The Trouble With Scarecrows (The Trouble With Men Book 2) (13 page)

Chapter 22

Neal dropped Brenda off at the multiplex and headed to Home Depot to buy supplies. It didn’t seem so much of a chore anymore, it was more like helping out a friend. He was even enjoying it. It had been a while since he’d worked in construction, and he liked how it made him feel busy, getting his hands dirty. Since it was also nearing the time for him to start school, he hoped it would also keep him from getting overly nervous.

He smiled at how happy he felt. So much had changed in just a few days. At the beginning of this week, he would have never imagined he would be with someone like Brenda. The way she looked at him now made it all worth that stone wall he’d had to break down.

He had no idea where this would all lead, but he couldn’t wait to find out. For the first time in a long time, he felt like his future was on the right track. He could see straight ahead. He would work and live at multiplex, work at the diner, and go to school. He could do it. And now that he and Brenda were together, he couldn’t wait to cook for her and then have dinner with her in the evenings. Maybe she would supply the dessert, he thought with a smile.

As Neal pulled in front of the store, he got a phone call from Brenda.

“Come home now.” She sounded frantic.

“Is something wrong with the plumbing?”

“No, he left. It’s Zadora. I’m upstairs in the attic. She’s trying to kill me.”

“What?” Neal could have sworn Brenda had said Zadora was trying to kill her. He sighed. Brenda, Brenda, Brenda . . . “I’m sure you’re overreacting. Calm down and . . . Brenda? Brenda, are you there?”

The connection had been lost. He called her back, but it went straight to voicemail. This was crazy. Wasn’t it? There was no way Zadora would hurt anyone. But the way Brenda had sounded did worry him enough to turn the motor back on and head home.

Neal tried calling Brenda back as he drove, swerving through traffic, a little more panicked each time he called and she didn’t answer. He called Zadora, but she didn’t answer either. What was going on? As soon as he pulled up, he rushed inside the house, calling Brenda’s name.

He remembered she’d said she was in the attic, so after trying her apartment, he ran to the stairs at the end of the corridor and didn’t stop until he reached the attic door.

And then he came to an abrupt stop.

The attic was quiet and dark. Really eerie, if he let his imagination get the best of him. As his eyes came into focus, he noticed all the boxes and furniture around the large room. There was no sign of Brenda or Zadora. But if Brenda was frightened, maybe she was hiding. He tiptoed around, but the floor creaked anyway. He made his way toward a door in the corner.

He reached out, about to put his hand on the knob when it opened and hit him in the groin. He bent over and held himself, letting out a yelp.

“It’s about time you got here,” Brenda said. “Don’t just stand there, get in here before she finds us.”

Brenda grabbed Neal’s arm, which was attached to the hand that still held his goodies, and yanked him inside the bathroom and shut the door.

The room was dark and red and with the stars over his head from the blow down below, everything felt really strange. It took a moment to focus, to let his eyes adjust to the darkness and the strange red glow.

“Look at all this stuff, Neal. I told you something was wrong with her.” Brenda had something in her hand. “It’s a freaking voodoo doll. Of me!” Brenda shook the doll, then steadied it. “See, she’s trying to kill me.”

Neal’s nerves settled a bit, frustration taking its place. Women. “Shit, Brenda. You had me imagining all kinds of stuff. A butcher knife, a gun, even a pair of scissors. You freaked out over a doll?”

“It’s not just a doll! Look at it. It’s a voodoo doll. She’s using it to try and kill me.”

Neal took the doll, turning it this way and that way. The doll had been crudely handmade and certainly did appear to be what one might consider to be a voodoo doll. Its eyes and ears had been drawn on by a black marker. The body was black and silky with pink little flowers. “Is this your—”

“Yes!” she blurted. “Yes, she used my Chantelle underwear. No wonder you couldn’t find them.”

He scanned the tiny bathroom with a sink and a toilet. But there were things in there that didn’t normally go in a bathroom: a mortar and pestle, candles at all stages of being burned, and bottles of ingredients that he didn’t have in his kitchen. He didn’t want to tell Brenda, but he felt creepy crawlers going up and down his back. But it was all nonsense, right? A voodoo doll! Come on . . . “Does this hurt?” He pulled the doll’s right arm.

She hit him in the stomach, not hard, but added to the earlier incident, he buckled.

“That’s not funny!” Brenda said. “But actually I don’t hurt anywhere.” She touched her body in several places. “I’ve heard of bad witches before but Zadora’s a horrible one.”

“Maybe she hasn’t activated anything yet,” Neal said out loud, then quickly wished he hadn’t when he saw Brenda’s eyes widen.

“I’m calling the police,” she said.

