Heavenly Stranger

by Tina Wainscott

  He stopped abruptly, and she bumped into him. He steadied her but dropped his hands. “How could you sleep with me knowing I’d killed someone?”

  “Because I don’t believe you did.” She tugged on his arm as he started up the companionway. “No one has to know. Barnie won’t tell. You can stay here, start a new life.”

  He took her wrists in his hands. “Grow up, Baby. I can’t walk away from something like that. And if I hit her, who’s to say I wouldn’t hit you?” Pain flashed across his face. “Or worse.”

  “Where are you going?” she shouted after him as he stepped into the rainy evening without his slicker.

  “To talk to Barnie.”

  Then he was gone. Only then did she realize he’d called her Baby. She dropped down onto the floor in the galley and started to cry.

  When Maddie had gathered herself into some semblance of a normal person, she dragged herself home. Something was niggling at her, but she couldn’t find the spare energy to figure it out. She’d walked past the warehouse in the rain, wondering what the two men were doing, wishing she could be there for Chase. But he wouldn’t let her, because she’d done wrong withholding the information until after they’d made love.

  She’d pretended not to feel well, fought off Mom’s offer of comfort, and went to bed. Only she couldn’t get to sleep. She kept replaying everything that had happened that day. Chase was right to be angry. She’d withheld devastating information so she could make love with him. Maybe she was as selfish as Colleen had been saying for years. All her life the world had revolved around her. She couldn’t stop that in a day.

  Chase was going to leave, and it would probably be the next day. He’d promised not to leave without saying goodbye, and the Chase she knew was honest and responsible. She looked at the clock: three in the morning. She had to figure out how to help Chase, how to let him go. If she could let him go.

  She sat up in bed. Who should be the purveyors of wisdom but her parents? Maybe Dad would know who to call. It had been a long time since she’d climbed into bed with them—since the month after Wayne’s accident. Undoubtedly, she’d wake them up, but she was going to call in one last selfish favor.

  She tapped on the door, then pushed it open. The nightlight in the bathroom guided her to their big bed, and Maddie slid in. She found Mom, but no Dad.

  Mom jerked awake. “Hmph?”

  “Mom, it’s me, Maddie. I need to talk to you and Dad about something.”

  “Go back to bed!” she whispered frantically.

  Then Maddie heard a grunt from the other side of the room. She turned on the light.

  “Baby, no!” Mom said, but it was too late.

  Dad blinked awake from his place…on the couch. “Whaz going on?”

  “Damn,” Mom said. “I mean, darn.” She grabbed for her glasses.

  Maddie looked from one to the other. “What’s going on?” Her chest was already squeezing tight. “Did you and Dad have a fight?”

  Mom scrubbed her hand through her tangled red curls. “Oh, Baby, we didn’t want you to know yet.”

  “Know what?”

  “Your father and I are…separated.”

  Maddie put her hand across her throat, more of those cotton balls returning to clog it up. “S…separated? Since when?”

  “Last year,” Dad said, coming over to sit next to Maddie in his wrinkled pajamas.

  “But…why? How?”

  “Your mom and I—”

  “decided we weren’t happy together anymore,” Mom finished. “It’s nothing like Bobby and Colleen, I mean, nobody’s cheating or nothing. We just grew apart.”

  Maddie took in the couch with a pillow and blanket draped over it. “You’ve been sleeping like this since last year?”

  “Well, that first month when you came in, Dad had to pretend he’d just come back from the bathroom. We shared the bed for a bit until we felt you weren’t going to come in crying anymore.”

  “You’ve been doing this since then?” She could hardly put the pieces together in her mind. “Pretending?”

  Mom nodded. “We’d decided to get divorced, honey—don’t wince when I say that word—just before Wayne went away. We thought it was a good time, you and Wayne all settled in and hopefully having kids soon. Then the awful thing happened, and we couldn’t put that on you, too. You needed a stable family around you. It wasn’t hard. We haven’t had to think about dividing things up, all that messy stuff.”

