The Beginning After

by Kiersten Modglin

  Seven

  PEIGHTON

  When Peighton woke up the next morning, the doorbell was ringing. “Isabel!” she shouted. When it rang again, she glanced at the clock hanging on her bedroom wall. 7:10. Where was she? She frowned, her memory coming back as she vaguely remembered telling Isabel to take the rest of the week off. She’d be home, after all, with no job to do, since her job, running her husband’s campaign, was now nonexistent.

  She pushed herself out of bed, throwing the heavy comforter back, and stumbled across the room still half-asleep. Running a quick hand through her hair and tugging at her t-shirt, she dashed out of the bedroom, hurrying down the hall. The bell rang again. “I’m coming!” she hollered. She swung open the door quickly, unsure of who to expect, and took in a breath. “What are you doing here? What do you want?”

  Drew held his hands up quickly. “Wait! Don’t…I know you want to slam the door in my face, and you have every right to, but please just hear me out,” he spoke fast, begging her to listen.

  “Why would I ever do that? You don’t deserve to be heard out. Not after everything you’ve done.” She threw her hand on her hip, the other still on the door handle.

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t. I don’t. But please, I just wanted to see you. To say I’m sorry for the way we left things. I’m sorry for what it’s done to your husband. To ask your forgiveness.”

  “It’s not my forgiveness you need, Drew. It’s Todd’s. And he’s not around to give that anymore. So, you should just go, because honestly, I’m the least of your concerns. If Frank sees you, you’re in for it.”

  “Frank isn’t here.”

  “What?” she asked, looking out to the driveway. He was right, Frank’s black sedan was missing.

  “He left. Early this morning.”

  “What? Have you been watching me? Stalking us?”

  “Yes, well, no, not stalking you. Just watching. I knew I couldn’t come around when Frank was here, I’m not stupid. I just needed to be alone with you for a few minutes and yes, I know how that sounds, but can I please just come in? I’m not trying to upset you, Peighton…honestly, I’m not. I’m here to do the right thing. I want to make amends for the trouble we caused.”

  “Trouble?” she asked, her voice raising. “My marriage was almost ruined, Drew, it wasn’t just a little trouble. Todd’s career could have been put into jeopardy, even his life had it gone too far. And I know that’s not entirely on you, I do, we’re all to blame for what we allowed to happen, but you have no business being here. My husband is dead, and I have a son here. We have a son who I need to protect. He’s all that I have left. And he’s completely innocent in all of this. He can’t know about you. Not now and not ever. It would destroy him to know what we did. If he ever found out the truth…he’d never forgive us.”

  “I don’t want to mess anything up for you, Peighton. Or Kyle. Or Todd, for that matter. I only want to fix what I messed up.”

  “How? There’s nothing left to say, Drew. What’s done is done. Don’t come here again.” She pulled the door closed, the sunshine blinding her as it bounced off the glass.

  “Mom?” She heard his voice behind her, causing her to spin around swiftly.

  “Oh, Kyle.” The look on his face told her he’d heard everything. “Wait, honey!” She chased after him as he turned to run to his room. The weight of his bedroom door slammed into her as she tried to press it open. “Kyle, please…open…the…door.” She struggled to push the words out, all her strength wasn’t enough to keep the door open. It slammed shut, knocking her back.

  “Who was that guy, Mom?” he demanded through the door.

  “Just open the door and I’ll explain everything, I promise,” she told him, rubbing her shoulder.

  “Why should I?”

  “Because, Kyle, you deserve to know the truth.” Though she wasn’t ready to give it to him.

  “I heard the truth. I heard everything you said. You cheated on my dad! You cheated on him and it almost ruined everything. And now he’s dead and you’re probably happy because now you can go be with that guy.”

  “What?” she asked, all of the power suddenly out of her voice. Tears filled her eyes again as her mouth slumped open, unable to speak.

