“Damn it, Mom. What the freakin' hell is going on out there?” She stood waiting for her punishment for cussing again. Pointless to care now, she thought.
“Jennifer!” Cindy came barreling out of the kitchen with her eyes widened. “What happened?”
Jennifer shoved her face close to her mother’s. “Tell me the truth mother, where are my friends? And don’t say they're fine, because I know you’re lying to me.” She wasn’t about to step back until she knew the truth.
Cindy blushed to her roots, taking an involuntary step backwards. “Wha…what?”
“You heard what I said. Why would the neighbors yell at me, and ask me where I hid the bodies? What bodies, you bitch? Huh? Tell me. What the hell is going on?” Jennifer stood on weak and trembling legs and she shot daggers from her eyes.
Cindy stood eyes wide. Shocked by her daughter's astounding behavior, she slapped Jennifer across the face with a blow that sent her reeling. “How dare you call me that horrible name? I told you not to swear.”
Jennifer held a hand to the side of her face. “That's all you have to say? I hate you. That’s it, I’m out of here.”
Jennifer bolted. Darting for the entryway at full speed, Jennifer rushed out, slamming the door behind her. If her parents weren’t going to tell her the truth, she figured someone else who could and would.
Cindy flung the door open behind her. She ran into the yard screaming for her to stop. “Jennifer, please don’t go. I’m so sorry; please let me explain.”
Without a doubt in Jennifer’s mind, she knew who could help her without questioning why. Heading off in that direction, she never looked back.
***
Coming up the sidewalk, Jennifer spotted Mrs. Barton in her garden watering the flowers. She continued to stride towards Claire's house, with her knees shaking from fear of what she was about to hear. Right before she reached the edge of the driveway, her mother barreled up the street in the car.
“Jennifer Leanne Cravens, you get in this car,” she ordered. “Barbara will tell you lies, to make you feel bad.”
Jennifer refused to listen and kept walking. Cindy jumped out of the car and ran toward her. She grabbed Jennifer's arm and twisted, trying to force her into the car.
“Mother, what are you doing?” She wrenched her arm out of her mom's grasp. “I need to talk to Claire’s mom, and I’m waiting here until Claire gets home from school so I can talk to her. You won't tell me what's going on, but Mrs. Barton and Claire will.”
“Jennifer, don’t do this. I’m trying to protect you. Please, listen to me for once. You have to understand. We'll all get through this together, I promise,” she begged. “Come home. Life isn't easy, honey…”
“What does that have to do with this? Get out of my way,” Jennifer snapped, turning in the driveway of the large Colonial where she and Claire had spent many happy hours together. Her mother followed, begging her to get in the car and forget this nonsense.
Barbara’s attention turned towards the ruckus in the driveway. With her eyes wide and incredulous, she stormed down the drive toward them. “Well, Jennifer, if it isn’t you showing your face around here after your mother guaranteed I wouldn't have to ever see it again. I thought I made myself clear, you worthless piece of shit. Now get off my property.”
Barb’s harsh voice stunned every nerve in Jennifer’s body. The woman looked to have aged ten years. She couldn’t start to understand the meaning of it. Confused, she stammered, “Mrs. B-Barton, I don’t know what it is I did to you, but I’m sorry if I said or did anything to offend you in any way.”
Barb bared her teeth like a rabid dog.
“Done…? What have you done? Where is my daughter, and don’t tell me you 'can't remember', because you’re lying.”
Overwhelmed and confused by all of this, Jennifer choked back tears, but refused to give in to them. “What do you mean, where’s Claire? School, I imagine. And why are you accusing me of lying? What am I lying about? I remember nothing about where I was or what I was doing during the four days I was gone. I’m not following what you’re getting at, Mrs. Barton.”
Watching aghast as Barbara snarled at Jennifer, Cindy defended her young. “You wait a minute, Barbara Barton. You have no right to speak to my daughter with that tone of voice. Did you forget she’s a minor and is a sick girl?”
Barb ignored Cindy and shoved Jennifer back toward the car idling in the street. “Sick. Perfect adjective. Why don’t you ask her what she did with Claire’s body—or should I ask her myself?”
Shocked to her core, Jennifer placed her hand on her chest and fell back a step. “Body…? Do you think I did something to Claire?” Jennifer asked. Her mouth fell open. A sheen of sweat covered her face, as the flesh on her thin body turned ashen. “Why in the hell would I hurt one of my dearest friends? Here I am, getting accused of something that I find revolting and repellent, and you continue to point the finger at me.”
This whole charade was getting out of hand, but now Jennifer had to find out the truth she longed for. Standing her ground, she needed to hear the words Barbara was going to say.
“You little shit. How stupid do you think we are? You were with her the night of the party. Not to mention, you were the only one that came back. Now tell me—what did you do to her and where are the others?” she demanded.
Cindy grabbed her daughter by the arm. This time, she shoved her bodily in the car, kicking and cursing the entire way. She wasn’t going to tolerate anymore of this nonsense. Storming around to the other side, she got in as Mrs. Barton raised her voice a notch.
