Secrets In The Shadows

by T. L. Haddix

  “Mommy?” Ava’s puzzled voice sounded from the door, where she and Josie stood. “Why is Charlie wearing a pie?”

  Ashamed of her behavior, but still furious, Lauren cleared her throat. Before she could answer, David spoke.

  “Josie, would you mind taking Ava to the bookstore for a few minutes?”

  “Um, no. That’s probably a good idea.” Josie sent her a sympathetic smile and ushered a still-curious Ava out the door.

  Her ex-husband looked at each of them in turn, his gaze resting on Lauren. “Want to explain this?”

  She shook her head. “Not particularly.”

  He looked at Charlie. “You?”

  “Nothing to explain.”

  “Uh-huh. And you probably have a bridge you’d like to sell me.” David sighed. “Am I correct in assuming that you’re the Charlie who is Win and Molly’s new neighbor?”

  Charlie nodded.

  “I don’t think I want to know what you did to make her that mad. As long as he hasn’t hurt or bothered you?” he asked Lauren.

  “He doesn’t bother me in the least.”

  Eyebrows raised, David nodded. “I can tell. Okay, then.” When she narrowed her eyes at him, he held up his hands. “Just an observation.”

  She addressed Charlie. “I guess you want an apology.”

  He shook his head. “No, ma’am. All I want is the restaurant’s order so I can get the hell out of here.”

  Janet came back out in time to hear that statement, and David caught her eye. “Lauren and I are going to take a walk. Can you take care of this gentleman?”

  “I think I’d better. Go on, boss lady. Get some fresh air.”

  With a low growl, Lauren stomped out from behind the counter and headed for the front door. She waited for traffic to clear and crossed the street to the park, walking fast. David had to hurry to catch her. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything immediately, just let her walk. When she finally slowed, he gently touched her arm.

  “You okay?”

  To her horror, she felt tears prick her eyes. “No. Oh, my God, I can’t believe I did that. What’s wrong with me?”

  Leading her to a picnic table, David sat her down. Sitting beside her, he took her hand and rubbed it, much like her father would. To her surprise, he was smiling.

  “What’s so funny? I just attacked a customer with a pie!”

  “I know. And he happens to be this fabulous guy Ava couldn’t stop talking about all week. She told us that Win thinks he’s ‘a good prospect.’ You can imagine the explanation we had to come up with to cover that one.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled back her hand. “Please. As if I’d even consider that overbearing, pompous lout.”

  His smile widened. “You just keep protesting. I’m not buying it. Why’d you get so upset?”

  She sighed. “He insulted me. Said I had a collection of men.”

  David’s smile dimmed. “He doesn’t know you very well, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

  “No, he doesn’t. And he isn’t likely to ever get the chance, now. Just because he saw me on a date the other night, and I happened to be talking to Travis Tyler when he came in to pick up his order. That’s not a collection.”

  “It isn’t, but if he’s jealous, he might not be exactly rational.”

  She shook her head. “Can we talk about something else? Please?”

  It was David’s turn to groan. “Yeah, but I’m afraid you won’t like the topic.” Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his legs, hands loosely clasped between his knees. He looked away, across the street toward the bookstore where Josie and Ava were shopping, and took a deep breath.

  “I ran into Rob Vernon the other day. He had some information, something he wanted me to pass on to you. Carl and Mary Margaret are back. Rob thought you should know.” He let her absorb the information. When the silence stretched to a couple of minutes, he glanced at her.

  Seeing his concern, Lauren sighed. “Why’d he come to you? He could have just called me.”

  “We’ve kept in touch over the years, and I guess he was more comfortable coming to me. He also asked me about looking into his father’s past. He wants to make sure there aren’t more victims out there, but he wanted me to run it by you first, to see how you feel about the whole thing.” Watching her closely, he sat back on the bench.

  “How do I feel about it? That’s a good question. And you’re right, I’d almost prefer the other topic.”

