"This is Miss Ellie Mae. Say hello to the sheriff, Ellie."
"Hi, Mr. Sheriff," she said.
He reached out his hand and shook hers. "Nice to meet you, Ellie Mae. You can call me Wayne. Everyone else does."
"Yes, Sheriff Wayne," she said with a cute smile, not hiding the fact that she had lost someone at a very young age. Wayne knew how it felt as an adult, but could hardly bear to think of how it had to feel for such a young person.
"Guess you're here for the key, huh?"
Joanna nodded. "To the inn, yes."
Wayne reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Joanna looked surprised. He shrugged.
"I had a feeling you might be stopping by one of these days. Let's just leave it at that. So, you're gonna reopen the old place?"
Joanna nodded, rattling the keys in her hand. "Figured it was a way to give ourselves a new start, if you know what I mean."
He smiled. "Sure do. I sure do."
Her face clouded over. She bit down hard on her lip. "Well…I guess we better be going then."
Joanna grabbed her daughter's hand.
"It really is good to have you back, Joanna," Wayne said as she was about to leave. "And great that you're opening the old place again. Lots of folks are gonna get excited about that 'round here. Let us know if you need any help. Lots of people with skilled hands around here if you ever need anything."
Joanna smiled and opened the door. She let Ellie Mae exit first, holding the door for her. "I'll remember that. Thanks, Wayne."
"My pleasure." He saluted her goofily. "On behalf of the entire population of this town, I'd like to welcome you to Ridge Manor. Welcome home."
Chapter Nine
Ridge Manor, Florida
Ellie Mae was careful not to step on the cracks in the sidewalk. It was a thing she had started doing ever since her dad got sick and Joanna had let her. If little quirks were the only thing she would suffer from going through this, then Joanna would take that any day. They approached the inn and then both stopped.
"Whoa!" Ellie Mae exclaimed.
Joanna was less impressed. The building housing Ridge Manor Inn was huge, four stories, with porches and wrought iron fences all around them. It had once been a very beautiful place, no doubt about it. She knew that, back in the day, it had been the pride of the town. But that was a long time ago.
"Is this really where daddy grew up?"
Joanna nodded, biting her lip to not feel emotional at the mention of Jack. "Sure is. His mother used to run the inn till she died eight years ago. Place has been empty since."
"Why didn't you and daddy move down here and take care of it when she died?" Ellie Mae asked, tilting her head to the side.
Joanna sighed and caressed her daughter's long blonde hair. "Well…it's a long story, baby. Another time. Let's look inside, shall we?"
"Yay."
Ellie Mae leaped up the flight of stairs leading to the front porch, Joanna tugging along after her, dragging their suitcase behind her. She put the guitar down next to the old porch swing that brought back some deep memories of her and Jack and almost made her lose it, but she kept her cool. She put the key in the door and turned it.
The smell that met them made them both exclaim in disgust.
"EEEW. What is that?" Ellie Mae asked as she covered her nose.
Joanna shrugged. "Probably dead birds or maybe another dead animal lying around here somewhere."
Ellie Mae lit up. "Cool."
They stepped inside what used to be the reception area. It didn't look as bad as Joanna had feared, but it was going to take a lot of work to get it up to date. Even back then, when Jack had lived there and Joanna had come to visit him, the place had been run down. Ever since Jack's dad had died in a car accident, his mother hadn't been able to take proper care of the old building. When she died, Jack inherited the place, but neither of them wanted to go back, so it had just been sitting there, waiting.
Joanna let out another deep sigh, suddenly overwhelmed by regret. She had thought of it as a way out for her and Ellie Mae. They were broke. All the money Joanna had made from singing had gone to Jack's hospital bills. He had been a bartender and, when he couldn't work anymore, that meant he didn't get paid. It was as simple as that. They had lived a carefree life until then. Never thought they would need insurance of any kind. Not at their young age. As soon as Jack died, their landlord kicked them out into the streets. Gave them a week to get their things together and leave.
The inn was all they had. It had to work. It simply had to.
"So, can I pick any room in the house to live in? Any room?"
Joanna chuckled. Her daughter's excitement was contagious. It had been a very long time since she last saw her this happy.
"Yes, sweetie. Any room."
The girl looked pensive at the bottom of the stairs. "But you'll still sleep with me, right?"
Joanna nodded. They had been sleeping together since Jack died. The nights were the worst. At night, she would often dream about him and wake up thinking he wasn't dead, only to once again realize that he wasn't there anymore. That was when she pulled her daughter really close to her and held her tight, praying she could fall back asleep.
"Of course. Now go make your pick."
Ellie Mae rushed up the stairs. Joanna looked around and was pleased to see that the place seemed solid enough; it looked like it needed mostly a lot of cleaning and painting.
"I found it!" she screamed from upstairs.
"Great," Joanna said and started up the stairs. As she put her hand on the massive wood railing, she remembered how she and Jack used to slide down it as young kids. It seemed like it had been just yesterday.
Chapter Ten
Ridge Manor, Florida
They quickly found out where the smell had come from. They saw it on the floor of the kitchen. Flies were everywhere, circling the massive body.
