Suspicions: a novel of suspense Read online

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  Stacey stood as well. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Everett. I'm sure it will be helpful to my article.”

  Once back in her car, Stacey sat for a minute, deciding what to do next. None of the information she had gotten from Deanna was worth taking to the police.

  As she stared toward the school, she saw Deanna walking toward the parking lot, digging through her purse for something. When she saw Deanna pull her keys out, she decided it might be interesting to see where she went.

  Sliding down in her seat as Deanna passed nearby, Stacey watched her walk with a single-mindedness that didn't allow her to notice anything but her own car.

  Deanna drove out of the parking lot and Stacey followed at a discreet distance, noticing Deanna's car looked like the car mentioned in the file in Mark's office. Deanna stayed to the main roads, which made it easy for Stacey to follow without notice.

  When Deanna pulled into a parking lot, Stacey had a hunch where she was going. She pulled off to the side of the road to make sure she was right.

  Deanna left her car and entered the building. A knowing smile spread across Stacey's face as she read the sign over the door. Valley Health Club. This was the same health club Mark belonged to. Stacey realized that could mean nothing or that could mean everything.

  While looking through her purse for some paper on which to make a note, her hand brushed against something cold and metallic. She pulled it out and saw the key she had taken out of Mark's desk.

  Her eyes lit up with the realization that the key could very well go to a locker at the health club. But she knew she couldn't go in there now, not with Deanna, and possibly Mark, inside.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Stacey pulled away from the curb, hopeful the Valley Health Club would hold some answers to the puzzle. Before going home, Stacey ran several errands, hoping the time away would give Jason’s anger a chance to cool.

  Later that afternoon, when she knew the kids would be home from school and a good distraction, Stacey drove home. As she pulled into her street, she noticed the same dark car parked across from her house. A fresh wave of regret washed over her as she thought of Jason trapped in his own house.

  That regret was replaced by fury when she saw Patricia’s car in the driveway. She pulled to the curb and jammed on her brakes. Slamming the door as she got out of the car, she marched to the front door.

  When she entered it was like de'ja'vu. Once again she heard Patricia's throaty laughter followed by Jason's voice. Clenching her jaw, Stacey walked into the family room to a scene of domestic tranquility.

  Spread out on the family room floor was a red and white checked blanket with cheese, crackers, fruit, and muffins set out in four place settings. Robby and Nikki appeared to be having a wonderful time, both of them holding crackers piled high with cheese.

  All conversation stopped when she entered the room. Robby and Nikki jumped up and ran to her, almost knocking her over with their hugs, which helped boost her suddenly sagging confidence, and she pulled them closer.

  “Mom,” Nikki said, trying to wriggle loose from Stacey's grasp. “Look what Mrs. Summers brought over for us.” She tugged on Stacey's arm. “Come have some cheese and crackers.”

  Stacey's gaze rested on Jason, who looked away uncomfortably. Then she turned her eyes to Patricia. “How nice of you to bring my family some dinner.”

  Patricia, who was sitting next to Jason, looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I just thought it might be appreciated, what with you spending so much time with your friend.”

  Stacey looked at Jason again, wondering how much he had told Patricia. A feeling of betrayal permeated her and she had to swallow hard to keep a lump from forming in her throat.

  “Well, I'm home now,” she said evenly. “I think I can manage to take care of my family.”

  Patricia looked at Jason, as if to ask him if he wanted her to go.

  He didn't look back at her. “Once again, Patricia, thank you for the food. It was very thoughtful of you.”

  Patricia stood to leave. “By the way Stacey, I noticed you didn't eat any of those cookies I made for you. They're really quite delicious.”

  “I'm sure they are,” Stacey said, watching Patricia walk to the door. When she heard the front door close, Stacey walked over to the living room window to watch Patricia drive away. Once Patricia was gone, Stacey went back into the family room to confront Jason. He and the children had begun to clean up the leftovers from the picnic. Stacey stood there, waiting for him to finish. He seemed to be working slower than necessary. Seeing the cookies on the counter, Stacey walked over to them, gritted her teeth as she looked at them, then picked them up and dumped them into the trash.

