Page 48 of The Wife Stalker

“He still pays my mother alimony, so she keeps her mouth shut. She can’t work, so she needs his money to live on. Her disability isn’t enough.”

“Do you and your mother ever talk about what happened and how it made you feel?”

“My mother only talks about how ill-treated she was. It’s always only about her. I have to admit that I was glad when she didn’t show up last Christmas. Leo’s family is so loving and fullof fun. My mother would have changed the whole dynamic of the day, turning it into a gloom-fest.” I shifted in my chair. “I don’t want to talk about my parents anymore. I want to tell you what I found out in San Diego.”

“Okay.”

“When I met the ex-wife of Piper’s dead husband, she had alotto say about Piper. Or Pamela, depending on who you ask.” I gave her a long look so that my words could fully register.

“Go on.”

I recounted to Celeste everything Ava had told me. “Ava Dunn is convinced that Piper deliberately killed Mia. It would certainly explain why she changed her name and why she seems to be in hiding here.”

Celeste frowned. “Joanna, sometimes an accident is just an accident. It’s not uncommon for a grieving mother to need to place blame somewhere. If Piper were a murderer, she would be in jail.”

“Why are you defending her?” I asked. “She’s dangerous. She has a sailboat here, too. What if the same thing happens to Evie and Stelli as happened to Mia?”

“First of all, you are jumping to conclusions. You’ve told me yourself Leo has a boat and that Evie and Stelli have been taught water safety and wear life jackets. I know it’s concerning, but it’s out of your control for the time being. And you’re working to get joint custody, so hopefully your fears will be alleviated soon.”

“As long as Piper is around my children, my fear is going nowhere.” I leveled a look of determination at her, and I could tell she was becoming exasperated with me. “I know that might sound irrational to you—I know that—but I just... I can’t leave the children with that woman when I know in my bones something is going to happen. Maybe I need to start following her when she’s out with the kids.”

“You can’t do that, Joanna. What if someone sees you? You could jeopardize your chances for custody.”

“I’d stay far enough back. I wouldn’t be breaking any laws. But I could take pictures. Build a case against her.”

She seemed to ponder this. “I’m worried that this is turning into an obsession.”

“You cannot possibly understand what I’m going through. Maybe I should see a therapist who has children...”

A tight look crossed her face. “Of course, that’s your prerogative. But I hope you won’t. I think we’ve established a good rapport. It’s not necessary for me to have children in order to empathize with you. I’m on your side, remember?”

I took a sip of my water. “Let me ask you something. If you found out that your husband had a disease, would you leave him?”

She squinted at me and pursed her lips. “I don’t see the similarities between a genuine disease and your ex-husband marrying another woman.”

“His depression. That’s what’s made him vulnerable. He thought Piper was his medicine. But that medicine is killing him and killing our family. If he were suffering from a physical illness and I knew the cure, I would move heaven and earth to help him.”

I could tell by her expression that she didn’t agree, but I sensed the veil of detached professionalism descend upon her as she changed the topic. “We have only a few minutes left today. Is there anything else on your mind? How is the exercise plan going?”

Great, I wanted to say.I’m planning to never do it.

Instead, I told her what she wanted to hear. “Good. It’s helping a little.”

33

Piper

Piper sat on the metal park bench, iPad on her lap and a hot latte in her hand, glancing up now and again as Stelli and Evie ran back and forth from the swings to the sliding board. Stelli was a whirlwind, never stopping, always pushing the limits, and Evie watched over him like a little mother. Their personalities were so very different. Stelli exhausted Piper. There were times her stomach was in knots at the prospect of his return from school in the afternoon, but she had decided recently that on Thursdays she would leave the center at three in the afternoon, pick the kids up from school, and take them to the park, giving Stelli a chance to expend some of his energy and perhaps allowing the two of them to forge a bond.

Now, she watched as he scrambled quickly up the steps to the slide and whooped while whooshing down it. She shook her head and turned her attention back to “Getting Our Best,” the blog post she’d been working on. She was almost finished, just needed a powerful closing paragraph, when she heard a scream followed by crying. She looked up to see Stelli sitting at the foot of the slide, blood running down his chin, and Evie trying to comfort him. Piper jumped up, and the iPad slid to the ground as she ran to them.

“Oh my gosh, what happened?” she said, lifting his face so that she could examine the injury. A woman who seemed to be another mother was next to her now, handing her some tissues,which she gratefully accepted. As she used them to blot his face, she exposed a deep gash right under his lower lip.

Piper turned to the woman. “It looks pretty deep.”

She nodded. “Probably needs stitches. By the way, he went down the big slide. That’s for older kids. I guess you didn’t notice.”

Great. Was she supposed to be watching them every second of every day? How were kids ever supposed to self-actualize with all these helicopter moms around? Piper suppressed the panic and irritation that was rising in her and told herself to stay calm and focused. She put her arm around Stelli. “It’s going to be fine, sweetheart. We’re going to go see the doctor, and you’ll be good as new.”

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