad firm build. She chuckled at her silly school girl blushes and Cas’ obliviousness to them.
“She’s started going into the garage at lunchtime and doesn’t come back until close to closing, but this time I think she left the grounds. I hope she comes back by the end of today. Getting her signature on dotted lines and half explaining why it’s needed is a pretty important part of the routine here. One of the main cogs, I’d say. But if I have to adjust, I’ll adjust. Anyway, how’s your life been, Rough Road? Good, good. I’m just getting by, too. Still no place of my own yet, but hey, a musty motel is better than the streets, right? I really want to feel good about this move. I can’t afford any regrets, you know, so I’ve just gotta keep putting my best foot forward until things get better. Nothing can stop us from living how we want to live. Right? Right.”
