Splintered (16 page)

Hank knew how others saw him. He used that to his advantage. Always a student of human behavior.

Lily Eastin inhaled the rich scent of coffee. Its warmth soothed her frayed nerves. Though she had the opportunity to sleep late, fractured dreams had woken her throughout the night. Unable to lie down any longer, she’d gotten off the couch still exhausted but determined to do something other than trace the cracked paths in the ceiling. This was Lily’s one Saturday off this month. She planned on enjoying a relaxing morning, and held off on jumping right into a shower. That afternoon, she and Maddy would have their mani/pedi appointment.

Maybe hanging out in public will help grease the wheels of civil conversation.

She felt she’d made good headway with Maddy last night. It had started out rocky, but in the end, Lily got Maddy to agree to counseling. Her daughter suffered from the same negative self-esteem Lily did. Seeking professional help was the only way she could think to help her daughter.

After breakfast, Lily planned to borrow Maddy’s computer to search for a list of psychologists in the area. Hopefully, the visits would be covered by her health plan. If so, she just might make an appointment for herself. The coping mechanisms she’d turned to since Tom left seemed to be making things worse, not better.

Lily turned on the kitchen radio and grabbed the egg carton out of the refrigerator. She would whip up a couple of omelets, cut some fresh fruit, and serve it all with a side of toast. Though her nausea had abated somewhat, she still wasn’t very hungry. She’d force herself to eat a few bites, though, as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d made a big breakfast. She and Maddy were always in such a hurry to get on their way in the morning that a Pop-Tart was the easiest thing to grab.

She gave herself a pep talk while cracking the eggs.

Today will be a great day. This will be the day I hold my temper. This will be the day I reconnect with my daughter.

“I Hope You Dance” began playing on the radio. Lily hadn’t heard the song in a long time. She tried to remember who sang the melodic country tune, but couldn’t. She hummed along, thinking back to the time when Maddy would follow her around the house “helping” with the chores.
Maddy would turn in circles, pigtails bouncing, singing songs into a feather duster. She’d replace the lyrics with made-up words when she couldn’t remember them.

Why is it no matter what age Maddy reaches, I always think it’s the hardest one?

She used to say, “If only Maddy were potty trained, life would be simpler.” Yet once that stage was mastered, she’d followed it up with, “When Maddy’s in school for the entire day, things will finally be easier.” Yet that easier time never came. Once Maddy passed one big milestone, another waited right around the corner. It seemed the hurdles only got larger the older she got.

Listening to the words of the song, Lily felt an ache surge inside. Life had never felt like much of a dance to her.

More like the slow beat of a tom-tom drum where every step forward is one more taken in drudgery.

She knew deep down that she
had
settled for the path of least resistance, sitting out most of her life instead of choosing to dance.

The house phone rang. Lily dropped two pieces of bread into the toaster and grabbed the phone off its base. She figured it was just another sales call. Only solicitors seemed to use her home number anymore. She didn’t recognize the name. The caller ID read “Shantel Larson.”

“Hello?” Lily said.

“Hi. May I speak to Maddy Eastin?”

“Sure. One moment.” She hoped it was a school friend calling to check up on Maddy. She walked down the hall and knocked softly on her daughter’s door. After waiting a few seconds, she opened it.

Maddy was awake and staring at the wall. The ceiling fan circled high above her, blowing wisps of hair against her cheeks. She was wrapped in her polka-dot sheets but had both feet sticking out from underneath. Lily smiled. Maddy had always slept with her feet uncovered. With the air-conditioner as antiquated as the house they lived in, having socks on or keeping them covered at night made her too hot. Maddy had always said her feet regulated her entire body temperature.

“There’s a call for you. A Shantel Larson?”

Maddy held out her hand for the phone. Her brow furrowed.

“Is that one of your friends?” Lily asked.

Maddy ignored her question. She turned her attention to the person on the phone.

Lily bent over to pick a shirt off the floor. As a stall tactic, she continued grabbing the clothes strewn around the room. If Maddy found it hard opening up to her, maybe Lily could divine something by listening to the one-way conversation.

