Sweet Little Secrets

by Travis Szablewski

  “Silas? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” Lillian asked, jumping to her feet.

  “Everything is fine. I just thought I’d stop by and say hello,” Silas smiled softly, two dimples forming on his cheeks.

  “So, you were just in the neighborhood?” Lillian giggled as she sat back down into her chair and watched as Silas walked along the front of her desk.

  “Yeah, but I did want to come in and just talk to you about a few things,” Silas said sternly.

  “Like what?” Lillian asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Peyton Richmond came into the precinct yesterday. She filed a missing person report on Kylie, your nanny,” Silas said. Lillian’s heart raced in her chest as she swallowed hard, staring down at the top of her wooden desk.

  “And you wanted to talk to me? Why?” Lillian asked as she slowly stood up.

  “I’m not here to make accusations, so don’t think that at all. The sheriff just wanted me to come down and ask a few questions; just some basic things.”

  “OK? Ask,” Lillian shrugged. What if they already found her body? What if they knew she was the one that killed Kylie? It couldn’t be. It would have been all over the news by now in a small town like this.

  “Where were you the night you last saw Kylie?”

  “I was at home. I came back early from the White Party.”

  “Did she seem normal?”

  “Yes, as normal as ever. She didn’t say anything out of the ordinary. She just gave me the rundown of how Gordon behaved, and she was out the door.”

  “You might have been the last person to see her alive,” Silas nodded.

  “You think she’s dead?” Lillian asked, pretending to be shocked as she lowered herself down into her chair.

  “We don’t anything right now. We just…it’s been a week and it doesn’t look too good. I just want you to be honest with me is all,” Silas said as he leaned against her desk, his strong hands placed firmly along the desktop…his eyes burning into her. “Did anything happen between the two of you that night?

  “Are you asking me if I killed her?”

  “Did you?”

  “Are you serious right now?” Lillian snapped as she darted up from her chair. “Silas, it’s me you’re talking to! You know damn well I could never hurt anyone!”

  “If you did something, now is your chance, Lillian! Just tell me what I need to know before this thing gets any worse! I don’t want to see you lose Tatum or Gordon. I want to help you.”

  “You want to help me?” Lillian asked sarcastically as she moved around her desk, stepping in front of Silas. “If anyone needs help here, it’s you,” Lillian snapped as she pressed her finger into his shoulder.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Silas asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

  “You walk around with this big ass ego just because you wear a fucking badge on your damn chest. Don’t pretend to be so perfect, Silas; it must get exhausting.”

  “We aren’t talking about me, Lillian! We are talking about Kylie.”

  It was time for the big guns. If she wanted to save herself…she had to hit him with the truth. It was the only weapon she had.

  “I know about you and Ally,” Lillian said sternly.

  “W-what?” Silas asked, smirking as if it was the most ridiculous statement he had ever heard.

  “She told me about the two of you, Silas…before she died. Now, wouldn’t that look bad…if it just…slipped right out from between my lips to the sheriff? There would be an entire department investigation and you…would be at the center of it all. Maybe you were a scorned lover. Maybe she wouldn’t leave Kendrick and so you snapped.”

  “Are you threatening me?” Silas asked angrily as he shook his head.

  “I’m not threatening you, Silas. I’m just telling you to stay out of my way…and I’ll stay out of yours,” Lillian growled as she spun from Silas and walked back around her desk, sitting down into her chair. “You’re dismissed.”

  Victoria

  The engine of Victoria’s convertible Mercedes Benz revved as she pulled into the driveway of her home, squinting beneath her Armani sunglasses as the warm summer sunlight beamed down onto her. She had spent the last two hours at the Harmony Mall struggling to find a dress for the upcoming annual Magnolia Cove Neighborhood Banquet; a preposterous event for the wealthy citizens of Magnolia Cove that consisted of drunk housewives and slurring speeches. She knew she wasn’t going to win Citizen of the Year, but Derek insisted on going every single year. Victoria snatched the Gucci shopping bag from her passenger seat as she shoved her car door open, her Dolce & Gabbana heels clicking onto the pavement below.

