Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (25 page)

“Maria!” he bellowed into the silence. Then he ran back down the stairs again and scanned the surfaces of the kitchen. There were no notes—nothing on the fridge or the family notice board. Rick went into every room in the house and switched on all the lights. He hoped, prayed he was mistaken, but he knew he wasn’t. His wife and kids were gone.

Michael thought he heard his wife’s voice. He tiptoed into the bedroom where Cathi was settling back down to sleep.
 

“Were you talking to yourself?”
 

“No, it was Rick on the phone. Very strange. He was looking for Maria. I assume she’s in bed if she has any sense. Why was he calling us?” She pulled her down comforter under her chin and closed her eyes.

“Well, don’t let it bother you, honey. Just get back to sleep. You need your rest.”
 

Cathi still hadn’t told him about the pregnancy, and he had been bursting to discuss it with her for over twenty-four hours. Michael wasn’t sure how long he could hold out.

“Mmm.” She sounded like she was drifting off.
 

All day at work, Michael’s thoughts had kept drifting back to his wife. He was still getting used to the news of the new baby, but he wanted to talk to her about it—soon. What was she waiting for? He snuck out of the room and checked on his sleeping daughters.
 

Michael headed back downstairs. Thanksgiving was only two days away—perhaps Cathi was waiting until then and wanted to give him the news as a Thanksgiving Day surprise.
 

He had been thinking about how he should play it. Would he say he had already guessed, or should he feign surprise? His wife knew him well. It would be hard to convince her it was a shock.
 

He was looking forward to Thanksgiving. It was going to be the four of them—or should that be five? Cathi had said she was tired of asking Maria and her family and never getting a reciprocal invite back. It was time the Sanchez family stepped up their game. He looked at his watch and thought about calling Rick back to make sure he was okay but decided against it. If there was a problem, he would call.
 

Michael thought about the wine for Thanksgiving. If Cathi was going to tell him the big news, it would be smart to have some champagne. Of course she wouldn’t be drinking, but she could sip on a glass. A baby was a cause for celebration. Definitely champagne.

Ely was worried about her roommate. “Are you sure you want another drink?” she asked. She’d never seen her friend in such a state.

“Oh yeah . . .” Jessie said, slurring her words as she handed her glass over to the guy working the keg.
 

“You know, you’re not supposed to mix the grape and the grain,” Ely said.
 

Jessie had already drunk at least a bottle of cheap white wine and then a glass or two of something pink and fizzy. They’d run out of wine, so Jessie had moved on to beer. This wasn’t going to end well.

She hadn’t been too shocked when Josh and Jessie were gone for so long. She’d assumed they had met up with Dan the Fireman—as she liked to call him—and he had invited them in for a drink or maybe even a bite to eat. But she had been surprised and a little annoyed when they weren’t back by the time the party started.
 

Things had been well under way when her friend walked in. Josh had been by her side, with Jessie already looking a little the worse for wear. He’d filled Ely in on the situation, and somebody gave Jessie yet another glass of wine. Josh said he had taken her to a bar called The Local in Newton as soon as he heard about the pregnant wife, and he’d warned Ely that Jessie had already had a lot of wine. That worried her because Jessie wasn’t a big drinker.

“J, too much of a good thing is not as good as it sounds. I love you, honey, but I think it’s time you had some water and maybe even some fresh air,” she yelled over the music. The party showed no signs of slowing down, which Ely was happy about, but Jessie was more important.
 

“I’m purrrrfectly fine.” Jessie was working hard to sound coherent.
 

It was funny, but Ely knew Jessie was anything but fine. Her roomie had fallen for the firefighter in a big way. He was a great-looking guy, but there had been something about him that always made Ely nervous. Now she knew what it was—he was a two-timing bastard.

Men! They were just like horses, and she could tell a good one from a bad one on instinct alone. Some people called it karma or a sixth sense. Whatever it was, she’d always sensed trouble with Dan.
 

Damn him
, she thought while watching Jessie try to keep it together. Why would he do something like that? With a pregnant wife? What an ass. Somebody needed to teach that jerk a lesson and, Ely decided, that somebody would be her!

Ely looked around the crowded bedroom. The disco ball was working great, and light bounced off all the walls as Taylor Swift sang about breaking up.
 

Not the best thing for Jessie to be listening to.

“Come on,” she said to her friend, coaxing the plastic disposable cup out of her hand. “We don’t need this anymore. Let’s head outside and go for a walk.” She maneuvered Jessie toward the door and out of the party. She gave a quick glance behind her. The party was rocking. Nobody would even notice them gone.

Outside, the snow had stopped, but it was bitterly cold. Even Jessie in her drunken state noticed. “We can’t stay out here. It’s bloody freezing.” She folded her arms across her chest in a futile attempt to stay warm.

“Well, at least that means your senses are still functioning,” Ely said with a laugh. “Come on. Josh never locks his car, and I know where he hides his spare key. We can sit inside and turn on the engine for warmth.”

