Give Me Some Sugar

by Gen Griffin

  “I can't give you a few days. Mom is harassing Gracie and there's no telling what she might do next, especially since the wedding is tomorrow.” Addison took a deep drag off the cigarette he had just lit. “And how do you know its not your baby? I've heard that a guy's junk – or whatever it is that gets snipped- can grow back together after its been cut for a few years.”

  “Your mother and I haven't had sex in five years.” Dale took his phone out of his pocket, looked at it and then put it back in his pants.

  “Five years?” Addison didn't even try to hide his skepticism.

  “We don't share a bed anymore,” Dale said. “I sleep in your old room.”

  “Do you really?” Addison was surprised. “My bedroom?”

  “Why would I lie to you now?” Dale asked. He rubbed his face with his hands. “Take me home, Addy. Please.”

  “What about Mom?”

  “Can't you handle her?” Dale looked at his son through pleading eyes.

  “It would be easier if you helped.” Addison knew he was fighting a losing battle. Dale had never stood up to Jane May in his life. He wasn't about to grow a backbone now that his wife had apparently lost her mind.

  “I would if I could, but I can't.”

  “You mean you won't, because you're a coward.” Addison called it like he saw it.

  Dale hesitated and then nodded with obvious reluctance. “You're right, son. I'm a coward. Take me home.”

  Chapter 44

  “Granny Pearl says its bad luck for the groom to see the bride the night before the wedding,” Gracie said as she nestled her head into the crook of Cal's shoulder.

  “I'm not superstitious,” Cal reminded her. They were lying naked together in their bed, the afterglow of sex slowly fading into the dark not. Cal's fingers were tangled in her long blonde hair and she was stroking his bare chest with her manicured nails. He kissed her on the forehead. “Besides, I don't think our luck could get too much worse.”

  Gracie let out a small laugh. “Don't jinx us, please.”

  “I'm not trying to,” Cal said. “Listen, there's something I should probably tell you.”

  “If it's bad news then I don't want to hear it.”

  Cal said nothing. Gracie waited. His breathing was deep and even but he didn't speak.

  “Cal?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Did you fall asleep?”

  “Not yet. I'm getting there.”

  “You said you had something to tell me.”

  “You said you didn't want to hear it.”

  Gracie groaned. “So it is bad news?”

  “Yes.” He began slowly rubbing her back.

  “Is it about our wedding?” Her stomach began to churn with anxiety.

  “No.” Cal had mastered the art of one word answers.

  “Just tell me.”

  He sighed. “The reason I've been spending so much time at work the last few days is because I found some inconsistencies in our banking and inventory records.”

  “Inconsistencies?” Gracie was lost. “What kind of inconsistencies?”

  “I was trying to make sure all the books were in good order before we left on our cruise. In the process of trying to reconcile the accounts, I discovered that someone has been stealing a lot of money from the store.”

  Gracie was so startled that she pulled away from him and sat up, the sheet falling down into her lap and leaving her breasts exposed to the damp night air that was blowing in through the bedroom's open window. “What? Who would steal from the store?”

  Cal sat up himself, sliding backwards so that his back was resting against the heavy oak headboard. “It was more a question of figuring out who had the ability and the opportunity to steal,” Cal said. “I'm not talking about a few missing couplings or stolen bags of dog food. Thousands of dollars are missing.”

  “Oh my gosh, Cal. Why didn't you tell me?” Gracie was horrified.

  “I didn't want to tell anyone until I was sure I was right. You actually did me a favor when you called David and asked him to come chew my ass. He helped me go over the books instead of opening his shop for a half day like he had planned to do yesterday.”

  Gracie didn't know what to say to that. She shifted her position so that she could snuggle back into his side. “Did you figure out who took the money?”

  “Yes,” Cal said.

  Gracie waited for him to tell her, but he seemed to be waiting on something. He stared out into the dark night.

  “Calvin, spit it out.”

  “We're pretty sure that April Lynne took the money,” Cal said.