  And that’s when she saw it.

  The black Ford Taurus parked in front of her garage.

  Piper.

  Victoria sighed, exhaling sharply through her nose, as her blood boiled inside of her. Victoria swung her hip to the right, slamming the door of her car shut as she marched up the driveway and towards the front door ahead. She hadn’t talked to Harlan since the fiasco last night at Alexander’s. He had some big, brass balls to bring this bitch to her house...and those balls were about to be smashed.

  Victoria shoved the front door open, stepping into the large foyer, as she ripped her sunglasses from her face and slammed them onto the table in the corner. If they were in his bedroom…

  Victoria dropped her shopping bag onto the marble floor as she raced up the stairs, her hand trembling as it glided along the banister railing softly. Victoria turned to the right, moving quickly down the second level hallway, as she stopped at Harlan’s closed bedroom door. Victoria’s jaw tightened as she placed her ear to the wooden surface, listening carefully to Piper’s giggles sounding off on the other side.

  Not in her damn house.

  Victoria turned the handle sharply and shoved the door open…to see Harlan and Piper sitting on the edge of his bed, flipping through a photo album.

  “Well, isn’t this cute,” Victoria said coyly as she crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the right.

  “You couldn’t knock?” Harlan said sternly as Piper’s eyes darted up from the photo book to Victoria.

  “Not in my own damn house.”

  “It’s not your house, it’s my fathers,” Harlan snapped back as he stood up, dropping the photo book onto the bed.

  “Really? Do you see him around anywhere?” Victoria smirked as she twirled in a circle.

  “Just get out…NOW,” Harlan said, his eyes burning into Victoria as he inched towards her.

  “House rules…the door stays open,” Victoria said, placing her hands on her thin hips.

  “Since when did you start following the rules?” Harlan growled as he shoved past her, his shoulder bumping Victoria’s. Victoria smirked to herself as she turned, watching Harlan storm out of his bedroom and out of sight.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” Piper said softly as she stood up from the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles on the front of her red summer dress. Victoria turned towards Piper, moving towards her.

  “Well, then you shouldn’t have come here; not while me or Derek aren’t here.”

  “It’s not like Harlan is sixteen. I think he’s old enough to be trusted with a girl in his room,” Piper smirked.

  “Is your name on the deed? No? Our house…our rules. Now, see yourself out,” Victoria snapped as she spun around, making her way towards the bedroom door.

  “You must have been pretty lame in the sack if Harlan let a feisty little thing like you go,” Piper said.

  Victoria’s eyes widened as she stopped, frozen in front of the open doorway. Harlan…told her about them? Victoria slowly turned, her eyes glued on Piper as she inched back towards her.

  “I’m sorry? What?”

  “Someone has been a naughty little housewife. I bet Derek would love to hear about all the extracurricular activities taking place in the pool house.”

  “Are you threat
ening me?” Victoria smiled widely as she stepped towards Piper, just inches away from her.

  “No, I’m simply…giving you a warning. Stay out my way…or this perfect little world you’ve created for yourself is going to come crashing down,” Piper nodded.

  “I underestimated you.”

  “That was your first mistake,” Piper smiled. “Don’t be mad because Harlan moved on to a new girl; a much younger girl, at that,” Piper smirked. “Life will be a lot easier for you if you just let him go.”

  “And what if I don’t?” Victoria asked, adding coal to the fire as she stepped closer to Piper, her breasts now pressed against Piper…daring her to make a move.

  “Then Derek finds out about your little plan…to kill him. Yeah, Harlan told me about that, too. You’re one twisted bitch, I’ll give you that. But could you imagine…what would happen…if Derek found out you’re the reason his precious little Elle is dead?”

