WISHBONE (33 page)

“Julien, I’m told you wanted to speak with me.”

Julien broke his gaze from Sarah and turned his attention to Arlette. “We don’t own the house, do we?” he asked wasting no time.

Arlette paused again holding her stare. “You’re living on the property, are you not?”

“Arlette, cut the shit. I don’t know what went on with the previous tenants, but I know
we
do not own this house!
Whatever your deal is with the bank, whatever you think you’re doing—”

She interjected, “Grant already made a few phone calls. If you would wait until next week, we’re sure we can have the problem resolved by then. The internet is a sloppy tool, Julien. It can take time for all the various sites to update current information.”

“We never received our deed.”

Arlette pawed furiously through her Coach purse and produced an envelope.

“I’ve been meaning to bring this over to you, but, quite frankly, I am a busy woman.” She slapped the envelope against his chest.

Julien saw the mail was addressed in his name but to Arlette’s office. He opened it quickly and scanned the documents.

Arlette resituated her purse over her shoulder and hugged it to her side beneath her arm.

“Albany must have inverted our information. With the addresses being the same rural route… well, I don’t know how these things happen, but
they do
, and quite honestly, I am insulted by your accusations and insistence that I am anything but professional, Mr. Grenier.”

Julien took his time looking through the paperwork. The documents appeared to be an official house deed naming him the owner of the Victorian and its acreage. Julien’s mind began to whirl. He felt a hint of doubt, his confidence waning… 

She’s lying! The deed is fake.

Am I wrong? Could I be wrong?

But what about Sarah?

What about what I just overheard?

“This documentation is fake, Arlette,” he held his ground.

The worst you can be is wrong.

 “You probably whipped this together right before rushing up here. By now you have an answer for everything. You’ve worked out the kinks in this game you play. You could docteur the Declaration of Independence and no one would know the difference.”

Arlette narrowed her eyes. She was floored by what was either a lack of fear or sheer stupidity on Julien’s part. She had to give him one thing: he managed to catch on to their secrets faster than anyone who had occupied the home in the past. He was also the only one
not
to be caught up in the wishbones.

Julien pointed a finger at her; he stepped closer, forcing her to edge backward.

“I can’t even put into words what is going on up here. Sarah…the coop…the fraud. Whatever you have been getting away with is going to end now! I have told half-a-dozen people what we’ve experienced here and they’re all sitting down in the city thinking I’ve lost my mind, but let me make it clear…as crazy as they think I am
right now
, if they don’t hear from me for a while, they’re going to make noise for you, Arlette,” he threatened. “You can’t stop everyone. You can’t stop people you don’t even know exist.”

Now it was Arlette’s turn to stand her ground. She stepped forward but Julien refused to back away.

“Ahh, but you’re forgetting Julien…it’s all how you word the wish. I can see to it that you never existed. Or worse, I can see to it that you do exist…for a very long time…
and in a very sad state
—Rachael and that beautiful baby too.”

She’s right. 

She can.

Arlette turned to Sarah and glared at her. “Do it!” she growled through gritted teeth.

Julien panicked.

Do what?

“Sarah, don’t!” Julien commanded. His only hope was that Sarah would show him mercy.

Arlette barked, “Sarah!” She pointed at Julien.

Sarah suddenly appeared smaller, weaker than she ever seemed before; she shook her head violently as she banged it against the coop wall repeatedly, hard enough to echo throughout the structure. The chickens cackled loudly as she began to mumble to herself.

Arlette snapped again, “Damn you, Sarah, show him!” She stormed in the girl’s direction and Sarah dropped to the ground, her eyes shut tight, humming louder.

Julien took a step forward wanting to get between Arlette and Sarah, but before he could make a move he felt his leg give out and fell to the ground in agony. He could feel each healed fracture in his leg take on stress and threaten to re-fracture.

Satisfied, Arlette walked back to him. He lay there suffering at her feet. She crouched down over him and spoke softly. 

“She will always do as I tell her. Children love all of their toys for a time, Julien, but eventually they grow bored with them.”

