CHAPTER Ten:

   The store was unusually busy for a Sunday afternoon. Willow sat on the floor, playing with some toys and talking to herself. It was not an ideal situation, but Lauren had no other ideas. 

   Saturday had been her day off, and she’d taken Willow for walks to try and entertain her. The girl was starting to get restless, but there was not much to be done about it. 

Lauren was restless too. Amanda had stopped in to say hello. They hadn’t had much to say to each other. Amanda brought up Raymond again, trying to prove his innocence. Of course, Lauren couldn’t agree, but her opinion seemed to hold little weight. 

   She hated being upset with her friend. But she wasn’t going to play along with this new fascination she had with Raymond. He was not a good person. If Amanda wanted to get hurt, she could, but she would be forewarned. 

   The doorbell jingled. Riley stepped through the door. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, contrasting against her bright coral shirt. 

   “Hey, Lauren.” She stepped up to the counter.

   “Hello.” Lauren smiled tiredly. “I wanted to say thank you for everything, but I didn’t see you again.”

   She nodded. “I’ve been busy. How’s Willow?”
   Willow peeked out from around the counter and grinned at her. “I’m playing.”

   Riley smiled. There were dark circles under her eyes. She’d been taking a lot of night calls.

   “Did you hear what happened to Raymond?” Lauren leaned across the counter. 

   She frowned and shook her head.

   “Grant gave him a shiner.”

   Riley laughed. They both knew they shouldn't be happy about his injuries, but they couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction to know he’d faced justice for once.

   “Do you mind if I come over to your house tonight?” Riley stuffed her hands in her pockets. “I don’t know anyone around here, and it would be nice to talk to someone.”

   “Sure!” Lauren glanced at the clock. “I’m done at six. Sometime around seven work for you?”

   “Yep. See you then.” She gave her a small smile as walked out the door again.

   Lauren had been sure that Riley wasn’t the friendly type. She’d barely spoken the first few times they met. But maybe she’d misjudged her.

   The door swung open again, and Claire Howland walked in. Lauren’s stomach did a somersault. She plastered a fake smile on her face. 

   “We need to talk,” Claire said coldly.

   “I’d love to,” Lauren replied. “But I can’t leave the till, as you surely understand.”
   “Of course I do.” Claire peeked over the counter and raised an eyebrow at Willow. “I know what professionalism is supposed to look like.”

   Lauren crossed her arms. 

   “Do you by any chance know why my son Raymond came home with a black eye?”

   Sighing, Lauren motioned her towards the back of the store, away from Willow. She didn’t want the girl to be in the middle of their argument. 

   “Didn’t Grant explain it? In case you didn’t notice, your son wasn’t the only one to hurt.” Lauren raised her hands. “Besides, he had it coming.”
   Claire placed her fingers to her temple, knowing full well she couldn’t do much when an officer was involved. She’d already exhausted her other avenues. Her jaw twitched. 

   “I really don’t appreciate the other night.” Lauren continued. “You didn’t even try to help us find Willow.”

   Claire frowned. “I was telling you the truth. Raymond doesn’t tell me where he goes. I don’t approve of his parties.”

   She was being honest. A vulnerable look crossed her face, and she almost looked like she was giving up. But then it passed, and she leaned towards Lauren, her blue eyes flashing. She looked so much like Raymond. 

   “If you hurt my son, you’ll never forget it. You never asked my son to babysit, I asked him. No doubt you went to the party, and abandoned her – just like your mom would have done. Then you blamed him.”

   “Mrs. Howland.” Lauren’s voice rose a pitch. “Your son is a liar. You can tell him I told you so. For future reference, I am nothing like Charlotte, and I never will be. I won’t let you insult me.”

   Her eyes widened. “You know, I could call the authorities on you! Not the pathetic excuse for them in this town. I’m sure child protective services would love a case like this one.”

   Lauren paled. 

   “Oh yes. The grapevine has been very helpful. Your mother abandoned this child with you for good. Seems like a classic case of neglect to me.” She sneered, then turned and stalked out of the store. 

 

ef

 

   Lauren was just finishing the dishes when Riley knocked on the door. Willow was taking a nap in her room. She had complained of a headache all evening. 

   “Come on in!” Lauren hurried to the door, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “I’m almost done here.”

   Riley stepped inside sheepishly. “If you’re busy, I can come some other time?” Her eyes flitted around the house. 

   “No, no. I was actually on the last dish.” Lauren went back to the kitchen and drained the sink. 

   “Oh, good.”

   After drying her hands once more, Lauren put the towel back in its place, then turned to her friend. 

   “Willow is asleep right now. Why don’t I show you around the place?” 

   They walked into the living room. 

   “I love the blue walls,” Riley said. She surveyed the room. “And what a beautiful piano.”

