6. Reaper

6

Reaper

I woke Sarra when we pulled into a little motel just after crossing into Texas. I went around and opened her door. Inside, I filled out the forms as a married couple, Mr. and Mrs. Cantrell.

Then we returned to the car, parked in our spot, and entered the room. I walked Bub so he could go to the bathroom. The room had a king-size bed. Sarra claimed the side away from the door, and I took the other side. I slept for about four hours before getting up to shower.

After dressing, I started reading the papers Sarra had given me. This woman, Mam, was a fucking nutcase. Her writings were like a twisted story about Sarra and her parents as if they weren't real life.

She repeatedly expressed hatred for them, describing how Jeanie was afraid of her. She loved seeing the terror in her sister's eyes, but when Jeannie kept Sarra away from Mam, she got angry.

She fantasized about taking Sarra away and making Jeannie and her husband live in a horror movie, determined to make them pay for taking her daughter.

I walked to the bathroom and called Shane. "Did you see Jeannie when she was pregnant?"

"Yes, I remember seeing her pregnant."

"Well, let me tell you, this woman was a fucking nutcase. She claims her sister and her husband stole her baby. She says she was going to take Sarra away from them..." I paused. "I'm going to take pictures and email you each page. Keep this between us," I whispered so Sarra wouldn't hear me.

I took photo after photo and emailed them to Shane, hoping he could help. Then I told him that if I thought he needed more after I read them, I would send them to him.

When I returned to the room, Sarra was having another bad dream. I climbed back into bed, pulled her into my arms, and held her. I felt déjà vu, chills running over my body as if she had been in my arms before. I whispered calming words to her. When she woke up, her breathing evened out, but she stayed there for a few moments.

"Thank you. I hate those dreams. Bub usually jumps in bed with me, but I'm glad it was you this time."

"Me too. Feel free to talk to me if you ever want to discuss your dreams. I'm a good listener. Now, how about we call and order some food?"

"Yes, I would love a large cup of coffee to start with. You know what I'm craving?"

"I hope it's the same thing I'm craving."

"Waffles and bacon, with some scrambled eggs," she said. I smiled.

I was still smiling as she kept talking about food. Her hair was all over her face. She was beautiful. I forced myself to look away so I wouldn't make her uncomfortable.

"Have you ever had fish tacos?" I asked.

"Yes, I love fish tacos," she said. "I'm going to make you my specialty fish tacos when we get to where we're going. I know lots of recipes for Cajun cooking. Mam taught me to cook everything she knew how to make. She had to cook all the time when she was growing up."

"Oh yeah, where did she grow up?"

"I'm not sure. I thought she grew up in the house I have, but once, when she was angry at me, she said she was an important person in the Bayou. She said the women in our family have special powers," Sarra shivered.

"Mam said she knew voodoo," Sarra whispered. "She told me people were scared of her because she could put a curse on someone, and parts of their body would start falling off."

"Did you believe her?"

"I did because she knew things."

"What kind of things?"

"She knew stuff about people who lived in the swamp. Once, when I was playing with a girl, she told me Mam had killed the old lady who lived in our house and then just moved in. They said she didn't come from the swamp. She came from the Bayou," Sarra looked around as if she didn't want anyone to hear us.

"I didn't know what she meant at the time. I was only ten. I didn't get to play with the little girl anymore because the mothers in the swamp didn't want their daughters playing with me. They thought Mam would put a curse on them."

"Did you think she would put a curse on them?"

"Sometimes, I was scared of her and wanted to stay with those other kids with a nice mom."

"I'm sorry, but I think you were blessed that Mam died when she did. While reading her letters, I noticed she started writing them when you were a baby, even before she took you to live in the swamp. I don't think she wrote these for you. They were more like her daily writings, where she poured out what was in her head."

"Did she have that house before I lived with her?"

"She got the house a month before you lived with her. So maybe she did kill the old lady who lived there. Do you think she would do something like that?"

"Yes, I think she would. I've been remembering things about Mam, and I mostly remember how scared I was of her. Why would I fear a woman I loved as my mother?"

"I don't know. We are trying to find out more about her."

"Have you found out anything at all?"

"Yes, I've found out she held a lot of hate inside her. How about we eat and stop worrying about Mam and whether or not she knew voodoo? We won't talk about Mam for the rest of the day unless you want to."

"Good, I don't want to talk about her anymore," She waited thirty seconds before telling me more about Mam. "Sometimes, she would disappear for days at a time. She wouldn't even tell me she was going. Now, I know that was because she didn't want anyone to see me. After all, she stole me."

"I owe my cousins an apology for not listening to them when they told me Mam kidnapped me. I swear I don't know what to think."