  Gracie wasn't exactly startled. April Lynne was the first person who had come to her mind when Cal said someone was stealing from the store.

  “You seem upset,” Gracie said. “Did you fire her yet?”

  “I can't fire her,” Cal said. “Pappy has to do it.”

  “Is Pappy going to fire her?”

  “Probably. I'm not sure.”

  “You haven't told him yet, have you?” She asked.

  “Not yet. David and I are going to sit him down in the morning and show him everything we've found.”

  “Oh boy,” Gracie didn't envy them. “Pappy's going to take the news hard.”

  “I know. I feel like shit for dumping this news on him and then taking off on a fourteen day cruise. I considered waiting until after we got back from the honeymoon to tell him, but David says he'll pick up my slack at the store until I get back.”

  “David doesn't have the time to do your job and his.”

  “I know,” Cal admitted. “Dad may just have to chip in a little more than he has been. He's going to be furious when he finds out April Lynne has been stealing.”

  “I'm kind of surprised you didn't confront her yourself,” Gracie said.

  “I didn't want to give her time to get her story together,” Cal said. “April Lynne isn't stupid. She's probably already got a plan for how she'll explain the missing money if she's caught.”

  “You think she'll be able to explain it away?”

  “No, but I think she'll try. I really didn't want all of this to come to a head on the morning of our wedding. I'm going to ask Pappy to wait to deal with her until after I get back.”

  “Okay.” Gracie wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is that all you needed to tell me?”

  He nodded as he pulled her into his lap. He was hard against her. “How about we do something other than talk?”

  “I'm always ready for round two,” she said as she kissed him.

  Chapter 45

  “Are you really sure you want to confront your Mom tonight?” Katie was really glad that she'd fastened her seat belt as Addison's truck bounced across a set of old railroad tracks, catching a little bit of air before it landed hard on the front end.

  “You want to wait until tomorrow so we can find out first hand what horrible tricks she has in store for Gracie's actual wedding?” Addy's square jaw was set in a hard line as he stared straight ahead at the dark, pot hole covered road. He was bobbing and weaving across the battered pavement. If he hadn't been a cop, Katie would have been worried that they were about to get pulled over.

  “No, I guess not.” Katie had known she was in for the ride from hell when Addison's county truck had come came blasting through the only red light for two miles and screeched to a stop just a few inches from her back bumper while she was filling up the S-10 at the gas station.

  She'd been completely stunned when he'd told her about recognizing the dress that had been switched out with Gracie's wedding dress. Try as she might, Katie was having a hard time picturing icy cold, always aloof Jane May Malone filling the swimming pool at the country club with gar and sneaking into Cal's parent's house through one of the always open windows to steal the dresses. Then again, Jane May had given birth to two of the least sane, most unpredictable people Katie knew. The crazy had to be at least partially genetic.

  Against her better judgment, Katie had parked the S-10 on the far
side of the gas station's parking lot and gotten in the truck with Addison. Now they were flying towards Canterville at roughly 90 miles per hour.

  It was a couple minutes shy of two o'clock in the morning when Addy pulled his truck into the driveway of a small, homely wooden house.

  “At least we know we're in the right place,” Katie said as she took in the sight of Jane May's familiar minivan. It was parked next to an older model green SUV. All the lights in the house were dark. “They're probably asleep.”

  “I'd like to be asleep,” Addison said as he shut off the engine. His turquoise eyes had gone dark with stress and anger. There was something intimidating about the way he got out of the truck and then stood, glaring at the house.

  Addison was so easy going that Katie sometimes forgot exactly how physically imposing he could be. At six foot two and two hundred and twenty pounds, Addy was almost all muscle and big enough that most of the drunks in the county wouldn't swing on him, even in the midst of a bar fight.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Katie walked around the front of the truck and put her hand on his arm.

  “Am I okay?” Addison choked on the words. “Fuck no. I'm not okay.”

  “Maybe you should call Frank,” Katie said.

