Page 49 of Call Back

She shook her head. “That woman never forgets a name or a face.”

“Why would she give me false information?” I knew my mother wanted me to stop digging, but I decided to take a chance. “I found something of Daddy’s in there with the rest of that stuff.”

She frowned and shook her head. “No. You’re mistaken. That’s not possible.”

I tugged her next to the windows of a clothing store and lowered my voice. “It is. Remember that plaster dog I gave Daddy for his birthday when I was a kid? I found it in the garage.”

“There must be a million of those dogs out in the world,” Momma said. Her tone was dismissive, but I thought I heard her voice quaver a little. “You found it at the surplus store, and they had ten or more of them.”

How far was I willing to go? How much did she want to know? I decided to be honest with her. “Colt saw me eyeing it, so he carted it to my new apartment.”

“Why in the world would he do that?” she asked, shifting her weight impatiently. She started to walk around me, but I blocked her path.

“Because it reminded me so much of Daddy. But when he got it upstairs, the bottom of it broke, and we realized there was something in it.”

Her eyes darted to the street before settling back on me. “Magnolia. You need to let sleepin’ dogs lie.”

“Pun intended?” I asked, which drew an exasperated sigh out of her. I pressed on. “I found a note, Momma. Addressed to me. From Daddy.”

Her face paled. “Let it go. Do you hear me?”

My back stiffened. “Why are you so dead set against me finding out the truth?”

Her fists clenched at her sides. “You know your father was involved in something illegal, so why in the Sam Hill would you want to unearth more of his crimes? We’re disgraced enough . . . why would you want to attract more?”

I took a step back, feeling like she’d slapped me across the face. “You mean me? My performance on opening night?”

“No,” she said, her tone softening. “I’m talking about your father. Tongues are wagging, and they’ll wag even more.”

“So?” I asked. “What do I care what people think? You sure as hell never have.”

“All the gossip is hurting the catering business, Magnolia. We’ve lost several jobs because of it.” She pushed out a breath and leaned her shoulder against the building. “I may be dying, and you may not want the business, but Tilly does. And those people we hire need their paychecks.”

“I had no idea.”

“I figured you didn’t.”

“But I still want to know, Momma.” I grabbed her upper arms. “I need to know. You always told me to never hide from the truth, even when it’s hard.”

She shifted her eyes to the street, then back to me. “When the hell did I ever tell you such a thing?”

“All the time when I was a kid. Pretty convenient of you to forget.”

“The stakes are a lot higher now,” she said, sounding weary. “There’s a big difference between being grounded and getting killed.”

“You also taught me to be strong in the face of adversity,” I countered.

“You’re supposed to outlive me, Magnolia,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I can’t let you get yourself killed over something stupid that your father did.”

“But I’m not doing it alone.” I didn’t have Colt’s permission to tell anyone about his involvement, and something told me he’d particularly object to Momma knowing, so I lied and said, “Brady will help me.”

“He said he was leaving it in the past.”

“I’ll convince him. But even if I don’t, I have a right to know what Daddy got mixed up in. At least tell me what you remember and let me decide whether to pursue it or not.” Tears clogged my throat. “I’m not nearly as foolish as you think I am.”

Her jaw tightened. “I know you’re not foolish, Magnolia, and you have more self-preservation than I’ve given you credit for. Don’t look at me like that,” she said in disgust. “I might not know what happened to you the night of your graduation, but I’ve figured out that you left to protect yourself.”

My eyes flew open. “Momma . . .”

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