Sue, page 23
“So Zeke didn’t die in the fire?” Melvin slowly replaced his glasses. They’re sure?”
“One hundred percent.”
“This just sucks!”
“I agree.”
Melvin’s voice faltered. “When are we going to tell Sue?”
Will ran his hand through his hair. “The sooner we let her know, the better. I hate this. It seemed like she was just getting her life together, finding a way back from the hell that lunatic put her through.” He gave Melvin a sympathetic look. “And I know the two of you have become really close.”
“Yeah, really close since we learned he was dead. Really in the past and no longer a threat.” Melvin looked down, brows knit in a frown. “Let me be the one to call her.”
“Wait. I don’t think we should tell her over the phone,” Will said. “Have her come in and we’ll tell her together. Like the last time.”
Melvin put his phone away without dialing. “I’m going to go pick her up. Looks like things are going to have to go back to the way they were for now. She’s going to have to be vigilant again. Always being careful, looking over her shoulder.”
“Unfortunately, I think you’re right.” Will rose and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his khakis. Worry creased his face. “Zeke might be halfway across the country by now.”
“Or he could be right down the street. Just waiting for his chance.” Melvin stood. “I’ll go to her office now, see if she can take a short break. I’d rather she didn’t get in her car and drive by herself.”
“You can’t be there every second, Melvin.”
“I know. But I can be there this time.”
Sue took the news better than they’d expected. In fact, she actually took the news too well. “I knew something was going on when Melvin showed up at work. It’s really sweet of you both to look out for me. But I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.”
Both Melvin and Will stared at her in shock.
“It’s bad news, Sue,” Melvin said. “It means being on guard all the time again. I’m glad you aren’t scared; I don’t want you terrified or anything. But I thought you’d at least take it seriously.”
She gave them a slight shrug and a smile. “I would. If I believed for one second Zeke was still alive. You know, I haven’t had any suspicious letters or phone calls since that fire.” She turned an earnest gaze on Will. “If he were still around, he’d have sent me some kind of reminder by now. I’d get a letter, or there’d be some weirdo showing up at my place. Something.”
“Maybe he’s just lying low,” Melvin suggested.
“Maybe that’s because he’s dead! Can’t lie any lower than that.” Sue raised an eyebrow.
Melvin’s mouth tightened. “Dammit, Sue! How can you be so nonchalant? You know what I think? You’ve got your head in the sand. You’re in denial because you just don’t want to believe it.”
Sue’s eyes flashed. “Denial? What are you, my therapist now?”
Melvin flushed. “Hey, it’s just common sense. Things have been going really great for you, and for us. I don’t blame you for not wanting to rock the boat. But just because you want something to be true is no reason to ignore reality when it slaps you in the face. You need to wake up and listen!”
“Don’t lecture me, Melvin. Don’t ever lecture me.” Sue stood and flung her purse over her shoulder.
“I’m not lecturing you, Sue.” Melvin rose. “I’m just saying it’s not over and we still need to be careful.”
He tried to take her arm, but she jerked it away. Her eyes were moist.
Will tapped the desk with his knuckles, gaining their attention. When he spoke, his voice was calm. “Let’s talk about this a bit. I’m just tossing around scenarios in my mind. Zeke had been in the van they found at the scene of the fire, somewhere along the line anyway. His fingerprints were all over the vehicle. So we know that much for certain. Suppose this Barrett guy met up with Zeke, killed him, and rode off with his girlfriend before dying in the fire. It could happen. Maybe Zeke is dead. It’s one possibility.” He gave Sue a patient look. “But you know him, Sue. What are the chances that somebody got the better of him? Some regular Schmo like Dixon Barrett?”
Sue’s shoulders drooped. “Not very good,” she admitted.
“Or what about this. Zeke, Barrett and the girl go to the school to party. Zeke heads outside to take a leak. The fire starts and he bails on them. Runs out in front of a train and gets smashed, his body dragged for ten miles and then dropped in a gulley, never to be found. That could happen.”
Melvin cocked his head and gave Will and incredulous look. He turned to find the same look on Sue’s face.
Will continued, “But it didn’t. Whether we like it or not, what probably happened is that the three of them were partying at the old school, maybe got drunk, and fell asleep. The fire started and Zeke got out. Didn’t bother to rescue his friends. That’s more believable, wouldn’t you say? And let’s not forget, the dental records matched Dixon Barrett. That’s a fact. Undisputable.”
Sue dropped into the chair and set her purse at her feet. She took a shaky breath. “I’m convinced Zeke died there; they just haven’t found his body yet. It’s probably still buried in the rubble. It’s just like you said, Melvin. Life is going well for me now. If I have to believe Zeke is still alive, it’s like taking three steps, no, a dozen steps, backward. I hate the very idea of it!”
“I hate it, too,” Melvin said softly and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “But just to be on the safe side, don’t you think we’d better keep our guard up?”
Sue looked up at Melvin, her expression unreadable. “Okay, fine. We’ll watch out for him.”
If he believed she was merely humoring him, he kept the thought to himself. They were quiet as he drove her back to work.
