Fade to the Edge

by Kathryn J Bain

  Tracy sighed. It had taken months for her to realize DJ didn’t hate her.

  Until now.

  She picked at a piece of tape holding a cotton ball on her arm. The police had insisted on taking a blood sample. A sleeping pill, every once in a while, didn’t make her an addict no matter what Daniel said.

  Everything seemed to be against her lately. When had her life started to fall apart? The day they got the news about Mom.

  Tears rose in her eyes.

  They’d been so close, almost best friends. It’d killed Tracy to watch her die, sitting next to her mother as she made her own funeral arrangements. Daniel had a fit every time dinner was late because of one of her doctor’s appointments. Only now did Tracy realize how narcissistic he was, only caring about himself. Not once noticing how scared she was to lose her mother.

  Dad’s stroke only seemed to make her marriage deteriorate further. It was almost like Daniel had been jealous of the time she took to care of her parents. Even with all Dad’s rehab, he still walked with a cane and talked with a lisp, but Daniel didn’t seem to care how it hurt her to see her once strong father change like that. All Daniel saw was how it affected him.

  But then, it also gave her husband plenty of time to visit his whores.

  Tracy shuddered a breath. There seemed no way to stop the momentum of falling until she hit bottom. Isn’t that what people call Rock bottom? What exactly was waiting for her there?

  And what about DJ? Was he hurt or just hiding? As much as she tried not to allow her mind to go to terrifying possibilities, one or two thoughts picked the scab from the terror she tried to calm.

  Her mind spun out of control with no relation from one thought to another.

  She glanced at the door Swenson had shut once she brought Tracy in shortly before nine. This place gave her the creeps. The last time she’d waited inside a small beige room was when the IRS audited her and Daniel. That cost them two thousand dollars. If this visit cost her something more precious, she’d… A sob rose in her throat.

  Brushing a tear, she rose but dizziness brought her back to her seat. This was no time to be getting ill. She had to find DJ.

  The door finally opened and Detective Swenson walked in.

  “Sorry it took so long,” Swenson said. “Would you like something to drink? Water? Coffee?”

  “Nothing.” Anticipation squeezed Tracy’s lungs. “Did you find DJ?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Did you reach Jenny to see if she picked him up by mistake?”

  Swenson carried some files in her arms. They thudded when she dropped them on the table. “We haven’t been able to reach her yet.”

  “And what about Kimi Frazier?”

  “We’re looking to speak with her too.”

  “You have to find him. He’s obviously hurt,” Tracy said. What type of mother didn’t know where her child was, especially when he needed her most?

  “Here.” Swenson handed Tracy back her cell phone. “We’ve got all the names from it. We have people double-checking with everyone again in case DJ’s turned up.”

  Tracy read the digital readout on the cell phone. 9:25. It seemed so much later.

  Swenson pulled a card from her jacket pocket. “Before we go any further, I need to read you your rights.”

  Tracy jumped up from her seat. “Am I being arrested?”

  Chapter 7

  Jenny bopped her head to the tune of Eye of the Tiger on the radio. She rolled the window down to allow in the fresh cool air.

  The smell of burning wood filled her senses. A fire in the fireplace would be a wonderful surprise for Gary when he returned home. Continue what she tried to start that morning.

  Everything was falling into place. Voters were taking notice of how Gary accused other politicians of doing nothing. In time, the two of them would have to decide whether he’d run for the Senate or the governor’s mansion. A lot of voters could relate to her taking care of an elderly parent.

  She rounded the corner. Police cars lined the street. “What the…” she murmured out loud.

  A few feet down from Tracy’s house, about ten people crowded around a wood barrier blocking the road.

  Jenny jerked the car to a stop. She stared for a moment before she got out of the car and raced up the street. As she neared, she saw crime scene tape blocking off Tracy’s property.

  “Excuse me, please.” She tapped the shoulder of a police officer who stood on the other side of a blockade. “My sister lives in that house. What’s going on?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say, ma’am.” His stone face told her she wouldn’t get far.

