Gradually, he started moving and moaning louder. She could tell he was trying to free his arms and legs. He swung his legs forward and almost kicked her. She moved out of his reach, then went back to the wall and sat down in front of him.
Jack coughed forcefully and struggled to breathe. “What … what did you spray in my eyes?”
“Wasp spray.”
“Jesus! Sara?” His voice fell. “Why? Why would you do this to me?”
Sara shook her head. “Well, let’s see. Where should I begin?”
* * *
Sara reached into her pocket and switched on the recorder. “I think you have some explaining to do, Jack,” she said.
“I’m not having this conversation. I can’t talk to you like this. Untie me now, damn it. My eyes are killing me,” he shouted as spit flew from his mouth.
“But you did come here to kill me, right?” she asked.
“What? No! I brought you your goddamn money.”
“Hm, well … I see some drugs. I see a gun. I see some rope, but there’s no money here. Nope, it looks like you had other plans for me,” she said.
He was silent, then sighed deeply. “It’s not what it looks like, okay? Really … What do you want from me?”
It was a big question. Sara could’ve kept him there for days, explaining. “For starters, I want to know why you never called me after you made me have the abortion. You remember that, don’t you?” she said as she got up and walked around him.
He turned his head to follow her voice. “That’s why you blinded me?” Sara didn’t answer. “Jesus. I don’t know what you want me to say, Sara. Obviously, you know now that I’m married. I made a mistake. You’re young. You’ll have lots of boyfriends.”
“No. That’s not what I asked. I want to know why you never called me and why you made it so I couldn’t contact you.”
“Look, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the first girl to get dumped. That’s life. It happens. Better learn it now: life is full of disappointments.”
“Wrong answer.” She kicked him in his ribs as hard as she could. He groaned in pain and rolled to the side. “Do you know what happened to me after I left here that day?” She leaned right over him. “Oh no, that’s right, you couldn’t have. Let me fill you in. The next day, I started bleeding a lot and felt sick. I had to drive myself to Planned Parenthood. And guess what? Because of that little procedure your disgusting, dickhead friend gave me, I will never be able to have a baby. Ever.” She felt the rage swell inside her. She was about to kick him again, but stopped herself so that he could respond.
“Shit. I didn’t know … I’m sorry, really I am. I didn’t know.” Jack sounded sincere. “Please, Sara, untie me so I can get something for my eyes.”
“Oh, you’re sorry? Really?
“Let me go!” he shouted.
“Not until you tell me everything. I want to hear you admit that you slept with Rachel Richards.” She moved away from him, leaned back against the wall, and lowered herself to the floor. She held the gun with both hands and pointed it at him.
“You’re wrong. You need to untie me now, or you’re going to be very sorry, little girl.”
Sara aimed the gun at Jack’s knee. She held her breath and pulled the trigger. The jolt of the gun going off made her hand jerk up and to the right. She shot into the wall behind him.
“Holy shit! You almost shot me!” he hollered. She slowly took aim again and, holding her arm more firmly than before, fired the gun once more. His jeans spat out a circle of blood, with more expanding from the hole in his outer thigh.
“Fuck!” he screamed. “You’re fucking crazy!”
“Admit it,” she said.
“Jesus! Fuck. I slept with Rachel. Goddamnit, my leg!” he groaned on. “I’m sorry, okay? Are you happy now?”
“Why did you run Ben off the road?”
“I didn’t do anything to Ben!”
“Liar. I know you ran him off the road, James. Excuse me … Jack. I was there when you told him, behind the door in the hospital, when you admitted it to him yourself.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said between small moans.
She brought up the gun again and pulled the trigger. She hit the wall a second time.
“Wait! Wait! Okay, stop, just stop … Look, he knew about you. He figured out Rachel was going to tell Elena about you, about us. And ….” His voice cracked.
“Did you kill Rachel?”
“No! I went up to get something from the condo and she was there. We got in a fight, and it got physical and she fell off the balcony, but—I swear I didn’t kill her.”
