by Kelly Utt
Cate hesitated before she answered the question. “Neil, should I hire an attorney? I sort of feel like I should have an attorney here for this conversation.”
“Well,” Neil replied, leaning back in his chair and keeping both hands out in front of him. “If you think you should, then by all means. That’s your right. But I have to tell you, I wasn’t expecting that reaction. I envisioned this more like a friendly chat. Do you have something to hide, Mrs. Brady?“
Cate didn’t like the way he was suddenly using her last name to address her again. She liked it much better when he called her Cate.
“No, of course not,“ she said nervously. “Let’s back up. No need for this conversation to get heated. On the night my husband was killed, I was at home with all three of our kids. We made homemade pizzas together and we were cleaning up after dinner when James knocked on the door to tell me the bad news.”
Neil pulled out a notepad and a pen from the breast pocket of his uniform and began writing.
“What time did you arrive at your house that evening?“
“I’m not exactly sure,” Cate said. “I usually leave the office around four o’clock, and then if Mick hasn’t already picked the kids up, I do it. On that particular day, my oldest children, Aaron and Jilly, had ridden home with friends from the neighborhood. I had tried to call Mick in the early afternoon to see if he would be able to pick up our youngest son, Niko, from preschool. When I didn’t get an answer, I assumed my husband was tied up with something and so I picked Niko up myself. I don’t know exactly what time we arrived home. Probably somewhere around five.“
Cate hoped that Neil wasn’t looking for anything more specific. The fact of the matter was, she couldn’t tell him anymore because she didn’t remember. That entire day had become a blur in her mind. It was as if a deep part of Cate’s consciousness had blocked it out to protect her from the horrors that unfolded.
“Did you stop anywhere in between picking Niko up from preschool and arriving at your house?“
Cate’s heart began to beat faster. She could feel herself beginning to perspire again.
“No, I don’t believe so,” she said. She could tell that Neil didn’t think what she was saying was entirely true.
“Mrs. Brady,” he continued. There it was again. Cate didn’t like him being so damn formal. “Were you aware of anyone who might have wanted your husband dead?“
It was a reasonable question and one that Cate had immediately thought about herself. For the better part of their marriage, Mick had been secretive about certain things. It had bothered her when she felt like there were events she didn’t know about, but he was such a good husband and father that she had decided to overlook it. Her deepest fear had been that her husband was hiding something from her. Something terrible.
“No, not at all,“ Cate said. She hoped she sounded convincing.
“Was there anyone he had a disagreement with? Anyone to whom he owed money?”
Cate mediately thought of Nancy. She wondered whether her mother-in-law could have been in touch with the police. Would she do that? Did Nancy have it in her to try and get Cate in trouble with the law?
“Did my mother-in-law call you?“
Neil narrowed his eyes and took a long, slow look at Cate. “Why would you ask me that?”
“She has it out for me,” Cate explained. “I don’t know why, but the woman has never liked me. After the funeral last week, she was at our house making comments about how I couldn’t afford it without Mick’s income“
Cate’s face wrinkled as she talked about her mother-in-law. She could feel it.
“Can you afford it without your husband’s income?“ Neil asked.
“To be completely honest, I’m not sure yet,” Cate said.
“Did your husband have a life insurance policy?“
Cate was beginning to get uneasy with this line of questioning.
“Look, Detective Fredericks,“ Cate said. She was the one using last names now. “I’m not sure where this is going. I hope you don’t think I had something to do with my husband’s death, because I most certainly did not. That’s all the time I have for today. As I mentioned, it’s my first day back and I need to get to work.”
Cate stood up from her chair and reached one hand out to shake Neil’s. It was a move that forced him to stand up and respond. Cate hoped it would force him to leave her alone. At least for now.
“Alright then,” Neil said agreeably. “Thank you for your time. I’ll be back in touch if I have any other questions. And of course, don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you think of anything that might be helpful. Anything at all.“
Neil gave her one of his business cards, then showed himself out of the building. Cate went back into the restroom and enclosed herself in one of the empty stalls. For the first time since Mick’s death, she sobbed uncontrollably. It was more than just the gentle crying she’d done at home. All of the fear, frustration, and hurt that had been building up inside of her came pouring out all at once. Her shoulders raised and lowered as her chest heaved. Tears streamed down her face as if they were coming from a water spicket that would not turn off. Her eyes burned as she tried in vain to hold the liquid in, until, finally, she had exhausted herself enough to settle down. She leaned back hard and one of the walls of the stall and asked herself a simple question. Why me?
6
Detective Fredericks knew something wasn’t right when he left his interview with Cate Brady at Vine Country Magazine. He had been at this long enough to tell when people weren’t telling the truth. He knew that even if Cate wasn’t lying outright, there was something significant that she was holding back. He began to get excited. Rosemary Run was a sleepy little town that didn’t see much action. The thought of him having a chance to investigate and solve a murder made him happy.
