by Diane Bator
“No, but—”
She ran a hand through her hair. “Good. Just tell him and Gina that Dad will be here after dinner. If he’s late, that way it won’t be quite so horrible.”
“Okay.” Parker’s head ducked back out of the house briefly and then reappeared. “Is he still out on the front porch?”
“Probably.” Lucy blew out a slow breath. “Can you go check for me?”
“Shawn.” Parker walked down the hallway. “Are you out there?”
Gina shouted back from the couch a foot away. “He went to his room to wait for Daddy.”
And heard every word she and Parker said. Lucy shut her eyes. Tension crept from her shoulders up the back of her neck. “Why don’t you two put away your toys and take the waterslide off the lawn. I’ll go talk to Shawn.”
Gina groaned. “We always have to do everything. Why doesn’t Shawn have to help?”
“Please.” Lucy closed her eyes and bit back a scream. “Just help me out while I talk to your brother.” She trudged up the stairs trying to figure out what to say. Not like it mattered since he wouldn’t listen anyway.
“When’s Dad coming?” Shawn’s voice met her as she reached the top of the stairs.
“Probably after dinner.” She paused in the doorway and avoided looking him in the eyes.
“When he called earlier, he said he’d be here by two o’clock.” He looked at her with distain. “Isn’t that after lunch?”
Lucy’s day tumbled from bad to worse. Some days it just wasn’t worth trying to hide things from the kids, they were too smart to be tricked anymore. She was a fly caught in Shawn’s web. “At least you have your bags packed and you’ll be ready to go when gets here. Why don’t you go help Parker and Gina clean up the backyard while I make lunch?”
“Can we finally have tacos?” Shawn asked.
If she refused, she’d remain in his bad books for the entire week and he’d cause her more trouble with Roger. She gave him a one-armed hug without letting him see the tears well in her eyes. “Of course, we can. I need to use the hamburger before it goes bad.”
He scowled. “Yeah, because you got drunk last night and ran into the patio door and Clancy so to take care of us. I saw him try to kiss you. Admit it, you’re going to marry him and move away too then no one will take care of us.”
Her stomach sank. Once Roger heard Shawn’s version of last night’s events on the way to the cottage later he’d definitely overreact. Though her personal life was no longer his business, she’d need to explain what happened before Shawn did, which wasn’t fair. Roger was the liar and cheater, not her. He didn’t need to know anything she did, especially since she hadn’t done anything to begin with.
Lunchtime came and went with no sign of Roger. The kids grew more restless by the minute and Shawn shouted at everyone for the slightest infraction until Lucy snapped. Frustrated and exhausted, she sent Shawn to his room, consoled Parker and Gina, then sat in the bathroom and cried.
At five minutes to seven that evening, Roger’s shiny Buick pulled into the driveway. He had a new car, hair plugs, and a deep Cancun tan. Lucy flared her nostrils. She had a pile of bills, an empty fridge, and three grouchy kids. Her throat and chest tightened as she toyed with the wedding rings she’d need to pawn soon. Life certainly wasn’t the fairy tale she’d imagined as a little girl, her Prince Charming had turned into a Gila monster.
Her day grew worse when Roger opened the passenger door and Tanji stepped out. Dressed in a tight green dress with a square-cut emerald the size of Lucy’s thumbnail on a thick gold chain at her throat, Tanji seemed more prepared for a cocktail party than a trip to the cottage. She clutched Roger’s arm for the walk up the flagstone pathway in her four inch emerald heels.
“Hello, everyone.” Tanji batted her fake eyelashes and waggled her manicured fingers. “You kids look like you’re ready for a week of fun. Hey, weren’t there three of you last time?”
“You’re late.” Shawn scowled from his seat on the front step.
Lucy pressed her lips together to hold in her angry words.
Roger, wearing pressed khaki shorts and a flowery button-front shirt, froze halfway up the walkway. “Sorry about that, sport. Tanji had a hair appointment that ran longer than expected. She looks great though, doesn’t she? You ready to go?”