“Why didn’t you tell the police that?”
“I don’t know. I panicked.”
“So you just let everyone think she committed suicide? You almost killed Ben because he found out about me. And now you’re here to what, pay me off to keep quiet?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Yes, okay? I messed up. Look, Elena’s family has a lot of money. I can get it. We can leave here and go off together, somewhere else,” he said, and then he began to weep.
“You’re so pathetic.”
“I’m not happy, Sara. I think about you all the time. I miss you. We can start over,” he said.
She aimed for his shoulder. The bullet entered his bicep.
“Goddamn it!” he screamed.
Sara saw the blood staining his shirtsleeve. “Are you sorry?” she asked again.
“Yes! Oh God, yes. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” He breathed heavily. “I never meant for any of this to happen. You don’t understand—I was about to get married! I’ve struggled all my life. All my life! I was finally going to be part of a family with some real power. Finally….” He shook his head. “Rachel was going to ruin everything. None of this would have happened if she just kept her stupid mouth shut … I never meant to hurt her.”
“Did you kill her?”’
“I already told you,” he said, more exasperated. “She fell.”
“I’m aiming for your kneecap now, but I’m not a very good shot. I could hit your head,” she said.
“No, wait! … To hell with it—yes! Did you hear me? I did. But, I didn’t mean to, I told you I panicked. She was about to run down to tell Elena everything. We fought. I lost my cool. I hit her over the head with a frying pan. She was out cold. It all happened so fast. I … I didn’t know what to do,” his voice cracked, “so I threw her over the balcony.” He began to cry forcefully. “I was so desperate. I’m so sorry. I’m not a monster. Please believe me, I’m not a monster .…”
So there it was. Ben had been right all along. Sara shouldn’t have been surprised, but even after all of this, she found it hard to swallow. Jack killed Rachel.
“You’re such a loser,” she said. “And I’m such an idiot for ever getting involved with you.” She knew she had to get one last confession out of him. “Tell me, are you really sorry, or just sorry you’re here now, exposed?”
“Yes! God! I’m sorry! How many times do you need me to say it?”
“Are you sorry for what you did to me?”
“Of course!”
“Are you sorry for trying to kill Ben?”
Jack grunted. He yelled as loud as he could, “Help me, somebody help me!”
Sara was unmoved. She really didn’t care if someone heard him or not. “Are you sorry for trying to kill Ben?” she asked again.
“Yes, I’m sorry that fat-ass didn’t die!”
She paused and aimed the gun. “Fuck you, Jack.”
“Sara, Sara, don’t. Please don’t. I am sorry, really,” he wailed. “Please.”
She fired the gun. The bullet hit the wall no more than a foot above his head. He gasped and tucked what he could of his body into the fetal position.
“Oh God, oh God,” he cried.
Sara sat back slowly and turned the recorder off. She sat for a moment and watched him sob, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction wash over her. She walked o
ver to him and noticed he had peed his pants. Bending down, she took the digital recorder from her pocket and rewound it for a few seconds before holding it to his ear. Her voice came through. Are you sorry for trying to kill Ben? Then his voice: Yes, I’m sorry that fat-ass didn’t die! She stopped the recorder.
“Do you understand?” she asked.
He nodded and continued to weep.
“If I were you, I would disappear. I’m going to keep this—one for myself, one for Elena and one for Edward. The police will be coming for you very soon.”
She grabbed the bags of drugs and paraphernalia and emptied them around his body, then she jammed the wasp spray and duct tape into her backpack along with the gun. She glanced around to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. She took one last look at Jack who now appeared completely defeated. She went over to the kitchen drawers, opened a few until she found a steak knife, then bent down and cut the duct tape that bound his hands. He seemed unaffected that his hands were now free; he remained curled up and continued to cry. She threw the knife on the ground and then slowly, calmly walked out the front door.
It was dark outside and colder than before. The street was still, except for the sound of a barking dog in the distance. Sara let out a deep breath and saw a white cloud of condensation leave her mouth as she exhaled. It’s over, she thought. Whatever happens now, it’s done.