  The children looked at her with surprise.

  “Mom, why'd you do that?” Robby asked.

  A tight smile on her face, Stacey said, “I just didn't want them.”

  “That's okay. Mrs. Summers told us not to eat those 'cause they were just for you. She made other ones for us without nuts.”

  Trying to sound pleased, Stacey said, “Well, wasn't that nice of her?”

  Robby nodded in agreement.

  “Take Nikki and go play out back,” Jason told Robby.

  Watching them go, Stacey sat down on the couch as Jason came toward her. He sat close to her, and when he put his arm around her shoulder, she shrugged it off.

  Barely controlling her rage, she turned to him. “What did you think you were doing? Allowing Patricia to come in here like she's the lady of the house?”

  “What's the big deal? She's your boss.” He glanced down at his hands then back at Stacey. “Anyway, there's nothing to be worried about with her.”

  She looked at him, scorn filling her eyes. “I should hope not.”

  Stacey was surprised to see her husband’s eyes begin to water.

  “It's not like that. Honest,” he said. Kneeling on the floor in front of her, he looked at her with his deep blue eyes. “You are the most important person in my life. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone.”

  Stacey felt her anger melting. Her voice held a tone of bewilderment. “Then why do you keep allowing these things to happen?”

  He took her hand in his and frowned. “That woman is persistent, I'll say that much for her.”

  Stacey's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  He smiled, embarrassed. “Hasn't it been obvious she's been coming on to me?”

  “Then why do you let her come in?”

  “She doesn't take 'no' very well.” Annoyance clouded Jason's face. “She's even come by the dealership to see me.”

  Surprised to hear that, Stacey wondered what else Patricia had done. “Go on.”

  His hesitation made Stacey wonder what he was hiding.

  “She's just very persistent, that's all,” Jason said.

  “Well, it’s up to you to tell her no.”

  He frowned, obviously annoyed. “I know that.”

  “I’m starting to feel like I can’t leave you alone,” Stacey said.

  “Look. It won’t happen again. Can we drop it now?” he said, clearly irritated.

  “Fine.” Stacey walked into the kitchen and looked out the window into the backyard and watched Robby and Nikki on the swing set. Feeling bad she had neglected her family so much lately she suddenly turned to her husband and said, “Jason, if you don't mind, I think I'll take the kids to the park for a while. In fact, why don't you come with us?”

  “Actually, I could use a little time to myself.”

  “Okay.” She smiled briefly, then walked out back to tell the kids the good news. They jumped up and down and yelled, “Yahoo, Mom's taking us to the park!”

  “You'd think I never take you there,” she said, ruffling Robby's hair.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kyle rubbed his eyes, just waking from a nap. He tried to sit up quickly even though he felt a little groggy. He knew he was too old to take naps and didn't like the way he kept falling asleep
. Looking around the room, he saw the tray of food sitting on an otherwise empty table. Still feeling drowsy, he plodded over to it and surveyed the items placed precisely in the middle. He poked his finger at the hamburger and felt the cold meat lying dead on the stale bun. The fries were limp and the soda was watery from the melted ice.

  He devoured the meal in three minutes.

  When he was done he walked back over to the bed, lay down on the thin mattress and pulled the scratchy blanket up to his chin. He stared up at the ceiling and wondered what was happening. He didn't understand why he was there. The man with the mask had told him if he was good he would be able to go home soon. Kyle had never in his life tried harder to be good.

  * * *

  The kidnapper listened at the door as Kyle ate his meal.

  I hope that will knock him out for a long time, the kidnapper thought. But not until after the phone call. And I hope his mom pays up too. That money is going to make all my dreams come true.

  Once I have the money I’ll move far from here so no one will know how I got it. That’s not important anyway. The important thing is that I’m finally taking control. No one is going to determine the outcome but me.

