Read Sins of September Online

Authors: Graysen Blue

Sins of September (8 page)

I’m sobbing again and he draws me close. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what the hell Casey was thinking nosing into my shit like that.”

“I guess she just wants to make sure you’re free . . . you know . . . to marry her someday soon. I guess now you don’t need to bother with a divorce, do you? If Mama is dead, then you’re free to marry Casey.”

“Hush,” he says in his soft, husky voice. “This is not the time or place to even think about that.”

Once again, I pull away from him, using the back of my hand to wipe the wetness from my cheeks. I furrow my brow, recalling how excited Casey had been when she had come flying over here this afternoon.

He’s watching me closely. “What is it?”

“She’s happy about it,” I state plainly.

“Who?”

“Casey,” I say, throwing a hiss into her name.

“Happy about what?”

“About the news that Mama might be dead.”

“Oh, darlin’, no,” he replies gently. “Casey isn’t happy about something like that.”

“Yes she is,” I argue, my voice becoming emphatic. “You weren’t here when she came flying over here this afternoon. She was all excited; she couldn’t
wait
to tell me. She even smiled at me afterwards, telling me to go lay down because she wanted to wait here so that she could give
you
the news.”

I sob again; my breathing is ragged until I’m gasping, nearly on the edge of hysteria. “It makes perfect sense now.”

“What does?”

“The afternoon of that cook-out she had I went over to return Catherine’s dolls and to see if you know, she wanted me to bring anything to the barbecue. Before I could knock on her back door, I heard her on the phone with her sister I guess it was. Her name is Trish—she’s Austin’s mother.”

I hesitate with the story, but Jesse prods me along.

“Go on,” he says, his interest clearly piqued.

“Well, she was telling her that she’d have you snagged before the summer was out, and that my coming here had put a damper on her plans.” I was sobbing again, trying to get the last part out. “She paid Austin to take me out!” I wail. “How humiliating is that?”

I bury my face, tears streaming down my cheeks and all against Jesse’s hard chest. He wraps his arms around me snugly, patting my back trying to soothe me.

Once I’m calmed a bit, he pulls back so that he can look me in the eyes. His voice is soft, but there’s a no-nonsense edge to it.

“September,” he starts, his fingers underneath my chin, tilting my face up so that I’m forced to lose myself in those dark blue orbs of his. “I’m gonna ask you something again, and by God you need to tell me the truth, hear?”

I nod, totally electrified once again by the feel of his skin touching mine.

“I emptied all the waste baskets in the house night before last so I could get the cans out to the curb for trash-pickup yesterday morning. I . . . uh, I found some . . . bloody underwear in yours. Did that boy take advantage of you the night you were out with him?

Holy fuck. I can’t let him know that was virgin blood.

I stammer a bit, not sure which is worse. I don’t want him thinking I’m a virgin or I’m screwed. I don’t want him thinking Austin was the first or he’ll make a big deal out of it and think I’m a skank.

Shit.

“I-I got my period that day after I went out with Austin,” I squeak out softly. “I meant to take those out to the trash can. I’m sorry.”

He nods, not convinced.

“You know Jesse, I
did
have a steady boyfriend back in Meridian, you know? Austin didn’t take advantage of me.”

I feel the flush spread across my cheeks as Jesse registers what I’ve just told him. It’s his turn to feel embarrassed.

“Fuck—I’m sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to pry into your personal shit, September. I just had to make sure that boy . . . uh, didn’t pressure you into something like that.”

This conversation needs to get back on track.

“I understand. I mean Austin and I made out and all, I’m not gonna lie about that, and he expected he was gonna get lucky, but I flat out told him no way. I guess he thought I should put out since Casey was paying for our date and all.”

I can see that he is pissed.

Royally.

“Yeah, well don’t you worry about Miss Casey. She’s history as far as I’m concerned,” he replies with a quiet assurance. “I don’t hold with a conniving woman, and I especially don’t care for someone who is in my business as much as she seems to be these days.”

“I only went out with Austin because I thought maybe I was making it difficult for you and her to have a . . .
relationship.
I mean me being around here 24/7 like I am; I guess it kinda cramps your style.”

“Hey,” he replies, brushing a lock of my hair back behind my ear. “I invited you here, remember? This is your home for the summer. I’m gonna clue Casey in right now about that. And as far as your mother goes, I’ll be contacting the authorities in Nogales—that’s where her last recorded address is listed, and see what I can find out. Once we know for sure, then you, me and Scout will deal with it, okay?”

“Okay,” I squeak out, nodding.

“Now until we know the facts and have confirmed them, let’s not say anything to your grandparents, okay? There’s no sense in alarming them if this turns out to be bogus information.”

“I agree.”

“And I’m not saying a word to Scout, either.”

“I think that’s best,” I reply.

“Okay then. So, do you feel like getting a little something to eat?”

“Is Casey still here?” I ask, flashing a frown.

“Not for much longer. Why don’t you get washed up? I’ll see to it that she leaves. Don’t worry.”

“Okay then,” I reply getting up. “I’ll go wash my face. No sense in having Scout think that there’s something wrong before we know for sure that there is.”

“Good girl,” he replies, giving me a last squeeze. “See you in a few.”

From inside the bathroom, I can hear Jesse’s raised voice telling Casey to get the hell outta his house and to keep her goddamn nose out of his business. Seconds later, the front door slams loudly.

I smile as I pat my freshly washed face dry, thinking how much better it’s gonna be not having that bitch underfoot anymore.

Chapter 11

It took about two weeks, but Jesse finally got some information back from the State Department, who had contacted the Mexican consulate in order to get confirmation about my mother.

