Crystal Lies - Melody Carlson [36]
I sighed. “Whatever.”
“I’ll call.”
“Thanks,” I told her as I closed the door. And I meant it. What would a person do at times like this without a good friend? I couldn’t even imagine. I knew she was right about confronting Geoffrey. But I just wasn’t sure I was up to it. Perhaps it would be better to wait a few days until I cooled off a bit, had a little more control over my emotions. But what if it only became harder the more I put it off? My policy in all things had always been to take care of things immediately. If something needed to be done, just do it. Of course, that seldom had anything to do with matters of the heart.
I decided to take Sherry’s advice about cleaning up my act. And after a long shower and a decent change of clothes, I felt slightly better. I was surprised though. I put on a pair of jeans that had been pretty snug just a month ago, and now the waist was a bit loose. It figures, I thought, as I combed my hair. It takes having your life fall completely apart to finally lose some of those unwanted pounds. Oh, I knew I’d put on some extra weight over the past few years. I figured it had to do with stress eating, and I was always well aware of my increasing size whenever I went shopping. Naturally, Geoffrey liked to remind me of this fact on a fairly regular basis too. It had started out in what seemed an innocent way when he’d generously given me a yearlong membership to a top-notch gym for a Christmas present a couple of years ago. I’d meant to go, I really had, but there always seemed some really good reason to put it off. Finally I’d just hidden the membership in a drawer, then thrown it away after I realized it had expired.
I suddenly remembered the day Sherry and I had seen Judith at Ziddies. I remembered how great Judith had looked, like she’d lost some weight and perhaps even gotten a facelift. Was that what had drawn my husband to her in the first place? Or had she tried to improve herself after getting involved with my husband? Would I ever know any of this for sure? And did it even matter?
But suddenly I knew for certain that Sherry was right. I did need to confront him, and the sooner the better. And if I lost control and acted like a complete idiot or said things I’d regret later, well, so be it.
Before confronting Geoffrey, I planned to check on the welfare of Winnie and Rufus. I drove over to the house with a real sense of mission. Worried that they’d been neglected or perhaps even abused—who knew what kind of monster Geoffrey had turned into lately?—my plan was to rescue the family pets and get out of there. I just hoped he hadn’t changed the locks on the house yet.
Fortunately my key still worked. I let myself in and set out in search of the animals. But there was no sign of them anywhere. Even their food dishes and water bowls had been removed. I called and called, but they didn’t come. Feeling despair, I finally went outside and searched some more. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Geoffrey had turned them both out. But there was no trace of them out there either. I called a few more times and was about to go back into the house when I heard a woman’s voice.
“Mrs. Harmon?”
I turned to see old Mrs. Fieldstone standing on the other side of the gate between our houses. “Oh, hello,” I called to her. “How are you?” She smiled. “I’m fine, dear. Are you looking for your pets?”
“Well, I…uh…yes, I am.”
She motioned for me to come over. “Winnie and Rufus have been visiting me.”
“Visiting you?” I went over and stood on the other side of the gate. “Yes. I noticed you were gone, dear. And your kitty began visiting me.
She seemed hungry, so naturally I fed her. Then I asked your husband about it, and he told me I could keep the cat.”
“Keep her?”
She nodded. “Oh, I didn’t mean to take her away, dear. But she seemed lonely and hungry and—”
“No, that’s okay,” I assured her. “I mean I wish I could keep her myself. But, well, my husband and I are having some difficulties,