The Stranger
Page 33
It was then that she spotted Adam in the mirror. Her face changed all at once. Gone was the taskmaster preparing for the WBFF nationals. Back was the friend and fellow teacher. It was amazing how easily we all slip in and out of roles, Adam thought.
“Work on your starting poses,” Kristin said, her eyes on Adam now. “When you first walk out, you do one front, then one back, then you walk away. That’s it. Okay, Harriet will lead you out. I’ll be right back.”
Kristin headed toward him without pause, again crossing the room in the high heels that made her nearly as tall as he was. “Anything new?” she asked him.
“Not really.”
Kristin led him into the corner. “So what’s up?”
It shouldn’t be awkward talking to a woman standing in ridiculously high heels and sporting a skimpy bikini. But it was. When Adam was eighteen, he spent two weeks in Spain’s Costa del Sol. Many of the women went topless, and Adam had fancied himself too mature to ogle. He didn’t ogle, but he did feel a little awkward. That feeling was coming back to him now.
“I guess you’re preparing for a show,” Adam said.
“Not just any show, but Nationals. If I can be selfish for a moment? Corinne left at a bad time. She’s my travel partner. I know in the scheme of things, this doesn’t seem like much, but this is my first show since turning pro and . . . okay, that’s a dumb thing to care about. But that’s a small part of how I’m feeling. The bigger part, though, is I’m really worried. This isn’t like her.”
“I know,” Adam said. “It’s why I want to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
He didn’t know how to do it, so he just dove in. “It’s about her pregnancy two years ago.”
Pay dirt.
His words hit Kristin Hoy like a surprise wave at the beach. Now it was Kristin’s turn to teeter on the ridiculously high heels. “What about it?”
“You look surprised,” he said.
“What?”
“When I mentioned her pregnancy. You looked like you’d seen a ghost or something.”
Her eyes darted everywhere but on him. “I guess I was surprised. I mean, she disappears, and for some reason, you start asking about something that happened two years ago. I don’t see the connection.”
“But you remember her pregnancy?”
“Of course. Why?”
“How did she tell you?”
“About being pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I don’t remember.” But she did. He could tell. Kristin was lying to him. “What’s the difference how she told me?”
“I need you to think. Do you remember anything odd about it?”
“No.”
“Nothing unusual about the pregnancy at all?”
Kristin put her hands on her hips. Her skin glistened from a fine sheen of perspiration or maybe something left over from a bronzer. “What are you trying to get at?”
“How about when she miscarried?” Adam tried. “How was she acting then?”
Oddly enough, those two questions seemed to center her somehow. Kristin took her time now, breathing slowly as though meditating, the prominent clavicle rising and falling. “Funny.”
“Yes?”
“I thought her reaction was low-key.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, I was thinking about it. She was so good about getting over it. So after you left school today, I started thinking—I mean, at first—that maybe Corinne had been too good after the miscarriage.”
“I’m not following.”
“A person needs to grieve, Adam. A person needs to express and feel. If you don’t express and feel, toxins develop in your bloodstream.”
Adam tried not to frown at the new age babble.
“It seemed to me like maybe Corinne had bottled up her pain,” she continued. “And when you do that, you create not only toxins but internal pressure. Eventually, something has to give. So after you left, I started wondering. Maybe Corinne had submerged the pain of losing the baby. Maybe she pushed it down and tried to keep it down, but now, two years later, whatever walls she had built suddenly gave way.”
Adam just looked at her. “At first.”
“What?”
“You said you started thinking this ‘at first.’ So somewhere along the line you changed your mind.”
She didn’t reply.
“Why?”
“She’s my friend, Adam.”
“I know that.”
“You’re the husband she’s trying to get away from, right? I mean, if you’re telling the truth and nothing bad happened to her.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.” Kristin swallowed hard. “You walk down the streets where we all live. You see the nice neighborhoods and the manicured lawns and the nice patio furniture in the backyard. But none of us knows what really goes on behind those facades, do we?”
He stood there.
“For all I know, Adam, you abuse her.”
“Oh, come on—”
Kristin held up her hand. “I’m not saying you do. I’m just giving you an example. We just don’t know.” There were tears in her eyes, and now he wondered about her husband, Hank, and why, with this physique, she sometimes wore those long sleeves and cover-ups. He had thought that maybe she had wanted to be modest. But that might not be it.
She had a point, though. They might live in a seemingly friendly community or a close-knit neighborhood, but every home is its own island with its own secrets.
“You know something about this,” Adam said to her.
“I don’t. And I really have to get back to the girls now.”
Kristin turned away from him. Adam almost reached out and grabbed her arm. Instead, he said, “I don’t think Corinne was really pregnant.”
Kristin stopped.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
With her back still turned, she shook her head. “Corinne never said anything to me.”
“But you knew.”
“I knew nothing,” Kristin said in a low voice. “You need to go now.”
Chapter 19
Ryan was at the back door waiting for him.
“Where’s Mom?”
“She’s away,” Adam said.
“What do you mean, away?”
