by Geof Johnson
“Momma Sue and Mrs. Malley are friends.”
“Do you know that from listening in on them?”
No, from you and Jamie talking about them. I can’t hear Momma Sue or Mrs. Malley ’cause of their magic.”
“I’m not surprised. Maybe I need to learn how they block you so I can keep you from listening in on me and stealing all my secrets.” She tickled Sammi again, and Sammi shrieked until Fred shushed her. “You’ll wake my parents, and my dad will be mad at you.”
Sammi was silent for a long moment before saying, “I don’t want your daddy to be mad at me. I want him to like me.”
“I think he will. He loves kids.”
“I know. So does your mommy.”
“Yes. Jamie’s and Rollie’s parents do, too.”
“Everybody here always sounds so happy when I listen to you, except when you fuss with your mommy.”
“Yeah, I do that a lot, lately.”
“You shouldn’t do that. Your mommy is a good person.”
“I know. I can’t help it. It’s the way I am.”
“You’re a firecracker.”
“That’s me. Fred the Firecracker.”
Sammi made a little happy grunting sound and rested her head on Fred’s shoulder. “Fred, I don’t want to go to another foster home. I want to stay here.”
“Why?”
“Because everybody is happy and everybody loves each other so much. Please, can I stay here?”
“It’s not up to me, Sammi.”
“But if it was you’d let me. I know, ’cause you’re a good person.”
“I’m glad you think so. Will you do me a favor and remind my mother of that sometime?”
* * *
Duane Gundy waited in his car, slumped low behind the steering wheel, watching the Carter’s house until the lights in the front room went off. Then he quietly stepped out and opened the trunk, rummaging around in the clutter until he found what he needed — the old stethoscope that he’d bought at a second-hand shop. He tucked it under his arm, put his hands in his pockets, and walked down the dark street, back to the home of Libby’s best friend.
The windows on the near side were lit — bedrooms, he figured — and he gingerly picked his way through the overgrown grass and junk in the yard to the first one. He put the stethoscope on and held the small, round metal chest piece to the window, careful not to make a sound against the glass.
If this is Libby’s room, she and Sammi will be talking. He listened for a minute or more, but heard nothing. He moved stealthily to the second window, but froze when the next-door neighbor’s back porch light suddenly came on. He crouched, cursing silently to himself, until a door opened.
“Who’s there?” someone said.
Gundy took off sprinting for the street, heedless of the dark, but stumbled and groaned when he banged his shin against something hard — a discarded lawnmower or some other junk — and limped the rest of the way to his car. He jumped inside, fumbled the keys out of his pocket, started the motor and stomped the accelerator, peeling up twin rooster tails of gravel as he sped away.
Chapter 2
Evelyn walked inside the Callahan’s house the next morning and found Lisa kneeling in front of Sammi, getting her ready for her shopping trip with Evelyn.
“Where is everybody?” Evelyn said.
Lisa glanced at her and resumed tying Sammi’s sneaker. “Fred is teaching her dance class and Larry is running errands.” Lisa tsked and shook her head as she regarded Sammi’s clothes. “I hate to send you out in public like this, honey. Are these the only things you brought?”
“Yes ma’am. These are my best ones I have.” Sammi wore a faded yellow top with a small hole in one sleeve and red shorts with a frayed hem at the waist.
Lisa felt one of Sammi’s dingy pink shoes. “These are too tight for you, and they’re about worn out.” Lisa looked up at Evelyn. “If I give you some money, will you get her some new sneakers, too?”
“I’ll get them, and you can pay me back later,” Evelyn said, though she had no intention of letting Lisa pay her for anything. Evelyn fingered the sleeve of Sammi’s shirt. “Didn’t your foster parents buy you any clothes?”
“Only from the thrift store.”
“Are those the only shoes you have?”
“Yes ma’am. I can’t get new ones ’cause Mr. Gundy gets mad if Mrs. Gundy spends too much money. He said they have to make their car payments.”
“That’s shameful,” Evelyn said. “They shouldn’t have taken you as a foster child if they can’t afford you. Why did they do that, I wonder?”
