by Amy Reece
“So, you and Mat, huh? I’m really happy for you. He doesn’t know how lucky he is.”
“I know, right?” We both laughed. “Now it’s your turn. You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?”
“I was hoping. Fine. Here goes: Mom stayed the night at Brian’s and Grams is out with Roger, so Jack came inside, swooped me up into his arms and carried me upstairs to my bedroom, where he made mad, passionate love to me for hours on end. He’s still here, sleeping beside me, so I need to be quiet.”
There was stunned silence on the other end for a moment. “You are such a bitch and I hate your guts. I’m hanging up now.”
“Okay, okay!” I laughed. “I’m sorry! I couldn’t resist. I’ll tell, I promise.”
“I’m waiting,” she said coldly.
“Fine. My mom really is at Brian’s and Grams was already in bed, so Jack came in and pulled me down onto the couch with him. He pulled onto his lap, tucked my hair behind my ear, which I love, and kissed me, really softly. Then he held me, for like an hour. It was one of the most romantic things he’s ever done.”
I heard her sigh. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” I sighed in return.
“Those Jimenez boys have got it going on, girl,” she said.
“Tru dat, homie.”
“Okay, I’m hanging up now before you get any more gangsta. Goodnight. See you tomorrow. Let’s make a pact to go on a double date at least once a month. Okay?”
“Sure. It was a lot of fun. Two sets of best friends going out. What could be better?”
***
I had been racking my brains to find a way to get out of going to Ireland over spring break, especially since Jack and I had only recently gotten back together. I was not eager to be gone from him for an entire week. It turned out I needn’t have worried; I was attending a high school that operated on a semester schedule and a community college that operated on a trimester schedule. Short version: I had CNM classes during spring break, so I couldn’t go to Ireland. Whew! Dodged a bullet there. Cassie told me she explained it to the council and they understood; we began making plans for me to go in the summer. The plan was for me to fly over by myself a few days after my mom’s wedding. Cassie was getting married around the same time and would be on her honeymoon, but I assured her I was fully capable of traveling by myself. I actually preferred it that way.
The Wednesday before spring break, I was sitting on Jack’s couch, finishing an economics quiz. Jack had already finished and I was determined not to ask for his help.
“Argh!” I exclaimed, frantically shuffling through my notes.
“What’s wrong, babe?” Jack muted the basketball game he was watching and looked up at me from his spot on the floor.
“Nothing. I can’t find my notes on demand curve shifts. It’s okay.”
He smiled and handed me his notebook. “Is that your last question? Here, use my notes. I want you to be done so I can ask you something.”
I took his notes gratefully and finished my quiz, gladly closing my laptop for the night. “I’m all yours. What do you want to ask me?”
He turned off the television and looked up at me. “I talked to my dad yesterday. He’s settled here in Albuquerque and really likes his new job, so he wants to sell our house in Taos.”
I slid behind him, my knees on either side of his shoulders, and began to massage his tight shoulder muscles. “Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah. I get that he needs to move on. What I wanted to ask is if you would be willing to come with me to Taos this weekend? When I moved down here, I left a bunch of my stuff in my old bedroom. Dad said it would be better if I went and packed up anything I still want. When he goes to sell the house, he can just get rid of anything I leave.”
“I would love to go with you. It’ll be our first road trip. I’ll need to be back by Tuesday for my CNM English class, though,” I said as I honed in on a particularly tight spot on his left shoulder. “Since I used it as an excuse for not going to Ireland, I better not ditch.”
He groaned in appreciation at my massage and tilted his head to give me greater access. “I figured we could leave Friday after I get off work and drive back Monday. We can stay with my cousin, Donny. When I take you home tonight, I’ll come in to ask your grandmother and mom, and assure them we will have separate bedrooms.”
I laughed and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Spoilsport. You’re such a good guy, Jack.”
He pulled me down onto his lap and began kissing me. “Yeah, well I never said it was easy.”
After a short discussion and a phone call to Trina, Grams and Mom were fine with me going and I waited impatiently for Friday to arrive. Trina had loaned Jack her Ford Escape, not wanting us to make the four-hour trip in Jack’s forty-nine year old car, so we enjoyed a higher level of comfort than usual. We stopped in Santa Fe for dinner and arrived at his cousin Donny’s house late. Donny had waited up for us and showed us to our rooms, telling us we would meet his wife and baby in the morning.
I woke the next morning to the smell of coffee and the sound of an infant crying. I got ready quickly and wandered out to the kitchen to find Jack feeding cereal to a baby and Donny flipping pancakes at the stove. “Good morning,” I greeted them both and kissed the top of Jack’s head. “Who’s your friend?”
Jack chuckled as he loaded another spoonful of grayish goo into the baby’s mouth. “This is little Alex.”
The baby gave me a mushy smile and banged his hands on the high chair tray, demanding more. “That’s my boy,” Donny said fondly. “Did you sleep all right, Ally?”
“Great, thanks. Can I help with anything?”
“Nope, I got it. Just help yourself to coffee or orange juice.” He turned back to the pancakes as I poured a cup of coffee and sat down next to Jack and Alex.
