Paper-Thin Walls

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  He vigorously shook his head. “No! Absolutely not. The worst dates I’ve ever been on have been from friends setting me up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in situations where I just wanted to tell the girl this wasn’t working and get up and walk out. But because the hookup came through a friend, I’ve endured some of the most horrendous dates imaginable. It’s horrible.” He digressed into several examples, ending with a gum smacker who not only chewed with her mouth open, but blew and popped bubbles. He rolled his eyes. “And we were in a quiet museum at the time. It was so disgusting. I haven’t been able to put a stick of gum in my mouth since.”

  Picturing the image, I couldn’t help but laugh.

  He leered at me. “Hey, it wasn’t funny.” Then he cracked up. “Okay, maybe it is a little funny.” Once we regained our composure, his gaze lingered on me. “This is what I want. Someone to laugh with. Someone to share my life with.”

  “Now that you’re open to the idea of a relationship, you’ll meet someone,” I once again reassured him.

  “Where’d you meet your husband?”

  “We met in college. My butt was on the grassy lawn, my back was propped against a tree, and I was reading a book. Ryan slowly strolled by and asked what I was reading. When I answered, he commented on it being an exceptional book. I thought he was just trying to pick me up. He took a seat beside me and began discussing the content in detail. But since the book had also been a movie, I couldn’t quiz him about whether he’d read it, or simply watched it. However, he later invited me to a book club he belonged to, and I accepted. He turned out to be a zealous reader. Even to this day, one of our favorite pastimes is cuddled together on the couch or in the bed and reading beside each other.”

  “I’m actually an avid reader. The idea of reading with someone would be ideal for me. I like playing cards, too … and bowling. But I haven’t done anything but read … not in five years.”

  I nodded in understanding. Even my short time away from Ryan had proved to be unbearably lonely, even scary. Having someone next to you gave promise to the future. “You’re incredibly handsome. Surely you must have women falling all over you.”

  “Yep, I do,” he said in a rather harsh tone. “It seems there are two kinds of women in my life. Those that are attracted to me and want to do nothing but paw all over me, which I absolutely cannot stand. Then there’s the other extreme … those who shy away because they think they don’t have what it takes to keep a guy – I’m not trying to sound vain here – as good looking as me. I’m not searching for a knockout model. I want someone who’s independent, maybe even a bit stubborn. She needs to be intelligent and beautiful on the inside. I don’t care what she looks like on the outside.” He shook his head at me. “I’m not saying I was interested in you because you’re average looking. In fact, I think you’re beautiful, inside and out. But what attracted me most to you was how caring you are about Kenna. You want to do the right thing by her, and you’ve only just met her. That’s what I want in a woman. Someone who’ll stop at nothing to help the other guy.”

  “You’ll find her. She’s right around the corner. I can feel it … and you know I have good instincts.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, you really do … at least about knowing something was wrong when it came to Kenna.” He exited off the freeway and turned down Main Street. “Hopefully, I haven’t scared you off tonight. Even though there’s nothing in our romantic future, I’d like to consider us friends.”

  I smiled. “I’d love that. Friends it is.”

  The parking lot had cleared out, leaving only a few vehicles, so he pulled up next to my car. “I’ll keep you informed about Bill’s hearing to dismiss the charges. Tomorrow morning I’ll be working on a search warrant to rip up that concrete pad. If we find anything, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate being kept in the loop.” I opened the door and slid down to the ground from his truck. “Thank you, Detective … for everything.”

  He smiled and rolled his whole head. “Good grief, at least call me Tanner.”

  I giggled. “Goodnight, Tanner,” I said, closing the door.

  Making my way over to my ten-year-old silver Camry, parked in the space next to his, the alarm gave a little chirp after signaling for it to open. Crawling inside, I waved goodbye to him. He waited for me to back out, then followed me out of the garage.

