Page 44 of Trailer Trash

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Twenty minutes later, Jed pulled into the Winter Haven Mobile Home Park, and my anxiety shot through the roof. I grabbed the armrest attached to the car door and squeezed tight.

Jed pulled over to the side of the gravel lane. “Neely Kate. Talk to me.”

“I’m okay,” I said between pants. But I wasn’t, of course. Everything was rushing back in horrific detail.

“You don’t look okay.”

“Just give me a moment. It’s been a while.”

He leaned over me and opened the glove compartment, then pulled out a small handgun.

“You won’t need that,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “It’s not like that.”

He popped out the clip, looked at it, then popped it back in. “Nevertheless, it’s better to be prepared.”

Maybe that’s what I was doing now, preparing myself. My reaction had caught me by surprise. I’d loved Zelda like a mother. Rose’s old boyfriend’s mother, Maeve, reminded me a lot of her. Only, Maeve was the sweeter, more genteel version of Zelda, who could best be described as a character.

I expected Jed to tuck the gun somewhere on his body, so I was surprised when he handed it to me.

“Why are you giving me that?”

“Because I know you know how to use it. I need to know you’re covered.”

“Jed, I don’t need it.”

He grabbed my hand and placed it in my palm. “Neely Kate. I have no idea what to expect here, so please humor me.”

I put the gun back in the still-open glove compartment. Before he could protest, I opened my purse and partially lifted out my own gun. “Remember this? I think Merv’s still pretty well-acquainted with it.”

He studied me. “Would you really have shot him?”

“I’d like to say no, but Kate already had me on edge. If he’d attacked me again, I’m not sure what I would have done, although I wouldn’t have aimed for anything vital.” I paused. “Not looking so innocent now, am I? Changed your mind about me yet?”

“Why wouldn’t I respect your ability to take care of yourself?”

“If I can take care of myself, then why are you here?”

“Because even Skeeter and I need backup. I’m backup.”

I closed my purse. “Thanks.”

“Are you ready, or do you need more time?”

I took a deep breath, grateful Jed had once again pulled me out of my spiral of anxiety. “I’m good.”

“Then tell me where to go.”

We drove to the back of the park, then turned left on the last road in the place. “Go slow,” I said.

He obeyed without question, slowing down to a ridiculous 5 MPH, yet that was almost too fast for me. I took a deep breath as I pointed across the street to the trailer Zelda had lived in, but my eyes were on the hellhole I’d lived in with my mother. When I thought of this place, a whole host of images and memories filled my head, none of them good. Cigarette smoke and a parade of men. My fear of unleashing my mother’s temper, reinforced by her stinging words and the back of her hand. My desperation to escape. Then, after she dumped me off with my grandmother, my determination to find her again.

No wonder I was screwed up.

He pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park. “How do you want to play this?”

Ignoring him, I opened the door and got out, the heat blasting me in the face. I took two steps toward my mother’s old trailer before I stopped myself. Why was I drawn to the trailer I’d lived in with my mother? I’d come back to this trailer park seven years ago and lived next door to Momma’s old place for a year. I’d never given it the time of day—not after learning my mother had long since moved on—so why was I so drawn to it now? Maybe it was because my mother had been a complete mystery at the time. I hadn’t known if she was living or dead. Kate had proven she was not only alive, but living in West Virginia.

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