She Speaks to Angels (6 page)

“
One or two does not a stoner make,” Jennifer litigated and turned with a huff toward the bathroom in the back. “I’ve got to freshen up.” She disappeared behind the wall while I sipped my coffee with Molly at OUR spot. Two round white tables near the back wall offered a comfortable sofa for four if needed. I still sat in my chair on the other side of the tables, looking at Molly.

“
What?” She shrugged.

“
Nothing,” I retorted.

“
You’ve got that look.”

“
Well, you’ll be seeing a lot of it in the future, so get used to it.”

“
So, what’s on your mind?” Molly fished for answers again.

“
I was just wondering if any of Tommy’s other friends noticed something, or heard something before his...you know.” Warmth from the smooth mug kept my palms pleasant.

“
They must have. Someone must.” Molly sounded so sure.

“
Then how do we get to them? Talk to them?” I cringed at the notion of coming face to face with the quarterback or linebacker or any one of the football team. We didn’t quite speak the same language. The experience, I’m sure, would feel something like an alien life form trying to communicate with humans. Like something straight out of
The Invasion of 2020.
I’m not sure I’d recover.

“
You’re such a wimp sometimes!” Molly repositioned herself so that her legs crisscrossed over the sofa.

“
Then you do it,” I announced. “Take the reins. Walk up to the football team, flirt, tease. Whatever it takes to make them pay attention, and then go in for the kill.”

“
And you can’t do this, because....”

“
Because,” my hands were already sweaty, “the idea already gives me anxiety.”

“
Fine. But you should know, you’re sure high-maintenance sometimes.” Molly grinned. “You’ll owe me one.”

As she finished speaking the door chimed open as Clark walked in with the linebacker and a newbie football player from the team. They waltzed up to the counter and ordered a few coffees and cakes.

“
Couch would kill us, the newbie worried.

“
No matter; he ain’t here.” Clark reassured him. “Now take it.” Clark shoved the chocolate pastry toward the newbie, ill intent obvious on his face. I only noticed because I had seen that look once before in my Sophomore year when I stepped toward the lady’s bathroom. Then, Clark had leaned against the wall near the exit showing that same intensity. Seconds later Noe had walked out of the stall, and he yanked her by the collar of her shirt.After he placed the cakes and coffees on a table near the window, Clark tugged a packet of something out of his back pocket. Then he yanked the newbie up by one arm and headed toward the back door, dragging the panic-faced newbie along with him. I felt sorry for the newbie. Who knew what antics Clark was up to now. But I felt more than sympathy; I felt curiosity. I needed to know what business Clark had with this unrecognizable face in the back alley.

Within seconds Clark swung open the back door and the two vanished down the hall leading to the bathrooms. As I jumped to my feet, Molly needed no explanation.

“
No!” She shook her head.

“
Yes.” I skidded across the corridor floor to get to the back door in time. Molly couldn’t resist, and she hovered over my left shoulder as we stared at the boys through the crack of the door. Clark towered over the newbie with his right hand clenched around the boy’s shoulder so tightly that I knew the shoulder would be bruised by morning. But more than what I saw, what I heard startled me more than anything else.

“
I saw you with her.” Clark’s brows arched like swords.

“
It...it was nothing. She just needed help carrying her bags,” the newbie defended himself.

“
I’m not stupid.” Clark slapped him across the shoulder bone. “Do I look stupid to you?”

“
No, no...”

“
Then just tell me what really happened, because the only thing I can’t stand more than disloyalty is a lie.” Grooves burrowed deep into Clark’s forehead and around his eyes. A tight mouth and tense posture scared even me, and he was several feet away from me.

“
I just helped her with her books. That’s all.” The boy’s pleading bordered on pathetic.

A jolt to my back jerked my head around for a second. “What are you two doin’?” Jennifer asked, peering around us.

“
SHH!” we said in unison, and immediately Jennifer caught wind of the soap opera unraveling before our eyes.

