Infidelity Inlet: A Liars Island Suspense

by Carol McMahon

  When I left the house tonight I was going to break things off with Olivia. But now, I was starting to feel like I was falling in love with her, and I had a sneaking suspicion she might be feeling the same way too, and that wasn’t what I’d planned at all.

  Chapter 6

  Casey

  “You didn’t have to come over,” I said, opening the door for Stacy.

  “How the hell could I not? You call me and tell me you’re moving. Of course I came over! I’m worried about you! What are you doing, Casey?”

  I turned around and walked over to my bed and continued what I’d been doing before my sister showed up, stuffing as many articles of clothing as I could into an old backpack I’d had since I was in high school.

  But as I looked at the pile of ratty T-shirts and sweatpants and jeans that were busting out of the zippered opening, I almost threw the whole thing into a garbage bag. I wasn’t sure I wanted any of my old stuff. The mostly used and hand-me-down clothes that never really felt like mine because I hadn’t actually chosen them, the half-empty bottles of overly perfumed lotion and shampoo that I’d picked up at the dollar store, and the few mismatched pieces of silverware and bowls that made up my sad kitchen set. None of it was me. None of it had ever been what I’d wanted for myself.

  What I wanted was a new start. To get away from everything in my old life. This crappy room, my crappy luck, and my incredibly crappy love life. But I knew I was going to need something to wear, and since I barely had any money, it would be silly for me not to take this stuff with me, so I continued to pack.

  “I told you what I’m doing,” I said as I pushed past her. “I’m moving.”

  “But where? And how? Do you even have any money?”

  I whirled around to respond to Stacy, but I wasn’t interested in the concerned look I knew she was giving me, so I crossed over to the dilapidated bookcase and grabbed her black dress and shoes. “Here,” I said, shoving them in her arms. “They’re a little worn, but I guess you’re probably used to me ruining everything, so this won’t be any different. You can probably afford all new clothes and shoes, anyway.”

  “Casey, don’t be like this. You don’t ruin everything. I’ve never thought that of you. And if you need money for clothes, I can help you. I want to help you.”

  “I have money”

  “How much?”

  I sighed and turned around. “It doesn’t matter, Stacy. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  “How will you be fine? I don’t understand. You’ve been living in this place because you didn’t have a job when you got out of the hospital. And as far as I am aware, the only way you’ve been making money is from babysitting, and that was barely enough to pay for your rent. You’re not even paying your own cell phone—”

  “Ugh, I hate that word!” I said, cutting her off. “I wasn’t babysitting! I was watching Grace, like a caregiver, or a nanny.”

  “Yeah, but it was only a few hours a week. You weren’t even watching her full-time or anything. A nanny is full-time.”

  I stormed past Stacy, and out of the room. Then I stalked down the hall and into the bathroom I shared with the four other people on my floor. I was so tired of my sister judging me, and of living in a shithole, and of having such a sucky life. I wanted something better. I knew I deserved more. A life where I wasn’t treated like a child … like nothing.

  “Casey, I’m sorry,” Stacy said from behind me. “I didn’t mean to make you mad. I’m just worried. Mom and Dad are worried too. You seem so—”

  “So, what?” I asked, glancing up at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “What, Stacy?”

  “You just seem agitated, that’s all.”

  “I’m not agitated. I’m perfectly happy. And I don’t know why Mom and Dad would even mention me. They’ve never acted like they care.”

  “That’s not true at all. They love you.”

  I looked away from Stacy’s reflection. I had no interest in going into any of it again. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You were off with your friends almost the whole time everything was … the whole time I was growing up. You don’t know how Mom feels about me at all. And Dad … I don’t care if I ever see that disgusting pig again.”

  “Don’t say that, Casey. They always ask about you when I talk to them. They say you never call.”

  “Oh, yeah, of course it’s my fault. What am I supposed to do? Pretend like nothing ever happened?”

  “Everyone has issues of some kind, Casey. You have to figure out how to get past yours in your own way. If you don’t, they’ll drive you crazy. I’m sure Mom and Dad were doing the best they could.”

  Everything my sister was saying felt like a knife to my heart. I told her everything that happened back then. Back when she barely came home to sleep in her bed for a few hours every night and I was a scared kid, all alone. I wanted her there with me more than anything in the world.

  But all that wishing and hoping and praying never did a thing. It just made me scared of a God who chose to ignore me, then punished me for dreaming of a safe home and a happy family. Of asking for just one person to be on my side and to believe me, and to make me feel safe like a little girl is supposed to feel. But that never happened back then, and by the looks of things, it sure as hell wasn’t happening now. My sister was still on their side.

  “If you must know every detail of my life,” I said, changing the subject so I wouldn’t have to hear Stacy defend my parents again, “I’m moving in with someone. A man who’s going to take care of me.”

  “Wait, what? I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

  “I am. I’ve been seeing him for a while.”

  “You’re not talking about that Fred guy again, are you? I thought you were over all that.”

