Fatal Impulse: A Widow's Web Novel (11 page)

D
ana pushed through the doors of the Black Sails Diner and Andi waved at her. As Dana slid into the red vinyl bench seat, she set a wrapped package on the table.  Andi looked at her and cocked her head, but Maggie showed up to take their orders before she could question her friend.

As the older woman walked away, Dana urged, "Go ahead, open it!"

Andi leaned back in her seat. "What's this for?"

Dana shrugged her shoulders. "Consider it a 'welcome to your new life' gift."

The paper tore easily, revealing a first edition of
The Maine Woods
. It showed Andi just how well her friend knew her. Simply holding the book in her hands made her feel independent. Chad hadn’t encouraged her love of exploring, but she felt as if she were beginning to spread her wings. She nodded her thanks, not trusting her voice.

Right on cue, Maggie appeared with their order. Andi had just taken a big bite of her burger when her cell phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and glanced at the number while she chewed. She swallowed, then swiped her finger across the screen.

“Ms. Adams, it’s Jake, from the dealership?”

She looked across the table at Dana and shrugged, “Hi, Jake, what can I do for you?”

“Just wanted to remind you that I still need the original title to the Grand Cherokee you traded in?”

She frowned as her stomach did a back flip. “I’m sorry. Got so excited about my new Wrangler, I forgot about that. I’ll go get it out of the safe deposit box this afternoon and bring it up to you.”

After she hung up, she relayed the story to her friend.

Dana wiped a bit of ketchup from the corner of her mouth. "Do you know where the key is to the safe deposit box?"

Andi blinked. "I didn't even think about needing a key. Chad always did the banking. I just assumed they opened it up for you and let you in."

Dana laughed. "You have a key and the bank has a key, and it takes both to get into a safe deposit box. Do you know if your name is on the signature card for the box?"

A chill ran through Andi. "I don't know."

They paused while Maggie refilled their drinks. After she walked away, Andi sat up straight. "Wait! I found a small key in his dresser drawer right after . . ." A chill ran up her spine at the reminder of Chad's death.

Dana reached across the table to pat Andi's hand. "I bet that's the key to the safe deposit box. Do you want me to go to the bank with you?"

Andi felt silly, but she didn't want to go alone. "Do you mind?"

Dana grinned. "Not at all. You going to let me drive that Jeep?"

Andi grinned back. "Maybe one of these days. But I'm not ready to give up the keys just yet."

As soon as they paid for lunch, Dana followed Andi to her house. Andi left her friend in the living room while she ran down to the basement to look for the key. She'd stuck it in her jeans’ pocket the day she found it. Her mom did laundry while she was visiting, so hopefully she pulled the key out before washing clothes.

Andi shuffled through the clothes stacked on top of the washer and dryer. Chad’s clothes were stacked there, waiting for her to bag them up for donation. At the bottom of the stack she found a broken dish filled with loose change, a couple of safety pins and a button that had fallen off in the dryer, and, at the very bottom, the key. She tossed it in the air and caught it with a flourish and a grin.

As they walked into Harbor Regional Bank, she was glad Dana had come along, because the entire affair intimidated her. The bank officer led them to the vault, then swept his hand for them to go first. "Please accept my condolences for the loss of your husband."

Andi nodded her thanks.

He continued, "Chad had such a fine sense of humor."

Dana shot Andi a look and cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. The suited man handed Andi a clipboard and pointed to a red x. "Sign here."

Chad’s signature appeared many times on the sign in sheet. She scanned the list quickly. He visited the bank box nearly once a week during his last few months of life.

Finally, the man stepped halfway down the bank of drawers and inserted his key into a lock box. Andi looked at Dana, who nodded. Andi took the key from her pocket and stuck it in the other lock. It turned easily in the mechanism. The man tugged the box out of its cubby and took it to a small cubicle where he sat it down with a loud clank.

"Please push the button when you're finished." He swept a red velvet curtain closed behind him, leaving the two women alone.

The bright fluorescent bulbs above them gave off a garish light. The lid opened with a creak. Inside stacks of bills had been rubber banded into neat bundles. Andi picked one up and flipped through it. All hundreds. Her eyes widened and she glanced up as Dana let out a low whistle. Dana looked up at her, eyes wide. "Where did all that money come from?"

Andi glanced nervously as the flimsy curtain behind them. "I have no idea." Seemed like every time she turned around, she learned something new about Chad. She'd been married to a stranger.

The money distracted her so much, she almost missed the small cloth pouch with a drawstring top tucked into one corner of the metal box. She loosened the drawstring and poured the contents into her cupped palm. Several rocks tumbled out, long crystals of green and pink. She wasn’t exactly sure what they were, but knew they must be valuable if they were hidden in a safe deposit box.

“What are they?” Dana plucked one green nugget up and squinted at it.

