Chapter 37: Lies
*You can’t hesitate about who you are. – Viola Davis*
Hank was tracking her and Jolene did not know how he was doing it. She had stopped on the way home from work to check on Ty. When Hank got home early Saturday morning, he had gone stupid crazy.
The new neighbors had called the cops again. Again, he told the men that he worked with that nothing was going on.
And again, they believed him.
After they had left, Hank gagged her and finished her punishment. As always, he was careful not to leave any bruises. At least, not where you could see them.
Saturday, while he slept, Jolene studied and worked on her latest paper. This time it was for history. She was very careful not to make too much noise. Hank had become so irrational and unpredictable lately.
The sergeant test was only a few weeks away. Once that was done and, hopefully, he passed, he would go back to being his loving self.
The shower turned on and she set her project aside to fix him breakfast. Bacon was cooling, biscuits were in the oven and she was frying three eggs when he came into the small kitchen.
“You’re so sweet to fix me breakfast.” Hank said wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck and she turned towards him for a kiss. “You’re the best.” He moved away to get himself a cup if coffee.
“I love you.” She whispered as she turned back to the stove. After it was clear, she would not get a kiss.
“You too, babe. Hey, lieutenant Winslow is having a cookout tomorrow. Can you make your chocolate cake?”
“Tomorrow? But…”
“What? This is the man holding my career in just hand. Certainly your family would understand.”
“OK. I’ll call Bunny.”
Jolene had sat with a group of women that she didn’t know, talking about things she didn’t know about and wanting to disappear into a black hole she couldn’t find.
These women obviously had known each other for a long time. They talked easily about everything. Jolene sat quietly, feeling as though she was out of place. She had no kids, so she had no stories to tell. Her career hadn’t started, she had nothing to contribute.
She smiled and laughed. Nodded in agreement. Tried to enjoy herself. Tried to act as though her husband had not just beat the hell out of her a few nights ago. Again.
Jolene must have done well because when they left, Amanda Winslow invited her to the monthly wives luncheon in November.
Remembering what happened last time when she was too energetic, she stayed quiet on the way home. This ended up being the wrong thing too.
Walking towards their apartment, he held her close to his side. They stopped on the sidewalk and he kissed her deeply and tenderly. Jolene wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. She was unaware of the man standing on the stoop next to theirs watching them.
Hank had seen the new neighbor and wanted to make sure that he saw a loving couple. “I say we go watch that new movie on Amazon.”
“OK.” She replied back with a smile.
They finished their way to the door and went inside.
Neo watched them but didn’t buy the act. He knew what was going on. That guy might have the police department fooled, but not everyone bought his story. Bunny had suspicions and when the apartment next door became available, Neo moved in.
He put out the cigarette in the outdoor ash tray. It was a nasty habit and he didn’t know why anyone would do it. But it offered a reason to be outside. Neo went inside and turned on his recording equipment.
Legally, he could not record anything in their apartment, video or audio. But, if he was testing equipment for his security company, and happened to pick up noises from their apartment, *that* was legal.
Hank turned on the TV and turned up the volume. As he sat down on the couch, he grabbed a throw pillow. With a quick motion, he covered Jolene’s mouth with the small rectangular pillow. Holding the pillow over her mouth, he grabbed her hair with the other and forced her to her back on the couch. Jolene looked at him in absolute terror.
“Didn’t I tell you that we were going to this today for my promotion?” Hank hissed and Jolene nodded. “Then why did you look miserable all day?”
“If you’re not happy, they’re going to think it’s my fault. And if I can’t keep you happy, I won’t be able to work well as a shift sergeant.”
He let go of her. “Make any noises and you know what will happen.”
“They all knew each other. They were talking about kids and I didn’t have anything to say. I was invited to their group luncheon next month.”
“That’s good. You can talk me up then. Make sure that they know I'm a good cop.”
He sat up and pulled her with him. Anchoring her next to him, Hank began watching the movie as if nothing happened. The movie was not the one she was expecting and did not enjoy it at all. But she took her cues from him as for how to react and when.
“I think you’re right. We should have a baby. Quit taking your birth control.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order.
Jolene knew that he would make sure that her pills were gone. Something told her not to get pregnant. If she did, it would never get any better.
Before class the following morning, Jolene 'accidentally' dropped her phone under her seat. Using the excuse of running late, her smart watch remained on it's charger. After locking the car, she checked in with her history professor. After that, she walked across the campus and went to a low cost clinic. She paid cash and used an alias, and had an IUD implanted.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
