grandmother nodded. “Yes.” She smiled again, and that’s when Ro saw that she was sick. Her smiled looked off-centre and forced. “You’ll take care of my dog, won’t you?”
Ro’s eyes lit up. “Sure I will!”
Her grandmother nodded. “Good girl. His name is Old Tex. Paula, will you get my purse out of the cupboard for me?”
“Sure.”
As her mom went to the cupboard, Audra leaned towards Rowan and whispered, “I have something for you.”
“Grandma, you sound like you have a cold.”
Her grandma chuckled weakly and their eyes met, then
(just for a second)
there was an odd reflecting—a flash, like light. Then it was gone. Her mom handed over the handbag and her grandmother took out a small change purse and squeezed it open. From inside she pulled out a key. She held it up. To Paula and Mrs. Riley she said, “This is a secret between me and my granddaughter, ladies, so no listening in.” She grinned. Her first real one.
Rowan leaned in eagerly, turning her head so that her ear was close to her grandmother’s mouth.
“This key is for a box under my bed. It’s a blue box. There’s a new collar in there for Tex. It’s red and it’s … decorated. Can you put it on him?”
“Okay,” she whispered back. She took the key.
“Old Tex can be your dog while you’re in Haven Woods, okay?” her grandma rasped.
Rowan nodded. “Okay,” she said again. She put the key in the pocket of her school blazer.
Her grandma sighed and lay back against the pillows, every movement clearly painful.
“Mom,” Paula said, “do you want us to sit with you a little longer?”
And then
(weird weird have you started your period weirdo)
said, “Well, if you’d like to do that, Paula, I could take Rowan home with me for the night.”
Rowan gave her mother a wide-eyed, meaningful stare.
“No, Paula, don’t bother. I’m just going to fall asleep here. You two go and settle in at the house,” Audra said, and closed her eyes.
Paula put her arm around Rowan. “Okay, I’ll come back in the morning. And I’ll try and talk to the doctor then.”
She kissed her mother and Rowan heard her say, “I’m glad I came. And I’m staying.” Her grandmother’s eyes opened at that, but it was Rowan she looked at. There was something unsettling in her gaze. Rowan wondered what it was that she and her mom weren’t getting.
Just before Izzy closed the door on Audra, she poked her head back inside and cleared her throat delicately until Audra opened her eyes.
“I’ll take good care of the girls,” Izzy said.
“Leave. Them. Be.”
Izzy smiled gently, and with just a touch of the true friend she used to be, said, “It’s not just up to me.”
FOUR
I T WAS NIGHTTIME IN H AVEN W OODS . Lights had popped on inside living rooms, glowing through freshly hung summer drapes. TV sets were tuned to CSI and House , the hour-longs of prime time. Streetlamps illuminated roofs and cast a shadow over broad lawns—tidy, green, the sort of lawns that would feel good on bare feet in a month or so. All the cars in the driveways were SUVs and minivans.
Izzy Riley drove courteously behind the junior Wittmores until they reached Audra’s dark house. She waited in the car while they found the key under the pot of pansies on the front porch, and then gave them a cheery wave as they stepped inside, glad they could not see the expression on her face. Izzy was weary.
At home she turned out the light she had left burning in the foyer and climbed slowly up the stairs to her bedroom, Tansy at her heels. At one time it had been her and Roger’s bedroom, but Roger had been dead about five years. Heart attack
(or something)
Sometimes she missed him, sometimes she didn’t.
She stepped out of her shoes, then dropped them into her closet and stripped to her bra and panties. She put on her robe. The cat jumped on the bed, used to the ritual, and curled up. Tansy would sleep a few hours and then wake to do whatever dirty work
Ro’s eyes lit up. “Sure I will!”
Her grandmother nodded. “Good girl. His name is Old Tex. Paula, will you get my purse out of the cupboard for me?”
“Sure.”
As her mom went to the cupboard, Audra leaned towards Rowan and whispered, “I have something for you.”
“Grandma, you sound like you have a cold.”
Her grandma chuckled weakly and their eyes met, then
(just for a second)
there was an odd reflecting—a flash, like light. Then it was gone. Her mom handed over the handbag and her grandmother took out a small change purse and squeezed it open. From inside she pulled out a key. She held it up. To Paula and Mrs. Riley she said, “This is a secret between me and my granddaughter, ladies, so no listening in.” She grinned. Her first real one.
Rowan leaned in eagerly, turning her head so that her ear was close to her grandmother’s mouth.
“This key is for a box under my bed. It’s a blue box. There’s a new collar in there for Tex. It’s red and it’s … decorated. Can you put it on him?”
“Okay,” she whispered back. She took the key.
“Old Tex can be your dog while you’re in Haven Woods, okay?” her grandma rasped.
Rowan nodded. “Okay,” she said again. She put the key in the pocket of her school blazer.
Her grandma sighed and lay back against the pillows, every movement clearly painful.
“Mom,” Paula said, “do you want us to sit with you a little longer?”
And then
(weird weird have you started your period weirdo)
said, “Well, if you’d like to do that, Paula, I could take Rowan home with me for the night.”
Rowan gave her mother a wide-eyed, meaningful stare.
“No, Paula, don’t bother. I’m just going to fall asleep here. You two go and settle in at the house,” Audra said, and closed her eyes.
Paula put her arm around Rowan. “Okay, I’ll come back in the morning. And I’ll try and talk to the doctor then.”
She kissed her mother and Rowan heard her say, “I’m glad I came. And I’m staying.” Her grandmother’s eyes opened at that, but it was Rowan she looked at. There was something unsettling in her gaze. Rowan wondered what it was that she and her mom weren’t getting.
Just before Izzy closed the door on Audra, she poked her head back inside and cleared her throat delicately until Audra opened her eyes.
“I’ll take good care of the girls,” Izzy said.
“Leave. Them. Be.”
Izzy smiled gently, and with just a touch of the true friend she used to be, said, “It’s not just up to me.”
FOUR
I T WAS NIGHTTIME IN H AVEN W OODS . Lights had popped on inside living rooms, glowing through freshly hung summer drapes. TV sets were tuned to CSI and House , the hour-longs of prime time. Streetlamps illuminated roofs and cast a shadow over broad lawns—tidy, green, the sort of lawns that would feel good on bare feet in a month or so. All the cars in the driveways were SUVs and minivans.
Izzy Riley drove courteously behind the junior Wittmores until they reached Audra’s dark house. She waited in the car while they found the key under the pot of pansies on the front porch, and then gave them a cheery wave as they stepped inside, glad they could not see the expression on her face. Izzy was weary.
At home she turned out the light she had left burning in the foyer and climbed slowly up the stairs to her bedroom, Tansy at her heels. At one time it had been her and Roger’s bedroom, but Roger had been dead about five years. Heart attack
(or something)
Sometimes she missed him, sometimes she didn’t.
She stepped out of her shoes, then dropped them into her closet and stripped to her bra and panties. She put on her robe. The cat jumped on the bed, used to the ritual, and curled up. Tansy would sleep a few hours and then wake to do whatever dirty work
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