Charley's Web (32 page)

“Is it possible you got a kick out of listening to those tapes?” Charley probed.

“A kick?”

“A sexual charge.”

“A person would have to be pretty sick to get sexually aroused by that kind of thing.”

Charley refrained from stating the obvious: that a person would have to be pretty sick to have done such things in the first place. She lowered her voice, tried to muster as much sympathy as she could. “We can’t necessarily control what turns us on.”

“That’s very generous of you, Charley.” Jill raised both arms above her head, stretched out her back. “What impulses can’t you control, I wonder?”

“We’re talking about you.”

“Aw, come on, Charley. Humor me. Tell me what gets you hot.”

“I don’t have time for this, Jill.”

“Does fucking my attorney make you hot?”

“Okay, I’m out of here.” Charley jumped to her feet.

“Oh, sit down, for Pete’s sake. Enough with the histrionics. Do you want to know who Jack is or don’t you?”

Charley remained standing. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure there really is a Jack.”

Jill looked genuinely shocked. “You don’t believe me?”

“I’d like to. I’d really like to think I haven’t been wasting my time driving down here every week, that everything you’ve been telling me isn’t total bullshit. But I’m not sure anymore.”

“Jack would be very hurt to hear that you doubt him.”

Charley sat back down, stared directly into Jill’s eyes. “Then tell me who he is.”

“Very good, Charley,” Jill exclaimed. “That was really good. No ‘tell’ there at all. It was really intense.”

“Who is he, Jill?”

“You’ll find out.”

“When?”

“Soon enough.”

“I’m running out of patience, Jill.”

“Next week. How’s that? It’ll be my birthday present to you.” Jill smiled. “What? You’re surprised I know it’s your birthday? You don’t remember that column you wrote about how you never got to celebrate your birthday after your mother left, and how you make a really big deal out of birthdays now that you have kids of your own? I could relate because we never celebrated birthdays around our house either, and I always thought, if I ever have kids…” She broke off, her eyes losing their mischievous sparkle. “Doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.”

“You’re saying you’d like to have children?”

“Isn’t that every girl’s dream?”

“You’re not exactly every girl.”

The sparkle suddenly returned to Jill’s eyes. “That’s true. So, what’ve you got planned for lucky number thirty-one?”

“We’re going to Disney World,” Charley said quietly, remembering Jill’s horrifying visit to the Magic Kingdom, and wondering how she’d react.

“Oh, that’s great,” Jill said with unabashed enthusiasm. “The kids will love it. Have you been before?”

A moment to process Jill’s reaction. “No. This will be my first time.”

“I absolutely loved the teacup ride,” Jill said. “I mean, I know most people love Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean the best, but my favorites were the teacup ride and It’s a Small World.
It’s a small world after all,”
she began singing. “You want to know what happened to us inside Small World? It was the funniest thing ever. You have to hear this.” She squirmed in her seat, leaning forward, and speaking directly into the recorder. “Here we all were in these little boats that supposedly sail around the world, and all these dolls are singing that stupid song over and over again for like, twenty minutes, and I’m singing along, of course. I think it’s the greatest thing ever. My father looks like he’s about to start ripping the heads off everything in sight, and Ethan is threatening to jump ship. Finally the ride is almost over. We can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have, like, thirty seconds left to go. And suddenly, the whole thing stops dead. The lights go out and nothing is moving. Except the dolls. They’re still singing. And we sit there for, like, another twenty minutes, listening to those stupid dolls sing that stupid song over and over again, until even I’m getting sick of it, and then suddenly, just when everybody’s about to start screaming, the lights go on and the boats start moving again. Except instead of moving forward, they’re going backward. Another twenty minutes to get back where we started! And all the while, the dolls are singing.
It’s a small world after all.”
Jill was laughing now.
“It’s a small world after all.
It was so funny.” She wiped a few happy tears from her eyes. “Talk about reliving it all.” She sat back, released a deep sigh. “Wish I could go with you.”

With those words ricocheting in her head, Charley turned off the recorder, stuffed it in her purse, and stood up, almost knocking over her chair. “How about I tell you all about it when I see you next week?”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Charley walked to the door and knocked for the guard.

“Charley?”

Charley turned around.

