Yesterday's Stardust

by Becky Melby

He sidled closer. “You and I, we have something in common.”

  “Yes we do.” She held up her hand, palm out. “We both work for the same people, and we both want what is best for our families, don’t we?”

  He smiled. “You are a strong but beautiful woman.”

  “And you are a stupid man.” She returned the smile. “You will get nowhere with me.”

  “But it is the trying that I enjoy.”

  “Then you’d best decide if you want your wife or your boss to shoot you.”

  With a laugh and a wave, he opened the door and walked into the kitchen.

  Francie picked a piece of lint off a flocked rose on the wallpaper and looked up at Renata’s crucifix next to the door. The beauty and craftsmanship of the intricate carving transfixed her. She and Renata had sat here in this room, just days earlier, reading the book of Isaiah. “‘He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.’” She said the verse out loud. It made her want, once again, to drop to her knees. Her pain was nothing compared to what He had suffered. “Thank You,” she whispered.

  She lifted her apron from its hook and slipped it over her head. The door opened before she touched the handle. Santo motioned for her. “Telephone call for you.”

  Her heart missed a beat. Her sister was the only one who had ever called her, and Suzette would not telephone unless something was wrong.

  The black receiver dangled from its cord. She picked it up and turned her back on the bustle in the kitchen. She stared at the wooden box with the silver dial, at the black numbers beneath the finger holes, and took a deep breath. “Hello?”

  “Hello, doll.”

  “Tag?”

  “How’s it going up there? I’ve been missing you.”

  The warmth of the room became suffocating. “Everything’s fine.”

  “Good. Listen, I’ve decided you need a reward for good behavior. I’m sending your sister and the kid up there. For good.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Dani slipped her phone into her purse and turned to Nicky. “We just talked to little Franky.”

  “Yes we did. What a character, huh? ‘Don’t tell me a thing. I love surprises.’” Nicky’s impersonation was uncanny.

  “He’s a real live person.”

  Nicky laughed. She loved the sound of it. Tipping her head to one side, she let her eyes trace the curve of his smile.

  “What?”

  “When we first met, I remember thinking how ridiculously handsome you’d look if you’d only smile.” She fit her fingertip into the divot on his cheek. “I was right.”

  His hand closed over hers. “I finally have a reason to smile.”

  “Isn’t that a song? Or does the song say a reason to live?”

  “Well, I’ve got that, too, now.”

  She laughed. “Are Italian men just born with that, or did your father and grandfather give you lessons?”

  “It’s in the genes, bella ragazza.” He kissed her hand. One knuckle at a time.

  She stopped him at her wrist. Another second of that and she’d need a defibrillator. “We have reading to do,” she squeaked. “Hands on the wheel now. You drive. I read. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine.”

  With a smile that promised his compliance would be temporary, he released her hand and backed the Javelin out of the parking space.

  Dani found their place in the diary but didn’t start reading. “What have we read so far that would be the key to Franky’s future?”

  “It’s what’s coming up that’s the key. My great-grandmother helped her hide things. It has to be her take from the robbery.”

  “That can’t be it. She hasn’t worked at the jewelry store for months. I’m thinking it’s some kind of a life lesson, or maybe she just wanted him to hear her story so he could understand what led her to do things she didn’t want to do.”

  Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and glanced at a text from Rena.

  CALL ME. NOW. EMERGENCY

  Pulse hammering in her ears, she leaned her elbow on the armrest, striking a casual pose as she scanned the sign for the next exit. “Would you mind stopping at the next gas station? All that coffee…”

  “Sure.” Nicky put on the turn signal. “I might as well get gas.”

  She nodded and tried to keep her foot from tapping like a preschooler who really did need to use the bathroom. When he stopped, she walked in and darted to the restroom, dialing Rena’s number.

  A sob answered. Familiar but not Rena. “Danielle, you gotta come here. Now.”

  China. A loud thud echoed near the phone.

  “Where are you?”

  “Dani!”This time it was Rena. Her voice was muffled and hollow as if they had a bad connection. “We went against one of the Sisters, and now they’re after us.”

