Weep In The Night (6 page)

Debra addressed the others. “To really engage the kids, each puppet needs to have a distinctive voice and mannerisms. If each operator has several puppets to personalize there's a greater chance for confusion.”

The group fixed collective eyes on her.

Bowen reviewed all the information his client had provided on Sadie. A bell jingled in his head. Sadie and her husband were active in some kind of church work. He'd have to check his notes to see if it involved puppets. On alert now, he paid closer attention.

Sipping from a full glass of tea, Kyle returned to his chair. “Go on.”

Debra scooted forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “I think we need one set of puppets to tell the stories.”

“I agree with Grace.” Kyle smoothed his mustache with thumb and forefinger. “But if we use people, how many different skin colors do we use? This could get out of hand.”

Sylvia raised her arm like a school kid. “I've got it. We could forget about authentic skin colors. In fact it would be fun to use green, blue, and purple.”

Nods of agreement abounded.

“Or we could use Hannah's favorite. Polka dots.” Debra's eyes widened, and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

 

 

 

 

6

 

Heat rushed to Sadie's face. Everyone focused on her. She wanted to flee but her legs wouldn't cooperate. Instead, she sank into the cushion and shot a peek at Sam. Had she blown her cover?

He focused on the plans in his hands.

Sylvia snapped the binder closed. “Good idea, but how do you know Hannah liked polka dots?”

Please, earth, swallow me.
Sadie had to come up with an explanation. And fast. “I…I checked out the website and read how Hannah wanted polka-dotted fabric for the puppets' faces.”

“I must have missed that part,” said Sylvia. “Where did you find it?”

Sadie hadn't visited the website in three years. And she didn't know if the current operators had changed it. She and Aaron used to have a link that displayed pictures of Hannah surrounded by puppets. Maybe since her death, they'd been removed.

By now Sadie's face no longer burned. “Some link at the top. I can't remember which one.”

“It doesn't matter.” Kyle took a sip of tea. “I think polka-dotted people will work. Let's vote.”

Everyone voted for the polka dots and by the time Kyle exhausted his to-do list, his mantel clock chimed ten.

Sadie carried empty glasses to the kitchen. As she returned to the living room, she slowed when Kyle picked up his sophisticated camera from the side table. His next words turned her feet to lead.

“Before any one leaves, I want to take a photograph. Come on, people, gather around Grace.” Kyle removed the lens cover and fiddled with the dials.

Sylvia dug in her diaper bag for a blue pacifier and popped it into her son's mouth. “But, Kyle, my hair's a mess.”

“Doesn't matter. So is mine. I want to document our committee's activities.” He held a hand out to Sylvia. “Up you get.”

People surrounded Grace in the armchair.

Sadie thought of taking a trip to the bathroom, but Kyle would wait to take the picture. She deliberately stood next to Sam and fingered the trim around the neckline of her T-shirt.

Kyle set the camera on the coffee table, joined the group and said, “One, two, three. Smile everybody.”

Sadie turned her head towards Sam's shoulder and raised her hand to cover her profile. The flash caught her movement. Certain the photograph would not show her face, she scampered away from the group and picked up her purse before Kyle could check the camera and demand a re-take. “Sorry, guys, I have to leave. See you next time.”

She and Sam were the first to leave. He'd been the perfect, attentive date, and once she overcame her blunder, she had enjoyed his company.

They stopped at her car, and he opened the door. “This has been great. We need to do it again. Soon.”

“You mean work with the puppet committee?”

“No. Go on a date.”

Sadie glanced at Sam to see if he was kidding. The dimple hovering near his lips confused her. “But this was a pretend date, remember?”

“It didn't feel like one to me. So, what do you say? I'll still take my cue from you about the handholding and kissing part.”

A giggle bubbled up and a surge of warmth radiated from her midsection. Maybe it was time to let down the drawbridge of her heart. A teeny bit. Passion had been locked away for so long. Eyes on his face, she slid behind the wheel. “Fine. But we'll take it slowly.”

