Tainted Waters

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Stop, I have to make another call. I promise I'll just be a minute. We might have to make a detour first." The guilt of not talking to her mom was eating at her. Sam pulled out her cell phone and hit number one on the speed dial.

"Mom? Hi. It's Sam."

"I think I know my daughter's voice but thank you for telling me."

"I … uh …" She didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure why she'd even called. "Is there anything new with you?"

There was a sharp, indrawn breath and her mom didn't respond. No wonder, she'd never asked her a question like that ever. So why now? She already knew what her mother was thinking, Sam was listening to her intuition.

"Sorry for bugging you. I had asked Meredith to call, but I know you worry unless you've heard my voice. So here I am."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. What's going on with you? Hey, you haven't talked with George since the funeral, have you?"

There was nothing but silence for several seconds. "Why do you ask?"

"He seemed intense with you at the service. I know there's all the history of him and dad being business partners at one time, but it seemed more than that. Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine. How are you doing? Any luck with the job hunt?"

"I have a few resumes out. I should hear something next week. Things are good."

"You're okay for money?"

"Mom. Have you talked with George?"

"Look, Sam. If I go out to dinner with him, that's my business. Not yours. Now, do you need money?"

She could barely contain her gasp, at her mom's words. "I'm good, Mom. Gotta run. Just wanted to check in with you."

"Just so you know, Meredith called. Thank you for asking her to, but I prefer to hear from you directly."

Sam inhaled a slow, calming breath. "'kay, talk to you later." She waited until her mom said goodbye and then tapped the disconnect.

"We need to turn around and go to Bentley."

"Care to tell me why?"

She didn't look at him but shook her head, hoping he wouldn't ask more questions. Thirty-five minutes later, they pulled up outside Rest-In-Peace Funeral Home. There were no lights on inside or out. There were two spotlights on the sign in front and two yard lights that lit the sidewalk to the front door, but neither was on yet. The place looked deserted. She looked at her watch. It was only 5:00. It was odd that George would be gone already, but then she also knew that in his business he put in a lot of odd hours.

She gave Keegan directions to the next place she wanted to go. Once they reached the outskirts of the city, she had him drive down a paved but private road for about five minutes. A few more turns and ten minutes later they pulled up outside a huge house, one that just fell short of being a mansion. It was huge but not quite in the league of what she called mansion-like homes. Maybe she just didn't want to believe that this man, of all people, could have made enough money from dealing with dead people to own something like that.

The yard was immaculate, mowed lawn, trimmed hedges, plants already planted in the many gardens and pots that adorned the yard. The forest encased the place giving it a majestic but well-hidden look. The large hill behind the house made it picturesque. Sam had driven here once out of curiosity. She'd wondered as to how well he'd been doing in the funeral business. All that he'd gotten while they had very little. It had pissed her off. The man didn't deserve to have it so good.

She'd lost everything.

The nausea she'd been feeling on the way was threatening to do more than just make her feel uncomfortable. After drawing in a few deep breaths, she slowly climbed out of the car. Her hand automatically pressed against her stomach, trying to settle her nerves that were threatening to overwhelm her. The sight of the two-story house with the balcony that overlooked the driveway, the enclosed swimming pool that she knew filled one end of the monstrosity, was a bit daunting. It reminded her of how her family had struggled in the early days. They'd lived in a modest house and, other than the cabin, they really had nothing special. Business had obviously picked up and was paying off. If her dad had lived, would they have had that kind of home?

Those thoughts were not ones she could deal with at the best of times and certainly not now. She squared her shoulders, walked up to the oak door, and pressed the doorbell. It was several minutes before he answered it. Since she'd been expecting a maid or someone like that to answer it, she was unprepared for it to be George. He looked crisp and clean and newly pressed and was knotting his tie. The flash of impatience in his eyes was almost her undoing.

"I … uh …"

"What are you doing here?"

She wondered why he disliked her so much. There was no love lost between them, but he always seemed to be pissed at her before she even said anything. The down-the-nose look he was giving her straightened her spine. "I'm here to talk to you about my mom."

"Oh, has something happened to her?"

"No. She's fine. But I want you to stay away from her."

"I'm sorry, Sam, but when did you become her guardian?"

"Aren't you funny? Just stay away from her. You're not going to weasel your way into my family. I don't know what you're up to but stay away from all of us." With that, she spun on her heel and walked casually back to the vehicle, even though her body was screaming at her to run. Once inside, she told Keegan to go back to Albertson. But not via the main highway. To take all back roads. As they exited the driveway, she looked off to her left. There was nothing but thick bush. The place was so isolated. Secluded.

Thankfully, Keegan never said a word. He seemed to sense that she needed the quiet. He took her cold hand at one point. She clung to his so tightly it surprised her he didn't say something. By the time they reached their next destination, she'd almost managed to get her shaking under control. The encounter had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

Sam pulled out her cell and quickly texted DD. be there in 5 don't tell mom and dad surprise

"Turn right. Here." She gave him a few more directions.

He pulled up in front of a house at the far edge of a residential area. She climbed out of the car, arching her back. The door to the house flew open and DD came lumbering down the sidewalk.

"AnSam. AnSam. AnSam. You came."

Sam opened her arms wide, bracing herself as she was almost tackled in her excitement.

"DD, get back in here. DD, you're sick. You're not supposed to be outside." Shelley was only a few years older but looked closer to forty. Sam knew that if she said anything like that, she'd be banned for life. The short bob haircut, very much like her daughter's, was cute. Although it looked like she was ready to yank out every brown strand from her own head. The look of pure disgust that came over her sister-in-law's face had Sam rethinking their stop. Her niece, though, was already dragging her forward. Sam glanced over her shoulder, pleading with her eyes for Keegan to come with her. He'd stayed by the car but seemed to understand her silent request. He soon caught up to them as they walked through the front door.

Sam pasted on a smile she didn't even come close to feeling and allowed herself to be pulled inside.