THREE
WHEN NO ONE ANSWERED, Sara checked the address again and then knocked a little harder. After a moment, a woman with fair skin and big, green eyes opened the door. She looked like she had been crying and was obviously very pregnant.
“Dr. Spencer?”
“Yes?” She wiped her nose with a tissue and looked as if she was anticipating bad news.
“Uh, you don’t know me, but I was one of Rachel Richards’ clients. My name is Sara Dishner. Rachel was kinda special to me and—”
“You must be Dish,” Elena said between sniffles.
Surprised, Sara replied, “Yeah, that’s what Ben said.”
“Ben Mosley? You know him?”
“Well, it’s sort of a long story, and, yeah, that’s why I’m here. I have some information about your husband.”
“Do you know where he is?” Elena asked expectantly, with tearful eyes.
“No, but there’s something you need to know….” Sara’s eyes fell to the ground. She hadn’t considered that Elena might not be okay with her hurting Jack. “Can I come in?” She asked.
“Um…” Elena hesitated and pressed her lips together. “Sure, please.” She moved aside. “Excuse the mess. I’m in the middle of packing.”
Sara entered the condo and stood by the entrance waiting for Elena to lead her in. There were large picture frames and books on the floor, and big, open moving boxes scattered around the room.
“Here, let me take your jacket. I’ll clear some things off the table. We can sit in the dining room.”
Sara took the digital recorder out of the pocket before handing over her jacket.
“Would you like something to drink?” Elena asked.
“No. Thanks.”
Elena waddled to the dining room, removed some books and shoe boxes off the table and put them on a chair. She carefully maneuvered her big belly to the side and sat down, signaling for Sara to take a seat. They sat across from each other. Soft chamber music played from speakers on the wall. Sara noticed the empty china cabinet behind Elena was missing a large glass pane, and the smaller glass door by its side was severely cracked.
“So, what is it?” Elena asked politely, eyes wide with fear.
Sara hesitated. It also dawned on her that Elena was in a fragile state and may not be able to handle what she was about to say. Sara had come to think of Elena as her rival. She was Jack’s wife, after all. He had wanted Elena to have his baby and had made Sara abort hers. Sara had thought she might even feel good about telling Elena that Jack had lied to her, too. But now, seeing her in person, she was kind, and Sara felt apprehensive.
They were silent for what felt like an eternity. Then, not knowing what else to say, Sara asked, “How’s Ben?”
“He’s better. He’s going to be okay, but he still has a long way to go. He’s extremely lucky. No one thought he’d make it.”
Sara gathered her courage and placed the digital recorder on top of the glass table in front of her.
“What’s that?” Elena asked softly.
“It’s something I think you’ll want to hear. But, maybe not. So let me tell you the gist of it first, and then you can decide. Okay?”
Elena looked at Sara warily and nodded her head.
Sara went on to tell Elena about how she met James, about falling in love with him, getting pregnant and the botched abortion. She then told her about going to see Rachel right before she died.
“And did you get to talk with her?” Elena asked.
“Yes, I did. In fact, that’s when Rachel realized that my boyfriend James … was your husband Jack.”
Elena’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Sara nodded. “Yeah, I know. Apparently, Jack slept with Rachel right before you guys got married. She had been keeping it a secret for a long time until she found out the jerk I was dating was the same guy.” Sara looked at Elena who was staring at her blankly. Elena’s mouth fell open as Sara continued. “After I told her what happened to me, she came here to tell you. But you weren’t here.” Sara looked into the kitchen and saw the hanging pot rack with dangling cast iron pans in various sizes. She thought that must have been where Jack grabbed the pan he used on Rachel. “You weren’t here, but Jack was. He told me they got into a fight. He knocked her unconscious, panicked and threw her body over the balcony.”
Elena sunk in her chair. She started to tremble and shake, her eyes becoming craters of tears. They ran down her face and stained her powdery foundation. Elena grabbed a fresh tissue to wipe her face and blow her nose.
