The Secret of St Claire

by Robin Alexander

  “Good God.” Nicole ran a shaking hand through her hair before she slowly opened her door while Lindsay walked up the brick steps and knocked loudly on the door. Nicole watched from where she hid behind the front fender. Lindsay appeared to be slightly nervous as she bounced from foot to foot, making Nicole’s insides turn to jelly. They were so far out in the sticks that if the old woman came out firing, no one would ever hear the shots. She rubbed her hands together, wondering when someone would finally come to look for them if they didn’t return. Nicole had to resist the urge to throw herself on the ground when the large front door swung open.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Crantz,” Lindsay yelled.

  A slight woman stood in the doorway wearing a pair of khaki pants with a neatly pressed brown blouse tucked into them. On her feet, she wore what looked like a brown pair of riding boots. A shotgun with the barrel open lay in the crook of her right arm. She carried it like most women would a purse. “Lindsay, girl, what are you doing here and who the hell is that by your truck?” Dark eyes beneath a head of pure white hair pulled back in a beret stared coldly in Nicole’s direction.

  “That’s the new vet, Dr. Gary’s replacement. You have an appointment, remember?”

  “She looks like one of those minxes on the front of a JC Penney’s catalog.” Ruby Crantz shook her head in disapproval. “Come in.”

  Lindsay waved Nicole over. The walk felt like an eternity. Nicole wished they could just climb back into the truck and go screaming back to town. There she would pick up her car and leave the house and business in her dust and exhaust fumes.

  “Remember she’s hard of hearing, so you’re gonna have to yell,” Lindsay said from where she stood behind Ruby. She stepped forward and screamed loudly. “Mrs. Crantz, this is Dr. Nicole Allen.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Crantz,” Nicole said with a nervous smile as her gaze darted to the shotgun.

  “How old are you?” Ruby looked Nicole up and down.

  “Thirty-eight.”

  “How long have you been a vet?”

  Nicole straightened and held her chin up. “Thirteen years.”

  Ruby didn’t reply; instead, she stared at Nicole so long that Lindsay had to intervene. “I had to take Peepers in to see her the other day. The McCreedy boys got a hold of him, and he was in bad shape. Dr. Allen took real good care of him, and he’s back home with Alexis.”

  “Inbred little bastards. You need to get one of these.” Ruby held up the shotgun. “Fill their narrow asses full of rock salt a time or two, and you won’t have any more problems.”

  Lindsay grinned. “I may do just that.”

  “I ain’t joking, girl.” Ruby turned and walked inside. “Come on in. Mind your step.”

  The foyer was massive, and the walls were lined with boxes that were a good two to three feet above Nicole’s head. As far as she could tell, most were unopened and filled with things like TVs, scooters, and electronics of every kind. Perched on top were several cats that watched her curiously as she passed. “It looks like Best Buy exploded in here,” Nicole said softly as they walked into the den. There were six large-screen TVs mounted on the walls, each one hooked to a recorder and playing something different. DVDs filled every nook and cranny in the room.

  “I’ve got two male cats that need fixing, and Stickers has a torn dewclaw that I want removed. Do the other one while you have him down.” Ruby motioned for them to follow.

  Lindsay grinned and winked as she waved Nicole on ahead of her. They walked down another long and cluttered hall to a door leading outside. The fenced-in area was filled with dog toys and Dogloos of all sizes. “This is the dogs’ play area. Right now, the groomer is giving them all a bath and a trim. Stickers has dry skin, so don’t wash him while he’s in your care. My man is almost done. He’ll be out in a minute.”

  Nicole nodded when Ruby narrowed her eyes, then yelled, “I understand. How many dogs do you have?”

  “Nine.” Ruby wagged a finger in Nicole’s face. “Now don’t you be giving me any disapproving looks, girl. They’re well fed and well taken care of. Look around this yard. Do you see any shit?”

  Nicole shook her head.

  “That’s right. I have a man that keeps those dogs from stepping in their own crap. Got a mountain of shit on the back of my property, but their area is clean. I’ve seen animal hoarders on TV, and I’m here to tell you I ain’t one of them.” Ruby stuck her finger in Nicole’s face again. “You got that?”