“Mrs. Gundy wanted to. She can’t have babies of her own, so she talked Mr. Gundy into being a foster parent.”
“Did they tell you that, or did you listen to them with your power?”
“I didn’t have to use magic to hear them. They argued really loud all the time, and I could hear everything through the walls of my bedroom.”
“Hmm.” Lisa flipped a hand through Sammi’s ragged dark hair and frowned. “What happened here?”
“Oh, well, me and Libby — that’s my best friend — we were playing beauty parlor, and we were going to cut each other’s hair like this fashion magazine her mommy had, but her mommy caught us before we could finish.”
“It’s a good thing, or this could’ve been worse.” Lisa sighed and pushed a stray lock from Sammi’s forehead. “Oh well, nothing we can do about it.” Lisa stood and turned to Evelyn. “I should be back around lunchtime, if you want to bring her home then, I’ll feed her.”
“We might eat something while we’re out.”
“Evelyn, you’re going to spend all of your money on her!”
“No I won’t. We’ll stay within a retired old lady’s budget.”
“You’re not old, Mrs. Wallace,” Sammi said.
“How about me?” Lisa said.
“You’re not old either. You’re a spring chicken!” Sammi grinned.
Lisa laughed and stood up. “Nice try, honey.” She put one hand on Sammi’s shoulder and gave her a wistful smile. “I wish I were going with you. You’re going to have so much fun. I haven’t been shopping with Fred in ages. She wouldn’t be caught dead shopping with her mother.”
“I’ll go shopping with you,” Sammie said brightly. “You don’t even have to buy me anything.”
Lisa took a deep breath as she regarded the girl one more time. “Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer sometime.”
Evelyn paused before she started her car, and looked over at Sammi, sitting in the passenger seat. “Are you sure you’re old enough to sit in the front?”
“Yes ma’am. I’m big now. I’m almost seven.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it. When is your birthday?”
“In two weeks.”
“That’s right before Rollie’s,” Evelyn said as she backed out of the driveway.
“I know. And Fred and Jamie’s are in July. They have their party on the same day ’cause they were born almost at the same time.” Sammi nodded proudly. “I’ve been listening to everybody here for a long time.”
“Amazing,” Evelyn said and steered the car down the road. “Your magic is just as incredible as Jamie and Fred’s.”
“And Rollie’s, too. He’s super fast.”
“I guess you’re familiar with that, too.” Evelyn gave her head a tight shake. “You have us at a disadvantage because you know all about us and we hardly know you at all.”
“I can tell you all about me.” Sammi smiled when Evelyn glanced at her. “Ask me anything you want.”
“Anything? Even if it’s personal?”
Sammi said yes, so Evelyn asked, “How long have you been an orphan?”
“Since I was three.”
“What happened to your parents?”
“The man from Child Services said they died in a car crash, but they didn’t. My daddy killed my mommy and then killed himself.”
Evelyn sucked in her breath sharply. “Oh my
, that’s so awful. How do you know that?”
“I heard my parents arguing the night it happened, and then the gunshots, though I didn’t know what they were. And later I heard the social workers talking about it.” Her voice grew quiet. “With my magic hearing. I wasn’t supposed to know.”
Evelyn glanced at her again. Sammi’s chin was almost touching her chest. What a terrible thing for a child to bear. “Let’s talk about something happier. What’s your best friend like?”
Sammi seemed to perk up as she told her all about Libby. Evelyn enjoyed listening to the little girl chatter and found herself smiling as she drove. When they passed the first shopping center, Evelyn spotted the Gold Clips hair salon on the corner, and she pulled in.
Although Jamie’s friends had refused to accept a share of the money that they’d discovered in the stone house on Eddan’s world, Fred and Rollie had agreed to let Jamie use some of it to help pay for their college fees — and a car.
Now all three of them drove new Chevys, identical except for the color. Jamie’s was blue, Rollie’s was black, and Fred’s, of course, was red. Jamie spotted Rollie’s automobile, polished and shining like an onyx sculpture, in the side lot of the veterinary clinic. Jamie pulled his car into the space next to Rollie’s and parked.
