Broken Pieces

by Carla Cassidy

  As a third-grade teacher, the most physical thing she did was occasionally run a footrace with a student on the playground during recess.

  She turned off the desk lamp, then glanced toward the window into the face of a man standing outside in the darkness staring back at her.

  Chapter 5

  She kept her scream trapped inside, not wanting to frighten Kelsey. The man was there only a moment, then gone. Mariah remained in the darkness of the office, frozen in place.

  Move, a voice screamed inside her head. There was no phone in the office and her cell phone was in her purse in the kitchen. Call somebody. Get help!

  She hadn’t recognized the man. What had he been doing peeking in her window? Who was he? Questions crashed inside her head as she backed out of the office.

  Had she locked the front and back doors? She couldn’t remember. She ran into the kitchen and checked the door. Locked. She grabbed her cell phone and was about to dial for help when a knock sounded on the front door.

  Once again she froze, fingers poised to dial. Would somebody who wanted to harm them knock on the front door? There were a dozen windows open in the house. If he wanted to hurt them, he could have just waited until the middle of the night, slit a screen and crept inside.

  She moved to the front door, turned on the porch light and then shouted through the locked door. “What do you want?”

  “Finn sent me. Said you had some work. Name’s Joel Clarkson.”

  Relief flooded through her. Her fingers relaxed around her phone and she cracked open the door a couple of inches.

  “Didn’t mean to scare you none,” he said. “I knocked and nobody answered. I saw the light on and figured I’d look in to see if anyone was around.” Dark hair hung lank around his face, emphasizing hollow, acne-scarred cheeks. He looked thin, but with wiry strength.

  “Mr. Clarkson, it’s a little late to discuss anything tonight. If you want to come back in the morning, we can talk then.”

  He backed away from the door with an apologetic shake of his head. “Sorry, I should have realized it was too late. I’ll be back in the morning.” He didn’t wait for her reply, but headed for a rusty black pickup truck parked in front of the house.

  She watched until his headlights disappeared down the long, dark driveway; then she closed the door and locked it once again.

  Until this moment she hadn’t realized how vulnerable she and Kelsey were in this house. Without air-conditioning she’d gone to bed the night before with windows open wide, providing a perfect entrance to anyone who might want to get inside.

  She now went around the lower level, closing and locking the windows tight. They could sleep with the upstairs windows open and if necessary she would invest in a couple of fans. Installing central air was an expense she didn’t even want to consider for a house she wasn’t going to live in.

  With everything secure downstairs, she climbed to the second floor, her heart still racing faster than normal. For a moment as she’d stared at that face at the window, she’d thought he’d come back for her.

  As she stood beneath a hot shower, her thoughts once again raced back in time, back to the night of her rape. She’d always wondered if she’d been raped by a transient passing through town or if it had been somebody she knew, somebody who lived in Plains Point.

  There was some comfort in clinging to the belief that it had been a stranger, that it couldn’t have been any of the locals who knew her, somebody who still lived in town, shopped where she shopped and ate where she ate.

  There would always be a part of her that wondered why he’d picked her. Had it simply been a horrifying chance encounter or had she specifically been targeted for the brutal attack?

  As she got into her nightgown, she dismissed these thoughts from her mind. When she’d left Plains Point as a scared, pregnant seventeen-year-old, there had been little time to think of that night. The mere act of surviving had taken all her energy, leaving none left to obsess about the who and why of her attack.

  It was only in her sleep that she went back to that place beneath the trees with the scent of the storm in the air, and the memories seeped into her brain like toxic fumes, creating nightmares that pulled her screaming from her sleep. Many times the horror of the attack had gotten all mixed up with the agony of her mother’s betrayal that night.

  But time was a healer, as Mariah had discovered. The memories, although never forgotten, became less intrusive as the years had gone by and the nightmares became less frequent.

  Kelsey had learned at a young age that sometimes Mommy woke up screaming, and when she got older, she solved the issue of waking up to screams by wearing an iPod with earphones or earplugs to bed.