  Victoria’s stomach turned inside of her as Piper pushed passed her, making her way towards the bedroom door. Harlan told her everything; the affair, the plan, Elle. How could he put her in this situation? Her life was now in the hands of a trashy twenty-one year old. Everything…could be ruined in an instant. Her life. Her marriage. Her future.

  “Stay away from Harlan,” Piper said as she stopped in front of the doorway and turned, her eyes locked on Victoria’s back. “Or all your little secrets…are going to spill out…one by one.”

  Connelly

  Connelly placed a pink vase filled with bright yellow sunflowers onto a display table in the center of her flower shop as the bell above the entrance door sounded off behind her.

  “Half off sale today!” Connelly chimed as she adjusted the sunflowers in the glistening vase.

  “I figured I’d return this,” a deep voice said behind Connelly. Her eyes widened…as the familiar voice echoed through her ears. Connelly slowly turned…to see Kendrick Cunningham…her golden bracelet dangling from his fingers.

  “What do you mean?” Connelly asked, playing dumb. He knew…

  “Come on, Connelly, just take it. I’m not here to play games. I know it’s yours.”

  Connelly swallowed hard as she reached forward with her trembling hand, taking the piece of jewelry from his fingers.

  “Are you going to have me arrested?” Connelly asked as her voice quivered.

  “No, I just came here to talk,” Kendrick nodded, his eyebrows arched.

  “OK,” Connelly nodded as she crossed her arms.

  “I want this to stop; all of this tension and this resentment. When you look at me…I know what you’re thinking.”

  “That you’re a killer? Yeah, I do,” Connelly nodded. She was done playing games. She was done holding back the truth.

  “Connelly, I did NOT kill Ally,” Kendrick snapped, his jaw tightening. “I loved her…with every part of me. Yes, I made mistakes in our marriage. Yes, I wasn’t always the greatest husband. But I would never…ever hurt her.”

  “That’s not what she said during our last conversation. She said you choked her, Kendrick! She was scared for her life!”

  “I was just trying to…spice it up! I didn’t know I was doing it that hard. I just…with everything we were going through; I wanted to try something different. And clearly, it backfired. I just…I got so caught up in it. I didn’t mean to hurt her like that. I didn’t mean to scare her,” Kendrick said, shaking his head as he fought back his tears.

  “Then what about Rebecca?”

  “What about Rebecca?” Kendrick shrugged.

  “Just friends? You went to high school together? Last time I checked, I don’t call my guy friends daddy,” Connelly smirked, shaking her head in disgust.

  “Me and Ally…we…the last year we struggled. We both weren’t happy. I admit I snuck around on her; but she was no angel either. Trust me on that,” Kendrick nodded.

  “What about Rebecca? Would she hurt Ally?”

  “God no; she didn’t even know Ally. She’s not that kind of person. Rebecca was the one who wanted to end the affair. She said it didn’t feel right going behind Ally’s back. It tore her a part being the other woman. And then…after Ally died…I just…I did the only thing I could and that was to run to her. I couldn’t go through it alone. The whole neighborhood was looking at me like I was Ted Bundy or something. I needed someone. Everyone…everyone turned their backs on me; everyone but her.”

  “I just wish you would have told us this. I wish you have said something,” Connelly said, shaking her head.

  “How could I? All of you shut me out. All of you were convinced that I killed her. I’m not going to sit there and try to convince the people I once considered my friends that I didn’t kill my wife. As my friends, I thought you would believe me; I thought you would be one my side…but you all did what everyone else did. You all shut me out; you all thought I was guilty…and still do.”

  “So, what do you want? Do you want me to apologize? Do you want me to just go back to the way things were before because I can’t, Kendrick! I can’t do that! I can’t…I can’t trust anyone anymore.”

  “I want your help,” Kendrick said softly as he wiped his teary eyes.

  “With what?”

