by Renee Miller
Outside the sun shone bright, a slight breeze blew leaves and dust down the quiet street. She’d wanted to go for a walk but now the urge to close the curtains and lock herself inside was stronger.
She should call Wade; ask him to come get the box. Its contents could put her and Cadence in danger. Snorting, Kristina rolled her eyes; they were already in danger.
Cadence whined, tired of her chair.
Kristina leaned over to pick her up.
Cadence pointed to the box, “Ta?”
Kristina turned so neither of them could look at it. “No. Garbage.”
Cadence curled her nose.
Kristina smiled. She should call Wade.
She picked the phone up, careful to hold it from her daughters grasping hands; and then punched in the number for Wade’s cell. When a canned voice answered, Kristina waited for the prompt. “Hey, it’s me. I really need to talk. I’ll be home all day.” She pressed ‘end’ and set the phone back on the base.
“Ta?” Cadence reached for the phone.
Kristina shook her head. “Mommy’ll get your phone, okay?”
She set Cadence down and rummaged through the laundry basket in the corner of the room that served as a toy box. Holding a blue and red phone—with Elmo’s googly eyes staring out from the top—she turned to Cadence.
The baby had already found something else to occupy her. She’d crawled, or most likely rolled, to the coffee table and pulled herself up to touch the box.
Kristina rushed over, scooping her up and away from the wretched thing.
Cadence protested. “Na!” she yelled.
“New word?” Kristina chuckled. “How about ‘mama’?”
“Na,” Cadence reached for the Elmo phone.
Kristina flipped it open for her and pressed the buttons.
Cadence grinned when her favorite monster said hello.
Standing by the phone would only make her dread and growing panic worse, so Kristina carried on with her day. She cleaned the living room—a chore that was long overdue—and took the box back to the basement where it belonged. She didn’t hide it this time, determined Wade would be picking it up soon. It had to go. She’d never sleep with it in the house.
He didn’t call until she’d bathed Cadence, settled her into her crib, and ran water for her own bath. Kristina growled when the phone rang downstairs. She pulled it back on. Her irritation was short lived. As she reached the living room, the dread she’d managed to shove below the surface emerged once more. Her hands trembled.
“Hey, you called?” Wade asked.
“I did. Where are you?”
Silence. Then several male voices, low.
“I’m around. Things are a little complicated right now. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again. I mean, I could come over if you need me too, but unless it’s an emergency, it’s not safe for you and Cadence.”
He had to tell her, it couldn’t be so bad he wouldn’t. It had to be connected to what was in the box. If he came over, then someone might know she had it. But who? Surely he wasn’t this afraid of the police. “What’s going on? I don’t like this.”
“Honestly, it’s best you don’t know.” He paused and sighed. “You didn’t look in the box, did you?”
“What if I did? Would you tell me what’s going on then?” her voice rose and Kristina hated the fear she heard in it.
“I know you’re smarter than that. Look if you want, but I can’t explain anything you find. Not over the phone anyway. I asked you to trust me. You said you’d love me no matter what. Remember? If we’re going to get through this, you’ve got to believe I love you too.” He paused, the phone sounded muffled, as though he covered it with his hand. “I have to go. Just remember, unless the police know you have it, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll come by soon and pick it up.”
“But what if I looked? What then? What if someone finds it and I can’t lie and I tell them I looked? I’m a terrible liar, Wade. The worst.”
“You’re worrying about nothing. For fucksakes, just forget about the damn box,” an edge sharpened his voice.
Kristina shrunk. The paint had begun to chip in the top corner. Wade had said just the other day he’d get someone in to repaint. “Okay.”
The line went dead. She held the phone, startled to be cut off so quickly. She knew what was in the box and that was the problem. She couldn’t forget it.
Doubt swirled in her head, about Wade, about herself, about what to do. The box housed terrible things, more than terrible.