  “Where are you?”

  “The coal chute. You gotta come here. Please.” Her words convulsed into another sob.

  “I’m calling the police.”

  “No! We were right there and somebody took a picture so—”

  “You were where? What happened?”

  “Leah tried to rob this lady who had a baby, and Chi and I stopped it. I grabbed the gun from her and this kid took a picture of me holding it so now—”

  “Rena, calm down. If you’re innocent, the truth will come out. I’m with Nicky. We’re about fifteen min—”

  “No! Don’t tell him. Please don’t tell him. The Sisters know what you can do. They won’t fight you.”

  Fat lot of good that’ll do against a .45. Not a good time for Vito’s wisdom to surface.

  “Just…you. Come…alone.”

  Her short gasps made Dani feel like she couldn’t breathe. “I’m on my way.” The stall door slammed behind her.

  Nicky was still outside, leaning on the front of the car. She yanked her door open.

  His brow furrowed. “You’re pale as a ghost. Are you sick?”

  “No. It’s China. I just talked to her. She’s finally ready to talk. She’s a mess. We have to hurry.”

  Nicky hopped in and they spun out of the gas station. As he sped back onto the interstate he glanced at her. “Is she suicidal?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then you need to call a hotline or the police or something. You’re not trained for this.”

  “She asked for me. I’m not going to let her down.”

  Nicky’s exhale gave his reaction. “Where am I taking you?”

  Her mouth felt like chalk. “She’ll be waiting outside the restaurant.”

  “You can talk to her in the storeroom. I’ll stay out of your way, but I need to know you’re safe.”

  I need to know. The warmth of his words softened the edges of her fear. “Thank you.” She’d figure out how to get around his offer when they got there. She stuck her phone in her back pocket and tried to make words link together in a prayer.

  “What will you tell her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  They sat in silence for the next few miles. Dani thought of the girls huddled in a coal chute and turned the air conditioning vents away from her.

  “My cousin and I talked a kid out of killing himself. His mom had just been sentenced to ten years in prison. Tony caught Rafe with a bottle of vodka and a pile of downers.”

  She tore her gaze away from the clock. “What did you say to him?”

  Nicky stopped at two stoplights before answering. “I told him God had a job for him that no one else could do. We had a neighborhood basketball team, and Rafe was the worst player I’ve ever seen in my life.” His lips curved into the beginnings of a smile. “So I told him that.”

  Dani chewed the corner of her fingernail as she stared at him. “The kid’s ready to off himself and you tell him he’s the worst player you’ve ever seen?”

  “Yeah. I told him if he killed himself then this little short guy, Luis, would be the worst player, and Luis couldn’t handle it. I said he was the one showing Luis that the game wasn’t
about winning, it was about being together like a family and supporting each other and having fun.”

  Feeling as if she were in two places at once, she glanced from Nicky to the speedometer needle. Faster. “What did he say?”

  “He laughed. And then he cried like a baby and handed over the bottles.” His shoulders straightened.

  Dani’s foot wiggled to a nervous beat. “Wow.” Glowing blue numbers morphed. One minute closer. She tried to concentrate on Nicky and what he’d just said. In the wake of her apathetic response, his smile lines disappeared, taking the dimple with them. Focus. “That’s amazing.”

  “Could have gone the other way just as easily.”

  She turned sideways. At this angle she couldn’t see the clock. “I don’t believe that. God knew just what that kid needed at the moment—a laugh and a dose of reality.” She touched his arm. “That boy needed a Nicky in his life.”

  The lantern dimmed. Rena hit the base with the heel of her hand. She was out of batteries.

  “Don’t let it go out.” China rocked on the camp stool Rena had salvaged from someone’s trash years ago. Her eyes were riveted to the iron door. “You’re sure we can get out of here?” It was the third time she’d asked.

  “I’m sure. I’ve been hiding here since I was twelve.”

  “It’s creepy.” China pointed at the brown streaks. “Is that… blood?”

