THE SHADOWED ONYX: A DIAMOND ESTATES NOVEL (18 page)

She blinked, her eyes opening to the cold. Dampness had seeped through her layers. Joy pried her body off the ground and stood to her feet. Her body trembled as she turned in a slow circle to confirm she was alone in the cemetery.

Her skin was numb to the cold. In shock? But that had to be a dream. It couldn’t possibly have been real.

Could it?

T
alk. Talk. Talk. That’s all everyone wants to do.” Joy let her hair fall like a room-darkening drape in front of her face as she rubbed her temples. So the whole take-your-daughter-shopping-in-North-Platte thing was nothing more than a ruse. “I’m so tired of talking.” In the five weeks since Melanie’s death, she’d probably said a mere fraction of the actual number of words she normally did, but the topics sucked the life out of her. Her head throbbed.

Mom turned her eyes from the highway and glanced at Joy who sat slumped in the passenger seat. Her knuckles white on the steering wheel, she took a deep breath. “Are you doing drugs?”

“What?” Joy’s mouth dropped open. “How can you even ask me that?”

“Sweetie, your father and I are so worried about you.” Mom swiped at a tear. “Look at you.”

Joy glanced down at her body. Okay, so the gray skinny jeans and black, threadbare tunic slung off one shoulder weren’t exactly couture. And the black tank top had been dug from the bottom of dad’s drawer. The unmatched socks were kind of a trend. Sort of. Even though one was black and the other was charcoal.

What about her Converse? Everyone wore those. Maybe without holes in the bottoms, but Joy hadn’t noticed. That didn’t make her an addict. “So I’m not like some Barbie doll fashion maven—how does that make me a drug addict?”

“It’s just that … you’ve changed so much. You’d have never been caught dea—” Mom blinked hard. “You’d have never worn something like that outfit you’re wearing. It’s not that the clothes are so bad, though they are kind of gross; it’s just that it’s such a change for you.”

Joy shrugged. “I just haven’t cared that much lately.”

“Then how do you explain this?” Mom flipped down the visor and slid open the mirror.

Joy studied her face. Sunken eyes with heavy, dark circles beneath them. Cracked and peeling lips. Pale skin. Heavy, black eyeliner and mascara. Then there was the problem of the hair. Once long, blond, luxurious; now limp, dirty, and dull, clipped back into something that resembled a loose ponytail, or was that a nest of some kind?

She nodded. “I get your point.” But that didn’t mean she cared. She might have to start making an effort though, if she wanted to fly under the radar like Raven had suggested. “I’ll take better care of myself. But I am not doing drugs.” Joy chuckled. Best to make light of the situation. “In fact, I bet you have more chemicals in your system from those perms you get.”

“That’s good, but I want to make sure.” Mom stared straight ahead.

Joy’s heart beat faster. “What do you mean, make sure?”

“I’m taking you for a drug test.” She turned the car into the parking lot of a red brick building with no signs out front.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Joy’s stomach flipped. Thank goodness she hadn’t smoked the pipe the other day. Would it have shown up in her system if she had? “You can’t just do this to someone. Where’s the trust?”

“I do trust you, but I worry more. You show all the signs of drug use and, as your mother, I have to know. I,
we
, can’t help you if we don’t know for sure.” She pulled into a narrow parking space and turned off the ignition.

Joy crossed her arms on her chest. “What did Mary Alice Gianetti say about this invasion of my privacy … of my body?” She felt her head bob side to side as she spoke, unable to pull the snotty tone that laced her words. She’d better be careful or she’d make it worse.

Mom turned and locked her gaze with Joy’s. “She gave me the name of this place.”

Traitor.

“What, they don’t have anywhere in Ogallala where you can pee in a cup?” Maybe other than the back-alley urine-tester place they sat in front of.

“I’m sure they do, but I was trying to keep this private by taking you somewhere no one would know you.”

Ever so thoughtful,
Mother
. “Fine. Whatever. Let’s get it over with.” Maybe she’d change her mind if Joy were agreeable. It would prove she had nothing to hide. Joy climbed out of the car, slammed the door, and stood at the curb, waiting.

Perfect time for Mom to give in. She had to.

Mom climbed from the car and slipped her purse strap over her shoulder. “Okay. Let’s go in.”

