What Lies Beneath: Romantic Suspense (7 page)

12

Not for the first time, Jillian drove me home. She told me all she knew about that night on the bridge. I went over it again and again in my head: Tom was with a woman wearing a scarf; Mr. Devereaux searching for something under the bridge.

It didn’t make sense. How did he fit into this? Tom didn’t know the Devereauxes, did he?

We pulled up to my house. Theo’s car was sitting out front.

“Great,” I muttered.

“Your boyfriend?”

“No.”

“He’s new in town, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. He works for the Devereauxes.”

I watched Jillian’s face carefully, but she gave no indication of what she was thinking. She simply said: “Be careful.”

I stepped out of the car. Jillian didn’t make a move to help me, though I could have used a hand. I managed to pull my crutches free from the backseat before she took off without so much as a goodbye. I hobbled up to my house. Theo was sitting on the front steps waiting for me.

“I came to check on you,” he said. “I was worried when you didn’t answer the door.”

“An old friend invited me over for tea.”

He watched Jillian’s car leave. As soon as I was out of the car she floored it like a woman fleeing a crime scene.

“Who’s your friend?”

I wasn’t sure whether to be honest or not. It was bad enough Mr. Devereaux knew I was talking with Jillian. I decided there was no harm in telling Theo the truth.

“Jillian. She lives down by the lake.”

His body was tense. The muscle in his jaw flinched tightly. Every muscle in his body threatened to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The sudden shift in his body language made me take a step back. Why was he so troubled by my talking to Jillian?

“Have you been friends long?”

“Not long. Do you think you could help me inside?”

“Of course.”

He seemed to relax a bit. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder as he helped me into the house.

“You left your door unlocked,” he observed.

“I wasn’t planning on being away long.”

He frowned. “You should lock your doors. I know this is a small town, but you can’t trust anyone.”

“Can I trust you?” I said it teasingly, but Theo didn’t seem to find it funny.

“You’re a single mother and you live alone. You have to be careful.”

It struck me as an odd response. Why was he so concerned? We lived in a low crime area. I can’t remember the last time I’d heard about a break-in.

“I’m careful,” I said.

“Are you?”

He glanced back at the road where Jillian’s car had been.

“You don’t like Jillian,” I said. It was more of a statement than a question. “Why?”

“I just want you to be safe.”

“And it’s not safe for me to talk to Jillian…?”

“She killed her husband. Did you know that?”

“That’s just a rumor.”

“No, it’s not,” he said with such certainty that I was taken aback.

I sat down heavily on the couch. My leg was killing me.

“Could you bring me one of my pills?”

“What did you talk about?” he said, ignoring my request.

“Nothing. It was just… tea with a friend.” I rubbed my face. “I really need a pill.”

“In a second. Why would you go up there today?”

“I don’t know.”

“Sabine, you’re not being honest with me.”

“I don’t like being interrogated.”

Theo stepped back and sat down on the chair across from me.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. You just have to be careful who you’re seen talking to.”

“Why?”

“Because it can look bad.”

“To whom?”

This night had taken a bizarre turn. Why was Theo acting like a jealous husband? And since when was he so worried about town gossip?

“I’ll get your medicine,” he said.

Apparently, that was the end of the discussion. He didn’t want to talk about it. He went out of his way to be nice afterwards, fixing me dinner and running a bath. It was nice, but I couldn’t understand why he’d acted so upset. Was it because he knew I was lying to him?

I settled into the bath while Theo did the dishes. I listened to the clanking of plates as he cleaned up. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in a while. Tom always did the dishes after I cooked. Hearing the noise from the comfort of the bath was oddly reassuring. It was then I decided to be bold.

“Theo?” I called.

He came to the restroom door, but didn’t enter, giving me privacy.

“I have to tell you something.”

He took a step inside the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if he could see me naked inside the tub or not. His face betrayed nothing.

“What is it?”

