“Cooper?” I asked, surprised. “I’ve seen his room. It’s spotless.”
“It is. When he was younger, it most definitely wasn’t. After Marie died, that changed. I don’t know why though. Cooper became so contained after that, even physically. When he was sixteen, his underwear could be found on his bedroom floor more often than they were in his drawers or the hamper. Now, his room is probably the cleanest part of this house.”
“Well, at least you don’t have to worry about cleaning in there very often. This house is so big. I don’t know how you manage to keep every room spotless.”
I froze as I realized what I’d just said. Ellie kept
every
room clean, including Robert’s office. She saw everything that went on in this house. Maybe she’d noticed something suspicious in Robert’s office. I bit my lip as I debated on the best way to bring it up to her. I didn’t want to make her suspicious, but I didn’t see how I could ask without telling her exactly what I was looking for.
“Ellie, can I ask you a question?” I finally said after a moment’s hesitation.
“Sure, sweetie.” She smiled.
“What I’m about to ask can never leave this room, okay?”
Her smile faltered a bit. “Okay.”
“You’re in every nook and cranny of this house almost daily, right? Even Robert’s office?”
“Yes, I am.”
I took a deep breath before blurting out my question, “Have you ever noticed anything suspicious in his office? Like around the time when Marie died, was there anything that made you look twice?”
“Like what?” she asked, obviously confused.
“I don’t know. Anything that seemed strange. Maybe he had an old case file out on his desk? A case where his client was being tried for a violent crime?”
She shook her head. “No, Claire, I can’t think of anything. Why do you ask?”
I glanced down at my hands. “No reason. I was just curious I suppose.”
Silence hung in the air as I felt her gazing over at me.
Finally, she spoke again, “You…you think he had something to do with Marie’s death, don’t you?” Her voice shook.
I looked back up at her. “I can’t answer that, Ellie. I’m sorry.”
She involuntarily took a step back. “Dear God, you do. What do you know, Claire? What makes you believe that he hurt her?”
“Ellie, please don’t ask me anything. I don’t want you involved in this.”
I watched as tears filled her eyes.
“He did kill her, didn’t he? You don’t just have a hunch. You know for certain. You just need proof.” She wiped the tears away before they could slide down her cheeks. “Poor sweet Marie. I can’t even begin to understand why he would do something like that to her.”
“Stop! Just…stop. Don’t go down that road, Ellie. It’ll only lead you to the same place where I am, and it’s not a place you want to be. You have to forget this conversation.
Please.
”
Her whole body shook as she looked at me.
Suddenly, she was moving. She walked past me and headed for the door. “I need to go, Claire. I’m sorry. I can’t…I can’t be in this house right now. I can’t be here when he comes home.”
With that, she disappeared. I stared at the empty doorway for a few minutes, lost in thought. I felt like the vilest creature imaginable. I’d just shattered Ellie’s world with a single question. The family she had taken care of for years had betrayed her in the worst way possible—no, not the family. Robert was the one who had shattered their world. Even before Marie’s death, he had made her life miserable. Now, Ellie was just another kind soul who had been touched by his evil.
As if my thoughts could conjure him, Robert appeared in the kitchen doorway only a few minutes after Ellie had left. The sight of him startled me, but I quickly put a smile on my face. It was time to pretend again. I hoped that it would be one of the last.
I stood and crossed the room to where he was standing. Without either of us saying anything at all, I wrapped my arms around him and tightly hugged him. As my body pressed against his, all I could think of was the photo Cooper had shown me of Robert with another woman while he had been away.
“It’s good to have you home.”
Lie.
That was the second one I’d told tonight. I was sure that more would follow before this night was over.
“It’s good to be home. Did you miss me?” Robert asked as he pulled away.
“Of course.” I smiled up at him.
“I’m surprised that you didn’t call or even text me then,” Robert said. His voice was carefree, but it masked an underlying tension in his body.
“I-I didn’t want to bother you,” I stuttered. “I know how you are when you’re working hard.”
He smiled down at me, but it was empty. Goose bumps rose on my skin as every part of me demanded that I flee from him. I mentally shook myself. I couldn’t let my fear overtake me. Cooper would be home soon, and I knew Robert would never hurt me with Coop around.
