What Have You Done(29)
20
The ride from the city to his home across the Delaware River normally took about thirty minutes, but tonight Liam sat in bumper-to-bumper gridlock as traffic crawled methodically across the Walt Whitman Bridge. Three lanes had been merged into one because of an accident involving multiple cars.
He dialed the technology division of the police department. Up ahead, he could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles as the scene unfolded before him.
“Tech. Nelson here.”
“Yeah, Nelson, this is Detective Heckle,” Liam said. His voice shook as he spoke. “I’m lead on the Kerri Miller homicide. You guys were supposed to have some phone records for me. You get anything from the carriers yet?”
Tapping of computer keys.
“Nothing yet,” Nelson replied. “Should have them before the night’s out, but they’re not in at this point. I’ll email them to you when I get them.”
“I need them as soon as possible. If I come in early tomorrow, you think they’ll be there?”
“Yeah, should be. I’ll get in touch with the phone company and light a fire.”
“I’m counting on you, Nelson. My boss is up my ass about this report I need to complete.”
“I’ll get ’em to you by morning. I’m on it.”
“Thanks.”
“No sweat.”
He hung up and flipped on the radio to listen to chatter while his mind wandered. It had been a few hours since he’d left Sean at the museum. There hadn’t been much more conversation after they’d walked through the park and ended up back at the steps. What more could have been said? They needed to find out who was doing this before Heckle and Keenan found out about his affair.
He gripped the steering wheel, inching closer toward the flashing lights on the side of the bridge. His blood had ended up under her fingernails. He rubbed the scratch on his chest as a small whimper of doubt questioned how it had really gotten there. This was a game. A sick game. It had to be. But still, he couldn’t remember anything from that night.
When he’d gotten back to his office after the museum, he’d erased the computer history of his identification match in the database and shredded the computer printout as Sean had instructed. Jane had called several times, but he had never answered. Tomorrow. He would handle it all tomorrow.
Horns sounded behind him as other drivers grew impatient now that the finish line was in sight. He was in the single lane, inching closer. He crawled past the flashing lights of the accident and stepped on the accelerator, merging with the rush of traffic, heading into the night, toward home, where Vanessa waited. He pulled the gold pendant from his pocket and let it sway back and forth between his fingers as he drove. The mini–magnifying glass represented another life, another time. He opened his window and threw it out onto the road. There was already far too much connecting him to Kerri. He needed to walk a fine line from now on.
After the traffic had spread out, the commute home was mundane. The sports chatter on the radio helped distract him for a few more minutes, and it wasn’t long before he was pulling into his driveway as the sun was setting and turning the sky a brilliant combination of blue and pink.
Liam entered the house and was immediately surrounded by hundreds of votive candles dancing in the darkness. His senses were engulfed by lavender while R & B played from the stereo in the living room. He dropped his briefcase and stood dumbfounded in the foyer, staring at the tiny flickering flames strewn across the floor, balanced on tables, and lining the hallway. The rest of the house was dark. He followed the candles down the hall into the living room, where the fireplace crackled with romance. Vanessa was lying on the couch dressed in only a silk robe, the robe open and falling off her thin and toned body.
“Hey, stranger,” she whispered seductively. “I thought you weren’t gonna make it.”
Liam feigned a smile, trying his hardest to get into the moment but knowing full well he wanted to be anywhere but there. “I hit some traffic. Accident on the bridge.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re home. Come over here, and let me show you how much I missed you today.”
There was a time, years ago, when Liam wouldn’t have been able to contain himself, but as he looked on, disinterested and distracted, he felt nothing. He wasn’t turned on or shocked or appalled or disgruntled. He wasn’t happy or sad or confused or ungrateful. He wasn’t anything. Standing in front of his beautiful wife lying naked on the couch, waiting for him to take her, Liam wanted nothing more than to turn around, climb the stairs to his bedroom, and go to sleep. All he could see was Kerri’s mangled body hanging from the pipes in that hotel room, and he fought off the tears that wanted to come. He heard the instructions from their marriage counselor echoing in his mind.
Be spontaneous.
Learn to love one another again.
Find each other.
Remember why you decided to spend your lives together, and let that fuel your newfound romance.
He walked toward Vanessa and knelt beside her. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Vanessa smiled. “Like I said yesterday, I’m sorry for being a bitch. I wanted to make it up to you, and I figured since you owed me for lunch, this’ll make us even.”
“You didn’t have to do all this. The candles and the music.”