“You’re right. I was lying to you earlier. I only met Jillian last night. Well, actually, that’s not true. I have met her before, but it was the first time I remembered meeting her.”

Theo came closer. He sat down on the floor beside the tub.

“Tell me,” he said.

I launched into the whole story, not leaving out a single detail of the night before. I went over the conversation I’d had with her today. When I told him how Jillian had seen a woman in a scarf on the bridge with Tom, Theo looked away. A faraway look clouded his expression as if he was thinking hard about something.

“It wasn’t me though,” I said. “I’m sure of it. I never wear scarves. Besides, it doesn’t make any sense. Why would we have gone to the bridge to talk? And there’s something else: Mr. Devereaux was there.”

Now I had Theo’s full attention.

“On the bridge?”

“No. He was there the next night. Jillian saw him underneath the bridge with a flashlight looking for something.”

“Why didn’t she tell the police about this?” Theo sounded angry.

“I think maybe she was trying to protect me.”

“Protect you from what?”

“She found me on the bridge afterwards. I was there alone, crying and mumbling incoherently. She took me back to her cabin and cleaned me up, then took me home. She said something to me last night about how even if I was responsible it still wasn’t my fault.”

I looked away from Theo and into my bathwater. I couldn’t meet his eye. Jillian thought I was responsible for killing my husband. So did people in the town. What if Theo was one of them? I couldn’t stand the idea of him thinking I was a murderer.

“Jillian thinks I killed Tom,” I said. “I think she may have killed her husband in self-defense. Now she hates cops and men too probably. Anyway, I think she wants to protect me. She thinks I killed him, but that he had it coming. Or something. I’m not sure. She’s wrong, though. You know that right?”

I sounded desperate even to my own ears, but I needed to hear him say it. I was met with silence.

“Theo, tell me you understand.”

I sounded pathetic, but I was hanging on by a thread. I didn’t have any support in my life. I needed to know someone still believed in me.

“I know you’re not responsible,” he said.

He sounded as if he was choosing his words carefully. Did he think I killed my husband in self-defense? It was ridiculous. I had no reason to be angry at Tom. I suddenly remembered something I hadn’t thought about in a long time. A year before Aiden was born, Tom and I nearly divorced. He’d become obsessed with his work. He would spend hours, sometimes days in his work room. I wouldn’t see or speak to him for days at a time.

It scared me and when I confronted him about it, he blew up at me. He accused me of holding him back, of stifling his creativity. He said he was going to leave me. After a couple days he cooled down and apologized. At the time, I was furious. Tom had a bad temper and he could be extremely selfish.

After his death, I’d focused on all the good times. I spent my time obsessing over what could have been. I never stopped to look at things sensibly. I was too clouded by grief.

Tom wasn’t perfect. Neither was our marriage. Still, I never would have killed him. I had no reason to. I loved my husband despite the problems we faced.

“I loved Tom more than anything.”

“I know,” Theo replied.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them tightly. I looked at Theo. He was watching me closely.

“Who’s watching the kids?” I asked.

Why did I ask? Because I wanted him to spend the night. It made me feel guilty, but I wanted Theo. More than Theo, I wanted to forget about tonight and the day before, and every other day of the last ten years.

“The nanny, Mrs. Green.”

“I didn’t know they had a second nanny,” I replied, not really caring. Theo didn’t respond. “So you’re off for the night then?”

“Yes.”

“This might seem forward, but everything that’s happened has me a bit spooked. Do you think you could spend the night? I’d feel better knowing there was a man in the house.”

Theo looked down at the floor. I could see the indecision on his face.

“You have a girlfriend, don’t you?” I said. “Of course you do. Why would a guy like you be single?”

Theo should his head, no. “No. That’s not it.”

“Then, what?”

He ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

“Nothing. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

I nodded appreciatively, but felt disappointed. Maybe he just wasn’t in to me? Who could blame him? My life was a mess. I just told him I have blackouts where I wake up at the site of my husband’s murder. He probably thought I was nuts. I would understand if he left and never spoke to me again.

