Autumn Dreams

by Gayle Roper

  While they were eating, he went back to his room and collected what he needed, then took himself to eat in an elegant restaurant on the bay where he enjoyed superior service and marvelous food. At ten he returned to Sherri and Kevin’s and hid himself behind a particularly large and unruly hydrangea, its dried flowers still clinging to the branches and providing good cover. He settled to wait until all the lights were out.

  The boredom wasn’t too bad, but the rain was an unexpected bother as it progressed from soft shower to mature downfall. In no time he was soaked, and with the whipping wind constantly increasing in vigor, he also became thoroughly chilled. His nose began to run, and he coughed with a rasp that made him think that a near death experience was just waiting to grab him.

  Two million dollars, he reminded himself. And all the rest of the Best money eventually. What was some discomfort, even pneumonia, in light of that prize? There were always antibiotics. He sneezed and wiped his nose on his saturated jacket sleeve. It’s worth it.

  It’s worth it. It’s worth it. It’s worth it became his mantra.

  Finally the lights were out in all four apartments. He waited another half hour, then sneaked to the house, climbing carefully onto the front porch. As quietly as possible he broke one of the panes in a front window. He was glad for the noise of the howling wind to help disguise the fall of glass.

  He unwrapped the smoke bomb from the three plastic bags he’d carefully wrapped it in to protect it, thankful that he’d had enough foresight to buy more than one bomb at the fire supplies store. The Blue Tip safety matches, protected in the same bags, didn’t want to stay lit in the wind. Finally, he huddled against the house and made himself a strong enough wind block for the flame to last long enough to light the bomb.

  Thick white smoke enveloped him, choking him with its sulfur and rotten egg smell. He gagged and tossed the bomb through the broken window. He stood still, breathing the rain-freshened air hungrily to clear his lungs, listening until he heard the fire alarms kick in. Then he ran to the hydrangea and grabbed his rifle. He lay on his stomach like a soldier, trying to be the smallest, most invisible target possible. He raised the rifle and sighted.

  Residents streamed out of the house into the rain. An old couple in bathrobes had remembered to bring an umbrella. They huddled on the front sidewalk. A young couple with three little kids in tow dashed out and across the street to stand on the porch of a deserted summerhouse. Tuck could hear the kids crying through the wind’s howls. A young couple ran out and stopped on the sidewalk. Tuck had sighted in on the girl before he realized she wasn’t Sherri. He felt like shooting her anyway and might have if it wouldn’t have been a warning to Sherri.

  Finally Kevin, wearing boxers and a T-shirt, raced out. He joined the young couple on the sidewalk, all of them getting wetter by the second.

  Where was Sherri?

  A police car pulled up, and the same cop as last night climbed out. Right behind him came the fire company. Tuck lay under the hydrangea, gnashing his teeth, afraid to move, rain dripping down his neck.

  Where was Sherri?

  He watched them bring out the remains of the smoke bomb and the undamaged paper casing it came in. He watched the renters, including Kevin, go back inside and the policeman and fire fighters drive away.

  Where was Sherri?

  By the time he finally made it back to the rat hole he was staying in, his fury consumed him. He punched the wall again and again, his fists bouncing off the plaster. The old walls were so sturdily built that he couldn’t even have the satisfaction of making holes in the walls. Finally the pain in his hands became so intense that it broke through the red haze.

  In agony he staggered down the hall to the bathroom where he held his bloody hands in a sinkful of cold water. As the water slowly turned red, he shook with the intensity of his hatred for Sherri.

  She should be dead, having bled out as she lay on the sodden ground. Instead, he didn’t even know where she was.

  Thirty

  JENN WOKE TO the sound of rain slashing across the windows and wind roaring like a vacuum cleaner gone mad. Rodney was really here. She burrowed under her covers and let herself drift, half asleep. No school today, thank you, Rodney. No pretending that Paulie was the hottest thing going.

  A momentary pang gripped her heart as she thought of her disappointment in Derrick. She had thought he was wonderful, misunderstood by others not as perceptive as she was. Instead, she had been the deceived one. How could she ever trust her own judgment again?