  “No, I’m not talking about Fred. It’s someone else. I didn’t tell you about him because I knew you would do this,” I said, turning around and looking Stacy in the eyes.

  “Do what?” she asked, sounding more and more judgmental with each passing second.

  “I knew you would try to ruin it for me, like everything else. You always do this.”

  “What do I do?”

  “You make me feel like I’m crazy. Like I belong back in that hospital. I know you never believed me about Fred, that we were meant for each other, that we belonged together!”

  “But, Casey, I never saw him other than the night you fucked him in the bathroom at the bar. I never saw any texts from him, or calls, or anything. You always showed me the funny things Brian would text you, but with Fred it was like …”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know … like he didn’t really exist,” she said quietly.

  “I didn’t show you his texts because I was afraid you wouldn’t approve. They were very sexy,” I said, looking down at the floor so that Stacy couldn’t see I was lying. “I know you’re probably right about that, though. If we were meant to be together, we would be.”

  Stacy folded her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the bathroom door jamb. “I’m sorry you feel like I want you back in that hospital, Casey. That’s not true at all. I missed you a lot. I tried to visit you as much as I could.”

  “You came five times in the year I was there.”

  Stacy looked down at the floor. It was her turn to hide that she was lying. “I told you, I tried. You know my schedule. Jackson is so demanding. I had a really hard time getting away.”

  I turned back to the bathroom sink and stared at the dingy drain hole that probably hadn’t been cleaned once in the entire time I’d been living there. “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

  “It’s true,” she said. “But I promise, I don’t think you’re crazy. Everyone needs a little help sometimes, and I dunno. I’m really worried. Lately, you’ve been acting a lot like you did before you went into the hospital. I don’t want you back there, but I really hate seeing you so unhappy. I miss you. I miss my sweet little sister.”

&
nbsp; I turned back and saw that Stacy had tears running down her cheeks. I wanted to believe her. I missed the way things used to be between us too. But I also had a bad feeling, like she was putting on an act.

  Then what she told me that night came flashing into my memory. That she would get Greg to do things by making him think it was his idea. It felt like she was doing that right now. She was trying to get me to go back to the hospital. And I was never, ever going to go back.

  “I’m fine, Stacy. Really, I am. You’ll like this guy. He’s really good to me. He’s going to take care of me.”

  “So where does he live?”

  “On a little island up north. It’s called Liar’s Island.”

  “That place is full of a bunch of rich people, Casey. Does he have a lot of money?”

  “Yeah, he does. But it’s not just rich people that live there. There are regular people who work in stores and clean houses. It’s a normal town with a lot of normal people, just like me. It just happens to be on an island. I think it’ll be fun. A change of scenery. That would be good for me, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, a change of scenery is good, but do you really think it’s such a good idea? I mean, you were just getting settled in here.”

  “Here?” I said, glancing around the mold-dotted walls and the peeling paint. “You think I’m better off here?”

  “Well …”

  “Yes, I think it’s a good idea, and Robert thinks it’s a good idea. He wants me to live in his house with him. He wants me around, Stacy, and I can’t say that for a single other person in this whole stupid city.”

  “I want you around.”

  “Oh, you know what I mean. I want to be with someone. I want to feel loved, and feel special. I need that right now. It will help me heal. I know it.”

  Stacy didn’t say anything for a while. She just stared at me while I pretended to check the medicine cabinet for anything I might have left in there, although I’d already checked it twice.

  “So that’s his name? Robert?”

  “Yeah, Robert Logan.”

  “What does he do?”

  I didn’t know what to say. We hadn’t talked about anything like that the night we met. “I’m not sure.”

  Stacy sighed. “Come on, Casey, you’re moving to another city to be with a guy who you know nothing about? That’s crazy! You’re not a teenager anymore!”

  I whipped around. “Then why are you treating me like one?! I’m not crazy, and I’m not a child! I want to do this! Why are you trying to ruin it for me?”

  I pushed Stacy out of the way and went to my room. I stuffed everything into the backpack and zipped it up, then ran down the stairs. I didn’t even look back or say goodbye. I couldn’t. I knew if I saw my sister’s face again, I’d start to cry, and if I started to cry, I might lose the will to leave. And in that moment, all I wanted, more than anything in the world, was to get as far away from my life as possible.

  Chapter 7

  Jerry

  “Okay, what’s the plan?” I turned off the engine and killed the lights, and watched the trees in front of me slowly fade to black.

  “I thought you were the one with the plan,” Dave whispered.

  “You don’t have to whisper. There’s nobody out here.”

  Dave turned his head toward me. “How do you know that? There could be someone behind those trees.”

  “Will you stop it? You’re starting to freak me out.”

  “Dude, I’ve been freaked out since we turned onto this road. This place really is out in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t realize you could get so lost on a teeny island like this.”

  “We’re not lost. I know exactly where we are. The house is about a hundred yards that way through those trees, and the closest neighbors are another couple hundred yards in either direction. There’s no one out here, unless some lunatic is going for a midnight stroll … through the forest… in black clothes.” I punched him in the arm. “So, knock it off.”

