Read Quiet As It's Kept Online
Authors: Monique Miller
Quiet As It's Kept (22 page)
Phillip and Isaiah had been troopers as they waited patiently for Will to figure out if he was going to knock on the door of the house. In the end, Will couldn't knock on the door. He wondered what he would say and how he would say it. He had no idea what the situation was or wasn't between Morgan and her mother.
The weight of information that he'd already found out was too much for him, and he didn't know how much more he could take. And, in his mind, he now knew where to find Morgan's living mother. So he'd ended up telling Phillip to leave so they could go ahead back to his house.
“Look, Will, I can explain,” Morgan said, finally giving him her full attention.
“I don't want to hear it right now. It's been a long day and I just want to get some rest.”
Will picked up his cell phone from the computer desk. “We can talk later about how we are going to handle this. And I'll come back tomorrow to get some more of my things.”
“Will, you can't leave. I am not going to let you take Isaiah anywhere.” Morgan stepped to him and grabbed his shirt. “Don't do this Will. We can work all of this out.”
“No, we can't. This entire relationship has been built on lies. I don't know what to believe from you. I can't trust you at all.”
He pulled her hands off of him and looked around for Isaiah. Again, the baby had made his way over to the steps. Will moved over to get the baby, who had this time made it up to the third step. He picked him up and held him on his hip.
Morgan stood directly in front of Will, trying to block his path. “No, Will, don't do this. Don't leave or you'll regret it.” Her tone was threatening.
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, I am promising you. Don't leave or I'll make sure you regret it.”
Will rolled his eyes and, with his hand, brushed her to the side. She fell down on the floor as if he had pushed her. He had barely touched her.
“You pushed me.”
“I barely touched you,” Will said over his shoulder. He grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter.
Morgan got up and ran after him. “Stop, don't leave.”
“Don't leave so, what, you can try to kill me again?” Will asked.
“I told you I am not trying to kill you.”
“Yeah, well, tell it to my lawyer.”
“Will, you don't have to do this. Come on, let's talk about this. Come back and sit down,” Morgan began to plead.
“No, Morgan. I'll be over at Phillip's. So if you are wondering if Isaiah will be safe, he will be. I'll take care of him.”
In the garage, Will buckled the baby in his car seat. Then he got into the driver's seat. Morgan stood to the side of the car with her arms folded. Will was done talking. She must have gotten the message, because she had finally stopped talking also.
Will pulled out of the garage. In the rearview mirror he saw Morgan watching them as they drove off. She had a scowl on her face that made Will shiver even though it was well above eighty degrees outside. He hadn't realized it, but it was as though he had been holding his breath all day. As he increased the distance between himself and Morgan, Will was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Chapter 24
Will pulled up to Phillip and Shelby's home and shut the engine off. Isaiah had fallen asleep in the back seat. He took a moment to sit and gather his breath. With his hands on the steering wheel, he closed his eyes and said a prayer to God.
Dear Lord, I know the next few days, weeks, and months will not be easy, but I am trusting in you that you will watch over Isaiah and me as we continue to weather this storm. I also have faith, Lord, that you will carry me when any of the burden seems too heavy to bear.
Lord, I trust you because I don't know what else to do. I have absolutely no idea why I am going through what I am going through right now, but I want to thank you, Lord, for revealing the secrets my wife had been keeping from me. Lord, I need you now, more than I have ever needed you before in my life.
Cover Isaiah and me in your blood. Protect us, Lord. Bless us, Lord, in our time of need. I thank you for all of your awesome works, because I know you will open a window where this door is closing. And I wait in expectancy for your hand to move.
I thank you so very much, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Will sucked in a deep breath, and with heavy feet he got out of the car. He took Isaiah out of the car seat, walked up to Phillip's front door, and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, the door opened and his best friend welcomed him into his home.
After he laid the baby down on the couch, Phillip helped Will retrieve the duffle bags from the car. He left everything but the things he needed right then. He hated that he and his baby would be living out of a car for an indefinite amount of time. He shook his head, because he shouldn't have been the one to move out. If anything, Morgan should have moved out.
Once they were back inside, Shelby offered Phillip and Will some coffee. She fixed it for them as they took seats at the bar in the kitchen.
“You okay, man?” Phillip asked.
Will shook his head. “No, but I know I am going to be okay. I've got the Father in heaven looking out for me.”
“Man, I've been on my knees praying almost all evening.”
