Suspicions (19 page)

“Jason, this is a problem. You were seriously
flirting with another woman.” She swallowed hard as she pictured
Jason laughing and smiling with Patricia. “This really hurts me,
you know?”

Putting his hand on her back, he said, “I
told you I’m sorry. Anyway, nothing really happened.”

Letting out a sigh, Stacey stood and faced
her husband. “Yes, something did happen. You went out to lunch with
her and led her to believe she could ask you to be more than
friends. That doesn’t just happen by itself. She obviously felt
some encouragement from you.”

“Look, I don’t know what else you want me to
do. I told you I’m sorry. I told her I’m not interested.” He
paused, clenching his jaw.

She had to know one more thing. “When was
this? The day at the restaurant?”

He frowned before answering. “That was the
day we had our family portrait taken.”

Recalling that day, Stacey remembered him
giving her flowers. At the time she had been surprised because, for
him, it was an unusual gesture. Now it all made sense. “Is that why
you gave me those flowers? Out of guilt?” Not giving him a chance
to answer, she fled the room.

Curled up on the bed, her legs pulled up
against her chest, she felt deeply betrayed. Their marriage had
more problems than she had realized. She thought about Patricia and
the way she had come between the two of them and felt anger pulsing
from every vein. The rage consumed her and she thought she would
erupt with it.

Arguing with Jason hadn’t assuaged her pain
at all. Then, imagining Patricia flirting with Jason, Stacey found
herself climbing off the bed and pulling on a sweater. She walked
into the family room where Jason was staring at the television.

As she came into the room, he stood and
started toward her but stopped when he saw the look on her face. He
glanced at the sweater she was wearing. “Are you going
somewhere?”

She looked at him with such hurt and anger
that he sat back down on the couch.

“I'm going out. I don't know when I'll be
back.”

She turned and walked out the front door.

Robby heard his parents arguing and a
miserable feeling filled his chest. He knew lots of kids whose
parents had gotten divorced and now he was terrified it might
happen to him, too.

But what can I do about it? I'm only an
eight-year-old kid.

After climbing into bed, he thought about Mr.
Gowen's barn and the way Mr. Gowen had acted. He hadn't seemed as
friendly as usual and Robby couldn't figure out why. And he'd acted
upset when he thought Robby had been looking around his barn.

Robby remembered the way Mr. Gowen had seemed
relieved when the door Robby had gone through was still locked.

I wonder if something's there he doesn't want
me to know about. Maybe I should go back and look again.

Just thinking about it made him shiver with
fear.

Driving down Patricia's street gave Stacey a
chance to think. How would Patricia react to Stacey showing up at
her house so late? She found she didn't care what Patricia thought.
She didn't care if she was no longer able to sell Beautiful You
cosmetics after tonight. All she cared about was her marriage. She
didn't want her relationship with Jason to be this way.

Only one light shone through the windows at
Patricia's house. Pulling up at the curb, Stacey climbed out of her
car and walked with purpose to the front door. The knocking was
loud and strong.

Even though she knocked several times, there
was no answer. Denied the opportunity to vent her anger, she spun
on her heel and stalked back to her car. Just as she turned the key
in the ignition, Patricia's red car pulled into the driveway.

Stacey climbed back out of her car and walked
over to Patricia as she got out of hers.

The first thing Stacey noticed were the
clothes Patricia wore. It wasn't her usual uniform of business suit
and high heels. Instead she wore a faded pair of tight jeans with
an oversized man's shirt. Looking down at Patricia's feet, Stacey
noticed she wore tennis shoes with clumps of mud stuck to them.
Fresh mud.

Patricia seemed startled to see Stacey at her
house. “What are you doing here?”

Stacey decided to go on the offensive. “Where
have you been, Patricia? Hiking in the mud?” She pointed to
Patricia's shoes as she spoke.

Patricia glanced down at her shoes and
ignored the question. “What do you want, Stacey?”

Stacey looked directly into her eyes. “I want
you to stay away from my husband. That's what.”

