Devotion Read online

  I grab my phone. "It's okay. I found something."

  65

  Annette

  "How was she today?" I ask Ava's teacher as I pick her up.

  "Fantastic. She had an incredible day."

  "That's wonderful," I reply as I stroke Ava's head and give her a smile. "Your mommy will be so pleased to hear. Now what do we say to Mrs. Roberts?"

  "Thank you," Ava says as she wraps her arms around her teacher.

  "You're most welcome, Ava."

  "Come along, honey," I say, offering Ava my hand. "We need to go home and relax."

  "Can I play iPad?"

  Ava had been using my iPad like it's a drug giving her less and less of a high with each session. Katherine has an older clunky model at her house, so it's no surprise that Ava has thrown herself into mine the way she has. The best part for me is how the device keeps the kid busy. It's less time I have to waste interacting with her.

  "We'll see. Depends what Mommy says, okay?"

  Half defeated, Ava's shoulders drop along with her smile. "That means no, doesn't it?"

  "No, it means we'll see, okay?"

  Ava takes her eyes off me as we walk to the parking lot. Katherine tries to limit how much time Ava spends on the iPad, but with everything that's been going on, Katherine's too distracted to care.

  The drive home is as boring as always until we reach my house. "What's all this?" I call out.

  "Auntie Annette?" Ava asks me in the rearview mirror.

  We both stare out at a police car parked in the driveway with its lights on. "I don't know. I think we need to give your mommy a call, though."

  Snatching my cell out from my handbag, I dial Katherine and listen as my call goes to voicemail. "Hello, Kat. It's Annette. Is everything okay? I'm outside my house with Ava and there's a police car sitting here. Talk to you soon."

  I hang up and watch as Ava's eyes bulge in the mirror. "Is Mommy okay?"

  "I'm sure she is, but I think we should see what's going on first."

  Ava nods sharply. I watch her eyes jump from one spot to the next as she attempts to understand the situation.

  I turn around to Ava and grab her focus. "I need to have a look inside. Can you stay in the car for me?"

  "Will you lock the doors?" Ava asks.

  "Of course. Now don't stress. I'll be back in a minute."

  Ava nods again with her mouth open, not removing her eyes from the flashing lights.

  I exit my sedan and lock the doors as promised. Taking things slowly, I approach my front door with caution. "Interesting," I mutter when I find the entrance ajar. The last thing I want to do is walk into the middle of a few stressed-out police officers, so I knock on my own door. "Hello?"

  Silence.

  I poke my head inside and put on a face that registers shock. If Katherine or the police see me, I need them to think I'm unaware of what has happened. To be honest, I didn't expect Katherine to call the cops when I bashed on the back door a few hours ago. She really believes it was Corey who attacked her. I guess timing this piece of psychological drama with his student-free time did the trick.

  "Annette?" Katherine calls from upstairs. I can hear terror in her struggling voice. I don't doubt she'll attempt to join the dots and blame Corey for the disturbance. Again, though, he has the perfect alibi. I made sure Barry dropped in to check on him during his student-free time to see how things were going. He loved my idea and had an in-depth conversation with Corey while I was out terrorizing Katherine.

  A male and a female police officer walk down the stairs ahead of Katherine. They each have a glazed-over look in their eyes like they've had to listen to her life story. If Katherine called them not long after I started the banging, then they must have been chatting to her for a while.

  "Annette!" Katherine calls to me as she rushes through the officers down the stairs. She runs with open arms and wraps herself around me. "I'm so glad you're home. He tried to get to me while I was alone. He tried to break in."

  "Break in? Who?"

  Through a mess of tears, Katherine replies. "Corey. He knew I was by myself and came here when he had no kids to teach so no one would suspect a thing."

  "Are you sure?"

  Katherine confirms what she believes while twitching as if she is unable to contain her emotions.

  "Did you see him?"