  Shotgun or not, Nicole was quickly growing tired of the attitude and the finger being wagged in her face. “You’ve made your point.”

  Ruby narrowed her eyes for a moment, then turned. “Be right back.”

  Lindsay scuffed at the ground with her shoe. “I think she likes you.”

  “I think she’s got distemper. She did say she had a mountain of shit in her yard. Maybe it’s seeping into her water supply.” Nicole looked at the building that Ruby had entered. There were at least five dog doors lining one wall.

  “That’s the Taj Mahal for dogs. Their beds are nicer than mine, and the rooms are heated and cooled.”

  Nicole looked back at Lindsay. “Rooms?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Lindsay said with a laugh. “They all have their own rooms, and they’re decorated.”

  “Do they have TVs, too?”

  Lindsay nodded, then they turned toward the building when a door slammed. Stickers looked as though he was a mixture of every dog breed known to humankind. His wiry brown and red fur stood out at odd angles, even though he’d just been bathed and groomed. Ruby walked up and handed Nicole the leash. Stickers sat and looked up at her. Nicole held her hand out, and he gave it a sniff before giving it a few licks.

  “He likes you. That’s a good sign, minx. Stickers is an excellent judge of character. Had he shied away from you, I’d be running your ass out of here right now.” Ruby waved her hand. “Come along.”

  Inside, she rounded up two cats, which she referred to as Orange and Gray, and stuffed them into a carrier together. “They both need to be neutered. They’re up to date on their shots. You can check Gary’s records if you don’t believe me.” Ruby spoke softly to the mewling cats and straightened. “When can I expect them back?”

  “Day after tomorrow,” Nicole said loudly.

  Ruby nodded. “Good enough.” She looked at Lindsay. “Go into the foyer and get yourself a TV. Get one for your mom, too. Minx, go help her. I’ll get the animals.”

  *******

  Nicole reached back and petted Stickers, who was lying on the backseat. Lindsay was moving even slower than she had when they came in because there were two extremely large flat-screen TVs in the back of the truck. “I cannot believe she just gave you those TVs. They had to cost hundreds of dollars.”

  Lindsay held up a finger. “But you don’t argue, remember?”

  “Was it a bribe or something? What does she expect in return?”

  “Ruby’s old. She can’t do many things for herself anymore. She’s had to hire someone to care for the animals. Someone has to come in and clean her house and maintain her yard. There was a time she did it all by herself. I think the gifts are her way of maintaining control. She gives things so extravagant that you feel beholden in a way, but she never calls in the favor.” Lindsay grimaced as she navigated the truck through a deep rut. “When I’ve had to deliver things to her, she tripled the delivery fee. I made the mistake of contesting that one time, and she tore into me so bad, I almost ran back into town.”

  “I can’t let her triple my fee, that’s not right. I don’t want to take advantage of anyone.” Nicole lowered her voice. “I’m not my brother.”

  “I heard that.” Lindsay glanced over at Nicole, who stared out the passenger’s window.

  “I love my dad and brother, but they’re never satisfied. Dad had to have the largest clinic in town. We clashed constantly when I worked for him. When my brother took over, he opened up four more just as large. Dad was never around when we were
growing up because he could not stop himself from working. Brian, my brother, is worse.” Nicole shrugged. “I should be grateful because Dad put me through school. I never had to worry about student loans, but we didn’t get to know each other until recently. Brian is following in his footsteps. I don’t think he’s ever attended even one of his children’s birthday parties.”

  “Ah, that’s why you’re content with a practice in this podunk town.”

  “That’s right. It’ll always be just me unless I’m forced to bring in another vet, but according to Gary and his financials, enlarging will probably never be necessary. I want to be able to pay my bills, sock some money away for retirement, and live life.”

  “It’s gonna be a quiet life. You’ve really moved to nowheresville.”

  “You don’t like it here?” Nicole turned and looked at Lindsay.

