Authors: CJ Simpson
“True. To be
honest, I haven’t made an effort to keep in touch other than through Christmas
cards. My practice has been doing very well and I’m in the process of
expanding.”
“Oh Mary, that’s
wonderful!” Kat exclaimed. “Are you moving into your own office now?” Kat
recalled that Mary was contracted by hospitals and schools to administer
counseling to children who were affected by various types of trauma.
“Actually, I’ve
had my own office. It’s one of those rental spaces you see in a strip mall.
There’s been an increase in demand for services over the last few years and our
location no longer meets the needs of our clients, so I decided to take the
plunge and start construction on a new building in an industrial area not far
from my house.”
“Wow, that’s
terrific!”
“Thank you. I’ll
have a partner as well, so we’ll be sharing the new space. Hopefully, together
we’ll make a difference for these kids who really need help.”
“I assume this
is someone you work with?”
“Yes, Norman
Jenkins from the hospital. He specializes in the older children, mainly
troubled youth. We’ve been talking about going into practice for quite some
time now, and now we’re actually doing it. We’re meeting with the architect
next week.”
“How exciting!
I’m so happy for you!”
“Now it’s my
turn to change the subject.” Mary said. “How’s that darling nephew of mine?
He’s adorable, I love the picture you sent me.”
“Tyler is a
mother’s dream, let me tell you.” Kat smiled into the phone. “He’s a good boy,
has lots of friends in preschool, and knows half of the state capitals.”
“Really? That’s
impressive at his age.” Mary marveled.
“I think so.
He’s always been very interested in worldly things whereas most kids seem to be
interested in action figures.”
“So I shouldn’t
send him a Sponge Bob t-shirt?”
Kat laughed.
“Definitely not. He’s never shown an interest in action heroes, but his best
friend is a fan of them, so they get along great when they don’t share each
other’s toys.”
“I’ll bet!”
“It sounds like
he’s been good for you, Kat.”
“He saved me,
Mary.” Kat declared. “I don’t know where I would be without him. I can’t
imagine how different my life would’ve been.”
“I’m glad you
have Tyler, but I’m sorry you went through such a traumatic ordeal.” Mary was
referring to the rape.
“Me too, but
I’ve come to terms with it. It took me a long time, but I did speak to a
psychologist recently and she gave me some perspective. I’m grateful to her.”
“Do you mind if
I ask who she is?”
“Doctor Margaret
Sullivan. Do you know her?”
“I know of her.
I’ve attended conferences where she was a guest speaker. She’s one of the best
in her field, Kat. I’m glad she was able to help you.”
“She wants to
see me again for a follow-up visit. I can honestly say that I’m looking forward
to it. She’s been very supportive.”
“That’s what
it’s all about.” Mary agreed. “You know, I had called you once about three
years ago but your number had been disconnected.”
“Yeah, I moved
out a month after I got back from the funeral. That was when I was—it was a bad
time.”
“I’m sorry I
wasn’t there for you, Kat.”
“Well, you know
what? You’re here now, and that’s what’s important.” Kat cleared her throat. “I
would love to see you.”
“I would love to
see you too. In fact, that’s why I called. I’ve got some free time in the
middle of August, which is only a month away. If it’s okay, I’d like to come
down to see you and meet my nephew.”
“Oh, Mary! That
would be terrific! I won’t be teaching until September so that will work out
well for me.”
“Where do you
teach?”
Kat explained
her role as an online instructor for the University of Millstone. She told Mary
that she tutored home schooled children throughout the school year as well, but
that she had taken time off during the summer to spend more time with Tyler as
well as focus on some church-related projects.
“Sounds like you
have a pretty good set-up there yourself, kiddo. Okay, I’ll look at my schedule
here and make some arrangements.” Mary confirmed. “I can call you back this
weekend with a tentative date, how’s that?”
“Perfect! I look
forward to it.”
“And I’ve got
your email address from your letter, and I’ll reply to it so you’ll have my
email address as well.”
“Good.” Kat
smiled. She was feeling better already. Tyler was safely home, she and Daniel had
reached a new level in their relationship, and now she was on speaking terms
with her sister.
“So, are you
okay now? You sound like you’re okay.”
“Yes, I feel
much better after talking with you.”
The sisters
chatted for a few more minutes about Tyler and their jobs. Before they hung up,
Mary gave Kat her contact numbers with promises to talk over the weekend.
As Darryl pulled his car into the
parking lot of his motel, he breathed a sigh of relief. It had taken him nearly
all day to reach his destination and he was tired. It had rained most of the afternoon
and the fact that he had had a flat tire during the trip didn’t help matters,
either. He had stopped again a couple of times after that to eat and refill his
gas tank. Since he had already spent his final paycheck, he was using
Michelle’s credit card to make purchases. Originally, it was intended for
emergency purposes only, but Darryl didn’t care. As far as he was concerned,
this trip
was
an emergency. He didn’t come all the way out here just to
turn around. No, he came out here to take care of some unfinished business.
The motel was located on the outskirts
of Lakesboro. Darryl wanted to be closer to town where Kat lived, but for as
long as he was staying, he couldn’t afford the higher rates. For now, this
place would do. The motel wasn’t fancy, but it wasn’t run-down, either. It was simply
outdated and did not offer the amenities most people were accustomed to. That
was fine with him as all he really needed was a place to sleep. He would be
spending much of his time scoping the area and the movements of his former
instructor.
When Darryl inspected his room, he was
pleased to see that it was a suite. This meant he had a mini refrigerator and
microwave in addition to a small living space that was separated from the
bedroom. On the coffee table were several take-out menus of local restaurants,
one of which was within walking distance from the motel.