"What is it?" Ellie Mae asked and studied it curiously.
Joanna held her back so she wouldn't go too close. The stench was unbearable and Joanna held her hand in front of her nose as she made her way to the window and opened it.
"It's a deer," she said and looked at the lump on the tiles. Mushy sauce had oozed out of it and colored the white tiles. "At least I think it is."
Looking at the dead animal body brought Joanna back to the evening when Jack had died. It had come out of the blue. He had been better. He was lying in bed and looking at her. He was even smiling. He had grabbed her hand in his while she fed him soup. She had gotten up and walked to the kitchen to put the bowl away and, when she came back, he needed to go to the restroom. She had assisted him, letting him hold onto her shoulder, and that was when he collapsed. He simply sunk out of her arms and she couldn't hold onto him. His eyes rolled back in his head. Joanna screamed in panic as he slid onto the floor, then desperately grabbed him and pulled him back on the bed, while calling his name.
"Jack. Jack. Jack. Oh, please, dear God. Jack!"
He was still breathing through the oxygen mask for a few more seconds, then in the second he died, he opened his eyes shortly and she gasped, thinking he was waking up, but his eyes had merely rolled towards the sky like he was gazing for Heaven, longing to go, (at least that was what she liked to say afterwards). He breathed out, and then simply didn't take in a new one.
"Jack?"
Joanna could still hear her own cries as she realized he was gone. She had screamed his name and cried, before realizing Ellie Mae was standing right behind her in complete shock, unable to speak or even cry.
To this day, she still didn't know what it had done to the girl to see her own father die.
But they had to move on, didn't they? Had to let go of him and move on. Life goes on. That's what was supposed to happen. Her only question was, how? How on earth do you keep going after something like this? How do you live on with these scars?
One day at a time.
"What do we do, Mom?" Ellie Mae asked, just like she had after th
e initial shock had gone away a couple of days after her father's passing. This time, with less urgency and desperation in her voice.
Joanna grabbed her phone. Sheriff Wayne picked up right away.
"Joanna?"
Startled that he would know it was her, she said: "Does your offer still stand?"
"Yes, you need help."
He said it as a statement, not a question, which she found to be slightly odd, but she shook it off. It wasn't that big of a surprise that she would need help, now was it?
"I do. There's a big dead animal of some sort in the kitchen and we need it removed."
"Doug and I will be there right away."
"Okay. Great."
She hung up and looked at her phone for a second, remembering old Doug Morrison. He worked for the state parks and was a certified wildlife remover. He knew everything there was to know about the animals living in these parts. As a child, she had seen him wrestle many a gator or snake that had snuck itself into someone's garage or pool. It was always spectacular and the town's kids would gather to watch. Doug was an entertainer and could put on quite a show while he explained how to do that sort of thing.
Joanna looked at the decayed animal in front of her. This was probably not going to be quite as spectacular. But at least he would know what to do.
She grabbed her daughter's hand in hers. "Come on, baby. Let's wait for them outside."
Ellie Mae followed her, tiptoeing behind her, careful not to step on the lines between the tiles.
Chapter Eleven
Ridge Manor, Florida
Wayne had brought Tim and Nick from the auto shop with him as well. The four of them had removed many a dead animal from houses and pools in their time, but never one that was as rotten as the one in the inn's kitchen.
Joanna and her daughter waited outside while they worked. Once it was safely packed and put in the back of Doug's truck, Wayne approached her.
"Thanks," she said. "I don't have any money, though, so I can't pay you. I'm broke."
"Don't worry about it," he said with a sniffle. "As I said earlier. We're happy to help."
"I guess I'll have to owe you one, then."
"Sure." He paused, then glanced at her before he continued, "You can't stay in there tonight. We should find you somewhere to sleep."
"What?"
"You can't stay at the inn until it's been cleaned up. It's dangerous. Think of all the parasites, mites, and infected bacteria. There is no way I’m letting you sleep there. Besides, you need the building inspected. No one is going in there or going upstairs without it being properly inspected by a building inspector. I’ve called for one and he’ll be here tomorrow at noon. Doug is going to mop up the juices and maggots and spray the area down with a biological cleaner that breaks down the biomass and stink molecules, but the house needs more cleaning before it is suitable for living. I called Molly's Cleaners earlier and they'll be here tomorrow. We’ve left the windows open so it can get properly aired out. No one should walk in there right now, let alone stay there. I’m not going to allow it."
"But…but…"
"No. Joanna, this is your child's health we're talking about here. Don't make me use my authority as a sheriff." He pointed at his badge to make sure she understood.
"But…where are we to go? I can't afford to go to a hotel," Joanna said. Her voice was cracking.
Wayne looked at her with a hint of a smile. "Tell you what, you're both more than welcome to stay at my house till it is taken care of."
"Your house? But…what about Lydia? Are you sure she'll be okay with that?" Joanna asked.
"I’m sure she won't mind since she won't be there." Wayne sniffled and looked away.
"Oh," Joanna said, her eyes avoiding his.
Doug disappeared into the house with the chemicals.
