by Sofie Hern
“Hi, Adam,” says her sweet voice.
“Hey, I'm home for a few days and… well, I was wondering if I could see you?”
“When?”
“I have a few things to take care of first. Maybe, I don’t know, dinner?”
She’s quiet for a moment. “Well, I have something at my in-laws this evening.”
I know this is going to be a problem—for me at least—respecting that she’s married and has other obligations. “Okay… well, I'll see you when I see you then.”
“You okay?”
“I'm good, why?”
“You just seem a little… angry.”
Yes, I’m angry, but angry with myself for falling for her. “A lot on my mind that's all.”
“What about breakfast, tomorrow?”
I know it’s because by the time breakfast comes, Frank will be gone. I could say no of course. This is all so wrong. “Breakfast sounds good,” I say and we agree to meet at Tianna’s.
–
I greet Thomas outside of his office building. The weather is cool and crisp. Life in Henderson has gone back to normal with kids back at school after the winter break.
“So what is the big break?” I ask anxiously.
“Let’s go inside.”
He holds the door open for me and then I see Colin crossing the street. “Wait up!” he says as he runs up the steps. He greets me with a hug and we walk inside.
“How are you, Colin?” I ask as we follow Thomas.
“Want to get this done!” He sounds as anxious as I feel.
The office is much bigger than I imagined. Rows of cubicles are on either side of the walkway with busy clerks and PIs. Thomas also runs a security company so I shouldn’t be surprised at how busy his employees are.
Thomas stops in front of what looks like the break room. “Coffee?”
Colin and I shake our heads and Thomas goes in to get a bottle of water.
We continue on and he invites us into a room labeled ‘briefing room’. It has three rows of chairs and in the front is a flat-screen television. To the right is a whiteboard with notes on it, but I have no clue what they mean. Colin and I take a seat, side by side at the front.
Thomas stands by the television; he’s holding a file folder in one hand and the bottle of water in the other. To his right is a table where he puts his water and picks up a remote control.
He sits on the table and starts to speak. “The big break came yesterday when I reached out to Irene’s neighbors to see if maybe they had seen anything unusual. I started with her next-door neighbors and they gave me this…”
He turns on the television and hits play on the control. The image is of Irene’s next-door neighbors’ house. The date on the footage is from the night before Jordyn was found. The image is amazingly clear, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m looking at. The image moves fast as Thomas holds down the fast-forward button and pauses when he hits the 9:19 p.m. mark.
That’s when Irene appears in the frame, holding a garbage bag and Colin and I exchange glances. The footage shows her on the neighbors' property where she approaches the trash bins. She looks around, lifts a lid and throws the bag inside, then disappears from the frame.
Thomas stops the DVD player and turns to us.
“The neighbors were on vacation for a few weeks,” he says as he returns to the table and puts on latex gloves.
“When they returned on Saturday, they reviewed the footage—which, according to them, is something they do whenever the house if left alone. They saw nothing unusual until they noticed that Irene had been on their property. The husband went to the trash, pulled out the bag and found this,” he says and pulls out a turkey baster.
Colin listens attentively as if watching a suspense movie.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask.
Thomas carefully removes the baster out of the evidence bag. “There was a substance found in this, we tested it and it came back positive for methanol, which as you know, is one of the main components in antifreeze.”
Now I follow.
Colin sinks into the chair, crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head.
Thomas goes on, “We ran it for fingerprints, but found nothing which we assume is because of this…” He takes out a box of latex gloves.
“Wow,” Colin whispers.
“We also found these in there.” He takes out a box of Unisom sleeping pills and puts everything on the table.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” he says. “But in my opinion, it all points to Irene. Not only did we see her on the footage, which you both can clearly identify as her, right?”
Colin and I nod.
Thomas gathers the evidence and puts it back in the bag and Colin stands. “Let's go get her then,” he says, looking at me then at Thomas who shakes his head.
“It's not that simple, kid,” he tells him and sips his water.
Colin approaches him. “What do you mean? The evidence is right there!” he says with frustration, pointing to the bag.
Once again Thomas shakes his head. “This is all circumstantial evidence. We can’t go get her without any solid evidence. I go with this to the authorities and they’ll tell me the same. It’s all circumstantial.
“I can call the detective in charge right now. Give him what we have and I guarantee you that we will never see it again, Colin. They’ll shove it a box somewhere to wait for orders and warrants and God knows what else. I’ll have to match this evidence with what was taken from the scene, which will be difficult because I have no access to it. Not yet,” he explains.
Colin shakes his head and turns to me, but I don’t know what to tell him. I lean forward with my elbows on my knees, feeling lost.
“Say something!” Colin tells me.
“I... I know it’s all circumstantial but, can’t she be questioned?” I ask Thomas.
“Not that simple. We need to get more. We need to wait for the toxicology report and I have filed for permission to review the scene evidence.”