  I headed for Mom’s. It was late Monday evening and with no rush hour traffic, I made good time over to Cherry Street and then easily merged with interstate traffic on I-30. Exiting off, I worked my way through the tranquil older neighborhood filled with tree-lined streets, then turned down Kenwick. Pulling into the circular driveway, I came to stop behind Dad’s truck and climbed out. Before I made it to the front door, it opened and out popped Adam.

  He broke his hold on Mom’s hand and ran to greet me as I rounded the front of the car. Bending down, I gave him a generous hug. “How was your day with Nana and Papa?”

  “We had fun with the trains,” he squeaked. “Papa says we need to get some more track.”

  Mom rolled her eyes at my dad who was standing next to her. “Frank, we’re going to have to declare bankruptcy if you buy any more train stuff.”

  “Eileen, for Christ’ sakes,” Dad moaned. “A grandpa has to have something his grandson enjoys.”

  “Thank you so much for keeping him. I know it’s late.”

  My parents were godsends. Their continued support in helping with Adam was a luxury I couldn’t deny. But right now, all I wanted to do was go home, get Adam in bed and have a goodnight’s sleep, one without nightmares involving Bill Simpson. If only.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Hailey

  After two stories, Adam was fast asleep. I had just crawled into my own bed when my phone jingled from inside my handbag. I frowned, looking at my purse perched on the dresser, wishing I’d remembered to place the cell on the nightstand. Recognizing Ryan’s special ringtone, I dragged my butt up and took the steps necessary to go from the side of my bed and fish the phone out.

  “Hello,” I quickly said after swiping, thinking the call was due to switch to voice mail.

  “Hey, how are you?”

  As far as I knew, Ryan and I had never had secrets and I wasn’t about to start now. “I’ve had a long day.” I told him about lunch with the detective and then accompanying him to Bill’s workplace, the Richland’s estate, and Doug’s parents’ house. “We think Kenna is buried under a recently poured cement slab,” I concluded.

  “I’m kind of jealous right now. It seems you’re spending an awful lot of time with this detective.”

  “He might’ve been a little interested in me,” I truthfully answered. “But I told him we’re back together and he understood. We’re only friends, I promise. After that stuff with Shannon Lowry, fidelity is even more important to me. You have nothing to worry about, trust me.”

  “Well, I hope so. I went through hell when you were gone. I sure don’t want to lose you now.”

  “It’s not happening,” I assured him. “I love you, and only you.”

  My assurances included phone sex, which we often did when Ryan was away on business. And when we said our goodbyes, I fell asleep thinking thoughts of my wonderful husband and no one else. Not the detective. Not Kenna. And not even Bill.

  When Tuesday morning arrived, I not only felt rested but confident that a search warrant would be issued to break up the concrete pad. Though the thought of finding either Kenna or Dozer’s body was tragic, on the positive side, it meant Bill’s charges of murder would stick and with any luck at all he wouldn’t make bail.

  With nothing but encouraging thoughts that Bill wouldn’t be released from jail, I dropped Adam at preschool and made my way into work. As the day wore on, I expected to hear from the detective, letting me know they had jackhammered the patch of concrete and found evidence of Bill’s dirty deeds. But no. There were no texts, no incoming calls, and no voice messages. My phone was noth
ing but dead silent.

  Anxiousness took hold, fearing something had gone wrong. Was it possible we had completely jumped to the wrong conclusions and the police had torn a perfectly good slab into unusable chunks for no reason at all? Or could it be that the detective had ceased all communication with me once he discovered I was back with Ryan? Perhaps I was no longer in the loop. But shouldn’t I know if Bill managed to get out of jail? There was a possibility he might come after me and I wanted to know if my life was in danger. Surely, the detective would at least text me that bit of info. Then again, I had moved from my apartment to an unknown location so far as Bill was concerned. Bill most likely didn’t know where I worked either. And, too, if he were released from jail, assuming the police hadn’t found Kenna’s body under that slab, then what threat did I pose? If he were released, he’d probably waltz out with a huge smile on his face and head for parts unknown, never to be seen or heard from again.

