“Why can’t he attend pre-school like other kids? My little brother does and he’s fine.”
“Because he can’t, okay? I know three years seems like a long time to wait, but it will happen.”
“What if you decide you want to be with her again during this time?”
“I won’t. We haven’t made love since she got pregnant with our youngest son. Hannah is a good mother, but she’s a lazy, fat cow. She’s home all day and doesn’t cook, clean, or do anything except watch soap operas and play Angry Birds. Oh, and I think she might have a drinking problem, too.”
“But when she came to the company picnic last month, you guys looked so happy. She seemed very nice.”
“That was all an act on both of our parts. We knowingly hate each other, but I am always very polite and cordial to her because I’m afraid that if I get her angry, she might take it out on our children in order to get back at me. Corrine, if I hadn’t met you, I don’t know what I’d do. Look at how much time we spend together. If I really wanted her, I’d be at home right now instead of enjoying this beautiful city with you. I’m with the one I love.”
They did spend a lot of time together. Surely, everything he said about his wife was true and the way he said he loved her was so sincere. Three years would go by faster than she thought. Corrine could force herself to be patient if it meant Brent would ultimately belong solely to her. “I really want you to come with me on Saturday, but I don’t think Natalie will be too friendly. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“I don’t know why you were pressing the issue so much. I honestly didn’t want to go. I don’t know all of her friends and it would be a disaster if I ran into someone I knew there. How would I explain that to Hannah?”
“You said she knows you’re dating someone.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t know who. Our friends and family don’t know what’s going on in our relationship. I took a big risk going to Chuck E. Cheese’s with you and Nate. I don’t want to do that again. Now that Natalie knows about me…I don’t know. I’m only trying to protect you. I don’t know what Hannah would do if she saw how beautiful you are. This is the first time I’ve ever stepped outside of my marriage. She’d be jealous for sure and might try to hurt you or even worse, the kids. She’s vindictive like that.”
Corrine felt sorry for him. His eyes were solemn. He really was in a bad situation. “I’m sorry I said anything.”
“It’s okay.” He kissed her passionately and Corrine tried to erase the uneasiness she felt as Brent’s hand slid up her shirt. It was a constant battle between her mind and body whenever they made love. She was slightly relieved when his phone buzzed, thinking that it might be about their business meeting tomorrow. As soon as she saw his face, she knew who had interrupted them.
“I’m sorry, I have to take this or she’ll just keep calling.” He hurried out of the room. As the door closed behind him, Corrine heard him say, “Hey, honey…”
It was all an act, she told herself.
CHAPTER 20: SWEET AND NAIVE
When Troy got the call that officers in Hocking County had found a body in the woods that fit Mindy Lee’s description, he made it there a few minutes before Jon, but both had record times. Her body was found about a half mile from a murdered teenage boy. The police department had agreed to turn all evidence for Lee over to Columbus detectives, but they would oversee the case of the boy and share whatever they found. Apparently the boy had witnessed Mindy’s execution and was trying to call 9-1-1 when he was shot.
Officers worked frantically to shield the bodies from the steady rain. Authorization had been given to get Columbus CSI out there to assist the smaller department. Troy wished they’d hurry. He had more confidence in his guys than strangers.
“Evans, chill. You know CSI will take care of this,” Knight said when Troy started taking pictures.
“I know, but you know how I am.” He looked toward the waning sunlight and shook his head in frustration. It would be fully dark soon and their crew was still about thirty minutes away. They’d gather what they could tonight and come back tomorrow for more, but Troy wanted as much of a head start as he could possibly get. Mindy’s case was so different than the others. The Bible wasn’t lying open on her chest. It was on the ground between the two victims and she had multiple gunshot wounds, unlike the others. The killer had been forced to break his pattern. That was crucial.
Troy took a few more shots with his smart phone before his people arrived, dressed in their usual head-to-toe garb. He and Knight moved out of their way, even the local crew yielded to them. “I never took you for a feline person, so when did you get a cat?” Jon’s explanation about his scratches had nagged him all day. He had to know that Troy would inquire further. This wasn’t exactly the most appropriate time, but Troy wasn’t doing anything except staying out the CSI’s way and Jon was eyeing the ground.
“Uh, a few days ago.”
“What kind is it?”
“Um, a small orange and black one. She looks all cute and cuddly, but she’s a mean li’l thing. She scratched the mess out of me earlier. Reminds me of my ex-wife. I hope you don’t get scratched up when you finally make it home. Natalie looked really ticked when she left Bennett’s place.”
Troy knew he was lying, but why? And what was up with him trying to deflect the conversation? “I can handle Natalie. You need to worry about how you’re going to handle your cat.” He saw a new text from Agent Cheryl Hunter. Heard abt hocking co…call if u need me.
“Do you think she’ll be all right?”
“Uh, yeah. She, um, she’s understandably emotional right now. The two women closest to her are being affected by adultery.”
“I know about Aneetra, but who’s the other?”
“Corrine. She’s dating a married man.”
“Dude, for real? She doesn’t seem like that type. She’s so sweet and naïve.”
