Wedding Tea Read online

  I know it isn’t advertised as such, but it is what it is.

  It starts about midthigh, and is a one-piece flesh-colored thing magically attached to anything important. I’m not even sure how it works. It’s pretty much backless and the sides are cut away. The sales woman said something about silicone, and it forming to your shape, and the warmth of your body creates the perfect environment for the system — yes, she called it a system — to mold to you and not move. Teagan said when I have the dress over it, everything will be fine.

  Ever notice the less fabric in underwear, the more expensive it is?

  My credit card took a major hit. Teagan decided as long as we were there, she would shop for a minute or two, and her card took a bigger hit than mine. We decided to console ourselves with lunch. I ate enough that my fancy underwear is gonna be harder to pull on.

  When we got to the house, we were laughing about the underwear saleswoman insisting we discuss a plan for using the bathroom on my wedding day. She explained although there are arrangements built into the system, it takes a little practice to utilize the evacuation element of the system without — I swear to God, this is what she said — without a little rogue tinkle ruining your day.

  Two O’Flynn women, a little food drunk, talking about rogue tinkles, can get out of hand.

  We had a cup of tea and talked about wedding plans.

  Teagan’s of the opinion we should make some kind of arch to be married under. I’m of the opinion that’s overdoing it.

  Since the wedding itself will be held on our neighbor’s property, I decided to go upstairs and look over the back fence to see if I could picture the whole scene in my head. Teagan’s better at all things spatial. She can back her car up as well as she can drive it forward. I don’t do reverse unless I have to. I’m not spatial at all.

  Teagan allowed as how she would put the kettle on for a celebratory cup of tea when she is proved right, all the while claiming she’s still too full to be bothered running upstairs. The truth is, she can argue her point better from downstairs because I’ll have to try to imagine it all again.

  I opened the window to get a better look.

  At exactly the moment it dawned on me the alarm didn’t go off when I opened the window, I heard someone behind me.

  I whipped around.

  “Barry? What are you doing here?”

  I know. Probably the most stupid question in the history of man.

  “We have a little unfinished business, Cara. Who’s downstairs?”

  “Teagan.”

  “Get rid of her, or I’ll kill you both.”

  I wasn’t sure just how he expected this to work. Once Teagan finds out he’s in the house, she isn’t going to leave, and if she doesn’t know he’s in the house, why would she leave?

  He obviously doesn’t know my sister at all.

  Just then, I heard Teagan on the stairs. Barry stepped back behind the door. I didn’t see a weapon, but based on our last encounter, he really doesn’t need one.

  I was trying to figure out if the two of us could take him. I know — from personal experience — I can’t win a fight with him on my own, but Teagan is much more physical than I am.

  She only walked as far as the doorway. “Was I right?”

  I couldn’t think. I had to get rid of Teagan. If I die, I can live with that. If he hurts Teagan, I won’t survive. If there was a single moment in time, over all the time of my entire life, that I needed our sisterly telepathy thing to work, now would be the time.

  I tried to keep my voice calm. “Dingleberry, you’re always right.”

  Teagan didn’t argue. Did she notice? She didn’t even flinch. Was she listening to me at all?

  “Are you coming down for your tea?”

  “You know what? I’m done. I’m gonna take a nap. It’s been so busy the last couple of weeks. I’ve got a killer headache. How about we do dinner later?”

  “Okay, but you’ll sleep better with a cup. I’ll go make you one, and then I’ll go. You know Suzi and Evelyn will be home in, like, ten minutes. You aren’t going to get much of a nap.”

  Why did she bring Suzi and Evelyn into it? She knew they weren’t going to be home until three. Did she know what was going on? How could she know?

  Teagan tromped down the stairs.

  Why would Barry let her leave?

  He said to get rid of her, and she wasn’t leaving fast enough.

  Maybe he’d just kill me and run. That would be better.

  Maybe Teagan could still get out alive if I played by his rules.