  She shakes her head too far left and right like a child trying to avoid getting into trouble with their parents. It's like staring into Ava's eyes for a moment. "No, but I heard him yelling out as he tried to break the back door."

  "Ma'am," says one officer to me, stepping forward. Her fists cling to the utility belt at her sides. "As I said to Mrs. Grayson before, that yelling she picked up on was my colleague here calling out."

  "I know what I heard," Katherine snaps over her shoulder at the officer. The policewoman throws her hands up in defeat and turns away from us, muttering to her partner.

  I contain the smile begging to crack through as I witness Katherine's rapid descent into madness take shape. Wait until she finds out that Corey was in a room with the school's principal during the break-in attempt.

  Katherine grabs my arms. "Hang on. Where's Ava? Why isn't she with you?"

  "It's okay. She's safe in my car out front. I locked the doors and the child lock is also engaged. She's perfectly fine. We'll go grab her in a moment."

  Katherine exhales slowly as she releases me. "Thank you. If anything ever happened to her, I don't know what I'd do."

  "Nothing will ever happen to her," I reply.

  "Okay. You're right. She's safe. She'll always be safe."

  "Ma'am," the male officer says to me, ignoring Katherine's muttering. "Is this your property?"

  "Yes. Katherine is staying here for a few weeks because… Well, I'm sure you know why by now."

  The officer nods as he chews gum, keeping a stoic look on his face the entire time.

  "Why do you ask?" I need to determine if they plan on investigating this at all.

  "Primarily to get an understanding of the security setup you have in the home. Do you have any cameras or an alarm system?"

  "No. Nothing like that. Just the locks on the doors."

  The officer shows no emotional response to my answer. "Can I talk to you privately for a moment?"

  I turn to Katherine. "Take my car keys and go see Ava. I'm sure a hug from her will make everything better." I hold up my keys the way I would to an excited puppy.

  "Yeah. You're right. Thank you," she says as she takes the mess of keys from my hands.

  I wait for Katherine to leave, with the other officer following her close behind. "What did you need to ask me, sir?" I say to her partner.

  "This is a little awkward, but your friend here really needs to seek some professional counseling. Maybe a therapist. She seems on edge and frankly paranoid that her husband is out to get her."

  "It's okay. I'm aware."

  "I'm sure you are, but she doesn't seem to be coping all that well and may be suffering from a form of PTSD."

  I resist scoffing at the officer's free diagnosis of Katherine's mental state. "She was attacked, so that makes sense. Can I ask if you are planning on speaking to Corey about any of this?"

  "Her husband? Of course. We need to determine his whereabouts during the incident, but I'll bet you a month's pay that he didn't do this."

  My heart rate spikes. Is he saying that he thinks someone else was here trying to gain entry to the house? I did my best to sneak out of the school without being seen while Barry distracted Corey.

  "No, I won't be surprised if this all turns out to be Mrs. Grayson's PTSD causing her to hear things that weren't really there."

  I breathe a silent sigh of relief at this terrible police officer's assumption and continue to listen to him ramble on and on about his theories that align perfectly with everything I hoped to achieve. Katherine's accusations will fall on deaf ears and only work against her.

  "Thank you for your help today. S
orry to bother you," I say to the man as he wraps up and heads for the front door to leave. Katherine carries Ava inside as the officers move toward their patrol car.

  "Are you going to arrest Corey now?" Katherine asks.

  The female officer sighs as she exchanges a look with her colleague. "He will be questioned, informally."

  "Informally? What the hell does that mean? Arrest him, right now. He did this."

  "Mrs. Grayson—"

  "Don't call me that!" Katherine shouts.

  "Try to remain calm. I can assure you we will speak to your husband and inform you if we place him under arrest for any further investigation. Okay?"

  "Thank you," I say, interjecting. I wave the two officers off and close the door.

  "This is insane," Katherine says as she places Ava down and locks the front door for me. "Corey did this. I know he did."

