by P. G. Forte
She slanted another quick look in his direction. “What?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“Why should I forget?” she demanded, jaw tightening in anger. “Because I’m too stupid to understand? Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” He gazed at her wearily. “You know, there are actually times when I manage to forget about your age, but just when I do, you act like a little kid again, and–”
“Little?” She gaped in disbelief. “Dude, what are you talking about? I’m like, almost five nine.”
He choked back a laugh. Yeah, she was. Five nine and clueless. “Size isn’t everything, Caramel.” God, she was impossible. How could anyone live with a guy like Gregg for five months and still be so naïve?
Unless, he was wrong about Gregg? Liam thought about that for a moment. Was it possible he was letting his own past, his history with Jim, and his conviction that the two men were somehow connected, color his opinions?
Cara lifted her chin, and gazed at him challengingly. “Oh, yeah? Well, so what? I thought age wasn’t that big a deal for you, anyhow. Isn’t that what you just said?”
“I give up,” he sighed. She was such an odd creature; a girl’s brain in a woman’s body. Or did he have that backwards? She had him so screwed up, he couldn’t even tell what he thought anymore. She had a sharp tongue, a quick temper and what had to be the world’s largest blind spot. Innocence mixed with attitude, a walking contradiction. Maybe that’s what held Gregg’s interest? And when she lost that, when the asshole finally succeeded in beating it out of her, as Liam was sure he would, what then? Would Gregg kick her to the curb when that happened?
Liam shook his head. Is that really what he wanted for her? Would that be an improvement? It was obvious she had no other home to go to; and, for the moment, she didn’t seem unhappy. So, maybe he should just leave her alone, quit trying to save her? “Forget what I said. I lied.”
“Lied?” Her eyes narrowed. “About what?”
“About everything.”
* * *
“Oh.” Cara shut her mouth and concentrated her attention on the road. Well, it was hard to argue with that, wasn’t it? So... did that mean he did have a problem with age, after all? She puzzled over his words for a couple of minutes, sure there was something she wasn’t getting. For someone with age issues, he sure seemed pretty sprung on Lauren, and she was hella older than he was. Why, she was almost as old as Gregg! Funny how neither of them seemed to care about that, though, did they?
So, maybe it wasn’t an age thing, after all. Not for either Liam or Gregg. Maybe they both just liked Lauren better, for some reason. The sudden tightness in her chest made breathing difficult. After everything she’d gone through, everything she’d given Gregg, how could he just lose interest in her overnight? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She thought he cared a little more than that. But maybe she really didn’t know as much about guys as she thought she did.
She shot a quick glance at Liam. “Do you think she’s pretty?”
“Huh?” He looked confused. “She, who? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Lauren.”
“Oh.” The confusion left his face. He nodded. “Yeah. She is. She’s very pretty. But you are, too, you know.”
Well, that was always nice to hear, but it really didn’t help much, considering. “Would you call her a Twinkie?”
Liam sighed. “All right, look, I know I shouldn’t have called you that. I’m sorry. I don’t think either of you are Twinkies, okay?”
No, it wasn’t okay. And, it didn’t help at all! It left her right back where she started—competing with Lauren, one on one, with no advantage whatsoever. She chewed on her lip for a moment and then asked. “Do you really think Gregg likes her better than me?”
“Oh, crap. Don’t ask me stuff like that, okay? I don’t know what I think.” Liam stared out the window for a couple of seconds, and then added, “I think Gregg’s an idiot.”
Oh, yeah, that made sense, Cara thought. She had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but, strangely enough, she found herself feeling a little better, just the same.
“So, what are you going into town for today, anyway, Liam asked, and she could tell he just wanted to change the subject.
She shrugged disinterestedly. “I dunno. Shopping. You know, for clothes and stuff?” Nightgowns. Condoms. Toys for Gregg. Although, why should she even bother? With her luck, he’d only end up using them on Lauren, anyway.
Maybe Lauren would like to give the handcuffs a try? Go for it, bitch. Better you than me.
