ONE SMALL VICTORY (19 page)

Forcing herself not to react to the hostile
undercurrent in his voice, Jenny kept her response as calm as
possible. “Stay just for a little while. It’s Michael’s
birthday.”

“What?” Scott hunched his shoulders. “You
thought I forgot?”

“No. None of us will ever forget.”

He glanced away, and Jenny felt a stab of
pain. None of them had had a proper time to grieve – if there was
such a thing. She’d steeled her heart just to get through, and
perhaps that was the worst thing she could’ve done for all of them.
They should be coming together in shared mourning. Instead, she was
off chasing pond-scum, and God knows where the kids were channeling
their feelings.

“Scott.”

“What?”

Rancor underscored the word, and Jenny took a
quick breath to hold back her anger. “Alicia’s been looking forward
to this all week. Could we just do it for her?”

“Whatever.” He sat down at the table.

“You could take your coat off.”

“Whatever.” He rose and shrugged out of his
jacket, then hung it on a peg by the back door; every movement
dripping with repressed anger.

Jenny bit her lip so hard she could taste the
salt of blood.
Let it be. He’s entitled
.

“Look what I found.” Alicia ran into the
kitchen, her hands full of party hats and noisemakers.

“Great. Now we’ll have a real party.” Jenny
forced a smile and glanced at Scott, willing him to put on a happy
face for his sister.

“I’ll call Caitlin and tell her I’ll be
late.”

~*~

Later, in the darkness of her room, Jenny sat
on the edge of her bed and rolled her shoulders to ease the tight
knot that had plagued her all evening. Emotionally, it might have
been easier to pretend that this was just another ordinary day. But
just like her association with ‘normal,’ she was having a hard time
remembering what ‘ordinary’ felt like.

She supposed it was good that they had spent
time telling stories and remembering this evening, but she wished
that doing something that was supposed to be good for them didn’t
have to leave her so emotionally battered. Her mother’s therapist
was right about this grief business being hard work.

And oddly enough, she discovered that she was
out of tears for the night. So maybe that was the good part. And if
they could get over this hurdle, maybe they could survive the next
one, and the one after that.

Jenny almost laughed at the ‘pie-in-the-sky’
tone that thought had. Ralph had always told her she was too
idealistic for her own good. Maybe he’d been right.

She shook off that thought and went into her
bathroom, flicking the light on. Maybe she wouldn’t feel so
battered if she took a long hot soak.

Immersed in the steaming water a few minutes
later, Jenny leaned her head against the back of the tub and closed
her eyes. The faint aroma of lilac drifted on the steam and Jenny
could almost believe in spring. Yes. This is definitely better.

When her head slipped off the edge of the
tub, Jenny came up in a spray of water. She hadn’t even realized
she’d gone to sleep. How long had it been? The water was warm, so
it couldn’t have been too long.

Then she had a flash of memory. Steve had
been kissing her and... Wait a minute. It wasn’t a true memory. It
was a fragment of a dream. As other fragments presented themselves,
she felt a flush of what she was sure wasn’t total embarrassment.
Oh, God. I haven’t had these kinds of erotic thoughts in... She
couldn’t even remember the last time.

She quickly stepped out of the tub and
wrapped herself in the bulk of her robe. She had to get a grip on
this whole personal thing between her and Steve. In their last
phone conversation he had been all ‘business as usual.’ So she
should keep it that way, too.

Sounds good in theory, girl. But no way
can it go backwards
.

“Oh, shut up.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Yesterday, Jenny had spent an evening at home
with the kids. After the tension of Michael’s birthday the day
before, she thought they all needed it, and, for the first time in
forever, they had actually enjoyed a few hours together. It had
been so pleasant; Jenny was tempted to just say ‘screw it’ and stay
home forever. But she’d gathered her resolve, girded her loins- or
ungirded them was more like it – and headed out to meet her
friendly neighborhood drug dealer.

When she’d called Chico’s cell phone, she’d
been surprised when Leon answered, but since she didn’t know what
was considered polite in the drug business, she figured she
wouldn’t ask questions. But her current goose bumps were caused by
more than the chill night air.

