Jane Doe(48)

Oh my gosh, it’s Mr. and Mrs. Hepsworth!

Before I even see them, I hear Steven exclaim, “Dad!” with great joy. Then I hear the clap of male back patting before Steven leads his dad into the living room. Rhonda follows behind. No back pats for her.

“What are you doing out here?” Steven asks.

“Oh, we had an early dinner with that new minister from Brooklyn Park Christian. We were about to pass your exit and I realized we hadn’t stopped by in months. Thought I’d drop in and see the new fence.”

Steven’s chest puffs out proudly at that, and he leads his father out to the patio. I hear a low murmur of conversation through the door. Rhonda stays inside, staring at her phone. I hope she has a hot online boyfriend to fill her days, but that’s probably a bit risky for a preacher’s wife.

Steven and his dad return and they discuss the new minister for a while. Rhonda faces away from them, straight into the camera, and I see her lip curl with contempt, though I’m not sure for what. Her husband? His son? This life she lives?

The pastor excuses himself to use the restroom, and as soon as he’s gone, Steven’s gaze goes to Rhonda. He glares at her back for a long moment before he finally approaches. “Stay the fuck away from Jane,” he says, and I gasp and bounce with gleeful surprise. What the hell is this?

Rhonda rolls her eyes before she turns to face him. “What are you talking about?”

“Every time I turn around, you two are huddled up together gossiping. I don’t want you influencing her.”

“Influencing her to do what? Use her brain? She’s even dumber than your last little piece.”

“Just leave her alone.”

“You think I give a shit who you date? She’s the one who’s trying to kiss my ass and get in good with Daddy. It’s pitiful.”

“I don’t see you discouraging her.”

“Yeah, because I couldn’t care less.”

“Don’t fuck with me,” he warns.

“My God, you’re insane, you know that?” She swings back around toward the camera and raises her phone to dismiss him. A door opens offscreen and Steven moves away. I watch Rhonda’s eyes slide to the side as if she’s still wary of Steven’s presence. When her husband returns, Rhonda heads straight for the front door.

“We’d better get going, darling,” she says. She doesn’t wait for him to agree before she leaves.

What in the world was that? I bounce again and clap my hands, then click back to the beginning so I can pay even closer attention.

Does Steven think she’s going to tell me something I shouldn’t know? Is it about him abusing Meg? It makes sense. Rhonda hates his guts; there’s no reason she wouldn’t want to sabotage a new relationship for him. I should see if I can get her alone for a cocktail. But this Jane isn’t a drinks-with-the-girls kind of woman. Maybe coffee instead. Or tea.

Once they’re gone, Steven is agitated, pacing back and forth across the kitchen, swiping his hand through his hair. He drinks two beers in quick succession. Then he gets out his phone.

He dials someone and gets no answer. I dig my phone from my purse and see that I missed a call from him at 8:30. He probably wanted to know if he could drop by for a quick curbside handy.

Setting down the phone, he turns the game back on, but a few minutes later he’s back on the phone sending a short text. It wasn’t to me. His phone buzzes. He texts again. He smiles a tight little smile and mutes the TV again to make a phone call.

“Hey,” he says. “Long time no see.”

He paces back to the bedroom and this is the video I saw a few minutes ago, phone already pressed to his ear and charming grin in place. “Come on, it wasn’t like that. I just got busy with work.”

Ah, this must be a girl who put out too quickly and never got a second date.

“Vanessa,” he coos. He’s supposed to sound sweet but he sounds whiny. “That’s not true. Don’t be mean about it. You were always such a sweetheart.”

His grin flashes again. “Okay. Got it. That’s good news, because I was calling to see if you’re busy tonight . . . Nah, it’s not that late. We could grab a drink somewhere. How about that pub?”

Whatever she says, Steven’s smile fades and he rolls his eyes. “Yeah. Okay. Sure. Next time, then. Yeah, I’ll call you.”

He tosses his phone on the bed with a curse. God, he’s really riled up. Is it just because he wanted to yell at Rhonda and call her names and he isn’t allowed to? Now he needs another woman around to humiliate?

“Fucking bitch,” he mutters, and I’m not sure if he’s talking about Vanessa or Rhonda or all of us. Probably all of us.

He leaves the room for a few minutes, but before the camera can go to sleep, he’s back. He turns off the lights and gets into bed with his phone. The screen lights up. I hear a woman speaking in Japanese, then the distinctive sound of spanking and weeping. Then the dulcet tones of porn sex, the woman high-pitched and desperate, the man guttural and in control.

I watch until he finishes, then I get out my cat’s favorite feather toy and let her chase it around the living room. Every pounce, every twitch of her head, reminds me of that tiger. And of myself.

She finally flops onto the scarred wood floor with a yawn, and I do the same on the couch. It’s been a long day, but in three days I’ll be Steven’s special girl, and I can’t wait.