That evening, Sue stopped by her parents’ house. She nearly cried at the looks on their faces when she told them about Zeke. Her dad immediately wanted to hire Melvin to escort her again.
“It’s not necessary, Dad,” Sue said gently. “We’re together most of the time already. In fact, I need to hurry because he’s meeting me at my apartment in a little while. Besides, I still believe Zeke’s dead and they just haven’t found his body yet.”
“Don’t you think they’d have found it by now?” her mom asked.
Sue shook her head stubbornly. “I think it’s buried under tons of rubble. Or maybe it burned completely and there’s nothing left.”
She went home soon after, bearing the weight of her parents’ worry and disappointment.
Chapter 43
Sue wandered through the mall, but it seemed wrong somehow, different. It was after hours and everyone was gone. In the low light, the stores were inky pools of darkness, the security gates drawn down and locked. Her footsteps echoed through the empty concourse, and she stepped carefully, looking over her shoulder. The soles of her feet ached and tingled, and she could barely lift her legs. In the dim light, mannequins in the clothing stores were faceless, sinister forms. Noises sounded behind her. Furtive shuffling. Breathing. She looked around wildly. Her heart drummed in her chest as she caught the quick movement of a shadow, tailing her, the brief glimpse of reflection in storefront windows. She struggled to lift legs that refused to be hurried. The desire to run was strong, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. She felt for her purse; it hung heavy at her side. Slowly, she turned to face her pursuer. Zeke stepped from the darkness into a puddle of weak light, face still in shadow. “Bunny!” His voice was raspy. “You should have been with me when I died, but I’ve come for you now. We can be together for eternity.”
He stepped into the light and Sue gagged. His face was blackened, nothing but eyeballs glaring at her from scorched sockets, eyelids burned away. Teeth bare of lips clattered together as he spoke. “Susie-Q. Come with me!”
He drew closer and the sickening smell of burnt flesh wafted toward her. She fumbled for her gun, but her fingers couldn’t find the opening of her bag. Glancing down, she realized her purse was gone and instead she carried an ice chest. She flung the lid away and reached inside. Her fingers met something soft and alive. She recoiled in horror.
With a tortured groan, she forced herself awake only to find Gray Baby curled up next to her on the blanket, purrs rumbling from her furry form. Sue sat up and wiped cold perspiration from her brow. She reached for the other side of the bed, but it was empty.
“Melvin?” she called softly.
No answer.
She crawled out from under the covers, careful not to disturb her cat. She checked the apartment carefully, making sure the doors were locked. Grabbing a drink of water from the kitchen, she leaned against the counter and sipped, waiting for her heart rate to return to normal. Melvin must have slipped away after she fell asleep. She longed for him now and debated calling him just to hear his voice. Her eyes went to the clock. It was too late; he’d be sleeping. It had been a while since Zeke invaded her dreams. She wasn’t surprised by his return, not after hearing he still lived.
With a sigh, she returned to bed and huddled beneath the blankets until sleep once more claimed her.
For the next seven nights in a row, Zeke appeared in her dreams. They were all different, but there was a common theme. In each one, he was badly burned. And in each one, he wanted her to join him in death.
Sometimes she woke frozen with fear. Other times, she woke crying and Melvin comforted her. Then the nightmares ended as abruptly as they had begun and her life gradually returned to normal.
Chapter 44
Summer had turned to autumn and Melvin had returned to school. With a loaded schedule, he had little free time. Sue lived for those wonderful weekends when he didn’t have to work or study. On this particular Saturday in October, he was buried in the books and would be most of the day.
Sue spent an hour at the gym and then stopped by to see her folks. She sat across the kitchen table from her parents, bursting with news. “The reason I wanted to talk to you is that I’ve come to a decision about my life.”
They waited expectantly, coffee cups held at half-mast in front of them.
“I’m going back to school next semester.” Sue smiled at them.
Relief played across her mother’s face as she set her cup down and her dad finished taking a drink. “That’s wonderful, Susan. Have you picked out a major yet?”
“I have. I want to be a writer.”
Frank cocked his head and looked at his daughter with interest. “A writer!” He turned to his wife. “We’ve never had a writer in the family, have we, Linda?”
“Not that I can remember.” She beamed. “What kind of writing?”
“I don’t know for sure yet. So, I’m going to take several courses along with my required classes.” She took a sip of her soda before continuing. “Creative Writing, Intro to Literature, some others. I might end up writing nonfiction, like true crime. Maybe I’ll be a journalist. Or, I might become a novelist and just make stuff up all day long.”
“What about your job?” Frank asked.
“The school said I could take most of the classes at night and the ones I can’t are offered online.”
“Will that be too much for you?” Her mom played nervously with the collar of her blouse. “It’s probably hard to work while going to college.”
Sue jumped up and gave her mother a quick hug. “It’s going to be fine, Mom. I can handle it. And I won’t enroll for a full schedule, I’ll just do part time, at least to begin with. Later? Well, we’ll see. Really, there’s nothing to worry about.” She wanted to squelch the notion that she wasn’t back to normal. “Besides, I’d like to meet new people, make some friends. Joyce and I don’t really hang out anymore. Actually never, since...”
