Red Picket Fences

by Daphne McLean

  Jimmy continued to stare forward, only breaking for a second to give Jennifer a wink and a thumbs-up. Chief Fitzgerald must have noticed that Jimmy wasn’t behind him, because he turned around and, in one swift motion, grabbed Jimmy and threw him into his SUV.

  The reporters finally relented and started packing up their equipment.

  Jennifer began walking back towards her house to find Suzanne. She hoped that her friend was ready to talk, because she had some questions. The first one being, How could you not tell me that you’re related to Sarah?

  She turned the corner and saw that Suzanne was waiting for Jennifer on her porch.

  “Ready for that talk now?” Jennifer asked as she opened the door. “I’ll make some coffee.”

  “Got anything stronger?” Suzanne asked as the two women made their way inside.

  Chapter 6

  “I don’t know where to start,” Suzanne said as she swirled the glass of Scotch in her hand.

  Peter received a bottle of Scotch every year for Christmas from one of his co-workers. He had five wrapped bottles in the liquor cabinet. He was more of an IPA guy. Jennifer, on the other hand, drank red wine.

  “There’s really not much to it,” Suzanne continued. “As you know, many of the families here have owned their homes since 1926. Very few people have sold to someone outside of the family or outside of the community. You and Peter, for example, live in what was once the Anderson house. They didn’t have children and had a falling-out with some of the neighbors over church matters. So they sold their house to outsiders — um, you — when they retired. You had to have known that I was somehow related to someone around here.”

  “I guess I never thought to ask,” Jennifer said. “I liked the community feel of this place, but I guess I’m not much of a joiner.”

  “You can say that again,” Suzanne replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. “Although this community claims to be tight-knit, and in many ways, we are, family rifts are inevitable. Sarah and I were close as kids. I was a ‘too cool for school’ thirteen-year-old, and she was a bright and sunny eight-year-old who followed me around. We’re cousins. Second cousins, actually.”

  “Wait,” Jennifer interrupted. “Does that mean your moms or dads were first cousins? I never understood that.”

  “No. I think that’s first cousin once removed,” Suzanne replied.

  Jennifer tilted her head, crinkled her nose, and asked, “Isn’t first cousin once removed when your cousin has a kid, and that kid is your first cousin once removed?”

  “Actually,” Suzanne said, “I’m not sure. Our dads were first cousins. So whatever it’s called, suffice it to say that we’re related.” With a bit of showmanship, she slammed the rest of her Scotch down.

  “Okay,” Jennifer said. “I’m listening.”

  “For once,” Suzanne snapped back.

  Her words stung. Jennifer’s face flashed hot red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. Maybe Suzanne was right. They had been friends for a year or so, they took daily walks together, and Jennifer didn’t even know about her family? She let that comment slide. Suzanne was right.

  “In any case,” Suzanne continued, “we drifted apart during my sophomore year in high school, when I met my future husband. I got married right after we graduated and moved away for a bit. We moved back when the twins were eight, after my parents passed. Sarah was gone by then, off to college. After that, she followed Ethan around the country, popping out one kid after another. I don’t really talk to that side of the family, because I don’t like the way Sarah was shunned for marrying Ethan. I really hoped this was a chance for us to reconnect, and … ” Suzanne’s words trailed off, and she started to cry.

  Jennifer had never seen her like this before. She was real, honest, and showing raw emotion. She felt like this would be a defining moment in their friendship.

  Suzanne composed herself and somehow immediately turned off the waterworks. She wiped her eyes, gave Jennifer a sad smile and took one last swig of what had to be Scotch-flavored ice water.

  “Well, now you know why I rushed off,” Suzanne said. ”I don’t like showing emotion, and I didn’t want to fall apart in front of everyone. I’d already put two and two together when I saw both cars in the driveway. I didn’t want to believe it, so I rushed back to call my aunt and see if it was possible that Sarah and Ethan had walked over to pick up the children.”