Leon stood just outside a circle of pale
illumination cast by the security light at the edge of the deserted
football stadium. He wore his usual baggy jeans and flannel parka,
but something was different about his stance. Then Jenny realized
what it was. He was still. No hip-hop jive tonight. His constant
herky-jerky movements always made her think of a marionette, which
somehow made him seem like less of a threat, but this absolute
stillness was unnerving.

As she tried to chase away the prickle of
fear, she realized her analogy wasn’t so far off. Leon was
somebody’s puppet, except the puppet-master seemed to be missing.
And who was that strange, silent man whose mere presence made her
more afraid than she’d ever been in her life. It was the same man
who’d been there when Chico had ripped her off.

Where the hell is Chico? Or do I even want
to know
?

Since she couldn’t pretend not to notice his
absence, Jenny tried to make her inquiry sound casual. “Where’s my
man?”

Leon opened his mouth, then glanced at the
other man and quickly shut it.

“He’s moved on.”

He speaks. The melody of a long-forgotten
hymn flashed through Jenny’s mind and she almost laughed at the
incongruity of it. This man’s voice was anything but sweet.

“Come on. Let’s go for a ride.”

Oh shit!

Turning abruptly, the man headed toward a
dark Lexus parked in the shadow of a tree. Leon shuffled after him,
and Jenny had about two seconds to make a decision.

Oh, shit!

Leon opened the front passenger door and
motioned for her to get it. Then he hopped in the back as the man
started the engine. He glanced over at Jenny. “Fasten your
belt.”

Oh, shit! He’s gonna fucking kill me.

No he’s not
, a more reasonable
internal voice said.
If he was going to kill you why would he
care about a fucking seat belt?

Marginally reassured by that way of thinking,
Jenny snapped the hook as the car eased out to the side street.

The man maintained his silence as he wove
through the nearly deserted downtown streets, finally taking one
that headed north. Then he turned east on Highway 360. Other than
the hum of tires on asphalt, the only sound Jenny heard was soft
rustles of fabric whenever Leon moved in the back seat. Now he
seemed to be having trouble staying still, and she wondered if he
shared her nervousness.

The man driving neither spoke nor looked at
her, and Jenny wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or not. His
silence was anything but companionable, and she bit her lip to keep
from filling the silence. That would never do.

The miles and the minutes clicked by and
after about forty of them, the man turned south on Interstate 75.
It was a relief to be headed into a place with more traffic, and
Jenny had a wild thought that maybe they were just going to drive
in a huge circle. But to what purpose? Just so he could play this
silent intimidation game?

Well, it’s working damn good. She could swear
if her heart beat any faster it would go into arrest. And her
jersey top was drenched from her armpits down. She should never
have gotten into this car.

“I’ve got a delivery.”

Startled, Jenny glanced over at the man. He
still didn’t look at her, just kept his hands on the wheel and his
eyes straight ahead. Weird. If she could ignore the ugly scar he
could be her old driver’s ed teacher.

Before she could even speculate as to where
that bizarre thought had come from, the man exited the freeway and
turned into the entrance of an exclusive gated community. He pulled
up to the security area and punched a code into the box. A few
seconds later, the massive iron gate opened and the car glided
through.

After winding down a few tree-lined streets
that were flanked by large homes with flawless landscaping
showcased by solar lamps, the man pulled to stop in front of a
two-story Faux Tudor. Pale lights illuminated a precise row of
holly bushes along one side of the front, and a large ponderosa
pine stood like a sentinel a few feet from the front entry.

The man dimmed the car lights, then glanced
over his shoulder at Leon. “Take care of it.”

Leon opened his door and slipped out. Jenny
watched as he walked to the front door, rang the bell, then moved
into the shadow of the tree. Seconds later, the door opened and a
man quickly stepped out. For a moment he was clearly illuminated by
the porch light and Jenny drew in a breath.

