Page 56 of Trailer Trash

“Hi,” I said with a big smile. “I’m Tiffany from Baby Dearest, and I’m looking for Stella St. Clair.”

“What for?” she asked.

I’d expected her to say no and slam the door in my face, so it took me a second to catch up. “Uh . . . I’m here to deliver the good news—she’s won a year’s worth of diapers.”

“Stella’s a private person,” she said, jostling the baby on her hip. “Why don’t you leave it with me, and I’ll give it to her.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” I said in a saccharine voice. “But I really need to deliver the prize to Stella personally.”

She scowled, probably thinking she could sure use a year’s worth of diapers, but then leaned out and pointed to the door at the end. “She lives down there, but she’s not the most pleasant of people, so be prepared.”

“Okay,” I said. “Thanks.” But she’d already slammed the door in my face.

I pulled the phone out of my pocket. “Did you hear that?”

“I’m already on my way up,” he said, and I noticed him walking toward the staircase. “Don’t go down there without me.”

My stomach was in knots by the time Jed reached me. The unreadable expression on his face sent a jolt of fear skating down my spine. “What are you planning on doing?” I asked.

“I’m not planning on anything, Neely Kate. This is your visit. I’m here to make sure you’re safe.”

“You jumped in with Zelda.”

He looked taken aback. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds.”

“No,” I said, my hands starting to shake. “That’s not what I was trying to say. I was all wound up in knots, and you asked questions it wouldn’t have occurred to me to ask—at least not in the moment. When Rose and I question people, we usually tag-team it. That’s what it’s like with you and me too. We’re a team.”

His smile was reassuring, telling me he believed in me. I smiled back, suddenly less nervous.

“Okay,” he said. “We do this as a team.”

I led the way to Stella’s apartment and took a deep breath before I knocked on the door. No one answered, so several seconds later, I knocked again—a little harder this time.

The door opened seconds later, and a haggard woman answered. “I’ve got a baby sleeping—oh, my God,” she gushed. “Neely Kate?”

“Hey, Stella,” I said softly, every ounce of hostility washing out of me. She looked like a shell of the woman I once knew.

“What are you doin’ here?” Then she glanced over at Jed and took a step backward. “I didn’t mean to sell all your stuff, but you just took off—”

I glanced back at Jed and realized she saw a beefy-looking guy who looked like an enforcer. She thought I’d brought him as backup. “That’s not why I’m here, Stella. I wanted to see you, that’s all.”

She nodded toward Jed. “Then who’s the guy?”

He stepped forward and reached out a hand. “I’m Jed. Her boyfriend. We’re here in Ardmore for a visit, and when she said she was coming to see you, I insisted on comin’ along.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

He dropped his hand. “You used to mean a lot to Neely Kate.”

“Until the end.”

“You still meant a lot to her.”

She eyed me as though trying to determine if it was a trick, but I must have passed her test because she stepped back and let us in. “My baby’s sleepin’, so keep it down.”

“Okay,” I said as I entered the dark room.

The drapes were pulled closed, but a bit of light shone through a crack. My eyes adjusted enough to take in the details of the small living room with a sofa and a recliner. There was a playpen in the corner, and baby toys were strewn all over the floor. Dirty dishes covered the kitchen counter and baby bottles filled the sink. The entire place reeked of sweat and cigarette smoke, and I fought the urge to gag.

---