Hush

by Jay Lang

  “Nope. He must be way down by the beach somewhere.”

  Just as Hank reaches the door, Stinky cruises in, beating him into the house. Annie looks at me and shrugs sheepishly.

  Thankfully, the clock shows twenty minutes until sail time. “We better get a move on it,” says Hank.

  The three of them stand up and walk to the door. Hank congratulates Annie and me before stepping out, patting Stinky on the way. Next, Tim gives me a hug, breathing pungent booze in my face. “Jade, I love ya. Thanks for inviting me.” Then, he hugs Annie. “Congrats to you too, kid. And next time you see me at a restaurant, no matter who you’re with, say hi.”

  Annie smiles and says nothing. At least she didn’t argue with him. When he’s out the door, she looks at me and rolls her eyes.

  I manage to talk Denny into staying at the B&B tonight. He’s so pissed that he’d be in a ditch a minute after getting behind the wheel. I drive Denny in his truck and Annie follows me in her car.

  As we drive, Denny stares out of the passenger window.

  “Hey, brother, are you alright? You’re not saying anything.”

  “That’s because you don’t want to hear what I have to say.”

  His voice is raspy and loud, probably because of the whisky and pill chaser he had. “I want to hear what you have to say, just not if it’s about Annie.”

  “I don’t think you’re as stupid as you pretend to be, Jade. You must know that you’re getting played.”

  “Denny, if you don’t stop that shit, I’m leaving you by the side of the road and you can walk.”

  He looks at me. I look back. He knows I’m serious. “I’m just trying to help you, sis.”

  Finally, the headlights flash across the B&B sign ahead. I pull over and shut off the engine. “Here you are, Denny, safe and sound.”

  “Thanks, Jade. Do you think I can call you tomorrow before I leave the island?”

  I’m pretty positive he won’t. I have a feeling he’ll be sleeping the drunk off all day. “Of course, you can.”

  He reaches over and touches my hand before getting out of the truck and slowly maneuvers his way up the few steps to the small white house. I wait until he pushes the buzzer and the woman answers before I get out of the truck and hide the keys on top of the rear wheel. I’ll text him in the morning to tell him where they are.

  I lean against the truck as I wait for Annie to arrive, and I try to process the last few hours. It’s hard to believe I got married this morning. The whole day was overshadowed by Denny’s arrival. And yet, aside from the initial disruption, nothing really bad happened—not even with Annie in the room. It was a recipe for disaster and it didn’t take. Granted, I’m sure if Tim and Hank weren’t there, it would have been much worse. I’ll have to thank Tim for being a great distraction, even if it involved a full bottle of whiskey.

  Finally, I see headlights coming up the road—Annie. When she pulls up, I hop in the passenger side and smile at her. She doesn’t look at me. She just concentrates on turning the car around.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask, once we’re driving.

  “Fine.”

  Oh, great. “Annie, I honestly had no idea that Denny would show up, I promise you.”

  “He sure found out about the wedding pretty damn easily. What if he got violent again, Jade? For God’s sake, I’m pregnant. That guy is a loose cannon. The fact that he somehow held it together tonight was sheer luck.”

  “Well, he is trying. He’s even back on his meds.”

  She snorts. “Nice try, Jade. He took his meds, or what he said were his meds, with a half a glass of whisky. I don’t think that counts as trying.”

  I know better than to argue. Annie is in a mood. All she’s looking for is for me to defend my brother and she’ll blow her stack.

  “Annie, we got married today. We should be happy, not fighting. Who cares what could have happened? It didn’t, and we’re finally alone.”

  She shrugs, sighs and then nods. “I guess you’re right.”

  When we get home, we find the kitchen looking like the casualty of a food fight. Stinky got into the leftover food on the table and slid everything onto the floor. He stands, frozen, in the middle of the carnage.

  I look at him, he looks at me and then he takes off, running out of the kitchen and into the bedroom to hide. “That little shit,” I say, grabbing the broom out of the kitchen closet.

  “That’s just typical,” I hear her say, and I glance at her. She’s smiling.

