Suspicions: a novel of suspense Page 11

  “Where was he?”

  Amanda pursed her lips. “He says he was just driving around.” She looked behind her again before continuing. “But I don't know when to believe him anymore.”

  “Where do you think he was?”

  “I don't know and to tell you the truth I don't really care right now.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes.

  “Do you want me to stay?” Stacey asked.

  “No, I'm okay,” she said, a brave smile on her lips. “But thanks anyway.”

  Stacey rubbed Amanda's back before standing. “Call me if you need anything.”

  * * *

  “Jason, I'm going to the library for a while.”

  The kids had finally gone to sleep and now Jason was watching a television program and Stacey had been in the office going over the notes she had made.

  Wanting to do some background checking on Deanna, she knew the best place to begin was on the Internet. And since she didn’t want Jason to know what she was up to, she knew the library was the place to go.

  He looked at his watch. “Isn't it a little late to be going to the library?”

  “The main branch is open until nine and I have some things I need to look up.”

  When he didn't answer, Stacey went out the door to her car.

  The reporters left her alone.

  When she looked across the street, she could see Mark's car was still in the driveway.

  I guess he was more upset than I thought. I wonder where he was when that call came in.

  As she backed out of the driveway she thought about the time frame. It was four-fifteen when Mark left the park and I got home about four forty-five The FBI agents showed up at about five-ten That means Amanda received the call about four-fifty.

  Stacey didn't know what to make of it. Neither Jason nor Mark could account for his whereabouts at the time the call came in. Of course, she was the only one who knew Jason didn't have an alibi. And Mark didn't seem too concerned that his time was unaccounted for.

  Shaking her head to try to clear it, she decided to press ahead with her investigation into Deanna Everett. If she couldn't find anything interesting about her, she didn't know what she would do next.

  As she drove to the library she thought about what she hoped to find. Deanna Everett had that wedding ring on her right hand. Does that mean she's a widow? If so, how did her husband die?

  When Stacey arrived at the library she went straight to the computer area. Not having much experience with searching the Internet, she asked the librarian for suggestions on how to look up someone's death, then she sat down in front of the computer and searched for over an hour without finding anything.

  * * *

  Robby lay in his bed, not feeling the least bit sleepy. He couldn't stop thinking about Kyle. Where was he? Were they being nice to him? He felt sick inside when he thought about them being mean to his friend. He tried to think about happy things, like his mother had taught him to do when he felt scared or upset.

  He thought about going to the park that afternoon and how much fun he'd had on the swings. Then he thought about the conversation he'd had with his mother about that day he and Kyle had gone inside Mr. Gowen's barn.

  He and Kyle had been playing in Mr. Gowen's walnut orchard, climbing the trees and using fallen branches as makeshift swords when Mr. Gowen had unexpectedly appeared. Certain they were in big trouble, Robby and Kyle had been terrified when Mr. Gowen ordered them to follow him to his cavernous barn.

  The door had creaked open as they’d followed Gowen inside. They had looked around the unfamiliar building, not able to see much in the relative darkness.

  “See those boards over there?” Gowen had asked, pointing to a stack of plywood.

  They had strained to see what he was pointing to. They had been too frightened to venture in any further. As Robby’s eyes began to adjust to the dim light, he’d noticed another door. He had jerked his head around when he felt the tap on his shoulder.

  “Not over there, over here,” Gowen had said, directing Robby's line of vision.

  Then he had seen the sheets of plywood piled in the corner. Mr. Gowen had told them they could use the boards for their treehouse.

  Robby thought about that day the previous summer and the door he had seen in the barn. What was behind that door? And why did Mr. Gowen have Kyle's lucky stone?

  Robby wondered if he was brave enough to go back to Mr. Gowen's barn by himself and open that door. He decided he would give it a try.

  Chapter Twenty

  Day 5 – Friday

  It was two in the morning when Stacey finally fell asleep. Her thoughts had churned for hours after she’d gone to bed. Discouraged over not finding anything about Deanna Everett, nor Mark Stone, Stacey's thoughts had turned to the possibility that her own husband might have something to do with Kyle's abduction.

  As that prospect entered her mind she thought about Jason. I know my husband too well to doubt his innocence. Than an image of him sitting in their home with Patricia Summers, not once, but twice, burst into her head.

  I thought I knew my husband.

  It was four-thirty on that same morning when she woke with a start, remembering the key she had found in Mark's desk. Tossing and turning until six, she finally gave up on getting any more sleep and climbed out of bed.

  After Jason left for work Stacey put on her sweats and grabbed one of Jason's old gym bags. She loaded the children into the car and drove them to school, then headed to Valley Health Club.

  Truly desperate to prove Jason's innocence before all her faith in him fled, she clung to the idea that Mark was the one responsible for Kyle's kidnapping.

  She didn't know what time Mark usually went to the gym, although she expected him to stay home after the call from Kyle the previous evening. When she’d left her house, Mark's car had still been in the driveway, although Amanda's had not. As she drove toward the gym, Stacey wondered where Amanda had gone.

