Monday

  Castleton

  Rachel Corbin's Apartment

  8:49 a.m.

  Rachel stretches in bed, peering drowsily around the room. Ned is nowhere to be seen. Good.

  Yawning noisily, and stretching out to full length, Rachel forces herself awake. She practically rolls off of the bed. With an unhappy grimace, Rachel trudges across the master bedroom to the door. Once in the hallway, she listens for signs that Ned is still in the apartment. Nothing. No shower going, no dishes or refrigerator slamming, no laughing, no snoring, or sounds of self-pleasuring. Everything is quiet.

  Even so, Rachel walks very stealthily down the hallway. She peeks into the living room and finds it empty. Ned is truly gone. Again.

  With another low sigh, Rachel walks toward the entertainment center and the 65-inch television on the far side of the living room. It's a long shot. But, if Ned is so caught up in what is on that video; it may still be inside the player. A part of Rachel desperately wants to know the identity of the woman Ned is seeing on the side.

  As luck would have it, Rachel's hunch is correct. The video is still inside the DVD player. Rachel uses the remote to turn both the television and the DVD player on. She hits play on the remote, folding her arms across her chest, and settles in to watch the shenanigans. Within moments, Rachel's face falls.

  "Oh no. No no," Rachel gasps, pressing a hand to her mouth. "No. NO! Oh no!"

  Rachel forces herself to watch several more minutes of the video. Shock alters her features to match the level of horror she is witnessing on the screen. This can't be. Not even Ned could be this depraved.

  Finally having enough, Rachel turns off the DVD player with a push of the remote button. She drops the remote to the floor and presses both hands to her mouth. Sobs escape her throat and tears stream down her cheeks.

  "I think. I think I know that woman," Rachel says, her voice quaking. "Her face. I've seen it before. I'm sure I have. Oh, Ned. Ned, no. Why, Ned! Oh my gosh!"

  -

  -

  "Hello? Who is this?" Lenny Corbin says.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  The father of two bounces his toddler son on one shoulder, while balancing his cellphone between his ear and his other shoulder.

  "Lenny. Lenny, it's me. It's Rachel," Rachel breathes into the speaker of her phone.

  Sobs choke off the young woman's words and she presses a hand to her mouth to subdue them. On the other end of the line, Lenny grows concerned. He maneuvers towards the kitchen counter, stopping to lower the disappointed toddler from his shoulder. He uses one hand to hold his son in place, while pressing a hip against the counter as an added barrier. Lenny gives Rachel his undivided attention, holding the phone tightly to his right ear.

  "What's going on, Rachel?" Lenny hisses into the phone. "I don't hear from you in months...And then, you call me bawling like a freaking baby. What the hell did that asshole do this time? Do I need to come down there, Rachel? You know I will."

  "No. I mean...I don't know. I'm...I'm a little scared, Lenny. One of my roommates from college was found murdered the other day. Evelyn Reardon. You remember, Evelyn. It's awful, Lenny. Well...Ned's been acting really weird the last few days. All of a sudden, he's running around with a bunch of money. I don't know where he got it. I'm just scared, Lenny."

  "Have you talked to someone about it, Rachel? Like the police?"

  "No. Uh. No," Rachel stammers. "Like I said, I don't have any proof Ned did anything wrong. He said he had a job working for Mrs. Lamont. And some other odd jobs. He just won't tell me what they are. It could be more of that nightclub business. The girls...As he calls it. I don't know. I'm just scared, Lenny. I'm so scared. I saw...I'm so scared."

  "Tell you what, Rachel," Lenny says in a weary voice. "How 'bout you come stay with us for a few days? Maybe it'll give you a chance to detox from Ned. You can clear your head and figure out what you need to do. The wife and I would be glad to have you. The spare room is still made up from the holidays. Pack a bag or two. I'll come and get you."

  Rachel falters, unsure if she should involve Lenny and his budding family in her troubles with Ned--and possibly the law. She squeezes her eyes shut, inhaling deeply and letting the air out slowly.

  "Uh, no. Not now. I mean, I'm really not sure that's a good idea," Rachel says, sadness tearing her heart in two different directions. "I don't have any real evidence. And I probably shouldn't leave right now. I just needed to talk to someone. I just needed to hear your voice."

  "Are you kidding me, Rach?! The guy beats the hell out of you every chance he gets. He cheats on you with every flapping skirt in town. Goodness, Rachel. He even slept with Karine. Knowing she was your sister. And he laughed in your face while doing it. Why the hell are you still with that asshole? Huh, Rachel?! What the hell do you see in that son of a bitch? It can't be his pecker. I've seen pitbulls with bigger balls than that bastard will ever have."

  "Lenny, please," Rachel responds, choking back laughter. "I just. Lenny, it's not that simple."

  "Of course it is, Rachel," Lenny argues, his voice authoritative. "You pack your bags and you wait for me outside. I'm offering you a place to stay."

  "And I appreciate it, Lenny. Honestly, that's exactly why I called you. It's just that...Now, that I've thought about it. I don't think moving in with you is the right thing to do. I might be putting you and your family in terrible danger. I can't do that, Lenny. I can't."

  "Let us worry about that, Rachel. You're my kid sister. I want to know that you're safe."

  "I can't, Lenny. I'm sorry I called. Tell everyone how much I love them. I'm sure Jason is huge by now. I'll talk to you later, Lenny."

  "No, Rach--,"

  Rachel ends the phone call before Lenny can completely finish his statement.