Rainier Drive (Cedar Cove #6)(39)

Allison didn’t say anything, although she definitely agreed.

“You say he called you?”

“Yes.”

“What did he want?”

Allison hated the implication. “He didn’t want anything. He said he needed to hear the sound of my voice. He told me he didn’t start the fire.”

“And you believe him?”

“I do.”

“You tell the sheriff he phoned you?”

“No.” Technically she hadn’t. It was her mother who’d contacted Sheriff Davis.

“Good,” she said and nodded approvingly. “If he calls you again, don’t, okay?”

Allison couldn’t promise one way or the other, so she didn’t say anything.

“He wrote me,” Cherry said, shaking another cigarette out of the pack.

Allison sat up. “You have an address?” she asked excitedly.

“I wish. Little bastard owes me money.”

“Can I see the letter?” Allison pleaded.

His mother shrugged. “It’s around here somewhere.” She walked over to the toaster and sorted through a tall stack of flyers and bills until she found what she was looking for. She held the envelope out to Allison.

Allison stood, but before she could take it, Cherry yanked it out of her reach. “You ain’t gonna mention this to the cops, are you?”

“No,” Allison promised, her heart in her throat.

Cherry gave her the letter.

Sitting down, Allison removed the single sheet from the envelope and read.

Dear Mom,

I asked a friend to mail this for me. Don’t try to trace me because I’m not anywhere close to where this letter is postmarked.

Allison stopped reading and examined the envelope, which had a Louisiana postmark. She hated that he was so far away and hoped what he said was true.

I know you’re probably mad because I took the money out of the freezer. There was almost five hundred dollars there. I counted it and as soon as I can, I’ll pay you back every penny. I know you were saving that money to fix the transmission on the car. I wouldn’t have taken it if I’d had any other choice.

If you’re done being mad, then there’s something else I want to tell you. I didn’t start that fire.

This was underlined several times.

I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff in my life but I didn’t do this. Believe me or not…that’s up to you.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to write you again so consider this an IOU for the money—$497.36.

Take care of yourself, and if you’re smart you’ll get rid of that guy you think looks like Tobey Maguire. He’s a piss-poor imitation.

Anson

Allison replaced the letter in the envelope. “Anson borrowed almost five hundred dollars from you?” she asked softly. That explained why he didn’t need any money. Yet it’d been weeks since she’d seen him. That money couldn’t have lasted long.

“He didn’t borrow anything. He stole it,” Cherry said, puffing on a new cigarette. “I’m never gonna see that cash again. It’s gone and so is Donald.” She took a crumpled tissue from her housecoat pocket and blew her nose. “And he did too look like Tobey Maguire.”

She seemed more upset about Donald than her own son, Allison mused.

“Anson was nothing but trouble to me from the day he was born,” Cherry said, suddenly angry. “It would’ve been a whole lot better if he’d been a girl. I knew the minute that nurse told me I’d had a boy this wasn’t gonna work. But as soon as I saw him, I knew I was gonna keep him.” She shrugged her shoulders and took another puff. “The kid would have done a hell of a lot better if I’d given him to that lady from the state. She said she had a home ready and waitin’. But I wouldn’t listen to her. Oh, no. I figured this kid came from me and that he’d love me.”

“Anson does love you.”

“Yeah, right,” she muttered. “That’s why he did what every man I ever loved did. He left and took something of mine with him. In his case, it was that five hundred bucks. He might as well have taken my car for all the good it’s doing me with a busted transmission.” She ground out the half-smoked cigarette. “Not that five hundred bucks would’ve paid for a new one.”

“Despite what he did, Anson’s a wonderful person,” Allison felt obliged to tell her. “And he’s smart, too. He’s really good in languages and science. He could’ve gotten top grades.”

His mother blinked as if this came as a surprise, and then shook her head. “The problem is, he’s a man. I never could hold on to one. His own daddy dumped me soon as I got pregnant and then disappeared. I found out later he was married, anyway.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well he wasn’t my first mistake or my last.” She gulped down another swallow of beer. “You go ahead and believe in Anson if you want,” she said, giving Allison a shaky smile. “He needs someone who will. I don’t believe in myself anymore, so I don’t have it in me to believe in him.”

“I love Anson,” Allison admitted.

Cherry looked away for a moment, and Allison thought she saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. When Cherry looked back, she pointed the bottle at her.