  “I’m Jenny Carlisle. Gary Carlisle’s wife.” When the officer didn’t give any reaction, she added, “State Representative Gary Carlisle.”

  “Sorry. Still can’t say.”

  “Can you at least tell me where my sister is?” Her heart leaped to her throat. What happened?

  Someone grabbed hold of her arm.

  “Jenny, things have gotten really bad.”

  It took a moment for her to realize the woman tugging on her arm was a friend of Tracy’s named Patty Phillips.

  “You wouldn’t believe all that’s happened.” When the woman spoke, she had red lipstick on her teeth. “Earlier Tracy was looking for DJ. I had no idea how bad it was or I’d have helped her look.” She brushed at her eye.

  Jenny’s pounding heart blocked out any sound around her. “I have to find my sister.” She looked between Patty and the officer.

  “She was taken to the police station after they found,” Patty glanced both ways before whispering, “the blood.”

  “Blood?” Jenny’s knees weakened. It took all her power not to fold to the ground. “What blood?”

  “From what I’ve heard, they found a suitcase filled with blood.” She leaned closer to Jenny’s ear. “They think Tracy killed him.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Why DJ, of course.”

  “She wouldn’t.” Jenny’s hand went to her heart. She jerked her arm free from Patty and stumbled to her car. How was she going to fix this? Once in the driver’s seat, she fumbled through her purse for her phone. The cell fell from her trembling hand. She grabbed it and checked her messages.

  There were several from Tracy. She’d forgotten to turn the ringer back on after Bible study Thursday night.

  “Hey, it’s me. I can’t find DJ.” Tracy’s voice was frantic. “Please, call me back as soon as possible. It’s an emergency.”

  The phone rang in her hand startling her. She didn’t recognize the number, but after the second ring, she answered it. “Hello.”

  “Ms. Carlisle?” the man’s voice said.

  “Yes.”

  “This is Deputy Thomas from the Pinebrook Sheriff’s office. We’re calling to see if you have your nephew DJ Allen. His mother can’t seem to locate him.”

  “No, I haven’t seen him in over a week. Is Tracy all right?”

  “She’s here now.”

  That didn’t answer her question.

  “Do you have any idea where DJ might be?” Thomas asked.

  “There’s a custody hearing on Tuesday. Daniel would have ended up paying child support, both past and present. I wouldn’t be surprised if DJ isn’t with him.”

  “We’re checking that out now. In the meantime, if you do see DJ, please call us back.”

  “I will.”

  She hung up, angry that she didn’t have the nerve to ask him about the blood. Why didn’t she ask him?

  How could a morning that had begun so well be quickly spiraling out of control?

  Chapter 8

  Tracy’s heart stood in her throat. “I asked you if I was being arrested.”

  “It’s standard procedure,” Swenson said. “With all the lawsuits out there, we’ve got to be careful.”

  Standard procedure. Those were the same words used when the police brought her and Daniel to the police station. Why did she get the feeling it was just a way to cal
m someone they thought guilty of an atrocious crime?

  “Do I need a lawyer?” Tracy asked.

  “You can have an attorney if you’d like. However, it’ll take longer to get things moving.” Swenson shrugged. “And if DJ’s hurt…”

  Tracy shoved a finger toward the detective. “You’ve got to find him.”

  “Would you like to wait for an attorney?” Swenson asked.

  “No. Let’s get on with it.” Tracy refused to apologize for her harsh tone. “Ask me what you need, then get out there and find my child.”

  Swenson read a card that had similar Miranda rights language to that said on television. The detective then opened a file and glanced through a document attached by two prongs near the top. “By the way, the blood’s not DJ’s.”

  “Thank goodness.” Tracy released a stuck breath then jerked up. “What does that mean?”

  “We’re unsure. The lab’s still running tests. Maybe it’s a friend’s, and DJ went off to help him.”