With my eyes focused on Clark and the newbie, I listened intently as chilly breezes brushed past the door. Clark stood in his blue jacket, and the shorter boy looked so frail in only a shirt and vest. His jacket remained on his chair inside next to the linebacker.

Clark responded by jabbing his fist into the boy’s ribs. “My girl doesn’t need any help from you. I advise you to stay as far away from her as possible or...or I don’t know what I’d do.” Clark’s hot face flushed redder than tomatoes.

“
OK, I got it.” The maimed boy stumbled backward for space. “I’ll stay away from her.”

The back alley grew silent. Fear surged from the newbie, a presence real enough to feel. A chill crawled down my spine and into my legs, feeling like tiny spiders taking a million tiny steps. Before Clark turned toward the back door, I spun away and pushed Molly and Jennifer down the corridor. As we fumbled back onto our sofa seconds later, Clark marched past us and grunted as he plopped next to the linebacker, helping himself to the newbie’s chocolate cake. I couldn’t hear what he said afterward, but I didn’t see that newbie return.

“
We should get going,” Jennifer urged. She hated to find herself in the middle of something like this. “What if Clark saw us?” Her nerves only intensified when Clark glanced in our direction.

“
Don’t look at them.” I kicked Jennifer under the table and she dropped her gaze to the table.

“
Damn. You think he saw me watching?” Jennifer twisted her lips.

“
Don’t worry about it; you think he’s going to throw you off a building or something?” Molly chided, making Jennifer and me wince. “OK, maybe a wrong choice of words.” She shrugged.

At the sound of two chairs screeching over the floor, we turned our heads and saw Clark and his friend dart out of the cafe.

“
And you were saying I was a wimp because...” I pointed out the likely dangers Molly would endure facing the football team. Everyone knew Clark was the team. If he said the sun shone blue, the sun shone blue...at least to his team.

“
I’ll make it work.” Molly crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Clark through the glass as he walked away down the sidewalk.

“
Just be careful whatever you do.”

“
What is she going to do?” Jennifer butted her face in between us, pulling up the hoodie on her jacket.

“
Get info from the football team about Tommy,” I answered.

“
Well, why don’t we show up for the memorial service? They are sure to be there, emotional. Might be the perfect opportunity to pull some information out of his friends.” Jennifer had her moments of street-genius, usually book-genius, but today I could have promised to do all her homework for the year.

“
Excellent idea.” I scratched the itch on my right arm. “Do you know where it will be held?”

“
Got a notice in the mail. You should check yours sometime.” Jennifer flung the card with the details over the table.

A Memorial Service will be held for Tommy Bachelor

Millennium Mall Parking Lot at 6PM-9PM this Friday.

Bring candles, flowers and photos.

“
Who put this together?” I asked.

“
Some good friends of his parents,” Jennifer answered.

“
How do you know all this?” Molly looked impressed, her lips pursing together in slight jealousy.

“
My father’s a lawyer. Tommy’s parents talked with him about suing the school, and I passed by the door when they were talking about the memorial service.”

“
Right.” Molly sipped her coffee, the sharpest edge of her tone washing away with the drink. Molly wasn’t used to Jennifer knowing something she didn’t. She didn’t take being out of any loop very well. “Let’s get out of here.”

The door chimed shut behind us, and I felt wisps of fog ravel around my ankles as we walked toward the car. Jennifer plodded beside me, and Molly kicked the fabric-esque mist as if she fought with something moveable, tangible.

“
What’s up with this fog already?”

“
I know, it seems to be everywhere we go nowadays,” I agreed, and Jennifer hopped off the sidewalk to her sedan.

“
So are we getting out of here or what?” Jennifer held the door handle.

Molly revved the engine, and we took off toward my house. As I stepped to the front door I noticed the mist hanging over the driveway as if it had followed us from the cafe home. Quickly, I pushed my key into the lock and turned it. The three of us piled inside the house, which smelled of grilled basil chicken. As the front door closed with a click, the fog dissipated.