“Wow, Jack. I had no idea you were so domestic,” I said as he continued to feed the baby, looking like he was enjoying himself, making airplane noises as he shoveled the cereal in Alex’s greedy little mouth.
“I like kids,” he shrugged.
“Good thing,” a tall, attractive brunette entered the kitchen. “Because the Jimenez family is certainly fertile. You’re feeding a rhythm method baby, you know. Keep that in mind, Ally, if you decide to stick with this one.” She hugged Jack from behind. “It’s good to see you again, Jack. It’s been way too long. Hi, Ally.” She gave me a hug. I was getting used to how affectionate Jack’s family was. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard lots about you. I’m Audra.”
“Thanks. Nice to meet you too.”
Donny turned around to greet his wife with a kiss that was a bit more than perfunctory. Jack and I looked at each other with amusement.
“Thanks for letting me sleep in, babe. And for getting breakfast. And for feeding the baby.” Audra punctuated each statement with another kiss.
“Hey, I’m feeding the baby,” Jack argued. She didn’t answer him as Donny pulled her back for another long kiss. Jack rolled his eyes at me.
“So, when are you two heading over to pack up your stuff?” Audra asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Right after breakfast,” Jack answered. “I just want to get it over with. I don’t think it will take too long and then I can show Ally some of the sights around here. She’s never been to Taos.”
“Where are you going to take her?” Donny asked.
“I thought we’d take a look at the Gorge Bridge and the pueblo. Maybe stroll around the Plaza. We’ll eat dinner somewhere downtown,” Jack said.
“That sounds fun. Why don’t we meet you at Mosaic this evening? We want to take you out to dinner,” Audra offered.
“You guys don’t have to do that,” Jack began.
“No, no. We want to. Please? We got a babysitter for tonight and could really use some adult time. You’d be doing us a favor,” she wheedled. “They have a really great vegetarian selection, Ally. Come on, Jack, please?”
“Give in, Jack,” Donny sighed. “She’l
l get her way. She always does.” Audra gave him a dirty look.
“Okay.” He laughed. “If Ally’s fine with it.”
“Of course,” I said. “It sounds like fun.”
“Oh, good.” She clapped her hands in gleeful victory. “Let’s meet there around 7, okay?”
“Where is this place?” Jack asked.
“In the Hotel La Fonda, so if you end the day on the Plaza, you’ll be right there.”
Donny served breakfast, which was delicious: pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit. He had even prepared some soy bacon for me.
“You have the nicest family,” I told Jack as we drove across town a half hour later. “I really like Audra and Donny.”
“Yeah, they’re great. Donny was away at college during my asshole years. It’s nice to have one person in the family who doesn’t remember what I was like then. I haven’t seen him since their wedding last spring.”
“Well, it’s really great of them to let us stay with them. So, have you ever heard the Taos Hum?” I referred to the low frequency humming sound some people swore they could hear in this area. It was somewhat famous and had even been mentioned on the X-Files.
He laughed. “No. And I don’t know of anyone who has. I don’t think it’s real, querida. Sorry.”
“So, you believe in psychics and what was it? Curanderas? But you don’t believe in the Taos Hum? Seriously? I’m so disappointed, Jack. This could be a deal-breaker.” I tried to look serious.
He chuckled and reached for my hand. “Yeah, well, I personally know several psychics and at least one curandera. I might believe in the Hum if I actually heard it.”
“Well, I guess we can still be together. You are a pretty good kisser, after all.”
“Pretty good? I can see that you need a reminder in the very near future.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. “If you think I’m only pretty good, you should have an opportunity to reevaluate.” He pulled into the driveway of a fairly large adobe-style house.
“Hmm. You could be right.”
He blew out his breath. “Well, here we are.” He turned to look at me, taking both my hands in his. “Thank you for coming with me, Ally. This is going to kind of suck. Thanks for being here.”
My heart melted at his vulnerability. “Of course, Jack. I love you, you know?”
“I know.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss me.
We walked up the driveway and Jack used his key to open the door. The house was cool inside and Jack turned lights on as we went. I withheld comment on the bare walls and boxes stacked everywhere; Marcos had apparently done some packing before moving to Albuquerque. I followed Jack down a hallway to a bedroom with a blue wooden J on the door. Inside, although it smelled musty, it looked as though the boy who had lived there had just stepped out; the bed was unmade and dirty clothes were piled on the floor.
“Jesus, it looks just like I left it,” he breathed. He walked over and toed the pile of clothes. “That’s what I wore the day before I got arrested.”
“You haven’t been back since?” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No. I went straight to juvenile detention and from there, straight to Manny and Trina’s. They packed up some clothes and books for me. Okay, first things first.” He went to the closet, kneeled down, pulled back a piece of loose paneling, and retrieved a metal lockbox, which he set on the bed.
“What’s that?” I asked.
He sighed heavily. “My stash. I’m really embarrassed about this, Ally. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come in person and pack up my room, rather than letting my dad handle it. He probably wouldn’t have found it, and I couldn’t leave it here for the next owners. What if some kid found it?”
