Kingdom by the Sea (Romantic Suspense) (36 page)

“Of
course, yeah,” Michael agreed. 

“But
other than that, we didn't see anything disturbed.  From what we could make
out.  No signs of a break-in.  No
9-1-1
call, either, but we just thought we
should follow up.”

With
increasing difficulty, Michael kept his expression neutral.  What the hell was
going on?  How was it possible that they'd looked around the house and found
nothing unusual?  What about Lucius?  What about the paintings?  The shattered
glass on the floor? 

“In
the meantime,” the policeman added, “if you wouldn't mind staying in town for a
few days, just in case I need to talk to you some more.”

Standard
issue request and Michael knew that he didn't have to abide by it anyway,
because—as the cop said—there was nothing official being investigated here. 
“Sure, no problem.  I'm not going anywhere.”

“A
motel?” Vickie said.

Todd
said nothing, just gave one of his gentle smiles.  His wife responded to it
with an eye-roll.  She slammed the car door shut with an audible
whap
that broke the quietness of the afternoon.  It was a cold, still day, but a
sunny one.  A perfect day for the Harvest Parade, to be sure—but not a bad day
for other celebrations, as well.

“A
motel,” Vickie said again, obviously impatient.  “Todd, what is going on?”

“A
special surprise,” he replied, locking the car behind him. 

“Oh
God
,”
she whined, her voice drawing out in a kind of horrified revelation.  “
Please
tell me you're not trying to put some 'magic' into our marriage with this
little stunt.  You think after all these years, I'm going to go for a nooner
with you?  Forget this, I want to go back.”  Alarmed, Todd watched her stomp
back to the car.  Angrily, she tugged on the door handle.  Then she flipped her
head to face him, sending her red curls bouncing over one eye.  “Open the
friggin' door,” she snapped. 

While
he normally bent to her will, this time he couldn't.  It would disrupt
everything he had put together for today.  A nooner with him?  That was what she
thought was his big surprise?  It was so much more than that.  Just wait until
he opened the door and showed her.  This would be a whole new start for them.

She
would just have to be patient a few moments more; after all the years of love
and support he'd given her, she owed him that much. 

“Todd,
I'm serious!  Unlock the friggin' door!”  Vickie was yelling now.  “I'm not in
the mood for this crap!  Just take me back to
Chatham
!”  There was a
thready kind of anxiety in her voice all of a sudden; she sounded shrill and
uncertain, almost panicked.

“Just
relax, please, relax,” Todd coaxed, coming toward her.  “I promise you...you're
going to love it.”  When he tried to put his long arm around her, she seemed to
squirm under his touch.  Her shoulders tightened palpably as he held on to her
anyway, and pushed her forward, toward the bungalow he had already rented. 
Vickie must have realized that it would be more expedient to “get this over
with” than to continue her temper tantrum in the parking lot.  That was good,
because one of his wife's tantrums would likely attract attention—and that was
the last thing Todd wanted today.  Today was a day for private revelations.

Her
open-toed shoes were practically kicking up gravel dust as she went.  How she
could wear sandals like that on a cold day like today?  Undoubtedly, it was to
show off her bright red nail polish and serpent toe ring.  That was his wife,
all right.  Or the women she had evolved into, anyway.  The flashy, provocative
one.  Willfully, Todd tamped down the stirrings of an angry, bitter emotion, as
he had done so many times before.

“Hey,
wait a minute...” Vickie began, as they passed another car parked in the lot. 
Obviously she recognized the car.  But it was no matter; too late to turn back
now.

Todd
turned the key in the lock and opened the door to Bungalow 6.  The
Cape
Cabins
was a
surprisingly expensive strip of adjacent bungalows, all of which had the
quintessential gray clapboard shingles, weathered and beaten by years of salt
air.  It was secluded enough to provide
Cape
residents with privacy, if needed. 

“Wait,
what's going on here,” Vickie started to say and then gasped.  “Oh my God!” 