Seriously? She was going to go through with it?

Joy waited until Mom passed her on the sidewalk then fell in behind her. Okay, really, she could back out anytime now. Mom pushed the door open and walked through, holding it open for Joy to pass. It sure didn’t look like she had any intention of changing her mind.

They approached the reception desk where a woman sat in blue scrubs. She looked up from her paperwork and smiled. “Can I help you?”

Ack. That voice. Joy had never heard a squeakier voice on a human. It was all she could do not to laugh.

Mom smiled. “Yes, please. We’re here for a test.”

“Great. Do you have an appointment?”

Appointment? Oops. No. Sorry. We’ll have to come back later, right, Mom?

“Yes ma’am. I scheduled it yesterday. It’s for Joy Christianson.”

Yesterday? What a betrayal. Joy shook her head. Sure, parents had the right to check up on their teenagers, probably a responsibility to do it, but it just felt weird. Like once that line of trust was crossed there’d be no going back.

The receptionist handed Mom a pack of papers on a clipboard. “I need you to fill these out for me, please. Oh, and since the procedure you requested isn’t covered by insurance we need to collect payment before it’s performed. The fee is eighty-nine dollars, and we accept cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or …”

“Just put it on my Visa.” Mom slipped it across the counter, and the receptionist slid the door closed.

Joy looked down at the stained carpet as Mom filled out the stack of paperwork. She could probably offer to help, but Mom had called this meeting, and she could take care of the details.

Mom turned the paper over and started on the other side. Finally, she scrawled her signature at the bottom and moved on to the next sheet. Joy shrugged. Lots of work for an elective procedure.

Mom held up a blank sheet and called out to the receptionist. “This is an insurance form. Do you really need me to fill that out since I’m paying myself?”

“No. We can do without that today, but if you ever do come in for a procedure that requires insurance, we’ll have to have you fill it out then.” Mom nodded. A few moments later, she put her pen down and handed it all back to the receptionist.

The nurse worked her way through the stack. “Everything looks good. You two can go on back. Hand this to the nurse just inside.” She gave Mom one sheet of paper.

Now for the fun part. Joy hung her head as she followed Mom to the door. How humiliating.

They stepped back into a lab area with curtained exam cubicles. Lab-coated medical people with needles worked at counter stations nearby. Reminded Joy of when Mike gave her the Silas tattoo. Not that she could tell Mom about it. Her hand reached down to cover Silas on her leg. Nice to know he was there even when she couldn’t see him.

A nurse swiveled her chair away from the counter where she was labeling test tubes and approached Joy. Her nametag read J
ANET
.

Mom handed her the sheet. The nurse looked it over and thankfully didn’t shout out to the whole room that Joy was there for a drug test. At least it wasn’t a pregnancy test.

“Mrs. Christianson, you can go have a seat right there.” The nurse pointed at a waiting area then turned to Joy. “You can come right this way.” The nurse smiled and beckoned. She held back a curtain and allowed Joy to step behind it. “Go ahead and take everything off and slip into this gown. I’ll be back in a sec.”

Joy glanced at the paper-thin blue hospital gown that tied in back. Seriously? Did Mom realize what a violation this was? Joy wriggled out of her clothes and scrambled to get covered by the gown as much as possible before Janet came back and caught her halfway in the act.

“All set?” Janet poked her head around the curtain. She could have asked before she looked. Sheesh.

Janet reached into a cabinet and pulled out a plastic-wrapped urine specimen cup.

Oh goody. Joy cringed.

“Alrighty. Come on with me.” She led the way to the bathroom and motioned for Joy to follow her inside.

Wait just a second. Janet didn’t plan on staying in there while Joy went to the bathroom did she? Gross!

Joy stood in the center of the small room. She looked overhead and at the walls. There had to be a privacy curtain or something. A sink. A single toilet. No curtain.

Joy stared at Janet. She had to leave. Joy glanced at the door. Anytime, lady.

“Sorry, hon. I have to stay to make sure the sample is really yours.”

Was Joy being pranked? What did Janet think? Joy showed up with someone else’s pee in her pocket? “Look, I didn’t even know we were coming here until we were on the way. I couldn’t possibly have prepared any sort of secret stash of urine.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have to certify that this is your urine.” At least she looked like she felt bad about it.

