The Touch Series Box Set

by t. h. snyder

  “I don’t think so, at least not that I knew about.”

  “I would check with some of the local storage places around and see if they can help you.”

  “I’ll do that, thank you so much for your help.”

  Making my way back to Keith’s truck I feel like I could be a step closer to finding out what this key could be used for. I have no clue why there would be a storage unit, especially since Mom and Dad had a huge house that could fit just about anything.

  I may be leading myself on a wild goose chase, but I have all week to figure this out before Keith gets back home.

  Damn it to hell, another failed attempt. I’ve been to just about every storage unit in Greensboro and no one seems to know what this key could belong to. Throwing in the towel sounds rather appealing at this point.

  It’s just about dinner time and I know Keith will be calling in soon to check in. I feel like a two year old the way he’s treating me. The more overbearing he’s become, the more I want to know what this key will open. I have this sick sense that he knows what I’m up to, and once I find out what’s been going on, all hell is going to break loose.

  There’s one more storage place I want to hit before I head back home. It’s a bit out of the way from where I’m at—and from the sounds of it, a little run down—but hell, it’s worth a shot. Thank God for the old man at Rent A Space. He was so helpful looking up storage units around the area and drawing me up a map.

  I punch in the address to my next destination and head toward the interstate. It’s about thirty minutes from where I’m at so I blast the radio and begin my journey.

  After about twenty minutes on the road, I hear my phone start to chirp from the center console and I activate the hands-free option on my phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, baby, how are you?” Keith asks.

  “Hey, I’m good. How was the meeting today?”

  “Ehh, it was good. I think they have a serious interest in what we can do for them in a reasonable time frame.”

  “That’s great, Keith.”

  If nothing else, he’s getting us more work for the business.

  “Yeah, I’m about to head back to the hotel and grab some dinner. What are you up to?”

  Shit, I can’t tell him what I’m actually doing. Damn it to hell, I hate lying. That’s the whole problem I’m having with him right now. Honesty really is the best form of communication, but I can’t let him know what I’m up to until I have something to tell him.

  “Oh, I’m just running some errands. There’s this thing I’ve been dying to check out so I’m searching all over the place for it.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been pretty busy. Well, I won’t keep you much longer. Give me a call when you get home.”

  “Okay, will do.”

  “Talk to you later, baby. I love you.”

  “Yeah, you too, Keith, bye.”

  The line disconnects and I exhale a huge breath of air.

  At least I didn’t totally lie to him; I just didn’t tell him exactly what it was I that I was looking for.

  I look on the navigation screen and make my final turn toward the storage place.

  I pull my car into the parking lot and make my way to the office. It appears there’s no one at the front desk. A bell sits on the counter, and as much as I hate to use it, I really don’t have all day. I hit the bell and a few moments later a female comes around the corner.

  “Hiya, sugar,” she says in an overly upbeat tone.

  “Hi,” I reply. “I was wondering if you could help me with something. I found this key and didn’t know if you knew whether or not it would fit one of your units.”

  “Well, hand it over honey and let me take a look.”

  I hand her the key as she puts on her glasses from on top of her head. She inspects it, smells it and even licks it. What the fuck?

  “Yeah, sugar, this looks to be a key to one of our larger units down around back. Are you the owner of this storage space?” she asks, looking at me quizzically.

  “Umm, well, technically no. I believe it belonged to my parents who passed away a few months ago. I have power of attorney over their assets so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Let me look up the actual owner to this unit before we go down. I don’t want a stranger going into someone else’s things.”

  Well isn’t that awfully nice of her? At least she won’t be wasting either of our time.

  I watch as she pounds on the computer keyboard.

  “Hmm,” she mumbles looking up at me. “What was your father’s last name, honey?”

  “Kincaid,” I reply.

  “Well that’s odd; this unit is in the name of Keith McIntyre.”

  No fucking way. Why the hell would Keith have a storage unit without me knowing? I knew he was up to something, but this is ridiculous.

  “Err…well…umm…Keith is my husband,” I stutter.

  “Oh, okay, that works, too. Do you wanna still go take a look at it?”

  “Yes, please. I’ve been looking all over town for the unit this key will open. I have no idea what could be inside, but I need to know.”

  “Okay, let me toss on some shoes and we’ll go take a look.”

  I shake my head as she walks around the front desk in a totally mismatched outfit.

  Dear God, this lady is batshit crazy and I’m about to walk with her to the back storage unit.

  I follow her as we exit the office and walk around to the larger storage units. I watch the doors as we walk by and see the numbers getting closer and closer to #143. Standing in front of the storage unit, I’m feeling giddy and nervous to see what’s behind the closed door.

  I watch as she fumbles with the key trying to put it into the lock. She’s such a mess that I’m about to ask her if she wants help. I see the lock pop off the hinge and fall to the floor.

  “Ahh, there we go,” she says with a laugh.

  As she begins to lift the door my eyes go wide.

  “Holy fucking shit!” I shout aloud.

