Page 44 of The Perfect Marriage

28

Adam Morgan

Sheriff Stevens escorts me from the car into the lake house. He’s explaining how much room I have outside, which is about twenty yards from the house in all directions. My mom pulls up and parks her Cadillac rental. She was sure to follow closely behind the entire time, running red lights and only pausing at stop signs as if she were involved in a high-speed pursuit.

“This is quaint,” Mom says looking at the lake house.

“Let’s get you fitted for an ankle bracelet, and I’ll get the transmitter set up inside,” Sheriff Stevens says.

I lead the way. The sheriff sets up a black box and then tells me to have a seat on the sofa. He walks over and kneels beside me. Pushing up my pant leg, he fastens the bracelet around my ankle. Mom glances around the house and then at me. She frowns at the ankle bracelet.

“Do you have any wine, Adam?” she asks.

“Yeah, Mom. There’s some in the kitchen.” She makes herself at home, pouring herself a large glass of red wine and rummaging in the cupboards. She goes into the fridge and pulls out sausage and cheese and begins slicing them up.

“Now, it is waterproof. Showering with it ain’t a problem. If you remove it, we’ll know. If you leave the premises, we’ll know. You got yourself a nice place here, so just settle in.”

“All right,” I say pushing my pant leg back down. He stands up and takes a couple of steps into the living room, glancing around. “Is there anything else I should know?” I ask.

“Nope. That’s it—did Kelly ever talk about the other guy she was seeing?”

“I didn’t even know there was another guy.”

He makes a hmmph sound and walks to the built-in bookshelf. He reads the spines and randomly pulls out one here and there. I look into the kitchen and watch my mom fill her wine glass a second time.

“You never got the sense there was someone else?” he asks.

“No.”

“She never slipped up and mentioned another man’s name or anything like that?”

“No, like I said, I didn’t know she was seeing someone else.” There’s an edge of annoyance in my voice.

“Here, some snacks for you, honey.” Mom sets down a platter of cheese, sausage, and crackers. Sheriff Stevens pops a piece of sausage in his mouth, while Mom stands beside him holding her glass of wine.

“Will you be working on finding the real criminal responsible for this murder, Sheriff Stevens?” Mom takes a sip and raises an eyebrow.

The sheriff lets out an awkward cough.

The front door opens and closes with a bang. Sarah’s heels tap across the hardwood floor. “Hey, you’re still here?” she says to Sheriff Stevens.

“Yeah, I was just leaving actually.” He turns from the bookshelf and takes a step toward the front door.

“He has a criminal to catch. Don’t you, sheriff?” Mom questions.

Sarah just mumbles to herself, but she seems disappointed that he’s leaving. Why does she want him to stay? Is she trying to get more information out of him for the case? Or is there something between them?

“I can stay a few more minutes if you’d like.” Sheriff Stevens clears his throat.

“Great. Let me get you a coffee.” Sarah heads to the kitchen.

“Is that such a good idea?” Mom takes a gulp of her wine. “We really don’t need to be distracting him.”

No one pays any mind to my mother’s comments, including myself. Something isn’t right. Why is she offering him coffee? Why does he feel comfortable in my house? Why did she come here? Was it to see me or to see Sheriff Stevens? Is she interested in him? Is he interested in her? I’m not really in a position to be indignant or pry, but something is very off here. However, the last thing I need is to push Sarah away more than I already have. This will have to wait.

Sarah moves around the kitchen making a pot of coffee and putting out two cups. She opens several cupboards as she’s clearly unfamiliar with the house. Sheriff Stevens leans against the counter. I watch him watch her. His eyes are scanning her body up and down. If they haven’t already fucked, he wants to. That much is clear.

I get up, walk to the kitchen, and stand right beside him. I puff out my chest and stand a bit taller. “Can I get a cup too?” I ask.

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