  “You stayed together for me?”

  Dad put his hand on Maddie’s knee. “Yep. We love you that much.”

  Then she remembered something Colleen had said about Maddie not knowing the sacrifices their parents had made for her. “Colleen knows, doesn’t she?”

  “I’d just told her, figuring to break it to the strong one first. We were going to tell you that weekend, and then…well, you know.”

  Maddie stood. She couldn’t get her mind around it all. Her parents, separated. Pretending to be together for her. Living a lie. Colleen knowing.

  “Baby, we’ll keep on keeping on for you. You’re living here now, and it makes it easier us being together.”

  She stumbled out of the room. She didn’t even realize she’d put on her clothes and shoes until they were on. Mom was in the hallway when Maddie emerged from her room.

  “Let’s talk about this, Baby.”

  “Maddie,” she said.

  “What?”

  “My name is Maddie. I’m not Baby anymore.”

  She didn’t know where she was going, she just drove through the damp night. The headlights reflected off the wet surface of the road, and the tires squished in the puddles. Sugar Bay was tucked in its collective bed unaware of the turmoil surrounding her.

  When she pulled up in front of the warehouse, she told herself it was to see if Barnie was awake. There was no use lying, though. She needed to talk to Chase.

  All she could hear was the occasional squeak of a boat and water dripping into the bay. She walked along the wet dock to The Barnacle. It was dark and silent, of course, but it felt darker and more silent than ever. The companionway hatch was closed, boards fitting together to form a seal.

  “Chase? Chase, it’s Maddie.”

  She heard a door close nearby. She strained to see through the darkness. Her heart jumped when she saw a figure walking out of the warehouse. Somehow, she knew, her heart already saturated with ache and betrayal, that it was Chase. And he was leaving.

  She nearly lost her footing on the slick spot on the ramp. He was walking around the side of the warehouse, away from her and the boat. In blue jeans and a black shirt, he nearly blended into the night. As she turned the corner, the orange light from the streetlamp cast him in a glow. She didn’t think about what she was going to do when she caught up to him.

  Jumping on his back wasn’t on the list, but she did it anyway. With a curse, he lurched forward, dropping something to the damp ground before spinning around. She held on, her arms locked around his shoulders.

  “You were going to sneak out of here without saying goodbye, weren’t you?”

  “Jeez, Maddie, you scared the hell out of me. Let me go.”

  He hadn’t denied it, and she took out the pain that stabbed through her on him. She tightened her hold and bit his neck.

  With another curse, he twisted around to shake her loose. They both went hurtling to the ground, and she landed on top of him.

  She grabbed two fistfuls of his hair. “You promised you wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye!”

  “Dammit, Maddie, stop being an animal!” He held her wrists, and she fought him for control. “That was before I knew who I was.”

  They wrestled as they talked, breathless in their fight. “A promise is a promise!”

  He finally managed to pin her to the ground beneath him. His knees held her legs in place, and his hands pushed her wrists against the cool, wet grass. She could feel it prickling through her shirt.

  “You are such a coward!” she spa
t at him when he lowered his face to hers. “Sneaking off in the middle of the night like the dog you are.”

  “Fine, I’m a coward and a dog.” He sounded far too calm, even though he was still breathing heavily. He released her wrists only to snag her hands with his, intertwining their fingers.

  “Now you’re beginning to sound like me pre-Chase. So, you admit you were sneaking off?”

  His fingers tightened. “I admit it. Now, if I let you up, are you going to stop freaking out?”

  She tried to free herself, remembering her and Wayne’s tickling matches. “Yeah, sure.” Just as he eased off, she twisted him around and rolled him to the ground. He started to get up, then dropped back.

  “Maddie, you’re acting crazy. You know I could shove you off without even trying, don’t you?”

  All right, so Wayne was smaller than Chase. “What would that prove?”