  “Just paint.” Maybe. Rena picked up her phone and checked the time again. Her palms were wet. Sweat ran down her sides even though the room was cool. China’s rocking was starting to freak her out. She lifted the lantern over her head, trying to make the room seem bigger.

  The far wall was metal, the sides were made of stone blocks. The space was just big enough to stand in. Or stretch out in. Two people could fit on the mattress that now leaned against the wall. Rena wished she didn’t know that.

  “They’re going to kill us.” China let out a chilling moan. Her chest heaved. “I can’t breathe.” She jumped up. Her right hand pressed against her belly. “I have to get out of here.”

  “Sit down. We’re safe. No one knows about this place.” It wasn’t true. Trish knew, but she was gone. Jarod knew, but she was gambling on him not being around, on the Sisters wanting to handle this on their own. The guys didn’t want anything to do with Sister drama. She pulled China’s arm. “Tell me about the baby. Do you feel it move yet?”

  Dark hair brushed China’s shoulders as she shook her head. She sat back down. “My uncle kept telling me to get an abortion. I thought we were going to Walmart one day, and we ended up at a clinic. That’s why I couldn’t stay there.” She laughed, a horror movie kind of sound that gave Rena chills. “Now we’re both going to die.”

  “Stop it! Dani will be here any minute.”

  “She can’t fight a gun. What if they’re waiting outside? I don’t care about me. I don’t want my baby to die. I never saw a dead person until Miguel.” The light flickered and she gasped. Her hand clutched the front of her shirt. “What was it like when your cousin died? Did you see him? Miguel’s eyes were closed, but I heard that sometimes—”

  “Shut up! If you don’t—” Her phone dinged. “That’s Dani.” Her folding chair creaked as she reached for it. Her inhale froze in her throat. The text was from Jarod. I NO WHERE U R.

  “It’s not her, is it? I can tell by the look on your face. Let me see.”

  “She’s almost here.” Rena tightened her grip on her phone and put it behind her back. “Tell me about the baby. What are you going to name it? If it’s a boy will you name it after his daddy?”

  “I’m scared if I do he’d turn out like—” The lantern dimmed, blazed bright, and went out.

  China screamed.

  “It’s okay. We’ve got light from my phone. Here—”

  China lunged for the door. The latch clicked. The door slammed open, echoing like a gunshot as it hit the ground.

  Dani jumped out of the car as Nicky put it into park. “I’ll go get her.” She made herself walk toward the corner. Nicky would try to follow. She stopped and turned back to him. “Will you make us a pizza? Hawaiian? Kids talk when there’s food.”

  He nodded, but she couldn’t take a chance. She whipped around the corner and ran in front of the restaurant and through the grassy area back to the parking lot. Her heart slammed her ribcage, and she couldn’t make her lungs expand enough. The night she’d met Jarod replayed in her head. She plastered her body against the brick and gripped her phone.

  A scream, muffled at first, then loud and hysterical, met her ears. She crept to the corner, straining to see through the shadows. Rena held China against the wall, hand clamped over her mouth. Dani ran toward them.

  “She freaked.” Sweat glistened on Rena’s neck. “She won’t shut up.”

  Grabbing China’s arm, Dani put her face just inches from her ear. “You have to be quiet to protect the baby. This is Miguel’s legacy, you have to—”

  With a violent shake, China wrenched her face from Rena’s hand. “They’re going to—”

  “Let her go.”

  Rena gasped and whirled.

  Jarod stood in a halo of light from the streetlamp, sweatshirt hood pulled over his forehead like the Grim Reaper. His hands were in his pockets. A taller, bulkier boy moved in behind him on one side.

  In the dim light, Rena’s wide eyes suddenly narrowed. “This isn’t your battle Jarod. The Sisters take care of their—”

  Yamile stepped into the larger boy’s shadow. “You disowned the Sisters. How dare you—”

  Footsteps pounded the gravel behind Dani. Nicky? She turned to see three boys, two in hooded sweatshirts, one in a white shirt that glowed against the other two.

  “What you waitin’ for?” the one in the white shirt yelled.

