“Capability…?” Nathan said.
“I’m back!” Capability thrust his arms out. “I decided that I couldn’t let some good-for-nothing scupper the finest moment of my career. So I brought my licensed gun back with me, and I’m good to go.” He lifted up his shirt and gave them a flash-view of his weapon. A huge smile spread across his face. “Now, as I pulled up in the parking lot, I realized there’s a great opportunity there to add an extra bit of pizzazz. Come and check something out with me, Nathan. I think you’ll love this idea.”
At that moment, Max arrived from behind them. “I’m ready,” he said to Nathan.
“I’m meant to be going to the plant store with Max,” Nathan said to Capability.
“Oh dear.” Capability’s face fell. “I really want to show you this. I think it could make all the difference.”
Faith saw the confusion on Nathan’s face. He really wanted to go talk landscaping with his mentor.
“How about Max and I go together?” she suggested.
Max didn’t look best pleased, but Faith decided to ignore that.
“Perfect!” Capability said. “Let’s all walk to the parking lot.
*****
Soon Max and Faith were in the van, and Faith was feeling frustrated. Max never let out more than a monosyllabic response to anything she asked. So far, she’d asked him about what he thought about the murder and who he thought was responsible. He’d shrugged and said, “I have no idea.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Faith said, feeling at the end of her tether.
“If you want.”
Faith knew it was dangerous territory – if he wasn’t the killer, this was a really insensitive question to ask. But she had to find out the truth. And how would she do that without digging? “Doesn’t this bring back horrible memories for you?”
“What? No.”
“But like… doesn’t it make you think of what happened in the past?”
“What?” Max said.
His answers were so infuriating. Faith tried to remember the sensitivity of the territory, and kept her voice gentle and calm. “Max, your mom told me about your dad. About what happened to him.”
“So?”
“So… doesn’t what happened to Robbie make you… remember?”
“Remember what?”
Faith felt she was banging her head against a brick wall. “Your father… what happened to him. Him being… killed.”
Max burst out laughing, and Faith jumped. “Killed?” he said.
“Huh? Wasn’t your father killed?”
“No,” Max said, still laughing.
“But your mom told me that he was in the wrong part of town, and he got caught in a crossfire, and then she met with the killer, and forgave him.” Faith felt reality had turned itself upside down. She almost began to think she imagined the conversation with Janice.
Max shook his head. “I hoped this wasn’t going to come out.”
“Oh. So it’s true? About your father.”
“No, not that. I hoped you weren’t all going to find out what a psycho my mother is.”
“Huh?”
Max shook his head. “I’m a young guy. What young guy wants to work with their mother? I don’t even like landscaping, though I’m all right at it because she always forced me to do it. I’m here as her caregiver. She has… let’s say, issues. I hoped I could cover it, but I guess it had to come out sometimes.”
Faith furrowed her brow, not sure whether to believe him or not. “What kind of issues? Why would she make all that up?”
Max huffed and looked out the window. “She makes up all sorts of trash. Once she told everyone at my school that I had cancer and that I was going to die. That was a fun conversation, when I had to tell everyone she’d made it up. People blamed me.”
“Oh, my,” Faith said.
“I thought she’d gotten better,” he said. Devastation tinged the edges of his voice, but he held control. “I always think that. When will I learn?”
“So where is your father, then?”
“He just left one day. He said he was going to the store, and never came back. When we finally got a hold of him, he was living with another woman and didn’t want to talk to us.”
Faith felt a familiar drop in her heart. “That’s almost what happened to me and my mom. My dad just left one day and I never saw him again.”
“Sucks, doesn’t it? Since then my mom hasn’t been right. What’s your mom like? As crazy as mine?”
“No,” Faith said. “She’s all right.”
“Good for you,” Max said bitterly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“It’s all right.” He stared out the window, a shadow over his features.
Faith paused. They were nearly at the plant store, and she wanted to delve in deeper before he closed up like a clam again. “One thing, Max. I don’t really get. I know you have some strong beliefs, but did you know that sometimes the way you communicate them is really rude and hurtful?”
She braced herself for a barrage of abuse.
“Is it?” he said.
“Yes.”
“I say what I have to say to make me feel good. Most of the time I don’t even mean it.”
“Oh.” Faith frowned, trying to work out how putting other people down so much could make anyone feel good. “I find that being kind to people works better to make me feel good. Maybe you could try that?”
“I tried that ages ago,” Max said. “It makes people think you’re weak. I’m not doing that again.”
Faith pulled into the parking lot, seeing the human side of Max for the first time. But she still couldn’t get her head around Janice being a compulsive liar.
“Why do you think your mom makes up these stories?” she asked.
Max shrugged. “Maybe she’s like me, and just says whatever feels good.”
*****
Chapter 18
Tabby’s home was, in all honesty, tiny and cramped. She and her three little teen and pre-teen brothers lived there, along with her mother and father, she’d explained in the ride down from Paradise Falls. All were flame-haired, except the father, who was bald.
“I’m sorry my house is so small,” Tabby said, leading Laura and Faith up the driveway. “My dad was out of work for a long time. My mom had to take a job as a cashier.”
