Sadie Mae Keeps Her Own Counsel

Now, everybody in Piedmont thinks I don’t hear half of what’s said at the Huddle House, but I do. I hear every word, even the ones whispered low over biscuits and gravy. Folks get to thinkin’ the sizzle of bacon and the hum of the vent’ll drown ‘em out — it don’t.

So when Sheriff Cole came in this mornin’ lookin’ like he’d been dug up instead of wakin’ up, I knew somethin’ had gone sideways. Then in trundles Clara Mae, talkin’ about ghosts at Rest Haven, and Ol’ Man Eustace—Lord help us—he’s got his “theories.” By the time I refilled the Sheriff’s cup, the whole place was tighter than a jar lid in July.

Now, here’s the part none of ‘em know: I got a letter once, too. Fifteen years ago, near about the time Tommy Wayne vanished. Come in the mail, no return address. Inside was a single piece of paper with Lily Pearl’s hand on it — I knew it soon as I seen the loops on her L’s.

All it said was:

“He knows now. I couldn’t keep it. Pray for him, and for me.”

I burned that letter after I read it.
I told myself it wasn’t my business — but the truth is, in Piedmont, everybody’s business leaks out sooner or later. I always figured whatever Tommy Wayne found out that summer was too heavy for a boy his age to carry.

That’s why, when I seen him walk past the Huddle House window this afternoon — older now, jaw set like his daddy’s — I nearly dropped a plate.

He didn’t come in. Just stood across the highway, lookin’ at the Huddle House like it was a museum of ghosts. The sunlight hit his eyes, and for just a moment, I swear I saw Lily Pearl in his face — that same proud sorrow that made folks love her and fear her all at once.

When I turned to tell the Sheriff, Tommy Wayne was gone.
Just the smell of rain and exhaust left behind.

Now, I don’t go meddlin’ in other folks’ hauntings, but I got a feeling this one ain’t over. Not by a long shot.
Because that empty grave plot Oliver keeps mowed so careful?

That was bought by Lily Pearl herself — cash, no questions — the same week Tommy Wayne ran off.

And I’ve been keepin’ that little detail to myself for fifteen years.
Until now.

*****

New Yesterdays is available through the following links: Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon as well as your favorite bookshops. The Audiobook is available from Libro.fm, as well as Amazon.