My stomach was grumbling when lunch time came around.
We all hopped in the fancy car, and Ace did not wait even a minute to be a complete a-hole. "I want that monkey!" he hollered, and the whole car burst into hysterical laughter. Simone shook her head, like that worn-out mother with demented toddler twins I saw at the grocery store once. "Behave, Mr. Rogers."
I wanted to punch Ace in the face.
"I'll punch him for you," Leo whispered in my ear. "If you want." My heart skipped a beat. It always did when he could read my mind like that. I vowed to stop sitting so close to him. I knew a little distance would weaken his abilities.
He smiled wider. "I'll beat the crap out of him."
My silly heart skipped another beat. A beautiful boy defending my honor. I imagined it for a second – yeah, Leo could totally take Ace. Although Ace was very charming and suave, he looked like he'd never had a single struggle in his perfect life. Leo on the other hand, was street smart and a tiny bit rough around the edges. I got the sense that he'd seen a thing or two in his day.
Simone planned to take us to dinner at the hotel, but we all whined like babies, until she took us to McDonalds. I wondered if Simone Adler had ever tasted a Big Mac. My money was on no.
As soon as Kendra bit into her Junior McChicken, she let out a loud moan, like she hadn't eaten in days. In her defense, I had one too, and it was pretty darn good. I don't think any of the five of us had indulged in fast food in weeks. We were all sick and tired of quinoa, and kale salad, and couscous (although, I rather like couscous.) Simone ate a Big Mac, after all.
We didn't talk about the case – we barely had enough time to scarf down our food.
"I used to eat these all the time in college," Simone confessed. "Back when my waistline behaved."
*
We were back at the Henderson household by two o'clock. Simone had arranged for Leo and I to both have a chat with Mrs. Henderson, in an intimate space. It was our time to shine.
We followed Jenna to the office tucked to the right side of the house. As I followed her, my gaze was fixed on her long shiny golden hair, her tiny waist, and the elegance of her walk. I wondered what it would feel like to be her; so perfect and pretty. Did she realize she was spectacular? She had to. I was sure that she turned heads wherever she went.
She froze in the middle of the room; a desk, chair and sitting area. "Where should we all sit?"
We settled ourselves on the small loveseat and chair in the sitting area. I tried not to stare too long at the stack of Missing Person flyers on the sideboard tucked against the wall. I shifted my attention to the walls, lined with bookcases. The books were color coordinated and perfectly aligned. Decorative accents dotted the collections; a ceramic bird, a framed photo, a pretty box – nothing really spoke to me. "Wow, these shelves should be on Instagram."
She smiled sweetly.
Leo settled into the arm chair. "I think you two should both sit on the love seat."
We both slowly made ourselves comfortable. I didn't want to talk about the stuff we already knew. I wanted to get deep into her emotions. "So tell me, Jenna... may I call you Jenna?"
"Yes."
"What was it like when you first met Mason?"
Her face lit up. "It was love at first sight."
"Where did you meet?"
"At a Halloween party. I was dressed as Wonder Woman, and he was dressed as Captain America. Turns out we were both Marvel comic fans."
This surprised me a little. On the surface, Jenna seemed so straight-laced; a list maker, a rule follower, a person who has no time for fun. But I had spotted an orange aura around her when we'd first met, it was hard to decipher under the darkness that enveloped her, but somewhere in there, under the polished woman; the pressed clothes, the perfect hair and makeup, and the expensive jewelry, there was a fun whimsical girl.
"We bantered for hours... I completely ignored my friends," she added with a laugh. "He was so funny when I first met him..."
When I first met him...
I was close enough to read between the lines, between the happy recollections, there was darkness she wasn't talking about. Mason was a man with a temper. A hard man. But he was also a kind, happy man. The dichotomy was probably what made their relationship so complex.
This made me wonder. Was he a violent man? I couldn't quite sense that. And if he was, would he hurt his own children? Could a single rage-filled, impulsive hit have turned to tragedy?
"Can I hold your hand?" I asked quietly.
She nodded, and I reached out to her. I studied our intertwined hands; hers, pink tipped and perfectly manicured, a diamond shining, and mine, bare and ordinary.
"Does he love you?" I asked, going purely on instinct – I'd never done this before. I really had no clue what I was doing. A little part of me wanted to ask Leo for his advice. He'd done this before, after all. I'd received little to no preparation for this. All the questions I was meant to ask had already been asked.
I saw Mason kiss Jenna tenderly, and smile widely at her as he pulled her up to him at the park. I saw him stroke her hair when she was sick. She didn't need to answer. I knew he did.
"I... think. I think he's always loved me."
"And he loves his children?" I asked.
Again, only the sweetest images came to her mind; Mason on the floor with his boy, pushing a miniature Hot Wheels car along a play mat. Kissing the top of Haley's head.
"Yes," she said. "Unequivocally. He loves them more than anyone. He's never..."
She didn't finish her thought, but I knew where she was going. He'd never spoken harshly to his children, as far as she knew. "He's nothing but kind to them."
