One Hit Wonder

by Kristi Rose

  With trepidation, I reached for the document. My hand trembled slightly as I picked it up by pinching the corner with my thumb and forefinger.

  The sheet had weight, the sort of paper used for official documents or homemade cards declaring love or good news.

  Lockett gave me an encouraging half smile and nod, silently pushing me to keep going.

  I clutched the heavy paper, one hand on each side, and lifted the top with my thumbs. The inside print declared the sheet to be an official death certificate from Washington State.

  “I know this isn’t easy and I’m very sorry,” he murmured calmly.

  Something about his downturned gaze gave me the impression that he was saddened by the news, too. Or maybe he was sad because he was charged with delivering it.

  He cleared his throat. “Two nights ago, the man you knew as Carson Holmes was killed in a motor vehicle accident. He was driving through Snoqualmie Pass, crashed, and a tree fell onto his car.”

  My mind played its own version of the scene just painted for me. “Impossible,” I whispered. I directed my focus on the lawyer as I expelled a deep breath. "Carson was in California at a home security convention, not northern Washington, and certainly not anywhere near the pass.”

  How did I know this guy was even telling me the truth? Yesterday, I had no idea he existed, and today he was lowering this boom.

  “Why aren’t the police telling me this if Carson is really dead?” I closed my eyes, seeking equilibrium, and rewound the last few moments. “Why did you keep saying the man I knew as Carson Holmes?”

  “Look at the certificate,” Lockett said. “Look at the date and cause of death.”

  With steely resolve, I opened my eyes and further unfolded the paper. I scanned the page for the important words like “nature of death” and skipped the rest. Lockett was correct; the date of death was not today or yesterday or the day before. The date was from ten years ago and on New Year's day. Today was not New Year's or anywhere close to it. The cause of death confused me more. “This says Carson Holmes died from cancer."

  “That’s correct,” Lockett said.

  “So this isn’t my husband?” A tiny spark of hope pulsed inside, even if I couldn't figure out this riddle.

  “No. Your husband used that death certificate to establish a new identity. The man you knew as Carson Holmes was not really Carson Holmes."

  “Come again?” I wasn’t usually this dense, but nothing this lawyer had said made a lick of sense, starting with his anxious phone call this morning.

  “The man you believed you were married to had a different name, a different birthday, and was actually married to another woman. Well, they were in the final stages of divorce, but that doesn't matter. What does is that it wasn't official yet.”

  And there it was, the other bad news. Yes, death was still the worse of the two, but learning my husband was actually married to someone else ranked up there really close to learning he’d died.

  The words came to me as if Tyson Lockett was standing at the far end of the tunnel, his voice metallic and fading. His words tasted bitter on my tongue even though I hadn’t spoken them.

  I had one of two options. I could toss my cookies onto his shag gray carpet or I could pass out.

  Neither sounded appealing, but I chose the latter. And considering how my luck was going, I took preemptive measure and stuck my head between my legs. Didn’t want to faint, slide out of the smooth leather chair, and end up in some weird position where I showed Lawyer Guy my tiger-striped undies.

  But no sooner had I bent over than darkness claimed me.

  Chapter 2

  Friday

  When I came to, Lockett was beside me, his hand on my shoulder as he gently nudged me to consciousness.

  “Come on, Samantha, wake up,” he murmured.

  I groaned in protest. I wanted to stay in this darkness where the truth stood at bay. Sadly, that was not an option. Instead, I sat up slowly and tried to gain my equilibrium. My vision was blurry, tears threatening to spill. I blinked rapidly, attempting some sort of control in an uncontrollable moment.

  “Here.” Lockett shoved a tumbler of gold-colored liquid toward me. “Drink this. You’re in shock.”

  Lockett was tall, blond, deeply tanned, and likely spent his off-days on a surfboard where he referred to others as “dudes,” regardless of gender.

