Judith went to the door as the crunch of tires ceased out front, picking up again a moment later. When she opened the door, I could see the taxi disappearing down the driveway and Shelby just coming up the first step. I stepped back into the shadows as Judith clutched the handle on the screen door, keeping it tightly shut.
“Mama,” Shelby greeted, nervousness blatant in her voice.
“I told you not to come back here, Shelby Ann. Now, get off my porch!” Judith sounded manic, but from what I knew, that was her default, so I doubted Shelby would notice anything wrong. Even if she did, it wasn’t like she was going anywhere unless it was on foot.
“Mama, please, I-you were right. I should have stayed away from Dirk, but I left him. I can’t stay there anymore. He-he, you don’t know what he did, Mama. I’ll get out of your hair tomorrow. Can I please just stay tonight? I won’t come out of my room, I promise.”
Shelby’s pleading threatened to break my resolve, but I knew there was no room for sympathy. It was a weakness I couldn’t afford. Besides, Dirk would be pulling in any minute. It was too late to help her, not that I’d considered it for more than an instant.
But it did have some effect on Judith, whose fingers trembled on the door. “I can’t help you, Shelby Ann. I warned you, but you refused to listen. Now your chickens are coming home to roost! God save your soul and mine, but you’re on your own, girl.” Softer, so I doubted that Shelby could hear her, she whispered, “I couldn’t even help myself.”
“But, Mama—” Her anguished voice cut off at the sound of an approaching car. “I’m so stupid! I shouldn’t have come back for you.” And that was the real reason she was here… As badly as Judith had treated her, Shelby couldn’t bear to leave her mother to face the fallout alone. She’d have been better off going to her old boss, not that it would have changed the outcome any.
“Goodbye, Shelby Ann. Don’t come back here again.” Judith slammed the door on her daughter, slipping to the floor where she tucked her head against her updrawn knees and rocked as she softly keened and muttered about devils in suits.
I left her there to slip out the back so I could observe what transpired between Dirk and Shelby. He’d brought Milo, of course, and I knew it was only a matter of time before Dirk let him off his leash. Disgust rippled through me at the thought, but I wouldn’t intervene. While I kept an ear out for Shelby’s refusal to go back and Dirk’s sincere-sounding apologies, I sent an update to Winston. Unfortunately for Shelby, she’d become the lynchpin that I needed to pull to bring down both men. I just hoped I could deal with her hate when she found out she’d been used. Maybe she’d remember the time I’d tried to help her and she refused to go, but I held out little hope for that.
Finally, Dirk lost his patience, and Shelby’s screech of pain pulled my attention from the screen of my phone. Milo had her thrown over a shoulder as he carried her to the town car they’d driven out here. He unceremoniously tossed her in the back, and Dirk followed shortly. As soon as Milo was in the driver’s seat, they pulled out, and a message came through. Not from Winston, like I’d expected, but from Dirk. Luckily, unless Winston ordered it, I didn’t have to follow Dirk’s demands, and this was one of those times. But then the same message, worded differently, of course, popped up, so I headed back inside, disgust roiling through me, to tie up a decades-old loose end.
It seemed Judith would be finding out if her soul was safe sooner than she’d planned.