For a moment she looked relieved, then she cast a fearful glance at the house. “My dad wouldn’t like it. He said she’s dead to us now.”
“I take it your father has a strong sense of right and wrong.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don’t know the half of it.” Tilting her head toward me, she said, “He’s always in the front pew at the First Baptist Church in Ewing.”
“Oh… Well, Jesus said to love the sinner and hate the crime.”
An amused look washed over her face. “You don’t go to church much, do you?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah. It’s love the sinner, hate the sin,” she said with a hint of disgust that made my stomach clench, but then she added, “But then you don’t know my daddy. Do you go to church?”
“Um, no,” I said. “Although Carnita, the librarian, has invited me to the Methodist service in Drum.”
Her face brightened. “I know Carnita. She’s always so nice when I drop by the library.”
“What do you like to read?” I asked, starting to get excited. “I’m about to start a book club.”
“Read?” she said with a sharp laugh. “I go for the DVDs. She’s got a great collection.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Carnita had told me more than once that I was one of the only patrons who took any interest in the book collection.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked me up and down. “Why would you offer to take me to see my momma? What’s in it for you?”
Now I felt like pond scum, because there was something in it for me, so I decided to be somewhat truthful. “Because I like your mother, and I can’t help but think there are extenuating circumstances.”
Her nose wrinkled. “What’s that mean?”
“It means I want to try to help her. I don’t know how to do that, but I do know she needs a good attorney, and I’m not sure the court-appointed one meets that description. So if you talk to her, maybe ask her what he’s done to help her, and we can decide if she should get someone else.”
“And who’s gonna pay for that fancy lawyer?” she asked with a sneer. “My daddy’s not payin’ for him, that’s for damn sure.”
“Well, I don’t know yet,” I admitted. I figured I’d find out if a new attorney was needed before I picked at the problem of how we could afford one.
“Why would you care?” she asked suspiciously.
“Like I said, I like her and want to help.”
“Nobody’s that nice.”
I understood her suspicion. Maybe I couldn’t convince her to let me help, but I could at least try. “I have a tutoring club at the tavern. Two days a week, kids come in and I help them with homework. This summer I’m helping them either keep from falling behind or try to catch up. I don’t get paid to do it, but I like kids and I like the feeling of helping them master something that was hard.” I shrugged. “I don’t have any answers for your mom, but she’s always been nice to me, and I feel like I have to do something. Some people bring casseroles, others get their hands dirtier.”
“And in your case, you do both,” she said with less venom.
“Yeah,” I conceded. “I guess I do.”
“I want to see my momma, but I’m supposed to be at work at one.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the screen. It was a little after eleven. “Where do you work?”
“At the drugstore in Ewing.”
“Well, if we go now, I can wait while you see her, then drop you off at work. Like I said, I’m going to Ewing anyway. I’m going to visit my friends at Greener Pastures, and then I’m having lunch with another friend. If you want, I can probably give you a ride home too.” It might mean being late for work, but this wasn’t just about getting information. I wanted to help her see her mother.
She twisted her mouth to the side, considering. “My friend offered to take me home, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there. I’ve been trying to line something up for the last fifteen minutes. Mom’s been taking me to work, but they impounded her car.” She paused. “I still need to get ready.”
“I’ll wait.”
She cast a glance at the house. “This will only take a few minutes, but you might want to come inside.”
I was assuming her father wasn’t home—otherwise she wouldn’t risk coming with me—so maybe she was worried her brothers would see me hanging around? Either way, I wouldn’t mind getting a peek inside her trailer. “Okay.”
I followed her inside, not surprised to see the cheap wood paneling on the walls or the avocado green counters in the old kitchen. She grabbed a cordless phone off its base on the counter. “I’ll call Amber and tell her I found a ride. She said she’d try to figure something out for me if I couldn’t.”
“Mind if I get a glass of water?” I asked.
“Nope. Help yourself.” She headed down the hall, disappearing into a room at the end and shutting the door.
I headed into the kitchen. The sink was full of dirty dishes that spilled out onto the counter, not surprising given there wasn’t a dishwasher. I opened a few cabinets, searching for a glass, but also looking around the space, trying to find anything personal that would give me some insight into Ashlynn or her family. There wasn’t anything. No pictures. Not even any artwork on the walls. The furniture consisted of what was likely yard sale finds, and the kitchenware looked like it had been pieced together with hand-me-downs and thrift store finds.
I finally found a plastic cup that was so worn and shaggy it looked like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper, but I didn’t want to offend Ashlynn, so I filled it with water from the tap and carried it into the dining area at the front of the trailer. A bowed window with short curtains looked out over the driveway and the road behind my car.
A stack of papers lay on the small round table. I cast a glance over my shoulder to make sure the door was still shut, then set the cup down and quickly looked through the papers. There were plenty of bills, some in Ashlynn’s name, including a bill from a doctor for five hundred dollars, but some of them were addressed to Chuck Holston, including a few credit card statements, a phone bill, and an electric bill—all to the same address, only a couple of numbers off from Pam’s address.
I heard a noise behind me, so I picked up my cup and turned toward the hall.
“I’m almost done,” Ashlynn said as she walked out of the room and through the door next to it. “I just have to put on a little makeup, then I’m ready.”
I held up my water. “I’m fine. Just enjoying the view out your window.”
“It ain’t that excitin’,” she said, leaving the door open.
I considered snooping in the living room, but there was nothing on the end tables or coffee table. I suspected it wasn’t worth getting caught. But I noticed a photo on the side of the fridge, held up by a magnet bearing the name of Travis Keeling, the insurance agent Sandy had mentioned. I leaned closer, recognizing four of the five people—Pam, Ashlynn, Ricky, and Thad. The boys had on button-down shirts, and Ashlynn and Pam were wearing dresses. The man in the photo, whom I presumed was Pam’s husband, was wearing a white dress shirt and black tie. He was the only person not smiling. The photo looked like it was a couple of years old, and from the background, I gathered they were at church. I mentally added the First Baptist Church to my list of places to check out.