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Authors: Scott Nicholson
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Tab. Sitting in an apartment she wasn't paying for, talking of money, made her lightheaded. Despite the wealth Jacob had accumulated early in their marriage, this money seemed unreal, almost sickening. "It's two million dollars, Kim."
"Holy crud," came her best friend's voice from the speaker. Kim worked as a technician at the hospital, testing blood samples. The sound of hospital business occasionally came through in the background, doctors being paged, carts rattling by, the ringing of nurses' bells.
"That doesn't make up for it. Not a bit."
"I know, honey. We've been through that. You don't have any more tears left to cry."
"I was the beneficiary. Jacob set it up that way. After Christine died, he insured the three of us for a million dollars each. Said that's how his father always did it."
"And you let him?"
"Well, it's the kind of thing you don't think about much. You can't let it weigh on you, that tragedy might strike again. I figured we'd used up more than our share with Christine."
"I know you guys are movers and shakers, but a million is a million, even with inflation. What are you guys going to do with the money?"
"That's just it. He's hiding from all this."
"Forget about him for a minute. What do
you
want?"
Renee looked at the urn on the mantel. She didn't want the ashes around as a constant reminder of The Tragedy. She carried around enough reminders inside her.
She'd hoped Jacob would pull himself together and get through his grieving process, decide with her what they should do with the ashes. It had been over two months and he still refused to have any contact with her. "I want Jake to be happy. That's all that's left for me, Kim."
"Your parents gone?"
"Yeah, they left last week. Dad's not doing too well. Said now he didn't have any grandchildren to spoil. Mom helped, but I can't talk to her about the heavy stuff."
"Well, I'm here whenever you need me."
Renee's throat caught and the tears welled up without warning. She stuck a finger behind her glasses and brushed at her eyelashes. "I can't do this much longer. I want Jake."
"Didn't he get weird after Christine?"
Renee's chest clenched around her heart. "Yeah. He went AWOL, but I was so focused on Mattie that I hardly noticed."
"He'll work it out in time. He'll see how much he needs you. You know what I've always said about men."
Renee barked a half-sob, half-laugh. "'They can't see the light because their heads are up their butts.'"
"In the meantime, you need to invest that money. What's done is done but you still have to live."
"I guess so."
"It's what Mattie would want."
"Sure."
"And, if worse comes to worse, you can always ditch Jacob and move in with me."
"You're not my type. You're too emotionally stable and your place is too messy."
"Yeah, that's always been my problem."
A shadow broke the sunlight that slanted through the curtains. Someone was outside her door. Her apartment, like all the others at Ivy Terrace, had a private entrance. The top stories were accessed by a shared set of stairs, but each had its own deck. She waited for a knock but none came. It must have been an errant courier.
"I'd better be getting back to work," Kim said, tugging Renee back to the phone.
"Things crazy at the lab?"
"You know how blood is. People just can't seem to live without it."
"Okay, thanks for letting me whine."
"Renee?"
"Yeah?"
"I hate to say this, but you made a million the hard way."
"I'd pay a hundred times that to have Mattie back."
"I know. It just seems a little strange, that's all. Like a silver lining in a black-as-hell cloud."
"Yeah." She didn't want to start crying again. "Oh, there was one thing I wanted to ask you, since you've been here awhile. Do you know anything about Joshua Wells?"
"Jacob's brother? I've only been here a few years longer than you. I heard some stories, but apparently he left town years ago."
"What kind of stories?"
"The usual, troubled-rich-kid stuff. Vandalism, shoplifting, drugs, soliciting
"Holy crud," came her best friend's voice from the speaker. Kim worked as a technician at the hospital, testing blood samples. The sound of hospital business occasionally came through in the background, doctors being paged, carts rattling by, the ringing of nurses' bells.
"That doesn't make up for it. Not a bit."
"I know, honey. We've been through that. You don't have any more tears left to cry."
"I was the beneficiary. Jacob set it up that way. After Christine died, he insured the three of us for a million dollars each. Said that's how his father always did it."
"And you let him?"
"Well, it's the kind of thing you don't think about much. You can't let it weigh on you, that tragedy might strike again. I figured we'd used up more than our share with Christine."
"I know you guys are movers and shakers, but a million is a million, even with inflation. What are you guys going to do with the money?"
"That's just it. He's hiding from all this."
"Forget about him for a minute. What do
you
want?"
Renee looked at the urn on the mantel. She didn't want the ashes around as a constant reminder of The Tragedy. She carried around enough reminders inside her.
She'd hoped Jacob would pull himself together and get through his grieving process, decide with her what they should do with the ashes. It had been over two months and he still refused to have any contact with her. "I want Jake to be happy. That's all that's left for me, Kim."
"Your parents gone?"
"Yeah, they left last week. Dad's not doing too well. Said now he didn't have any grandchildren to spoil. Mom helped, but I can't talk to her about the heavy stuff."
"Well, I'm here whenever you need me."
Renee's throat caught and the tears welled up without warning. She stuck a finger behind her glasses and brushed at her eyelashes. "I can't do this much longer. I want Jake."
"Didn't he get weird after Christine?"
Renee's chest clenched around her heart. "Yeah. He went AWOL, but I was so focused on Mattie that I hardly noticed."
"He'll work it out in time. He'll see how much he needs you. You know what I've always said about men."
Renee barked a half-sob, half-laugh. "'They can't see the light because their heads are up their butts.'"
"In the meantime, you need to invest that money. What's done is done but you still have to live."
"I guess so."
"It's what Mattie would want."
"Sure."
"And, if worse comes to worse, you can always ditch Jacob and move in with me."
"You're not my type. You're too emotionally stable and your place is too messy."
"Yeah, that's always been my problem."
A shadow broke the sunlight that slanted through the curtains. Someone was outside her door. Her apartment, like all the others at Ivy Terrace, had a private entrance. The top stories were accessed by a shared set of stairs, but each had its own deck. She waited for a knock but none came. It must have been an errant courier.
"I'd better be getting back to work," Kim said, tugging Renee back to the phone.
"Things crazy at the lab?"
"You know how blood is. People just can't seem to live without it."
"Okay, thanks for letting me whine."
"Renee?"
"Yeah?"
"I hate to say this, but you made a million the hard way."
"I'd pay a hundred times that to have Mattie back."
"I know. It just seems a little strange, that's all. Like a silver lining in a black-as-hell cloud."
"Yeah." She didn't want to start crying again. "Oh, there was one thing I wanted to ask you, since you've been here awhile. Do you know anything about Joshua Wells?"
"Jacob's brother? I've only been here a few years longer than you. I heard some stories, but apparently he left town years ago."
"What kind of stories?"
"The usual, troubled-rich-kid stuff. Vandalism, shoplifting, drugs, soliciting
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