Thomas appears frustrated with our persistence.
“Bullshit!” says Colin.
I stand and try to calm him down. “We have to be patient, Colin. We—”
“No! No… she fucking killed her… my sister is dead because of her!”
I can see tears welling in his eyes.
“So how long will it take for her to get arrested then?” I ask.
“I will personally work as fast as possible. The key will be to not put her on notice.”
Colin shakes his head and starts pacing the room with his hands on his hips and Thomas goes on. “She can't know that we know so that she doesn't start working on a different story. So far she thinks the case is closed.”
We stay quiet for a moment.
“I'm going to brief my team. I will get together with the detective in charge—without putting our evidence at risk. There are a lot of things to be done so keep in mind that this is going to be a long process which is why we need to tread lightly.
“We’ll gather as much evidence as we can. We need to be smart about this, guys. Let me get with my guys and we’ll go from there.”
Colin doesn't look too convinced.
“Patience, big guy,” I say and he says nothing
–
I know that Colin is upset to learn that we have to wait. My initial thought was to go to Irene's and ask her why. Why kill her daughter? But Thomas is right; we can’t put her on notice. On the flip side, we let Levy off the hook after Aaron’s accident only for him to return to cause his death.
Colin and I walk out of the office and I’m not sure if in fact, I was able to calm him down much.
“Want to do lunch?” I ask as we cross the street to go to our cars.
He shakes his head. “I have some things I need to do. See you around?”
“Maybe you can come over to Tianna’s later and have a steak dinner. I have nothing much going on,” I say as we approach my car.
“Th
at… that sounds good. Thanks, man.”
“Okay then.”
He walks to his car, but stops and walks back to me.
“Adam, um... just want to say thanks for… for being a great dad,” he says and gives me a hug.
“That means a lot, Colin. Thank you.”
He nods and walks to his car with his hands shoved in his pockets.
I wait for him to drive off and wave goodbye. I take out the keys and get in the truck, feeling confused and scared. There has to be another explanation for Irene’s actions.
I am deep in thought when I hear Thomas calling my name and running towards me.
“You have to come and see this,” he says, out of breath and we go back to his office.
38
KEN
Ken manages to stand, but he’s disoriented and his head is throbbing. He looks down at the broken lamp and then looks around.
“Fucking bitch,” he murmurs as he walks out of the office and down to the kitchen.
The sun is filtering through the tall windows, stinging his eyes and shades them with one hand as he approaches the refrigerator. The broken blender glass remains on the floor along with the milk. The bitch didn’t even bother cleaning up. He takes an ice pack from the freezer and puts it on his head, then goes to look for his wife.
“Honey!” he calls as he walks up the stars.
“Love? I’m sorry about earlier,” he says, knowing he needs to make things good again with her and keep her in his corner. He holds the ice pack to the side of his head.
He looks in their suite, but she isn’t there. He peeks in the bathroom; not there either.
“Julia, honey, we need to talk.”
He looks in the other rooms only to find them empty. He takes out his phone and calls her as he makes his way back to the office and then he hears it ring in their room.
“Bitch.”
He proceeds to his office to clean up and knows he needs to teach her a lesson when she returns.
As time passes, he realizes that he’s been knocked out all night and part of the morning. As he leaves his office, the doorbell rings and thinks Julia forgot her keys and now wants to come in.
“Bitch,” he says and goes downstairs.
As he reaches the landing, he freezes when he sees a police car in the long driveway.
“Police, open the door!” they instruct.
He feels the panic rise from his belly and slowly turns to go back upstairs.
“We just need a word with you, Mr. Sorensen,” says the officer.
Ken exhales with relief because he knows he has nothing to worry about. He has covered his tracks; he’s been cautious—more than usual, in fact. Julia must have gone to the police because of the violence he used on her.
He smiles and knows that once it all gets cleared up with the cops, Julia will return home and then he’ll take care of her. He’d send her on a long, never-ending vacation, and then once Julia is gone, he’ll bring Irene, the woman he loves. He laughs at his thoughts and then goes to get the door. He keeps the ice pack on his head so they can see that she hurt him too.
39
ADAM
Thomas leads me to the break room and as soon as I walk in I see what Thomas is looking at. On the television overhead is none other than my brother-in-law. The image shows him in handcuffs and being taken from what I assume is his mansion. He is surrounded by at least a dozen police officers.
“I did nothing wrong!” says Ken when a reporter asks if he has anything to say.
I stand in front of the television with my arms crossed over my chest, in complete disbelief.
The headline on the screen reads, Breaking: Ringleader of insurance fraud arrested in Texas.
“Kenneth Sorensen of Nevada is believed to be the mastermind of a life insurance scam which has been linked to well over twenty-five deaths in the states of Nevada and Texas and authorities fear there may be more victims. We will bring you more information on this developing story when it becomes available… Meanwhile, gas prices continue to drop across—”
Thomas shuts off the television.
