The Magpie's Death

Odd Jobs for an Odd Pair

"Sam, dear, can you grab that box of old tools and set it at the back door?" A wrinkled hand waved to him from behind the register while old, shining brown eyes stayed fixed on the customer in front of them. "Jim is coming to get it later. I don't want him to have to carry it far with that bad back of his."

He shuffled over to the box behind the counter as the woman smiled.

"That'll be two dollars and forty three cents. Really, who doesn't own a flat head screwdriver?"

The customer chuckled, a woman only slightly younger and slightly less grey and wrinkled. "Oh, Lord, Mabel. You know what Terry is like. I just want to tighten a screw and he spends hours rummaging through tools. Ridiculous! I'm buying my own screwdriver and keeping it away from him."

Mabel Davies gave the woman another smile, one that said she was happy to make a sale but had no interest in getting involved.

"Well, every woman should have their own set of tools, I think. But I run a hardware store, so I suppose I'm not the best judge."

After another chuckle from her customer, she shoved a receipt into the bag and the bag into the woman's hand. She followed with a quick "Take care" to stop any further conversation.

Sam decided on their first meeting that he liked Mrs. Davies. She had to be at least eighty-five and she looked it, with thinning grey hair, a sagging, wrinkled face, and frail, bony arms. Despite the image, she was as fit and fast as someone half her age. She had an open mind and take-no-shit attitude. When Jack took it upon himself to create and promote an odd jobs business for Sam, she was more than happy to accept the help. Unlike the rest of Mirror Falls, she wasn't bothered by his appearance, only commenting on how useful his size would be.

As for the few jobs he had outside of Davies' Hardware, Jack's friendly nature and good rapport was the only reason anyone would approach him. Even then, he received cautious or disapproving stares from most of the locals. For as long as he could remember, his entire existence was built around scaring people off. Who knew one day he would actually find that a burden.

Watching the chatty woman leave, Mrs. Davies rested a hand on his arm. Her head of thin curls came up to his shoulder, so her fingers didn't reach much higher than his elbow.

"Well, are you going to move this box or not?"

He huffed at her question. Not only was she not intimidated, she was actually quite the taskmaster. It gave him a weird, warm feeling in his chest that he assumed was something like satisfaction.

"I'll load it into his truck when he gets here. If his back is that bad."

"Oh, that's sweet of you, dear," she said, giving him a quick pat. Returning to her register to collect receipts and tidy up the space during the lull, she added, "I'll watch your girl for you."

With a nod and no need for extra back and forth, he shuffled into the storeroom. In the corner, Ellie was staring at a tall shelf covered in spray and gallon paint cans. It was impossible to tell from the blank expression on her face whether she was actually attracted to the colors or if she was just bored.

Jack hadn't been wrong when he said Mirror Falls could get busy. In less than three weeks, everything became lively. The town was bustling with new people, with their usual seasonal visitors and some one-time tourists crowding the streets. Places that shut down in the off-season dusted themselves off and opened their doors. In that short time, Sam learned there wasn't much that grabbed this little girl's interest. At an age where she should be exploring, the world around her now filled with distractions, she acted indifferent to almost everyone and everything.

Hearing his footsteps behind her, Ellie turned and grunted, raising her hands in his direction. In her apathetic world, Sam had found only three things that could capture or trigger her. The biggest was him. She was always at his side, throwing a tantrum if he wasn't within reach. They weren't common toddler tantrums. They were loud and wild, filled with a fearful panic when she couldn't see him or didn't know where he was. It was raw and he only needed to hear the screams once to know he never wanted to hear them again.

Lifting her into his arms, her grey-blue eyes met his, big and vacant. He smoothed her messy waves. While it was inconvenient for work, having a small child at least helped to soften his threatening image. How terrifying could he possibly be if this tiny girl was so enamored with him? Although she was a bit strange as well.

He blew out a long breath and set her back on her feet. "Hat?"

Pointing to a box in the back corner, her eyes moved between the oversized sun hat and him. He crouched down and grabbed it, then pulled her close and covered her head. The sides flopped over into her face, but that was the point. She blew her own little breath at him.

Her second trigger, as always, remained the sight of men. The first new guests at The Glass House were a mother and daughter, but the second was a man in his forties. The sight of him led to Ellie clambering up Sam's body, arms so tight around his neck he thought he would choke. Knowing there would only be more guests, he bought Ellie a sun hat in an attempt to block her vision and took to carrying her around the house.

The squeal of old truck breaks echoed into the room, so he grabbed Ellie's hand and directed her toward the store. "Let's go stand with Mrs. Davies for a minute, okay?"

There was no response, but she hurried along with him to the counter where her hand was passed to the old woman. Like Jade, Mrs. Davies had become a stranger Ellie didn't care much about. She would spend time with them while Sam was present, but couldn't care less what they said or did.

"Mabel," called a gravelly voice from the back and Ellie began to tremble.

"Stay with Mrs. Davies." If Jim made it any further, this wouldn't end well. Ellie made a hushed whining noise but didn't move. "I'll be right back."

He took long strides into the stock room and was met by a poorly-masked grimace from Jim. Avoiding eye contact and hopefully any communication, he lifted the box and dumped it into the bed of the man's rusty pickup. Jim walked out after him, watching in case he did anything shady. Like there was anything of interest or value in this clunker or his box of junk.

Before Jim had a chance to speak or follow, Sam said, "Mrs. Davies is busy," and slammed the back door shut.

"Ellie!"

The shout was met with the quick patter of footsteps and squeak of rubber boots on waxed concrete as Ellie came rushing into the room. Her eyes were wide and her arms extended, ready to climb to safety. Crouching to catch her, she pressed into his chest and he let out a frustrated sigh.

Without thinking, his eyes drifted to his watch. Two more hours. Two more hours and this tiring work day would come to an end and they could go home and rest. Then they would get up and do it again tomorrow.