I shifted and looked over at Leo. He was leaning into us, his elbows propped on his knees – he was riveted.
"He loves them both equally," she added.
These words intrigued me. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he love them both equally?
The next question I asked her took me by surprise. I was still holding her hand. "Do you love him?"
"Uh..." She faltered a little before finally saying, "Uh... yes, of course."
I saw it all then – her emotions were too strong. She had been guarded up to that point, but that question just broke her. She didn't love him anymore. She had at one point. She had been crazy in love with him when they'd first met. But after years of verbal abuse, walking on eggshells, she no longer loved him.
But that wasn't all of it. There was someone else. He was fuzzy. I could barely see him, dark and handsome, a scruffy jaw, messy hair, and large brown eyes, the polar opposite of her husband. There was something about his eyes. He was the one she loved.
She had been unfaithful.
I don't know how I knew this. I just knew. This man was no longer part of her life, but she still loved him.
My pulse was racing when I asked her the next question. "Was there ever anyone else?"
Her heart practically jumped out of her chest and she swiftly pulled her hand from mine – she was done talking to me. She shook her head. "No," she scoffed. "Of course not."
She was lying.
I nodded. "Fair enough." I stood and pressed down my plaid skirt, and turned to her. "I think we're done," I said with a smile. "Thank you so much for speaking with me."
Leo cleared his throat. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Mrs. Henderson?"
She was in no mood, but it's kind of hard to say no to Leo. It's kind of like refusing to give an adorable puppy his chew bone. He's so sweet and nonthreatening.
"Sure," she relented.
He took a seat next to her, leaving me the arm chair. I settled in comfortably and listened carefully as he asked her a few questions. His questions centered on their family life and all the people who surrounded them. He asked her about her work, about her home, about her friends. He was more thorough than I, and he didn't offend her like I did – she even smiled once or twice. I had to admit to myself that he was so much better at this than I was.
He definitely had the touch.
Following the interview, Mrs. Henderson excused herself to make a call.
We joined Simone in the sitting room. The investigators were gone. Mrs. Henderson offered us drinks; juice, soda, tea and coffee. "Mischa is picking up Calvin at the daycare for me, and they'll be here shortly," she told us as she handed me my cup of lemon tea. "And my husband should be here at around five or so. He's leaving work early today."
I felt so ladylike as I held the cup by the dainty handle and looked over at Ace and Leo who were swigging down cans of Coke. There was no soda allowed at RAMS, so they were loving it. Brianna and Kendra both had coffee.
I was excited about meeting Mischa... and Mason. I wondered if I'd find any more secrets. We chatted about Michigan, and the latest TV shows. No Netflix for us kids at RAMS, we told her, but we were allowed TV. We had cable, a wide screen TV, and a DVD player in our common room. We argued over shows often. The bunch of us had our own shows we recorded. Survivor was one we all agreed on, thankfully.
Mrs. Henderson perked up when the doorbell rang. "Calvin's here." She darted to the front foyer, and we all followed suit. Calvin was adorable; sparkly blue eyes and golden locks. A happy boy. Unlike Haley, he looked a lot like his parents. He had the cutest little sweater vest and his hair was so stylish, like he'd just come from the hairdresser. The kid was four and he had more style than all of us. Save for Ace, maybe. Actually, he looked like a mini Ace.
Ace kneeled down to him. "Hey, little mate. How are you?"
"You talk funny," Calvin replied, and we all laughed.
I was struck by Mischa's beauty – she could have been Jenna's younger sister. She had long white blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was taller and curvier than Jenna. When she smiled at us, I spotted her slightly crooked teeth, which only made her more charming, in my opinion. "Hello, everyone," she said, a little apprehensive. She clearly hadn't expected us.
Mrs. Henderson made quick introductions. "This is the team of students I was telling you about," she explained. "They'll be interviewing you tomorrow."
Mischa nodded. I couldn't quite get a read on her. I wasn't close enough but she had a nice blue aura about her. I'd get a clearer picture the next day.
"Thanks for picking him up," Jenna said. "I'll add it to this month's pay."
"No problem," Mischa replied. "Nice to meet you all." And with a quick step, she was out the door.
"She's amazing," Mrs. Henderson told us. "A total lifesaver."
She seemed genuine and I understood where she was coming from. She didn't have a teenager like me; a built-in babysitter like my mother has... had. I thought about my family and wondered how Kylie and my parents were faring without me.
Shortly after, Mr. Henderson got home. Calvin ran straight to him, and his father swooped him up in his arms, swung him around, and kissed him on the forehead. "Missed ya, little buddy." Seriously, they could have been starring in an Old Navy commercial.
Mr. Henderson's demeanor did a one-eighty as soon as he turned his attention to us – he was not a believer. This was clear from the get-go. Obviously, this had all been Jenna's idea. You didn't need to be a mind reader to get this. It was so obvious in his rigid body language; the scowl on his face, the straight cynical line of his brows.
He was going to be a challenge.