“And tell them what? You found a dolly? Besides, we can’t jump to conclusions. Maybe it’s a gift she was going to give you.”

“Are you serious? She’s not five, nor my child. This isn’t arts and crafts. Look at all this stuff. No jumping, I’m already there. I’m concluding that she wants to hurt us . . . well, me. She wants you to herself and is trying to get me out of the way. I knew it. It all makes sense now. The way her eyes lit up every time I brought up your name. Coming to dinner with her boobs hanging out and holding on to you like she was your date. It was disgusting. And now all this? She is one jealous freak.”

Neal raised an eyebrow and tried to make light of it all. “She’s the jealous one?” He wrapped his arms around her. Brenda’s body was tense, and she actually looked scared. “I won’t let anybody hurt you.” He gave her a light kiss, and he felt her relax a little bit.

“Can I throw her out now?” she pleaded. “Do you at least believe me now that she did all that ghost stuff at the restaurant on purpose?”

Neal didn’t want to answer yet, so he kissed her again but then he heard the floorboards outside the restroom squeak.

Brenda said, “The lease is up, and I’ve been really patient, but now—”

“Shhh,” Neal whispered, putting a finger on Brenda’s lips to make her stop talking.

They heard someone walking in the attic, the squeaks nearing the door. Brenda held onto Neal tighter and then the door handle moved, and then Brenda screamed as the door opened.

A shadowy figure stood at the door and let out an equally loud scream.

When they all stopped screaming, and Neal’s vision adjusted, he said, “Larry?”

Chapter 23

Brenda couldn’t speak for a second. The adrenalin pumped through her body from being afraid she was about to be murdered, and then the shock of seeing Larry standing there in front of her had her heart doing flips.

“Hey, Larry.” Neal pulled away from Brenda to shake his hand.

“Neal? Brenda? Y’all scared the shit out of me.”

“What are you doing here?” Brenda said.

“Haley thinks she might have left some of her developing supplies here.”

After neither one of them said anything, Larry explained, “She’s a photographer. The red light in here . . .” He reached over and flipped another switch that turned the red light off and the regular florescent on. “She develops her own film.”

“Oh,” Neal said.

“What are you doing here?” Larry asked Brenda.

Her heart still thumped, and she was mid-thought about how handsome he looked in his dark shirt and trousers. His hair was styled, short on the sides and a little longer on top and the whiskers on his face were groomed to give just a hint of five-o’clock shadow.

“I, um, am here to sell the house,” she said.

“Oh really?” He glanced at Neal. “Well, what was going on in here when I opened the door?”

“We were making out,” Neal said.

Brenda elbowed him in the side, and he said, “Ow hey.” She wasn’t sure why she’d done that. A reflex maybe? She glanced at Neal’s hard expression and acknowledged the tension that had entered with Larry. “We were hiding from a lunatic,” she said. “She’s trying to kill me.”

“Who?”

“Zadora Hart. She’s a tenant here. Friends with a friend of yours, Maximilian.”

“Oh right. I’ve never met her, but if she’s anything like Maximilian, I’m sure she’s just a little eccentric.”

“No, look at this stuff.”

They could see it all clearer now, all the paraphernalia in the tiny room. Brenda grabbed the doll out of Neal’s hands. “Look, she has a voodoo doll of me. And look!” She held the doll close to her face and then into Neal’s face. “See, there? A blonde hair, my blonde hair, is taped to the top of it.”

“I would move out when all the good story stuff starts to happen.”

“I’m serious. This isn’t funny. I’ve got to get out of here. It’s starting to freak me out.” She walked out of the bathroom, carrying the doll, and made her way to the stairs.

As she practically ran down the steps, she said, “I was just talking to Neal about calling the police. Don’t you think I should call the police? Or at least tell her to pack all of her creepy stuff and get the hell out.”

Neal answered: “Let me talk to her. This doesn’t seem like her, you know.”

They made it to the bottom of the stairs, and Neal stepped in front of her, blocking her path to Zadora’s apartment.

“I’m just asking to let me to talk to her before you go storming in accusing her of,” he threw his hands up in the air, “whatever you are accusing her of.”

“What the hell do you mean?” Brenda shook the doll to make her point. “She’s crazy. She is!” Brenda felt the anger building up inside of her. “Why do you keep defending her when the evidence is right in front of you?”

“I’m not defending her,” Neal said and then clicked his tongue a couple of times. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I just want to figure this all out.”

“Hey Brenda, can I talk to you for a minute?” Larry looked from Brenda to Neal and then back to Brenda, not moving his head, only his eyes.

That’s when Brenda noticed Neal’s hand on her arm. She eased her arm away, pretending she got a sudden chill, running her hands up and down her arms.