“You should get to bed. It’s been a long day,” Theo said.

I nodded. He rose and went to the door. He pulled my robe off the back and opened it, holding it out to me. Shyly, I stood. I was completely naked. The last man to see me naked was my husband. It had been a long time.

Theo kept his eyes on mine. Was he trying to be respectful? Why offer the robe to me if he didn’t want to see me naked?

I stepped out of the tub with effort. My right leg was essentially useless. Still, I managed to stand and turn. Theo wrapped the robe around my shoulders. I slipped my arms into it and tied it around me. Suddenly, Theo’s arm was around my waist, holding me to him securely.

“Don’t slip,” he said.

I leaned against him as he led me into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers and helped me into bed.

“Get some sleep,” he said.

I grabbed his arm.

“Wait.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I just knew I didn’t want to be alone. Theo brought my hand to his lips and kissed it sweetly.

“You should rest, sweetheart.”

“I’d feel better if you laid down with me.”

Theo looked at my hand. He turned it over, tracing the lines on my palm. I could tell he was trying to think of an excuse to leave. It was crushing, though understandable. I’d pushed him away. Now that I wanted him it was too late.

I slid my hand free from his. I wanted to make things easy on him. I didn’t want to hear an awkward rejection of my advances.

“Actually,” I said, “you’re right. I should get some sleep. Maybe it’s best you leave.”

“I’d feel better spending the night. What if you sleepwalk again? It’s dangerous to be wandering around the streets at night.”

My knee was killing me; I doubted I was going anywhere tonight. The pain would wake me up instantly. Besides, I’d overdone it today. I didn’t think I’d be walking long distances for quite a while.

Still, I didn’t object to Theo staying. For the first time in a long time, I wanted a man close by. He grabbed Tom’s pillow from beside me. I started to protest, but didn’t say anything.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he said.

I nodded absently as he left my room with my husband’s pillow. If Theo slept on it, the scent would be ruined. Gone forever just like Tom. It wasn’t too late; I could call Theo back and give him a different pillow.

I watched him go. He left my door open and walked off down the hall towards the living room. I closed my eyes and tried to forget.

13

The rain fell so heavily it created a curtain obscuring my view. I couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead. The wind howled and whipped tree limbs violently across the path leading to the bridge. I winced and held up my hands. I wished I’d brought an umbrella, or a raincoat, or a scarf.

Too late now. There was no going back.

Not sure of my destination, I staggered onward towards the bridge. A shrill voice carried on the breeze. Was it a woman? Or was it the storm? The wind hissed around me with a high-pitched shriek that sounded like a small, wounded animal crying for help. I headed towards the sound.

A man shouted incoherently. I turned to my right to see a figure running along the bank of the lake. He dove into the water and disappeared from sight. What was he doing? He’d be lucky not to drown in this weather.

I waited for him to surface. The wind cut across the surface of the water creating waves. Normally the lake was crystal clear. Tonight it looked as deep and dark as the ocean.

Suddenly, I was on my face in the mud. A large object had crashed into me from behind, forcing me down. A hand was on the back of my head pushing my face into a deep puddle. I choked on the brackish water and flailed wildly. My lungs screamed for release.

“Too late,” a voice, high-pitched and wild, shouted.

Too late.

The words rang through my head with deep meaning. I’d wasted my life and it was too late to fix it. Time had run out.

Then a last second reprieve.

I’d just reached my breaking point when the hand released me. I lifted my head and gasped for air. The weight lifted off my back. I turned to find the space behind me empty. The person had disappeared into the rainstorm.

I coughed violently. Before me, a dark figure emerged from the water. The man had made it out after all. Instead of relief, I felt dread. My fingers dug into the mud. I clawed at the ground and rose on trembling legs.

I ran, not knowing which direction I was headed. Rain whipped into my face, stinging my skin. I kept running, but felt as if I was going nowhere. I looked behind me, but could see nothing. If the man or the person who knocked me down in the mud was after me, I couldn’t see them.