Sinking to her knees, phone still in her right hand, Kristina stared at Cadence’s bouncy chair. Her favorite keys still hung from the tray, next to a half-eaten cookie, mostly slobbered into sogginess. Torn between moral rightness, and what her heart wanted her to do, she had to think of her daughter. Cadence didn’t ask for any of this. Kristine’s priority was her child’s safety, not what her heart pleaded with her to do. Besides, the note she’d heard in Wade’s voice had terrified her, a hard edge that sent shivers down her spine and coated her stomach in ice. Loving him could be too dangerous.
The phone buzzed and the operator’s tinny voice droned on to hang up or try her call again. Kristina looked absently at the phone, hit ‘end,’ and then turned to the basement door. The latch was in place. She’d even moved a small stand with a couple of books and her small CD collection in front of it. As long as the damn box stayed in her house, she’d know nothing but terror and dread. She couldn’t do it. He asked too much.
The phone sounded again and Kristina closed her eyes to still her racing heart.
“Hello, Kristina?”
Amy? Kristina looked at the clock above the TV, just half past nine.
She took a deep breath “Hi.”
Shuffling noises, the sound of a lighter and then Amy clearing her throat. “Hey, you coming back to work? I had to hire two more girls last week. With Wade taking off at all hours and your shifts to cover I’ve been worked to the bone.”
Kristina hesitated “No, I need a few more days.”
“So? Is something wrong?”
“Not really, a bad cold and then the baby caught it too.
“All this time for a cold?” Amy sounded amused and Kristina imagined her rolling her eyes and pursing her lips.
“I also needed a short vacation to straighten things out with Daniel and the house. Wade said it was okay.”
A long pause traveled down the line. “Have you seen him lately?”
“Wade? On my last shift.”
“I mean since,” the voice changed and a feline note entered Amy’s voice.
Kristina frowned. “No.”
“I’m worried.”
Kristine waited, Amy didn’t sound worried at all.
“According to others I’m just the bitchy wife, out to ruin him. But I care, you know? I’m not the awful person he makes me out to be. I’ve spent hours looking for some things he’s going to need. Soon.”
The box. Kristine’s mind reeled.
Amy sighed before continuing, her voice lowered, “He wouldn’t have dropped them by you, would he?”
“Why would he bring a box of his things here?” As soon as the words left her mouth, the room spun and a sickening feeling gripped her stomach.
Silence.
“I see…” Amy’s voice went from conspirator to interrogator, “sweetheart, you’re too pathetic to live in Wade’s world. You can’t even lie properly. I never said anything about a box. Where is it?”
Kristina cringed at her tone. “I—don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You mentioned a box.”
“I—assumed… I thought that’s what you meant…a box of his things. What else to people carry their stuff in?” Pull yourself together. “Look, Amy, I haven’t seen Wade. Really. There’s nothing in this house that belongs to him either. Everything here belongs to me.”
Amy chuckled. “From what I’ve heard, nothing in your house belongs to you. Forget it. Go out wi
th your daughter; enjoy the break. Get your dad to take you to Wonderland or something before the season is over. Know what I mean? Just forget it.”
Kristina’s feeling of strangeness deepened at Amy’s sudden change of tack. Had she believed her? “I don’t know—”
The lighter clicked again, followed by Amy’s deep inhale. “Just forget I called, honey, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Go on. Do something fun with the next couple of weeks. Let me know when you’re ready to come back to the bar. Your job is always there, even if Wade isn’t.”
“Okay, thanks. I really appreciate it” Guilt washed over her. She’d betrayed him.
“Another piece of advice; stay away from Wade. Don’t answer his calls. If he comes over, tell him you’re through with whatever it is you two have. I’m not saying this as his wife. I’m talking woman to woman here. You get me?”
Something in Amy’s voice built a knot of apprehension in Kristina’s gut, it settled into the bottom, leaving her feeling sick.
“Okay, I’ll talk to you soon. Remember, go live your life, and forget about this shit.”
Kristina pushed ‘end’ and stared at the phone.
