Rosemary Run Box Set

by Kelly Utt

  John began to get frustrated with Bea’s questioning. He raised a hand and moved to slap it down on the table, only he caught himself and stopped short. He leaned his head down and spoke as quietly as he could manage. “Dammit, Beatrice. Why is everything so difficult with you? Is it too much to ask that you show up, look the part, and keep your mouth shut?”

  Bea recoiled, leaning all the way back in her chair. Her feelings were hurt. “I thought tonight would be different,” she said. “It’s looking like a replay of the last time we were here. And it’s looking like I’m an idiot for believing you could change.”

  John sighed, still taking bites of the cold brisket, then sloshing wine around in his mouth nervously. “You’re right,” he said, working to calm himself down. “I do want things to be different between us. I’m under a lot of pressure at work. It’s spilling into my personal life more than you know. Please forgive me. Let’s try to enjoy the rest of our evening, okay?”

  The waiter returned and Bea asked him to warm up their food. When he took the plates away it left John with nothing to fiddle with. He looked around, almost frantically.

  “I’m serious, John,” Bea prodded. “What is going on with you?”

  Before John could answer, a well-dressed man with rimmed glasses and neat, jet black hair came up to the table and placed a hand on John’s shoulder. The man was wearing a plaid button-down shirt, perfectly starched and tucked into his pants. Fastened to his collar was a red bowtie. He grinned as he looked down at John.

  “Kyle?” John asked, surprised. “What are you…? Why…?” John was flustered. He stood up and awkwardly shook the man’s hand.

  “Hey, there,” Kyle said as he shook John’s hand, holding it a few seconds too long. He glanced at Bea, waiting for an introduction.

  “Oh,” John sputtered. “Where are my manners? Kyle, this is Beatrice, my... Wife.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Kyle,” Bea said, uncertain as to what exactly was happening. She stood up to shake Kyle’s hand, too.

  The three of them were a strange sight. Their body language must have made the grouping look awkward to onlookers. Bea didn’t want to sit down before her husband because she didn’t want to be rude to Kyle. She also didn’t want to be left out of whatever was taking place.

  “Likewise,” Kyle said, looking back at John as a prompt. Bea noticed that his movements were slow and deliberate. Something was off about him, although she couldn’t tell exactly what.

  “Right,” John said, wiping fresh beads of perspiration from his brow. “Beatrice, this is Kyle Hodges. He works for me.”

  “Don’t you mean with you?” Kyle corrected with a laugh, lowering his hand down to John’s elbow and then leaning towards him as he spoke.

  “Yes, with me. Sorry,” John said. “I didn’t mean to insinuate…”

  Bea didn’t think she had ever seen John like this. It made her wonder exactly how much of his work was bleeding over into his personal life. He was flustered. Discombobulated. And still sweating.

  Bea and Kyle stood looking at each other for a long few minutes, sizing each other up. She wondered what role he played on John’s staff, but she didn’t ask. She had met a lot of John’s staffers at various events over the years, but she didn’t think she had ever seen Kyle before. She wondered if he was new. She wondered if he was part of the team trying to help John handle his public image after the recent negative events. If so, she thought he must have had a difficult job in front of him.

  “Isn’t it funny?” John asked, breaking the silence. “Kyle has worked with me for almost four years now. But I don’t think the two of you have ever had occasion to meet.”

  Bea smiled her best fake smile at her husband. She wasn’t amused. “Sure,” she said.

  “Better late than never,” Kyle added, chuckling again. Bea couldn’t tell for sure, but it sounded like his laugh would be unusual once it broke into full voice.

  “Okay, then,” John said, turning to Kyle. “It was good to see you. I’ll walk you out.”

  Kyle smiled smugly, as if he had just won an important victory. His demeanor struck Bea as odd. “Fantastic, John,” he said, looking at Bea while he spoke. “Beatrice, until we meet again.”

  Bea nodded her head and sat back down at the table as John and Kyle exited hastily through the front door of the building.

