Chapter Eleven
Katie
“It’s Grandma. She wants to talk to you,” Petey says as I quickly throw some clothes on.
Petey and I are in our lame years. Once the girls are in bed, we’re usually in ours.
“It’s weird she’s here so late,” he says.
“It’s fucking eight-thirty. That’s not late to most normal people.”
His hand slides between my legs as I’m trying to hop into a pair of sweatpants. “Stop that.” I bat his hand away, and he chuckles.
I leave him in the bedroom and find Grandma in my kitchen, helping herself to a shot of whiskey.
“You’re not driving, are you?” I ask, sitting down across from her.
“Ray is outside waiting for me.” She empties the glass and then sets it calmly in front of her. “I need to get a club members location.”
Maggie and I used to work together for several years. This old woman gave me loads of information back in the day. I can’t deny her now. I know she wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. She and I have always taken things seriously when it comes to our private matters.
“Okay.”
“I need to know where Brody is.”
“Have you asked him?” I’m a little confused because Brody is one of the most honest men I know.
She laughs lightly and runs her finger over the edge of the glass. “I have, and he lied. He and I both received letters from Rachel. While mine was vague, I believe his has something to do with my daughter,” her voice cracks.
I pour her another shot because the woman looks like she needs it.
“Wow. That’s a little …” I let out a long breath not knowing what to say. A little niggle of worry worms its way into my brain. This is not like Miss Maggie at all.
“Crazy?” she asks.
“Um, no, that’s not what I was going to say,” I lie. “But what makes you think this has something to do with Jenny?”
“Raffe found an amethyst today.”
“Maggie.” I reach across the counter and take both of her hands in mine. “Are you sure you’re not just feeling a little sentimental? Maybe Ray’s proposal is just stirring up some old emotions.” I slide the Kleenex box toward her.
“News travels fast around here,” she says sadly before blowing her nose.
“Especially when its good news.”
She offers me a small smile. “Maybe you’re right. I have been feeling a bit guilty in my joy. It’s hard to be happy sometimes.”
“Listen, why don’t you let me check it out? You go home and get some rest. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Alright, honey,” she says. “I suppose I better get out to Ray. I don’t want him waiting on me too long.”
I walk her to the door, waving to Ray as he gets out of his truck to help her up into the passenger side. When they’re on their way down the driveway, I feel my husband step behind me.
“Do we have a mission?” he asks, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I have a mission.”
He huffs. “Come on. It’s been so incredibly boring around here. Let me tag along. We can ask Kelsie to come watch the girls. She and Tank were up at the warehouse earlier. Maybe we can catch her before she leaves. Plus, I can tell you where Brody is. I’ve got connections.”
“You heard?” I ask dryly.
He nods while tapping around on his phone.
“Well, then get with your connections and I’ll find a babysitter.”
While he’s busy finding out Brody’s location, I call Kelsie and ask if she can come over and sit with the girls.
I’ll admit the letters from Rachel are a bit mysterious. I’m not sure where Maggie got the idea that they have something to do with her daughter. I don’t really see a connection there.
Thirty minutes later, we’re on the road. “Isn’t this exciting?” Petey asks as he lights up a cigarette.
“If you think spying on Brody is exciting, then we seriously need to get out more.”
He sighs and cracks his window. “Fuck. You’re right. I mean, I love the girls. I do. But oh my god, if I have to listen to the theme music from the Trolls movie one more time, I might lose my mind.”
It makes me laugh, because I can relate. “I was really hoping the girls would move onto something else by now.”
“Well, quit buying them all the Troll toys and maybe they will.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Oh, you’re a good one to talk.”
“What?”
“I saw you and the girls having a Troll dance party. The bright pink wig was a nice touch. It went good with the beard.”
Petey’s face turns bright red, and I love it.
“Oh, did you think I was sleeping the other morning?”
“It’s not nice to spy on people,” he grumbles. “Especially when they’re letting you sleep in.”
“Says the guy driving me to go spy on someone.”
We both burst out laughing.
“It’s funny. Every time we get away from the kids we spend all of our time talking about them,” he says, reaching over and squeezing my knee.
“I miss them already,” I admit.
“Me too, but let’s just enjoy our time away. So, what are your guesses as to what Brody is up to out here?”
“I don’t know, but I doubt it has anything to do with the letter he got from Rachel. He’s probably working on another one of his pranks.”
“It’s a little strange for him to be away from home this late. I gave Jackson a call, but I didn’t want to worry him, so I didn’t ask about Brody. He’s already stressed out enough about his dad. But he did mention that Brody was helping his in-laws.”
I’ve always had a hard time trusting people, but Brody is someone I’ve always felt comfortable with. “Well, maybe he is. Helping his in-laws doesn’t mean he has to be at their house. Maybe they own a property up here.”
“Could be. So maybe he wasn’t lying and all is legit.”
When we get close to the location Travis gave Petey, we find Brody’s bike.
We both get out. “He’s about a mile up,” Petey says, looking at his phone as I get busy picking the lock on the gate.
“It would be faster to jump it.”
“Well, then jump it,” I tell him.
As soon as he’s cresting the fence, the lock clicks open and I step inside.
He grunts on his landing, straightening to his full height. When he sees I’m standing next to him, he groans.