"I am sorry…" she said. "I didn't mean to…I just assumed, I know I probably shouldn't have, but…I mean you were so into each other ten years ago. I thought you'd be married and all that…"
"Let me stop you right there," he said, lifting his hand. "You were right to assume. We were married."
Joanna's big eyes were on him for a short second, then she looked away.
"Oh."
He could tell she wanted to ask more but didn't dare to. He wasn't in the mood to talk about it anyway, so it suited him fine. It was something he daily tried to put behind him, so there was no reason in starting to rip it open now.
"Alright," he said. "It's getting dark soon. Let's get going. I parked the truck over there."
Chapter Twelve
Ridge Manor, Florida
"You’ll be sleeping in here." Wayne opened the door and Joanna peeked inside. It was a nice room with two beds and a dresser. The heavy curtains were closed so they covered the window. She looked at him.
"You already made the beds?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I keep them ready…you know, just in case."
She walked inside and grabbed a pink stuffed animal from one of the beds. "And put toys on the bed? How did you even know that Ellie Mae loves tigers?"
Wayne chuckled. "Lucky guess."
Joanna looked around the room. It had a strange feeling to it. There were many toys on the shelves and a toy kitchen in the corner. But where was the kid that was going to play with it?
Joanna's eyes met Wayne's and, in the brief second they locked, she sensed she shouldn't ask, so she didn't. Instead, she gave him a smile.
"This is really nice of you."
"It's nothing," he said.
Ellie Mae walked to the window and grabbed the curtain. Wayne shook his head, but it was too late. Ellie Mae pulled it, only to realize the windows had been boarded up with plywood on the outside.
"What's on the other side?" Ellie Mae asked, disappointed.
"Just the yard," Wayne said.
Ellie Mae's eyes lit up. They had lived in a condo all of her life and she had dreamt of having a yard. Even just a square of grass to play in. It was one of the things Joanna had used to convince her that moving to Ridge Manor was the best for her. The fact that the inn had a great yard for her to play in, so she'd finally have her lifelong wish fulfilled.
"A yard?" Ellie Mae squealed.
Wayne shook his head. "Yeah, but you can't go out there."
"Why not?" she asked.
Wayne had a strange expression on his face. Like a shadow of some sort of darkness rolled over it. Just like when Joanna was about to ask about the toys.
"You just can't. You hear me?" he said a little harshly. "You must never go out there, never go into the yard. Never EVER."
Seeing how her baby was about to break down, Joanna grabbed Ellie Mae and pulled her close.
"We won't then, all right, Ellie Mae?"
Ellie Mae nodded. "It's okay. I don't need to go out there."
Wayne nodded and, just like that, the darkness was gone. "Good. I’m glad. Now, are you hungry?"
"Starving," Joanna said.
They followed him through the hallway to the kitchen. "I usually eat down at the Smokehouse Grill, you know, Miss Trudy's place, but since you’re here, I thought I might make you my world-famous chicken pot pie. I prepared it this morning, so all I need to do is throw it in the oven. Now, go ahead and sit down at the table. There are some crayons and coloring books on the shelf there that you can use all you want, Ellie Mae."
Joanna and Ellie Mae sat down. Joanna found the crayons and books and handed it all to Ellie Mae. The girl wasn't much into coloring and usually found it a little childish, but humored her mother and started to draw. Joanna looked around the small kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it wasn't very big, yet it was very cozy. Thick curtains were closed here as well as in their room. When Wayne wasn't looking, Joanna peeked behind the curtain and noticed that this window wasn't covered with plywood. Later, when they were done eating, Joanna did a round of the house and realized all the windows leading to the yard were boarded up, whereas the ones leading to the other side of the ho
use were all open. As she tucked in Ellie Mae for the night, she wondered if it was safe enough for them to sleep there.
"It's just for one night," she told herself as she closed the door behind her and walked into the living room where Wayne was sitting in his recliner, watching some show on TV. The evenings were always so hard on her. That was when she missed Jack. That was when the deep pain of loss gnawed the most.
Wayne looked up as she entered the living room.
"Say, I saw some beers in the fridge," she said. "Do you mind if I grab one?"
Chapter Thirteen
Ridge Manor, Florida
Joanna wasn't exactly in the mood for watching TV, so she sat out on the porch, on the swing, beer in her hand, and looked into the night with a deep sigh. Wayne's house was on the border of town, on a small hill at the end of a dirt road. Every now and then, she could see the headlights from the cars driving on Ridge Manor Boulevard. Wayne's place was very desolate. Seeing the cars made her feel less alone out here.
Jack would have liked it. He liked being out of the city.
During the day, she stayed busy with Ellie Mae and, lately, preparing and planning for the move had kept her mind occupied, but once evening came, she was filled more than ever with the great longing for him, to hold him just one more time, to look into his eyes.
"This was not how it was supposed to go, Jack," she mumbled up towards the dark sky and sipped her beer. "You promised we would grow old together."
Wayne didn't seem to mind her drinking his beer, so she had taken the entire six-pack and this was her third. Drinking had helped her a lot through all this, helping her forget at least for a few minutes or maybe - if she was lucky - a few hours. That was why she allowed herself to have a few drinks every night, but never until after Ellie Mae was put to bed. She never wanted her to see her like this.