  29

  John remained distracted for the rest of the evening. He ate his warmed-up brisket hastily, then asked for the check without giving Bea a chance to order dessert.

  They walked to their parked vehicles in silence, both knowing that things weren’t right between them. The past few days had been nothing more than a good act. They had worked hard to pretend like everything could be good, but they both knew it shouldn’t have to be this difficult.

  When they arrived at the house and John pulled in the driveway behind Bea, he rolled down his window and told her he needed to go back into the office to handle a work thing. He didn’t even bother to step out of his SUV to deliver the bad news. Bea hung her head, disappointed. She looked at her art studio and thought about the painting waiting inside.

  Why did I bother?

  “Can it wait until morning?” she asked hopefully, already knowing the answer.

  “Beatrice, I’m afraid it can’t,” John said. “I’m sorry.”

  There was again. An apology. John was out of sorts, that was for sure. He was not a man who had ever spent much time apologizing.

  Without saying another word, Bea got out of her van and closed the door. She didn’t mention the rose petals on the bed upstairs, or the wine chilling in the refrigerator, or the painting she had so lovingly created for her husband as a gesture of her desire for a fresh start. John sped out of the driveway without looking back. His priorities were elsewhere. It seemed to Bea as if her husband had hardly given her a second thought.

  How disrespectful and frustrating. Travis wouldn’t have treated me like this.

  The evening was nice and Bea had a lot on her mind, so she stayed outside in the backyard under the string lights for a while before going in. She knew Max would be in bed already, and Lana would probably doze off in front of the TV. Bea knew a conversation with her best friend Gabby was long overdue, so she called her and invited her over for a drink on the patio. Gabby lived close by and was glad to receive Bea’s invite. It took her less than fifteen minutes to show up, a box of decadent chocolate-covered strawberries in hand.

  “Bea, my friend,” Gabby said as she reached up to hug Bea’s neck. “You’re all dressed up tonight. Tell me. Where have you been?”

  Gabrielle was from Jamaica and had the most charming accent Bea had ever heard. She had broad, round features and pretty brown skin. She was in her early forties, but looked decades younger. Gabby was elegant in a way Bea sometimes wished she could emulate. Gabby was always dressed fashionably and wore the perfect outfit for every occasion. Bea still had her blue Cinderella dress on, and even though Gabby had no idea what her friend was wearing, she showed up in a dress of her own that was nearly as nice. Gabby’s interest in fashion wasn’t solely for pleasure. She owned a jewelry store downtown and had to dress nicely for business.

  “Oh,” Bea began, feeling relaxed in the presence of her best friend. “I’ve had quite a night. Quite a week, for that matter. I’ve just come from dinner at Honey Hog with my public-figure husband. You know how that goes. I wanted a private dinner where we could reconnect and have some quality time together, but all I got was prying eyes, a random colleague of John’s showing up, and my husband’s short temper.”

  “Sounds about right,” Gabby said with a laugh. Bea was so glad to see her. She hadn’t seen her friend for more than a week, not since before the phone call that had rocked her semi-peaceful world. When Gabby had dropped Max off back at home, Bea hadn’t been there to greet her.

  “I’ve missed you,” Bea said. “I know I should have called. It’s been crazy.”

  “No need to explain, lady.”

>   “How is it that we live so close to each other, but we don’t get together near enough?” Bea asked.

  “I’m available,” Gabby said. “I’m not the one with the famous husband who drags me out for show.” Gabby laughed as she said it, but she knew as well as Bea did that it was no laughing matter. Not really. “So fill me in on what’s happening. Max told me some stories. It seemed like there was much more below the surface. What he told me was probably the tip of the iceberg, no?”

  “Yep, you’ve got it,” Bea replied. “I’ll tell you everything, but first I need some of those chocolate-covered strawberries you brought to bribe me with. I need to be well fed if I’m expected to tell my story again. It’s long. And complicated.”