  His office and presence reflected the darkness settling around me—pewter-colored walls, a leather couch the color of a storm cloud, and shag carpet that matched his gray suit. Outside the window, the muddy brown of the Columbia River, the bright blue of a spring sky, and the snow-capped Mount Hood provided the only color.

  Nothing was making sense. Not the man, his words, or the atypical sunny sky three days into spring in the Pacific Northwest. Outside was bathed in light and new life; inside was dark and depressing and about death. I was desperate to escape but knew I couldn’t. These facts would follow me, even into the light of day.

  I took the glass and tossed it back. Liquid fire burned down my throat and landed in my stomach, which was a volcanic gurgling of apprehension and grief. I coughed, half expecting flames to shoot out as my insides burned.

  Lockett handed me a water bottle, and I took a large gulp, desperate to extinguish the fire. My stomach revolted. I leapt from the chair and ran for a clear plastic waste can, picked it up, and upchucked breakfast into it.

  Lockett went into his reception area and returned with the secretary behind him. She discreetly took the wastebasket from me and then held it away from her as she disappeared from the room.

  He guided me back to the chair while handing me a monogrammed handkerchief. The gesture caught me off guard. I hadn’t figured him for the old-fashioned type.

  I covered my mouth with my hands, his hankie tucked between two fingers, and shook my head. How could what he said possibly be true? I was the other woman? I wasn't even Carson’s wife? I couldn’t believe a duplicitous nature of this magnitude possible from the Carson I knew.

  “Does she know about me?" I slumped into the chair, letting my head fall back to rest against the back. My body suddenly heavy, my limbs like wet logs.

  “Yes. When Carson died, he didn't have his fake ID on him. That’s why you're being notified by me and not the police. His wife later learned of your…” He cleared his throat. "I was asked to look into matters.”

  My stomach rolled again. She knew about me. Who I was. I knew nothing about her. “What are the chances our paths will cross?”

  “Slim,” he said. “It would be a fluke if you did.”

  How was it possible Carson had lived two lives, and I’d never been the wiser? Is that really where he went whenever he was out of town? I’d seen shows like this on the true crime channels but never thought it could happen to anyone I knew, much less myself.

  “You said they were in the process of a divorce… Were they still living together?” I needed to know the extent of which I shared Carson. “Is that why he was near the pass when he died?”

  Lockett shook his head. “He had a business interest out by the pass, and the divorce was in mediation. He made frequent trips to…”

  The unspoken words hung heavy in the room. I wasn’t allowed to know where he’d been or what he’d been up to, a right given to a wife. More talk and confusion with no actual information and clarity. More secrets.

  Lockett sighed wearily then said, “Miss True, because you and Carson were not legally married, you have no claim to his estate. Anything under the name Carson Holmes defaults to the estate under his real name and belongs to his legal wife.”

  Seeking comfort, I reached for the silver necklace Carson had given me two weeks ago, an unexpected gift to mark our half-year married. My hands stilled when I touched my bare neck. The chunky piece of jewelry, two keys connected to a heart, was missing. Frantic, I felt around, hoping to find it had come undone, only to recall I’d broken the necklace a few days ago, having snagged it on my camera bag strap,
and split a link.

  I laid my hand flat against my bare neck. “It sure felt legal to me. I went into it with good intentions.” If one drunken night in Vegas constituted good intentions. Regardless, I took my oaths and vows seriously.

  “That may be true, but Carson didn’t. I’m truly sorry.” He patted my shoulder awkwardly.

  If Carson didn’t come into our marriage with good intentions, what were his intentions? I didn't like where this was going. A hot wave of humiliation washed over me.

  “You’re sorry? For what?” I sat up and stared at Lockett, who was leaning against his desk in front of me. “Because somebody duped me? Because the man I believed I married is dead? Because right now I don't know what to make of my life? Why precisely are you sorry?” A thick knot of tears and anxiety formed in my throat, making swallowing almost impossible. “How do I know any of this is true? I don't even have a death certificate. So maybe this is some really really sick joke.”