  The morning break came and went. Lunch came and went. The afternoon break came and went. All without a single word from the detective. I considered contacting him, but surely no news was good news. Wasn’t it?

  Finally, around three-thirty my phone rang causing me to almost break my neck in my haste to reach down and grab it from my purse. “This is Hailey,” I said immediately when I saw it was the detective.

  “It’s me, Tanner,” the detective began. “I have some unexpected news.”

  “Oh,” I said, getting an ominous feeling.

  “Yeah. Doug’s parents were able to get in touch with Doug. As it turns out, he had traveled up to Iowa. He accompanied his girlfriend because her grandmother had a stroke. They went up there, fearing the grandmother might die, but now it looks like the grandmother is going to be okay after a month or so of rehab. Anyway, they stayed at her house, which is in the middle of Podunk, and they didn’t have cell service. When they traveled back to the airport and reached civilization, Doug’s phone blew up with messages from his parents. Apparently, he’s alive and well and is now on a plane back to Texas.”

  “What does this mean?” I asked.

  “Well, on the surface, it looks like we jumped to conclusions. If Doug’s alive and well, then there’s a huge possibility that Kenna left Bill in the middle of the night … just like Bill claims happened.”

  “No. Even if Doug is perfectly fine, I still don’t believe Kenna is,” I argued.

  “Yeah, I knew you’d feel that way. But considering this bit of news about Doug, it took a lot of persuasion on my part and most of the day, but I finally managed to procure a search warrant. We have a crew out there right now breaking up the slab. As soon as we know something, I’ll let you know.”

  “What about Bill? Is he still in jail?”

  “Yes, but his attorney has filed to have the charges dismissed. The matter is set for hearing in the morning at ten o’clock. We’ll know something on the concrete before then. If we find Kenna’s body, the judge won’t be inclined to drop the charges. But if the charges stick, at that point, we’ll have to deal with whether Bill can make bail or not. Until then, let’s hope we find something.”

  “Thank you for updating me.”

  “Certainly, I’m happy to. I’m on my way over to Seth Richland’s farm right now. As soon as I know anything, I’ll give you a call.”

  My shoulders dropped from around my neck, and I sighed in relief. It sounded like everything was falling into place and, more importantly, there wasn’t any need for me to be worried about Bill … at least not until his hearing in the morning.

  Knowing Bill was locked behind bars gave me the perfect opportunity to swing by my apartment. The key needed to be turned in. My dad had forgotten a box from the kitchen counter. And for what it was worth, I hoped to get a partial refund back on the one-month’s rent, as well as the deposit I had posted. So, as soon as I left work for the day, I gave my mother a call.

  “Mom, I’m going to swing by the apartment to turn in my key and let the manager know I’ve vacated the premises.”

  “Oh, Hailey, what about that horrible man? Let Dad come with you.”

  “There’s no need. The detective called a little while ago to inform me that Bill’s still in jail and doesn’t have a court hearing until in the morning. There’s nothing to worry about and it’ll only take a few minutes. I’ll be over to pick Adam up soon.”

  “Well, okay. But hurry. Just hearing about that place gives me the creeps.”

  After assuring her that I’d be fine, I turned my car in the direction of the Woodlands Pointe Apartments, hopefully for the last time. Pulling into the apartment complex, I took in the same two teenagers I’d spotted the day I went through the dumpster. They were kissing underneath the only tree around the complex. As I began my trek down the cracked sidewalk, I met with the two long-haired, menacing-looking guys that looked a little shady. Just inside the doorway, Sheila, the red-haired prostitute, was peering out the front window, no doubt waiting to meet up with her next john. She was wearing a short, form-fitting red dress with a v-cut neckline that left little to the imagination. To the left, old man Thornton had his hand up the glass divider, obviously stealing candy from the machine. Inside the rec room, a group of elderlies were having a sing-along. The worst offkey voices I’d ever heard were screaming at the top of their lungs while someone banged the heck out of a piano. Turning to the right, I walked into the cloud of smoke given off from Gladys’s non-stop smoking. Nope, not even for a millisecond would I miss this place.

