Unconventional Scars Read online

  “F-follow this road through the next t-two lights, then t-turn right.”

  With lightning reflexes, the man reached over and grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her head painfully. “Do you have any idea what I’m gonna do to you if that bitch isn’t rotting in the ground? Do you?”

  Anna burst into uncontrollable tears. “Please . . .”

  He released his grip on her, but not without a brutal shove to her head first. “I’m gonna put you in the ground instead.”

  ****

  Philip didn’t waste any time getting home. Something in Alex’s tone alarmed him. He didn’t want to overreact - after all, Anna might simply have left with a friend - but an uneasy disquiet was creeping up on him, insisting otherwise. He told himself the boy was making too much out of nothing. That he was being dramatic. Everything was fine.

  But when he arrived home to find the front door unlocked and Anna’s cell phone and keys on her bedside table, the disquiet grew into apprehension. His intuition told him something was off, somehow.

  Alex’s account of the strange FBI surveillance of his house did little to reassure him. Why was Anna being questioned without his knowledge? What was the point of staking out his house? The police must have neglected to give him the whole story. Obviously there was more going on than he’d been aware of.

  “Let’s rationalize this,” he told Alex, his voice sounding calmer than he felt. “We don’t know for sure who she left with. Couldn’t it have been one of your friends? Maybe your mother was mistaken.”

  “She was certain. I know it had to have been him. That FBI guy. Something weird is going on, I’m telling you. How could he have not known her mom passed away?”

  Phil was taken aback. “He didn’t know Bianca had died?”

  “No! He was clueless!”

  “You’re right, that doesn’t make any sense. Did she happen to say what the agent’s name was?”

  “Um . . . crap, let me think.” Alex searched his memory. “Maxwell. Luke Maxwell.”

  “I still have the number they gave me when I picked Anna up in Florida. I’ll call and find out what’s going on.” Phil pulled out his wallet and started digging through it. “I can’t imagine that they would have taken her off for questioning without my consent. Where is that damn card? I don’t think I threw it away.”

  “Did Anna’s mom take the stolen money with her when she left Mexico?” Alex suddenly wanted to know.

  “No. I don’t think so. Why?”

  “That agent said she did.”

  “Bianca was living in a slum. She didn’t have any money.”

  “She could have gambled it away or something. Couldn’t she? Or lost it. She was high a lot, wasn’t she? Anything could have happened.”

  “So you’re saying she ripped off her partner?” A horrible idea was forming in Phil’s mind. One he didn’t want to accept. The names were so eerily similar . . . “Luke Maxwell. Max Lockwood.”

  “Who is Max Lockwood?”

  “That corrupt lawyer. The one Bianca ran off with.”

  “But he’s behind bars, isn’t he? Anna said he’d been arrested.”

  “What? Where would she get an idea like . . . son of a bitch!”

  “You’re telling me he was never arrested?”

  “No!”

  “We have to call the police.” Alex looked sick.

  “I’m on it.”

  ****

  Look at her over there, cowering like a dog, shedding those crocodile tears. Does she think I haven’t been around long enough to know all those female tricks by now? Stupid kid! All she has to do is answer one simple fucking question! Why is she making this so difficult?

  Of course there was never any funeral! Bianca is far too ornery to die. Women like that are invincible. They go on and on, taking what they want and giving nothing in return. Using everyone around them, draining them dry like a starving vampire. They don’t care who they destroy.

  Until they piss off the wrong person.

  ****

  The 911 operator answered promptly, taking Phil’s information and assuring him that a patrol car was on its way. This knowledge did little to suppress his rising panic. He paced the length of the living room, desperate to do something. A small bottle of silver nail polish on the coffee table caught his attention, and for some reason he couldn’t take his eyes off of it - a simple, subtle reminder of the girl who’d appeared one day to fill his home with sunshine.

  Where is she now? Where is my little girl? He turned to Alex, who appeared to be deep in thought. “Where the hell would he have taken her?”