“I grew up with next to no money,” Faith said. “I know what it’s like.”
Tabby still flashed her an apologetic smile as she knocked on the door. “Yeah, but you’ve done really well with yourself at the café. I haven’t had any opportunities. Plus, I have no talent whatsoever.” She laughed, but there was a sadness in it.
“Don’t say that,” Laura said, giving her a side hug.
“It’s true,” said Tabby. Then her mom – equally tiny and red-headed – opened the door. “Hey, mom. These are my friends, Laura and Faith.”
“Oh, hello, girls. Welcome.” Tabby’s mom was in an apron, and had a duster in one hand.
As Faith stepped in, she saw how spotless the place was. It was super-cramped, but everything had a place and she couldn’t see a single speck of dust. Cupboards lined the tiny hallway, packed up with neatly-labeled plastic boxes.
“Do you want to go to my room?” Tabby asked Laura and Faith. “It’s really small.”
“Sure,” Laura said.
They made their way up the narrow staircase and took a left in the cramped landing space. Tabby hadn’t lied – her room was a box room, with barely enough space for the single bed and the small armoire.
“We’ll have to sit on the bed,” she said apologetically.
“It’s fine,” said Faith, starting to feel uncomfortable with Tabby always apologizing for herself. She took a quick look around the tiny room, and noticed the poster above the bed, a scary-looking picture of an eerily pale man looking out of a black hood, his eyes red and shining. “Whoah.”
Tabby laughed uncomfortably. “That’s my secret weird passion,”
she said. “Death metal music.”
Laura grinned. “But in school, you always liked the pop music everyone was into.”
“But I always had my secret.” Tabby flopped down on the bed next to them and looked depressed. “That wasn’t my only secret. I acted all happy at school, but I wasn’t really. I hid everything.”
Laura nodded. “I hope you don’t feel that way anymore.”
“Sometimes.” Tabby shrugged. “Everyone else seems so… put together. I’m just… a mess, really.”
Faith laughed, not unkindly. “You think I’m put together?”
“Of course!” Tabby said. “You’re pretty, and you have a great relationship with Nathan, and you have money coming in, and you’re talented, and you always look really nice in your dresses, and you’re tall, and you have lovely coloring, and you’re smart. Of course you have it all together.”
Faith laughed again. “Could someone let my mind know that? I mean, yeah, my life’s a lot better than it was back in Minnesota. I’ve grown as a person. I feel better in myself. But I certainly don’t feel like I have it all together. Most days I feel I’m just ticking along, keeping everything going.”
Tabby shrugged. “Doesn’t look like that from the outside.”
“Appearances can be deceiving, I guess,” said Laura. “I don’t have it together, either. Yale and I don’t seem to understand each other much anymore. I love my job. I love it. But sometimes I feel like I’m underqualified, messing around in these kids’ lives and maybe not even helping that much.”
“You must be kidding me,” Tabby said. “You’re amazing at what you do. Those kids adore you.” Her voice was full of weight, like Laura’s success was weighing her down. “I wish I could do something like that.”
“You could,” Faith said. “You could do anything you set your mind to. You might have to go back to school, but you’re so young, Tabby. You have a whole life ahead of you.”
Tabby shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t go back to school. We need my wage here. My dad’s working again, but we have so much debt to pay for. We’ve remortgaged the house three times. And he works nights in a warehouse. It’s not much money.”
Faith watched Tabby with compassion. She looked like she had the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. Why did she have to be responsible for her father’s debts?
Laura swallowed, and then asked in a quiet voice. “Is he still gambling?”
“No,” Tabby said, offended. “Anyways, you shouldn’t judge him. He can’t help it. It’s an addiction, like an illness. You don’t know what it’s like to be him.”
Faith was gentle. “I don’t think Laura was judging him.”
“Everyone judges him.” Tabby sprung up from the bed and went over to the window. She stared out of it and her eyes took on a far-away quality. “Everyone’s always judging us. It’s us against the world.” She turned back to them, looking like she regretted inviting them in in the first place. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Faith couldn’t lie – she didn’t understand. She had compassion, but she didn’t know what it was like to be addicted, or to live with someone who was addicted to anything.
“Sorry, Tabby,” said Laura. “I hope I didn’t cross a line.”
“It’s fine,” Tabby said tightly. “But I don’t know why you insisted on coming here, Laura. Couldn’t we have all gone to your apartment, or Faith’s?”
“I wanted to see your family,” Laura said. “It’s been a long time.”
“Yeah, well, there’s not much to see.”
Tabby looked considerably distressed. Faith got the sense she was torn – torn between absolute loyalty to her family, being them against the world, and feeling ashamed of them. Faith wondered if she really had it in her to threaten Robbie and Capability for money, and then to try violence on them when she didn’t get her way. Then, with a horrible jolt, Faith’s eyes landed upon an album cover placed on a shelf. It was obviously a death metal album, with its black and red imagery. But it was the figures on the cover that grabbed her attention – a man holding another, holding a knife to his neck. Suddenly Faith felt so sick. That was how Robbie had been killed, and she’d barely allowed herself to think of it, it was so horrific. His throat had been cut.
