by Beth Flynn
Almost as if fate was challenging her, a bright-colored sign on her left caught her attention. She swung a quick U-turn without signaling and mouthed an apology to the man behind the wheel of the delivery truck that’d been following her. She pulled into a weathered and pitted parking lot. After finding a spot, she jumped out of her car and practically ran to the front door of a business. The corners of her mouth turned upward as she got closer and saw the OPEN sign. She welcomed the blast of cold air as she entered, glad she had her checkbook with her.
Chapter 6
Two days later, Brooks leaned his hip against the counter at Brooks’ Bait & Tackle. There was a restlessness in his soul that nagged at him. An itch that couldn’t be scratched. A heaviness that didn’t weigh on him but instead left him hollow. Vacant.
Even the homemade cupcakes he’d been cramming into his mouth hadn’t satiated the emptiness in his gut. Or was it his chest cavity where a heart should’ve been? It would be three more days before the ten days he’d mentally allowed Lucy to find him would be up. Three more days that would feel like an eternity. And if she didn’t come to him by then…
He didn’t get a chance to finish the thought.
“What’s your problem, Brooks?” Lewis asked from behind the counter. “I know you have a big man’s appetite, but you’re shoveling them down like you haven’t eaten in a week.”
Ignoring the question, Brooks countered with one of his own. “How come you never shared any of your wife’s baked goods before? After all these years, you never let on she was this good in the kitchen.” He reached for another cinnamon-sugared cupcake and was starting to peel off the wrapper when he noticed a change in the older man’s expression. Lewis slowly backed away from the counter. Away from Brooks. He gulped visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing with trepidation.
“You’re gonna be so pissed, Brooks. Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t even remember until just now. It’s probably nothing, but…” He smacked himself in the head. “Dumbass. I’m a dumbass, Brooks.”
Laying down the treat, Brooks crossed his arms and leaned down, resting his elbows on the counter. “What is it? What am I gonna be pissed about?”
“She might’ve been here. From what I assumed at the time, it wasn’t her, but if it was, I think Marty might’ve scared her off.”
Brook swiftly straightened up.
Lewis swiped his forearm across his sweaty brow. “That is, if it was her, but it probably wasn’t,” he stammered. “I mean, what are the chances that Marty shows up five days after you told me about the woman? And it just so happened that I needed to make the bank deposits that afternoon. Marty offered to watch the place. I know she doesn’t work here anymore, but she knows the place like the back of her hand. I was gone less than twenty minutes, Brooks. Twenty minutes. And when I came back, there was a plate of cupcakes on the counter.”
It was all Brooks could do not to heave his huge body over the counter and go for Lewis’ throat. Lewis had been a valuable and trusted family friend for as long as Brooks could remember, but at that moment, he was Nurse Ratched from the emergency room six years earlier. He was the biker who’d tried to rape Anthony’s woman, Christy. He was the dirtbag who’d given Brooks the finger right before cutting him off and causing him to crash his motorcycle. Basically, he was a combination of every person who’d ever caused not a spark, but a full-blown raging fire in Brooks.
Because he had a history with Lewis, Brooks willed himself to take deep breaths, and after briefly closing his eyes, demanded, “Start at the beginning.”
“Like I said, Marty dropped by unannounced. Said she was in the neighborhood. We were chatting. I told her I had my granddaughter’s recital after work and mentioned I would probably be late to it because I had to hit the bank first. She said she’d watch the place while I made the deposits. That way I could leave here at my regular time and have plenty of time to get to the recital.”
Brooks was still trying to stay calm. His breathing was measured, but he couldn’t hide the dark scowl.
Lewis held up both hands and backed further away. “But, I may be jumping to conclusions. When I got back and asked about the cupcakes, Marty told me a woman showed up asking if you were here and pretending to be your friend.” He took a shaky breath. “You know what Marty thought? Right?”
“That she was one of my regular whores?” Brooks growled.
Lewis shook his head.
“I’m not a fucking psychic, Lewis. What did Marty think?”
Lewis’s shoulders slumped. “That the woman was serving a warrant or a subpoena or something, Brooks.”
“With a tray of fucking cupcakes?” Brooks raged. Two fists, the size of Christmas hams, slammed down on the counter. Lewis jumped back even further, his face beet red. He’d known Brooks since he was a kid. He knew what the man was capable of. He knew not to get on his bad side.
“Marty thought maybe you’d gotten in trouble again, and the woman was just being creative with the cupcakes. Trying to pretend she was really your friend. I didn’t even ask what the woman looked like because Marty’s story was so genuine. She was convinced she was protecting you.”
Brooks scowled. “Why can’t she stay out of my fucking life? I’ve given Marty everything I possibly have to give.”
“Except the only thing she wants,” Lewis meekly replied.
“What? My love?” Brooks asked with a snort and a roll of his eyes.
Lewis nodded. “She’s stuck with you for years, man. Don’t you think she deserves it? Doesn’t she at least deserve a chance?”