“Yeah, well, apparently my stepdaughter is not as innocent as we thought.” As lead detective, there was a level of austerity Troy liked to maintain when on the job. He’d realized that he’d opened the door to personal talk by inquiring about the cat and was glad to see Paula walking by. “You think we’ll finally have some hard evidence?” He asked as she was headed from Mindy’s body to the young boy’s. Knight excused himself.
“Besides the shell casings? Hard for me to say. We’re finding a lot of crap that we can’t conclusively relate to the murders. But, don’t worry, we’ll go through these woods with a fine tooth comb and get everything to the lab so they can sort it out. Maybe you lucked out this time.”
“Let’s hope so. Why don’t you focus on the girl and make sure everyone knows all evidence comes with us.”
“Okay, but I want you to relax, Evans. I know these woods very well. My family owned property around here. I won’t let anyone leave until I’m satisfied that the ground has been searched thoroughly.”
Her saddened eyes revealed what she wouldn’t speak out loud and what Troy already knew. This was the same area where her husband had been robbed and murdered—a case that had never been solved. He felt her pain and unwavering commitment to do all she could now. Her involvement brought relief. She was the most dedicated CSI tech he’d ever known. If the killer left anything behind, Paula and the rest of the gang would find it.
CHAPTER 21: ARMED AND DANGEROUS
It was well after three o’clock in the morning when Troy got home. He poked his head into Nate’s room to get a glimpse of him. Days like this were hard not seeing his son all day. There was no telling what Wednesday’s work day would entail and though he wanted nothing more than to sleep through the morning uninterrupted, he planned to get up and see his wife and son off. If nothing else, he wanted to wish his boy a happy birthday.
Natalie and Nate were out the door by 6:45 a.m. It was around 6:30 p.m. when they would wake him up via their loudness for one reason or another. He was tempted to skip his shower after work, but washing was symbolic to him
. It helped him purge, to take his mind from work back to home where peace and happiness reigned.
Natalie’s Bible lay open on the sink, next to the toilet. She’d read that thing anywhere. Troy couldn’t remember the last time he’d read his. Where was it? He remembered having it the last time he’d been to church. It was Mother’s Day and he took Natalie out to eat after service. It had fallen out and he’d put it underneath the passenger’s seat. Wow. It had been even longer than that since he’d read it.
It was clear that Natalie had put hers to good use, though. There were writings and highlight markings all over the place. Troy saw where she’d written today’s date next to Philippians 4:7. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Next to that, she’d written Aneetra’s name.
Troy marveled at his wife’s faith. Yeah, she had her moments of trippin’, but nothing seemed to calm her as much as the Word. He got up and jumped in the shower. The warm water felt good as it kneaded his muscles. There was so much on his mind. If he wasn’t so exhausted, he would have fired up the Xbox to help him relax. As much as Troy tried to separate work and home, in this case, it was impossible. If Natalie didn’t already know why he and Jon had gone to speak with Marcus, she would know soon. He was concerned that this latest news would really unearth her. And the peace of God which, passeth all understanding… This case was siphoning any sense of peace Troy had left to hold on to.
Could Marcus be a killer? The thought seemed so outrageous. But, he supposedly went on his last assignment around the time the murders began and he was having an affair with the latest victim. Mindy had been murdered earlier in the day. Until his alibi could be confirmed, he couldn’t be ruled out.
If it weren’t so late, he would call Cheryl to discuss the discrepancies between Mindy and the others. At this point, she seemed like Troy’s best ally because of trust issues he was developing with Jon. Why was Knight lying to him? His behavior had been suspect—missing in action, scratches, lying—could he be harboring some deep, dark secret that Troy should be aware of? Jon wasn’t really the type to share things about his personal life. Troy didn’t know that he and his wife were divorcing until the day before it was finalized and that was only because he’d overheard Jon on the phone with his attorney. The man didn’t have to share all of his business, but what was going on in his life that he felt the need to lie to his partner?
After the shower, Troy slipped on his boxers and got in bed. Natalie was sleeping on her side. He wrapped his arm around her waist, taking in the pleasant scent of her freshly washed hair. She stirred without waking. “I love you,” he whispered before drifting off to sleep.
• • •
Troy woke up in a daze. What day was it? Tuesday? He quickly retraced the week’s happenings. No, it was Wednesday. It’s Nate’s birthday! He listened for sounds of his wife and son, but silence stood all around him. Was something wrong? No, it was a little after seven. They were gone. He immediately grabbed his cell phone to call her.
“Hey,” she said dryly.
“I wish you would have wakened me. I wanted to see you guys before you left.”
“Sorry. You were sleeping like a log when I got up. I didn’t want to disturb you. Plus we left a little early because I needed to get money to pay the late fee from yesterday.”
“Have you dropped Nate off yet?”
“Yep. I’m pulling into the parking lot at work now. I don’t see Aneetra’s car yet, but of course, you can’t tell me what happened yesterday that could possibly prevent her from coming.”
“Babe, don’t let what’s happening between Aneetra and Marcus affect us. I’m sorry that I was evasive with you. Anything I tell you at this point could mess up my whole case and my job means too much for me to intentionally do that.”