  A slight smile came over her face. That sounded like her son. “Do you think he’s off helping this boy?”

  Swenson shrug brought back Tracy’s irritation.

  “It says here you and your husband are in the middle of a divorce,” Swenson scanned through the pages in the file. “Tough situation.”

  “Nothing I’d recommend.”

  “Too late.” Swenson hesitated. “Let me guess. He screwed around?” She scoffed. “How long have you been married?”

  “Eleven years.”

  “Divorce can do strange things to people.” Swenson wrote something on a yellow notepad. “Especially when they think they’re losing.”

  Tracy’s left leg tapped up and down under the table, and her fingers started their flicking motion. Could Daniel hate her so much he’d hurt their child? No. She wouldn’t believe she’d married such a monster. “Daniel wouldn’t do anything to hurt DJ. The opinion of other people matters too much to him.”

  “So you were winning?”

  “There are no winners in divorce.” Tracy sucked back a sob.

  After a second Swenson nodded. “Has anyone new come into your life?”

  “Only my husband’s girlfriend.”

  The detective snorted a laugh though Tracy found nothing funny about it.

  “Did DJ mention someone picking on him?” Swenson asked. “A kid at school or on the school bus?”

  “No.” Tracy thought back. Had he told her something, but she was too entangled in her own emotional mess to hear his cry for help? “Nothing I can recall.”

  “I understand DJ plays baseball. Did you see somebody new hanging around the ballpark?”

  Tracy gulped back a lump in her throat. “You think someone’s taken him, don’t you?”

  The detective shrugged.

  Tracy dug her nails into her leg to keep from crossing the table and slapping the nonchalant attitude from the officer.

  “Anyone out of place?” Swenson asked.

  Tracy mentally reviewed all the men who attended the ball games over the past month. The gross father who chewed and spit? No, his son was on DJ’s team. The older gentleman, apparently someone’s grandfather, who started coming to the games two weeks ago? No, a boy ran up to him after hitting the ball. How about the man with fake black hair, who leaned against the apartment building across from the field watching, a cigarette in his mouth? Not likely. Kids came across to watch the games all the time. He was probably a concerned father making sure his child was safe.

  Unlike DJ’s parents.

  “I can’t think of anyone who didn’t belong,” she murmured.

  “Do you own any property other than your home?”

  “No. Why?”

  “In case he wandered off somewhere, we need to be sure. How about a family vacation or spot you or Daniel particularly like or go to?”

  “There’s no place in particular. Jenny used to take him to Ross Ridge.”

  “Near the cliffs?” Swenson wrote.

  “Yeah. We have a cabin in the area.”

  “How often do you go up there with DJ?”

  “I don’t. Jenny takes him hiking and stuff.” Tracy wondered if she should go into how she hated the place and about Jenny’s accident. “The cabin is really hers.”

  Swenson nodded. “You said earlier you took a sleeping pill last night,” Swenson read from her notebook. “What type?”

  “Ambien CR.”

  “How much?”

  “Five milligrams.” Why did she take a whole dose? Half should have sufficed.

  “Only five milligrams? We found more than that in your system.”

  “Your test must be wrong. I only had one pill.” She was sure of it. The detective was just trying to trick her. Get her to confess to something she didn’t do.

  Surely it took longer to get the results back. She’d not fall for it. She didn’t hurt DJ nor would she allow this lady to believe otherwise. “I’m not a drug addict. I have a glass of wine with dinner every once in a while. That’s it. The pill I take was prescribed by my doctor to help me sleep.”

  “What time did you take it?”

  “About ten, when I went to bed. I didn’t hurt my son.” After a moment of no response, Tracy jumped to her feet, skidding the chair backward. “This is ridiculous. If I’d done something to DJ, why would I call the police?” Tracy leaned across the table, heat burning her chest. “I’ve had enough of these questions.” Her voice tinged with impatient anger. “Now either you get out there and look for DJ, or I will.”