Brooks knew that Lewis had always had a soft spot for Marty because he believed that her unwavering love for Brooks would eventually tame the beast. Wasn’t he smart enough to know that nobody could do that? The thoughts only fueled his ire, and Brooks started picking random items up off the counter and chucking them as hard as he could at the refrigerators that contained everything from cold drinks to live bait. With each loud crash, Lewis winced from a safe distance behind the register.
“Fucking woman needs to stay out of my damn life!” Brooks bellowed, as he barged out of the shop, leaving a path of destruction in his wake.
Lewis ran to the other side of the counter, eyeballing the cracked refrigerator glass, the chips and candy kiosks that had been turned over, their contents spewed on the floor. He heard the sound of loud bike pipes and heaved a huge sigh of relief as he shook his head and muttered, “Why so much hate, Brooks? Marty has never done anything but love you.”
Chapter 7
Lucy stood at the end of her bed and folded clothes while using her shoulder to cradle the phone against her ear. “I’ll be back two full days before classes start, Mom. Besides, I already bought my ticket, talked to Lenny about driving by the house a few times to get the mail, and I let everybody who might be expecting to see me know that they won’t be seeing me for almost a month.”
There was a pause in the conversation as Lucy listened to her mother’s response.
“What do you mean who? Like the people where I regularly volunteer. Or Mrs. Candiotti who I always pick up every Monday evening and drop her at her church for bingo. She knows to make other arrangements for a while.” Another pause. “Yes, another cruise. And yes, for a whole month this time. As to why, because it’s the only place I can completely unplug from my life. I’ve done it before. And before you remind me I’ve only gone for a week, this time is different. I really need this time to myself. I’ve become accustomed to my solitary lifestyle so that won’t be a challenge. Especially since Lenny and I now live apart and attend different schools.”
Lucy folded the last of her laundry, and after neatly placing it on her bed, retrieved the phone from her shoulder. “No. Nothing happened to make me want to go for a whole month. I just realized I didn’t take the vacation I’d promised myself this summer, and I’m going to while there’s still time left.” There was a short pause. “No. I’m not asking Lenny this time. Why would I? I can drive myself across Alligator Alley t
o the Port of Miami like I’ve done three times before.” Lucy blew out an agitated breath while her mother asked another question. “You already know the answer to this. No. You won’t know if I get there or if I’m having fun because I can’t call you from the ship. But you’ll know if I don’t show up for my cruise because I carry my identification that lists you and Lenny as my emergency contacts. If something happens between Naples and Miami, you and Lenny will be the first to know. If you aren’t contacted, you can be assured I’m on the ship.” Lucy pushed her glasses up and massaged the bridge of her nose while her mother continued to talk. “For Pete’s sake, Mom, I’m twenty-two. I already have several college degrees under my belt. I’ve lived alone for years. Can you give me a little credit? I’m an adult woman embarking on a much-needed and well-deserved vacation. I’m probably in more danger living here alone than I am driving over the Alley and getting on a cruise ship for a month.”
In an attempt to divert the conversation away from her upcoming trip, Lucy casually mentioned, “So, I met a new neighbor you might find interesting. He’s not really new. I’ve seen him around for most of the summer, but I actually had an opportunity to talk with him when I was at the mailbox and he was walking his dog.”
Lucy patiently listened as her mother once again shared the sad tale of her recent heartbreak. It had been eighteen years since she’d lost her husband and had dated only a handful of suitors since then. They were all nice guys, but she’d been unable to make a connection and determined that maybe a second shot at love wasn’t in the cards for her. That is, until earlier this year when she met someone. She’d literally run into him at the grocery store when their carts collided. And again two weeks later at a paint store. It felt like fate had thrown them together. Through small talk at the paint counter, where their voices competed with the machine that shook the paint cans, she learned his name was Allen and he’d recently moved to Maine from Minnesota. He was the total opposite of what she found attractive, but he had a certain charisma that was hard to deny. He asked her to dinner. She accepted, and a whirlwind romance ensued. Allen had the appearance of a free-spirited hippie who wore his brown shaggy hair long and his beard down to the center of his chest. When he wasn’t working, his preferred garb consisted of tie-dyed T-shirts, Bermuda shorts, and sandals. He was always smiling, the laugh lines around his eyes evidence of his jovial personality. He may have looked like a hippie, but he wasn’t a slacker. He worked construction by day and strummed his guitar by night to candlelight and incense. Lucy’s mother had fallen hard and confided to her children that even though Allen had been living with her for less than two months, she thought a marriage proposal may be on the horizon.
The twins had been stunned that their mother would not only invite a man to move into her home, but that she would consider marrying someone they hadn’t even met. So a trip had been planned for a proper introduction to the person who’d captivated their mother’s heart. And just as quickly as it had blossomed, it completely fell apart.
Lucy clearly remembered the day her mother called, sobbing so uncontrollably her words were unintelligible. Unbeknownst to her, Allen had a roving eye. Almost immediately after moving in, he started having an affair with a single neighbor who lived in the rental house across the street. She was an attractive twenty-eight-year-old who worked in law enforcement and had only been living in the neighborhood for less than six months before Allen came along. Lucy’s mother had been clueless about the affair.
