The Mother-in-Law

by Modglin, Kiersten

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  “Can we just make the best of it, please?”

  “Okay.”

  He stepped back toward the door cautiously. “Okay.” His next sentence was spoken as a question. “I love you?”

  “I love you, too,” I confirmed. I loved him enough to protect him from whatever monster we’d let into our home.

  * * *

  I hadn’t been asleep for long when a knock rang out on the door. I shot up. “Rynlee?” It wasn’t like her to knock, but maybe now that Jack lived here she would.

  “No,” the voice answered, and Jack popped his head in, flipping on the light. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “Shoot, sorry, babe. I didn’t think you’d be asleep yet. I can come back.”

  “No, it’s okay. I just dozed off. What are you—”

  Taking me at my word, he pushed the door open wider, the answer to my question stopping my words short. Coralee stood behind him, her hands clasped together in front of her stomach. She was still wearing the green evening gown.

  “Loren, Jack’s told me you’re still upset about some of my behavior since I’ve moved in.” She looked to Jack, her voice mockingly feeble. “I wanted you to know I never meant to upset you or Rynlee.” I rubbed my eyes again, sitting up. Was I dreaming?

  She stepped further into the room. “Jack, she was asleep,” she said, apparently just realizing it. “Maybe we should come back.”

  “She said it’s okay,” Jack said, nodding at me. “Just tell her, Mom.”

  “Tell me, what?”

  “Tell you that…I’m…I’m incredibly embarrassed about my behavior since I moved in. I don’t remember you telling me about the peanut butter, but obviously if you had, I shouldn’t have tried to serve it to Rynlee. And today with the markers, it was a mistake that I take full responsibility for. I’m still learning the rules here, and I thought the child was old enough to know better. I’ll know from now on. And as far as dinner tonight, Jack did tell me to call you and warn you about dinner, but I was just pulling into the store, and I’d planned to call you when I got out. Obviously, that didn’t happen. It’s all been a misunderstanding, and I hope you can see that. I’m very grateful for you allowing me to stay here, and I’d never want to make you think otherwise.”

  She stopped, her gaze locked on the floor as she waited for me to respond. “It’s okay, Coralee. Honestly. I’m just…Rynlee is all I have. I have to protect her. And this has been an adjustment, for all of us, I’m sure. But we’re happy to have you here while you need us.” I made sure to add that last sentence, because it wasn’t permanent. It needed to end soon.

  Jack looked smugly pleased, standing just behind Coralee, and I knew he thought it was resolved. But he hadn’t heard what I had. There’d been no apology in her words, just an explanation.

  I wanted to offer her an apology of my own: I’m sorry you couldn’t stay longer.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Loren

  “Mom.” The hurried whispers carried across the bedroom, rousing me from sleep. I felt her tiny hands on my face, fingers like ice against my skin. “Mom, wake up.”

  I jolted awake then, realizing it wasn’t a dream. Rynlee stood in front of me, her hair messy from sleep, eyes wide.

  “What is it, sweetheart? Are you okay?” I sat up in bed, looking her over thoroughly.

  She shook her head, pushing herself further toward me so I would lift her into our bed. Jack stirred beside me, looking over. “What’s going on?” he asked, his deep voice coated with sleep.

  I looked at Rynlee, still waiting for the answer.

  Her voice was quieter than usual when she spoke, the fear in it evident. “Someone’s in my room.”

  My blood ran cold as I heard the words, my body growing rigid. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calmer than I felt.

  “Someone’s in my room,” she repeated.

  “Someone who?” Jack sat up finally, his voice authoritative as he lifted the blankets from his legs and climbed from bed, still a bit woozy with sleep.

  “I don’t know,” she answered.

  “Did you see someone in there, Ryn? Who was it? How did you get up here?”

  “They were just making noise,” she said, her tone telling me it should’ve been obvious. “In my closet and stuff. Like…growling and scratching.”

  “Growling and scratching? Who’s they, Ryn?” I asked, but Jack wasn’t waiting for any further explanation.