  She’d heard last evening that Derrick and the others at the house had been arrested for breaking and entering and other lesser charges. They had all pleaded guilty. What else could they have done? They were caught inside the house, locks broken, liquor consumed, marijuana present. She’d heard nothing of the Roofies. Maybe they had been flushed. Maybe there had only been enough for the glass of soda that was supposed to be hers.

  All the kids had been released on bail but had to report for sentencing in a couple of weeks. Jenn would be on edge the whole time. Would someone mention her presence? She knew she deserved it if she got dragged into the mess, but, Oh, dear Lord, can You keep me out of it?

  A loud crash shook the house as something struck it. She tensed, waiting, but didn’t hear any breaking glass. No windows taken out. Good. The last thing she wanted was to try and cover a gaping hole as the rain beat her up and tried to insinuate itself inside.

  She turned her head on her pillow and looked out the back window. Through the heavy gloom she could see the sycamore whipping and shuddering as the fierce winds savaged it. She hugged herself, enjoying the sweet pleasure of being dry and warm inside while the rain and wind roared outside. She wondered idly what street people did during a hurricane, then shrugged. She couldn’t do anything to help them, so why worry about them? She had enough real problems not even counting the possibility of someone ratting to the cops.

  What if her parents learned of her misadventure? Jared would keep his mouth shut, but she wasn’t at all certain about Aunt Cassandra who might feel honor bound to report everything. Jenn could just imagine the letters she’d get if Mom and Dad found out how stupid she’d been. She stilled. Maybe if they knew, they’d come home. Maybe there was a silver lining to her stupidity after all.

  Like that would happen. Dad had signed a contract for a full twelve months. He couldn’t come home, so Mom wouldn’t come home. But she didn’t doubt for one minute their ability to put her through the wringer if they were mad enough. And a person could be grounded and allowances withheld by a word from Saudi Arabia as well as one from Seaside.

  Sighing, Jenn tossed back her covers. She really should get up and see if there was anything she could do to help get ready for the guests coming today. With Aunt Cassandra away until later this morning, Brenna might need her help.

  Jenn pulled on a pair of jeans and a Seaside sweatshirt. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail and carefully applied her makeup. It might be a no-school day, but a girl should still look nice. You never knew when a tall, kind senior might drop over. Not that she liked Paulie, but if she was to act like his girl, then she had to look nice for him. It was only logical.

  Her eyes lost focus as she thought about how wonderful he’d been to her yesterday. He could have decided she was stupid and trashy. He could have wanted nothing to do with her anymore; lots of guys would have. But not Paulie. He stood proudly beside her, holding her hand as she explained to a group of girls why she didn’t like Derrick anymore.

  “I thought you were going with him when he bagged school today,” one said. “At least that’s what he said.”

  “He asked,” Jenn said with a dismissive air.

  “And you didn’t go?” All the girls looked like they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

  “Do I look like I bagged school?”

  Obviously there was no argument with her standing there in person.

  “Besides, Derrick is too wild for me.” She grimaced. “
I mean, do I want to drink my life away? Or get in trouble for taking off school? Sure, he’s good looking, real hot. And he can make you feel special. But if you don’t agree with everything he says, look out!” She glanced at Paulie. “I prefer people who like you even when you’re dumb.”

  At that comment, a grinning Paulie dropped her hand and slung his arm across her shoulders. “I like you any way you are,” he said with utter conviction.

  And what a gift that acceptance was, Jenn finally realized. As she padded around her room making her bed and picking up her clothes, she thought about the events of yesterday and the difference between Derrick and the other people close to her—Paulie and Jared and Aunt Cassandra.

  Of course Jared loved her. He was her brother and he was supposed to. Yet when he left school without permission yesterday to help save her, he’d risked a lot. They could have taken away football, which would have meant not only hurting the Seaside team but taking away Jared’s potential college scholarship opportunities as well. Thankfully, the lady in the school office accepted Aunt Cassandra’s family emergency note without question, though she looked strangely at Paulie when his read the same as hers and Jared’s.

