Underestimated Too (20 page)

“Yes, it’s already taken care of,” Celeste rattled
on, listening to Drew. She held the phone down so to talk to me. “You bringing
Alicia home?” she asked, I nodded as she told Drew she was on her way.

I walked around the house, observing everything that
would be sold off. “This place is crazy,” Alicia called from the north balcony.
The house had two sets of stairs, leading to two different wings in the house.
“Come here, I want to show you something.”

I walked up the stairs with a smile. I knew she was
making plans in her head. It made me happy that she was finally excited about
the estate. I was pretty sure Celeste wore the pants in their home as well, and
she knew she’d be living there whether she wanted to or not. Might as well make
the best of it, that’s how she felt. I could relate, feeling the same way many
times.

“What do you think for the nursery? I want to paint
it with pink fairies, sort of like I did for Nicky’s room, a little girl’s
enchanted forest, only with more pinks and purples. What do you think?”

I took the baby from her arms and snuggled her close
to my neck. I loved the smell of her, she was precious. “I think I love it, and
this room would make the perfect nursery,” I replied, happy for her excitement.

“Yeah, I guess this could work. Have you seen the
office here? Maybe Celeste would stay home more?”

“She will, they’re working on it. I was actually
just heading there now, wanna come?”

“I’ll be down in a few. I want to check out a few
more things up here. What are we supposed to do with the whole other side of
this house?” Alicia asked, overwhelmed with the space she was going to have.

“How about an art studio?”

“Oh, my god, Morgan. I picked the perfect room? I
can do this, uh?” she overzealously told me. 

“You sure can. I love your art. I’ll see you in a
few,” I said, handing over the baby again.

Opening the door to the breathtaking office with
bookshelves as walls, I noticed the two cardboard boxes set aside for me. I
wondered if I should just take them home for Drew. He’d probably get mad at me
for going through them without him. That’s what I’d do. I would take them home
to Drew. It was safer that way.

I sat in the brown leather desk chair and looked
around the almost empty room. I wanted that room. I would love to turn it into
a reading retreat. I could make it so cozy. I’d even have one wall full of
kids’ books for Nicky.

Getting an eerie feeling, like when I was reading a
suspenseful book, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, on the middle
shelf of the bookcase. I am not even sure why I noticed it? None of the moving
guys had seen it when they packed up the room? It was just a corner, barely
visible, peeking out of a tiny crack in the wood. 

Trying to get a hold on the little corner, I ripped
it. Holding the torn piece between my fingers, I wondered how it got in there.
What was it? I could tell that it was a miniature manila envelope, but why was
it hiding there. Maybe it accidently got stuck there. Prying on the shelf, I
used enough pressure to pull it out. I could tell before I even opened it, it was
a key, and it wasn’t accidently hiding between two pieces of wood.

 Holding it between my fingers, I looked around for
a secret compartment or something. Shaking my head I shoved it in my pocket. I
was being silly. I wasn’t reading a book. It probably didn’t go to a secret
room at all. It was more than likely to a safe deposit box or something. I
pulled it back out, inspecting the gold paper. Sure enough, on the back of the
tiny envelope was the number 795 just below NSB. I knew what NSB was. It was
our bank, well, one of them anyway. Answering my husband’s call, I placed the
key back in my pocket.

“You coming soon? The photographer will be here any
minute. Do you really want me to dress Nicholas for this?”

“No way, we’re leaving now… Drew?”

“Yeah.”

“The moving guys left two boxes of papers here for
me. Should I bring them home for you?”

“No, I’ll send Celeste after them tomorrow. Come
home. Nicky will be awake soon.”

“Okay, but you just called him Nicky again.”

“You don’t have to point it out every time I do it.”

“Yes I do. I’ll see you in a few. I have to run
Alicia home first.”

“You should stop and get us some beer. We’ll float
around the pool naked after Marta leaves and NICHOLAS goes to bed.”