  The bedroom door opened then, her son, with more anger in his eyes than she’d even known possible, stared her down. “How could you do this to him, Mom? When all he ever did was love you? I’ll never forgive you for this. I hate you for what you did. I. HATE. YOU!” He shoved past her, running out of the house without looking back.

  “Kyle, wait!” she called after him, unable to move from the spot he’d left her in. Since the beginning of his angsty teenage years, Kyle had told her he hated her a few other times. This time, however, was different. She’d felt it in her bones. This time, he’d meant it. And as she sat there in the threshold of his bedroom she realized, she couldn’t give him a reason not to.

  Eight

  PEIGHTON

  Peighton stared out the window into the dark sky, watching anxiously for her son. It was nearing midnight and he still hadn’t returned any of her calls, or better yet, come home. She took a sip of her coffee, surprised that it had already turned cold. Where in the world could he be? She considered calling his friends’ parents, but she wanted to give him whatever space he needed. Still, she couldn’t help worrying about him. Her son wasn’t known to be rash, but after the way things had happened, she couldn’t blame him for acting out. When he finally came home, she promised herself she would sit him down and explain everything.

  She stared around the empty room. It was much too quiet. It was rare that she had the house completely to herself, even more unusual that it happened overnight. She should take advantage of the quiet, she realized, watch a show that Todd had hated, read a book even…but everything just made her feel more alone than she knew she was. She would have gladly argued with Todd over the remote just to have him there one more day.

  Her cellphone chimed, causing her to jump. She set her cup of coffee down, pulling the phone from her robe pocket. “Hello?” she called into it.

  “He’s here.” Frank’s voice came over the line.

  “Who’s there?”

  “Kyle. Who else?” he asked.

  “Oh, thank god. Is he all right?”

  “Of course he is. Wouldn’t I have led with ‘hey, your kid’s missing an arm’ if something had happened to him?”

  She couldn’t help but smile at his usual dark humor. “I’ve been so worried. Are you bringing him home?”

  “Nah,” he said. “He seems pretty upset. I’ll let him stay here for the night and calm down. I’ll bring him home tomorrow. What happened, anyway?”

  “Drew was here.”

  “What?” he asked, lowering his voice.

  “Yeah, this morning. I told him to leave but not before he went on and on about the affair and trying to make amends. Kyle heard the whole thing.”

  “Son of a bitch. No wonder the kid’s a wreck,” he said gruffly. “I told him to get lost last night and he left. I never thought he’d come back.”

  “Worse than that, Frank, he watched us. Waited until you left this morning.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. It was creepy. If I wasn’t so worried about Kyle it would have me a lot more freaked out. You don’t think he’d try to…you know, hurt us or anything?”

  “No,” he said quickly. “No. The guy’s bark is worse than his bite. You’re safe, Peighton. You and Kyle both. If it makes you feel better, I can come over for a few nights just to be on the safe side, though.”

  “What?” she asked, taken back.

  “I said I can come over for a few nights. You know, keep watch, that sort of thing.”

  “I heard what you said…are you not going to be working here anymore? Why wouldn’t you be here every night?”

  He paused. “I thought you knew. I mean, my job was to protect Todd.” He spoke slowly, as if begging her to catch on. “I just as
sumed with him, you know, gone—”

  “That we wouldn’t need you anymore.” She pressed her lips together, this revelation a devastating blow. Just one more thing from her old life that would disappear now.

  “Look, Peighton, if you guys still need me, of course I’ll still be there for you. It’s just…Todd was like my brother, but he was also my biggest source of income. With him gone, you’re out of a job, I’m out of a job. He was kind of our glue, you know?”

  “Of course,” she said, feeling her cheeks flush. “Yes, you’re right. I just hadn’t realized, I guess. I hadn’t even thought about it. That’s why you were gone this morning.” It all fell into place in her mind.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to upset you.”

  “No. You aren’t. I mean…I feel like I’m losing someone else now too, but you’re right. I can’t expect you to be here anymore. Todd is gone. Everything changes.”

