Kelly Jo (13 page)

Chapter Thirty

Wonderful,
was Jack's terse thought. 
Not only do I have to find a way to break into an apartment I don't live in and locate the key to her apartment, now I have to explain the state of her...
He shook off the thought, determined to try to salvage some semblance of rationale.

"Hey, hey, hey," he soothed quietly, his mind racing to come up with an acceptable, or at least semi-believable explanation.  "Don't tell me you don't remember?"  He laughed and stroked back the hair from the left side of her face as her eyes held his.  "The contest?  Our bet about which one of us would win?"  He laughed again, hoping his ability to bluff passed close scrutiny.  "Wow, I guess that celebratory champagne we toasted with had more of a kick than I thought it did if you've already forgotten. You're so adorable when you're tipsy." His smile, meant to disarm, failed miserably. 

She half-stared and half-glared at him.  "I'm not tipsy," she said flatly. "What on earth are you talking about?"

He gave her a half smile and shook his finger in her face.  "Very clever, Kelly Jo, but I'm not buying it.  You just want me to tell you all over again how great you are, how everybody fell all over themselves when you started singing."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed slightly and her voice was amused annoyance.  "Oh, is that right?  Well, tell me again anyway, Dean."

Floored at both her unreadable reaction and the fact that she'd just called him 'Dean', Jack tried not to stutter.  "You were incredible," he said honestly.  "I couldn't believe..."

"Yeah," she interrupted, folding her arms across her chest and leaning sideways against the wall to watch him.  Now her voice dripped laughter.  "I'll just bet you couldn't."

"Um...what?"

"I think I get it now," she said and stood straight, but relief flooded him when he saw the smile that played on her lips.  "This is some sort of payback for me putting you on the spot last weekend at the Haywood Cafe, for making you read that poor guy's god-awful poetry to the open-mic crowd because he was too shy to read it himself.  Right?" 

"Maybe," he answered lightly, hoping like crazy that she'd elaborate a lot more and praying she'd call him Jack.  Who the hell was Dean and what role did he play in this?   Jack would be more than happy to switch places with him. 

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," she said, but giggled, lost her balance and went backward against her door as though given a slight push, but hard enough for the key to come clinking down from overhead the top molding.

Jack grabbed the key just before it hit the floor, aware that it was too coincidental, and muttered, "Thank you, Robert."  He wasn't sure why Robert would lend any kind of helping hand and had trouble reconciling why Robert had clearly warned him against being Kelly Jo's partner-in-crime but conversely had answered, right before they fled the school, Kelly Jo's questioned
'who are you?'
with
'a friend'
.

He slipped the old fashioned brass key into the lock and turned both it and the doorknob.   He had no idea what he was about to find inside but he hoped he'd be spared any more surprises tonight.  In his humble but irritated opinion he'd endured more than enough surprises and curveballs for anybody, for any lifetime. 

He stepped to the side and Kelly Jo brushed past him to go into her apartment.  She flicked a switch to her immediate right, the result an instant soft glow from a tall table lamp several feet ahead beside the dark green sofa.

The living room was large and airy but with little furniture on the hardwood floor, Jack noted, just a mismatched sofa and blue wing chair plus the table and lamp.  A small television sat on an old bureau that could use refinishing.  Extra tall windows ran nearly the width of the front wall, with a wooden window seat along their entire length.

Kelly Jo headed to a door on her left.  "Why don't you pour us some tea while I get out of this...these..." her voice trailed off in distaste as she headed toward what Jack assumed was her bedroom.  "Sure you don't want to go and get something else on your feet so you don't get heel blisters?" she called out.

"I'm sure," he answered, closing the door and tossing the key onto the table beside the lamp.  He'd love to get something comfy on his aching feet, even if it was just a nice thick pair of socks but he had no intention of making a show of getting into the basement apartment.  Somehow he doubted Robert would be Johnny-on-the-spot with a key twice in ten minutes.