I laughed at the notable way he didn’t say Nicky. “I
can do that. I think Marta needs to leave right after supper, and Nicky should
be in bed by seven.”

“Come home. I love you.”

“Love you too, be there in a few.”

I never lied to Drew. I was afraid of lying to Drew.
He’d find out, I was sure of it. I should have let it go. I couldn’t. I needed
to find out what was in the lock box at the bank. I’m not sure why I needed to
find out. I just did. It was probably nothing. Some jewelry or something. I’d
just have a look and then put the key back where I found it. I wouldn’t mess
with the contents of the locked box.

“You just went out with Alicia yesterday,” Drew
complained when I told him that Nicky and I were going over to her house and
maybe to lunch.

“So, you’re just going to be locked up with Celeste all
day. What else do you want me to do?”

“I don’t like you having that much freedom. It
worries me.”

I moved myself close to Drew’s chest, leaned against
him and kissed his chin. “Stop worrying about me. I’m fine, just bored.”

“I’ll give you something to do,” he teased, kissing
my lips.

“Hmm, okay, let’s do that now,” I offered.

“Let’s not,” Celeste said from the door.

“Great, you always do this in front of Celeste. Now
she thinks of me as being weak. She’ll never listen to me now,” Drew complained
in a joking manner.

“She doesn’t think of you as weak. She thinks you
like to fuck your wife.”

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Drew yelled, sending both Celeste
and me into a laughing state.

***

“I don’t like this, Morgan. What if Drew comes here?
What if he calls? What am I supposed to say? Just let me come with you and I’ll
wait in the car.”

“No, Alicia. Just keep Nick for me for a little
while. Drew’s not going to call you. Has he ever called you or stopped by to
check on me? No. He’d call me, not you. I won’t be long,” I promised, handing
over Nicholas and quickly getting out of there. I didn’t know how much time I
had or if I even needed to worry about it. Chances are Drew wouldn’t call at
all. I still couldn’t help the excitement and fear, sending my nerves on an
overloaded high.

Turning up the music, trying to drown out my
panicked thoughts of Drew catching me, I went where he forbid me to go, even
with Alicia. I drove to the strip, right to down town Vegas. Drew would kill me
if he knew I went there.

I had to walk two blocks to even get to the bank.
There was nowhere to park, and I ended up paying nine dollars just to park in a
parking garage for ten minutes.

“Hey, pretty lady,” some guys hanging out inside the
dim lit garage called to me. I knew I shouldn’t have worn a skirt. I ignored
them with a speeding heart, hoping they didn’t follow. Thank god they didn’t.

“Can you tell me where to go for this?” I asked, the
man just inside the bank doors.

“Right through there, ma’am,” he nodded to a set of
white doors with gold trim, the kind you’d expect to see in Las Vegas.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. This key is registered under a Drew
Kelley. Without proper identification, I can’t let you in,” the nice lady
explained. Shoot. Now what?

“I’m his wife, and Michael Callaway passed away. He
was my father,” I tried. It was worth a shot.

“I’m sorry, but I still need a power of attorney or
Mr. Kelley’s presence.” She smiled.

“Thank you,” I disappointedly, replied. Well, that
didn’t work.
Oh, just stop it, Morgan.
It’s probably nothing anyway,
diamonds or something. Let it go, I tried to tell myself. Why couldn’t I let it
go? Why was that deposit box eating away at my mind like it was? I needed to
forget the deposit box, take the key back to the estate, and let it go. But why
was the key at Randal’s house if the deposit box was in Drew’s name? It didn’t
add up.

Quickly walking back the way I came, I once again
ignored the same group of guys, admiring my black Lexus. Investigating in my
mind about how to get in that deposit box, I jumped from the ringing of my
phone.

“Hello,” I answered Alicia.

“Drew tracked your phone. He knows you went
downtown.”

“How do you know? Shit, Alicia. What did you tell
him?”