   “Thank you.” Lauren’s gaze dropped to the wooden instrument. “It was my grandma’s favourite thing about the place – aside from the roses of course.”

They went outside and toured the garden, then settled on the porch. 

   “Can I get you anything to drink?” Lauren asked. 

   “No, thank you.” Riley sat down on the edge of a seat and fidgeted with her hands. “I can’t stay for too long.”

   They lapsed into silence. Crickets chirped from the trees. 

   “There was a cougar spotted,” Riley said. “On the other side of town.”

   Lauren thought of Willow, walking all alone. “Thank God, it wasn’t there the other night.”

   “Can we not talk about God?” Riley said. 

   Lauren nodded, and they sat awkwardly for a moment. 

   “So, you live all alone?” Riley broke the silence.

   “Yeah,” Lauren knitted her hands together. “It’s my grandparent’s place. Inherited it from them when they passed.”

   “I’m so sorry for your loss, I know how it feels to lose someone close.”

   Riley’s brows furrowed. Lauren studied her, it was the closest she’d ever come to opening up. 

   “Tell me about your family.”

   “My mother is an immigrant from Mexico, most of my relatives from that side are still there. My dad is a trucker. Work kept him away most of the time.”

   “That’s too bad.” Lauren’s forehead creased.

   Riley shrugged. “I finished high school and was off right away. Vet school wasn’t cheap, I’m still paying off the loan.”

   “Do you have any siblings?”

   “My brother died when we were young.” The words were so soft that Lauren almost missed them. 

   “I’m so sorry.” 

   So this was the loss she spoke of.

   “We were seven.” Her lips pressed together tightly as she thought. “Tom was my twin. We were swimming in the river when he got swept away by the current. I didn’t do anything to save him.”

   “That’s awful.” Lauren’s face wrinkled in sympathy. “It’s not your fault.”

   “At the very least I could have tried, done something.” She looked close to tears, but she blinked them away. A red flush came across her warm cheeks. “Anyway, the other night kind of reminded me of it.”

   Lauren wished she had known ahead of time. She would never have presumed upon her to help if she’d known. It must have been difficult for her to search for Willow.

   “You know, or a little while, I blamed myself for my grandparents’ death. Thought maybe if I’d shouldered more of their responsibilities, they wouldn’t have died.” Lauren shook her head. “Anger only made things worse. I had to learn to accept that they were gone, and no one could have stopped it.”

   The words sounded nice, but she didn’t think about how she still blamed Charlotte.

   “Your religion couldn’t give you all the answers, eh?” Riley brought up the topic again, despite saying she wanted to avoid it.

   “I don’t have the answers. But I do know there’s a reason for everything.” Lauren ducked her head. “For a long time, I didn’t want to live anymore. Not without them. But God carried me through that grief.” 

   Riley stood up and chuckled dryly. “Well. I have to go. We’ll see each other around.” 

“Of course. You’re my friend. Keep in touch.” Lauren smiled at her. 

Riley looked surprised to be labelled as one, but she smiled in response. “Good night.”

   Lauren watched as she drove off. She didn’t know how it felt to lose someone so young, with their life ahead of them. Especially in such a traumatic way. 

Her grandparents had lived long lives, relatively happy – except when it came to Charlotte. In the end, everyone tried to save them. Doctors, specialists, but they knew it was time to go.

   How painful must it be to lose a loved one, knowing they could have been rescued? Their death could have been prevented? Lauren sighed and stepped inside. Riley was still blaming herself, after all these years. She needed to let go. There was only one way for her to find happiness, and it seemed that she was rejecting it. 

   Lauren knew she needed prayer and friendship. Both of which she was more than willing to offer.

​

 

hg

 

   Charlotte Quinley sat in her car and stared at the building. Dandelions were growing up through cracks in the pavement, and a ‘for sale’ sign was posted on the outside. The shop had deteriorated since she’d last seen it. Lacey was long gone.

   There was no harm in making sure. Charlotte opened her car door and stepped outside, pushing her hair back from her face.

   The closer she got to the building, the emptier it looked. The front window was boarded up, so she went around the back. Just my luck, she thought. A rock was sitting holding the door open a crack. 

   “Hello?” She peered through the opening.

   There was no answer, so she put a hand on the door and pulled it open the rest of the way, kicking the rock aside. 

   A loud alarm went off. 

   “Well,” she chuckled. “That certainly is one way to get someone’s attention. 

   The building looked even more barren inside. The walls were still painted the neon pink she remember, but there were darker patches where artwork had once hung. The storage room was completely empty, but there was still a broom propped up against the doorframe.

   In the front main room, even the sinks had been pulled out from the walls. The seats were gone, and an empty hole in the ceiling was all that was left from the chandelier.