  The friends poured themselves glasses of wine then ate chocolate-covered strawberries in silence as they looked up at the stars together. Bea knew she could tell Gabby anything. She wished she had told her about the night at Eagle’s Point a long time ago. Gabby knew about Travis, but she hadn’t been privy to the reason that Bea had broken things off with him. Gabby also knew how John was. It was no secret that she wished Bea would leave him. Gabby wasn’t the type tell her friend what to do though. She was strong, confident, and had a good head on her shoulders, but she wanted Bea to come to things in her own time and her own way. Gabby would never try to force the issue. She was more of a quiet encourager for her friend. A cheerleader who was always in Bea’s corner.

  When Bea was ready, she told Gabby the entire story, sparing no detail. She explained what had happened over the course of the past week and then she filled in the blanks by explaining what had happened during the incident a decade ago. Gabby’s eyes grew wide as she listened, but her face showed no sign of doubting her friend’s character. Just like Lana and Travis had done, Gabby made it clear she was on Bea’s side and would stand by her.

  “What did I do to deserve a best friend like you?” Bea asked as she leaned her head on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m touched that you will stand by me after everything you’ve just heard.”

  “Of course, I will,” Gabby said. “Don’t give it a second thought. That’s what friends are for. And besides, I think that man at Eagle’s Point got what he deserved. I know I don’t have a child of my own, but if I did, I’d like to think I would have done the same as you. Only I probably would have hit that man a few more times with the bat and kicked him around a bit before pushing him over the edge. He deserved to suffer.”

  Bea felt a pang of guilt at Gabby’s flippant attitude. “I don’t know, Gab,” she said. “I took a man’s life. He was a human being. He probably had a family who waited for him to come home. That’s terrible, and I’m responsible.”

  “I can’t say that I agree,” Gabby replied. “That man had your child and was taking him away, after having altered his appearance, no less. That’s sick. The kind of sick that doesn’t deserve to live. If he had survived to stand trial, I guarantee you he would have been put away for the rest of his life. Or better yet, sent to the electric chair.”

  “I never thought about it that way,” Bea said.

  “Then think about it that way now,” Gabby persisted. “Do you know what they do to child molesters in prison?”

  “No, I don’t,” Bea replied. “I’m not real familiar with prison life other than what I’ve seen on Orange is the New Black.”

  Gabby shook her head from side to side slowly with a smile on her face. She had always seemed somehow savvier than Bea. She was more worldly, being from Jamaica and having traveled abroad. She was also smarter, Bea wasn’t ashamed to admit. Having a smart friend like Gabby often came in handy. Whenever there was a dilemma that Bea couldn’t figure out on her own, she could always count on Gabby to brainstorm and come up with a solution. She really should have told Gabby about her predicament a long time ago.

  “What?” Bea asked teasingly. “I didn’t want to google prison life and make myself look guilty.”

  “Bea Hughes, you never cease to amaze me.”

  “I’ll take that as a complement.”

  “But in all seriousness,” Gabby continued. “Even hardened criminals have no sympathy for child molesters. In the prison, guards will look the other way while the other prisoners serve up what’s coming to them. If you ask me, you did the world a favor by taking that guy out.”

  Bea raised one heel off the ground and turned her toes around on the brick patio as she thought about what Gabby had said. “But what about his family, Gab? He must have had one. If not a partner and a family of his own, at least a mother? A father? Everyone is somebody’s baby.”

  “You need to stop thinking about it like that,” Gabby insisted. “That man tried to take your baby. Do you even know what he did to Max when he had him in the bathroom? I mean, it sounds like he had the time and might have molested our boy. Max was probably too young to have known what to report, but that mess has lasting effects on a person’s mental health.”

  “No, I don’t know what happened in the bathroom. That very question has haunted my nightmares. Well, that along with the prospect of being taken away from my family and arrested. Gabby, I’ve lived in fear every day for ten years. It has changed me.”

