Page 72 of His Loving Wife

I click on the first one that highlights the name. It’s an email between Andrew and a man named Trent.

I’ve told her Detective Barnes contacted me with the exact dates. We’ve got the place booked for the first two weeks in August.

Does she need another visit from Barnes?Trent asks.

No, Andrew says.I think we’re good.

What the hell is this? Who is Trent, and why is Andrew talking to him about Detective Barnes? The name Trent sounds familiar, but I can’t remember how I know him. I don’t think it’s one of his co-workers, and it’s definitely not someone we know mutually. Suddenly, there’s a flash of memory. The person who I’d once heard screaming on the other end of the phone. Not at Andrew, but to him, venting about his ex-wife. I’d been taken aback by the harshness in his voice. That’s why I remember.

Trent. He’s a member of Second Chances.

I click on his name. There are dozens of emails between them. And there’s several more that discuss Detective Barnes.

His name is Detective Barnes, Andrew says in one.He’s taking over the case. This could be the perfect opportunity.

I don’t know, Trent replies.I’m not comfortable impersonating a cop.

It’s just a couple of phone calls. Maybe a visit by the house. Vincent thinks it’s the best course of action.

That seems really personal, man. I don’t know if I can pull it off.

Sure you can. I think she might have seen Rog onscreen, and Vincent can’t really be seen right now, Andrew responds.

As my eyes scan their correspondence, my heart beats faster. I cover my mouth in shock but find it impossible to look away from the screen. For whatever reason, it appears Andrew asked one of his friends from Second Chances to impersonate a police officer. Why? To fool me? Maybe he planned this entire trip as a way to finally prove to me he can be a protector, so he can be the hero for once. Maybe he needed me to think Paul Gunter was released in order to do that. And what does Vincent have to do with any of this? Was it his idea?

At the end of the email, there’s a link that says SC Private Chat. I click on it, but I’m denied access. It seems whatever has been discussed on this forum has already been erased. That doesn’t dampen my desire to get to the bottom of this, though. Something strange is happening, and I’m convinced Vincent is behind it.

I check the clock in the corner of the room. If they stick to the schedule, Andrew and the others won’t be back for another hour, at least.

That gives me plenty of time to find out everything I can about Andrew’s friends.

Chapter 38

Now

This entire time, I believed Second Chances was helping Andrew, not filling his head with twisted ideas. I don’t trust Vincent and I feel a wave of nausea setting in at the idea he’s currently at sea with my children. Since the first day we met, I questioned who he really was, but Andrew seemed so convinced he was here to help us. I don’t buy that anymore; he’s encouraged Andrew to withhold information from me, openly lie. That’s not the husband I know, and I can’t help thinking he’s been duped. It seems as though Vincent is building up toward something, though what I don’t know.

I wonder if Paul is still orchestrating this somehow; maybe he knew there was no way he could be released, so he’s instructed Vincent and this Trent character to keep tabs on us. Andrew thinks he’s bonding with like-minded men, but this could be yet another ruse Paul has arranged.

I need to know more about the third member of the gang. I’ve heard Andrew talk about him before, but I always thought he was saying the name Raj. Turns out they call him “Rog”—short for Rogers. I rush back to the computer, trying to see if any of the messages reveal his first name. It doesn’t take much searching through the history to find it: Cal Rogers.

I type the name into the computer. For some reason, it sounds more familiar than it should. Unfortunately, the online nature of the group means these people could be based anywhere; they’re not necessarily in Hidden Oaks, or even our state.

At the top of the page, there are numerous links to various LinkedIn users named Cal Rogers.

Below that, are recent news articles. One catches my eye, and I click it.

Rogers Family Massacre.

Isn’t that what the television reporter was talking about at the café?

It can’t be the same Cal Rogers. Andrew wouldn’t be friends with a person like that.

I scroll through hurriedly, hoping there will be a picture attached. If I see his face, I’ll be able to tell if I recognize him from Andrew’s group chats. Finally, I find one. It’s a family of four. The wife has blonde hair cut just above her shoulders. Her children are standing in front of her: both the boy and the girl have dark hair and eyes.

Behind them, stands their father. Cal Rogers.

I know I’ve seen him before. I walked in on one of his video chats with Andrew. I only caught a glimpse of him, but it was enough to know I’m staring at a photo of the same man now.

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