Roger sighed as he pulled a small box from his jacket pocket. He removed the cover and watched the gold chain sparkle in the sunlight coming through the window over the kitchen sink. He had planned to give his wife the necklace for Valentine's Day and then take her some place romantic for dinner and dancing. However, the likelihood of that happening now appeared bleak. He recalled how Gail had practically dragged him into the jewelry store at the mall about three months ago to show him the necklace even though she had admitted they couldn't afford it. To earn extra money, he'd started working Saturdays for a contractor who needed temporary help building a new house. She never complained about him being gone every Saturday, but he knew from her actions that she didn't like it. And then last Monday she'd been on the phone when he arrived home from work. When she got off the phone she had informed him that she was going to Pittsburgh to spend a few days with her sister, Tara. She had left the following day, and except for a brief message on the answering machine to let him know that she had arrived safely, he hadn't heard a word from her.
He felt the need for a cup of coffee, but didn't want to brew a whole pot so he got out the electric teakettle and heated water for a cup of instant. As he sat at the table sipping the coffee an idea popped into his head—since he didn't need to work Saturdays anymore why not drive to Pittsburgh tonight and really surprise her.
*
He pulled into the parking lot of a Super 8 motel about two miles from Jeff and Tara Bailey's home at 9:15 pm. He didn't think it would be a good idea to just drop in on them this late at night. He managed to get a room on the ground floor and after entering the room he used his cell phone to call the Bailey's number. Jeff answered after the third ring. "Hello..."
"Hi Jeff, this is Roger Bell...I'd like with speak with Gail if she's not busy."
"Sorry Roger, she's not here right now. She and Tara and a couple of Tara's friends are having a girl's night out."
"Oh...did they say where they were going or what time to expect them back?"
"Tara said they were planning to eat at Alfredo's Italian Restaurant, but after that they weren't sure if they'd take in a movie or go some place for a few drinks and dancing or whatever. She didn't have any idea what time they'd be home...told me not to wait up."
"Sounds like they plan to make a night of it. I'll try to catch her sometime tomorrow." Damn, if they're out late tonight she probably won't feel like going out tomorrow night.
He browsed through a copy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he'd picked up in the lobby then climbed into bed. He'd just started to doze off when car doors slamming and loud voices brought him wide awake. He could hear a man speaking, but with a strong accent and he couldn't understand most of what the guy said. But then he heard a woman's voice and had no problem understanding her slurred words. "Hurry up and get that damn door open Vince...I need some of that Italian sausage you've been bragging about."
Drunk as a dodo bird, he thought, but...something about the woman's voice bothered him. He tossed back the covers and hurried to the window. He pulled back the curtain just enough to peek out and noticed a black BMW parked beside his Subaru. As he watched, the woman pushed herself off the fender of the black car and staggered to where a short, stocky man stood fumbling with the door key. He tried to see the woman's face, but she kept looking at the ground. After they entered their room he got back into bed, but lay staring at the ceiling for a long time before falling asleep.
When he stepped outside the next morning the BMW was gone, the door to their room stood partially open, revealing the messed up bed. Must have had a ball in there last night, he thought. He turned to go, but a shiny object on the ground near the open door caught his attention. He stepped over and picked it up—a gold bracelet. "Oh god, no!" Now he understood why the woman's voice had bothered him. Gail's name with a rose on either side of it etched on the front of the bracelet brought tears to his eyes and bile to his throat. He had given it to his wife for their first anniversary.
After checking out of the motel, he drove to Jeff and Tara's home, parked on the street and then used his cell phone to call the house. He didn't trust himself to hold his temper if he went inside just yet. It rang about four or five times before a sleepy sounding Jeff answered. "Hello..."
"Morning Jeff, this is Roger again. Sorry to be a pest, but I've been wondering what time the girls made it home last night.
"Oh shit Roger, I don't know. It's too early to think...haven't had my coffee yet. I was just fixing it when the phone rang."
"Sorry Jeff, I understand, but...were you still up when they got home?"
"No, I waited until midnight and they weren't home so I gave up and went to bed. I got up to go to the bathroom around two-thirty and Tara was in bed then...must have been real quiet when she came in because I didn't hear her."
"Okay, but do you know if Gail came back with Tara?"
"Well hell Roger, I would have to assume so since they went in Tara's car. Why would you think...?"
