Fatal Bonds

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I slipped a business card into the crack of the door and left another hooked behind the plastic apartment numbers before heading back. I overheard a few of the landscaping crew talking about a giant wolf and hustled to the vehicle to find Nicoh sitting behind the wheel, looking quite pleased with himself as he howled out the window, sharing his tale of woe with anyone within earshot. His shark-like grin broadened when he saw me, and his tail whipped back and forth as he hopped to the passenger seat and popped his head out the window for scratches like he’d been there the entire time.

“Behaving ourselves, I see.”

I received a round of delighted whoo-whoos when I gave his head and muzzle my full attention, before settling behind his ears to finish my penance for leaving him behind, though I’d only been gone for less than five minutes.

Nicoh begrudgingly grunted and accepted my scratches, and once he was satisfied, jumped the seat and curled up in the back on the floor, sighing as though the day had been as hard as it was long.

“I hear ya, buddy, I really do,” I murmured as I crawled into the driver’s seat and retreated, no more informed or encouraged than I had been when I’d set out on this adventure.

I was just about to merge onto the freeway when my cell phone rang. I glanced at the screen, huffing out a breath at the “Unknown Caller.” I was in such a mood I decided to answer and was prepared to give the sales bot on the other end a piece of my mind when I heard a soft, almost hesitant, “Arianna?”

The voice was vaguely familiar.

“Yes, this is Arianna Jackson? How can I help you?”

“Oh, good. This is Larissa. Larissa Reynolds? We just spoke…a few moments ago? I found your card and wanted to explain…” Her voice was shaky and when it trailed off, I wondered if she was rethinking the call.

“Okay…” I prompted, not wanting to scare her off or force her to change her mind.

All bets were off, however, if Larissa Reynolds had called me for the purpose of continuing where we’d left off. I was in no mood for another tongue-lashing.

“Can we meet?” she finally managed to blurt out. After a moment of awkward silence—I was still trying to formulate a response—she added, “Somewhere away from the apartment. I don’t want to upset Mother. Upset her any more, I guess.”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked, trying to keep the sharpness out of my tone. If she had only come to this conclusion about me ten minutes earlier, it would have saved us both time. And frustration.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice my attitude. Either that, or she was willing to overlook it.

“I have a shift in a few hours but can meet once Mother’s nurse arrives unless that is too soon?”

I bit my lip to keep from spouting a snarky retort. “Not at all. Just tell me where you’d like to meet, and I’ll be there.” How’s that for playing nicey-nice?

“How about the outdoor seating area on the east side of Tempe Marketplace, near the theaters? Say…in forty-five minutes? It’s near my workplace, and if you don’t mind the scrubs, it should be fairly mellow this time of day.”

And public, I noted, though I made no comment. Instead, I had to get something out of the way.

“Sounds fine. What changed your mind?”

Larissa heaved out a long sigh, then another, before responding, “Honestly, you caught me off-guard with your phone call. And then, when you showed up…” I started to apologize when she added, “I overreacted. A lot. I tend to get overprotective where my mother is concerned—call it a habit. Anyway, I’m truly sorry about that first impression. It was not a good showing on my part. But to answer your question, once I met you in person and then found your business card, I realized I needed to calm down, put things into perspective, and give you a chance.”

“My business card?” My brows raised, wondering what could be so compelling about a three and a half by two-inch piece of cardstock.

She chuckled. “Anyone who names their business Mischievous Malamute Photography has probably had a few dogs in their life. That simple fact alone tells me a lot about you. Having said that, I’m guessing you’re a pretty good human being, Arianna Jackson. And I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Color me speechless. Only Nicoh had words and howled from the back seat, causing her chuckle to morph into full-blown laughter. It also sealed the deal.

I wouldn’t have time to drive home, get Nicoh situated, and drive to Tempe Marketplace before the meeting with Larissa, so I headed straight there, nestled into a parking spot, and followed-up with the clients on my current projects. Business had been steady lately, especially with everyone gearing up for the resort season and those out-of-town visitors trying to escape temperatures I couldn’t begin to fathom. Just thinking about it made me shiver, despite the sun’s warmth through the windshield.

In addition to those seeking refuge from colder climates, wedding season was also on the horizon, which meant brochures and ads needed to be updated and re-shot to reflect the current trends and offerings. Most were in a holding pattern, meaning there was little required on my part until panic mode hit on their end. Fortunately, I was used to it and had learned to plan for such contingencies.

My clientele in the real estate market had also amped up, thanks in part to my friend Charlie Wilson, who had increased the size of his own already sizable portfolio. This was after I’d suggested and then created videos of his more lucrative real estate properties. One included a historic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed estate that had been featured by local media and a few national and international magazines. And while it was quite an honor and a feather in my cap, not to mention a boost in my bank account, it also made me a bit squishy coming from Charlie, as it felt more like a payoff for helping him out of a bind than an act of goodwill on his part.