“Sounds like fun.”
“Huh?” She looked at him in surprise. Shit, she hadn’t just said that out loud, had she?
Liam’s eyebrows rose. “You said clothes shopping, right? Isn’t that why girls like it so much—‘cause it’s fun?”
“Oh, right. Fun. Yeah, it is. Of course, it is.”
“Well, that’s what I thought. So, what’re you shopping for Caramel? Shoes? Dresses? Some new jeans?”
“I guess.” Cara sighed. She could tell he was only humoring her. I must sound like such an air-head. No wonder he thinks I’m dumb. She hesitated for a moment, debating her own stupidity. She really should just keep her mouth shut. She knew that. She should just let him think what he wanted. But all the same, “Can you keep a secret?”
“That depends.” He looked at her curiously. “Who would I be keeping it from?”
“From Gregg,” she answered, watching as his eyes widened. He nodded slowly. She took a deep breath. “I don’t really care all that much about shopping. I just say that’s what I’m doing to get out of the house. Mostly, I come into town to meet with my tutor.”
Liam’s face turned puzzled. “So, why would that be a secret? Unless you’re sleeping with him, too?”
“What?” She blinked at the question. “Why would you think that?” But on the other hand, why even ask? He was a guy. Of course he’d think that. She shook her head. “No, that’s not it. It’s just... well, I really want to graduate, you know, in June? And I’m supposed to, but, it’s just so hard to study at the house, I mean the church, and... well, Gregg says I’m wasting my time with it anyway. He says I probably won’t last that long, so why bother. I just want the chance to prove that he’s wrong, you know?”
“What does that mean, you won’t last that long?” He was looking at her strangely. Cara felt cold, as if a cloud had suddenly slid across the sun.
Shivers raced up her spine. She frowned. “Don’t look at me like that. It means what I just said. That I won’t graduate. That I’m too dumb and I should just give up.” It’s what everyone thought, wasn’t it? Everyone but Seth.
“Did he say you can’t graduate? Or, that you won’t?” Liam asked, and there was something odd about his voice now, too.
Cara shrugged impatiently. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. Is there a difference?”
“Maybe.” They were both silent for a while and then, “How much do you know about him, anyway?”
“About Gregg?” She looked at him in surprise. “Like what?”
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know. Anything. Like, where’s he from, for instance?”
Cara sighed. “He doesn’t really talk about it much.” Much? Yeah, right. Try, not at all. She thought about it for a couple of minutes. “I think he used to live around here, though. A long time ago.”
Liam’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? What makes you say that?”
“Just some things he’s said.” She shrugged. “He knows a lot about the place. Old stuff mostly, but not the kind of thing you’d know about unless you were here for a while. Like the tunnels.”
“Tunnels? What tunnels? What are you talking about?”
She couldn’t help smiling. He was so funny, so easily distracted. Always jumping from one topic to the next, asking a dozen questions. She never knew what he’d ask next. But at least he talked to her. At least he seemed i
nterested in what she thought. “You see? You haven’t lived here long enough to hear about them, have you?”
Liam shook his head. “I guess not. Why don’t you tell me?”
“There’s lots of tunnels in Oberon. Or at least there were supposed to be, at one time; under some of the old houses. I think it’s because of all the caves in the area, you know? People say bootleggers used them, or smugglers, or Chinese immigrants. Mostly it’s just made up. But there really is one at the house. I mean, the church.”
“Oh, yeah?” He was frowning again.
Cara nodded. “In the basement. Gregg showed me.” She shivered again as she thought about that.
It had been a rainy, gray day, way back in November; back when her wrists were still raw from the handcuffs and she still felt like crap. The kitchen was a mess, but it wasn’t her mess, and when he ordered her to clean it up, anyway, she’d snapped. She said she didn’t want to, that he couldn’t make her, that she’d leave if he didn’t quit trying to boss her around. That’s when he hit her. Just once, but so hard, she thought her lungs had collapsed. Before she’d had a chance to recover, he’d dragged her downstairs and made her look at the boarded up hole where he said he was going to hide her body, after she was dead.
