Grizz
2002, Fort Lauderdale
The four friends sat on the back deck at Carter and Bill’s house. Ginny and Grizz had been sharing details of their upcoming move. After returning from Montana, they’d made a quick trip back with Mimi and Jason and let them visit the schools they would be attending. After deciding that one town, in particular, offered everything they wanted, they set about looking at the few houses Ginny had found through her Internet searches.
“So are you buying the house?” Carter took a sip of her iced tea.
“No.” Ginny shook her head. “We gave a deposit. We’re going to rent for a year while we take our time looking for property. Hopefully, it’ll come with a house that we like. If not, we’ll probably build.”
“Building can be such a pain, though.”
“I know, but Grizz loves construction. Remember—he practically lived here when we built this house.” Ginny looked over at Grizz and gently caressed his arm. She caught a glance between Grizz and Bill and knew something was up.
“Didn’t you? Didn’t you love coming here when we built this house?”
He sat up in the patio chair and faced her. “Not really, honey.”
“What do you mean, ‘Not really?’ You were always here!”
He didn’t answer, so she looked at him, then Carter, then finally Bill. She felt like she was about to become the butt of some inside joke.
“I had another reason for being here. I was overseeing something. I needed to make sure it was done right.”
“Make sure what was done right?” The attitude in her voice was becoming obvious.
Grizz stood and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up.
“It’s easier to show you.”
She walked with him as he led her down the deck steps and toward the detached garage with the second-floor guesthouse. She followed him up the side stairs and through the door. They were now in the bedroom where they’d retrieved his telescope the previous Thanksgiving. She looked around the room, then back at him. He walked to the small bedroom closet and opened it.
“Come here,” he said.
She walked over and watched as he reached into the closet and opened what she’d always thought was an electrical breaker box. He flipped a switch, and she heard what sounded like some kind of latch releasing and the back wall of the closet slid open.
“A secret room? Really, Grizz?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, really.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I originally had it done to be more of a safe house or—what do they call them now? Panic rooms?”
“Well, how considerate of you to create a safe house that I wouldn’t know how to find since I never knew about it.” She rolled her eyes.
“I got so complacent after we moved in that I didn’t think we’d need it, and obviously we didn’t. Then after I was arrested, there was no longer a use for it.” He paused. “But it’s being used now. C’mon.”
He had to duck low to go inside, and she followed him down a very narrow metal spiral staircase. She stood at the base of the stairs, and her eyes got wide. She immediately knew what she was looking at.
“Bill.”
Grizz nodded. “It’s where he does all his computer shit. I already told you I knew him from prison, and that I sent him to Carter for a job. When they fell in love and he moved in, I told him about the room. He was doing so much shit for me, you know, erasing everything he could find on me...well, let’s just say I wanted him to have a safe place to keep doing it.”
“So this is why you agreed to let Carter live here as long as the garage was off-limits. I thought it was because of the cars and your bikes, but it wasn’t. You didn’t want anybody snooping around the guesthouse and finding this room.”
He nodded.
“So where are we exactly?” She looked around as if trying to get her bearings. “I feel like we walked down two flights of steps.”
“We did. We’re underneath the garage.”
She peered around, then glanced at him, tilting her head. “So you don’t like construction?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I kind of hated it. I was only here to make sure this was done right.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Okay. Interesting, but not earth-shattering,” she stated matter-of-factly as she turned around and started back up the stairs, calling back over her shoulder, “I think I should insist we build in Montana just to make you miserable.”
“You’re mad at me?” he asked as he followed her up the stairs. His weight caused the metal staircase to shift a little, and she grabbed the railing. He came up behind her and put his hands around her waist.
“No, not really. I guess I’m just relieved there weren’t any dead bodies down here. I didn’t know what I was walking into, and you are a man of surprises.” She turned then, a stern expression on her face. “There aren’t any bodies buried down here, are there Grizz?”
He gave her half a smile. “No, baby. No bodies. I promise.”
They returned to the deck where Carter and Bill were still sitting, except that now, the table was covered with food. Apparently, Carter had made some sandwiches and side dishes and brought out fresh drinks.
“Nice Batcave, Bill. You really are into your computer stuff, aren’t you?” Ginny elbowed him as she took her seat at the patio table.
“It’s my thing,” he said somewhat shyly.
They were eating their lunch when Ginny introduced a topic that had been weighing heavily on her heart, and she wanted, needed, to hear the opinion of those she loved most.
“We’ve drifted apart, and I can’t figure out why, and yet there’s something in me that’s telling me it’s okay, and maybe I shouldn’t push it.”
She told about what she perceived as the loss of her friendship with Sarah Jo.
“I’ve tried to get together with her since we came back from Micah’s, not to mention the dozens of times I’ve reached out in the past year or more, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s avoiding me.”
She didn’t notice Grizz stiffen, or the glance Carter and Bill exchanged.
“Well,” Carter said softly. “Maybe it is intuition, and you should follow it. People drift apart, Gin. It happens.”
“Yeah, but if I hadn’t been so wrapped up in Tommy’s death and him,” she nodded toward Grizz, “I would’ve pursued her more. You realize—we’re moving, and I’m not leaving anybody except you two and Anthony and Christy a way to contact us. I would be cutting Sarah Jo off for good. I mean, other than Grizz, she’s my oldest friend. I’m not sure I can do that. Especially without knowing what, if anything, came between us.”
She looked at Grizz, saw his jaw tighten. He wouldn’t look at her. Before she could ask him what was wrong, the cell phone in her pocket started ringing.
“Excuse me,” she said while reaching for it. “I always answer in case it’s the school, but in this case,” she squinted at the phone, “it’s a local number I don’t recognize.”
She answered it anyway. They watched as she got a surprised expression on her face.
“Stan?”—She put her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, “Talk about weird timing”—”Yes, Stan, of course, I’ll come.”
She set the phone down and looked at her husband and friends.
“That was the strangest conversation ever. I don’t think Stan has ever called me.”
“Why is he calling you now?” Grizz’s body posture had changed, and his senses were on alert. He wasn’t getting a good feeling.
“Sarah Jo is in the hospital, and he wants me to see her, to talk to her.”
“In the hospital?” Carter blinked. “Has she been in an accident?”
“No.” Ginny stood up. “She hasn’t been in an accident. Apparently, she’s been admitted to a psychiatric hospital.”