Haunted Hearts by Corinne Davies

I had no idea the destructive capability of four year olds. Gwendolyn scrubbed at the sticky crimson spill before wiping the worn linoleum clean. She imagined these old tables had seen a lot of birthday parties, but all this red icing from the Nelson twins’ birthday cake made the place look a bit more like a scene from a horror movie. Streamers and balloons hung haphazardly around the room while bits of ribbon and wrapping paper littered the floor.

She straightened the napkin holder and condiments before flipping the silver chairs, resting their worn green vinyl-padded seats on the tables. The room almost echoed with the high-pitched squeals when she brought out the red heart-shaped cake their mother had made for them. Gwen made quick work on the tables and then began to sweep up the crumbs and sprinkles coating the floor.

A small shimmer glimmered in the corner of her eye, but she ignored it. Old diners like this attracted spirits like a moth to a warm flame. Thankfully, the ones who tended to appear around here were gentle and inquisitive. So far, they were happy to revisit their own fond memories of the place and then move on. By ignoring them, Gwen could keep up the illusion of being nothing but a small town girl working to take care of her brother.

Her little brother Joey kept busy doing dishes in the kitchen by hand because earlier in the week he’d decided to take apart the kitchen’s dishwasher. Gwen was terrified she would have to pay for it or, worse, lose her job. Mrs. Brown simply laughed and said she expected something like this to happen. Kids like Joey had a natural curiosity that had to be sated, and they learned best when they could dig into the middle of something themselves. Of course, he wasn’t getting off scot-free. Washing up by hand was his punishment until he put the machine back together.

Joey slipped into the room and quietly eased the swinging doors closed, contrary to his habit of slamming things. He ran to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Wendy, you have to be quiet, Ma Brown says.” Joey started calling her Wendy after she read Peter Pan to him.  

“Why? Joey, what exactly happened?”

“So, I’m washing dishes for–e–ver, and I start thinking about the dishwasher. There is a spring in there I don’t recognize, and I think that must be the problem. I bet if I put in a new one and clean out all the spouts and replace a couple tubes it will work better now than it did before. Do you know how old it is?” Joey took a deep breath, and Gwen knew he was on the verge of a long explanation on the inner workings of the antique washer.

She constantly worried about her brother. His natural abilities seemed to be stunted by his lack of social skills and immaturity. After the dishwasher incident, Mrs. Brown tried to assure Gwen. She thought one day all the parts of Joey’s brain would catch up with each other and he would end up being a great surgeon or lawyer or president. While Gwen wanted to believe her, she knew it wouldn’t happen without some specialized help

Cupping Joey’s face with her hands she, made him look up at her, and made eye contact. “No, Joey. Listen to me. What did Mrs. Brown say?”

“Oh, yeah. Ma Brown came in and whispered to me. She said to hide back here and to tell you to be silent. If we hear her yell, we are to go out the back door and go hide in the woods out back until we hear her ring the bell.”

The party room had its own entrance so the diner’s customers wouldn’t be too disturbed by large groups of people coming and going. Gwen clutched Joey closer to her and moved toward the door. Twitching aside the teahouse curtains, she looked out into the parking lot. Parked to the side of the building sat a brand new Mercedes. The amount of dust covering it made her think it must have been driving a long while on back roads.

A metallic taste flooded her mouth, and she realized she had bitten her lip. She had tried so hard to stay hidden. She stopped straightening her hair, dyed it black, changed her name, and tried to hide in a small town.

“Joey, you stay here by the door. Don’t make a sound.”

He nodded, his eyes reflecting the fear she tried to hide. “Do we have to run?”

“Not yet, stay here while I look.”

Gwen moved over to the swinging doors. Staying beneath the circular window, she pressed her ear to the small crack between them. She could hear the normal sounds of the diner. Jack rattled dishware as he cooked up something in the kitchen, and Mrs. Brown laughed while she served someone. Nothing sounded amiss until she heard a couple of men’s voices. She couldn’t make out the words, but their rich Latino accent stuck out among the Southern drawl she’d grown accustomed to. Her heart thudded hard in her chest. Memories of why she ran away flooded her system like adrenaline. Her instinct to run vibrated along her limbs. God, if these men were whom she suspected and they had arrived an hour ago? All those precious children would have been in danger, along with their moms and family. She slowly tiptoed back to where Joey stood by the door.

“I’m not going to get to go to school here, am I?”

His whispered voice wrapped around her heart like a vice. She knew he loved it here and looked forward to going to school in a few weeks with the locals.

“Let’s not worry about that yet.”

