Shallow Creek

“I’m just repeating what I hear from Mom.  She talks to Michelle all the time.”

“You think your sister and my brother are involved in drugs because they live a lifestyle better than they should be able to afford?”

“That about sums it up, yeah.”

Casey asked to use the restroom as Kim stood and walked the few paces to the window.  She told Casey to go right ahead as she peered outside.  Her face turned ashen.

“Oh shit,” she exclaimed, turning to Brendan.  “Grant’s here.”

Brendan jumped off the couch.  Kim pointed out the window, but Brendan could see him easily enough, the last person on Earth that Brendan wanted to talk to right now, walking to the stairs leading to Kim’s apartment.  Grant glanced up and gave a hearty wave as he disappeared up the stairs.

“How did he know I’m here?”

“Mom must’ve seen you arrive.” Kim feverishly picked up her scattered clothes and dumped them in a hamper.  “She would’ve called Michelle.”

Brendan stood by the door, waiting for the inevitable knock.  When it finally came, Kim nodded to Brendan to open the door, which he did, albeit reluctantly.  Grant burst in and grappled Brendan in a tight hug.

“Brendan!  It’s so good to see you, bro.”  Grant pulled back and held Brendan at arm’s length.  “Michelle told me all about the other night.”  Brendan’s heart leapt into his throat.

“Who knows what those bastards would’ve done to my wife if you hadn’t been there to save her?” Grant finally released Brendan and patted him on the shoulder.  It took every bit of concentration not to flinch even at the small, playful strikes.  Neither Kim nor Brendan had said a single word to the man, but Grant just kept on rambling.  “I just got back into town this lunchtime.  I’ve been incommunicado for a few days, but I’ll have to change that now that Michelle’s been a target.”

Grant’s tone had taken on a dark quality, reminding Brendan of what his brother had done to him ten years ago.  In a surprising about-face, Grant brightened up and slapped Brendan on the back.

“Listen, I’ve got to run and take care of some things, but why don’t we grab a beer at Trish’s later?” he commanded more than asked.

Brendan didn’t trust his brother as far as he could throw him, especially with Kim implicating him in the plot, so Brendan took a deep breath, pasted an easy grin on his face and said yes, that sounded great.  Grant quickly waved goodbye and departed as suddenly as he’d appeared.

Kim glided past Brendan and started to close the door, but Brendan stopped her.

“It’s probably best if I get going, too.”

“You don’t have to.”

True, he didn’t have to, but he wanted some space to think, and Kim’s presence muddled his mind.

Casey reappeared from the bathroom.  “We have more to talk about, Brendan.”

“I need to get back and help my folks get dinner going,” he said, figuring his mom would never let him lift a finger.  “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Sure,” Kim said, lightly brushing his arm as he walked past her.  “Don’t be a stranger.”

Chapter 23

“Brendan, is that you?”

His mom was calling him and he hadn’t even closed the front door yet.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Get in here and give me a hand will you?”

Brendan poked his head into the living room to see his dad watching the first half of some NFL game.  His dad jerked his head towards the kitchen, showing Brendan where he needed to go.  With a sigh Brendan cut through the dining room to reach an apocalyptic scene with his mom as the source.

“You’ve been busy,” he said, losing count of how many pots and pans were lying around in various states of use.

“Take this.”

His mom handed him a casserole to hold while she flipped the oven open.  The hot air blasting out of the open door felt nice compared to the refrigerated temperature in the house.  Without any warning, his mom grabbed the dish out of his hands and slid it into one of the few available spaces on the oven racks.  She slammed the door shut and started chopping carrots on a wooden board sitting on the counter.

“Wash those dishes, would you, hun?”

Brendan followed her eyes to the double sink.  Both sides overflowed with dishes and bowls and trays and utensils.  Fearing the worst, he popped the dishwasher open and saw it was full.

“Don’t turn the dishwasher on until you’re done in the sinks, otherwise you’ll never get any hot water,” his mom advised sagely.  Hot water could only be used for one task at a time.  Such was the beauty of old houses with ancient water heaters.

Brendan started the process of clearing out one side of the sink, stacking the dirty dishes wherever possible, playing a dangerous game of Jenga with the crockery.  Eventually he could see the bottom of the basin, so he got the hot water running and squirted some soap into the warm stream.  He watched the bubbles form white mountains in the sink and asked his mom why she was making so much food.

“Michelle called to say Grant’s back in town, so I thought it would be nice to invite the whole family over.”

Brendan froze, his mind reeling.