  It takes us a half hour to clean, and by the end we’re sticky and exhausted. We take a shower together, more to save time than to be romantic—we’re both too bagged.

  When we’re finally in bed, I curl around her and press my face into her sweet-smelling hair. “I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry that my brother showed up. I wanted today to be great. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  She snuggles closer to me, and I take that as forgiveness.

  Right before I fall asleep, my mind goes back to Annie, at the moment when she saw the envelope full of money in the bedroom. She seemed almost entranced by it. I never thought she’d react to Denny’s gift that way. Hell, I wouldn’t think she’d react to money that way. She’s never been materialistic, as far as I know, anyway. She’s always been happy in our small cottage, with her flowing cotton skirts, and her seashell mobiles.

  Chapter Twelve

  I wake in a cold sweat with my heart pounding hard inside my chest.

  I sit up and try to slow my breathing, then I look around the room.

  It was just a dream, a very realistic and terrifying dream. I was down at the dock again. It was foggy, like before. I was sitting on the dock with my feet hanging over. Then, I saw the same skiff floating towards me. As it came closer, I saw Robbie again, lying there with his eyes open. This time, he turned his head, and our eyes met. I tried to get up but my feet slipped out from under me and I fell onto my back. The next thing I knew, he was crawling up the dock like a strange creature. I felt his boney cold hands grasp onto my ankles and slowly start to slide me down the dock, toward the dark ocean. Even struggling as hard as I could, I couldn’t break free from his grasp. I tried to kick but my legs were made of lead. I opened my mouth to scream, but a sudden gust of wind swallowed my voice. My feet slid into the water and I held onto the dock, my fingers slipping. I looked down to see Robbie’s distorted face under the sea, his eyes huge and dark as he tugged me down.

  I won’t tell Annie about the dream. There’s no point. I’ll just shake it off and pretend it never happened.

  Thankfully, I don’t have to work for a few days—my boss’s wedding gift to me. Annie isn’t as lucky. She opts to go to work today, saying they are short staffed. Instead of a honeymoon, we’ve agreed to save money for the coming baby bills.

  Since I’ll be home when Annie gets off work, I’ve decided to return the surprise that she gave me and make tonight special for her—minus the strip tease. So far, I’ve got candles, a compilation CD of all our favorite songs, a nice vegetarian lasagna dish that I bought on my way home from work and put in the freezer, and a box of perfumed silk rose petals that I plan to scatter in the bedroom.

  There are still hours before Annie is home, so I decide to take Stinky to Sandwell Park beach for a run and a pee before I start preparations. It’s a beautiful spot to go, with great trails just up from shore and spectacular views of Georgia Strait from the beach. In the summer it’s packed with tourists, but now it’s not crowded at all, and I can let Stinky run free. I feel a lot easier about walking through the trails now that I have a dog. If he senses any predatory animals such as a cougar, he’ll bark his face off and hopefully scare them away. Or he’ll run. I try to stay optimistic.

  After a few hours of hiking through the bush and throwing a ball on the beach for Stinky, I head back to the cottage. I’ve got just enough time to throw our meal in the oven, have a quick shower, and decorate the place before Annie gets home.

  I shower while the food
cooks in the oven. As I’m getting dressed, Stinky noses the door open. He’s still amped from his walk, and he’s got his dirty orange ball in his mouth, which he drops at my feet. “No, Stinky. I’m busy,” I say, swiping the ball away with my foot. The ball rolls across the floor and under Annie’s dresser. Stinky crouches down and tries unsuccessfully to jam his head far enough to reach it.

  Heaving a sigh, I get down on my hands and knees and look under the dresser for him. At the back of the dresser, against the wall, I see the ball nestled up against a reddish book. After I get Stinky’s toy and roll it across the floor for him, I pull the book out.

  Stamped on the front is the word journal in gold italics. It’s the book Annie always writes in. But why would it be under the dresser? There’s no way it could have gotten there by accident. Unless she put it there on purpose. Unless she was hiding it.