  Lockett reached across his desk then picked up a manila envelope. He held it out to me.

  “What’s this?” I recoiled as if he was holding a snake. I couldn’t handle anything else that was going to take the wind out of me.

  “In this folder are the forms and documents for the real Carson Holmes. Newspaper articles, lots of other information. This is the identity your husband stole.” Lockett stuck it next to my bag on the floor.

  “Yet, that doesn’t answer my question. How do I know you're telling me the truth? There's more than one Carson Holmes in the world. Exactly who was I was married to? Tell me that.” I air quoted when I said “married.”

  Lockett brushed a hand through his hair and sighed so heavily the weight of it pressed against me. “I can’t tell you his real name. The family asked that you not know.”

  “I’m supposed to take this in and accept it based on the word of a stranger?” I asked incredulously.

  “I don’t know.” Lockett wouldn’t meet my gaze, but instead stared out the window. His jaw worked as if there were more to say but he wasn’t sure he should. He swore quietly, then took the seat next to me. He shifted closer as if about to tell me a secret.

  His voice low, he said, “Please believe me when I say you're better off not knowing. You have your memories. No one can take those away from you. But anything you have in Carson’s name hide it, get rid of it, or sell it. Separate yourself from the name Carson Holmes as fast as you can. Do you share a joint account?”

  I nodded. His tone worried me. I was being warned.

  He reached for my sling bag resting on the floor, then handed it to me. “Can you access the account from your phone?”

  I nodded again and held the bag on my lap.

  “Clean out your account now,” he said.

  His urgency created a sense of rising panic. My heart beat madly. My hands trembled as I opened the large pocket. We had one joint account, a savings. I'd kept my checking account separate for reasons I couldn’t recall. I’d been socking my pay into the savings so I could quit my job and do something else. I was burned out on photography, but the something else was yet to be determined. The savings were a cushion to give me time to figure it out. We’d budgeted to lived off Carson’s wages.

  I fumbled with the phone to pull up my banking app. If what Lockett said was true, if Carson was dead, then I needed to get what I could, right? I liked to eat. I liked having a roof over my head. My survival instinct kicked in and took over. Not that we had a whole lot of money in the account, but the sum would hold me over until I could get my bearings.

  With trembling fingers, it took three attempts at the password before keying in the correct code.

  To make the situation more stressful, I'd quit my job a few days ago. The hate I had harbored for my former employer could not be put into words. I was sick of photo-shopping school pictures of the children in the Wind River School District. Telling creepy Mr. Toomey to stick it where the sun didn’t shine had been glorious. Worthy of a celebration. One I was going to share with my now deceased husband. This time I added mental air quotes around “husband.”

  The account was empty. Thirty thousand dollars gone. I stilled, suddenly chilled. I put the phone on Lockett’s desk. “There’s nothing in the account.”

  He clucked his tongue. “They’re moving fast. You'll need to as well. I wish I could ease you into this, but it looks like we’re up against the clock.” He took another folder off his desk and thrust it at me. “Carson left you his business.”

  “How? You said his estate gave everything to the real wife.” I swallowed that down like a person did a cockroach.

  “He put this in your name. The building lease has been paid in full for the year. It renews at the end of January. It’s yours to do with what you want. You need to start securing everything you can.”

  “I know nothing about security systems. I can’t do his job.”

  Lockett looked weary. “His business wasn't just security. He also acted as a private investigator.”

  Unable to refrain from being sarcastic, I said, “What? He sold security systems and solved crime?” Nothing, and I mean abso-freaking-lutely nothing, made sense. My life was currently the definition of bizarro-world.

  “Yes.” Lockett gave me this look, part sympathy and part pity, that infuriated me.

