County Line Road (6 page)

The next day at her job, Linda was just about to get up when her desk phone rang.

“Linda, let voice mail get it,” Corrine said. “We’ll be late for the meeting, and you know how Dr. Redeker is about that.”

“I know, I know,” Linda said.

She picked up the phone. “Hello? Oh, hi honey. Really? Okay. Me too. I have a meeting. See you tonight.”

Linda hurried down the hall to catch up with Corrine. “Earl’s flying in tonight, 6 pm.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming back for a few days.”

“Yeah,” Linda said. “He was pretty steamed at the boys when he left. Maybe I should call them to warn them.”

“Redeker will be steamed if we don’t hurry,” Corrine said. “I hear he’s already got a burr in his saddle about something anyway.”

They reached the conference room and found the last two seats, except they weren’t together. Linda sat on her own at the far end of the long conference table.

The meeting got started right away.

“The first and most important thing in this meeting today is to announce that a full audit of the pharmacy department will begin immediately,” Dr. Redeker said and slammed his fist down on the table. “From the warehouse, to the shipping records, the freight company to our dispensary. Anyone not cooperating with the director’s office and the DEA will be fired. We will find the source of this problem, and we will prosecute.”

Linda kept her eyes down and jabbed her fingernails through the loops of her sweater, unraveling the yarn as she felt her situation coming apart. Even though it was cold in the conference room, she was sweating. There was a silence, and she felt as if everyone was looking at her. She couldn’t stand the quiet. She felt as if her skin were beginning to crawl. She looked up, and Dr. Redeker stared at her until she met his gaze. She nodded in agreement like she’d seen his colleagues do when they concurred on a diagnosis.

He moved on with the rest of the meeting, which Linda didn’t hear much of. She just nodded and smiled when everyone else did, and rose at the end, filing out with the others, with a genuinely concerned expression on her face.

After her shift, Linda checked every drawer in her desk to make sure no pills had slipped under anything. Feeling paranoid, she wiped down the inside of her locker with a wet paper towel and tucked it in her pocket. While walking through the parking garage, she threw the paper towel in a trash can in the staircase. She pulled off her sweater and stuffed it in the trunk of her car. She put her tote bag on the seat next to her and started rummaging through it with one hand as she drove.

She barreled down the tight, winding exit ramp of the parking garage, trying to drive and light a cigarette at the same time, almost scraping her bumper more than once.

“I need a drink,” she said aloud to herself. She made a quick call on her cell phone as she pulled out onto the road. “I’ll meet you there in about 20 minutes. I have an errand to run; I have to get rid of something first. And I can only stay for one drink. I mean it. Good. See you then.”

Linda stuffed her cell phone back into her tote bag and took out a brown paper bag.

She pulled into the parking lot to the sports memorabilia store and looked over the group of teenage boys hanging around a card table. She slowed down in front of them.

“Is that you, Cameron?” Linda said out her car window to one of the boys.

A tall boy turned around. His expression changed from surprised to a shy smile.

“Hello, Mrs. Bodine,” Cameron said.

He was tall like Jimmy and had brown hair.

Linda beckoned him over. “My. You have grown up. The last time I saw you, your mom was taking you to the dentist to have your braces off.”

He put his hand in front of his mouth. “Yeah.”

“Can you do me a favor?” She smiled and leaned forward so he could look down her blouse. “Can you take this into the store for me?” She pulled a brown paper bag out. “I’m late and really don’t have time. Just give it to Bob at the counter.”

“Uh, okay,” Cameron said. He pulled his eyes away from her cleavage. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I just found it in the parking lot, but it’s got the store name on the bag. Just tell them you found it,” she said. “Here.” She opened her car door, placed the bag on the ground. “Go ahead.”

Cameron picked it up quizzically but enjoying the game. The object inside was the size and shape of a baseball. “See? Nothing to it. Thanks, sweetie. You should come by the house sometime. We haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I don’t hang out with Jimmy much any more since he runs track and I play baseball. No time, you know.”

“Sure, honey,” Linda said. “Thanks for taking that inside. And your teeth look great. Those braces really worked.”

She pulled away. Cameron stood there a minute, dazed, until he snapped out of it and ran inside the store. Linda turned down the next parking row and watched.

