The Stranger Beside You (14 page)

I nodded.  “There was an accident.”

He rose from behind his desk and came around to me.  He touched my arm.

“My condolences, Mrs. Nelson.  I’m truly sorry to hear of your loss.”

I exhaled.  I was going to have to get used to breaking the news to people.       

“Is there anything we can do to help?  Don’t worry about your classes, they’ll be covered.”

“Thank you.”

“How are the boys taking it?”

“I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.  Have you made funeral arrangements?”

“I’ll be dealing with that today.  I’m still reeling.  This happened so suddenly.”

He nodded.  He was offering his best, most professional version of compassion.

I stood.  “I just wanted to come by and tell you in person.”

“There was no need.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as things are lined out.”

“Please do.”

I started for the door.

“Mrs. Nelson?”

I paused, turned.  “Yes, Mr. Hogan.”

He was standing at the front of his desk.  “It’s curious,” he said.  “I was just remembering a conversation I had a few weeks ago.  An FBI agent came to my office to ask me some questions about you and your husband.”

I felt ice in my veins.  “What are you talking about?  When was this?”

He shrugged.  “It’s been several weeks.  I don’t remember exactly.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Nothing specific.  General stuff about you and Tom and the kids.  It was a pleasant conversation, actually.  There was nothing too probing at all.  Don’t worry, Mrs. Nelson, I would never divulge personal information regarding any member of my faculty.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“The agent asked that the visit be kept strictly confidential and I saw no harm in it.”

“What was his name?”

“Actually, the FBI agent was a woman.”

I felt my legs go weak. 
Daphne Fleming
.  The woman Tom had been screwing, the woman Tom was accused of murdering.  But why would she have come to my place of employment?  Maybe she was jealous of me.  She had been scoping me out, perhaps even stalking me.  Daphne Fleming had stood right here where I now stood, discussing me and my family with my employer.  I had chills.

“What was her name?” I managed to ask.

Hogan thought for a moment.  “She gave me a card.”

“Could I see it, please?”

He shrugged.  “Absolutely.  Surely I still have it.  Let me check my desk.” 

In a strange way, it was beginning to make since why Tom would have felt the need to kill Daphne Fleming.  I could see how she was a threat.  It seemed clear that she must have been psychopathic, at least to a degree.  Tom had probably tried to break off the relationship but the woman hadn’t taken it well.  Perhaps she had threatened to confront me, but perhaps the situation had escalated beyond even that.  She may have made threats of physical violence toward me or my children, and Tom hadn’t been willing to take that risk, so he had been forced to make a decision.

Mr. Hogan raked through a desk drawer.  He shut the drawer and opened another, then another, then he looked at me.

“I know it was in here,” he said. 

“You didn’t find it?”

He shook his head.

“Do you remember her name?”

He thought a moment, then shook his head.

 “What did she look like?”

He shrugged.  “I don’t remember.”

I felt deflated.  That business card would have gone a long way toward proving that Special Agent Daphne Fleming had been crazy, and that Tom had killed her in an effort to keep her from harming his family. 

“Her card is here somewhere, I’m certain of it.  I can’t imagine that I’d have thrown it away.  I’ll keep looking.”

I nodded.  “Please call me the second you find it.  It’s extremely important.”

“Absolutely.  You have my word.” 

I hurried back to my car.  It was time to choose a casket for my husband.

•  •  •

I sat in the parking lot at the funeral home and waited for Sadie.  I was in no hurry to go inside.  The sight of the somber brick building put butterflies in my stomach.  Sadie parked her Escalade a space away from me and exchanged a long hug and we both cried.

“Marcus and I are devastated,” she managed to say.  There were big tears rolling down her face.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Tell me what I can do to help.”

I gestured at the funeral home.  “I can’t do this alone.”

She held my hand and we went inside.

•  •  •

Afterward we stood in the parking lot and talked for what seemed like forever.  I told her what I knew about Tom’s death and what the FBI had told me about Tom’s relationship with Daphne Fleming and their belief that he had murdered her.  But I didn’t tell her about the trail of clues Tom had left me.  I also made no mention of the suspicious car that had trailed me to and from the assisted living facility in Long Island.  I didn’t want her thinking I was losing it.

