Negotiation Tactics (17 page)

Chad knew deep down, his mother was right about one thing. He did feel guilty for coming home from the war. He’d left so many friends behind. Good people who already had families of their own waiting for them to come back. And for reasons Chad couldn’t understand, he got to come home and many of them didn’t. And, yeah, he’d always hated that. Always wished he could have brought all of them back with him.

But he couldn’t go on like this. And he couldn’t wish to trade places with them because he wouldn’t wish that pain on his mom or Jack. Taking a deep breath, Chad bent. He put his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.

It’s time.

And as he took cleansing breath after cleansing breath, Chad let it all go. All the guilt and anger and feeling that maybe he was somehow undeserving of the life he had. The life that had been spared. And, he let his guilt over Jennie go as well.

He wouldn’t regret loving her even though he had to face the fact that she might never love him back. Her heart had been buried with her husband. But, maybe their baby would bring her some happiness, and for that, Chad would be grateful.

Taking one last deep breath, Chad turned back toward the cabin. It was time to take Jennie home.

***

They left the cabin three days later. Chad didn’t tell anyone they were coming. The less people knew about their whereabouts, the better. He still had plenty of cash stashed away so there was no need to use credit cards or anything that could be traced.

They planned to go to Jennie’s parents’ house first to see them, then spend no more than a day or two getting Jennie’s testimony taken care of before heading back to the cabin. Chad wasn’t happy with this plan, but Jennie was adamant about going to her parents’ house. And, she’d made a few good points in her argument. No one was expecting them. They wouldn’t call Burke until they arrived. They wouldn’t let anyone else know their location. Even Chad had to admit, it was highly unlikely that Rick Bandon would be sitting on Jennie’s parents’ house an hour away from where she lived. If anything, Bandon would be watching Jennie’s house or maybe Chad’s condo in New Haven.

So, in the end, Jennie won. They were heading to her parents’ house. Meanwhile, Chad was brainstorming a longer term way to keep her safe, one that didn’t require them to live in such close confines. He needed to find a way to step back from Jennie and let the feelings he had for her fade away.

They’d fallen back into an uneasy friendship, of sorts, but they didn’t talk much and things were strained. Chad could see dark circles forming under Jennie’s eyes again and knew she wasn’t sleeping well.

Chad pulled off the highway a half hour from Jennie’s parents’ house. He dug out a burn phone they hadn’t used yet and pulled a sheet of phone numbers from his wallet. He punched in one of the phone numbers and handed the phone to Jennie after placing it on speaker.

“Don’t tell your parents where we are and don’t let on that we’re coming. Tell them we’re hopping from one hotel to another,” Chad said as the phone rang.

Jennie nodded.

“Jennie? Is that you?” Jennie’s mother sounded about like you’d expect. Desperate for news. Desperate to hear her daughter’s voice.

“Yeah, Mom, it’s me. Chad’s on the line, too.”

“Hi, Chad, Honey. How are you guys?”

Chad would have smiled at the way Jennie’s mom greeted him as if he were just as important to her as Jennie was, but he needed to stay focused on getting Jennie in and out quickly.

“We’re great, Mom. We’re staying in hotels right now, but it’s not too bad,” Jennie said.

“We wanted to check in and see if you’ve seen anything unusual there. Has anyone been around that shouldn’t be? Anyone that seems out of place?” Chad asked.

“No,” Jennie’s mom said, “nothing unusual.”

“How about any houses for lease or rent on your block. Or any houses that are empty for renovations or anything like that?” Chad asked.

Jennie’s mother was quiet, as if she were thinking, before answering, “No.”

“Have you seen any workmen or a new mail carrier on your route? Anything? Telephone repair? Construction nearby?”

“No,” came the answer, the tension in her voice clear.

Chad nodded at Jennie and pulled off the road as Jennie finished her conversation with her mom. They talked for a few minutes before ending the call quite close to her parents’ house.

When they pulled into the driveway at Jennie’s parents’ house in the early evening, he took out a new cell phone and texted Agent Burke to arrange for Burke to take Jennie’s statement the following day. He texted her parents’ address and told Burke to have an agent come there for the statement. Chad wanted to control things as much as possible.

