by H. P. Munro
Finally, she’d had enough.
“What the hell is wrong with you all?”
The leather of the seat squeaked as she turned to get a better look at her friends. She saw Molly visibly gulp as Ellie shook her head and look pointedly at Molly.
Clearing her throat, Molly swallowed again, and seemed to force herself to speak. “It’s like this. We love you…very much.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes as her gaze flicked between Molly and Ellie.
“And it’s because we love you that we’re not going to Vegas.” Molly looked like she wanted to vomit.
Unsure how not taking her to Vegas was proof of their love Charlotte responded cautiously. “Okaaaaaay.”
“We’re not going to Vegas and remember when I say this that we love you. We thought—”
“Oh for the love of Christ, Molly,” Ellie interrupted, exasperated at Molly’s rambling explanation. “Charlotte, this flight is taking us to Alabama. We will then pick up a car and drive to Grace Falls for their birthday celebrations.” She scowled at Molly, who was sitting waiting for the inevitable shit storm to happen.
Charlotte’s mouth opened and closed. Finally, her brain seemed to catch up with her jaw and words started to form. “So you’re telling me instead of Vegas, where I can see women in bridal gowns riding a mechanical bull, I’m going to my hometown that I haven’t been in for over twenty years. Where my mother is. The same mother who didn’t bother to tell me of my father’s death. We’re going there so I can celebrate that town’s birthday with people I haven’t seen since I was seventeen?”
Molly bit her top lip as she nodded carefully.
Charlotte nodded as if processing the new information. Then yelled at the top of her voice. “Joanne Parsons, turn this goddamned plane around now!”
Joanne’s voice came out the speakers. “I’m guessing from the noise back there, that you’ve finally told her. Charlotte, I’m sorry. I had nothing to do with this. Well, apart from the flying you there bit. The idea was theirs. I’m going to make a wild assumption you’re asking me really nicely to turn around, but no can do I’m afraid.”
Charlotte slumped back in her seat and glowered at her friends. “I am so not happy about this. Y’all are going to hell.”
“See you’re even talking all South now.” Molly’s half-smile slid from her face as Charlotte stared her down. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
Chapter Twelve
Erin pulled her overalls off and thrust them into the washer. She was grateful yet again she’d created a mud room in her home that allowed her to strip off and dump her often foul-smelling clothing, particularly following a trip out to the Jackson holding.
What on paper was an easy check-up of their pigs, always resulted in a workout that no gym could provide, and Erin wearing as much of the pigs’ pen as the pigs themselves. They were the orneriest creatures Erin had ever dealt with, as well as the most elusive. However, she was pleased her efforts had bagged them a hog for the roast tomorrow. The Jackson’s were always happy to find alternatives to paying her with the green stuff.
Padding barefoot in her underwear into the kitchen, Erin smiled as the smell of fresh paint replaced the odor of swill and swine. That smell meant Sam had been around and started to paint the woodwork. Sure enough, there was a note on her kitchen table letting her know he’d completed downstairs and done the prep for upstairs, but was now at Sully’s. The rest would have to wait until after the weekend and the birthday celebrations were complete.
She admired his handiwork as she walked through the house, careful not to touch anything that had been painted. Her plan was to shower and clear off the last of the visit to the Jackson’s and then go buy her little brother a deserved beer. She stripped off her underwear and threw the items into the hamper in her bedroom then entered the bathroom and kicked the door closed behind her.
A full ten minutes under the shower and her good humor with the world was restored. She stepped out of the shower and roughly towel dried her hair then wrapped the small towel around her body. As she reached for the door knob her brow furrowed. The large brass knob that was usually there was replaced by a hole.
“Oh no. Please no. Sam!” she yelled at the realization that her brother in his preparations had removed the door handles, and she was now stuck in her bathroom. “I will kill you.” Her previous goodwill towards her brother was now replaced with a red hot rage as she surveyed the room for anything she could use to aid her escape.
