Refuge for Flora by Deanndra Hall
Chapter 2
The week had beenlong and hard, and he was glad to see the weekend come. He’d picked up a case of beer, eight frozen pizzas, enough chips and dip for a small army, and two bags of fun-sized candy bars. That was pretty much all he could think of that he might need to keep him happy over the weekend.
His turn was ahead, so he slapped on his blinker. Instead of turning into his driveway when he reached it, he kept going. Best to drive by Mrs. Murphy’s house and see if she needed her grass mowed. If she did, he’d get up really early the next morning and do it before it got too hot. But when he got near her drive, he blinked, then stared in astonishment.
Her dumpster was out by the road, even though the trash people didn’t come until Tuesday, and it was full. Not only that, but there was crap piled all around it, including a couple of cardboard boxes full of stuff. Did she die and nobody told me? he wondered. Didn’t matter. The grass was too tall, and even if she was dead, he didn’t want the neighborhood looking like dammit.
As soon as he was inside, he started peeling off clothes until he was down to bare skin. That crazy rain showerhead had been the best investment he’d ever made, and he tried to relax and enjoy the steaming water. Once he finished, he barefooted it to the bedroom, pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and some lounge pajamas, and headed back to the kitchen. He’d just plopped everything down on the table, so he set about putting frozen and refrigerated stuff away. He was almost finished when his phone rang, and he answered without even looking at it. “Hello?”
“Boy, you comin’ to mow my grass?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll come tomorrow morning, if that’s all right.”
“Yeah, yeah. That’ll be fine. There’s a god damn mess out by the road, but you can mow around it, I think.”
“Yes, ma’am. I saw that. Are you―”
“In the morning.” And the phone went dead.
Old bag hung up on me!he groused internally as he pulled a pizza back out of the freezer and threw it on an oven rack. In a few minutes, he’d have something that would pass for food. Then he could watch a movie and hit the hay. It was time to try to unwind.
And after what he’d been through that morning, he didn’t care if he never saw another possum in his whole life.
* * *
Was it too early?He didn’t care. It wasn’t like she was paying him, and if he woke her, she couldn’t really complain about it when her lawn was mowed for free.
Walking was his usual mode of transportation to her house. She wasn’t that far away, and there had been a few times when he’d been afraid that he’d break out one of his windows, or even his windshield, with something the mower would pick up. The chances of that were far too good with all the junk in her yard.
When the house came into view, it was a blink-worthy shot again. Someone was in the yard, and he was pretty sure from the shock of reddish-blond hair that it wasn’t Marilyn Murphy. Who the hell would be in her yard?
Gravel crunched under his boots as he made his way up the driveway, watching the woman kneeling by the flower bed as he made his way toward her. When he got within a few dozen feet, he called out, “Gonna mow.”
Two green eyes met his, but there was no smile. “Oh. Guess I’ll have to go inside, huh?”
“I’m really sorry. It’s my only chance to do it.”
“Well, if there’s work to be done.” She stood and brushed the dirt off her hands. “Not like I don’t have anything else to do.”
“Are you … a relative?”
“No. I work for Mrs. Murphy.”
Jesus, what’s wrong with me?he heard a voice in his head ask. “I’m Barrett. Barrett Quarles.” He stuck out his hand, but for some reason, he had an overwhelming urge to hug her.
The hand she placed in his was warm and soft. “Flora Stevens.”
“So you’re working for Mrs. Murphy? Yard work?”
“No, everything. I’m actually living here.”
“Oh! Well, I live right down that way,” he said and pointed down the road toward his house. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come down and find me.”
“I’ll remember that. Thanks. I suppose I should go on inside so you can get started.”
“Okay. Well, nice to meet you.”
“You too.” In seconds, she disappeared through the front door.
Barrett opened the door on the dilapidated barn and started the mower. In minutes he was off and running. As he mowed, he kept hoping she’d come out to bring him a glass of water or something, but she never did. When he finished, she came out and started working on the flower beds again, so he used the trimmer and chatted a little, but she didn’t seem very talkative. She was working for Mrs. Murphy …
Boy, she most likely had her hands full!