  Or maybe not.

  I was trying hard to think, but my whole body was freaking out.

  All the parts of me Barry hurt last time started to hurt again.

  I decided to stall.

  When in doubt, stall them out.

  That couldn’t be one of my mother’s sayings, but I didn’t have time to figure out where I learned it.

  I made sure not to be too loud. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to warn Teagan, and whack out and go crazy. Crazier. “Barry. How did you get out of jail?”

  “I wasn’t in jail. Because of you, I was in prison. A shithole. For the rest of my life.”

  Every part of me wanted to argue. I didn’t put him in jail. He put himself in jail, and unfortunately, it wasn’t for the rest of his life.

  I decided not to argue either point.

  Before I had time to think of something brilliant to say, Barry hissed at me. “Me and two other guys were moved to the jail for some court shit that had nothing to do with me. Computer screw-up. Must have been. I went with it. Kept my mouth shut. They were processing us. Not really paying attention to me like they do at the prison. I left. Walked out a fire door. I thought when I hit the door, an alarm would go off and they’d shoot me in the back. I was ready for that. But no alarm went off.”

  His smile was more terrifying than his normal ugly face. I used to think he was so good-looking. Before he married Suzi. I was actually kind of jealous she’d found someone that was so nice and kind and loved her so much.

  Looking back, I can see how it wasn’t love. It was obsession. But at the time …

  “They’re looking for the guy they thought was there when it was really me. I got some time before they figure it out.”

  Great. We had all kinds of things set in place should Barry be released. It never dawned on any of us he would escape. Escaping under someone else’s name means even if we did have something in place, it wouldn’t have worked.

  Roland’s guys or the cops or a guy in a shiny metal suit on a white horse are not going to show up.

  “Why not just run? You could be halfway across the country before they figure it out. You could go to Mexico. Maybe Los Angeles. There are a lot of people there. You could blend in.”

  “They aren’t gonna let me blend in. I made ’em look like fools. You can do a lot of shit to a lot of people, but when you make them look stupid, it gets real personal. They aren’t gonna let me go.” He seemed to drift off for a second. Not asleep — I’m not that lucky — just lost in thought. If he did it again, maybe I could grab something and break his head into little pieces like he did mine.

  He shook his head and looked more evil than he had when I first saw him.

  “So what are you going to do?” My voice sounded so calm. Even to my own ears. I know I’m freaking out, but I don’t need him to know.

  I read a book once, and it referred to a totally insane guy as having a feral smile. At the time, I thought that feral meant cats without a home. Mom and I were talking about it over a cup of tea, and she explained that it also means ferocious or maybe brutal. Barry’s smile was feral on steroids. It made my stomach turn. “I’m gonna take care of some old business. Then I’m gonna see my wife and kid. Then I got to make a plan.”

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  “My wife.”

  “Suzi?”

  “She is my wife.”

  I didn’t bother t
o point out that they were divorced now. “Suzi told you where we live?”

  “We have a kid, Cara. I have a right to know about my kid. Suzi wouldn’t bring her to me, so I came to her.”

  “Don’t you think the police will figure it out? They’re probably on their way.”

  “This won’t take long. That bitch sister of yours said they’re on their way home. I can wait ten minutes. I’ve been waiting for more than a year. You just get your sister out of the house, and we’ll see how it works out. You might live. If you’re smart.” He ran his hand over my left breast. His breath stank. He was shaking. Not with fear, with rage.

  Not good.

  I could hear Teagan coming back up the steps. “Rory is on his way over to Kirsten’s house. You know that cute friend of his that was at my office? He thinks he should introduce him to Suzi. He likes kids. He’d be a good father for Evelyn.”

  What the hell was Teagan talking about? Rory? Who’s Kirsten? Why bring up Suzi and Evelyn again?