  “All right, but we’re out here in the dark woods … in dark clothes … and we’re sneaking around, so…” He didn’t finish his sentence. He just grimaced and made an ‘I don’t know’ sound with his throat.

  “Okay, I get you. There could be someone behind one of those trees. But let’s just go with the idea that there probably isn’t anyone out here except us. This is a really chill island. Not much happens at all. And the chance of someone skulking around right here, in the same spot where we are, is slim to none. All I really want to do is get a look at this guy. So I say we approach the house slowly to get an idea if anyone is home.”

  “On foot?”

  “Yes, on foot. We’re not going to drive up with the engine going and the lights on. We might as well announce our presence with a loud speaker if we’re gonna do that.”

  “Yeah, yeah, okay.” Dave pulled back on the door handle and released the catch. “So we’re getting out now?”

  “Yes, get out of the car,” I said, gesturing toward the passenger door with both of my hands. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

  I opened my door and got out, then walked to the front of the car where Dave was standing. He had his hands in his pockets like he was trying to appear nonchalant, but I could tell he was nervous.

  “We’re just gonna look around,” I said. “There’s nothing to get all freaked out about. We’re not doing anything wrong.”

  “Except trespassing.”

  “Yeah, but it’s not serious trespassing. This is more of a gray area. We’re in the woods. Anybody could wander through here.”

  “I thought you said nobody but us would be out here.”

  “I was just … look, Dave, if you want to wait in the car …”

  “No, no, I’m down. I’ve just never really done anything like this before. All of my investigations have taken place behind a computer screen, where I’m sitting comfortably in my chair in the safety of my locked apartment.”

  “Well, there’s nothing to worry about here. I’ve got your back.”

  “What do you mean? Are you packing?”

  I laughed. “Yes, I’m packing. I’ve got a gun on me. Does that make you feel better?”

  “Yeah, it does, actually.”

  “Okay, good. Let’s go.”

  I pulled a pen light out of my pocket and turned it on, making sure the stream only went a few feet ahead of us. Dave stayed behind me for the most part as we wove our way through the trees, then I could feel his presence next to me when we came to a clearing of perfectly cut grass. There were lights on in a couple rooms on the main floor of the house, and they cast an orange glow through the massive plate glass windows that took up most of every wall.

  From the looks of the house, someone was home, but there was no car parked out front. I figured a guy like this probably had a three-car garage, with three cars in it, so there was no way to know from this vantage point if anyone was around.

  “Damn, that’s a big house.”

  “Yeah, especially for just one guy.”

  I extinguished my flashlight and put it back in my pocket as I crossed the huge yard, and I felt Dave behind me again. When we got up to a brick patio he put his hand on my arm. “Do you see that on the couch? Is someone sitting there?”

  “Yeah, it looks like it.”

  The two of us stood there for at least a minute staring at the shadowy figure.

  “It’s not moving,” Dave said.

  “Maybe he’s watching TV.”

  “Yeah, but even someone watching TV would move every now and again, wouldn’t they?”

  “Yeah, plus,” I said, squinting to see if I could get a better view, “there would be flashing lights against the walls of the room if a TV was on.”

  “That’s true. Hey, it could be a really long pillow.”

  “What do you mean? Propped up on the couch like that?” I said, turning to look at the outline of Dave’s profile.

  “Yeah, you know, one of those Japanese body pillows. The kind with
a girl painted on it?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t know. Some people have them around, I guess. To keep them company.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s not a body pillow, Dave. It isn’t square at the top. Whatever is on that couch looks like it has shoulders and a head,” I said, elbowing him in the arm. “Some detective you are.”

  I looked back up at the shadowy figure on the couch. It did look like the outline of a person, but it was really weird that it hadn’t moved once in the entire time we’d been watching it. “Okay, why don’t you go up there and ring the doorbell?”

  “What do you mean? I thought we were just looking through the windows.”

  “I’ve got to see who this guy is. I need to know what I’m up against. If I go up there, he’ll recognize me immediately. But he doesn’t know who you are.”

  “Okay,” Dave said, his voice cracking. “But what am I gonna say? That I was on a hike in the middle of the night? And I got lost?”

  “No, say your car broke down.”

  “Where’s my car?”

  “It’s a ways down the road and you need to use his phone.”

  “Oh, yeah, he won’t be suspicious of that at all. That’s, like, the oldest trick in the book.”

  “Dave,” I said with a sigh. “How many people have ever come to your house and told you that their car broke down and that they needed to use your phone?”

  Dave sat there thinking for a minute. “None.”

  “That’s right. None. It’s only a trick in movies. And this isn’t a movie.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. But don’t you think that’ll make him even more suspicious?”

  “He won’t suspect a thing if you act irritated. Like you’re late for something important. People who are trying to pull something aren’t irritated. They act calm and try to convince you they’re just a regular, friendly everyday Joe.”

  “Yeah, that’s true. Those serial killers are always super calm. It’s weird.”

  “That’s right, so don’t be weird,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Okay, go in and ask to use his phone and call my number.”