“
Where have you girls been? I thought you’d be home earlier,” Mom called from the kitchen. The clanking noises from that direction told us that she was putting the finishing touches on lunch.

“
We ran into some friends.” I shrugged with the words as Molly and Jennifer glared at me. Could Kian really be considered a friend after only one meeting?

“
Good; I’m glad to hear you girls had a nice time. The town needs more good times after what happened.” Mom pranced out of the kitchen like a proud chief with a platter of grilled chicken in one hand and a plate of toasted buns in the other. Spreading the lunch out on the dining table, she waved us into the room.

“
I’m so hungry! Thanks, Mrs. Maney.” Molly rubbed her belly and sat down first. For some reason, Molly always had a large appetite when she stopped at my house. I questioned how much her own mother cooked.

Sitting next to Molly, Jennifer grabbed a plate of her own as Mom placed the smaller plate of lettuce and tomatoes at the center. I stood as I arranged my chicken sandwich until I had my meat precisely in the middle of the bun and then sat next to Mom.

“
So, tell me all about your day. What did you do?” Mom questioned, studying us closely.

“
Not much, Mrs. Maney.” Jennifer enjoyed talking with parents. One could say it was her forte’. “We had some coffee and listened to music at the cafe. Ran into some...friends. And then headed home.”

“
Coffee. My goodness, at your young age!” Mom shook her head. “Kids nowadays.”

“
Everyone drinks it, Mom.” I rationalized.

“
Well, it can’t be good for your young bodies.” She stood and poured us each a glass of orange juice. “Here. This is better for you.”

“
Thanks.” Molly smiled. Her own mom never gave too much attention to details like healthy food. On the few occasions I ate at her house, the fridge always appeared full of junk food. Not that I complained, but my mom would have a cow.

“
Best chicken ever,” Jennifer added, and Molly’s insatiable appetite seemed to agree.

“
How late is Samuel working?” I wondered.

“
Not too late today,’ Mom assured me. “He is getting home early, because he will be expected at the memorial service. He has to leave in the morning to help keep crowd and traffic control during service preparations.”

I desperately wanted to talk with my brother more, but more than that I wanted to weed through his things. I was sure he knew more than he told me. He always did. But I had to get into his stuff before he got home. I gave the scram-eye to my friends, and they got the point.

“
Well, I’d better be getting home.” Molly put her empty plate into the sink.

“
Me, too,” Jennifer followed.

“
Drive carefully, you two.” Mom said before they headed to the parked sedan.

I raced upstairs, listening to Mom whistling in the kitchen as she washed the plates. Plenty of time to rummage. I tiptoed to Samuel’s door on the other side of the upstairs hallway, not wanting to alert Mom to my direction of travel. I opened the door carefully, hoping it wouldn’t creak, and rushed to the desk.

I pulled the top drawer open. It was full of blank papers and pencils. The second drawer held nothing more interesting than a few family photos and envelopes. I did pause at the picture of me, Samuel and Dad on a fishing trip. With a sigh I shut the oak drawer and eyed the police duffle bag in the corner.

With one zip, I dug my hands into the deep spaces and felt around for anything. Finding Samuels binder, I flipped open to the first page and found his notes tucked behind the plastic groove. Sketchy handwriting. I had to decode every word, but managed to spell out in my mind something to the effect of...In Tommy’s back pocket...a crumpled paper with message FRANCIS: 2G???, followed by a series of question marks. I guessed Samuel wasn’t close to figuring out what Tommy meant. Heck, I’d have to think hard about that one too.

It felt like I had only spent minutes inside my brother's room, but I must have been there at last an hour when I heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. I heard Mom shout, “Sammy!” and heard his footsteps skip up the stairs. Damn! I had to get out of there before he spotted me.