Page 99 of The Husband Diet
I shook my head. ‘No. I check my balance every week.’
‘Well, based on these documents, this apartment has been rented for a few years by Ms. Moore. But three days ago, it was purchased by your husband.’
I gasped as Detective Roker leafed through the folder he’d found and nodded apologetically.
‘There’s a record here of one hundred thousand dollars paid by Mr. Lowenstein in person – as a down payment for this apartment.’
I walked back to Julian's jeep, not feeling my legs, as if I were drunk, not feeling my body or seeing my surroundings, as if I were dead. Ira had stolen my money – money that my nonna Silvia had made sacrifices to give to me for my future. Money that I’d kept in a separate account for my children’s college funds. Not only had he ruined my whole goddam life, but he’d also taken from his children, which shouldn’t have surprised me. And yet, I couldn’t believe the man I’d married had managed to hate me so much to do this to me. If I could have pushed a button to make him disappear from the face of the earth, I would have.
36
April Fools and Irises
Maddy’s Minnie Mouse model, hanging from her bedroom ceiling, seemed to be suspended miles above me. I had the sensation I was lying, stuck, at the bottom of the ocean, under a periscope that was focused on the Disney character. Minnie. Mickey. Goofy. Maddy loved them all.
‘Minnie and Mickey Mouse,’ I murmured with a smile as Julian’s face came into focus at the top of the periscope. He’d come to bring me back to the surface. ‘Disneyworld…’
‘Poor thing,’ I heard a familiar voice say. Marcy. ‘She thinks she’s a little girl again. She wants to go to Disneyworld.’
‘Bullshit,’ came another familiar voice. Judy. ‘She’s always hated Disneyworld, Marcy, don’t you evenremember?’
‘Disneyworld!’ came Julian’s voice again as I heard him click his phone open. ‘Detective Roker? Block all the roads to Florida! Erica thinks they may be headed for Disneyworld.’
‘Thank you,’ I whispered, but it was already dark again.
*
I woke to the sound of Maddy’s voice.
Had I dreamed it? Or was she downstairs playing in the living room, as usual?
I jumped out of bed and flew down the stairs, where my parents and Detective Roker were watching a family video of Maddy’s sixth birthday party. I turned away, tears running down my cheeks as Julian was coming in through the open door.
‘Mom!’ I heard, and whirled to see Warren as he catapulted himself into my arms.
I clung to him desperately, wishing I could take his fears and pain away. Wishing I could dissolve his anger and hatred. They’d never donemeany good.
‘Warren, sweetheart!’ I cried, nearly strangling him. ‘She’s OK, you’ll see.’
‘I know it,’ he answered, his lips trembling. ‘Dad doesn’t hate her. Even if he doesn’t care. Right?’
I hoped Ira cared for Maddy a lot more than he hated me. I nodded and he threw his arms around me again.
I glanced at Julian. His eyes were red and his face had the shadow of a beard. How much time had elapsed since Maddy had gone? How many hours had she been begging Ira to take her back home? Did Maxine have the sense to take care of her properly? Oh, God, I didn’t even want to think of what I’d do when I got my hands on both of them. Death wasn’t enough. I had something more twisted in mind, like re-enacting all my murderous dreams on him – all at the same time.
‘Get some sleep, Julian,’ I said, bringing myself back from my murderous thoughts. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be sitting on the phone until the damn thing rings.’
But instead, Julian produced a box of muffins and coffee from Starbucks. ‘Eat. You need to keep your sugar levels up.’
He was the only man who had ever said that to me.
Marcy had the gall to gasp and say, ‘Why don’t I just get you some yoghurt or something?’
Julian turned and incinerated her with a look that was worse than my evil eye, and she stepped back. If I hadn’t been so terrified for Maddy, I’d have laughed. Old Marcy had finally found a man who didn’t succumb to her charms.
As I was upstairs getting dressed, Julian’s cellphone rang.
‘Erica!’ he called, flying up the stairs.
