High Lonesome

by Coverstone, Stacey

  “I’m sorry. I guess you don’t know.”

  “Know what?”

  Angela tilted her head. “When you walked in, you asked if I missed you. If we’re friends, shouldn’t you be telling me how much you missed me?”

  Faith backed up and shook her head. She raised her hands as if she was surrendering. “Whoa. Let’s start at the beginning. I haven’t the slightest idea of what you’re talking about. You said, I guess you don’t know. What don’t I know?”

  Angela didn’t mince words. “Something happened to me about a week ago. For reasons still unknown, I disappeared from this house and was discovered wandering the desert outside a town called Ghost Rock, New Mexico with a big knot on my head. I was recuperating there with a rancher and his daughter until Jack saw me on television and came to get me a couple of days ago.”

  Faith gasped. “Oh, my God! I don’t believe it. And now you…you don’t…”

  “I have amnesia. Some memories are starting to return. I remember Heather, thank goodness, but I don’t remember much about Jack, and I’m sorry to say I don’t remember you. But it’s strange. I have a feeling about you…I’m not afraid of you.”

  Faith collapsed into a dining chair and held her head in her hands. She mumbled, “Of course you wouldn’t be afraid of me. We’re friends! Oh, I was worried something like this might happen, but I never in a million years dreamed it really would.”

  “What are you talking about?” Angela pulled out a chair and sat down across from the woman. The pulse in her neck throbbed. “You were worried what would happen?”

  Faith looked her square in the eye. “I’ve been out of state for the past two weeks and haven’t seen any local news. I just got home late last night. That’s why I had no idea.”

  “Tell me what you were worried about.”

  Faith covered Angela’s hand. “Angie, you say you don’t know what happened to you? What did the police say?”

  “I haven’t spoken to the police, but Jack thinks I was kidnapped.”

  “Kidnapped?” Faith did not hide her surprise. “By whom?”

  “I don’t know. Burglars. People high on drugs. I don’t believe that’s what happened.” She looked deep into her neighbor’s eyes and felt more than a flicker of remembrance. “For some reason, I feel I can trust you.”

  “You can,” Faith exclaimed. “We’re best friends. We’ve always told each other everything. What do you believe happened to you?”

  Angela hesitated. “Well, I’ve had some flashbacks. The doctor who attended to me in Ghost Rock told me it’s perfectly normal and that they could be actual memories.”

  “What kind of flashbacks?” Faith leaned close.

  Angela paused again. “I hate to say. They’ve scared me. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”

  “Have they been about Jack?” Faith asked bluntly.

  Angela blinked. “How did you know?”

  Faith sighed. “Angie, tell me why he was here this morning.”

  “Why are you asking me that. He was here because he lives here. That’s obvious. He’s my husband. He was leaving for work.”

  Faith slammed her hand on the table. “That son of a bitch!”

  Angela jumped, and her eyes grew wide. “What? Tell me. Faith, if you’re truly my friend, tell me what you know.”

  “Of course I’m going to tell you. Brace yourself.” Faith’s eyes flashed. “Angie, Jack is not your husband.”

  “What?”

  “He’s your ex-husband. You divorced him. The divorce became final right before I went out of town.”

  Angela’s mouth gaped. She leaned forward in the chair and the hairs on her arms pricked. A cold shiver raced down her spine. She whispered, “He led me to believe we were still married. He lied to me.”

  “Of course he lied to you!” Faith cried. “He’s a lying drug-addicted creep who lost his job and threatened to get even with you for getting the house and taking Heather away from him.”

  Angela’s hand splayed across her heart. It beat so hard, she thought it might burst from her chest. “Heather! She’s been here with him the whole time I was away. He’s never hurt her, has he?” Panic coursed through her.

  “No, no. Jack used to be a good father. He’s always claimed to love her more than anything or anyone else. That’s why he was so angry when the judge refused to grant visitation rights until he’d completed the drug rehab program.”

