by Amy Cross
She stares silently at me.
What the hell's her deal? I figured she'd get straight on with the questions, but she seems to be waiting for me to get started. I guess maybe this is her way of making an impact and unsettling me. If that's the case, it's working pretty well.
"So," she says eventually, with a big, fake smile. "Let's start at the beginning, Cassie. Who really killed Bobby Madison?"
Fisher Benhauser
"Are you sure you have to go to work today?" Edie asks, pressing her naked body against mine under the sheets. "You have to take a day off sometime. Why not today? My mother's got Donovan and we can do whatever we want." She runs a hand across my bare chest before kissing my shoulder. "We don't even have to get out of bed. We could just stay here and enjoy ourselves. When was the last time we had some time like this?"
"We need the money," I reply, kissing the top of her head. "I can't turn the overtime down. You understand, right?"
"But you're working all the time," she continues, before planting a couple of kisses on my chest. "We have to have a life too, Fisher. We have to reward ourselves for all our good behavior."
"If I don't take the overtime," I reply, "someone else will, and then it'll be harder to get more when I need it."
She kisses my shoulder again. "You've been weird for the past few days," she says after a moment. "I can tell something's on your mind, and..." She pauses, and it's clear that there's something on her mind. Worse still, I'm pretty sure I know what has been bothering her, and this is a conversation I really don't want to have right now. "Tell me it's not that girl," she says eventually. "Tell me Cassie Briggs hasn't got you all worked up."
"It's nothing to do with Cassie," I reply. That's not true, of course, but I know better than to tell my wife the whole story. As far as she's concerned, Cassie's just an old flame who got into trouble and went away. If she knew what really happened, my marriage would probably be over and I doubt I'd ever be able to see my son again. "It's just work," I continue. "I know that's probably hard to believe, but it's the truth. They're cutting hours all over the place, and I really need to show Cooper that I'm keen." I place a hand on her bare belly. "Especially with baby number two on the way next year."
"I know she meant something to you," Edie continues, "but -"
"That was in the past," I reply. "It was nothing. We were just friends."
"You were more than friends," she points out. "Don't lie to me, Fisher."
"Fine," I say with a sigh, "we were more than friends, but it was nothing compared to the feelings I have for you." I pause, feeling a nagging doubt at the back of my mind. Still, I have to convince Edie that I'm telling the truth. "You're my wife," I continue. "You're the mother of my son, soon to be the mother of our second child, and I love you." I watch as a faint smile returns to her face. "The past is the past. All that matters is how you and I feel right now. I don't care about anyone else. I mean, you dated people before you met me, right?"
"Is that what you and Cassie Briggs were doing all those years ago?" she asks. "Dating?"
"It wasn't quite like that," I reply.
"Then what was it like?" She waits for me to answer. "Were you just friends?"
"I guess."
"Were you best friends?"
"We hung out a lot."
"Huh," she says, pausing for a moment. "But you fucked, didn't you? Was that just as friends too?"
"It's complicated."
"Uncomplicate it for me."
"Cassie needed help," I tell her. "She had problems. I was there for her."
"What kind of problems?"
"Nothing much. It doesn't -"
"Don't tell me it doesn't matter," she says quickly. "I need to know what happened between you two. What was wrong with her?"
"There's nothing wrong with her," I say, although I immediately realize that I probably sound way too defensive. "She just had a lot to deal with, and I was there for her. That's all."
"And you fucked her."
"We were close," I reply, trying not to let her see that I'm irritated.
"And then she murdered someone," she says. "That's right, isn't it? She did what everyone says she did, didn't she?"
"It's complicated," I say again.
"How can it be complicated?" she asks. "Either she stabbed a guy to death, or she didn't." Again, she waits for me to answer. "Did she push the knife into that guy's chest, or not?"
"Can we talk about something else?" I reply.
"Why are you trying to defend her?"
"I'm not. I just don't want to talk about it. Cassie Briggs and her problems are in the past, and that's where the whole thing belongs. She's nothing to do with us, Edie, so can you stop digging? She'll probably leave town soon anyway."
"I guess," she replies with a sigh, "but how about this for a deal? Stay in bed for another half hour, and I'll make sure you go to work with a spring in your step and a song in your heart." With that, she grabs one of my hands and places it firmly on her breast. "It's been almost a week since we did it. Don't you miss it? Don't you want to?"
"Tonight," I say, rolling away and getting out of bed. As I grab my clothes from the chair, I carefully make sure not to look back over at her. After all, I already know that she's probably staring at me with a look of concern, maybe even suspicion in her eyes. I should get back into bed and prove that I still find her attractive, but I've got too much on my mind. "I'll be back for dinner," I continue, "and then maybe we can spend the evening together. Your Mom's not bringing Donovan back 'til late, is she?"
No reply.
"Maybe she can keep him 'til tomorrow," I add. "We could have the whole night to ourselves. How does that sound?"
Still no reply.
Once I've gathered my clothes together, I turn and see that familiar look of disappointment on Edie's face. It's an expression I've been seeing too often lately, and I know that we've passed a point of no return in this particular argument. I wish I was better at pretending that nothing's wrong, but the truth is, I've been worried ever since I heard that Cassie was coming home. As much as I hated the thought of her being locked up in prison for five years, at least I knew it meant we were safe. Now she's back, it could all start again.