Julien used every ounce of adrenalin coursing through his body to pull himself up onto one knee. Arlette rising up along with him.

“Do you need some help, Julien,” she asked with a smirk. “You know, if you had just kept that mouth shut you could have enjoyed…
reaped in the benefits
of my niece’s gifts. You and your wife could have had a much longer stay.”

Julien, his hands bracing him in the dirt, turned to the girl. “Sarah,” he begged. “She can’t hurt you. You’re stronger—”

Arlette’s voice rose again drowning out his weakened plea, “Don’t make promises about things you don’t understand, Julien. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” She attempted to step between them, blocking Sarah from his field of vision.

Julien’s eyes found Sarah again; the terrified girl huddled by the coop door. He could see the pity she felt for him. The pain was beginning to dissipate but he didn’t let on, hoping this would bring Sarah to his side all the more.

“Please, Sarah…please help me,” his voice broke.

Sarah stayed low to the ground, paused, then scrambled  toward him like a sorrowful dog who mistakenly bit its owner.

“Don’t you dare!” Arlette screached. Sarah scurried back by the coop door; she sat rocking and pounding her fist against her forehead.

Julien struggled and got to his feet. “You won’t get away with this forever, Arlette.” With each painful step, he made his way to Sarah who threw herself onto him wrapping her arms tightly around his leg like a small child. He placed his hand on the top of her head, both to steady himself and to comfort her.

Arlette smirked, “Aw, look at you two…puppy and master.” She walked a few steps closer, “GET UP!” she bellowed. “We’re leaving, Sarah.”

Sarah flinched and clung tighter to Julien. He thought he might black out from the still throbbing pain, but he took a deep breath and regained his composure. “She’s not going anywhere.”

Arlette stormed toward them and grabbed a handful of Sarah’s disheveled hair. The girl screamed as Julien took hold of Arlette’s fragile wrist and jerked it up through the air. He threw her arm back against her chest; she stumbled backward. He pried Sarah’s grip from his leg and lifted her, moving her petite frame behind him.

He stood his ground and repeated, “She’s not going anywhere.”

Arlette rubbed at her boney wrist and Julien thought he finally saw a flicker of concern in her eyes.

Calmly, she spoke, “We’ll see what her father has to say about this.” Arlette picked up her purse and dusted it off before returning it to her shoulder. “You are in a whole lot of trouble, Sarah,” she warned. “You’ll see.” Arlette never looked back as she exited the barn in a hurry. 

Julien waited until he heard the Mercedes reach the gravel before he allowed himself to drop back to the bar floor.

Sarah, distressed, her face stained by tears and dirt, knew she had hurt him. She did not need words to communicate her feelings of guilt. She placed her hands on his leg, her bottom lip quivering. Julien was about to stop her, but felt an instant tingling sensation and the pain was gone.

Why hadn’t she done this all the other times?

Don’t forget what she’s capable of.

Don’t let your guard down.

But it’s not her fault.

Julien sat forward and ran his thumbs simultaneously  across Sarah’s cheeks wiping them dry. “Sarah, you have an amazing gift.”

She looked to him, hanging on his every word with glassy, tear-reddened eyes.

“This isn’t what it was meant for.”

In shame, she looked down at her hands confused.

“No, no.” He laughed, frustrated by his difficulty  communicating with her. “This was good. Good girl.” He placed his hand on one of hers. “Very good. Thank you. Much better.
All better
.”

Julien tried to be more clear with her. “The people who lived here before…what happened to them? People dying or disappearing…this is very bad.”

Sarah shrank away and Julien corrected himself, “
You
are not bad
. I know you didn’t want to hurt those people.”

Sarah’s pout deepened and she nodded emphatically.

“Arlette? Does she make you do these things to people…these very bad things?”

Sarah nodded again and threw herself toward him. She hugged his neck tightly and mumbled into his shoulder. Julien peeled her away.

“Wait Sarah, I’m not done talking with you.” He held her hands in his lap. “The chickens, Sarah, do you make the chickens…”

What do I say?

What will she understand?

“… magic?”

Sarah glanced toward the coop.