* * *
The whole firstday she’d been there had been devoted to cleaning out that bedroom. She didn’t know who the girl had been and she wasn’t sure how Mrs. Murphy would feel about her cleaning everything out, but the old woman just said, “Nobody’s gonna want any of that stuff. Toss it.” So she had.
She’d spent the rest of that day and all of the next day trying to clean and straighten up the kitchen. That had been a monumental task. She even found some broken dishes in one of the cabinets, so she tossed those. Whatever she found two of, she put the newest one back and put the older one into a box to donate to the shelter. After all, who needed three flour sifters?
The following day she’d washed linens all day long. That wasn’t just sheets, blankets, and the like. She’d washed the drapes and comforters too. One check of the water in the washer as they were swishing around gave her a look at disgusting, gray slurry, proving that they hadn’t been washed in decades. As they were all washing, she’d done all the floors, then run the washer load a second time before putting it all in the dryer.
Friday had been spent cleaning the bathrooms. Good lord, that had been a disaster. Her stomach pitched a few times as she worked, but she managed to hold it together. Throwing up would only create a bigger mess, and she had enough of one already. But by Friday evening, everything was starting to take shape. Piles of junk here and there were gone, the hallway was cleared of all kinds of stuff that had been stacked along the walls, and she’d put together a list of things and ordered them to be delivered from one of the discount stores there in town. The old woman had said Flora could use her car, and there was a car in the garage, but it looked like it hadn’t been started in several years, so she wasn’t sure it would run. Her driver’s license hadn’t expired yet, so she didn’t have to worry about them tracking her that way for a while.
When she was finished making breakfast for them and cleaning up afterward, she grabbed the few tools she could find and headed out to the yard. Everything needed doing―absolutely everything. After standing for a minute or two and staring at the house itself―way beyond her skill set―she dug in, literally, to get the yard straightened up. It was a mess. The flower beds hadn’t been so much as looked at in years, and there were dead leaves and weeds everywhere.
And then a man named Barrett Quarles had strolled up the driveway and taken her breath away. Flora didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so gorgeous before. He wasn’t especially tall, but he was really built, and the way he ambled up to her told her he was a true-blue country boy, the real deal. It had occurred to her to ask him what he did for a living, but that could be a topic for another conversation. Having to go inside was torture, and from time to time she’d peek out a window to watch him riding the big mower around. When she couldn’t hear it anymore, she headed back out to work.
A sound caught her attention and she looked up to see him come around the corner of the house with a gas-powered string trimmer, working along the foundation of the house and down both sides of the walk. “Want me to trim around that?” he asked when he got to the flower bed she was working in.
“Sure.” Flora scrambled up onto the porch and waited as he trimmed all the weeds around the perimeter of the bed. The whole time he worked, she kept hoping he’d lift his head and look at her, but he never did. Why in hell would he be interested in me anyway? she asked herself. She was nothing. Nobody. She had nothing to offer anyone.
“There ya go,” he said as he cut off the trimmer’s motor and headed back to the barn. Apparently he wasn’t planning to even talk to her. He’d probably cut across the back yard and disappear, and she wouldn’t blame him. No man in his right mind would be bothered with her.
She knelt on the folded towel she was using to save her knees and started digging again with the wonky little hand trowel she’d found in the barn. She’d gotten most of the leaves out of the main bed when she heard a voice say, “You’re really moving ahead with that.”
Flora sat back on her ankles. “Yeah. It really needs doing.”
He stared up at the house. “The house needs painting. And that shutter fixed. And the gutter fixed too.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know if she’ll let anybody do that or not.”
“She might if somebody offered.”
Flora nodded. “She might. You offering?”
“I might be. Guess we’ll see.” The front door opened and he called out, “Hey there, Mrs. Murphy!”
“You slowing down my help?”
“I’m your help,” he reminded her.
“Yeah, well, I’m not payin’ you.”
Barrett grinned. “You can if you want.”
“Ahhh, go home. And thank you.”
“You’re welcome. See ya next week or so.” As he started away, he turned around. “And it was good to meet you, Flora. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Yep. I guess so. Nice meeting you too.” She watched him go, admiring those nicely-fitted jeans and that relaxed gait. He was poetry in motion―in a countrified way.
