“What kind of evidence?” I asked even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“We found pictures of you that had been taken through a zoom lens. We found video recordings of Mark calling other women Avery while he had sexual intercourse with them. He had detailed accounts of your daily activities, as well as those of your parents, your children, and Mr. Ward. We found a black Dodge Ram with visible body damage in a detached garage on his property. And we found some other things that don’t have anything to do with your case that we need to look into further.”
“You didn’t have to come all the way out here to tell me that,” I blurted, still in shock at some of the things he’d just told me.
“Well, I wanted to tell you personally that we won’t be filing any charges against you or Mr. Ward, but I also wanted to give you this,” he said and pulled a folded envelope from the pocket on the front of his shirt.
“I’m not sure how this wound up in Mark’s hands, but I wanted to make sure it ended in yours,” he said and pushed the envelope across the table.
“What is it?” I asked as I stared at the piece of paper like it was coated with a light dusting of Anthrax.
“Something you should read in private,” he said and got to his feet. “I should get going. Thank you for the coffee.”
“Of course,” I stammered and walked him to the front door.
He held out his hand and I shook it. “Take care, Ms. Parker.”
“What did he want?” my mom asked as soon as the door was closed.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” I said and hurried back to the kitchen. Snatching the letter off the table, I headed upstairs and closed myself in my closet.
After inhaling deeply and slowly blowing it out, I carefully unfolded the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.
Avery,
I know you’re hurt and confused. And if I know you, mad as hell, too. I’m sorry, love. I had to do it to protect you and the kids. Something is going on with Mark. I stopped by his house last week to borrow his leaf blower, but he wasn’t home. I let myself into his garage to grab it and found a wall covered with pictures of you. I was so shocked, I just left. Hundreds of pictures, Avery. Some recent and some from years ago. I was fucking pissed, but I knew I needed to handle it carefully. A few days later, he told me you were having an affair with another officer. He suggested I leave you and request a transfer. So, I let him think that’s what I was doing until I figure out what in the hell to do about him. He needs help, but my main priority is making sure you’re safe. I love you, Avery. I know you didn’t cheat, but I needed your reactions to seem real, because I knew he was watching you. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you the last few days, but I did it for our family. You, Riley, and Braxton are everything to me. I held out as long as I could, but you deserved to know the truth. Stay strong and take care of our kids. This will all be over soon. I love you with every beat of my heart.
Ian
My eyes landed on the date in the top corner of the letter. The day Ian died. Then my eyes fell to the strange mark that looked like the pen slid off the paper while he was signing his name. Then, I noticed the drop of blood in the bottom corner and it hit me like a battering ram. Ian was parked on the side of the road writing this letter when Kellan crashed into him.
It was Mark’s fault. All of it was Mark’s fault. I was so full of rage that I wanted to scream until my throat was raw. I wanted to put his head back together so I could be the one to blow it apart. And I wanted to watch it explode and relish in the blood coating my skin.
Anger. Rage. Fury. Those words didn’t even begin to describe the emotion consuming me. I felt like I was going to burst if I didn’t find a way to let it out.
43
Savior
As soon as I walked through the front door, I knew something was wrong. “What happened?” I asked Claire.
“A police officer came by to speak with Avery. She went upstairs as soon as he left and hasn’t been back downstairs,” she confessed. “Frank went to the house to get me a change of clothes, and I didn’t want to upset the kids if she’s not okay. Can you go up and check on her?”
I was already headed toward the stairs when she asked. “Avery!” I called as I pushed into the bedroom. After checking the bedroom and bathroom, I went down the hall to check the kids’ rooms, but she wasn’t there either.
“Avery!” I called a little louder.
“Check her closet,” Claire yelled from downstairs.
I jerked the closet door open, but Avery was nowhere in sight. I checked the only other room upstairs and found it empty as well. Jogging down the stairs, I made a quick pass through each room before checking the garage. “Her car’s gone,” I said to Claire.
“What?” Claire gasped. “I would’ve heard her leave.”
“Where do you think she went?” I demanded.
“I honestly don’t know. Let me try her cell phone,” Claire suggested and held the phone to her ear only to shake her head moments later. “Straight to voicemail.”
“Fuck,” I cursed. “Why would she leave and not tell anyone where she was going?”