How did they keep finding them? If they knew about all the bank accounts, then they knew she never used a penny. Gwen had taken great lengths to make sure she didn’t use anything traceable. They left with the clothes on their backs and a few packed essentials. If one thing set them out from the crowd, it was her Shelby. She earned the money for it, and it saved her and Joey from traveling on buses and trains. Could they have found out about it? She loved that car, but it had to go now. She would have to move on.

Joey moved restlessly against her side. “Wendy, I’m bored.”

“I know, kiddo. Not too long now.” They sat on the floor with their backs to the wall under the window. If anyone walked by, he wouldn’t see them. She heard the deep purr of an expensive car and fought the urge to look through the window and watch them leave. Instead, they sat there and waited.

Finally, Mrs. Brown opened the door to the room and stuck her head in. “You two okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Gwen nodded and hugged her brother closer to her. She fought the urge to cry with relief. The illusion of safety she deluded herself into believing for the past few months dissipated.

“My mister wasn’t a good boy all the time. I learned fast to notice that type. Those boys were trouble through and through. They’re flashing an old picture of you. I think they believed me when I said I’d never seen ya. They’re passing through and sound like they’re in the habit of asking.”

Gwen opened her mouth to offer an explanation but shut it when Mrs. Brown held up her hand. “No, I don’t want to know. You’re a good girl, and I know you and Joey are in some trouble. It’s good to know when you’re hiding how you stand. Now you know. Whoever they are, they’re still looking for you.”

Mrs. Brown flipped one of the chairs back to the floor and sat down. “Don’t you worry. No one around here is going to tell them anything. We keep to ourselves and don’t like strangers like that poking around.

Gwen hoped life might be different here, that she and Joey could live a normal life. They got lucky today, but what if next time someone else caught her out front?

“The dinner rush will be starting in an hour or two. Becky should be feeling a bit better by then. Poor thing is suffering terribly with morning sickness.”

“I’ll be finished up here in a second, and then I’ll come help you get ready out front. I don’t mind staying if she doesn’t feel like coming in.” The extra tips would come in handy now.

“You’re a kind girl, Gwen. Why don’t you have a bit of a rest and something to eat. Go in and tell Jack what you’re in the mood for. He’s sweet on you. I’m certain he’ll happily make whatever you want.”

Mrs. Brown ruffled her brother’s hair. “Young Joey, you still have some pots to finish up.”

Joey rolled his eyes dramatically. “Can’t I have something to eat, too?”

“I happen to know Jack has been making you snacks all day, young man. I told you, until my dishwasher is fixed, you will be helping out with the dishes.”

“What if I delay doing more dishes and work on getting all the pieces back into the dishwashing machine?”

“Will you put them in the proper spots?”

Joey looked at her as if she was insane. “Of course I will. It would fail to work properly if I didn’t.”

Gwen tried to smile at such simple logic but even that failed her. It felt as though the entire universe sat on her shoulders, perhaps because she had placed so many innocent people in danger. Joey slipped out from under her arm and dashed toward the kitchen. Mrs. Brown didn’t leave but instead stood there. Gwen could feel her gaze on her but couldn’t meet her eyes.

“I’m going to have to quit.”

“Now don’t be doing anything rash.” The older woman placed her hands on Gwen’s shoulders, and Gwen’s gaze met hers. She expected to see pity or anger but not understanding in the expression on Mrs. Brown’s face. “Honey, how long have you been hiding?”

“Five years.”

“Now, I’d say that’s a very long time for someone to be looking for you.”

“They’ll never stop looking. I’m going to have to make sure I have nothing they have interest in. Until then, I will never be free.”

“Is the solution really that simple?”

“No but I can’t live like this. I can’t expect Joey to live like this. He will never get the help he needs if I have to worry about our past hunting us down.”

“You have a good idea, but I don’t want you to rush off anytime soon. Mistakes are made that way. If you’re certain this is what needs to be done, then do what you need to, but plan it out. Without a plan you’ll make a mistake, and they’ll be waiting to catch you.

“I’m so sorry I brought this here.”

“You didn’t bring anything here, little girl. Some good force out there is reminding you not to let down your guard. You’re obviously still in danger.”

Gwen knew she had to go home and put them both in danger in hopes of making it go away. It wasn’t much of a plan, but sometimes the simple solutions worked better than complex ones. All she knew is someone must have taken up the reins of her father’s organization. An organization she often compared to a Hydra..She once tried to cut off its head. Like the mythical beast, it grew another. Only the one that grew back had it out for her.