“Boy, that’s one messed-up young feller,” Mrs. Murphy muttered.
“Whaddya mean?” Flora asked. When she turned to ask again, Mrs. Murphy was closing the front door behind her.
Maybe she’d find out eventually.
* * *
“KDFWR unit four twelve,this is central dispatch. Do you copy?”
“Copy, central.”
“We’ve got a call for you. Relay it or have them contact you directly? Over.”
“Have them contact me directly. My cell. Over.”
“Roger that, unit four twelve. Out.”
Who would call dispatch to reach him? That didn’t make sense. That was the moment his phone rang, and he didn’t recognize the area code, so he pulled over in an abandoned driveway and parked. “Hello?”
“Hello. I’m looking for Officer Barrett Quarles.”
“You’ve found him. How can I help you?”
“Officer Quarles, my name is Conor Paxton. I’m a game warden with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. I called your state office and they told me you were the contact I needed.”
“If they told you that, they were probably right.”
“You’re down in the western end of Kentucky, right?”
“Yep.”
“Had a couple of guys stopped down here for a moving violation. They were in a box truck. Said they were hauling furniture. Highway patrol made them open the truck and it was full of alligators.”
For a second, Barrett thought someone was trying to pull a joke on him. “Alligators?”
“Yeah. They counted eighteen. Called us because, game wardens. Hell, we didn’t know what to do with them, so we called Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find out how to handle them. Got that all sorted out. But we started interviewing the guys, and we were just sure they’d tell us they got the gators in Florida. Nope. We finally squeezed them enough that they admitted they picked them up from somebody who’s raising them in Kentucky. Western Kentucky.”
Barrett could feel the blood draining from his face. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. That’s what they said. Know anything about that?”
“Uh, no. Nothing. Haven’t heard a word. About to cooperate on a drug bust where they’re also trying to breed coyotes to dogs, but alligators? No, man, nothing. Not a peep.”
“If somebody’s doing that there, do you know where they might be?”
“Oh, hell, there are hundreds of places they could be. I mean, ponds and lakes all over the place. Swamps too. We’ve got four rivers right here in our area, so there’s plenty of bodies of water, especially when the water’s been up and goes back down. It creates a lot of brackish, swampy areas that would be perfect for raising gators.”
“Don’t you have a couple of big lakes down there? I’ve been down there. Graves County. That in your jurisdiction?”
“Yep.”
“Yeah. Was there when they found the body of a missing woman.”
“Oh my god! Yeah! Renita Anderson! I remember that.”
“I was the one who found the body.”
Barrett couldn’t forget the case. It was one of the saddest things he’d ever known of. “I can’t imagine.”
“I couldn’t either. Sometimes I still have nightmares about it.”
“I bet. So yeah. I’m in this whole end of the state. Work out of Kentucky State Police Post 1, but I spend a lot of time in the south and west ends of McCracken County.”
“Paducah.”
“Right. But about those lakes … If you think that’s where they’re coming from, that’s federal. Forestry Division, Department of the Interior. The land between them is a national recreation area. I really doubt somebody raising alligators would do that on federal land. That would be some long, hard time in a federal pen if they got caught.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. So … swamp?”
“Most likely. Probably in some river bottom land,” Barrett said, using the common term for the areas that flooded when the rivers were up. “I’ll keep an eye out and see if I can find out anything. Did they give you any information?”
“No. Matter of fact, they seem scared to death for whoever it is to find out they screwed up and lost that shipment. When that money doesn’t show up, somebody’s gonna be pissed.”
“Oh, hell yeah. Well, if you find out anything else, give me a call, and if I hear anything, I’ll call you.”
“Thanks, Officer Quarles.”
“That’s Barrett.”
There was a laugh from the other end of the phone. “Okay, Barrett. Talk to you soon, I hope.”
“Sure thing, Conor. Later.” The call ended and Barrett sat there, stunned. Somewhere in his jurisdiction there was someone raising alligators. Alligators.
Nothing surprised him anymore. Absolutely nothing.
* * *
“Well? How is it?”
