On the Line (2 page)

With a nod, Janelle walked in the opposite direction Nancy had gone, and Nathan followed
his mother. He found her cooing over Zach, whose
eyes were half-heartedly open as
he looked up at her. Nathan watched, in awe, as Zach responded to her soft voice
and closed his eyes without a sound. Nancy lingered for a moment longer, then stood
and faced her son.

“Mom,” Nathan said, quickly gathering his thoughts. “Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine,” she answered with a wave of her hand. “She’s just adjusting to
parenthood.”

Nathan glanced at the sleeping child. “He’s over a year now.” How long does it take
to adjust?

“I know that, but she’s having to do most of it herself. You heard what she said,
Richard is never around.” Nancy sharply blew out a breath. “It was hard for me when
I had you, but at least I had your father around to help carry the load. She has
her father, but he can’t be here all the time. She needs help, Nathan, and there’s
only so much I can do.”

Nathan frowned. He wanted to help, but Janelle’s husband had practically banished
him from her life the moment they’d begun dating. If Janelle needed his help, he’d
do anything for her. But he also knew that Richard had a temper—Nathan had gotten
a black-eye from him their sophomore year as proof. He was afraid of what that temper
might do to Janelle if Richard found out Nathan was spending time with her.

“Is he abusive?” Nathan whispered as he took a step toward his mother.

Nancy shook her head. “Not that she’s said, but I do have my suspicions.” Her eyes
became watery as she looked over Nathan’s shoulder. “Poor thing deserves so much
better.”

Nathan couldn’t agree more. Janelle seemed nervous and jumpy, almost uncomfortable
in her own home. He hadn’t missed the way she’d sat on the coffee table, rigid and
glancing toward the window every few seconds. When she’d gotten close enough, he’d
snuck a quick glance at her arm and seen the discoloration was actually a fading
bruise about the size of a thumb. He couldn’t stomach the thought of her having more
bruises at the moment, or at some point in the future because of him.

“I’m off on Monday,” Nathan finally said softly. “Can you be here?”

Nancy’s eyes lit up at her son’s simple request. “If you need me to.”

“I’ll help with whatever she needs, just let me know what it is so I can bring some
tools with me.”

“You will?” Janelle asked softly from behind him.

Nathan turned to find her standing in the doorway with a cup and a bag of cookies,
and tears in her eyes. He hated seeing that sad look on her face, and he had the
sudden urge to repay the black eye from tenth grade to the bastard who’d given it
to him.

“Of course,” was all he could manage. “Anything you need.”

“Thank you.” Janelle stepped into the room and held up the cup. “I know you said
you had to get back on duty. I fixed you a coffee to go and a bag of snickerdoodles.
They’re your favorites, right?”

With a nod, he took the cup from her and then reached for the bag. When their hands
brushed, a spark passed from her fingers to his, and he saw her eyes flare for a
moment before she looked away.

“Your mom baked them,” she said as she stepped backward toward the door.

Nathan looked at his mother and she grinned widely at him. “Enjoy them.” She put
her hands on his arms and turned him toward the door. “You’ll come by the house for
dinner this weekend, right?” she asked as she gently pushed Nathan out of the bedroom.

Nathan took the hint and headed toward the front door. “I’ll try if nothing big happens.
There’s a full moon this weekend and you know how crazy people can get.”

Janelle’s giggle reached him as he picked his cover up off of the arm of the couch.
He turned and pecked his mother on the cheek, then told Janelle good-bye as he walked
toward the door.

As he strolled back to his police cruiser, hat on head, coffee and cookies in hand,
he couldn’t help the feeling that a change was coming.

One

Four and a half years later . . .

Janelle Morgan Wagoner walked through the rotating doors of the hospital, and her
feet froze when she saw the sea of bodies crowded in the lobby. Some held cameras,
others had pads of paper and pens, or little recorders, in hand. They were all watching
the television against the wall, but several of them turned to stare at her as she
entered the building and began to whisper among themselves.

Nathan Harris, following her, placed his hand on her back and she felt him falter.
“What the . . .”

