Chapter 10 #2
Phoenix laughed. “No wonder you’re a writer.
Yes, it would be. Okay. This is going to work out where we get to clear people right away.
After that may be more complicated. Start compiling who has invited you places.
” A thought dawned on me. “The nurse. The one who was really mean to Phoenix and shitty to me. Where does she come from?”
Jeremy frowned. “I hate her. The other side.”
“Then there is our in. Later.”
Julian pointed at me. “No more plotting while I’m asleep.”
If this was my normal, I was incredibly grateful for it. Well, everything except the panic attack or whatever that was.
“We need to see Dina, too.”
They all nodded. Okay. A shower. That was first.
After eating, we all piled into Barrett’s car. This time I was in the back between the twins. “Where did you get this car?”
“Stephen bought it for him when we first got down here. We actually considered shipping his car from the Hamptons down here. That didn’t seem to make a lot of sense on these roads and with this weather.
” Julian smiled at me. He was bright-eyed despite the fact that he’d had to spend the night uncomfortably because of me. Or rather the morning.
“Is that what happened?” Phoenix laughed. “I didn’t remember.”
I hadn’t been in the town yet. After a long drive down a two-way highway, we arrived. Barrett parked the car, and we got out. Jeremy nodded left. “This way. The store is over there.”
Given that this whole area was basically a hiding place for families who lived the way the Lents did, it was crazy how this small town was so normal looking.
Hair salon. A drug store. A place to get cell phones.
A bakery. A grocery store. A place for kids to take karate and ballet.
Even something that was called The Shack and smelled like barbecue and spices.
“Is that good?” I asked them, and Phoenix nodded.
“It’s great. Let’s go there soon. When we’re not having to investigate our neighbors.”
We walked toward the store with the cell phones, and I tried to take all of this in. “It’s like we’re on a different planet from Manhattan.”
The brick storefronts stood charmingly along the sidewalk.
The bakery had a maroon awning, the scent of freshly baked bread.
Next to it, the pharmacy’s green awning stretched over the entrance, followed by the grocery store just beyond—another green awning marking the way in.
“The Shack” stood beside them, its black awning giving it a slightly understated presence that seemed to illustrate it was a restaurant, not a shop.
Further ahead, I noticed a building with a sign reading “Coalition,” its clean, simple lettering standing out against the brick.
What was in there? Parked cars lined the curb.
A single streetlamp stood near the bakery.
Barrett had parked us in a lot down the way. A small place out of time in some ways.
Phoenix turned around to walk backward, staring at me. “Hey, guess what? I forgot to tell you.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You are making a lot of money. I opened you a bank account. First thing I did when I got out of the clinic. Anyway, you’re earning. Sending you the link and your login. You can get the app on your phone. So… you don’t have to wait for your inheritance.”
My mouth fell open. “Phoenix, you did. How did you?”
“Anything is possible. I promise you that.” His smile was huge.
That reminded me. “Which one of you did The Poor Relation?” I hadn’t thought about it at all. Not in the days I’d been back. I wasn’t even sure how I would get it started again. I needed to feel Gretchen and right then whatever let me do that was just a blank. Nothing.
“Phoenix and I did it together.” Julian smiled. “What did you think?”
“I only saw the one episode, and I was sort of shocked to see it. I don’t remember thinking anything except being stunned. I had… well, you know I had sort of given up on us and then I couldn’t really understand why you’d do it. But I commented because it just felt like I absolutely had to.”
Barrett nudged me with his shoulder. “You won’t have reason to give up again.
We’ll always be where you can reach us. On that note, when my father says that we have to go back to New York and we tell him no that doesn’t work for you right now, don’t say you don’t have to be part of the decision making.
You have to be part of the decision making. Okay?”
I sighed. I’d totally forgotten I’d done that. “I think I must be broken.”
“We all are.” He smiled at me. “But we’re putting ourselves together, all of us together. We’ll crack here and there but not shatter. Okay?”
I loved that. “Okay.”
We reached the outside of the store and Phoenix took my hand, pulling me to the side. “Give us one second and we’ll be right in.”
“Sure. ” Jer smiled. “Just don’t abscond with her. Okay?”
“Oooh. ” Phoenix laughed. “SAT word.”
His blond-haired brother gave him the finger, and they all walked into the store.
I turned to Phoenix. “What’s up?”
He cupped my cheeks. “I just wanted to tell you what yesterday meant to me. I… I know the whole day took a turn because of the horror of what is happening with Granny, but I want you to know that I never expected that and I love you. I just love you.’
I kissed him. He caught his breath like he was surprised before he kissed me back. I really had to do more to initiate physical contact since clearly my doing so was startling.
Finally, I pulled back. “It meant a ton to me, too. So much. I love you.”
