Chapter 4

Jo spent the rest of the day and a portion of the following day making sure her two vacant units were ready for new occupants. At first, she thought about rearranging the residents and putting the sisters next to each other but decided to leave them as is, with Courtney at one end and Carli at the other, suspecting a smidgen of distance would be good for both of them.

Her next task was to prepare the paperwork required by the state, along with a checklist of items and forms she assembled for each of the residents when they arrived.

She gathered up the paperwork, logged into the state's system and scoured the women's files, searching for clues about exactly why Carli had decided she no longer wanted to speak.

But there was nothing. Or very little, just a few jotted notes that hinted at the guards and staff's frustration over Carli's silence.

Courtney, on the other hand, appeared to be an exemplary inmate, volunteering in various areas and even being commended by some of the staff for her willingness to help.

Jo searched the internet again for stories about their incarceration and stumbled upon an old news article, an in-depth look at the life of the Ladeaux sisters. It was a sad summary of what Jo already knew—the twins were basically abandoned by their mother and raised by a father with a long criminal history.

He'd served time in a state penitentiary and Jo wondered what had happened to the women, then children, during their father's incarceration and who had cared for them.

As she researched, it became increasingly clear it would take some time to unravel their past. It was a challenge Jo was confident she was up to—if the twins cooperated.

There was a buzz in the air at dinner that evening as Jo, Nash, Delta, Gary and the remaining four residents gathered at the table. Jo waited until they started eating to make her announcement.

"I may have mentioned it to some of you already, but we have two new residents arriving tomorrow."

Laverne's head snapped up. "Two?"

"Yes. Twin sisters." Jo briefly filled them in on the women's arrival. "Carli's room will be closest to the common area, while Courtney will get Leah's old room at the other end."

"You're not putting them side by side?" Raylene asked.

"No. I've decided against uprooting all of you in order to put them close together."

Laverne toyed with her fork, a gleam of interest lighting her face. "Twins. Did they commit the same crime?"

"They did."

"Which is…"

"Robbery."

"Did they shoot anyone?" Laverne asked. "I mean, I know your rule is you won't take in murderers, but I was wondering if there was an attempted murder or the gun went off and they accidentally shot someone."

Jo arched a brow. "I didn't say they were armed with guns, although it appears to have been the case. The bottom line is Courtney and Carli Ladeaux committed the crimes, have done their time, and are looking forward to rehabilitation."

"Did you say Ladeaux?"

"Yes." Jo noted the fact the color had suddenly drained from Michelle's face. "Are you okay?"

"I am. I just…" Michelle's voice trailed off.

"You know something about the Ladeaux sisters."

"They were from the Westall Neighborhood."

Jo, sensing there was some new tidbit of information about the sisters, gave Michelle her full attention. "They were. You're familiar with the area?"

"I grew up near Westall. I didn't know Carli or Courtney, but knew their names and saw them around sometimes. Their father, Larry, ran with a rough bunch."

"He's dead."

A flicker of something crossed Michelle's face. "He wasn't a good person, not even by the Westall standards."

"What did he do?" Jo asked.

"Stole stuff. He put his daughters up to stealing stuff too and…"

"And what?" Jo prompted.

"I heard he used to beat the crap out of them to keep them in line."

Jo felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. Not only had the scumbag father gotten his daughters involved in a life of crime, but he'd also abused them. "Physically abused them."

"Yeah. I would see them around, you know, we were close to the same age and one time I saw Carli with a black eye. It looked like someone punched her. Her sister Courtney was very protective of her."

"How horrible." Delta's hand flew to her mouth. "Perhaps it's a blessing with the father out of the picture. Is there anything else you can remember about them?"

Michelle shook her head. "I was on my way out right about then. I always felt sorry for them. It was a rough neighborhood. Years later, I heard about their crime spree and robberies. I wasn't surprised seeing how their dad raised them to steal."

"They'll have a clean slate with their father no longer influencing their lives," Raylene said. "If he's gone, they might have a shot at a better life."

"There's one more thing. Carli doesn't speak."

Kelli blinked rapidly. "Doesn't speak?"

"Courtney does the talking for both of them. In fact, I believe it has been several years now. She hasn't talked while incarcerated and it appears she's not inclined to start now."

"That'll be fun." Laverne pursed her lips. "How is she going to handle customers in the bakeshop and mercantile if she refuses to talk?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that she can hear. She understands what you say to her, so I believe she can at least help people. It's something we'll need to work on." Jo segued into her pep talk, reminding the other residents how they had also once been in Carli and Courtney's shoes and the importance of being supportive, helpful and understanding.

The meal ended, and the residents headed back to their units after helping clear the table.

Delta and Gary left, leaving Jo and Nash, along with Duke, free to meander out onto the porch for their evening chat on the swing.

Cluck. Cluck. Cluck. Jo could hear the chickens frantically clucking and caught a movement out of the corner of her eye.

Egglina came barreling around the corner, her wings flapping and moving at a frantic pace.

Laverne wasn't far behind. At first, Jo thought she was chasing Egglina until she realized Henrietta, the other chicken, was in hot pursuit.