  Jenn shook her head, knowing she loved her brother for caring so much, especially since she knew he was mad at her for liking Derrick in the first place.

  And there was Aunt Cassandra who dropped everything to search for her, even though she was worried about Grandmom and about Rodney and the new guests coming today. As Jenn thought about how nasty she’d been to her aunt the past several weeks, she flushed. She’d always prided herself on being a nice person, but she certainly hadn’t been recently. She’d been snippy, rude, and uncooperative. It wasn’t Aunt Cassandra’s fault that her parents had gone away for a year. She’d make up for being so rotten by helping her any way she could. Aunt Cassandra was really pretty cool and very wise. Embarrassing as it was to admit, she had been right about Derrick all along.

  A new idea wiggled in the back of Jenn’s mind, and she frowned. Was Aunt Cassandra right about Paulie too? She seemed to like him as much as she disliked Derrick. Jenn lifted her eyes as if she were looking at the six-foot-three-inch Paulie.

  Well, Paulie was different from Derrick in any way you could imagine. He was like an eager-to-please puppy, completely lacking Derrick’s polished, sophisticated charm. He was tall, a little overweight with his body still lacking a man’s definition where Derrick was slight with a strong chin and a firm build. Paulie was clumsy where Derrick was smooth. He was also sweet where Derrick was edgy, caring and giving where Derrick was demanding. He treated her like a queen instead of a servant, like someone to be cherished instead of someone to be taken advantage of in the worst possible way.

  Jenn smiled at her reflection in the mirror over the dresser. All in all, Paulie wasn’t too bad for a pretend boyfriend.

  Boyfriend. The word made her think of Dan, and Jenn’s smile broadened. He sure had it bad for Aunt Cassandra, and Jenn felt certain that Aunt Cassandra had it just as bad for him. Look at how he’d said he’d want to get anyone who hurt Aunt Cassandra. His face had been so fierce when he said it.

  Jenn blinked as a new thought hit her. Men who loved you wanted to protect you, not ravish you. They wanted to take care of you, not get you in trouble.

  A knock sounded on her door just as Jenn prayed, Lord, don’t let Dan leave.

  “Up and at ’em, Jenn,” called Brenna.

  Jenn grabbed the door and pulled it open, startling Brenna.

  “Whoa, girl, I thought you’d still be fast asleep.”

  Jenn flipped off the lights in her room and followed Brenna to the kitchen. Here all the lights were on to ward off the dark gray world outside, but the flashlights were lined up on the counter, ready for loss of electricity, which Jenn was surprised hadn’t happened already, given the way the wind was whipping.

  “How are you doing this morning?” Brenna asked, eyeing Jenn. “Did you manage to sleep?”

  “I’m fine, and I slept like a baby.” Jenn smiled.

  Brenna looked skeptical.

  “Really, I’m fine. After all, nothing happened yesterday except I behaved like a fool. But the bad stuff didn’t happen.”

  “Thank God.” Brenna wrapped her arms around Jenn and hugged her.

  “I’ve been thanking Him every time I think about it.” Jenn hugged Brenna back.

  “Okay, then.” Brenna rubbed her hands together. “I was afraid you might have had nightmares or something.”

  Jenn laughed and shook her head.

  “So you didn’t mind that Cass wasn’t here?”

  Again Jenn shook her head. “If anything, I was glad she was gone when I came home from school. I felt dumb enough without facing her. Do you—” Jenn hesitated. “Do you think she’ll tell my mom?”

  “I don’t know.” Brenna poured both of them a glass of orange juice. “But even if she does, I have to tell you, I was impressed by the love your family showed yesterday.”

  Jenn grinned over the rim of her glass. “They were pretty great, weren’t they?”

  “You should have seen their concern when Jared and Paulie came running from school.” Brenna looked very sad, Jenn thought. Personally, the thought of how everyone had come through for her made her grin from ear to ear.

