“Delilah was spending all her time running back and forth checking on you and checking her pups,” Jasper explained. “So I put the puppies up on the bed, and she’s been fine ever since.”
“Their eyes aren’t even open yet,” Addie marveled. “Are you sure it’s okay for them to be out of their box?”
“Sure. It won’t hurt them any.” Jasper moseyed over to the bed and sat down, plucking puppies out of his way. “Your nose doesn’t look as swollen as it did last night.”
Addie reached up to touch her nose. “It hurts.”
“It’s going to hurt for a little while,” Jasper said. “You’ve got bumps and bruises everywhere.”
“Are my eyes black?”
“Yep.”
“I must look ridiculous.”
“You do,” Jasper agreed. “But that’s mainly because you have drool dried on your chin.”
Addie’s hands flew up to her mouth. “Don’t look at me!”
“I’m just glad you got some sleep.” Jasper dodged the pillow she threw at him.
“What time is it? I need to get home. Felix will be going nuts.”
“How about some breakfast first?”
“I thought I smelled bacon,” Addie replied.
“Let me move the puppies back, and then I’ll help you up.”
Addie grimaced as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She watched Jasper carry the puppies back to the box in twos, whispering and nuzzling each one of them before he put them back. Delilah followed him for each trip, wagging her tail.
“I had your car towed this morning,” Jasper said after the last of the puppies was moved from the bed. “I just had it towed back to your house.”
“Couldn’t I have driven it home?”
“I really don’t think you’re going to be in any shape to drive for a couple of days.” Jasper held out his hand to help Addie off the bed. “Careful, now.”
“I hardly remember anything from last night,” Addie said with her mouth full of toast.
“You don’t remember anything?”
“I remember that.” Her cheeks turned pink. “I just don’t remember a whole lot from before we got back here.”
“It’s probably a good thing you don’t remember much,” Jasper said with a wry smile.
“I ruined the whole night.” Addie looked over at Jasper. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have followed you. I really don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I’ve learned many things about you, Adelaide,” Jasper began. “And one of them is that you really can’t help yourself. Besides, you didn’t ruin the night. In fact, it gave me a great excuse to keep you in my bed all night.”
“I didn’t mind that part,” Addie said.
Jasper looked down at Addie’s empty plate. He was suddenly very serious. “You’ve been through so much already. The last thing I wanted was to get you involved in this mess.”
“What mess?”
“I can’t explain it all right now,” Jasper replied. “But I promise that I will. Whatever this is that’s going on between us—I like it, Addie. I want to keep it.”
“I like it, too.”
“Can you trust me just a little while longer?”
“I think so.”
“I’ll go out and get the Bronco started.” Jasper stood up. “Stay here until I come back in and get you. I don’t want you falling down and hurting yourself.”
“You’re bossy.”
“I mean it.”
Addie rolled her eyes as the front door slammed. She stood up after a few unsuccessful attempts. Everything hurt, but she wanted to go and see Delilah and the pups before she left. She stopped when she heard Jasper outside talking to Clyde.
“How is that mama takin’ to them puppies?” Clyde asked. “I ain’t seen her out much since they was born.”
“She goes out enough,” Jasper replied. “I don’t like for her to stray too far from me.”
“Afraid someone might steal her?”
“Not exactly.”
“She’s a pretty dog.”
Jasper crossed his arms over his chest. “She’d be a lot prettier if someone had taken better care of her.”
“You reckon?”
“I reckon.”
“Well, I guess I don’t know about all that, Mr. Floyd. I ain’t much of a dog person.”
“What are you doing up here today, Clyde?” Jasper asked him. “I thought this was your day off.”
Clyde took off his green Floyd Farms hat and scratched his greasy head. “Oh, I just forgot some of my tools in the barn is all.” He looked up to the porch and saw Addie watching them. “Hello there, Miss Addie.”
“Hello, Clyde.”
“No offense, darlin’, but you look like you’ve been rode hard and put back wet.”
“If that means that I hit a deer with my car, then you’re right.”
“Are you ready to go?” Jasper turned his attention to Addie. “Hurry up, we’re wasting time.”
“I thought you wanted me to stay inside until you came to get me.”
Jasper walked up the steps two at a time. “I don’t remember asking you to eavesdrop at the door.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Addie said. “Is everything okay?”
“Clyde’s just an idiot, that’s all.”
“Are you mad at him about something?”
“Left his tools at the barn,” Jasper scoffed. “Clyde hasn’t done any work on this farm in twenty years. I’d fire him, but he’s practically an institution around here.”
“There’s something not right about him.”
“He’s an odd duck, all right.”
“I guess the meaning of southern charm was lost on him.”
Jasper grabbed Addie’s hand and guided her down the stairs. “Lots of things were lost on ol’ Clyde,” he said. “Now, come on. Let’s get you home.”
The ride to Addie’s house was silent. Jasper’s mood was dark since his conversation with Clyde, and he spent most of the time scowling at the road ahead of them. It wasn’t until they pulled into the driveway that he spoke. “You should probably put some ice on your nose and take it easy today.”
