My Lovely Wife(97)

“That’s what I figured.”

“Why?” he says.

“Doesn’t matter. Thanks again. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

He clears his throat.

“What?” I say.

“I have to ask you not to call again.” When I say nothing, he keeps talking. “It’s the DNA. This whole thing has just become so much bigger than—”

“I understand. Don’t worry about it.”

“I do believe you,” he says. “I just can’t keep—”

“I know. I won’t call again.”

He hangs up.

The only surprise is that he stayed by me as long as he did. I didn’t deserve his friendship. Not after Trista.

The sun has started to set, and I decide to make one last pass by the house before trying to go in. All I have to do is get into the garage, to her car, but it has to be after Millicent is asleep.

And I have keys.



* * *



? ? ?

Fifteen minutes later, I pass by on the parallel block and look for anything unusual. Like an unmarked police car because they are waiting for me to do exactly what I am about to do. Nothing. No unusual cars, no work trucks. There is nothing I don’t recognize in the neighborhood. Except me, the bearded guy who jogs too much. It’s surprising no one has stopped me yet.

I head back to Kekona’s using different streets. It’s the long way, but I used the short way earlier. By the time I make it to the edge of the circular drive up to her house, I stop dead.

A town car is in front.

The driver pulls a suitcase out of the trunk.

I hear her voice. Kekona is home.





Seventy




She’ll know. They will all know.

It will take Kekona seconds to realize someone has been staying in her house. The police will know it is me within another few seconds. My car is in the garage. My fingerprints are everywhere. So is my DNA, and Millicent’s tablet is right on the kitchen table.

Oh, and my wallet. I did not take it with me on the jog. It’s also on the kitchen table.

I go back the way I came and jog all the way out to the least expensive houses in the Oaks. Here, there is a small greenspace, away from the children’s park, where I stop near a group of trees and pretend to stretch.

I’ve got nowhere to go. No Andy to call or phone to call him with. No money, no friends, and almost a total lack of hope. But I do have keys. They are the only thing in my pocket.

Tonight was going to be the night anyway, the night I go into the garage to get the emergency card. In that respect, nothing has changed. What has changed is that I need a place to hide until Millicent is asleep.

My first thought is the club. Plenty of small rooms and closets to hang out in until well after dark. Getting in and out is the problem. Too many cameras.

The golf course is empty at night, but it’s filled with wide-open spaces visible from the road.

I’ll never find an unlocked car, not in Hidden Oaks. Here, everyone has modern, expensive cars, the kind with computers that do everything, including lock the doors.

For a moment, I consider hiding under a car. I’m just afraid someone will get in and start it.

In the distance, sirens. They are coming this way, but not to me. To Kekona’s.

My options are dwindling, and I have to move. I can’t just stay in this little greenspace forever. Not unless I bury myself.

I even consider hiding in my own backyard. And then, I do.



* * *



? ? ?

Everything looks different from above. The neighborhood, the cars, the sky. My house. My kitchen, where the light is on.

Millicent.

She is the one who convinced me to climb a tree. It was not something I thought I would do again, but here I am, hidden within the big oak tree at the back of our yard. Far enough from the house that no one heard the leaves rustling as I climbed up it.

Millicent is cleaning up in the kitchen. She is too far away for me to see any details other than her red hair and black clothing. I bet she wears black all the time these days, especially when the police come by. Mourning those women, her husband, and the breakup of her family.

I am both impressed and sickened.

Rory walks into the kitchen and goes straight to the refrigerator. He doesn’t move his right arm, I assume because the sling is still on it. He grabs something and stays there for a few minutes, talking to Millicent.

Jenna never comes into the kitchen, but I have to believe she is okay. Not sick. Millicent has no reason to poison her today.

My legs start to cramp up, and I adjust a little, although there isn’t anywhere to go. The kitchen light goes off, but the bedroom lights are on. Still too early for sleep.

Around me, the neighborhood goes quiet as everyone settles in. Very few cars are on the road. It’s a Tuesday night, not a popular one for big outings. I lean my head back against the tree trunk and wait.

By ten o’clock, everyone should be in bed. At eleven, I almost climb down, but then I let another thirty minutes pass. At half past, I climb down and walk along the edge of the yard, next to the fence, all the way to the house.

As I head to the side door into the garage, I look up.

Rory’s light is out, window closed.

We almost never use the side door to the garage. I am exposed a little, because it is in front of the backyard gate. I slip the key into the lock and click it open. The noise sounds much louder than it probably is, and I freeze for a second before stepping inside.