“I know, honey. I’m sorry. Whatever is going on, I can’t turn my back on Aneetra. She means too much to me.”
“I don’t expect you to. All I ask is that you not go by there—at least not until this blows over. I see crimes of passion all the time. Not saying that Marcus or Aneetra would hurt one another, but I want you to be careful. They are both on edge right now and I don’t want you caught in the middle. I probably would be a little more relaxed if you would carry your weapon, but—”
“You know that’s not happening. I only went through the CCW training to please you. I hate guns.”
“I know, baby. If I could be with you twenty-four-seven I would. I’d give my life to keep you safe.”
“I really don’t think I’m in danger, but you’re obviously in your protective detective mode so I’ll agree not to go over Aneetra’s if that will make you feel better.”
“It does.”
“But, if Aneetra doesn’t show up to work, I’m going to call her, okay?”
“Cool. I’m sure she needs you. Actually, I know she does.”
“All right. Let me go ahead and get into work. Oh, for the record, I didn’t appreciate the way you spoke to me yesterday.”
“I’m sorry. I probably should have patted you down to see if you were armed and dangerous.” Her flirtatious laugh combined with thoughts of “wrestling” put him at full alert. “I so wish you were lying next to me right now.”
“Hold that thought. Hopefully I will get to see you tonight.”
“I’m going to do my best to get home at a decent hour. I hate that I didn’t get to wish Nate a happy birthday this morning.”
“Oh my gosh, that boy was so hyper. He started crying because he thought it was Saturday and he was going to miss out on his birthday party.”
“It may have been better if we didn’t tell him it’s his birthday today.”
“That wouldn’t have worked. Corrine called on my way to drop him off. She kept him occupied during the ride.”
“Are things straightened out between the two of you?”
“We didn’t really talk this morning. She said she’d call me when she got back.”
“Hopefully she’ll come home with some sense.”
“That would be great, but I doubt it. I need to go inside now for real. I’ll see you later.” They exchanged “I love yous” and Natalie hung up.
He loved her so much! He’d taken the words in Ephesians 5:25 to heart the first time he’d learned them: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” He would die for Natalie if he had to. He’d vowed to protect her at all costs. The sooner he got this murdering creep off the streets, the better he’d feel about his family’s safety.
CHAPTER 22: A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT
Natalie really didn’t expect Aneetra to be at work, but she’d hope to hear from her by late morning, which didn’t happen. Her concern about her friend’s well-being was fueled when their boss called Natalie into her office later that afternoon. Aneetra’s sudden disappearing act was alarming to many in the office. While Alex wasn’t the only one inquiring, she was the only one with the authority to pull Natalie aside.
Unlike many of their coworkers, Alex’s concern was sincere. She genuinely cared about her employees and Aneetra was undoubtedly the most favored. After being friends with Aneetra for several years, Natalie understood why. She was a hard-working woman of integrity. Aneetra’s happy-go-lucky spirit was infectious around the office. When she wasn’t at work, her presence was missed.
After evasively addressing their boss’s concerns by assuring Alex that Aneetra would be okay given a little time, Natalie returned to her cubicle to find a note on her desk from Troy, stating that he and Nate were in the lobby waiting for her to join them for lunch. Someone had to have brought it up for him because, detective or not, he couldn’t get through the security doors without an appointment or warrant. She sent him a text saying that she’d be down in a sec. “Mommee!” Nate squealed as he ran and hugged her legs as soon as she stepped off the elevator. He acted like he hadn’t seen her a few hours ago.
“Today my birday!”
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“I know, honey.” Troy followed behind him, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “This is a surprise.”
“I know. Chances are I won’t be home ’til late tonight and I didn’t want to go another evening without spending some time with my two favorite people, especially in light of Nate’s personal holiday.”
“Daddy takin’ me to McDonald’s.”
Natalie had planned to work through lunch since she’d left early yesterday and was taking Friday off. That only left the rest of today and tomorrow to complete her work and the things she’d taken over for Aneetra during her absence. This lunch was likely to extend past an hour and she’d have to put in leave unless she worked later or came in early. Neither option was viable since she was solely responsible for getting Nate to and from school.
“You guys enjoy. Nice seeing you again, Troy. Don’t be a stranger around here.” Karen, the receptionist, was smiling a little too much for Natalie’s comfort. She wondered how long Troy and Nate had been waiting for her. Karen was nice, in general, but she always seemed overly kind to Troy. No doubt she was the one who’d gone above and beyond her job description to go up to the second floor and leave Troy’s note. Natalie wondered if she’d be displaying signs of insecurity, PMS, pettiness, or all of the above if she told Karen that she had one more time to bat her eyes and flash her thirty-twos at Troy in front of her again before she got jacked up.
“C’mon, baby.” Troy, who had Nate by the hand, grabbed Natalie’s with his free one and the three of them walked out to the car. “You know it’s not polite to give people dirty looks, right? I think you visually assaulted her back there.”
“She better be glad that’s all I gave her pale behind. Blondie better step back.”
“You need to calm down and know that I love you. I don’t want that woman.”
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