“Yes? This is Maddy Eastin.”

Lily snuck a peek over her shoulder and watched as a smile spread across Maddy’s face.

“Are you serious? . . . No . . . I mean, yes.” Maddy listened intently and then said, “If you think it would help someone else, sure . . . The rules, huh?”

Maddy sat up and gave Lily a look. She always knew when Maddy was trying to figure something out. Her eyes would get all squinty and she would pull in her bottom lip with her front teeth and gnaw on it.

Maddy grabbed a pen off her nightstand. Lily saw her look around for paper to write on.

“Give me a sec,” Maddy said into the phone.

Lily grabbed a piece of scrap paper off the dresser and handed it to her. Maddy took it and then frowned, shooing Lily away with a hand gesture. When Lily didn’t move, Maddy stood up and walked over to the door, then opened it with a glare.

Lily slowly made her way over as Maddy turned and pressed the paper against the wall, the pen poised over it. “Okay, I’m ready.” She wrote something down. “Sure, I can call you back this afternoon . . . Yeah . . . Thanks.”

Maddy ended the call and yanked on Lily’s arm, pulling her back into the center of the bedroom. “You won’t believe who that was!” Maddy stared at the phone still cradled in her hand like it was a shining talisman.

“I’ll go out on a limb and say . . . Shantel Larson?”

Maddy rolled her eyes. “Duh, obviously. Miss Larson is the executive producer for Channel 3 News. She wants to interview me! Can you believe it? She said my story could impact other kids and that—”

“Wait a minute, Maddy. Slow down and start from the beginning.”

Maddy sighed. “The shit hit the fan—”

“Language.”

Maddy threw her hands up in frustration, but quickly started over. “When the kids at school found out I made up the story about the attempted abduction, they turned on me. You have no idea how much Friday sucked. It was a never-ending stream of bullying, and when I got home, the harassment continued online.”

“What?” Lily dropped her armload of clothes. She didn’t understand why Maddy hadn’t told her about it.

“Yeah. My Facebook and other social networking sites were full of threats and cruel slurs. Some kids even linked to a story about the hoax on the Channel 3 News website. You should’ve seen the awful things people were saying about me. I only wanted to tell my side of the story. It wasn’t fair that strangers were talking smack about me. So I posted my own comment.”

“You did
what
?”

“Mom, you have no idea how hard it’s been. I thought if I could just share my side of the story, explain why I made up the abduction scare, then people would get off my back. That’s how the news station found out I was the girl involved in the case.”

“You used your real name? Your address?”

“Only on the sign-up sheet. I had to. To post a comment, it’s mandatory. Lots of sites have adopted that policy. Removing the anonymity cuts down on the number of haters. Well, in theory.”

“Random commenters don’t care about your side of the story, Maddy. They only want a forum to spew their own opinions. You thought a paragraph or two would change their minds?”

“Yeah, Mom. I did. It made a big impact on Miss Larson. She wants to get my story out.”

“What do you mean? What kind of story?”

“Well, if you give me a second, I’ll tell you.”

Lily sank down on the bed and reminded herself to hold her temper.

“Thank you.” Maddy sat down next to her. “Miss Larson read what I wrote online. She said it moved her. Bullying is a hot topic these days, and she thinks she can use my story to help others who are going through the same situation. Miss Larson told me she’s tired of reporting on school shootings after the fact and that with my help we might be able to stop the senseless violence.”

“She doesn’t think you’re going to turn a gun on your classmates, does she? Because if that’s what she’s implying—”

“No, Mom. Get real. It’s just that school violence is a real threat. Putting out a story showing the effects of bullying might make kids think twice before doing it. I mean, it’s worth a shot. Isn’t it?” Maddy cocked her head to the side, seemingly imploring Lily to be on her side just one time.

“I don’t know, Maddy. There’s a reason it’s against the law for the media to use a minor’s name in connection with a criminal case. Don’t you think all the attention might be overwhelming? Detective Wallace assured me that your name would stay out of the press, but now look at you, going and volunteering yourself like a sacrificial lamb.”