“Hi, Dad.” Gina sat at the bistro table, pouring water from a miniature pitcher into a tiny teacup. She didn’t offer her dad tea like usual, nor did she run over to give him a hug.
“There’s my other pretty girl.” Roger smiled then held a hand up to Shawn for a high-five. “Hey, big guy.”
After waiting all day for his father’s arrival, Shawn remained glued to the front step in silence with his arms folded across his chest. He didn’t seem so happy to see Roger now.
Roger turned to Lucy and scowled.
She cringed. Since she’d done nothing to make him look bad, she refused to take the bait and made a hasty escape. “I’ll get Parker.”
Parker lay on his twin-sized bed listening to music and reading comic books. His blond hair draped across his cheek. Stretched out on his belly, he was almost as long as the bed. He’d given up waiting patiently hours ago.
She turned off the stereo and picked up his suitcase. “Your Dad’s here.”
“Then I guess it’s time to go. Yippee.” He yawned and rolled off his bed. “You know I’d rather stay here with you. Do you think Dad would mind if I didn’t go?”
“I think he’d probably notice he was missing a kid.” Lucy pulled him close. “What’s so bad? You get to go swimming, hang out with Nana and Papa, and eat s’mores. You’ll have lots of fun.”
“Yeah, I’ll try.” Parker sounded unenthusiastic, but hugged her hard. “It won’t be the same without you starting all the water fights. We’ll call when we get to the cottage.”
“I’d like that.” She didn’t want to let him go either. “Come in, I’ll help you with the suitcases.”
Outside, Roger’s neck showed strain as he tried to keep from yelling at the kids to get their bags and get in the car. Typical. He was late and no one else fast enough to get back onto his schedule. When Lucy came outside, he shot her a withering glare, probably more eager to get away from her than he was to spend the week with their kids.
Tanji flashed a smile. “You look good, Lucy. Have you been working out? You know, one of these days I should take you to see my hairdresser. A new hairstyle and a makeover would make you feel amazing. You might even attract Mr. Right.”
Lucy tensed. She wanted to smack the perfect, white smile right off Tanji’s perfectly made up face. Didn’t she realize she’d taken Lucy’s Mr. Right? Well, former Mr. Right. Tanji could keep him. She no longer wanted him back.
She set the suitcases on the porch. “There you go. Have fun.”
His face paled. “Where’d you find that bag? I thought I took it when I moved.”
Her heart galloped and glanced at the travel bag. Did he remember what had been inside? “It was in the storage room in the basement.”
“Take the kids to the car, Tanji.” There was an edge to Roger’s voice that made the hairs on the back of Lucy’s neck stand on end. “Lucy and I have some business to take care of.”
Shawn looked back over his shoulder with an expression between guilt and satisfaction as he lugged his suitcase to the car. Her stomach flipped over dreading what he’d told Roger while she was inside?
“Okay, kiddies, time to go.” Tanji, obeying orders, tried to shoo Parker and Gina to the car, but both his kids stopped to hug Lucy first.
Gina’s voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “I don’t wanna go with Daddy. He’s mean and his girlfriend’s dumb.”
“It’ll be okay, baby. You have fun at the cottage?” Lucy kissed her cheek and handed her the black carryon bag which once held the jewelry. Now all it contained were swimsuits and towels. “You can call any time. I’ll be here.”
“Love you, Mom.” Parker hugged her then helped h
is sister with her bag.
Lucy toyed with the ring on her finger while the kids climbed into Roger’s car. In spite of everything, taking her wedding rings off hadn’t seemed like an option just yet. Too final. “I’m sorry about Cora. Everyone in the office must be in shock. Did the police figure out what happened?”
Roger’s face reddened and he grabbed her elbow. He dug his fingers into her flesh and yanked her into the house and up the stairs to their bedroom. Her bedroom. “Where is it?”
“Where’s what?” She feigned innocence.
He growled. “The shaving kit inside that bag. What did you do with it?”
“There was nothing inside. I found the bag in the basement to use for the kids swimsuits.” Lucy’s arm ached and fear forced her breath out in shallow gasps. “If the bag means that much to you, you can keep it. I don’t need it since I doubt I’ll be travelling for a while.”
