Page 20 of The Sleeping Girls

BACKWATER’S EDGE

Ruby Pruitt tucked her phone in her pocket, her stomach jumping with nerves as the conversation with the detective echoed in her head. Shame burned her cheeks. She hadn’t wanted the lady to come in, to see how she and her mother lived.

Backwater’s Edge was on the poorer side of Red Clay Mountain, which made for teasing from other students who looked down on the kids in the trailer park and clapboard houses that were barely standing after the last tornado. Blue tarps covered holes in the roofs and downed trees still hadn’t been cleared from several yards. The creek running along the properties was black with debris and muck and if the rain continued as they were predicting, it would probably flood.

Rumors about areas near landfills and chemical plants leaking bad chemicals into the water floated around the town. Sometimes she thought Backwater Creek was filled with them.

“What was that about Kelsey? Do you know where she is?” her mother asked as she lit another cigarette, inhaled and blew a smoke ring. The nasty smoke swirled around Ruby, suffocating and clogging the air.

Despite the drizzling rain, Ruby cracked a window to let in some fresh air, anything to escape the insufferable smoke thatstunk up the house and her mother’s hair and clothing and made it hard to breathe. She’d begged her to quit dozens of times but got backhanded for it so she’d learned to keep her mouth shut.

“No,” Ruby said.

Her mother cut her a sharp look and flipped ashes into the empty Mountain Dew can on the table. “Don’t lie to me, girl. Are you and the others up to something?”

“No, Mom,” Ruby said although the lie burned in her throat. Somehow, things had gotten out of control. She had to delete all the texts between her and the others. And Kelsey… Where was she?

“Maybe Kelsey just got tired of hearing her parents argue and went for a walk to get away from them.”

Nerves clawed at her. She didn’t think that was what had happened at all. Kelsey was one of the most level-headed kids in the school. That, and the fact that she didn’t look down on her, had drawn Ruby to her.

Ruby tried to ignore the dirty windows and shutters hanging sideways. She wished she didn’t feel so embarrassed about the trailer park. But she was ashamed of it and her mother’s smoking and drinking and her job at The Hungry Wolf, where the booze flowed freely and she suspected her mother did more than serve drinks.

Her mother shoved the chair back from the table. “Well, since Jean isn’t taking y’all shopping today, you can clean up this pigsty while I take a nap. I pulled the late shift last night and again tonight.”

Ruby wanted to protest but didn’t bother. They needed the extra shifts her mother pulled to make ends meet. She just hoped she was wrong about how her mother earned it.

Her mother hurried to her bedroom and Ruby turned to the kitchen to wash the stacks of dirty dishes.

As she dumped them and scraped the burned ends of the bacon, her phone dinged.

Anxiety tightened her shoulders as she glanced at it and saw texts flowing.

June:Why do you think Kelsey isn’t answering?

Ruby’s thumbs flew over the keys on her phone.

Ruby:I don’t know but a lady cop was here asking questions.

June:What did you tell her?

Ruby:That I didn’t know anything. But she knew Kelsey had a boyfriend and asked his name, so I told her about Mitch.

June:What about the pictures?

Ruby:No way. My mama would have a cow.

June:Come over and stay with me.

Ruby:She’ll ground me forever if I leave the house. Maybe tomorrow.

A thumbs-up emoji pinged back and she set down the phone and hurried to clean up. The house was always a mess with cigarette ashes filling the ash trays, junk and laundry strewn around. Kelsey and June were the only teens she’d ever allowed inside.

Yet as she cleaned, the photo that had been posted the night before taunted her. She’d immediately called the others on a group call. Panicked, the texts had started flying.

June:Grandma will have a heart attack.

Kelsey:I bet Bianca did this. Maybe we can fix it.

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