“Good job,” she said as she watched him through the glass storefront window. A clerk took the ball out of the paper bag and began to examine it.

Linda took off quickly.

Her cell phone rang.

“Hi there,” she said. “I’m on my way. Yes, only one drink, and believe me I need it. No, just one; Earl is on his way home early tonight.”

She hung up and headed out of the parking lot. Before leaving, she cruised past the grocery store where Jimmy worked. She slowed down to see if he was collecting shopping carts in the parking lot. “Nope, but I’ll see you as soon as your father gets home.”

She pulled into another parking lot a few streets down, parked in front of the discount store but walked into a place called “Johnny’s Bar” a few doors down.

After his shift at work, Jimmy took his usual route jogging home. He exited the grocery store parking lot and ran through the neighborhood next to the store, came back out the main entrance and up the street.

He sprinted across the intersection and past a row of construction barricades surrounding a torn up sidewalk and a turn lane that headed straight into the parking lot for the discount store where Linda had parked. As he jogged through the parking lot, he had to pause because he wasn’t sure what he saw. He stopped and stared.

There was Linda coming out of Johnny’s Bar with a man wearing a Confederate flag baseball cap. They stopped at her car. He pushed the brim of his hat up to kiss her, and then he playfully smacked her rear to scoot her into her car. She giggled. He patted the roof and she pulled out of the spot and drove away.

Jimmy just stood there, jaw open, looking like someone just slapped him. His brain didn’t quite register yet what he’d just seen. He moved behind a row of bushes to hide as she pulled out of the parking lot. Disbelief switched places with confusion, and then anger took over until he realized she’d just handed him the winning card in the poker game with his father. Full of resolve, he ran home as fast as he could. He’d call his father right away, not matter if he was in the air or not. The flight dispatcher would break in for this. Jimmy would tell his father that she was cheating. The thought made him sick and he slowed down.

A dread came over him. This would probably mean his father and Linda would get a divorce. But there would be a lot of fighting before that happened, just like when he was a kid and his father used to yell at his mother. The memory made his stomach queasy.

As he trotted up his street, he was surprised to see his father’s car and Linda’s car in the driveway, and a police car in the street. As he got closer, Jimmy saw his brother, Rich, standing by his motorcycle as his father talked to the police officer. The officer had his note pad out.

Jimmy approached his house cautiously. He wanted to hear what the police officer and his father were talking about. If it got ugly, Jimmy would just leave. He could come back later and tell his father what he’d just seen Linda doing.

“Third time this month, Bodine,” the officer said to Rich.

Earl set down his travel bag in the driveway. He had just gotten home.

“This son of yours has got more tickets than sense, Earl,” the officer said.

“I’ll knock some sense into him,” Earl said.

“We can help with that,” the officer said.

“I take care of my boys,” Earl said.

“Is this what you call ‘taking care’?” He handed Rich the speeding ticket.

Rich smiled.

“Don’t smile at me, boy,” the officer said.

“I said I’ll take care of it,” Earl said and stood between the officer and his son.

The officer gave them both a look and left.

From the front door, Linda watched Rich and Earl walk up the driveway. Earl pulled the travel bag behind him and had his brief case in the other hand.

“What the hell was that about?” she demanded.

How did she get here so fast? Jimmy wondered. And why is dad home? He wasn’t supposed to be back until next week. Damn. I still don’t have the baseball.

“Ritchie got a speeding ticket,” Earl said to Linda. He stepped past her inside to put his bags away.

“Another one?” she said.

After Earl went inside, Linda barred Rich’s way. “You bring the cops here?” Linda hissed at Rich.

“Yeah, so what?” Rich said, lighting a cigarette.

“So what?” she said. “You disrespectful bastard, I told you what’s happening at my job. You don’t care about anything.”

He went inside also.

Jimmy followed behind them at a distance.

“What are you going to do about him, Earl?” Linda said, standing in the living room, angry.

“Don’t start, Linda. I’m tired,” Earl said as he stood with his back to them while he unscrewed the cap on the bottle of Jim Beam with a studied motion as if restraining himself from twisting too hard.

“Maybe I should do something about it,” she said. “You’re no better than them. You’re all just a bunch of overgrown boys,” she said to Earl. “You let him get away with murder while I’m the one stuck with him, with both of them, while you’re out flying, having a good time.”