Jamie’s Saturday morning shift was supposed to start at 8:30, and he checked his watch as he hurried toward the front door. Dang, I’m late. He rushed inside and waved at the receptionist as he made his way to the back room, where he found Rollie, already dressed in his scrubs and leading a Jack Russell terrier to a cage.
“Dude,” Rollie said with a glance at the clock on the far wall. “Where you been?”
“Sorry,” Jamie said. “I got caught up talking with my parents about Sammi and didn’t notice the time.”
“That’s pretty wild stuff, huh?” Rollie opened the cage and let the dog in. “It’s like one problem after another with us, isn’t it?”
“I’ve got a theory about that.”
“I’m sure you do.” Rollie scratched the dog behind the ears and closed the cage door. “And you know I’d just love to drop everything right now and listen to it.” He gave Jamie a cynical look.
Jamie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I need to talk to Bryce and Melanie about it. Are you still going to Bryce’s party tonight after the graduation ceremony?”
“You bet. Wanna ride? Fred can come with us, too.”
“Yeah, why not? I guess you’re not taking a date.”
“No, man, I’m a free bird tonight.”
“I thought you were going to patch things up with Tanisha.”
“Don’t want to.” Rollie brushed his hands together. “We’re done. Besides, I’m leaving for college in less than three months. Why would I want to keep up a long-distance romance?”
Jamie didn’t have an answer. He knew better than to try to advise his friend on his love life. “I may need to leave work a little early today. I want to try to talk to Sammi before we go to the ceremony tonight. I want to find out as much as I can about her magic before Fred’s parents turn Sammi over to Child Services. Fred wants to take her to see Momma Sue tomorrow, if Sammi’s still around. Momma Sue’s definitely going to be interested in that little girl, if she’s really a Shadow Witch.”
Evelyn pulled her white Buick into Lisa’s driveway, and had barely shifted into park before Sammi threw open the passenger door and ran up the brick front steps. She turned on the stoop, stamped one foot and said, “Come on, Mrs. Wallace. Let’s show Mrs. Callahan what you bought me.”
“Hold your horses,” Evelyn said as she got out of the car. “We don’t even know if she’s home yet.”
“She is. I heard her talking on the phone to Mrs. Sikes just a minute ago.”
“How did you hear that?” Evelyn shook her head once. “Oh. Your magic.”
Sammi waited until Evelyn reached the bottom step before knocking on the front door, rapping with the knuckles of her small hand. Lisa opened it and let them in. “Sammi, did you behave for Mrs. Wallace?”
Sammi looked at Evelyn, and Evelyn said, “She was a little angel.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Lisa’s eyes went wide as she regarded Sammi. “You got your hair cut! It’s so short.” She glanced at Evelyn. “It’s a pageboy style. It’s really cute.”
“The stylist had to cut it that short,” Evelyn said. “Sammi’s little friend had made a real mess of it.”
“Well, you are just too adorable.” Lisa smiled at Sammi. “So what all did you get from the store?”
“Look!” Sammi turned slowly, showing off her new outfit: a lavender cotton top with dark purple shorts. “And these.” Sammi looked down and stomped her feet, and tiny lights flashed on the outsides of her sparkly new sneakers.
“Ooohh,” Lisa said. “Nice. I think Fred is going to be jealous.”
“Is she here? Can I show her?”
“Let me see what else you bought, first.”
Sammi opened her shopping bag and Lisa looked inside. “Looks like you bought out the whole store, Evelyn.”
“Oh, foo. I only bought her three tops and three pairs of shorts, all of them on sale.”
Sammi bobbed her head. “And some socks and underwear.” Sammi started bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Can I show Fred now? Can I?”
“Yeah, sure.” Lisa waved her on. “She’s in her room.”
Sammi flew away to the stairs with her bag in hand, the rapid staccato of her footsteps fading as she neared the top.
Lisa gave Evelyn a level look. “You spent too much.”