  Rob, Margie’s older brother, was the person largely responsible for Lauren escaping as unscathed as she did that summer. Kicking a loose stone with the tip of her foot, she blew out a breath. “What do you think? About looking into his past, I mean? Do you think it would do any good? I know we discussed it before, but there always seemed to be more potential for harm than good.”

  David was a police officer in New Salem, Indiana, a fairly large city across the river from Louisville, Kentucky. Even though he was her ex-husband and some might accuse her of being biased, Lauren knew that David was a good cop, and she respected his opinion. When he didn’t answer right away, she realized there was something more. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I think looking at Carl wouldn’t hurt. If there are other victims out there, they have a right to be heard. Apparently, he’s dying.” He didn’t cushion his words. “He has end-stage renal disease, and Rob said he probably only has a few weeks to live, at the outside. If anything is going to be done, it has to be now.”

  Lauren was shocked. She hadn’t expected to find out that Carl was terminally ill. “There’s nothing that can be done now about what he did to me. As for Margie, who knows? No one in the family’s even heard from her since she left. To be honest, I don’t even know whether she’s still alive or not.” Shaking her head, she looked away, trying to hold on to her composure. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. After a minute, she opened them, and looked at David.

  “I know the statistics, probably as well as you do. I’ve done the research. I know that a sexual predator like him doesn’t just stop. I don’t know, David. I need to think about it. Can I let you know?”

  “Absolutely. Just make sure you keep in mind that he’s a dying man. Your time may be limited if you want legal retribution.” Seeing Josie and Ava leave the bookstore, they stood and moved to cross the street. Waiting for the traffic to clear, Lauren tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Have you mentioned any of this to Josie?”

  “No, I haven’t. It’s not my secret to tell.”

  Lauren touched his arm. “Thank you for that. I think you should tell her, though. She needs to know about it.”

  “All of it? Are you sure?”

  They crossed the street. “All of it. And yes, I’m sure.” They caught up to Josie and Ava, who had stopped to wait for them. Seeing her daughter holding a book tightly to her chest, Lauren smiled. “What did you find?”

  Ava showed her, and Lauren smoothed a hand over her hair, pulling her close for a hug.

  “Daddy, we need to get my stuff. Don’t forget.”

  He smiled. “Why don’t you and I do that, then, kiddo?” David took her hand and they walked to Josie’s van.

  Josie and Lauren went inside the Brown Bag. Josie touched her hand. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “I am. I just really lost my temper. I’m sorry you had to see that, by the way.”

  Josie studied her. “He has to be very special, or very bad for you to be that angry. Which is it?”

  Thinking again how lucky they all were that David had brought the warm and vivacious teacher into the family, Lauren pulled her in for a quick embrace. “I’m glad you’re my daughter’s stepmother. Have I told you that?”

  “Not lately. I guess you aren’t going to answer the question?”

  Lauren’s smile was rueful, and she lowered her voice as David and Ava came into the café. “I don’t know what he is.”

  They stayed for a few more minutes bef
ore David glanced at his watch. “We need to head home. Ava, take care of your mom. Don’t let her throw any more pies, okay?”

  Ava threw her arms around his neck when he picked her up. “I’ll try, Daddy.” He put her down and she leaned into Josie, hugging her tightly. She placed a kiss on Josie’s rounded tummy, causing all the adults to grin. “Take care, baby.” The couple was expecting their first child in a few months.

  Once they’d gone, Ava looked up at Lauren. “When are you going to have me a baby brother or sister, Mommy?”

  Lauren was taken aback. “I don’t know, honey. It’s not as simple as me just having another baby.”

  “I know that.” She set her pink backpack down in one of the booths, unzipping it to put the new book inside. “First you gotta get married to Charlie. So get on with it, would you? I’m not getting any younger here. And you probably shouldn’t throw anything else at him, not if you want him to like you.”

  Lauren could feel her mouth hanging open but couldn’t seem to find the words to respond. Giving up, she just laughed and ruffled her daughter’s hair.