“What if I refuse?” Joy would put her hands on her hips if it hadn’t meant letting go of her gown and completely exposing her backside to do it.

“If you refuse to take the test, that’ll be noted, and your mom will then have to decide what she’s going to do.” Janet shrugged. “I have to tell you, refusing makes you look guilty. If there’s any chance your test will be clear, just take it so it’ll be done.” She looked Joy up and down. Didn’t look like she had much confidence Joy would pass the test.

“I do not take drugs.” Not that Janet would believe her. Or care.

“Then take the test.”

Joy sighed. She had no choice. If she refused, Mom would never back down until she got it done, and Joy would look guilty in the process. But it was a matter of principle to not want to stand there in a room with a stranger and pee in a cup when she had done nothing wrong. It just wasn’t fair.

“Does my mom know about all of this?” Joy gestured to the urine cup. Maybe she wasn’t even aware of the level of humiliation she was forcing Joy to endure.

Janet nodded. “Your mom knows.”

“I guess I have no choice. Let’s get it over with.” Joy snatched the cup out of Janet’s hand and ripped off the plastic wrap. “At least turn your back or run some water.”

“I will look in the mirror and run the water to give you some privacy.”

At least that was something. Joy stepped closer to the toilet and lined it with toilet paper. After all, the types of people who had to take these tests probably weren’t the type of people whose germs she wanted to swap.

Joy hovered over the toilet, her thighs barely touching the seat, and reached in with the cup. After filling it as high as she could, she put the cap on it and slipped it back into the plastic bag. Without a word, she handed it to the nurse who stayed facing the wall while Joy got dressed. Then she stepped away from the sink to allow Joy access. Joy washed her hands, dried them at the hand dryer, and they left the bathroom. Not another word passed between them. Some experiences were better left in silence.

“Okay, the humiliation is complete. You have your test. Can we go now?”

Mom stood up and put her
Family Circle
down on the magazine table, her cheeks pink.

It wasn’t really Mom’s fault. She meant well. But some simple conversations should’ve been enough. She should’ve known Joy wasn’t doing drugs.

Joy sulked to the car and climbed into her seat. She slammed the door shut and crossed her arms on her chest as she faced the window.

Mom got into the driver’s side. “We get the results in about a week.”

“I already know the results.” Joy stared out the car window at a bird pecking at the snow.

Mom put her hand on Joy’s knee.

She flinched away from the touch.

“Honey, I love you. None of this has anything to do with blame or accusation. It’s simply that I love you, I’m scared for you, and I would do whatever it takes to keep you from going down the wrong path. Anything it takes.” She cupped her hand under Joy’s chin and turned her face until they made eye contact. “If we find out you’re not doing drugs, I’ll definitely be so relieved, but I’m still going to have to find some answers about what’s going on with you. This test doesn’t end the search.”

Be careful what you look for, Mom. You might not like what you find
.

‘T
is the season to be jolly.

Ho. Ho. Ho.

Bah humbug.

She wasn’t feeling very much like Christmas Eve this year. Would it be possible to talk Mom and Dad out of putting up the tree? Hah. What a laugh.

Joy pulled herself from her bed. Better get ready for a typical Christianson Christmas Eve. Tradition had it they would spend this morning at the mall shopping for all the cousins and extended family. From there, they’d go get a tree and then come home to decorate it. Only thing was Mom would probably try to make it even more festive this year, thinking Joy needed to celebrate. Which would only make things harder. Less is more, Mother.

Joy shuffled to her closet. What could she wear? Maybe she should try and get in the spirit of things because if she didn’t, Mom and Dad would have their antennae up.
What do you think, boy?
She looked down at Silas, happily panting beside her leg. “You’ll go along with whatever, won’t you?”

Might as well. She pulled out her favorite University of Nebraska sweatshirt and tugged it over her head then freed her hair from the back. Slipped into her favorite jeans and pocketed a warm pair of gloves. It would be cold out there in the forest, especially later, when they went tree hunting.

Joy opened her bedroom door and immediately smelled that mixture of bacon and cinnamon syrup. Yep. Mom had made her traditional Christmas Eve breakfast. Joy would bet money there was a French toast casserole cooling on the stove. Her stomach grumbled. Interesting development. She hardly ever felt hungry anymore.