Ten minutes, and one broken toothbrush later, Erin sat down on the toilet in defeat. It was likely to be lunchtime the next day before Sam wondered where she was; if the thought occurred to him at all in amongst the celebrations. There was only one thing to do. If Erin wanted out, she had to do it herself.
Standing up, she secured the towel around her torso hoping it would be up to the challenge and opened the bathroom window. Peering out, she could see her bedroom window open. If only she could edge along to it, she would be home free. She looked down hesitatingly at the roof of the porch that encircled her property. While it was wide enough for her to edge along she could only hope it was strong enough to take her weight.
She stood on the closed toilet lid, placed her hands onto the window frame, and with a groan of effort climbed out of the window. Holding onto the frame, she slid her hand underneath a section of the wooden siding covering her home to check if there were any finger grips. Semi-satisfied there was at least something to hold onto, she carefully edged her way along the roof.
***
Teddy texted a quick ‘I’m on my way’ to Alex as she walked along the sidewalk. Approaching Erin’s house she saw the vet’s truck in the drive. She quickly selected Alex’s number from her contacts and called her.
“I was just texting back! You are so impatient,” Alex grumbled when she answered the call.
“It’s not that. I’m just passing Erin’s. Is she at the bar?” She could hear the scraping of a chair on the floor as Alex no doubt stood up to get a better look across the bar.
“Nope.”
“Okay, I’ll go get her, you get the drinks.”
“How ’bout you go get her and you get your own damned drinks.”
“Duct tape,” Teddy said quietly into her cell.
There was an audible huff before Alex responded with a reluctant ‘okay’. It had been weeks but Teddy was still finding mileage in Alex’s guilt over taping her and Erin to the treehouse.
“Love you,” Teddy said cheerfully, hanging up the call and walking down Erin’s drive. She was halfway down when a glimpse of movement at the side of the house caught her attention. She switched direction to investigate. Her mouth fell open as she realized the movement was Erin clinging onto the side of her house. Teddy held her hand over her eyes to block out the hazy evening sun.
***
“Hey, Peter Parker, you okay up there?”
The voice startled Erin and her foot slipped slightly before she regained both her balance and composure.
“Sorry,” Teddy called, “didn’t mean to scare you. You lose something?”
Erin lifted her arm so she could look down at Teddy, instantly regretting the action as the ground seemed far away and solid, extremely solid.
“What the hell do you think I’d be looking for up here?”
“Your dignity?” Teddy laughed. “You want me to let myself in, and you can edge back to the window?”
Erin really, really, wanted Teddy to do that. Unfortunately, the house was locked up, and there was no way Teddy would be able to get in.
“Doors are locked.”
Teddy pouted as she thought. Almost immediately her pout turned into a smile. “Okay just stay there. I’ve got an idea.” She sprinted off back down Erin’s drive.
“Where the hell am I meant to go?” Erin huffed.
It was five long minutes of holding onto the siding before Teddy’s car appeared with a ladder sticking out of the open tailgate. Erin’s calf muscles had long si
nce started to protest as she stood with her weight on her toes, terrified of knocking roof tiles off her porch roof. Teddy pulled the ladder out of her car and trotted back towards Erin with a grin on her face.
“Where’d you get that from?” Erin asked as Teddy started to pull out the extensions and check the hooks were on safely before propping it against the porch.
“I appropriated it from the fire truck.” She grinned as Erin’s eyes widened in shock. “It’s not like I’m not taking it back! Besides it’s a volunteer fire department so for twenty minutes I’m volunteering.”
Erin’s desire to get off the roof and onto firm ground far outweighed her concern at Teddy’s light-fingers. She carefully made her way to the ladder, placed a hand onto it, and swung her foot onto the closest rung. She ignored Teddy’s ‘God, I’m never going to un-see that’ as she pulled herself onto the ladder and started her descent.
When she was finally on the ground, she pulled Teddy into a grateful hug. They repositioned the ladder under her bedroom window and as she was about to climb back up they heard a voice yell, ‘Dr. Hunter, are you in?’ The tone held just enough panic that Erin went to peek around her house.