  Jennifer walked over and sat down on the floor in front of Suzanne. She took her by the hand and said, “I understand, and I’m so very sorry for not being a good friend.”

  Suzanne started to cry again and waved off Jennifer’s apology as if it wasn’t needed.

  “Thank you for protecting William and getting him home safely,” Jennifer said. “I know I’ve been a bit self-absorbed, but I’ll help you get through this. I promise.”

  Suzanne was trying to stifle her sobs and couldn’t speak, so she mouthed a “Thank you,” and the two friends embraced.

  It suddenly dawned on Jennifer that behind every one of the true crime stories she had ever watched, there was a grieving family. She was watching her own true crime story in front of her very eyes, and it didn’t seem as satisfying in real life to have it all solved and wrapped up in a pretty little bow. There was nothing pretty about murder.

  Suzanne and Jennifer spent most of the afternoon talking and playing with William. They watched a movie while he napped and ordered sushi for lunch. It was a healing and bonding afternoon for both of them. Suzanne left right before Peter pulled up the driveway.

  Jennifer looked around at the house. Dishes were stacked in the sink, toys were scattered all over the living room, and a huge pile of laundry was on the bed, ready to be folded. She had also neglected to go grocery shopping, and there was nothing for dinner. Days like this, while they were few and far between, made Jennifer feel extremely guilty.

  Peter walked through the door and was excited to be with his little family. He was only slightly taken aback at the sight of the mess, but he was just as happy ordering a pizza, drinking a beer and watching a flick with his wife. The chores could wait.

  “How was your day?” he asked as he walked towards William, who was still in his pajamas.

  “It was interesting and exhausting,” Jennifer replied.

  Her ‘exhausting’ comment instantly gave her another pang of guilt that punched her right in the gut. She had literally sat around all day with her friend. However, the emotions she was feeling about the press conference and her talk with Suzanne had really put her through the wringer.

  “Here, have a beer,” she said as she grabbed a cold IPA and poured it into a frosty glass. “I’ll tell you all about it,” she continued, “but first, let’s order some pizza.”

  “Whoa. A murder-suicide? Really?” Peter asked incredulously. Peter and Jennifer had just tucked William into bed and were finally able to talk. “So, the police are saying that Ethan killed Sarah, set the house on fire, and then shot himself in the head?”

  “In so many words,” Jennifer replied, “yes.”

  “And Suzanne is Sarah’s first cousin once removed?” Peter asked, clearly as confused as Jennifer and Suzanne had been earlier.

  “Yes?” Jennifer asked. “I don’t know. We never quite worked that out.” She made a mental note to look that up later.

  “Wow!” Peter exclaimed. “I’m kind of in shock. I mean, I drank beers with that guy. We talked about our childhoods. I typically don’t go that deep with guys I’ve just met, but Ethan seemed cool. We made plans to brew beer together. I was going to have him in our house, and he was a murderer? I drank beers with a murderer?”

  Jennifer hadn’t considered how the news would affect Peter. He was blown away, and frankly kind of upset. He stared at the wall in shock, holding his beer.

  “Well, he wasn’t a murderer when you had beers with him,” she replied
. “At least I don’t think he was.” It was all she could think to say.

  “Honestly, Jen,” Peter said, “I thought it would have been a hit of some sort. Ethan was working on that app, which supposedly was going to be worth a lot of money. He confided in me that he had a past with some questionable individuals. I almost thought he was making it up. I laughed when he told me he used to get money for betting from a loan shark named Vinny Malone. Doesn’t that sound like a made-up name?”

  Jennifer nodded as she let Peter process his feelings.

  “I mean,” he continued, “maybe he was really a bad dude, and he had me fooled. I just didn’t get that vibe from him.”

  “How deep did you guys get?” Jennifer asked. “First you talked about the mower, then your childhoods, and then he gets into his criminal past running with some character named Vinny Malone?”