She didn’t miss Neal’s scowl before he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Larry. She hated that he felt the awkward vibe. But for the time being, she had to ignore it.

“Maybe you’re right,” she told Neal “You should go talk to Zadora. If you can get her to leave without a big scene, maybe it would be best. That’s all I want. Just get her out of my house.”

“Do you want to come with me? You know, so we can get to the bottom of this?”

“You don’t want me in the same room with her right now.”

“Right,” Neal said through his teeth and shot Larry another look. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, while still looking at Larry.

Brenda’s heart pumped a little faster, but she didn’t dare try to see Larry’s reaction to all of this. And hated that it even mattered to her. She tried to compose herself as she watched Neal until he reached Zadora’s door and knocked. As soon as he walked inside, she turned her attention to Larry.

He had a stupid grin on his face.

“You wanted to talk to me?”

“Is there somewhere private?”

Brenda swallowed, nodded and then walked to her door, with Larry right behind her.

“So,” he said as soon as she shut the door behind them, “I see you’ve been keeping yourself busy.” He glanced around the apartment, which had almost been stripped down to the color on the walls.

“I’m trying to,” she said as she made her way to the kitchen. “The only thing worth keeping was the dining room table. Everything else had to go.” She opened the refrigerator but remembered that she still hadn’t made it to the store. When she shut the door and turned around, Larry stood right there.

After clearing her throat, she said, “I’ve decided to sell the house, so I’m doing a bit of remodeling. Neal’s helping me.”

“Is that what he’s doing?”

She inhaled, those old feelings she had for Larry starting to bubble, and she tried to keep them down. He was getting married to Haley. She was past this. She was over him. She was into Neal. She took two glasses out of the cabinet and rinsed them out before filling them with tap water. She straightened and walked back into the dining room. Larry followed.

She sat down at the table, and Larry sat in the seat next to her.

“You look great,” he said. “I like what you’ve done with your hair.”

It was just too much. Their eyes did that staring thing.
Great
. “Thanks. I cut it.”

“I’ve never seen you with short hair before. It suits you. Although, I really loved it long.”

“I know.”

He nodded in acknowledgement. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

She shrugged, hating that she felt so uneasy and a little stupid, then took a drink, forcing her eyes away from his.

He stood up. “I have a confession.”

No-no-no. Her heart immediately started pounding.
Don’t do this Larry. Don’t even give me a second of thinking.

“I didn’t only come here for Haley’s things. She said she really didn’t even need them.”

Brenda felt her body begin a little nervous tremble.

“I needed to get away. To think. A lot has been going on.”

The same old Larry. She knew it! His commitment phobia was rising again, and she had to control her mouth; she was not going to smile.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you up there . . . with him. But it’s really good to see you. I’ve missed you.”

I’ve missed you too
, she wanted to shout, but no. Hell no! She controlled her words, but all those feelings she’d been dealing with ignited all at once, and she couldn’t control the tears. She turned her head away. She couldn’t let him in. She was finally getting over him.

“I’ve missed being able to talk to you. I miss us.”

She felt the anger rise up from her stomach and couldn’t keep it from bursting out of her mouth as she stood up. “What the hell, Larry? What are you saying to me? You can’t have it both ways! Do you even realize what I’ve gone through these past months? I can’t do this again. I gave you my heart, and you stomped on it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not. You got what you wanted. You got Haley.” Brenda waved her hand at him. “Go! Just go on back to her. Get the hell out!” By this time, her angry tears were falling fast.

“I don’t know if I want to get married!”

Brenda tried to control her body by inhaling and exhaling slowly before she spoke. “Don’t do this.”

“I’m not doing anything except telling you the truth.” Larry started pacing. “I’ve been thinking about it for weeks now. You know, I don’t know if I can do marriage. I thought I could. But all these things with her family and my family and the plans and the venue and the dress and cake and . . . forever.”

“Cold feet, that’s all,” she said through clenched teeth. She hadn’t wanted to say it, but this was ridiculous. This wasn’t happening.

“At first I thought all I needed was a little break. That I needed to get away, and then . . . there you were.” He stood right in front of her now, close enough to touch her. “I hadn’t realized what was missing from my life until I saw you standing there with Neal.”

“I’m seeing him.”

Larry nodded. “I kind of figured that out. Do you love him?”

“It’s new.”

“I see.” He’d said it in a way where he seemed to write it off.

“But it’s serious enough.”

Larry reached over and wiped a tear from Brenda’s cheek. His touch sent familiar tingles up and down her spine. Was he really standing in front of her, saying what she thought he was saying? How many times had she wished for this? “What do you want?” she whispered.

“Like you always said, I always come back to you.”