I glanced at my watch as I pondered that and realized I had used up the extra time. Now I’d have to hustle to not be late meeting with Larissa. After our first go-around, I certainly didn’t want her thinking I had blown her off and was no longer interested.

Nicoh didn’t seem to care one way or the other as I glanced at him in the rear-view mirror. Instead, he looked bored and chewed on his paw as I gave him the “up and at ‘em” command, and we rushed to the outside seating area that Larissa had suggested.

Despite the weather, the outdoor fireplaces were fully ablaze, and the portable patio heaters were strategically positioned around the chairs and couches, where a couple wearing puffy winter coats and Ugg boots hunkered around one while eating double-scooped waffle cones from a nearby creamery. I chuckled and shook my head—only in Arizona.

I heard my name and turned to see Larissa sitting off in a corner, looking only slightly less disheveled than she had earlier, the messy bun a little more under control and baby blue scrubs changed out for navy. There was a sadness in her eyes and a tightness around her mouth as she quickly tucked the remains of a sandwich into a crumpled paper bag and gestured me over.

“Brown-bagging it today. Coming here is a bit more peaceful than my home or workplace, plus the aroma of the surrounding restaurants helps me pretend my PB&J is more interesting and perhaps less pathetic.” She shrugged sheepishly as her cheeks reddened.

I nodded, having been there. “Peanut butter & pickle is the usual for me. You ever try it?”

“Gawd, why would I?” She scrunched her nose, then shook her head. “You poor thing. At least I have grape jelly.” I fought the urge to chuckle at her disgust as she scooted over for me to sit.

That’s when Nicoh’s head popped out from behind a table where he’d been scouring for stray tidbits. Having either come up empty or done his due diligence, he wanted to know where I’d wandered off to without him. Mind you, I still had the other end of his lead in hand.

Larissa’s eyes widened, and for a moment, I thought she was going to shriek in horror, but she released a tiny giggle and stretched her hands out to encourage Nicoh to advance.

He didn’t need to be asked twice. He’d do anything for attention as long as A) it wasn’t too strenuous or B) it didn’t cut into nap time.

They should probably make a t-shirt for that.

Nicoh whoo-whoo’d as Larissa cooed and nuzzled his neck, embarrassing me as he flopped onto his back and waved his paws in the air, weaving his head back and forth as he impatiently waited for belly scratches to ensue.

Larissa shook her head and chuckled but got down on the pavement and did his bidding until his tail beat a bruise into my calf.

“You do realize he’ll be a monster to deal with after this?” I asked.

“I sure hope so.” After taking in my expression, she laughed as she returned to her seat and attempted to smooth away the dog flurries that had attached to her scrubs, giving up when she realized it was a fruitless effort. “Based on his size and coloring, I’m guessing he’s an Alaskan Malamute and not a Siberian Husky?” She glanced at me, a hopeful look in her eyes.

I nodded and smiled, impressed by her knowledge of the difference, and knew when an olive branch was being extended. “This is Nicoh, my other half, for all intents and purposes.”

As if sensing a second opportunity, said beast leaned in for another round of scratches on the head, which Larissa promptly doled out while giving me a knowing smile.

“I see where the ‘mischievous’ part of the equation factors in.”

“If you only knew the half of it,” I murmured in a tone that caused both of us to laugh, leaving Nicoh to huff as Larissa’s hands left his head to cover her snorts.

Looking from one human to the other, his eyes narrowed, and he curled into a tight ball, leaving his backside to face us.

“I guess we’ve been dismissed,” Larissa commented while still chuckling.

After a moment, she got down to business. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me, especially after the way I treated you earlier. First, I want to apologize for my behavior.” When I started to interject, she raised a hand.

“I was brought up better than that, and my mother would have put the fear of the devil in me had she been lucid enough to register my treatment of you.” She paused to bite her lip, and her hands shook. “Not that it excuses anything, but my protective instincts kick in where she is concerned. She was never the same after…the stroke.”

“I’m so sorry, Larissa…was it recent?” My thoughts drifted to the feeble woman in the wheelchair who had appeared to have aged beyond her years.

She shook her head and closed her eyes. “She’s been like that for years. The stroke took her when Danielle left us. Perhaps a heart attack would have been less cruel.” She caught me as my eyes and mouth simultaneously went wide, adding, “Better a broken heart than a lost spirit.”

I nodded, but it was more of an acknowledgment than an acceptance of her sentiment. “You mentioned Danielle—your sister?”

Larissa sighed and looked off in the distance. “Yes, my younger sister.”

“When did she…pass?” I asked, my voice quiet.

Her head swiveled. “What?” I opened my mouth and shut it as Larissa gasped.

“Oh! When I said my sister was dead…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced upward, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean dead dead, as in left this realm dead—though with all of those drugs and the things she did to her body—I meant my mother and I were no longer allowing her to infect our lives. We cut her off—financially, mentally, and emotionally.”