  “Good afternoon,” I greeted, once again taking a seat on the lump of padding that had erupted through a crack in the seat.

  “What’s on your mind?” she asked, flicking her cigarette into a continuously overfilled ashtray positioned right next to the “Do Not Smoke” sign.

  “I’ve moved out. Well, there’s one box left that needs to be collected. But otherwise, I’m here to turn in the key. I was wondering if I might have any prorated rents and my deposit refunded,” I boldly asked.

  She grunted and sucked in a huge drag on her cigarette. “Well, let’s do a walk-thru. If you damaged anything, or tore up anything, or messed with anything in any way, then I’m gonna tag you with the costs. Little stuff like that can add up.”

  She made a few grunting sounds while pulling herself out of her chair. She waddled her way around her desk, and I followed beside her as she shuffled out of the office and down the hallway where we waited for the slow elevator to arrive. Gladys, who was in her mid-fifties, never took the stairs. Knee problems, according to her. When we arrived at the second-story landing, I noticed Mable Henderson, spry at the age of about eighty-five – though hard of hearing – was bouncing down the stairs.

  After disembarking the elevator, I used my key to unlock the door and motioned for Gladys to enter ahead of me. She sniffed the air. “Wow, this place smells really good.”

  She was smoking like a train, blowing plumes of smoke everywhere, and I wanted to tell her I’d worked hard to cover over the odor of rat pee, and it’d be nice if she’d put that foul-smelling thing out. But since I was looking to get my money back, I said nothing.

  She gazed across at the living room rug. “Dadgum, I didn’t even know the carpet was that light of a beige.”

  “I steam cleaned it,” I told her as we made our way over to the dining and kitchen area.

  “This is amazingly clean. You could eat off the floor,” she remarked, giving a big nod of approval. She rounded the kitchen counter and opened the fridge. “Holy cow. Would you look at that, there’s not a spill one in there.” Next, she stuck her head in the oven. “Oh, my goodness, how is it even possible for this to be so clean? I … I just can’t believe it.”

  “I scrubbed the fridge and did an oven cleaner three times,” I explained.

  From there, we headed down the narrow hallway and she stuck her head in the bathroom. “Good God, I had no idea these bathrooms could shine like this.”

  “I cleaned in here, too,” I told her, getting a good feelin
g about a refund.

  She worked her way through Adam’s room, my bedroom and the master bathroom, receptively bobbing her big old Texas hair as she went. “This is a fine job of cleaning. I’ve never had a tenant leave things in such nice condition. Heck, I’ve never rented a unit in this nice a condition to begin with. You can rent from me anytime. You got that, anytime. I’m just pleased as punch and will be glad to give you half your rent back, as well as a full return on your deposit.”

  “Thank you so much,” I enthusiastically expressed, handing over the apartment key and thinking this was a done deal.

  “Let’s go back downstairs and I’ll calculate your refund.”

  We had started for the stairs when I realized, just like my dad, that I, too, had forgotten the box on the kitchen counter. “Oh, let me run back and get my box.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll go on down and be writing you a check.”

  Backtracking to the apartment, I went inside the unlocked unit, having just delivered my key to Gladys, and made my way across the living room, the dining room and into the kitchen. I was just about to pick up the box when my phone rang. Quickly digging it from my purse, I noticed it was from Detective Sutton.

  “Hello,” I answered. “This is Hailey.”

  “I’ve got terrible news.” He paused and sucked in a breath as if he couldn’t bear to tell me.

  “What, what’s happened?” I asked, feeling anxious and a bit scared, thinking Bill might have been released from jail and here I was at the apartment. If so, I needed to get out quick.

  “She’s not there. Kenna is not under the cement.”

  “What? You’re kidding me. She’s got to be there. We both thought so. It was a big slab. Did you dig the whole thing up?”