Relentless: Three Novels (11 page)

“I was stopped at the crosswalk and, it was the craziest thing. This woman walks across the street and I could have sworn it was Mom. I tried to back up to let her have the whole crosswalk, but I was in ‘drive’ and
boom
, I hit her.”

“Oh, no. Not again, Nikki. You’ve got to stop seeing Mom everywhere, and in everyone with long red hair. She’s gone. Let it go!”

Nikki knew exactly why her sister was saying that. Right after their mother had been murdered, Nikki used to think she saw her everywhere. “It wasn’t her obviously. I just thought it was her and got a little startled and accidentally hit the gas. I hit her, but I
barely
hit her. She did fall to the ground, but got up, gave me attitude and disappeared. I think the incident was just enough to scare us both.”

“So, you know it wasn’t Mom then, right?”

“Yes, Tara.” Nikki began to get annoyed with her sister.

“I’m just worried about you, Nikki. It took you a lot of years of therapy to get over Mom’s death and you are definitely taking a step back toward Crazyville again.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” She glanced at Katie, hoping Tara would ease up on the conversation.

“Says you. You must be impossible to live with. Your Brad is a saint!
A saint!
”

“Shut up. He has it pretty good, too, with
me
.”

“I know he does. I’m just giving you a hard time because you’re scaring me. It’s like you fell off the sane wagon all over again.”

“Shut up. I’m fine. The funny thing is, I really forgot about all those episodes of seeing Mom everywhere until you reminded me of them just now.” Nikki began to laugh, but it was a bitter, sad laugh.

“I guess that’s a good thing then. Okay, well, as you know next week is Ted’s birthday.” Ted was Tara’s new boyfriend of a few months who was twenty years her senior. Nikki didn’t approve of him at first, but lately, she and Brad had been spending a lot of time with the two of them. Nikki and Brad were growing very fond of him. He seemed to balance out her sister’s life. Tara was very uptight and tended to be anal about things. Ted was the opposite, very carefree and easygoing. Nikki could definitely see a positive change in her sister’s behavior since they had been dating.

“Do you want to double-date for Ted’s birthday?” Nikki asked. “I could get a sitter for the munchkin.”

“Hey, my name is Katie, not munchkin!” Katie said and they all laughed.

“Actually, Nikki, I was thinking that maybe we could give him a surprise party at your place. Like a barbeque?”

Nikki thought for a moment. “Well, I don’t see why not, but I will have to check with Brad first.”

“Oh, thank you, little sis.”

Nikki hated when Tara called her that. It just sounded so lame to her. Nikki wanted very much to tell her sister about the toy phone incident and hearing her mother’s voice on it. But she was afraid if she did, Tara would convince Brad to put her back in psychotherapy again. She was already on too many drugs to keep her from flipping out when she saw a red-haired woman who wasn’t Tara. So, Nikki decided to keep it to herself about the haunted toy phone.

“I have one other thing to talk to you about, Tara.”

“What? I’m kind of busy. Gotta run.”

“Wait. The house that’s for sale, the one I texted you about…” Her voice trailed off and they both eyed Katie.

“Oh, no. I don’t want to buy it. Do you?” Tara said.

“I don’t know, and it would be a stretch because we have money set aside for all-day kindergarten next year, not for a house. Anyway, this weekend, I am going to get some things from it.”

“What do you mean…
get
some things?” Tara asked.

“
Our
things.”

“You gotta be kidding me. Our stuff is there?”

“Our stuff is there, Tara. Our family’s stuff. I was hoping you would help me box some of it up before the house is sold.”

“I don’t want any part of that place,” Tara said, and stood. “Neither should you.” Tara turned to Katie. “Kiss your mama goodbye. You’re going to stay here and bake cookies with me while your mama goes and does something important.”

“I get to make cookies in your bakery?”

“You sure do, sugar. Now, go wash your hands with lots of soap and water in the bathroom and count to sixty while you rinse them. Then dry them off with clean paper towels and when you come out, we’re going in the kitchen and I will show you the secrets to making gingerbread men.”

“Yay!” Katie turned her sweet face to Nikki. “Bye, Mama. Thanks for letting me play with Aunt Tara today at her bakery.”

