Dirty Truths

by Renee Miller

  “It’s just a box of stuff, but it’s something law enforcement might frown upon.” He smiled.

  Kristina nodded. It’s not like she was hiding a body, a box of guns or drugs or whatever wasn’t a big deal. She looked up at him and kissed his mouth. Wade wouldn’t do anything to endanger her life and if she hoped to go to that place somewhere far away from here, she’d have to help him through this bit of trouble.

  And she desperately wanted to get far away from Laighton, and from Daniel.

  CHAPTER 19

  In her bath seat, Cadence splashed around in the water that pooled in the bottom of the tub. Kristina scrubbed her skin vigorously, wanting to wipe the memory of Daniel from her body. She longed for scalding water, so hot it burned her skin.

  How long she remained in there, her body shaking while she soaped up and rinsed off, she wasn’t sure. When Cadence shivered, Kristina turned the water off and bundled the two of them in a big towel. Cadence yawned. She hurried to dress her in her pajamas before going downstairs to make something to eat.

  The very idea of food made Kristina’s stomach churn. She wouldn’t risk eating. If Wade found her hurling into the toilet when he returned, he’d worry. Rushing around the house, Kristina set Cadence in her high chair and then heated some soup for her. Cadence clapped when she sat next to her, bowl in hand, and Kristina finally smiled. No matter what happened, she had her daughter. Daniel would have to take that gift from her cold dead hands.

  She stiffened when the door opened, the spoon half way to Cadence’s mouth.

  Cadence banged the highchair and squealed.

  Wade chuckled. “Feed that kid, would you?”

  She slumped and closed her eyes in relief. Then, she moved the spoon to Cadence’s mouth and turned with a smile. “You were fast. Where’s the box?”

  “In the living room. It can wait.” Wade pulled out the chair next to her. He made a face at Cadence who rewarded him with a quick smile before banging on her tray, her signal for more food.

  “Don’t you have to go?”

  “Tonight I am yours. After that, I’m not sure what will happen.”

  Kristina finished feeding Cadence the soup. When she scraped the last noodle from the bowl, she stood and walked to the sink.

  Wade moved to her chair where he played Itsy Bitsy Spider with Cadence.

  Leaning against the counter Kristina hated herself for doubting him when Amy spewed her venom. This wasn’t a man who would use her, or who would do anything to put her in danger.

  Wade made faces at Cadence and paused to glance at Kristina. “I noticed Daniel’s truck here earlier.”

  Kristina turned to the sink. “He came to see Cadence.”

  He didn’t need to know.

  “It’s been a while. Why the sudden fatherly instinct?”

  “Who knows?” Kristina clattered the few dishes in the sink and turned on the water. Wade and Cadence made noises behind her. He sang and Cadence giggled. She hoped he’d turn from the subject of Daniel.

  “Did he wake you up?” He walked behind her, and then his body warmed her back.

  “No. Why?”

  Wade touched her shoulder.

  She sighed and turned to him.

  “When I got here earlier you were in your housecoat and your eyes were red. I didn’t say anything because I had to deal with the other shit, but I noticed.”

  “Oh,” Kristina played with the cloth in her hand, winding it, twisting it, trying to form a lie he’d accept.

  His hand brushed her cheek.

  She closed her eyes.

  “You should have looked in the mirror after your shower. I’m sure he left more than just this scrape. Actually, it looks like rug burn. What are you not telling me?”

  “Nothing. I—”

  “Don’t. Don’t ever lie to me. You’re terrible at it anyway.” He cradled her face in his hands and forced her to look at him.

  Kristina’s stomach churned, she didn’t want to tell him. “He got mad. Someone told him about you and me, and he lost his temper,” she murmured.

  “What did he do?”

  “I don’t want to get into the details. Okay? I just want to enjoy what time we have and not let Daniel ruin anything else for me.”

  “What did he do?” he repeated.

  “I can’t talk about it. Please don’t ask me to. It’s too… I don’t even know if I can find the words. I will talk about it, just not today. I’m okay.”

