The next best day, p.23
The Next Best Day, page 23
But he was more…so much more than he appeared.
All of a sudden, Justin Tiller turned his back on all of them and started issuing orders.
“Frieda! Get the kids and hurry up. We’re done here and I got places to be,” he said, then stalked out of the room.
Frieda ducked her head, muttered “Nice to meet you,” and grabbed Donny’s hand. “Come on, Son. We gotta go find Connor and Lee. Daddy’s ready to go.”
Their exit broke up the crowd, and parents began going to retrieve their children. Some would be going on to different rooms with older children, while others were going home.
Sam put a hand on Katie’s shoulder. She turned, saw the look of concern in his eyes, and then looked around for Beth and Evie. They were sitting on the oval rug in the reading center with some of their friends, chattering and playing.
“It’s good to see you,” Katie said.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked.
Katie managed a wry smile. “Lord, yes. Hateful people don’t scare me. It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
“Like Justin Tiller?”
She nodded.
Sam lowered his voice.
“Go do your thing, honey, and don’t worry about him. People who cause trouble in this town are my problem, not yours. Understand?”
“Yes, and thank you,” Katie said, and then put on her teacher face and her teacher smile and went to mingle.
After the evening was winding down, Katie sent a text to Marcy and Susan, asking them to come to her room when they got a chance.
Marcy was right across the room and showed up first.
“How did your evening go?” she asked. “Did everything go off okay?”
“It was fine,” Katie said.
“So, what’s up?” Marcy asked.
“I kinda want to wait until Susan gets here so I don’t have to tell it twice.”
“Oh…I saw her coming down the hall. She should be here… Oh…there she is now,” Marcy said.
“Is everything okay?” Susan asked.
“I want to show you something,” Katie said, and walked them over to the dry-erase board. “This all began because the kids found out they were going to get to use computers. Then questions arose about there being only four of them. So as I was in the middle of explaining how only four students at a time would be using them, and that there were eighteen children in our class so we’d have to take turns, Donny Tiller walked up beside me, patted me on the arm, and quietly blew my mind.”
“What do you mean?” Susan asked.
“He said, ‘Miss Katie, that won’t come out even.’ I asked him what he meant, and he just repeated, ‘That won’t come out even,’ and then it hit me. Long story short, I asked him to show me what he meant, and he did this. He made eighteen marks. Then counted off four, and then four more, and again and again, until there were only two left. Then he said, ‘See. It won’t come out even.’”
Marcy was staring in disbelief, but Susan wasn’t surprised.
“His pre-K teacher mentioned early on that Donnie had an unusual grasp of grouping blocks and counting. His kindergarten teacher said he was good at math, but you know how it goes. We don’t test kids for those kinds of concepts that young. But this? Wow! Being able to calculate something like that in his head and then be able to lay it out so simply is amazing. But I sense a hesitation,” Susan said. “What else happened?”
“I don’t think his father was happy with me, or with Donny. He seemed angry, then ordered his wife to get their children and left the building.”
Susan sighed. “Justin Tiller has issues.”
Marcy rolled her eyes. “That’s a nice way of saying he’s feral, mean, shiftless, drinks like a fish, and can’t hold a job.”
Katie frowned. “I’ve had plenty of parents like him over the years. They don’t scare me. But what does scare me is a child being born with such a gift and then never having a chance to let it grow or use it.”
“We’ll see about getting him tested,” Susan said. “He may excel in other aspects as well. And don’t worry about Justin Tiller. He has to come through me to get to any of my teachers. So…good job, everyone. Let’s go home.”
Marcy gave Katie a quick hug. “Before we go, I noticed you got Thor Dooley. He’s a sweetheart, but his parents are a mess. They are also considered part of the high society side of Borden’s Gap.”
Katie grinned. “What does Jeff Dooley do for a living?”
“He plays random backup in bands in Nashville for any country singer in need of someone who can play guitar.”
“Nashville? That’s quite a drive from here. Why don’t they live in Nashville?”
“Because Miranda wouldn’t be noticed in Nashville, but in Borden’s Gap, she’s a big deal. For her, it’s all about ‘Do I want to be a little fish in a big pond, or a big fish in a little pond?’ She chose the puddle in which to reign.”
Katie laughed. “That analogy should be a bumper sticker. ‘I choose the puddle in which to reign.’”
They were still laughing as they locked up their rooms and walked out together into the warm summer night.
Chapter Fifteen
Katie went home satisfied with her first public event. There had been a few moments during the evening when she’d hear a childish squeal or hear a door bang and feel a surge of anxiety. But there were so many people around her to pull her out of it that her anxiety never bloomed into full-blown panic.
She was getting out of the shower when she got a text. She dried and hurried into her pajamas, then went to see who it was from.
It was Sam.
You were a huge hit! People were talking about you and it was all good. I am guessing there were moments when it was stressful for you, but it never showed. Proud of you, honey. Sleep in tomorrow, and if you’re not doing anything, I want to take all my girls out to eat at noon, and that includes you. Around eleven thirty?
