Chapter 3

 

 

The next morning, Erin awoke as the alarm sounded.  To her surprise, Mark was not in the bed beside her. 

”Could he have gotten up early for a change?”  Erin thought.  She stepped out of the room and into the kitchen to see if there was any coffee brewing.  Mark was asleep on the couch.  “No doubt making his point from last night.”  Erin reminded herself.  She paid him no mind and started a pot of coffee.  Then, as silently as she had emerged from the room, she returned to prepare for her shower.  She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeming upset that he had spent the evening on the couch.  For all she cared, he could have spent the night in the doghouse…if they had one.

 

Erin got her shower and prepared for her day as usual.  She slipped on a coral blouse, tan slacks, low heels and finished off the outfit with a pair of diamond studs. 

After finishing a quick cup off coffee and piece of toast in the kitchen, she went into Brandon’s room to wake him up.  She found him on the floor playing with his train set.  It was his favorite toy. 

 

“Good Morning, Bubby.”  Erin stretched out her arms and puckered her lips preparing for some lovin’ from her favorite man. 

 

“Good Morning, Mommy.” Brandon replied as he ran to her with open arms and planted a wet one on her nose.

 

“Silly boy!”  Erin chuckled.  “Let’s get dressed and then you can have a banana and a sippy cup in the car, on the way to daycare, ok?”

 

“OK Mommy.”  Brandon smiled.

 

Erin managed to get Brandon ready and out the door without Mark even noticing.  She knew that he was not going to be too pleased that there was no one there to wake him up and remind him to be a grown up.  But she had her own point to make.  She wanted him to know that she valued herself and that she wasn’t going to allow him to bully her into a “my way or the highway” view on their life together. 

 

Erin got Brandon to daycare and called her office on the cell phone.

 

“Judy?”  She waited for the familiar voice to confirm their identity.  “Hi, it’s Erin.  I won’t be in today.  I need to take one of my personal days, ok.”  She was silent for a moment.  “Yes, I might need tomorrow off as well.  I am not sure yet.  Have Barb cover for me, ok.  Thanks Judy.”  With that she hung up.  “Operation ‘Get to the Bottom of Things’ has now commenced.”  She said aloud, psyching herself up for the day’s adventure.

 

Erin had acquired many business cards over the years as people had visited her at the MRI center.  One that she had held particularly close was the card to a private investigation firm:  Williams & Parker, PI- the card read. 

 

Mr. Ty Williams had come in for a few MRIs over the years.  They were all follow-ups from a car accident that had occurred while he was on one of his cases.  The accident itself wasn’t much to report about, but the damage that it did to the 59 year-old man’s body was something else.  He had a fractured spine, herniated disks, and a mild concussion. 

 

Erin liked Mr. Williams a lot.  He had a mild manner and keen perception.  He had given Erin his card and said that if she ever needed anything looked into, to contact him.  Today was the day she was going to take him up on that offer. 

 

Erin drove into downtown that morning and to her surprise, the building was not difficult to find.  On any other day she could get lost in her own backyard, but she seemed to find the building easily.  She took that as a good sign.

 

When she entered the lobby, she scanned the directory to confirm the location of Mr. William’s suite. 

 

“4201- 4^th floor.” She read aloud. 

 

When she arrived at the office and approached the receptionist, she had a sudden desire to flee.  More than half of her wanted to tuck her tail in between her legs and run 100 miles an hour the opposite direction. This was one of the reasons she decided to go there in person, instead of calling ahead from her cell.  She didn’t want to lose her nerve. 

 

“Hi.  My name is Erin McCoy.  I don’t have an appointment, but I personally know Mr. Williams and he told me that I could stop by if I ever needed anything…” she knew that she needed to finish that sentence…”looked into.”

 

“Of course, Ms. McCoy.  Give me just a moment to ring him in his office.”  The receptionist said, smiling.

 

Within two minutes, Ty rounded the corner, about to bust with pride that Erin had taken him up on his offer. 

 

“Erin!  Dear friend.  So happy to see you; please come back to my office.”  He said as he motioned her into the hallway. 