  Wade stared. A muscle twitched in his jaw but he nodded. “When this shit is settled with Amy and the cops, I’m paying him a visit. I don’t care if he’s Cadence’s dad. You have no say in the matter. Understood?”

  Kristina stared. Did she want him to do something? Yes and no… she didn’t know. She wanted Daniel gone, but not if it cost Wade his freedom. His eyes bored into hers, waiting for her to do as she always did and defend Daniel. Kristina couldn’t defend him anymore. Wade wouldn’t do as she asked anyway.

  “I could argue, but there’s no point. Let’s deal with this box of yours so we can do something else.”

  “Something else? Sounds tempting.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek and then turned. “I want you to hide it somewhere no one would look for it. I thought maybe the basement. You have all kinds of boxes down there.”

  “How do you know?” Kristina lifted Cadence from her highchair and then followed him to the living room, relieved he let her off the hook. She couldn’t even put into words what had happened with Daniel. She wanted to forget; if that were possible.

  “I’ve been down to the basement. I had to get a flashlight. Remember when the lights went out during the storm a couple weeks ago?”

  “I forgot, of course.” Kristina didn’t remember him going to the basement, but perhaps he did so while she slept.

  Wade went to the base of the stairs, near the front door in the living room and bent to retrieve a medium sized box. Setting Cadence on her mat and moving a doll next to her she waited for Wade to bring it over. The sides were battered, and layers of tape covered it but the flaps weren’t sealed, simply folded over themselves to keep it shut.

  “Don’t even think about it once you’ve put it away. If you toss it from your mind there’s less chance of you slipping and mentioning it by mistake.” Wade passed it over. It was surprisingly heavy.

  “Okay.”

  Kristina carried it behind the stairs and to the small door that led to the cramped hole some nutty builder considered a basement. She waited for Wade to close it behind her. Cadence would scurry over, if she noticed the forbidden door was open. Down the small set of wooden stairs, she paused at the bottom to pull a string hanging overhead. A bare bulb lit the small space.

  She chuckled softly. Wade had labeled the top of the box ‘Xmas decorations’ in black marker. She set it on top of a stack of other boxes marked ‘Cadence Summer One Year’ and next to ‘Xmas Tree’. Then, worried it might be too obvious, she shifted the boxes so Wade’s was nestled down the pile and moved the other Christmas stuff in front of it. Satisfied she rushed back upstairs.

  ***

  As Wade weaved in and out of traffic, a horn blared behind him. He ignored it. Before he did anything else, he had a score to settle. He didn’t expect to see so much traffic on the road before seven.

  Kristina had been strangely quiet when he told her what he planned to do. Did she hope he’d leave Daniel alone? Did she think her quiet acceptance would make him reconsider? If so, she was wrong. This time, Daniel had gone too far.

  Wade’s chest tightened at the memory of her bruises, angry bluish marks along her thighs and across her arms. The welts on her stomach and breasts brought bile to his throat. The tooth marks on her back… Motherfucker! He hadn’t wanted to touch her, he’d been so angry. But that would punish her and Wade didn’t want Kristina to feel she was to blame.

  His cell rang. Wade picked it off the seat to check the number. “Fuck,” he opened it and drew it to his ear.

  “Where are you?�
� Thomas sounded annoyed.

  “On the road, headed to Salach. Why?”

  “Fucksakes, W. You’re supposed to be going the other direction.”

  “I have some business to attend to.” Wade stepped on the brake as he approached a blue Taurus. The driver must have thought it was Sunday. The speed limit was eighty, not ten. He weaved around him and stepped on the gas as he came through an intersection, ignoring the yellow caution light.

  Thomas sighed. “Is this business related to your friend?”

  “What friend?”

  “Come on now, don’t play dumb with me. My tail saw the Dodge too. Heard some noise.”

  “And he just watched?” The tail and Wade would have a little talk later. He cursed.

  Thomas tsked. “Now, don’t get riled up. It’s not worth it. You need to look at the bigger picture. Pull over.”

  “No, I—”

  “Pull the fuck over!”

  Wade ground his teeth but slowed the truck, steering until the wheels crunched the soft gravel of the shoulder. “Done.”