“It’s right good. Tasty. You done a good job,” Mrs. Murphy told Flora as they sat and ate at the dining room table. That was a new thing. Until three days earlier, the dining room had been a repository of junk and stuff. While Mrs. Murphy slept in the chair in the living room, Flora started throwing things out, and soon she had the dining room and laundry room totally cleaned out.
Within an hour after dinner, she was asleep again, so Flora slipped out the front door and went to the mailbox. She was standing there, thumbing through it, when a truck passed her, stopped, and backed up. A brilliant smile greeted her when she looked up, and she smiled back. “Hey.”
“Hey. How’s it going?”
She shrugged. “Good, I suppose.”
“Good. Just checking to see if you needed anything. I’m going to town and I can pick something up if you want.”
“Hmmm … We need some milk and eggs, and I’d sure love to have a box of brownie mix.”
“I can handle that. Be back shortly. Bye, Flora,” Barrett called as he threw the truck into gear. She waved as he disappeared down the road, then turned and made her way slowly back to the house.
An hour later, there was a knock at the door. “Well, god damn it, I just got sat down. Girl, can you―”
“I’ll get it, Mrs. Murphy.” Flora turned the knob and swung the door open to find Barrett standing there. “Oh! That was quick!”
“I didn’t need much. I’ll just―”
“I can come out and get it,” Flora offered.
“Nah, I’ll bring it in. Be right back.” She watched as he opened the truck door, pulled out a couple of bags, and when he reached the door, she opened it and held it for him so he could come in. “Hi, Mrs. Murphy.”
“Hey, Barrett. Whatcha got there?”
“Some stuff Flora said you needed.”
“You ordering groceries through him?” she asked Flora.
“No. I was at the mailbox and he was going by. Asked if we needed anything.”
“Ah. There’s money in that sugar jar in the cabinet over the refrigerator,” Mrs. Murphy announced. She needn’t have. Flora had already found it when she was cleaning, and there was a couple hundred dollars in there.
Barrett had disappeared into the kitchen, so Flora went to see if she could help. He’d already put the milk and eggs in the refrigerator. “You didn’t have to―”
He interrupted her with a finger to his lips, then grinned. From one of the bags, he pulled two boxes of brownie mix and two disposable aluminum pans. The next package out of the bag was chocolate sandwich cookies with vanilla filling, and Flora almost cheered. That was followed by crème horns, something she hadn’t seen in years but loved, and then a bag of fun-sized candy bars. Barrett was grinning the whole time, acting like some kind of game show host who was surprising everybody with prizes. He’d also bought nacho-cheese-flavored and plain tortilla chips and salsa, plus some queso dip. When he was finished, he leaned into her ear and whispered, “Hide this stuff and don’t share it with the old bag.”
It took everything Flora had to keep from laughing aloud, and she nodded and snorted. “Y’all up to something in there?” Mrs. Murphy yelled.
“No, ma’am,” Barrett called back as he and Flora both silently cracked up.
“Okay. No funny business in my kitchen.”
He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “There’s never been any funny business in this kitchen,” Flora whispered to him.
“I know that’s right. Oh, the two boxes of mix and two pans? Make ‘em both and bring me one, will ya? I can’t boil water.”
Flora nodded and laughed. “Sure thing.”
“Guess I’d better go before we get accused of funny business again,” he whispered to Flora. “Need anything else?”
“No … Wait.” Motioning for him to follow her, she headed to the laundry room. As soon as he reached her, she whispered, “Do you think you could check out that car in the garage? See if you can get it running?”
Barrett nodded. “Yeah. I’ll try. Probably too far gone, but you never know. It’ll for sure need a battery.”
“Get one and I’ll pay you for it,” Flora offered.
“Make her pay for it.”
She chuckled. “Oh, she’s going to. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Good. I’ll check on it to see what size battery and to see if there’s any gas in it.”
“Okay. Thanks. We’d better get back out there.” She hustled out of the laundry room and she could hear him right behind her. “Well, thanks, Barrett,” she said sort of loudly.
“Oh, you’re very welcome. If you need anything else, just let me know.”
“I will, thanks.”
“Sure thing. See ya later. Bye, Mrs. Murphy,” he said as he passed the old woman.
“Bye, boy. Tell yore mama I said hello.”
“Will do.”