  “I don’t know! I mean, what would he even want with her? Does he think she has the money or something?”

  “Hell, that’s all I can come up with. I can’t imagine what would make him think that, though. Unless he thinks Bianca left it with her before she died or something.”

  “Anna mentioned that the agent didn’t seem to believe her when she told him her mom was dead.”

  Phil frowned. “But surely he would have looked into it and found she was telling the truth. Although . . .” He paused. “There wasn’t an obituary in the newspaper. I was trying to keep things low-key.”

  “But there would have been a death certificate. Right?”

  “True. Then again, it was so recent, it’s possible there’s no public record of it yet.”

  “So if he believes she’s still alive, he must think Anna can take him to her.”

  “But she can’t! Bianca’s dead!”

  “Exactly.” Alex looked at him, and suddenly Phil understood.

  ****

  It was just as she had feared. The cemetery was deserted and the gates locked. A sign on the fence stated, Hours: Sunup - Sundown. This minor detail didn’t deter her captor. Keeping a watchful eye on his victim, he broke the lock easily with a crowbar and pushed open the gates. They squeaked on their rusty hinges, and the sound sent chills down Anna’s back.

  “Well, where is it?” He put the car in drive and looked over at her expectantly.

  Her mind went blank. What if she couldn’t remember exactly where it was? Would he shoot her and leave her here? How long before someone found her? Uncle Phil would be heartbroken. And Alex . . . dear God, Alex . . .

  Her hand flew to her locket. She held it tightly.

  “Did you hear me? I said, where is it? Wake up! I don’t intend to be here all blessed night!” His teeth were clenched.

  “I . . . it’s . . .” Think, girl! Pull yourself together! “Go forward some and I’ll tell you when to turn.”

  Slowly, the sedan crept along the narrow paved road. Very soon, Anna spotted a landmark that she recognized, a tall monument.

  “Turn left here. Then stop by that headstone with the angel on it. Hers is just behind it.” So what happens now? When he has what he wants, what will he do to me? Will he be satisfied and just leave me here? Or will I die tonight, in this lonely place? Oh God, I don’t want to die! Please, please don’t let him hurt me!

  The man stopped where he’d been instructed. “All right, kiddo. Out of the car. Let’s go see if you’re telling me the truth.” His expression showed that he was still doubtful, but nevertheless he followed Anna through the damp grass to a granite headstone.

  “Here it is,” she whispered, pointing. Oddly enough, looking at that marker made her feel a little better, somehow. Maybe her mother’s spirit would protect her. It was a crazy thought, but she had little else to hang onto.

  He knelt in front of the stone and stared at the inscription in the moonlight for some time. The night was so very, very quiet, bereft of the everyday sounds of humming streetlights, the singing of cicadas, or the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Even the wind seemed to want to avoid this place of death.

  Barefoot, clad only in a short sundress, she stood waiting, trembling violently. Although the weather was hot, her teeth chattered. Should she try to make a run for it? Would he shoot her?

  Finally, the man looked up at Ann
a. He saw then, for the first time, the terror in her young eyes. No, this girl was nothing like her mother. But it went beyond physical appearances. She was just too damn innocent to be anything like Bianca.

  “She really is dead,” he conceded wearily, the rage having drained out of him.

  Anna nodded.

  “How did she die?”

  “Drug overdose. In California.”

  “Of course. I should have known all that shit would catch up to her eventually.” The man straightened and gazed at Anna. “You really never spoke to her after she left Florida? She never called you, even once?”

  “Not even once.”

  He sighed. “Well, kid, you were probably better off.”

  She didn’t reply.

  “So then . . . what the hell happened to the money? Was it confiscated by the feds?”

  “I don’t know.”

  His eyes searched hers carefully. “You really don’t know, do you?”