“She’s traveling.”
“Where?”
“It’s a teacher’s thing. She’ll be home soon.”
“Work on your starting poses,” Kristin said, her eyes on Adam now. “When you first walk out, you do one front, then one back, then you walk away. That’s it. Okay, Harriet will lead you out. I’ll be right back.”
Kristin headed toward him without pause, again crossing the room in the high heels that made her nearly as tall as he was. “Anything new?” she asked him.
“Not really.”
Kristin led him into the corner. “So what’s up?”
It shouldn’t be awkward talking to a woman standing in ridiculously high heels and sporting a skimpy bikini. But it was. When Adam was eighteen, he spent two weeks in Spain’s Costa del Sol. Many of the women went topless, and Adam had fancied himself too mature to ogle. He didn’t ogle, but he did feel a little awkward. That feeling was coming back to him now.
“I guess you’re preparing for a show,” Adam said.
“Not just any show, but Nationals. If I can be selfish for a moment? Corinne left at a bad time. She’s my travel partner. I know in the scheme of things, this doesn’t seem like much, but this is my first show since turning pro and . . . okay, that’s a dumb thing to care about. But that’s a small part of how I’m feeling. The bigger part, though, is I’m really worried. This isn’t like her.”
“I know,” Adam said. “It’s why I want to ask you something.”
“Go ahead.”
He didn’t know how to do it, so he just dove in. “It’s about her pregnancy two years ago.”
Pay dirt.
His words hit Kristin Hoy like a surprise wave at the beach. Now it was Kristin’s turn to teeter on the ridiculously high heels. “What about it?”
“You look surprised,” he said.
“What?”
“When I mentioned her pregnancy. You looked like you’d seen a ghost or something.”
Her eyes darted everywhere but on him. “I guess I was surprised. I mean, she disappears, and for some reason, you start asking about something that happened two years ago. I don’t see the connection.”
“But you remember her pregnancy?”
“Of course. Why?”
“How did she tell you?”
“About being pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I don’t remember.” But she did. He could tell. Kristin was lying to him. “What’s the difference how she told me?”
“I need you to think. Do you remember anything odd about it?”
“No.”
“Nothing unusual about the pregnancy at all?”
Kristin put her hands on her hips. Her skin glistened from a fine sheen of perspiration or maybe something left over from a bronzer. “What are you trying to get at?”
“How about when she miscarried?” Adam tried. “How was she acting then?”
Oddly enough, those two questions seemed to center her somehow. Kristin took her time now, breathing slowly as though meditating, the prominent clavicle rising and falling. “Funny.”
“Yes?”
“I thought her reaction was low-key.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, I was thinking about it. She was so good about getting over it. So after you left school today, I started thinking—I mean, at first—that maybe Corinne had been too good after the miscarriage.”
“I’m not following.”
“A person needs to grieve, Adam. A person needs to express and feel. If you don’t express and feel, toxins develop in your bloodstream.”
Adam tried not to frown at the new age babble.
“It seemed to me like maybe Corinne had bottled up her pain,” she continued. “And when you do that, you create not only toxins but internal pressure. Eventually, something has to give. So after you left, I started wondering. Maybe Corinne had submerged the pain of losing the baby. Maybe she pushed it down and tried to keep it down, but now, two years later, whatever walls she had built suddenly gave way.”
Adam just looked at her. “At first.”
“What?”
“You said you started thinking this ‘at first.’ So somewhere along the line you changed your mind.”
She didn’t reply.
“Why?”
“She’s my friend, Adam.”
“I know that.”
“You’re the husband she’s trying to get away from, right? I mean, if you’re telling the truth and nothing bad happened to her.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am.” Kristin swallowed hard. “You walk down the streets where we all live. You see the nice neighborhoods and the manicured lawns and the nice patio furniture in the backyard. But none of us knows what really goes on behind those facades, do we?”
He stood there.
“For all I know, Adam, you abuse her.”
“Oh, come on—”
Kristin held up her hand. “I’m not saying you do. I’m just giving you an example. We just don’t know.” There were tears in her eyes, and now he wondered about her husband, Hank, and why, with this physique, she sometimes wore those long sleeves and cover-ups. He had thought that maybe she had wanted to be modest. But that might not be it.
She had a point, though. They might live in a seemingly friendly community or a close-knit neighborhood, but every home is its own island with its own secrets.
“You know something about this,” Adam said to her.
“I don’t. And I really have to get back to the girls now.”
Kristin turned away from him. Adam almost reached out and grabbed her arm. Instead, he said, “I don’t think Corinne was really pregnant.”
Kristin stopped.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
With her back still turned, she shook her head. “Corinne never said anything to me.”
“But you knew.”
“I knew nothing,” Kristin said in a low voice. “You need to go now.”
Chapter 19
Ryan was at the back door waiting for him.
“Where’s Mom?”
“She’s away,” Adam said.
“What do you mean, away?”
“She’s traveling.”
“Where?”
“It’s a teacher’s thing. She’ll be home soon.”