Moonlight that streamed through the white blinds of the kitchen's two double windows vanished when Jack found and flipped the wall switch.  He blinked twice.  An apartment size refrigerator and stove flanked a short, narrow laminate countertop that held a small sink and sat on aging oak cabinets.  Two wall cabinets above the sink matched the bottom ones.  The appliances weren't new but they were avocado green, something he'd only seen in retro themed television shows.  The wall telephone with its long winding cord perfectly matched the color of the appliances.  He could see why the popularity of the shade had worn out its welcome.

Dressed now in loose fitting gray sweatpants, matching sweatshirt and white socks, Kelly Jo came into the kitchen behind him.  Her blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that hung just below her shoulders.  "Quick as always, I see," she said and laughed, gesturing for Jack to take one of two spindled chairs at the small round oak table.  "Ice?" she asked and when he shook his head she set the glasses on the table.  She grabbed a pitcher of tea from the refrigerator, poured some into both glasses and put the pitcher back before nudging Jack's glass over to him.

"Okay, sweet pea," she said after a long sip of tea.  "Start talking."

Jack hoped his face was nonchalant and she couldn't hear his heart pounding.  "About what?  The tea?"  He took a long swig, then smacked his lips.  "It's
wonderful!
"

She was not amused  "Oh, no, you don't, Dean.  You're not getting off that easily," she chided.  "I want to know exactly how you persuaded me to sing in front of people,
where
, and why I don't remember it.  Start with how you convinced me to wear that...outfit."  Her cheeks blushed a soft shade of pink.  "If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't remember a thing after I met you downtown this evening for dinner and to go to the park."

"Oh," was all he could respond, rattled that she had a time blank she assumed he was about to fill in for her.  How could he possibly explain in a way that wouldn't scare or freak her out, or, worse, in a way that didn't tick him off all over again remembering all the things she'd done to him and caused to happen to him?  And who the hell was Dean and what was their relationship?  Friends?  More than friends?  Judging from how comfortable she seemed when he gently touched her face they were definitely either in a romantic relationship or well on their way to being in one. 
Lucky Dean
came the unbidden thought that he tried to shake off as soon as he realized that Kelly Jo stirred him in ways he hadn't expected.  His gaze held her questioning sky blue one and he wondered if maybe the truth or at least a little bit of that truth might be an interesting starting point.  Maybe it was worth a try. 

He cleared his throat.  "Kelly Jo, this is going to sound..."

Both of their heads turned toward the soft knock on her door.  For a second, neither of them moved, but Kelly Jo's expression saddened, as though the knock was no surprise.

Jack drew a quick breath.  Was it Robert with the 'your time is up' brigade, come to drag him off and leave Kelly Jo with a paranormal experience she'd later share with Jerry Springer's audience?  No, he knew that if Robert wanted to make a memorable entrance he was capable of a much better one than anyone here could ever imagine or describe.   Besides, Kelly Jo couldn't possibly be sad about something she was unaware was about to happen.

She rose but Jack was faster.  "I'll get it," he told her and headed for the door, knowing full well he'd have no idea who was at the door even if they greeted him like a long lost son.

He didn't bother calling out, "Who's there?" because the answer would be useless to him.  Instead, he simply opened the door. 

A little boy of about seven, with tousled brown hair and wearing slightly tattered blue pajamas stood there, ignoring Jack and looking directly up at Kelly Jo who had followed Jack to the door.

"Matty," she said softly, bending down.  "Is everything..."

The child threw himself into her arms, wrapped small arms around her neck and buried his head in her shoulder.  "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Jack stood stock still, knowing for certain that the event Kelly Jo came back to change had to now be within hours of happening.  How could he possibly know if any choice that he made or was about to make during this critical point in time would be the right one?  What if he made the wrong choice or choices and his actions only made the catastrophic event that Kelly Jo caused that much worse?

For the first time, real fear gripped him.

