Page 89 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

I felt like I was going to be sick. What proof? That my husband abused other women? A serial killer with a side hobby of assault? Vile. Disgusting. Horrible man. He was already abusing me. I didn’t need other proof. So why did I have these images? Why were they in my box? And why did she look so damn familiar?

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nbsp; “I’m coming, Addy.” Ben sounded out of breath like he had been running for a while already. “Stay where you are. I’ll find you.”

He was running toward me. I could hear the crunching of leaves. So I did the first thing I could think of. I put the box back in the hole and shoved the dirt back on top. And then I started running in the opposite direction of the crunching leaves.

Chapter 44

I peeled off my muddy clothes and put them in the waste bin. My ankle throbbed. I wasn’t sure how I had evaded Ben.

I stepped into the hot shower. My mind was always clearest when I ran and when I showered. And I kept coming back to one conclusion. My husband and Dr. Nash were framing me. My fingerprints were on the box. On the safe. And they were both conveniently not here. The only two questions were what were they framing me for exactly. And why.

My husband didn’t need to frame me for anything. He had convinced me to kill my father. And he made the state think I was insane. It was his word against mine. Any competent jury would convict me. So what else were they planning?

I closed my eyes and let the water hit my face. The water burned the cuts and scrapes on my face from rushing through the trees. And all I could hear were the autumn leaves beneath my feet. I was going in circles. I wiped the water from my eyes and opened them.

It was like I was stuck in the woods. Why couldn’t I focus? Think, Adeline. Think!

I started to scrub off the mud that was caked onto my skin. The FBI was closing in on my husband. He needed a scapegoat to get them off his trail. And who better than his loony wife? He was going to make me pay for his crimes.

I realized my skin was growing red from all the scrubbing. I stepped back under the water to rinse off and heard the crunching of leaves again. Stop. I switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around my body.

My husband was trying to frame me. I nodded to myself. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I just needed to figure out if Ben would believe me. If I could trust him, then I could show him the letter from the safe. I could show him the box in the woods.

I eyed my jeans in the trash. The letter from Dr. Nash was nestled in the back pocket. Instead of lifting it out, I opened the bathroom door.

My ankle hurt. And I was exhausted. I changed into a pair of pajamas as I looked down at my phone. I had silenced it when I was running home. There were several missed calls from Ben.

He was worried, but I couldn’t see him right now. My mind was a jumbled mess. He’d want to know why I was in the woods. And I didn’t know what to tell him. He had doubts. I could hear it in his voice over the phone. He was doubting my story.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I sat down on my bed. I was doubting my story too. Stop. Dr. Nash was in my head. A woman that had vanished without a trace was trying to ruin my life.

I needed sleep. I needed time to process the notes. And that girl’s face. I could still see the fear in her eyes. I popped some of the Advil off my nightstand and pulled the comforter up to my chin.

All I could see were the woods when I closed my eyes. And I wished that the Advil were still sleeping pills.

***

I woke up to the smell of bacon. Bacon? I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Someone was cooking downstairs. My husband’s home early. He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow night! Shit! I quickly got up and dressed. He’d see the Home Alone items on the coffee table. And the movie was under recently watched on the TV. He’d know what I was planning.

Had he seen my clothes in the bathroom trash? Did he know I had gotten into the safe? My heart was racing as I went into the bathroom. The note was still in the back pocket, but it didn’t mean he hadn’t seen it. I folded it in half, tucked it in my jeans’ pocket, and made my way down the stairs. Please be in a good mood.

I turned the corner to see Ben at the stove flipping pancakes. The sight of him instantly made my heartbeat return to normal. I sighed with relief. But then he turned to me. His face had cuts and scrapes, just like mine. I had run away from him in the woods. I had run away and all he had been trying to do was help.

And all I wanted to do was inspect every inch of him to make sure he was okay. I cared about the man in front of me. And I knew in that moment that I could trust him.

“I’m sorry, Ben. I’m so sorry.”

“You ran from me. Why did you run from me?” He turned off the burner.

“I panicked.”

He carried two plates over to the table.

“You didn’t believe me on the phone,” I continued when he didn’t say anything. “You yelled at me.”

He abandoned the plates and walked over to me in the doorway. “I’m sorry that I raised my voice. But, Addy…your stories aren’t lining up. I’m frustrated because I can’t solve this case if you’re lying to me.”

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