“Nothing, I told him you didn’t tell me where you
were going, that you only asked me to keep Nicky for a bit.”

“He’s calling me now. I’ll call you back.”

“Where the fuck are you?”

“Oh, my god, Drew. I’m fine.”

“Why are you downtown?” he angrily asked.

“I wanted to buy a new outfit and some new toys for
us and surprise you later, but I can’t seem to get out of your sight long
enough to do anything on my own,” I yelled, pulling that lie from I have no
idea where. I always lied better under pressure. I was glad I didn’t have time
to conjure up a story, I’d screw it up anyway.

“Get Nicholas and come home, now,” he ordered,
hanging up.

 He was pissed. Shit. I was scared. Maybe I
shouldn’t go home just yet. Maybe I should stay with Celeste and Alicia for a
while until he calmed down. He wouldn’t come there and cause a scene, he didn’t
work that way. Drew couldn’t hide behind his sheep’s clothing if he did that.
He wouldn’t blow his cover. Then again, I’d just make things worse for when I
did go home.

Drew stood at the door, waiting for me with his
hands in his pockets. He was pissed. I could tell right away. Nicholas kicked
his legs, lunging for his daddy, happy to see him. Drew’s face lightened, just
a bit. Nicholas had that effect on everyone he came in contact with.

I decided to play this pissed off role too, not sure
if I was safer that way or just apologizing my ass off. I stormed past Drew,
turning his shoulder with mine, and stomped toward the kitchen.

“What the hell, Morgan?” Drew asked, following me.

I glared at him, feigning anger when in truth, I
wanted to just come out and ask him, tell him that I’d found a key. “You tell
me, Drew,” I barked, taking Nicholas and sitting him in his highchair with a
hand full of cheerios.

“Give me your phone,” he demanded with an open palm.

I took my phone from the pocket in my purse and
slammed it on the countertop with a pissed off expression. That time wasn’t
fake. I was pissed.

“Is there a problem, Morgan?” he asked, opening the
screen on my smartphone.

“Nope, go ahead Drew. Read my text messages, see who
I called, see who called me, see if I give a fuck,” I nonchalantly gestured
with a nod.

Drew was around to my side of the island in a split
second, speaking down, inches from my face. “Maybe you need a timeout, Morgan.
Maybe you need a few days of isolation, get your shit together, timeout. Is
that what you need? You need a break from society for a few days?” he
threatened through gritted teeth.

“Maybe I do,” I argued, giving it right back to him.
“Maybe I need to take my son and give you the fucking timeout. I’m tired, Drew.
I can’t live like this anymore. I don’t need you to be my fucking keeper. You
can take all your lies, your secrets, your dominating self and shove them clear
up your ass,” I yelled, shoving him backwards. Oh, my god. I just shoved Drew.
He was going to kill me.

“You need to stop, Morgan. You need to stop right
this second,” Drew quietly spoke in my ear after grabbing and turning me into
the refrigerator. Holding my arm high in the center of my back, I tried to move
away from him. I couldn’t, he lifted my arm higher, causing too much pain for
me to do anything.

“Let go of me, Drew,” I demanded.

“Are you going to settle down? You’re acting like
this in front of your son. He’s sitting right there watching you. How does that
make you feel, Morgan?”

“Drew, let go of my arm.”

“Stop acting like a lunatic.”

“Really? You’re calling me crazy?” I asked,
vehemently. How dare he.

“Okay, okay, let’s stop this,” Drew said, softening
his grip and turning me to face him.

I didn’t look at him. I looked passed him.

“I think we should spend some time in my office. You
seem to have forgotten where your place is here,” Drew whispered, kissing my
neck and grinding into me with an already noticeable erection.

“I don’t want you to touch me,” I whispered in the
same way, mimicking his tone.

“You two going to get it on right here in the
kitchen, in front of Nicky,” Marta interrupted, carrying a sack of groceries.