  Apparently this was a good time to work out if you didn't like crowds. There were only half a dozen cars in the parking lot. As Stacey walked into the front door she didn't see the late model red car parked around the back.

  Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the complimentary pass Amanda had given her several months before. She never thought she would end up using it; working out really wasn't her thing. And she certainly never thought she would use it to sneak into the men's locker room.

  After signing in at the front counter, she strolled to the ladies locker room and put her gym bag into a locker, having no intention of working out. Then she walked out to the exercise area to see who was around and how things were laid out.

  “Hey, Stacey!”

  Turning to see who was speaking, Stacey was surprised to see Patricia sitting astride a stationary bicycle. She was wearing a tiny pair of shorts with a tank top, the kind that showed every curve. Stacey glanced in the mirror self-consciously but decided she didn't look half bad for a woman who had twice given birth.

  Her confidence was further boosted by the knowledge that the woman so shamelessly showing off her toned body was trying to attract her husband, and he was not interested. Then a little twinge of doubt pricked her as she remembered thinking her husband was not telling her everything about Patricia's advances.

  No! Her inner voice shouted. I won't let you do that to yourself. Jason loves only you and he would never do anything to hurt you.

  Stacey knew she would be unable to avoid Patricia and went over to where she peddled the bike. “Hi, Patricia. I didn't know you belonged to this health club.”

  Sweat trickled down her neck and disappeared down the front of her shirt. “What are you doing here?”

  “We're thinking about joining and I'm here to see what this place has to offer.”

  Patricia perked up at the information. “So, how often would you and Jason be here working out?”

  A small smirk turned up one side of Stacey's mouth. “Jason doesn't really w
ant to join, so I'd be the only one who ever came here.”

  Patricia's eyes looked downward. “Oh.”

  Stacey felt a small triumph in causing such obvious disappointment. Feeling very cheerful all of a sudden, she said, “Gotta go. See you later.” She turned and headed back to the women's locker room.

  She noticed the entrance to the men's locker room was just across from the women's, but getting in there without notice would take great timing.

  Peeking back through the door to see how many people were using the workout area, she saw that besides Patricia, there were only two. Stacey watched as Patricia got up and walked to the adjoining room. The other two people had earbuds on and didn't seem to be paying attention to anyone but themselves.

  Here goes nothing, Stacey thought, as she slipped back out into the workout area and plunged through the door to the men's locker room. Taking a quick look around, she didn't see anyone, so she walked down the rows of lockers until she found the one marked 29C.

  Pulling the key out of her pocket, she put it in the lock. It turned easily. She opened the door and looked inside. The locker contained a shoebox. She hesitated as she looked at it, almost afraid to find out what was inside. If it was nothing, Stacey would have to drop Mark as a suspect and more seriously consider whether Jason might be involved in Kyle's abduction.

  She thought about Mark and what she knew about him. He seemed to be having an affair, he had signed a pre-nuptial agreement with Amanda that would assure he didn't receive any of her money if they divorced, he didn't have an alibi for the time Kyle had called the day before, his time was unaccounted for at the time of the kidnapping. And he was pushing Amanda to liquidate her assets so they could pay off the kidnapper. To the casual observer it sounded like he had motive and opportunity to kidnap his own son.

  She glanced around, then grabbed the shoebox and set it on the bench next to her. She lifted the lid. Lying harmlessly within was an envelope. She picked it up, opened it and pulled out the papers that were inside. She hadn't seen divorce papers before but these certainly looked genuine. The only thing missing from the papers was Amanda's signature.

  I wonder how long Mark's had these? Is Amanda totally clueless? I know she knows there's something wrong with Mark. She told me as much the other day. And when was Mark planning on presenting these papers to Amanda? What's the hold up? Is he waiting to receive the ransom?

  With relief, she thought this new piece of information put the weight of guilt more heavily on Mark than on Jason.

  When she heard male voices she put everything back in the box the way she had found it, shoved the box back in the locker and silently closed the door before tiptoeing to the end of the row. The men's voices seemed to be coming from the other side of the locker room.

  She hesitated at the door to the workout area, but slowly opened it and glanced around. Patricia had not returned and only one person was now in the room. Pulling the door open only far enough to squeeze through, Stacey stepped out into the room and strolled over to the door to the women's locker room.

  “Stacey!”

  Guilt suffused her as she turned to face Patricia, who had appeared out of nowhere.

  Patricia advanced closer to Stacey. “What were you doing in the men's locker room?”

  Stacey looked over her shoulder at the door she had just come through, then turned back to Patricia with a puzzled look on her face. “That was the men's room?” She bit her lip in pretended chagrin. “I didn't realize that. How embarrassing. I'm glad I didn't walk in on anyone taking a shower.”

  Patricia looked unconvinced. “The women's locker room is over there.” She pointed to the door Stacey had been heading toward.

  “Thanks.” They stood there awkwardly for a minute. “Well, I'd better be going.”

  “Yeah, that housework's waiting.”

  Anger flared in Stacey but she turned and started for the door.