  “Not always. I like raising Alexis in a small town where I know everyone, it makes me feel safer. But I don’t want to stay single for the rest of my life, either. As it stands, I’m gonna have to wait until she goes off to college before I can move somewhere that I can meet new people. If you want romance in your life, you’re going to have to travel because every man in this town is either married or…just gross.”

  “Suits me fine. I’m not looking for a man.”

  Lindsay glanced at Nicole. “Don’t tell people that around here. They’ll think you’re a lesbian, then you’ll be run out of town. You can be a drunk, cheat, or vandal, but you can’t be queer.”

  “Is that why you want to move?”

  Lindsay swerved and nearly ran into the woods. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “Because you said ‘meet new people,’ not meet a single man. My kind picks up on that sort of thing.”

  Lindsay pulled to an abrupt stop when they came to the highway. “Your kind?” She refused to meet Nicole’s eye.

  Nicole folded her arms. “I’m a lesbian, and I really don’t care who knows. People are still going to have to bring their animals to me because I’m the only vet for eighty miles. I don’t care if they don’t like me.”

  “I went to high school with a girl who had that same attitude. The people in this town harassed her so much, she moved to New Orleans, and her family disowned her. If you like living here, don’t tell people who you really are, and for heaven’s sake, don’t tell my mother.”

  “Rose doesn’t really strike me as the hating kind. Granted I only just met her, but I don’t get that vibe.”

  “Trust me on this.” Lindsay’s hand shook as she reached for the gearshift. “Tell everyone you have a broken heart or a communicable disease, but don’t tell them the truth.” She popped the clutch, obviously forgetting about the TVs in the back of the truck, and sped off.

  “Am I being naïve by asking if this is going to change our friendship?”

  “I like you, but you’re going to make things very hard on me if you jump out of the closet. I know that sounds mean, but I’m not willing to do anything that’s going to cause my child to be chastised. It’s hard enough living in a place where everyone knows your business. Kids repeat things their parents say. Alexis came home from school on several occasions after other kids told her I had an affair, and that’s why Mike and I were getting a divorce.”

  Lindsay’s voice shook as she spoke, and Nicole decided to let the subject drop.

  Chapter Six

  “How’d it go at Ruby’s?” Rose looked up from the pot she was stirring on the stove as Lindsay came into her kitchen.

  “It went fine.” Lindsay opened the refrigerator door. “You didn’t make a fresh pitcher of iced tea by any chance, did you?”

  “It’s right here on the counter. I’m letting the sugar melt before I set it to cool in the fridge. There’s plenty of ice.” Lindsay dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, then poured the tea into another glass. Rose watched her out of the corner of her eye. “Are you going to drink that hot?”

  The glass was almost at Lindsay’s lips before she’d realized what she had done. “Not paying attention, I guess.” She poured the tea into the glass with ice. “Ruby sent you a gift.”

  “Bless her heart. What is it this time—another stereo?”

  “No, a flat-screen TV that will take up most of your living room wall.” Lindsay sat wearily at the kitchen table and grinned when her mother dropped the spoon into the spaghetti sauce and splashed the stove and wall.

  “I’ve got to call her tonight.” Rose wiped up the mess with a cloth. “Maybe I can come up with a way to tell her that such gifts aren’t necessary. I hate the idea that she thinks we come expecting. She and her family have been good to us enough already.”

  “You were the one who told me not to argue, just accept the gift graciously.”

  Rose turned to Lindsay. “Yes, but that’s when she was giving out things like boxes of candy or scarves, not expensive electronics.”

  “Well, if there’s anyone who can talk some sense into her, it’s you. I wish you luck. Is Alexis at Mary Beth’s?”

  “She is. I told her she could play until the streetlights came on.” Rose poured herself a glass of tea and joined Lindsay at the table. “You’re not going to believe this, but at one time, Ruby Crantz was demure and soft spoken.”

  “How old was she—three or four?”