Flora watched the truck door close before she turned the lock on the doorknob, pushed the door until she heard it click, and stepped to the window. From there, she could see him roll out the driveway and turn left to go back home. Maybe someday he’d invite her down.
And she’d still forgotten to ask him what he did for a living!
* * *
“We’re movingon that drug bust tomorrow night. You in?”
Why does it have to be on a Sunday night?Barrett didn’t really want to do it, but he had no choice. Participating in those types of cases was what would eventually get him promoted, or at least he hoped they would. “Yep. I’m in.”
“Okay. Here’s the plan.” Frankie outlined the arrangements they’d made, and Barrett took notes. “And we’ll need you to the east so that once the humans are subdued, you can supervise the capture and removal of the coyotes.”
“Yeah, okay. What about the dogs?”
“They’ll have to be removed too.”
“You call animal control?”
Frankie snorted. “No.”
Well, I guess I’ll have to do that too. Lazy motherfucker, he wanted to mumble, but he didn’t. “So I guess I’ll call them.”
“That would be good. And that’s nine o’clock.”
“Yep. Nine o’clock. See you then.” He couldn’t believe it. There wasn’t a damn day to himself anymore. If he wasn’t doing something for someone else, he was working his ass off for his own department or someone else’s, or …
“Hey! You home?”
“Yeah. Come on in.” Barrett dropped his phone on the sofa cushion and looked up. “What’s up?”
“Aww, just came to hang out.” Jesse walked on past and straight into the kitchen.
“You’ve got nothing better to do than hang out with me on a Saturday night?”
Jesse laughed. “What’s better than hanging out with you?”
“I dunno. Going to a bar with your friends. Meeting some new people. Playing a game of pool or asking somebody to dance.” He was sure as hell trying to persuade Jess, but it never worked.
“I prefer hanging out with you. I have every intention of doing so every time I get a chance.” Jesse popped the top on the beer he’d pulled from the refrigerator. “What’s on TVtonight?”
“I dunno. Hadn’t gotten that far. I’d actually decided I’d probably spend the evening reading,” Barrett announced.
Jesse laughed again and shook his head. “Reading? That’s pretty damn boring!”
“And sitting around with me isn’t?”
“Gah. Don’t be difficult! So what did you do today?”
“Mowed Mrs. Murphy’s grass.”
“That’s how you spent your Saturday morning?”
Barrett glared at him. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, I guess, if you’ve got nothing better to do.”
I used to have better to do. You made sure that ended.“I’m being helpful to an older person in my neighborhood. I actually can’t think of a better way to spend my time.”
“You think about everybody but yourself,” Jesse pointed out.
Well, that’s a pretty fucking ironic thing to say, coming from you, Barrett wanted to bellow, but he didn’t. He just clenched his teeth to keep from saying a word, but god, there were so many words he wanted to say, hateful words, spiteful words, words he’d regret later but that would certainly feel good coming out of his mouth for the few seconds it took to utter them. And yet he restrained himself. Why, he wasn’t sure, but he did.
Jesse interrupted his thoughts. “What are we eating?”
Barrett just rolled his eyes. “I don’t care. Order a pizza if you want. That’ll be fine with me.”
“Okay.” In two minutes, Jesse had ordered their favorite pizzas and then settled down to watch some movie he’d found on a streaming channel.
He hung out there in Barrett’s living room, on Barrett’s sofa, until almost midnight. “Look, I’ve got a horrible day coming tomorrow and I’m exhausted. I need to go to bed.”
“What’s tomorrow?” Jesse quizzed.
“Can’t talk about it. Ongoing investigation. But I really do need to hit the sack.”
Jesse shot him a lopsided grin. “Could I scoot into that big bed and―”
“No. Are you kidding? Absolutely not. Go home.”
“But Barrett, just because―”
“No. Go. I’m not kidding. Go home and let me get some sleep.”
“Wow. Spoil sport.” Jesse stood, pushed down the legs of his jeans, and tossed the beer can into the trash. “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“I won’t be here. I’ve got―”
“Yeah, yeah. Ongoing investigation.” When he reached the door, he turned and smiled at Barrett. “You’re still the one person I’d rather spend time with than anybody else in the whole world.”