Patricia seemed almost relieved. “Oh. Is that
all?”

“What else would I want?” Stacey felt her
rage returning.

Patricia looked at her with a superior gleam
in her eyes. “I never know what you want, Stacey. You're a mystery
to me.”

“You just stay away from my husband. Is that
clear?”

She just laughed, as if she had a great
secret she was keeping. “You're so pathetic, Stacey. Do you realize
that?”

Stacey felt the rage pouring into her now.
“You're the pathetic one, Patricia. You can't keep a man of your
own so you have to go after mine.”

Patricia's laughter stopped abruptly. “You'd
better be careful what you say. You might regret it.”

“The only thing I regret is introducing you
to my husband.”

“Your husband will not always be yours, you
know.”

Stacey couldn't believe what she was hearing.
“What are you talking about?”

Patricia touched the tip of her nose with one
manicured nail. “I wonder what story Jason told you.”

Stacey didn't like the way she used her
husband's name so familiarly. “He told me he doesn't want you and
you just don't get it.”

The laughter coming out of Patricia's mouth
sounded sinister. “You believe whatever you want, Stacey dear. But
mark my words. Jason will belong to me and you will be out on the
street.”

Knowing she should leave before she did
something she would really regret, she turned and stormed back to
her car. She had to use all of her self-control to not respond to
Patricia's parting comment.

“Be a good girl and give Jason a kiss for
me.”

She drove around for an hour before she was
calm enough to go home.

Day 6 - Saturday

The pounding on the front door awoke the
entire household, but Jason was the one who got out of bed first to
answer it. It was Mark Stone. He spoke quickly and excitedly.

“Jason! Jason!”

Jason was still coming awake. “What is it,
Mark?”

“They want you to deliver it.” Mark seemed to
finally notice Jason's apparel, which was an old pair of sweats and
a T-shirt. “Hurry up and get dressed.”

Jason put his hands up to ward off Mark's
insistence. “Hold it. What are you talking about?”

Taking a deep breath and speaking slowly he
told Jason about what had happened early that morning.

Mark and Amanda had received a note printed
by Kyle that said, WE'RE GETTING IMPATIENT, and attached to it were
instructions on how to deliver the ransom money.

Stacey came to the door in time to hear the
last part of the conversation. She didn't understand why Jason was
needed and said as much to Mark.

“They asked for Jason to deliver the money,”
Mark said.

“What?” Jason asked in astonishment.

Mark nodded in reply. “That's right. So get
dressed and come over to our house. And bring a briefcase.”

“I'll be right over.”

As Jason changed into his clothes, Stacey
silently watched him.

Last night she hadn't told him about her
confrontation with Patricia. Not sure what to believe anymore, she
didn't want to confuse the issue by telling Jason about the threats
Patricia had made. They had gone to bed with barely a word.

Jason broke the silence. “Why do you suppose
they want me to deliver the money?”

“I have no idea, Jason. I would think you'd
have a better idea than me.” Her voice sounded dull and
lifeless.

Jason stopped dressing and came over to where
Stacey stood. He pulled her into his arms and she didn't resist.
“Stacey, what can I do to make you forgive me?”

She just stood there, her arms hanging limply
at her sides.

He stepped back, lifted her chin with his
hand, and forced her to look into his blue eyes. That usually made
Stacey melt but this time she looked back numbly. He gently touched
his lips to hers, staying that way for several moments. She didn't
respond to his kiss.

Suddenly letting go of her chin, he turned
away and continued to dress.

Stacey ached inside. She loved Jason but was
deeply hurt by what had happened with Patricia. Even if he hadn’t
accepted Patricia’s invitation to be more than friends, the fact he
had even been asked told Stacey things were not right between
them.

And now he was supposed to deliver the ransom
money. How convenient that would be if he really was the one
responsible for Kyle's abduction. She shook her head to try to make
the thought go away.

It's all just a horrible coincidence, she
tried to convince herself. Someone else has to be responsible. But
why would they want Jason to deliver the money? Maybe when the
money is delivered the FBI will catch them.