  Katherine continues to mutter and walks away. Apparently, I've broken her in the space of a few hours. Once Corey speaks with the police, he'll forever see Katherine as the crazy person he shouldn't have married. Now all I need to do is to be there for him. It's only a matter of time before we will be together.

  66

  Katherine

  I call the local police department for the tenth time, demanding to know when they will arrest Corey. It's been six hours since he tried to break into Annette's house to attack me and they've done nothing.

  "Don't you dare put me on hold again," I say to the officer on the other end.

  "Ma'am, as I said before, the responding officers spoke to your husband. They accounted his whereabouts for the time that you claimed someone was trying to attack you."

  "It wasn't 'someone' trying to attack me. It was Corey. And whatever he's said to your colleagues is a lie. He was here trying to silence me."

  "Ma'am, please. We're going around in circles again. I'm sorry this outcome upsets you."

  "He had no students in his classroom this afternoon. He left the school, while no one was looking, to assault me again."

  "Ma'am, he was with the principal during the same timeframe you claim he was trying to break into your friend's home. Now I'm no detective but that paints a clear picture that your husband is innocent of any—"

  I jab my finger at my cell to end the call and throw the damn thing down on Annette's dining table. "He's lying. Corey couldn't have been with Barry." I slam my elbows on the hard surface and wrap my hands around my face.

  Annette sits down beside me. "Are you okay?"

  I feel tears worm their way through the gaps in my fingers and pull my arms away from my head. "No, I'm not. This is all so crazy. How could Corey have been with Barry?"

  Annette flashes me an awkward smile that tells me she knows something I won't be happy to hear.

  "Was Corey with Barry?"

  "Yes," she says. "They had a long meeting. Just the two of them. Barry wanted to see how everything was going with the promotion and with you."

  My mouth falls open. "Barry must be in on it. Maybe they're working together to—"

  Annette's hand drops to my wrist. "Come on, Kat. We both know that can't be true."

  I shake my head. "It has to be. Otherwise what the hell does this all mean? I didn't imagine the noises."

  "No one is saying you did. But maybe the stress you've been experiencing has manifested itself into something strange."

  "No, no, no," I say. "That's a load of crap. What I heard today was more than noise. I felt the vibrations through the core of this house. Corey was here to finish what he started. He may have you all fooled, but I won't rest until I see him behind bars or worse."

  "Kat, please—"

  "No. Forget it. I don't want to hear any more theories or excuses. I know what I know." Feeling a shudder run down my spine, I push myself back and stand, moving away from the dining table and Annette. I shouldn't be getting mad at her, but I can't help the rage flowing through my body.

  Frustrated, I walk off before I say something to Annette I'll truly regret, so I drag myself upstairs to the spare room I've been sleeping in these last few days. Ava is already asleep down the hall.

  As I am about to give up on this day and go to bed, I hear a car pull up outside the front of Annette's house. A tightness grabs me, compelling me to investigate by looking through the window. Gently, I draw the curtain aside and look down to see a police car.

  "What now?" I say out loud, wondering what more the police have to say for themselves. Maybe they didn't enjoy me hanging up before. If only they could appreciate how uptight I'm feeling. Corey attacked me for reasons I can't understand and got away with it. And this afternoon, he came for me again to finish the job.

  I let the curtain fall into place and cover the window again. If the police want to talk to me, they can come up here and knock on my door. I refuse to help them after the way they've treated and spoken to me. No one from the department will listen to what I have to say.

  Shaking my head, I move over to the queen-sized bed Annette has in this spare room. I fall onto the inviting mattress, forced down by the weight of the world. All I want to do is sleep and not wake until everything in my life is back to the way it should be.

  I roll on my side and pull the covers up to my chest. Voices below the flooring of the bedroom mumble away as Annette speaks with the police. She must have invited them inside as if the visit is nothing more than a casual affair. If they didn't want to help me on the phone, then why are they here? I know Corey's already been questioned and deemed to be innocent of any wrongdoing. If they are here to rub that in my face, then I'll make a formal complaint to their bosses.