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? “Thanks.” That was all he came up with.
“You’re welcome. See ya in a few days, I guess.” The door closed and the sound of Jesse’s truck leaving the driveway told him his visitor was gone.
Barrett turned off all the lights in the front of the house, then brushed his teeth, and climbed into bed. It was hard to keep being kind to Jesse after everything that had happened. Yeah, Barrett felt sorry for him in a way, but sometimes it was hard to find pity while still grieving the loss. Even so, wanting to be best buddies just wasn’t going to work.
But until Barrett could force himself to put a stop to it, he knew it would just go on and on.
* * *
He hopedit wasn’t too early, but he was going to have a long day, and he just wanted to get on with it. He knocked and the door popped open. “Hi!”
“Hey. I need the keys.” Her brow wrinkled downward, and he thought it was kinda cute. “For the car? So I can check it?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I have no idea where they are. Hang on.” She disappeared and was back in a few seconds. “They were on the key rack back here,” she said as she handed them to him.
“Thanks.”
“No. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Barrett just smiled and headed out to the garage. As soon as he hit the light switch, he had to stifle a groan. Sitting there before him was a 1973 Buick Regal, and it was a huge ocean liner of a thing in a dusty bone color with a black vinyl roof. It had probably been quite the looker in its day, but its day had definitely passed. He opened the door and watched the dust shift in the glare of the fluorescent lights overhead. The seats were dusty too, so he’d have to remember that before he went home and sat on the furniture. Sure enough, there wasn’t a sound when he turned the key, so he pulled the hood release, headed to the front end, and lifted the hood.
Along with a dead battery he found a mouse nest and a dry-rotted fan belt. Lovely, he griped to himself. Getting it running wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped. There was a good chance it needed antifreeze, so he mentally wrote that on his shopping list. A release of the gas cap and a simple sniff told him there wasn’t much gas in it, so he decided he’d just get a five-gallon can to pour into it, along with some fuel system water remover, in case what was still in there had absorbed any moisture during the humid summers it had endured as it sat in the musty garage. After taking the battery off to carry with him, he set it in the bed of his truck and stepped up to the door again.
It appeared she’d been watching for him, because he didn’t even have to knock. “I take it the thing won’t start?”
“I would’ve been surprised if it had. I’m taking the battery. I’m going to get some stuff and I’ll be back to work on it.”
“Who’s out there?” a voice yelled from inside the house.
If she was irritated with the old woman, Flora didn’t show it. “It’s Barrett, Mrs. Murphy. He’s going to get the car running.”
“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that car!” she yelled back.
Barrett leaned in a little before he whispered, “Don’t you get sick of her carrying on?”
Flora shrugged. “Not really. She’s old. She won’t be around a whole lot longer. I just let her be her quirky self. Sometimes it’s kinda entertaining.”
“You’re a better person than I am. I would’ve already told her to shut up about a million times.”
“Yeah, but kind people are few and far between, and she’s been kind to me. So if I have to listen to her bitch a bit, so what? I’m grateful to her. She hasn’t tried to hit me, kick me, beat me, starve me. It could be worse.”
Holy shit, there’s a story there, Barrett told himself. Maybe someday he’d find out what it was. “I’m gonna go. If I’m lucky, it’ll start on the first try, but I’m not expecting any miracles.” He turned to go, then spun back around. “Do you need to go into town? Want to go? You’re welcome to come with me.” Couldn’t hurt my rep to be seen with a woman that pretty, he told himself, then wanted to slap his own face. I’m a pig, he admitted internally.
“Uhhh.” Barrett watched her face. There was something going on there, and he wasn’t sure what, but she seemed horribly conflicted for a simple trip into town. He was about to tell her that he didn’t have all day when she yelled out, “Mrs. Murphy, do you mind if I go to town with Barrett? Get a few things?”
“Nah. Get me some dip while you’re there, alrighty?”
Barrett choked from holding back his laughter as Flora rolled her eyes. “Yes, ma’am!”
As soon as the words were out, she mouthed, Nope.Not happening. Barrett needed to get out of there before he lost control, but he needn’t have worried. Flora had already grabbed her bag and was practically running out the door.