   A siren sounded from somewhere in the city, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Charlotte sighed. Her phone rang as she stood looking around. She flipped it open and answered. “Hello?”

   “This is Lauren.” 

   She walked back towards the door, nearly tripping over her own feet. “Oh. Hi. How is Willow doing?” The siren was distracting. “I’ve been meaning to return your call, but    things have just been so busy – with all my interviews and such.”

   “She’s doing well, but I need to know when you’ll be back.” Lauren’s voice sounded frustrated. “I can’t look after her forever, and you dumped her on me.”

   “Of course, I completely understand. I’ve almost got a job lined up.” It was a lie, but it sounded good. “In a few more days, I will have a better estimate.”
   “I want to know now.”

   The police car was definitely getting closer. 

   “You know what? I’d love to chat, but I really have to go.” Charlotte hurried back to the door.

   The siren was loud enough to be in the parking lot now. Sure enough, through the glass door, she spotted a police officer, jumping out of his car. 

   “Step out of the building with your hands in the air!” he shouted as his hands lowered to his revolver.

   Charlotte hung up the phone and stuck it back in her pocket. Then she obeyed his instructions. 

   “Listen, I was just looking for an old friend.” She shot him a bright smile. “I’m not a criminal. The door was already open!”

   “I’ll be the judge of that!” He was clearly uptight, and not about to go easy on her. “What’s your name?”

   “Charlotte Quinley.” She rolled her eyes as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “You can’t be serious.”

   “Hands behind your back!”

   “Won’t you please just call the owner of the building? She’ll understand.”
   He fastened the handcuffs around her wrists. 

   “I’m sure she will be contacted.” He looked around at the door.

   It was impossible to know it had been open. Charlotte had kicked the rock away, and from all appearances, it looked locked. After trying the door, the officer decided she must have done something. He led her to the police car and opened the back door. 

   “I haven’t done anything wrong – I just showed up and the door was open, and I thought...”
   “Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to remain silent.” He motioned her into the backseat. “Breaking and entry is a serious crime, lady.”

   “If I wanted to break in, why wouldn’t I just smash the glass?”

   He raised his brows, “so you’re saying you wanted to break the door down?”

   Charlotte groaned, and her heart sank as they drove to the police station. Could the timing be any worse? Just when Lauren decided to call, and she decided to answer, the cops showed up. Lauren had no doubt heard it all going down, and now she would be jumping to conclusions.

   More assumptions I’ll have to set straight, Charlotte thought.

 

ef

 

   Back at the station, Charlotte was put in a windowless room. The chairs were uncomfortable, and the table in front of her was empty. Her keys had been confiscated, and she hoped no one was stealing her purse, it was still back in her car. 

   “Why would I want to break into an empty building?” She tried to get through to the officer. 

   “I’m asking the questions – not you.” 

   A sheriff stuck his head through the door.

   “The owner of the property should be here any minute,” he said gruffly. 

   “Good!” Charlotte clasped her hands together on the table and tried to look innocent. “At least I won’t have to put any more effort into finding her.”
   The sheriff glared at her, and her smile dropped. He backed out the door and disappeared down a hallway. The officer sat in silence, staring down the woman in front of him. 

   Time seemed to pass by painfully slowly, only marked by the ticking of the clock on the wall. 

   Finally, a woman burst through the door. 

   “Traffic was bad, but I made it. What’s going on?”
   Charlotte was relieved to see Lacey. 

   “This woman broke into your shop,” the officer explained. “Claiming she was looking for you.”

   “I didn’t break in – at least not technically.” Charlotte fidgeted in her seat and tried to explain for the twentieth time. “The door was caught on a rock, and I just opened it the rest of the way.”

   Lacey rubbed her eyes. “Oh, I remember now. I did prop it open while I was moving things. Silly, I must not have pushed it far enough out of the way when I left.”

   The officer sighed in frustration. “Well, then. She didn’t technically ‘break in’ but she did enter the building, which could mean she was attempting a more serious crime. Such as theft. Or vandalism.”

   He didn’t want to make the whole trip back to the station worthless. 

   “I didn’t see any ‘no trespassing’ signs.” Charlotte snapped back. “Lacey. Don’t you remember me?”

   The blonde studied her. “I don’t believe so.”

   It had been over fifteen years since they’d last seen each other, and both had changed over the years. Lacey’s blonde hair was now cut to her shoulders, and her eyes were framed by wrinkles.

   “Charlotte?” Recognition began to dawn. “Charlotte Quinley?! Is it really you?”

   She laughed and nodded. “Have I gotten so old?”
   The officer let out an exasperated breath. “I’m not here to arrange reunions,” he said. “Should I let her go?”

   “You always were a troublemaker.” Lacey shook her head and turned to the officer. “Let her go. She’s off the hook, this time anyway.”