  Mariah slept later than usual the next morning and woke up to the scent of coffee and frying bacon drifting up the stairs.

  There were times she couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have Kelsey. Although she’d love to take the credit for her daughter’s maturity and caring nature, the truth was Kelsey had been born an old soul with a peaceful nature that had rarely given her mother a moment of worry.

  She got out of bed and pulled her comfortable but ratty old robe around her, then went down the stairs to see Tiny staring up at Kelsey adoringly as she flipped strips of bacon in the skillet.

  “I’m not sure if that dog has that heavenly grin on his face because he loves you or because he loves bacon,” Mariah said as she shuffled over to the coffeemaker on the cabinet. “But if you see me looking at you lovingly, it’s definitely because you have the coffee waiting for me.”

  Kelsey grinned. “I woke up early and figured I might as well get breakfast going.” She raised an eyebrow. “You were a lazy slug this morning.”

  Mariah raised her hands over her head and bent her body first to one side, then to the other. “I think maybe I overdid it yesterday. I have aches where I didn’t even realize I had muscles.”

  “Maybe you should just take it easy today,” Kelsey said as she removed the skillet from the burner.

  “I don’t have time to take it easy,” Mariah replied, and carried her coffee to the table, where she sat and watched as Kelsey broke eggs into a bowl. “I want to finish packing up the things in the office and then start on the master bedroom. The handyman Finn told me about yesterday stopped by last night and is supposed to be back sometime this morning.”

  Kelsey began to cut up mushrooms and green peppers. “What’s he like? Could he maybe be the man of your dreams?”

  Mariah laughed. “I don’t think so, not unless I like long-haired Peeping Toms.” She explained to her daughter about Joel peeking in the window and scaring her the night before.

  Kelsey frowned. “He sounds kind of creepy.”

  “I can deal with a little creepy as long as he can do what needs to be done around here.” Mariah took a sip of her coffee, making a list in her mind of all the work she hoped Joel Clarkson could accomplish. “Finn wouldn’t have recommended him to me if he weren’t safe,” she added.

  They had just finished eating when the sound of a vehicle’s tires crunching on the gravel drive drifted in through the open window.

  “That’s probably Joel,” Mariah said.

  Kelsey looked out the window, then looked back at Mariah, her eyes wide. “You’d better go pull on some clothes and do something with your hair. It’s not your handyman. It’s the vet, Dr. Hot.”

  Mariah sprang to her feet as she remembered the electric spark she’d felt when she’d looked at Jack Taylor the day before. She had no idea what he was doing here, but she sure didn’t want to greet him in the robe that was almost as old as her daughter and with her hair, not sleep-tousled, which sounded charming, but rather sleep-tangled, which was definitely not charming.

  “Go,” Kelsey said urgently. “I’ll keep him occupied until you’re dressed. And put on some lipstick,” her daughter demanded as Mariah raced for the stairs.

  Upstairs in her room Mariah hurriedly changed from her nightgown and robe into a pair
of shorts and a T-shirt. As she brushed the tangles from her hair, she heard Jack’s pleasant deep voice talking to Kelsey.

  She had the tube of lipstick halfway to her mouth when she stared at her reflection in the mirror and wondered what in the hell she was doing.

  The last thing she was looking for was a man. She was here to take care of family business; then she’d go back to her life. Okay, Jack was easy on the eyes, but he was most certainly not here to see her—he’d probably come to check up on their furry little friend.

  She threw the lipstick to the side of the bathroom counter and headed downstairs where Jack’s and Kelsey’s voices came from the kitchen.

  He’d been hot in his white lab coat the day before, but this morning, wearing a pair of jeans that molded to his long legs and with a white T-shirt stretching taut across his broad shoulders, he positively sizzled.

  He smiled as she entered the kitchen and she felt a kick of attraction punching her midsection. “Good morning.” His deep voice felt like a physical caress.