The information wasn’t good. She apparently had passed away in a Mexican prison under a different name awaiting trial on some sort of drug-smuggling charge. The photo on her government-issued passport had been the only means of identifying her.

Being that she had passed away in Mexico, no concerted effort had been made by Mexican authorities to try and locate next-of-kin. Their story was that she had been arrested trying to cross back over into the U.S. by way of Nogales, with a man claiming to be her husband. The Federales had been watching them for some time, when they caught up to them. They were searched, based on a tip, and found that she was in possession of a significant amount of liquid cocaine. The man had been clean. He was a Mexican national by the name of Juan Martinique. He hadn’t been detained, but she had been taken into custody and arrested.

Her purported husband had left her to rot in a Mexican prison for nearly a year. The death certificate stated that Elizabeth Martinez, having no known next-of-kin, had died of natural causes a little more than six months ago. The record showed that her remains had been cremated and spread in a pauper’s field somewhere in Mexico.

DNA evidence had been taken before her cremation, and turned over to the State Department once Jesse started digging into the circumstances surrounding her death.

He was asked to provide DNA samples from both Scout and me for testing, so hair samples from each of us were taken.

He took the opportunity to sit down with Scout and explain why we had to do this—that there was a possibility that her mother had passed away. Scout didn’t have all that much of a recollection of Mama anymore.

Jesse had sent the samples off to the lab as instructed. He received a letter back the following week that said it would take eight to ten weeks for the results of the analysis to come in.

In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see.

In my heart, I don’t want to believe that it is her. I want it to be all some crazy mistake, but it does explain why we’ve never heard from her if she was locked up, and then died like that I guess.

I’ve come to admire Jesse even more over these past couple of weeks; I can see that he feels a genuine sadness when we talk about the situation. I can tell that he still holds out hope in some small way that Mama isn’t gone from our lives forever—for whatever reason. And it makes me curious.

Jesse’s not ignorant by any means. In any other situation, a man that had been done like that would’ve hated Mama, wasted no time in filing for a divorce a year after she left for desertion which could’ve been done quite easily. But he has never done that which puzzles me.

I mean it’s not like he’s been hung up on her; he simply doesn’t talk about her, yet when the subject is brought up about divorcing her, he avoids it.

Jessie did call my grandparents in Meridian once he learned the news. They didn’t take it well he said, but it’s gonna take time for all us to come to terms with it and heal.

It’s now the first of August and things are starting to get back to normal again. Jesse returned to work more than a week ago. Scout and Catherine still play, but Casey stays inside, evidently not happy with the fact that Jesse wants nothing to do with her.

I’m not privy to the particulars, but Scout filled me in on them one evening while I was washing her hair.

“Catherine says that her mom is mad at Dad because he doesn’t believe her.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep. She said Dad told her mom to get out of our house and not come back.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. Catherine said her mom started crying and called him on his phone and told him she was only trying to help because you asked her to. Did you?”

“No, honey,” I reply, rinsing the suds out of her dark hair. “I didn’t.”

“I guess that’s what Dad told her too. Then she called you a damn liar. Catherine heard her say that when she was on the phone with Dad.”

“She did?”

“Uh huh. But Catherine doesn’t know what Dad said back to her but whatever it was, it made Casey start crying really bad.”

“Oh wow,” I reply. “Is Catherine upset?”

“Naw. We’re still allowed to play except we’re not allowed to go into each other’s houses according to Dad.”

“Are you sad about that?”

She shrugs, taking a moment to consider it. “Not really. Once school starts, I’ll make more friends that I can have over, and they’ll be allowed to come into the house.”

“You sure will,” I tell her, giving her hair a final rinse. “All done. Let’s dry you off.”

“September?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have to leave?”

“What’d ya mean?”

“Can’t you stay here and go to school here? I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, booger-butt.”

She giggles at my use of the nickname I’ve given her.

“Then please stay.”

“Oh Scout—that’s up to Jesse. You’d have to see if it’s okay with him.”

“I’m gonna ask him if you can stay.”

“You do that,” I reply, taking a towel to her wet hair. “If he agrees that he wants me to stay then I
will
stay, I promise.”

“I love you, September.”

“I love you too, Scout.”

Chapter 12

Scout didn’t waste any time in going to Jesse and asking him to not let me leave; she wants me here with them.

He came to my room as I’m folding my laundry, putting it away.

“Hey,” he says. “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure.” I turn my attention to him and I can’t help but admire his deep, rich tan. The sun has put some brownish highlights in his thick dark hair, and he’s wearing it a bit shorter than he has in the past, but I love the way it still fringes out around his neck with his ball cap on.

“How would you feel about staying here . . . with us?” he asks, his eyes glued to mine. “I know Scout is dying for you to, and well, to be honest, I’ve come to depend on you for so much. You’ve been a big help to us, September—and you’re family, too. But I don’t want you thinking that’s the only reason I’m asking you to stay—I want it to be something that you want too.”

My heart skips several beats as I pretend to give his invitation some thought. “Well—if I’m needed and all, well then of course I want to stay. Will you speak to Gram about it?”

“Now you’re sure about this, right?”

“This feels like home. You guys are my family too.”

He gives me a warm smile and I’m mesmerized by it because Jesse doesn’t smile all that often. He’s got even white teeth that flash against his tanned skin. “That’s great. I’ll give Ruth a call. I’m hoping she doesn’t take issue with it being the bad news they’ve already received. I think she’s gonna want to talk to you once I let her know you want to stay, so you stick close by, hear?”

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