Page 36 of Refuge for Flora

Barrett launched into the story of Flora and how she came to be there, and Zyan never said a word. When he was finished, he asked, “Well? What do you think?”

“What doIthink?”

“Yeah. I didn’t just call you to hear the sound of your voice, although it does give me goosebumps,” Barrett said and added a silly little giggle.

“Oh, shut up. So do you think she’s on the up-and-up? You think she’s told you the truth?”

“I can’t imagine why she’d lie about stuff like that. I mean, it’s kind of a fantastical story, I’ll give it that, but c’mon. Telling that kind of shit on yourself? I don’t think anybody would do that just to be sensational.”

“People are weird.”

“I know that. But still…”

“So do this. Call Pikeville. Ask them if they’ve got a missing person case for this, what’s her name?”

“Velma.”

“Yeah. Velma. Call them and ask. Tell them you’re just a citizen from somewhere else in the state and you heard someone talking about a woman who’d gone missing. You don’t have to tell them anything else. See what they say. At least then you’ll know if she’s telling the truth about that part.”

“Okay. That sounds reasonable. But what I’d really like to know… I mean, I’m not sure if I should…”

“You want to get involved with her, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I kinda do.”

“No ‘kinda.’ Either you do or you don’t. Which is it?”

“I do.”

“Okay then. Now we’ve got something to work with. Have you slept with her yet?”

“No.”

“But you want to?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Have you told her about Jessica?”

“No. Not yet. I mean, she knows I’m divorced, but?”

“Barrett, she told you some potentially damaging things about herself. Shouldn’t you honor that by being honest with her?”

He rubbed his temples with the thumb and ring finger of his free hand. Thinking about all of it gave him a headache every time. “It’s just so hard to talk about.”

“Yeah, I know. But the more you do it, the easier it’ll get. By the way, I can’t believe old Mrs.Murphy is still alive. I thought she died years ago.”

“Nope. During mowing season, I mow her yard pretty much every week.”

“And Mrs.Murphy is aware of all of this?”

“Yeah. I told her. I thought she deserved to know. She’s been very good to Flora, and?”

He heard Zyan snicker. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same woman? Short? Dumpy? Yells more than she talks?”

“Yeah. It’s her.” Barrett and Zyan had gone to high school together, and Zyan hadn’t lived that far from Mrs.Murphy’s house either. “Hey, wasn’t it you she caught picking apples off that tree in the back and?”

“Yeah. Came running out of the house with that shotgun. I was like fifteen, I think? Scared the shit outta me. I think I pissed myself.”