“Go.”
With an apologetic nod, Jessica stepped out onto the porch, the click of the door closing, echoing behind her.
Unsure of what to do next, Jess jogged to her SUV, grabbed a pen and paper from her purse, and wrote down her cellphone number. She strode back across the yard and slipped the paper beneath the door.
Chapter Nineteen
Owen sat on the couch facing the door when the sound of a car pulling into the drive reached his ears. Jessica was home.
He remained seated, waiting on her to enter the house. He’d been calling her cell and texting her for hours to no avail.
The door opened and she stepped inside. “What are you doing home?”
“Waiting on you. Where have you been?”
She closed the door and turned to face him. “In town. Why?”
“I’ve been calling and texting you for hours. What good is having a cellphone if you never use it?”
Stepping out of her heels, she bent, picked them up, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What’s with the third degree?”
Anger quickly replaced his concern. “Why are you evading my questions?”
“I left my cell in the car, Owen. Are we really going to argue over that fact?”
Owen surged to his feet. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks…up all hours of the night, arguing with neighbors in the street.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Arguing with the neighbors? If you’re referring to Eustice Martin, I—”
“I’m talking about Dale Schroder. Why the hell were you standing in the street having words with him after midnight? Furthermore, why didn’t you tell me about it?”
She stared at him for long moments before blowing out a defeated breath. “I wasn’t standing in the street arguing. I’d stepped outside to get some air when he approached me at the end of the drive. He’d been drinking and was simply running his mouth. It had nothing to do with you. I handled it just fine.”
“I’m a local bank manager, Jessica. Everything you do reflects back on me.”
“Are you kidding me?” she snapped, taking a step closer. “You’re worried I’ll make you look bad to the local gossips? Jesus, Owen. It was a simple misunderstanding with a drunk.”
“It’s more than that and you know it, Jess. You’ve been traipsing around outside in the middle of the night since we moved here.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What are you doing, creeping around to watch my every move?”
“I don’t have to. People talk, Jess. Especially in small towns like this.”
“Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you moved us here!” She spun on her heel and stormed off down the hall.
Owen followed. “Where did you go this morning?”
“I told you,” she bit out, entering their bedroom. “Into town.”
“For what? What did you do in town? You didn’t shop, I checked the bank account.”
She tossed her shoes into the closet and squared off with him. “You’re spying on me, now? Checking the accounts? How about the mileage on my car, have you checked that too?”
“Do I need to?” he shouted, growing angrier by the second. “What are you hiding from me? And don’t lie to me, Jess. Your right eye always twitches when you lie, exactly as it’s doing now.”
Jessica pinched the bridge of her nose and lowered her head. “Fine. I went to see Melanie Dayton.”
“Who the hell is Melanie Dayton?”
She jerked her thumb toward the bedroom window. “The woman who used to own that house next door.”
Though still angry, Owen took a calming breath and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “What made you go see the woman who used to live next door?”
Jess lifted her head to reveal moisture swimming in her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand, Owen.”
“Try me.” It pained his heart to see Jessica’s tears.
She moved to sit next to him on the bed. He noticed her hands trembled. “Remember the boy I saw in the house next door the night I was accosted by Eustice Martin?”
At Owen’s nod, she continued. “That wasn’t a random neighborhood child I saw. It was Terry Dayton.”
Owen thought about that for a moment. “It couldn’t have been the Dayton boy, Jess. He would be an adult by now.”
“I know,” she sniffled, picking at her thumb nail. “But it was him. I looked up his disappearance on the internet. There’s no doubt in my mind that the child was Terry Dayton. He even wore the same striped T-shirt Terry had on when he went missing.”
Owen’s heart cracked. The longer he sat there, listening to her story, the more he realized he was losing her. She sounded paranoid, delusional…insane. “Ah, Jess…”
“You think I’m crazy.” She stood and moved to the window facing the Dayton house.
“I don’t think you’re crazy, Jess. I believe that you think you saw something in that house. But the missing Dayton boy couldn’t be it. He’s been gone for thirteen years.”
Owen left the bed to stand behind his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. “I think we should see a doctor.”
Jessica broke free of his hold and stepped out of his reach. “That is exactly why I can’t tell you anything, Owen. You think drugs are the answer to everything. The bottom line here is that you don’t trust me. Well, guess what? I don’t trust you either.”
She stormed from the room, leaving Owen standing by that window.
“What are you doing?” Owen questioned softly as she marched back in and grabbed her shoes from the closet.
She stopped at the bedroom door, her back remaining to him. “I’m going for a drive.”
Chapter Twenty
Tears dripped down Jessica’s face as she backed out of the driveway and headed west. In the weeks that she’d been in Sparkleberry Hills, she’d experienced nothing but insanity. At least in Chicago, she’d had Dr. Knox to turn to when things got bad.
She wiped at her tear-soaked cheeks with the back of her hand and jerked up her cellphone.
Scrolling through the alphabet, Jess found the doctor’s name and pressed the call key.
“Doctor Knox’s office,” his secretary answered on the second ring.
Jessica pressed the cell firmly against her ear to keep her hand from trembling. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. What the hell was she going to tell the doctor, anyway? Hey, I’m seeing the ghost of a missing neighborhood boy. And he just happens to be the same age as Jacob.
“Hello? Dr. Knox’s office,” the secretary repeated.
Jessica took a fortifying breath. “This is Jessica Nobles. Is Doctor Knox in?”
“He’s just finishing up with a patient. Would you like to leave a message?”
“I,” Jessica began, only to falter.
The secretary spoke to someone in a low tone before announcing. “The doctor is free now, Mrs. Nobles. Hold please.”
Jessica’s stomach lurched. She suddenly wished she hadn’t dialed the psychologist’s office.
“Mrs. Nobles?” The doctor’s deep, soothing voice came over the line. “What can I do for you?”
Jess hesitated before losing her nerve altogether. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”
She quickly pressed the end key and tossed the cell onto the passenger’s seat.
It buzzed almost instantly, the vibrating sound muffled by the cloth of the seat.
Jess let it ring out, and then plucked it up and called Ruckle. “I need to see you.”
“Come by my office. I’m just finishing up some things.” He rattled off the address.
“Be there in ten.”
For some reason the thought of seeing Steven Ruckle calmed her nerves a little. She supposed it had to do with the fact that he didn’t judge her. He simply let her talk things out, offered help where he could, and didn’t push.
Jess returned her cell to the passenger seat and gripped the wheel with both hands. She had a ten-minute drive ahead of her, and she planned to use that time to regain some of her composure.
“Hey,” Steven greeted, his fingers flying over a keyboard. “Have a seat. I’ll be right with you.”