No Normal Day by J. Richardson Read Free Book Online Page B

same time. It wasn't
unusual for them to say the same thing at the same time. Jack hefted
Mindy up in his arms and motioned for Lee to get Michelle. The girls
put their heads on the men's shoulders, settled down some. Lynn stood
in the living room, really too calm and was not speaking. Her lip was
cut, a mark was across her cheek and her shirt was soaked with a
small circle of blood on the shoulder. Jack put his arm around her
trembling shoulders.
    “ Lynn...Lynn,
look at me. I want you to take the girls and go out to the studio. I
don't think that cut on your shoulder is bad but wash it off and we
will put a little antiseptic on it and cover it. Can you put on this
blouse hanging here? Throw that one away. Lock up until I come out
and get you. I am going to do some cleaning up here and then we will
come. This is Lee, he is a friend. Lynn, do you hear me?”
    His
battered daughter inhaled a deep breath and looked at him, “Yes,
Daddy.” He knew he could count on her. Life had not always been
kind to her, health problems since her childhood, losing her husband
at a young age, raising two children alone. She had always kept
going, with a courage the he greatly admired.
    Jack
refused to leave the scum in his daughter's house. He doubted that
she would ever get to live there again but there's just some things
you respect. After a quick scanning that revealed no one around and
paying any attention, they drug the two bodies across the street and
behind a cluster of self storage buildings that were surrounded by a
tall chain link fence with barb wire on the top. They left them in
the tall weeds. Let the dogs have them, was
Jack's thought. They walked back to the mower and ATV,
started them up and moved them to the back of the house.
    There
would be no time to really clean up the mess inside, the blood.
Lynn's modern and unique kitchen was trashed. Jack went into the
laundry area and found a couple of sheets, he folded them and spread
them across the gory dark splashes. He swept up most of what was
broken on the tile floors and closed up the cabinet doors. He opened
the refrigerator, it had already lost most of the coolness, he raked
everything except a few juice boxes and some pickles into a large
trash bag. Lee took that out and put it in Lynn's big garbage can.
Jack looked at the notes that Beth sent to Lynn. Some things, he
didn't have an idea where to find. Some were personal, “girlie”
things. He had better go get Lynn.
    In
the studio, the three of them sat on the floor, silent. “Lynn,
I am going to need you and the girls to gather some things. Your
mother sent you some notes on things to remember. We need to get
moving back towards the house.” He looked around the large room
with all the clutter of an artist and Lynn's abstract art work
around. The art that he didn't always understand.
    “ I
am sorry, we are limited what we can take, you and the girls will
ride in the back of the mower's trailer. Lee can tie some things on
his ATV. You might want to at least get some of your art supplies and
the girls need to take some books that they like. They can take those
little gadgets they are so fond of, I don't how long we can keep them
charged up. We can use that big red duffle bag there, we will
need to pack most things in trash bags so you girls can sit on them.
The day is passing fast, we are going to get loaded and move as
quick as we can.”
    While
Lynn gathered things from Beth's list, the girls each took a trash
bag and filled it with their clothes and some of their favorite
little things. Lee went out to Lynn's studio to get the art supplies
that she had gathered. He looked at all the pieces hanging and
sitting around. These are amazing. He went inside and asked
Lynn if she would give him some blankets or sheets.
    “ I
was thinking that I could take
down all of your art, in the studio and in here. We could put
it under your bed. I know that probably won't protect it forever but
it won't be right out in