It was a Tuesday morning, and she’d been scheduled for minor outpatient surgery. Allen had assured her he would be waiting for her when she was finished. But he wasn’t. She’d sat in the waiting room, at first assuming he’d run some errands and lost track of the time. Minutes turned into an hour. She called the house, hoping he’d stopped there for something and got waylaid. Finally, after two hours, she called a cab. Upon returning home, she found his belongings gone and a note explaining everything. He was even apologetic. But, there was no comfort in his honesty or apology. She was still hurting and couldn’t even dredge up any sympathy for the landlord of the rental house who’d been stiffed on the woman’s lease and had been visiting neighbors to see if anybody had become familiar enough with her to get a forwarding address.
Since she’d heard the same story every time they spoke, Lucy had been listening with only half an ear. She was now sitting on the edge of her bed, rearranging her most prized possessions. Handmade generic versions of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Her father had them specially crafted for her and Lenny, and they were so well done they could easily be mistaken for the real dolls. They were the last presents they’d received from him, and she’d inherited Lenny’s doll when he was old enough to consider it too girlie for his room. Early on she’d named them Sam and Sally.
Her mother’s long dissertation finally came to an end, and Lucy wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t, and could only hope she wouldn’t be carrying the pain of her hero’s betrayal for as long as her mother had been mourning Allen’s.
“I agree, Mom. You’d think someone who worked in law enforcement would have a better head on her shoulders, but look at how he wooed you. And yes, she was a lot younger than Allen, but lots of women are attracted to older men. Truth be told, my neighbor, Brad, is pretty hot and I think he’s old enough to be my father.”
Lucy stood and went to her closet, and once again cradling the phone against her shoulder, she sifted through her wardrobe for anything she might’ve missed when making the list of clothes she wanted to bring.
“I’m not setting you up on a blind date, Mom. I just think it would be nice if I introduced you to him on your next visit. Brad is a widower and an accountant. Like Dad.”
She paused, this time rolling her eyes at what her mother was saying. “I know Dad was a tax attorney. But you also told me he was an accountant first and didn’t go to law school until after you were married. And I don’t know how Brad’s wife died. But it was strange. I got the impression it wasn’t from an accident or a disease.” She took a breath, wanting to approach the subject gently. “I felt like it was something along the lines of how we lost Dad. He hasn’t said much, which only adds to the mystery.” She carried two outfits and laid them on her bed. With her hands now free, she clutched the phone and added, “I don’t know that for sure. I told you, it’s just a feeling I got.”
She walked to her dresser and opened a drawer, rifling through it. “And I think Brad would be more your type. He’s very clean-cut, rather handsome too. He even has a cool British accent. He wears wire-rimmed glasses, always dresses nice even when walking his dog. He did mention he travels a lot for his job, and he boards his dog at that place where your friend used to work. I can’t remember the name now. Anyway, just think about coming down when it’s cooler and I’ll figure out how to make an introduction. Okay?”
After more gentle encouragement and reassurances to her mother that she was quite capable of taking a solitary month-long vacation, Lucy hung up the phone and decided to allow herself the luxury of a bubble bath. Minutes later, with her hair piled on top of her head and her glasses perched on the edge of the tub, she let the soothing warmth of the water and the sweet aroma of peaches and cream pacify her own emotional anguish. Ever since that horrid woman at the bait shop had crushed her heart, Lucy had to battle a downward spiral. Even after booking the cruise, she’d had to fight the urge to let depression seep in. But, if she were going to be honest with herself, just like she couldn’t hold her mother responsible for having an overprotective maternal instinct, she couldn’t hold the mean woman responsible for Brooks’ betrayal. If that’s even his real name, she hmphed to herself.
Brooks. The man who’d pretended to be her champion.
Brooks. The man who’d fraudulently lifted her spirits and given her a hope she’d only dreamt about.
Brooks. The man who’d murdered four people.
Chapter 8
Brooks now had no doubt that Lucy would not be looking for him. At least
not again. Marty had seen to that. She’d probably run Lucy off on purpose, but not for the reason she’d told Lewis. Damn her. Seven days wasted since he’d seen Lucy at the restaurant. And he couldn’t get her out of his head. If he was going to be honest with himself, Lucy had been in there since their encounter at the E.R. six years ago. Safely tucked away like a delicate creature hidden and protected from the darker elements of his nature. There was only an iota of space in his brain that emitted less than a spark of light. That was where the memory of Lucy had lived. After that initial meeting, he’d gone back to the emergency room. He’d planned on pretending to play nice until Nurse Ratched answered his questions about the young woman who’d helped him that afternoon. Lucky for her, she’d been fired the same day he’d been admitted. Lucky because after she gave up Lucy’s identity, Brooks planned on smashing her face into the desk. He wasn’t an abuser of women. Never had been. But Nurse Ratched was one bitch he’d jump off that wagon for.