Katie quickly responded.
Invitation accepted and thank you.
Then she laid her phone aside and hugged herself. For the first time in months, she was feeling joy again. Sam was going out of his way to let her know she mattered to him, and still giving her space. Just thinking about him made her ache, but it was all too new and too soon. So she crawled into bed, wishing she had another Dinah McCall book to read, then turned on the TV instead.
***
Justin Tiller was on a rampage. He’d done nothing but curse and shout since they’d come back from school and was downing beers as fast as he could swallow them.
The boys were in the kitchen, eating snacks and playing games on their iPads, while Frieda was folding a load of towels on top of the dryer.
Justin slugged down the last swallow of beer and got up to get another, but when he opened the refrigerator and realized he’d just finished the last one, he threw the empty beer can against the wall and shouted.
“Dammit all to hell!”
The boys grabbed their iPads and made a run for their rooms as Frieda appeared in the doorway.
“Justin! What’s wrong with you? The boys were playing,” she said.
“And now they’re not!” he shouted. He fumbled in his pocket for the car keys, and started out the door.
Frieda’s heart skipped a beat. “Where are you going?”
“To get beer. We’re out.”
“There were eight in the fridge when we came home. If you’ve already downed that many, you’re too drunk to drive,” she cried, and tried to take the keys out of his hands.
“Get your hands off me!” he shouted, and then doubled up his fist and hit her on the jaw. She fell backwards and didn’t get up.
Justin toed the bottom of her foot with his shoe.
“Get up, dammit!”
She didn’t move.
Frowning, he staggered to the sink, ran water in one of the pans in the drainer, and then threw it in her face.
She moaned.
Satisfied that she was still alive, he threw the pan in the sink and left the house.
As soon as he was gone, the kids came running into the kitchen, saw their mother on the floor, and began drying her off and helping her up. It was standard operating procedure at their house.
Justin got all the way to a convenience store to get his beer, then had his credit card rejected. He stared at the six-pack on the counter, and then at the clerk, his eyes narrowing.
But the clerk knew Justin all too well.
“Don’t do it,” the clerk warned. “You take it without paying for it, and I’m calling the cops.”
“Fuck you,” Justin muttered. He staggered back to his car, managed to get home, then missed the carport, stopped the car halfway into the front yard, and passed out in the grass.
***
The next morning, Frieda woke up to a swollen jaw and a black eye and was on her way to the kitchen to get some ice when she saw Justin’s truck sideways in the drive.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, then looked out the window and saw him passed out in the yard.
She was way past being embarrassed by anything he did, so she thought about leaving him there. But she needed to move his old truck so she could get her own car out of the driveway and get to work.
She went outside to look for the keys. They weren’t in the truck, so they had to be on him, but she couldn’t roll him over.
“You are such a piece of shit,” she muttered, and then saw the garden hose strung out in the grass, turned on the water and then dragged the hose across the yard and turned the full blast of the water on the side of his face.
He woke up spitting and cursing, then rolled over onto his back and saw Frieda and the hose.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he shouted.
“The same thing you did to me last night,” she screamed. “Give me your keys. I need to move your stupid truck out of the yard so I can get out of the drive and go to work. Someone in this family has to earn a living.”
“Go to hell,” he mumbled.
“I live in hell…with you. Give me your keys, or I swear to God I will ram my car into that piece of shit until it’s out of my way.”
Then she hit him in the face with the water again.
Justin fumbled in his pockets, threw the keys at her, and then rolled over onto his belly in the standing water, and groaned.
As she started up his truck, it did pass through his mind that she just might run over him for the hell of it, and then he lay there anyway. But she only moved the truck into its parking place, left the keys in the ignition, and then went back in the house.
The boys were all huddled together in Donny’s bedroom, wide-eyed and awaiting instructions.
“Your daddy passed out in the yard last night. Now, he’s lying in water, but you leave him alone. If he even pretends to raise a hand to you, call Grandma. She’ll come get you kids and deal with him. Otherwise, you have your chores. Help each other and you’ll help me, okay?”
They nodded.
Frieda hugged them. “I love you so much, and I’m so sorry we’re in this mess. I’m going to get enough money saved up to get us out of here. I promise.”
“We’re okay, Mama,” Connor said. “He yells at us, but he wouldn’t dare hit us.”
“Why are you so sure?” Frieda asked.
“’Cause Grandma told him if he did, she’d kill him…and he believed her.”
Frieda blinked, tried to grin, and then winced and grabbed her jaw.
“Gotta go now or I’ll be late. Always call if you need to.”
And then she was gone.
***
Katie’s nightmares took her through a wedding that never happened and the school massacre again. She woke up bathed in sweat, her heart pounding, and was in a mood until she remembered she was having lunch with Sam and the girls. She didn’t know where they were going, and she didn’t really care. Just being with them was the gift.