  Why would she feel the need to keep secrets? I don’t keep anything from her. I feel hurt—hurt and curious.

  After a moment of thought, I put the book on the floor and slide it back under the dresser. I’d promised her that I’ve turned over a new leaf. I have to trust her now, no matter what.

  After I arrange the candles, I decorate the bedroom with the flower petals and then put the CD on. The odor coming from the baking dish in the oven fills the cottage. I look up at the clock on the wall; only a half hour before she walks through the door. After making sure my hair is neat and my clothes are free of dog hair, I lie on top of the bed and wait for the oven timer to go off.

  As I look at the ceiling, my mind is drawn back to the book. I can’t help but wonder what is written on the pages that she feels the need to hide from me. If what she wrote is innocent, she wouldn’t be stuffing the journal under the dresser.

  Then again, maybe she just wants her privacy. Maybe all she wrote about was to do with her feelings over the rape or something like that. Maybe it’s poetry; stuff she doesn’t want me to read due to pure embarrassment. There’s nothing bad in there. Why would there be? If she was up to no good, she wouldn’t have married me, would she?

  After a few more minutes of going back and forth in my mind, I come to the conclusion that I won’t be at ease unless I take a quick look. If I don’t, it’ll be on my mind all night and Annie will be able to tell that something is bothering me. I don’t want our night to be ruined.

  Crouching down, I retrieve the book and bring it back to the bed. Stinky lies in the corner. I swear that he’s looking at me with disappointed eyes, but that could just be my conscience talking.

  As soon as I open the thick cover, I know that I’ve broken my promise to Annie. I feel terrible, but the urge to read a few lines outweighs my guilt.

  I’ll only read a few lines of the last thing she wrote. Then, after I see that there’s nothing damning here, I’ll close the book and put it back, feeling stronger in our relationship. It’s the best thing I can do, really.

  I thumb through the pages until I find her last entry. Scanning quickly, I run my finger over each line as I speed read. She mentions the wedding and then writes how “Jade’s drunk friend, Tim, was at the house with Hank.” She goes on to write how she can’t stand him. How he almost got her busted because of—

  I hear Annie come through the front door. With one panicked move, I toss the book at the bottom of the dresser. Miraculously, it slides underneath. I turn around to see Annie standing in the doorway. “What are you doing in here?” she asks.

  A lump forms in my throat when I look at her. The guilt is choking me so much, I can’t even speak.

  She looks around the room and sees the flower petals I scattered. “Did you do all this for me?” she says, tilting her head and smiling.

  “Well, I didn’t do it for Stinky.”

  Annie disrobes in front of me for a shower, which would usually pique my attention, but not right now. Right now, all I can think about is what I read in her journal.

  What did she mean when she wrote about Tim almost blowing her cover? Was he telling the truth about her being with a man at the restaurant that day? Or was she referring to something else? I feel like my brain is being tugged from both ears. If I confront her, she’ll know that I read her private writing and the fight will be on.

  More importantly, if I do say something to her, she’ll hide her journal in a different spot.

  Annie exits the bathroom with her hair dripping and her body glistening. She slowly and seductively walks over to where I am sitting on the bed. Staring into my eyes, she reaches down and grabs my hands then guides them over her curves. I guess I’m not responding because she drops my hand and steps back. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want me?”

  Hell no. Not until I know what’s in your journal.

  “Of course, I do,” I say, forcing a grin. “It’s just that I have a bit of a stomach ache. I’m sorry.”

  “Well, that’s not good. Maybe you should lie down for a while.”

  “I’ll be fine in a while.”

  She mentions how good dinner smells. I tell her that I’ll eat later and that she should serve herself.

  On the bed, I look over at the dresser and wonder when I’ll have an opportunity to read more.

  I managed to fake my stomach problems until it is too late to do anything but sleep. I’m usually the one to spoon Annie while we sleep, but I turn the other way tonight, claiming that the position helps my stomach feel better. She buys it. I’m not one to lie.

  In the morning, Annie makes us papaya and eggs, and then we take Stinky for a walk together. Thankfully, Annie fills the conversation. She talks about the different kinds of flowers at her work and then talks about the local people she’s been meeting. All I can think about is if she lied to me or not.

