“Is she asleep?” said Elmo softly, taking a glance at his mother in the rear view mirror.
Macy turned her head to look in the back seat. “I think so.”
After Mallie Mae’s accident in the restaurant, they had made a quick exit. They went to the first convenience store they could find to pick up some adult diapers. Mallie Mae had reluctantly put on a pair. Then they had stopped for hamburgers at a Sonic Drive In.
“She’s been faking, hasn’t she? he said.
Macy was glad it was too dark for Elmo to see her face turning red. “What do you mean?”
“She’s been pretending to have Alzheimer’s.”
“Why would she do that?”
“To drive me and Carsie apart.”
Macy didn’t speak. She looked straight ahead.
“And you were in on it, weren’t you?” said Elmo.
She had dreaded this moment. As soon as Mallie Mae had drafted her into the scheme, Macy knew it would end badly. Any chances she might have had with Elmo were about to evaporate. But she might as well get it over with, she thought. “Yes, I was. I’m sorry, Elmo.”
“It’s okay. I don’t blame you. If you hadn’t played along, she would have fired you. That is, she would have threatened to fire you. But she wouldn’t have actually done it. You’re like a daughter to her. And I guess you’re kind of fond of her too, or you wouldn’t have stayed around for all these years.” He paused for a second. “How many years has it been, Macy?”
“Fifteen.”
“Wow. When you took the job as her nurse you were what? 21 years old?”
“22.”
“I’m surprised you stayed so long. Why didn’t you ever go back to the hospital? They would have gladly taken you back. And you know I would have recommended you highly.”
“Well…”
He finally knew the answer. But how could he have been so clueless? he wondered. Earlier in the evening, on the dance floor, he had seen the love in Macy’s eyes for the first time. Had it been there all along? For fifteen years? They had been great friends, spending most nights watching TV or movies together. At 22, she was a sweet, alluring presence. But because of the age gap, he had forced himself to think of her as a sister. It was the only way he could trick himself into keeping his hands off her. And it helped him quell the powerful fantasies of making love to her.
And why hadn’t she been dating? She should have been married long before now. Maybe a better question was why he had not wondered about these things before. Had he been playing games with himself—and with her? Knowing he couldn’t have her, but not wanting to lose her?
If Macy had not been living in the house, maybe Elmo would have found love years earlier. And if he got married, the wife would probably want Macy to go. Carsie had been aggressive in advancing her relationship with Elmo. She had made him realize he was letting his prime years slip away. He needed to make up for lost time—and she would help him do it. She had replaced Macy as his TV buddy. And she had been relentless in pushing him toward the altar.
“You stayed because of me, didn’t you?” said Elmo.
“Well, I…yes.”
“I’m sorry, Macy. I’ve been so unfair to you. I had feelings for you from day one. But I was 41 then. And you were only 22.”
“I know.”
“I was crazy about you, but it made me feel kinda like a dirty old man. You know?”
“I understand.”
“You were so young and just starting out in life. I figured the last thing you needed was a father figure making passes at you.”
“But I never saw you as a father figure. You were just a kind, intelligent, funny, wonderful man. I never cared about the age difference.”
“So, why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same way. And then it would have been weird for you having me in the house and you’d end up asking me to leave. I couldn’t risk it. I just hoped that someday you’d feel the same way I did.”
Elmo glanced at her. At 37, she was at the height of her beauty and sexual power. He felt incredibly lucky. He would not waste another day. He reached over and picked up her hand and brought it to his lips.
And when he kissed the back of her hand, she knew exactly what he was thinking. He was not going to marry Carsie. Apparently his feelings for Carsie held no comparison to his long-hidden love for Macy.
This was a scenario she had dreamed many times. Elmo finally saw the light, and they would live happily ever after. But this was not a dream. Was it? No, this was real.
Then Macy thought about Mallie Mae. She knew Mallie Mae would be happy about the breakup of Elmo and Carsie. But how would she feel about Elmo and Macy? And what about the accident at the restaurant? Had Mallie Mae faked it? If so, she had left Macy out of the loop. And that would be a first.
Mallie Mae lay content in the back seat with her eyes closed. Now maybe she really would go to sleep.
*
“Where are you taking us?” said one of the women.
“You two are going to spend the rest of your lives in prison,” said one of the others.
“Unless you let us go—now,” said another.
“You old hags better cool it back there. Or I’m gonna let my boyfriend go ahead and shoot you,” said Carnie. “He’s just itching to blow your heads off.”
The women studied Jake. He looked like he really might do it.
Jake was living a nightmare. He should have just gone to the police and turned himself in for the hit and run. He hadn’t meant to kill that man. And he didn’t want to kill these women. But now he was in deep. Carnie had killed a woman in the parking lot, and he knew by Texas law he would be charged with murder too—as though he himself had plunged that screwdriver into that poor woman’s chest. He wouldn’t be any worse off if he shot all four of the old women and Carnie right now. He almost wished he could pull the trigger and get it over with. Maybe after that he’d turn the gun on himself.
Then he remembered the gun was not loaded. And why was he kidding himself? He couldn’t kill anybody. Not on purpose.
“Hey, I know this place,” said one of the women. “It’s the Mobley estate.”
*
“I should have gone with her,” said Cynthia.
Greg was driving above the speed limit. “I’m sure she’s fine. Probably decided to browse around for a while.”
“But why isn’t she answering her cell phone?”
“Maybe there’s no signal. I’ve had trouble with that in certain areas of the store. Sometimes a call just doesn’t go through. And it can be noisy in there. She might not hear it ringing.”
“Oh, no,” said Cynthia.
Red lights were flashing in the Wal-Mart parking lot. When they got closer they could see the ambulance and three Coreyville police cars. There were at least a hundred people trying to get a look.
Greg parked the car and they hurried toward the spectacle.
“No, no, no,” said Cynthia.
“I’m sure it’s not her.”
They made their way through the crowd.
“Look,” said Cynthia, pointing. “There’s her car.”
It was inside the roped area.
“What happened?” said Greg to a man standing with his wife.
“I heard it was an old lady. Somebody stabbed her.”
“Oh, Greg,” said Cynthia as she clutched his arm.
“Come on.” Greg held the rope up while they bent down and went under it.
One of the cops saw them approaching and started walking toward them, holding out his hand, ordering them to stay back.
“We think it might be her mother,” said Greg.
Cynthia started crying. “You’ve got to let me see her.”
“Alright, come on,” said the cop.
When the other officers and paramedics opened a path for them, they could see the body lying on the pavement with a sheet over it.
“No!” Cynthia threw her arms around Greg and pressed her face into his chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably.
“We think it might be her mother. Could you let us see?” said Greg.
Cynthia cried harder.
One of the paramedics uncovered the face.
“It’s not her, Sweetie,” said Greg.
“What? Are you sure?” She turned around. “Oh, thank God.”
A woman had just broken through the crowd and run to the body.
“Oh, Mom!” She knelt down beside the bloody corpse and began to cry.
Greg and Cynthia turned and walked away.
“But where is she?” said Cynthia.