After he placed an order, Darryl turned
on his GPS and searched for nearby grocery stores. He already had Kat’s address
programmed in as he planned to drive by her house later that night. Initially,
he had planned on retiring for the night, but the anticipation of seeing where
his former instructor lived was too much for him. The fact that he had made it
this far only fueled his excitement.
Twenty minutes later, Darryl returned to
his suite and shoveled his meal down his throat. With renewed energy, he mapped
out the points of interest he would hit that evening. First, he would find a
body shop to replace his tire. He had driven on the spare during the last leg
of his trip and didn’t want to take the time to exit the highway. Next, he
would shop at a grocery store to stock up on frozen entrees and beer. Finally,
he would drive through Kat’s neighborhood on his way back to the motel. He
wanted to get a feel for how she lived and if he would be easily seen during
the day.
So far, everything was going according
to plan. But as Darryl drove around, he worried about drawing attention to
himself. He had a busted tail light from when someone had smashed it in the
parking lot of a bar he’d frequented. Until he got it fixed, his car would not
pass inspection. The last thing he needed was to get pulled over by a cop for
questioning, especially when he was hundreds of miles away from home. He knew
his appearance was shifty in nature and any excuses he provided would most
likely be viewed with skepticism. He had to be careful.
Two hours later when Darryl finally
reached Kat’s neighborhood, he was thankful she didn’t live in a gated
community. He drove slowly, encouraged by the fact that most of the lots were
heavily wooded and the houses were set far back from the road. He felt this was
to his advantage and that he had a better chance of remaining undetected.
When Darryl saw Kat’s house, he felt a
surge of adrenaline. This is it, he thought. As he came to a slow crawl, he turned
off his headlights and studied the massive colonial-style brick home. The moon
offered a generous view of the front yard which revealed an assortment of
playground equipment. He deduced that a child lived here but wouldn’t let that
assumption deter him from completing his mission. His eyes drifted to the
lights that shone inside the windows. Movement in the house was evident but
Darryl couldn’t see its occupants. He chided himself for leaving behind his
binoculars at the motel. It didn’t matter anyway, he reasoned. The next few
days would tell him everything he needed to know.
Before he left, he saw what appeared to
be a large lake behind Kat’s backyard.
So, not only is she a snob, she’s
rich too, he thought with resentment. Maybe I can get her to give me some money
too.
His expression grim, Darryl slowly drove
away. It was time to return to the motel and call it a day. Besides, there was
a ball game on TV that he wanted to watch and the beer in the back seat was
getting warm.
I’m so glad you guys could make it
tonight.” Kat said happily, taking the apple pie from Rhonda and Robert
followed Kat into the kitchen. The pie was still warm and its aroma was
heavenly.
“We are too!” Rhonda agreed, looking
over her shoulder at her husband. Robert had scooped up Tyler and was tickling
him. “Eli’s missed him terribly.”
“The feeling is mutual. Tyler was going
berserk all day.” Kat set the pie on the counter and inhaled the scent of
cinnamon-spiced apples. “How about we have dessert first?”
“How about we have
that
first?” Rhonda
suggested, eying the shrimp cocktail platter that Kat had prepared. Stepping behind
her friend, she inched for a closer look. “Wow, these look nice!”
Kat had used water goblets as opposed to
the traditional appetizer serving dish. In each goblet, red leaf lettuce served
as the base to hold Kat’s homemade shrimp cocktail sauce. On each rim, five
perfectly cooked jumbo shrimp rested with their tails extended upward.
“You’re drooling.” Kat teased, handing
her friend a napkin.
Robert came up behind his wife and
wrapped his arms around her waist. “You know why she made those, don’t you?” He
winked at Kat.
“Oh, that’s right.” Rhonda drawled,
beaming at Kat. “She did it for Daniel.”
“Stop it, you two.” Kat said, laughing.
“I made one for each of you because I think we all deserve a treat.”
“Yeah, right. Whatever.” Rob laughed.
“Hey, when’s your boyfriend coming over?”
“He’s not my—” Kat looked pointedly at
her friend. “What lies have you been feeding your husband?” Before Rhonda could
retort, the doorbell rang.
“You stay away from those!” Kat wagged
her finger as she went to answer the door.
“Hey.” Daniel said, eyes twinkling. He
wore khaki slacks with a dark green shirt that made Kat’s insides melt. He held
up a bottle of white wine.
“Hi, yourself!” Kat grinned. “Come on
in. Robert and Rhonda arrived just a few minutes ago.”
Kat led Daniel into the living room and
introduced him to Robert. The two men shook hands and exchanged pleasantries while
the sound of stomping feet could be heard on the stairs.
“Daniel!” Tyler exclaimed, running up to
him. Daniel scooped him up and gave him a bear hug. Kat had spoken to Tyler the
day after he ran away and helped him understand that Daniel was only trying to
cheer her up when William died. When Tyler realized Daniel’s intentions were
pure from the start, he felt guilty. He had promised his mother he would be on
his best behavior going forward. When Tyler went back upstairs, Daniel chuckled
and said, “Apparently, I have been forgiven.”
When Rhonda and Robert stared at him in
puzzlement, Kat laughed and gave them the short version of when her son left
the house in search of William. While they were sympathetic to William’s fate,
they expressed their gratitude to Daniel in bringing Tyler home to safety.
“I did what any decent person would have
done.” Daniel insisted with a wave of his hand. He was embarrassed by the
lavish attention so he changed the subject. “What is that wonderful smell?”
“That’s probably Rhonda’s apple pie.”
Kat answered. “I hope everybody’s hungry. Let’s start with an appetizer, shall
we?”