I sprinted without looking and fell down hard. A figure emerged from the shadows wearing a raincoat. A hand reached for me. I slapped it away. The figure did not hesitate.

“Go back to the water…”

I screamed nonsensically. “Get away from me.”

“Get ahold of yourself, girl.”

The hood on the stranger’s raincoat fell back revealing a woman- Jillian.

“C’mon,” she said, “I’ll get you cleaned up before you get yourself into more trouble.”

She took my hand and pulled me to my feet. I sat up in bed with a small scream. I was back in my bedroom, covered in sweat. It took me a minute to realize it was all just a dream.

I looked at my hands expecting to see mud. They were clean, pale and shaking. I pulled the covers up to my neck. The dream had felt so real. A sinking feeling settled into the pit of my stomach. It
was
real. A memory. But in my dream, the man in the water had reemerged alive. And who was the person that held me down? It made no sense. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was on the bridge with Tom the night of his death and we weren’t alone.

“Everything Okay?” Theo asked from the door.

I rubbed my face and sighed. “Yeah. I was just having a nightmare. Did I wake you?”

“I heard a scream.”

“Sorry.”

“I was worried you might slip out of the house again.”

I looked out the window. The night was clear and quiet. The rain had stopped, but I could still smell it on the air.

“Not tonight.”

Theo came into the room and sat down on the edge of my bed. His eyes drifted down to my chest then looked away quickly. I glanced down. My robe had come undone, revealing my cleavage. I straightened my robe and sat up in bed.

“I should have been honest with you sooner,” I said. “I’m sure if you knew what a mess my life is-”

“Stop. You don’t know everything about me. I don’t expect you to tell me all your secrets. If you knew the truth about me, you’d…”

“I’d… what? Throw you out and never speak to you again? What could you have done that’s worse than what I’ve done?”

“What have you done?”

Theo narrowed his eyes. I didn’t like the look of suspicion on his face.

“Well, I mean, everyone in town thinks I murdered my husband.”

“Not everyone thinks that- I don’t.”

It was a relief to hear, but I still felt like a criminal even though I’d done nothing wrong.

Theo’s hand slid into mine. He traced the lines of my palm and fingers. Warm tingling spread throughout my body as his large hands held mine. He suddenly straightened and released my hand.

“I should go,” he said.

“Go? It’s the middle of the night.”

“I mean, I should let you get back to sleep.”

“I probably won’t sleep now.”

Darks shadows danced across the room as the trees outside my window swayed in the breeze. I would never get used to sleeping alone as long as I lived.

“Would you…” I started and trailed off. I had no idea how to say what I was thinking without feeling embarrassed.

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“Tell me. I’m here at your disposal. Whatever you need Sabine.”

“Could you lay down with me until I fall back asleep? Sometimes, I get spooked at night.”

Theo looked at the empty spot in the bed beside me. Mixed emotions crossed his face.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. It’s not very professional,” he said.

“Professional?”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“What I mean, is that I’m Bella’s caregiver and…”

“And…?”

“And I’ve taken care of Aiden… What I mean is… is… it’s not a good idea to get involved with the mothers’ of the children I’m responsible for.”

“That makes no sense,” I blurted out.

He only watched Aiden once. I wasn’t planning on hiring him as a fulltime manny. How was it unprofessional of him to get involved with me?

“It’s a bad idea to mix business and pleasure,” he said.

“I didn’t mean that we should
sleep
together, you know? I just thought your presence would be comforting. It would help me sleep.”

“I understand, but-”

“It’s no big deal. Just forget it.”

This was turning out to be more embarrassing than I’d feared. Theo wasn’t into me at all. He may have been in the beginning, but after being exposed to my world of crazy he wasn’t interested anymore. And who could blame him?

Suddenly, Theo was crawling into bed beside me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“You’re right. It’s not a big deal. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to.”