"What about that other woman?" Edie asks after a moment.
"What other woman?"
"The one I saw you with at lunch yesterday," she continues. "Becky Madison. Bobby Madison's sister. Is she a problem?"
"Becky?" I force a smile. "I don't even like Becky Madison!"
"So you like Cassie, then."
"No!" I say with a sigh. "Cassie and I knew each other back then, but now we're just friends. Hell, we're not even that! We're just two people who used to have a thing, but she doesn't mean anything to me now! And as for Becky, seriously, she's nothing. She's less than nothing. She's just this annoying woman who's probably out to cause trouble for Cassie. That's all! Becky's one of those people who just want to ruin other people's live. I guess she's bitter about her brother, but it's not our problem."
"So why was she talking to you?"
"She just wanted dirt on Cassie," I reply. "I didn't have anything to tell her, so she left. We only talked for a couple of minutes."
"Huh," Edie replies. "Seems like there are a lot of women in town right now who know you from the old days."
"There's no problem here," I reply, trying not to sound tense. "I just..." Pausing, I realize that Edie's jealousy is building up again. I swear to God, she's the best wife a man could ever want, but she constantly grills me whenever she sees me talking to other women. "I told you about Becky," I continue after a moment. "She's in town to help her mother, and she was just saying hi after she spotted me in the street. She's... I mean, I'm not saying she's not trouble, but we're not the ones in her sights. If anyone should be bothered about her, it's Cassie, but that's none of our business. Just forget about it. It's nothing to do with us."
"It's hard," she replies. "I mean, these two women from your past show up,
and suddenly you're not interested in sex."
"I wasn't interested in sex before they showed up either," I reply, before immediately realizing that I've made a mistake. I watch as Edie gets out of bed, quickly covering her naked body with a gown before heading to the bedroom door. "Wait," I say, trying to grab her arm before she can get away. "Edie, listen, you know that's not what I meant! I was just trying to -"
"It's fine," she replies, storming through to the bathroom. "You're right. I forgot. You stopped seeing me like that long before those bitches turned up. It's all just one big fucking coincidence."
"It's not like that!" I call after her, but moments later she slams the door shut and I hear her slide the lock across. I know from past experience that there's no way I can talk my way out of this. She's going to take a long, hot bath, and then when I get back from work I'll have to try to make things up to her. She'll forgive me eventually, but it's going to require a lot of work, and a lot of energy that I just don't have right now. I've spent the past couple of days desperately trying to avoid an argument, but I guess deep down I knew it was inevitable.
"I'll be back around five!" I call out as I get dressed.
No reply.
"Maybe we can go out to eat," I continue. "Why don't you call your Mom and see if she can keep Donovan for the night, and then we'll go to the diner. Does that sound good?" I wait for a moment, hoping against hope that she might calm down. "Think about it," I add. "It'd be good to get out of the house together. Just you and me."
Silence, and then I hear her starting to run a bath.
Sighing, I wander through to the kitchen, grab my keys and head out the front door. Before I get more than a couple of steps toward my truck, however, I notice something carved into the door. Immediately realizing what it must be, I pause before turning to face the inevitable. Some time during the night, someone has carved the name Darper Danver into the front door. I glance along the driveway, but there's no sign of anyone. With a heavy heart, I realize that this can only mean one thing.
She's back.
Cassie Briggs
"Let me see if I've got this straight," Lenora says, staring at the notes she's scribbled on a legal pad. "You have full memory of the events that took place in the cabin. Right?"
I stare at her.
"Is that right, Cassie?"
I nod.
"Okay." She pauses to read the rest of the notes. "You remember everything. No black-outs, no amnesia. You were there the whole time and you saw everything."
I nod again.
"So when you say you don't know who killed Bobby..." She bites her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm struggling to understand how that can be the case, Cassie. If you were in the room with him, during daylight, surely you must know who stabbed him? I mean... you must know."
I stare at her.
"Do you see my problem?" she asks. "I need you to give me something that straightens this mess out. You can't hold anything back from me, Cassie. We don't have to put everything you tell me in the book, but I need to know the details. Honestly, we can work around anything you don't want to include, but you have to trust me. I'm on your side."
"It's complicated," I say, glancing over at the window. I swear to God, I keep expecting Darper Danver to appear. I mean, there's no way she'd just show up, carve her name into the flesh on my back, and then leave me alone. Whatever she's planning, she must be nearby, and sooner or later she'll be showing her face. I just wish I knew what she wanted. Seriously, I'd give it to her in a heartbeat if it'd ensure that things wouldn't spiral out of control again. I can't face her games again.
"This is difficult for me to grasp," Lenora says after a moment. "It's like there's this black hole in your story, and you're refusing to help me out." She waits for me to say something. "Cassie, do you understand that this is the meat of the book? People are very aware that you've never said what really happened up in that cabin, and they're going to be buying this book in the hope of getting some new information. If you persist in holding back -"
"He was alive," I say, interrupting her, "and then later he was dead. There was a lot of blood. I can't tell you any more than that."