He liked Cate Brady and he found her very attractive. So attractive, in fact, that if she weren’t a grieving widow he would ask her out. He had been single for far too long and Cate was just the kind of woman he had hoped to settle down with. But Neil Fredericks was a man of the law. He would bring anyone guilty to justice. Even Cate Brady.
Neil climbed into his car and drove the two miles back to the police station, which was situated on a hill overlooking the valley. He glanced at the downtown in the distance as he stepped out of his vehicle and continued to think about Cate. He was making a mental to-do list of things to check into. He was eager to make notes and add to his growing file.
When he walked into the station and sat down at his desk, he found that he had received two messages that morning while he had been away.
The first was from a colleague of Cate’s at Vine Country Magazine named Sasha Lansing. She had called in to report an altercation between Cate and a homeless man named Pal which she had seen taking place this morning. Sasha had overheard the two of them discussing Mick’s death. She claimed that Cate had acted very strangely when she approached. Sasha made it clear she didn’t know much and didn’t want to get Cate into any trouble, but that she thought she should make a report, just in case.
The second message was from a woman named Nancy DeAngelo, Cate’s mother-in-law. She wouldn’t tell the officer who took the call any details, but said she was in town from Oklahoma and wanted to speak with Detective Fredericks right away.
7
The remainder of Cate’s workday was uneventful. She worked through lunch and kept her head down in an effort to take her mind off of her troubles. There was plenty to catch up on and she had deadlines to meet, so staying distracted came easy. Few people walked by her office all day and even fewer stopped to talk. Maybe they were remaining at a distance on purpose. Or maybe, it was just a coincidence and they had not had reason to walk by that day. Cate didn’t much care either way. Her life had become complicated enough. She wanted to keep things simple.
When four o’clock arrived, Cate closed up her computer and headed out to pick Niko up from preschool. Aaron and Jilly had already texted t
o let her know they’d made it home safely thanks to the school bus.
Cate hoped the evening could be low-key. Her head hurt from crying and she needed some downtime to think. There were still several casseroles in the freezer which friends and neighbors had made and dropped off after Mick died. Cate planned to pop one in the oven, eat with the kids, and then crawl into bed. She thought maybe she’d watch a little TV or read some more of the novel which she had been in the middle of back before her world got turned upside down. She continued to crave routine and normalcy. Besides, the numerous problems that were stacking up in her life did not have easy answers. She felt helpless to do much about any of them.
On the way to Niko’s school, it began to rain so hard and so fast that Cate thought the entire sky had opened up. It was beginning to get dark earlier and earlier as the October days reached towards November. The additional dark clouds from this evening’s storm only served to enhance the gloomy mood. Traffic was thick and came to a stop several times as the town’s people headed home for the evening. Tourists on foot bobbed and weaved through the lines of vehicles trying to get out of the rain.
The air was cool outside. It wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been on the day of Mick’s funeral, but the warm days of summer had come and gone. Cate turned the heater on in her SUV so it would be warm when Niko got in. She knew he didn’t like wearing his coat underneath his seatbelt. Cate didn’t blame him. She didn’t much like wearing hers that way either.
She thought back to living in Connecticut when it got so cold in the winter that you had to bundle up to go outside, even for short periods. Cate preferred life in Rosemary Run where it got cold, but rarely too cold. A sweater or a light coat was all you needed, most winters. Especially if you dressed in layers. On days when a light coat alone wasn’t enough, a coat and a sweater together would usually do the trick. Cate liked the way the valley got cold enough for there to be a change of seasons, but not so cold that its residents had to become shut-ins with piled up snow which prevented people from getting around town.
When Cate arrived at Niko’s school, she parked her car along the curb out front and held her purple umbrella as she walked inside to sign her boy out. His teachers said he had done well on his first day back. Cate was relieved to hear that her son had gotten through the school day successfully. She had been afraid that it would be too much. Or too fast.
As the two of them returned to their vehicle, Cate noticed a dark-colored sedan with its lights on idling at the back of the parking lot. Something about it caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. There were few other cars in the parking lot, which made it odd that this one was so far in the back. Especially given the rain. If it was a parent here to pick their child up, Cate couldn’t think of any reason they would be waiting so far away from the front entrance. The more she thought about it, she remembered that there had been a dark-colored sedan in traffic behind her ever since she had left the parking garage near her office. If she was being followed, the fact that this person now knew where her son went to school unnerved her completely. It was one thing to have someone tangle with her, but she drew the line where her kids were concerned.
She tried to talk herself out of being alarmed. She figured maybe the grief was getting to her. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Cate hastily helped her son into his booster seat and closed his door. She walked quickly around the vehicle and got in the driver seat, careful to not let the umbrella block her line of sight. She put the umbrella down on the floorboard, closed and locked her door, and sped away.
Cate knew she was driving too fast for the weather conditions, but she needed to lose the car she was now certain was following her. She decided not to go directly home for fear that the person in the car would learn where she lived. Instead, she headed out of town towards the bay, following a road that climbed in elevation and ran along the edge of the ridge, high above downtown. She purposefully headed in the opposite direction of her neighborhood to throw off the person tailing her.