  “Only that I’m crazy for not doing it.”

  For a moment, the thick clouds scudding across the sky cleared, and moonlight shone across his face. No matter that he was a dog and a coward, he was gorgeous in the silvery glow. She was sitting on his stomach, and their hands were still linked.

  “I’m sorry for leaving without saying goodbye,” he said at last. “Barnie showed me the articles. Maddie, a woman probably died because of me. I have to face whatever I did. I packed up, settled with Barnie, and…thought about going to see you. But I don’t know where you live.”

  “Barnie could have told you.”

  He let out a sigh. “I didn’t want to face you again, all right. If that makes me a coward, then it does.”

  She wanted to give him a hard time but instead she leaned down and kissed him. “That was for admitting it,” she said, though it was really just because she wanted to.

  “Don’t kiss me, Maddie,” he said, even though he’d responded fully. “I don’t deserve it.”

  “You don’t. But only because you’re a dog for leaving without saying goodbye.”

  “Goodbye.”

  She hated the finality of that word.

  “Now let me up. This grass is making me itch.”

  Reluctantly she loosened her hands from his and climbed off. He jumped to his feet as though he suspected she might change her mind. He brushed off the grass, then realized she was watching him.

  “I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t know what to say to you, not after what you told me, and when you told me.”

  “Did you even leave me a note?”

  He shook his head.

  “Do you remember who you are now? Has it come back?”

  He rocked his shoulder back and forth. “Not much more than a few flashes. Damn, I think you threw my shoulder out of joint.”

  “You deserved it. More than you deserved my kiss.”

  “And what the hell are you doing sneaking around in the middle of the night anyway?”

  “It’s not important now. What is important is me catching you sneaking away.”

  “I said I was sorry.” He brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. “Forget about me, Maddie. I’ve got a mess to sort out when I get back…home. You need to get on with your life.”

  “Maybe I will forget about you.”

  The regret that shadowed his face was at odds with his firm, “Good. Come here and give me a hug goodbye.” He yanked her hard against him and squeezed her tight, then pushed her away. “Have a nice life, Maddie.” He grabbed up his bag and headed off into the night.

  Just like that.

  She was shaking all over, watching him disappear into the darkness. His footsteps faded away, and he was gone. She hated him. That was that, she just hated him, because he’d betrayed her trust and broken her heart. She’d go on, then. She stomped to her car and headed home. To her dismay, the lights were on. Worse, everyone except Q was sitting in the living room.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, a knot forming in her stomach. Had something horrible happened?

  “We should ask you that.” Colleen said, taking in the bits of grass littering her body. Maddie smoothed her hair back in hopes of dislodging anything tangled in it.

  “I needed time to think.”

  “And of course, this becomes about you again,” Colleen said. “Poor Baby knows the truth.”

  “I am not Baby anymore. In fact, I give the title to you. Seems to fit you better now.” She turned to her parents. “Then you can stay together for her.”

  “We were only doing it for your own good.” Mom called as Maddie headed to her room.

  She was beginning to wonder if they’d done it for themselves, so they wouldn’t have to face the ugliness of divorce. But she wasn’t prepared to delve into that. She threw out another zinger. “I’m going to move back to the house.”

  Mom pulled her housecoat tighter and sat down on Maddie’s bed. “Because of this?”

  “Because of this.” She gestured to the angels that had been replaced for the second time. “And because I’m ready.” She slipped out of her damp clothes and changed into white pants and a brown knit top.

  Mom dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her coat. “Why would you live all by yourself when you can be with your family?”

  “I know it doesn’t make sense, me living there alone, but…” She blinked, realizing she was falling into the same trap she’d been in her whole life. “Mom, I’m twenty-six years old. Let me grow up.” She pulled out a suitcase and started throwing clothes into it.

  “What are you doing?”

  What was she doing? “I’m going to Miami with Chase,” she heard herself say.

  She hugged her mother, then headed out of the room.