“They are lying about Tom,” she said.  “I would have slapped that FBI guy into next month.”

“I saw the photo, Sadie.”

“I don’t care.”

“He kissed that woman.  I saw the photo.”

“Tom wouldn’t cheat on you.”

“That’s what I try to tell myself, but he was only human.  People make mistakes.  I think that’s what happened to Tom.  I think he got tempted and made a bad decision, and now he’s dead.”

Sadie was shaking her head.  “I refuse to accept that.  He’d have to be screwing her right here on the ground in front of me before I’d believe a word of it.”

I shrugged and looked away.  I’d already moved well beyond denial.  At this point I simply wanted to bury the man and move on. 

“You need to tell the boys,” she said.

I took a deep breath.  “I dread it, more than any of the rest of this nightmare.”

“Don’t put it off.”

“He was their hero.  This will crush them.”

“Pull them out of class for the rest of the day and take them for pizza.  Have some time together, just the three of you.”

“There’s too much to do.”

“Brynn, it will all still be there when you get back.  Take care of your family.”

“I can’t do this,” I said.

“You have to.  Those boys are depending on you.  Their father is gone.  They need you to protect them.  You can’t afford to fall apart.”

Sadie wrapped her arms around me.  “Just get through the afternoon,” she said.  “Put one foot in front of the other and be the mom those boys deserve.”

I nodded.  “Are you okay with keeping them a while longer?”  I asked.

She smiled.  “I’d adopt them right now if you’d sign the paperwork.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

“Do what you have to do, Brynn.  Love on those boys and cry your eyes out, and get all that terrible business behind you so that you can start the healing process.”

“I’ll drop them by the house this evening.”

She kissed my hands.  “I love you, girl.”

“I know.”

•  •  •

And so I did.  I told them.

We sat in our favorite booth in a back corner of our favorite pizza joint and I ordered two large pies, one with cheese only for Ashton, and a pepperoni, sausage, and pineapple for Josh.  Each of us had a large soda.  The boys were shocked but thrilled to have been yanked from school.

I think Josh was suspicious that something was up.  Ashton was totally amped about eating pizza for lunch on a school day.  He sat snuggled up beside me.

I didn’t waste time, I just told them.  I said there’d been an accident and Daddy had gotten hurt really bad and was in Heaven now.  It came out pretty fast, I think. 

Josh put down a huge slice.

“Dad’s dead?”

I nodded.  “Yes, sweetheart.”

He stared at his plate for a long time while the news absorbed into his young mind, then he teared up.

“What’s wrong with Daddy?” Ashton asked.

I hugged an arm around his tiny shoulders and kissed his forehead.

“Daddy has gone to live with the angels.”

His eyes watered, and his lower lip started trembling.

“I want him to live with us.”

“I know you do, baby.  That’s what I want too.”

Josh looked confused.  “It is really true?”

I nodded.  “Yes, it’s true.”

We had a moment.  The pizza was forgotten for a few minutes.  Josh got up and slid in beside me so that I had a boy on either side and we hugged and cried.

“I don’t understand,” Ashton whimpered.  “Is Daddy ever coming home?”

“No.  It’s just us now.”

The first wave of grief quickly passed.  We sat in stunned silence and picked at the pizza.  My body ached but at least I had cleared the biggest hurtle.  Aston took a bite of crust, chewing with his mouth open, his cheeks bulging.  His face was slick with tears.  I wiped his nose with a paper napkin.

He turned his little face up at me.  “Can I give Daddy a goodbye kiss?”

It broke my heart.  I couldn’t speak.  I pulled his head to me and put my face in his hair.  Tom Nelson might have proved to be a liar and a cheat, but he had produced two very special children.  I took them to a park and we took off our shoes and walked in the grass.  Josh was quiet but Ashton had moved on pretty easily.  Ashton collected sticks and chased ducks.  Josh mostly strolled along in silence. 

“What are you feeling?” I asked Josh.

He shrugged.  “It seems kinda weird how Dad’s just gone.  He didn’t tell us bye or anything.”

