AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Beef stew, and there’s bread in the oven.”
Her eyebrows raise. “You baked?”
“If this is baking.” She laughs when I hold up the tube the refrigerated dough came in.
We have dinner at the kitchen table, and she talks about her dad a little when I ask about him.
“He isn’t a terrible person like you’re probably thinking.”
“I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
“I’d understand if you did. Most addicts have screwed over everyone in their lives. I’ve seen how they steal, rob people, or turn violent. He was never like that. At least when I was young and around him enough to know.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s hardly a role model. He’d spend his last dollar on a pill, but he worked to fund his habit. Other than the child support that the court took from his check, he didn’t do anything to take care of us growing up, but we spent every weekend with him until I was thirteen or so. Even when the drugs really had ahold of him, he was…kind. Compassionate toward other people.
“I never could understand why he wanted to live that way, especially as he got older. This constant cycle of staying high until the money ran out, suffering through withdrawal, then right back at it when he got paid again. Even once he retired, his monthly check would go to whatever hotel had the cheapest rate, and drugs. At some point I had to accept there was nothing I could do. The man is in his late fifties and still…” She rolls her hand.
“Is it heroin?” I ask softly, passing her another slice of bread.
“No, mostly it’s speed and pills. He did some crazy stuff with us when we were kids. We were too young to realize how dangerous or illegal some of it was at the time, especially since he must’ve been high out of his mind. The time he took us out inthe middle of the night to spray paint our names all over town is still one of my best memories though,” she says with a laugh.
She’s lived such a different life than me. Harsher in a lot of ways. “You were a little vandalizing graffiti artist?” I tease. “How old were you?”
“Just that once.” A fond smile grows on her face. “I was seven. My brother was eight. I’m surprised Dad didn’t get arrested or anything because it was the stupidest crime ever. But I was popular on the school bus when I got to point out my name on a bridge and the dam.” She glances up at me. “He did regular dad stuff with us too. Taught us to play baseball, took us to the children’s museum and the zoo. That’s the stuff I like to remember. He drowned himself in drugs, but he still wanted us, enjoyed spending time with us, you know?”
I reach across the table to squeeze her hand. “Of course he did. He loves you. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when you find him again.”
The conversation switches to lighter topics until we move to the living room after dinner. Comfortable silence settles between us as we sit on opposite sides of the couch. Both of us are largely ignoring the movie and staring at our phones. I’ve found a couple of possible options for private investigators in the area when I glance over to see her looking at hotels in nearby towns.
“You don’t need to leave. Stay here. Give the cops time to run the prints. Once the internet is back, we can put cameras up, install burglar alarms, whatever we have to do.”
“I appreciate the offer. I really do, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Please, Calli, let me help. This could be my fault and?—”
Her eyes snap from her phone to look at me. “Your fault? Why? Do you know who’s doing this?”
“I don’tknow. I have an idea.” Her scrutinizing gaze is long and silent, making me shift in my seat as I struggle to find the words to explain.
“You hesitated before you told the cop you had no enemies. I thought maybe I was imagining it,” she mutters, more to herself than to me. It’s followed by a firm demand. “Tell me, Arlow. Who is it? Do you have a jealous ex-girlfriend or something?” Nothing prepares me for the next question right on the heels of the last. “Is this because of Melody?”
My stomach is on the floor along with my jaw. “How do you know…what do you know about Melody?”
Guilt flickers on her face. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you before, but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I overheard you on the phone to her once. Just for a few seconds. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop or anything. It was an accident. Is it her? Do you think she’s targeting me because of you?”
Christ, what did she overhear? My face burns with the likelihood it was a sobbing apology, especially if I was drinking. “No, it’s not her, but her brother is a possibility.”
“Why would her brother have anything against me?”
“He wouldn’t. It isn’t about you.”
“I beg to fucking differ considering the state of my cabin, Arlow. Tell me what the hell is going on.” Anger swells in her tone.
“Your cabin looks like it could be part of my property. I think it’s collateral damage because he wants revenge against me. But I don’t know for sure. I’m going to find out. I swear that to you. I’m sorry you got caught in this.”
“Why would her brother want revenge on you? What did you do?” The pause I take trying to find the words doesn’t exactly set her at ease. “Did you cheat on her?” Her voice falls to a hush as she adds, “Hit her?”
This moment was always going to come, and I’ve dreaded the hell out of it. I don’t want her to know about my condition. She’ll see me differently, view me with pity, or as a weaker man. The way she looks at me sometimes makes me see myself through her eyes, as someone good and strong. I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want her to know I’ve taken a life and destroyed two others. Now my past is screwing up her life. She deserves to know the truth.