  “You can’t stop being my Baby!” Mom protested, following her. “It’s against the laws of nature.”

  At the door, Maddie turned to face her family. “Mom, Dad, if you have to get a divorce…well, do it. Colleen, you don’t have that choice. You have a little boy to think about. You can make it work if you try. And stop using me as an excuse to get your way. Let Bobby open his shop, and so what if you have to put the pool off for a few more years. Better yet, I’ll buy you the damned pool. Wayne’s insurance company paid me plenty…when he died. He died, you know. He didn’t go away and he won’t be back.” She looked at the gold band on her finger. Then with a deep breath, she took it off and handed it to her mom. “I love you all. Bye.”

  As she slipped out into the night, she heard Colleen say, “She’s gone crazy, hasn’t she?”

  Yes, she had. And it was about damn time.

  CHAPTER 16

  It seemed like forever since Chase had hitchhiked. Sugar Bay had seeped into his blood and made him feel at home. All right, it wasn’t Sugar Bay, it was Maddie who’d seeped into his blood.

  How could she even consider going with him now that she knew who he was? He wished she didn’t know anything about his real past. Now he understood why he’d opted for the coward’s way out. Walking away from her was harder than he ever imagined.

  He’d reached the highway and now walked along the edge. There wasn’t a car in sight. He probably had a couple of hours of walking before any hope of catching a ride. To his right the shoulder dropped off to a ditch and then black woods. Creatures whined and clicked as though enticing him into the darkness.

  Too late. Already there.

  A sailboat racer. He kept running the concept through his head, hoping more would come, like in the movies where everything fell into place at once. It remained frustratingly elusive.

  A murderer. The pieces didn’t quite fit, but all the facts were there.

  He had a father, a brother, and an ex-wife. No mention of his mother. He’d probably been one of those guys so driven that he’d neglected everyone in his life. He could live with that part.

  He heard a car coming up behind him. What kind of people were out at this hour, anyway? He didn’t trust getting another ride like the one he’d caught in the wee hours in Georgia. The moment the car was in motion again, the guy said, “The spacesh
ip’s a’coming in twelve hours, but I guess I can do one last deed on this earth before I become immortal. Do ya wanna come with us?” For three hours he heard about the paradise that existed on a plane of existence between death and rebirth—a place called Deep Purple.

  Chase kept on walking instead of turning his thumb out. Besides, it was too dark for anyone to see him.

  The car slowed down anyway. Scary. Maybe they’d go away if he didn’t look at them.

  “Get in!”

  Real scary, considering it sounded just like Maddie. He turned to find her teal Sunbird cruising alongside him with the window down.

  “Go home! I do not want you going to Miami with me.”

  “Hah! You’re rubbing your nose.”

  He leaned closer to the passenger window, barely able to see her face in the glow of the dashboard lights. “I’m not lying, and I’m not dragging you into my problems. Besides, sounds like your family needs you right now.”

  “Them, need me? That’s a laugh.”

  “Maddie, are you still that naïve? I could be a murderer.”

  “Do you actually remember shoving her?”

  “Close enough.”

  “If you had anything to do with her death, it was an accident. Now get in.”

  His fingers tensed on the top of the door. “Do you think I strangled her accidentally, too?” He was glad to see that shoot some fear into her eyes. “Didn’t Barnie tell you that part? One of the articles said her windpipe had been crushed. Is that enough for you?”

  She put her hand to her throat. “Damn him for not telling me, and damn you for thinking that’s going to scare me away.”

  “Don’t be stupid. Go home.”

  He started walking again. She gunned the gas and roared past him. Good, he’d pissed her off. She turned around up ahead and started back.

  Aimed right at him.

  He stood there for as long as any sane man might, then dove off the shoulder when she didn’t let up. She careened past him, hit her brakes, and turned around again.

  “Are you nuts?” he screamed when she pulled up serenely next to him once he’d gathered his duffel bag and his wits.