Tabby closed her door and leaned against the back of it. “Sorry,” she said. “I never normally bring anyone here. Because I really like you guys, I thought I would. But now I wish I hadn’t. How will you ever like me again? You’re probably going to make Nathan fire me now.” She gulped tears back.
“Not at all,” said Laura. “It’s fine, Tabby. It’s all fine. We’re your friends.”
Tabby’s eyes brightened up. “Really?”
Faith felt so sick she couldn’t speak. Instead she put on a smile and nodded. “Mm hmm.”
Tabby slotted herself in on the bed between Laura and Faith.
“Tabby,” Laura said gently. “I think you should really consider going back to school, or doing something that’s just for you. I understand you need to help your family out, but you need your own life, too. You seem a bit… trapped.”
“I’m not trapped,” Tabby said, irritated. “I’m fine.”
Laura pressed on. “But you’ve kind of… been made to… take some responsibility for your dad’s problems. When that’s not your job.”
“I knew you were judging my dad,” Tabby said. “I knew it. You know what, if you think he’s such a terrible person, come and meet him. I dare you to say the things you’re saying to me to his face.”
Laura looked at Faith, bewildered. Faith, still feeling lost and sick, couldn’t offer much. She shrugged. “All right.”
“Come on, then.” It was a challenge.
Laura shot Faith a desperate look, but Faith felt numb. The whole situation was making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
When they got downstairs, Tabby put back on her usual sunny attitude. “Mom, where’s dad?”
“Oh, he went out, honey,” Tabby’s mother called from the other room. Stress strained her voice, like she was wondering where on earth he had gone.
Tabby shrugged. “Oh, well. Anyway, my friends are going now, mom. Do you want to say goodbye?”
Tabby’s mom called from the other room again. “So soon? All right, goodbye, girls.”
“Okay,” Laura said, still bewildered. “We’ll see you at the pre-launch drinks, right, Tabby?”
“Yep.” Tabby saw them out, sadness in her eyes. “You don’t understand. I’d do anything for my family,” she whispered, as she opened the door for them. “Anything at all.”
Faith felt a shiver go up her spine. Anything at all? Even kill?
*****
Chapter 19
Despite how much they’d mulled over it, speculated, and sometimes argued, Faith, Nathan and Laura were no closer to working out who the murderer was by the pre-opening drinks. Faith was so nervous that she’d left a whole batch of cakes in the oven far too long, and Alizee and JoJo’d had to come to the rescue by baking extra batches of their cola cherry and Milky Way cupcakes.
“I’m just praying nothing bad is going to happen,” Laura said, as they were putting the finishing touches on the tables. They’d decided to hold the pre-launch drinks in the area just inside the parking lot. Originally they had considered having them in Robbie’s Springs of Hope, but Nathan had said that it felt too much like courting disaster.
Faith kept glancing around to see that Capability was still there. She was placing quite a lot of her faith in his licensed gun, just in case anyone went crazy. Thankfully he’d chosen one of his ostentatious suits, this time with pink and gold Aztec patterns all over it, so Faith would be able to spot him in the middle of any crowd.
Just as Faith was fixing up the champagne glasses, Robert Lewis Senior’s executive car pulled up in the parking lot. Her breath caught in her throat. It seemed so strange that they were celebrating when his son had died. Sure, they had designed this to be a place of new hope, but the u
nsolved case was like a dark cloud hanging over their heads.
Even JoJo, Shane and Alizee looked stressed, which was a rarity. Shane was trailing around after Capability like a little dog, having forgiven him. He always went over the story again and again, saying, “Capability left, but then he came back.” It was somehow cathartic for him to repeat it endlessly, to anyone who would listen. Allen was sitting in the corner, lining up his pencil collection, which he often did when he was stressed.
Max and Janice and Tabby were in their best clothes, huddled in a group. No one seemed to be in a party mood, except for Capability, who had already started on the champagne.
“Hello, all,” Robert Lewis Senior said, walking in from the parking lot with a huge smile. “Wow,” he exclaimed, taking in the buffet of a thousand cakes and little sandwiches. “This is quite a spread.”
Andrew Martinez followed, and slapped Robert Lewis Senior on the back. “Only the best for Robbie.”
Immediately, Faith’s in him evaporated. He did look smarmy and fake. She shared a glance with Nathan, and he raised his eyebrows.
“Oh my gosh, he’s got a knife!” Max hollered.
Everyone gasped, and turned to look at him. Capability had already whipped out his gun. Max pointed at JoJo, and Capability aimed his sight on him.
JoJo dropped the knife and put his hands in the air. He then began to cry.
“Look what you did!” Alizee hollered at Max. “You made him cry!”
“So what?” Max exploded. “He could have killed one of us, and you’re worrying about him crying?”
“You’re really a dummy, you know that?” Alizee said fiercely. “Put the gun down!” she hollered at Capability.
“Sorry, missy, no can do,” Capability said. He was sweating around the hairline.
“That’s a cake knife!” Alizee shouted. “A knife to cut darn cake!”
Everyone paused.
Then Robert Lewis Senior began to laugh. “Oh, goodness me.”
Pecan Flan Murder Plan Page 9
