MERLOT AND DIVORCE AND DEADLY REMORSE

by Jodi Vaughn

  “I never would have thought that mild-mannered Cal was a murderer.”

  My neighbor had killed an Ole Miss student and hidden her body in his storage unit. It had happened the same night I was turned into a vampire. “How is Carla holding up? I should go over and visit her, but I’ve been dealing with my own life crisis.”

  “She’s not doing well. She still can’t believe that Cal murdered that poor girl. He claims he doesn’t remember anything about that night. But how can you forget the night of the snowstorm? I mean, we never have snowstorms in Mississippi.”

  “Yeah. It’s a night I won’t ever forget.” How could I? I’d discovered Miles and Nikki in my bed and had driven off like a madwoman, half-naked. Cal had seen me. After I’d been turned into a vampire, I glamoured Cal into forgetting that night. I didn’t want him to spread the news that I had been driving around wearing nothing but a red bow. He did forget about me being naked, but he also forgot about where he’d put the body of the dead girl he’d murdered.

  “So, Cal doesn’t remember anything?”

  “He claims they met at a bar in Memphis one night. Even copped to having an affair with her. But as far as killing her, he says he doesn’t remember that night.”

  The manager of the storage unit had noticed an odor and called the cops. They’d found the girl stuffed into a large plastic bin, her body badly decomposed.

  From what the papers said, the investigators had discovered that the college student had dumped Cal after he refused to give her more money. Turns out, she had used Cal to fund her college tuition after she’d lost her scholarship partying too much.

  “I’ll try to get over to see Carla.”

  “Rachel, I’m sure she understands with everything you have going on. We all do.” Liz cocked her head. “I just came here today to see if you needed me to do anything. I know you feel like you’re alone.”

  “Yeah. It’s not exactly like I can call up Nikki to chat.” I snorted.

  “About her…”

  “What?” I jerked up my head, and my instincts when on alert. I braced myself for what Liz was about to tell me.

  “Nikki called me.” She pressed her lips together into a firm line.

  “What the hell for? What did she want?” My heart leaped into my throat, and I felt nauseated.

  “She wanted me to hear her side of the story. She said that after Friday night, she and Brad got into a massive fight.”

  “Really?” I felt a giant smile start to grow on my face. I wasn’t happy about her husband getting hurt. I’d always liked Brad. He was a quiet man, who worked as a chemical engineer and had rental properties. He made a good life for Nikki. But I was glad about the fact that Nikki was seeing the fallout of her bad choices.

  “Yeah. She sounded really…sad.”

  “Tough shit.” I shook my head. “I don’t feel bad for her. I feel bad for Brad.”

  “What can I do? Tell me what I can do to help you.” Her sad eyes pulled at my heart.

  “Just be my friend. I don’t know what is ahead of me. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.”

  “You got it.” She brightened. “And I’m going to check on you in a few days. This time, I’ll bring a bottle of your favorite Merlot.”

  “I would really like that. Thank you.”

  “You got it.” Liz walked to the door and turned around. “Can I give you some advice?”

  “Sure.”

  “If you haven’t done it already, I would contact your attorney.” She grew even more serious.

  “Why?”

  “Because that’s what Nikki is doing. For a woman who didn’t plan on hurting you, she didn’t hesitate to tell me that she’s filing for divorce.”

  My stomach dropped to the floor as Liz walked out the door.

  It made me wonder if divorce was what Miles and Nikki had planned all along.

  Chapter 2

  I grabbed my purse and called for the girls to hurry up and get into the car. I opened the kitchen door and pressed the button for the garage door.

  It didn’t budge.

  That was weird. Usually, when the electricity went out, the garage door didn’t work. But the electricity was still on in the house. This had to be an issue with the door itself.

  You can’t make it on your own. Miles’ last text came roaring to the forefront of my mind.

  Irritation flared in my gut.

  I was going to show him. I was perfectly capable of taking care of things myself. I didn’t need him.

  I opened the front door of my Volvo and put my purse into the driver’s seat. I walked over to the garage door and grabbed the handle near the bottom. I pulled it up, surprised at how heavy it was. I managed to get it up high enough so I could back out.

  I started the engine of my Volvo and backed it out into the driveway, glancing at the time on my cell phone. We had to go, or the girls were going to be late for school.

  I jumped out of the car. A tiny, orange, plastic something at the entrance to my garage caught my eye. I bent down to pick it up.

  I heard the loud creak of metal bending and looked up from my crouched position just in time to see the garage door barreling down on me.

  I didn’t move fast enough to get out of the way. The garage door crashed down on my legs.

  Pain swept through me. Horrified, I stifled a scream. I was pinned with my legs inside the garage and the rest of my body lying outside of it.

  I had to get out before my girls walked out into the garage and saw my feet sticking out from under the garage door like the fucking wicked witch of the east.

  I sat up, got my fingers under the edge, and lifted. I managed to push the rolling panel off my legs. With my heart in my chest and my fingers still clasping the door, I forced my feet under me.

  Shaking, I pushed up with all my strength. The door slid all the way up and stopped.