When I c****d my head, she added, “Admittedly, I was the one who made the decision, but it was only to protect my mother. If I had only been strong enough to act sooner, perhaps she wouldn’t have needed to suffer.” An involuntary sob slipped out, and Larissa hid her face by leaning over to root in her backpack. After pulling a tissue, she dabbed at her eyes.

I reached over to pat her arm but thought better of it, considering I had only just met this woman.

“I’m sure you did the best you could,” I replied, catching her eyes and giving her a sincere nod. “I’m sorry for the way things turned out, but you can’t blame yourself for someone else’s decisions.”

Larissa nodded and sniffed. “My sister was always a bit of a wild child. And yes,” she glanced at me, “I know how cliché that sounds, but her ‘behavior,’ for lack of a better word, started with getting detention for smoking in the bathroom and quickly moved to ditching school altogether for boys, booze and drugs.

“Before long, she transitioned to s*x for money to fuel her drug habit, and when we did see her, she was typically acting like a foul-mouthed harpy, fluctuating between raging hallucinations and full-on blackouts.” She shook her head. “And the cops…it was a wonder that my mother was able to keep that brat out of juvenile detention and then jail, but somehow she managed to keep our family together, after years of working herself to the bone to just to keep us alive.

“The saddest part was that Mother had finally stocked enough away so that she could slow down a bit and think about getting a small house in the valley when she retired. Danielle managed to destroy it all in one fell swoop. For her finest—and last—performance, she drained Mother’s accounts and stole every last possession either of us had and pawned them. This was right before she disappeared for the last time…just like that.” She made a “poofing” motion by blowing on her fingers, then shaking them to reveal their emptiness.

“Mother was distraught and rightfully so, but rather than being worried about the money—or the lost possessions—she was worried about Danielle and her soul. Can you believe that?” She wasn’t really looking for an answer, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

“Then reality set in, when the bills came due, and there was no money left to pay for anything. My mother worked hard all of her life, never purchased something she couldn’t pay for in cash, and would never, ever default on any agreement she’d made.

“And when the landlord came all the way from his fancy office downtown to ‘have a chat’ with her—basically letting her know that she would need to move out if she couldn’t drum up with the money to pay for rent—she completely lost it. Ashamed, embarrassed, and disillusioned upon his departure, she suffered a massive stroke. By the time I found her…” she sucked in a breath before continuing, “it was too late—the damage was irreversible. It was only later I learned that Danielle had been at the apartment earlier that day.”

I worked hard to keep the horror I felt from reaching my face. “How did you find out?”

Larissa pressed her eyes shut, her mouth turning down at the corners as she shook her head from side to side. “Later, I noticed things were missing—including the ring on my mother’s hand. It had been her grandmother’s, and though it wasn’t anything fancy, it held great intrinsic value. And believe me, she would never take it off…willingly. I think she hoped to pass it on to one of us when she died, but…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she added, “to have it ripped from her finger?”

A sob erupted, and this time I fought the hesitation and patted her back. “That act…that atrocity? It was the moment I declared my sister dead for my mother’s sake, as well as for my own.” She lifted her head, wiped away a stray tear, and looked me. “Anyone who could justify that level of evil and is that cold—is already dead inside.”

I nodded, though I couldn’t begin to imagine what she and her mother had endured at the hands of someone they loved, cared for, and until that moment, had considered family.

“After that, I moved Mother to Arizona, partially because the health care was better and the cost of living cheaper, but it also allowed us an escape from Danielle and her world. For the first time in a very long while, I know my mother is safe when I leave for work—she has a nurse that visits once a day and a companion that sits with her while I’m at work. It’s not a spectacular life, but it’s decent, and most importantly, it’s nowhere near Danielle’s reach.”

Larissa blushed, perhaps too embarrassed, or fearful, to want more for herself or her mother, but I sidestepped it as gracefully as I could. I had no judgment to pass and certainly did not want her to feel as though I did.

“Where do you work?” I asked, keeping my tone calm as I attempted to lighten the mood.

Thankfully, her face brightened at my question, as she wiped away the last of the tears, she broke into a shy smile, and as she spoke, I realized her voice was filled with pride. And hope.

“At the animal hospital in Tempe. I’m currently a vet tech but would really like to work toward a veterinary degree, specializing in the care of animals with cancer.”

“Wow,” I replied. “That’s impressive and admirable.”

Larissa blushed and fussed with her tissue, effectively tearing it to shreds. “Thanks. It’s always been a passion but with the rising cost of tuition—” She shook her head. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

I patted her on the back. “It will happen, Larissa. Have faith that good things can—and do—present themselves to those who deserve them.”

She nodded, and though she would not look at me, responded, “That—right there—is why I knew I could talk to you about…all of this. I just had a feeling…you’d understand. Even though I’m not sure why.” This time, she peered at me, her eyes watery and her nose red. “Does that sound crazy, or what?”

I gave her a soft smile and a wink before replying, “You’re in good hands, Larissa. I just happen to specialize in crazy.”