She glanced at the clock, then checked her phone. There was a message from Sam.
It’s Hillbilly Pizza. There is no dress code.
She burst out laughing, and then threw back the covers and headed for the shower.
After she had her hair dry and was dressed for the date, she took her coffee and a muffin to the back porch. The food settled her stomach, and the peace and beauty of this little town nestled among the surrounding hills took away the lingering memories of last night’s pitiful excuse for a good night’s rest.
***
Sam’s morning was anything but peaceful.
The house cleaners had arrived, so to keep the girls out from underfoot, he found a Disney movie for them to watch in their room and then started a load of laundry.
In the middle of switching loads, he got a call from the station. Just seeing that number pop up made him groan. This wasn’t just his day off. It was to be a day with Katie. If this turned into a big mess, he was not going to be inclined toward leniency.
“This is Sam.”
“Chief, this is Carl. Jeff Dooley just reported a robbery. Ben and me were dispatched to the scene, but Jeff is insisting you need to be in attendance.”
Sam frowned. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No, sir.”
“What all did they take?”
“He’s not sure, but he saw someone on their Ring doorbell sneaking away in the night with something in their arms.”
“Did their security alarm go off?”
“No, sir.”
Sam sighed. “So then where did the thief enter the house?”
“Uh…well, the back door was unlocked, but Miranda admitted she forgot to lock it last night, so…”
“So the security alarm didn’t go off. Nothing is missing. And all they have is someone walking away from their house in the night?”
“Yes, sir,” Carl said.
“Can you send me the video from their Ring doorbell?” Sam said.
“Yes, sir, but what do I tell Jeff?”
“Not a damn thing. He’s not in charge of policing this town, I am. And two perfectly capable officers were sent to investigate what appears to be a wild-goose chase. I want to look at the video. And in the meantime, go see if some of their neighbors caught anything on their security.”
“Yes, sir,” Carl said, and disconnected.
“Have mercy,” Sam muttered, and then took off to his office to check his email for the video.
The video arrived in an email. He clicked on the message, opened the attachment, and then sat there watching a shadowy figure walking away from the Dooleys’ front door. It did appear the person was carrying something, but it was hard to say what…and Sam wasn’t even sure if it was a man or a woman.
He played it over and over, trying to spot something in the shadows, or a car waiting for the person down the street. But there were only two streetlights in the cul-de-sac, and vision was poor. He began watching the video from frame to frame, and when he did, he spotted something he hadn’t noticed before because it immediately blended into the shadows in the following frames.
He grabbed his phone and called Carl.
When Carl answered, he sounded breathless.
“Hello?”
“Carl, where are you with the neighbors’ security cameras?” Sam asked.
“We’ve been all over the neighborhood. Either they weren’t aimed in the right direction, or they aren’t working, or they don’t have one.”
“Well, unless Jeff has discovered property that’s missing, I think there is no robbery. In a couple of frames, and assuming it’s a man, I see what looks like a dog’s tail hanging out from under his arms. I’ll bet you both a Coke that somebody let their dog out to pee, it didn’t come back, and the owner went looking for it. He either found it in Jeff’s yard or on the porch, and simply picked it up and took it home. Ask Jeff if he has a neighbor with a wandering dog, then ask around the neighborhood. It has to be someone nearby because there was no strange car parked at the curb. The guy was afoot.”
“Ooh, good call, Chief. I’ll let you know what we find out.”
“No problem,” Sam said, and went to check on the girls.
When he walked into their room, they were on their bed watching the movie, leaning against each other and holding hands. He paused a second, thinking how unique twins were. Linked at all times. Finishing each other’s sentences. And if his two slowed down or were sitting side by side, they were always holding hands. Like they weren’t fully turned on without the link. He couldn’t imagine what growing up and growing apart was going to be like for them, but it was inevitable that change would come.
Then the girls looked up and saw him.
“Daddy! Is it time to go to pizza yet?”
“Not yet,” Sam said. “I was just checking on you.”
“We’re fine,” Evie said. “We’re staying out of the cleaning ladies’ hair.”
“Out of their hair,” Beth echoed.
“Thank you,” Sam said, and gave them a thumbs-up as he walked out.
The cleaning ladies met him in the hall with a handful of candy wrappers.
Sam sighed. “Where did you find them this time?”
“They were poked up in the vacuum cleaner. I assume they thought they’d just get sucked up into the hose and in the bag and no one would be the wiser…but they kind of plugged it up instead. They’re getting better at hiding places, though,” one of the cleaners said, and giggled.
Sam frowned, then backtracked to their room and hit Mute on their movie.
“Daddy! Why did you do that?” Evie cried.
“Yes, why?” Beth said, her eyes welling.
Sam opened his fist and let the candy wrappers fall out on the bed in front of them.
Their eyes widened as evidence of their thievery was revealed. They looked up at Sam, then at each other, and waited.