Horror flooded his mind as he thought of the truck’s cab, and he set out to beat her to it. “Hang on. Let me clean out the seat.”
Flora grinned. “Don’t typically have passengers?”
“Nope. And it’s a mess.” As soon as the door opened, he was instantly embarrassed. Along with food wrappers and empty drink cans, there were dirty jeans, dirty socks, a pair of mud-crusted boots, and two porn magazines he’d picked up from a convenience store in Wickliffe. He hoped Flora hadn’t seen those.
“Boy, you’re right. Good thing you don’t know any of those girls in those magazines. None of them would want to ride in here,” she said and snickered. One hope had already died. She’d obviously gotten an eyeful.
“Sorry. My house is tidy though. Really. You’ll have to come down sometime and I’ll show you.” Shit, that sure didn’t come out right, he thought as he tossed things into the back seat.
When he finally stepped back to let Flora get into the truck, she was grinning. “I could’ve ridden in the bed.”
“Oh, lord, just get in,” he groaned and listened to her laugh. By the time he was behind the wheel, she’d quieted a bit. “Where do you need to go first?”
“My stop should probably be last. I need to get some milk and ice cream, and that’ll melt if I go earlier.”
“Got it. It’s a plan. Okay, I’m just going to the auto parts store by the mall to get the stuff I need. I’ll go over to the convenience store to get the gas.”
“I can wait in the truck,” she offered. For some unknown reason, it felt as though she didn’t want to be seen, and he decided some small talk was in order. “Which school did you go to?”
“What?”
“Which high school did you go to? I went to Heath.”
“Heath?”
“Yeah. Wait. Are you not from here?”
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
She hesitated, and he wondered why until she said, “Pikeville.”
“So you’ve got family here?”
“No.”
That struck him as odd. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She shrugged. “Why not here?”
“But why here?”
“How much farther could I get from Pikeville and still be in the same state?”
“I dunno. Why not just leave Kentucky?”
She shook her head. “Can’t do that.”
Okay. This is weird, Barrett told himself. There was obviously something he was missing, and he couldn’t figure out what. “Is there a reason you left Pikeville?”
“Yes. There is.” And she said nothing else.
Whatever that reason was, she didn’t want to talk about it. Barrett couldn’t imagine what it could be unless it was a man. That was understandable. He’d sure as hell thought about leaving Paducah a few million times since … Revisiting that was something he didn’t want to get mired down in at that very moment. “Have you seen all of town?”
“No.”
“I should take you around to see stuff. You know, the things that make it home.”
“That would be nice. I’d like to do that sometime.”
“What do you know about it already?”
“Well, I know there are rivers and lakes here. And a lot of churches―I mean, a lot. And the bus station is a joke.”
So she came into town on the bus, he told himself. “Yeah. Used to be a gas station.”
“I figured that out. And apparently everybody really likes quilts.”
“That too. The National Quilt Museum is here.”
“Oh. That explains it. And so far, almost everybody I’ve met has been very nice.”
“They usually are. You said almost everybody.”
“Yeah. The guy at the Irvin Cobb Apartments was kinda rude, but I had been there all night, sleeping in a chair in the lobby, and I guess he thought I was a vagrant or something.” She chuckled. “Technically, I suppose I was.”
“Where did you stay until you found the job with Mrs. Murphy?”
“At the women’s shelter.”
Wow. He hadn’t seen that one coming. There was more of a story there than he’d ever imagined. “Do you think this is going to be a better place for you?”
“I think so. I hope I can keep it that way.”
What the hell does that mean? he wondered. “I hope you can too.”
She startled him when she asked, “Is there a public library?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.”
“Could you show me how to get there sometime?”
“Wouldn’t mind at all. You a big reader?”
“Yeah. And I could use the computer there.”
“Oh! If you need to use a computer, you’re welcome to come down and use mine.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all!”
“What about tonight?”
“I’ll be gone tonight. Work. But some evening this week, sure.” He pulled up and parked at the door of the auto parts store. “I’ll just be a minute.”
“Hey, would you mind if I walked over there?” she asked and pointed at the big discount store across the parking lot.
“Of course not. Go right ahead. Got a phone number?”
“What?”
