Part 15 (1/2)

Waiters entered bearing platters of food. Garlic bread, pasta, chicken wings, pizza. Their smells filled the room. Kaitlan buried her nose in the gla.s.s of 7UP. As everyone else loaded their plates, she took a little salad and managed a few bites.

Conversation swirled around her-stories from the Gayner police force, Ed showing pictures of his oldest son playing soccer, Patty shaking her head over some family she'd counseled that day. Kaitlan tried to laugh in all the right places and add a comment when she could. Joe's words echoed in her head. She didn't want anyone else asking if she was okay because she just might lose it, just might not be able to play the part another minute.

She longed to go home, but the thought scared her to death. She'd be going with Craig. Alone.

If only Joe could take her.

That is, if Joe was really her friend.

Hallie announced she couldn't wait any longer to open her presents and dug in, oohing and aahing over each one. One thing about Hallie-she knew how to make a person feel special. ”Oh, I love love this bracelet!” she trilled upon opening Kaitlan's gift. Hallie stopped to put it on and held it up to sparkle blue in the light. ”Thank you, girl!” this bracelet!” she trilled upon opening Kaitlan's gift. Hallie stopped to put it on and held it up to sparkle blue in the light. ”Thank you, girl!”

Kaitlan smiled. ”You're welcome.”

By nine-thirty she was exhausted from stumbling over lines, an actress on the wrong stage. Her thoughts kept returning to her grandfather. Were he and Margaret sitting by the phone, waiting for her call? Had he figured out what to do?

”Yo!” Steve whooped to Chief Barlow. ”You hear what happened when Big Daddy here”-he jabbed a thumb at Ed-”took his kids camping last weekend?”

What if she couldn't call for hours? What if Craig wanted to stay at her apartment?

Chief Barlow shoved a final bit of birthday cake into his mouth, crumbs sticking to his lips. ”No, but I bet I'm about to.”

Kaitlan's heart tumbled. She couldn't be close to Craig, couldn't kiss him, surely couldn't sleep with him. The thought of even lying with him on her bed made her shudder. The bed, where he'd killed.

Steve guffawed. ”First he couldn't get the fire going ...”

What did it matter what her grandfather came up with? Tomorrow was too late. She needed rescuing now. now.

”... then he dropped all the marshmallows in the dirt ...”

Kaitlan fled to the restroom.

She barricaded herself in a stall, leaning her forehead against the door. Six and a half hours, that was all. Her whole life had changed in six and a half hours. It seemed like an eternity. She couldn't do this.

”G.o.d,” she closed her eyes, ”I know I've made some mistakes. But please-help me.”

She exited the stall. Standing next to a woman at the sink, she washed her hands. Kaitlan took her time until the woman left. Then she faced herself in the mirror, wondering how she'd gotten here, where she'd gone wrong. The day she'd walked out of jail she vowed to change her life. She joined a Twelve Step program and committed fully to getting clean. For a year she held two jobs, barely making it, saving every penny she could toward cosmetology school. Some days she wanted to get high so badly she nearly climbed the walls. That's when prayer helped the most. A California license required six hundred hours of school-thirteen to fourteen months if she worked real hard. Not to mention tuition of around ten thousand dollars. She applied for federal grants. Most went to single moms, but amazingly she got one. G.o.d G.o.d, she thought.

In cosmetology school over a third of her cla.s.smates dropped out after the first four months. It was way more demanding than many of them thought-herself included. At first she found it hard to concentrate, the drugs had so messed up her brain. But slowly her head cleared. She pressed on, determined. When her old car broke down, she took the bus. When she didn't have money for the bus, she walked. No help from her mother in England, who couldn't care less. And she was too afraid to ask her grandfather.

The day she earned her license was the happiest day of her life. Moving to Gayner, finding a place to work, meeting Craig-blessings beyond belief.

Now it was all about to be taken away.

The restroom door opened. Sheila and Leslie pushed in, chattering away.

”Hi.” Kaitlan forced a smile.

”Hey, Kaitlan!” They disappeared into stalls.

Straightening her shoulders, Kaitlan returned to the party and Craig.

An interminable half hour later as they prepared to leave the restaurant, Chief Barlow closed in. ”Son.” He shook hands with Craig. ”You say goodbye to your sister?”

Resentment flicked across Craig's face. ”Twice.”

”Then go say goodbye to Joe.”

Craig shoved his jaw forward, turned and left.

The chief leaned toward Kaitlan. ”Keep yourself out of trouble now.”

She gave him a tight smile.

Craig returned and put his arm around her shoulder. ”We're leaving, Dad.” He spoke the words flatly-I can handle her.

The chief gave them a mock salute. ”Good seeing you both.”

Craig ushered Kaitlan out the door.

As they crossed the parking lot he kept his head down, hands in his pockets. ”Nice party.”

”Yeah.” Kaitlan hugged herself against the cold.

In the Mustang, Craig put the top up for the drive home.

Kaitlan focused out the window, watching familiar streets go by. They no longer looked friendly.

Somewhere out there lay a woman's body. Kaitlan realized she hadn't noticed if the woman wore a wedding ring. Was some husband going crazy with worry? Children?

Surely by now she'd been reported missing.

They reached Kaitlan's apartment. Her heart pounded and her limbs felt brittle. If Craig touched her she'd break apart.

Please stay in the car.

He pulled up behind her Corolla and cut the engine. ”I'll see you inside.”

The words. .h.i.t like stones. She opened her door and got out.

Crickets' pulsing songs grated her ears. A chilling breeze lifted a strand of her hair, popping goose b.u.mps down her arms.

The surrounding forest was so dark.

How had she ever felt safe here? The night seemed to have a thousand eyes.

Her footsteps sounded loud as she approached the door and unlocked it. Stepping inside her kitchen, she could feel Craig's looming presence at her back.