But I’ve got to keep going. I have to put as many miles as I can between me and the house where I murdered my husband. Because I don’t have long.
I'm going to head north. I need to get out of the country. And I’m far closer to Canada than I am to Mexico. Hopefully at the border, they won’t look too carefully at my passport and just wave me through.
I’ve been driving less than twenty minutes when my phone rings. The display in my car pops up the name Claudia Delaney.
It’s my sister.
I hesitate, not sure if I should take the call. It’s not that I don’t have some friends and coworkers that I like, but the only person I’ll really miss will be Claudia. She’s four years older than me, and she’s always looked out for me, especially after our parents died when I was only fourteen. When she finds out what happened, she’s going to be worried sick.
I’ve got to talk to her one last time. I need to let her know I’m all right.
I press the button to take the call. “Hi, Claudia!” I say in a voice that is so ridiculously chipper, I’m convinced she’ll know instantly something is wrong.
“Hey, Quinn,” she says. “Where are you? Are you free?”
I almost laugh at how ridiculous the question is. “Not at the moment. I’m… still at work.”
“What time do you get off? Do you want to grab dinner?”
“No, I…” I squeeze the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white. “I have to work late tonight.”
“Again?” She lets out a huff. “They work you way too hard at the bank.”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
Claudia clucks her tongue. “Tell you what. How about if I come over tonight with a bottle of wine? We can watch something on Netflix.”
“No!” The light turns red, and I have to jam my foot on the brake to keep from crashing into the car in front of me. That’s all I need right now. “I mean… I’ve got a headache and I… it’s not a good night. I don’t feel like socializing.”
There’s a long silence on the other line. “Quinn, are you okay?”
“Fine!” My voice cracks on the word, and I have to clear my throat. “I’m totally fine, Claudia. Really.”
“Are you sure?”
I grip the steering wheel tighter, picturing my sister’s round face, Cupid’s bow lips, and dark hair cut into a bob. I wish I could tell her the truth. I want more than anything to tell Claudia what happened and what I’ve done. If there’s any person in the world who would understand, it’s her.
But if I tell her the truth, she’s going to try to convince me to come back. She doesn’t want to lose me, so she’ll tell me to come home. And that’s the wrong thing to do. She doesn’t know the extent of the connections Derek’s family has. And even though she doesn’t like Derek, she doesn’t really understand quite how bad he is. I’ve been afraid to tell her all the details, because I thought she would beat him to death with a rolling pin—she’s very protective of me. And truthfully, I didn’t understand quite how bad he was until today.
“I’m fine,” I say. “I promise.”
“Do you triple dipper promise with a cherry on top?”
That’s something we always used to say when we were kids. Because the ice cream store down the block had a triple dipper cone with a cherry on top, and it was our favorite. “Yes. I triple dipper promise with a cherry on top.”
“Fine.” I hear the pout in her voice. “But you owe me dinner out. Tomorrow night, Rob and I are going out… how about Sunday?”
I swallow. I can’t agree to Sunday. Because when I don’t show up, she’ll go to my house. I don’t want her to be the one to discover Derek’s body—I can’t do that to her. “How about Monday?”
“Deal. Let’s meet at Donatello’s at seven. Don’t be late!”
“I won’t.” I hesitate, desperately wanting to say the words, I love you. Claudia is my only family, and I may never see her again. I want to tell her I love her, but if I do, she will for sure know something is wrong. It’s not the typical way we end conversations. So instead, I say, “Bye, Claudia.”
“Bye! Remember—don’t keep me waiting!”
We end the call, and I sit there for a moment, staring at the freezing rain hitting my windshield.
“I love you, Claudia,” I say to the windshield.