Page 41 of The Newcomer
“Jesus!” he exclaimed. “She didn’t tell me any of that when she called. All she said was that they were supposed to be out by ten and if there was any trouble, you were supposed to reach out to me.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to worry you,” Letty said.
“And maybe she needs to stop renting rooms to lowlifes and fugitives from the law,” he said. He pointed out the window, where a tow truck was in the act of hitching up the Impala. “Shauna found a loaded thirty-eight under the driver’s seat of their car. I don’t want to think about what might have happened if…”
The chimes tinkled and Ava bustled in. “Hey, what’s going on out there? I’ve been calling and calling, but nobody answered.…” Her face paled when she saw the scrapes and scratches on the faces of Letty and Joe.
“Dear God!” she exclaimed, clutching at Letty’s arm. “Are you all right? Where’s Maya?”
“Letty!” A thin wail drifted from the storeroom.
“Maya’s fine,” Letty said. “She was asleep the whole time, back here.”
The little girl was standing up, rubbing her eyes, with foam peanuts clinging to her knit top. “I’m hungry, Letty.” She held up the stuffed elephant. “Ellie’s hungry too.”
As Letty lifted her niece out of the carton, Maya touched her cheek. “You got a boo-boo,” she said. “I kiss it.”
Back in the outer office, Ava and Joe were deep in what looked like an unpleasant conversation. “You’ve got to be more careful, dammit,” she heard Joe say. “Those two were honest-to-God desperadoes. They used to cook meth for a living, Mom. They had a loaded gun in their car. You’re lucky they didn’t decide to set up a lab in that room you rented them.”
“I know, I know,” Ava said, running her hands through her hair in agitation. “It was stupid of me. I won’t do it again. No more walk-ins. Never again. I swear, Joe.”
“Okay,” he said, his shoulders slumped. “I believe you. I gotta go get those two booked in at the jail.” He pointed a finger at Letty. “We’ll need a witness statement from you for the arrest report. I’ll be back later. In the meantime, put some antiseptic cream on those scratches.”
When he was gone, Ava wrapped her arms around her desk clerk and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Letty, I’m so sorry to have put you in danger. Joe’s right. I should have known better. If anything had happened to you or Maya, I’d never forgive myself.”
Letty hesitated, then awkwardly patted the older woman’s back. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen. I probably shouldn’t have waited so long to call Joe, so it’s partly my fault too.”
“No,” Ava insisted. “This is on me.” She held out her hand to Maya. “Come here, little one. You run ahead upstairs and then I’m gonna order us some pizza for lunch. How does that sound?”
Maya clapped her hands together. “Pizza. Yay!” She scampered off in the direction of the stairs.
“Now, Letty,” Ava said, her expression suddenly serious. “I need to show you something important.”
She walked behind the reception desk and Letty followed. Ava took a key from the ring she wore on a lanyard around her neck and unlocked and opened the cash drawer. The black plastic tray inside held neat stacks of bills, and a slot to one side held coins.
“You showed me that the first day I came to work,” Letty said, puzzled.
Ava took a step to the side. “Reach your hand all the way in the drawer there,” Ava instructed. “All the way to the back.”
Letty slid her hand over the cash tray, extending her fingertips until they touched cold steel. She gave Ava a quizzical look.
“Go on,” the older woman said.
The gun fit in the palm of her hand, snub-nosed and black. Letty stared down at it with distaste.
“You ever fired a gun before?” Ava asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Letty whispered.
“That’s good,” Ava said, nodding. “Most girls like you are afraid of guns. I’m afraid of ’em myself. But I’m more afraid of what could happen if there’s trouble. You know what I mean?”
“I do,” Letty agreed. “But Ava, I don’t think…”
“You don’t have to think. You just need to know it’s there, and know how to use it.”
“Letty, I’m hungry!” Maya’s plaintive voice drifted down from the top of the stairs. She shoved the gun back into the drawer. Ava locked it.
“Coming, ladybug,” Letty called.
