Part 32 (2/2)
It was two hours before I called Caroline. I'd gone through the videotapes, fast-forwarding through sections of them, then skimming the emails and listening to bits of conversation on the audiotapes. Sue was right. I'd be busy for a while.
”Hey, Care.”
”G.o.d, I thought you'd never call. My stomach's been doing flip-flops for hours. So?”
”Come pick me up. We'll go for a drive in the mountains, to our usual spot. I'll tell you on the way.”
”Be there in five minutes. Oh, wait ... I have to stop for gas.”
”Don't bother. We'll take the Jeep.”
When she pulled in, I ran downstairs with the shopping bag.
”What's that?” she asked as I approached.
”Everything. You drive.”
I handed her the keys and we hopped in.
”So how bad is it?” she asked.
”Pretty bad.”
”Is he ... cheating?”
”Looks like it.”
”Oh, man.” Caroline shook her head sadly, then reached over and touched my hand. ”I'm so sorry, Gwyn. I swear. I never would have believed it.”
”Sue didn't catch him in the actual act. From the looks of it, he stopped seeing Sylvia recently, maybe for his own reasons, or maybe because he thinks I might check up on him. That's what Sue thinks. It all looks pretty suspicious.”
”So what are you going to do?”
”I don't know. I want you to look at the tape. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong.”
”As soon as we get back.”
”Can I leave this stuff with you?” I pointed to the shopping bag. ”I can't take it home, and I want to study it some more.”
”Of course. And I promise I won't look at it unless you're there.”
”Doesn't matter. You might as well. You might see something I missed.”
”What about Craig?” she asked. ”Did Sue find out anything about him?”
”Yes. He's been spotted here in Glenwood. She thinks they'll grab him if he sticks around.”
Caroline's eyes opened wide. ”G.o.d, what if Craig was the one in your old house? I'll bet it was him. I mean, it makes sense. It would be easy enough for him to figure out the place is empty. All he'd have to do is drive by a few times. Probably thought it'd be a good place to hide out.”
”Yes.”
”But why is he back? He must want something.” She turned quickly to me. ”And that's another good reason for you to stay far away from there.”
We wound our way up the mountain and parked in the woods alongside the road, our spot, a stretch of dirt road we hiked often. I quickly filled Caroline in on Wolfgang.
”What?” she said. ”This gets worse and worse. How could Linda stay with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?” She shook her head, then stared out the winds.h.i.+eld. ”G.o.d, Wolfgang could be the one Kelly was talking about in her letter. Craig might be innocent. Maybe he only ran because he knew no one would believe him. Maybe he came back to look for proof to clear himself.”
”It's possible. Hey, Care, do you ever remember Kelly talking about someone with the initials, T.D.?”
”T.D.? No, why?”
”Oh, I read something in one of her journals. It just got me thinking. Maybe there's a connection somehow.”
”Did she write anything about Wolfgang?”
”Not that I saw, but some of her journals, the most recent ones, are missing.”
”Who took them?”
”I don't know.”
Caroline drew a sharp intake of air. ”Wolfgang. Or Craig. Yeah. Maybe he knew about Kelly's journals. The guy practically lived with her. Maybe he thought he'd find some answers in them. Maybe he did.” She looked over at me. ”Maybe he's filling in the puzzle pieces before he goes to the police.”
We drove back to Caroline's apartment and she viewed the video scene between Trevor and Sylvia.
”G.o.d, she's such a b.i.t.c.h,” was the first thing out of Care's mouth. ”How could Trevor even like her?”
”Maybe he likes the s.e.x.”
”This tape doesn't really prove anything. It looks bad, but it doesn't prove that Trevor's nailing her.”
”It's okay, Care. Don't try to defend him. I know how it looks.”
I handed over a few of the emails.
She read one aloud, mimicking Sylvia's syrupy sing-song voice. ”I can't wait to see you today, baby. Let's go to our favorite restaurant. I want to be alone with you. I miss you. I can't keep my mind on my work. Meet me at twelve-thirty. Don't be late.”
”And this is Trevor's reply,” she said. ”Don't wait for me. My meeting with Larry could run long. I'll try to make it, but I'll let you know.”
Care looked over to me. ”This does not sound like a man in the throes of a love like none he's ever known. He's barely civil to her.” She read a few more emails, then gazed up. ”And it looks like all these are like this. Trevor is short with her, doesn't say anything even remotely romantic. He's almost rude.”
”Yes, it could be over. I agree. But the point is ...was he having an affair with her? Even if Trevor only used Sylvia to cement this condo project, or slept with her out of s.e.xual curiosity, or just wanted to feel up her great t.i.ts, it doesn't matter. If he f.u.c.ked her, we're through.”
”Yeah.”
We flipped through some of the photographs, Trevor and Sylvia at lunch, she leaning in, whispering something into his ear. Trevor and Sylvia outside the restaurant, Trevor's hand behind her back, helping her across the street. It was an intimate gesture, but one that could also be viewed as polite, depending on what you wanted to see. I'd seen Trevor do the same type of thing with his mother. One of the many photograhs that could easily be misinterpreted. Like Sue said.
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