  “Dr. Taylor stopped by to check on Tiny,” Kelsey said.

  “I didn’t realize doctors in this day and age made house calls,” Mariah replied. She tried not to stare at him, but she was still trying to find some semblance of the skinny young man she had barely known in high school in the handsome, buff man in front of her.

  “Only in special circumstances.” He crouched down and Tiny sniffed his hand suspiciously. “He looks like he’s in good hands,” he said as he rose to his feet. “How’s his appetite?”

  “Good, and he slept through the night,” Kelsey said. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Dr. Taylor?”

  Mariah flushed as she realized her hostess skills had momentarily fled her. “Yes, would you like a cup of coffee?” she repeated.

  “No thanks, I’ve got to get to the office, and please, call me Jack,” he said to Kelsey. He redirected his gaze to Mariah. “Kelsey mentioned that there wasn’t a man around the house. I was wondering if maybe she and you would be interested in grabbing some pizza tonight with me. There’s an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet in town.”

  “Oh, I don’t think—”

  “I love pizza,” Kelsey exclaimed, interrupting whatever Mariah had been about to say. “Can we go, Mom?”

  Mariah knew that pizza wasn’t one of Kelsey’s favorite meals, that this was obviously some sort of matchmaking ploy. “Okay,” she agreed. “We’d love to go out for pizza with you.”

  “Great. Why don’t I pick you up around six?” He started out of the kitchen.

  “That sounds fine and I’m sure you’ll be surprised by how many pieces of pizza my daughter can eat,” Mariah said with a pointed glance at Kelsey.

  “Then I’ll see you at six,” Jack said. His eyes gleamed with a light that once again danced an electric flicker through Mariah. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, then walked out the front door.

  Mariah stood at the door and watched him get into his car, unable to help but notice how fine his butt looked in the tight jeans. As he pulled away from the house, she went back into the kitchen, where her daughter was loading the sink full with their breakfast dishes.

  “Since when do you love pizza?” she asked.

  Kelsey shot her a wicked grin. “I just all of a sudden got a craving for it.” She turned away from the sink to face her mother. “You were going to tell him no. Anytime anybody asks you out, you say no. You never have any fun. It’s just pizza, Mom. You don’t have to sleep with him. Just go out and have a good time.”

  Mariah stared at Kelsey, surprised by the uncharacteristic outburst. “Well, I’m glad you made that clear to me. I was afraid I’d have to strip naked and have sex in the middle of the buffet table.”

  Kelsey giggled and bent down to scoop up Tiny in her arms. “I just want you to have some fun, Mom.”

  “I do have fun,” Mariah protested. “I have fun spending time with you.”

  Kelsey looked at her soberly. “But I’m not always going to be around. Eventually I’ll go off to culinary school and get married and I don’t want you to spend your whole life all alone.”

  Mariah leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “You aren’t doing any of those things for several years and you shouldn’t be worrying about me.” Mariah laughed as Tiny licked the underside of her chin. “Now, why don’t you go do something typically teenagerish like make a mess in your room or call one of your friends long-distance and talk too long?”

  Kelsey grinned. “Actually, I was kind of wondering if maybe this afternoon I could go to the pool for a couple of hours.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. How about I take you and drop you off at the pool right after lunch? You can hang out until about four. Then I’ll pick you up.”

  “Cool, and in the meantime I’m going upstairs to mess up my room and make a long-distance phone call.” Kelsey carried her dog out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  At that moment another knock sounded on the door. It was Joel to discuss what work she might have for him to do. He had a faint reek of alcohol but appeared clear-eyed and freshly showered.

  They sat at the kitchen table and discussed the various jobs she needed done, agreed on a fair price and decided that the first task for him to tackle was the overgrown yard.

  It was twelve thirty when she left to take Kelsey to the pool. Joel was on a lawn tractor, making headway on the front yard, and he waved as they pulled out of the driveway.