  “I want to find out what happened to her. You knew Ally better than anyone else. If anyone can help me clear my name…and find out who the sick son of a bitch is that killed her…it’s you. I need you now more than ever.”

  “We all had a special relationship with Ally; Victoria and Lillian. It wasn’t just me.”

  “Then I need all of you. I just,” Kendrick stopped as tears trickled down his cheeks. “I want to know what happened to my wife,” Kendrick cried, his voice quivering as he struggled to not fall to pieces.

  Connelly’s heart broke inside of her as she watched the warm tears trickle down his face. He wasn’t lying. And if he was, he deserved an Oscar. She could see he was breaking. She could see the pain…the agony…the frustration in his eyes. He was right…they did turn their backs on him. They shut him out.

  And if finding out who killed Ally meant putting her trust into Kendrick…then so be it. She just prayed…that her trust wouldn’t be broken. And she just prayed…that she wouldn’t end up like Ally.

  Lillian

  Lillian’s legs felt like they were going to buckle beneath her as she made her way down the street of Magnolia Cove, squinting in the sunlight as she eyed the tall iron security gate ahead. Lillian felt her tongue cling to the roof of her arid mouth as her eyes shifted to the glass security box to the left of the entrance gate; the bright rays of light reflected off of the glassy surface, shimmering through the dry air before her.

  It had been a month and a half since she last saw Robbie Perkins. After the Dawson house was broken into by a couple of teenagers, the community board decided to have him do a nightly sweep through the neighborhood. That night…forever changed Lillian’s life. She remembered it so vividly…so clearly. She was reading on the front porch, enjoying the cool summer breeze. Tatum was away for a conference in San Diego, so it was just her…and Gordon. It all started as small talk…and then came the wine…and then came the slurred words and the raging hormones. The next thing she knew, they were on the couch…snuggled together beneath a blanket…naked.

  To this day, Lillian doesn’t know why she did it. Maybe it was because Tatum had been traveling so much? Or maybe it was the resentment she felt towards Kylie’s unnecessary attention towards Tatum. Whatever it was…led to the biggest mistake that she had ever made. Now, she was paying the price. Lillian stepped up to the glass door on the side of the security box and peeked inside…to see Robbie sitting in a chair, his back towards her, as he took a bite from a tuna salad sandwich. Lillian gently tapped onto the surface of the glass as Robbie spun around in his chair, a piece of tuna dangling from the right corner of his mouth. A wide smile spread across his face as he rolled in the desk chair, reached forward, and opened the door for her.

  “Hey, Mrs. Sinclair
,” Robbie smiled as Lillian felt the cool air plaster against her face from inside.

  “Hey, Robbie.”

  She didn’t know what to say.

  She didn’t know where to start.

  Everything was so…tangled inside of her head.

  “Come on in! Don’t just stand out there in the heat,” Robbie smirked as he rolled away from the door in his chair, making room for Lillian. Lillian hesitated…and stepped inside, shutting the glass door behind her. Lillian lowered herself down onto a plastic stool beside Robbie’s desk as she watched him take another bite from his sandwich.

  “How have you been?” Lillian finally asked, breaking the silence.

  “I’ve been alright. Same shit, different day. It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?” Robbie smiled, staring down at the floor as he ran his hand along his forehead.

  “Yeah, it has,” Lillian said, swallowing hard. “I just wanted to talk to you about a few things.”

  “Last time we were going to talk…” Robbie said softly as he placed his sandwich onto his desk and leaned forward towards Lillian, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I know…we made a mistake. And I thank you for never saying anything…to anyone. It was a dumb thing that we did, and I regret it every single day.”

  “God, was I that bad?” Robbie joked, flashing his bright smile. The same smile that hypnotized Lillian that night.

  “Considering you were the first man I was ever with, I can’t answer that,” Lillian smirked softly, staring down at her lap.

  “Ouch,” Robbie smiled.

  “I just…I needed to tell you…”