"The devil chickens are attacking me!" Laverne wrapped both arms around her head, shielding her scalp from Henrietta's onslaught.

Laverne's nemesis began closing in, and took off, feathers flapping as she dove forward. "She's going for blood."

Woof. Duke scrambled off the porch and joined the chase. He started chasing after Egglina and then went after Henrietta, who was still doing her best to peck at Laverne.

Jo leapt off the porch. "Run to the barn!"

Laverne made a fast turn and bolted for the barn. She disappeared inside, and Henrietta ended her chase. She slowed her pace to a strut and began quietly clucking as she pecked the ground.

Egglina ran along the front of the bakeshop and then raced toward Henrietta.

"Is the coast clear?" Laverne stuck her head around the side of the barn door.

Henrietta's head snapped up. Cluck.

"Nope." Laverne slipped back inside.

Meanwhile, Jo and Nash coaxed the chickens back toward their coop. Working together, they placed them safely inside and closed the door, making sure it latched.

Laverne appeared. "That could've been bad."

"Yes, it could have." Jo watched as Laverne cautiously approached. "How did the chickens get out?"

"I…" Laverne's eyes grew round as saucers. "I was passing by and noticed the door to the coop was open. Next thing I know, that demon Henrietta is chasing after me."

Jo placed a hand on her hip. "Are you sure you didn't open the door, hoping the chickens would run off now that Leah isn't here to take care of them?"

Laverne shifted her feet, refusing to meet Jo's gaze. "I mean, Leah's gone. She was the only one who gave two hoots about those stupid birds."

"Laverne Huntsman," Jo scolded. "You cannot let them go. The other residents enjoy having them around."

"They're a safety and health hazard."

For some reason, the chickens, namely Henrietta, had it in for Laverne. As far as Jo could figure out, her resident had never intentionally antagonized them. All she knew was that from day one, the bird was out for blood as far as Laverne was concerned.

"Stay away from the chickens."

Laverne mumbled under her breath and stalked off.

Jo waited until she was gone. "Maybe I should've gifted the chickens to Leah. She was very attached to them and I have a feeling they're going to miss her."

The couple, with Duke leading the way, returned to the porch.

The pup wiggled his way in between them, promptly placing his head on Jo's lap and his hind legs on top of Nash. He stretched out, making himself comfortable, before dozing off.

"How do you think Leah is doing?" Nash reached for Jo's hand.

"Dave welcomed her and seems sincere. The farm's manager was a little too friendly."

"Too friendly?" Nash asked.

"Almost like he might be interested in Leah. We talked about it and Leah was going to nip it in the bud, but in a nice way. It's been almost two full days. I'm sure she's settling in." Jo absentmindedly ran a light hand over the angel necklace Leah had given her and showed it to Nash.

"She gave this to me. It's Psalm 34, verse 7. ‘The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.' She said I was her guardian angel."

Nash leaned in and studied the gift. "Leah has always been very thoughtful."

"I miss her already," Jo sighed. "And now I'm second guessing myself about the twins."

"Because of the one who won't speak?"

"Yeah. I'm wondering if I've signed myself up for double trouble." Jo confessed her concern that because the two had a close relationship, being identical twins, there would be additional challenges in working with them one-on-one. "The fact Carli won't talk is a concern and now, with Michelle giving us a small glimpse into what their lives were like, I'm even more worried."

"You're concerned you won't be able to break down the wall they've constructed and give them the help they need," Nash said.

"Exactly. It's not that I don't think I can help them. It's whether they'll let me, let us in, so we can."

"I like the fact you're keeping them separated," Nash said. "From what you've told me, they depend on each other for support. They're also two unique individuals and if Carli is allowing Courtney to run the show, to control things, either by design or because her sister wants her to, I think some separation will help them spread their wings."

"I was thinking the same thing. Working alongside you, Gary, Delta and the other residents might give Carli a boost of confidence and help her realize she doesn't need to depend on her sister for everything."

"Agreed."

Ting.

Jo's cell phone chimed. She slipped it from her pocket and glanced at the screen. "Leah is calling. She probably wants to fill me in on how it's going."

"Hello, Leah."

"Jo!" Leah's frantic voice cracked. "This is awful. Mr. Barr is dead. The police are here. It's bad. What if they think I had something to do with what happened to him?"

Leah began rambling, her voice raising an octave as panic set in.

"Leah," Jo cut her off. "Take a deep breath. What is going on?"

"Mr. Barr got upset with me yesterday when I told him he was making me uncomfortable. I guess it made him mad because next thing I know, he blamed me for dumping a bag of seeds in the water barrel, but it wasn't me."

"So, Shane Barr hit on you. You told him you weren't interested. A bag of seeds got ruined and he blamed you."

"Yes."

"And then what happened?" Jo asked.

"He had me shovel cow manure. It was gross and disgusting but I didn't complain. I spent all afternoon shoveling it." Leah told her after she finished, she was supposed to start cleaning the milking parlor equipment. "No one was around. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do so I hung out and waited for him to show up."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"An hour or so," Leah said. "Next thing I know, the cops and an ambulance are here. They found him with baling twine wrapped around his neck."