The Good Neighbor - Bettes Kimberley A.. Страница 31

I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was mainly talking to himself. But he made some curious points. This got my wheels turning.

I swallowed the last of my toast and said, “You know, it’s almost as if he’s been trying to do this since she moved in. I think he tried to rape her the night Owen was there, but he had thought she was alone. So instead of actually raping her, he just...did what he did.”

“Yeah,” Andy said, catching my point. “That must be why he was watching Owen and knew when he left.”

“But he would’ve had to have watched them all day to know Carla was staying over here.”

Andy thought for a minute about that. “Not necessarily. Maybe he went to Carla’s house, saw no one was there, and figured she was here.”

“He still would’ve had to be watching Owen to see when he left. And what if he never left?”

“Maybe he would’ve just waited until the next time he caught Carla alone.”

“Yeah, or maybe he wasn’t watching at all. Maybe it was a coincidence that Owen was gone at the time he came over. He had taken a knife upstairs. Maybe he planned to kill Owen first.” I shuddered at the thought of anything happening to Owen. He was a best friend to Andy, and was like a brother to us both. If anything like that happened to him, we’d be crushed.

“Shit,” was all Andy managed to say. “Have you been talking to Carla about her theory?”

I finished my milk before telling him I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he told me about what he called ‘Carla’s Two-Year Theory’. It made sense. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t noticed it. Three deaths in two years on one street. It was definitely odd.

Then, he told me about how he and Owen had suspected Mr. Jenson, and how they’d recently cleared him of all suspicious activities. He’d turned out to be an innocent, kind-hearted, lonely old man.

“You don’t think...” I couldn’t even finish the question.

“What? That Bernie might’ve killed three people living on this street in the past couple of years? Well, a few days ago, I would’ve said no. But a few days ago I also would’ve said he’d never break in and rape his neighbor, but here we are.”

“Oh my god.” A chill ran down my spine, colder than any I’d ever felt before.

There was a killer among us. A killer and a rapist. His name was Bernie Patterson, and he lived across the street from us. Oh my god, indeed.

53 Owen

Andy and Jill had gone home around nine o’clock. They were tired. Apparently, at least for a while, we were sleeping in shifts. They’d stayed over while Carla and I slept. They watched the kids and kept an eye out for Bernie. Now it was our turn. The kids were getting ready for bed, but we’d have to keep watching out for Bernie. Who knew what his next move would be?

I watched out the front window for movement at Bernie’s. I saw none.

Carla got the kids ready for bed. I stood outside the guest bedroom and listened as she recited to them a bedtime story. We’d somehow managed to keep all this from them. It wouldn’t be long though before they would wonder why they were staying at my place. In order to keep them innocent about the whole thing and keep their world from being upset, I needed to deal with Bernie soon.

When the kids were all tucked in, Carla came out of the room, leaving the door open a few inches. I put my arm around her and pulled her to me. She nestled her head against my chest and I held her tightly.

I realized that I would always feel as though I’d failed her. I’d left her open and vulnerable to Bernie’s assault. If I lived a thousand years, I’d never let go of the guilt. But I had to move past it. If we were to have a future together at all, I would have to push forward, around the guilt, and put it behind me. And make sure I never, ever left her in such a position again.

We went downstairs to wait out the night, wary of any further onslaught from Bernie.

I double-checked all the doors and windows before settling down on the couch with Carla. She folded her legs under her and rested her head on my shoulder while we talked through the night.

I learned many things about her, and I revealed some things about myself as well. We had such a small amount of time to get to know each other before things had gotten so out of hand. It felt a little odd stepping backward like this, but it was necessary. I knew that we would always be tied to each other, whether or not we lasted as a couple. Our lives had become so entwined in the short time we’d known each other, that she would always be a part of my history, and I would always be part of hers. Nothing would ever change that. It only made sense to get to know each other better.

We talked for hours on the couch, pausing occasionally for me to check out the window for signs of Bernie.

We ate breakfast at about four. I was starving and I knew Carla had to be too, but she wasn’t interested in eating. I had to persuade her to eat the little she ate. I ate three fried eggs with toast and bacon, but Carla barely ate one egg and only nibbled on a piece of bacon.

After we ate, we sat on the front porch. I was surprised and amazed that she suggested it. She said she didn’t want to be in the house forever, and that being inside made her feel trapped. I understood that, probably more than anyone.

I noticed her glance at Bernie’s house a few times during the first hour we were out there. With each glance, she looked at his house longer, until finally, she was glaring at it. She had slowly worked up her courage. She was even stronger than I’d imagined.

We saw no signs of Bernie throughout the night. We were both relieved.

It was just after six when Andy rushed out of his house. He threw a suitcase into his car and started to jump in after it. That’s when he saw us.

“Where are you going with a suitcase?” I asked.

Andy looked worried. “My brother just called. My mom’s in the hospital and it doesn’t look good. I don’t know how long I’ll be.” He looked at the ground, visibly fighting back tears. I knew that meant he didn’t know how long she had to live. “Hey, don’t do anything until I get back. Okay?”

“I won’t,” I said, understanding that he was referring to our conversation about Bernie. “Go take care of business. Hope she’s okay.”

He nodded and got in his car. Through the open window he said, “Will you watch after Jill for me?”

“You don’t even have to ask,” I replied.

He backed out and drove away quickly, leaving the lives of two children and two women in my hands.

54 Carla

I felt horrible as I watched Andy drive away. I felt bad for Andy because he looked miserable. I knew it was difficult to lose a parent, especially your mother. I felt bad for Owen because I knew how close he and Andy were. I knew he wanted to be there for Andy, but he felt obligated to be here for me. I didn’t want to keep him away from Andy, but I wouldn’t feel safe if I didn’t have Owen. That was horribly selfish of me, and I knew it. But I couldn’t help it.

I wouldn’t let Owen see it, but I was a nervous wreck. I was terrified that Bernie would somehow manage to get past Owen and do something worse to me than he already had.

I couldn’t let that fear consume me, though. I was determined to live my life, and not in fear. Never in fear. I’d never give someone like Bernie that kind of power and control over me. If I did, it would be like he was still raping me. I wouldn’t have it.

I was doing my best to put it all behind me. I only wanted to move forward with my life. I had no idea how that was going to work when my rapist lived next door to me.