“God, Jack. Don’t be embarrassed. Not with me.” I reached out to touch his arm. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Burn it. Come on.” I followed him out of his room to the kitchen, where he stopped to find some matches. He led me through the glass doors onto the back patio, where he set the box on a table and bent down to turn the dials on the combination lock. It opened after a few tries to reveal baggies full of pills and marijuana, a small bong, and several dirty magazines. “Yeah, I was a real prize, huh?” he asked, running his hands through his hair. He emptied the box into the kiva fireplace at the corner of the patio and dropped a lit match on top of the pile. The magazines caught fire quickly, spreading it to the rest of the drugs and paraphernalia. He found a piece of wood and smashed the bowl of the bong while everything burned. I stepped close to him, put my arm around his waist, and leaned against him. He pulled me close as we watched the vestiges of his misspent youth smoke and smolder. When the flames had burned themselves out and all that remained of his drug/porn stash was cinder and glass fragments, we turned and walked back inside the house to his bedroom.
I started pulling books off the shelf, sorting them into piles while Jack went out to the SUV to get the boxes we had brought. Jack had said he only wanted his books, CDs, and a few other assorted items; he had grown so much in the past few years he had no need for the clothes that were left. “So, do you want to keep all your Captain Underpants books? It looks like you had the complete series,” I asked as he returned.
He laughed, coming over to look at the books I had set aside. “Yeah, I was a big fan back in the day. Let’s bring them for Megan.” We finished packing the few things from his childhood he wanted to keep in less than an hour. I was distracted by the box of school pictures we found, enjoying seeing Jack from kindergarten through early high school.
“Oh, my gosh, you were an adorable little boy, Jack.”
He came to look over my shoulder. “I want to see your school pictures when we get back to Albuquerque. It’s only fair, querida. All right, I think we’re done here. Let’s load these boxes in the SUV.” It took only a few minutes and then Jack locked the house back up. He pocketed the key and stood staring at the door for a few seconds.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “It was actually not as bad as I was expecting, but it wasn’t my favorite thing, either.” He pulled me close. “Thank you for helping me do this, Ally. It means a lot to me.” Then he kissed me, a bit fiercely, showing me exactly how much he appreciated my help. “All right,” he said as he pulled away. “What do you say we see some of the sights Taos has to offer?”
We spent a glorious, relaxed afternoon sightseeing, driving ten miles north to see the Taos Gorge Bridge, a 564-foot-high suspension bridge spanning the Rio Grande River. We then turned back toward town to visit the Taos pueblo, a thousand-year-old adobe dwelling where people still lived. We returned to town to wander around the plaza until it was time to meet Audra and Donny for dinner. Jack seemed lighter and so relieved to have the unpleasant chore of revisiting his childhood out of the way; I hadn’t seen him this carefree for a long time. Or maybe ever.
We had an enjoyable evening with Donny and Audra as they treated us to dinner at the elegant Mosaic restaurant. I went with them to Mass the next morning and we spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house.
As we drove back to Albuquerque on Monday, I thought about how much I enjoyed traveling with Jack; this trip had cemented our relationship in a new way I was having a hard time understanding. It was different being so alone with him for such an extended time. I may not have understood it, but I liked it an awful lot.
***
The wedding plans overshadowed everything around the Moran household. Mom and Grams dragged me to a winery in the north valley they had fallen in love with for the ceremony and reception. I gave my stamp of approval, of course, and they seemed happy to include me. I went with them to pick out a dress for my mother and for Grams and myself. Grams was going to give her away and Mom had asked me to be the maid of honor. I will admit to getting a bit teary-eyed when she asked. I got even more teary-eyed, and not in a good way, when I saw some of the choices for bridesmaid dresses.
“As God is my witness, Mom, I ca
nnot wear something like this,” I held up a turtle-poop green, off-the-shoulder monstrosity.
She laughed and rifled through another rack. “I was thinking of something a little more like this.” She held up a royal blue dress that was sleek and sophisticated. I fell in love on the spot.
“Yes. That one. Please, Mommy,” I whimpered.
She laughed and handed it to me to try on. When I modeled it for her and Grams, they both said it was the one. At our third stop, Mom tried on a gown that was perfect: it was ivory and flowed from her shoulders in a Grecian style that flattered her and wouldn’t highlight the baby bump that was sure to be visible by June.
Although the wedding was definitely top priority around our house, Brian and I still had a murder to solve. Sunday afternoon, during a marathon session to pick out invitations, I took pity on Brian, who was overwhelmed by all the wedding plans, and took him out for coffee so we could discuss the case. Mom sputtered a bit about him leaving, but he assured her he would love whatever invitations she picked out.
“So where are we, Brian? I know you like Scott as a suspect, but do you have any evidence against him?” I asked after we settled in a booth and the waitress had left a pot of coffee.
“Not yet. This case is going to be very difficult to prove because of the time span. I think Scott did it, but I have no way to disprove his alibi. The autopsy came back.” He paused to take a sip of his coffee.
“And?”
“Patience, Grasshopper,” he said, shuffling papers within the file, finally finding the one he was looking for. “Ashley died from blunt force trauma to the head. Her killer struck her multiple times on the back of the head with some sort of weapon.”