  “Call me if you want me to come and get you before four,” Mariah said as she pulled up in the parking lot in front of the pool. She handed her daughter her cell phone. “Don’t get it wet and don’t lose it.”

  Kelsey rolled her eyes. “I’ll guard it with my life and I’ll see you at four.”

  Mariah watched her walk toward the pool entrance, her slender hips swaying beneath the bright pink cover-up she wore. Matching sparkly flip-flops adorned her feet, and Mariah knew beneath the cover-up was a pink and white polka-dot bikini that Mariah thought was half-obscene and her daughter thought was too conservative.

  She was growing up so fast and her boyishly slim body now sported a hint of the curves to come. Mariah watched her until she disappeared behind the large fence that surrounded the pool.

  What she wanted to do was run after her, wrap her up in a dozen beach towels and tell her to get back in the car. She wanted to lock her in a closet where nobody could ever hurt her, where nobody could ever throw her down in the grass and brutalize her.

  Mariah had spent most of Kelsey’s life fighting these impulses, knowing that her own fear could emotionally cripple her daughter if she allowed it to.

  As she drove home, she wasn’t alone in the car; the ghosts of the past sat in her backseat, whispering of all the bad things that could happen to young girls.

  Chapter 6

  It was ridiculous to feel so damned nervous about a simple pizza date, Mariah thought as she grabbed first one blouse, then another from her closet. She’d already decided on jeans, but couldn’t make up her mind what to wear on top.

  Whenever she was under stress, even the simplest decisions became difficult. And she was definitely stressed right now as she thought about seeing Jack Taylor again.

  She closed her eyes and grabbed the first hanger her hand landed on. It was a purple T-shirt decorated with the logo of the school where she worked. It wasn’t her favorite, but without giving herself the opportunity to second- or third-guess herself, she yanked it on over her head.

  “Kelsey, he’ll be here in fifteen minutes. Are you about ready?” she called down the hallway.

  Kelsey had come home from the pool chatting about a handful of kids her age that she’d met. Suddenly the summer in Plains Point didn’t look so bleak after all.

  She now came out of her bedroom wearing a pair of navy capris and a matching tank top. She frowned as she saw Mariah. “Gosh, Mom, could you pick an uglier T-shirt?”

  “We’re just going out for pizza. I didn’t know I nee
ded to adhere to a dress code.”

  Kelsey gave her the pained-teenager look. “Still, it wouldn’t have hurt for you to put on something a little prettier.”

  Mariah gazed at her daughter patiently. “Kelsey, honey, let’s get something straight. I’m here in Plains Point to get this house ready for sale and nothing more. Tonight is a one-shot deal, an evening out with you and Jack for pizza. Don’t try to turn it into something bigger than it is.”

  “Okay,” Kelsey said, obviously disappointed. “But could you at least put a little lipstick on so he won’t notice how ugly that shirt is?”

  “All right,” Mariah relented, and went back into her bedroom. She held no expectations for the evening. She simply thought it might be fun to chat with him and catch up on everyone they had gone to school with.

  The butterflies in her stomach were hunger, nothing more, she told herself firmly as she walked down the stairs. Tiny was in the kitchen and barked at the sound of her footsteps. She moved to the gate that kept the little pooch on the tiled floor, and leaned over to give him a pat on the head.

  “We won’t be long,” she said, and laughed as he cocked his furry head to one side, as if listening intently to what she had to say. “A couple of slices of pizza, then home.”

  The phone rang and she hurried back into the living room and lifted the receiver. “It’s on for tomorrow night,” Finn said. “Barbecue and beer and half the people we went to school with, and you’d better not tell me you and your daughter can’t come, because you two are the official guests of honor.”

  Mariah laughed. “What time and what can I bring?”

  “Six o’clock and nothing but your gorgeous self and your charming daughter,” he replied.

  “We’ll be there. Thanks, Finn.” She hung up the receiver as Kelsey came down the stairs. “That was Finn. We’re invited to a barbecue at his house tomorrow night at six.”