Sara began to feel remorseful. “I met with him last night. I got him to come clean about everything,” she said.
“He told you…” Elena hesitated. “He told you he killed Rachel?”
“It’s all here.” Sara tapped the digital recorder. “I taped the whole thing. You can hear it for yourself.”
Elena shifted in her chair and cleared her throat. She paused for a moment, and her face grew expressionless. She breathed slowly and closed her eyes.
“I don’t need to,” she said, and then let out a long, exaggerated sigh. Her shoulders fell back. “I knew something wasn’t right.” She breathed in again, quieter this time. “Sometimes we don’t want to see what’s right in front of us.”
She reached for the digital recorder and casually inspected it. “I had a feeling,” she said. “The day Rachel died, Jack and I came home briefly to pick up my phone. He ran up to get it while I waited in the car. It only felt like a few minutes, but the truth is, I fell asleep. It happens a lot when you’re pregnant, especially in the first trimester. Anyway, Jack said it had only been five minutes. I had no reason not to believe him. But I didn’t tell the police I fell asleep. I was scared they would suspect him. I guess I was protecting him.” She put the recorder back down and looked at Sara. “The truth is there were times after that when he would say something, or do something, or look at me in a way that made me feel uneasy—like I didn’t know him—but I would quickly dismiss it, because, well….” She looked down and gently rubbed her pregnant belly. Tears began to run down her face again. She looked up at Sara. “Where is he?”
“He either bled to death under a bunch of meth in his kitchen, or if he’s lucky, he’s as far away from here as possible.” Sara suddenly realized the callousness of her words. “Sorry.” She gazed at the table.
Elena grimaced, closed her eyes again and began to message her temples. “Why didn’t you just go straight to the police?”
“I don’t do police, at least not voluntarily. Anyway, I thought you’d want to know firsthand. I really don’t care what happens to
me anymore. I thought I would feel better after he was gone, but I don’t,” she confessed. “I don’t feel anything.”
Elena struggled to get up from her chair and walked over to the window. She stood quietly staring at the city stretched out before her. “I had a feeling something really bad happened when he didn’t come home. And…” She hesitated and looked back at Sara. “I found something I couldn’t make sense of, at least until now.” Sara looked at her inquisitively. Elena continued, “I was clearing out the closet this morning and pulled out one of Jack’s sports jackets. It was still wrapped in plastic from the dry cleaners and had an envelope attached to the top.” She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out a small object. “I found this.” She put the gold earring on the table.
Sara picked it up and inspected it. She looked at Elena and shrugged.
“It was Rachel’s. I bought her those earrings on my honeymoon. Somehow, it got into the seam of Jack’s pocket.”
Sara held the earring up and tilted her head to the side, watching the light bounce off the tiny black stones.
“I remembered he was wearing that jacket that day, too,” Elena said solemnly. She came back to sit down at the table again. They sat there for a while, each staring in different directions, in near silence. The soft classical music was the only sound in the room.
Sara wondered if she should leave to let Elena be by herself. She was just about to get up when Elena suddenly asked, “And you know what’s so ironic?” Elena grimaced. “I’ve never told anyone this, but I was in love with Edward for years, and Rachel never even knew.”
“What?” Sara frowned.
“Yep,” Elena said, pressing her lips together and shaking her head slowly like she couldn’t believe what she’d just pieced together. “I met Edward while I was in medical school. He asked me out, but I was dating someone else at the time. We became friends and I introduced him to Rachel. They fell in love and got married shortly after. But, just by coincidence, Ed and I did our residency together—we spent a lot of time together—and I started having strong feelings for him. I kept it to myself until I couldn’t hide it anymore.” She smirked and shook her head slowly. “One day, I just broke down and admitted my feelings. He was so sweet … Things got … complicated. He was confused, and in the end, he just couldn’t betray Rachel.” Elena brought her eyes up to meet Sara’s. “He loved her too much.”
Rachel's Folly Page 17