  “I couldn’t believe that they left school.” Jenn rinsed her glass and stuck it in the dishwasher. She grabbed Jared’s Cheerios and poured herself a dishful. “They could have gotten in so much trouble.”

  “They cared more about you than the trouble they might have found.” Brenna turned her back suddenly, but Jenn still heard the catch in her voice. “I’m just realizing how much the people left behind suffer when they don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Well, sure,” Jenn said. “I was left behind by my parents and I hate it, and I even know what’s going on. I can’t imagine being left and not knowing.”

  She reached in the refrigerator for the milk and slapped the door shut with her hip. She glanced at the row of ice chests on the floor in the family area. “Are they full of ice?”

  Brenna didn’t answer.

  Jenn pulled the oversize freezer door open and there sat bag after bag of ice cubes, ready to go in the chests along with the milk and other necessary perishables as soon as the electricity went. That way they wouldn’t have to open the refrigerator door and bleed off the cold. That way fewer things would spoil.

  “Did you make up all those bags? You did a good job.”

  Again Brenna didn’t answer. Jenn set her cereal and the milk carton on the counter. “Brenna?”

  Still nothing. It was weird, like Brenna had turned into a pillar of salt like Lot’s wife. She didn’t move and she didn’t talk.

  Jenn leaned around Brenna and saw her face crunched up as in pain. Jenn’s breath caught. “Brenna, what’s wrong?”

  Brenna shook her head as loud footsteps sounded on the stairs and Jared ran into the kitchen. “Hey, girl, you’re eating my cereal!”

  At the same moment the back door burst open, letting in a great blast of wind and rain as Mike blew into the room.

  “Mike!” Brenna forced a smile. “What are you doing here?” She checked the clock. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  Mike kissed her cheek and settled an arm on her shoulders. “I’m on my way, not that I expect many customers in weather like this. But that’s not why I came. Guess what, Bren?” His voice was very excited.

  Dumb question, Jenn thought. How can she possibly guess?

  He waited a beat, then said, “We had a smoke bomb at our apartment last night.”

  Jenn and the others spun to him. “What?”

  He nodded. “Just like you guys. And I’ve been thinking about what’s the common link between our place and SeaSong. There’s only one.”

  He, Jenn, and Jared turned to stare at Brenna just as the lights flickered once and went dead.

  Thirty-One

  TUCK TURNED A bleary eye to the clo
ck and read nothing. It wasn’t pulsing, spitting out its seconds, clicking off its minutes. He grimaced. No electricity.

  He had no idea what time it was. It was so dark in the room, it could have been midnight. Rodney. Tuck pulled himself from his disgusting bed and looked out the crusty window at the deluge pounding against the house. What else could go wrong?

  He sneezed and shivered as damp wind leaked in around the warped window frame, making the dusty curtains shudder and billow like dirty, green wraiths. Before this trip was over, he was going to end up with pneumonia. He just knew it. How would he explain getting pneumonia to people when he was supposedly lying around in sunny, balmy Hawaii?

  He swiped at his running nose with his hand and winced at the unexpected pain. He held his hands out and stared in bewilderment at his swollen, bent, and bloody knuckles. He tried to straighten his fingers, but the pain that roared through him was too intense.

  What had happened? How had he sustained such a monstrous and terrible injury? And to both hands. He replayed last night up to the frustrating and highly disappointing conclusion of no Sherri and still had no idea what had happened. Had someone attacked him on his way home?

  The black space between realizing there would be no Sherri and wakening this morning in his revolting room was frightening. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He shuddered and promised himself he’d not think about it anymore. It was too distressing.

  This whole trip had been distressing. Where was Sherri? Even this morning he didn’t know where she was. He could only assume she was at work at SeaSong, all safe and warm in a clean, lovely place while he was forced to wallow in this repulsive, disgusting, filthy place.

  Rage gripped him. She will not win, he promised himself. She will not win! I will not let her.

  He took a long, hot shower to calm himself. Just as he began to feel the tension seep from his shoulders, the old man beat on the locked bathroom door.