“If Richard weren’t already dead, I’d kill him myself,” Janelle murmured as a few
members of the crowd drew closer, poised to take notes, and their voices grew louder
as they began asking questions. A few flashes went off and Janelle tried to avoid
making eye contact with anyone.

“Don’t say that out loud,” Nathan warned, and she turned and scowled at him. He returned
her frown and positioned himself by her side as he pushed her through the crowd,
blocking her from the mass of people as best he could.

“Well if it weren’t for him then none of us would be here right now,” she hissed
and nodded toward the reporters.

Nathan’s eyes narrowed and he pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “And
if one of them hears you say that, you could be in a lot of trouble.”

Janelle shrugged as they reached the elevator. She pushed the call button, then turned
her shoulder toward the wall and faced him. She really couldn’t care less what people
thought of her right now as she cursed the man that had been her husband for ten
years. Because of him, her sister, Kelsey, had briefly died during the surgery she’d
had to remove the bullet he’d put in her
leg. Her son was at home with her father,
hiding in his room, too afraid to come out because
his
father had kidnapped him and
held him hostage. Her mother was now in mourning and not speaking to her.

That was probably the only positive thing Janelle had going for her at the moment.

“Did you sleep last night?” Nathan murmured softly.

She’d been so relieved to see his face this morning when he’d arrived at her house
and told her he was going to the hospital. He was here to question Kelsey and Kelsey’s
boyfriend, Patrick, about the previous night’s events. Nathan rarely wore a police
uniform now that he was a detective, but he kept his dark, brown hair fairly short,
closer on the sides and a little longer on the top. Not that Janelle could complain.
He looked almost as good in his three-piece suit, with his cool attitude and his
sidearm hidden under his coat. His calm demeanor soothed her overwrought nerves,
and it wasn’t the first time she was thankful to have him by her side.

Janelle turned her head toward the television hanging on the wall closest to her,
and her heart stuttered when she saw Kelsey’s name across the bottom of the screen.
Janelle caught the call letters in the corner of the screen and saw it was one of
the major networks.

“That can’t be good,” she said as she straightened away from the wall.

Nathan looked over his shoulder, following her gaze, then turned his body toward
the crowd. “No,” he agreed quietly as a hush fell over the crowd.

“We’ve been keeping you up-to-date on what happened with up-and-coming Hollywood
actress Kelsey Morgan and have a new revelation to our story. Our news desk received
a manifesto, sent to us by Richard Wagoner, detailing his plans, and reasons, for
what happened in that dark cabin by the lake last night. We’re going to share its
gruesome details with you now.”

Janelle shuddered at the way the blonde anchorwoman seemed to be gleefully announcing
the events of one of the darkest moments in her life. The night her husband kidnapped
her son, Zach, and nearly killed her sister. He’d planned to kill Zach as well, but
thanks to Patrick, Zach had survived with only a slight physical injury. The emotional
toll had yet to be measured.

Richard’s face appeared and took up a majority of the screen. He looked serene, resolved,
relaxed, and gave a sad smile to the camera as he launched into his speech.
“Ladies
and gentlemen, by the time you see this, I will be dead.
But first, let me introduce
myself. My name is Richard Wagoner. While I may be a nobody to most of you, I am
a husband, father, son, and brother. To one special woman that you all know and love,
I am a brother-in-law.”

He held up one of Kelsey’s most recent headshots.
“Yes, this lovely lady is my wife’s
sister, Kelsey Morgan. You know her as ‘the girl next door,’ ‘America’s newest sweetheart,’
‘A rising star.’ I know better. Kelsey Morgan isn’t what she seems. She’s a selfish,
inconsiderate, heartless bitch. And she has a secret.”

Richard held up an eight-by-ten school picture of Zach and Janelle’s eyes widened
slightly.

“This is Zach, the boy I’ve been raising as my son.”

“We have to go,” Janelle said, panic tightening in her chest as she turned to the
elevator and pushed the call button again. She poked it repeatedly until Nathan laid
his hand on top of hers.

“That won’t help,” he said calmly.

“It can’t hurt,” Janelle snapped and looked toward the hallways on both sides of
her, searching for a stairwell. The door opened, and Janelle ignored the three people
already on and quickly stepped through the doors.