“I will,” Addie promised. “In fact, I have some ice packs in the freezer. One of the benefits of having a nurse for a mother.”
“Do you miss your mom?”
“What?” Addie was taken aback by the question. “Yeah, I guess I do. Especially when I’m having trouble making a decision. She’s always prying into my life, but I secretly like it that way.”
“My mother is the same way.”
“I suppose all mothers are.”
“All the good ones,” Jasper said. “Warren and Neil told me last night that you were thinking of going back to Chicago. For good.”
“That was the plan at the beginning.”
“Is that the plan now?”
“I don’t know.” Addie leaned back in the seat. “I don’t know much of anything anymore.”
Jasper squinted through the windshield at her house. “Is your door off its hinges?”
“It wasn’t when I left yesterday. Maybe it was the storm?”
“There was rain, but not much wind.” Jasper slid out of the driver’s seat.
“Slow down.” Addie followed him. She really did feel as if she’d been hit by a bus. Jasper went rigid. “Addie, don’t come any closer . . . stay where you are.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I said stop!” Jasper leapt off the porch and into Addie’s path. “Go back to the Bronco.”
Addie tried to see around him. “Move out of the way.”
“Please.” Jasper grabbed her hand. “Just don’t go up there. Go back to the Bronco and I’ll tell you.”
“No. It’s my house. I’m going inside.” Addie scrambled past him and up the steps. What she saw made her wish that she’d listened. Just beyond the broken door, on the floor of the porch was a dog lying in a pool of blood. The dog wasn’t moving. Or breathing. She crept closer
to the animal, but with every step it became more and more evident that the dog was dead. She turned and stumbled back into the yard, falling to the grass in a heap. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“I told you not to go in there.” Jasper hovered over her. “I told you.”
“I’ve seen that dog before. I’ve seen him.”
“What do you mean you’ve seen him?”
“The man who came into the clinic and then refused to let us treat his dog. That’s the dog. That’s his dog.”
“Jesus Christ.” Jasper paced in front of her. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“This is my fault.” Tears dribbled down Addie’s cheeks.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Felix.” Addie picked herself up off the ground. “Felix. I’ve got to go check on Felix.” She didn’t wait for Jasper to respond, pausing only a moment at the porch before bursting into the house.
“Felix! Where are you?” Addie’s heart leapt into her throat. He wasn’t in his bed. “Felix!” She heard the clicking of paws on the hardwood floors. She found Felix in her bedroom, unharmed. He stretched and yawned, looking curiously up at her.
“Is he okay?” Jasper panted. “Is he okay?”
“He’s okay. He doesn’t even know what’s going on.”
“I was afraid . . .”
“This is Redd. I know he did this. Why would he do this?”
“I don’t know.” Jasper sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.
“We’ve got to call the police.”
“We’re not calling the police.”
“Why not?”
“You’re going to have to trust me on this.”
“I do trust you.”
“You’ve obviously made Redd very angry. And he’s dangerous.”
“That’s why we need to call the police.”
“I’ll clean it up,” Jasper said. “But we cannot call the police.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Addie, please just listen to me.” Jasper grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him. “Please. Just trust me. I promise this will be over soon.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“I know.”
“I’m not stupid. I know you’re hiding something from me.”
“Addie, listen to me—”
“No, you listen,” Addie cut him off. She dissolved into tears, tears she was frustrated she couldn’t hold back.
“It’s okay,” Jasper whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”
Addie lay on the bed petting Felix. He was snoring next to her. She wished more than anything she could sleep, but all she could think about was Jasper out on the porch. There wouldn’t be enough bleach in the entire Delta to get rid of what she’d seen that day.
She slipped off the bed and padded into the living room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to the porch. The dog was gone. The screen door was leaning idly against the house. Jasper sat with his back to her on the porch steps.
“Can I help with anything?” she asked.
Jasper shook his head. “I thought you were in your room with Felix.”
“I was. Felix is asleep. I thought maybe you could use some help. You shouldn’t . . . you shouldn’t have to take care of this by yourself.”
Jasper stood up and turned around to face her. “It’s okay.”
“What did you do with him?”
“I wrapped him in a couple old blankets and put him in the Bronco,” Jasper replied, looking down at the hammer in his hands. “I thought I’d go ahead and fix this door.”
“I want to bury him,” Addie replied.
“I’ll bury him at the farm tonight.”
“No,” Addie said. “I want to bury him in the backyard.”
“Why?”
“I owe him that.”
“Can you come over here and steady this door for me?”
Addie walked down the steps and held the door open. She was silent for a few minutes as they worked and then she said, “Could you tell how he died?”
“I think he was shot.”
“Do you think it was quick?”
“I think it was quick enough.”
“I hope he didn’t suffer.” Addie felt a sudden throbbing in her head. How many times was she going to have to ask about suffering? How many lives were going to evaporate in front of her? Her eyes darted around the room. Who was next?
“Let’s go inside for a few minutes.” Jasper waved her away from the door. “I’m not going to get this fixed today. You need a new hinge.”