  I snatched the folder and my bag, jumping to my feet. My savings was gone. My husband was not my husband but, regardless, he was gone, too, and now some blond surfer wannabe was annoyed with me because I’d been duped? Nope, I’d had my limit of crap today. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about the man I was sleeping with for the last year and clearly did not know?”

  Lockett kept his mouth closed.

  “No? Good. Then I’ll get out of here before you tell me my dad isn’t my real dad and I’m actually a boy name Pablo from Spain.” I marched to the door, fueled by indignation and fear.

  “Samantha,” Lockett said.

  I paused. Staring at the door, my hand on the handle, I refused to look back.

  “Please be careful. Be careful who you talk to. Who you share information with. Just forget you ever knew a Carson Holmes and get on with your life.”

  I glared at him over my shoulder, appalled he could ever suggest such a thing. I now had a million unanswered questions, and if there was one thing everyone could tell you about me, was that I had an insatiable curiosity.

  Chapter 3

  Friday

  How I got from Lockett the Lawyer’s third floor office and into my car was anyone’s guess.

  The day was unseasonably warm, but I was chilled to the bone. I flung my sling bag and envelopes haphazardly on the passenger seat then took the driver’s seat. Without air flow, the thick heat in the car was suffocating. I pressed a button on my fob to lower the windows then clutched the steering wheel, my hands at four and eight, as the turmoil of the day surrounded me.

  I stared out the window but only saw the film reel of the past year I’d spent with Carson. Image after image captured by the camera of my mind’s eye replayed, this time looking for signs. We’d met at the Portland Marathon, having run the last six miles at the same pace, and crossed the finish line together. We’d celebrated our achievement by dumping water on one another, hugging and laughing. I’d never forget how he’d stepped back, surveyed me as if he was seeing a stunning view for the first time, and stuck out his hand as an introduction.

  “Carson Holmes, like Sherlock Holmes,” he’d said. I supposed that should have been my first clue. His introduction, a whopper of a lie, had likened him to a fictional person.

  “Samantha True,” I’d replied. I’d studied the soft angles of his face. He was handsome with a boyish charm, an impish smile, and twinkling brown eyes.

  “Can I take you to a celebratory dinner?” he’d asked. “I’m new to the area and would like to make a friend.”

  Everything in my being had screamed yes. In hindsight, it was shocking really how easily I’d been played. There were no warnin
g signs, no red flags. Ever. One dinner had led to several others. He didn’t rush me or work me over like those scary news stories about how a woman became a victim. He’d never hesitated answering questions I asked. Never, not once, did I get the vibe he was hiding something.

  And it wasn’t like I resembled a bridge troll or anything. I’m taller than most women, but only by an inch or two, with long strawberry-blond wavy hair, gray-green eyes, and straight teeth from four years in braces. My complexion’s good, with a smattering of freckles across my nose, and I get the occasional zit, usually at the worst possible time. Yeah, I often wore ponytails and preferred shants (pants that unzip at the knees and become shorts) to dresses, but I’d dated when I wanted to. It wasn’t like I was hard up to find Mr. Right.

  Six months after meeting, we took a Vegas trip, never intending the weekend to be more than a fun getaway. Several drinks and a buffet later, a polyester-suited Elvis married us. There was no something old, borrowed, new, or blue. But there had been a drunken video of our nuptial kiss that ended with Carson sweeping me off my feet and carrying me off toward a fake sunset. I stupidly blasted it out on social media instead of calling my parents and telling them. My mother had told me the video quality was poor but the message was clear. Oh, and couldn't I, just once, do things like other girls my age?

  Hey, I’d gotten married. What more did she want?

  “Samantha?” Outside the driver’s side window, Lockett was bent at the waist and peering in at me. “I know this is difficult, but you need to leave. It's not a good idea for you to sit out here. It’s not safe.”

  I gave him the view of my back, not caring about his warning. I wasn’t too worried about the food truck vendors, the business people, and stay-at-home hippie moms that were bustling to the nearby parks or coffee shops.