Marionette (32 page)

Even Minnie couldn’t help but join in.

“That does explain a lot,” I said. I caught Jess’s eye and beckoned for her to separate from the group.

“I want to leave,” I whispered in her ear. I hated hospitals. Now that I knew it wasn’t serious, it was time to skedaddle.

“What about Tom?”

Before I answered, Jess walked up to him and they talked quietly. Then she said her goodbyes and told Jenna she had faith they would win their next game. Jenna nodded gravely.

“So, what about Tom?” I asked.

“He’s staying with Jake.”

“Another success story for you,” I teased. “Do you ever fail, Jess?”

She looked away. “I don’t feel like going home just yet.”

“Where do you want to go? It’s three in the morning.”

As we took our seats in the car, she said, “Let’s just drive.”

“Can I take you somewhere? Don’t worry, it’ll take some time to get there, so you’ll get your drive.” I squeezed her leg.

She took her sweater off, bundled it up like a pillow, and placed it against the car window. “I’m all yours. Take me wherever you want.”

It felt good to hit the highway. The last week had involved a lot of driving, but I was always rushing from point A to point B with no time to enjoy the thrill of driving. The road was completely empty. I headed east. Soon the sun would start to rise over the road before us. I always loved seeing the rays peeking over the horizon, offering hope. The black purple sky just before dawn was my favorite time of day. I still felt protected by the darkness of night, but comforted by the thought that light would soon follow. Transition. I loved transitions, no matter how fleeting.

Jess fiddled with the radio and settled on classical music. Of course she had flown right by the channel playing U2, my favorite. But I didn’t mind too much. The style fit the mood. Haunting—‌there was no other way to describe it.

We arrived much earlier than I had planned. The sky was still pitch black and the place was closed. I parked the car, and as soon as Jess felt the vehicle stop, she opened her eyes.

“We’re here,” I said.

She peered out through the windshield and then looked at me in disbelief. In a voice still thick with sleep, she said, “You brought me to a cemetery?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” She pulled her sweater on. “Where to?”

“Follow me.” I led her to the gate, which had been broken for years. The funding was dire and it seemed they only mowed a quarter of the place at a time, not being able to afford to take care of the entire property. They did their best. Personally, I liked the overgrown look, as if the natural world were reclaiming the lost souls. It was an old cemetery and each headstone was different. Some featured angels, others broken columns signifying a life cut short. It had character and a quiet beauty.

The grave I was heading for didn’t have any significant marker. In the old days, it would have resembled a pauper’s grave, but in today’s world, it was a grave designed to hide the dead. To be forgotten. Not to be visited. I had combed the cemetery for weeks until I’d stumbled on it—‌literally. The night I had discovered Alex, it was because a small marker had poked out of the ground and tripped me.

Happenstance.

Since that night, I had visited as often as I could, usually at this time of day. It was the time of day when Alex and I were supposed to run away together. It comforted me to visit her at sunrise. To let her know that I had not forgotten. That I would never forget her. No matter how hard everyone wanted me to.

Jess stood there staring at the ground, shivering. I took my jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. Normally, the cold didn’t affect her.

“Paige, you’ll freeze,” she protested through clattering teeth.

I waved her words away. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied something white behind the minuscule marker. When I leaned down, I saw it was one white tulip. Looking around, I tried to make sense of it.

“What’s wrong, you look like you’ve seen a gh—‌” Jess bowed her head. “I’m sorry.”

“No worries.” I gathered my strength. “Jess, I’d like you to meet Alex.” I gestured to the ground.

“Your best friend?”

“Yes, and my sister.”

Her eyes darted to mine, searching for the punch line.

There was none.

“But I—‌”

“Alex is my half-sister.”

“How come you never told me? Why the secret?”

“Why indeed?” I looked towards the horizon, watching a faint purple color make an appearance near the horizon. “I love it here at this time of day.”

“I always wondered where you went on your drives in the middle of the night.” She took my hand. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is.” I stood stock still, watching the mauve sky turn darker and then start to fade, giving way to a soft pink hue. “There’s a diner around the corner, if you would like to grab some breakfast. I’m sure you have tons of questions.”