Why had she mentioned the box? She got scared, that’s what happened. But she was always scared, why did she flake out now? Kristina replayed Amy’s words in her mind.
I’ve spent hours looking for some things he’s going to need. Soon.
She moaned and stared up at the ceiling. Amy had tricked her and she’d fallen for it. Her knuckles whitened, rage replacing dismay. Wade had tried to tell her what he’d done. He said Amy knew where the bodies were buried and she’d refused to understand. She’d heard what she wanted to hear. She’d been so certain he wasn’t a murderer. Cadence gurgled and Kristina straightened, suddenly alert, as if a veil of fog had lifted before her eyes. Did it matter? Did she love Wade less?
If she had a cell phone, she could send a text, although if he had the phone turned off, Wade still wouldn’t know she needed to talk.
I have to warn him.
CHAPTER 21
Wade shifted the truck into park, turned the key, and pulled it from the ignition. His house sat nestled among a generous covering of pine trees, dark and barely visible from the road. From the driveway, it looked like a wide bungalow, modest and homey, but walking around to the back toward the various sheds scattered throughout the property, the house spread out in a U shape.
The basement, which Wade finished a couple of years ago, included a small home theater, weight room and sauna. In the center of the U was Amy’s pride and joy: a massive hot tub ensconced in a deck that wrapped around three sides. He’d built an adjacent room connecting the house and the tub. After Amy had thrown a couple of parties where people came through the house dripping wet, ruining the expensive carpeting in the family room, Wade gave them a space to get out of their wet clothes before entering the house, although sometimes Amy’s guests were too drunk to figure this simple concept out.
He opened the door and jumped down from the truck. Amy hadn’t left the front light on. She’d probably left at noon and never returned. Her car wasn’t out front. She could have parked it out back, where it was supposed to go. Not likely.
She spent more and more time with Carl, neither of them bothering to hide their affair anymore. Wade often wondered what Bailey, Carl’s wife, thought about it all. He rarely saw her though. She didn’t come into the bar as she used to, though her absence could be due to Amy’s presence. He figured that’s where his wife had gone tonight.
He walked to the front door and turned the knob. Unlocked. Grinding his teeth he stepped inside. He’d told Amy over and over to lock the damn thing, not just against burglars, but curious folk who wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in her head should she catch them snooping around. Not that he cared, after the shit she’d caused, he’d be happy to be the curious shooter.
John had called him last week, urging him to set up a meeting with Bill and Thomas. They’d had several visits from a Brother within the police department warning them of an impending raid. The reason for the raid—they’d been told—was a little brunette with a big mouth. Normally a snitch would be dealt with swiftly. Anyone could disappear, and they’d planned to have her ‘leave’ Wade and take off somewhere sunny. They just couldn’t afford for her to go missing right now. She’d done too much talking and her disappearance would raise a lot of red flags in the law-enforcement community. His wife had covered her ass very well. Now they were stuck with her and her flapping gums.
Pausing in the kitchen, he sniffed. Thick smoke and the bittersweet smell of liquor filled the air. Amy was home after all. Peeking into the den, his gaze ran over his empty leather chair, the neat desktop he rarely used displaying an overflowing ashtray and an empty glass. She must have just gone to bed. He slipped off his boots and stepped over to the fridge for a beer. The light caught something at the table to his left and he stiffened.
“Fuck, Amy. You might want to say something next time. Jesus.” He slammed the fridge and stared at his wife.
Seated at the dining room table against the far wall, she smiled, a slow cocky grin, as cigarette smoke curled around her head. “Welcome home,” she murmured. “Anything interesting happen while you were gone?”
Wade shook his head, eyeing her intently and wondering if she’d smoked more than cigarettes. He opened his beer and shrugged his jacket off, and tossed it over the chair next to her before he turned toward the hallway leading to the family room. He wasn’t in the mood for her bullshit and wouldn’t be drawn into a fight.