Jennie’s parents came out of the house and enveloped her in tears and hugs. He could see their disappointment when she told them the visit would only be for a day or so and that she and Chad would go back into hiding. They tried to be upbeat about it, but how upbeat could you be in this situation?

Chad shook hands with Jennie’s father, Phil, and hugged her mother, Barb. He had met them once before at Kelly and Jack’s wedding and knew they were the type of people that immediately welcomed friends as if they were family.

“We’re going over to the Evans’ house for a barbeque in a few minutes. They’ll be thrilled to see you,” said Jennie’s mom.

It struck Chad then that Jennie’s last name – Evans – was her married name. He’d never really thought about it before, but of course she still went by it.

The front door of the house on the left opened then and Chad assumed the man and woman drawing Jennie into more hugs were Kyle’s parents. He nodded politely when they were introduced as Annie and Brian Evans.

When they all settled into the Evans’ backyard, drinks in hand, burgers on the grill, Chad could almost pretend things were normal. But they weren’t.

He saw the second when Jennie’s mother noticed the changes in her daughter’s body and turned an uneasy questioning look to Chad. Jennie wasn’t showing yet, but maybe mothers somehow know these things about their daughters. Her waist was ever so slightly thicker than it had been, but you couldn’t tell with the shirt she had on.

Chad ducked his head against her mother’s look. Jennie would be the one to tell her this news.

They gathered inside, in a casual dining room, for dinner. When the plates had been filled with burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, and three bean salad, Chad saw Jennie fight back nausea as she eyed her plate. He knew perfectly well she couldn’t eat this food. He didn’t know how she planned to fake it.

Chad got up and went to his duffle bag by the door and returned with two baby food pouches. He handed them to Jennie without a word, despite the four questioning gazes that jumped between him and Jennie. He knew he wasn’t being very subtle about her inability to eat real food, but Chad wasn’t in the mood for games. Jennie needed to tell her parents the truth. Besides, a few more minutes trying to pretend she could eat that food and she’d be running to the bathroom. Trying to slip her the food pouches unseen somehow would just be futile.

“Thank you,” Jennie murmured and opened one pouch to eat it. Chad removed her plate, putting it aside so the smell of the burger wouldn’t make her sick. The medicine the doctor had given her had helped a lot. But Jennie was still overly sensitive to strong smells.

“All right,” Jennie’s mother said, tossing her napkin on the table and standing up. “What’s going on, Jennie? Chad?”

“You need to tell them. Jennie. Your mom’s already guessed,” Chad said quietly.

“What? No, she hasn’t!” Jennie shook her head a little too vigorously, as if she were still trying to will everything away.

“Jennie, you’re either sick or you’re pregnant, but you’re scaring the wits out of me. Tell me which one it is,” Jennie’s mother said. Kyle’s mother didn’t look surprised but the men sure did. It must be a mother thing. They seemed to have radar.

Jennie looked up into the faces of her parents and her in laws. Faces that showed nothing but love and worry for the woman sitting in front of them. And, then she bolted.

Chapter Thirty

This can’t be happening. It just can’t be happening.

Jennie hadn’t planned on telling her parents about the baby on this trip and she certainly hadn’t planned to tell them in front of Kyle’s parents. She wasn’t showing yet so she hadn’t even thought she’d need to face this so soon.

Jennie paced in the living room as Zeke circled around her, whining.  Chad came quietly into the room and sat on the couch – ready and waiting as if on standby until she needed him. Why he still cared about her, she couldn't figure out. She’d caused him so much pain. After all the horrible things she'd said to him, he still sat ready and willing to help her.

It wasn’t long before the others followed him, waiting for her to explain.

“Jennie, please tell me you’re not sick. Please.” Jennie’s mother spoke quietly, but the panic in her voice was evident.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m not sick.” Jennie swiped at tears and wrapped her arms around herself, holding tight.

She still hadn’t admitted to being pregnant, but based on her answer it was now clear to everyone in the room.

Jennie’s dad met Chad’s gaze. He didn’t sound angry when he spoke, which surprised Jennie. “Do you love her, Chad?”

Chad looked straight at her father when he answered. “Very much, but unfortunately, that’s not relevant here.”

Jennie felt her breath coming in shallow gasps and she thought she might pass out. Her arms shook as she tried to will away the events unfolding before her.