“You know what, Cindy? There’s going to come a day when your sweet precious baby is going in front of a judge, and I hope you're ready, because she’s going down. She'll spend the rest of her days kissing up to 300 pound dykes and her nights defending her virginity from prison guards.” Her face contorted, and she chuckled. Mrs. Barton had lost her mind.
As foul-spoken and as hateful as she acted, she made her point. Jennifer cringed as Cindy shouted back, “You’ll see, Barbara. The truth will prevail—and when it does, I hope you choke on it real hard.”
Slamming the car door, Cindy drove off, leaving rubber halfway down the street.
***
I'm so tired, Grandpa,” Claire said after their long conversation. Praying deemed worthless to her now because God didn't live here, and she wasn’t getting out of this deranged world alive. Her heart turned cold from the hostility that managed to wedge itself deep within her. There was no excuse for some of her actions, but as a teenager, it came natural to rebel a bit. She wasn't going to take this lying down.
“It’s not good to hold your troubles inside you like this. I know you blame yourself for most of what happened, but I can assure you, your friends felt the same. Trust me; I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you from Maddie Ann,” he said. “Get some rest. But now I have to go…”
It was different for Grandpa because he was a spirit—she was still among the living. What could he possibly do to keep the evil child from taking her life? Not abandoning hope, Claire sought to learn everything she could to survive and escape Maddie Ann’s world. As questions arose in her mind, she asked about everything she wasn’t certain of.
“Wait, Grandpa, I have to know what happened to Jennifer, Lisa and Tina. Are they d…d…dead, like Liz and Kari?” Those were hard words to say, but she needed to know the truth.
“Lisa and Tina, yes, honey. Maddie Ann is to blame for their deaths. They never had a chance. This is why I tell you, Claire, how important it is that you listen to me and never stray from here without me,” he said.
The thought of Maddie Ann getting her vengeful hands around her throat scared her anew. Grandpa didn’t say Jennifer was dead, giving her some hope yet.
“Please, before you have to leave, where’s Jennifer? You didn’t say Jennifer’s name. What happened to her?” she asked.
Crossing her fingers, she heard him reply, “Jennifer is no longer in
the cemetery. Maddie Ann let her go.”
A big smile creased Claire’s weary face. Thank God. At least one of my friends made it out alive. If she did, and with Grandpa's help, maybe I can too.
Before she got too excited about the idea of leaving this place, Grandpa said, “Don’t ever run from your problems, sweet pea; you’re strong. You’re a fighter, not a quitter, but in here, it’s not the same world you know, so you have to learn how to survive here.”
Claire hung her head, nodding. Involuntary hot tears filled her eyes and a lump formed in her throat.
“Until later, sweet Claire.” He faded into the stones of the fireplace melding as one with the grout between the river rocks.
“Good night, Grandpa. Thank you. And I love you.”
If Jennifer made it out, Claire knew she might have a slim chance to leave the cemetery, too, and end this nightmare. Feeling sleep deprived, all she wanted now was to rest her tired, starved body. Noises distracted her. She listened to howling dogs in the distance. She arose from the sofa, moving to the broad open windows across the room. She looked out into the darkness but didn’t see any movement. Claire curled up on a brocade chaise sitting against the window. A lilac fragrance flowed through the open space, comforting her as she pulled a lamb's wool throw over herself and fell into a deep unconscious slumber.
***
Enraged, Cindy imagined ripping Barbara’s head clean off her shoulders and tossing it out for the dogs to fight over. How dare she speak to Jennifer in that manner? Cindy decided moving away from Old Creek was the solution. They’d never live a normal life here. The scandal would destroy them all.
When she turned down their street, a crowd of neighbors stood in the street chanting, waving their fists in the air, “Get out, killer.”
“Murderer!”
“Where'd you bury them, Jennifer?”
Cindy drove through the crowd, turned into her driveway and pulled into the garage. Angry neighbors pitched rocks at the garage door as Cindy and Jennifer made their way into the house through the inside door. In a panic, Cindy grabbed the phone in the family room.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency,” the operator asked.
“Hello, this is Cindy Cravens; I’m at 1224 Lake View Drive. My neighbors are out of control, threatening me and my daughter’s life.” Her squeaky voice even sounded funny to her own ears.
“Ma’am, could you please calm down and repeat what you said? I can't understand you. Who is threatening you? Did you need police, fire, or aid car?”
It was a waste of breath to repeat her words. “Look, I don’t have time, I need help NOW. Send the damn National Guard I don't care. Just send someone.”
“What's the nature of the emergency?” the operator insisted
“There's a murderous mob outside my house,” Cindy shouted.
Trembling with fear, Cindy dropped the receiver, running into the kitchen and leaving the operator hanging. With the phone off the hook, she burst into tears, hunkering in a corner.
Ten minutes later, Jennifer ran to answer a knock on the door. Looking out through the peephole, a police officer stood on the porch. With a sigh of relief, she opened the door and invited him inside.
“Thank God you're here. They want to kill me,” she gasped, pointing at the crowd outside.