Jill was on her feet, a crooked little half-smile playing with her lips. She lowered her eyes coquettishly. “Happy birthday,” she said.

S
he first heard the noise as part of a dream. She was looking for a pair of shoes to match the black-and-white dress she was planning to wear to dinner at Renato’s, only all she could find were ugly old pumps in purple and green. In frustration she began tossing the shoes to the floor. One bounced back and hit her in the middle of her forehead. She felt the wetness of the blood as it dripped between her eyes. Which was when she woke up.

Charley opened her eyes to find Bandit licking her face. “What are you doing up so early?” she asked the dog, sitting up in bed and checking the clock on the bedside table. It was 6:35
A.M
. “We have another twenty-five minutes before we have to get up.” She sighed, lay back down. Which was when she heard the noise again.

Bandit jumped off the bed and ran to the bedroom door, then turned back toward Charley, as if exhorting her to join him. Reluctantly, Charley climbed out of bed and threw a pink cotton robe over her white T-shirt and boxer shorts. Probably just one of the kids, too excited about today’s trip to sleep, she was thinking as she crossed the hall to their room and opened the door. But both kids were still asleep, their overnight bags packed and waiting beside their beds.

She heard Bandit barking with excitement, and quickly exited her children’s room, closing their door behind her. Someone was in her kitchen, she realized, trying to make sense of what was happening. Was it a burglar? But what kind of burglar breaks into a house at almost seven o’clock in the morning? she thought, deciding she was probably still dreaming. Which was when she heard the voice.

“Ssh!” it cautioned. “Not so loud. You’ll wake everybody up.”

Charley pushed herself toward the kitchen. The man was wearing jeans and a green-and-white Hawaiian print shirt. He was standing beside the counter, every cupboard door in the room wide open. “Bram!”

Bram spun around. “Happy birthday, Charley.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Did I wake you up?”

“It’s six-thirty in the morning. What do you think?”

“I think I woke you up. You were always really grouchy in the morning.”

“What are you doing here?” Charley asked again.

“Making blueberry pancakes. Or
trying
to,” Bram said in exasperation. “I bought the pancake mix, I bought the blueberries. I relied on you for a Mixmaster. Which seems to have been a colossal error on my part.”

“You’re making pancakes?”

“Trying to.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Are you?” he countered.

“Of course not.”

“Neither am I. Now where’s your Mixmaster?”

Charley pointed to the Cuisinart on the counter beside the coffee maker.

“Shit,” Bram said. “Couldn’t see it for looking.”

“What are you doing here, Bram?” she asked a third time.

“Making you blueberry pancakes for your birthday,” he answered, taking her in his arms and kissing her on the cheek. “I wanted to make sure I got here before you took off. I’m coming with you, by the way.”

“You’re coming to Disney World?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Mom’s coming,” Charley reminded him, convinced now this was all a dream.

There was a moment’s silence. “I know that.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

Another pause, longer than the first. “I guess we’ll find out.”

“Oh, Bram.” Charley surrounded her brother with her arms. If this was a dream, she definitely didn’t want to wake up. “Thank you. This is the best birthday present ever.”

“Glad you like it, ’cause you can’t take it back. What time are we leaving?”

“Mom and Alex should be here before eight.”

“Oh, I forgot about Alex.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Just means we’ll have to take two cars. Which isn’t a problem because…” Bram led Charley toward the front door and opened it. “Ta dum! They found mine.” He pointed to his freshly washed sports car at the curb in front of the house. “By the way, we probably should send Katarina flowers and a thank-you note,” he said as Bandit ran outside and peed, then raced back in again

“The occasion being…?”

“If it hadn’t been for her, my car wouldn’t have been stolen, and I wouldn’t have had a message from the police waiting for me when I got home from your place last week telling me they’d found it. In one piece, no less. So how could I get plastered when I had to go reclaim my car? And more good news—whoever stole it also stole the stash of weed and other assorted goodies I had in the glove compartment, along with my cell phone, so not only couldn’t I get stoned, I couldn’t call my dealer. And by the time I got back to my apartment, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t be bothered doing anything but crawl into bed. So here I am a week later. Clean, sober, and ready for the Magic Kingdom.”

Charley didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both.

