Day of Atonement (18 page)

“Let's hope he's asking the missus to put on more clothes,” whispered B.K. jokingly.

Troy admired B.K.'s laid-back and calm demeanor. He, himself, was fuming. What kind of father would find an investigator's visit inconvenient because of a party?
A guilty one.
He realized that B.K. was right: he was too emotionally involved. His best bet was to keep quiet.

“I'm sorry about that,” Edgar said when he returned. “Like I said, we have plans this evening, so can we make this quick? Have you found the person who killed my daughter?”

“Not yet. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. Where were you on the afternoon Elana disappeared?”

Edgar rolled his eyes. “How many times must I go over this? I'm not going through the details again. I told the other investigators. You guys really need to compare notes.”

“I hear you and your wife adopted a baby earlier this year?”

“Yes. A little girl we named April because that's the month she was born. What does she have to do with anything?”

“Did you have any contact with April's birth mother?”

Immediately, Edgar's disposition changed from annoyance to nervousness. He fumbled over his next words before spitting them out. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I'm curious. Some people find it peculiar for you to adopt a child in your seasoned years.”

“Did either of you bother to show my wife or me identification?”

B.K. pulled out his ID, while Troy sat still. He didn't see any reason to show his ID since he was out of his jurisdiction.

“I thought you said you were a police officer.”

“No, I used to be on the force. What I said was that I'm with the Texas Department of Public Safety. I'm a private investigator hired to look into the abduction and killing of your daughter. I would think you would be more cooperative.”

The doorbell rang.

“Looks like that could not have come at a more perfect time. I'll see you two to the door.” They had no choice but to follow him. Mrs. Campbell could be heard giving instructions to the babysitter. For someone so immature, she seemed very responsible when it came to the care of their child—a child that could possibly be Elana's.

“Is it possible for us to continue our conversation another day?” B.K. held out a card to give to Edgar.

He didn't take it. “No. If I answer any more questions, it will be with those who have the legal authority to make arrests.”

“Is there some reason why you should be taken into custody?”

“Goodbye, gentlemen.” Edgar slammed the door in their faces and B.K. slid his business card through a crack.

“He's definitely hiding something,” B.K. said to Troy once they were in the car. “The question is what?”

T
hree more days,
Natalie thought to herself as she lay in bed wondering when her husband would get back. It was after ten o'clock at night. Nate was sound asleep and she had no idea whether her parents-in-law were still up or not. She'd pretty much tried to stay clear of both of them after what had happened earlier today.

Natalie felt bad that she hadn't told Troy everything. After Tracy left, Reed had come and knocked on her door.

“May I speak with you for a moment?”

“Sure.” Natalie felt a little uncomfortable when he shut the door and sat down on the bed opposite of her. She didn't mind his warm embrace on Christmas Eve in front of the rest of the family, but this—being alone behind a closed door in a bedroom with her father-in-law, a man she had only met once before this trip—was awkward. Despite Troy's attempt to let go of negative feelings about his dad, Natalie knew he would not appreciate this scenario. Granted, there was no other place for him to sit since the room was empty besides the bed and dresser, but standing seemed like a nice option. Since he didn't, she did. “What would you like to talk about?”

“I'm not going to hurt you, Natalie.” Apparently her change in stance had come across as fear rather than discomfort. He stood
up, opened the bedroom door and leaned against it, motioning for her to sit back down. “Is this better?”

“I'm sorry, I—”

“No, it's okay. I get that I invaded your personal space. I'm sorry. I want to know how much you overheard, but I can tell by your actions.” He blew a heavy sigh and put his head in his hands. “I think I've been able to calm Tracy down. She's not going to say anything to Troy or her mother, at least I hope she doesn't. I know I can't ask the same of you, but because you heard her accusations, I at least want to explain who it was that Tracy saw at the house. Given all the pressure Troy is under because of this case, I don't think he would understand and I also don't want to mess up the little progress we have made in our relationship.”

“Reed, I honestly don't want to be involved so the less you tell me the better. It's not my place to tell Diane that you're seeing another woman and I would prefer that Troy not find out while we're here.”

Reed looked confused. “So, you heard Tracy accuse me of being with another woman?”

“Yes.” Natalie was unsure why his expression changed from confusion to relief. Suddenly she found her anger flaring. It wasn't only because she hurt for what Reed's current affair would do to Diane. It was also the fear of this being a setback for her husband. This could really be spiritually and emotionally damaging for him and the fact that Reed was hurting the person whom she loved most infuriated her. Before she could think about her actions, she was on the other side of the bed, standing face-to-face with him. “Personally, I find your actions disgraceful. You should be ashamed of yourself. Diane really has a lot of faith in believing that you have changed and Troy is doing his best to get over things from
the past. For both of their sakes, I hope Tracy doesn't tell and that you get right, especially with God.”

“Understood,” Reed said and walked out.

Now, Natalie lay in bed wondering if telling him that she did not want to get involved had been the right course of action. She already felt bad about keeping the sex of their babies from Troy. Did she have the right to withhold this information?
Yes!
Yes, she did. It was not her business to share. Besides, she didn't know all the facts. Troy had enough on his mind with Elana's case and hopefully Tracy would take that into consideration.

Natalie could not get over how relieved Reed looked knowing that his secret was safe with her. She felt like a co-conspirator. He soon left, likely for his clandestine meeting with his mistress, whom Natalie suspected was the recipient of the voice message she'd overheard him leaving. When Diane got home, Natalie thought it best to stay out of sight. She allowed Nate to hang out with his “Gigi” while she stayed in the room with her heart aching about the false sense of security her mother-in-law had in Reed. If Diane knew that he was still cheating, that would destroy her and uproot any spiritual seeds about Jesus that had been planted in her life. That was the part that angered Natalie the most—that Reed was using Jesus as a cover-up. Somehow Natalie would find the way to resume her heart-to-heart with Diane that they were having a couple of days ago in the kitchen before the crazy broom thing happened. Diane asked once before if Jesus could really save someone like her. Natalie knew the answer was yes, but she did not know how she would ever be able to convince Diane that people can and really do change if her mother-in-law ever learned about Reed's façade.