  “Stay here,” he warned, pointing a finger at me. “You have your phone?”

  “I do,” I said, glancing at it across the room where it charged. “Should I call nine-one-one?”

  “Let me go check it out first. It could just be a mouse or something. But you two stay in here. Keep your phone with you…just in case.” In case of what, he didn’t say, but the weight of his words sat heavy in the room.

  I nodded. “Okay…be careful.” I wanted to stop him, make him stay with me, hidden away from the danger until we could get the police there. But another part of me believed the danger couldn’t be real. It was an old house, after all. It wasn’t uncommon for us to find mice lurking in the lesser-used rooms.

  He stepped out into the hall without a weapon, and I pulled my daughter into my chest, holding her tighter than ever as I listened to the deafening silence, waiting to hear something—anything—that would give me a clue as to what was going on.

  We waited, Rynlee’s tiny hands on my arms as I held her, our breaths syncing. Every pop or creak of the house, the usual noises it made—the foundation settling, the pipes rattling—caused me to jump. Rynlee sat quietly, her eyes plastered on the door as mine were. I wanted to assure her everything would be all right, to give her peace even when I felt I had none, but I couldn’t move.

  Creeeeeaaakk.

  Someone was coming down the hall.

  I shoved the covers from our legs, clamping a hand over her mouth and whispering, “Shh,” in her ear as we moved across the floor quietly.

  This was it.

  This was really happening.

  I grabbed the phone from the table against the wall, dialing 9-1-1 and hovering my finger above the green button that would initiate the call. We moved across the floor slowly, our movements silent, and I thanked God for my obedient child at that moment.

  We sank into the walls of the closet and I pulled the doors shut, feeling her shaking in my arms. She looked at me, her eyes wide with questions she couldn’t ask. I kissed her forehead, listening.

  Listening.

  Listening.

  My heart pounded in my chest, my ears burning hot. I wiped sweat from my brow, an action that was useless since my palms were slick with sweat, too. My breathing was too loud as I tried to listen. Had I imagined the noise?

  Just when I thought maybe that was the case, I heard it again.

  Creeeeaaakk.

  Then again, creeeeaaakk. Someone was definitely out there. But what were they doing? And where was Jack?

  I sucked in a haggard breath, placing a hand to my chest in an effort to quiet my racing heart. I couldn’t think, couldn’t catch my breath. The ice cold fear was overtaking me.

  I lifted Rynlee, placing her on my pile of shoes in the back of my closet and pushing her back as far as I could. I put my fingers to my lips, telling her to keep silent as I moved a suitcase and an old comforter in front of her. Somehow, my body knew what to do while my mind panicked.

  I moved to the front of the closet, peering through the crack in the doors. From there, I had a decent view of the bedroom door. It was still shut, and no one had come for us. Not yet, anyway.

  I heard Rynlee shift in place, and I knew the shoes weren’t the most comfortable seat. What was I supposed to do? There was nothing there to protect us? I looked down at my phone, the screen black from lack of use.

  Just then, the door opened quickly, and I jolted, letting out a squeak of fear.

  Jack looked around, flipping on the light. “Lor?”
>
  I reached behind me, pulling Rynlee out of her hiding spot and wiping away the fresh tears that broke my heart as I shoved open the closet door. “What is it? Is everything okay?”

  He nodded, taking in our frazzled appearance and wrapping his arms around us. “Everything’s fine. There was nothing there. It must’ve been the wind that she heard. It sounds like a pretty serious storm is coming.”

  “I heard someone walk past our door,” I said, begging him to calm my fears.

  “It was me,” he said. “I went up to Mom’s room and made sure she was okay.”

  “And she was?”

  He nodded. “Sound asleep in her bed. I hardly woke her to check her room.”

  “But you did check it?”

  “I checked everywhere,” he said. “No one’s here. It was just the wind.”

