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TUESDAY
Though Nina had woken up over an hour ago, she couldn’t get out of bed. It was a cruel cycle. It’d take forever for her to fall asleep, but for those precious hours, everything was fine, and she had no recollection of the murder. But as soon as she woke up, her hell continued. Curled into a ball, she couldn’t rid herself of the gnawing ache in her belly.
The doorbell rang, but she didn’t move. She wasn’t up for seeing anyone. But when it rang twice more, she finally got up, worried it might be important. After grabbing her robe, she walked to the door. “Oh. Dad.”
Her dad held up a paper bag and handed her a coffee cup. “I come bearing gifts.” He smiled and moved past her into the house.
Outside, the weather was dreary, and rain fell from the gray sky. She hadn’t even heard the rain. She imagined raindrops soaking the blanket wrapped around Kevin’s corpse. It was mere days until she could pay to have the body removed, but every second crawled by. They went to the kitchen, and Nina sank into the chair, exhaustion setting in even though the day hadn’t started yet.
Her dad plucked two glazed donuts from the bag. “I’m worried about you, Nina. What’s going on?”
Nina hesitated. Holding what had happened with Kevin inside was unbearable. When she had stayed with her dad for six months, they’d grown closer than ever before. He’d literally nursed her back to health: giving her medication, taking her to psychiatrist and therapist appointments, and encouraging her to eat when she had no appetite. He had done everything in his power to make sure she got better. And she had. She’d come out of her darkest days. She trusted him. If she told him about Kevin, maybe he could help her figure out what to do now.
“Dad, I—”
The doorbell rang again.
“Do you want me to see who that is?” her dad asked.
“Well... I guess.”
Her dad rose. “Hold your thought.”
Minutes later, her dad returned with Deja. Nina didn’t even try to fake a smile.
“Since you’ve been sick, I wanted to see if you needed anything.” Deja looked at Nina’s dad. “Am I interrupting?”
Nina’s dad removed a glazed donut and held it out to Deja. “Not necessarily. Nina was just going to tell me what’s been going on lately. But why don’t you take one of these off my hands.”
“No, thanks.” Deja focused intently on Nina. “Hopefully, you weren’t going to get into the details of us drinking a little too much on Saturday night.” Deja let out a nervous laugh. “That’d be so embarrassing for me.”
Deja was right. It wasn’t only about Nina. She couldn’t tell him what happened without mentioning Deja’s part in it. The last thing she wanted was to implicate Deja in her mess. “No, I was just going to say I haven’t been sleeping so well. That’s all.”
“Is that all, honey?” Her dad’s hazel eyes were so concerned it pained Nina.
Nina looked away. “Yeah. I haven’t been feeling quite like myself.”
“I’m no expert, but I’ve read that it’s good to stick to your routine when you aren’t feeling yourself. What do you think, Mr. Henderson?” Deja asked.
“If she’s up to it, I think that’s a good idea. And call me Stan. You make me feel old.”
Deja went to the counter and retrieved Nina’s planner from a drawer. “Let’s see what you need to do today. One, gym, and two, soup kitchen—extra day this week.”
“I know the soup kitchen usually makes you feel better,” her dad said. “Do you feel up to it?”
Nina didn’t feel up to anything, but maybe her dad and Deja had a point. Getting out and doing something for others might be what Nina needed. “Yeah. I think I’ll go. I’ll need to hop in the shower and head over there pretty soon.”
“That’s my girl.” Nina’s dad walked to Nina and kissed her forehead. “I need to get to work, but have a donut, and call me later.”
Once he was gone, Deja narrowed her eyes at Nina. “You weren’t going to tell him, were you?”
Nina averted her gaze away from Deja’s.
Deja put her hands on Nina’s shoulders. “We can’t tell anyone. Just remember that you’re a lifesaver. I’d be dead, remember? And after Kevin killed me, he’d have killed you too.” Deja hugged Nina tight. “Thank you for saving my life. I haven’t said that yet. I love you. I’m going to try and get some cash. But take your medication, drink some coffee, and act normal.” She left the kitchen, and moments later, the front door closed.
Nina’s hands shook, trying to pour a couple pills onto her palm. A dozen spilled out, overflowing onto the floor. After scrambling to pick them up, she went to the faucet and filled a cup with water. She swallowed two pills, visualizing them going into her system and clearing her head.