  Jarod pulled his hand from his pocket. It held a gun and it pointed at Rena then slowly turned on China. “I didn’t even have to pull the trigger to kill Miguel.”

  “What are you—”

  “Just had to talk, tell him the truth. Bet I can do the same with you.”

  More footsteps. Too many to count. Leah and Venus burst between the boys who blocked one end of the space between buildings. Another boy, blond, early twenties, strode in behind her.

  Dani slipped out of her shoes. Without looking at her phone, she pressed three buttons, and prayed she got it right.

  Jarod stepped sideways and began to circle. “Nobody’s ever going to want you now with that kid. If I were you I’d just take this gun and—”

  “Are you crazy?” Venus took a step toward him. “She’s pregnant.” Leah shoved her back.

  Dani’s pulse thundered. She caught Rena’s glance at her bare feet and gave a slight nod. Rena grabbed China’s arm and jerked her toward the wall, opening a path between Dani and Jarod.

  The gun cocked.

  Dani leaped. Her foot swung, smacking the inside of his wrist with a crack. The gun dropped. A white package fell from Jarod’s shirt. He swore and charged at her, face contorted with rage. Strong hands grabbed Dani from behind. Shouts erupted around her. Jarod grabbed her face, fingers biting into her skin. A roar, almost inhuman, exploded from behind him. Jarod dropped to his knees.

  Nicky’s hand clutched his neck.

  Sirens blared in the distance. Angry shouts pierced the air.

  A thud sounded in Dani’s ears just before the earth tilted and she slammed the ground.

  CHAPTER 30

  I wasn’t arrested! I’m the one who called the police.”

  “I don’t care.” Mitch tapped the end of his pencil on his desk. “This is the second time the cops have—”

  Dani paced from the window to the corner of Mitch’s desk and back to the window. “The first time doesn’t count. I fell asleep in a car.”

  “I’m sorry. You’re good, your passion comes across in your work, but this time it took you over the edge. I didn’t make the decision, Dani. I’m just following orders.”

  “But the story… I’m getti
ng into their heads. I get what makes them do what they do. People need to hear it.” She put her hand on the window and stared down at men in ties and women in business suits, scurrying along a street that led to stately old homes on one end and dilapidated empty buildings on the other. Laid out in nice, neat grids, her city was a patchwork quilt. Blocks of brilliant color interspersed with worn and tattered squares. She wanted to move the people in the beautiful blocks to care about the ones in the faded patches.

  “It’s not your job.” A rueful laugh bubbled from her gut. Now it’s official. But it never had been. That had been her problem from the start—trying to fix and change and save what only God could do.

  What do I do now, Lord? What’s next?

  Mitch rose from his chair and walked around the end of his desk. Arms overlapping at his waist, he stood beside her. “Remember what I said about separating journalism and social work? As good a writer as you are, I’m not so sure you shouldn’t go back to school for something else. Or maybe join the Peace Corps. Use up all this zeal, and a few years from now, with enough life under your belt, come back and I’ll find a place for you here.”

  Not trusting her voice, Dani nodded, gave her ex-boss a quick hug, and walked out of Mitch Anderson’s office for the last time.

  Evan sat on her desk, drinking her cold coffee. The sight of him brought the tears she’d held at bay. He took one look at her and opened his arms.

  “If I hadn’t tried to save China, if I’d minded my own business or called the cops or…” Sobs swallowed her words. She pressed her face into his shoulder.

  When her tears stopped, she pulled away and mopped her face with her hands. “It’s your fault for encouraging me to rage against society.” She managed a smile. “Jesus was a rule breaker, too, remember?”

  He laughed. “For all the right reasons. Not sure Jesus would have joined a gang just to get a good story.”

  “I didn’t do it just to get a story. I did it to understand. I wanted to get to know those girls and show them there’s a better way. You can’t say Jesus didn’t do that. He joined the human gang for that exact reason.”

  “Wow.” Evan brushed a tear from her chin. “That is so very twisted but so true.” He squeezed her shoulder. “There are far worse crimes than doing the wrong thing for the right reason. You just have to find a way to save the world without landing in jail.”