Page 47 of Trailer Trash

I laughed and listened to her stories about her new church and what the old neighbors had been up to these last few years. Fifteen minutes into her tales, I noticed she hadn’t said more than a word about her niece.

“What’s Stella been up to?”

She scowled. “She found her a new man.” Her scowl deepened. “Only, this one’s rougher than the last half dozen.”

“Does she come visit often?” I asked.

“I’m lucky to see the girl every few months, and then she only comes around to beg me for money, but I know what it’s for.” She pointed her finger at me. “I don’t support drug addicts.”

My heart sank. Even though part of me was still furious with Stella, I was sad to hear she was using. “Is she still in Ardmore?”

“Oh, yeah. She can’t leave now that she’s got the baby.”

I gasped. “Stella had a baby?”

“Yep, she’s bound to be a little over a year old. I’ve only seen her twice. She said the father tried to sue her for full rights, but she cleaned up enough for the courts to believe she was a fit mother.” She gave me a knowing look. “Child support. But then I heard the man she sued wasn’t the baby’s father after all, so I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

I wasn’t surprised that Stella would put the needs of herself over her child, but it made me ill. Especially since I’d so desperately wanted the babies I’d lost.

“Can you tell me where she lives?” I asked, trying not to look like I was about to gag. “I’d love to pay her a visit.”

“Oh, she’ll be so surprised to see you,” Zelda said with sad eyes.

She’d be surprised all right. It would be like the Ghost of Christmas Past had showed up to haunt her.

Chapter 14

Jed tookanother glance around the room, then asked, “Miss Zelda, would it be all right if I got a glass of water?”

Zelda cringed. “Where are my manners? I should have offered you something straightaway since it’s already beatin’ hot. I was just so taken by surprise.” She made a move to get up. “I’ll get you something now.”

Jed was already on his feet. “You sit and enjoy your visit with Neely Kate. I’ll get it.”

She smiled up at him as if he’d announced she was a bingo winner. “The glasses are in the cabinet to the left of the sink.”

Jed moved the few feet into the kitchen and opened the cabinet.

What was he up to?

“Oh,” Zelda said, slapping her leg. “I forgot to tell you—some people came looking for you.”

My heart slammed into my ribcage.People?“Were they together or did they come separately?”

“Separately. The woman showed up months ago . . . right around Thanksgiving, but the man was here back in the spring.”

My mouth went dry.

“The woman . . .” Jed said, setting his glass of water on the kitchen counter. “What did she look like?”

“It looked like her clothes came straight out of the Salvation Army, and when I asked her how she knew you, she said you’d worked together . . .” Zelda turned to face me. “But I didn’t fall off the turnip truck. Something about her didn’t seem right, so I asked her to remind me of your boss’s name. She said she couldn’t remember. As big of an asshole as he was, I figured she’d remember Shitty Stan if she’d ever set foot in that dump.” Her mouth pursed. “She was a slick devil, trying to twist the conversation around to get things out of me. The only thing the she-devil got out of me was Stella’s name, and that was only so I could set her up to see if she knew Stan.”

I wasn’t thrilled Zelda had given her Stella’s name, but in the scheme of things, it wasn’t the worst thing for her to have divulged.

“Did the woman tell you her name?” Jed asked.

Zelda shook her head. “No, and I asked her who she was, but she weaseled out of telling me, which was my first clue that she wasn’t on the up and up. Plus, she seemed too classy to work at the place. Ratty clothes aside, she looked like the type to hold her pinky finger out when she sipped her coffee.”

“What did her hair look like?” I asked.

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