“School is a good place to meet people,” Sue’s mother interjected quickly, smoothly avoiding the uncomfortable topic.
“There’s more.” Sue shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “Melvin and I are talking about moving in together.”
Her mother looked at her father, trying to keep her disapproval from showing. “We like Melvin,” she finally said in a careful voice. “Frank?”
Her dad cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah. He’s a good guy, that Melvin.” He looked down at his hands. “But...”
“But what?” Sue waited, anxious.
There was a long pause. “But, nothing. It’s your life. You have to make your own decisions.” Her dad’s shoulders slumped a little.
“I know how you feel about this,” Sue said. “But I love Melvin. Who knows? Maybe we’ll be ready for marriage someday, just not yet. This is only a start.”
“Like your father said, it’s your life.” Sue’s mom stood and went to the refrigerator. She began pulling food out to prepare a meal. “We’d prefer you got married, of course. But these are different times we live in now.” Her movements were abrupt, belying her words. She placed a head of lettuce on the counter and then turned to look at her daughter. “You know, you could come back home while you finish school. That way you wouldn’t have to live alone. Or even worry about holding down a job. Lots of kids do that; there’s nothing wrong with it.”
“Everything’s wrong with it, Mom,” Sue said gently. “Thank you for offering; it means a lot to me; but that would take my life in the wrong direction. I need to move forward, be an adult. You can see that, can’t you?”
They gazed at each other for an emotion-charged moment. The hopeful expression on her mom’s face gradually resolved into acceptance. She nodded.
Sue changed the subject. “What’s for lunch? I’m starving.”
“Tuna casserole. And I thought I’d make a salad, too. Grab that big bowl from the cupboard for me, would you, honey?”
The awkward moment passed and Sue pitched in to help her mother. She talked about how big Gray Baby was getting and the mischief she got into. Soon, she had her parents smiling and laughing.
After a quick lunch, Sue drove home, head filled with plans. The day was gloomy, sky overcast, a chill in the air. The weather reminded her that it was almost exactly a year since she’d left town with Zeke on her road trip to hell. As the months had rolled by, it was harder to relate to her mindset of that time. So much had changed.
Sue pulled into her driveway, gathered her things, and walked to her front porch, a bounce in her step in spite of the cutting wind. She unlocked the door and tossed her purse, phone, and keys on the coffee table. Gray Baby stretched lazily, leaped lightly from the sofa, and wandered over. Sue scooped her up, gave her a loving, and then let her outside. She picked up her cell phone, checked the battery, and carried it into the bedroom. Plugging it in to charge, she gathered a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom to shower.
Luxuriating under the warm spray, she considered different careers that involved writing. Columnist, copywriter, editor. She shrugged. There was plenty of time to decide. She soaped up, shaved, and rinsed away the foamy residue. She’d just finished washing and conditioning her hair when a sound caught her attention and she turned off the water to listen. She heard nothing more, but quickly toweled off and put on her robe.
She opened the bathroom door and peered out. Her eyes traveled over the shadows in the short hallway and down to the dimly lit living room. She thought she’d left the lamp on, but couldn’t remember for certain. I’m probably imagining things. She hurried across the hall to the bedroom. A chill traveled down Sue’s spine when Gray Baby sauntered in, jumped onto the bed, and curled up on a pillow. “Oh, no,” Sue whispered.
Gray Baby meowed and gazed with interest toward the hallway that led to the front room.
Sue turned to look and recoiled in shock as Zeke stepped through the doorway.
“Hi, Bunny.” He gave her a slow, easy smile. “It’s been a long time.”
His hair was a lighter blond than she’d pictured in her fantasies and he didn’t have a tan. But he looked good, stunning as ever. Her heart slammed in her chest. “Zeke,” she croaked, frozen in place.
Breaking free of her paralysis, Sue made a dash for the door, hoping to slip past him, but he grabbed her easily, pinned her arms to her sides, and danced her backwards to the bed. She plopped down on the edge of the mattress and clutched her robe in shaking hands. The cat arched her back and darted from the room.
Blood pounded in Sue’s ears and she felt faint. Panic set in and she began to whine a high-pitched shrill that filled the room.
Zeke produced a knife. “Shut the hell up,” he snapped.
Sue put both hands over her mouth and tried to slow her breathing.
Zeke leaned down, speaking quietly. “Calm down, Sue. Quit acting all scared and shit. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“But the knife?” Her voice was breathless and small.
“That was just to get your attention. I’ll put it away if it makes you nervous.” He slid it into a sheath on his belt and patted it with something close to love. “This is Big Earl, Ben’s brother. Isn’t he nice?”
Still fighting panic, Sue cowered as he loomed over her. She fixed her gaze on his booted feet and pushed the question past lips that were stiff with fear. “What do you want?”
“First of all, I’m going to need some money. I’m running low. But mostly, I’m here to reconcile with you. I’m here because I missed you. Didn’t you miss me?”
Sue’s mind scrambled to make sense of the situation. “I’ve thought about you a lot,” she admitted, which was the absolute truth.