“Hey, you…,” Troy said when he came in the room.

“Hey, yourself.” She smiled, relieved to find him in a decent mood. He leaned over to give her a kiss and she held him tight.

“You okay?'

“Yes. You?” She tried to sound casual, but what she really wanted to know was if he had spoken with Tracy.

He blew a deep breath. “Tired. We went to see two of Lilly's ex-husbands today.”

“How'd things go?”

“Okay. If the person who kidnapped Elana and later left her on the highway are one and the same, then Lilly's last husband is crossed off the list.” Troy informed her about Herbert's condition. “There's no way Herbert could have been involved with disposing of Elana's body. Now we're thinking it was either El's uncle Bill or their father. I thought it might be a different uncle, but he's been eliminated through DNA. After tonight, my bet is on the father.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Oh, babe, it's a long story and I really don't feel like getting into it right now. I'm just happy to see you.” He kissed her again. “I know we haven't spent much quality time together since we've been here. Thanks for understanding how important Elana's case is to me and not complaining.”

Why would she complain? In three more days she would have her husband and life back.

“I have an appointment tomorrow, but how about on Friday, we all do something together?”

“I'm cool with that. You'll have to check with your mom. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to be one big happy family.” Natalie spoke with bitterness as Reed's affair crossed her mind, but luckily it came across to Troy as humorous.

“Actually, I was thinking that it should be the five of us—you, Nate, me, and the unknowns.” He frowned. “That doesn't sound
right, does it? Sounds like they were made in a petri dish.” He lifted her shirt and began kissing her belly. “I can't wait to meet them. I do wonder what they are, but I am so glad that we are waiting to be surprised.”

The knowledge of her deception was too much to bear in light of her now keeping Reed's secret. “Honey, I have to tell you something.” Natalie remembered how irate Troy got when he'd learned that she hadn't stopped taking birth control pills prior to this pregnancy. Hopefully, what she was about to disclose would not cause a repeat of that behavior. “I found out what we're having.”

Troy froze, looking up at her from her stomach. “Seriously?” He got up and paced back and forth. “You know how I feel about you keeping things from me. I thought we agreed we would wait until they were born. How could you go behind my back?”

“I'm sorry, honey. At first I wanted to wait, too, but then I started freaking out. I know you say you'll be more involved, but we both know how you are when you are working on a case. I was scared that I would be overwhelmed and wanted to be as prepared as possible. I'm so sorry, Troy.” She walked to him. “I should have told you when I found out. No, I shouldn't have found out without talking to you first.”

“Yes, you should have talked to me
first
instead of being deceitful. You have violated my trust and I don't know if I can get over this.” He looked at her and then away from her quickly and covered his eyes with his hands. His tone and actions were a little too over the top. When her generally stoic husband started sniffling and asking questions in a voice a few octaves higher than his norm, that's when she caught on.

“You idiot!” She playfully punched him in the arm. “How long have you known?”

“How dare you physically assault me after shattering my trust
in your ability to communicate honestly with me?” He continued his antics.

Natalie rolled her eyes and got back in bed. “You suck at acting. How'd you find out? Did Aneetra tell you?”

He followed her back to the bed, resuming his position on her mid-section. “Oh, so the BFF is in on this, too? What about Corrine?”

“No. I didn't think she would be able to keep it a secret. Seriously, how did you find out?”

“Babe, did you forget that you're married to a detective? I discover things for a living. The next time you want to add items to your Amazon wish list without my knowledge, it will help if you changed the setting to private.”

She laughed. “I can't believe I did that. Talk about having baby brain. So, you aren't mad?”

“No. At first I was disappointed because I would have liked to have been there with you, but I understand your reasoning. I figured as much. Then I found it hilarious that you were pretending like it was still a surprise. I was curious to see how long you would keep up the charade. I wanted to bust you out the other morning at breakfast so bad, but I couldn't bring myself to do it in front of everyone.”

Natalie hoped Troy would be as understanding if he ever found out that she knew his dad was still cheating on his mom. She motioned for him to move closer to her face. “I love you,” she said before giving him a kiss that was sure to wake up his extremity.

He smiled. “If I say I'm mad, will we get to make up?”

Instead of answering him, she pulled him in for another kiss.

“O
kay, Troy, I need you to take slow deep breaths.” The soft, soothing sound of Shauna's voice helped calm his nerves as he lay back in the chair, closed his eyes, and followed her instructions. “As you breathe, you will feel yourself relax more and more every time you exhale. Your body is light, like a feather, and you're gently floating through the air. I want you to think of a happy place and stay there.”

Happy place?
Besides home, his wasn't a particular location. It was a condition, anywhere that included Natalie, Nate, and peace. His happy place involved seeing the smile on his wife's face when she looked at him or hearing the excitement in lil' man's voice when he walked into the room. The peace he felt when he lay down next to Natalie at night, knowing she's safe in his arms…smelling her hair…sometimes watching her sleep, the pride he cannot contain when hugging his son…their growing family…these were the things that made up his place of happiness.

“You should feel very calm right now. I want you to stay there and focus solely on the sound of my voice. I'm going to count down and as I do, you will go deeper into a relaxed state of mind. Ten…,” she began softly, “nine…eight…seven…”