  “Yeah. It was odd, now that I think of it,” Peter replied. “He seemed like such a nice guy that it didn’t feel weird at the time. We really only delved into the gambling part because Vinny texted Ethan while we were talking. He seemed anxious to get back to him, so I left. Other than a few waves here and there, that was the last time I talked to Ethan. It just doesn’t make sense. The police said a note was left, so … ”

  Peter trailed off the same way Suzanne had earlier. He wasn’t crying, but he was in shock.

  “I know it’s tough realizing you trusted someone you shouldn’t have,” Jennifer said. “You’ll be able to trust your gut again, Pete. Ethan was obviously very charming. I’ve read that sociopaths tend to blend in with people well. I mean, look at Jeffrey Dahmer! No one suspected him!”

  She could tell that she wasn’t making Peter feel any better. She hoped that at least he appreciated the effort.

  “I’m beat,” Peter said. “Wanna go to bed and watch a movie?”

  Jennifer wanted to say something saucy, like, “I have a better plan.” Or “Wanna go to bed and NOT watch a movie?” but she thought better of it. She was tired too and just wanted to zone out. Besides, she had too much on her mind and would be distracted. Saucy Jennifer would have to wait.

  Peter and Jennifer watched approximately 25 minutes of the latest superhero flick that had just been released on GetFlix before they passed out. It was the first time Jennifer had easily fallen asleep in a long time.

  However, the blissful sleep she had so easily acquired hours earlier didn’t last long. She woke up gasping for air at 3 AM in a cold sweat. Her heart was pounding and her chest was tight. She was having another panic attack, triggered by something important that she had forgotten all about: the blood. She threw the covers off violently, making Peter stir but not wake up fully.

  She checked the monitor and saw William was still sleeping soundly. She hoisted her heavy legs off the side of the bed and began doing the breathing exercises her therapist had taught her. It had been a while since she had last had a panic attack, and this one was a doozy.

  She decided to go see Chief Fitzgerald tomorrow and tell him about the blood. Even if it was nothing, she obviously had to get it off her chest. Her body started to relax, and her heart rate normalized. Just making that one decision to go see the chief started to set her right again.

  Rain wasn’t in the forecast for days, so she knew the blood would still be there in the morning. She hadn’t noticed if anyone had disturbed it during the press conference. It was behind the flowers, so it was probably okay.

  After a few more deep breaths, she lay back down and slowly drifted back to sleep. She needed all the sleep she could get. She was going to talk to the chief tomorrow.

  Chapter 7

  4 Months Earlier

  Ethan decided to take the long way home tonight. He couldn’t face seeing his family just yet. He contemplated stopping at a bar for a drink or two, but coming home drunk or even buzzed with the news he had would just make things worse.

  When John had first told him about the meeting with the investors, he had initially decided to keep quiet about it for this very reason. Then a check had bounced, and the electricity was turned off. He’d needed something to cheer Sarah up, and cheer her up it did.

  When he’d left for the meeting this morning, Sarah was the happiest he had seen her in quite some time. She’d ironed his shirt, had the kids make him a good luck card, and sent him off on his way with a big kiss and a smile. She even waved goodbye to him from the doorway a la June Cleaver as he drove off. How was he going to go home and break the news to her that he’d blown it?

  Everything had started off well enough. John had given an excellent pitch, and all Ethan had to do was demo the app. It was his time to shine, and it had all gone up in smoke.

  Between putting in more hours at Centech so he would be considered for the New Jersey management position, working on the app, and being a father to four children, Ethan was burning the candle at both ends.

  Whether it was him being exhausted, or having the constant interruptions at home, Ethan had messed up and uploaded the wrong code to his phone. He’d also forgotten his laptop at home, and the version he was trying to demo was riddled with errors that made the app seem clunky and unprofessional. The investors were immediately turned off and ended the meeting as soon as they could. They had no time for poorly running apps and were chasing after the next big thing.