It was Kyle’s mom who spoke next. Jennie had always loved her as much as she loved her own mother. It hurt to have both women looking at her now. She wanted to hide, to crawl away and curl up, instead of facing this.

“Jennie, honey, I know you loved Kyle. I know how hard it was for you to lose him. But, it’s time, Honey. It’s time for you to let him go. It’s time to let yourself be happy again.”

Don’t they understand? Don’t they get it? 
She couldn’t be happy. Wouldn’t be happy in another man’s arms.

Tears streamed, unencumbered, down Jennie’s face as she faced the people who loved her. Would they still love her if they knew the truth?

“Jennie…” Kyle’s dad took an almost imperceptible step forward and seemed to want to reach for her – but didn’t. “Honey, she’s right. He wouldn’t want to see you like this. He wouldn’t want you to give up on having a life, on finding love again, just because he’s gone.”

She heard the murmured agreements by those around her but she knew the truth. She knew what they didn’t know. What no one could know.

The words were wrenched from her soul, but it was time to tell them. Shaking her head as if to will the words – the truth – away, Jennie finally spoke. “I can’t. I... You don’t know. I’m the reason he died. I killed Kyle.”

The words came pouring out in a torrent that Jennie couldn’t control, couldn’t check in any way. “I told him to wait. Kyle was sick and getting so many headaches. He was tired all the time, but he had just started his new job. When we graduated from school, Kyle started it right away but I didn’t have a job yet. Money was so tight and his health insurance wouldn’t kick in until he’d been at his job for ninety days.”

As Jennie doubled over, Chad’s arms came around her. He lifted her up and carried her to the couch, where he cradled her in his arms and held her tight while she continued to talk through the tears.

“When he was in the hospital, I asked the doctor, ‘If we had found it earlier, would that have made a difference?’ He said every day, every week, with cancer treatment makes a difference. Because of me, Kyle waited for those three months before seeing a doctor.”

As Jennie leaned into Chad and cried, he shushed her, and rocked her, surrounded by Kyle’s parents and her parents. Jennie looked up at them and couldn’t understand why they all still looked at her with love in their eyes. With understanding and concern instead of hatred. Why weren’t they looking at her with disgust after what she just told them? Didn’t they understand?

Kyle’s mom took Jennie’s hand in hers. “Jennie, you didn’t kill Kyle. You listen to me, Sweetheart. That doctor had no right to tell you that. No right at all, Sweetheart. You and Kyle were so young when you married. You’d have no reason to think he was so sick. None of us did. I brought him chicken soup, for heaven’s sake, Jennie. I didn’t make him go to a doctor. I made him soup.”

Jennie’s breath was ragged. It hitched uncontrollably with every inhale as she tried to process what was said. And through it all, Chad held on tight to her, rocking her until she wore herself out and the flow of tears began to slow.

As Jennie caught her breath, Kyle’s father spoke so quietly Jennie almost couldn’t hear him at first.

“Kyle knew, Jennie,” he said.

“What?” Jennie’s head snapped up and it sounded as if everyone in the room was holding their breath.

“He told me. About a week before he died. He told me he had gone to a clinic without telling you. He used a fake name and saw the doctor so it wouldn’t be on his work medical record as a preexisting condition. They told him he needed to start treatment right away, but he didn’t want to strap you with that burden financially. By that time, it was only a matter of about three more weeks before his insurance kicked in, so he waited. He made a choice, Jennie. And, it wasn’t that choice that killed him and it wasn’t you that killed him. It was cancer that killed Kyle. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right for him or for you to have to go through that, but that doesn’t make it your fault, Jennie.”

Chapter Thirty-one

Dinner forgotten, they all settled in the living room as Chad held Jennie in his arms. She had worn herself out. She lay limp against him, having finally succumbed to sleep. He suspected she hadn't been sleeping well since they had their fight at the cabin. He leaned back against the couch, shifting sideways so he could let her stretch out a bit and sleep.

Her parents and in-laws surrounded them, as if unable to pull themselves away. Her father started talking first, and initially, Chad wished they wouldn’t tell him about Kyle. But, after a minute, he realized they weren’t. They were really telling him about Jennie because Kyle was as much a part of Jennie as they all were. To really know Jennie, Chad had to know Kyle, too.