  My hand comes up to cover my mouth and I pick my jaw up off the floor. I walk forward toward the inside of the large storage unit.

  The first thing that comes into my sight is a large bass boat. I walk along the side of it and see that it’s filled with fishing gear and life jackets. As I walk closer toward the back I see a motorcycle.

  I look back to the lady and see that she’ still standing there watching me.

  “Umm, I’m good here if you want to go back on up to the office.”

  “Oh, okay, well here’s the key and you’re more than welcome to come in anytime you like.”

  I give her a smile, “Thank you.”

  I continue looking through some of the things along the back wall. There are tools for job sites, boxes filled with stuff from my parents' house and items that look to have been in my dad’s office.

  I have no clue why Keith would be hiding all of this stuff in here. Was this all my parents’, or is it his, and why the hell would he have it locked up here?

  I start to make my way out when a shiny silver lock box catches my eye. I walk over to the wall and pick it up off of a tool chest.

  This is crazy weird, all of the original stickers are still on it.

  I say a silent prayer, hoping that the box will open when I pull on the latch. If there’s another random key out there I’m going to flip my lid.

  I set the box back down on the tool chest and lift the lock. I move to pull the top off and thank God it opens. The lock box is filled with documents. I pull out the stack of papers and begin to rummage through them.

  The title and registration to both the boat and bike are in here along with a stack of other things. I look over the registration and see that these two items belonged to my mom and dad.

  When the hell did they buy a boat and a motorcycle?

  I laugh to myself at the image that is now plastered in my mind. Mom and Dad riding down the highway on their brand new Harley…yeah not
so much.

  I begin to sort through the mess and can’t believe what’s lying in front of me.

  An updated will from December 2011, the deed to the property, the land and the full rights to the business lay in front of me. My mouth is once again open as my jaw hits the floor.

  How is any of this possible?

  I pull my head into my hands as I shake it back and forth.

  All this time he knew and he hid it from me. He lied and hid an important part of my life from me…his wife.

  That stupid motherfucker. How could he, why would he…..ugh the nerve!

  I need a moment to digest all of this.

  I slam the lock box shut and make my way out of the storage unit. Pulling the door back down, I place the lock back on the hinge and head back to the car.

  I can’t believe what I’ve just found. I don’t know what to make of it or where to even begin to process it all.

  Placing the key back in my purse, I walk to the truck and head for home. My head is spinning and I’m not too sure what to make of any of this.

  The business isn’t mine—it sure as hell isn’t Keith’s, either. Every piece of it—the land, the building and RPK Contracting—is all Riley’s. God, I wish he was here; I need to tell him. I have to find him, but how? He’s left and I have no idea where he went.

  The ride back to my house is a complete blur. I’m not sure what to do or how to approach this with Keith.

  I know once I confront him about it, things will get crazy bad. I’m disappointed, hurt and I feel like the man I once knew has been playing me for the past few months. Things have been bad between us before, but this is it.

  I don’t know how I can even look at him, let alone be in the same room with him.

  Pulling into my driveway, I maneuver the truck into the garage and walk inside.

  I toss my purse onto the table and grab for a bottle of wine from the refrigerator. My emotions are so all over the place I need to feel numb for a few hours until I pass out. I pop open the bottle and pour myself a nice big glass of Moscato. I carry my glass and the bottle into the living room and turn on the television. I find myself a good movie, sit back onto the couch and down my first glass of wine.

  As the cool liquid passes through my lips and goes down my throat I feel myself slowly beginning to calm down.

  Tomorrow is a new day; it’s the start of a new me. I will begin my mission to destroy the man that broke my heart and stole my life.

  My alarm goes off at seven o’clock and I slam my hand down on my nightstand trying to find the cause of this incredibly dreadful beeping sound. I finally find my cell phone and touch the snooze button. I wrap myself back up in my sheet and fall back into a peaceful sleep for another eight minutes.

  My eyes open and my ears start to ring from that god forsaken beeping sound. I dig my phone out from under my pillow and touch the alarm button.

  Ugh, damn it to hell. I hate this stupid running schedule.

  Swinging my legs out of bed, I glance over to the flat sheets and pillows on the other side of the bed that haven’t been disturbed.

  I’ve been sleeping like a baby thanks to Keith’s crazy new schedule and his absence in the bedroom.

  He’s been either out of town or falling asleep on the couch pretty much every night since he came home two weeks ago. He’s been working extra hours at RPK Contracting and went back to South Carolina yesterday to finish up some last minute deal for a huge mall down in Charleston, South Carolina. Having him gone is the best thing that could’ve happened to us. I’ve been sweating bullets trying to figure out how I wanted to approach him about all of this, but before I do I want to make certain all my ducks are in a row.

  When Keith is around I’ve become so accustomed to faking just about everything; it’s now become completely natural for me to act as the ‘new Emma’. I’ve never been the type of person to tell so much as a white lie and now I’ve become a liar and a manipulator. I have to remind myself daily that this is for my family. I’ll do whatever I have to so that I can make things right again for me, Riley and Mom and Dad.