  Luckily, he’d had the foresight to patent the idea so the investors couldn’t just throw some money at a couple of eager twenty-somethings and get it developed by the end of the week. That was a detail he hadn’t shared with John just yet. He wasn’t sure how John would take it, and John was angry enough already. Every time Ethan thought about how enraged John was at him, his entire body shuddered in shame. He was so defeated, he’d let John chew him out in the parking lot. He hadn’t even defended himself.

  He’d gotten John’s hopes up, he’d gotten his family’s hopes up, and now he had to break his wife’s heart again. Would she leave him? Would this be the final straw that sent Sarah running back to her family and her father? Was he about to lose it all?

  Ethan’s heart felt like it could burst from the pain. He yanked the wheel right and quickly pulled over to the side of the road, kicking up dust and rocks. He bolted out of the car and immediately became ill. He just stood there, back hunched, sweating, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath as rush-hour commuters whizzed by. He prayed no one would pull over and ask him if he needed help. He just wanted to be left alone.

  He was startled by the sudden buzz of his phone coming from his shirt pocket. He reluctantly looked at the screen and braced himself for a talk with Sarah on the side of the road. He looked down at his phone, and it wasn’t Sarah. It was his old friend, Joey Mazzetti, again.

  When he had called a few months prior, and Ethan had finally decided to accept the call, Joey had just wanted to catch up. Ethan missed his friend but was leery about getting too close. Those two had gone through hell and back together, and while Ethan was living on the straight and narrow, Joey was not. Ethan had decided that a phone call here and there wouldn’t hurt, but after not too long, Joey had attempted to rope him in on some job, ‘easy money’. Ethan had stopped Joey before he could even explain what this job was, and had told him that he wasn’t going to risk his marriage or his family for easy money. Joey had understood and dropped the subject.

  Ethan was currently in a bad way and needed a friend. He decided to answer the call. “Hello?” he said wearily.

  “Hey-o, Ethan!” Joey responded cheerfully. “What’s up, my man? How’d that meetin’ go?”

  Ethan had forgotten that he’d told Joey about the meeting. “Well, I just upchucked on the side of the road, if that gives you any indication.”

  “Oh, buddy. I’m sorry,” Joey said. He sounded sincere. He was sincere, most of the time. He really did mean well.

  “Thanks, man,” Ethan responded. “I’m dreading going home. I don’t want face
Sarah with the news I have.”

  “Well, man, I’m glad I called. I’ve been talking to someone we used to know, and I think he can help. Are you ready to listen now?”

  Ethan paused for a moment. It couldn’t hurt to hear Joey out, could it? At the moment, Ethan’s desire to give his wife a better life overshadowed pretty much everything and clouded his judgment.

  “Sure, buddy,” he said. “Go ahead.”

  Sarah paced the kitchen floor nervously. It was almost seven, and she hadn’t heard from Ethan. She hoped that meant that the meeting was going well. She contemplated calling him, but she didn’t want to distract him or interrupt the meeting. There was a lot more riding on this deal than Ethan knew.

  Sarah was tired, and she could only slap on a smile for him for so much longer. She prayed her days of coupon clipping, getting creative with recipes to make meals stretch, and borrowing from Peter to pay Paul were numbered. This deal had to happen.

  Ethan and Sarah had sat down one night and done the math, and even if Ethan was hired for the New Jersey project, they wouldn’t have enough to buy a house. They would be renting again, and rents in New Jersey were so high that they would never save enough for a down payment. They needed this small influx of cash to turn their lives around. If she had been on better terms with her family, they could easily afford to help. But Sarah knew her father wouldn’t, and she didn’t want his help, anyway.

  She was letting the kids watch a little extra TV tonight because she could barely function or think from the anticipation. It was now 7:10, and the urge to call was getting too strong. She at least needed to know that Ethan was okay. She picked up her phone but thought better of it when she remembered the demo was on his phone. The last thing the investors needed to see was an eager text from their potential partner’s wife. No, Sarah was going to wait patiently for Ethan’s arrival.

  She continued to pace around until 7:30. Then she decided it would be best to start the bedtime routine, not only because the kids needed to go to bed, but because she needed the distraction.