The thought cheered her for only a moment.
The sight of Patricia's face floating in front of her eyes mocked
her and her marriage. She could hear Patricia's words, “Jason will
belong to me and you will be out on the street.” What did she mean
by that? Was Jason deceiving her about what had really happened? Or
was Patricia just delusional? Stacey had to believe the latter if
only for her own sanity.

The sound of the children playing in the
other room drew her away from Jason and into the kitchen. While she
was preparing their breakfast Jason left without saying
good-bye.

The note was very specific. It said, “Do not
allow Jason to be followed or Kyle will not be returned.” The FBI
wanted a tracking device placed with the money, but Mark was
adamant they follow the instructions exactly. He said he didn't
want his son's life jeopardized and Amanda agreed.

They were to place the money in a briefcase,
then, at ten o'clock that morning, Jason was to take the money and
go to the phone on Main Street and Fifth to wait for a phone
call.

Getting through all the reporters had been a
challenge, but since they didn't know what was going on, they
didn't try to follow him.

At the appointed time Jason drove his car to
the corner and waited for the call. He only waited a few minutes
before the phone started ringing. Snatching it up, he waited
breathlessly for the instructions. The voice on the other end of
the phone had a raspy sound to it, as if the person was trying to
disguise his or her voice. Jason was directed to a phone across
town, next to the 7-Eleven. Before Jason hung up, the caller
reminded him to make sure he wasn't being followed.

Getting back into his car, he pulled out into
traffic and when he glanced in the rear view mirror, he saw a green
car two cars back but in the left-hand lane. He remembered seeing
it the last few turns and guessed it was following him. Jason
stayed in the middle lane for a couple of blocks then suddenly
turned right onto a side street. He was surprised to see the green
car slow down then continue on.

He took several back streets until he reached
the 7-Eleven. He climbed out of his car and stood next to the pay
phone, willing it to ring. Even though he had been expecting it,
the shrill sound startled him. Jason was told to move the money
into the dark-blue gym bag that was stashed in the phone booth and
leave the briefcase behind. Then he was to go to the ice cream shop
in the mall, sit at the table in the back corner and reach
underneath for a note taped there. He was also reminded to make
sure he wasn't being followed.

After shoving all the money into the gym bag,
he noticed it had the words Valley Health Club written on the side.
Surprised at that, he paused, then quickly climbed into his car and
pulled into traffic.

As Jason pulled into the mall parking lot, he
wasn't surprised to see it full of cars. After all, it was Saturday
and that was when most everyone seemed to go shopping. He went in
the main entrance, along with several other people and felt like
everyone was looking at the bag he held in his hand. Sitting on a
bench for a minute, he watched the shoppers going by.

The smell of sizzling hamburgers floated into
his nostrils, and he was reminded he hadn't had time for breakfast
that morning. The noise in the mall brought him out of his reverie
and he looked around again. When it seemed nobody was paying
attention to him he stood up and strolled down the mall, then
stopped in front of a jewelry store window and watched the
reflection of people walking by. Looking at the large diamonds, he
thought of Stacey and the small stone she wore on her left
finger.

It would be nice to buy her a new anniversary
ring. As he thought this he felt the weight of the money in his
hand and, just for a moment, was tempted to take the money and
run.

He knew that would be a bad idea and forced
the thought from his mind. Watching the shoppers walk by in the
reflection, he felt a twinge of nervousness as his gaze settled on
the face of a man he thought looked somewhat familiar. The man wore
a blue shirt and a faded pair of jeans. He watched as the man
quickly glanced Jason's way then continued on.

Jason shook his head slightly, feeling
ridiculous for suspecting every shopper who was there. He continued
down the mall, stopping occasionally to check the reflections of
the other shoppers in the store windows. His heart skipped a beat
as he saw the man in the blue shirt and jeans looking his way
again. Shrugging it off, he went to the ice cream shop but was
dismayed to see a family sitting at the assigned table. He ordered
a chocolate chip ice cream cone and sat at an empty table, waiting
for the family to leave.