Jess squeezed my hand. “Thank you, Paige.”

I glanced at her, puzzled. “What for?”

“For finally letting me in completely.” She rested her head on my chest and put her arm around my waist. “Give me a moment here before we go.”

“You’re the only person I trust completely.”

Her grip around my waist tightened. “I hope that never changes.”

“I don’t see how it could.”

She pulled away. “I could use a hot cup of coffee.”

“Sure. I think you’ll like this dive.”

* * *

Two hours later, I was polishing off a second round of pancakes and bacon.

“I can’t believe it.” Jess shook her head in shock.

“It shocked the hell out of me, too.”

“Poor Abbie,” said Jess.

I set my coffee cup down heavily. “How so?”

“She’s suffered a loss as well, Paige.” Jess stirred more sugar into her fourth cup of coffee. “And she’s all alone at school.”

“I doubt she even knows. Besides, she’s good at keeping her own secrets.”

“Paige, that was years ago. She was just a child—‌”

“It doesn’t change the fact that she’s never come forward.”

Jess put her palms up. “I understand, I do. It’s just a darn shame, all this stuff your father and mother have put everyone through.”

I laughed. “A darn shame? Careful, Jess, you came close to swearing.”

She playfully slapped my hand. “I think we should pick up more shifts at Julia’s. Knowing this,” she faltered, “we might have to make a quick getaway if something gets leaked. I’m amazed they kept it this quiet this long. It’s only a matter of time.”

I sighed deeply. “I’m not so sure. They seem like Teflon. All of the shit slides off them and the rest of us have to muck it up.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

We had the apartment to ourselves. As I lay on the couch with my head on Jess’s lap, I kept thinking,
It’s so quiet
. Tom was out with Jake. Karen wasn’t here. No Julia. No Mel. And thank God, no Weasel. It was just the two of us.

Jess ran her hand through my hair. “What are you thinking?”

“How wonderful it is to have some alone time.”

“It is nice, isn’t it?” Jess looked around, appreciating not seeing anyone. No one invading our time.

The quiet didn’t last long. Within minutes, someone knocked on the door.

I pressed against Jess in the hope that she wouldn’t get up to answer the door. She pushed me away, laughing. “Stop that. It might be important.”

“What you mean is, it might be a way for you to butt into someone’s life and fix everything.”

Jess whipped her head around and smiled when she saw that I was teasing. Then she opened the door, or tried to.

The person on the other side shoved the door right into her, crushing her against the wall. I jumped off the couch.

“Where is it?” Davie waved a knife in Jess’s face.

For a moment, I didn’t react.

Jess moved away from the door and positioned herself in front of me.

“Where is it? Answer me!” Davie brandished the knife, waving it in her face. I could see his hand shaking violently from fear. His eyes bulged. His breathing was erratic. He was barely in control.

“You know where it is, Davie,” Jess said calmly.

I tried to look around her, to search her face. How did she know what he was talking about? Why was he threatening her with a knife? What in the fuck was going on?

Perhaps Jess sensed my impulse to rush Davie, because she shoved me further behind her.

“How could you? I thought we were friends…‌How could you? My son. You stole from my son!” He tapped his chest with the knife. His words oscillated from barely audible to high pitched.

“Listen, Davie, this isn’t a good time. Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow? I’m sure Richard and I will be willing to sit down with you and work this out.”

Richard? Her boss. How was he involved?

Davie laughed manically. “Yeah, sure, Jess. I’m sure Richard would love to hear my side.”

“Davie, can you put the knife away? I can’t talk to you like this.” Jess motioned with both hands for him to set it down on the table.

“
You
can’t talk like this. Like I give a fuck.” Davie moved forward, as if about to strike.

Jess jumped back, and I closed my eyes. Nothing happened.

That’s when it hit me: I had to do something.

I sidestepped around Jess, straight for Davie.

“Paige, don’t.” Jess’s voice was calm but her eyes betrayed her panic.

I turned to Davie. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s going on, but I like you, Davie. How can I help?” I put my palms up, showing I wasn’t going to make a move for the knife.