“You do something…something that makes the chickens give other people your gifts? So they can play too? Just like you?”

Sarah smiled now. Her eyes locked on his lips and she reached to touch them. Julien took her hand down and held it still.

“You like to share, Sarah?” He smiled back at her and she immediately reached her other hand to his mouth. This time he allowed her to trace his lips and she grunted in a singsong series of vocalizations.

“Ah, good girl, Sarah.” He pulled his face away. He tried to not laugh at her.

Her eyes found his and she brushed his hair away and cradled his face in her palms.  He took hold of her hands once again attempting to keep her focus on his words.

“You don’t want to hurt anyone anymore, do you?” he asked, hoping he was right but unsure if he was merely feeding her lines to agree with.

She knows what reaction you want.

“They can’t hurt you, Sarah. They have no gift…no power over you.”

Sarah cocked her head and garbled some noise back at him.

“Arlette can’t hurt you. You are the one with the gift.”

Sarah snatched her hand back and patted his mouth with her open palm.

She wants me to shut up.

He laughed and turned his face away again. “What? What are you doing? You don’t want for Julien to speak?” He winked at her. She blushed and looked away. 

“Listen Sarah, let’s get serious, no?” He took her busy hands into his own again. “I want to leave.”

Sarah’s brow furrowed and he recognized a pre-tantrum brewing. “No, no, listen… wait and listen to Julien. I want all of us to leave…Me, Rachael, Jessica
and
you
.”

Sarah jerked her hands away from him then cupped them, first over his ears then over her own. She repeated the action over and over again, her movements growing quicker and more frantic with each turn and he could see her begin to melt down.

“No, no… it’s okay. Sarah, it’s okay,” he tried to assure her. He took her face into his hands. “
Shhh…calme toi
..calm down. They can’t hurt you. Don’t you want to stay with Julien?”

Stop talking in third person.

“Don’t you want to stay with me? I can protect you. You can use that gift for other things…good things. You could wish
them
away.” He pointed in the direction Arlette had gone.

He felt a sudden obligation to the girl, but could see the fear in her eyes and he wondered how terrifying the thought of the unknown or new places would be to a girl like Sarah. How leaving the only home she had ever known might never be possible for her. He wondered if he could even get her into their vehicle and envisioned the scene, including the potential agony she would bestow upon him to keep them there on the property. The saddest part was that eventually Arlette would get her way; Sarah was too simple to understand she would lose him regardless. He would drop the subject for now and show her the best night of her life and hope to convince both Rachael and Sarah that their lives can continue elsewhere.

“Okay, Sarah,” he gave in. He used her hand for leverage and got to his feet. He pulled her up then dusted himself off. Sarah had an expression of intense worry on her face.

“C’mon. It’s okay.” He encouraged her to knock the dirt from her dress. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll go inside and have a nice dinner…together, I promise.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Julien lead Sarah onto the porch. As they entered the house, the aroma of their forthcoming meal sickened him. He found Rachael setting the dining room table.

“Good timing,” Julien said. He pulled back the chair at the head of the table. Sarah sat down to his left without hesitation.

Julien’s plan was only loosely formulated. Regardless of Rachael’s mood, he would act himself, keep a smile on his face and not respond to her temper. By the end of the meal he planned to have his wife wrapped around his finger.

Rachael shot an angry glance at Sarah. “Would you go get some glasses?” she asked impatiently then turned her attention to Julien. “I saw Arlette peel out of here in a hurry.”

A crash erupted from the kitchen sending them both after Sarah. 

The girl stood in the middle of the room surrounded by broken glass. She rocked on her heels, pounding her fist to her forehead and mumbling frantically.

Rachael huffed and began picking up the larger pieces of glass by hand.

“For Christ’s sake, Sarah,” she said, her tolerance level at an all-time low. “Go sit down!”

“Come here.” Julien took Sarah’s elbow, guiding her carefully around Rachael and through the shards of sharp glass. Desperate to keep the peace, he led her back to the dining room where he sat her down and gave a
stay put
hand signal then returned to the kitchen.