Andi shrugged. She wasn’t sure herself, but suspected they were tourmalines. Once they were polished and cut, they'd be worth a lot of money. She dropped them back in the pouch and tucked the bundle into her purse, with the intention of looking up that man she spoke to at the Clifftop about them. He could probably tell her what they were, if she could remember where he said he worked.

Dana said, "I don't see any vehicle titles here."

Andi shook her head, thinking about the refinancing paperwork in Chad’s file cabinet. She stacked the bills back in the narrow metal box. Without knowing where the money came from, she didn't want anything to do with it.

Dana said, "If you're finished, I'll buzz the guy."

Andi nodded. A shiver ran down her spine. The situation still seemed surreal. As an afterthought, she flipped the case open and grabbed a bundle of cash, then stuffed it in her purse next to the crystals.

Once the safety deposit box was put away and they were escorted out of the vault, Andi put her hand on her friend's arm. "Can you come with me while I talk to someone about a loan?"

Andi turned to the gentleman who'd been helping them. "I need to talk to a loan officer. Is there anyone available?"

He directed them to a glass enclosed office, where an older man with gray hair and a double chin sat. He half-stood when they entered his office.

She dove right in. "I traded my Grand Cherokee in on a Wrangler. The young man at the dealership told me that he needs the title. As you may know, my husband just died. I thought the title would be in our safe deposit box, but it wasn't."

As she spoke, she watched his countenance carefully. Recognition dawned on his face, and she knew her suspicions were correct.  He nodded slowly, and typed as she spoke. When she finished, she clasped her hands in her lap and waited.

He leaned forward and peered at the screen, then clicked his mouse. “I’m sorry, Ms. Adams. Your husband refinanced that vehicle at the end of last year, so we have the title in our files here at the bank. You owe approximately $20,000 on it. He was only making interest payments. We will need that amount in full before we can release the title.”

Her shoulders sagged, and she thought about the bills sitting in the safe deposit box. Without knowing their origin, they could be dangerous to use, especially at a bank. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. After what she'd spent on the Jeep, she had very little left from the check the attorney in Bangor had given her.  When she opened her eyes, the older man stared at her.

She took a deep breath and plunged ahead, "I don't have enough money to pay it off. I thought it was paid for and I traded it today for a Jeep -- it's used, it's not brand new -- but I spent nearly everything I had to buy the new Jeep--" She purchased that vehicle on a whim, a burst of independence . . . and now it felt like a lead weight around her neck.

He held up one hand, palm out. "Mrs. Adams, I think I can help. You can fill out a loan application for the difference you owe, accounting for the loan on the Grand Cherokee."

His words swirled through hear head like smoke. She couldn't quite grasp the meaning. She deflated. "That'll be an awfully large loan."

Dana leaned close and whispered, "But not really so bad. What you already paid is the down payment."

Andi chewed her lower lip. "How does this work? Then you'll use my new Jeep as collateral?"  Chad always handled the money, but the more she learned, the more she wished she'd been more involved. Not that it would've done any good. The more she learned, the more lies were discovered.

The banker nodded. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Should she take a chance and use the cash? She glanced at Dana with raised eyebrows and pointed to her purse. Dana's eyes narrowed and she shook her head no.

Nearly an hour later, she tucked the title to the Grand Cherokee safely in her handbag and her bank account was anemic.

Dana waited until they got outside, then grabbed Andi's arm and leaned close. She whispered, "Don't even think about using that money. You don't know where it came from or what it's tied to, but you know it's nothing good."

Andi jerked her arm away, immediately defensive. "But what am I supposed to do for money? I've got bills to pay and Chad left me with--"

"I know. It sucks. But you're going to have to buck up and get on with life. Chad is gone." Dana marched towards her car. "You're going to get burned if you're not careful."

Andi frowned as she trailed Dana down the sidewalk. She'd expected Dana to support her no matter what. "But why shouldn't I use some of that money? What could it hurt?" The whine in her voice made her angry. She clamped her mouth shut.

Dana didn't say another word until she dropped Andi off at her car. Dana rolled down her car window. Her flashing emerald eyes matched the intensity of her flaming red hair. "You know that much cash couldn't have come from anything good."

Andi looked around at the picturesque town, the quaint shops, the gaggles of tourists meandering down the sidewalks. She felt as if she were living in a dream, or had stepped into an alternate reality. "I don't know where that money came from."

"Exactly my point." Dana's red curls swung as she shook her head. "Doesn't matter if you know the source or not. You need to tell somebody about that money."

Heat crept up Andi's cheeks. "Who do I tell? Everyone in this town already looks at me with suspicion in their eyes. They think I'm an outsider, and they don't know what he was like."