“Thanks, my brother,” Will said.
“Here you guys go.” Shelby handed them both mugs of coffee. She also set cream and sugar on the bar in front of them. “I am going to let you guys have some privacy.”
“Thanks, baby,” Phillip said.
Shelby walked over to her husband and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Will, I am going to take Isaiah upstairs to the guest room. We put P.J.'s playpen in there and I've got it all ready for Isaiah to sleep in.”
“Thank you, Shelby,” Will said.
“You know you are welcome. And I am sorry you are going through all of this. Phil and I are here for you.”
“I know, and I can't thank you enough.”
“Will, you know you are like a brother to me.” Shelby gave Will a hug and then left the kitchen.
“If you don't feel like talking right now, I'll understand,” Phillip said.
“Nah, I can talk. Shoot, I need to talk, because having all this stuff swirl around in my head isn't doing me any good. Maybe if I talk it will all start to make sense.”
Will hadn't said much during their almost two-hour ride home from Morgan's hometown. He didn't know what to think or say. Deep down, he wanted it all to be one huge mistake. But when he confronted Morgan and she looked like a deer caught in headlights, he knew that it was all true.
“Morgan got home before I could finish packing,” Will said.
Phillip dropped his head in disbelief. “What happened?”
“You know, the whole time we were riding back here this afternoon, somewhere in the back of my mind I still held hope that there was an explanation for what was going on. So I confronted her with what I'd found out.”
“What did she say?” Phillip asked.
“At first she acted as if she didn't know what I was talking about. Then she accused me of talking crazy, then she tried to tell me there was an explanation for her not telling me her mother was alive. When I didn't listen to her and told her I was leaving and taking the baby, she threatened me.”
“She straight out threatened you?” Phillip asked.
“Yep.” Will took a sip of his coffee without adding any cream or sugar.
Phillip took a long sip of his coffee also.
“And before I told her I knew about her mother, she had the nerve to pick up the phone saying she was going to call the police.”
“Did she?”
“No. As soon as I called her Ci Ci, she stopped cold in her tracks. She put the phone down like it was on fire. I told her to go ahead and call the police. But, of course, she lost all interest once I called her by that name. And I am willing to bet that it is probably a nickname anyway.” Will shook his head. “Man, I don't even know who I am married to.
“Do you know that the other day I looked up and down in my house to find out information about Morgan? And I couldn't find anything from her past, at least nothing beyond a few months before I met her. It was like she was a ghost who appeared out of thin air.”
“You couldn't find anything?”
“Not a thing.”
“That is strange. And you never wondered about her past more before now?”
“No. Like I told you on the ride down to Warsaw, she always got misty-eyed when she talked about her deceased parents. And she said talking about her little town made her sad, so she didn't want to talk about the place. So I didn't make her.”
“I wondered just how deep the secrets she's held from you go. Like you said, is Ci Ci her real name, or is it something else?”
“Oh, yeah, and get this. I subtly gave her a chance to tell me about her kids, but she didn't even acknowledge that she had children.”
“We don't know if that house was, in fact, her mother's home, and we don't know if she had any other children before she met you.”
“No, I don't know any of that for a fact. But those men at the restaurant had no reason to lie to us. And when I confronted Morgan about her mother and son she pleaded for me to listen to her, telling me she could explain it all.”
“Man, this is some stuff straight out of a movie,” Phillip said.
“I'd say so, because when I didn't listen, she got mad and threatened me. I went ahead and got out of there with the baby. She looked at me as if she could kill me with her eyes alone. And just let me tell you, it wasn't a pretty picture when I finally got out of there.”
“All jokes aside, this is all some pretty heavy stuff,” Phillip said.
“Tell me about it. With everything that has gone on, I can't imagine how any of this could get any worse. I think I've hit rock bottom,” Will said.
The doorbell rang. “I'll get it,” they heard Shelby say. A few seconds later, they heard Shelby call out, “Phillip and Will, can you come to the door please?”
Both men looked at each other questioningly, wondering what was going on. They got up from their stools.
Standing just outside of the door were two police officers.
Shelby said, “They want to see Will.”
Will's eyebrows rose in question. “You want to see me?” Will asked the officers.
“Are you Mr. Will Tracy?” one of the officers asked.
“Yes, I am, but what is this all about? Why do you need to see me?”
“Mr. Tracy, your wife has filed charges against you for assault. We'd like you to come with us to answer some questions.”