The
man waiting on the bed was obviously just as shocked as she.  “What the
hell...?” he said, coming to his feet. 

“Danny! 
What the hell are you doing here?”

Just
then, Todd shut the door, sealing the three of them inside the room.  He set
his keys and wallet down on the nearby table.  Danny Keegan looked like a
trapped rodent, shifty-eyed and greasy.  Honestly, Todd was still perplexed as
to what his wife saw in the man.  However, if this was what she liked...

“Vick,
I thought you invited me!” Danny said, looking from one to the other.  “You
left a key to the bungalow in my mailbox with a note to meet you here.”

At
that, Vickie started to freak.  Too speechless to blurt out any acerbic or
emasculating remarks, she just seemed to writhe in place, not knowing how to
respond—her mouth hung open and her head bobbed, as if she were struggling to
find her voice. 

“Actually,
that was me,” Todd said to Danny, realizing he needed to clarify this right
away or else the mood would be ruined.  The last thing he wanted was for his
wife to run out of there, mortified, thinking that Todd had simply contrived
the confrontation as a way to call out her adultery.  That wasn't his
intention, but he could understand if she interpreted it that way.  So he
explained, “Just listen, please.  It's not what you think.”

Danny
Keegan still looked wary, fidgety, like a trapped rat.  Silent, Vickie blinked,
waiting to hear what Todd had to say.  What a difference from her normal
demeanor with him; now she was actually
listening
to him.  Soon it would
be like the old days and she would love him again.

“I'm
not looking to trap you two or have a confrontation about your...consorting
with one another.  What's done is done.  My only goal here is to make this more
enjoyable—for all of us.”

At
that, Vickie jerked her head so hard, Todd wouldn't be surprised if she pulled
a muscle.  “
Huh?
” was all she managed to say.

“Yeah,
what the hell is this?” Danny demanded.

“I
know about you two—obviously.  And I'm not angry,” Todd lied.  Of course he was
angry. Who wouldn't be?  After years of unfaltering support, this was how his
wife repaid him.  By sleeping with a man over ten years her junior, and not
even giving Todd the opportunity to try to please her sexually.

Well,
that was about to change.

Meanwhile,
Vickie stood, astonished, waiting for him to explain.  Todd had to admit, he
relished in the attention she was suddenly giving him. 

“I
realize that you have evolved in your sensuality over the years,” he said,
speaking directly to his wife.  “And now, as your husband, I want to avail
myself to you in that regard—to foster a sensual relationship of your design. 
One I can partake in, with no restrictions, no recriminations.  Let us
both
make love to you—”

“What!”
Danny burst in.  “What the hell are you saying!”

“Wait
a second,” Vickie interjected, waving a hand in the air as if to clarify. 
“Todd...are you saying...no—the
three
of us?” 

There
was unmistakable intrigue in her voice.  A kind of stimulated curiosity, Todd
hoped.  He seized the moment and took her hands in his.  “Yes.  Let us both
take you at once—think of the ecstasy I can bring to the equation.  Far
heightening the experience you would normally have with Officer Keegan.”

“Holy
shit,” Danny muttered, shaking his head.  “This is a new one...”

Again,
Todd briefly wondered what her wife saw in this uncouth weasel.  Then again,
maybe “uncouth” was what turned her on these days.  Hey, Todd could be uncouth,
too...

Moreover,
he
could fulfill her emotionally and mentally.  Something Danny Keegan
could never do.  Probably he'd convinced Vickie to have the affair.  Led her to
believe that an exciting sexual liaison had to occur apart from her marriage. 
Well, those rules had just changed.  Much to his wife's obvious delight.

“Okay!”
Vickie chirped all of a sudden.  Then clapped her hands together and beamed a
smile.  “Why not?  I'll try it.”

“Wait...what…” 
Danny was obviously still adjusting to the idea. 

Vickie
went on, “But, Todd, you take me from the back.  I want Danny doing me
face-to-face.  Oh!  You know what would be even better?”  Her eyes lit up and
she rubbed her hands together enthusiastically.  “Danny—you and I can
sixty-nine, and Todd you can do me from behind!”