Sure enough, his car was in the lot just next to their building, and as usual it was unlocked with a spare key in the glove compartment. Ely started up the engine so the two girls were able to sit in the front seats and stay warm.

“What are we doing out here when the party is in there?” Jessie asked, like she was just figuring out what was going on.
 

“I thought you could do with a little quiet time.” Ely looked up at their bedroom window. They’d tried to black out the glass, but it was pretty obvious with the flashing lights and muffled music that there was a party going on up there.
 

“Might be a good idea to wrap it up soon. The last thing we need is trouble with the Wiswall cops,” Ely said in a rare moment of maturity. “Then again, maybe my man on the inside has managed to keep the cops away from this madness.”

“The madness isn’t here—it’s over the other side of Newton,” Jessie said, her voice hollow.

“J, I’m so sorry. I still can’t believe it. What a lowlife.”

Jessie looked at her roommate. “He is, isn’t he?” Her eyes were watery, like she might cry.

Ely had never seen Jessie emotional before. Ely was the hothead in their partnership, and it broke her heart to see Jessie so upset.

“If I could get my hands on him . . . do you want me to have the guys rough him up?” she asked, but Jessie shook her head.
 

“Wuzza point?” She slurred a little. “He’s just a sicko, and he’s going to be a father! Can you believe it?”
 

If it hadn’t been so sad, Ely might have laughed. Jessie looked so animated, with her big eyes even bigger than usual and her eyebrows in a high arch of indignation.

“You mushn’t hurt him. That baby needs him, no matter what an arse he is.” She was working hard to sound sober.
 

Ely nodded like she agreed, but already her mind was working the possibilities.
 

A single tear slipped down Jessie’s cheek. Ely reached over from the driver’s seat and gave her friend a hug. “I know this sucks, sunshine, but I swear that jerk just ain’t worth your tears, J. Do not let him get to you like this!” She slapped the steering wheel. “I say we take the douche bag down.”

Jessie pulled back. “Jesus, Ely. Do I have sucker written across my forehead? I mean, I must be a right idiot to attract these men. You know this isn’t the first time, right? I seem to be a bastard-magnet. Or are all men bastards?” She seemed more angry than upset.
 

“There’s a few good guys, honey. You just gotta keep your eyes open. There’s a lot of idiots out there, too.”

“You knew!” It sounded like an accusation, especially with Jessie’s alcohol-fueled, drunken gestures. “You did! From the vurrry beginning you were warning me off Dan. Why is that? What did you see that I didn’t? Christ, I’m meant to be the psychologist, and I can’t even spot a total bastard when he’s right in front of me.” She slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand.
 

Ely winced, then reached over and took her friend’s hand so she couldn’t do herself any more damage. “You were infatuated. That clouds judgment. Believe me, I’ve had my share of assholes, too.”

“Not as bad as me.”

Ely persevered. “You were only in it for the fun, remember? You told me you just wanted a few months of romance. That’s what you said. Don’t let him ruin your time in the States, okay?”
 

Jessie didn’t reply, but a few more tears trickled down her face. Ely hugged her again. She said soothing words and rubbed Jessie’s back, but suddenly her buddy pulled away and lunged for the door. She made it just in time to get out of the car and deposit most of what she’d drunk onto the clean white snow. Ely hopped out of her side and rushed over to help.
 

“Atta girl,” she said when she realized her friend needed to be sick. “Better out than in. That’s the fresh air hittin’ your system.”

“Wahghh.” Jessie made an unintelligible sound.

“Don’t talk. Just get it all up so we can get you a drink of water and maybe even a bed somewhere.”
 

Ely was used to this. She’d had her first drink at age twelve and knew all about overindulgence. Jessie, it seemed, did not.
 

She was focusing on trying to keep her friend’s long hair out of everything, so she didn’t see the cop cars drive up. There were no sirens or flashing lights. Maybe they were trying to arrive unannounced, because it was quite by chance that Ely looked up and saw the men in full uniform walking into her building and up to her party.

“Ah crap,” she said as Jessie retched again. “I think the party’s over.”

“Good.” Jessie moaned, still doubled over. “This is hell, and I need my bed.”

Chapter Eighteen

Home Sweet Home

This is heaven. I love my bed,
Maria thought. She rolled over and kept her eyes closed because she wanted to get back into her dream of birds, lush trees, and warm, bright sunshine. Despite her best efforts, though, she blinked and opened her eyes. That’s when she remembered. She wasn’t dreaming. She was really home, and home was the closest thing to heaven.
 

Maria was in her old bedroom in her mother’s house and the noises, sights, and sounds permeating her skull weren’t from some dreamland but wonderful, fabulous Puerto Rico. It was such a relief to be back.

The night before, as soon as their plane touched down, the tropical island had begun to work its magic. Cody, who had sulked about the absence of his father for almost the entire trip, perked up as soon as he felt the heat. Her mother had been waiting for them at the airport.