“In the basement?” Liam stared at her. “Leading out of the house, d’you mean? Where’s it go?”
“I dunno. Probably out in the woods, somewhere? It’s all cobwebby and decrepit, though. And it’s not like you can use it, or anything. It’s all caved in now. ‘Least, I think it is.”
It was Gregg who had told her that. He said if she really wanted to get away from him, she could try and take her chances by crawling out that way—through the rocks and the dirt and the snakes that were sure to live there. But if she did, he promised he’d board it back up behind her, and leave her in there to die. Slow, instead of fast.
“It’s your choice, pet. Whichever way you want it, you just say the word.”
“So, who told Gregg about it?” Liam asked. “Did he say?”
“Uh-uh.” She shook her head. “But, see, that’s what I’m saying. He must have lived here before, right?”
“Not necessarily. Probably whoever used to live there knew about it, too. They could have told him. Or someone else who’d been in the house before, and was familiar with it.”
“Yeah, but, who? I mean, y’see? That’s the thing. Nobody lived there. The place was empty for years – back as far as I can remember. When we were kids we all thought it was haunted.”
Gregg had laughed when she told him that. He said if it was, it was the first he’d heard of it. He told her she could take the job on, if she liked, though. He said her ghost was welcome to stay and try to scare him, for as long as it wanted.
“I never had a pet ghost before,” Gregg said, still smiling, even as his fingers tightened on her throat. “But, I bet I’d like one. I think I’ll kill you right now, just to see.”
“Stop that,” she murmured, squirming uncomfortably. She pushed at his chest. “Why d’you always have to talk about killing and dying and stuff like that? I hate that. It’s not funny.”
He cocked his head to the side and regarded her curiously, he was still holding her neck, but his fingers relaxed just a little. “You don’t think so? Well, too bad, ‘cause I do. And why not talk about it? What do you think that’s gonna do—make me forget? You think you’re gonna change my mind? I promise, you’re not. You’re still gonna die, you know. Now, later – what do you care when it happens?”
“Because I do,” she’d pouted. “I don’t want to die now. You don’t either, do you? And I don’t want to talk about it.”
Gregg laughed at that, letting go of her throat, and hugging her tight. “Okay, pet, you win. Let’s go back upstairs and you can give me some reasons to keep you alive, okay?” He pulled away a little, and gazed at her sternly. “But, first, you’re gonna clean that kitchen, just like I told you.”
“The basement, huh?” Liam nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, when we get back, you gotta show me where this is.”
“What?” Cara stared at him in horror. He has to be kidding? “No, I can’t do that! Are you crazy?” Fuckin’ Gregg really would kill her, if she did something like that. “You can’t tell anyone what I told you about this. Liam, please, I mean it!”
“All right, calm down.” He looked at her, frowning. “Take it easy, huh? It’s our secret. I won’t say another word.”
“You’d better not,” she muttered, as she concentrated on the road again. What the hell was wrong with her, anyway? She didn’t usually have this much trouble keeping quiet. Maybe it was Liam. He was just too easy to talk to, too easy to be with. Too easy to like. And, I do like him. I really do. It had been so long since she’d felt that way about anyone, was it any wonder she was acting all stupid?
I like him. I– What? She felt her face flush red. What was she thinking? Like him? No. I can’t. I won’t! Because that would be really dumb. That would be just what she needed – not.
“So, where am I dropping you?” she asked, not really caring. She was just glad that they’d arrived downtown, glad for the chance to be rid of him for a few hours.
“How ‘bout the bakery? I’ve got a friend there I thought I might visit.” And, if the look on his face was anything to go by, he’d be glad to be rid of her, too.
Well, good, Cara thought as she turned onto Main Street. He could go see his friend, she could go steal some treats to give Gregg; hopefully, they’d both feel better after that.