  And if anyone plans on getting in my way, they’ll regret it.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Spreading the blanket under the shade of a large tree, Stacey enjoyed the feel of the gentle breeze brushing by. The beautiful weather had brought several families to the park, although it wasn't too crowded.

  Robby and Nikki ran over to the swings and jumped on, making themselves go high into the sky. “Look at me, Mom!” they shouted.

  Stacey felt a deep contentment at that moment, enjoying the illusion that all was well. Trying not to think about Jason and the problems they were having, she pulled out the magazine she had brought along, curled her feet beneath her and began reading. After several minutes she looked up to check on the children and saw them happily building a sand castle.

  When she looked around to see if she knew anyone there, she was shocked to see Deanna sitting on a bench under a tree.

  Stacey hoped she was too far away to be recognized.

  Deanna looked the other way, as if she were waiting for someone and Stacey watched to see if anyone would show up.

  When Mark Stone's car pulled up to the curb Stacey was actually surprised. She noticed he had parked behind Deanna's car.

  He strode directly over to Deanna, who stood at his approach. When Mark looked around, Stacey turned her face away from his line of vision and looked down. When she peered over at them again, they were sitting on the bench and after a short while appeared to be arguing. Then Mark stood abruptly and walked to his car. After he left, Deanna put her head in her hands. Soon after she stood and walked slowly to her car, got in, and drove off.

  Stacey glanced at her watch. It was four-fifteen. Deciding to stay for a little while longer, she couldn't help but think about Mark and Deanna as she stared at the bench they had occupied. She felt angry for Amanda. Here she was, sitting at home wondering where her only child could be, and her husband was carrying on with another woman. A woman nearly ten years his junior.

  She wondered if this could have anything to do with Kyle's abduction. She knew Mark was pushing Amanda to liquidate her assets to pay off the kidnapper. Yet he wasn't waiting at home to see if there were any new developments. Instead he was meeting his mistress at the park.

  His actions made him look guilty in Stacey's eyes. Yet she didn't think she had enough evidence to go to the police. She knew she needed more.

  A few minutes later Robby plopped down on the blanket next to Stacey. He lay down to catch his breath and Stacey ran her fingers through his damp hair.

  He grinned up at her. “Did you see how high I was going?”

  She smiled back. “I sure did. Do you go that high on the school swings?”

  “Sometimes.” He sat up suddenly. “Mom, do you think Kyle will be okay?”

  Stacey's smile dimmed. “I sure hope so.” Rubbing his back, Stacey said, “I noticed you talking to Mr. Gowen the other day when I drove by. Do you talk to him often?”

  “Sometimes.” A puzzled expression crossed his face. “Why?”

  Stacey wasn't sure how to go about expressing her concern without frightening him. “You see, Robby, I don't really know Mr. Gowen that well and it made me feel uncomfortable when I saw you talking to him the other day.” She paused. “What were you talking about anyway?”

  Robby glanced away quickly then looked back at his mother. “Nothing.”

  Stacey suspected that wasn't true. She tried to probe further. “Have you ever played at his house?”

  “Well,” Robby began slowly, “you know that day he said we could build the treehouse?”

  Stacey nodded. She remembered Mr. Gowen had insisted the boys get their parents' permission before he allowed them to build their treehouse.

  “Me and Kyle went into his barn. Does that count?”

  Stacey smiled at him, relieved. “No, I don't think that counts.” She glanced over at Nikki who was playing with another little girl on the slide. “Go get Nikki please. It's time to go home.”

  “Ahh. Do we have to?” Robby asked, as he went to get his sister.

  They arrived home a few minutes later. Robby and Nikki immediately went to their rooms to play and Stacey went into the kitchen to start dinner, hoping Jason would have already started it. But the kitchen was as clean as she’d left it.

  Deciding to see what Jason was up to, she walked down the hall to their bedroom. It was empty. She checked the rest of the house and couldn't find him. Looking in the garage, she noticed his car was still parked there. That's strange, she thought, as she went back into the kitchen to start browning the meat.