“You can get my money back.”

“What money?” I nodded sympathetically, keeping my voice soothing.

“The money I raised for my son.” He darted towards Jess and then stopped abruptly. “The money she stole!”

I eyed him for a second and then slowly turned to look into Jess’s eyes. I couldn’t comprehend what I saw.

“I didn’t steal it, Davie. You owed it,” she stated bluntly. “What did you expect me to do? I didn’t take it all, just what you owed.” She planted her feet firmly, bracing for whatever might happen next.

“Wh—‌?” I couldn’t get the question out. Things were starting to crystallize in my head.

“That money was for my son.”

“You should have paid your debt, then.” Jess crossed her arms defiantly.

“I was working on that. If I don’t pay the hospital, they won’t continue treating my son.”

“Davie, that’s why I want you to sit down with Richard. Explain it to him.”

My gaze darted back and forth between the two, as if I were watching a demented game of ping pong.

“How would you feel, losing someone you love?” Davie stared at Jess, demanding an answer.

Jess didn’t respond, just took a deep breath. Maybe she knew what would happen next, but I didn’t.

In a fluid movement, Davie grabbed me and held the knife to my throat.

I was too shell-shocked to react.

“How does
that
make you feel, Jess?” He pressed the knife to my skin and I felt a twinge of pain.

“This isn’t helping your situation. You know what will happen.” Jess’s hard voice stunned me.

He backed away toward the door, dragging me with him.

“All right, stop!” Jess shouted. Finally, I saw her resolve cracking, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

He kept dragging me to the door, the knife still scraping my neck.

“I’ll give you the money!”

“Where is it?” he demanded.

“In the back room.”

All of my breath left my body. Part of me still believed that she had nothing to do with this.

“Go get it, or I swear I’ll—‌”

I felt the knife dig in, but didn’t feel any pain. How was Jess involved in this?

Jess dashed from the room and returned faster than I would have thought possible. She set down a wad that was wrapped in pink paper with a string tied around it. Very girly. It was not the first time I had seen a package like that.

“Open it up!” he shouted.

Jess complied and I saw a flash of green.

I could feel my eyes bulging from my head and I realized at that moment that the pressure from the knife and his arm was cutting off my air. I pulled at his arms frantically.

“Let her go, Davie.” Each word was said with force.

He relaxed his grip and pushed me to the side, but as I started to move away, he said, “Just so you know who you’re dealing with.”

I saw him jump at me with the knife and I put my hands up to protect myself, feeling a stinging sensation on my right wrist. Jess rushed forward and landed a few punches, but so many arms and legs were flailing about, I couldn’t determine if it was Jess hitting me or Davie.

Davie grabbed the money from the table and bolted out the front door.

A warm sensation oozed down my arm, into my hand.

Jess didn’t move towards me. “Are you hurt?”

I continued to stare at the table, where the wad of cash used to be.

“Paige, are you hurt?” She inched closer. Was she afraid?

I slowly lifted my head. I felt as if everything was being played in slow motion.

I felt Jess reach for my arm and apply pressure.

“Shit!” she shouted, but the word was barely audible. She pulled her shirt off and wrapped it around my arm, told me to hold it in place, and then rushed into the kitchen. I heard her on the phone, but didn’t bother to listen. The words were so far away.

“Help is on the way,” she said, reappearing around the kitchen wall. “Why don’t you sit down?” She disappeared behind the wall again. I think she made another phone call. Slowly, I turned my wrist so I could see it. A brownish stain was seeping through the shirt.

Why was everything happening so slowly? Why couldn’t I hear anything?

I glimpsed Jess moving toward me, but she was moving so slowly I didn’t think she’d ever actually reach me. Maybe I was drifting away from her. Then I felt her arms on my shoulders guiding me to the couch. Her lips moved. I craned my neck to catch her words, as if they were falling out of the sky into my ears.

Then I heard a snap.

My cheek burned. Jess had slapped me.

“Jesus, I wish he would hurry up. You’re in shock.” She reached for the afghan on the back of the couch and wrapped me up in it.