And, maybe, by the time they got back in the car, this afternoon, she’d have come to her senses. She could only hope.
* * *
Nick’s day hadn’t started off too well, and, having Liam in his face, wasn’t improving it any. He watched curiously as the younger man paced his office. What the hell is he doing here, he wondered. He hadn’t expected Liam to show up at the station today; in fact, considering the furor his abrupt departure from the force had caused, it was just about the dead last place he expected to see him on any given day. Except maybe in a holding cell. The thought of that brightened his mood enough to bring a smile to his lips. “Why don’t you take a seat, McKnight, you look like you could use one. What’s the matter? Don’t they let you neophytes get any sleep out there at salvation station?”
“Not too often, no,” Liam growled, as he dropped into the seat Nick had indicated. “They’re always waking us up for some bullshit, or other.”
“Yeah, well, what’d you expect? It’s still the easiest way to keep control of a group like that: keep ‘em doped up or disoriented.”
Liam sighed. “Believe me, I know. I’m not surprised, I’m just fucking fed up with it.”
“So, how’s it going out there, anyway?” Nick asked. “Think you’re close to finding whatever it is you’re looking for?”
“No.” Liam stared at the desk for a minute, before raising his eyes to Nick’s face. “That’s why I’m here. I need a favor.”
Well, there’s a twist. Nick leaned back in his chair, pretending to consider the matter as he fought to hide his surprise. “Oh? And, what might that be?”
Liam leaned forward, eagerly. “Information. There’s a guy I’m looking for. I’ve been trying to locate him for a while now, and I know he’s connected with TLV. I thought I’d find him there, or at least find some trace of him, some clue to his whereabouts, but, so far... ”
Nick shook his head. “You haven’t been there that long, you know. If this guy knows you’re after him, and is trying to hide... what’ve you been doing, flashing his picture around, asking if anyone’s seen him?”
Liam frowned. “Of course not. First off, there are no recent pictures of the guy – on account of he spent most of the last ten years in prison. And, second–”
“You know,” Nick said, “if I were trying to hide, I wouldn’t be using my real name. An ex-con’s not likely to lack for contacts who can hook him up with a fake ID, either, you know.”
“
I know,” Liam said. “I’ve already thought of all that—okay? I didn’t exactly expect him to show up in my room my first night there, looking to shake my hand. There’s plenty more searching I have to do there – I know that, too. But what I wasn’t anticipating was that a fucking complication like these godddamned tunnels was gonna crop up and shoot all my theories to hell. Now—shit, he could be in and out of there all the damn day, and I wouldn’t know anything about it.”
“Tunnels?” Nick stared at the young man, nonplused. “What tunnels? What in the hell are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what tunnels?” Liam shook his head in disgust. “You’re telling me some teenager knows more about what’s going on in Oberon than the great Nick Greco? Man, that’s a hell of a thing. That’s fantastic, Nick. Really super. Jesus.”
Nick scrubbed his hand across his face in an effort to hide his grin. “Hey, don’t underestimate teenagers, all right? They got their ear to the ground more than you might think. If they were just a little smarter, we’d all be in trouble. They’d own the place. Now, why don’t you try and pull yourself together and tell me what it is all these teenagers know that I’m so ignorant of?”
“There’s supposed to be tunnels. All over town, apparently.”
Nick nodded. “Yeah. Sure. Everyone knows that. Most of them are imaginary, of course, but some of them are real enough. I still don’t see what they’ve got to do with TLV?”
“Well, because there’s one out there, right?”
“What? At the old Gilchrist place?” Nick shrugged. “It’s news to me. Are you sure? I mean, have you actually seen it? And it’s not all blocked up? ‘Cause most of them are, you know.”
Liam shook his head wearily. “I haven’t seen anything yet. I only just found out about it today. But what if it is there? And what if it’s not blocked up? What if Jim’s been in town the whole time? What if he– Oh, crap, that fucking place is driving me nuts,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, managing to look both tired and wired.