  I looked to Rynlee then, kissing her head and smoothing her hair. “Did you hear that? It was just the wind, sweetie. Everything’s okay.”

  “Okay,” she said, trusting us fully, while I wished I could do the same.

  “Do you want to stay here with us tonight?” I asked, looking at Jack who nodded in confirmation.

  She tucked her head into my neck. “Yes.”

  We climbed into bed then and Jack flipped off the light, shutting the door firmly before he made his way to the bed.

  An hour passed, with me staring at the ceiling and listening to the slow breathing of Rynlee first, then Jack. I couldn’t sleep; I wasn't sure I’d ever sleep again.

  As much as I wanted to believe him, Rynlee had never heard noises at night, not even on the stormiest night. Try as I might to deny it, I had a suspicion gnawing at me that whatever she’d heard, wasn’t just the wind.

  * * *

  The next morning, I jumped out of bed well before either of our alarms had gone off. It’s not like it mattered. Like I’d predicted, I hadn’t slept a wink. Jack and Rynlee were still sound asleep, and I left them with one last glance cast their way, heading down the hall and toward her room. I wanted to see for myself just what had caused my child to be so upset.

  I opened her bedroom door slowly, half expecting someone to jump out and grab me. My hand felt along the wall for her light switch, connecting with it quickly and flipping it on. I stared around the room, looking for some sort of clue. As I moved across the carpet, my breathing quiet, I studied the space I’d spent so much time in with Rynlee. It was a space I was familiar with, yet something felt odd. There was a strangeness in the air I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I spun around in my spot, trying to decide what was wrong. It was almost as if everything had been moved, but only slightly. Before, I was sure the tiny pink recliner she’d gotten for her third birthday had sat slightly to the left of her small, white bookshelf, but now it sat to the right. Had Rynlee moved it? It was a possibility, I supposed. But why? And why, now, was her night light in a wall plate where I’d not placed it? Maybe Sarah had moved it, or Meredith, but I couldn’t recall seeing it there yesterday.

  I was more suspicious that day, looking more closely, I reminded myself. I was looking for something off, so if anything was I was sure to find it. But it could’ve been off for days, weeks even. It didn’t prove anything.

  I walked into her closet, looking around the walk-in. It was nearly the size of her room, just like the closet in my room, and also like the closet in my room, it was filled with a built-in bookcase and totes of old clothes and toys she’d outgrown. Her clothes had been shifted on the rack, everything pushed to one side. That definitely wasn’t how it had been yesterday. Something was off. I couldn’t decide what, and I had no proof. I knew after our last conversation, I would have to be careful what I mentioned to Jack. He didn’t believe me about Coralee, didn’t believe me about something strange going on, so how could I approach him with this without having anything solid to show him?

  “Everything okay?” I jumped at the sound of his voice, looking over my shoulder with a hand clasped to my mouth. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “That’s okay,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I was just checking her room to make sure everything looked okay.”

  He nodded, one side of his mouth drawn up as he let out a yawn. “Anything out of place?”

  “Nothing’s jumping out at me right away,” I said. I was desperate to tell him what I’d noticed, but I knew it would be brushed aside.

  He glanced down the hall where Rynlee’s footsteps could be heard. “She’s in here,” he told her, then looked at me. “We had a bet about whether you were in the bathroom or kitchen. Guess neither of us won.” He scooped her up, passing her toward me.

  “Good morning, princess,” I said, kissing her face. “Did you sleep okay?”

  She nodded. “Mommy?”

  “What is it, sweet girl?”

  “Can I sleep with you from now on? In case the monsters come back?”

  I looked at Jack. He narrowed his eyes at me, his lips a thin line as he shook his head ever so slightly. “Rynlee, there are no monsters, sweetheart. You know that.” He was passing her comments off as childish nonsense, but I believed her. I held her cheek to mine, closing my eyes.

  “We’ll have to see, baby. But I promise you I won’t let anyone hurt you, okay? Mommy and Jack will scare away any monsters,” I said, hoping to ease her fears more than he had.

