The Good Neighbors

by Kiersten Modglin

  “But…Bryant and I…we were happy. Don’t you see that? You ruined everything for us.”

  “Bryant cheated on you,” he said. “He cheated on you, and now Tori’s pregnant because of it.”

  She sucked in a breath. “And now he’s in jail because of your plan.”

  “I never wanted that to happen. I swear to you I didn’t. We used accelerant inside the house. I can’t understand why they would blame Bryant. But I will do everything I can to help you fix it. Everything short of coming forward with my story.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I cannot do that.”

  “But, what about all the strange stuff that happened? The cameras in our house? The subscriptions? Abortion appointments? The slashed tires? The break-ins? That wasn’t you guys?”

  “What? Of course not! Why on earth would we do any of that? We liked you guys.” He furrowed his brow, seeming genuinely confused.

  “Because someone did,” she said. “And if it wasn’t you guys, then who was it?”

  “I have no idea, Harper. Honestly, I don’t. We truly did want to be your friends. Well, a little more than that, since I’m being honest.”

  “Friends don’t sleep with their friend’s husband, Jason. What you guys did…you really hurt me.”

  He pulled his hand back, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m really sorry, Harper. I am. I never meant to hurt you. Tori never meant to hurt you. I guess we forgot there were real feelings involved. We, well, we kind of lost touch with reality. Fourteen years of a fake marriage will do that to you. And…well, I thought you liked me back.”

  “I was married, Jason. Still am married. As in…not available.”

  “I’m really sorry,” he said again.

  “So, what now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What are you going to do? Where are you going to go?”

  “Well,” he said, “I guess that depends on what comes next for you.” His brown eyes searched hers, looking for an answer she could not give. It didn’t matter how she felt about him. It didn’t matter that he had once given her butterflies she couldn’t deny. The fact was, after all the damage he’d done, all the pain he’d caused her…she couldn’t feel those things anymore.

  She had a very real husband and a very real child that she had to protect. She couldn’t play pretend with Jason—Roy—whoever he’d be now.

  “I have to go help Bryant.”

  “You don’t have feelings for me?” he asked, a confirmation.

  “That’s not what I said. I don’t know you. You helped me. You’ve been kind to me. But, you’ve also caused me a lot of pain. I know that wasn’t your intention, but there’s no future for us, Jason, if that’s what you’re asking me. I’m married. I have a child.” She rested her hands on her stomach. “I’m sorry you gave up so much for me.”

  He nodded, staring across the ocean as the sun began to fade from view. “I’d do it all again,” he promised, and his eyes said he meant it. “Just promise me one thing?”

  “What’s that?”

  His shoulders raised in a drawn-out shrug. “Ask yourself this, Harper Page, does he look at you the way that I do? Because I’ve seen him look at you…and I don’t think you want to hear that answer.”

  She shook her head, feeling slighted by his honesty. “I don’t…you can’t…I have to go.”

  He nodded, and she could swear she saw small tears brimming his eyes as he cleared his throat and began to walk away. “Have a good life, Harper,” he called, and for a moment she thought he was being catty. When he looked back over his shoulder one last time, his eyes were filled with sincerity. “You deserve it.”

  Fifty-Three

  Harper

  Harper walked into the house with her phone in her hand. She had played the recording she’d made over and over on her way home. It was crystal clear, except for the occasionally swishing sound of her dress across the microphone. She had it. She had them. She could prove, once and for all, that Jason and Tori had planned the whole thing. That Bryant was innocent.

  Then, once Bryant was safe and their family was back together, they could move home to Chicago or decide to stay in Lancaster Mills—it didn’t matter because their family would once again be safe. Jason and Tori were gone forever. Never to darken their doorstep ever again.

  She walked up the stairs of the quiet home, pulling her dress off and climbing into the shower. As the water washed over her, she thought about everything she had learned, still trying to piece together some parts of the mystery. If what Jason had said was true and the Fullers weren’t the ones trying to harass them, then who had it been? None of it made any sense.

  On top of that, she couldn’t deny the flush that was still on her cheeks from being in Jason’s presence. Did she have feelings for him? Of course. But could she act on them? Never.

  She was married. He’d been married to his sister. Okay, not legally, and not necessarily in a creepy way—his intentions had been noble, but he and his “wife” had schemed to break up a marriage. They’d caused her husband to cheat. Effectively, they’d ruined her life. She could never forgive that.

  The next morning, Harper walked up the steps to the police station, recording in hand. She entered through the metal detectors, headed toward the front desk where an officer was waiting.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to see my husband.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Bryant Page.”

  “Just a second,” the woman said.

  “I need to see an officer who’s working on his case as well.”

  “Sure,” the officer said, nodding her head as she picked up the phone.