  “I did call Frank. He didn't answer his phone. Waiting until morning isn't an option because the wedding is tomorrow and I can't risk letting her ruin anything else for Gracie and Cal. I've got to do this. No one else will.” He glared at the little, well-worn house in front of them. One of the neighbor's dogs had started to bark. “You don't have to be here. I probably shouldn't have asked you to come. I just didn't want to-.”

  “Addy, it's fine. I don't mind coming with you,” Katie squeezed his arm under her palm, hoping to steady him. “I was going home to go to bed when you came up on me at the store.”

  “Right, you could be home with Ian and Hannah Mae instead of standing in some stranger's yard in the middle of the night with me.” He sounded bitter.

  “Hannah Mae is staying with my mom and Kristy for the weekend so that I can focus on helping Gracie with the wedding,” Katie said. “My baby girl's not home.”

  “So I'm ruining your romantic night alone with Ian?” Addy chewed his lower lip as he adjusted the badge he'd clipped to his belt. He was out of uniform, choosing to wear a black t-shirt and blue jeans with his badge clearly visible on his belt. He was wearing his handgun in the holster on his hip.

  “Ha ha ha. You're funny, Malone.” Katie didn't even bother trying to hide her own irritation. “Ian's not home. I don't have the slightest clue where he is. My guess would be at a pool hall somewhere here in Canterville. He texted me earlier that he was going out with his buds, Lowery and Joe. He said I shouldn't wait up for him.”

  Addison scowled. “Ian doesn't need to be hanging around with those losers.”

  “I agree completely,” Katie said. “If you can convince him to stop socializing with them, be my guest. I don't care anymore.”

  “You don't care anymore?” Addison had a look in his eyes that Katie couldn't quite read because the night was so dark.

  “I'm sorry,” she said immediately. “I shouldn't be dumping this on you. Not with everything else that's been going on.”

  “Katie, you can always talk to me.” He took her hand in hers.

  “I know, but we're standing in your Mom's boyfriend's driveway in the middle of the night. I can't think of a worse time to have a heart-to-heart, Malone.” Katie forced herself to smile at him. “We need to deal with our problems one at a time. Right now, your Mom is a bigger problem than my failing marriage.”

  Addison seemed like he was going to say something else, but the porch light of the house suddenly clicked on and a stocky figure stepped out onto the porch. The man was holding a shotgun in his hands.

  “Hey! Get out of my yard!”

  Addison immediately pushed Katie behind him. “Callahan County Sheriff's Department,” Addison called out. “I strongly suggest you put that gun away.”

  The man on the porch was holding the gun awkwardly, as if he weren't completely comfortable with the weapon. “Callahan County?” He asked. “You're not in Callahan County.”

  “We're aware of that.” Addison began walking up the driveway towards the man.

  “Don't come any closer!” The man raised the gun up so that it was pointing at Addison's face. “You're trespassing. I'll have you arrested.”

  Addison reacted faster than Katie would have thought possible. He closed the distance between himself and the man in a matter of seconds, grabbed the shotgun by the barrel and jammed it backwards rather than trying to yank it out of the man's hands. The butt of the gun rammed hard into the man's face and he let out a startled scream. He released his hold on the shotgun as blood began gushing down his face.

  “Addy!” Katie jogged up the driveway, coming around the front of the minivan just in time to see Addison kick the man's feet out from underneath him. The man let out a startled yelp as his face hit the front of Jane May's minivan.

  Addison grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the hood three times in quick succession. “Don't you know not to pull a gun on a cop?” He snarled as he slammed the man's face into the thin metal a fourth time.

  “Addison, stop!” Katie grabbed him by the arm and yanked him backwards as hard as she could. He only staggered back a couple of feet. He still had his mother's boyfriend by the hair. The man's face was covered in blood and he was whimpering.

  “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” The man was on his knees next to Addison's boots. He was using his arms to shield his face. In the dim light from the porch, Katie could see he was roughly the same age as they were and wearing a pair of adult sized Sponge Bob pajamas. “Let me go. Please. Let me go. The gun wasn't even loaded. I swear. It's not loaded. I don't even have any ammo. I just bought it to scare the neighborhood kids off. Please.”