Once Nathan had joined her, she pushed the button for Kelsey’s floor. Janelle knew
what was coming. Richard was about to share Kelsey’s secret with the world. Kelsey
would be devastated, and Janelle had to be there for her when that bomb was dropped.

“What’s going on? Why did he hold up Zach’s picture?” Nathan asked.

Janelle tilted her head at him. “You know why. He’s about to tell the world that
Zach is Kelsey’s biological son. And he’ll probably blame her for all of his problems
in the process.”

“Bastard,” Nathan muttered, almost to himself.

Janelle wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. Her eyes were wide as she watched the numbers
climb to her sister’s floor. Did Patrick know the truth? She couldn’t remember what
she might have said to him the night before, when he’d come by her house looking
for Kelsey. Had he said he knew, or had she only assumed he did? What would he do
if she hadn’t told him yet? Janelle needed to be by her sister’s side, and this elevator
wasn’t moving fast enough.

When the doors opened again, Janelle stepped off and saw the television hanging over
the nurse’s station. Richard’s face was still staring out at her, and a chill ran
down her spine. There was no glazed look in his eyes, no slur
in his speech. He was
stone cold sober. She had not seen her husband sober in several years. The idea that
he had planned last night’s events in a clearheaded state made it all the more frightening.
Janelle began to feel numb, and her eyes were still so rounded they almost hurt.

“As most of you know, my darling sister-in-law has a big movie coming out and will
be attending the premiere. I’m sure she’ll be on top of the world. But while she’s
living it up on the red carpet in LA, I’ll be taking her son. By the time they realize
he’s gone, it will be too late. The wheels will already be in motion. I’ll take Zach
on a little trip, and when we reach our destination, I’ll summon Kelsey to join us.
As we wait, I’ll tell dear Zach all about his wonderful mommy and how she abandoned
him shortly after he was born.”

“C’mon,” Nathan said as he laid his hand on the small of Janelle’s back and urged
her down the hall. Richard’s words continued to follow them.

“Once Kelsey arrives, the fun will begin. For the last five years, I’ve suffered
because of her. It’s time for me to return the favor. She’s become a little spoiled,
and I want her to understand how hard life really is. I want her to see the look
on Zach’s face when I tell him the truth, that she didn’t want him. That she thought
being an actress was more important than being a mother. In typical Kelsey fashion,
I imagine she’ll lie to her son, but I’ll make her tell the truth. When I’ve tortured
her enough mentally, then I’ll show her what physical pain is . . . I’m going to
shoot her.”

Janelle moved a little faster, despite her weakened knees. She quietly opened her
sister’s door and found Kelsey sitting on her bed, as pale as the sheets covering
her as she watched the train wreck on the television; Patrick sat beside her with
his arm around her shoulder. He glanced briefly at Janelle as she entered.

“I won’t kill her. That would be too easy. But what I will do is make her unable
to stop anything that comes next. Remember poor, sweet Zach? I know, you probably
think I’ve ruined him by telling him the truth, so I will be merciful. I’ll make
sure his mother is watching as I snuff out his life.

“He’ll cry for her, and she won’t be able to do anything about it. She’ll have to
sit helplessly by as she watches the life drain from her child’s eyes. The fun won’t
be over when he’s gone. You see, I have nothing else to live for. As a bonus, I intend
to make her watch me die too. I hope to leave her with the memory of our deaths and
the guilt from the knowledge that she set all of this in motion six short years ago.

“So, I’m sorry to say, I won’t be around to answer any of your questions. But being
the kind of person she is, desperate for attention, I’m sure Kelsey would be more
than happy to answer them for you.

“But I have one more loose end to tie up.”

Janelle stepped farther into the room and she saw the crease in her sister’s brow
deepen as she turned to Patrick. Janelle stared up at the television, disgust and
awe clawing at her as she watched her husband continue to ramble. What else could
he possibly have to say?

“You see, I’ve recently begun to suspect my wife was developing some of her sister’s
less-than-sterling habits. Living with her, how could she not? However, what I recently
discovered was far more shocking than even my suspicions had prepared me for. It
seems that the daughter I’d been helping her raise isn’t mine either.”