  My whole body was trembling as I stumbled back into the house. I pulled up my pants and looked at my legs. There were deep cuts where the door had landed on them. I quickly shoved them down when I heard the girls.

  “We’re coming,” Arianna grumped and grabbed her backpack as Gabby followed her out.

  “Wait!” I hurried after them.

  “What?” Both girls spun around and looked at me.

  “The garage door. It’s…broken.” I swallowed and kept my gaze glued to the garage door.

  “Doesn’t look broke.” Arianna looked at the door and then back at me. “What’s wrong? You look white as a sheet.”

  “I had to push it up.” Ignoring the pain in my legs, I walked over to the track of the garage door and looked up. The springs on the door were broken.

  “Hurry up.” I stayed under the lifted door with my hand up in case it fell again. My girls hurried through the garage and got into the car.

  I debated whether or not to try and lower the door, but I wasn’t sure I could stop it from sliding down again.

  Instead, I left the garage open and just locked the door to the house. I got into my car and drove the girls to school.

  After I had dropped the girls off, I called the garage door company. They

  sent someone over right away. Then I tried calling my attorney, Harold Lang, but all I kept getting was a busy signal. I was already out and about in the dreaded sunlight. I figured I might as well drop by his office for a visit. I quickly found a parking space at the attorney’s office. I stifled a yawn as I slid out of my Volvo.

  There was no one sitting behind the secretary’s desk, and the lobby was empty. I heard a male voice and headed back to Harold’s office.

  The door was open, and I spotted him sitting behind his desk on the phone. I knocked.

  His eyes widened when he saw me, but he silently waved me in. From the uncomfortable look on his face, I knew that he’d probably already heard about what had happened at the Roark’s party on Friday night.

  I straightened my shoulders and walked into the room. I slid into the chair opposite him and let my
gaze roam around the office. The big, mahogany desk was bare except for a laptop computer, a picture of Harold’s wife, Betty, and a single file folder. Leather-bound law books filled the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that lined the wall behind his desk. There were only a few pictures along with his law school diploma on the light blue damask-covered walls.

  Harold was in his mid-fifties, with salt and pepper hair. His two children, both boys, were grown and had graduated from Ole Miss with law degrees.

  He ended the call and graced me with a smile.

  “Rachel, it’s so good to see you. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting you this morning. Did you have an appointment that I forgot about?” He pulled a planner out of a drawer, riffled through his calendar that lay on his desk, and then frowned.

  “I don’t have an appointment. Sorry for just barging in. I did try calling, but no one answered. I didn’t see your secretary out front either.”

  “Linda has a dentist appointment this morning. Broke a crown over the weekend. She should be in around ten.” He stood and walked over to the table where a coffeepot sat with all the fixings. “Can I get you some coffee? Or something else to drink?”

  “No, thank you. I’m fine.” I waited until he’d fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down again before speaking. “I’m sure you know about Miles and me by now.” I leaned forward and clasped my hands together on his desk.

  “I heard. And let me tell you how sorry I am to hear about that. You and Miles were always my favorite couple.” He reached over and squeezed my hand.

  I fought a cringe. I was getting really tired of all the touchy-feely from my friends.

  “Yes, well. I’m here to find out what I should do. Legally, that is.” I clasped my hands in my lap.

  “Are you sure that you and Miles can’t make this work?” Harold sat back in his chair and studied me. “You’ve been together for a long time.”

  “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” I’d never thought I would be saying that about the man I loved, but there it was. All laid out bare for the world to see.

  I shook my head and studied my hands.

  “I need legal representation. You’re the best, Harold, and I was hoping you could help me.”

  “Rachel. You guys are my friends, and I would love to help but…” His voice trailed off, sending shivers down my spine.

  I jerked up my head and stared at him. I saw the look of guarded sympathy in his eyes. I knew the truth.

  “Miles has already been here.” My throat hurt as I forced out the words. Another betrayal by the man I had married. How did I not know what my husband was capable of? How had I been that blind?

  “Yes, he has. He called yesterday and set up a six-a.m. appointment with me this morning. I can’t give you the details because of attorney-client privilege. I’m sorry, Rachel, but Miles has retained me as his attorney.”

  My vision seemed to blur, and I pressed my fingers to my temple to stem the dizziness.

  “Can you tell me if he’s already started the paperwork for divorce?”

  “Rachel, call Miles. You two need to talk. Try to work this out. For the sake of the girls.” Harold stood, signaling it was time for me to go.

  I stood and gathered my purse.

  “You know, you’re looking great, Rachel.” Harold cocked his head. “Have you lost weight?”

  “Nope,” I lied. But I was about to.

  I was about to lose one hundred and eighty-five pounds of dead weight.

  Chapter 3

  After my disastrous visit to Harold’s office, I drove straight home and crashed on the guest bed. I was having a hard time even looking at my master bed without having flashbacks of seeing my husband and my best friend having sex. My bedroom, which had been my refuge for years, was a place I had grown to hate. I didn’t know if I would ever be able to sleep in there again.

  My alarm woke me from my deep sleep. I had slept the day away, as usual, and had just enough time to throw on my clothes and grab my oversized sunglasses and denim jacket to protect myself from the sun before picking up my kids from school.