She considered calling Neil Fredericks to report that she was being followed. It would be easier to call him than her brother. James was sure to get worked up at any mention of his little sister being in danger. Besides, it might help her standing with Neil if he had some sympathy for what she was going through. Using one hand, she rifled through her purse and pulled out Neil’s business card. Then, carefully, she dialed the numbers to his mobile phone, one by one. He picked up on the first ring.
“Hello?“ His voice was as smooth on the telephone as it had been in person. For a few seconds, Cate forgot about the dangers she might be in and became mesmerized by Neil’s voice.
What a catch he was.
“Um, yes,“ she said, snapping out of it. “Neil?“
“Is this Cate? Cate Brady?“ She thought he sounded like he might be glad to hear from her.
“It is!“ she said, focusing again on her current predicament as she continued to speed out of town and towards the bay. Rain was falling even harder now in a torrential downpour. It was hard to see more than a few feet in front of her vehicle. “I’m sorry to bother you this late in the day. I realize you may have left the office already.“
“No worries,“ Neil said. “What can I do for you?“
“I’m driving right now,” Cate began. “I… I know it sounds crazy, but I think I’m being followed. I have my youngest son, Niko, here in the car with me and I’m heading out of town because I don’t want the person following me to know where I live. I don’t know what else to do. My two older kids are at home by themselves.“ And then, quietly, “I’m scared.“
Neil paused before responding, but only for a minute. “Here’s what we’re going to do. I want you to turn around and come back into town. Drive directly to the police station. Don’t stop on the way, but slow down for me, please. We don’t want you getting in an accident in this rain. “
“How did you know I was speeding?”
“I had a hunch.”
“Okay,“ Cate said. “Neil, thank you.“
Cate felt safer when she hung up the phone. She felt watched over and protected. She was glad she had reached out to Neil. She slowed down and calmly turned around, heading away from the bay and back towards town. Going to the police station was a perfect solution. Cate wished she had thought of it herself. But then again, it was kind of nice the way Neil had suggested it. If she had thought of it herself and had gone directly there, she wouldn’t have had the chance to see how Neil would react to the thought of her in danger.
Still worried about Aaron and Jilly at home alone, Cate decided to call her neighbor, Sean, and ask him to check in on them. If someone was following her, the reality was that they might already know where she lived. And, although she didn’t want to admit it to herself, the footsteps she heard in the back yard the night of Mick’s funeral probably meant that whoever was following her already knew where she lived. It made her sick inside. She had been trying to avoid the issue, hoping it would go away. She’d like to think this was all her imagination.
Sean was retired and usually home, so Cate didn’t think it would be any trouble for him to pop over to her house. His grandson, Mitchell, was probably home from school already anyway. Maybe he and Jilly could do homework together. Jilly would find it awkward that she had to hang out with him, but she’d get over it. It was more important that she was kept safe. Having an adult at the house was a necessity in the event that someone tried to bother them. Aaron and Jilly were mature for their ages, but they couldn’t be expected to handle a stalker who might want to do them harm.
The call went to Sean’s voicemail. Cate didn’t leave a message, but he must’ve recognized her number because he called back within a few minutes. The old man said he was happy to go by her house and would remain there until she and Niko got home. Cate thanked him and felt grateful to have such a good neighbor nearby. She felt like Aaron and Jilly would be safe under Sean’s watchful eye.
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On the way back into town, Cate debated whether or not to call James and fill him in. She’d been meaning to talk to him anyway, but she didn’t want to alarm him. Especially if she was overreacting. She knew her brother would stand up for her and would stop at nothing to protect her and the kids. She was glad to have him in her corner, yet there was something about that conversation he and Neil were having this morning which made her hesitant to get her brother involved. Cate thought maybe she should just let Neil handle it. She decided to wait and do just that. There were so many questions which were currently unanswered. She wanted to wait until she got a handle on at least a few of them before sharing what she knew with James.
Cate looked back at her youngest son in the rearview mirror. He was such a good boy. She thought about how much he looked like his dad the way he was sitting with his head leaned over to one side. He was looking out the window, watching the rain. For him, life was simple and easy right up until the day his father was taken away. Niko’s entire world changed that day. Never again would he be able to live completely carefree. In a single afternoon, he had come to understand the cruel reality that life can be harsh and difficult and unforgiving. Cate’s heart hurt for her boy. She thought herself a good mom and would have done anything to keep her children from experiencing this pain, including trading places with Mick if that had been an option. Cate Brady would have done anything for her family.
“Mommy?“ Niko asked softly.
“Yes, my darling. What is it?“ Cate was calmer now. She felt like she could breathe deeply again.
“Where are we going?“
He said it in such a trusting voice. It sounded like it would be have been okay with him no matter where his mom was taking them.
“We’re going to meet a friend of mine named Neil,” Cate said, choosing her words carefully. “He’s a detective on the local police force.”