  Multiple footsteps charge their way upstairs toward my bedroom. "Seriously?" I say, throwing my bedding off me. I swing my legs out and sit upright, ready to speak to these people.

  A few moments later, the knock comes at my door. With my arms crossed over my chest, I say, "Come in."

  The door pushes inward and creaks open to reveal one of the police officers who attended my call from earlier today.

  "Katherine? Officer Pauline Jensen here. How are you doing?"

  "You know how I'm doing." I can't help the frustration in my voice. "What do you want?"

  The officer exhales as her eyes drop to the floor for a few seconds. "I understand you've been through a lot today, but there is someone here who you need to speak with." She glances off to her right side out of view of the room and moves aside.

  "Okay," I say, wondering what kind of useless idea they've come up with.

  Footsteps clump along the wooden flooring, making the surface creak and groan. Corey steps into the middle of the door frame and looks straight at me. I feel my body lurch back in the bed until I smack hard into the wall.

  "What the hell is he doing here?"

  67

  Annette

  Why is Corey here? He barely said a word to me when he came in with the police officer. I tried to get more than a greeting out of him, but all he would say is that he needed to speak with Katherine urgently.

  I stand outside and out of view of my spare bedroom as the police officer and Corey talk to Katherine. My mind runs amok as I try to fathom what this could all be. Do they know it was me who bashed on the back door earlier today to mess with Katherine? They couldn't. And if they knew, why haven't they arrested me?

  I just need to remain calm and appear as a supportive friend and nothing more. I'm too close to the finish line to ruin everything I've worked so hard to achieve. Whatever this is, I'm sure it can't be good for Katherine if Corey felt the need to have a police officer accompany him.

  "Katherine," Corey says.

  "Get him out of here!" Katherine yells. "He's trying to kill me!"

  "Katherine. It's okay," Officer Jensen says. "He's not trying to harm you. He's here to help."

  I try to move a little closer to the conversation without drawing attention to myself. My creaking floorboards make the task a difficult one, but I have to know what Corey is doing.

  "He has you
all fooled!" Katherine yells. "Why don't you believe me when I tell you this man is trying to kill me."

  "Katherine, please," Corey says, practically begging. "I would never lay a finger on you. I'm here because I'm worried about you. At first, I was angry with everything you'd done, but now I've realized that you're not acting like yourself. You need help."

  "I don't need help. What I need is for you to leave me alone. I'm not falling for any of your charm. No one will believe me until I end up in a body bag."

  Corey goes to speak again, but Officer Jensen places an arm on his shoulder and gently pulls him back. She steps forward to take over, out of my range of view. "Katherine. We don't know what happened here today, but we have overwhelming proof that Corey was not behind any of it. The only reason he is here right now is because he is deeply worried about your well-being and mental state."

  "There's nothing wrong with my mental state. I know what happened."

  Why is Corey concerned about Katherine? I ask myself. Sure, he's a nice guy who cares about people, but how can he care about Katherine after everything that's taken place? What more do I have to do to convince him that they don't belong together?

  "Katherine, please listen to me," Corey begs. "You don't sound like the woman I married. You sound like someone who needs help, and I'm here to offer it to you. I'm not going anywhere until you understand that I love you and will do anything to support you through this."

  "No," I whisper as I stumble back from the room. This can't be right. This can't be real. Please tell me Corey didn't say that he still loves Katherine. He doesn't mean it. This has to be an act to lock her up in some mental facility.

  "I don't understand," Katherine says, her voice cracking. "You attacked me. You came here today to do so again, and now you're claiming you want to help me? This is all a big lie."

  "This isn't a lie. When we got married, I made a promise to be there for you no matter what. Now I'm doing just that. I want our life together back on track."