She plugged it in and, feeling restless, decided to make a grocery run. Then she had another idea. Since she didnt start work until tomorrow and it wasnt too late in the afternoon there was another stop she could make: a placeand a personshe knew shed eventually have to visit.
She had managed to put it out of her head for most of her time at Quantico but there was still the matter of Bolton Crutchfield. She knew she should let it go, that he had been baiting her during their last meeting.
And yet she had to know: had Crutchfield really found a way to meet with her father, Xander Thurman, the Ozarks Executioner? Had he found a way to reach out to the murderer of countless people, including her mother; the man who left her, a six-year-old child, tied up next to the body to face certain death in a freezing, isolated cabin?
She was about to find out.
CHAPTER THREE
Eliza was waiting when Gray got home that night. He arrived in time for dinner, with a look on his face that suggested he knew what was coming. Since Millie and Henry were sitting right there eating their mac & cheese with hot dog slices, neither parent said anything about the situation.
It was only after the kids were down for the night that it came up. Eliza was standing in the kitchen when Gray walked in after putting them to sleep. He had taken off his sport coat but was still wearing his loosened tie and slacks. She suspected it was to make him look more credible.
Gray wasnt a big man. At five foot nine and 160 pounds he was only an inch taller than she was, though he outweighed her by a good thirty pounds. But they both knew that he was far less imposing in a T-shirt and sweatpants. Business attire was his armor.
Before you say anything, he began, please let me try to explain.
Eliza, who had spent much of the day turning over how this could have happened, was happy let her anguish take a temporary back seat and allow him to squirm as he tried to justify himself.
Be my guest, she said.
First. Im sorry. No matter what else I say, I want you to know that I apologize. I should never have let it happen. It was a moment of weakness. Shes known me for years and she knew my vulnerabilities, what would pique my interest. I should have known better but I fell for it.
What are you saying? Eliza asked, dumbfounded as much as hurt. That Penny was some seductress who manipulated you into having an affair with her? We both know that youre a weak man, Gray, but are you kidding me?
No, he said, choosing not to respond to the weak comment. I take full responsibility for my actions. I had the three whiskey sours. I ogled her legs in the dress with the slit up the side. But she knows what makes me tick. I guess its all those heart-to-hearts you two have had over the years. She knew to brush her fingertip along my forearm. She knew to talk, almost purr in my left ear. She likely knew you hadnt done any of those things in a long time. And she knew you wouldnt be walking into that cocktail party because you were back home, knocked out on the sleeping pills you take most nights.
That hung in the air for several seconds as Eliza tried to compose herself. When she was sure she wouldnt yell, she replied in a shockingly quiet voice.
Are you blaming me for this? Because it sounds like youre saying you couldnt keep it in your pants because I have trouble sleeping at night.
No, I didnt mean it like that, he sniveled, backing down at the venom in her words. Its just that you always have trouble sleeping at night. And you never seem all that interested in staying up with me.
Just to be clear, Graysonyou say youre not blaming me. But then you immediately transition into saying Im too knocked out on Valium and dont give you enough big boy attention, so you had to have sex with my best friend.
What kind of best friend is she to do that anyway? Gray tossed out desperately.
Dont change the subject, she spat, forcing herself to keep her voice steady, partly to avoid waking the kids but mostly because doing so was the only thing keeping her from losing it. Shes already on my list. Its your turn now. You couldnt have come to me and said, Hey honey, Id really love to spend a romantic evening with you tonight or Sweetie, I feel disconnected from you lately. Can we get closer this evening? Those werent options?
I didnt want to wake you up to bother you with questions like that, he replied, his voice meek but his words cutting.
So youve decided sarcasm is the way to go here? she demanded.
Look, he said, wriggling around for any way out, its over with Penny. She told me that this afternoon and I agreed. I dont know how we move past this but I want to, if only for the kids.
If only for the kids? she repeated, stunned at how many ways he could fail at once. Just get out. Im giving you five minutes to pack a bag and be in your car. Book a hotel until further notice.
Youre kicking me out of my own house? he asked, disbelieving. The house I paid for?
Not only am I kicking you out, she hissed, if youre not pulling out of the driveway in five minutes, Im calling the cops.
To tell them what?
Try me, she seethed.
Gray stared at her. Undeterred, she walked over to the phone and picked it up. It was only when he heard the dial tone that he snapped into action. Within three minutes, he was scampering out the door like a dog with its tail between its legs, his duffel bag stuffed with dress shirts and jackets. A shoe fell out as he rushed toward the door. He didnt notice and Eliza didnt say anything.
It was only when she heard the car peel out that she put the phone back in its dock. She looked down at her left hand and saw that her palm was bleeding where shed been digging her nails into it. Only now did she feel the sting.
CHAPTER FOUR
Despite being out of practice, Jessie navigated the traffic from downtown L.A. to Norwalk without too much trouble. Along the way, as a way to push her impending destination out of her mind, she decided to call her folks.
Her adoptive parents, Bruce and Janine Hunt, lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was retired FBI and she was a retired teacher. Jessie had spent a few days with them on her way to Quantico and had hoped to do the same on the way back as well. But there wasnt enough time between the end of the program and her start back at work so shed had to forgo the second visit. She hoped to return again soon, especially since her mom was battling cancer.
It didnt seem fair. Janine had been fighting it on and off for over a decade now and that was on top of the other tragedy theyd faced years ago. Just before they took Jessie in when she was six, they had lost their toddler son, also to cancer. They were eager to fill the void in their hearts, even if it meant adopting the daughter of a serial killer, one who had murdered her mother and left her for dead. Because Bruce was in the FBI, the fit seemed logical to the U.S. Marshals who had put Jessie in Witness Protection. On paper, it all made sense.
She forced that out of her head as she dialed their number.
Hi, Pa, she said. Hows it going?
Okay, he answered. Mas napping. Do you want to call back later?
No. We can talk. Ill speak to her tonight or something. Whats happening there?
Four months ago, she would have been reluctant to speak to him without her mom there too. Bruce Hunt was a hard man to get close to and Jessie wasnt a ball of cuddliness either. Her memories of her youth with him were a mix of joy and frustration. There were ski trips, camping and hiking in the mountains, and family vacations to Mexico, only sixty miles away.