When they ran out of ideas, they spent some time fine-tuning the list, weeding out any that were unnecessary or repetitive.
TJ complained. “Shit! Gonna have to start from square one with this list!”
Lisa said, “It might seem like a lot, but with this list we’ll have a better handle on what to ask their friends. You just never know what may be a link between them.”
Finding a link, if one even existed, was looking like an insurmountable task. The group was discouraged.
Lisa was certain she’d never again have a good nights sleep. She got out of bed and went downstairs for some of her ‘Forty-winks Tea.’
She found Eric sitting at the island eating a sandwich, the day’s paper spread out around him.
“Did you go back to work?”
“Yes. Three new cars came in today, and we’re having some problems with the website. Bad night for sleeping?”
Lisa laughed, looking down at her robe and slippers. “How could you tell? And I think I’ve lost a dog—Phanny hasn’t left Tina’s side since she arrived.”
Lisa put on a kettle for her tea and sat down next to Eric.
“I’m sorry you couldn’t sleep.”
Lisa thought he looked tired. “It’s been hard to lately with everything that’s been happening.”
“How are things going with Teresa and Tina? Are they comfortable staying here for the time being?”
“Of course. Teresa was thrilled with your offer to stay.”
“Tina’s going to be ok, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she’s doing better by the hour now that she has her mother.”
“Thanks to TJ. Did she ever tell you how she managed that?”
“Yes. She said don’t ask and she won’t tell.”
“That’s what I thought.”
They sat for a few minutes without talking. Then Eric turned to her and said, “I’ve always wanted to ask you something. Haven’t you ever been at all uncertain about Jeff and me?”
“You mean about the possibility one of you killed your wife? After I had a couple sessions with Jeff there was no doubt in my mind that he had nothing to do with his wife’s disappearance. And I respected TJ’s opinion of you.” She’d already admitted to herself that his being a pain in the butt didn’t make him a murderer. Lisa hadn’t told anyone that she had moments of distrust for the man, despite their getting along better.
“I wish the rest of the world agreed with TJ’s opinion.”
“Is that why you’re no longer practicing medicine?”
“More or less. When I got out of jail I found out my name was anathema in the medical community. My privileges were revoked at the hospital. I still have my license to practice, though.
“There must have been somewhere you could have worked.”
“Sure, if I wanted to live in a desert or a jungle and travel by camel. But seriously, I enjoy what I do. When I was still practicing I made some very wise investments that have allowed me to live this way. I’ve been fortunate.”
Lisa pushed herself away from the counter. “I think I’m finally feeling sleepy.”
Before she could get up, he covered her hand with his, gave it an affectionate squeeze, and said, “It was nice talking with you.”
As she went up the stairs, the hand that he’d touched felt warm, and Lisa had to shift her thoughts to something else before she started to reflect on her sudden attraction to Eric Schindler.
71
The following morning Teresa came into the kitchen to start the first pot of coffee. She scooped out the coffee, stewing about her daughter. Tina’s nightmares were probably normal under the circumstances but Teresa worried about the girl. It had taken nearly an hour to get her back to sleep after the last one. Teresa couldn’t find the bear Jeff had given Tina, which had made matters worse. The girl loved it.
While the coffee did its thing, she looked around for the bear, stopping at the closed door to Eric’s office. Eric had warned her not to let Tina go inside, but you never knew with kids. Teresa entered the room, flicking on the overhead light.
She froze at the sight of the whiteboards spread out in a semi-circle in the middle of the room, photos of women’s faces heading them. Fifteen pairs of eyes stared at her. Teresa wanted to run but stopped in her tracks. “Madre de dios!” Locked in place, she crossed herself. The fourth woman from the left was Diane Jadzewski, a woman she used to work with. She scurried from the room, praying for Diane’s soul. She’d heard enough of their conversations to know—these women had all been murdered.
Jeff wandered into the kitchen, lured by the smell of the strong brew. Teresa stood at the stove, her arms tight about her abdomen. When she saw Jeff, she burst into a string of Spanish. He had no clue what she was saying, but knew by her hysterical speech, it wasn’t good.
“Slow down.” He took her shoulders and sat her down. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She wrung her hands. “The pictures!”
“What pictures?”
She pointed to Eric’s office. “In there. I was looking for Tina’s bear.”
“Couldn’t you find the bear? Is that what’s wrong?”
“No, no! Not that. It’s Diane—she’s one of them!”
Jeff breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Lisa walk into the kitchen. She’d do a much better job of handling Teresa. He told Lisa what had happened.
Teresa grew silent as Lisa explained to her that right now, they really had no idea what had happened to her friend. “We talked to her parents and they think Diane ran away because of her husband. She may be perfectly fine; we don’t know for certain what happened to any of those women.”
Teresa pressed a tissue to her face.
“Teresa,” Lisa said softly, “what can you tell us about her?”
“She was my boss. But nice person, we talked sometimes. About our men.”
“Did she tell you anything about her husband?”
Teresa sniffled into a balled-up Kleenex. “Yes. He hurts her. We talked about it sometimes. But last time I see her, she was happy. She met someone and was getting divorce.”