He nodded. “Just had to say that. Come on, Jeremy probably has your phone set up already.”
In the two minutes we had been outside? I did love how quickly the Lents were able to accomplish things.
“You know I wouldn’t do this for other people but your people are from here.” An older woman spoke to Jerem y with her eyebrows raised. “And we would like you back. So, if I do this will you move back?”
Jeremy smiled at her. It was his most charming smile. I’d seen it whenever he meant to get what he wanted from strangers. It wasn’t his real smile, and I was glad he had never used it on me. When we’d been strangers he had mostly scowled.
“I can’t promise that. You know it’s not just about me. The whole family has to decide. And besides, I don’t know if my girl likes it here enough to stay.”
This landed her attention on me. I swallowed. Yep, Jer had just done that on purpose. I stepped toward him. “Hello. Everything okay with the phone?”
“Sure. Ms. Mabel isn’t sure she wants to give me the extra line on the account.” He smiled again. “But she does. I know she does.”
She waved her finger at Jeremy. “Oh you. Yes, I will. I was trying to convince him to move back here with you. You’re Alatheia.
Everyone is all abuzz with you. Thinking after all those generations the Lents might come home.
We have long memories here. It’s easier to be us here than anywhere else you could go. You don’t have to hide here.”
“I know that’s true.” This was an opportunity. The woman started to type, and I decided to pretend I could do what Dina did with people sometimes. I could get her to tell me something I wanted to know. “I’m just not sure I would fit in. Are people friendly here?”
Jer shot me a look. He really had no idea what I was doing. That was fine. If he didn’t want to play along, no problem, he just couldn’t get in my way of doing it.
Mabel lifted her head. “Oh absolutely. So friendly here. Lots of girls your age.”
My knit cap itched, but I wasn’t going to take it off right then. Maybe I was overwearing it. “Have you known all the families here long?”
“Oh yes. I’ve known the Lents and their friends for a long time.”
I turned to Jeremy and then back to her. “How many groups of friends are there?”
“Oh well, there are the Lents. The Trevors, of course. Their neighbors, the Walters. The Reeds. The Cardeauxs.” She shook her head. “I don’t need to tell you about all of that. They come up for visits every year.”
Sure. The visits that were supposed to set the boys up. Ding. Ding. Ding. Like a bell going off in my head.
She handed me my phone in a box and rattled off instructions. Barrett came over and squeezed my hand. He’d followed that. He knew just what I was thinking. Who had been there who hadn’t lost children? Had any of the families not gone?
I smiled at her. “Thanks.”
We exited and Jeremy shook his head. “What was that about?”
“She just made a connection we should have made. About who was there that night when Phoenix was taken. The families that were there. Only two of them lost children. Would have been three if Phoenix hadn’t survived.”
“Look, I think it’s possible someone could set their own kid up to die. I’d never have thought that until recently, but it’s possible.”
Barrett nodded. “Let’s assume it’s not them. I mean, maybe last resort? The Trevors were destroyed, from what I remember. So were the Reeds. But the Reeds didn’t make it. They broke up. They’re not here anymore. That’s very, very unusual, Alatheia. Divorce is almost non-existent in this community.”
I was going to take the Reeds off the list then. They didn’t plot a kidnapping and then break up. “Did they ever ask for ransom?”
Phoenix sighed. “No. So they took us to torture us and torture our families. And kill us. Punishment. Hatred. I don’t know.” He rocked on his feet. This was making him uncomfortable. “We wouldn’t have to play detective if I could just remember.”
“Banging your head against that is pointless.” Barrett touched his arm. “Trauma does what trauma does. You’ve already made huge strides this year.”
“Thanks for that.” He rubbed his eyes. “Thing is… the last two nights I’m wondering if I do actually remember something. It’s just a sense, more like a scent.”
Why hadn’t he said anything? “Phoenix?”
“Bourbon. It’s the scent of bourbon. Drenched in it. I never could… stand alcohol. With everything I do to myself? I don’t drink. I think… I think that whoever had us, they were drenched in it.”
We stared at him like he’d dropped a bomb. That was huge. I remembered when we first all got together the guys had said that Phoenix didn’t drink. I’d never thought to ask why. He did all kinds of drugs. Why not alcohol?
Well… maybe there was a reason that hadn’t been on his list of poisons.
Jer’s phone rang and he physically jolted. He blinked. “An actual call? What kind of spam this time?” He grabbed it. “Huh. Might be a real number. Not an area code I know, but it doesn’t say potential spam.” He frowned.
“Pick up the call or don’t.” Julian rolled his eyes. “Don’t make a thing.”
Jeremy answered it and then widened his eyes. “Can I tell her who’s calling?” He was quiet for a moment before he motioned for me to take the phone. “It’s Sally.”
Sally? I grabbed the phone.