“She filed charges against me?” Will laughed. “Now that's funny. I should be the one filing charges against her.” Will rolled his neck. “I can't believe this is going on.”
“Mr. Tracy, can you come with us, please?” the other officer said.
“Yeah, because I have my own charges I want to file against her,” Will said.
“Will, man, hold on. Let me give my lawyer a call. You don't have to go with them,” Phillip said.
“No, enough is enough. Morgan isn't going to continue to ruin my life. It all has to end at some point,” Will said.
“I'm just saying, man. You don't know what Morganâor Ci Ci, or whatever her name isâcould have said to these officers,” Phillip said.
Shelby cocked her head to the side, looking at her husband. “Who is Ci Ci?”
Both Phillip and Will looked at her. “Long story, baby,” Phillip said.
“Yeah, long story. Phillip can fill you in on all the craziness that has been going on,” Will said to Shelby, and then looked to Phillip. “Yeah, Phillip, please call your lawyer for me. And if he can, maybe he can meet me down at the station. I want to go ahead and tell these officers what has been going on and file my own charges.”
“I'll call him, but I really wish you'd wait until I talk to him. Or at least not say anything to the officers until you've got the lawyer with you,” Phillip said.
Shelby nodded in agreement.
“It is all going to be okay. I have absolutely nothing to hide, unlike my wife. I am surprised she had the nerve to call you all with all the stuff she's been keeping secret,” Will said to the officers.
“Well, your wife looked pretty bad when we saw her,” one of the officers said.
“I am sure she did. She was pretty mad when I left her,” Will said.
“She looked hurt to us,” the same officer said.
“She's hurt? Ha. Now I know that's got to be the funniest thing I've heard all day.”
“Mr. Tracy.” The officer gestured for Will to follow him to the car.
Will stepped out the front door and headed to the police cruiser. He looked back at Phillip and Shelby. “Can you guys take care of Isaiah until I get back? The rest of his formula and diapers are in the car.”
“Isaiah is in good hands. Don't worry about him,” Shelby assured her husband's best friend.
“I'll go ahead and call my lawyer,” Phillip said. “Try to wait until he gets there before you say anything.”
Will said nothing else as the officer opened the door for him to sit in the back seat. Unlike what he had seen in the movies, the cops didn't have their lights on. So unless the neighbors happened to be already looking out of their windows or happened to be outside, they were none the wiser that the cops were even in the neighborhood. They hadn't handcuffed him and pushed him into the back seat by the top of his head, but he had nonetheless ended up in the back of a police cruiser.
The three-mile ride he took to the police station seemed to take forever. With each car they passed on the road, he felt as if the passengers were trying to look in the back seat to see who the convict was; wondering what drug crime or murder the person in the back seat had committed.
Will was tired from the emotional stress he had been going through over the past few weeks of knowing his wife was trying to get rid of him. He was also tired from the mental stress of finding out about the skeletons his wife was hiding in her closet. Now he had to contend with being sought out by the law. And the changes his life was enduring were stemming from one sourceâhis wife, Morgan.
He started to wonder if God had been the one to send Morgan to him. He'd always thought from that first day he saw her at the church that she had literally been the answer to the prayer he had been praying the day he saw her. He'd always thought she was the woman of his dreams and prayers, but now he had to rethink the situation. Maybe it was the devil who had sent Morgan, because he knew the Lord wouldn't have put the mess together that he was going through.
Will had been glad to finally get to the police station and out of the back seat of the car. Now he was sitting in an interrogation room, waiting for an officer to come back and talk to him. The room was cold and he wished he'd worn long sleeves that day. Whenever the officer came back, he'd ask for a cup of coffee.
It felt like over thirty minutes had passed before the officer returned to the room. By then Will had been freezing and was starting to get mad. They had come to pick him up to ask questions, but all he had done was wait in a freezing room.
“Mr. Tracy, sorry to have kept you so long. I am Detective Pierce and I have a few questions for you in light of some complaints your wife, Morgan Tracy, has.”
“Detective Pierce, Morgan isn't even her name. And I have a few complaints of my own.” Will shivered. “It's freezing in here. Can I get a cup of coffee while we talk?”
The detective looked up toward a two-way mirror and said, “Yeah, we can get you a cup of coffee in just a few minutes.”
“Thanks,” Will said.
“But first we need to address the complaints your wife has about your beating her.”
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