  Ten minutes later she was startled by the sound of the sliding glass door opening. Jason's head was down as he strolled in. When he lifted his head and saw Stacey his eyes momentarily showed surprise. Recovering, he said he didn't know they were back yet.

  Stacey drew her brows together. “We've been home for a little while. Where have you been?”

  He gave her a grin. “I slipped out to take a little walk.”

  Suddenly they heard pounding on the front door. Stacey's hand froze over the pan of meat and Jason didn't seem quite so cheerful.

  He swallowed hard before going to the front door. Stacey followed him and saw two agents standing there when he opened the door.

  “Mr. Hunter, we'd like to have a word with you.”

  Without saying anything, Jason opened the door wider and motioned for them to enter.

  “Where were you twenty minutes ago?” One of them asked.

  Feeling her heart skip a beat at the question, Stacey tried to keep her expression neutral.

  Jason clenched his jaw. “Shouldn't I have a lawyer present for this?”

  The agent gave him a big smile. “You're not under arrest, Mr. Hunter. You only need a lawyer if you think you do.”

  Jason seemed to relax a little. “I haven't done anything wrong.”

  “Where were you twenty minutes ago?” the agent asked again.

  Jason glanced at Stacey, then looked back at the agent. “I was here. Reading.”

  Stacey's stomach churned as the agent looked at her. “Is that true, Mrs. Hunter?”

  Jason gave her a pleading look, which the agent did not seem to notice.

  Stacey hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Yes, of course.” He'd better be as innocent as he claims, she thought. If not, I've just become an accessory. “Has something happened?”

  “I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am.” He turned back to Jason and gave him a sarcastic smile. “We'll be nearby if you need anything.”

  After they left, Stacey sat down on the couch and noticed her hands were trembling. Jason sat next to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “You're the best, babe,” he told her.

  She pushed him away. “Don't ever make me lie for you again.”

 
; All signs of his gratitude vanished. “I didn't make you do anything.”

  Her mouth opened in disbelief. “Then what was that look you gave me?”

  He feigned innocence. “What look?”

  “Where were you, really?”

  Anger clouded his features. “Like I told you, I was taking a walk. Is that against the law now?”

  Not sure what to believe, she stood abruptly. “I'm going over to Amanda's house. You can finish dinner for the kids.” She stomped out the door and across the street to Amanda's house.

  The reporters surrounded her, smelling a story.

  “Why was the FBI at your house?”

  She ignored them and knocked on the door.

  As she waited for it to be answered, she wondered what had happened twenty minutes earlier that had the agents talking to her husband.

  Mark opened the door.

  Caught off guard to see Mark face to face, Stacey stood there, momentarily speechless. Recovering her composure, she asked if she could talk to Amanda. Mark didn't say anything but he looked upset as he let her enter.

  Amanda sat on the couch, the curtains drawn against the prying eyes of the media. “Oh, Stacey,” she cried.

  “What happened, Amanda?”

  She began weeping as she told Stacey how she had received a phone call twenty minutes earlier. It had been Kyle. Stacey was shocked at the news. “What did he say?”

  Tears streaked down Amanda's cheeks. “He said, 'Mom, it's me. Why can't I come home?'”

  Tears pricked the back of Stacey's eyes. “Oh, Amanda.” Despair and sadness settled over her. “How did he sound?”

  Amanda blew her nose and wiped her swollen eyes. “He sounded so little and so scared.”

  “Could they trace it?”

  “They got a phone number, but it looks like it was one of those disposable cell phones so they don't know who it was registered to.” Her tears slowed.

  Stacey thought about Mark's expression when he answered the door. “How's Mark taking it?”

  Amanda pursed her lips. “He's mostly upset because he wasn't here when the call came.” She turned and looked behind her, making sure Mark wasn't within earshot. “I told him if he had been sticking around more he wouldn't have missed the call. You can guess how happy he was to hear me say that.”