Page 37 of Drowning in Lies
With a final look around the space that was as trashy and disgusting as Vanessa was, I picked up the box of photos and walked out, closing the door on this particular piece of nasty history.
Sherry called me later that evening to see how my day had gone, and I told her about finding the ring, purse, and shoes that Vanessa had stolen, as well as the pictures I had taken with me. She came up with a few creative ideas for them, including using them as a dartboard and photoshopping devil horns on David, and the word "whore" on Vanessa's forehead. I assured her we would figure out something suitably petty to do with them.
I reminded her that I was driving up to Chicago in the morning and would return Thursday evening or sometime Friday.
"Drive safely, and I'll see you Saturday. Maybe we can try that new Thai place downtown for lunch."
"Sounds good, I'll meet you there at noon," I said, before hanging up.
The following morning, I began the three hour drive to Chicago. Mom's house was in the Lincoln Park suburb, on a beautiful tree-lined street filled with stately homes and gorgeous architecture. I had always loved it. I put my small suitcase in the guest bedroom I always stayed in, then walked through the house room by room, making a list of everything that still needed to be done. I had already spoken to the realtor and had made arrangements to sell the house with all of the furnishings included, aside from a few pieces that had sentimental value. Those, I had already arranged to have shipped to Indianapolis. I had already donated all of Mom's clothing, shoes and housewares to a local organization that helped homeless mothers get back on their feet. All that was really left to pack up were photos, a few special books, and her jewelry, along with a few other odds and ends.
Since I had emptied out the refrigerator before leaving the last time, I ran to the neighborhood market to buy some snacks and drinks, along with some pastries for breakfast, and grabbed a sandwich at the nearby deli to take back for my lunch.
I ate lunch on the back patio, enjoying the mild weather. I planned to spend the rest of the day packing things up, leaving tomorrow free for me to explore the area and just relax and unwind from the stress I'd been under. I loved the Lincoln Park Conservatory and decided that would be the perfect place to wander around.
Later that evening, I was flipping through the TV channels while waiting for the pizza delivery. When the doorbell rang, I grabbed the cash that I'd gotten from my wallet for the tip and glanced through the peephole before opening the front door. The mouth-watering scent of the traditional Chicago deep-dish pizza wafted out of the box as the young man handed it over, and he thanked me for the generous tip. I closed the door with my hip, since my hands were full of the large, very warm box of pizza. I hurried to the kitchen to set it down, then grabbed a paper plate and napkins from the pantry.
I returned to the living room with my pizza and came to an abrupt halt, gasping at the sight of the tall, extremely well-built man stepping through the front door, which I hadn't stopped to lock again after the pizza was delivered.
He looked up and met my shocked stare with a look of apology. "Hello, Princess. Sorry if I startled you."
I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the sound of the deep voice with the faintest hint of an Irish brogue. "That's all right. I just wasn't expecting you. Did my Uncle Pat send you?"
"He did, indeed, although I would have come anyway once I realized you were in town."
He smiled then, and I thought - not for the first time - how handsome he looked when the normally stern lines of his face relaxed. He crossed the room and took the plate from me, setting it on the coffee table. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me, rubbing my back lightly as I relaxed against him.
I pulled away slightly and looked up at him. "It's good to see you, Liam," I said, gazing into the eyes of the man who had murdered my husband for me.
Chapter 21: The Beginning of the end
Flashback to August 3rd...
As the Uber driver dropped me off at my house, I was utterly and completed exhausted.It had been a long three days, and the red-eye flight back home from Chicago this morning hadn't helped.When I'd gotten the call that my mother had tripped and fallen down a small flight of stairs in her home in Chicago, I'd caught the first flight there.
Her MS had gotten worse in recent years, and she had become very unsteady on her feet at times.She had broken her arm and cracked a couple of ribs, but luckily, the bump on her head hadn't turned out to be too serious.After two days in the hospital, she had been sent to a skilled nursing facility yesterday to recuperate and would probably be there for a few weeks.
I'd flown home to pack more than just the basics that I'd taken with me the first time and planned to drive back to Chicago.I wanted to be there to help support Mom as much as possible.She was worried that she wouldn't be able to continue living alone, and the idea of losing her independence was difficult for her to face. I had already assured her that she would be welcome to move in with David and me, but she was worried about 'becoming a burden' on us. There really was no other solution though.
Mom's brother and nephews lived in Chicago, but she didn't see them often.The relationship was...complicated.I had been surprised when my cousin Conor had shown up in Mom's hospital room the first night.
That was when I learned that her brother, my Uncle Pat, had kept tabs on Mom for years, out of concern for her safety.Conor, his son and second-in-command of the Family, had been sent to visit Mom since Uncle Pat was a little too recognizable.I hadn't seen Conor since I was a little girl.He had been in college then, if I remembered right.Conor had brought one of his top men with him, introducing Liam to me as the one in charge of Mom's security detail. I was surprised that Mom hadn't told me that her brother's men had been her silent shadows for years, but she said she hadn't wanted to worry me.
It was obvious that she knew Liam well, and he stayed for an hour or so after Conor had left that night and returned for a visit the following day as well.Before he left, he had given me a burner phone with his number programmed in.
"Use this to contact me if you need anything. I can pass on messages to Conor or The Boss for you as well," he'd instructed me.
I had told him that I would be flying home early this morning and would drive back tomorrow evening.He'd assured me that he would check in on Mom at the rehabilitation facility while I was gone and would call me with updates daily.
Walking into the quiet house, I was still disappointed that David had gone to Louisville last night. I'd been upset when he told me - because I missed him and needed him - but I had understood.He had meetings there for the next two days, and he couldn't miss them. They had just entered the final stages of the project he and his team had been working on for months. His frequent trips to Louisville, and the long hours he had to put in at the office when he was here, were taking their toll on our relationship.There was a distance between us that had been growing for months, since before my miscarriage even.But I was starting to feel better now, starting to come out of the fog that I had been in for so long now, and I was anxious to get back to theusthat we used to be.
Later that morning, I was relaxing on the deck when I got a call from my boss at the publishing house asking me to check on some documents one of her authors needed.I cursed as I realized that in my haste to get to the airport on time this morning, I'd left my damned laptop behind at Mom's house. The weather was beautiful today - not too hot and humid, which was rare for Indiana in August.It would have been nice to be able to stay out here to work, rather than being stuck using the desktop computer we had. As I walked inside, I remembered that I still had my old laptop in the storage closet in the office. I hadn't bothered disposing of it yet, after getting a new one at the beginning of the year.
I grabbed it and went back out to the deck, plugging the charger cord into the outlet next to the grilling station.It took a few minutes for it to boot up, and I searched for the file containing the information for this particular author.I had them saved by the author's name.
As I scrolled down to the V's, trying to locate Vivian LeGrand's name, I noticed a number of files labeled Video, followed by the date.What really caught my eye was the most recent date - only two days ago.That was odd, since this laptop had been stuck on a shelf in the closet for months now.
With a frown, I clicked on the file, and the video appeared on the screen.It was of our home office, showing David sitting at his desk going over something with Vanessa.I turned the volume up, and half-listened as they discussed invoices for some project at work.
