Chapter 9: The Night She Came Back
Lauren came to the house four days later.
She called first, which I appreciated.
She said she wanted to see Danny and that she needed to talk.
I said yes to both.
She arrived at seven, after dinner.
Danny launched himself at her from the hallway and she held him for a long time with her eyes closed.
I watched from the kitchen doorway and felt something complicated move through me — not softness, not anger, just the recognition of something that had been real once and couldn't be made unreal.
Danny showed her everything he'd done with the bike.
She listened to every word.
When he was in bed, she came to the kitchen.
I'd made tea.
She sat down across from me.
"Tom Greer filed papers today," she said.
"I know."
"I got a call from a lawyer.
Someone my mother found." She wrapped both hands around the mug.
"She said I should fight for the house."
"What do you want to do?"
She looked up.
"I don't want to fight you.
I want you to know that."
"Okay."
"I know I don't get to say that and have it mean much right now."
"No," I said.
"You don't.
But I hear you."
She was quiet for a moment.
"Ray called me."
I kept my face still.
"He said you went to his house."
"I returned his phone."
"He said you threatened him."
"I told him to stay away from Danny.
If he experienced that as a threat, that's his business."
She looked at her mug.
"He said he has things.
That if this gets messy, he'll make it messy for everyone."
There it was.
"What things?" I asked.
"I don't know.
He wouldn't say specifically.
He just said—" She stopped.
Pressed her lips together.
"He said he'd been careful.
That he'd kept records.
Of everything."
"Records of what?"
"I don't know." Her voice dropped.
"I'm scared of him.
I need you to know that.
I've been scared of him for a while."
I looked at her across the table.
The woman I'd married.
The woman who'd let this happen and let it go on and made the choices she'd made.
"Lauren.
If you're scared of him, you need to tell Tom's office.
Everything.
Whatever you know."
"He'll use it against me."
"He's already planning to use it against both of us.
The only way that stops is if you get ahead of it." I leaned forward slightly.
"What does he have?
Think.
What did he have access to?"
She was quiet for a long time.
"He helped me with some financial things," she said.
"Last spring.
I had some credit card debt I hadn't told you about.
He helped me move some money around to cover it before you saw the statement."
The kitchen was very quiet.
"How much debt?" I said.
"Eleven thousand dollars."
I sat back.
"I was going to pay it back.
It was from before we were married, mostly, and it had built up and I was embarrassed and he offered and I—" She stopped.
"He has the account records.
Both sides of the transfer.
If he wanted to, he could make it look like I was hiding assets.
Or like you were."
"I had nothing to do with it."
"I know that.
But he could frame it so it looks like you did."
I stood up.
Walked to the window.
The street outside was dark and quiet.
"You need to call your lawyer tonight," I said.
"Not tomorrow.
Tonight.
Tell her everything you just told me.
Then you need to call Tom's office first thing in the morning and tell them the same thing."
"And Ray?"
"Don't contact him.
Don't answer if he calls.
Let the lawyers handle it."
She was crying again.
This time it was different — quieter, more tired.
Less performance, more collapse.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I know it's not enough.
I know it doesn't fix anything.
But I am."
I turned around.
"I believe you," I said.
"It doesn't change anything.
But I believe you."
She nodded.
Wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"I'll call the lawyer," she said.
"Good."
She left twenty minutes later.
I stood at the door and watched her car pull away.
Then I went inside and called Tom.
He picked up on the third ring, which told me he'd been expecting it.
"She told you about the money," he said.
"You already knew?"
"Diane Marsh mentioned he'd done something similar with her.
I was waiting to see if Lauren would volunteer it." A pause.
"She did the right thing telling you."
"He's going to use it."
"He's going to try," Tom said.
"But here's the thing about men like Ray Callahan.
They collect leverage because they're afraid.
And afraid people make mistakes." Another pause.
May you like
"Get some sleep.
Tomorrow we go on offense."