“Linda, I said don’t start.” Earl turned to her and stood squarely in the middle of the living room.

“They never listen to me,” she continued ranting. “I have no control over them.”

Jimmy tiptoed into the living room, just hoping to slip by while they argued, but it didn’t work.

Linda saw him.

She jabbed a finger in his direction then at Rich.

“You’re grounded, and you’re grounded,” she said.

“This is bullshit,” Rich said. “If you can’t stand us so much, why do you want to ground us?”

“Dad! I didn’t do anything!” Jimmy said.

“You come and go at all hours with that girl,” Linda said. “I never know where you are or what you’re doing.” She waved her arms around, going full steam ahead.

“Don’t talk about my girlfriend,” Jimmy said. “I’m not staying in.”

“Yes, you are,” Linda said. “Especially since you stole that baseball. The shop just called.”

Jimmy stared at her in shock. The whole room was silent for a second.

“What?” Earl said.

“Yep, that’s right. They called and said they have it. Some kid brought it in, he said, a tall kid with brown hair.” She looked triumphant and turned to Earl. “Punish him.” She pointed Jimmy. “You’ll never go out again. And forget Clemson.”

Rich walked over to Jimmy and stood next to him.

“You got no say in what he does,” Rich said.

Jimmy stared in amazement at Rich. With his brother next to him, he felt stronger.

Linda looked from Rich’s boots to his face in disgust. “You’re just a pig, and…”

“You’re just a whore!” Jimmy yelled. “I seen you come out of Johnny’s Bar with that redneck!”

Everyone froze; it was like that split second before a car crash, that one moment suspended in time before the unchangeable course of future events, before the flying metals, shattering glass and bleeding bodies. Everyone sees it happening but is powerless to stop it. What Jimmy unleashed could not be contained now.

Earl grabbed Jimmy by the arm and swung at him with his fist, hitting him squarely on the cheekbone. Jimmy felt the impact on the bone like a sheet of cold steel slamming him. The pain spread across his face, and he crumpled over.

Earl tried again, but Rich threw his arm up to block him, colliding with his father and saying to him through gritted teeth, “What the fuck you think she does when you’re not here? Everybody knows but you.”

Linda screamed and charged at them with both hands flying, fingernails like knives.

In a surge of self-preservation, Jimmy covered his head with his arms.

Rich grabbed her by the hair before she got to Jimmy.

Earl clamped onto Rich’s arm and shoved Rich up against the wall.

Jimmy pushed on everyone to get himself out of the middle and get his footing so he could defend himself. He got hit by flailing limbs and scratched by Linda’s nails.

Earl yelled a thunderous shout and everyone stopped. “Stop! Or I’ll beat the shit out of each of you!”

Everyone backed up, breathing heavily.

“Jimmy,” Earl said. “I can’t believe what you just said. For saying it, your trip is cancelled.”

“You can’t do that to him,” Rich said. “He’s going to South Carolina if I have to take him myself. Come on.” Rich grabbed Jimmy by the shoulder and ushered him out the front door.

“Get back here,” Earl said.

“No,” Rich said. He stopped and stared at his father. “He’s got a future.”

Rich led Jimmy to the motorcycle, handed him the spare helmet. “Get on.”

Jimmy just stumbled along with his brother. He still wasn’t sure if he’d heard right. Did he just say I can’t go to Clemson? I didn’t understand.

His face hurt where his father had hit him. He’d never been hit like that before, not by his father or anyone. His father had smacked him as a child, and he’d been in fights at school, but those were just a lot of scrambling around, more like wrestling and trying not to get kicked or bit by the other kid.

Earl started to follow him outside, but the phone rang.

“I bet it’s the shop,” Linda said, breathing hard. “They’ll tell you.”

Thwarted, Earl turned back inside. “I have some questions for you after this,” he said to her.

She gasped and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Earl took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

Outside, Jimmy jumped on the back of Rich’s motorcycle and they took off before their father could get to them.

Rich shifted through the gears hard as he sped through the neighborhood streets, barely pausing at the stop signs. When he got to the main road, he headed for the highway.

Jimmy didn’t care how he drove. He just held on. The wind kicked up his t-shirt, making it fly up his back as they picked up speed for the length of the on ramp. They shot out onto the highway like a rocket and kept going.