“Mom, I have to do
something.
I can’t sit back and simply take everything the kids at school dish out. I’m tired of being a victim. I’m tired of everyone making decisions for me. I feel like I’m just being dragged along for the ride. I’m ready to dig my heels in and say
no more.
”

Lily was stirred by her daughter’s impassioned words. Maddy sounded more grown-up than her fifteen years. A lot had happened these past few months, causing her to mature way too fast.

What if talking about the situation is exactly what she needs to turn everything around? It might prove empowering.

“The news segment wouldn’t talk about how you made up the whole abduction, would they, Maddy? I’d hate for you to bring more unwanted attention to yourself. What if this story increases public pressure on the State Attorney to file charges against you?”

“That won’t happen after they hear my side. Miss Larson said this interview will help everyone understand my motives, that they’ll fall in love with me. Of course, the segment would have to
touch
on the abduction hoax, but Miss Larson assured me it wouldn’t be the main focus. It would only be used for context, so people would understand why the bullying started. What if I—”

The sound of Lily’s ringing phone interrupted them. She groaned and stood up. Maddy trailed behind her into the living room.

“Mom, can I do it? I have to have permission from a parent.”

“One minute, Maddy. I need to take this. It could be important.”

“But Mom—”

Lily picked the phone up and turned away so she could hear the caller. “Hello?”

“Sorry to bother you at home, Lily.” It was her boss. “But I need you to come in today.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No. Holly and Michael went home sick, and their shifts just started.”

“Can’t you find someone else to cover? I’m in the middle of something here.”

“I would if I could, but you’re the only one left. It seems some kind of bug is going around.”

“Yeah, a lazy bug,” Lily mumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing. Fine. I’ll be there in a half hour.” Lily slammed the phone down.

“Let me guess,” Maddy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Another mother/daughter day canceled.”

Lily felt like the worst parent in the world. No matter how good her intentions were, she always managed to let her daughter down. She wished that, just once, she could watch Maddy’s face light up and know that she was the one who’d brought her joy.

“Two people have gone home sick,” she said. “Nobody else will come in to cover the shifts. Saturday will be busy enough as it is, and with two people down it will be near impossible to run the store. I have to go in. I’ll call the employees who have the late shift. Maybe one of them will do me a solid and come in early. I’ll try to be home as soon as I can. We can still go out for dinner.”

“Forget it. I knew you’d come up with some excuse not to spend time with me.”

“Maddy, please. I’m sorry.” A thought popped into Lily’s head. Her instincts told her to keep her mouth shut, but the guilt weighing her down was too persuasive. “What if I give you permission to do the news segment?”

Maddy’s mouth dropped open. She grabbed her mom’s hands and squealed. “Really? You mean it? You’ll let me do it?”

Lily nodded her head. The sheer happiness Maddy exhibited as she jumped up and down was almost enough to stamp out the guilt for taking that all-too-familiar path of least resistance.

After a few quick kisses that Ben tried to stretch into something more, Emma jumped into the shower. It might be a Saturday, but criminals didn’t take the weekend off. She was next up in the rotation and had to rush out to Valrico, a small city fourteen miles east of Tampa. There had been a shooting.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, her employer, was in charge of enforcing the law in the unincorporated areas of the county. They’d received a 911 call about a domestic disturbance from a next-door neighbor who had overheard the fight. A second, more frantic call had been made after that same neighbor heard a gunshot. The first officer to arrive on the scene had confirmed a dead body of a lone Caucasian female.

Television crime dramas always made detective work sound so glamorous, like every case required Sherlock Holmes–level skills to uncover a killer’s identity. In real life, most of the time the whodunit was obvious. Not many people had the stomach to commit murder and cover it up with a deft hand. Many times weapons covered in fingerprints would be absently discarded right beside a body, or faces would be captured on security cameras. Emma usually found a perpetrator’s identity easy to figure out. It was the why behind the crime that she rarely understood. Why a mother would sell her five-year-old daughter for a hit of meth. Why a father would take out his whole family after losing his job of twenty years.