The Peach Pits

Chapter 22

Mae tried to focus on cooking breakfast with her mother. She tried to put her attention on the cheery music that filled the kitchen and the fact that for once, she and her mother were spending time together. Keeping her distance from Trina seemed like the smart thing to do, but she was waiting constantly for the other shoe to drop. Hopefully, it never would. Trina had steered clear of Mae and hadn't brought up her killing that man. Maybe, it hurt her too much to think about, and she preferred to just pretend it didn't happen. If that was the truth, Mae couldn't blame her. Actually, she'd be eternally grateful to her cousin.

"Put more butter in the pan or it'll burn," Mae instructed her mother.

"Oh, excuse me, I forgot I have a professional chef on my hands," Mae's mother smiled. She bumped her shoulder.

"I don't cook, I serve. It calls for a real trained eye."

They cooked breakfast in a comfortable silence. Fresh, warm air drifted inside through the cracked windows. The peach trees were almost in full bloom.

"You signed up for your college visit?"

Mae nearly had to do a double-take. Her mother hadn't asked her about college before.

"Yeah. I paid for it already."

"I was thinking we could go together. I'd love to see the school," Mae's mother offered.

"Yeah, I think that would be fine," Mae said. She tried to hide her excitement. It made her a little sad that she was going to leave in a couple months, and she and her mother were just now beginning to get along. Still, it was better late than never. Mae was starting to understand why Trina had always been so happy. Getting along with her mother made it feel like a couple of the thousand pounds of baggage were being lifted off her shoulders.

The doorbell rang. "Can you get it, Mae? I need to flip these pancakes."

Mae nodded and set down her fork. They never had visitors. What if it was Jesse coming to bother her again? Mae resolved not to entertain him. He didn't deserve her time and he sure as hell wouldn't ruin her rare good mood.

When she opened the door, she'd wished it was Jesse. Mae stared at the two police officers. Her heart dropped down to her gut.

"C-Can I help you?" Mae croaked.

"Are you Mae Elizabeth Powell?" The first officer asked. He was so tall, Mae was staring at his chest.

"Yes, sir... is there a problem?" she asked again. Her hands shook as she held the door open.

The other officer shoved a warrant in her face. "Step aside. We have a warrant to search the premises."

"For what?" Mae demanded, even though she knew asking was futile.

"Who's at the door?" Mae's mother called all the way from the kitchen. When the police entered the house, her mother rushed into the living room. "Oh, my God. What's going on?"

"Mom, I don't-"

"Mae Elizabeth Powell, you're under arrest for grand theft and suspected second-degree murder. Put your hands behind your back." When Mae didn't move, the officer turned around and pushed her up against the wall to cuff her. He read her her rights.

"I didn't do anything!" Mae cried.

"What the hell are you doing, that's my child!" Mae's mother shrieked. The other officer shoved the warrant in her face too before charging upstairs. "My niece is upstairs asleep. Please don't wake her up!"

Trina. Suddenly, Mae realized why the officers were here. Trina had been lying in wait for days. That's why she'd been avoiding Mae. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her betrayal was evident.

"Mom, I'm so sorry," Mae sobbed. "I'm sorry-"

"For what, baby? This is all some wild mistake." Her face changed when Mae didn't agree with her. "What did you do?"

Mae was interrupted by Trina being escorted downstairs by one of the officers. If she wasn't handcuffed, Mae would have choked the life out of her cousin.

"Was this for your mom?" Mae screamed. "She's dying anyway!" Mae dearly hoped the reward money, which wouldn't be enough for any sort of surgery was worth it to Trina. Now, the only person she could depend on for anything was going to jail. How the hell did she expect to get anything done long term?

"Mae!" her mother snapped. She looked between the two cousins, utterly confused and distressed. "Trina, you tell me what you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Trina snapped, as if getting Mae arrested was nothing.

Mae yelled for her mother as the officer took her outside. "Mae's mother dashed to the kitchen to grab her car keys. Trina followed the officer outside, just to add insult to injury.

"Ma'am, you have to stay on the property until the search is over. Then, if they set bail, you can come bail her out," the officer explained.

"If they set bail?" Mae's mother repeated loudly. She stood in the driveway barefoot. "What are y'all looking for? My daughter didn't-"

"Ma'am, your daughter stole thousands of dollars in money and jewelry and she may be connected to another robbery as well as a murder." Mae flinched at the officer's words, as if these weren't all things she had done. Things she had chosen to do.

Mae's mother looked at the officers like they were speaking a different language. She shook her head in a daze. "No, she's a good girl. She works hard. God knows she has an attitude sometimes, but she's a good girl. She's all I have."

"Ma'am, I know it's hard to swallow, but the evidence doesn't lie."

"Did you catch her doing it? What gave you the idea to come searching through my house and hauling my daughter off to jail?" Her mother demanded. Mae hung her head. The one time her mother tried to fight for her, she didn't deserve it.

"A call from this house. A witness said they had information and evidence. We're legally bound to investigate it. Sounded like a young girl."

Her mother looked like she was going to be sick. "What the hell did you do?" She stomped toward Trina. The officer looked like he couldn't decide between putting Mae in the car or intervening.

"We need the reward money," Trina said in a small voice. "For my mom."

"You're worried about money? This isn't about money!"

"You should have taught Mae that, not me."

Mae's mother reared her hand back and slapped Trina hard across the face. The officer shoved Mae into the car and slammed the door before rushing to pull her mother away from Trina.

"I want you gone!" Mae's mother screamed as the officer restrained her. She was so loud Mae could hear her through the car window. "Get the hell out of my house! I can't stand to look at you!"

Mae sat in the back of the hot car for what felt like eons. It wasn't until the second officer came out of the house that the other officer finally let her mother go, which forced her to have to look at the bags of cash and jewelry he carried out with him. Mae's stomach turned. She knew she'd never forget the look of absolute fear, terror, and heartbreak on her mother's face as the officer drove her away. Mae's worst fear had come true. Her life was over.