“Not really. I told her it was an early birthday present.”
“Birthday? When?”
“In two weeks, right before Rollie’s.”
“I guess she won’t be here then.”
“She may not get anything at all for her birthday, otherwise.”
“That’s so sad.” Lisa sighed. “Well, thanks, I guess. She really needed the clothes. How much do I owe you?”
“We’ll work it out later. Right now, I’d love some coffee.”
They’d only just settled on the sofa with their steaming cups in hand when Carl knocked and let himself in. He had a manila folder tucked under his arm and wore a grave expression.
“I just got back from the station.” He sat down in the wing chair and opened the folder. “I used the police computers to do some checking on Duane Gundy, and he’s quite a character. He doesn’t have a criminal record, exactly, but he’s been charged quite a few times.” Carl ticked off on his fingers as he spoke. “Breaking and entering, three times. Assault, twice. Also, DUI and disturbing the peace. But the charges were always dropped.”
“Why?” Lisa said.
“Well, I called over to Bartram County and talked to a deputy in the sheriff’s office, and it seems that Mr. Gundy was friends with the former sheriff. They grew up together.”
“I still don’t see how a man like that could ever get to be a foster parent.”
“It’s a small town. Maybe he’s also friends with the social worker who handled Sammi’s case. There’s only one high school in Bicksby, maybe only one in the whole county. I’m sure everybody there knows each other.”
Carl leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “Sammi was right. Gundy was a bounty hunter, but he was forced to quit after his last tangle with a fugitive put both of them in the hospital. Gundy ended up needing about thirty-five stitches.” Carl touched his jaw with one finger. “Which is how he got the scar right here on his face, I think. The other guy nearly died. Gundy beat the heck out of him with a two-by-four.”
“My goodness!” Evelyn said. “And he didn’t get charged with anything?”
“He claimed self-defense and got away with it, but that ended his bounty hunting career. Now he drives a delivery truck for an office supply company.” Carl exhaled sharply. “He sounds like a mean S.O.B. from what little I’ve learned of him. I sure wouldn’t want him for a foster father, if I were a kid.”
“Sammi told me a lot about him while we were shopping,” Evelyn said.
“Did anybody see you with her?”
Evelyn shook her head. “I took her to the Value Mart that’s closer to Asheville so I wouldn’t run into anybody that I know. I didn’t want to explain what Sammi was doing with me. I’d rather not lie if I don’t have to.”
“You sure can’t tell them the truth. Larry’s right, we could get in big trouble for not turning her over to the county right away. But I also called Child Services while I was at the station, and apparently, since Bartram County has custody of Sammi, Henderson County will send her back home if we turn her over to them.”
Evelyn shook one finger firmly at Carl. “There’s no way we’re going to let that happen. We can’t. Sammi told me some things about her foster father that are very disturbing.” Evelyn caught her breath before continuing, “Did you know that he killed their dog? It peed on their carpet and he got so mad that he kicked it against the wall. It died in Sammi’s arms.”
Lisa’s eyebrows drew down sharply. “That’s terrible!”
“And not only does he beat Sammi,” Carl said, “he slaps his wife around, too.”
“Well, I’m glad Sammi left.” One corner of Evelyn’s lip turned up in a half-smile. “She’s a gutsy little survivor.”
“I’m impressed that she had the wherewithal to run away like she did,” Carl said.
“She and her best friend planned this for months.” Evelyn turned to Lisa. “She got the idea when she overheard you and Rachel talking in the gazebo way back in February.”
Lisa closed her eyes for a moment and blew out a long gust of air with her cheeks puffed out. “Wish you wouldn’t remind me of that. It makes me feel like it’s my fault that this happened.”
Evelyn set her cup on the coffee table and put her hand on Lisa’s arm. “It’s a good thing that little girl is here, Lisa, a really good thing. She’s much better off here. She was absolutely certain that her foster father was going to molest her. She’s safe now, and much happier. She wanted to be here more than anything in the world.” Evelyn nodded. “She told me that, in those exact words.”