  “Stress mixed with sleeping pills can be a bad combination. Losing your house can only make it worse.”

  “What do you mean, losing my house?” Tracy shook her head. This woman was crazy. “I’m not about to lose my house.”

  Swenson placed several documents on the table. The words “PAST DUE” in large bold letters ran across the top, all addressed to Daniel’s new address.

  “I-I don’t understand.”

  “Seems your husband hasn’t been paying the bills. While he’d paid his Mercedes off, your SUV’s about to be repossessed.”

  She slammed her palm on one of the past due notices. “He’d have left his child homeless.”

  A knock sounded on the door. Irritation rushed into Swenson’s eye. “What is it?”

  An officer walked into the room. “Can I have a minute?”

  She got up and walked out.

  Tracy’s anger kept her warm in the cold room. What type of father cared so little about his own son, he’d leave his mother with no way to take care of him?

  Chapter 9

  Kimi Frazier pulled into the gas station inside Valdosta’s city limits. She swiped the credit card and filled the tank. Snacks. What’s a road trip without snacks, and Wilmington, North Carolina was a good eight-hour drive.

  Too bad there were a lot of places to get lost if one wasn’t too careful.

  She entered the store, looking up at the security camera in the ceiling. Hope they got my good side. A man walked by and smiled, she ignored him. She didn’t have time for men right now. Besides, most were like Tommy who just took and took.

  Daniel wasn’t much better, but at least he had the money to back up his taking.

  She grabbed two bottles of water, some chips, and a handful of candy bars, using her credit card for the purchase. When she returned to the car, she glanced in the back seat and smiled.

  They all thought she was so dumb, but she’ll show them.

  The princess should be freaked out real good by now. The blood should cinch it. Won’t take the police long to figure it out the blood had come from a cat.

  Kimi still saw the car running it over. The little guy jerked and convulsed until it stopped moving totally.

  She choked back a tear. People were so cruel. Hitting the little guy like that and then taking off like he did. At least she’d found some use for the animal. She’d placed the dead cat in a plastic bag from her car and took it home. Once she smeared its blood on the knife, s
he buried it under some trees behind her condo.

  Kimi smiled at herself in the rearview mirror.

  The money she received would give her the freedom to do what she liked. No more partners or deals that degraded her. Now she’d be the one in charge.

  And if anyone found out, she’d have to set the record straight. No way would she go to jail alone.

  Time to get away from all these jerks who only wanted their pleasure. Find someone who could get her off so she could stop faking it.

  A moan sounded in the backseat. She glanced over her shoulder. Still out like a light. He’s not a bad kid, but she won’t risk him talking. At least she knew her co-conspirator would keep quiet for fear of losing everything.

  At the very least, DJ’s death would be a lot quicker than the cat’s.

  Chapter 10

  Tommy watched the officer walking around the living room. The cop’s eyes swept over the room for the umpteenth time. Who did he think he was fooling? Obviously he was searching without a warrant. He just wasn’t opening any drawers.

  The guy next door coughed through the thin walls like he was about to hack up his lungs.

  Tommy combed his hand through his thick brown hair. As much as he hated his dad, at least he got his hair. One of the things that kept the women coming over, wanting to run their fingers through the waves. Be able to get some to work for him once he started his own film company. Wouldn’t have to wait until they were too drunk to care.

  He raised an eyebrow and tossed his hair doing his best impression of James Dean. A grin came over his face.

  “Something funny?” The cop leaned on the bedroom doorjamb.

  Tommy didn’t respond.

  Cops were so stupid, but they had the power to do about anything they wanted. Like his old man who worked vice and slept with dozens of whores.

  “So, you haven’t seen Kimi Frazier this morning?” The cop asked.

  “Like I said a dozen times, no.”

  “Yet, you don’t seem worried.”

  Tommy leaned his arms across the back of the sofa. “Why should I be? She comes and goes. I don’t own her.”