His nostrils flared as he yanked her close and pressed his face into hers. “There was a shaving kit inside that bag and another bag inside the shaving kit. A small bag with some family heirlooms I need to get back? If you don’t give it back to me, something very bad will happen.”
Family heirlooms, my butt. She held her tongue as he tightened his grip. If those pieces were so important, why hadn’t he told her about them before? “There was nothing inside the bag. Maybe you packed your heirlooms in a box and misplaced them when you moved. Did they belong to your grandmother or—?”
“That’s none of your business.” He shoved her into the footboard so hard the wood cracked then turned and pulled out each dresser drawer. A handful at a time, he shook her clothes then tossed them to the floor. “Shawn told me about your new boyfriend. How dare you bring another man into this house with my kids here? I can’t believe you’d do such a thing.”
She stepped out of his reach. Just in case. “What are you talking about?”
Roger growled. “Shawn told me the tattoo guy stayed here last night.”
“He didn’t stay last night.” Her face burned. “He went back to—”
“No? You were drinking, you passed out and your new boyfriend stayed the night. Sound familiar?” Roger took a menacing step closer. “We all know you can’t hold your liquor, Lucy, which is how we ended up with three kids in the first place.”
Close to tears, she put her fists on her hips and, for several heartbeats, forgot to be afraid. “We had three kids because we fell in love, got married, and had sex. Sometimes, even good sex. The only time I drank since you left was when I had two glasses of wine with Clancy and Mitch at lunch yesterday.”
He lunged at her, pushing her back onto the bed, his hands on her neck. “What were Clancy and Mitch doing here in the first place? Did you finally have that three way you’ve always wanted then get them to help hide my jewelry? Way to raise our kids, Lucy.”
When he headed toward her desk, she blew out a silent breath, glad she’d moved the jewelry so many times. “Actually, the kids invited them over for hot dogs. And I didn’t pass out. I walked into the glass door and knocked myself out cold. Clancy played video games with the kids until he was sure I was okay then he went home and the kids and I went to bed. The end.”
“How creative.” Roger scowled, rifling through her desk drawers and throwing books, papers, and pens all over the bedroom. Her bedroom. “I know you’re a wanna-be writer, but I believe Shawn’s version over yours.”
“Of course you do.” Lucy swallowed hard. His insult stung even though she tried to brush it off. “Then I’d look just as shallow and irresponsible as you. There is no man in my life, I’m busy raising the kids you walked away from.”
When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her so hard her neck cracked. “Where’s my package? Did you sell it for drug money?”
“I didn’t find a package and I don’t do drugs.” In all the years they’d been together, she’d never seen his eyes so wild. Fear sent waves of gooseflesh over her entire body. She’d also never lied to him so blatantly before. Those pieces of jewelry were far more important than she’d first thought and she needed time to figure out why. “You must be mistaken.”
He rolled his eyes when the car horn honked. “Yeah, well, you’re lucky. I’m taking the kids for the week so you have some time to conveniently find my property. Maybe I shouldn’t even bother to bring them back. You can run around and have all the fun you want while I support you.”
“Support me? What support?” She gasped, hands shaking as she tried to regain control of her anger. “You haven’t paid the mortgage or given me money to buy them food this month. I had to submit a dozen articles plus beg the bank to give me an extension on our mortgage payment while I look for a job.”
Roger pulled his hand back to strike her then seemed to reconsider when the car horn honked again. “Wow. You’re finally getting a job? About time you grew up and realized having babies and writing drivel won’t get you anywhere in life.”
When he descended the stairs, Lucy followed. He stormed toward the Buick and slammed the door while in the front seat, fresh-from-Cancun Tanji waggled her fingers as though there was nothing amiss. Of course, in her perfect little world, there probably wasn’t. Yet.
Lucy wanted to raise her middle finger, but the kids turned to wave out the back window as Roger drove off with a squeal of tires. She swallowed back her tears to wave and smiled until their eyes averted to their video games and the car disappeared around the corner.