  After a few moments, another police officer appeared. “Mrs. Page?” he asked, waving his hand for her to follow him. She did as she was told, following him down a long hallway. “I’m Officer Rigdon. One of the officers on your husband’s case. I’m sure the news came as quite a shock to you.”

  “Yes, it did. Actually, I wanted to talk to you. I have proof that my husband didn’t commit the murders.”

  The officer stopped in his tracks, staring at her strangely. “Excuse me?”

  “I—I have proof. My husband didn’t kill Jason and Tori Fuller.”

  The officer smiled slightly, as if he thought she was joking. “Yeah, we know that.”

  “You do?” she asked, her jaw dropping as her grip on her phone lightened.

  “Yeah. Mrs. Page, your husband wasn’t arrested for murder. The accelerant found in the fire in the Fullers’ home was found inside the home. Most likely an insurance scheme gone wrong.” He shook his head. “Didn’t your husband tell you what was going on?”

  She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling extremely dry. “I…I guess not. What do you—” As she began to speak, they turned down another corner and she spotted Bryant in a small cell, leaning against the bars.

  “Oh, thank God it’s you,” he called to her as soon as he saw her.

  Forgetting her conversation with the officer, she rushed forward, clutching her husband through the bars. “Are you okay?” she asked, leaning her forehead into his.

  He nodded. “I’m so sorry about all of this.”

  “I…I don’t understand,” she said. “They said you aren’t here for murder. So, what’s going on?”

  “I—I’m sorry, I had to lie to get you here. I didn’t think you’d come if you knew the truth.”

  “The truth? What is the truth?” Harper asked, pulling away from him.

  “The truth is that… I love you. I love you and…the cameras in our house weren’t put there by the Fullers.”

  “They weren’t?”

  “They were put there by me,” he said, placing his face in his hands. “I had my student order them, and I got caught.” He shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

  She took a breath. “I don’t understand…”

  He shook his head, his forehead wrinkled as he lifted his head to meet her eyes. “I don’t know why
I did it. I just…I felt guilty, I guess. I wanted to make us leave. I wanted you to understand that it wasn’t my fault. We needed to leave Lancaster Mills, and the only way I could make that happen was to scare you. I’m so, so sorry. I’m an idiot.” He reached for her hands through the bars, but she stepped back.

  “So, wait…you mean to tell me that the cameras—the ones I’ve been having nightmares about, the ones that have caused me to be so paranoid—that was all you?”

  He nodded, poking out his lips in a pout. “I’m so sorry.”

  “What about everything else? The appointments? The slashed tires? Tori’s bra?”

  “You were right when you said you thought I’d been the one to leave the house last when we went to Myrtle Beach. I left it open on purpose. Just slightly. Remember I went back in to grab a drink? I hung Tori’s bra up on the chair. I used an excuse to sneak into her house when the housekeeper was home alone and took it.”

  “But…she said it was her. Why would she cover for you?”

  “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “That threw me off, too. I guess she was just trying to help, but she was holding everything we’d done over me. So, I tried to confess with the pizzas. I wanted you to confront me…but then I couldn’t go through with it. I was so scared I was going to lose you.”

  “The mugging, then? You were never really mugged, were you? That was all you? Do you know how many nights I stayed up driving myself crazy about it happening again? Worrying about who had our key? What about the tires? You really slashed your own tires?”

  “I was an idiot,” he said. “I needed to get your attention. I needed you to know we were both in danger.”

  “But we weren’t both in danger,” she squealed, hot, angry tears cascading down her cheeks. “How could you do this? All of it…the abortion appointments, too? Those were made before you even knew I was pregnant.”

  He looked down, rubbing his fingers across his forehead. “I listened to your voicemail when you were in the shower. You had a missed call, and I didn’t recognize the number.”

  “So, what? You thought I might be cheating on you for a change?” she demanded, fury radiating through her.

  “It was your nurse, calling to let you know they’d called in a prenatal for you. I put it all together at that point.”

  “And you…you got me fired?”

  He nodded. “I needed you to need me, Harper. I needed it to be me and you against the world, like it’s always been.”

  “The lingerie? The mail? All of it?”

  “It was all me,” he said sadly. “All of it. Because I’d screwed up and I couldn’t face it. I wanted you to believe we were both in danger, so I did everything I could to make you want us to leave. Only…you wanted to leave alone. So I tried to scare you even more. I couldn’t let you leave without me. I can’t survive without you.”

  She let out a sob, trying hard to control her overwhelming emotions as she thought back over the past few weeks. How could what he was saying be true? “What about the email from Donna? You said she said the neighbors freaked her out. I saw the email myself.”

  He exhaled deeply, looking away. “I sent the email. I really did email Donna, in case she had something bad to say about them that would back up all I was trying to prove. But, she didn’t email back. So, I created an email and sent it to myself.” He paused. “Then I emailed back with the kind of response I was hoping for.”

  “What about the article that went missing? You weren’t even home then.”