George? Carol’s George? Jenny didn’t want to
believe it, but there was no mistaking the identity of the man who
stepped into the darkness to meet Leon. Shadowed by the tree, his
face was no longer distinguishable, but the actions were
unmistakable. She’d gone through the routine too many times
recently not to recognize the exchange of money and drugs.

Oh, shit! George is buying drugs
?

Jenny tried to still the whirr of thoughts
spinning through her mind. What was she supposed to do now? Should
she tell Carol? Could there be some kind of mistake?

Not likely. When the man turned and passed
through the light again, Jenny recognized the green silk shirt
she’d helped Carol pick out for George’s birthday last summer.

She was hardly aware of Leon sliding into the
back seat and the car pulling away from the curb. But she was
thankful for the quiet as they passed through the gate and turned
right on the access road of the interstate. Not that the driver’s
silence helped her figure out what she was going to do. It was just
that there was so much noise in her head, she was afraid any
outside sound would cause some artery to blow.

Expecting him to backtrack the way they’d
come, Jenny was surprised when he turned right again at Highway
121. Another delivery? Or just the long way back. And was there
some purpose to this little ride-along?

“I’m Frank,” the man said, his voice
startling her. “You’ll deal with me from now on.”

He didn’t look at her so she wasn’t sure if
he even expected a response. A sudden wave of relief rushed over
her. Obviously he wasn’t taking her off to some dark corner to kill
her. She risked a quick glance at Leon, who gave her a brief flash
of white teeth, then he turned away.

Twenty minutes later they stopped almost in
the exact spot where they’d started out. Frank opened his door and
waved at her in a dismissive gesture. “Take off now.”

He got out and closed his door before Jenny
could protest. She fumbled with the release of the seatbelt, pushed
her door open, and stumbled out. Rounding the front of the car, she
felt the heat from the engine. Frank stood a few feet away and she
called out to him. “What about the arrangement I had with
Chico?”

“We’ll have to see.”

Stepping closer, Jenny could see the
impassiveness in his pale eyes, and she had this terrible dread
that it was all slipping away. She couldn’t imagine why Chico was
no longer there, and maybe she was better off not even speculating.
But she did know she’d invested way too much to lose it all
now.

She took another step closer to Frank and
spoke softly. “I’ve got a hundred grand for a buy. Either I do
business with you, or somewhere else. Doesn’t matter to me.”

His expression didn’t change, and Jenny
resisted the temptation to swallow, willing the fear to stay down
without that effort.

“I’ll let you know.”

She acknowledged with a brief nod. “Don’t
take too long. My people are anxious.”

Walking away, Jenny could swear there were
two warm spots on her back where his eyes followed her. She kept
her back straight and willed her knees not to give out. She
couldn’t believe what she’d done. Pushing the sale like a freakin’
used-car salesman. “Buy now. I might be gone tomorrow.”
I must
be nuts.

When she was finally in the sanctuary of her
own car, Jenny couldn’t stop the tremors that shook her whole body
like the aftershocks of an earthquake. She couldn’t decide if she’d
blown it back there, or if perhaps she’d earned another level of
respect. Either way, she hoped she’d know soon. This whole thing
was getting way too complicated. And now she had the added problem
of what to do about George.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jenny was cleaning up after supper with
Alicia’s help when the sound of the doorbell reverberated through
the house.

“I’ll get it.” Alicia dropped the dishtowel
on the counter and hopped off the stool.

“No. Let me,” Jenny said. “We’ve already
talked about you not answering the door after dark.”

“Scott let me once.”

Jenny wiped her wet hands on the towel Alicia
had put down. Wonder what else Scott allowed when I wasn’t here?
“He shouldn’t have done that,” she said as she started out of the
kitchen. “I’ll talk to him.”

Jenny pulled the front door open and tried to
mask her surprise. ”Mom?”

“I came to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I
haven’t heard from you since Thanksgiving—”

“I called.”

“Yes. Once in three weeks. And Monday was
Michael’s birthday.”

The tight lines around her mother’s mouth
told Jenny the woman was royally pissed. This was not going to be
good. She stood aside and held the door open. “Come in.”