Suspicions by Christine Kersey Page B

possible reaction.
    If he’s not involved, he’ll be insulted I
would even think such a thing. He would be furious at me. And if he
is involved, he’s certainly not going to tell me. I’m just going to
have to figure it out for myself.
    Finally, Stacey tried to call her sister. Not
surprised to find no one home, Stacey left a message. Then, as a
new worry presented itself, she began pacing.
    What will I do if the police want to talk to
Robby? What if Robby tells them about the car and they discover
Jason once had one just like it? Will they consider him a suspect?
What will that do to our lives?
    But what about Kyle? Her thoughts continued.
Getting him back is the most important thing. Right?
    She jumped at the sound of knocking on the
front door. She didn't feel up to talking to anyone and tiptoed to
the door. Looking out the peephole, she saw two police officers
standing on her front porch. Her heart banged against her ribs.
    Do they already know about Jason's car?
    She stood there, not even breathing. They
knocked again and still she held her breath. After a moment they
walked back down her driveway. Stacey exhaled loudly as she
continued watching through the peephole. The officers had stopped
and were talking to her neighbor, Margie, who was waiting on the
sidewalk in front of Stacey's house. She bristled with anger as she
watched Margie gesture toward Stacey's house while she spoke with
the police. The officers nodded then followed Margie down the
sidewalk.
    What is she up to now? Stacey felt
perspiration forming under her arms as she contemplated what was
happening. She felt helpless and vulnerable, not knowing how much
the police knew.
    And seeing them talk to Margie only made
things worse. She thought about the trouble she'd had with her
neighbor and was engulfed with anger. Margie often complained about
Robby and Nikki. “They keep looking in my backyard,” or “They're
throwing rocks over the fence.” The complaints were endless. And
Margie had two children of her own. Stacey thought she would have
some understanding of the ways kids behave, but apparently her
children never did those things. But what really made Stacey angry
was the time Margie had accused her of looking through Margie's
windows.
    Margie had come knocking on Stacey's door one
afternoon to complain about another petty offense Stacey's children
had allegedly committed. When Stacey began to defend her children,
Margie had turned her accusations on Stacey.
    Margie's hands had been on her wide hips as
she spoke. “We like our privacy and you look in our windows.”
    Stacey had been incredulous. “What are you
talking about?”
    “When we got new blinds no one noticed, but
you came over and started talking about them.”
    That was when Stacey knew the woman was truly
disturbed. She just didn't think in a rational, normal way. It was
then that Stacey knew it was best to keep her distance from Margie.
And, since then, she hadn't spoken to her more than was necessary
to be civil.
    Stacey thought about Amanda and what she must
be feeling today. Dare I call her to see if there's any news? What
if she can tell by my voice that something's wrong? Stacey bit her
lip in consternation, undecided about what to do. Finally she
picked up the phone and called her neighbor.
    “Hello?” A subdued voice answered.
    Stacey recognized Amanda's voice at once.
“I'm sorry, Amanda. It's just me, Stacey.”
    “Oh. Hi.”
    Stacey wondered if Amanda's phone calls were
being recorded. I'd better be careful how I sound, she thought. “I
just wanted to call and see how you're doing. Have you heard
anything?”
    “I appreciate your call. But no, we haven't
heard anything from them.”
    Stacey chewed on her bottom lip, trying to
think of what to say, knowing every utterance might be recorded.
“I, uh, is there anything I can do to help you? Do you want me to
come over?” She desperately hoped the answer would be no.
    “If you want to. But I'm okay right