“It was an accident.  Your father didn’t expect for it to happen like this.”

“I thought people died when they were really old.”

“Most people do.”

“How come not Dad?”

“I don’t know, baby.”

“It’s not fair.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I’m going to play football someday, maybe for the Jets, and he’ll never see that.”

“He’ll be watching, and he’ll be so proud.”

“How can he watch if he’s dead?”

I stopped walking and pointed up at the sky.  “Because he’s looking down from Heaven right now.”

It was late afternoon by the time we circled around the big pond to the parking area.  Josh loaded up while I buckled Ashton into his seat.  The Volvo was hot inside so I started the car and blasted the air.  Josh put in one of Tom’s old Aerosmith CD’s and turned up the volume and we sang along to
Dude Looks Like a Lady
.  It was one of those small, happy moments that make bad days almost bearable.

I was on my way to drop them at Marcus and Sadie’s house when my cell rang.

“Hello?”

“Brynn, this is Aaron McFadden.”

“Oh, hey, Aaron.”

“Have you talked to Tom today?”

“Oh, God.  Aaron, I should have called you.”

“Why?  Is something wrong?”

I glanced over at Josh as he was noodling around on his iPod.  I turned my head away so he couldn’t overhear and I told Aaron about Tom’s death.

There was silence on the line.

“Aaron, are you there?”

“Please tell me you’re kidding.”

I choked up.  “It’s no joke.”

Another brief silence.

“Tell me what happened, Brynn.”

“This isn’t a good time.”

“You need to come see me right away,” he said.

“Aaron, what did I just say?”

“This can’t wait.  There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Then tell me.”

“Come to my office.”

“Now?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m in Jersey and I have the kids with me.  I’ll need to drop them off first.  How late will you be at the office?”

“I’ll be here all night if I have to be.”

“I don’t understand what could be so important.”

“Just get here.”

Aaron dropped off.  It was a fifteen-minute drive back to the neighborhood.  I turned at a stop sign and glanced in my side mirror.  When I turned I spotted the Plymouth with the bad paint job.  I felt my chest tighten.  Traffic was moving in fits and starts.  I twisted around in my seat to have a better look but the Plymouth was gone.

23

I almost died on Wall Street. 

I was crossing the street, totally distracted by my thoughts, and almost stepped out in front of one of those red double-decker tour buses.  The bus roared by and I backpedaled to the sidewalk to catch my breath.  If the boys were going to be left with at least one living parent, I was going to have to pay better attention.

Tom had worked in a glass tower down in the financial district.  Limousines and FedEx trucks and taxis crowded the narrow streets.  The receptionist had already left for the day but Aaron was waiting for me.  His eyes were rimmed with red.

Aaron’s office was an impressive display of leather, brass and marble.  He closed the door.

“What’s this about, Aaron?”

“I need to know what happened to him.”

“I’ve had a hell of a couple of days, don’t ask me to walk through it all again.”

“Please, I need to know.”

“He was killed in an accident.”

“How and when?”

“I’m not going to go into it.”

“Was the FBI involved?”

I was stunned.  All I could do was stare at him.

“Just tell me yes or no,” he said.

I studied his face.  “What do you know about the FBI?” I asked him.

“First, tell me about the accident.”

I took a deep breath.  “The FBI arrested Tom at the house and hauled him into the city, then he attempted an escape and was hit by a train.”

“Oh my God.”  Aaron was seated on the front of his desk.  He closed his eyes, taking a moment to process through it, then he opened them and looked at me. 

“There is something you need to know,” he said.

“That’s why I’m here, right?”

He nodded.  “I was aware of the FBI investigating him.”

“What are you talking about?”

He continued, “Brynn, he had been involved in some very suspicious activity.  We had reason to believe that Tom was preparing to steal a large amount of money from this bank.”

I could barely breathe.

“Tom never knew that I knew, but he had tripped an internal security check.  He hadn’t stolen anything yet, but he was prepping for it, moving large sums around.  Millions of dollars.  The FBI got involved and was closely monitoring him.  They couldn’t make a move until he actually did something.”