through things in my head,” she told him.
“Like what?” He waited for a reply, before filling his cup with hot water and carrying it over the table. “I need to crash, babe, I’m exhausted, but if something’s on your mind…”
She stared at him for a moment. “What could possibly be on my mind, Bob?”
“I don’t know,” he said cautiously, “but… Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I feel like you’re digging at something. Is there a problem here, something I don’t know about?”
She opened her mouth to tell him that, yes, there was a problem, and that, no, his lies weren’t fooling her at all. Something, however, held her back, and after a moment she realized it was Lucy. She needed to think about her daughter, and to plan everything a little better. For one thing, she’d need to make sure she was financially independent; for another, she figured she needed evidence for the inevitable divorce. Bob was the kind of guy who’d deny everything.
“My…” Another pause. “My brother’s coming for Christmas,” she told him finally. “That’s all.”
“Jack?” He paused, before raising his eyebrows in shock as he realized what she meant. “Ben?”
“Ben.”
“Are you serious? How long has it been?”
“Nine wonderful years.”
“So he hasn’t even met Lucy?”
She shook her head.
“And he’s coming back to town now ? Why?”
She shrugged.
“You haven’t asked him?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since the last time he was here. I don’t know where he’s been, what he’s been doing, why he’s finally decided to come back to town… I’m completely in the dark when it comes to his activities.”
“Huh.” He tried to take a sip of tea, before finding that it was too hot. “Well that’s a turn-up for the books. Wonder what he wants, eh? Maybe he’s in trouble, or he’s being chased by someone. Maybe the cops are after him. Or maybe he just wants money, in which case, there’s no way we can give him more. You know that, right, Beth? Just to be clear, another loan is completely out of the question.”
“I know that, Bob.”
He nodded. “Good. So where’s he staying? It sure as well won’t be here.”
“He’s going to stay with Jack and Jane.”
“Ha. Well I’m sure they’ll love having Crazy Ben in the spare room. I’d love to have seen Jane’s face when she found out.” He paused. “And Jack’s. I mean, he’s got some pretty wild theories about Ben, hasn’t he? I remember that night he got a little drunk at your mother’s birthday party and started running through these timelines. He’s actually got notebooks, do you know that? Little journals with all his theories and ideas. I just to think he was joking about all that stuff, but now I think he might be serious.”
She stared at him for a moment, before slowly getting up and making her way over to the door. “I have to get Lucy ready for school.”
“You sure you’re okay, Beth?” Bob called after her. “You’re acting a little weird this morning. I hope I didn’t accidentally do anything to upset you.”
“No,” she replied. “You didn’t accidentally do anything.”
“You should get some rest,” he added. “You look tired.”
“Thanks.”
Heading out into the hallway, she stopped once she was out of sight, and finally she looked down. Opening her right hand, she saw two trickles of blood running from beneath the broken safety pin she’d been clutching. While she was talking to Bob, the pain of clenching her fist tight around the pin had been the only thing keeping her from screaming.
V
“You look tired,” Alex said as he watched Jane at the coffee machine. “Are you sure you’re up to this today?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, filling a cup with lukewarm coffee. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Problem?”
She turned to him. “No, Sir. Just…” For a moment, she considered telling him about her brother-in-law’s impending return to town,
“Like what?” He waited for a reply, before filling his cup with hot water and carrying it over the table. “I need to crash, babe, I’m exhausted, but if something’s on your mind…”
She stared at him for a moment. “What could possibly be on my mind, Bob?”
“I don’t know,” he said cautiously, “but… Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I feel like you’re digging at something. Is there a problem here, something I don’t know about?”
She opened her mouth to tell him that, yes, there was a problem, and that, no, his lies weren’t fooling her at all. Something, however, held her back, and after a moment she realized it was Lucy. She needed to think about her daughter, and to plan everything a little better. For one thing, she’d need to make sure she was financially independent; for another, she figured she needed evidence for the inevitable divorce. Bob was the kind of guy who’d deny everything.
“My…” Another pause. “My brother’s coming for Christmas,” she told him finally. “That’s all.”
“Jack?” He paused, before raising his eyebrows in shock as he realized what she meant. “Ben?”
“Ben.”
“Are you serious? How long has it been?”
“Nine wonderful years.”
“So he hasn’t even met Lucy?”
She shook her head.
“And he’s coming back to town now ? Why?”
She shrugged.
“You haven’t asked him?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since the last time he was here. I don’t know where he’s been, what he’s been doing, why he’s finally decided to come back to town… I’m completely in the dark when it comes to his activities.”
“Huh.” He tried to take a sip of tea, before finding that it was too hot. “Well that’s a turn-up for the books. Wonder what he wants, eh? Maybe he’s in trouble, or he’s being chased by someone. Maybe the cops are after him. Or maybe he just wants money, in which case, there’s no way we can give him more. You know that, right, Beth? Just to be clear, another loan is completely out of the question.”
“I know that, Bob.”
He nodded. “Good. So where’s he staying? It sure as well won’t be here.”
“He’s going to stay with Jack and Jane.”
“Ha. Well I’m sure they’ll love having Crazy Ben in the spare room. I’d love to have seen Jane’s face when she found out.” He paused. “And Jack’s. I mean, he’s got some pretty wild theories about Ben, hasn’t he? I remember that night he got a little drunk at your mother’s birthday party and started running through these timelines. He’s actually got notebooks, do you know that? Little journals with all his theories and ideas. I just to think he was joking about all that stuff, but now I think he might be serious.”
She stared at him for a moment, before slowly getting up and making her way over to the door. “I have to get Lucy ready for school.”
“You sure you’re okay, Beth?” Bob called after her. “You’re acting a little weird this morning. I hope I didn’t accidentally do anything to upset you.”
“No,” she replied. “You didn’t accidentally do anything.”
“You should get some rest,” he added. “You look tired.”
“Thanks.”
Heading out into the hallway, she stopped once she was out of sight, and finally she looked down. Opening her right hand, she saw two trickles of blood running from beneath the broken safety pin she’d been clutching. While she was talking to Bob, the pain of clenching her fist tight around the pin had been the only thing keeping her from screaming.
V
“You look tired,” Alex said as he watched Jane at the coffee machine. “Are you sure you’re up to this today?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, filling a cup with lukewarm coffee. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Problem?”
She turned to him. “No, Sir. Just…” For a moment, she considered telling him about her brother-in-law’s impending return to town,
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