  Once home, Stacey headed to the office and reviewed her notes, adding the new information about the divorce papers. Feeling bad for Amanda and all that she was going through, Stacey hoped what she was doing would somehow resolve everything and hasten Kyle’s return.

  She leaned back against the chair and thought about Jason and how he was handling the stress of the situation. And how it was affecting their marriage. Things had been tense between them and they had been fighting a lot more too. All of her problems seemed to press down on her shoulders and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

  I wonder if Amanda is back yet, and more importantly, where did she go? After that call from Kyle I would have expected her to be glued to the phone, Stacey thought.

  As she opened her front door to get the mail and to see if Amanda's car was back in the driveway, she saw a package on her front porch. A package wrapped in shiny silver foil and tied with a large silver bow. She picked it up, brought it into the family room and set it on the table.

  She wondered who it was from. It almost looked like a wedding gift, but her anniversary wasn't for several more days. Before she had a chance to open it, the phone rang. It was her sister, Megan.

  “I'm glad I finally got a hold of you. You sounded upset when you left the message. What's going on?”

  “Oh, Megan. Things are a mess here.” She felt safe talking to her sister and had to take a deep breath to keep from crying.

  “What's going on?” Megan's voice showed concern.

  “Have you heard about a little boy down here who's been kidnapped for ransom?”

  “It's been in the news,” she answered warily.

  With no easy way to put it, Stacey said it straight out. “Jason's a suspect.”

  “What?!”

  Stacey couldn't keep from crying. “I feel somewhat responsible too.”

  “What happened?”

  Stacey relayed the events of the last few days, leaving out nothing. Megan was silent for a minute, then said, “I'm coming down there.”

  Stacey didn't want her sister to get involved in the mess. “No. I don't want you to do that.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I just need your objective opinion. Do you think Jason could have anything to do with this?”

  “I really couldn't say for sure. How could I? But I can't believe Jason would have anything to do with it.”

  “That's what I think.” Stacey was relieved her sister agreed with her.

  “So you think the boy's father is involved?”

  “That's what it seems like. He has the motive. I mean, he's got this girlfriend he's been spending a lot of money on and if he divorces Amanda he gets zip. And he doesn't seem too worried about his son but keeps pressuring Amanda to liquidate her money,” Stacey said.

  Stacey could picture her sister on the other end of the phone, her finger touching her bottom lip, thinking things through. Megan was a practical woman and didn't usually jump to conclusions, which was one reason Stacey valued her opinion so highly.

  “That does sound fishy. But is there anyone else that could have done it?” Megan asked.

  “Mark seems to be the one with the most to gain from this.”

  “I hate to say this, Stacey, but you have to at least consider Jason. I mean, the FBI has to have a good reason for suspecting him.”

  Stacey shook her head vigorously. “No, Megan! There's no way Jason could have done this. I just can't believe it.”

  “Okay. I just had to bring it up.”

  “I know. Thanks for your help.”

  “If you want me to come, just let me know and I'll be on the next flight there.”

  “You're the best and I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Let me know what happens.”

  “I will, bye.”

  After she hung up the phone, Stacey thought about her sister and all they had been through as children. Their parents' marriage had pretty much ended by the time Stacey was in high school and her father had spent time in jail. Their mother struggled to make ends meet, working two jobs, constantl
y exhausted. Stacey and Megan were always hiding the fact that their father was in jail. They just told their friends he had moved away. That seemed bad enough, but the truth was worse. Even though they loved him, they were ashamed of him.

  Stacey was glad she and her sister were close as adults. She didn't have any other close girl friends besides Amanda, and lately that wasn't going very well. After all, good friends didn't spy on each other. Stacey didn't enjoy snooping on her friend's husband, in fact she felt terribly ashamed, but if that's what it took to clear her own husband then she was willing to do it.

  Reaching for the package that had been on her front porch, and thinking it was a rather odd thing to find there, she pulled off the shiny paper and saw it was a box with several tiny holes poked in it. Her brow furrowed as she cautiously undid the tape holding the lid on.

  She heard a blood-curdling scream, then realized it was coming from her. Inside the beautifully wrapped package were half a dozen shiny black spiders with long spindly legs. Instantly, she knew they were poisonous black widows. Slamming the lid back on, she shuddered violently, then pressed her hands to her mouth as she stared at the box, frantically trying to figure out how to dispose of the horrible creatures.

  Then a more pressing thought took over. Who sent them? She debated whether to call the police but decided against it. What would they do? They already suspected her husband of kidnapping. They'd probably accuse her of sending the spiders to herself.

  Then she realized that she must be getting closer to the truth than she had thought.

  Did Deanna or Mark send these disgusting things? She thought. It would certainly be easy for Mark to have Deanna drop it off without anyone noticing.

  After setting a heavy book on the lid she went over to the living room window and saw that, yes, Mark's car was there, as it had been all morning.

  She wanted to get rid of the spiders before Jason got home. He knew she was terrified of spiders and she didn't want to tell him what she had been up to.