“Oh, please don’t cry. I’m useless when a woman cries.”

“I’m just so happy. I was so afraid when I couldn’t reach you…”

“I just needed some time to be alone and think things through.”

“And what conclusions did you reach?”

“I concluded that it’s time for you to get dressed and let me get started on birthday pancakes for six.”

“You promise you won’t change your mind, that you’ll be here when I get back?”

“I’ll be here when you get back.”

By the time Charley returned, freshly showered and dressed in a crisp white blouse and khaki-colored capris, the kids were up and helping Bram set the table. “Happy birthday,” Franny sang out in greeting. She was wearing a pink T-shirt and matching pants, and her hair was brushed and secured at the sides by two pink barrettes in the shape of cupids.

“Happy birthday! Happy birthday!” James echoed. He was wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt that was half-in, half-out of his navy blue shorts.

“Uncle Bram’s making pancakes,” Franny said with obvious pride.

“And he’s coming with us to Disney World!” James said.

“I know. Isn’t that wonderful?”

In response James ran excited circles around the table, Bandit at his heels.

The front door opened. “Hello?” Elizabeth Webb called from the front hall. “What smells so good?” She appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, stopping abruptly when she saw Bram standing by the stovetop, frying pan in hand.

“I’m making blueberry pancakes,” he told her. “Seems you’re not the only one in the family with a famous recipe. Of course, in my case, the recipe is Aunt Jemima’s. But what the hell?”

“Uncle Bram’s coming with us to Disney World,” James told his grandmother.

“Is that true?” Elizabeth’s eyes were glued to her son’s face.

“Isn’t that what grown-ups do?” Bram quickly turned away and started spooning batter into the pan.

“I’ll make coffee,” Elizabeth volunteered.

There was a knock on the door.

“That’ll be Alex,” Charley said, running to answer it. She pulled open the door. Gabe Lopez stood on the other side.

“Sorry to bother you so early,” he began immediately, “but I saw the car pull into the driveway and figured you were up.”

“Is there a problem?” Charley asked, as Bandit jumped up and down against the man’s shins.

Gabe leaned down to pat Bandit’s head. “I just wanted to warn you that the men will be working on the back patio with jackhammers all day, so it might get pretty noisy.”

“Actually we’ll be in Disney World all weekend, so it won’t be a problem. But thanks for the warning.”

Gabe Lopez sniffed at the air. “Something smells very good.”

“My brother’s making blueberry pancakes. Would you like to join us?”

“I shouldn’t,” Gabe Lopez said, about to turn away. “But I will.”

“Good.” Charley was surprised to realize she meant it. “Go on in. Everybody, this is my neighbor, Gabe Lopez,” she called after him. “He’ll be joining us for breakfast.” She was about to close the door when she saw Alex’s car round the corner. “Guess who’s coming to breakfast,” she told him as he bounded up the front walk.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’ll have to see for yourself.”

“Okay. Is everybody ready for a little piece of heaven?” Bram was asking minutes later.

James giggled. “Piece of heaven,” he repeated, and giggled some more.

It truly
was
a piece of heaven, Charley thought as she took her seat at the table between her mother and Alex. Franny and James sat on either side of Gabe Lopez. Bram hovered over everyone, loading everyone’s plates with pancakes.

“Who wants orange juice?” Alex asked, getting up to pour everyone a glass.

I should get my camera, Charley thought, so I can keep this moment forever, replay it whenever I want, keep the memory of it alive.
Relive it,
she thought with a shudder, seeing Jill’s wicked smile in the reflection of the patio door. Go away, she ordered silently. You’re not invited to this party.

“Something wrong, darling?” her mother asked.

“No,” Charley said quickly, banishing Jill’s image from her brain, although a part of her remained, skulking about the room like an evil spirit, winking from the shadows as Charley wolfed down the pancakes on her plate. “I should take Bandit over to Lynn’s,” Charley said when she was through, hoping the fresh air would be enough to banish Jill’s malevolent presence once and for all.

“And I should get going as well,” Gabe Lopez said, standing up and bowing his head in appreciation. “Thank you so much.”

“I’m glad you could join us,” Charley said, walking Gabe to the front door.

“It’s a pleasure to have such nice neighbors,” he told her.