Nikki kissed her daughter goodbye and watched her skip to the restroom to go wash her hands.

When the little girl was out of earshot, Tara said, “Nikki, don’t go there again. Not to our old house. Please!”

“I’m getting our photos and Mom’s watercolor paintings and stuff.”

“Oh, my God, Nikki. You’re tormenting yourself in an extreme way.”

“It’s the only way I can heal, Tara.” She paused. “How do
you
heal from this?”

“By never talking about it. Never going there where it happened. And baking like a madwoman and hiring two neurotic French pastry chefs who let me focus on their drama instead of mine. And dating Ted, a very calm and wise man.”

“Oh, dear. I just figured it out. The pastry chefs were fighting over you. Not over the flakiness of pie crust.”

“That’s right, but I won’t go out with employees, no matter how cute they are or how much they flirt,” Tara admitted. She sighed. “Drive carefully, sis. Pay
attention
.”

“I will.”

“Taking your meds?” Tara asked.

“Yes, when I remember. You?” Nikki replied.

“No, not for a long time, but I have chocolate on tap here. You don’t.” Her sister hugged her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. I wish you could come with me to our old house.”

“I have to work weekends, you know that, Nikki. And I’ve got three wedding cakes to deliver on Saturday.”

“That’s great. Your wedding cake business is booming.”

“Yeah, it makes more money than anything else in the bakery, put together.”

“So very cool, sis. Congrats.”

“Thanks. If I didn’t have three wedding cakes, I would force myself to go with you to that evil house and pick it clean of the good stuff.”

“Thanks for admitting that. It’s the thought that counts,” Nikki said.

Tara asked, “Are Mom’s Noritake dishes there? With the gold rims?”

“Yeah, in the china cabinet. Do you want me to get the set for you?”

“Yes, please. And if the photo albums are there, will you take out the photos of Dad so I don’t have to look at him? I just want to see Mom again.”

“He didn’t do it, Tara. He didn’t kill Mom.”

“The police have had a standing warrant out for his arrest for twenty-five years.”

“Well, that’s just lazy police work. Mom died. Dad disappeared. There’s no evidence that he killed her. None! It’s all circumstantial and I refuse to believe that he would ever do such a thing.”

“Says Daddy’s little angel,” Tara retorted. “His favorite.”

“That’s the meanest thing you’ve
ever
said to me,” Nikki said, and left the bakery in a huff.

Chapter Seven

Finally, Saturday arrived. Brad was up early making pancakes and sausage in his red plaid Christmas pajamas, even though Christmas was months away. Katie was playing with Legos in front of the TV as cartoons blared softly. She was also in her pajamas, but hers had Hello Kitty on them.

Nikki came into the kitchen fully dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved tee-shirt with her handbag on her shoulder.

“It’s Saturday, love. Where are you off to so early?” Brad asked.

“Following up on some old life history. Trying to find peace and some semblance of zen.”

Brad’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh, Nikki. Let it go. I don’t know what you’re up to, but I have this bad feeling that whatever you are doing today, it’s just going to make you very unhappy.”

“I can’t let it go, Brad,” Nikki said, and kissed his cheek.

He threw his arms around her. “Eat breakfast with us. I’ll make you a pancake and draw a smiley face with the maple syrup, like I do for Katie.”

She laughed and kissed his mouth. “You’re the best husband ever and you taste like cinnamon toast.”

He laughed. “Want some?”

“No thanks. I’m only going to be gone for a couple of hours. Three tops. Can you make some room in the garage for boxes?”

“Boxes?” he said. “So, you’re going to yard sales?”

“No, and I promise, it isn’t anything that will affect the budget.”

“Okay. So, you’re going to keep your plans for today under wraps?”

“For now. I’ll tell you later. I’m taking your truck and the dolly, okay?”

“Okay, sweetie. Call me if you need me to help you with whatever is in the boxes.”

“Thanks. I would take you along, but Katie…”

Brad nodded, understanding that she didn’t want to drag Katie into whatever old history she was researching to find peace in herself.

“Don’t hurt yourself lifting anything.”

“I won’t. I have a helper.”

“Okay. Love you, Nikki.”

“Love you, Brad. Thanks for hanging out with Katie. I’ll be back before noon.”