  “I’m still here. Just…not in the way that I was before. I can’t be.”

  “I understand. I’m just emotional right now. I’m going to go.”

  “Don’t be like that—”

  “Take care of Kyle for me, okay? And bring him home tomorrow morning.” With that, she ended the call, unable to speak anymore in fear of bringing on more tears. He was right, of course. Had she thought about it, she would’ve realized things would have to change, but that didn’t make this any easier. All around her, pieces of her life were falling apart. She walked to the kitchen, pouring out her cold coffee and replacing it with a dash of tequila.

  Nine

  PEIGHTON

  Peighton awoke with a jolt, covering her ears. “What the—” she asked, jumping out of bed in a dazed state. The alarm blared through the house, a deafening roar. Her pulse raced, head pounding. Someone was in the house.

  She ran to the closet, grabbing the closest thing she could find: a baseball bat. Todd had a gun safe, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember the code. The landline phone began ringing, causing her to let out a scream. They’d only gotten it for the alarm system, she’d even told Todd it was ridiculous to put a line in the bedroom, but he’d insisted. She sent a silent prayer of thanks up to her husband who was, of course, saving her life and winning arguments even in death.

  She picked it up with shaking hands. “H-Hello?”

  “Ma’am, this is Heather with SecureHome Security. We’ve received a distress alarm from your residence. Is everything all right?”

  “No,” Peighton said, tears suddenly filling her eyes. She couldn’t help but be thankful Kyle was far away from the house at that moment. “No. I don’t know what’s going on. Please send help.”

  “Absolutely, ma’am,” Heather responded quickly with the direct professionalism of someone who had been trained for this. “First Responders are on their way to you right now, Mrs. Claiborne. Would you like to stay on the phone with me until they arrive?”

  “Yes,” Peighton said, her gaze bouncing around wildly at her surroundings.

  “Great,” Heather said. “Are you somewhere safe?”

  “I’m in my bedroom, hiding in the closet.”

  “Okay, good. The police will be there soon. Can you tell me what you see?”

  “Nothing. I’m hidden with the doors shut.”

  “Okay, what about what you hear? Can you hear anything? Anyone?”

  She tried to peek through the crack between the doors. Before Peighton could respond, the door to her bedroom was flung open and someone walked in, gun in the air. She covered her mouth quickly, barely catching her scream. She dropped the phone in fear, scooting toward the back of her closet. She could see the shadow of the man walking closer to the closet doors, fear pounding in her chest. She knew her heart would explode at any second.

  “Are you still there?” she heard the operator’s voice through the phone’s speaker, but it was too far away for her to reach. The closet door swung open and Peighton screamed, throwing her hands up in the air, immediately dropping her only weapon and launching herself onto her back. The attacker grabbed her hands.

  “Hey, woah! Peighton, Peighton! It’s me! Calm down! What’s going on? Who’s here? Where are they?” She opened her eyes, shocked and relieved to see Officer Nealson standing in front of her. He pulled her to her feet. “Who’s here?” he asked again.

  “I don’t know…” she said breathlessly, shaking her head. “What on earth are you doing here?”

  “Stay here,” he instructed.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  Without responding, he turned, headed out of the bedroom and into the hallway with his gun raised. She watched him disappear into the laundry room before she bent down, reaching for the phone on the ground.

  “Ma’am? Ma’am, is everything all right?” the dispatcher’s frantic voice called over the line.

  “Yes,” Peighton said, “yes, I’m all right. My friend is here. He’s checking the house now. He’s a police officer, so I’m okay.”

  “There’s a police officer on the scene now?”

  Peighton clutched her chest, trying to catch her breath. “Yes.”

  “Okay, great. Do you feel safe now?”

  “I do.”

  “Okay then. The rest of the responders should be with you soon. As long as you feel completely safe, it’s okay to hang up now. We can stay on the phone if you’d like, though.”

  “It’s okay. I’m safe. I’ll hang up,” Peighton confirmed, feeling her heartrate finally slowing down. I’m safe, she repeated once again in her head. “Thank you so much.”

