Chapter 3
CHAPTER
Lucy
The Past
THE TOWN WAS talking of nothing else but the death of Jennifer Moore.
Just thinking her name made me want to throw up.
But equally it filled me with an anger I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control. I wanted to hit things. Break things.
She had come into our lives, and because of her everything had nearly been ruined. And now, even dead, she was still there, like a specter, throwing darkness over my life.
But I made sure to put on my Sephora lipstick every morning and smile so hard my teeth could break. All the while imagining the ways I wanted to blow things up—starting with Alison Schaffer and her pseudo concern.
“I talked to her a little bit at Jeremy’s field party the other weekend.
Right before—” She looked at me, realizing the faux pas she’d made by mentioning that night.
“Um, anyway, she was a little, um … how to put this nicely …” Alison paused to pick up the toddler who was trying to pull herself up onto the table.
“No, Cora, that’s not safe,” she cooed before turning back to me. “What was I saying?”
“You were talking about J—” I struggled to say her name. I cleared my throat. “Jenn.”
“Oh, right.” Alison bounced the cute little baby on her hip while maneuvering a bottle into the child’s mouth. “All she talked about was Rhett this and Rhett that. It kinda pissed me off actually. I wanted to strangle her myself.” She grimaced slightly. “Sorry, that was probably in bad taste.”
“A little,” I replied, sounding strained. It was more than bad taste to make jokes about a dead girl.
Alison’s face darkened. “She sure thought she was hot stuff, though, with the way all the guys were drooling over her. Even Caleb, though I bitched him out good for looking at her like that.” Her giggle was high-pitched.
“Girls like that always end up the same way.” She shrugged when she saw my shocked expression. “What? It’s true.”
I didn’t bother to respond. I felt uncomfortable, like I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.
“Can you take Cora for a minute? I need to use the bathroom.” Alison shoved the child into my arms and scurried away before I had a chance to agree.
She was probably going to message half the town about my reactions to everything.
I needed to remember to school my expression—and my answers—at all times.
Because everyone in Fern River was watching, and reporting back to each other.
The nursery was operating in its usual barely contained chaos.
Toddlers crawled and ran around the room, playing or throwing tantrums. I had been a nursery assistant at Little Darlings Daycare since eleventh grade.
Not exactly what you would call a thoughtful career choice, but it was a nice way to pass the time until I got married and had my own babies.
The daycare’s owner, Amy Franklin, whose mom, Leslie, was making my wedding cake, was outside talking on her phone for the fourth time that morning. Amy, like most people in Fern River, was a gossip of the highest order and had been practically buzzing with news of the body found at Jagged Point.
As for me, I wished I could lock myself away until it all blew over. I was already the topic of way too much conversation for my liking. And the last thing I wanted was for my name to be linked irrevocably with Jenn Moore’s.
Alison came back and took Cora from my aching arms. “MaryBeth messaged me a second ago. She said the police are going around and questioning everyone that was at the field party.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh yeah?”
Alison nodded. “Wanting to know if people saw Jennifer talkin’ to anyone …” Her words died off and she suddenly wouldn’t make eye contact.
“Oh, okay,” I remarked, making myself busy tidying up a pile of wooden blocks on the floor.
“I mean, should I mention what happened with you guys?”
I tried hard not to scream in frustration. “Nothing happened, Al, so not sure what there is to tell them.”
Alison looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “We were all there, Lucy. We saw the two of them together. We saw what went down when you showed up. I know you said nothing was going on with Rhett and her—”
“I told you already it wasn’t what it looked like.” I sounded irritated. Probably because I was irritated.
“Sweetie, we both know how this town loves to talk. And Rhett sure did fuel the gossip mill with that little show he put on. I’d be ready to kill someone myself if it were me.
” She eyed me closely before putting a hand on my arm in feigned concern.
“Why didn’t you tell me you and Rhett were having problems?
We could’ve had a good bitchfest before it got to all this.
Maybe slashed his tires or burned his clothes. ” Her voice was much too loud.
I didn’t like her insinuation. God knows what she’d tell the police when she was questioned.
My face scrunched up in a perfect semblance of confused befuddlement.
“Rhett and I aren’t having any problems. We’re getting married next month.