When the food arrived, we both ate until we were stuffed. Then we packed up and left for the safe house. The sun was going down when we reached the old ranch house. It looked like a strong wind would blow it over, but the inside was as modern as a brand-new home. It was set up with all the smart home devices, and cameras were all over the property.

"Wow, this looks like something out of an old cowboy movie. It even has an old water pump out front. Do we have to pump our own water? Because I do know how to pump water," Sarra said, looking around wide-eyed.

"No, we won't have to pump our own water."

"Everything is so flat; there are no mountains around here. No wonder twisters come here. It's as flat as a pancake. I like it. This is the biggest adventure I've been on. I can't wait to see the inside of your house."

When we walked inside, devices turned on as soon as I punched in some numbers. "Hello, Reaper. Let me know if you need anything," a voice said.

Sarra jumped a foot when she heard the voice. "Was that a computer talking?" Sarra asked, looking around.

"Yes, her name is Hellen. Hellen, can you turn all the cameras on, please? Scan the grounds twenty-four hours a day, and tell me if you see anything moving. Be on the lookout for people on the property."

"Do you want me to scan the entire three hundred acres?" Hellen asked.

"Yes, all of it."

"She's so smart," Sarra whispered.

"Thank you," Hellen, the computer replied.

"You're welcome," Sarra said, then giggled. "Now I'm afraid to speak," she whispered so only I could hear.

I chuckled. "Most of the time, she doesn't say anything. I'll show you around the house. Treat this like your own home. The pantry and freezer are fully stocked. We have someone who takes care of that before we arrive."

"This will be your room; mine is across the hall. This house locks up at night so that no one can get in. Follow me, and I'll show you where the kitchen is. I'll cook dinner tonight. What would you like?"

"I'm not really that hungry. How about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?"

"That's my favorite dinner, with a big glass of milk," I said, taking down the glasses.

"Mine too. Sometimes, I get so caught up in writing that I forget to eat, so I make a sandwich."

"Let's see what kind of jam we have. I see apricot and strawberry."

"I'll have apricot jam."

"Me too."

"This country is so pretty; I bet you can see every star in the sky here at night."

"We can have our sandwiches on the porch and watch the stars. There's also a swimming pool for hot days."

"That sounds like fun. I'll carry the sandwiches, and you can carry the milk."

As soon as we stepped outside, I knew we wouldn't see any stars. "We won't see the stars, but we can sit out here and watch the storm come in."

"I love storm-watching. When there was a storm at home, I would sneak out the window and climb on the roof. Once, I went to sleep and almost fell off the roof. I woke up just in time to get back inside before Mam came to wake me up."

"Did she always wake you even though you were home-schooled?"

"I got up at six every morning and cleaned the house until eight when my classes started."

"Was Mam strict with your schooling?" I asked.

"Yes. I remember when I was little, I had to use the bathroom; I raised my hand like I always did before I could talk. When she ignored me, I called her name. She was angry because I did it wrong. She wouldn't let me up, and I peed my pants," Sarra glanced at me. "She made me wash the entire load of clothes by hand."

"How old were you?"

"I was six or seven."

"Did she spank you?"

"Mam didn't spank me; she punished me in other ways. Ways that I don't want to think about."

"I'm sorry for bringing up unpleasant things."

"More like nightmarish things," she said, glancing at me and taking a deep breath. "Mam would make me stay in this little shed all night. It was two feet by one foot. And there were rats and spiders and every other creepy thing in there. At least, I imagined them in there. That's why I never liked upsetting Mam. I had to go there seven times, and I still have nightmares."

"I remember that shed in one of your books."

"Yes, I tore it down when Mam died."

"Did you ever see her body?"

"No, her brothers found her body. They took care of everything. She was cremated."

"Who are her brothers?"

"I never met them. When they found her, they sent me a message telling me what happened and that Mam didn't want a funeral."

"Did you think that was strange?"

"It was strange. I had never heard that she had brothers. But that's probably who she would visit when she disappeared for days at a time."

"Was she ever like a mother to you?"

"Yes, some of the time, she treated me like her little girl. As I grew up, she started changing. Even when she treated me like I was a pain in her ass, I still loved her because I thought she was my mother," she said, glancing at the sky.

"It's still a surprise to me that she wasn't my mother. I'm a horrible person, but when Beau told me she wasn't my mother, the relief that hit my heart was massive. Just knowing she wasn't my mother, I cried for the longest time. My cousins thought I was crying because she wasn't my mother, and I was crying for that exact reason. But those were happy tears."

"I'm sorry. It must have been hell living with her. From what I've read, I could tell she was mentally disturbed. Here comes the storm." We sat and watched the lightning and thunder for an hour before going inside.