  Finally, it’s time for her to go to work, and I can hardly wait. She’s only working half a day today, so I’ll have to make sure I use my time alone effectively.

  We kiss goodbye and she pets Stinky before getting in her car. Stinky and I watch as she leaves the yard. I take a few minutes to let the dog pee before we head back into the house.

  I make a tea, give Stinky a chewy bone, then I head straight for the bedroom. Putting my tea on the nightstand, I get down on all fours and look under the dresser. Sonofabitch. It’s gone.

  I quickly search the room, in drawers, between the mattresses and underneath the stereo. Damn. Did she hide it somewhere else knowing somehow that I’d read it, or did she take it to work with her? Shit!

  I go into the living room and search there—I even make Stinky move off the couch so I can check under the cushions. Still I can’t find it. After a good hour of looking, I slump down in a chair, feeling defeated. I have to find it. If I don’t, I’ll go out of my mind.

  Just as I get another burst of energy and get up, my phone rings. Slipping it out of my pocket, I sit back down and answer without looking at whose calling. “What?”

  “Jade, it’s Denny. Are you alone?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “I’m in big trouble. I need to ask you something important.” I can hear the panic in his voice.

  “You have to calm down, Denny. Relax. Just take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

  “Fuck relaxing, Jade. If you knew the shit storm that I’ve been going through—”

  “Okay, okay. Tell me.”

  “First, I’ve got to ask you something and I don’t want you to get all uppity and freak out when you hear it.”

  His call is literally the last thing I need right now. Annie is due home soon and I still haven’t found her stupid journal. “Fine. What?”

  “Do you think Annie put Robbie’s wallet in the back of my truck the other night?”

  His question completely confuses me. He doesn’t sound stoned or drunk, so I’m doubly confused. “Denny, what the hell are you talking about?”

  “The cops found Robbie’s wallet in the back of my truck. They came to the house at like 5 AM and rooted through my truck. Then, they told me to get dressed and come downtown
with them. I lost it, Jade. I acted really calm and asked them if I could get changed first. A rookie cop stood outside the bathroom door when I put on my sweats. Then I locked the door and climbed through the window, onto the roof.”

  “Fuck, Denny.”

  He ignores me. “I jumped onto the big tree and climbed down and ran like hell until I got to one of my friends. I’m still at his place but he’s freaking out and wants me gone tomorrow.”

  “You fled the cops? Are you fucking crazy?” I quickly note the irony of my question. “You’ve got to go back to the cops. By running, you look guilty as hell.” Then, I remember his original question. “And why would Annie put the wallet in your truck? Why would she even have it?”

  “How the hell would I know? I sure as hell didn’t put it there! I’m scared shitless, Jade, and I don’t know what to do.”

  I can tell right now that there’s no way I’m talking him into going to the cop shop. He’s not rational. Not that he usually is, but this is the most freaked out I’ve ever heard him.

  “Annie didn’t and wouldn’t have done that,” I say firmly. My mind flashes to the journal. I push the thought away.

  “Well, someone is trying to frame me. I’m innocent, Jade. You’ve got to believe me.”

  “Dammit, Denny, I believe you. But you’re guilty to some degree. This whole mess is a result of your decision to bring Robbie here in the beginning.”

  “How could I have known that this shit storm would happen? I brought a friend for a boat ride to the cottage—how is that a fucking crime?”

  “Can’t you go to your lawyer?”

  “Yeah right. The guy is so slow, he’s useless. I don’t know how Dad ever tolerated him.”

  “You should still try. I can help you.”

  “Can I stay with you?”

  I open my mouth, but no words come out.

  “Please?” He’s speaking quickly. “I need to get my head straight. I can’t think until I’m safe, and I feel safe with you.”

  “Denny.” I rub my forehead. “How would that work? Annie thinks you were part of the whole plan to hurt her. She’d never allow it. And that detective has been around three times now. Gabriola is the last place you’ll be safe.”