“Why don’t you head upstairs and change into something more comfortable before dinner?” His gaze found the still steaming casserole on the stove. “I’ll serve dinner while I wait for you. Hopefully, Cooper will be here by then as well.”
“Are you sure? I can get dinner served if you want.”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll handle it.”
The feeling that something wasn’t right only intensified. Instead of running away though, I simply nodded and slowly walked out of the kitchen. I kept my gaze down as I reached the stairs and climbed them. When I reached the room I shared with Robert, I closed the door behind me and locked it before stripping out of my work clothes and tossing them into the hamper. I found an old band T-shirt of mine and a pair of sweatpants in one of the dresser drawers. After pulling both of them on, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I needed a moment, and I knew this would be my only chance to take it.
Something was wrong with Robert. He was always contained around me but never cold. He was certainly cold tonight. Terror flooded me as I wondered if he knew about my trip to the lawyer’s office in Virginia—or worse, if he somehow knew about my relationship with Cooper.
Even if Robert did, there was nothing I could do at the moment. I still had to walk back downstairs and pretend that everything was fine. Hopefully, Cooper would be home in the next few minutes. I didn’t want to be alone in this house with Robert. Hell, I didn’t even want to be in the same city as him.
I stayed pressed against the wall for a few more minutes before opening my eyes again. It was time to put my game face back on and pretend that our lives were absolutely perfect. I pushed off the wall and walked back to the bedroom door. After unlocking it, I opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. It was empty. I sighed in relief. Part of me had expected Robert to be outside the door, waiting for his moment to attack. It seemed paranoia was slowly taking over.
I closed the bedroom door behind me and walked back downstairs. As I reached the doorway into the kitchen, I let out a sigh of relief. I could hear Cooper speaking from inside. For now, it seemed that I was safe.
I forced a smile on my face as I stepped into the kitchen. I saw Cooper casually leaning against the counter. He looked up when he noticed me. I looked away before Robert noticed me looking at Cooper. I didn’t want to give him any reason to question me about Cooper.
Robert was standing next to the kitchen table with his eyes on me. Behind him, I saw the casserole served out onto three plates.
“Now that you’re here, let’s sit down and eat,” Robert said as he sat in his normal chair.
Cooper and I joined him, one of us on each side of him. I glanced up at Cooper to see him studying his father carefully. His body was at ease, but his eyes were not. They were puzzled. Obviously, he’d noticed Robert’s behavior as well.
Robert’s gaze moved back and forth between Cooper and me as we picked up our forks and began to eat. After the first bite was in my mouth, Robert started eating as well. I tried to keep my gaze on my plate, but I couldn’t. My eyes kept going to Robert, wondering when he would decide to speak again. The silence was starting to drive me insane.
“So,
Dad
, what made you decide to have a family dinner tonight?” Cooper asked.
I expectantly looked at Robert. At least Cooper was brave enough to speak right now.
Robert continued to eat for a moment before speaking, “Maybe I wanted to spend some time with both of you.”
Cooper snorted. “Right. The last time we were in the same room, it ended with my fist connecting with you. I doubt if you want that to happen again.”
“I’ve given you no reason to try to harm me again, have I?” Robert asked casually.
“Not yet, but I’m waiting. You’ll eventually give me a reason,” Cooper said before taking another bite.
Robert chuckled. “That’s your problem, Cooper. You always let your rage control you. You’ll never accomplish anything that way, but I think you’ve started to realize that.”
I stared down at my almost empty plate, pretending that I was invisible. I didn’t want to be in the room while Robert belittled Cooper. I was terrified that Cooper would lose his self-control and go after Robert again. It would be almost as bad if I lost my temper and told Robert to go to hell.
“What are you talking about?” Cooper asked.
Robert pointed at Cooper’s plate. “Finish your dinner, and then we’ll continue this discussion.”
Cooper rolled his eyes. “What? Am I four again?”
When Robert didn’t reply, Cooper sighed and shoved another bite into his mouth. I fought not to grin at how fast he started eating. Obviously, he couldn’t wait to get into it with his father.
