Page 38 of The Wife Stalker

I had a terrible night, restless and hovering between wakefulness and a half sleep. I know I dreamed awful dreams, but when I awoke in the morning, they were all hazy. As I showered and dressed, an image would come to me and then fade just as quickly. Still lacking an appetite, I sat at the small desk in my room and dialed the number for the California Department of Health and Vital Records I’d found on their website. I knew it was a long shot, but I thought that maybe if I got a copy of Pamela and Matthew Dunn’s marriage license, it might reveal something more about her background.

I was prepared to reroute my trip home, fly to Sacramento, and go to their offices, but when I spoke to a clerk in the office, I was told the only way to obtain records was by mail. Disappointed, I downloaded the necessary request form and asked the hotel’s business office to print it for me. I got down a cup of bitter coffee and half an English muffin as I filled out the form, put it and a check into an envelope, and asked the front desk to mail it for me. I hoped my efforts would produce some useful information, but having to wait for almost a month would be agony. What if that turned out to be too long? It occurred to me then that Ava might have a copy of Matthew and Pamela’s marriage certificate. I could have kicked myself for not asking her yesterday and punched her number into my phone.

After three rings she picked up. “Hello?”

“Ava, it’s Joanna. Do you have a copy of Matthew’s marriagecertificate? I’ve requested a copy from the state, but it could take weeks.”

“I don’t have one on hand, but let me see what I can do. I might be able to pull some strings and have it sent to you sooner.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry to bring up things that are so painful for you, Ava. I—”

“No, not at all,” she interrupted before I could continue. “I’ll do anything I can to help you expose her. I want her to pay for what she’s done. The justice system has failed me, but I won’t rest until she suffers for what she did.”

“And I will do my best to make sure that happens. Thank you so much for seeing me. I’ll stay in touch and let you know anything I discover. Thank you again.”

I quickly checked out and drove to the airport. I couldn’t wait to get home and to spend some time looking into Pamela Rayfield.

27

Piper

With the children back in school and settling into the routine of their days and early bedtimes, Piper was spending more time at the center again, and she cherished her only opportunity to recharge. Their new setup was taking getting used to on all of their parts, she admitted to herself. The first time she’d made tofu stew with quinoa for dinner, Stelli refused to eat it. If it had been up to her, he would have gone to bed hungry, but Leo thought differently.

“It’s all right. You don’t have to eat it, buddy. You’ll try it another time,” Leo had said, getting up to make Stelli a sandwich.

Stelli had picked up his bowl of stew, taken it to the trash can, and dumped it out, giving her a victorious look.

Piper pressed her lips together, furiously tapping her foot under the table. “Leo, that’s not right. Stelli needs to know that it’s wrong to waste food.”

Leo looked over at his son, who stood in front of the trash can with his arms folded across his chest. “Piper’s right, Stel. There are lots of children who don’t have enough to eat. We’re really lucky that we do. We shouldn’t waste it.”

“It tasted awful,” Stelli said.

She could tell that Leo was trying not to laugh. “It was just different. That’s all. Look”—he’d pointed to Evie—“Evie’s eaten all of hers.”

“I liked it,” she said. “I think Stelli’s being a brat.”

Piper had raised her eyebrows at Leo as if to say,See? I told you he’s acting out. Even his sister sees it.

She had to give Leo credit. From then on, he stayed firmly on her side when Stelli was being picky about food.At least try it, he would say to him, and Piper was satisfied that it was a good compromise. One Friday night, she had something else she wanted to introduce, so she made spaghetti for dinner, one of Stelli’s favorites.

When she brought it to the table, his eyes grew wide and so did his smile. “Oh, goody. Spaghetti!”

“Garlic bread, too,” Piper said, setting the bread plate on the table. It had been hard for her to serve bread with pasta, but she knew both Leo and Stelli would love it, and she wanted everyone in a good mood.

“So,” she said, after they’d been eating awhile, “I thought we’d play a little game while we’re at the table, before we watch a movie.”

They stopped eating for a moment and looked at her. “What kind of game?” Evie asked, putting her fork down.

“I want all of you to think of something you were thankful for today. It can be something that happened or someone you know or even just a thing.”

Evie raised her hand.

“Yes, Evie?” Piper said, smiling at the girl’s manners.

“I’m thankful that my friend Jennifer is back in school and not sick anymore.”

“That’s really lovely, Evie. What about you?” Piper looked at Leo, wanting to give Stelli more time to ponder.

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