“She drugged you, most likely. How long ago did this happen?” Randall told him. “Unfortunately, any evidence has probably disappeared by now.”
“It’s likely that she’s monitored your family’s every move, at least while you’re home. With your permission, I have a guy prepared to come and sweep your office for electronics. That tape confirms that this office is also bugged. Perhaps your car as well.”
Randall continued to look through the stack of information. “What type of woman would do something like this?”
“A very troubled one, who from the looks of it may have done far worse.”
“Like what?”
“Jacqueline Tate grew up as Jamie Barnes, in poverty, in a small country province in Canada. Her parents were abusive: mother, physically; father, sexually. When Jamie, or Jacqueline if you will, was ten, her parents died in a fire. It was officially ruled as an accident though the authorities believed otherwise. They just couldn’t prove it.”
“Are you saying that she killed her parents?”
“And a sibling, from the looks of things. Early records allude to a younger sister but after the fire, all traces of her vanish. As the lone survivor, Jacqueline was the sole beneficiary of a very large insurance policy.”
Randall sat back in his chair, shell-shocked. “She told me a version of this story. I felt compassion. My heart may have gone out to a murderer.”
“She was sent to an orphanage until she was sixteen, and there were a couple stints in mental institutions after that, until she left the system at eighteen years old. I uncovered a friend in Canada, a woman named Kaitlyn. She knew Jacqueline was troubled, but described her as very good person who’d gotten some very bad breaks. I found a few other people who knew her; an elderly neighbor is watching her cat.”
“What about the job with Science Today?”
“That’s legit. For the most part, her professional resume checks out, and nothing else stood out until recently. She was suspected of the theft of several designer dresses and shoes in LA, but the items were all recovered by housekeeping staff at the Ritz.”
Randall stood, and began to pace the room. “Where is she now?”
Doug shook his head. “More than likely, after sending that tape, she’s lying low, waiting for the fallout to dissipate. Because of the hidden cameras she undoubtedly knows that Sherri has left you and is in North Carolina. She’s probably under the impression that with your wife out of the picture you’ll now see the light. You have to understand that while this seems totally ridiculous, you two being in a relationship is completely real in her mind. For all intents and purposes, you are her husband.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing.” Doug reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. “Among her things I found an address and phone number for a woman named Wanda Smith. Do you know her?”
“That’s the caretaker living with my mother-in-law.”
“I tried calling the number and it keeps going to voice mail.”
“Why would she have the name of Mom Elaine’s caretaker?” He stopped, an incredible thought coming to his mind. He raced to the phone, to call Sherri.
Doug watched as Randall tapped the screen and placed a call that went to voicemail.
“Sherri, please call me. This is an emergency. Call as soon as you get this message. I love you.”
He placed the phone on the desk and continued to pace. Doug walked over and picked up his phone. He snapped off the silver disc. “Who gave you this?”
Randall turned and looked. “Jacqueline. It’s helps to prevent radiation from . . . no.”
Doug nodded as for Randall, realization dawned. “She’s got connections. This is sophisticated. It’s a camera, recording device and tracker, all in one.”
“Dammit! There’s one on Sherri’s phone, too.” He snatched his phone from Doug and called his mother-in-law. That call too went to voicemail. “I’ve got to get a hold of somebody in North Carolina. Make sure they’re all right. I’m starting to get a very bad feeling about this, Doug. A very bad feeling.”
CHAPTER 52
The cell phone beeped in her ear, causing Sherri to look at the caller ID on the dashboard. Randall again. I need some space. Why doesn’t he get it? He really needs to leave me alone!
“Daddy keeps calling, Mom,” Aaron said from the backseat. “Why do you keep ignoring his calls?”
“Is your seat belt on, Aaron?”
“You’re changing the subject, Mom,” Albany interjected. “But I want to know too.”
“Your dad and I are having a disagreement,” Sherri calmly replied, knowing that her kids deserved some type of explanation. “I need a little space to think things out. Plus,” she continued, trying to brighten her tone, “I want to meet the woman taking such good care of Mom.”
“You promised me that you and Daddy wouldn’t get divorced.” Albany clearly wasn’t even buying the woman-caring-for-mommy story.
Sherri started to answer with a firm denial, but she stopped herself. Truth was, with all that had gone down in the past couple weeks, she no longer knew what would happen. They’d been in their twenties the one and only time she knew Randall had cheated. Then, given their brash, thoughtless choices and immaturity and the fact that Albany had barely been a toddler, his indiscretion had been easier to forgive. But now? Things were different. It would be difficult to have their parents split, but Sherri thought her children strong enough to survive it. She and Randall cared enough about the children to maintain a civil relationship, and money wasn’t an issue. So now, instead of finding reasons why she shouldn’t leave the marriage, she was looking for reasons why she should stay.
“I don’t want y’all to divorce,” Aaron said at last.
“That’s enough!” Sherri hadn’t known she was so close to losing it until the gasket was blown. “I don’t want to hear any more talk of divorce. What’s happening now is between me and your father.” Glancing in her rearview mirror, her heart softened when she saw the concerned look on her young son’s face. “Marriage isn’t always easy, guys. Arguments happen. And much like I have to send you two to your respective rooms to keep you from bashing each other, sometimes your dad and I need our space too.