"But you didn't kill him?"
"Of course I didn't."
"Then who did?"
I take a deep breath. Why the hell did I ever agree to this stupid book deal? I guess I was maybe considering the possibility of telling the whole truth, but now that Darper's back in Fort Powell, that's no longer an option.
"So it was just you and Bobby in the cabin, right?" She pauses again. "Is that right, Cassie? Was it just the two of you?"
I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"Was there someone else with you? Are you trying to protect someone?"
I shake my head.
"So it was just the two of you? Is that right?"
We sit in silence for a moment.
"Let's try a different approach," she says with a sigh. "There are rumors, and I must stress that they're just rumors and I'm keeping an open mind here, but there are rumors that you and your friends, including Bobby, were dabbing with Ouija and other occult activities. Is there any truth in that claim?"
I open my mouth to reply, but the words catch in my throat. How the hell can I even begin to explain everything that happened?
"Did you try Ouija?" she asks. "Just a yes or no answer would be fine. A supernatural angle could help the book, although it's not what I was anticipating."
"Well..." I pause. "Maybe. I mean, doesn't everyone try that stuff at some point?"
"I didn't," she replies, "but I guess it's not too uncommon for bored teenagers to mess around. I'm sure it can be hard finding things to do in a small town. Don't be offended, but Fort Powell seems like something of a backwater. Boredom often leads kids to experiment with new things, doesn't it? Sex, drugs, alcohol... Is that what happened, Cassie? Were you and your friends bored? Did you try to experiment with new things? Maybe it got out of hand?"
I can't help but smile at her attempt to simplify the whole mess.
"Is something funny?" she asks.
I shake my head.
"Was the Ouija a one-off, or was it something you did often?"
"We did it a few times," I say, preferring not to get into too much detail.
"And this happened up at the cabin?"
I nod.
"Did you ever... get any results?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
I take a deep breath.
"When you used the Ouija board, Cassie, did you make contact?" She pauses. "Do you believe that Ouija boards work?"
"Do you?" I ask.
"I've never tried one," she replies, "but I try to keep an open mind. I find it hard to believe that ghosts are real, but it's not my opinion that counts here. Do you believe in ghosts?"
"I don't know," I reply.
She makes a few more notes on her legal pad. "Have you ever used illicit substances?" she asks eventually.
"No."
"Are you a heavy drinker?"
"No."
"And who was there with you when you used the Ouija board?" She scribbles another note on her legal pad, before glancing back at me. "You were there, obviously. What about Bobby? Was he involved?"
I nod.
"Anyone else?"
I open my mouth to answer, but at the last moment I decide to hold back. There's no point dragging other people into this mess. When people have moved on with their lives, there's no need to remind the world about their past mistakes. Fisher has a wife now, and a son, so I don't see that anyone would benefit from involving him. He's suffered enough in this mess, and if I can protect him, then I have a duty to see that his name isn't mentioned. Besides, Lenora Mackleberry is just a real distract. The real danger here is Darper, and I doubt she gives a damn about anyone apart from me.
"Okay," Lenora says with a sigh, as she makes another note on her legal pad. "I was thinking, Cassie. Maybe we should get out of here. Would you be willin
g to head up to the cabin with me this afternoon? We could take a look around and see if anything jogs your memory. Sitting at the kitchen table for an entire week doesn't really seem like it's going to get the juices flowing, if you know what I mean."
"I don't want to go up there," I reply.
"Have you been there since you got back from prison?"
I pause. "No," I say eventually. The last thing I want is to talk, or even think, about the cabin.
"Tell me how you feel about the prospect of going there." She waits for me to answer. "Does it scare you? Are you worried about ghosts? I don't mean specific ghosts of people from your past. I mean ghosts and spirits in general."
"Ghosts don't exist," I say firmly.
"Are you sure about that?" She smiles. "Isn't it possible that there are things beyond our comprehension? Supernatural things?"
"No."
"You seem very sure about that."
"I am."
She stares at me for a moment. "And yet you admit to having used a Ouija board on multiple occasions. That doesn't sound like the actions of someone who dismisses the paranormal out of hand. It sounds like someone who might be a little bored. Someone who wants some excitement in her otherwise mundane life. It's entirely understandable that you'd turn to something like a Ouija board for a few cheap kicks."
I want to tell her that she's wrong. I want to make her realize that the Ouija board was a totally trivial and unimportant element of our lives back then. Still, she seems to have become fixated on it, which means I can use the damn thing to distract her from the more important elements of the story.
"Nothing happened when we used that board," I reply. "We just messed around with it a few times. Fisher found it in a dumpster, so we just wanted to..." I pause as I realize that I accidentally mentioned Fisher, and I can see that Lenora has quickly scribbled his name down. "Sorry, not Fisher," I continue. "Bobby was the one who found the board. It was in a dumpster on Carlisle Street, and really we just liked it 'cause it looked cool. It was colorful and kinda spooky, so we figured we could play with it for a while."
"And Fisher -"
"Fisher wasn't involved," I say quickly. "Not at all."