“I’ll stay. I don’t want you to be scared anymore.”

His sudden change of heart was odd; Theo was the king of mixed messages, but I didn’t argue. I was too happy to feel the weight of his body in the bed next to me.

He’d lain down on top of the covers beside me. Our bodies were separated by less than six inches. I could feel his body’s warmth radiating through the covers. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of my eyes and smiled.

Something inside me twisted with desire. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to hit him or force myself on him. How could he push me away, then touch me like that? Did he know what it did to me?

A loud knock from the living room brought me out of the moment. We both jumped. I checked the clock. It was close to four in the morning.

“Who could that be?” I asked.

As soon as the words left my mouth, my mind immediately went to Aiden. What if something had happened to him? It was wrong to leave him with the Devereauxes. I should have insisted he come home when I found out Theo wouldn’t be there to keep an eye on him.

My heart started to race. Ignoring the pain in my leg, I jumped out of bed. An early morning knock on the door had informed me that husband’s body had been found in the lake. It was part of the reason why I had trouble sleeping. I kept waiting for the next knock to bring bad news. And here it was.

“Wait,” Theo protested. “Stay here. I’ll answer it.”

I ignored him and limped into the hallway. I didn’t bother grabbing my crutches. I was too scared by who I would find on the other side of the door. I was sure it would be the police informing me of some horrible accident that had befallen Aiden.

I opened the door to find not the police, but Mrs. Devereaux. Theo stood close behind me.

“There you are,” she said accusingly. “Right where I knew you’d be.”

I stared at her blankly. The woman reeked of alcohol and her top was unbuttoned exposing her red bra. She tried to push her way into my house, but Theo gently pushed her back, keeping her outside.

She was here looking for Theo. Of course. My earlier suspicions were correct; they were sleeping together. That’s why he didn’t want to sleep with me.

“What are you doing here?” Theo asked.

“Looking for you.”

She slurred her words badly. Theo looked confused.

“Is something wrong?” he said.

“Everything!” Mrs. Devereaux sounded outraged, as if she couldn’t believe Theo’s question. Her voice started to quaver with tears.

“Maybe you should take her home,” I whispered to Theo.

He looked hesitant to leave. She started to laugh.

“Take me home, Tom.”

My head snapped around. Had I misheard her, or did she refer to Theo as Tom? My mind had to be playing tricks on me. Suddenly, Mrs. Devereaux was in my face.

“Do you really think I need a babysitter? I do what I want. You’re always getting in my way.”

I had no idea what the woman was talking about.

“And you,” she said, turning on Theo. “You had one job to do and you couldn’t do it.”

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Theo grabbed her by the elbow and started to lead her away.

“When I said, ‘Keep an eye on her,’ I didn’t mean sleep with her. You pig. Men are all the same,” Mrs. Devereaux drunkenly muttered.

“Wait, what?” I said. “Mrs. Devereaux what are you talking about?”

“I really should get you home,” Theo said, trying to pull her away.

“He hasn’t told you, has he? ‘The sweet, sensitive caring manny,’ you really buy that crap?”

She laughed hysterically, doubling over and stumbling across my front porch.

“What is she talking about, Theo?”

Theo shook his head. “I don’t know.”

I didn’t believe him.

“Go ahead and lie to her Theo,” Mrs. Devereaux said. “She’ll believe anything a man tells her- and I do mean
anything
.”

Theo pulled her up hard. She stiffened under his grip.

“We’re not doing this now. Do you understand me?” he said.

She hiccupped and nodded her head.

“Good,” Theo said. “We’re leaving. Sabine, I’m sorry about all this. I’m going to take Mrs. Devereaux home, then I’ll come back.”

I was dumbfounded by her words. A million questions raced through mind. Foremost among them: what was Theo hiding?

“No,” I said. “I’m just going to go back to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Before he could argue with me, I shut the door. If he came back, I wouldn’t let him in- not until I could figure out what was going on.