“Did she tell you anything about him?”
“No. Just that he very nice.”
Lisa’s hopes sank like a wet tea bag. “Anything you remember would help, Teresa. Did she say what he looked like?”
“Oh yes! I forget—she say he very handsome. Tall, big shoulders. Nice body.”
“Anything else she might have said about him? How he dressed? His car? Any tattoos? Glasses?”
Teresa hugged herself, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Nothing else.”
“Thank you, Teresa. You’ve been very helpful. We’re trying to find your friend. And all those other women. If you remember anything else, just let us know.”
Teresa sniffed, obviously relieved that the questioning was over, and went to give Tina her breakfast.
Lisa looked up. Jeff had left the room.
72
Once more filled with an anxiety that wouldn’t let her drift into sleep, Lisa got out of bed and walked into the living room of the small apartment. Was fear keeping her awake? There was no other answer for what was happening to her tonight. Loneliness swept through her, bringing with it Tyler’s face.
An excuse to call him popped into her mind—the flowers. She’d never acknowledged his gift. Forgetting there was good reason for her oversight, she opened her phone.
Tyler’s voice, thick with sleep, answered. “Hey.”
“It’s me.”
She heard the rusting of bedclothes. “Lisa.”
“Yeah.”
His response came lightening fast. “I miss you.”
“Me too.” Her pride, what little remained, wouldn’t let her be the one to suggest they meet. And she couldn’t invite him to Eric’s, didn’t want him to know she wasn’t staying at her own house.
He was waiting for her in the doorway when she pulled up at his house. They grabbed for each other the minute the door closed. His mouth met
hers, hungry on lips that opened to welcome him.
They made their way to his bedroom without breaking the embrace, leaving a trail of clothing in their wake. Every ounce of her being became one with him, every compartment of her brain closing off to everything but the thrilling sensation of his body melding with hers, her eagerness to feel him inside her.
Moving together with the sweet familiarity of long-time lovers, they made love with a passionate urgency. Her climax, when it came, left her with a peacefulness that had been missing in her life for weeks.
As she drifted off in his arms, she told herself it would only be for a minute. When she awoke and saw it was nearly 4:00 a.m., she leapt out of bed. Tyler didn’t wake up. Filled with a rush of guilt, she dressed hurriedly and ran out into the night, the dangers of being alone forgotten.
Lisa flinched at sound of the garage door opening, praying no one heard it. She opened the doorway leading to the apartment quietly, carefully disarming the alarm and resetting it behind her. She moved stealthily up to her quarters and opened the door.
Eric was sitting on the couch, a bottle of scotch on the coffee table in front of him. The room reeked of cigar smoke.
He stood, picking up the bottle, his dark eyes angry. “I was about to call the police before I saw that your car was gone.”
She wanted to ask why he’d come up here looking for her, but thought better of it. “I’m sorry if I worried you.” Inadequate, but what could she say? She’d been lonely, horny? “I couldn’t sleep. I felt like I needed to get out, so I went for a drive.”
Eric moved toward her. When he spoke, he was close enough for her to smell the scotch on his breath. “A drive? Honey, I know what a booty trip looks like.” He snorted. “Or should I say—smells like.”
Unable to deny his words, Lisa’s face heated with embarrassment. “I said I’m sorry.” She sniffed the air and muttered, “Surprised you can smell anything.”
“You’re sorry. I worked late tonight because I spent the morning at Danielle’s funeral. You know, the woman who was murdered in place of you? But you must have forgotten about that in your rush to see your young stud.”
“Eric, I know you must be hurting—“
He cut her off. “You don’t know shit! And don’t start throwing your psychology bullshit at me. All that therapy crap ever did for me was cost me thousands of dollars and Kayla was still fucked up. It didn’t stop them from sucking up the money though, even when it did nothing for her.”
When her tears came, Lisa had no idea why. For Eric, Danielle, Kayla, herself?
Eric’s face reddened in a burst of fury. “Oh sure, cry now. “He turned from her, walking to the door.
Lisa grabbed his arm. “Please, let’s talk about this.”
He pulled away from her. “You disgust me,“ he said, slamming the door behind him.
73
Lisa was amazed at how many people straggled in for Thanksgiving dinner. TJ’s sister, Janeen, turned out to be so unlike TJ, it was hard to believe they were related. The cocoa-complexioned woman was soft spoken, her slightly plump body crowned by a head of short braids tipped with tiny red beads that dangled about her smiling face when she talked.
The wonderful aroma of roasting turkey filled the kitchen as Janeen handed Lisa a casserole dish brimming with sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, and another with her homemade cranberry relish. Her children, Lonnie, five, and Jazz, seven, carried in a large, cardboard box filled with games.
Tina hid behind her mother when she saw so many strangers but it wasn’t long until, lured by the stack of games, she joined the other two children on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Lisa was putting finishing touches on the centerpiece when Eric walked into the room. They’d been carefully avoiding each other all day. He broke the awkward silence by asking her about Paige.
“She finally called me back this morning. Her boyfriend made it home yesterday and they were invited to another couple’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. She’s promised to come for Christmas.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Have you told her anything about what you’re doing here?”