  I pulled into the car line about ten minutes before school was letting out. I slouched in my seat, hoping no one would notice me. I was trying to time it so I didn’t have to wait very long.

  It seemed that I spent half my life in car lines, waiting. I had gotten the timing down to a science.

  I dug my phone out of my purse and decided to make a list of things I needed to do to make life as normal as possible for my girls. Their world had been disrupted, and I wanted to keep the rest of their routine familiar.

  I noted on my calendar that both girls had a soccer game coming up, one right after the other. Which meant I would be out in the middle of the day for a few hours. I had to figure out a way to make sure I had enough blood to get me through without getting so hungry or drained that I craved more.

  The other moms usually lined up their chairs on the sideline where we cheered on our girls while sipping skinny lattes.

  I googled collapsible outdoor chairs and found one with a canopy then scrolled through my choices. It wouldn’t block out all the sun, but if I had long sleeves and a hat, it might do the trick. I quickly ordered it just as the school bell rang.

  I shoved my phone back into my purse and scanned the horde of kids coming out of the building like ants.

  A sharp rap on my window made me jump.

  My stomach dropped.

  I knew without turning my head that it was Veronica Counts. It was like I could smell her evil scent emanating through the tinted window of my Volvo.

  Veronica was my arch nemesis. If you looked up frenemy in the dictionary, her picture would be there. But she wasn’t just evil to me. She treated everyone like that. She reveled in people’s misery, gossiped about their family, and left a wake of destruction in her path. She was Satan herself.

  She’d known about Miles’ affair before the whole town did. And I was sure she was here to rub it in my face.

  I turned and looked at her through the window.

  “Come on, Rachel. Roll down your window.” She smiled at me manically.

  I pushed the button and braced for her sharp tongue.

  “What are you going to do about your marriage now that it’s in the toilet?” She gave me a fake look of sympathy and tried to reach into the car to pat my shoulder. I dodged her touch and glared at her from behind my sunglasses.

  “I never would have thought it would happen to you, Rachel. I mean, you look like you have the perfect life. Now your whole marriage is ruined. And because of your best friend, of all people.” Veronica laughed.

  I didn’t say anything. If I did, I was going to call Veronica out for being the evilest person I knew. Hell, I didn’t even think the woman had a soul. If she did, it was dark as midnight.

  She raised her voice as she kept talking. “I’ve got a number for a great therapist if you need it.” She shoved a piece of paper at me, but I didn’t take it.

  She narrowed her eyes when I didn’t move. Instead, she placed the card on my dashboard.

  “Trust me. You’ll need it.” She smirked and walked back to her car.

  I didn’t even glance at the piece of paper, just rolled up my window and focused on finding my girls in the crowd of kids.

  I spotted Gabby as she walked towards me. She smiled at her friend and then ran the rest of the way to the car.

  “Hi, Mommy!” She climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind her.

  “Hi, honey.” I felt lighter just seeing her. “How was school?”

  “It was good. Lori was very sympathetic about you getting a divorce. She said that if we need to move in with her and her mommy, we can.”

  I stopped. Surely, I wouldn’t have to sell the house? Surely, the courts would grant it to me. Miles wouldn’t kick the girls and me out, would he?

  With Harold as Miles’ attorney, I wasn’t sure of anything.

  “Well, that’s awfully nice. But I think we’ll just stay
in our house,” I said as I looked for Arianna.

  I spotted her walking to the car alone. Usually, she was with friends, but after standing up to Elizabeth Grace, who just so happened to be Veronica’s brat of a daughter, she was now out of the clique. Years from now, she would look back on this moment and realize how little her so-called friends truly meant.

  I was in my thirties and still trying to figure out who my real friends were.

  Elizabeth Grace stopped Arianna right before she got into the car and said something to her.

  Arianna nodded and got into the backseat with her sister.

  “Hey, sweetie. How was school?” I kept my tone neutral.

  “It was fine.”

  I let out the breath I had been holding and relaxed. At least Arianna was talking to me. I would take whatever I could get.

  “That’s great, honey.” I pulled out of the car line and onto the street.

  “You know what else is great?” Arianna’s voice rose. “The fact that Elizabeth Grace told everyone at lunch today that my daddy has had a side chick for over a year now. That just topped off my day right there.” She glared at me with daggers in her eyes.

  Anger flared in my veins. “What a nasty little bit—” I clamped my mouth shut before the rest of the word came out.

  “It’s okay, Mommy. You can call her that. A bitch is a female dog,” Gabby said as she flipped through a book.

  Arianna barked out a laugh and then slapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Gabby. Don’t say that word.” I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “I know that things are rough right now. But I don’t want you guys to worry about anything. Nothing in your life will change.” I tightened my hands around the steering wheel.

  “So, we don’t have to leave our house?” Gabby looked up from the book and cocked her head.

  “What? Are you and Dad selling the house in the divorce?” Arianna looked at me with panic-stricken eyes.

  “No, honey. I never said anything about selling the house.” I reassured them.

  “Why did Gabby say that?” Tears filled Arianna’s eyes, and she looked from me to her sister.