“I love your father very much,” she continued, putting a comforting hand on Albany’s leg. “We’ve been together for half my life. And we both love you rug rats to pieces. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be all right.”
As Sherri finished talking and turned up the radio for the short drive from the airport, she tried very hard to believe the words that she’d just told her children.
Jacqueline walked around Miss Elaine, who sat shivering at the dining room table. “That wasn’t a smart move you made,” she told her. “You just put your beloved daughter in jeopardy.”
Miss Elaine looked at her and spoke through her fear. “I don’t want anybody to get hurt, baby. Not my daughter, and not you. There’s still time for you to avoid what is sure to be a travesty. If you leave now, just walk out of here, I won’t say a word. I promise. And you’ll still have the chance to not mess up your life.”
“Oh, you’d stay quiet, would you? Only for as long as it took you to dial 9-1-1. No, I’m afraid that there’s no turning back from this road I’ve gone down. But being with Randall is worth it. Once he and I are together, everything that I’ve had to do to make that happen will be justified.”
“Baby, where are your parents?”
For a moment, a glimmer of humanity shone in Jacqueline’s eyes. “Six feet under. Deadly house fire. They burned to a crisp.” A satisfied smirk crossed her face as Miss Elaine flinched at the description.
After a second, Miss Elaine responded, “You have my sincere condolences. How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“That had to have been terrible to deal with, losing your family so young. Are you an only child?”
Jacqueline stared at Miss Elaine. No response.
“I was an only child,” Miss Elaine con
tinued. “And while I lost my father in my teens, my mother was around until I turned fifty-two. I must admit that since then I’ve had my share of lonely times. Baby, there are people out there who can help you.”
The sincerity she heard in the older woman’s voice was something Jacqueline wasn’t used to. A part of her wanted to crawl up in the woman’s lap and be rocked liked a baby. An unexpected emotion arose in her chest: compassion.
There was no time for that.
“I don’t need help you old wench,” Jacqueline spat, smacking Miss Elaine on the side of the face. I need Randall. If your daughter weren’t so delusional about her marriage, if she would have just cooperated, I would have him by now. But since she’s insisted on being stubborn . . . here we are. She ran the butt of the gun across Miss Elaine’s shoulders and when she saw them straighten had to admire the woman’s spunk. In another lifetime, if she’d been blessed with a good mother instead of the monster who’d birthed her, she would have wanted one like the one sitting before her, the one who seemed to love her daughter so much.
A black SUV pulled into the driveway. Both Jacqueline and Miss Elaine turned at the sound. “Looks like it’s show time,” she said as she straightened her glasses and adjusted the wig. She’d looked at herself a thousand times and was 99 percent sure that Sherri wouldn’t recognize her. At least not right away. A good five or ten minutes, enough time to get them tied up and drugged. After that, she’d have to play it by ear. Sherri was definitely going to meet her maker, but she hadn’t decided what to do with the rest. This was unlike her. Normally everything was so thought out. But time had run out and the family had arrived. She’d have to use her instincts and take her chances. There was no turning back now.
“Remember what I told you. Don’t mess up. There’s still a chance that some of you may survive this. But one word to your daughter and I’ll shoot them without hesitation, and make you watch.”
Turning the corner and seeing her mother’s car, Sherri breathed a sigh of relief. She’d arrived at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport to several missed calls and messages from Randall and a strange one from her mother that had her stomach in knots. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything Randall could tell her about Jacqueline that would change the fact that she didn’t presently want to be around him. She was headed to where she wanted to be. From the time she’d taken the shuttle to the rental car to this moment, she’d hit redial to her mother’s number. All she got was voice mail. When she’d called the number to the in-home caretaker, those calls had gone to voice mail too.
“Her car is here,” Albany said, stating the obvious.
“Yeah, she’s home, Mom.” Aaron added.
“I’m glad to see that,” Sherri admitted, noting that another car, one she assumed belonged to the caretaker, was also in the driveway. She calmed down a little bit, but not too much.
The kids were out of the car before it had barely come to a stop. “Grandma!” Albany shouted, running to the front door. Sherri’s smile was genuine as she brought up the rear. Nothing could make her feel better like parking her feet under her mother’s table, preferably in front of a plate of homemade meatloaf or black-eyed peas and ham. She thought about having the kids pull the luggage out of the car. But then again, like them, all she wanted right now was to feel her mother’s arms around her. Right now this was the priority. Luggage could wait.
Sherri’s smile faltered a bit when she rang the doorbell a second time without an answer. But then her mother opened the door with a smile on her face. Right away, Sherri got the feeling that it looked rather forced. She’s probably not feeling well, Sherri decided. I’ll feel much better after Wanda and I have a heart-to-heart.
“Grandma!” The children rushed in and enveloped their grandmother.
“How’s my babies?” Miss Elaine asked.
“We’re good,” Albany said.
“I don’t smell cookies,” Aaron commented, a relevant observation considering that fresh-baked cookies almost always awaited them when they visited.