MaryBeth just wants drama. It’s sad how she makes up issues to distract everyone from the fact that Lance dumped her two weeks ago.
I heard it was messy.” I raised my eyebrows, dropping that tasty nugget of small-town scandal in her lap and hoping she’d eat it up.
Alison’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I heard about that.” She frowned, clearly not as easily waylaid as I wished she’d be. “But I don’t think it’s just MaryBeth being MaryBeth. Everyone’s saying it, Lucy. Half the town was there watchin’ the two of them act like a couple.”
Amy picked the perfect time to stride into the room, followed by the smell of stale tobacco and strawberry body spray. “Lucy, it’s time for your break. Twenty minutes starting now.”
Practically sagging with relief I hurried outside, beelining for the picnic area at the back of Amy’s large backyard.
I pulled my phone out to find the screen alarmingly blank.
I still hadn’t heard from Rhett. Not even with the news of the body’s discovery.
I thought that, at least, would bring him around.
That our earlier argument would be forgotten now that the obstacle was officially gone.
When had I gotten so bad at reading him?
I chewed on my nails, biting them to the quick. Then I stopped myself, staring down in horror at the mangled state of my manicure.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid the questions forever. The endless deliberations over my life. I clenched my hands into fists and pressed them into my thighs, the pain keeping my mind clear.
I was so damn angry. And upset. And betrayed.
And so, so hurt.
My eyes stung with tears. I wasn’t the sort of woman who was used to heartache. I knew I lived a privileged existence. One I had always taken for granted.
If I wanted it, I got it. It’s how things worked.
Until she came to town and screwed everything up.
Alison’s question rang in my ears.
Why didn’t you tell me you and Rhett were having problems?
Because I didn’t know we were having problems. Not really. Of course, I’d suspected. I’d have to be an idiot not to.
But now I realized I had been living in self-imposed denial, all because I didn’t want to face the very real facts shouting at me.
And I didn’t do anything about it.
Not until it was too late.
After work I drove straight to Oakhill Street rather than go home.
I’d told my mother I’d be home for dinner, so I didn’t have much time.
My parents had me on lockdown with everything going on.
They didn’t want me talking to anyone about anything.
Yet, it was important to maintain a degree of normalcy, especially now that our town was the site of a murder.
I pulled up in front of the small yet well-maintained house with its bright yellow door and purple porch swing. I jangled my keys nervously as I walked up the front path and rang the doorbell.
A few minutes later, Ms. Olivia Clark opened the door with a look of surprise.
“Lucy, it’s so lovely to see you!” The tiny woman hugged me tightly.
She was warm in all the ways a mother should be.
In ways my own mother wasn’t. She was already dressed in her uniform for her night shift at the nursing home.
“Good evening, Ms. Clark, it’s nice to see you too.” I peered behind her into the narrow, dimly lit hallway. “Is Rhett back from school yet? I know his last class ends at four on Thursdays.”
“Oh, didn’t he call you?” Her eyes widened slightly in alarm. “He’s been here all day.”
“What? He has an exam he’s supposed to be studying for.” I didn’t try to hide the dismay in my voice. “Is he sick?”
“I don’t think so.” She glanced behind her with a look of concern. It was the face of a mother worrying she had let something slip. She was a good mom. Obviously she loved Rhett dearly and would do anything for him, but she worked two jobs and was oblivious to most things going on in his life.
“He’s been so strange the last few days.
Won’t come out of his room. He hasn’t been to school since last week,” she confided.
“Is everything okay between you two? You’re not having second thoughts about the wedding?
You’re both so young, so it would be understandable, but I don’t know what he would do if it didn’t work out—” She stopped suddenly, as if realizing she shouldn’t be sharing these thoughts.
I gave my future mother-in-law what I hoped was a kind smile.
“We’re fine. We’ve been playing phone tag is all, and I think he’s worried about exams.” I would die before I admitted to anyone, least of all his mother, that we were already having problems and we weren’t even married yet.
That I wasn’t entirely sure if we were even still a couple.
“Oh, okay then. Well, you know the way. Why don’t you try to get him to eat somethin’. He’s starving himself up there.” She clucked her tongue in maternal consternation.