  With that, she pressed the button, allowing the line to go dead. When the officer came back into the room, he shook his head, holding a hand out for her. “It’s okay, the coast is clear. I called in to dispatch to let them know that I’m here. The other officers just pulled up. Let’s go into the living room to meet them.”

  She took his hand, allowing him to pull her from the closet. “How did you…I mean…why did you…how…what are you doing here?” she stammered.

  “I was in the neighborhood, heard the alarm going off,” he said simply.

  As they walked into the living room, Peighton heard a man’s voice. “318 to dispatch, show me on scene.” She heard the buzz of his walkie before he entered through the open door. “Nealson.” He greeted him before turning to Peighton. “I’m Officer Kendrick.” He held out his hand to shake hers.

  “Peighton Claiborne,” she said.

  “The house is clear, I’ve already done a sweep. Point of entry was the front door, it was standing wide open when I arrived. It doesn’t look like it was forced open though, I didn’t see any damage.”

  Officer Kendrick took notes as Nealson spoke. They both looked at Peighton. “Did you see anything? Hear anything?”

  “Just the alarms going off. They woke me up. The alarm company called me and then called you guys.” She pressed her lips together, feeling incredibly damsel-in-distress-like.

  “Is anyone else home?”

  “No. My maid is off for the night. It’s just me and my son other than that, and he’s staying with a family friend tonight.”

  “Okay, good. Does anything appear to be missing?” He glanced around the room. Peighton followed his gaze. The TV was still in place, laptops didn’t appear to have been touched. Her jewelry was all in her room and no one had entered there.

  “I don’t believe so. I haven’t been able to check everything yet.”

  “Good. That’s good.” They all turned to the door as another set of footsteps could be heard approaching them.

  “320 to control, 10-4,” the new face, a third officer, said into his radio before looking at them. “Perimeter is secure, there aren’t any signs of forced entry anywhere. The ground’s too wet for a good set of footprints right now. Anything?”

  “No. It doesn’t look like anything’s missing. The front door was open when Officer Nealson got here and the perp was already gone. Probably got scared off by the alarm before he could get what
ever he came for.”

  “Or whoever,” Peighton mumbled under her breath, causing the officers to stare her way.

  “Do you know who could’ve been here? Do you believe you’re in danger?”

  She thought first of Drew, who had admittedly been stalking her house the night before, but knew better than to mention it. She shook her head instead. “No, not really. I just think it’s strange that my husband’s death happened not two weeks ago and now we’ve had our first break-in in all the time we’ve lived here.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Well, what if the person who killed my husband is after me too?”

  Officer Nealson put his hand on her back. “Peighton, don’t let yourself get worried thinking about that. Most likely, someone broke in knowing that you’d be here alone. It was probably some dumb kid just trying to get his hands on something valuable, and that’s if it was anything. The door doesn’t look damaged, for all we know the door wasn’t latched properly and the wind caught it just right, causing it to open.”

  Officer Kendrick nodded. “He’s probably right, ma’am. If there’s something that makes you think otherwise though, you can tell us. We’ll check into it for you.”

  She didn’t answer, her mind racing. If she told them about Drew, Frank would be furious. But was it worth it to risk her life? She shook her head. She was being crazy, Drew wasn’t dangerous, disturbed maybe, but not dangerous.

  She shrugged. “No, I’m sure you’re all right. I’m just a little shaken.”

  The two officers looked at each other, the first putting his pen and notepad away. “Okay then. Since there doesn’t seem to be anything missing and no one’s hurt, we’re going to go. If you need anything, you just call. We’ll have someone patrol your street for the next few nights to be sure we don’t have any trouble.”

  “Thank you,” Peighton said, clasping her hands together in front of her as her anxiety grew. The two officers turned, walking out the door with a final nod goodbye. She watched them pull away before turning to the officer beside her. “Officer Nealson—” she began.