CHAPTER 15

Given everything, the afternoon proceeded without a hitch. Alice kept a close eye on her, which Charlotte occasionally found humorous. Other times, really bothersome.

Haetel awoke from her nap, and Elvis songs reverberated through the house. She and Alice went outside to get away from hearing "Love Me Tender" five times. It was a warm summer day. Alice played with the dog while Charlotte sat on the stairs.

The backyard was shaded by huge live oaks. A lattice trellis was densely covered with deep-red roses, and as their buds opened, they faced the sun in a stunning display of colour. Along with other rosebushes, pink crepe myrtles were tucked up against the white frame house. A hammock hung between two trees, and an ancient wooden swing was gently rocked by the wind. It was peaceful. Quiet. Well, nearly. In the distance, she could hear the faint hum of traffic.

She could leave if she had her wallet. She was astonished by the idea. What good would that do? A warrant would be issued for her arrest and she would become a wanted criminal. She trembled. Thank God she was smarter than that.

Alice took a break in the hammock because she was sick of playing with Dolittle. She quickly wriggled her way in, but as the dog leaped on top of her, they both fell out.

Charlotte sprang to her feet right away to see whether Alice was wounded. Alice, though, laughed as she rolled on the ground. Charlotte relaxed, a strange feeling in her chest. Was this the way mothers felt when they thought their child was hurt? Ridiculous. She hardly knew the girl.

Dolittle barked at Alice and they rolled around on the grass. With just her dog by her side, Alice felt a little lonely. Charlotte picked up on the signals. She has experienced a lot of loneliness. Charlotte rarely saw her mother because of her long hours at work. But she'd always had her father. Every time she needed him, he was there for her. She encircled her waist with her arms. She really missed him.

"Alice!" Haetel called from the door.

Alice jumped to her feet and brushed the mud and grass off of her clothes. "Coming, Grandma."

Alice was followed inside by Charlotte .

"I'm heading to the diner to pick up supper." Haetel announced. Her hair was curled into a tangle of tight curls, and she sported a large pocketbook hanging from her forearm. Her lips were a bright pink. "Will you be all right while I'm away?"

"Yes, Grandma. I'm on duty," Alice replied.

"Yes,,well, whatever." Haetel turned to face Charlotte. "Hon, do you need anything?"

'A one-way ticket out of here.' "Thank you, no," was all she said.

"'Come What May'" Hae headed for a door off the kitchen, which Charlotte saw opened into a utility room and then the garage. In a few minutes they heard an engine rev.

All of a sudden, Charlotte was exhausted. She entered the living room and took a seat on the couch. Alice and Dolittle were one step behind her.

Hae found it odd that she hadn't cooked since Charlotte had arrived. It also seemed strange to respond to questions with lyrics from Elvis songs. Hae seemed a tad out of touch.

"Does your granny ever cook?"

Alice gave a headshake. "No, she always has dinner from the diner. It's open most of the time. But she doesn't want Daddy to know."

"Why?" He was a police officer. Surely he had figured out what his mother was doing.

Alice shrugged. "I don't know. We simply made Daddy believe that Grandma made it."

"Is your grandma a bad cook?"

"Yes. One time when there was a snowstorm and the diner was closed. Grandma made spaghetti. It was like glue. Even Do wouldn't touch it. The diner has good food, so I don't complain. Neither does Daddy."

Everyone in this town was weird! Charlotte couldn't decipher any of them. How bizarre that Hae couldn't cook and wanted it kept a secret from her son.

Charlotte curled up. "I'm taking a nap."

"Kay."

She dozed off deeply, but her sleep was disturbed by nightmares. Tosin was pursuing her with a rifle as she ran into the woods. She froze when a shot was fired. Was she struck? She awoke right away and sat up straight, scanning her body for signs of blood, waiting for the pain. The dream was that real.

She took a long breath in and let it out. Alice sat crosslegged on the rug watching her, rubbing Dolittle's head.

"You were making really strange noises." Alice told her.

"Go away." Charlotte realized her mosquito bites were itching as she ran her hands over her tangled hair. She stood up and went to the toilet to get more ointment. Alice had gone after and stood in the bathroom doorway.

Charlotte turned from the medicine cabinet. "You don't have to follow me everywhere."

"Yes, I do. I'm on duty."

"Take a break." Charlotte slammed the door in her face and sank to the ground. After a brief moment of regret over her impoliteness, she opened it. Alice continued to stand where she had been, as Charlotte anticipated.

She rubbed the ointment on her bites.

"I'll do that," Alice said. "I'm supposed to look after you."

A sharp retort sprang to Charlotte's lips. She squelched it. Without a word, Charlotte handed her the tube. Alice meticulously applied it to every bite.

At Alice's eager gaze, Charlotte responded, "Thank you."

"That's my job. I'm the deputy. You're the prisoner."

'The prisoner.' Charlotte had a hard time seeing herself in that light. But that was exactly what she was.

Back on her heels, Alice reclined. "What's your first name?"

"Charlotte."

Alice grimaced. "That's strange."

"It's my mother's last name."

"Oh," Alice replied as if that made sense. Then she said, "How exactly did you violate the law, anyway? Daddy never told me your crime."

Charlotte bit on the inside of her lip as she considered how to explain what she had done to an eight-year-old. She was starting to feel embarrassed about it. The priority at the time was getting to the party. Everything was secondary to her needs. Had she always had that attitude? Sadly, she had to admit, she had. She anticipated that since her father had fulfilled all of her wishes, everyone else would do the same.

She was shown otherwise by Sheriff John.

She inhaled. "Your father pulled me over for speeding, and I tried to buy my way out of the situation."

Alice's eyes widened. "With money, you mean?"

It took a moment for the truth to squeak out. "Yes."

"That was stupid. Nobody bribes my daddy."

Charlotte pushed to her feet. "Yes, it was a stupid thing to do." She saw her dirty clothes still on the floor and realized she should find a way to wash them. She would need clean clothes for tomorrow. Picking them up, she asked, "Do you know how to wash clothes?"

Alice got up. "You read the label and follow the instructions. Grannie will assist." A door swung shut. "Grandma's back." Alice shouted as she dashed to the kitchen.