Chapter Thirty One

"Of course you can," Kelly Jo said with soft assurance.  "Does he know you left?"

Matty shook his head with it still buried in Kelly Jo's shoulder, and answered, "He's...sleeping," which Jack took, from the unhappy, hesitant way it was said, to mean 'he passed out'.  Matty  raised his head to look at Jack.  "I'm sorry, Dean.  I know I promised to try to be quiet and stay out of the way."

Jack swallowed hard, his voice temporarily lost. 
Seems everyone recognized him as Dean. 
Was this little boy apologizing to him for somehow being a problem or trouble?  "You're always welcome to be in the way, kiddo," he joked and gently ruffled the boy's hair. 
Why was this child here, what role would he play and how did it involve Jack?

Kelly Jo raised up and so did Matty, but he took Kelly Jo's hand.  Kelly Jo threw Jack an odd look then smiled at Matty and led him into the living room.  "You're
never
in the way, Matty, and you know we're always happy to see you. 
Anytime.
"

Kelly Jo sat Matty on the dark green sofa and then bent down, her hands on her knees.  "It's late, honey, have you had dinner? Are you hungry?"

"I had a bowl of cereal," he answered, and Jack saw the lean look of someone who rarely has what most people would consider steady meals.  "I can wait until breakfast," he said politely, but Kelly Jo was already on her way to the kitchen and gestured for Jack to follow.

She grabbed bread, peanut butter and grape jelly and a small plate while Jack waited for her to speak.  She instructed, "Pour a half glass of milk," and he did.  When she'd started making the sandwich she finally looked over at him.  "Please don't go down there," she said in a softly pleading voice.  "Matty let it slip the last time that his father took it out on him when you showed him sympathy and kindness.  I think Charlie Bradford has been through a really tough time since his wife ran off and left him and Matty, and I think he's insecure and jealous of your easy relationship with Matty.   I think it's best if you let me continue as the go-between with your rent.  I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to have another face-to-face with him, even if he's sober enough this time to remember you.  He's unpredictable with Matty...sometimes he tries to act like a real father...other times..." she trailed.

Jack stood silently.  So the boy lived in the downstairs apartment, and Dean, the persona that Jack had assumed, or, rather, that he'd been dropped into, in the basement apartment.  He didn't know why or how, but he was sure the unfolding events would revolve around, or at the very least, include, Matty.  Was Matty supposed to die and Kelly Jo saved him?  Was he supposed to live and her actions got the little boy killed instead?  He frowned, lost in thought while Kelly Jo watched his face.  Robert had said that Kelly Jo caused someone to die that wasn't supposed to die, and his gut feeling was that this child's life was on course to end tonight, and he guessed the tragedy would come from violence at his father's hand.  He fought off welling tears.  How could he stand by and do nothing if he was right, if he saw that unfolding in front of him?  And, he thought with growing anger, if he had been a natural part of this long ago event from the outset, why the hell hadn't Robert told him that fact or enabled his memory of it?  Instead, all the big angel had done was warn him not to help Kelly Jo and that if he was unsuccessful at stopping her, he was absolutely not to interfere when the events began.  One thought he tried to block completely was that he, Jack, had actually caused this little boy's death and that's why Robert wouldn't allow him to remember, in order to eliminate any possibility of Jack altering what was the fated path.

"Answer me, please," Kelly Jo insisted, snapping Jack back to reality.  "Why did you say what you did and make Matty think that he's in the way up here?  He was telling you that he did what he promised you, that he tries to be quiet and avoid any argument with his father whenever he can.  I could tell by how his face dropped that he was crushed.  He adores you."

"I...I...I'm sorry," he said, taking the plate with the finished sandwich from her.  "I didn't mean it that way..."

Kelly Jo's smile was soft. "I know you didn't, and I don't think you'll have too much trouble soothing his bruised feelings.  It's just that he hears so many bad things downstairs and this apartment has become the only safe haven for him, especially when he needs to hide out for a little while."