Aimee turns back to him, surprised by her own calm state of mind. The unraveling will come later, she is sure. In these past few days of catastrophizing, she imagined Scott in so many different terrible situations—wounded in a car crash, unconscious in a hospital, or kidnapped and held against his will. She hadn’t entertained even for a second the thought that he would voluntarily stay away from her and cause her so much pain and grief.And that knowledge is like a moat around her, one he won’t be able to cross easily.
“I am going to go home to my kids. And yes, I am going to call the police. I am going to tell them every single thing that you told me. The rest is up to you, Scott.”
45
NOW
Gwen turns as Aimee leaves the house and walks right by her without a word. She leaves Scott’s mom sucking on a cigarette and hurries to the truck.
“Let’s go.” Aimee climbs into the passenger side of the truck, so Gwen gets in on the driver’s side.
“What about Scott?”
“You drive.” Aimee hands Gwen the keys. “I’d like to go back and scream at that woman, but there’s no point. She’s a horrible mother who ruined her son’s life and he’s still listening to her now.”
“What’s going on? Is Scott staying?” Gwen peers up at the house as if Scott might come running out at any moment, but the only movement is from Jen, who stands at the front door like a sentry, flicking the ash from her cigarette.
Aimee pulls her knees up to her chest, pressing her face against them. “Just drive, please. Just drive.”
“Of course.” Gwen starts the ignition and turns the truck around, heading back the way they came, past the high school with the earth movers parked out front. The clock on the dash says it’s twelve-thirty. They’ll be back in plenty of time for school dismissal. Gwen doesn’t say anything on the drive home, but the quiet is fraught with tension. Aimee stares out the window, unmoving. She’s a million miles away. It obviously did not go well with Scott, and as curious as Gwen is about what transpired between them, she wants to give Aimee her space.
It isn’t until about forty minutes later, once they are off 495 and driving through downtown Bethesda, that Gwen dares break the silence. “I’m not trying to pry, but how do you feel?”
Aimee turns from the window. “I don’t know how I feel right now. I’m so angry, I’m just so angry at him. But at the same time, I want him back. But the old him. Before I knew all this shit.”
“Is he coming home?”
“I don’t think so.”
Gwen lets this sink in. She pulls into their neighborhood, a sensation of gloom overtaking her. The last few days have blotted out her good memories of this place, and she hates that. “Can I ask you—did you have a chance to talk to him about Anton?”
“He said that he didn’t even know Anton was the one blackmailing him, and I believe him.”
Gwen considers this. “So you don’t think he was involved in Anton’s death?”
Aimee gives her a sharp look. “No. Scott’s not a killer.”
“And you believe him?” Scott is, at the very least, a liar and a fugitive. He might even be a murderer.
“He was genuinely surprised that it was Anton. Yes, I believe him.”
“But they were together right before Anton was killed. And with the blackmail, Scott does have a motive.”
“What do you want me to say, Gwen?” Aimee’s voice is shrill. “That I think my husband killed yours? Because I don’t.”
“I’m just saying—”
“Well, don’t. Because I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Fine. But are you going to call the police?”
Aimee scowls. “Of course I am. You think I’m just going to pretend to the police that he’s still missing, and I have no idea where he is?”
Gwen pulls the truck up in front of Aimee’s house and cuts the engine, unsure of what to say. Aimee seems to vibrate with anger. After a few moments of silence, Aimee takes out her phone.
“Why do I feel so guilty calling the police?”
“Because you still love him.”