Epilogue
Edie sat on the floor and fingered the loose floorboard. She kept lifting it up and dropping it back in place. Picking it up and dropping it. The same motion continued over and over again. She finally decided to pick the floorboard up completely. She felt underneath and began taking things out.
Paperwork.
Letter.
Melted cup.
Black dress.
Flannel shirt.
Two keys.
Two keys? Edie went over the list in her head. Paperwork, letter, melted cup, black dress, flannel shirt, key. She repeated the words to herself again. Paperwork, letter, melted cup, black dress, flannel shirt, key. There should have only been one key. Tim hadn’t mentioned two.
When she checked underneath the floor before, she had rushed. She didn’t notice the extra key. She searched for what her brother told her would be there and once she found those items, she stopped looking. Edie swept her hand under the floor making sure she hadn’t missed anything else. Nothing.
Edie held the keys up to her face. One of them was a handcuff key. She knew what they looked like after carrying one for years as a cop. The second one was for now, just a key. “What do you unlock?” Edie asked the key. She replaced all of the other items and dropped the floorboard in place. She put the mystery key in her pocket and stood up.
The house was a mess. Edie tore the house apart looking for anything that the key would unlock. She plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. All that was left was the closet. After a few moments of taking a break, Edie stood up and took a deep breath. She opened the storage closet where she had put all of Calista’s clothes and things. She had put her things in the bigger closet, not wanting to disturb anything of her sister-in-law’s before her brother could go through it.
Edie went through all of the pockets, looked in all of the shoes, and was removing everything from the top shelf. She moved a box of old clothes and was about to go through the box when she saw it. A small chest. Edie cocked her head to the side and smiled. This was it, she thought.
She took the chest off of the shelf and carried it over to the nightstand. She took the key out of her pocket and placed it in the keyhole. The key slid in perfectly. She turned the key to the left and heard a click. Edie closed her eyes and breathed in. She opened the chest and found a single letter inside. Edie picked up the letter. It was to Calista from a woman named Sarah.
To my beautiful neighbor Calista,
I am going to begin this letter by just coming out and saying it. I had a feeling you were sleeping with my husband. Please understand this is not a letter of threat or shaming. I am writing this letter to let you know I understand. Ben is a handsome man and you are a gorgeous woman. The hours Tim and I work are long and take us away from our families. Tim loves you and for this reason I will not let him know what has happened between you and my husband. You see, Calista, this has happened before, so I do not blame you. Ben has a hard time staying faithful, even after the birth of our beautiful children. It is an issue that has tainted our marriage for years, but I refuse to give up on him. This is why we must move. We need a fresh start, away from the lonely housewives. I know what it is like to be a lonely housewife, Calista. A lonely housewife is dangerous, devious, and detrimental to the beautiful Sapphire Court that is my home. I was a lonely housewife once. That is how I met Ben. Once I began growing this company and making a life for myself with work and friends, I was no longer alone in Brookston. Please take my place in the neighborhood’s book club, “Books, Booze, and Bitches.” I know the four other ladies there will absolutely adore you. They will be your friends and they will protect you with all they have. I have already spoken about you to them, Calista. They know all about your wit and charm and I have ensured they will welcome you with open arms, unknowing of the deception you pulled on me. The meeting is at 8 pm sharp on Thursday. Don’t be late.
Your former neighbor,
Sarah xoxo
Edie turned the letter over and on the back, in the bottom left corner was something written very small. So small, Edie almost missed it.
I am going to find out what happened to Miles.