“No. I’m going to wait until I see her at Christmas.” Glad he’d broken the silence between them, Lisa was hoping to have a chance to talk to him alone, but knew it might not be possible with so many guests in the house.
The food was set out on the island buffet style, two large, golden turkeys proudly displayed, surrounded by all the traditional accompaniments.
When everyone was seated, their food steaming in front of them, Roland said grace. Seated next to him was Charles, fully recovered from the wounds of his attack.
The talk during the meal was spirited, none of it on the topic of missing women, abuse, or murder. Lisa had a passing, ironic thought how like a normal holiday gathering this scene would seem to an outside observer.
After the meal everyone able to stay headed for the living room to sit by the fire.
When they were all settled, Jeff said, “We forgot something important. We didn’t say what we were thankful for this year. I’m sure everyone can think of something they’re thankful for.”
TJ tilted back in a recliner, eyelids drooping. “Go ahead.”
Jeff grinned. “Sure, I’ll go first. I’m thankful to be sharing this day with all you wonderful friends. And I’m thankful that Tina and Teresa are back together.”
Roland spoke next. “I’m thankful to be here, and thankful for TJ, who introduced me to all you people. And mostly, I’m thankful that Charles is better and we were able to buy the loft apartment we’ve always wanted. We’ll be moving after the holidays, and you’re all invited to our housewarming party.”
The thankfulness traveled around the room until the children followed suit, expressing thanks for all the games, the good food, and for the desserts still to come. Teresa, with misty eyes and a voice choked with happiness, said how thankful she was to have her daughter back and for the people who found her: TJ and Jeff. And Eric, for sharing his home with them.
Lisa was silently thankful for the children, Lonnie and Jazz, who seemed to have done what none of them had been able to accomplish—turn Tina back into a child.
Tina wiggled nervously when the other children looked at her expectantly. She looked around the room, and then ran to Jeff, hugged him, then TJ. To each of them she whispered a shy, “thank you.”
The guests had all left by early evening. Lisa, dressed for the outdoors, went to the back door with Phanny.
Eric asked if he could join them. “I need to move. Burn off those two pieces of pie I ate.”
They went out into the crisp, evening air and strolled the grounds, avoiding the area still cordoned off with yellow crime-scene tape. It loomed in the background, oppressive as a funeral wreath.
Lisa broke the silence. “I think we should ask Maggie if the tape can come down, don’t you?”
“I don’t know. It only happened last Friday.”
It was hard to believe it hadn’t even been a week since a woman had lain dead in that spot. Lisa didn’t want to dwell on it, but knew because of their resemblance to each other, the other woman’s death would weigh on her forever. Pulling her mind from the morbid was an effort, but she wanted to focus on how much she’d enjoyed the day in spite of the tension she’d felt with Eric.
“Eric, this was such a special day. Thank you for everything you put into it.”
“No thanks necessary. You’re right. It was special in spite of everything that’s happened.”
“We can’t overlook the good things we’ve done.”
Eric stopped to adjust Phanny’s collar. “No, but I’ve been thinking about Danielle’s murder. Someone—and I don’t think that someone is Mr. Wysecki—sees you as our ringleader and went after you hoping the rest of us would let it go once you were out of the picture. Danielle’s murder makes me more certain that we’re doing the right thing—this person has to be stopped.”
Lisa’s throat tig
htened. The fear that she’d managed to set aside for the day crept through her like an oncoming case of the flu. She raised her gloved hands to her face to stave off a grimace. “You’re right—about all of it. But you know what I can’t make sense of—what was Wysecki doing here that night?” She exhaled, her breath creating a misty, white vapor in the cool evening air. “That’s a mystery we may never have the answer to unless he explains it to the police.”
Eric turned to her. “There is one more thing I’m thankful for today—you.” When she was silent, he added softly, “You are what holds all of us together.”
She and Eric were avoiding the topic of the night before. They were back on what seemed to be normal ground, but what had happened needed to be discussed.
Lisa stopped walking. “I’m sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have gone out without saying anything. I shouldn’t have gone out at all.”
He turned to her. “Lisa, I was way out of line—I felt like a real horse’s ass today.” He took a deep breath. “I was feeling sorry for myself last night, that’s why I went up to talk to you. I was hoping you’d still be up. I needed a shoulder to cry on, I suppose.” He paused. “I needed your shoulder.”
Lisa, bewildered by the rush of feeling that overcame her with his words, whispered, “I needed someone, too.” She bent down to pet Phanny, who was puzzled that they’d stopped walking. “Everything felt so overwhelming last night. For me, being with Tyler was like getting drunk. I forgot about everything while I was with him. Not the best choice, but no hangover.”
“I understand. Are we okay?”
Lisa felt like her next words would be critical to any friendship or relationship she’d ever have with Eric Schindler. She said, “Very okay,” and reached out to him.
He took her in his arms. She felt safe nestled against his wide chest, and wondered why she’d never seen past her petty annoyances to how good a man he really was. They broke the embrace as the security guard walked past and wished them a good evening.
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