Castleton

  Tuesday

  Rachel Corbin's Apartment

  Ned is still fast asleep when Rachel throws off the blankets and climbs stealthily out of bed. Creeping to the bathroom on the other side of the room, Rachel slips inside and quietly shuts the door. She locks the handle and peers across the room. Her underwear are still on the floor beside the toilet, where she dropped them a few hours before. Had she not removed them herself, Ned surely would have. None too nicely either. Which might have led to the discovery of her hidden stash.

  Crouching beside the toilet, Rachel retrieves her underwear, inspecting them. The five one-hundred dollar bills she'd tucked inside the hidden pocket are still there. Thank goodness.

  Removing the money from its hiding place, Rachel goes to the medicine cabinet. She takes out a bottle of women's shaving cream and unscrews the bottom. Yet another trick she'd learned from Lenny. Always keep a little something extra for yourself. In case of an emergency. It's days like these when Rachel is grateful for older brothers.

  Placing the bills inside the shaving cream bottle, Rachel secures the fake bottom in place. She puts the bottle of shaving cream back in its original spot and shuts the cabinet. Resting a hand against the cold mirror, Rachel releases a depressed sigh.

  "It won't be long now," Rachel whispers.

  Just as the words leave her lips, there is a loud knock on the bathroom door. Oh no. Ned.

  "Rachel, what the hell are you doing in there? Open up. I need to take a piss."

  "I...I'm coming out, Ned. I'm just grabbing my clothes. I was gonna take a bath and then go shopping this morning. But if you need the bathroom..." Rachel begins, unlocking and opening the bathroom door.

  Ned's eyes fall to Rachel's nudity as she leans against the doorframe. She offers him a coy smile.

  "...The bathroom is all yours," Rachel continues.

  "Ummhmmm," Ned says, slipping one hand around Rachel's waist as he squeezes past her. "If I didn't have to work today...I'd take you up on your offer, Honey."

  "You've got a job, Ned? Where?"

  "Mrs. Lamont wants me to clean her deck for her. She'll pay me seventy-five dollars. That's good money in today's economy. She may even have a couple more jobs lined up for me this week. That'll mean more money."

  "Right. Well, just don't piss it away again...Drinking every night," Rachel retorts. "We need that money to take care of some things around here, Ned."

  "Don't tell me what to do with my money, Rachel," Ned exclaims, his face reddening. "I don't tell you what to do with your money. So don't be minding my business."

  "Are you serious, Ned?" Rachel protests. "Do you hear yourself, right now? My money. I have no money. Every cent I make...You either spend it on booze or it goes towards keeping this roof over our heads. I have no money, Ned!"

  Forgetting his intention of taking a whizz, Ned whirls on Rachel. He grabs her right forearm and pulls her close, eyes flashing with anger.

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  "You like making me angry...Don't you, Rachel?" Ned growls in her face. "You just don't know when to shut your big trap!"

  "And you don't know how to admit you're a fugging alcoholic, Ned!" Rachel spits back. "Go ahead. Hit me, Ned. I know you want to. But sooner or later...Your drinking is gonna land you in some hot water. It does no good for you to get all of these great jobs...And then piss all of the money away on beer and cigarettes. You need help, Ned. Serious help. Or we're gonna end up on the street."

  Ned releases Rachel's arm and waves her off with his left hand. He pulls down his striped boxers and moves toward the toilet.

  "Leave me alone, Rachel. Get out of my face. Just...Just leave me alone. And close the damned door. I think I need to take a dump."

  "Okay, Ned," Rachel says, a tiny sigh escaping her lips. At least, he hadn't hit her.

  Closing the bathroom door, Rachel heads for the wooden dresser. She grabs a pair of underwear and a new bra. Choosing the right outfit is a whole other issue. Ned becomes extremely jealous if he even thinks she's dressing up for someone other than him. Ned's constant drinking, and increased irritability, means finding an outfit which pleases him is becoming more and more difficult.

  Rachel finally decides on a black suede jumpsuit. She lays her clothes on the bed, waiting for Ned to finish up in the bathroom. In the meantime, she uses a brush on her long, dark bouncy curls. Staring at her image in the dresser mirror, Rachel licks her lips. The middle of her bottom lip still hurts from Ned's hard slap a few hours ago. Their intense making out session in the shower, and later in bed, had widened the split in her lower lip. Rachel grabs a tube of lipgloss from the dresser top and applies a thin layer. She closes her eyes and breathes in deeply. Yes, not long now.

  Castleton Police Department

  Octavia sits down in the high-backed chair Dave pulls up to the desk. He pulls up a second chair beside Octavia's. Straddling the chair, Dave takes the woman detective's right hand in his left. James peers across the desk at Octavia and offers her a friendly grin.

  "And speaking of good friends. I suppose I owe you one too, Octavia?" James says, his expression growing mischievous.

  "Really?" Octavia exclaims. "Why's that?"

  "For the surprise Madison presented me with last night. I know you put her up to it, Octavia," James replies.

  "Put her up to what? James, I have no idea what you're talking about. I wish I did. Sounds interesting," Octavia whispers huskily.

  "Don't act innocent, Octavia. Not after that trick you pulled on Dave during New Year's," James insists.

  "I'm not acting innocent. I am innocent, James. This time, I didn't do it. Whatever it is."

  "Last night, I get home and Madison is...Well, I thought I'd stepped into the wrong house. Candlelight dinner, soft music, lingerie, wine, and a homemade coffee cake. Jeez. It was like she was a whole new woman. On a normal day, I already think Maddie's hotter than a damn solar flare. But damn. Last night, she exceeded even my wildest expectations. She could've shot me ten times. No, make that a hundred. And I still would've asked for more. I know you, Octavia. Last night, had your signature all over it."

  "Nope. Not me," Octavia says with a chuckle. "That was all Madison. Could be...Your wife's just crazy about you, James? Things like that have been known to happen. She's just had a baby. It's probably just as much about her self esteem as it is about making you feel needed. That's how it was for me, anyway. After I had Viv....."

  Octavia's voice trails off and she looks over at Dave uneasily. Dave squeezes her hand reassuringly, offering his lover a nearly imperceptible head nod. James quickly changes the subject.

  "So...Besides your engagement...What else is new? What brings you to Castleton? You came all the way out here to tell me the good news?"

  "Yes. And no," Dave says.

  "I'm taking a few days off. Kind of a celebratory thing. Ran it by the sheriff. Octavia's wrapped up her case and the most pressing thing going on at the sheriff's department is a meth head who managed to blow up his not so secret lab. I wanted you to know we'll be leaving day after tomorrow."

  "That's nice," James says. "Where you headed?"

  "Oxnard," Octavia replies. "My brother lives out there. He's a defense attorney. A rather good one too. I haven't seen him and his family for years. Everyone's been so busy. I felt now was a good time."

  "You're probably right. Family's important," James adds with a smile. "Congratulations, Octavia...Dave. I mean it."

  "I know you do," Octavia says, placing her left hand over Detective Mackey's on the desktop. "Like I said...You're a good friend, James."

  Detective Mackey's face flushes with embarrassment. He opens his desk drawer, rummaging for his reading glasses. Anything to keep from looking Detective Patterson in the eye.