  “That was just…lucky coincidence. I found the article a few days later on the floor. I guess it had fallen off the desk. We were just so panicked we didn’t think to look for it.”

  “I,” she corrected. “I was just so panicked. Because it was all just an act for you.” When he didn’t respond, she spoke up again. “So, literally all of it…all of it was…just a game? You just played mind games with me and let me live in terror for the past few weeks for no reason? The neighbors weren’t really bad at all?”

  “Well, they weren’t good. They were obviously trying to cause problems and break us up.”

  She shook her head, backing away from him. “And you could’ve resisted, Bryant. Just like I did. They didn’t deserve to have their lives ruined because of us.”

  “I didn’t start the fire,” he assured her. “I swear to you I had nothing to do with that.”

  “How could you do this?” She begged him for an explanation that wouldn’t make her hate him more, her lips curled in disgust.

  “I don’t know. I’m just so sorry. I don’t know how to fix it, but I’m trying. I could still lie to you. They’re dead; I could let them take the blame. But I’m not. I’m telling you the truth now. About everything,” he said. “I want to be completely honest, so we can fix this. Ask me anything you want. This,” he pointed around the jail cell, “was a wake up call, Harper. I’m never going to let a lie come between us again.”

  She closed her eyes, trying to collect her thoughts. “You don’t honestly believe we’re going to be okay, now, do you? You lied to me…about everything. You cheated on me. You ruined peoples’ lives. You ruined my life. You were going to let me hire a lawyer. Waste my parents money when you truly are guilty.”

  He shook his head, looking at the guard at the far side of the room. “They charged me with filing a false police report. It’s a misdemeanor. I already told them everything I’m telling you. I’m cooperating fully. No more lies. What I did…it was wrong. I realize that now. But it’s not too late to fix what’s still important to me. I’ll get a fine, maybe community service, but no jail time. A lawyer can help. I still need one.”

  She stared at him, at the man she thought she knew, but he seemed to be a stranger. A monster. A man who’d done unspeakable things just to get his way—just to protect himself from his own lies. She couldn’t deny that she still loved him, but that love was overshadowed by disgust. How could she try to help him after all he’d done? How could she try to work it out?

  The truth was, she couldn’t. She rested her hand on her belly, on the child she was going to raise to be nothing like the man who’d fathered him or her.

  “I have to go,” she said finally, brushing tears from her cheeks.

  “What?” He pulled his head back from the cell’s bars in shock. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can’t be here right now,” she said, taking a step back. “I’m going back to Chicago. I gave up everything for you. I gave up a career I worked my ass off for in college. I was willing to start entry-level and work my way up rather than use my degree just so you could do what you love. And you were so grateful that you cheated on me. Then you lied about it over and over again. About everything. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going home. When you get all of this sorted out, we can figure out custody. We can do whatever we need to in order to make sure our child has a good life, but whatever we had…between us…it’s over. It burned down right along with the Fullers’ house. What you did…it wasn’t to protect me. It was to protect yourself.” She paused. “And now I have to do the same.”

  “Don’t do this,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes. “You can’t leave me. I love you.”

  She nodded, but turned away, walking back down the hallway and ignoring his cries. There was nothing left to say. She wouldn’t pack a bag; there was nothing here she needed to take. She was going home, to start over and try to forget about the nightmare the months in Lancaster Mills had brought her.

  Fifty-Four

  Harper

  FOUR YEARS LATER

  Harper sat at a prime table in a prestigious restaurant across from the CEO of Chicago’s top hospital and two of his assistants. He slid a piece of paper across the table, taking a sip of his wine and smiling.

  “I think you’ll find that it’s more than we had originally discussed. After talking with your references, it’s important to me that you know how big of an asset you’d be to our hospital.”

  She smiled, staring at
the paper. The number was double what she made in a year where she currently worked. It was enough to pay off her lawyer’s bill from the custody case with Bryant. It was enough to pay for Luke’s school. Enough to pay off her house within a few years. Enough to take care of her for life. She set the paper down, trying not to let tears flood her eyes as she pictured the future she’d always dreamed of with her son by her side in the city she loved more than anything.

  “It’s…yes,” she said simply. “I would love to accept.”

  The CEO clapped his hands. “Now, that’s exactly what I had hoped for. More wine for the table to celebrate this new endeavor.” He waved to a nearby waiter who jumped to action, bringing a new bottle of wine instantly.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, reaching out and shaking her new employer’s hand. “I hope you’ll understand if I need to go, though. My daycare will be closing soon,” she checked her watch, “and I need to pick up my son.”

  “Of course,” he said politely. “We’ll see you in two weeks?”

  “Two weeks,” she confirmed, shaking his hand and the hands of his assistants once more as she lifted the napkin from her lap and set it on the table. “Thank you so much again for this amazing opportunity.”