“
Excuse
me?
” Danny said, his tone incredulous.

He
wasn't the only one thrown off Vickie's reaction.  Granted, Todd was hoping
this would please her...hoping his wife would want to make love with him again,
but...well, he hadn't expected her to be so guttural and crass about it. 
Perhaps it was just a tough veneer that she felt she needed to adapt in order
to protect herself emotionally?

“Nice,”
she said now and peeled her top off, revealing a lacy bra with nipple cutouts. 
Before Todd could react, she dropped her jeans to the floor, revealing a white
g-string.  When had she gotten a tattoo right above her bikini line?

“Todd,
I can't believe you came up with something like this!”  Her eyes were
practically shining with feral delight, as she kicked off her strappy shoes and
stepped out of her jeans.  “C'mere Danny,” she cooed, toying with the string of
her panties.  “Come over and let me suck your cock so good—”

“You
know what,” Danny interrupted, his palms in the air.  “I'm outta here.”  He
headed straight for the door.  “This shit is too weird for me.” 

Stunned,
Vickie watched him go, all the eager excitement draining right out of her
face.  “Wait...” she began, but it was too late.  Officer Keegan had barged
out, muttering, “
Psycho
,” before he escaped into his car. 

As
the engine revved, Todd closed the bungalow door.  He tried to comfort his wife
with a gentle look of compassion.  This was really bad.  If there was one thing
Vickie would not take well, it was rejection.  Abruptly, she started picking up
her clothes.  Her face scrunched into a profound sulk, as she hastily got
dressed again and shoved back on her strappy shoes.  Her cheeks were flaming
pink and she was cursing under her breath.

There
had to be a way that they could salvage this, Todd reasoned.  After all, the
upside of what had just happened was that now Vickie could see herself that
Danny Keegan's feelings did not run that deep.  Whereas he had abandoned her,
Todd was still there.  That was the important thing for her to focus on here. 
He was about to say something to this effect when Vickie suddenly yelled, “You
fucking bastard!  How could you humiliate me like this?!”

“No...really,
it's not humiliating,” Todd replied, trying to touch for her but she jumped out
of his reach.  “We can still share and explore all the sensual delights you
crave—”

Furiously,
she just shook her head.  Now her face was a burning, beet-red.  “This is the
last straw.  I've been putting off telling you this for a long time, but here
it is: I want a divorce!  I’ve already talked to a lawyer and you will never
change my mind.  So please just drop dead!” 

With
that, she brushed past him, grabbing his set of keys off the table, and stormed
out.  She slammed the door behind her. 

Suddenly,
Todd wobbled, his knees almost buckling as an overwhelming tide of nausea rose
up from inside him.  He heard the car start and the tires squeal.  Vickie had
left him here—and she was going to leave him altogether. 

It
couldn't be, not after all he had done for her.  Clutching the doorknob, Todd
was stricken by loss.  For the first time in years, he began to sob.

As he
choked and sputtered, his legs collapsed under him, and he sank to the floor. 
He buried his wet face in his hands and cried loudly.  It was the first time
he'd managed to notice that his world was caving in.

Sometime
later Nicole's lashes fluttered and her green eyes blinked open.  Feeling
fuzzy, she squinted into the fluorescent light.  “Puddle...” she said, her
voice cracking, rusty from disuse. 

“Nicole.” 
A chair scraped against the floor, and suddenly Michael was standing by the
bed.  “You're awake,” he said unnecessarily. 

With
great effort, Nicole swallowed.  Her mouth was distastefully dry; her voice box
felt hard and stuck, like a tennis ball Velcro-ed to the inside of her throat. 

Suddenly
she remembered all that had happened leading up to the fall.  Including who
Michael really was—and what he really wasn't.  She wasn't quite sure what he
was doing here, or if she was okay.  “Where's Puddle...?” she managed.