  “Now listen to me very carefully. You are out of control, and I can’t have that. Got it?” Thomas sounded calm, as though talking to a wayward child. Wade didn’t appreciate the patronizing tone.

  “Got it.” He stared out at the fields. A lone cow meandered across a muddy expanse. He wondered if it had wandered through a broken fence. Though why he cared, he didn’t know.

  “The business you’re attending to is nothing new. He’s knocked her around before, and he’ll probably do it again before you can deal with him.”

  “He didn’t just knock her around. He fucking raped her.”

  “I said listen, didn’t I?”

  Wade bit his tongue.

  Thomas continued. “You can do this shit later, when the heat is off. Got it? You can’t afford to raise eyebrows. He’s not going anywhere.”

  “Later? When’s that? After he kills her?”

  “We’re keeping a close eye on things, and we won’t allow that to happen. Come on, W. Have I ever let you down?”

  “No.” A large transport rumbled past. The ground shook beneath him.

  “Turn the truck around and do what has to be done. You won’t help her from behind bars, will you?”

  “No.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in an hour.” Thomas hung up.

  Wade gripped the phone, the plastic dug into his palm. Glancing in the rearview, he cranked the wheel and spun out of the ditch, turning back to Laighton.

  ***

  Chirping outside the window, loud and obnoxious, woke Kristina from her nap. Wade had left early and she’d stayed up long after, thinking. When Cadence yawned, ready for her nap, Kristina couldn’t keep her eyes open. She laid Cadence in her crib, climbed into her own bed, and pulled Wade’s pillow to her face.

  He’d noticed the bruises on her thighs, his face reddening when he’d traced them with trembling hands. Kristina waited for the explosion but it didn’t come.

  “No more arguments.” Wade growled, leaning over to kiss the welt on her knee. “He’s gone too far this time.”

  She had nodded.

  Part of her cheered him on, but secretly hoped by the time they dealt with Amy and Wade’s legal troubles he’d forget about Daniel. She didn’t want to have Wade all to herself, just to lose him.

  Stretching and kicking the sheet from her body, Kristina sat up. She rubbed her face and groaned when Cadence’s cries erupted through the monitor. So much for relaxing on the couch for a while. She stood and walked to the doorway her gaze catching a wad of banknotes lying on her dresser. Cadence’s cries turned to babbles. When Kristina picked up the money and a piece of paper fell to the floor. She picked it up, recognizing Wade’s neat scrawl immediately.

  I forgot to mention you’re not to go into work. Please listen to me on this. Under no circumstances are you to go into the bar. I told them you took some holidays. This should cover your bills. I’ll make sure I get more to you somehow.

  Love you,

  W.

  P.S. Do not let Daniel back in the house. Call the police if you have to.

  She stared at the letter, the money forgotten. Two words. Small, but powerful. Words he’d never so much as whispered last night because he’d been so angry. She’d needed to hear him say them more than anything else. Love you. Kristina drew a hand to her mouth and stifled a sob. She’d wanted to say so much to him before he left but she’d chickened out, worried his feelings might have changed.

  Kristina stuffed the paper into her top drawer, beneath her underwear and socks. She picked up the money. Where the hell was she going to put this? Shaking her head, she wedged it with the note. She’d figure out what to do with it later.

  Cadence yelled, irritated that her mother didn’t rush to see to her, and clapped her hands when Kristina entered the room. She bounced, holding onto the rail of her crib.

  Smiling, Kristina picked the baby up and kissed her curly head. “Want to go for a walk?”

  “Ma?” Cadence cocked her head to the side.

  Kristina couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled to her throat. “Yes, a walk.” She set Cadence in her bouncy chair and went to the basement door.

  She kept the stroller at the base of the stairs, using the smaller umbrella stroller most days. But she had to pick up groceries and other odds and ends so the bigger stroller would come handy.

  The steps groaned as she jogged to the bottom to collect the folded stroller. She’d forgotten to turn off the light the day before and reached to pull the string. Her gaze wandered to the boxes stacked on the right side of the room.

