Miss Nobody

Chapter 48

ALL FULLED UP

Late Evening Day 25

"We can't have Elenora under the water if I call the divers to clean out the Lake." Bishop said.

"We just need to buy some time until after the Portal ritual is over." If we survived we could deal with her body then. Maybe have her cremated.

"Portal?" Nen asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about them, would you?" I asked him in return.

"There's one in the Lake."

"What does it do? How does it work?" I had so many questions.

"Look, all I know is every couple dozen years it shoots out a baby meremin."

I looked at him. "What's a baby meremin?"

He put out his arms. "That's what I am. If I were female I would be a mermaid but I'm not so."

"Are there more of you?" Bishop asked.

He nodded. "There were at one time. I was raised by a few others but they've all gone now. So it's just me left. Until the Portal blesses me with a son."

"You aren't worried about telling us this?"

He shook his head. "You're trying to dump a body in the Lake. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine." He smiled.

I smirked and nodded. "Fair enough."

"You want Cherry's body now or?" He pointed to the water.

Bishop looked at me and shook his head. "She's safe where she is until after the ritual. We should take Elenora's body back to the house. We can burn it. She did want to be cremated."

I nodded in agreement and looked over the water. Hang in there Cherry. I'll get you out soon.

Nen helped Bishop carry Elenora's body back to the Jeep. Bishop shut the trunk and shook Nen's hand. "Thanks for the help."

"Just returning the favor." He ran back to the water and dove in.

I climbed into the passenger seat and waited to close the door until Bishop started the Jeep and headed back down the rocky road to the main highway. Bishop reached behind my seat and brought out Elenora's old lady bag. "It's a bit of a drive, find the oldest journal, and let's see what it says."

I turned on my phone flashlight and dug through the bag. I looked through my cock purse first. A black rooster was painted on the front, a gift from an old friend. My ID and money were still in it. I strapped it over my shoulder and looked at the journals. I found the oldest one from decades ago and pulled it out.

Elenoras' scrawling cursive handwriting wasn't the easiest to read.

"Chef was the one that opened the portal."

"Really?"

"They used to do rituals down in the basement, something they did, opened it by accident." The words were hard to read and nausea tumbled around in my stomach. From both the words and the rocky road.

Bishop's phone rang and he pulled it out. "Jonny." He told me.

"Tell him to let Keiran out. He should be here for this."

"What's up?" He answered.

"You going on a road trip?" Jonny's voice was clear through the phone. "I would ask my girl but she doesn't seem to know how to answer a phone."

I blushed and touched the Virgin De Guadalupe pendant Jonny had gifted me, around my neck and put the clasp in the back. I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw how many missed calls from Jonny there were. It was hard to answer a phone with my hands full of dead body.

"Just having a nice romantic picnic by the Lake. I have some business with my nephew if you wouldn't mind letting him out for a few hours."

Jonny chuckled. "While I'm happy to babysit for you any time, he should be your responsibility."

"Have him meet me at Elenora's."

"Why the fuck would you ever want to go back there?"

"We have some loose ends to...tie up."

"And Jane's a witness to all this?" Jonny didn't sound happy. "I'll drop the asshole off myself." He hung up.

Bishop sighed. "He's right, I should've done all this myself."

I placed my hand on his arm. "This is my mess. It's only right that I'm the one to clean it up."

"You didn't ask for any of this." He held my hand as we drove in silence the rest of the way back to Elenoras' house.

"None of us did."

***

Jonny, Diego, and Keiran were already waiting for us in Elenora's driveway. Diego sat on his motorcycle. Keiran smoked a cigarette and stared at his mother's house. Jonny stood next to his truck with his arms crossed. His bruised and swollen face looked angry.

Bishop pulled next to the truck and Jonny quickly opened my door and helped me out of the Jeep. He looked at Bishop. "Can't be that romantic with a dead body in the back."

Bishop rolled his eyes and jumped out of the Jeep to open the back.

Jonny and I walked around as Keiran helped Bishop carry Elenora's body back to the house.

Jonny wrapped his arm around me. "I thought you were just bringing him lunch." He pulled me against him before I could say anything and kissed my forehead.

I shrugged. "We came for the journals. Things got out of hand." Shouldn't we be used to this by now?

"Out of hand?" He looked back at the house.

Bishop and Keiran were dragging gas cans from the garage into the house, they left the front door open and we watched as they climbed the stairs.

Diego walked over to us. "There's better ways to get rid of bodies." He looked at Jonny.

"We tried," I answered. "The Lake is full. But I'm sure you both know nothing about that?" I knew they did but would they answer honestly?

Jonny grinned and Diego shook his head. Neither of them looked innocent.

Diego changed the subject. "Did you at least get the journals?"

I nodded and opened the door to the Jeep to grab the old lady bag. I handed it to Diego.

He took the bag and sat in Jonny's truck as he thumbed through them under the cab light. He handed Jonny a black winter jacket, the one we had bought from the thrift store on our first and only date. Can I consider watching a house burn a date? Like going to a bonfire?

Jonny held the coat out for me to put on and pulled me close to his side again. We waited for them to come out of the house. He was warm and my tumultuous thoughts settled as I focused on him, his clean scent, his body heat, his steady breathing. He kissed my temple again and rubbed my arm to warm me.

Bishop came out of the house first and stood next to me on the opposite side of Jonny. The fire was visible in the second-story window and caught the wood quickly.

Keiran walked out, the flames following him down the stairs.

I grabbed Bishop's hand and we all stood by the cars and watched as Elenora's, now my Evil Bitch of a mother's, house burned to the ground.