"Just be careful. You're playing with fire." Dana's window zipped up and she drove away as Andi got into her car. She sat for a moment, heart pounding, before she backed out of the drive. She swung by the dealership to deliver the title to Jake. As she drove, she took deep breaths to clear her head. Dana didn't understand. How could she? Dana had friends and family who loved her, and they'd be there for her no matter what. Andi didn't have anyone. She was alone and on her own, with no one to depend on but herself.

A
ndi stepped out of the shower and dried herself, then leaned over and wrapped her long tresses in the towel. As she stood up and flipped her head back, she thought about her day. Work would be busy, but hopefully she'd get off early enough to swing by the grocery store. Spots on the bathroom mirror drew her eye, and she opened the cabinet door to get the cleaning spray. Her finger froze just as she began to squeeze the trigger.

She didn't have to do that. Not anymore.

As she blow dried her hair, she could almost feel Chad grabbing it in his fist and yanking. He liked that, controlling her. Hurting her. After she'd finished her hair and makeup, she left home without even stopping for a cup of coffee or bowl of cereal.

Someone pulled out of a parking space just as she turned onto Oak Street. That was lucky, particularly during tourist season. She wheeled the Jeep into an empty space in front of the Morning Sentinel and walked through the throngs of people meandering along the sidewalk until she reached Gloria's Locks.

Without allowing herself to over think it, she pushed the glass door open and approached the reception desk. "I'd like a cut and style, please."

The young girl perched at the counter twirled her blonde hair around her index finger. Her perfectly arched eyebrows rose as she glanced down at the calendar spread out in front of her. "Do you have an appointment?"

Andi shook her head.

The girl ran her finger down the list of names and phone numbers scrawled across the appointment book. "I can get you in a week from tomorrow with Marilyn."

"My next appointment cancelled, if you want me to fit you in."

Andi looked up at the woman who spoke. When she saw the purple streaked hair, she started to shake her head no, but stopped. This might be just the person to help her. This bold woman might be able to work miracles.

She looked at the girl who shrugged and went back to twirling her hair.

The stylist stepped forward and extended her right hand. "I'm Jackie. Come on back."

Andi sat in the chair and clutched her purse in her lap. Jackie ran her fingers through Andi's long, thick hair and said, "Mmmm. Whatdaya have in mind? Just a trim?"

"No. I want something completely different."

Jackie grinned as she wrapped her fingers around a ponytail of hair and pulled it back from Andi's face. "You know, we could take off a few inches, or we could go with a pixie cut. With your round face, you'd be cute as all get out. You'd look like that actress in Once Upon a Time."

Andi's brown eyes widened in the mirror, and she shocked herself when she nodded. "Let's go for it."

"You're sure?" Jackie cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. "No going back."

"No going back," Andi repeated.
In more ways than one.

As Jackie moved around her, snipping with her silver scissors, Andi felt lighter with every lock of hair that fell to the floor. For so long, she'd done everything Chad wanted, from keeping his house perfect to looking the way he insisted she look. He was gone now, and she could live the life she wanted. Her spine straightened and she lifted her chin. She would be okay.

After Jackie finished blow drying Andi's hair with a round brush, she handed Andi a mirror and spun her in the chair so she could admire her new look. A grin spread across Andi's face as she turned her head this way and that. Joy overwhelmed her. She handed the mirror back to Jackie and wiped away a tear. "Thank you. I can't even begin to tell you what this means to me."

"Some folks say your hairdresser is like your therapist." The stylist swept the cape off with a flourish. "In some ways that's true, and it's pretty clear to me that you needed a fresh start. I'm glad I could help you do that."

The two women walked to the front of the salon and Andi gave her new stylist a generous tip, then made an appointment for a trim in five weeks. She pushed through the door and stood on the sidewalk, giving her eyes time to adjust to the bright sunlight. Her smile was so wide, her cheeks hurt. She turned and walked towards her Jeep, excusing herself as she dodged tourists. Just as she opened the door, someone shouted, "Hey! Get away from that Jeep!" The door froze in mid-swing as she paused and looked around.

Dana jogged across the street, then pulled up abruptly. "Andi?"

"Hey! What are you up to?"

"I didn't recognize you!" Breathing with the exertion, Dana shook her head. "I thought somebody was trying to steal your new ride."

Laughter bubbled up. "What do you think?" She flipped her head left, then right.

"It looks amazing. You look just like Snow--"

"White!" Andi tossed her head and said, "I know, right?!"

"It's really something." A sigh escaped Dana's lips and she shook her head slowly. "You look like a totally new person."

"I feel like a totally new person. I feel lighter, happier, better than I have in ages."

"I've got to get back to work." Dana threw her arms around Andi in a bear hug. "You deserve this, you know."

"Thanks," Andi waved as her friend crossed the street. It was true. She did feel like a new person. Getting a new haircut was symbolic. She'd shed the last remnants of Chad's control with those long tresses Jackie swept up and threw away.