The nightmare continues, I think, and I’m unable to move.
“Adam?”
“I think I'm going to be sick,” I say as place my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
“There's more.”
“Of course there is,” I whisper. After gathering myself, Thomas leads me to his office.
–
He closes the door and we stand in his bright office, which is overcrowded with furniture and file cabinets.
“I got news from my lead investigator right as you were leaving,” he says, dropping a file folder on his desk but doesn’t open it. “Julia was the one who turned Ken in and… she also mentioned Irene.”
Now I’m confused. “What? Why?”
“According to Julia, Irene was involved in Tianna’s death.”
His words knock the wind out of me. Okay, Adam, you can wake up now. “What?” I whisper. “I… I need to sit down.” I feel my blood drain from my entire body.
Thomas pulls out a chair where I sit and he sits on his desk. “According to Julia, Irene poisoned Tianna with Ken’s help.”
Suddenly it all makes perfect sense. How did I not see it? Julia hated Tianna, she hated her since the day we took her home and Irene hated the fact that I was in love with Tianna.
I can’t breathe nor can I move. My heart wants to come out of my chest, my ears feel hot and my breathing quickens.
“I'm sorry Adam. I know it’s a lot. And I was told that they’re going to take Irene in for questioning about it. This is our chance.”
I’m shaking with what could be nerves or excitement or anger. “Let’s go. I want to be there when they take her. I need to see her.”
40
KEN
Ken slowly opens the door and what he sees is unexpected. There is not one police car in the driveway; there are at least a half dozen, along with four television news vans.
“What the fuck did you do you do, bitch?” he whispers.
The world around him stops. He can hear voices but is unsure of what they’re saying. A police officer approaches and Ken drops to his knees.
“Put your hands behind your head!” he hears someone scream as he slowly returns to reality.
“Put your hands behind your head!” the man instructs again and Ken obliges. A second officer cuffs him and pulls him to his feet.
“Kenneth Sorensen, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…”
The officer goes on but Ken already knows his goddamn rights.
He’s escorted out of his home with his head down to avoid the cameras.
“Mr. Sorenson do you have anything to say?” asks a perky reporter as he’s being put in the cruiser.
“I did nothing wrong!” And the door closes.
The cruiser is soon surrounded by reporters and police officers and then speeds away.
–
Ken is furious with Julia and thinks that he should have killed her long ago. She’s weak and stupid. She is nothing like Irene. He shakes his head as he realizes that his biggest threat was always right under his nose.
“What am I being charged with?” he asks but the officers say nothing.
“I have the right to know!”
One of the officers laughs. “For starters, assault, and battery… how’s that?”
Ken looks out the window. “She deserved it. Deserved more, actually.”
41
IRENE
Irene is in bed watching television. As she surfs the channels, she comes across the news feed and the person in it looks very familiar. Her jaw drops when she realizes who it is. Ken is being arrested.
She watches in disbelief as her lover is put into a police car. She turns off the television and starts to shake. She frantically starts to pace the floor, wondering how long she has until they come to get her. What did Ken do wrong? How did he allow this to happen?
&n
bsp; She’s afraid and has no idea what to do next. She panics at the thought of Adam finding out about Tianna and is petrified that he will hate her for it. She’s hyperventilating and unable to think straight.
From the nightstand, she takes a cigarette and lights it with shaky hands. She continues to pace and takes a drag from her cigarette. She’s beginning to realize that perhaps she has lost the battle.
“Think Irene, think,” she whispers.
She’s shaking and cold sweat forms on her forehead. She puts half of the cigarette out, takes out a suitcase from under her bed and frantically starts filling it with her things, but has no idea where she’d go then thinks of Levy. “Yes!” she says at the possibility of running away with him.
She wants to leave before Ken’s investigation starts. She thinks about Adam and she’s terrified to see his face filled with hatred toward her when he finds out everything she has done. She needs to leave before that happens. She has no idea what she’s packing and randomly throws her clothes in the suitcase. Her heart is pounding and her hands shake uncontrollably.
“Hurry,” she hisses as she closes the suitcase and leaves the room and quickly passes Jordyn’s.
–
She puts the suitcases in the foyer, ready to go, then goes to the family room to call Levy.
“What.”
“Ken was arrested. I need your help, I… I can’t stay here!”
“I'm fucking done with you, bitch!”
Irene should be insulted, but she’s desperate. “I have all the money I told you about. I… I’ll give it to you!”
“How much exactly are we talking about?”
“Ten thousand,” She lies. She has the $800 check from Adam and about two thousand in the bank.
“We can… we can go to South America never come back!”
Irene is still shaking and scared as she looks out of the dining room window. No one is out there, but she isn’t sure how long she has and goes to the family room.
“When you leave, make sure you're not being followed, understand?”