“I didn’t get a chance to get them ready for you,” Miss Elaine said, still standing at the door. “Maybe we’ll make some later.”
This comment was followed by Miss Elaine giving Sherri a look that told her something was definitely wrong. But what could it be? “Mom, why are we standing here in the doorway?” Sherri stepped in and gave her a heartfelt hug. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m a little tired,” Miss Elaine said as she turned and walked down the hallway toward the living room. “Y’all come on in and sit down.”
Sherri turned to the children. It was time to get them out of sight so she could find out what was going on with her mother. “Y’all, go and bring in the luggage for me.” She gave Albany the keys. “And no fighting.”
As soon as the kids were out of sight, Sherri turned to her mother. “Okay, Mom, out with it. What’s going on?”
“Oh, baby, don’t worry about me. I just got up too fast, that’s all. I was so excited, and it made me kind of dizzy.”
Sherri stood. “Well, let me get you a glass of water.”
“No!”
Sherri looked at her mom with a frown.
“I mean, just come and sit down. I’ve been so worried about you and Randall. I want to know how y’all are.”
Sherri looked toward the door and heard the kids coming back in. “We’ll talk on that later,” she said with a nod in their direction. “Where’s the nurse? Where’s Wanda? That’s who I want to meet.”
A dowdy woman with a short fro and glasses entered the room. “Here I am,” she said, her head downcast as she approached Sherri. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Sherri eyed the woman a moment, trying to identify why she was filled with unease. But then again, for the past few months her entire world had been turned upside down. Paranoia and confusion had become her companions. She forced herself to relax and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you. Thanks for all you’re doing for my mom. She’s raved about you.”
Wanda walked to the other side of the room and sat down on the couch. “How was your flight?”
“Uneventful.” Continuing to battle against the discomfort she felt, she shifted and tried to be more polite. “Have you traveled much?”
“No, ma’am,” Wanda said, her accent even more pronounced than usual. “I’m scared of flying, matter of fact. When I go to see anybody, Greyhound is my preference. Keep my feet on the ground, know what I mean?”
“Wanda.” Miss Elaine cleared her throat. “I want to bake the kids some cookies. Can you please go to the store for me and get some chocolate chips?”
Sherri could have sworn a frown scampered across Wanda’s face, but it was so fast that she immediately thought she’d imagined it.
“Oh, Miss Elaine, there’s no need for that. I just saw some in your pantry.”
“Oh, did you? Were there butterscotch chips in there too? And peanut butter?” To Sherri’s confused look, Miss Elaine added, “I’m in the mood for variety. Want to make several different kinds and take some to church.” She stood, walked over to where her purse sat on a side table, and gave Wanda a twenty dollar bill. “That should cover it,” Miss Elaine said. “If you could go now, please.” Belatedly, she realized the kids weren’t in the living room. “Albany! Aaron!”
“I think they went out back,” Sherri said with a wave of her hand. “Probably playing with the dog.” When she turned back, Wanda had slipped out unnoticed. “Wow, Wanda sure left fast.”
This time, Miss Elaine didn’t try to hide her franticness. “Sherri,” she whispered, hurrying over to her daughter. “We’ve got to call the police! Dial 9-1-1.”
“Mom, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
“Don’t ask me, baby. We don’t have time. That woman is crazy, and she wants to hurt you bad.”
“The nurse?”
“Baby, just call them. Call them now!”
“Mom, please, calm down. I’m not going to
call the cops until you tell me what happened.”
“She brought a woman in here and was sharing her plan to hurt you.” Miss Elaine was talking rapidly, wringing her hands. “I tried to call and warn you, but she caught me. She wants to hurt you, baby. And she wants Randall for herself.”
“Wanda?” This comment caused Sherri’s gut to clench. She thought back to the message on her cell phone, the one from her mother that had ended abruptly. What she’d hoped had been a dropped call hadn’t been dropped after all.
“Her name ain’t Wanda. I don’t know who she is. That’s a wig she’s wearing and somebody else’s clothes. I looked into the room and saw the real woman. I don’t know what’s going on, but it isn’t good.”
An eerie scenario began spinning in Sherri’s head. No, it isn’t possible. There’s no way. She knew it wasn’t possible, imagined the police chiding her for making an unnecessary call. But she’d deal with those consequences when she faced them. Better safe than sorry, her mother had always told her. Now, erring on the side of caution was the name of the game.
“Okay, Mom. Go get the kids. I’m calling the police right now!”
CHAPTER 53
“I wouldn’t make that call if I were you.”
The deathly calm of the voice behind her and its eerie familiarity made Sherri slowly turn around. When she did, she almost had a heart attack. A crazed-looking Jacqueline stood just inside the doorway to Miss Elaine’s living room: a wig in one hand, a gun in the other. She wasn’t standing alone. She dropped the wig, pushed Miss Elaine into the room, then put her hand on Albany’s shoulder and the gun to her head. Sherri’s hands balled into fists as Jacqueline slowly stroked her daughter’s hair. She watched fear mix with tears in her daughter’s eyes.
“Let go of my daughter.”
“Shut up! You’re in no position to make demands.” Jacqueline pushed the muzzle of the gun against Albany’s head. “Drop the phone.”
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