 

Mr. Williams pointed her to a powder blue wingback chair that sat diagonally from his chair behind the desk.  Instantly Erin was reminded of her special chair.  She wasn’t sure if it was Ty’s familiar face or the chair that made it so easy for her to express her concerns aloud.  Whatever it was, she was grateful for it. 

 

After about ten minutes of Erin spilling everything that she knew about Mark’s routine and smoking and excuses, she looked at Ty with a look that asked, “Am I crazy?”

 

“First, let me start with this.  You are not crazy.”  Ty knew that she needed to hear that.

 

Part of Erin was relieved.  More of Erin was terrified. 

 

“What does this mean?”  Erin asked, fully expecting to get a 2 plus 2 equals 4 answer. 

 

“I am not sure yet.”  Said Ty  “but it definitely warrants looking into.” 

 

“Wouldn’t it be easier to not know?”  Erin wringed her hands and asked the question more to God than to Ty.

 

“It might be easier, but it wouldn’t be fair to you…or honest.”  Ty’s words were right on the money.  He reminded her of her father.

 

“Mark is out of the house by 9 most nights and he usually doesn’t return until 11 or 12.”

 

“Every night?”  Ty asked…sounding shocked.

 

“With few exceptions.”  Erin said as she looked down at her feet.

 

“Erin,” Ty started after a long pause.  “I think it might be best if you and Brandon got out of town for a few days.  I’m not sure what I am going to find out, but I think that it would help Mark let his guard down and that’s just what we need right now.”

 

“I really wanted to be a part of the investigation, if possible.”  Erin interjected. 

 

“Would you be able to get someone to watch Brandon?”  Ty asked.

 

“That’s not a problem.  My parents would love some time with him.”  Erin was confident. 

 

“Then I suggest that tonight you tell Mark about a business trip that you have to make out of town. Tell him that your parents have volunteered to take Brandon for the days that you’ll be gone.”  Ty sounded as though he had suggested this before.  “Then I want you to book yourself a room, preferably downtown, so that you are outside of his normal travel area.  Call me tomorrow morning and we will set up a time to get started.”

 

Erin nodded her head, relieved that she wasn’t alone in this anymore.  Ty would be a great ally. 

 

“We haven’t discussed money.”  Erin began.  “What do your services normally run?”

 

“We will discuss money after we have put a lid on things, kiddo.”  Ty smiled.  “Don’t worry, you’re going to get a ‘friends and family’ discount.”

 

On the way home, Erin decided to swing by her parent’s house to make sure that they would be able to watch Brandon.  She found her mother, Jane, outside gardening.  Her father, Lee, was busy working on his lawnmower in the garage.    Retirement hadn’t slowed them down at all.

 

“Erin!”  Her mother beamed and lifted her head to see past the large rim of her straw hat. 

 

“How elegant, mother!”  Erin raised her eyebrows.  “You look like Scarlet O’Hara in that hat.  Of course, I don’t believe that she would have been caught dead in those capris.” 

 

“What are you doing here?”  Her mother asked.  “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?  Is everything ok?”

 

“Actually, I need to ask you and dad a favor.  Could we sit on the porch together for a minute?”  Erin asked.

 

“Of course, sweetheart.  Let me get your father.  You go ahead and sit down.  We’ll be right there.”  Her mother immediately stopped what she was doing and went into the garage to get her father.

 

“Lee,” Her mother called.  “Erin is on the porch.  She needs to ask us a favor.”

 

“Why on earth didn’t she call?”  Lee asked looking somewhat puzzled.

 

“I don’t know.  It must be important.”  Jane looked concerned.

 

They made their way, together, onto the porch and sat down next to their daughter.

 

“What is it sweetheart?”  Her mother began.

 

“The truth is, I’m not sure yet.  Mark and I are having some problems and I was wondering if you two wouldn’t mind watching Brandon for me for a few days?”

 

“My little buddy?”  Lee smiled.  “Of course!  He’s welcome with us anytime.”