  As Teagan was coming in the door, with the biggest cup I’ve got in the house — it’s actually for serving soup, not drinking tea — Barry moved out of the shadows toward her. I didn’t even have time to scream a warning.

  Without hesitation, Teagan threw the tea in the soup cup right in Barry’s face. He screamed. I screamed. Teagan kicked Barry in the crotch so hard I’m sure body parts lodged in his throat.

  “The cops and Roland’s guys are on their way.” Teagan sounded calm. Well, more pissed off than calm, but not scared. “How did Barry get here?”

  “You knew?”

  “I saw someone in the crack of the door when I came up. I didn’t know it was Barry at first, but when you said you had a killer headache, I figured it out.”

  “Oh. My. God. I’m smarter than I thought. I didn’t even know I’d said that. I mean, as a clue.”

  Barry was still screaming, but now he was throwing up. Hard to do at the same time.

  “My tea must be really hot.” Even I knew I wasn’t making any sense. Talking about tea at a time like this? Really?

  “I put boiling water in the microwave and made sure it’s as hot as water can get. I’m not sure if it’s the burn making him scream or when I kicked him. I surprised him, so maybe his eyes were open. With any luck, I blinded the bastard.”

  The reality of the situation hit me.

  I gave serious consideration to fainting. Actually, I was all hot and cold at the same time. I felt like I was sweaty. I don’t sweat. Everything started going a little fuzzy.

  Just then, all hell broke loose. We heard guys running up the stairs. Cops. Thank God. Barry was still screaming. Teagan, who had positioned herself between Barry and me as soon as she’d gotten in one good kick, was getting out of the way so she didn’t get shot or something.

  My knees went weak, and I found the floor. I didn’t pass out. I just didn’t stand up anymore.

  By the time Roland’s guys got there, the cops had everything figured out. They called an ambulance for Barry, although Teagan pointed out he didn’t deserve it.

  How can cops be so circumspect about things like that?

  Teagan offered to look the other way if they wanted to kick Barry again. When they declined, she offered to kick him herself. They didn’t go for that, either.

  They even called him sir when they zip-tied him.

  I know they call it something else. Rory explained it to me once. Flexi-cuffs, maybe? They’re like big zip ties, but they’re reinforced and have metal in the clip thingy.

  As long as he can’t get out of them, I don’t care what they use.

  I felt like a coward, especially with a bunch of cops there, but I didn’t go anywhere near Barry. I headed straight to the kitchen. Pretty much to hide in the place I feel most comfortable.

  It was a mistake.

  By the time they got Barry into the ambulance and shut the doors, A.J. came screeching up.

  I got this all from Teagan, but basically, A.J. came flying down the street. He saw an ambulance and cops and even Teagan, but he didn’t see me.

  What was he to assume? He assumed I was in the ambulance.

  Only for a second.

  Teagan ran to him and said everything was fine.

  But for that second, he thought at best we had a do-over of when Barry kicked the crap out of me. Or maybe I was just dead.

  Teagan cried when she told me about it. She said the look on A.J.’s face tore her in two.

  I heard Teagan yell for me at the same moment I saw A.J. appear in the big doorway from the kitchen.

  First, he hugged me so tight it was like when I almost drowned that time and my mother pulled me out of the water. Before she grounded me for a month — which I totally didn’t deserve — she squeezed all the air out of me and kissed my face a bunch of times.

  Exactly what A.J. did.

  He pulled away. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they touch you? What happened? I just got a message you hit the panic button.”

  “Teagan did. I’m fine. I’m not hurt. Where are Suzi and the baby?”

  “They stayed with Gran. I didn’t let them come because I wasn’t sure what was going on. When I tried calling you, no answer. I knew Teagan would be with you today, so I called her, no answer. I drove over here like … ” He stopped himself. “What happened?”

  “Barry … ”

  “Barry? What the hell? Barry’s in prison.”

  “Barry escaped.”