  “No. I really don’t.” The trembling was subsiding. Her voice was calmer. Maybe it was her mother watching over her, maybe it was a higher power, but something was infusing her with newfound strength. No, she wouldn’t die here tonight. She knew that now. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew.

  “Look, kid . . . I’m sorry. Sorry about this whole mess. I never really intended to hurt you. It was just a threat to get the truth out of you. I only wanted my money back, that’s all. Can you understand that?”

  No response.

  “Money makes people do crazy things. I guess it’s kind of like drug addiction, in a way. Your mom . . . she had her cocaine. I had my greed. We all have our vices, kid.”

  Anna watched him, curious at the strange transformation in this violent man. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah, why not.”

  “Did you . . . love my mother?”

  His eyes settled once again on the headstone. For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then, “Yeah, kid. I guess at one time, I did.”

  Her eyes shifted to a spot behind him, temporarily blinded by the blue lights coming towards them, through the open gate that no longer frightened her. He caught the direction of her gaze. She half expected him to bolt, but he didn’t. He just stood there, resigned to his fate.

  “I guess it’s all over now, huh?” he said.

  “I guess so,” she agreed.

  17

  It was late when Phil finally returned home with his niece, safe and sound and happy to be home. Alex stuck around too, unwilling to leave her side. Neither of them could stop hugging her. She didn’t mind.

  The police had cuffed Max, read him his rights, and put him in a patrol car that would take him to prison for what would prove to be a long, long time. His face remained stoic throughout it all. Max’s days of living the high life on the beaches of Cancun were over.

  Anna rode with Phil and Alex to the police station, where she patiently gave her statement. She left out the part where he’d snatched her by the hair. It would only have angered Uncle Phil further, and what good could possibly come of it anyway? The man had a huge list of charges against him as it was. His life was ruined. Perhaps none of it would have happened, perhaps he never would have embezzled that money to begin with, if it weren’t for her mother. Who knew, Bianca could have had it all planned from the start.

  It no longer mattered to Anna. She was finally done with the past. Her future was bright, and that was all that was important.

  ****

  “So then what happened?” Bailey folded a sweater and laid it neatly in the suitcase she was packing.

  “Nothing much. The cops arrested him and took him away.” Anna was seated on the edge of her new friend’s bed, atop a pristine white eyelet comforter. The bed had a ridiculous canopy over it. Honestly, it looked like something designed for a pampered little girl, not a sixteen-year-old. The bedroom was filled with dolls and little bunny figurines, too. No wonder Bailey had always acted so spoiled. It was apparent her parents didn’t want her to grow up.

  “Weren’t you afraid he’d, like, pull out his gun and hold you hostage or something?”

  “I didn’t really think of that until later. At the time, it didn’t occur to me.” She shuddered. “I prefer not to think about it.”

  Bailey’s eyes were wide. “Wow. That’s crazy! Gosh. I mean, I always heard your mother worked in New York. I didn’t know she was a fugitive! That is so cool!”

  “I didn’t want anyone to know,” Anna admitted. “I didn’t think anyone would like me if they knew the circumstances of . . . how I wound up here. You know?”

  “I know what you mean. High school isn’t easy. It’s funny, I always thought you were Little Miss Perfect, when all the time you had skeletons in your closet just like the rest of us.”

  “I thought the same about you!” The girls laughed.

  “Do you think you might be able to come visit me sometime?” Bailey asked. “It’s going to be so boring, living with my cousin. Especially after I get, you know, fat!”

  “I don’t see why not.” Anna picked up a ceramic frog. It wore a pink tutu and ballet slippers. “Jeez, you sure have a lot of stuff.”

  “Well, you know. Daddy’s little girl and all.” Bailey rolled her eyes.

  “Is Daddy starting to realize now that his little girl isn’t so little anymore?”

  “What choice does he have? I’m going to have a baby. If that doesn’t clue him in, nothing will.”

  “Have you heard from Sebastian?” Anna’s tone was gentle, knowing this was a sore subject.