He grinned. “Got a phone number? I can call you when I’m finished to let you know I’m coming. If you’re not done, I can find a parking spot and tell you where I’m parked.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Perfectly okay.”
“Yeah. All right.” He pulled his phone out and she gave him her number. As soon as he had it entered, he called her phone and she smiled. “Got it.”
“Okay. You head on over there and I’ll be finished in just a few minutes.” He watched her slip out of the truck’s cab and walk toward the store, watching the traffic and jogging across the main drives.
There were a lot of people in the store, more than he’d ever expected, and it took him longer than usual. By the time he’d gotten the battery, the belt, the water absorber, and a gas can, forty minutes had gone by. He pulled up to the pump at the discount store’s station, filled the gas can, then topped off his own tank. When he was back in the cab, he hit her contact number. “Hey.”
“Hey. I’m finished and headed that way. You got everything you need?”
“Yep. Just pull up at the doors outside where the clothes and pharmacy are and I’ll be right out.”
“Be there in a second.” His truck had no more than rolled up into the crosswalk when she came out pushing her cart, so he loaded everything into the back seat while she took the cart back and they were on the road in seconds.
“Get everything you needed?”
Barrett nodded. “I think so. We’re about to find out.”
An hour and a half later, he turned the key in the ignition and the old car roared to life. Black smoke rolled out of the tailpipe, but the engine was purring. He threw open the garage door and in minutes, the smoke was gone and there was nothing except clear exhaust. “Wow! It’s running good!” he heard a voice say and turned to find Flora there.
“Yeah. It is. But we’ve got another problem.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t think to check the tires. They’re probably dry-rotted.”
“Oh. Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out. Back it out and let’s see what happens.”
Barrett took his seat behind the steering wheel and grinned. “Well, here goes nothing.”
The car creaked and groaned, but it rolled out of the garage and sat in the first sunlight it had seen in probably fifteen or more years. He got out and looked it over to find that, although it was dusty and dirty, the paint was in good shape. The tires were still inflated, but the air pressure was low. Barrett watched as she bent to look at a tire. “Well, whaddya think?”
“I think we need to take it to a gas station and air up the tires, see if they hold. If they do, they still need to be replaced. So let’s drive it to the discount store and park it outside their tire center. We can go in and make an appointment for them to put the tires on, and I’ll bring you back here. Then I can take you back when they get it done. Probably won’t be until the first of the week, but it’ll be there so they can do it as soon as possible. Sound good?”
“Sounds great. Let me get my bag and tell Mrs. Murphy where I’m going.” She was only gone a minute and she came back smiling. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“You drive my truck. I’ll drive this thing. If something’s wrong with it, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“But it’s okay if you do?”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Just get in the truck.” Flora laughed, but she climbed up into the truck’s cab and in minutes, they were on their way.
Barrett was shocked. The car rode and drove great. He planned to ask them to go over all the fluids and check them, but except for the fact that he was terrified a tire would blow, it was a pleasant ride.
In no time, the appointment was made, the tire center had her number, and they were headed back. It was quiet in the truck until she asked, “You have to work tonight?”
“Yep.”
“What are you doing?”
God, he hated that he had to be so sketchy. “I can’t really say. Not yet.”
“Oh. Sorry. I’m nosy.”
“No, it’s normal to be curious. After I’m done, I can tell you, but not now.”
“Okay. Got it.” And she fell silent.
He got the distinct impression that she thought he was hedging her in some way. In fact, he was. Telling anyone about the operation going down that evening would be a mistake. They rode in silence until they got to Mrs. Murphy’s house. As soon as he parked, he turned to Flora and smiled. “So when they get the car finished, I’ll take you back. Just let me know.”
“That’s not necessary. I can get someone to―”
“Flora, I don’t mind. Really. Not at all. I’ll be at home until about eight tonight, so if you want to use my computer, just come on down. That’ll be fine.”
“I’m sure the slave mistress in here will have stuff for me to do, but thanks. I appreciate it.” She opened the door and slid down to the ground, then turned to close it. Barrett started to say something to her, but in a flash she was gone.
There was more to Flora Stevens than he knew, and he wondered if he’d ever find out exactly what she was hiding.
Because he was positive that she was hiding something.