Meeting at Midnight by Eileen Wilks Page B

expression was venomous. “You! What are you doing here?”
    â€œBuying lumber.” Seely’s voice was steady. Her face was blank and much too pale. “Why? What are you doing here?”
    â€œDon’t you smart off to me! You’re not supposed to be here! You said you were leaving. You don’t belong here. We don’t want you here. Don’t think you’ll get a penny from me, whatever tricks you pull!”
    â€œI don’t want your money. I never did.” Seely started to turn away.
    â€œNasty baggage! You’ll listen when I talk to you.” The woman started after her. “I won’t have you confusing John, making him miserable again—”
    â€œMrs. Lake,” I said loudly. “Do you realize how worried your daughter has been?”
    She jolted. I don’t think she’d noticed me until that second, which says a lot about how focused she’d been on Seely. I’m not easy to overlook. Faded-blue eyes blinked behind her bifocals. “What? I’m not—”
    â€œI know,” I said soothingly, and switched my walking stick to my right hand so I could take her arm. My shoulder twinged. “Not yourself these days, are you? But if you’d take your medication you’d feel better. You have to stop wandering off this way. Poor Melly is frantic.”
    She stared up at me as if I were mad. “If you don’t take your hand off me this instant I will have you arrested.”
    I leaned closer and muttered, “You’ve drawn quite a crowd. Maybe you like scenes. If so, go right ahead and screech some more.”
    She looked around. People were staring, all right. The clerk had stopped ringing up her customer.
    Color flooded the old woman’s scrawny neck.
    Seely spoke from behind me. “I can handle this, Ben.”
    â€œSo? You don’t have to.”
    The old woman drew herself up. “You’ll be sorry you interfered. I’ll tell the judge, and he’ll see to it. As for you …” She leaned around me, her eyes glittered with malice. “Devil child! You stay away from me and mine.”
    She jerked her arm out of my grip and turned away with surprising dignity. I watched just long enough to make sure that she was really leaving, then looked at Seely.
    Her lips were tight. There was a lost look about her eyes I didn’t like. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…I didn’t expect to see her at a place like this. I wouldn’t have subjected you to that scene if I’d had any idea she might…” Her throat worked as she swallowed.
    â€œYeah, I’m all torn up about it.” I gripped her elbow and started for the doors. “Come on.”
    â€œBut—the wood! You can’t…Ben?”
    â€œGive her the ticket.” I nodded at the clerk as we passed the checkout. The others in the line glared at me. “McClainConstruction,” I told the clerk. “Charge it, save it, toss it, whatever. I’ll call.”
    We went through the automatic doors at a better pace than I’d managed since falling off the mountain. No doubt my knee would complain later. I didn’t care. Seely needed to get out, away from all those curious eyes.
    She didn’t mention my knee or my shoulder, either out loud or with her eyebrows. Which just confirmed how upset she was. She did say something about me being high-handed.
    â€œYou need to scream, cry or throw things. You don’t want to do that here, so we’re going home.”
    â€œI am not going to cry.”
    â€œYeah, I figured you were more a thrower than a crier. Here we are.” I released her arm and opened the passenger door.
    â€œWait a minute. I’m driving.”
    â€œNo, you aren’t.” I headed around the front of the car. “Power steering, power brakes and my right leg and left arm work fine. I don’t know why I let you talk me into the passenger seat in the