  Rose swatted Lindsay on the arm playfully, then she stared off into space deep in thought. “I think the change came about sometime in her forties. She was a social person. She and Ira would come into town for all the festivals. Sometimes, your father and I would have breakfast with them at T-John’s. One day, she came into the store nearly in tears, said she overheard some women talking about her. One of them was Mary Berthalot. Up until that day, they’d been friends, but she heard Mary say Ruby was a privileged brat and didn’t know a thing about real life.” Rose shook her head. “I remember Ruby saying that no matter what she did or how nice she was to people, they’d always stab her in the back. She stopped coming into town, and when I went out to see her, Ruby had become the foul-mouthed, take-no-prisoners woman you know today.”

  “She pulls no punches.” Lindsay shrugged. “I kind of like that about her when she’s not chewing my butt cheeks.”

  “She got her feelings hurt, and she’s never forgiven. It’s made her bitter.” Rose reached over and laid her hand over Lindsay’s. “Most of the people in this town are well meaning. They’re human, they gossip, blow off steam saying ugly things they really don’t mean, us included. But we can’t stop living our lives just to keep their tongues from wagging.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  Rose shook her head. “Nothing, just giving advice. We just have to live our lives and be happy with who we are because Ruby was right—people are going to talk regardless.”

  Lindsay wondered as she stared down at her mother’s hand atop hers if Rose could read her thoughts. Perhaps it was because she was an only child and her mother had time to pay attention to her moods, like she did Alexis’s. But at that moment, she felt like Rose had clearly seen into her brain and all the insecurities that lay hidden there.

  Rose patted her hand as she stood and walked back over to her cooking. “Why don’t you invite Nicole over for dinner tomorrow night? She doesn’t strike me as the kind that will just show on an open invitation. She needs something formal.”

  Lindsay continued to stare at her own hand. “Tuesday maybe, not tomorrow I want to be a bum. On Mondays, Alexis brings home her assignments for the week. Let me gauge how much homework she’s going to have before we bring in a distraction.”

  “She does seem rather enamored with Nicole.” Rose filled a pot with water and set it to boil for the pasta. “She’s a very pretty woman. That’s not going to endear her to the women of St. Claire. They’re not going to like their husbands showing her any interest. She’s going to need another single female ally, a friend.” Rose looked over her shoulder. “And, honey, you do, too.”

  *******

  “So Justin
Bieber spurred his white steed and lifted his sword high with a battle cry that made the mountains shake. The great dragon’s eyes widened as he saw the fury in the young man’s gaze. Justin was on him before he could react, riding his horse straight up the tail of the beast. He launched himself into the air and drove the sword deep into the dragon’s back, and all the magic stored inside rushed out like a mighty wind. The dragon deflated like a plain ol’ balloon.

  “Justin raised his face to the high tower where Princess Alexis waited to be rescued. ‘Wait for me but one more moment, my one true love,’ Justin said with a hand over his armored chest, then scaled the wall. When at last he was face to face with the princess he’d seen in all his dreams, his heart swelled with love. He took the princess into his arms and placed the sweetest of kisses upon her lips.”

  “Eww, no, Momma. No kissing. He can take me down from the tower and ride me on his horse, but I don’t want him kissing me.”

  “I like that, and I can work with it.” Lindsay nodded. “Justin approached the princess and went down on one knee. ‘We’ll take my horse to freedom, and you can drive,’ he said to the princess and gave her a fist bump.”

  Alexis pumped her fist. “Sweet, now that’s more like it.”

  Lindsay bent down and kissed Alexis on the cheek. “I’m glad you enjoyed the tale of Princess and the Bieber. Now it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

  “Good night, Mom. Love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetie,” Lindsay said from the doorway and reached to switch off the light.

  “Amanda Stanton’s parents are getting a divorce, too.”

  Lindsay’s hand froze in midair. “Where did you hear that from?”

  “Amanda told me. She said she heard them fighting, and they were saying they were gonna get a divorce. Everybody at school’s talking about it.”

  Lindsay walked over to Alexis’s bed and sat. “Is Amanda okay?”

  Alexis shrugged and put her hands behind her head. “She doesn’t cry or anything. She says she’s just tired of the fighting because she and her sister have to go to bed when her parents start yelling at each other.”