  She smiled slightly, her fears eased for the moment, though mine weighed in my chest, more real than ever.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Loren

  When dinner time came that night, I was no more at ease than I had been that morning, despite my growing exhaustion. I’d taken the afternoon off to be with Rynlee, and she and I had spent the day painting a new canvas that I was excited to hang in my office. It was my way of helping her feel more secure, while also allowing her to help redecorate the office.

  I pulled Coralee’s leftover lasagna out of the oven, my stomach growling as I watched the cheese bubble.

  “Ryn, wash up, Jack will be home soon,” I told her, scooting the stool toward the sink so she could climb up and wash her hands. I hit the home button on my phone, checking to see if I had any new messages from him.

  Coralee, like usual, had stayed in her room for most of the day. All the better for us, honestly. Even though she lived under our roof, it was so rare that I saw her it was almost hard to remember she was there sometimes.

  “I’m going to go tell Ms. Coralee supper is done, okay? You wash your hands, and I’ll be right back.”

  “But, Mommy, don’t leave me,” she begged, her eyes wide with fear.

  “Okay, okay.” I rushed toward her, angry with myself for not thinking. It was obvious what had happened wasn’t going away any time soon. Try as Jack might to explain it away, Rynlee had been really affected by it. I stood by her side while she scrubbed her hands, before drying them on her pants.

  Together, we made our way up the stairs and toward Coralee’s room. When we arrived on the third floor, I perked my nose toward the air. What is that?

  I moved quicker, hoping the smell would fade, but it only grew stronger as we neared Coralee’s door. I knew the smell well; my father had smoked for years before eventually quitting. Still, that didn’t stop him from passing away from lung cancer after ten years without a cigarette.

  “Coralee?” I called, rapping on the door. Jack had never mentioned her smoking, and he knew how I felt about it. Surely he’d mentioned to her she couldn’t smoke in the house. “Coralee, are you in there?” I called again, knocking louder.

  When she didn’t answer, I twisted the knob, taking in a breath as I stared around an almost unrecognizable room. The wallpaper I’d meticulously pasted on the walls, after picking it out and having it shipped from a small shop across the country, was completely gone, while fresh yellow paint adorned the walls. The bed, which had once been directly in front of me, had been pushed against the wall to my left. The room reeked of paint and cigarette smoke, Coralee’s clothes were strewn about, empty plate
s of rotting food lying here and there. I covered my mouth, nearing tears as I realized there was a red wine stain on the antique quilt that had been handed down from my mother’s grandmother. She’d apparently taken it upon herself to remove it from the quilt rack on the wall and place it on the bed. I moved toward it, a mixture of anger and nausea filling my belly as I lifted it up. There was a cigarette burn near the edge.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I heard the vile voice demand. I spun around to face her, holding out the quilt. I had no idea what to ask her about first.

  “What have you done?” I asked, gesturing around the room. My hands shook with anger, my throat tight. “Why would you do this?”

  Her eyes didn’t follow my gaze around the room. Instead she remained locked on me. “Why would you come into my room without my permission?”

  “I knocked, Coralee. I knocked, and you didn’t answer.” I felt my face grow hot with anger, my vision nearly blurring I was so angry. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or throw up.

  “I was in the restroom,” she said, matter-of-factly, still not answering my question.

  “Why would you paint this room? Or move things around? This is not okay.” I was shaking with anger, holding the quilt in one hand, my daughter’s hand in the other. “This was my great grandmother’s quilt. It’s too old to be used.”

  “Jack told me to make myself comfortable.” Her cold, dead stare burned into me, her indifference causing my anger to swell.

  “That doesn’t mean paint the room! That doesn’t mean redecorate. You are our guest, Coralee. Your time here is temporary. You aren’t allowed to just do as you see fit with a home that isn’t yours.” My chest constricted with my screams, my anger rising to new levels. I felt my nails digging into my palms, knowing that if I looked down, I’d surely see blood beading on the broken skin.