  A.J. sat down with a thunk. “It was bad enough when I thought it was those kids. That’s what I thought when I drove up. I thought those kids got in the house and did something stupid. I never thought it was Barry.”

  The cops needed to talk to me.

  Maybe because Rory is my brother, and he’s a cop. Maybe because A.J. wasn’t with me when everything happened. Maybe because Mom was looking down, but it was nothing like they show on TV. The cops were so kind to me. They let A.J. sit with me while I told them what happened. They asked the same questions forty different ways. They let me have tea. They talked to Teagan separately, but by then, Jessie was at the house, and they let him sit with Teagan.

  Somewhere in the middle there, they allowed A.J. to call Suzi. He told her a very scrubbed version, but knew she would see on TV Barry had escaped, and he wanted her to know Barry was back in custody and nobody was hurt.

  Cops have a way of getting everything out of you.

  Everything.

  When I was telling the cops, moment by slow-motion moment what happened, I included the part where Barry told me Suzi had told him where we live.

  I’ve never seen that look on A.J.’s face before.

  I wasn’t sure if he thought I was lying — why would I lie? — or if Barry was lying — he had every reason in the world to lie — but if he was lying, how did he find out so quickly where we live?

  A.J. didn’t say a word, but I could tell, we have a big problem.

  Big.

  I’m just not sure which problem we have.

  When the cops were done with us, it was Roland’s security team up at bat. They were actually impressed with how Teagan had handled herself. They made it quick since it really wasn’t their problem. The cops were there doing cop things, and as Roland’s people always say, nobody is as good at cop things as cops.

  I wasn’t hungry at all, but once all the official people were gone, Jessie and A.J. insisted Teagan and I eat. I offered to cook breakfast foods — it was about all I was capable of — but Jessie said he would go get drive-through and be back. Teagan went with him. I’m not sure if she just didn’t want to be away from him, if she wanted to give A.J. and me some time, or if it was something else.

  My brain still isn’t working fully.

  They probably weren’t out the front door before I apologized to A.J.

  He was instantly livid. “Sorry? For what?”

  “It’s my fault.”

  “How in the hell is it your fault?” I’d never heard him use that tone on me before.
It kind of scared me.

  “I didn’t turn on the alarm.”

  “What?”

  “When I came in the house with Teagan, I didn’t even notice the alarm wasn’t on. Roland’s guys said they checked it. It hasn’t been compromised in any way. You and Suzi left before Teagan and me. It was me. I didn’t turn on the alarm when I left. If I’d turned it on, Barry wouldn’t have been able to get in, or if he’d gotten in, he would have been caught before he was able to corner me. I’m just glad Teagan wasn’t hurt, because if he’d hurt my sister, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  “And what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “If he’d hurt you.”

  “I could live with me getting killed. I’m the one that didn’t turn on the alarm. It’s on me.”

  It was as if someone had punched A.J. in the stomach. Literally. He had a physical reaction. “Oh, God. I … ” He shook his head. “No, I … ”

  “What?”

  “It wasn’t you.”

  “What?”

  “It was Suzi.”

  “What about Suzi?”

  A.J.’s voice was haunted. That’s the only word I can think of. “She didn’t set the alarm.”

  “What are you talking about? You guys left before us.”

  “She came back. She came back to get one of the outfits she was working on for the underwater shoots. She wanted to show it to Gran.”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?” He spat out the words. “That’s it? She could have gotten you killed.”

  “She just forgot.”

  “That’s no excuse.”

  “She doesn’t need an excuse. It was just an accident. She forgot.”

  “Was it an accident she told Barry where we live?”

  “You don’t know she did.”

  “How else would he know?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “He escaped. A computer thing. Right? It’s not like he planned it. He didn’t know he was going to be freed today. He gets out and comes here. He didn’t stop at the damn library or the county clerk’s office to look up our address.”

  “He’s a criminal and a liar. Why would you automatically believe him when you haven’t even talked to your sister yet?”