  “I’ve missed you, Ava-bear.” Shaking her head, she directed her daughter toward the back of the restaurant. It was time to head home and get ready for dinner at her parents’ house. She hoped Ava wouldn’t mention the pie incident or her newfound desire for another sibling to her grandparents. That would bring up questions Lauren didn’t want to answer.

  Chapter Nine

  The air was breezy and cool that evening as Lauren sat with her parents on their stone patio watching Ava play. Molly had gone inside to get her a sweater, and while she was inside, Lauren took the opportunity to ask her father what was going on with Charlie.

  “Nothing, as far as I know,” Winston replied. “Why?”

  She hesitated. “He was just a little snarky when he came into the shop today, that’s all. I wondered if you knew anything. Is that like him, to be moody?”

  “Not at all. I’d say it’s out of character, if anything.” Winston eyed the dark house next door, clearly concerned. “Just about the only time I’ve seen the boy snub up is when his father is mentioned. Think maybe that’s what was going on?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not really important, though.”

  Molly came back out with the sweater. Calling Ava up to the patio, she buttoned the child into the sweater, and sent her back out to play. The little girl was having a blast, chasing lightning bugs to put in a jar.

  “What’s not really important?” Molly asked and sank back down onto the double chaise with Winston. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

  “Nothing. But I do need to talk to you guys about something.” She filled them in on her conversation with David. “I guess it really was Mary Margaret that I saw last weekend.” She grimaced, forgetting that her father had not been told about the incident in the park.

  “Excuse me?” Holding up his hand, Winston stopped Lauren before she could answer. “What I want to know is why the hell you didn’t mention you thought you’d seen that woman? I take it you knew about this?” he asked Molly. She nodded, and he looked away. They could see the muscles in his jaw clench. “What happened?”

  Lauren told him about seeing someone who looked like Mary Margaret across the park. “We didn’t want to upset you, Daddy. There was no need unless it really was her.”

  Molly spoke, her voice quiet. “I couldn’t get up with Shannon. She’s in Jamaica this week with Earl.”

  “That’s okay. We know what we wanted to know, anyhow.”

  Winston growled. “What are you going to do? Are you going to have David investigate?”

  Lauren ran her hands through her hair, holding the ends tightly. She rested her elbows on her upraised knees. “I’m torn. I don’t want Carl to go unpunished, to walk away scot-free, but at the same time, I have Ava to think of. I don’t want to drag all this up again and have to explain it to her. I just don’t know. David said he won’t do anything unless I want him to.”

  They all sat quietly for a few minutes, watching Ava scamper around the backyard, innocent and happy. She ran up to the patio, her face lit by a wide smile.

  “Mommy, I want to show you something.” Grabbing Lauren’s hand, she cajoled, “Come look? Please?” Sending a troubled glance at her parents, Lauren allowed herself to be led down into the yard.

  ~ * * * ~

  As Molly and Winston watched her go, his arm tightened around her shoulders. “I want to kill the bastard, Mol. He hurt our little girl, and he needs to pay.”

  When she heard the pain in her husband’s voice, Molly closed her eyes against the tears that threatened. “We can’t let Ava see how upset we are, Win. I know you want to kill him. Do you think I don’t? I’d like to spend five minutes alone with him in a room with a very dull knife, but we have to leave this up to Lauren.” She cupped his cheek. “Do you think I don’t know why she avoids men? She makes excuses, but she hasn’t been the same since he attacked her. All we can do is advise and support her. We have to let her make the decisions. If she’s ever going to come to terms with what he did, she has to get there on her own.”

  He pulled her close for a brief, hard kiss, then tucked her head into his shoulder as they watched their daughter and granddaughter come back up to the patio. Ava ran into the house, waving as she went.

  Lauren smiled, weariness showing on her face. “The girl doesn’t walk anywhere. God, I feel old, watching her.” Pulling a stool close, she sat down and reached out to both of them. When they had taken her hands, she squeezed tightly.

