Page 30 of Raging Inferno

She and Dominic had done all they could. They’d warned Charmaine to be careful. The rest was up to her.

Presley looked for her as Ezekiel ushered them to the door, but there was no sign of her. One kid peeked at them from around a corner. When Presley waved, he darted out of sight.

Presley waited until they were inside Dominic’s SUV before saying, “That was odd.”

“It was.”

“Why would she pretend not to remember Gwen?”

Dominic started the engine. “I have no idea.”

“She’s frightened by her husband,” Presley concluded. She’d seen too many battered women during her police days. Charmaine displayed all the classic signs.

“He’s domineering,” Dominic agreed. “He keeps her on a short leash. She rarely leaves the church, even homeschools their kids.”

Presley shook her head. “I hope they heed our warning, at least for the sake of their children.”

“That’s all we can do.”

#

Charmaine Dunn eased back the curtain and watched Dominic and Presley return to their vehicle.

Presley Parrish.

The name was a blast from the past. Charmaine saw the way Ezekiel checked her out. He had an eye for pretty women. She’d been one once . . . at least, she liked to think she had been, but who knew? She’d buried that part of herself and hadn’t looked back.

A shudder wracked her body, thinking of her husband. What had she ever seen in him? Yes, he’d been handsome when they met, with wavy brown hair and brooding eyes, but he wasn’t anything special. She supposed she’d been looking to atone for her sins. She thought marrying a pious man would ease her conscious. Instead, she’d made a deal with the devil.

Charmaine didn’t want to see Ezekiel but knew he would storm inside her room any minute. She couldn’t bar the door. He’d removed the lock. Besides, if she hid from him, he would be even more brutal when she emerged. His usual means of discussion involved his fists, and she wasn’t up to being on the receiving end tonight. She felt too raw with the past crashing back into her life.

Ezekiel never missed an opportunity to tell her how mortified he was about the way she’d acted when she was younger. Yes, she’d been a wild child, living life to the fullest and having fun with her friends. She’d favored flashy clothes and makeup. Drank beer and flirted with all the boys. Ezekielhad been appalled and insisted that his wife be a pillar of the community, not a harlot, as he had called her more than once. Charmaine had bowed to his wishes. He’d destroyed all her photos and did everything possible to suppress her memories of those days. She hadn’t been lying to Presley. She’s pushed her history so far down in her memory banks that it was nearly gone.

Charmaine had tamped her uninhabited side down so long ago that it felt as though she were two separate people. She tried so hard to be the meek, subservient wife Ezekiel demanded. When she succeeded, he didn’t hit her as often.

Ezekiel had almost called off the wedding when he found out she wasn’t a virgin. She’d sworn to him it had been only one boy, and that he’d coerced her. He’d have been mortified to learn she’d been with at least a dozen different guys, starting when she was fifteen. He’d bought the story she’d sold him—what was one more lie—and the marriage had proceeded as planned.

Charmaine often wondered how different her life would be if he had called it off. Would she be happy? She wouldn’t have Lazarus, Ruth, and Abraham. Her kids were her life. They made the abuse, both physical and mental, bearable.

She shook her head. It did no good to wish for things that could not be. Her lot in life was set. She could only hope it atoned for her sins.

Charmaine glanced out the window again to see that Mr. Adkins, one of the oldest members in their congregation, had waylaid her husband. Good. It took him forever to get to the point. She was safe for the moment.

She picked up the phone, intending to call Jessie or Tamera, until she realized she didn’t know their numbers. She’d spoken with Tamera a few years ago, but it had been a painful experience for both. An encounter with Jessie had been equally tedious.

Charmaine placed the phone down. She wasn’t sure she believed Presley and Dominic that someone was targeting the Cheerios. Yes, it was strange that both Margy and Nancy were dead. A stab of pain sliced through her heart. She had loved them both once, but that girl had basically died, replaced by a shell of a woman. That’s what she’d become.

A door slammed, and she knew it meant Ezekiel was on his way. She braced herself for what was to come.

Chapter Six

Despite not believing Presley initially, Dominic was entirely on board with her theory that someone was targeting the Cheerios. The only thing they could do was warn them and hope they heeded the advice. Jessie had seemed skeptical, and Charmaine was too far under her husband’s control to think for herself.

The encounter with Charmaine had been rough. It was apparent she was frightened of Ezekiel. Dom had no use for wife-beaters. If he had his way, they’d all be tossed into a pit and left to rot. Double that sentiment if they harmed their kids, but he had no reason to believe their children were abused. They didn’t show the same signs their mother did. He would hope that if Ezekiel turned his fists toward the kids, Charmaine would intervene somehow.

There were resources for women like her. He’d find a discrete way to get a pamphlet into her hands with numbers she could call for help. The rest would be up to her.

Dom drove the thirty miles to Duluth along the scenic road that paralleled Lake Superior to Tamera Pace Watt’s house.

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