Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
MONDAY
We spent a nice Sunday with the children.
We walked to the beach, built sandcastles and later went for pizza.
It was a typical family day and I loved every second of it.
Nothing bad happened and everything was perfectly normal.
Being with Jack and the children is like breathing fresh air, and all my concerns vanished over the time I was with them.
More determined than ever, this morning, I drove to the post office to mail the package.
I want to be sure it arrives without a problem and send it by Priority Mail Express.
As I drive into the garage, Ruby comes out of the house and stares at me.
I wonder why she’s at home and not at work with Jack.
I climb from the SUV and walk toward the front door. “Morning, did you want to speak to me?”
“Is there anything I can help you with today?” Ruby walks beside me. “Did you persuade Jack to send Laura’s things to Goodwill? I’d be happy to help you pack everything.”
I laugh. “No such luck.” I give her a side eye. Can I trust her about the drug testing? Maybe, but I’m not risking it. “I’m just shopping online today. I can’t think of anything I need help with right now, but thanks for the offer.”
“I’m working from home today if you change your mind.
” Ruby walks into the foyer and pauses. “Jack is taking a client to lunch and then he’ll be home early.
We’ll catch up with a few things and then he’s all yours.
” She turns back to me. “I know you’ve been digging into Laura’s death but it was an accident.
This house does weird things to people. As a friend, I wish you’d drop it.
Laura went a little crazy toward the end and I’d hate to see that happen to you too.
Jack loves you very much and I’ve never seen him so happy. ”
Was that friendly advice or a warning? I can’t tell the difference any longer. I search for an answer and smile. “That’s good to know.” I head for the kitchen. “Thanks, Ruby.”
After grabbing sandwiches and a mug of coffee from the kitchen, I head up to my room.
I recall seeing more diary entries listed in the file on Laura’s laptop.
I need to know what her frame of mind was on the night of the anniversary celebration.
Jack mentioned she’d recovered. I need to see the truth in her own words.
I open the laptop and scroll through the pages as I nibble on my ham and rye sandwich. I find the final entry.
September 15
I’m feeling better and today, I woke with more clarity than ever before.
Jack is pleased with my progress and has organized a celebration for our anniversary.
I’ve known for a while now and, each day, I climb further out of the abyss.
Now, I must try and focus on the small ray of sunlight that is my future.
The party is just two weeks away and I must ensure it goes ahead.
I’ll ask my hair stylist to call in a makeup artist today.
Convincing Jack I’m well and ready to start entertaining again is paramount.
When Jack comes home, I’ll be the socialite he married.
I’m looking forward to being on the Laura again.
I know it’s too late for us now but at least in front of our friends, if only for one night, Jack will act as if he loves me.
I guess then, I’ll be in the hands of fate.
Nothing will ever be the same between us but I’ll be able to go out on deck, feel the wind in my hair and be free under the stars.
A cold ball forms in my stomach and crawls up into my lungs, making me catch my breath.
I lean back in my chair as the wheels in my brain turn slowly, digesting the underlying menace in Laura’s last words.
On the surface, the entry looks like a normal, perhaps wistful person, but it covers an awful truth.
I can imagine plans being made. With the drugs removed, slowly Laura would return to normal, and this entry proves that; it also proves that someone was controlling her.
Jack knew about Laura’s affair with Tom; perhaps after she tried to murder his son, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
After removing the drugs, he’d plan a nice public party, take her out to sea and then make sure she never returned.
Everyone knew that Laura was unstable, and if the cops didn’t believe she’d fallen overboard by accident, Jack could use the same excuse he’d given me that she’d taken her own life.
Perhaps his argument with Tom was an excuse to take the attention away from Laura when she went out on deck.
All eyes would be on the men arguing. It was a perfect ploy.
The weather had worked to his advantage too.
He needed an excuse to go on deck to speak to the captain.
An excuse and an alibi. I stare at the laptop.
It’s all here. The defaced book is the final nail in the coffin.
Laura knew someone was drugging her and the only person she mentions is Jack.
The pain of betrayal grips my heart. I love Jack so much.
Am I prepared to lose him? What can I do?
I close the laptop. Maybe Jack has changed?
It’s been over seven years and he is such a kind, loving husband.
If I go to the cops and they can’t prove he did anything, he’ll divorce me in a second.
If I do nothing, I won’t be able to live with myself.
It’s not something I can talk to him about.
Can you imagine the conversation? “Hey, Jack, did you throw Laura off the yacht because she tried to murder your son?”
I can almost see his face. He’d smile and stare into my eyes. “Yeah, wouldn’t you?”
My hands tremble and my pulse races. Would I? As a parent, would I kill a threat to my kids? Should I blame Jack for protecting them from someone who considered them a burden? My mind is twisting this way and that, unable to make a decision.
Outside, I hear voices, and go to my door to peer out. I scan the hallway in both directions but there’s no one there. Suddenly I can’t think straight. Am I hearing voices now too? I go and stare at myself in the mirror. I’ve changed in the last few weeks since we arrived in this house.
This isn’t the first time strange things have happened to me.
It’s as if I’m running a parallel path with Laura.
Could Jack really be involved? No, that’s not possible—is it?
Realization crashes down on me. I face-palm and shake my head.
If he killed Laura, I’ve put myself in danger by digging into his past to discover what happened to Caroline and Laura—Oh—My—God!
If I’m married to a killer, I’m now his biggest threat.