Secrets in the Shadows (12 page)

“Why isn’t he crying?”

The doctor didn’t respond. Instead, he dangled the child and inspected him the way she’d seen her mother examine a dead chicken.

She screamed it this time. “Why isn’t he crying?”

The doctor met her eyes at last and as she watched, panic and despair building, one of the attendants pulled a garbage can over to him. He pulled his mask down, finally allowing her to see his face clearly. She recognized him, and her heart stopped.

Though he still had demonic eyes, he was no longer the kindly man who had saved her life. Now he was a very angry and vengeful Travis Tyler. He opened his mouth to respond and she saw that his teeth were sharp and pointed, decaying around the edges. Even though he stood at the foot of the gurney, she could smell his fetid, sulfuric breath.

“Why isn’t he crying? I’ll tell you why,” he said with a feral grin. “He isn’t crying because you killed him.” With those words he opened his hand, dropping the baby into the garbage can.

Jerking awake, she found herself crying. She slowly became aware that she had been dreaming. The searing pain returned, but this time deep inside her soul instead of inside her body. Falling back on the bed, her body was racked by great, choking sobs as she curled into a fetal position. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying, many years too late, to hold on to what she had thrown away so long ago.

Coming out of Sew On and Sew Forth, Mary Margaret Vernon checked her watch. She and her daughter-in-law, Iris, had been in the store nearly an hour, and were both ready for a break.

“We still have some of the money Troy gave me, Mother Vernon.” Iris put the bags in the trunk of their car. “Do you want to try the café that nice lady told us about?”

“That’d be nice. Where do you think Troy got to with Jamie?” She didn’t see her son anywhere. He had taken the baby with him when they decided to go into the fabric and yarn store after Iris’s appointment with her doctor. They didn’t come to town often, money being tight, and had decided to make a day of it while they were here.

“I’m sure he’ll find us. Come on, I’m starving.”

With one last glance around, she followed Iris into the café. When they opened the door, they were enveloped by the smells of freshly brewed coffee and yeasty dough. Despite the homey scents, the shop was trendy, and Mary Margaret immediately felt a little uncomfortable. She always associated places like this one with modern, wealthy people, the kind who looked down on plain, modest folks like herself. Glancing at Iris, she saw the girl’s pleased expression and remembered her daughter-in-law’s background. This was just the sort of establishment she had probably frequented before she married Troy.

“I’m going to the restroom. Order me something light, if you will.” Once inside, she pulled out her phone and called home to check on her husband. She hated leaving him, even for a few hours, sick as he was. Her sister, Patricia, answered the phone.

“It’s me. I just called to check on Carl.”

“He’s fine. Pastor Jenkins came by to check on him earlier, and they had a good visit. He’s resting now. How’s Iris?”

“The girl’s fine. Doctor thinks this baby’s probably a boy. We’re going to get something to eat, then get some groceries and head on home. Call me if you need me.”

After hanging up, she took care of her business and washed her hands. Peering into the mirror over the sink, she frowned. She didn’t like looking at herself, didn’t like what she saw. She’d turned into an old woman, practically overnight, it seemed. She knew it was because of what had happened all those years ago.

Thinking about that time never resulted in anything good. The last time she’d been in town, she’d seen one of the whores responsible for her misery. It was one of the reasons she hated coming into Leroy—the chance that she might run into the parasites who’d ruined her life.

She straightened her skirt and blouse. The movement soothed her anxiety. Leroy was a small town, but it wasn’t that small. What were the chances she’d run into Lauren today? Surely the Lord wouldn’t be so cruel, especially after such good news about the baby Iris carried. No, she’d put her faith in the Lord, and trust that he’d keep her from harm. Nodding at herself in the mirror, she left the restroom.

~
* ~

Charlie saw the two women come into the shop. The lunch rush hadn’t started yet, so the shop wasn’t very crowded, only a handful of people sitting around the room. He leaned against the counter, chatting with Janet while he waited for Lauren to come down from the office.

Sonny had sent him over with a check for the desserts, and some gift certificates for Lauren and her staff as a thank you for the use of the ovens. He’d meant to bring them over last week but a round of the summer flu hit the restaurant’s employees, and things were hectic.

Charlie was so busy that, when Lauren called him after Win’s party to ask him out to dinner with her and Ava, he hadn’t been able to accept. When things slowed down on Friday, he immediately called her to reschedule. They went out for pizza and miniature golf that evening, and things had gone well. They saw each other again on Sunday, at her parents’ house. He was starting to think about the long-term, and that both scared and exhilarated him.

Moving aside so Janet could take care of the young pregnant woman who was reading the menu, he smiled and nodded at the girl, wondering how old she was. She didn’t look old enough to be pregnant, that was certain. As he sipped his coffee, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. The older woman she’d come in with returned from the restroom and joined her at the register. Hearing Lauren’s voice in the kitchen, he walked to the door to meet her. He felt a warm grin break out as she came through the door. When she returned the pleased expression, his heart fluttered.

Just as Lauren came out of the kitchen, the front door opened and a young, slightly rough-looking man came in carrying a toddler. The baby squealed loudly when he saw the pregnant woman at the counter. He reached out so fast the man almost dropped him, and the woman hurried over to take the babbling child.

Charlie grinned at the young family, noticing that most everyone else in the café did so as well. Turning to Lauren, he was shocked by the horrified look on her face.

“Lauren? What’s wrong?”

The older woman, her attention on the baby, hadn’t noticed Lauren’s arrival, but when Charlie reached out to touch Lauren’s arm, the woman’s head jerked around and her eyes narrowed.

“You!”