“That goes for you, too, Claire. Eat,” Robert said.
I didn’t even bother to respond. With the mood Robert was in, I knew it would do no good. Instead of fighting, I focused on finishing the last few bites of my food. The room was silent, except for the sounds of our forks clinking against our plates.
When we finished, Robert smiled at us. “I think we have much to discuss tonight, don’t you? Why don’t we start off with the relationship between the two of you?”
My insides turned to ice as I froze in my chair. Cooper, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch.
“What relationship exactly?” Cooper asked. His voice was calm and even held a bit of humor, like he thought Robert’s comment was funny.
“Oh, don’t play stupid, son. You’re not the only one who can have someone followed.”
That caught Cooper’s attention. He sat up straight in his chair. “What are you talking about?”
“We’ll get to that later, but right now, I want to focus on the two of you. I know that you’re close, but I can’t help but wonder just how close you really are.” He looked over at me. “I know you’ve spent time together outside of this house. Does a trip to the zoo with that little girl ring any bells?”
“Yes, Cooper went with Shelly and me to the zoo, but that doesn’t mean anything is going on between us.” I was proud of how normal my voice had sounded.
“That’s true, I suppose, but when I add in the fact that I saw you two kissing with my own eyes, it makes me a bit suspicious.”
“Kissing?” I croaked. I suddenly felt nauseous.
“Oh, you didn’t know I was home at the time.” He chuckled. “Why do you think I decided to marry you all of a sudden? I couldn’t have you running off with my son. It would look bad.”
“What are you doing, Dad?” Cooper asked.
“I’m just curious as to whether or not you’ve slept together yet. I know nothing happened then because I took Claire’s virginity. Now though, I can’t help but wonder.”
Cooper just stared at him. It was the first time I’d ever seen him at a loss for words. I wasn’t any better. My stomach was in knots, and I suddenly felt dizzy.
“I’m going to assume that your silence is the confirmation I needed,” Robert said after a moment.
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered.
He looked over at me. “I simply want to clear the air. It’s time we put everything out in the open, don’t you think?”
“So, what now?” Cooper asked. “Are you going to kick us out and divorce Claire?”
Robert ignored him. “Now that we’ve settled that, I’m curious about a few other things. My biggest concerns involve both of you, but Claire is the one who really has me intrigued. Why did you decide to snoop around in my things, Claire? And why did you go visit Marie’s lawyer?”
“How do you—”
He cut me off. “Like I said, I’m not the only one being followed.”
Before I could answer, Cooper spoke up, “I asked her to snoop around. Don’t put the blame on Claire for that. I’m the one who convinced her.”
Cooper was extremely pale, but he managed to keep his voice even.
“And I’m sure you were very convincing, weren’t you? I assume that you told her your theory about my involvement in your mother’s death?”
Cooper changed from pale to green in two seconds flat. I was sure my skin was the same shade as his. My entire body felt as if it couldn’t hold me up any longer. I rested my elbows on the table and propped my head on my hands. Dizziness took over as I tried to concentrate on what Robert was saying.
“It’s the truth though. We both know it.”
Robert kept his eyes on Cooper. “Of course it is. I couldn’t have Marie running off and destroying everything I built for myself. She had to go before the divorce went public.”
The world stopped rotating. The breath froze in my lungs. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move.
“You’re…you’re admitting to it?” Cooper was floored by Robert’s confession.
“Indeed I am. I thought you’d want to hear the truth from my mouth. I’m hoping it will give you some closure to know that you were right all along. It’s too bad that your investigation has led us to this though.”
“To this?” I asked, my words slurred.
“Yes, to this. You see, I added a special ingredient to Ellie’s marvelous casserole—GHB.”
“You son of a bitch!” Cooper yelled as he tried to stand. The moment he was out of his chair, he stumbled and dropped to his knees.
“There’s nothing you can do now. I gave you both a good dose. I’m sure you’ll be unconscious in just a few minutes.”
“But why?” I slurred. I fought the bile rising in my throat. I was terrified that if I threw up, I’d choke. It all made sense now. I’d assumed that my body was reacting to Robert’s words when it was really reacting to the fact that Robert had drugged me.