“Good afternoon, Miss, is your mother at home?” the uniformed patrol officer asked, stepping through the entryway and removing his hat.
“Hold on, I think she’s in the kitchen.” Jennifer stepped through the family room and shouted, “Mom, a police officer is here.”
Cindy rushed out the swinging doors that separated the kitchen from the dining area. She spent the rest of the afternoon explaining to the officer what had happened that morning. She demanded police protection.
Steve got home at ten past six. Seeing the cop car in the driveway, and several neighbors standing in the street, he parked at the curb and went inside the house. They hurled incomprehensible insults at him as he shut the front door. Sitting his briefcase beside the recliner, Cindy ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.
“I’m so glad you’re home. You have no idea what today was like.” She wiped her tears on her sleeve and smiled sheepishly at him.
Jennifer clung to his arm like a drowning sailor.
Confused and upset at seeing his family in such hysteria, he walked up to the cop. “Excuse me, Officer, what’s going on?” He hoped it had nothing to do with Jennifer, but his instincts said otherwise.
The uniform glanced down at the paperwork and replied, “Well, Mr. Cravens, your neighbors had it out with your wife and daughter this afternoon. I’ll call some other officers to help me scatter the crowd.”
Steven shook his head in disgust. He had to go to work every day, but he also had to protect his family. While the cop stepped out to his patrol car to confer with headquarters, he and Cindy needed to make a major decision, weighing their pros and cons. They asked Jennifer to go to her room, take her medication, and, try to get some rest. Moving toward the sofa, they sat down facing each other. “I think it’s best for us to sell the house and move away from here,” Cindy said.
Steve was already furious and this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He knew his wife was upset but he tried not to think about it. Right now, he couldn’t surrender their way of life because his neighbors thought otherwise.
“We are not going to leave our home and this town we’ve lived-in for thirty years. No way,” he retorted. He had to make her understand why they couldn’t leave.
“Steve, could you please listen to me for a minute,” she begged. “You didn't see them today. They hate us. They blame Jennifer for those girls disappearing.”
“Not on your life. We’re not going to give in to those nuts out there. I don’t care if they like us or not, we’re not moving,” he stressed, flopping in the recliner. “I need a drink. My mouth is dry.”
Cindy looked as if her blood boiled, like the man she loved and married wasn’t at all concerned for what had happened to her and their daughter. On the contrary, he felt horrible about it. The more reason to fight this. His daughter was no killer.
“Oh, you look like you need a drink. Here, let me make you one.” Sarcasm dripped from her tongue. “How can you sit there relaxed and act as if nothing concerns you? Don’t you care about this family?” she asked while sloshing vodka in a glass.
“Let me tell you something, Cindy. Who gives a shit what they think? We have too much money invested in this house and your candle business to up and walk away. Right now, I don’t know if I could get another job in the insurance industry. Excellent news like 'your daughter is facing first-degree murder charges' has a tiny tendency to ruin one's career.” Now he used sarcasm to make a point. “Look at me, Cindy…I’m too damned old to start over. What would we do if we had no jobs? Think about it. There's too much at stake to risk losing what we’ve worked so bloody hard for.” In his mind, settled on the decision, Old Creek was their future. Case closed.
Chapter Ten
Claire faced yet another dreaded day in the hellhole Maddie Ann had created. She awakened into a nightmare rather than out of one. Her heart sank. Confined to the chaise during the night, she'd had no room to stretch her stiff body. Weak from hunger, she stumbled across the room and barely made it to the sofa when a tantalizing aroma wafted from the next room.
She crept across the floor, and sucked in the luscious smell of pancakes lingering in the air. The sound of bacon sizzling in the skillet and the intoxicating aroma of brewed coffee made her wonder if she were dreaming. Dumbfounded, she smiled when her grandfather peeked around the corner and winked at her. She laughed as if she had won the lottery. Taking her hand, he took her into the kitchen.
Her eyes went round as saucers when a fully equipped country kitchen, even better than the living room, loomed before her. He sat her down on a chair, and she asked, “Grandpa, how did you manage to do all of this? This kitchen wasn’t here yesterday.”
He smiled and gave her a wink again as he got the plates. Amazed over what he had done for her, she stuffed her face. The picture-perfect table looked straight out of Better Homes and Gardens—linen napkins awaited beside the exquisite china plate, with the utensils arranged atop the cloth.
Blueberry pancakes stacked high with little butter pats in a dish and a cruet of warm maple syrup; golden-brown bacon crunched in her mouth when she swiped a piece. A crystal goblet brimming with fresh-squeezed orange juice made her mouth water, and beautiful flowers in the centerpiece topped it all off.
It felt like old times on Grandpa's farm gathering around the table for breakfast, having loving conversations with no worries to clutter the mind. She had to regain her strength to withstand the evil forces that were coming after her. Claire’s mind needed to be clear to react, if need be. Otherwise, evil would overpower her, even kill her, and steal her soul. She needed to outsmart Maddie Ann.
Maddie Ann s Playground Page 12