  “Daddy, I want you to promise me you won’t do anything. I need to handle this on my own. Okay?”

  After a slight hesitation, he agreed. “Okay. I promise I’ll let you handle it, but you promise me something. You promise that you’ll come to us if you need us, alright?”

  “I will. You know I will.”

  When Ava came back out of the house, Lauren stood and held out her hand to her daughter. “You ready to head home, Ava-bear?” Though she shook her head ‘no,’ Ava clung tiredly to Lauren’s leg. Molly held her arms open and Ava went to her for a quick cuddle, then crawled over her lap into Winston’s for a bear hug.

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.” After placing their granddaughter on her feet, Winston and Molly both stood and followed Ava and Lauren through the house. Lauren looked back at her parents.

  “What time do you want me to drop Ava off tomorrow?” Lauren asked when they reached the front door. Molly and Winston planned to take Ava to the movies, followed by a sleepover.

  Molly touched Lauren’s arm. “Any time after lunch should be fine. Don’t forget about Sunday, though. We’re supposed to be at the bowling alley by noon to set up for your father’s birthday party.”

  “Are you sure bowling and a cookout aren’t too much activity?” Lauren asked her father and kissed him on the cheek. “After all, it was only a few weeks ago you were flat on your back in a hospital bed.”

  “I’m fine. Doc Hudson said I could resume normal activities, and that included bowling. Yes, I asked,” he said before she could say anything. He shook his head at her. “Little mother hen. You just make sure my cake is ready. A birthday party isn’t any fun without a cake.” They all laughed, and Ava tugged on Lauren’s sleeve.

  “Is Charlie coming?” she whispered. “To the ’sprise party?”

  “I don’t know.” Molly nodded, and Lauren groaned.

  “I thought you liked Charlie.” Molly was perplexed. “I can’t really call and tell him not to come. It would be rude.”

  “She does like him. She threw a whole pie at him earlier.”

  Molly blinked, then looked at Winston, who scowled. “Who threw a pie at Charlie, Ava? Your mom?”

  The little girl nodded. “Butterscotch.”

  Lauren cleared her throat. “It’s a long story. We’d better go. See you tomorrow.” Herding Ava out the door with a wave, she didn’t give her parents a chance to ask any more ques
tions.

  ~ * * * ~

  Closing the door, Molly turned the locks. She faced Winston pressing her back against the wood. “What was that all about?”

  “Not sure.” He stood close with a thoughtful frown on his face. “I’ll bet that’s the ‘not important’ she was talking about earlier. Apparently he came in the shop today with a little bit of an attitude.”

  “That’s not like Charlie. Think something’s wrong?” She pulled him closer.

  “I’m sure they’ll figure it out.” He took his hands out of his pockets and placed them on the door behind his wife.

  Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with his collar. “You know they’re attracted to each other?”

  He moved a hand to her neck but stilled at her words. “Who? Lauren and Charlie?” When her smile widened and she nodded, he swore under his breath. “But she’s just a baby. And he’s—no, you’re wrong. As much as I tease him, Charlie’s my friend. He wouldn’t move in on my little girl.”

  She laughed and tightened her grasp, shaking her head at him. “Winston Taylor, your daughter’s an adult, and Charlie Clark is a lot closer to her age than he is to yours. Whether he’s your friend or not, he’s attracted to her. Why shouldn’t they be interested in each other?”

  When his frown turned into a scowl, she grew serious. “Win, they’re both damaged people. They’ve both been hurt, severely, by people they trusted. I think they could help each other heal.”

  With a sigh, he slid his arms around her waist and rested his head against hers. “She’s still my little girl.”

  “She’ll always be your little girl. That won’t change when you’re ninety years old and she has grandchildren of her own.” She leaned back in his arms. “Let’s go to bed, Grandpa. We’ve got a full day ahead of us, and I’m tired.”

  Touching her face with his hands, he pressed a gentle but thorough kiss to her lips, a sparkle entering his gaze. “How tired?”