  Shouldn’t she know what she hid for him? Kristina set the stroller down and stepped to the stack of boxes, moving the upper ones until she found Wade’s. Before she could change her mind she carried it upstairs, her walk forgotten.

  She stared at the box on the coffee table, her fingers itching to open it, but a dull ache started in her belly. She should trust Wade and do as he asked.

  Leave it alone.

  Standing next to the couch Kristina argued with herself, telling her conscience she had a right to know what he asked her to hide and then telling her curiosity she’d be better off not knowing. Curiosity won out. She glanced at Cadence who bounced in her chair, gurgling to her reflection in the little mirror on the tray, and then ran to the door and slid the bolt in place before running back to sit on the couch. Her fingers flipped open the battered flaps before her butt touched the cushions.

  She peered inside and a fire burned her gut, moving up to her face. Snippets of conversations between her and Wade, rumors whispered by nosy customers and friends, and finally, Amy’s warnings ran through her head with the force of a freight train.

  No, she had to stop overreacting and letting her imagination get carried away. Kristina pulled her sleeve over her hand and then picked up one of the items lying on top, bundled in oilcloth. The weight of the bundle filled her stomach with ice. She opened the cloth to reveal a small gun that could fit easily into her hand. Kristina wrapped the cloth around it and set it beside the box, and reached for the other bundle. She knew what to expect, but her breath caught as she peeled the cloth away. This gun was larger with a fat tube-like attachment beside it. A silencer? She never imagined she’d encounter such a thing. Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she set it next to the smaller gun and turned back to the box.

  Reaching inside, Kristina lifted her gaze to her daughter who bounced happily in her chair, oblivious to the can of worms her mother had just opened. Kristina’s hand closed around another bag and she pulled it out, fighting the urge to just drop it and forget what she’d already seen. Inside the thin plastic was a set of keys, the ring holding them a brass P, which didn’t signify they were Wade’s.

  Cadence squealed and Kristina jumped. She laughed, chastising herself for being so silly. She was in her own house damn it. No one could see what she was doing. Still, the guns lying on her table were enough to ma
ke her feel watched; guilty. Should she look at the rest? She had to.

  Kristina turned back to the box and pulled out a half roll of duct tape, a tiny clear bag containing several dirty little pebbles, and a coiled white rope. Kristina peered at the pebbles, unable to determine what they were or why Wade would keep them. The bag shivered. She realized her hand shook and she took a breath to steady her nerves. None of this meant he’d done anything terrible. Lots of people had these items in their house. True, the guns were probably illegal and the bag of powder could be a problem, but nothing she’d found made Wade anything other than what he said he was.

  The last item, wrapped in grey cloth, lay across the bottom of the box. Kristina picked it up and pulled the loose end of the rag, unrolling it until a thick plastic bag lay in her palm. Her heart pounded against her chest painfully as the sunlight from the window reflected off the blade of the knife inside. Her gaze traveled the length of it. She jumped and dropped the blade on the table.

  Cadence looked up from her chair, stuffing a hand in her mouth. Kristina smiled at her and Cadence turned back to her toys.

  Rust… or blood crusted the knife’s tip, and next to it, lodged in the corner of the bag was a leathery looking lump. Kristina instantly thought of beef jerky, but the silver ring around the base with the emerald encrusted ‘J’ told her it wasn’t jerky at all. Kristina sat back and stared at the table. The items in front of her, when lying together, told such an awful tale she wanted to close her eyes and pretend she’d never seen them.

  What have you done, Wade?

  If anyone knew about this box, Wade would be locked up forever. The question was could she ever feel the same about him now that she knew?

  CHAPTER 20

  Kristina closed the box. Then she stood and glanced at her daughter.

  Cadence bounced in her chair, babbling to her toys.

  Kristina groaned and cursed herself for opening the damn thing. Wade had told her not to look and she hadn’t listened. She paced the room trying to figure out a solution, a way to get rid of the box without hurting Wade. Her heart pounded and her palms grew moist. Anxiety over what she should do built in her chest until Kristine thought she’d pass out from lack of oxygen. “Jesus, calm down,” she mumbled.