“It is indeed.”

Gabe Lopez cut across the lawn to his house just as several workers pulled their truck into his driveway. The man in the yellow hard hat was not among them.

Charley secured Bandit’s leash. “Kids, come say good-bye to Bandit.”

Franny and James ran toward the door, scooped Bandit into the air, and smothered him with kisses. “Bye, Bandit,” they said together.

“Be a good boy,” James added solemnly.

“I’ll be back soon.” Charley picked up the paper bag full of the things Bandit would need for the weekend and led the dog outside.

Lynn was waiting at her front door, long red fingernails gripping the handle of a steaming mug of coffee, when Charley arrived. Even this early in the morning, she was fully made up, her hair teased into a bouffant ball, her bare feet squeezed into three-inch platforms. “How’s my little furball?” she cooed as Bandit licked her toes and Charley handed over the bag of his belongings.

“Everything should be there. His food, his dish, his favorite toy.” Charley pulled a rubber hamburger from the bag and squeezed it. It made a squeaky sound that caused Bandit to snap to attention. “The vet’s number’s in the bag if there’s an emergency….”

“There won’t be. Will there, big guy? No, there certainly won’t be.” She picked Bandit up, pushed her red lips forward to be kissed. Bandit obliged by sticking his tongue directly into her mouth. “Oh, my goodness. You’re a fast one. Yes, you are. You’re a fast one. I wasn’t expecting that. No, I wasn’t.”

“I really appreciate this, Lynn.”

“Not at all. What are neighbors for?”

Charley began to smile, but a sudden sharp pain in her stomach stopped her cold.

“Something wrong?” Lynn asked.

“I think I ate one too many blueberry pancakes.”

Lynn patted the bulge at her tummy. “Tell me about it. You want some Pepto-Bismol?”

“No, I’ll be okay.” But by the time Charley got back home, her stomach was cramping so badly she could barely stand up straight.

“We’re trying to decide whose car to take,” her mother said as she walked in the front door. “Alex’s is a little bigger, but mine is newer….”

“And purpler,” Bram added.

“And purpler, yes,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “As well as safer. And I already have a car seat for James installed, and…”

“We’ll take your car,” Alex said easily, carrying the first of the overnight bags to the mauve Civic in the driveway, followed closely by James. “Are you okay?” he asked Charley upon his return. “You look a little pale.”

“My stomach’s giving me a hard time,” Charley acknowledged quietly. “Guess I’m just not used to such a big breakfast.” She felt another twinge, and looked away in order to hide her growing discomfort. She was immediately overcome with dizziness, and grabbed the wall to keep from keeling over.

“What’s the matter, dear?” her mother asked.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Alex asked. “We don’t have to leave yet.”

“No, I’ll be fine. Really.”

“You don’t look very good,” Franny said.

“Is there a problem?” Bram asked.

“Come on, everybody,” James yelled from the side of the car. “Let’s go.”

“I’m fine,” Charley insisted, as a strong spasm shot through her insides.

“You’re not fine,” Alex said. “Come on. You’re sitting down for a few minutes.” He led her into the living room, sat down beside her on the sofa. “You think you’re going to be sick?”

“I don’t know.”

“Take deep breaths.”

Charley did as she was told but felt no better.

James bounded back into the room. “Come on!” he urged. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Mommy isn’t feeling well,” Franny told him.

“But it’s her birthday!”

“I’m fine,” Charley said, determined not to ruin the weekend. She tried to stand up, but the pain was like a powerful jab to her solar plexus, and she collapsed back onto the sofa.

“Okay, that’s it,” Alex said. “I’m sorry, kids, but it doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere today.”

“No!” James cried. The disappointment in that single word was both overwhelming and heartbreaking.

“Of course we’re going,” Charley insisted.

“Charley, you can barely move,” Alex said.

“I’ll be okay in ten minutes.”

“Then we’ll go in ten minutes,” Alex said. “Okay, look. Here’s a suggestion. Bram and your mother can drive the kids up, check into the motel, get started on the Magic Kingdom, and you and I will meet them there as soon as you’re feeling better. We need two cars anyway. How’s that?”

“Can we, Mommy? Can we? Can we?”

“I don’t know.”