“Rotten, good-for-nothing, no good, son of a…” She gritted her teeth and contemplated going back inside, but was unwilling to face the mess he’d left behind. Besides, she wanted to make sure he hadn’t driven around the block to return and continue his search. “Just because I’m a writer doesn’t mean I thrive on rejection, you know.
The blue Honda sat across the street. The man inside held what she was positive was a camera. If she went to talk to him now, shed smash his camera all over the road. Lucy grimaced then gave him the finger and stormed into the darkness of her garage. She blew out a long breath, lingering in the cool air while she mused about how far she’d come. Before Roger dumped her, she’d never used the barbecue or cut the lawn. Of course, she hadn’t needed to look for a job either.
While Roger had promised to pay child support, getting money out of him every month was a pain. The meagre amounts he sent were just enough to keep her lawyer from coming after him, but were no longer enough. The kids needed new clothes and more food. He hadn’t even bothered to leave her money for this month either.
Lucy needed to sell more articles and a bestseller or get a real job. Her work skills were rusty after being a stay-at-home mom for ten years. She had yet to receive any responses from the few resumes she’d already sent out when Roger first left. With a deep sigh, she checked the fuel level in the mower. There was just enough for today.
Damn Roger Ignatius Stephen anyway. Lucy was a strong, capable woman and definitely didn’t need him. If she was more creative, she could raise her three kids on her own. Roger would have to get used to not seeing them if he didn’t make support payments. Lucy would be the hero and everyone else would finally see Roger for what he really was. Unless, of course, he did something low like buy the kids everything they wanted and making their entire week with him a dream come true.
The thought made her snarl and kick the lawnmower. She shouted then grabbed her flip flop-clad foot and hopped in circles, cursing beneath her breath. If the neighbors didn’t already think she was a lunatic, they would now.
“You okay?” Mitch pulled his rusty car along the curb in front of her house and pushed his sunglasses up.
She pushed back the tears and dropped her throbbing foot to the driveway. No way she wanted to know what he thought she was doing. “I’m great. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He rubbed his jaw. “Just checking. You seem to have unresolved some anger issues. I saw your husband pick up the kids and now you’re beating the snot out of the lawnmower
.”
She shifted her scorn from Roger to Mitch, whom she could yell at without serious repercussions. He’d simply have a beer and forget all about her rant. Despite her glare, he shrugged, lowered his sunglasses, then drove away.
Alone with her temper tantrum, Lucy’s shoulders slumped. She waited until Mitch was out of sight before she kicked the lawnmower again. The pain in her toes came as a reminder to change her shoes. She sucked in a deep breath she released slowly. Her week had to get better than this or she’d end up in the hospital by Tuesday.
The jewelry had to be important if Roger was ready to shove her around to get the pieces back. How far would he have gone if Tanji hadn’t honked the horn? He might have beaten her, or tightened the grip he’d had on her neck. She shuddered.
Her first order of business, after mowing the lawn, was to retrieve the shaving kit from the back of Gina’s closet. She spread the little bags out as best she could, examined every item without removing them from the packets, and took pictures from a couple angles. Eventually, she’d take them to the police then Roger could deal with them, rather than her.
First, she downloaded the pictures to her computer and printed copies then logged onto the internet. Were they really family heirlooms or would her research reveal a far uglier truth?
Chapter 13 ~ Danny
Danny spent the next morning downloading the photos he’d snapped when Roger finally showed up to pick up the kids yesterday. The pain on Lucy’s face saddened him and he was sure he’d seen tears roll down her face while she cut the lawn. His favorite photo was one of Lucy giving him the finger, a fierce expression on her face. A warrior briefly unleashed.
As darkness fell, Danny went home with only more disappointment. Lucy mowed the lawn then went inside the house to stay. No party, no men, no illicit activities. Nothing, but a woman alone for probably the first time in years.
With time on his hands, he flipped through Bobby’s notes. Five dead women. All strangled. All struck by a fatal blow to the head. All had appeared in the society pages at one time or another as evidenced by the photos that accompanied the reports.