Jasper sat down at the kitchen table while Addie searched the cupboard for clean glasses. “Do you want some sweet tea?”
“You need to know that none of this is your fault.”
“You know, people keep saying that to me; you keep saying that to me. And yet here I am, right in the middle of it.”
“Maybe you’re being too hard on yourself.”
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”
Jasper sighed. “I don’t think it’s safe for you here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think scaring you was just a pleasant side effect of the real meaning behind all of this.”
“Which is?”
“He’s telling you to leave.”
“He wants me to leave my house?”
“I think he wants you to leave Eunice.”
Addie exhaled, crumpling in her seat. “And you think this is his way of making that happen? To kill a dog and leave the body on my porch for me to find?”
“I do.”
“Well, I’m not leaving,” she replied. “I live here, and if I decide to go, it’ll be my choice.”
“I’m not suggesting you leave town. But I do think it would be a good idea if you come and stay with me. Just until things”—he paused—“blow over.”
“How could staying there help anything?”
“Redd will be arrested if he sets foot onto my farm,” Jasper replied. “Any part of it, whether it used to be his or not.”
“He hates you just as much as he does me.”
“I’m sure he does. And that’s another reason I think you ought to come stay with me. He knows that we’re connected. I don’t want him coming after you in retaliation.”
“How do you know he didn’t do this in retaliation?”
“I guess I don’t,” Jasper replied. “But either way, you’ll be safer where I can keep an eye on things.”
“I’d be safer if we went to the police.”
“Addie.”
“What?”
“Don’t start this again.”
“Redd Jones can’t scare me out of my own house.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Tell me why we can’t go to the police, and I’ll go with you.”
“I can’t.”
“Then I’m staying here.”
Jasper slammed his fist down onto the table so hard that his glass of tea toppled over and onto the floor. The glass shattered at his feet. Within seconds, Felix bounded into the room, barking frantically.
“Shit,” Jasper mumbled, pushing back his chair. “I’m sorry.”
“Felix, go to bed!” Addie pointed at his bed in the living room. “Go!”
Felix whimpered and sulked back into the living room, heaving himself down. He eyed the kitchen warily.
Addie knelt down to pick up shards of broken glass off the floor. “We’ve both had a long morning. I’m tired. You’re tired. I’m sore as hell. After we”—she swallowed—“after we bury the dog . . . why don’t you just go home?”
“Please just reconsider.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You don’t even have a car.”
“I’ll call you if I start to worry,” Addie reassured him. “Right now, all I want to do is take a long, hot bath and go to bed.”
“I’d stay here if I could,” Jasper said. “But I’ve got the
farm to take care of. And Delilah and the puppies.”
“I know.”
“I’ll come back by tomorrow and finish up with that door.”
Addie watched him walk down the steps and out toward the Bronco, her hands full of glass. So far, the first two days of the Delta Blues Festival had turned out to be disasters of epic proportions. Despite her best efforts to shake the feeling, there was something inside of her warning her that this was merely the beginning.
CHAPTER 42
“JE-SUS.” WANDA LOOKED FROM ADDIE TO THE DOOR PROPPED up against the side of the house. “Girl, if it wasn’t for bad luck, you wouldn’t have none at all.”
“I know.”
“And your poor face.”
“I know.”
“You think Redd did this?”
Addie nodded. “I do, but Jasper doesn’t want me going to the police. Did you see anything last night when you checked on Felix?”
“Half the cops are probably related to him, anyhow,” Wanda replied. “But it does seem fishy that Jasper won’t let you say nothin’. When I stopped by, everything was right as rain.”
“He’s supposed to come back later to fix the door, but I want to go ahead and get it fixed, especially if I’m going to be alone here. Would you mind to take me to the hardware store?”
“How are you going to fix your door, sugar?” Wanda asked. “You need help putting on a shirt.”
“That’s what I’ve got you here for.” Addie tried to grin, but her face was so sore that it came out as more of a grimace.
“Oh, great. We better get some vodka while we’re out,” Wanda replied. “And don’t go tryin’ to charm nobody with that face of yours. You’ll scare ’em away.”
As they drove to the hardware store, the town was ghostly quiet. Not a soul walked along the streets. There were no cars at the gas stations, and even the parking lot at Linstrom’s was surprisingly empty. Addie guessed the men who usually frequented the place, like everyone else in town, were at the festival.
“Stay here in the car with Felix, and I’ll be right back,” Addie said, unbuckling her seat belt.
“Are you sure?” Wanda asked. “I can run in for ya. You’re walking around like Frankenstein.”
“I’ve been lying in bed all afternoon. I need to walk around a little bit.”
The inside of the store was just as empty as the parking lot. The store was almost always full of people milling around, looking for caulk, or whatever it was that people went to the hardware store for. Most of the time, Addie was in the minority. Most of the time there were men wearing boots and heavy belt buckles shooting the shit with each other in every aisle. She found the nearest salesperson and said, “I need a hinge just like this.” She held it up. “Do you carry this?”
Sit! Stay! Speak! Page 26
