Skeleton Keys (on hold)

Chapter Eleven

Mr. Ward was waiting for us when we stepped inside the shop. He was talking on his cell-phone in a language I didn’t recognize, but I certainly understood the tone. He ended the call abruptly, taking a moment to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Has there been any news?" Dad asked as he stepped behind the old polished bar that served as the counter.

I set my purse on an armchair, and tried not to notice the old clown doll with a broken face that was stashed behind it. The inside of the shop was just as dusty and disorganized as the day before. I hated to clean, but I could feel the urge to start going through the piles. I wanted to get rid of the stuff that had no visible reason to still be here, like the bike that hung from the ceiling with the bent and broken frame, or the tray of earrings, non of which actually matched, which sat on the dresser by the counter.

"No," Mr. Ward said as he checked his phone. "No, nothing else. We're still in the process of investigating."

"Investigating what?" I asked, and watched as Mr. Ward shared a look with my dad.

"It's nothing you need to be concerned about; not just yet anyway." Mr. Ward smiled and turned back to my father. "I'll make sure you’re notified when we have something more." He left the shop then, and all I could do was stare at my dad.

"What's going on?" I stepped up to the counter. It was cleaner than I expected it to be, like it maybe had been wiped down in the last month or so.

"I don't think I'm supposed to-"

"Screw what you're not supposed to do!" I slapped my hand down on the polished wood hard enough to sting. I thought we’d gotten past this. "I need to know. I need to know that you aren't going to keep secrets from me anymore." The biting pain helped me hold back the tears that threatened to overflow again. "Please," I asked, softer.

He gave me a look that was filled with pain. “I’m sorry, Mary. I can’t. It’s a matter of safety at this point. I’ll tell you as soon as there is something I can tell you.”

Tears renewed their effort to fall and I forced myself to hold them in. I wouldn’t show him any weakness. Because that was the only reason I could think of that he’d hold something about the store, the job, back from me. He had to have thought that I was just a soft girl, new to the family business. New to what it was like to be an adult, let alone how to survive as one. I could see that he thought I needed to be shielded from the difficulties of life.

Well, I was going to show him how wrong he was.

“Fine,” I said sternly, and grabbed my purse. I walked to the back with determined steps. I thought we’d gotten past all of the secrets in the car. I thought we were going to be honest with each other now. Guess not.

I found Apollo staring at the coffee maker in the office, watching the liquid drip into the carafe with a glazed over expression. It reminded me of the looks some of the college students wore after the multiple all-nighters they’d pull before midterms.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" I asked him.

He turned to me, and blinked. "What?"

For a moment, all I could see was the image of him curled up in the alleyway. I shook my head, and turned away from him.

“Never mind,” I said absently, pushing the image away. He was better now, right? I mean, he was here, and while he didn’t seem to get along with Mr. Ward, the rest of the time I’d seen him, he’d seemed fine.

I frowned, and dug through my purse for my phone before I stashed the bag in one of Grandpa's desk drawers. My screen showed that I already had three texts and a missed call from Mom. I thumbed through the messages, ‘Hey, call me!’, ‘Where are you? I’ve got some great news!’, and ‘I’m worried about you, why won’t you call me?’. All of them had been sent within the last hour. I didn’t even try and stop my eyes from rolling as I sent a quick message back, telling her that I was busy and I’d call her tonight, before stuffing the phone in my back pocket.