Striding up her path with a large cat tucked under one arm was Mary-Beth Dean and only a few paces behind was her neighbor, Felisha Dewar whose face looked like it was about to combust.
“Doc, you there?” Mary-Beth shouted, before stepping up onto Erin’s porch and rapping the door loudly.
“Oh God.” Erin groaned quietly. “I have a hunch I know what this is about.”
Teddy’s face sprung up beneath Erin’s. “Felisha looks like she’s about to crap out a raccoon. What’s got her all het up?”
Felisha must have heard their voices because her head swiveled around towards the side of the house. Both Teddy and Erin sprung back and flattened themselves against the side of the house.
“Is that you Doc?” Felisha called, her voice getting louder as she walked closer. She clutched her chest in shock as Teddy suddenly appeared as if propelled around the corner. “Oh, Claudia Roosevelt, we’re looking for Doc Hunter. Do you know where she is?”
Teddy later admitted she did consider telling Felisha that Erin was indisposed, but the thought was dismissed in seconds after she recalled the speed with which Erin flung her towards the two baying women. Women, who were well known for their generations-long feuds, which no one of sane mind got themselves involved in.
“Mrs. Dewar, good to see you. Mrs. Dean, you too,” Teddy said, nodding good-naturedly towards the other woman, who now joined them. “You’re in luck, the woman in question is here. Just ignore her attire, it’s casual Friday.” Teddy reached behind her and grabbed Erin’s arm dragging her out.
Erin glared at her before turning her attention to the two women. “Ladies, how can I help?”
Mary-Beth pointed at Felisha. “You can tell her for a start that that cat there is my Foofoo.”
Felisha rolled her eyes. “No matter how many times you say it; this cat is not your Foofoo. It’s my Twinkle.”
Blocking out the choking sound from Teddy, Erin checked the security of her towel before stepping forward. “Why don’t we take it back a bit. Mrs. Dewar, I didn’t realize you had a cat.” Erin reached out one hand to stroke the head of the large ginger cat nestled in Mary-Beth’s arms, her other hand gripped tightly to the towel covering what was left of her modesty.
“Well, there’s no reason you should. I take it to the vet in St Anton,” Felisha said defensively. “You tell her she can’t just stride into a person’s home and steal their cat.” She poked her finger between Erin and Mary-Beth. “She’s lucky I haven’t called Harvey on her…yet.”
Mary-Beth shook her head; her ample bosom went with the flow as well. Mary-Beth was one of those women who seemed not to have breasts, but instead one large bosom that on occasion could double as a shelving unit. “I can when it’s my property in the first place, you thieving ol’ witch.”
Before the argument escalated into the inevitable name calling and resulted in either Harvey Mack, the local Deputy Sheriff, being called, or the desire to turn the hose on the two women became too strong, Erin stepped between them. “Now, I’m sure we can sort this out amicably.”
Teddy’s eyebrows rose incredulously at the optimism of that statement. Erin scowled at her, warning her not to get involved. “Now it’s been a couple weeks since Foofoo went missing. Am I right?”
Nodding, Mary-Beth hefted the cat up. “Yes, an’ I’ve put flyers up all around the neighborhood, and not a peep of a sighting. Then tonight I go to put the trash out an’ as I’m walking back in I look up, and I see Foofoo sitting in the window in her house.” She tilted her head towards Felisha accusingly. “So I went an’ got her back.”
“Okay.” Erin turned towards Felisha, “and you’re saying this is your…”
“Twinkle,” Felisha supplied, “yes she is.”
“Well, it’s all very easy to sort out. We put a microchip on Foofoo, so we can just take Foofoo…Twinkle,” Erin quickly corrected, seeing the ire on Felisha’s face. “We can take the cat down to the exam room, and I can scan for the chip.”
Felisha moved quickly to snatch the cat from Mary-Beth’s arms, surprising all of them with her speed. “I’m not putting my cat through unnecessary procedures.”
“It’s not a harmful—”
“I don’t care,” Felisha interrupted. “That’s not gonna happen.”