  This last trip to Charleston will let us know whether or not Keith and his crew will need to relocate for the next few months. He doesn’t seem to mind the time we’re apart as much as he did before and he rarely questions my whereabouts when he’s not here.

  My fingers are crossed that he’ll be spending more time away from home in the near future. I need this distance from him to keep myself sane and not slip up. Our relationship is definitely torn, but for now I don’t mind it at all. I’d rather have him out and about busting his ass for my family’s business that driving me crazy here at the house.

  While getting dressed and ready for my run, I smile to myself. I’m quite proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in a short amount of time. I’ve located the lock to the suspicious key, scanned and copied all of the documents in the lock box and put the copies back to their original spot. As of right now, Keith doesn’t know I’ve found his secret stash and I need to keep it that way for a little while longer.

  I took all of the documents over to the family attorney, Mr. Bryant, last week. With his help we’ve been able to sit down and review all of the items in the lock box. Thankfully, he was able to quickly determine that RPK Contracting rightfully and legally belongs to Riley.

  My next struggle is to find my little brother. It’s the mission that I’ll be focusing on starting next week. Until then, I have to get my ass in gear and go for a run.

  I make my way downstairs, grab my armband and head out the garage door. Today I have to run at least six miles and my goal is to do it in under an hour. With my Spice Girls remix blasting in my ears, I know my girls will help me get it done.

  Well, shit, here goes nothing. I start off with a slow and steady pace. Once I hit mile three I pick up speed a bit, but not too much to make me burn out early. For the next two miles I average a nine minute mile which isn’t too bad. Mile six starts and I know that I’m now in the home stretch. I pump my legs a bit faster and start to see the roof of my house come into view. I move into a sprint, determined to get this last mile down in less than eight minutes.

  I reach the bottom of my driveway and feel as though I could collapse. Fucking hell, whose dumbass idea was it to build our house on top of a hill? I slowly drag my tired ass up the pavement and take in slow easy breaths until I regain a normal breathing pattern. I pull the armband off to check my mileage and time.

  Hell yeah; I just ran six miles in less than fifty minutes.

  Even though I’m completely spent from my run, I muster enough energy to do a happy dance through the garage and into the house. On the way past the fridge I grab a bottle of water and a banana from the counter.

  It’s already going on eight-thirty and I still need to shower and head over to Mr. Bryant’s office to drop off the original documents.

  I’ll feel much better knowing that they’re in his hands and not lying around here for Keith to find.

  As much as I want this to all be over and done with, I need to maintain my ‘good wife’ appearance until all of this is settled. It could take weeks or even months, but I’ll do whatever I can to make this right again. Mom and Dad would want it this way and I can guarantee they are rolling over in their graves because of what Keith has done to me and Riley.

  Marching my way up to the bedroom, I eat my banana and gulp down my water. Once I’m in the bathroom, I toss out the peel and set the bottle down onto the countertop. I strip myself of my running gear and head into the shower. Letting the hot water run over my now sore muscles, I enjoy the feel of the hot steam surrounding my body.

  After what feels like forever under the water, I finally wash my hair and body.

  Once I’m feeling fresh and clean I turn off the water and step out of the shower to dry off.

  I glance at the time on my cell phone. Shit, it’s almost quarter after nine. Time to bust a move.

  I finish drying off, dry my hair, apply some ma
keup and move into the bedroom to get dressed. It’s hot as hell outside today so I choose to put on a pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top.

  Heading back into the bathroom, I give myself a once over in the mirror and grab my cell phone. I have just enough time to make it over to the attorney’s office before our scheduled appointment.

  I rush downstairs grab my purse and head out to my car. Pulling the manila envelope out from under the driver’s seat, I set it on the seat next to me.

  In record time I make it over to Mr. Bryant’s office.

  As I walk into the building, he’s standing at the front desk talking with Patty, his receptionist.

  “Well good morning, Mrs. McIntyre,” he says, extending his hand to me.

  “Please, call me Emma,” I reply extending my arm to shake his hand.

  “Come on into my office and we can get started.”

  I wave good morning to Patty and follow close behind him.

  As we make our way through the door he turns and moves behind me to close it.

  “Were you able to get everything we needed for today?” he asks.

  “Yes, I made copies of all the documents and placed them back into the lock box. Everything that we went through the other day is all in this envelope. Now, if I could just find my brother, we’d be all set to move forward.”

  “Nicely done, Emma,” he says with a smile.

  “Yeah, I feel like this has been the easy part; living with someone you despise is the hardest thing to do right now.

  “As I told you before, I can get you in touch with a reputable divorce attorney.”

  I give him a smirk.

  “I know and I will take you up on that sooner than later. I just want to make certain that nothing goes wrong until Riley is aware of what’s going on with all of this.”

  “You just give me the word when you’re ready.”

  “I will. Thank you so much for all of your help over the past few days. I feel like I’ve been living in a nightmare. I just want it to all be over with. Starting Monday, I’m making it my next personal mission to find my brother. Once I’m in contact with him, we’ll start to put things in motion.”