Page 5 of Drowning in Lies
Chris came back in to catch the tail end of that conversation and said he would go out and make sure Scott had called their aunt. "I'll call John and have him reach out to the other guys in the league as well."
"Oh, we should probably let Vanessa know too. If you send me her number, I'll call her."
"No, that's ok, Sherry. I'll call her but thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you guys." I hugged her, the tears flowing again.
I went into the study to have a few quiet moments to make the calls. Randall was stunned, of course, and was in tears himself by the end of the call. The calls to Leo and Jason, David's old fraternity brothers, went much the same way. I sighed heavily as I dialed Vanessa's number, but the call went to voicemail. I left a message simply asking her to call me.
By the time I returned to the living room, it appeared that most everyone was gone except for Det. Horton and Officer Fremont.
"I've spoken with Mr. Decker regarding the next steps in this process, but if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be in touch as soon as the coroner completes his examination and submits his report. Unfortunately, your husband's body cannot be released until that time. I would imagine that will be within the next 48 hours or so, though. We do need to collect the boat, in case it is needed to piece together what happened. Officer Fremont will stay here until the impound lot can send a boat trailer out to retrieve it. They should be here within the hour, and it will be returned once the investigation is complete."
I tried to give him a grateful smile, but I wasn't sure my face actually moved. That complete numbness was creeping in again, and I felt like I was frozen from the inside out.
After giving me his condolences again, he and the officer left.
The sudden quiet was unnerving. Chris told me that Scott had left to go break the news to his Aunt Jenny in person. "He said he will call you in the morning."
"Go pack a bag, honey, you're coming home with us for a few days," Sherry said, glancing at Chris who nodded in agreement.
"I don't even have the strength to argue with you right now," I admitted tearfully.
I went upstairs, pausing in the bedroom doorway. "I can do this. I can get through this," I repeated to myself as I walked over and opened the door to my walk-in closet. I quickly filled a small carry-on bag with some basic essentials before moving to the bathroom to grab my toiletry bag. I paused as I smelled the faint scent of David's cologne, and my stomach rolled as a wave of nausea hit me. I dropped the bag and dashed for the toilet tucked away in its own little room, barely getting the lid open before I threw up. My stomach continued to heave and roll even after I'd expelled the contents.
Sherry found me a few minutes later, my body curled over the toilet bowl, skin clammy, body trembling. With a gasp, she helped me to my feet and guided me to the sink. I managed to rinse my mouth out, before picking up the bag I'd dropped and getting out my toothbrush and toothpaste. I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth thoroughly, then splashed cold water on my face. Looking in the mirror, I hardly recognized myself. My long blonde hair was a tangled mess, the result of running my hands through it far too many times this evening. My face was shockingly pale, my eyes sunken and red-rimmed. My cheeks were hollowed from my recent weight loss, which didn't help my appearance. Extended grief was an effective, if unhealthy, weight loss plan.
"I can't...I can't stand to be here right now," I cried softly. "Please, can we just go?"
"Sure, Lila. We can leave right now if you want to."
Chris carried my bag and hustled me out to his car while Sherry locked up the house and set the alarm. As we drove, Chris shared what he and the detective had discussed.
"Based on what they have so far, the police consider this an accidental drowning unless the autopsy shows differently."
"What do you mean?" I asked in alarm.
"Well, they will check for any medical reason for him to have fallen in. He said they will also run a Tox Screen. Someone from the coroner's office will call tomorrow morning. They will need the name and contact info for David's doctor, and a list of medications, that sort of thing."
"OK, we see the same primary doctor, so I have that information, and the only medication he ever took were the sleeping pills for his insomnia, and an occasional Tylenol. His pill prescription ran out the other day and he hadn't gotten it refilled yet, so he hadn't even taken that."
Chris nodded. "I hope it's OK, but I instructed Detective Horton to have them call me, so you didn't have to deal with it. As your legal counsel, I can act on your behalf with the coroner's office and the police department."
"I need legal counsel?" I asked, my voice rising.
"No, not like that," he assured me. "I just meant that as an attorney, I can step in as a liaison."
I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Chris. I'm so glad you guys were here with me tonight."
"David's cellphone and the cooler were taken as evidence, and they will be released along with the boat. I don't think it will take more than a couple of days. It's just routine procedure, so it will be pretty cut and dried once the coroner's report is complete."
The conversation trailed off at that point, and I was grateful for the chance to gather my thoughts. As always, I needed to plan. There would be so much to do now. Funeral arrangements and dealing with his partnership at the firm were the priorities. I would need to speak to Randall about that at some point, I supposed, but in the meantime, I trusted him to keep everything running smoothly. Insurance, bank accounts, investment portfolios, my mental list kept growing. By the time we arrived at their house, I felt ready to shatter into a thousand pieces. When I said as much to Sherry, Chris assured me that they would help me every step of the way.
"One of my friends from law school specializes in wills and estates. I can have him help you with the legal aspects of all of that, and Sherry and I can help you with everything else. Text me the doctor's contact info now, so I'll have it when they call me. If you know which pharmacy he used, send me that too in case they need it." I nodded and got my phone out of my purse. He thanked me when his cell pinged with my text a few moments later.
Once I was settled into their guest room for the night, I climbed into bed and tried to slow my racing thoughts. My mind continued to spin, running over the events of the last seven months, and trying to think through the process for getting through the next few days at least. I didn't seem to have any tears left for the moment, and laid there dry-eyed, staring at the ceiling as my mind whirled in ten different directions. Sheer exhaustion eventually shut my brain down sometime after four in the morning, and I slept for a few hours before waking with a start. It took a few seconds for my sleep-addled brain to realize that I was in Sherry's guest room, and the events of yesterday flooded my mind. I continued to lie in bed, reeling at the idea of my new reality. I could hear the muted sounds of Chris and Sherry going about their morning routine. Movement along the hallway, footsteps going down the stairs, the clank of dishes from the kitchen. I picked up my cellphone from the nightstand to check the time. It was 8:21. Time to face the day, whether I was ready to or not.
I got up and carried my toiletry bag into the attached bathroom and was showered and dried off ten minutes later. I combed out my hair and ran the hair dryer through it until it was partially dried, before piling it on top of my head in a messy bun. I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, tucked my phone in my back pocket, then padded barefoot downstairs. I could smell the coffee, and desperately needed a cup.
Chris and Sherry looked up from the table when I walked into the kitchen to join them. Sherry's face fell as she rushed over to me to give me a hug.