  “Drug rehab?” Angela couldn’t believe what she heard.

  “Yeah. He was also upset that you got the house and the BMW.”

  “I did?”

  “Yes. This house and the car he’s driving, it’s all yours—not that you wanted it. You didn’t care about any of the material things. You just wanted out of the marriage. You’d put up with Jack’s lies for far too long. He was always selfish, in my opinion. I saw how he put himself before you and Heather even before he started using, but the drugs just made it worse.”

  “Jack’s an addict?” Angela stifled a bitter laugh. “I guess that would explain his erratic behavior, but I’m in complete shock. I can’t believe I’d be married to a drug addict. What’s he addicted to?”

  “Cocaine. It’s been going on for a long time. And I hate to toss more wood on the fire, but Jack did not go to work today. About a month ago he was fired for embezzling funds from the bank where he was employed.”

  “Oh, my God. He lied about that, too. Why isn’t he in jail?”

  “He and the president of the bank are golfing buddies, so Jack cut a deal. The deal was, Jack would quietly leave his position and agree to pay back all the money within a certain period of time. In return, the bank president would not prosecute.”

  Angela’s felt the room spin. “If he hasn’t got a job, how will he pay back the money he stole? Where’d he go this morning if not to the bank? Did he get another position somewhere?”

  “I’m afraid I haven’t got the answers to those questions. I’m only aware of what you told me before I left town.”

  “As far as you know, he didn’t go to rehab?” Angela asked.

  “No. He outright refused. He doesn’t think he has a problem. Idiot. He blames all his troubles on everyone but himself.”

  Terror clawed at Angela’s stomach. “Faith, have I ever confided in you about being physically abused by Jack?”

  “No, but you were afraid he might start. You said he was getting more volatile and he’d threatened to take Heather away from you. I never saw bruises or marks on you, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t hide them with makeup or long sleeves. Angie, I hated to leave when I did, because you have no family to turn to, and I was so worried about you and Heather. My aunt was having surgery and she had no one else. I had to care for her. But maybe if I’d been here, I could have helped somehow. You wouldn’t have been kidnapped.” Faith spit the word out with sarcasm.

  Angela patted her hand. “You’re not to blame for the terrible things Jack did. You’re helping now by telling me the truth. I wonder how much Jack owes the bank.”

  Faith sighed again. “I do know the answer to that one. Get ready for this. He owes close to half a million dollars.”

  Angela’s fist flew to her mouth. “He must be a desperate man. I don’t see how he could come up with that kind of money, especially if I received the house and car in the divorce. He’d have to figure out another way…”

  Their discussion triggered another memory. She suddenly remembered finding a document, a life insurance policy, stuck inside his suit jacket pocket one evening when he was at the house to collect some personal items. She recalled confronting him, an argument ensuing, and him shoving her against the wall. The whole scene flashed before her in horrible living color.

  Dear God. Could it be?

  “What is it, Angie?” Faith shook her arm. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “Not a ghost, Faith. I’ve seen a monster. And he lives in this house.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Yo
u remember finding a life insurance policy in his coat? A policy that was taken out on you?” Faith slammed her hand on the table again.

  “Yes!” Angela said. “It’s all coming back to me now. When I confronted him, we argued. I waved the policy in his face, angry that he’d forged my signature. He didn’t deny forging it. He grew quiet. When I demanded he tell me why he’d taken out a life insurance policy on me for one million dollars, his eyes grew so hard and cold.”

  “What are you saying?” Faith asked.

  “I was kidnapped all right—by Jack. He wanted me to die out in that desert. I think he intended on murdering me for the money. It was the only way he could possibly pay back the bank. We’d just gotten divorced, he’d been denied visitation rights with Heather, and he’d lost the house and his precious car. He must have lost his mind, too. As they say, desperate causes call for desperate measures.”

  “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. What are you going to do now?”