Maybe the sun would come out. Taking a deep breath, she glanced out the window. A figure clothed with a black ski mask and a long black trench coat with the hood covering its head stared back at her through the window. Nina screamed. She crouched down on the ground, covering her head with her arms.
It can’t be real.
Nina slowly rose, her body trembling. Outside, the girls’ swings swayed back and forth with the wind. No one was there. She ran to her room, threw on a pair of sweats she found on the floor, grabbed her purse and keys, and rushed out the front door.
She got into the car and forced a few deep breaths until she calmed down. Turning up the music, she blasted it so loud that her ears felt like they would bleed. She deserved the pain. Her foot slammed on the pedal. She needed to get away from her house and hoped a few hours at St. Timothy’s would help her.
She wished she’d been able to tell her dad what happened. Maybe she could still come up with a way to tell him without incriminating Deja in the cover-up. A horn honked, and a black sedan swerved in front of her car. She hit the brakes, narrowly missing a collision.
The sedan slowed to a crawl in front of her, so Nina switched lanes. A horn beeped next to her, and she glanced sideways. Thick, tinted windows concealed the identity of the sedan’s driver. The car moved close to hers, forcing Nina to swerve into the next lane. She quickly made a right turn and drove through side streets to avoid the car. The driver must have been drunk, and Nina didn’t want to be anywhere near that car.
When she arrived at St. Timothy’s, the same car was parked in front of the church. It beeped its horn twice, revved its engine, and flew down the street. Nina tumbled out of the car and toward the church. She had no idea of the driver’s identity or how the car had known her destination. But she no longer believed the person was drunk. He or she targeted Nina.
She smoothed her hair down since she hadn’t had time to style it before leaving the house. When she grabbed the knob to open the hall’s side door to enter, a horn beeped. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the same sedan was back. It honked its horn again and stalled in front of the church. Her hands clutched the doorknob and threw the door open. Once inside, she closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. She might have to call the police.
“Sorry, but this entrance is for volunteers,” a voice said. “Everyone else lines up in the hall.”
Nina always felt awkward when she had to tell the guests that. Luckily, it was some other volunteer’s turn today.
“Excuse me, but you have to go to the hall,” the voice said.
Nina might have to intervene if the guest wouldn’t leave. She opened her eyes.
A young man stared at her. “Ma’am, this entrance is only for volunteers.”
This guy mistook her for a guest. Her heart felt like it had broken a million times, and she wanted to go home. But if she went outside, she might see that car again. She tried to move past him. “Trish?”
The man stepped in front of her. “She’s helping get the food prepped, but—”
“I know that, dammit! I’m also a volunteer!” Nina yelled.
“Oh.” The man’s face reddened. “I’m sorry.”
Nina stormed past him and toward the hall. As she rounded the corner, she nearly crashed into Trish.
“Nina, are you okay?” Trish asked.
“No, I’m not.” The hall was crowded with regular volunteers, guests, and people she’d never seen before, and the noise was deafening.
Trish placed her hand on Nina’s forearm. “What’s going on?”
Nina held back tears. “Someone’s—”
Gladys turned the corner and joined Nina and Trish. “They followed me today. They’re watching me.”
“Just ignore them, remember?” Trish said. “Please go grab some coffee or something. I’m speaking with Nina right now.”
After Gladys left, Trish refocused on Nina. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Nina’s words caught in her throat. She’d sound like Gladys if she said that she’d killed a man and now an unknown car was following her.
“Someone’s what?” Trish asked again.
“Never mind. I’m not feeling well today. I don’t want to pass it along.” Nina stepped away from Trish.
“You didn’t have to come all the way to tell me. But Nina, you seem frazzled. Are you sure nothing else is going on?”
Nina brushed loose strands of hair behind her then crossed her arms. She never wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt when she volunteered at the shelter and felt completely out of place. “I feel bad... about having to cancel, so that’s why I’m here. I shouldn’t be, though.”
“I appreciate your dedication. How about you take Friday off as well, and get better soon. Just call next time if you can’t make it.” Trish patted Nina’s back.
“Okay.” Nina tiptoed back through the kitchen, dodging the stares of the other volunteers on her way out. She cracked the back door and searched for the car. It was nowhere to be seen, so she ran to her car. Nothing felt safe anymore. She cautiously drove back home, desperately needing time to figure out what the hell had just happened.