 

“I’m going to tell Mark that I am on a business trip.  I really just need a break for a few days.  I’m going to book a room downtown and I will give you the number.  It’s just…” she hesitated, “Mark can’t know where I am.”  Erin hoped that her parents wouldn’t ask her any questions.  She never could lie to them, or anyone for that matter.

 

“Erin, has Mark hurt you or Brandon?”  Her father asked.

 

“No dad, that’s not it.  When I get back, I will tell you more if I can.  I just need a break right now, that’s all.”  It was all that Erin could get out, but her parents both knew there had to be more.

 

After a brief visit, Erin returned home and began to pack her bags and Brandon’s.  She picked up Brandon from daycare and took him over to her parent’s house.

She then called into work and requested to use some of her vacation days for the rest of the week.  She made sure to cite that she had personal business that needed tending to. 

 

Everything was in order, except for the fact that she had to get her story past Mark.  This would be the first lie of any consequence that she had ever told him.

 

“I am going to be leaving for a few days.  Maybe he will put forth an extra effort to spend time with me.”  Erin knew that she was thinking rather optimistically, but what was the alternative?

 

As Mark opened the door to his home that evening, the smell of homemade chicken and dumplings and peach cobbler rolled over him like a wave. 

 

“Honey, I’m home!”  Mark called. 

 

“I’m in the kitchen.”  Erin responded,  “Why don’t you go clean up and meet me in the dining room?”

 

Mark went to take a shower as Erin set the table.  He returned a few minutes later in his flannel pants, a tee shirt and slippers. 

 

Mark sat down and began loading his plate with the chicken and dumplings.  Erin had thought long and hard about how to casually bring up that she would be leaving town tomorrow, but there was no way to slip into that subject.  She decided to just blurt it out.

 

“I have to go out of town for a few days to a convention.  Brandon is going to stay with my folks.  He’s over there right now.”  She was relieved to have gotten that far.

 

“When did you find this out?”  Mark asked.

 

“Just today.  Sorry I didn’t call you at work, but I figured that it wouldn’t really make much difference if you found out then or when you got home.”  Erin’s disposition seemed surprisingly easygoing to Mark. 

 

“Why such short notice?”  Mark inquired.

 

“Well, Becky was going to go and represent the facility, but she’s got some sort of flu, so they asked if I would fill in.  I hope that you don’t mind.”  Erin seemed sincere.

 

“No, that’s fine.”  Said Mark.  “It might do you good to have a few days away.  We have kind of been down each other’s throats lately.”

 

“I agree.  Now let’s eat up before everything gets cold.”  Erin heaped a helping of dumplings onto her plate and then folded her hands to indicate that it was time to say grace.  She knew that tonight, especially, she needed God’s forgiveness.  She had lied to her husband.

 

The rest of dinner was spent in silence.  Erin wasn’t trying to snub Mark but it was becoming more and more difficult to create an alternate reality than the one that she was living. 

 

Later that evening, Mark was flipping through a fishing magazine on the coffee table. 

 

“No doubt selecting his bathroom reading for the night.”  Erin noted.

 

Mark seemed satisfied with the one that he was thumbing through and he took it with him into the bedroom.  Erin knew that this meant she had about 20 minutes to herself.  She actually wanted to be alone for a change.

 

Erin prepared herself the perfect cup of hot jasmine tea and stepped outside onto the porch for some fresh night air.  The aroma from the tea, mixed with the sweet, earthy scent of the gardenia’s surrounding her back porch was enough to send Erin to heaven for a few minutes.  Her mind drifted far away, remembering happier days and times.  She played over and over the day that Brandon was born and how much joy he brought into their lives.  She thought about the trip to the mountains that they had always planned to take and how much fun her son would have riding horseback.  Life seemed simpler on the back porch with a cup of hot tea.

 

Before Erin knew it, twenty minutes had passed and she could hear the toilet flush as Mark emerged from the bedroom. 

 

Erin made no attempt to reenter the house.  She was perfectly happy where she was and she did not intend to return until she had finished her tea.  Of course, this didn’t matter to Mark.  He exited the house about five minutes later, lit a cigarette and made his way off of the porch without so much as a word to Erin.