  “If he’s pretending to be at work all day, he’ll be home around six o’clock this evening. I can’t let him know I remember anything, but I have to find that insurance policy and our Divorce Decree. I have a strong feeling they’re here in the house. It’s obvious that he moved back in once he thought he’d gotten rid of me last week. Once I find those documents, I’ll go to the police and tell them all I know and remember. But I have to present the evidence to back me up.”

  “You can’t let him know you suspect anything,” Faith reminded her. “He might try to hurt you again. You’re going to have to be a damn good actress tonight when he gets home.”

  “I will be.”

  “I hate to leave you alone with him. What else can I do to help?”

  “You’ve done it already, by telling me the truth and being my friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to start looking for that policy.”

  Angela pushed back from the table and stood. Faith scratched her phone number on a slip of paper and stuffed it in Angela’s hand. “This is my number. Call me if you need me, anytime, day or night. I’m just across the lawn.”

  Angela’s heart contracted. She’d heard those same words from Scott before she left Ghost Rock. “I will. Thank you.”

  “Be careful.” They hugged and Faith reluctantly left.

  Angela’s head spun. She had to find that insurance policy and the divorce documents. Her very life depended on it.

  She glanced at her watch and peeked in on Heather, who was still snoring away in the pink canopy bed. She might have an hour to search the house for the insurance policy before Heather woke up. Starting in the master bedroom, Jack had strewn his clothes all over the floor. After going through all the dresser drawers, she rummaged around the closet and found nothing.

  Moving on to the office, she dug through the desk drawers and looked in the credenza. Next, she ran a critical eye over the shelves of the built-in bookcases, which flanked both sides of a brick fireplace. He could have hidden the document in any one of the dozens of books on the shelves, she realized. She began pulling the books off the shelves one by one and flipping through the pages swiftly.

  “Mommy. I’m hungry.”

  Angela whirled, the blood pumping through her veins. “Oh, Heather. You scared Mommy.”

  Heather crossed the room in her pajamas, dragging her blanket behind her. “I’m sorry, Mommy.” She stuck a fat thumb in her mouth and plopped down on the floor on her belly.

  “It’s okay, sweetie.” Angela took a deep breath and stuck the book she was holding back onto the shelf. Scooping Heather into her arms, she smothered her with tiny kisses. “How would you like some French toast with strawberries?”

  “I would!”

  “Your wish is my command, fairy princess.”

  Heather giggled. Angela closed the office door and carried her daughter to the kitchen. As she whipped up the French toast, her mind scattered like the four winds. She needed to locate the life insurance policy to prove Jack had tried to kill her for the money.

  Where could he have hidden it?

  When Heather finished her breakfast, Angela said, “Let’s gather up some of your toys, honey. You can play on the floor in Daddy’s office while I do some cleaning in there.”

  After picking out a few toys, Heather sat on the rug in the middle of the room and played. Angela once again began searching through the books. She had gone through two dozen volumes when the phone rang. Her pulse raced as she grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

  “You sound out of breath.”

  Her heart stopped beating when she recognized Jack’s voice. The lie she fed him came easy. “I was just running a bath for Heather when I heard the phone. I ran to grab it.”

  “No you weren’t, Mommy,” Heather said. The little girl had sidled up beside her and gave her a puzzled look.

  Angela placed a finger on her lips and mouthed, “Shhh.”

  “Is Heather there with you?” Jack asked.

  “No. The television’s on. How’s your morning going?” She wanted to change the subject without arousing his suspicions.

  “Same ole, same ole. I’m just calling to make sure everything’s okay there.”

  Angela tried to sound as normal as possible. “That’s nice of you. We’re fine.” Her hands trembled with anxiety. “Heather and I just finished breakfast. We’re going to go shopping later. We’re running low on groceries.”

  “I’m afraid I didn’t keep up with that while you were away.”

  It could have been a conversation between any couple. He sounded very calm for a man hooked on drugs, pretending to be at work, and who had tried to murder his wife. Almost too calm, she thought.