The streetlight accentuated his dimple. “Great. I'll go as slow as you want—within reason.” He removed a small card from his wallet. “Here's my cell number.”

She took the card on which he had scrawled numbers, and caught a glimpse of the photo of a woman and child in his wallet. Sadie's euphoria subsided. She'd almost forgotten her initial doubts and suspicions. But he'd explained why he lied, and if they dated, she could keep an eye on him.

“Thanks. I'll check my calendar and pencil you in.”

Sam returned his wallet to his back pocket. “Hope you can find a spot for me.” He closed her door.

After she turned on the ignition, she lowered the window. “Are you working tomorrow?”

He rested his forearm on the opened window. “Yeah. You?”

Sadie glanced at the dark curly hair on his arm and nodded.

“See you then.” He straightened and then lowered his head again. “By the way. When did you check out that puppet website?”

When, indeed? They'd come straight to Kyle's from work, and Sam knew employees had no access to personal computers at Rhodes.

Another lie. “At home after church.” Sadie dared not look at Sam, so she fussed with the seatbelt.

He patted the roof of her car. “OK, then. Drive carefully. See you tomorrow.”

As she drove away, the weight of her deception lay heavy on her soul.

 

****

 

Louise Gaffney came by the next morning while Sadie consumed her second mug of coffee.

She sat across the small dining table from Sadie, her white hair wrapped around tiny green sponge rollers, her feet engulfed by fluffy mauve slippers. “Heard you up and about, dear, and came to visit.”

“How's the packing?”

Before Louise could answer, her cell phone chirped. She slid it out of her housecoat pocket.

While her visitor chatted, Sadie drained her coffee mug, finished off a bowl of granola, and then carried her dishes to the kitchen.

A frown added to the deep wrinkles on Louise's forehead as she ended the call. “Drat. That was Pete Williams. He's right outside and wants another look at the apartment.” She patted her rolled hair, blue eyes wide. “I can't let him see me like this.”

“I'll meet him while you take the rollers out.”

She shuffled to the bathroom and said over her shoulder, “Thank you dear. Tell him I'll be right out.”

As Sadie closed her front door, a tall, redheaded man in a dark suit strode across the lawn. He straightened his tie and slowed as he neared the building. Furrows marred his freckled brow for a second.

Sadie moved closer to Mrs. Gaffney's door. “Hi, are you Pete Williams?”

“I've come to see Louise Gaffney.”

“She'll be out in a minute. I'm Debra Johnson.” She extended her hand, which he clasped in a quick shake. “I believe you plan to move in right away.”

“Yes. We've been staying with Janelle's folks in San Antonio and can't wait to get our own place. I started my job here two weeks ago.”

Sadie took note of his black leather briefcase.

He glanced at his watch. “I don't have much time, but I need to take measurements. The in-laws bought us a bedroom suite with an enormous headboard and oversized dresser. Need to make sure the pieces can be maneuvered down the hall and into the bedroom.”

Louise's apartment had the same floor plan as Sadie's. The short narrow hall and sharp turn into the bedroom could pose a problem. She crossed her arms and gave Pete a reassuring nod. “She won't be long.”

Right on cue, Louise joined them, her hair now in soft curls. “Thank you, dear.” She took keys from her pocket. “Come on in, Pete.”

He seemed to be a nice enough guy, and his reasons for moving so quickly made perfect sense. No need to worry.

Sadie returned to her kitchen and cleaned up. Dishes washed, sack lunch of left-over chicken and salad prepared, she still had an hour before she needed to leave for Rhodes.

Sadie wandered through her small abode, straightening a cushion here, closing a magazine there, and ended up in the bedroom. On the nightstand lay Sam's card with his handwritten phone number. She plopped on the bed and picked up the card. She'd already programmed the number into her cell phone but couldn't throw away this connection to him. It conjured up his face, his voice. But the photograph of his deceased wife and child interrupted her musing.

An elephantine weight plunged her spirit into an arctic lake. Associating with Sam took her on a wild ride of pleasant possibilities to dark reminders of the past.

