“Anything to get me in trouble, huh?” he said to Noah. His son came to him with a truck half his size. He lifted it to Maverick to open the doors.
“Queen believes that we couldn’t have gotten this far without you. You agree?” Apollo asked. “I mean, how deep does this go? Because it makes no fucking sense to me. Why a Mayfair would kidnap Shelly or whatever the hell is going on up on that mountain. I feel like there is a puzzle piece that’s still not on the board.”
Maverick worked on opening the doors to the truck. He knew when he was being led into an interrogation. Queen was a woman of secrets. A woman of secrets didn’t reveal many about herself or others. It appeared that Apollo may have learned what the town knew of him and his record but not much on the situation at hand. He had no intention of being the one to enlighten him. “Here you go. All doors open, boss!”
Noah carried the truck the best he could back to the others. Maverick watched as his son dug into his pocket and removed a pacifier he must have stashed there and put it in his mouth. Before he could answer Apollo, the sound of a door slammed shut echoed through the ranch. Both men froze.
“Delilah? Delilah? Where are you!” Delores shouted.
Maverick and Apollo went into action. They had one job, and that was to not disrupt the interview. Maverick picked up Noah, and they left the room in time to find a panicked Delores headed straight for them.
“What’s wrong?” Maverick asked.
“Get out of my way,” she responded.
“Mrs. Fletcher?” Apollo stepped to Maverick’s side and blocked the hall with him.
“Where is she? Where is my daughter? Is she online giving an interview?” Delores asked.
“How do you know that?” Apollo asked.
“It’s true? Oh, good lord! Get out of my way!” Delilah’s mother shouted.
“Ma? What are you doing here?” Delilah came rushing down the hall.
“Are you having an interview? After we said, we would not bother those Montgomery’s again!” Delores pushed Maverick and Apollo aside to confront her daughter. “Is the press here?”
“Of course not. We’re under quarantine.”
“Then why is he here?” She pointed at Apollo. She saw Queen behind her. “And Queen too? They’re in the house without masks! That’s risky!”
“Maverick, take Noah upstairs,” Delilah said. “Apollo, help Queen wrap things up for me. We put the Post on hold. Make up some excuse. Maybe Queen can finish without me. Do something, please!”
“Why are you antagonizing that woman?!” Delores asked. “Giving interviews? Why!”
“Mama! Please, come with me. Now!” Delilah grabbed her mother by the arm and forced her to walk in the opposite direction. The two women were shouting at each other as they went. Noah remained in his father’s arms. The toddler seem impressed by the action. He then continued to play with the toy car in his hand while sucking a pacifier he had outgrown. He was sure his son understood. This was something the ladies would have to work out on their own.
“ARE YOU INSANE? COMING in here like a madwoman? Screaming and shouting the roof off!” Delilah asked. “Embarrassing me!”
Delores let tears fall. None of it affected Delilah at first. Her mother had been hot and cold for over a week. Acting as if a bolt of lightning would split the roof and strike them down at any moment.
“I don’t understand why we keep having this same argument, Mama. What is wrong with you?” she asked in a voice that sounded more like a plea. She wanted her mother back. Not this woman who was prone to paranoia and hysterics.
“I begged you to let this go,” Delores wept. She staggered over to the sofa and bent over. Her hands to the arm of the seat held her up. She cried so hard she couldn’t continue to stand without wavering. Delilah hurried over to her mother and helped her sit. “Please talk to me. You can trust me. You know I trust you. What scares you so much?”
“I’m so afraid you will hate me for the mistakes I’ve made,” her mother confessed.
“Mistakes? Mistakes! We all make mistakes Mama. God knows I made the biggest one of my life by marrying into this family. I don’t give a care what Mother Abigail does or says about your past. You hear me? I don’t care—.”
“You should care. The legal battle with the Montgomery’s isn’t over. They are still trying to contest you having anything that Charles left you. Scandals will destroy you eventually if you keep letting it in.”
“Letting what in—?”
“When this quarantine is over, you have to rebuild your life in this town. You have a law firm to protect. A reputation that you earned,” Delores touched her face. “I am so proud of the woman you became. You did that, not Charles and not Mother Abigail. Don’t give it up. Don’t give Abigail more power.”
“How am I doing that?” Delilah asked.
“Moving that man into this house did that,” Delores replied.
“Maverick? This is about Maverick?”
“No. Yes. It’s both. Digging up the past and doing more interviews to agitate her is bad for you and Noah. Her dirty secrets are yours too. The press isn’t your friend. It’ll hurt you in court for custody.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You need to stay out of this Ma—,” she said and tried to stand. Delores grabbed her wrist and pulled hard to keep her close.
“You’re so damn stubborn!” Delores seethed. Delilah's eyes stretched. Her mother was a devout Christian. She couldn’t count higher than three when it came to the times she heard Delores curse.
“Where’s daddy?” Delilah asked, trying to think of a way to bring her mother down from her hysteria.
“I left him at home. I left,” Delores sniffed.
“You took the car and left him? Mama? The COVID virus is serious. Why would you take that risk?”
“I panicked,” Delores said.
“Exactly. You’re panicking. And that’s not the rational you. So stop it. Okay? Or... or you have to tell me. Tell me why Mother Abigail scares you this much?” Delilah said.
“I have my reasons,” Delores said.
“Tell me,” Delilah insisted. “What is her power over you?”
Delores gaze slowly lifted to her daughters. “She doesn’t have any real power over you or us left,” Delores admitted.
“Then why the drama?”
“Let me finish, girl. You talk so much, and so fast I can never get a word in. Let me speak!”
Delilah nodded her head in obedience.
“The only thing left is her destroying my relationship with you. Making you hate me. Or taking Noah from me because you don’t trust me. That will kill me, Delilah,” Delores confessed.
“Why would I distrust you?” Delilah pulled back. “What have you done?” To the question, Delores averted her gaze. “What have you done, Ma?”
“Abigail told me that you had a Washington Post interview scheduled. Called me on my cell phone and told me. Someone from that paper contacted Tyson about whether he would like to comment on the story they were working on. He has the Senate hearings coming up. You know this is going to blow,” Delores said.