  “Are you still going to the park?” he asked.

  “Maybe. I’ll see how the day goes.”

  A pause hung between them.

  “Well, I was just checking in,” he repeated.

  Heather reached for the phone. “Can I talk to Daddy?”

  “Not now, baby. Daddy’s very busy,” Angela whispered, cupping her hand over the receiver mouthpiece.

  In her ear, Angela heard Jack say, “Let me talk to her.”

  She took another deep breath and placed the phone up to the little girl’s ear. “Say hello to Daddy.” She lowered her own ear to the receiver so she could listen in while Heather talked.

  “Hi Daddy!”

  “Hi baby. What have you been doing?”

  “I’m playing with my toys.”

  “And what’s Mommy doing?”

  “She’s cleaning.”

  “Cleaning? Where is she cleaning? What room are you in?”

  “We’re in your—”

  Angela cut her off by pulling the phone away. “Jack, there’s a knock on the door,” she fibbed. “I’ve got to go. See you when you get home tonight.” She hung up the phone and closed her eyes. She was afraid Heather might have tipped him off.

  “Why’d you hang up the phone, Mommy?” So innocent, Heather stuck her thumb in her mouth.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I thought I heard someone at the door. Why don’t you go back to playing with your Legos while I finish cleaning?”

  After rifling through every book in the bookcase, Angela came up empty.

  Bored with playing by herself, Heather begged Angela to help her build towers with blocks. After that, Angela and a stuffed teddy bear and rabbit became guests at a tea party. She read Heather some stories, they colored in coloring books, and then she fixed lunch and put Heather down for a nap.

  Heather balked at first, claiming she wasn’t tired and too big to take naps. Angela felt terrible, trying to force her down, but she needed time alone to hunt for those papers. She rubbed Heather’s back and sang her some lullabies. Soon, her daughter was fast asleep and snoring.

  Angela tiptoed out of the bedroom and made quick time poking around every room in the house. She looked in every space, dark corner, and nook and cranny for the policy. Frustrated, she slid her hands through her hair. Maybe he’d move it, or it was in the car. She�
��d never thought of that! I hope that’s not the case.

  She stood in the den with her hands on her hips, pondering her next move. While thinking, she stared at the oil painting above the sofa and suddenly remembered she’d never liked that particular piece of art. It always seemed to be off balance for some weird reason—hanging askew, as it was now. “That ugly painting is out of here.”

  Kicking off her shoes, she stepped onto the sofa and lowered the painting off the wall. When she saw the wall safe, she gasped. This had to be the place! This must be where Jack hid the life insurance policy. I bet he never thought I’d remember the safe was here in the wall!

  Angela’s hand landed on the combination lock. She squeezed her eyes shut and searched her mind to remember the combination. They had never had a use for the safe, she recalled, since Jack worked at the bank and stored their valuables in a safe deposit box there. The safe deposit box! The policy wouldn’t be there, would it? No. Surely the bank had made him clear out the safe deposit box when he was let go. Where else would he keep important documents, but here at home?

  She didn’t know whether she’d remember the combination, even if she weren’t suffering from amnesia. Her mind drew a blank.

  “Think. Think. Think”. The combination could have been any group of numbers—Jack’s birthday, her birthday, their wedding date...she didn’t know any of them.

  Running out of the den and up the stairs to the master bedroom, she spied their wedding album sitting on the vanity, just where she’d seen it on the day she returned home and showed herself around. Panting from taking the stairs two at a time, she flung the album open and memorized the date imprinted in cursive gold letters on the front page. Hurrying back to the den, she put her fingers on the lock. Right six, left seven, right ninety-nine. It didn’t open. Damn!

  She traipsed back up the stairs and frantically dug through the closet once again. Maybe she’d missed something the first time around. When she opened a cardboard box she thought contained boots, she discovered packets of letters she’d written to Jack before they married, some loose photos of the two of them, her passport, and her birth certificate.