Part 22:

Don’t Do This To Me

Kevin sat uncomfortably in the middle seat in the last row of coach, squashed between a woman who was on her death bed with the flu and a man who kept nodding off, his head dropping onto Kevin’s shoulder where he proceeded to drool onto his leather Versace jacket.

Checking his watch for the ten thousandth time he was relieved to see that the plane would be landing in just under thirty minutes. Grabbing for the phone on the seatback in front of him he reached into his jacket pocket pulling out his wallet amazed that the motions didn’t wake the sleeping man.

Sliding out his credit card he pushed it into the back of the phone waiting for the signal to dial. He knew that Kristin would be on the ground by now considering she had left a few hours ahead of him. So trying her cell phone again he was more then a little perturbed that he was still getting her voice mail.

Once the plane began its’ descent into Tampa taxiing slowly to the gate, Kevin found himself following all of the other coach passengers as they crowded into the aisle jockeying for position to be the first ones out of the plane. Which seemed insane considering he was in the last row and nobody was even moving since the doors to the plane hadn’t been opened yet.

It was easy to remember why he enjoyed first class so much.

Twenty-five minutes later Kevin was walking up the gangplank towards the airport terminal, feeling relieved to be back on familiar home ground again.

Stopping briefly at a gift shop he picked up a big stuffed bear for Nate smiling when he thought about his seeing his sons bright eyes and toothless grin again. It felt like it has been years since he’d held him last.

Walking unnoticed through the crowded airport Kevin reached inside his jacket pocket to make sure that the divorce documents were still secure. He’d thought long and hard about the situation he was heading home too and it made him sick inside. How would he know what was the right thing to do?

Stepping outside Kevin walked to a cab idyling at the curb, climbing inside he rattled off directions to his home and then sat back to enjoy the drive before the shit officially hit the fan.  

* * *

It seemed like an eternity before his cab finally pulled into the familiar confines of the gated community that Kevin and Kristin called home.

Pulling up to the house Kevin pushed a wad of bills into the cab drivers fist thanking him before grabbing the bear and stepping out onto the driveway.

From the outside the house appeared the same as when he had left it. Bright flowers dotting the gardens, the manicured lawns a strong emerald green and the trees billowing in the thin breeze.

Walking slowly the rest of the way up the long driveway Kevin looked over at Mark Caudiff’s house, a look of disgust on his face as he contemplated going over there right now to give the bastard a piece of his mind.

But he had more important things to take care of right now.

Walking up onto the porch Kevin tried the door, finding it locked. Pulling out his keyring he slid the key into the deadbolt pushing it opened surprised by the beeping of the alarm to his right. Dropping the bear into the entryway he punched in the six-digit code shutting the door behind him.

“Hello?” He called out. “Is anybody home?”

Shedding his jacket as he walked into the sitting room he tossed it onto the white sofa looking around the pristine room. It was as if nobody even lived there everything was so neat and tidy.

“Leslie?” Continuing into the kitchen he looked around at the empty sink and spotless counter tops.

He was unaware of the schedule Kristin had set up for the cleaning people. Maybe this was the day they had come to clean?

Walking outside onto the back deck the yard was empty, as was the beach. And the pool cover was pulled over the pool, most likely for Nate’s safety. Coming back inside Kevin walked up the back stairway calling out the names of his wife and nanny. Hoping for some response to come out the eerie silence. 

* * *

The upstairs was dark. All of the doors down the long hallway were pulled shut. Doors that he and Kristin always left opened?

“Is anybody up here?” Making his way down the hall Kevin opened the doors one at a time, poking his head inside of the guestrooms as well as the large playroom they had decorated for Nate to use when he got a little older.

Walking into the playroom Kevin smiled at the bright blue walls and murals of the ocean and boats and fish that looked so real they could have leaped off the wall onto your line.

There were shelves of stuffed animals and on the floor was a small replica of a wooden boat like the one Kevin had sailed in as a child with his dad.

Two paddles hung off of the sides the word S.S. NATE was painted on the back in bright red; a stuffed owl sat on the seat with a captain’s hat on.

Kevin remembered the fun he and Kristin had had planning the room, down to every last detail. The nights they’d slept curled up on the floor with a big blanket over them, Kristin’s eight month pregnant belly getting in the way as they made out beneath the blue sky and white puffy clouds painted overhead.

A noise in the distance startled him out of his daydream as he realized he still needed to talk to Kris and to Leslie. Needed to see his son.

Walking out of the playroom he continued down the hall opening the door to an empty guest bathroom before he came to the master bedroom.

Opening the door he expected to see Kristin sitting in the window seat, legs curled beneath her as she gazed out at the ocean.

But it was silent and the room was dark, the curtains pulled tight.

“Kris are you in here?” Poking his head in his bathroom he walked across the room to Kristin’s dressing room tripping over something in front of the vanity.

“Shit.” Stumbling he caught himself on the counter, looking down to see what had tripped him.

What the hell?

Flipping on the light Kevin waited for it to pulsate on his eyes glued to the long form on the floor, wrapped in one of their bed sheets.

Kneeling down Kevin’s brows furrowed at the dark rust colored stain on the outside of the sheet. Putting a hand on the form Kevin pulled back his heart racing his hands turning ice cold.

It was a body.

Suddenly his mind took over his hands grabbing for the form as he rolled it the opposite way of the mirrors, feeling like he was in some sort of freak horror movie as the sheet fell away and Mark Caudiff’s dead, panic filled eyes stared up at him.

“SHIT!”

Standing up Kevin began to scream, scream for his wife scream for his son, scream for help.

Turning he stumbled out of the room tears filling his eyes as he struggled to breathe.

“KRISTIN WHERE ARE YOU?” He yelled continuing down the hall to Nate’s nursery. “WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW!”

Throwing open the door to the nursery it bounced off of the wall, almost hitting him as he charged into the darkened room, his hand easily finding the light switch bathing the room in bright white light.

His eyes adjusting to the light Kevin froze, he knew it was her without even seeing her face.

Dropping to his knees he crawled across the floor to the crumpled body the blonde curly hair shielding his view of her beautiful face.

“Oh baby.” Kevin didn’t even recognize the sound of his own voice, strangled with emotion and fear as he pushed the hair from her face.

“Kristin don’t do this to me.” He whispered trying desperately to find a pulse.

But it was too late……….his wife was dead.

***

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