She started toward Lauren with blood in her eye, and Charlie stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“Is that your little slut back there?” The woman made no effort to lower her voice. “That whore don’t need no protecting. She don’t deserve it, not from any man. It was her that destroyed my Carl. Get out of my way!”

She raised her hands to shove him aside, but before she could touch him, the young man rushed to where they stood and stopped her, firmly grasping her arm.

“What in the world are you going on about?” he asked in a hushed voice as Janet hurried over from the cash register. All activity in the dining room had stopped, and every eye was on them.

Charlie felt Lauren’s hands on his back as she stepped out from behind him to face the woman, though she kept him between the others and herself. Drawing in a deep breath, she spoke, her voice shaky at first, but gaining strength.

“Troy, take your mother and your family and get out of here. You aren’t welcome in my shop.”

The old woman hissed at her words, struggling against her son’s grip, while the young girl tried to soothe her screaming baby.

“You little slut, you can’t be happy unless there’s a man panting after you. You and that no-good daughter of mine are just the same.” Looking at Charlie with pity and revulsion, she shook her head. “You probably don’t have any idea what kind of trouble she is, but you’ll learn. This whole town will learn about her and that daughter of mine. I’ll see to it. You’ll both pay for what you did to me and Carl.”

She finally allowed Troy to turn her and, shaking off his hand, hurried out of the café. The girl quickly followed with the baby.

“Get out of here, Troy,” Lauren repeated as he stood there sneering at her. He started to speak, but Charlie stepped up to him, pushing him back with his body.

“I suggest you take the lady’s advice, son.” Keeping his voice low, he stared Troy straight in the eye. After a few seconds, the younger man lowered his gaze and walked out the door without further incident.

“What the hell was that all about?” Janet asked quietly, obviously concerned. She shot Charlie a look before her gaze moved back to Lauren’s face. Seeing how pale Lauren had grown, his mouth tightened.

Lauren cleared her throat, squeezing Janet’s arm. “I’ll explain later.” She addressed the customers, who were shocked by the spectacle they had just witnessed.

“Never let it be said that we don’t provide an entertaining break.” Her words set off a ripple of laughter. “Seriously, we don’t have incidents like this happen very often, thank God. Anyone who’s interested can see Janet for free refills before you leave. I’m sorry you all had to witness this.”

Taking her arm, Charlie steered her toward the kitchen. “Janet, we’re going to take a few minutes.” Helga and Sarah, the new server, were standing at the door, alerted by the raised voices. They moved back into the kitchen when Charlie and Lauren entered.

“Could you get a pot of hot, sweet tea and send it up to the office?”

Sarah nodded and quickly moved to get the water on, assuring him she would bring it right up.

“I’m assuming these stairs go to the office?”

Lauren nodded, and he ushered her ahead of him up the stairs. As they climbed, he forced himself to focus on his breathing and calm down, knowing that his being upset wouldn’t help Lauren.

Once upstairs, she headed straight ahead and through the door to her office. It was in the front of the building, overlooking the street and park below. Closing the door he watched her without speaking. She walked over and picked up one of the pillows arranged on the window seat, hugging it close and twisting it in her hands. Suddenly, she threw the pillow across the room, and Charlie could see the meltdown begin.

“Damn them,” she whispered fiercely before dissolving in tears. She covered her face with her hands and sank down on the window seat.

Before he could move across to her there was a knock on the door. He opened it to admit Sarah. She placed the tea tray on the edge of Lauren’s desk and left, shooting her boss a concerned look.

After closing the door again, he walked over to the desk and pulled out the chair, setting it in front of Lauren. He grabbed a box of tissues and sat down. Cautiously, he placed his hands lightly on her knees and squeezed.

“Just let it out.”

With an embarrassed nod, she took the box of tissues. After a few minutes, she blew her nose and drew in a shuddering, hiccupping breath, then tossed the used tissues into the garbage can.

He tipped her chin up and pulled a clean tissue out of the box, using it to gently wipe her face. “Look at me.” When she did, he studied her, the misery in her eyes breaking his heart. “How about a cup of tea?” Lauren hesitated but finally nodded. He poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. She took a sip, and grimaced at its sweetness.

“Drink up,” Charlie told her. “You need the sugar.” She sighed but drank again, more deeply this time. As he watched the color come back into her cheeks, he tamped down the guilt and frustration he felt, knowing what he had to do. Though he hated to add to Lauren’s distress, Charlie didn’t plan on leaving until he found out exactly what just happened. He just hoped he would be able to question her gently enough to not destroy their budding relationship.

~
* ~

After a few more sips of the tea, Lauren was feeling much less shaky. She handed the cup to Charlie and sat back against the remaining pillows, drained. She felt old and tired, and more than anything in the world, she wanted to go home and crawl in bed. Looking at Charlie’s worried face, she knew that wasn’t an option.

“Why don’t you tell me what just happened down there?” His voice was gentle, but firm.

She swallowed, staring down at her hands as she plucked at the hem of her shirt. “Remember that day in the park, when I thought I’d seen a ‘ghost’?” When he nodded, she continued. “Well, that woman was the ‘ghost.’”

“Who is she?”

“It’s a little complicated,” Lauren hedged. “My aunt Shannon married Earl Vernon. That woman is Mary Margaret Vernon. Her husband, Carl, is Earl’s brother. Follow me?”

“Yeah. So she’s sort of an aunt through marriage, but not really, right?”

“Something like that.”

“So why’d she say those things to you?” His face turned a little red. “I don’t want to bring up what we argued about a couple of weeks ago, but you know I don’t believe you’re promiscuous. Right?”