“Okay, then there’s no way of proving whose cat this is.” Erin turned to Mary-Beth and put a consoling hand on her shoulder. “I guess you can take small consolation you didn’t see Foofoo get really sick. I got her blood work back finally today, and it would appear she was suffering from a rare condition called engaño. She would have started to exhibit the symptoms pretty soon. So I guess at least you’re spared that and the cost of treatment, which would have been really high.”
Mary-Beth looked momentarily confused, then seeing Erin’s encouraging smile she placed her hand over her mouth to hide a burgeoning smile and nodded.
“What symptoms?” Felisha asked.
Erin turned her attention to the other woman. “Oh don’t worry, it’s genetic so no way Twinkle here will have got it.”
“Yes, but what symptoms?” A hint of urgency entered her tone.
Erin looked up towards the sky. “Well let’s see, it starts with hair loss. All of it. Then diarrhea starts and finally the vomiting. Projectile.” Erin flashed her a grin. “But again Twinkle here should be fine.”
She gave the cat a friendly pat on the head. “Now ladies if you don’t mind?”
She looked over at Teddy, who was staring preoccupied towards the road.
“Teddy, are you okay to assist me?”
Teddy seemed to shake off whatever was bugging her and smiled towards the two older women. “No doubt I’ll see you both tomorrow at the cookout.” She followed dutifully behind Erin. When she was sure they were out of earshot she looked at her quizzically. “Engaño?”
“Spanish for deception,” Erin said with a smile as she gripped the ladder ready to climb.
“So no disease then?” Teddy laughed as Erin shook her head. “So what do you think will happen?” She held onto the ladder, steadying it while Erin started to climb slowly up towards her bedroom window.
“Well first I need to place a call to the St Anton’s vet and explain the disease. Then I imagine Foofoo will suddenly reappear on Mary-Beth’s porch either tonight or tomorrow, and Twinkle will disappear.”
Teddy grinned and looked up to continue the conversation, forgetting about Erin’s attire. “Oh God, kinda hoping your twinkle disappears from my brain.” She looked at the ground and shuddered as if trying to expel the image.
Chapter Thirteen
Molly put one foot out of their hired SUV. “When you said we were going to go to Hell, you weren’t talking metaphorically. I think it’s actually hotter than Hell here and it’s evening. What’s it going to be like tomorro
w?”
“Hot, and you know if you get heat stroke I’m going to have no sympathy,” Charlotte grumbled, pulling her bag out of the trunk of the car.
Unexpectedly, she was once again driving through familiar streets and had been unprepared for the numerous emotions that accompanied the drive. Nostalgia at seeing Ryries still on Main Street. Pride in her childhood friends as she passed Alex’s coffee shop and Matt Sullivan’s bar and sadness as they drove past the entrance for the lumberyard.
She’d managed to call Ruth while on the plane, after explaining to the others that Grace Falls was not the sort of place you could pull up to and find somewhere to stay. As she drove to the old Anderson house all the previous feelings paled into insignificance. She was in no way prepared for her first sighting of Erin.
Erin was standing, in what was presumably her front yard, in only a bath towel remonstrating with Mrs. Dewar and Mrs. Dean. She’d slowed the car as much as she dared as they passed, only speeding back up when she spotted Teddy looking directly at her.
“I hope y’all will be comfy here,” Ruth said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open so the visitors could enter her mother’s home. “It should still look familiar, Charlotte.”
When Charlotte stepped over the threshold, she was a child again. The décor had only changed slightly from her memory but over in the corner was the piano where for fifteen years she spent two hours every week learning to play, with Ruth’s mama watching over her shoulder. She smiled as she walked towards it and pressed down on the keys. The sound was as familiar to her as her own breath.
“I was sorry to hear about your mama,” she said turning to Ruth, who was staring at her as if she was an apparition.
“Thank you. You were always her favorite you know.”
Charlotte laughed as she closed the lid. “I doubt that. She used to berate me something awful. Charlotte Grace, you have lazy fingers. Miss Grace, there are no shortcuts in life or in this piece of music. There is no excuse for not fingering correctly.”