“I don’t know why you doubt me,” I say, shoving my kit in my back pocket.
It doesn’t take long before a little house comes into view. A lone lamp shines from inside, but it looks like there’s a woman sitting on a porch swing. Petey steps on a branch behind me, and the woman stands.
I see her reach for a shotgun.
I make a motion for Petey to stay where he’s at. He reaches to stop me as I step from the trees.
“Hello!” I yell. “Hello! My car broke down, and I don’t have any cell service.”
The woman lowers the barrel a fraction, but she doesn’t set it down.
Just then the front door swings open, and Brody steps out.
I lose my shit. There’s no other way to put it. “Are you fucking kidding me? Are you cheating on Daisy?” I storm toward Brody, and he takes a step back inside, closing the door behind him.
“You fucking chicken shit. Get your ass out here!” I yell.
The woman sets her hand on my shoulder, and I round on her. “Do you know he’s fucking married?” I ask.
“There’s been a terrible misunderstanding. Brody and I are not having an affair. We just met.”
“You just met, yet here he is, in the middle of the night.” I wave my hand out. “He doesn’t even have a shirt on.”
Petey steps onto the porch with us, and the woman really begins to freak out. Her gaze bouncing over the patches on his cut. “No. No. No. Why are you all here?”
“Let’s just relax,” my husband says, doing his best to calm the situation. “What is going on?”
“Brody is cheating on Daisy,” I say, placing my hands on my hips.
“I am not!” Brody yells from the other side of the door.
“He’s really not,” the woman defends.
She may be pretty, but she’s a lot older than Brody.
“He’s friends with my son,” she tries to explain.
“Who’s your son?” I ask, still not convinced there isn’t something fishy going on here.
“Jackson,” Miss Maggie says loudly from behind us.
“Jackson?”
Wait, how did Maggie get here?
The woman in front of me pales, swaying on her feet. My husband reaches for her just before she faints.
Brody opens the door and pushes past me. “Jenny. Jenny, are you okay?” When he lifts his head to look at me, he spots Miss Maggie. “Ohhhh … shit.”
“Get her inside,” Maggie orders.
Brody doesn’t hesitate to scoop the woman into his arms. I hold the door open for him. Maggie follows on his heel. She pauses in front of me. “A mother’s intuition. Never doubt it,” she says, wagging a finger in my face. Ray heads in behind her.
Petey waves for me to enter in front of him. “What in the fuck?” he whispers as I pass.
I shrug, because dammed if I know what’s going on. This is fucked up.
Poor Maggie.
I watch her go to the sink and wet a washcloth. Her eyes never leave Brody as he lays Jenny on the couch.
Jenny.
We all know who she is. I was a teenager when we brought her home and buried her at the cemetery. But if that wasn’t her, who was it?
Maggie gently pushes Brody away as he continues to fuss over her. “She’ll be just fine, dear. Go sit down.”
He falls into a nearby chair, pushing his hands in his hair.
Ray goes to the kitchen and starts a pot of coffee.
Maggie brushes the cloth over her daughter’s brow as tears stream down her face. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling. “I always knew you were alive,” she whispers.
Jenny’s eyes begin to slowly blink open. “Mama?” she asks, holding her head like it hurts.
“It’s me, baby. It’s me.”
Jenny sits upright, wraps Maggie in her arms, and clings to her like she never wants to let go. “Mama,” she cries.
“Oh, baby. I have missed you,” Maggie whispers into her daughter’s hair.
The rest of us quietly begin to head outside. This seems like a very, very private moment.
“Well, I’ll be dammed,” Ray says, sitting down in one of the chairs on the front porch.
Brody grabs his head in his hands after he lowers himself to the top step.
“What the hell, dude?” I ask, sitting down beside him.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Rachel … I got a letter from her, and it led me here.”
Petey takes the other chair. “This is fucking crazy. How the hell has she been under our nose all these years?”
“Her and Rachel made a pact to keep this secret.” Brody looks up at the stars. “The letter from Rachel said she knew I would do right by Jackson. Thank god I don’t have to make that decision. It’s been taken out of my hands.”
Everyone looks back to see Maggie and her daughter still locked in an embrace.
Ray stands up and lights a cigarette. “Why don’t you kids head home? Maggie and I will handle it from here. It’s late, and you all have little ones.” He leans against the banister, watching the two women. “Let’s just keep this between us, yeah?”
We all nod in agreement.
“I can’t believe you and Maggie followed Petey and me,” I tell him, laughing.
He chuckles. “There’s no force greater than a mother’s love. Maggie has always felt her daughter was alive.”
“I always thought she’d accepted she was gone,” I say as Petey pulls me to my feet.
“We all carry more than anyone knows.”
I watch as Maggie pushes Jenny back, brushing hair out of her face. The two of them stare at each other, and my heart squeezes painfully. My own mother barely gave me a second glance. The only time she looked me in the eye was the day I snuffed the life out of hers.
Petey runs his hand over the back of my neck, tugging me against his chest.
My heart goes out to Maggie, but I’m not sure what to think about this daughter of hers. She let her mother suffer. It raises my ire, but I trust and respect Maggie.
She’ll do what she thinks is best.