Page 20 of Dark Roads
“I’m careful.”
He held the iPad up, showed me the selfie of Amber and me at the lake. “This one is nice.” How could he make something sound so terrifying without showing anything on his face? Amber had posted that photo on her Facebook page, with the caption “My Lady of the Lake.” I’d been nervous but excited too. She’d made us public. She wasn’t ashamed like Vaughn wasmaking me feel. I scrambled forward, yanking at his arm again, and stretching toward the iPad.
The sound of tires on the gravel driveway, the garage door scraping up. Lana was home.
Vaughn gave me back my iPad and stood up. “Make sure you keep that in a safe place. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that you can’t let down your guard. Even with your closest friends. You never know what they’re really up to.” He smiled. “Have a good night.”
CHAPTER 6
Vaughn was on shift; Lana had taken Cash to his swimming lesson. The second her car disappeared around the corner, I went outside to pick the lock on the office shed. It had taken three days for Jonny to find a small enough security camera, then we practiced at the park—taking videos of each other, his truck—until we knew the best distance for a clear shot.
I used Vaughn’s chair as a stool, balancing carefully, while I placed the camera on the shelf beside his desk. I tucked it into a dark corner, perched on top of a book. Using the app on my iPhone, I tested the camera and made sure the lens was pointed at his keyboard from the side.
If all went according to plan, the camera would be triggered by Vaughn walking into the office, and I’d be able to watch over his shoulder. Then I’d have his laptop password.
After dinner, I complained about stomach cramps. Lana brought me Advil and a cup of tea, offered me a hot water bottle for my stomach, which I accepted with a fake-tired voice.
“It’s probably just stress,” I told her when she felt my forehead with a worried expression. It wasn’t a complete lie. I’d barely been able to eat any of the pot roast she’d made. Vaughn, though, had had seconds, praising Lana for the tenderness of the meat.Don’t even need a knife to cut through this, babe, and she glowed with happiness.
I lay in the dark and waited until everyone went to sleep. I’d almost given up, my eyes drifting closed. Vaughn wasn’t going out to the shed tonight.
Then I heard it—or felt it. The sense that someone was moving in the house. Was that a door clicking open? I frowned, trying to figure out if it was a bathroom or the back door. When I didn’t hear anything else, I crawled to my window.
I stared into the dark, waiting, and was rewarded when a soft light flicked on in his office. He might be calling the other woman or emailing her. Something I could get in a screenshot. I couldn’t wait to get inside his laptop. Ten minutes later the office went dark. I hurried into my bed.
The back door opened, and his footsteps went down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Lana. I stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow I’d find out what he’d been doing in his office.
My phone vibrated under my hand, waking me. Facebook Messenger. Amber. I blinked in the dim light and glanced at the clock. Six. She’d be going to the diner soon. I rolled onto my side, head on the pillow, and opened her message.Good morning, beautiful. How’s prison life?
Oh, you know. Bars on the window, stale bread under the door.
Don’t eat gluten. Can you FaceTime?
Vaughn hasn’t left yet.
Mason asked about you. I told him that you can’t go anywhere.
What did he say?
He just shook his head, but swear to God, I think he burnt Vaughn’s burger on purpose. I better get ready for work. FaceTime later?
OK. Later! XO
The water was running in the master bathroom. Vaughn showering. Lana was in the kitchen, opening and closing the fridge. Making coffee. Her slippers whispered down the hall. She was bringing him a cup. Like she did every single morning. Then she’d pour one into a stainless-steel thermos for him to take in his truck. The shower turned off. The murmur of voices.Vaughn’s deep timber, hers light, laughing about something. The closet sliding. The jingle of a belt. Normal daily sounds. Nothing that would hint at his secret nighttime activities.
When they went silent for a moment and Lana softly giggled, I realized they were kissing and pressed the pillow over my head.
They passed my room. Vaughn’s aftershave drifted under the door. Cash chatted with him in the kitchen, spoons clattering. Vaughn promised they would play video games later. When he finally left, I used the bathroom, then headed straight for the coffee.
Lana turned from the sink where she was washing dishes. She was humming a cheerful tune. “You’re up! Here, I made muffins.” She set one on a plate and slid it in front of me.
So much for escaping back to my room. I slumped into a chair. “Thanks.”
Lana sat across from me and launched into questions about my house. Like did I want any dishes, my mom’s paintings, and she told me that she’d gone over with boxes and began to sort through Dad’s personal belongings. I gritted my teeth at that. We had agreed to wait.
“Vaughn thinks we should put your dad’s outdoor equipment on Craigslist, but we need to do it soon. He said the house is a target with no one living there now.”
“I just woke up. Can we talk about this later?” This was the second breakfast in which Lana had tried to use her baking to soften a hard conversation. It didn’t work. The idea of Vaughn going through my dad’s things, deciding on prices, talking to people, all smooth and polite as he made them a deal, gave me a gnawing, desperate feeling. He didn’t have theright.