Sadie jumped to her feet and threw open the closet door. Shoving aside hanging blouses and slacks, she located the small gray door of the apartment's electrical control panel. Her hand shook as she popped it open. She eased off the laminated instruction sheet from inside the door and hesitated.

But she had to see it one more time. The dog-eared picture of her, Aaron, and Hannah slid into her hand. Her darling little girl. Her wonderful husband. The only photograph she had of them. Against orders, she'd secretly kept it. If Griff or anyone from WITSEC knew, they'd destroy it and reprimand her for her foolishness. But she couldn't let it go. It was her one link to the past.

The last time she'd looked at the photo had been about eight months ago. Hannah's birthday. The same day she'd visited Hillcrest Church for the first time. With hands that trembled, Sadie held the photo to her chest for an agonizing moment. Then she planted a kiss on the picture and returned it to its hiding place. She closed the gray door and scooted the hangers back in place across the rod.

Sadie backed out of the closet and tromped to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face. But Mrs. Gaffney's green rollers filled the sink. The sight brought on the giggles, and Sadie collapsed onto the tiled floor.

When the mix of mirth and grief subsided, she scrambled up and examined her face in the mirror. Good thing she had time to repair the damage. While removing mascara streaks, she analyzed her reaction to seeing the photo again. The old haunting pain hadn't paralyzed her this time. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she'd focused on the good times they'd experienced. If levelheaded Aaron could talk to her now, he'd probably advise her to move on. He wouldn't want her to grieve forever.

Makeup repaired, curls tamed, she gathered the rollers together and found a plastic bag in the kitchen.

After Sadie knocked several times, Louise opened the door. “So sorry, dear. I was on the phone with Bonnie. Come in.”

Sadie held up the bag. “I don't have time to visit, I have to get to work. But I brought these back.”

“Oh, my rollers. Thanks, dear.” She took the bag. “I forgot all about them. Pete kept me busy. He asked a lot of questions about you.”

Although Sadie had already stepped away from the door, she stopped at Louise's words. “Really? What kind of questions?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. What sort of neighbor are you? How long have you been here? Stuff like that.”

Sounded harmless enough, but Sadie's caution meter kicked into gear. So much for her earlier complacency. She'd have to keep alert around the new neighbors. “See you tomorrow.”

Sadie collected her lunch sack, jacket, and purse. With keys in hand, she rounded the corner of her apartment unit, but a movement by the maintenance shed caught her eye. Two men conversed in angry tones. One pointed to the other then threw his arms in the air. Meandering between vehicles, Sadie kept her eyes on the men. They looked familiar. Then she recognized the dark suit—Pete Williams. Who was his companion? Near her car, she punched the remote. The
beep-beep
alerted them, and they both glanced towards her.

In that instant, she recognized the other man. Kyle Nelson from Hillcrest church.

They locked gazes across the parking lot for a few seconds before the two men slipped out of sight behind the shed.

 

 

 

 

7

 

The sight of Kyle arguing with her new neighbor stuck with Sadie all the way to work. Were they friends? Did Kyle invite Pete to Hillcrest? Paranoia had free reign in her mind until she parked in Rhodes' employee lot. She told herself to get a grip. Two men arguing—but Kyle's odd behavior the night before and Pete's questions to Mrs. Gaffney hung in the air.

April's knock on Sadie's window yanked her back to reality, and she climbed out of the car.

While they entered the store, April regaled Sadie with Victor's latest request to live together. “But I'm sticking to my principles. I told him if he's serious, then he better start thinking about our future.”

Approaching the break room, she drew Sadie aside. “We're going to the South by Southwest Music Festival this weekend. Want to join us? Oscar's coming.”

“Sounds like fun. I'll get back to you after I check my work schedule.”

By the time they clocked in, Sadie had relegated Kyle and Pete to the back of her mind.

New plant arrivals kept her focused on the job for several hours. On her way to the break room, Oscar waylaid her as she passed through the plumbing section.

He fell in step beside her. “How was your weekend?”

“Good.” Remembering Sam's attentiveness from the previous night sent a mini-quiver to her stomach. “How about you?”