  “It's not loaded?” Addison thrust the gun into Katie's hands. “Check it for me,” he told her.

  Katie took the shotgun, which turned out to be a small single-shot four ten, and popped it open. “Unloaded,” she confirmed.

  Some of the tension eased in Addison's shoulders. He let go of the man's hair. The man stayed on the ground. He blinked up at Addison through his skinned and bleeding arms. He must have hit the gravel hard when Addison had knocked him to the ground. He was eye level with the badge and gun that were on Addison's belt.

  “You really are a cop,” he whimpered.

  “Didn't I already say that?” Addison asked. He glared down at the quivering form next to his boots. “I would have thought the big ass truck with the antlers on the roof would have been a hint.”

  “You said Callahan County. We're not in Callahan County,” the man said.

  “Do I look like I give two shits what county we're in?” Addison snarled.

  The man quivered down against the ground, clearly terrified.

  “Addison, enough.” Katie stepped in between Addison and the man on the ground, purposely pushing Addy backwards. She knelt down in front of the man. “Hi, I'm Katie and, as long as you don't do anything else stupid, I can promise he won't hurt you again.”

  “He's trespassing. I was just protecting myself,” the man said weakly.

  “You should have dropped the gun when he identified himself as a cop, sweetie.” Katie did her best to look small and harmless, which was easy because she was small and mostly harmless.

  “What do you want?” The man asked. “Do you have a warrant?”

  “We can get one,” Addison said quickly. “I have a judge over here who owes me some favors. You want me to get a warrant?”

  “I don't know-.”

  “No, you don't,” Katie said quickly. “Trust me. You don't want him to get a warrant. You probably don't want all of this on the front page of the newspaper anymore than we want it there.”

  “The newspaper?” The man lowered his arms. He used his pajama shirt to sop up some of the blood from his oozin
g nose. “What are you talking about?”

  Instead of answering him, Addison pulled out his key ring and stuck one of the keys into the door of the van. A moment later the vehicle unlocked.

  “Hey, that's my girlfriend's car. Why do you have a key?” The man was clearly confused as he watched Addison yank open the sliding side door and begin digging through the contents of the cargo area.

  Addison pulled out a long white dress. It had been slashed to ribbons by what had to have been a very sharp knife. He held it up for Katie. “Look familiar?”

  Katie sucked in her breath through her teeth. “Gracie's dress,” she said.

  “Thought so.”

  “Is that a wedding dress?” The man on the ground looked from Addison to the dress and then back to Addison with an expression of total and complete bafflement.

  “It was.” Addison tossed the wedding dress onto the hood of the van and then went back to digging through it. A couple minutes later he pulled out three scraps of tulle and silk fabric that had once been a bridesmaid's dress. “Yours or Trish's?” He asked Katie.

  “Who knows?” Katie shrugged. “It's ruined now.”

  She looked at Jane May's boyfriend. “What's your name?”

  “Tommy. Tommy Whiteheart. Who are you?” He seemed to be getting his wits about him.

  “I'm Katie McIntyre.”

  “Who is he?” Tommy pointed at Addison.

  Katie opened her mouth to respond but Addison beat her to it. “I'm your...girlfriend's... son.”

  Tommy's mouth fell open in shock. “What?”

  “My name is Addison Malone,” Addy said as he tossed another ruined bridesmaid's dress out of the van. “And Jane May is my mother.”

  “That's impossible,” said Tommy. “Jane May's not. No. Just no. You can't be her son. You're lying.”

  “He's not lying,” Katie said softly. “Please don't make him any madder. He's already in a horrible mood.”

  “You don't understand,” Tommy protested. “Jane May isn't old enough to be his mother. I mean, how old is he?”

  “Twenty eight,” Addison said. He'd pulled a fat notebook out of the back of the car and was examining its contents under the dome light in the van. “I'm twenty eight. Mom is forty six. She had me at eighteen.”