“Had a nice chat with Kristina,” Amy said.
Wade stopped, alarm tensing every muscle in his body. What the hell was she up to?
She straightened and flipped the cigarette pack between her hands. “I think it’s time you and I made a deal.”
Had she gone nuts? He couldn’t make any deals and she knew it. People knew she had seen too much, talked about the wrong things, he couldn’t give her anything. If he could have she’d have been gone. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but remember who you’re talking to. Although I’d love nothing more than to never look at you again, you know I can’t make any deals.”
Amy, still smiling, butted her cigarette and leaned forward. She wore nothing under her black satin robe. The sight of her naked body, no matter how perfectly toned she kept it, did nothing for him anymore. “I know about the box, honey. Unless you figure out something, talk to your friends and give me what I want, I’ll make sure you’re not the only one who goes down for what’s inside. Your little girlfriend makes an excellent patsy. Well done.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about and neither do you.” Fire spread through Wade’s body, flaring in his chest.
Kristina couldn’t have told. He knew she’d been scared—hell so was he—but she wouldn’t have told Amy. Yet, the certainty on Amy’s face, the simple fact she knew about the box confirmed it. Kristina had panicked. Shit, he should have reassured her more, told her the story of the items in the damn box, but they’d advised him to keep her in the dark. It wasn’t as though he didn’t trust her. God, he trusted her with his life. Not telling her what was in the damn thing was the only way to protect her—or he could have left her out of it and hidden it somewhere else. Shit, he shouldn’t have let the pressure get to him. Bad shit happens when you panic. If he’d thought it through and buried the fucking thing long ago—no. If only’s did nothing. He had to fix what he’d done.
“If you don’t cooperate, Wade, I’ll see to it little Miss Perfect sees the inside of a jail cell real fast.” Amy met his gaze, her dark eyes cold and flat.
She thought she had it all figured out but Wade had a few more aces to play. “You’re threatening me? Anything happens to her, you’ll be the one going down. Just because I’ve put up with your shit up until now doesn’t mean I don’t have limits.”
Amy’s mouth curved into a thin smirk that chilled him. “We’ll see.” She stood and, after straight
ening her robe, picked up her drink and tipped the contents into her mouth, her gaze never leaving his. Slamming the glass on the table, the sound echoing through the empty house, Amy then turned away and walked to the front door to turn the lock.
Wade remained silent as she walked past him and down the hallway but his fury made it difficult not to reach out and grab her. How he longed to see the life drain from her eyes, to see her fear when she realized she’d played her cards wrong and she’d never open her lying mouth again.
He stood for a moment, taking deep breaths and forcing himself to think rationally about the situation. Kristina’s face materialized in his mind, her dimpled smile and trusting eyes gazing up at him. Then it changed. Her eyes filled with tears, her chin trembled and the Kristina that haunted him only a few months ago, scared and alone, returned. Had he done that to her? Had she really betrayed him?
Wade punched the wall, his fist crumbling the drywall next to the doorframe. Pain radiated through his hand and he welcomed it. Kristina had tried to get in touch with him. Three times. He hadn’t answered, afraid someone might be eavesdropping. Amy had manipulated her. She must have. She wanted them to doubt each other. Amy would have worked on Kristina first and now she toyed with him. He wouldn’t let her drive a wedge between them. He trusted Kristina, loved her with every fiber of his being and he had to believe she felt the same. Unlike Amy, Kristina couldn’t pretend, or hide her feelings from him. She’d do the right thing. Amy was his problem, and he would take care of it.
CHAPTER 22
The trip to Canada’s Wonderland exhausted Kristina, although it had been worth it to see Cadence’s eyes lit up with amazement. After Amy mentioned it, she thought it’d be a good way to clear her head. The trip only earned her a sunburn and a depleted bank account.
Once home, the reality of her situation loomed. She thought of Wade often, and the more she thought about what Amy said and how Wade had changed momentarily on the phone, the more terrified and uncertain she became.