  Bailey pulled open a dresser drawer and rummaged through it. She appeared to be blinking back tears. “Nope. Can you believe it?”

  “He’s not worth it, you know.”

  “I know. I just wish someone would explain it to my heart.”

  ****

  By the time a week had passed, things were basically back to normal. Anna’s summer activities resumed as though nothing had happened, and that was the way she wanted it. Alex was even more attentive than usual, but there was an underlying haunted look in his eyes that bothered her. She wondered if the incident with Max had affected him that deeply, or if maybe there was something else troubling him. When asked, all he would say was that he wanted to enjoy summer vacation while he still could.

  Phil hovered over Anna until Lisa pointed out how paranoid his behavior was. “Philly, the man’s in jail. Anna’s fine. Nobody’s going to bother her anymore. Stop smothering her already!”

  Erica, Karen and Anna had a girls’ day at the mall one Monday. They got their nails done, shopped for back-to-school clothes, and had lunch at a quaint nearby bistro. Anna couldn’t help remembering the shopping trip she’d made here with Lisa, not very long ago, though it seemed like a lifetime. Things had changed so much since then.

  Afterwards, they all went to the Somerville home, where Josh, Dalton, Creed and Alex were engrossed in their video games. When Charlotte got home from work, she ordered pizza and wings for everyone. The house was filled to the rafters with laughter and teasing and a general party atmosphere.

  Alex and Anna managed to find a few moments alone on the patio, while everyone else was inside playing cards. Dalton was trying to teach Karen how to play poker. By all appearances she wasn’t a fast learner, but Anna and Erica both knew that Karen knew very well how to play poker. She was bluffing. They only hoped the boys had better sense than to try playing her for money.

  “I’ve been waiting all day for this,” Alex told her, pulling her close.

  “Maybe I should make you wait a little longer,” she teased.

  “Not a chance.” Without hesitation, he kissed her. They were lost in one another when a loud meow interrupted them. Sylvester, tactless as he was, rubbed up against Alex’s legs, wanting attention.

  Alex looked down at the cat. “Really, you furball? Now?”

  Sylvester peered up with huge green eyes and mewed again. Anna grinned. “I think he’s jealous.”

  “That’s too b
ad. I’m not about to kiss him.”

  “What’s the matter, baby?” she crooned to the cat, stooping to pet him. “Are you lonely?”

  “Hey, I’m lonely too.”

  “Oh, look at this little fuzzy face. How can you not want to pet him?”

  “I’d rather pet you.”

  “In that case, Sylvester, you’re on your own.” Anna straightened, grimacing slightly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just a pain in my stomach. Probably cramps.” She didn’t know why it would hurt now – her monthly cycle was ending. Actually, this was more of an ache. She should probably lay off the junk food. The pizza was likely the culprit.

  “Can I get you anything?” He looked concerned.

  “No, it’ll pass in a minute. So . . . did you know tomorrow is the anniversary of Uncle Phil and Lisa’s first date?” She wanted to change the subject. Her internal issues were so not something she wanted to discuss in present company.

  “Oh sure . . . I saw it on the news,” he joked.

  “Yeah . . . Lisa’s making a big deal out of it. They’re going out tomorrow night to celebrate.”

  “Why don’t we hang out at your house, then?” he suggested.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I have to work late tomorrow. We’re behind on a job so I already said I would. But I’ll come over around seven, okay?”

  “Seven’s fine.” She settled into a patio chair, motioning for him to join her. “Let’s sit out here for a bit. It’s so nice.”

  He pulled out the chair next to hers and sat. Sylvester promptly jumped into his lap, purring and kneading with his paws. Alex scratched him underneath his chin.

  “Alex, if I ask you something, will you give me an honest answer?” She kept her voice low.

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “No. I’ll lie to you.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “What is it you want to know?”

  “Why are you so self-conscious about that scar on your arm?”

  “I’m not self-conscious.”