Page 36 of Bad Seed

“I’m in Jubilee,” Karen said.

“Peachy. Kindly do not register at this hotel. I don’t want you or her under this roof.”

“Larry, don’t be this way. I came to bail Justine out of jail, only to find out she pled guilty at her arraignment and somehow managed to skip being sentenced to jail time, but she has to pay all the fines and damages before they’ll release her. It’s six thousand, five hundred and seventy-five dollars, or she just rots in jail.”

Larry lost it. “Did it ever occur to you that might be where she belongs?”

“Larry! Don’t!” Karen wailed.

He could hear the fear and tears in her voice. He wanted to hate both of them. He was so sick of their drama.

Karen was desperate. “I don’t have that kind of money. I can’t use a credit card, although I have one paid off that would work. If you’ll come up with the cash toget her out, you can skip the next three months of my alimony. It would come to about the same amount.”

He frowned. “I don’t trust you. You have to put that in writing first, so you can’t haul me back to court and claim I’m not paying you.”

“I will! I promise!” Karen said. “You write it, and I’ll sign it the moment you hand me the cash. You might be ready to abandon her, but I can’t.”

Larry snorted. “Oh, please. You abandoned her four years ago after you dumped her off at rehab. Why do you think she’s been living with me?”

Silence.

“Well?” Larry asked.

“Yes. Fine. You’re right,” Karen snapped. “And when I get her out of jail, I’m taking her back to Dallas with me. We’ll figure something out, and you’ll resume my alimony payments in a timely fashion?”

He sighed. “Yes.”

“I’ll need to go to the penthouse to pack her clothes,” Karen said.

“No. You don’t need to do anything but get the hell out of town. Her clothes are already packed and down in storage behind the front desk. I’m going to have to go down to the bank to get the cash. I’ll meet you outside the hotel in an hour, with her luggage. And then I swear to God, if either one of you ever calls me again, it better be to tell me someone died…preferably you or her.”

He hung up in her ear.

Karen gasped, and then shivered. She’d never been afraid of Larry before, but she was now.

Larry’s thoughts were spinning. He had plenty of money in his special Dallas account, but he’d never had a need to withdraw any of it until now. He ran upstairs to the penthouse to his personal laptop and logged into his banking.

A couple of clicks and he transferred seven thousand dollars from the special account into his personal account here in Jubilee. He waited until he saw the money deposited in that account, then headed downtown, hurried into the bank, wrote a check for the exact amount of cash needed to pay for the damages, and drove back to the hotel. He had fifteen minutes to spare when he raced back inside, retrieved the luggage with Justine’s clothes, and had them taken outside.

The day was cold but clear, and the fresh air in his face felt like a cleanser in more ways than one. He was getting rid of two problems in one blow today. Within a short time, both the women in his life would be on their way back to Dallas. The trouble Justine had caused at the hotel would be behind him, and his life could finally settle into a normal routine.

***

Karen had been parked in the hotel parking lot, making reservations while she waited out the hour, planning where they’d stay overnight on their drive back toDallas. She had visions of them hanging out together, doing mother-daughter stuff, whatever that was. She’d never done it before, but better late than never.

She’d seen Larry drive away, and she’d seen him come back. She was watching when the bellhop brought out three suitcases, with Larry walking out behind him, and took that as her signal. She started the car and headed for the front entrance, then pulled in and popped the trunk before getting out.

Larry didn’t even look at her. He just pulled a paper out of his pocket and handed her a pen. She signed her name and held out her hand. He put an envelope in her palm and loaded the suitcases without saying a word, then turned his back on her and went inside.

Karen closed the trunk, got back in her car, and headed to the jail.

Chapter 7

Justine had begged a towel, washcloth, and a bar of soap from Randy the jailer, and after an okay from the chief, Randy handed them to her through the bars. But when she tossed it all on the bunk and started stripping, he made a run for it. He didn’t want to be caught on camera with a naked woman behind the bars, especially one this crazy. He went back to his desk, and as soon as he confirmed she was intending to wash up in the little sink beside the toilet, he looked away.

She craved the luxury of a nice hot shower, but she was going to happily settle for just feeling clean again, even if she had to put dirty clothes back on. The soap was abrasive and smelled like pine trees. The cell was a little too chilly for this, but she didn’t care. She was barefoot and bare-assed to the world when she got her washcloth wet and soaped it before then started scrubbing and rinsing—first her face, scrubbing off every ounce of old makeup, and then scrubbing her way down, until the last thing she washed were her feet. She wiped what she could of the ketchup off her pants, then tossed the wet washcloth in the sink and started drying.Her pants were still damp as she put them back on, then finished dressing and sat down.

Later, Randy brought her a food tray—a cold sandwich, a bag of chips, and a bottle of water—and left without meeting her gaze.

---