“Sounds good. Let’s take her to the park later. I’ll pack a picnic basket and the horseshoes and the croquet set.”

Katie perked up and turned away from her cartoons. “Picnic? The park! I love picnics in the park.”

Both Nikki and Brad laughed.

“Can I bring my kite?” Katie asked.

“Sure,” Brad said. “We’ll see if we can get it up this time.”

“If it’s windy,” Katie said.

Nikki kissed them both and headed out the door to get some boxes at U-Haul and head over to her old house.

When she got there, she pulled into the driveway and texted Jimmy Matthews. Soon, he came down the street with a German shepherd puppy on a leash.

She got the dolly out of the bed of Brad’s truck and squatted down to pet his wiggling puppy.

“You brought your dog over?”

“Actually, Rosie’s a rescue from a breeder and she not only has separation anxiety and chews up my stuff if I leave her alone, but she’s good company.”

“Why is she a rescue?”

“She was mismarked because she has a pink nose. They were going to put her down, so I agreed to have her spayed and re-home her.”

“Aww, she’s sweet!” Nikki said as the dog licked her hand and wagged her tail. “They would kill her for a pink nose?”

“Some breeders would. I wouldn’t.”

“Your parents used to breed German shepherds, right, Jimmy?”

“Right. All of their dogs are long since passed across the rainbow bridge. I’m just down to working on rescues and rehoming for the breed. Rosie is staying with me temporarily. I’m fostering her.”

“That’s admirable,” she said.

“Thanks. Are you interested in a dog? Rosie, for instance?”

“Aww. Rosie’s so sweet. I would say yes, but I’m full time at school and my husband works full time and Katie’s almost five. I think she should be older before we get a dog, and probably, I should be a stay-at-home mom. I love animals, and I think they deserve to have someone who is home a lot.”

“I understand and you’re right,” Jimmy said, although he was clearly disappointed.

“You should keep her. She’ll be good company for you for years to come.”

“I’m thinking about it. I’ve been taking her to work with me and she just lays in the sun watching me cut lawns and plant flowers. She’s so good, no matter where I take her.”

“Why not keep her then?” Nikki asked.

He paused. “I just don’t know what the future holds. I have some serious financial problems, which is why I am selling your old house so cheap. I need to use the money to save my parents’ house,—which is now my house—from foreclosure.”

“But your lawn care business and your landscaping. You have that income.”

“My dad and I were business partners and he heavily borrowed on some used heavy equipment, a backhoe that turned out to be an expensive mistake since every guy in town who owns a backhoe can do what I can do, but cheaper. We used to rent one when we needed it. It was more cost-effective, but my dad was not the best decision-maker.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, thanks. I’ll figure it out. I just don’t know where I’ll be, ya know?”

She nodded her head, hoping he wasn’t going to be homeless. She was hoping that Rosie wouldn’t be either.

Jimmy let Rosie off the leash and she went to the front door and sat down, looking at Jimmy expectantly.

“Well, she’s clearly been here before,” Nikki said, walking closer to the house as Jimmy followed her.

And suddenly, they were at the front door and tears came to her eyes and she broke out in a sob.

“Oh, no, did I say something wrong?” Jimmy said.

“No, I was just not wanting to see the chalk outline again. You know?”

“I cleaned the floors, Nik-Nik. It’s all gone now.”

She felt startled again by the use of that weird nickname and by the way he spoke to her like she was a child.

He opened the door and the dog scampered in and sniffed the floor.

She walked to the bathroom and turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face and then, since the towels were so dusty, she wiped her face and hands on the hem of her shirt. When she turned around, he was staring at her in the mirror.

Her heart gave a little jump.

“I startled you again. I’m sorry.”

“I fall to pieces over this, Jimmy. Every day. Well, you know. You knew my parents and my sister and me. We were so close. My whole life and my sister’s life was ripped away from us when we lost her. Lost
them
.”

His mouth tightened into a hard line. “Yeah, it’s gotta be so rough.”

“It has been. My grandparents took in me and my sister and they were nice, but it wasn’t the same as having parents.”

“Where’s Tara today?” She noticed that he had changed the subject.

“She couldn’t come. She had to work.”

“She couldn’t come or she
wouldn’t
come?” he asked softly.