  “Yeah, I get that,” Gabby affirmed. “And I’ve noticed the difference in you. Looking back, it all makes sense now. I thought it was about John. It seemed like your self-esteem took a hit when you got with him. And hell, Bea, I thought Travis was a good thing. You didn’t ask my opinion when you broke it off with him, but if you had, I would have told you I thought you were making a mistake. It seemed like you were depriving yourself of a good man who could love you right because you didn’t feel you were worthy of that love. As your friend, that makes me sad.”

  “It makes me sad, too. More than you know.”

  Gabby sat up straight and put both hands on her thighs like she was formulating a plan. She stared out at Bea’s art studio across the lawn. Bea could almost see the wheels turning in her mind.

  “It’s time to reframe this,” Gabby announced. “Now that I know the whole story, I see it all differently. For starters, you need to dig deep and get in touch with your old self. We need the old Bea Denton who believed in herself and sold her paintings in New York City galleries to make a comeback. John Hughes can only hold you back if you let him. And the same goes for what happened at Eagle’s Point.”

  “Prison can hold me back.”

  “Hush,” Gabby said. “None of that talk. There’s hope for you, Bea.”

  “Do you really think so?“

  “I know so. You can either feel guilty that a man died and blame yourself, or you can feel proud that you defended your son against certain evil. Not to mention, you rid the world of that evil and probably saved other kids from being his victims. Many people would call you a hero.”

  The word made Bea shudder. She didn’t feel like a hero. “I don’t know about that.”

  Gabby pursed her lips as she continued to think. Bea waited patiently, thrilled that someone was helping her take this on. Lana and Travis were compassionate listeners who would support Bea, but Gabby was a go-getter who would offer more. Bea was happy to take any help she could get. Some kind-hearted prodding from her friend seemed like exactly what Bea needed right now.

  “Let’s do this,” Gabby began. “Let’s start with a little Internet research. I’ll do it on my computer if you’re worried about using one of your own, But we need to find out who this guy was. Do you know if his body was ever recovered?”

  “No,” Bea said. “I don’t. I’ve been sort of like an ostrich with my head in the sand about the whole thing. I’ve tried to focus on Max and to be grateful for every day I get to spend with him.”

  “That’s understandable,” Gabby said. “But it won’t help you put this drama to rest, which is what needs to happen. I want you to start thinking about taking back control of your life instead of just waiting to be tossed around like a leaf in the wind.”

  That description resonated with Bea. “Wow,�
� she said. “That’s exactly how I feel. Like a leaf in the wind. Light and powerless against its forces.”

  “Will you let me help?” Gabby asked. “I sure would like to do whatever I can.”

  “Yes,” Bea replied adamantly. “I need all the help I can get. I know with you, I’ll be in capable hands. Let’s do it!”

  “Good!” Gabby echoed.

  “But what about my situation with John and the impact the hooded figure on video is having on his career?” Bea asked. “I don’t want to get too focused on the man from Eagle’s Point and lose sight of the damage that’s happening right here in the present day. For better or worse, anything that happens with me is tied to John, and it could make or break the career he’s worked so hard for.”

  “The way I see it,” Gabby clarified. “We have two separate issues here. That means we have two tasks at hand.”

  “Okay.”

  “The first is to find out everything we can about the man you saved Max from. If he was as bad of a guy as you think, we might get some answers that could help ease your guilty conscience.”

  “That would be amazing,” Bea said. “I hadn’t thought such a turn of events would be possible.”

  “Yeah, well, I know it’s a long shot, but if he had hurt other kids in the past, you might even be able to come forward and be hailed a hero.”

  Bea put one hand on her forehead as she tried to imagine that scenario. It seemed too good to be true. “And the second issue?”

  “That would be the matter of John Hughes. I’d like to see you getting the love you deserve. I don’t know what the answers are... With John. Or with Travis. But you’re my best friend, Bea. I want to see you happier.”

  “Would you believe that John thinks Travis is the man on the video?”

  “And what do you think?” Gabby asked.

  Bea didn’t hesitate before replying. “I guess Travis has a motive, like John said. Because he seems to really want to get back with me. He’s been blowing up my phone with calls and texts since I saw him a few days ago.”