Part 32
*“Yes, them, Lola listen,” he said more sternly. “I didn’t want to use them…not at first. The letter wasn’t the only thing Kyle left me. He also left a code that I later figured out was the password to your security cameras he had installed one year ago. I wasn’t going to use them, but I didn’t know how to keep you safe without it. What if something happen to you” he looked at her, his eyes piercing hers. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with that."
Part 33
“Where are they?” Lola demanded. She took a step closer to the shelves. “Tell me.” she said through gritted teeth. She looked at the books then grabbed each book one by one, and flung them to the floor.
“Please Lola,” Mark said. “You have to understand.”
“I have to understand?” she said tears burning the brim of her eyes. “I have to understand?” she said louder.
She made her way to the T.V. “Is there one hidden in here? Or is there one in the DVD player?” She ripped it out and through it to the ground.
“Lola!” Mark repeated. “Please stop.” Lola ignored him and marched to her bedroom.
“How many are in here?” she yelled from the other side of the house. “How many times did you watch me cry myself to sleep?” She tore through her bedroom taking pictures off the walls and slamming them into the floor. ‘Or better, how many times did you see me throw up?” She stormed into the bathroom eyeing the walls and the shower.
“You say that Kyle put these here?” she yelled again. “I don’t believe you.”
“Lola,” he said as he watched her go from room to room. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Ha!” she said finding another in the picture frame of a puppy in the hallway. “I bet you planted these yourself. You’re a journalist, you probably do this kinda thing all the time.” she said red faced and out of breath.
Tommy stood next to Mark, arms crossed as he watched his sister tear back and forth, now headed to the kitchen.
“If I tell you where the last one is, will you stop and listen to me?” Mark said following her in.
Lola came to a halt in front of him. “I’ll tell you what, you tell me where that last one is, and maybe I won’t press charges.”
“Seriously, Lola?” Tommy asked. “You’re sounding crazy. Just let him get the last one before you trash more of your own house, and then let him explain. Geez.”
She turned and glared at Tom, then motioned to Mark to retrieve the last of the cameras. He stepped forward towards to the refrigerator, and reached up to the dusty bear shaped cookie jar. He set it on the counter, took off the lid and removed the camera. The bear sat now with only one dull eye, the other had been the lens.
Lola reached for it, Mark obliged, and she proceeded to slam it into the linoleum.
“Are you done?” Tom asked. Lola ignored him and stared at Mark. “Now,” she said. “Explain.”
Mark took a deep breath and leaned back against the counter. “I told you before that Kyle already had these up a year ago,” he said. “That was the truth. He called me one day about this time last year sounding really uneasy. He said he had information, information he wasn’t sure if he should have…he dropped Byron’s name, and said he was going to install the cameras as a safety precaution. He also told me that he didn’t want you to know. He didn’t want to scare you, and soon as he learned more he’d tell me. He said he might need the press involved.”
“And then what?” asked Lola, arms crossed.
“Then that was it.” he said. “ I didn’t ask anymore questions because I wasn’t sure what he could tell me.” he shrugged. “But then, I got my letter, which now you know, also included the codes to unlocking the privacy system to the cameras. I only turned them on after the funeral. When I said I didn’t want to use them, I meant it.” he reached out and dared to turn her chin so her eyes locked into his. “I promise you, Lola, I would never do anything I didn‘t feel was necessary, and I would never want to break your trust.”
“But you did.” she said.
“What would you have done?” he asked her.
She looked at him confused.
“You heard me. What would you have done in my place differently?” he said. Lola turned her back to him. “Let’s pretend, for just one moment that you were put in my position. That your best friend trusted you with caring for his surviving wife and their unborn child, knowing.” his voicing raising slightly as his anger grew. He took a breath and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. “What would you have done?” he asked again opening his eyes to stare at her. “Would you have turned a blind eye? Walked away? That would have been the easier choice, right?” he said. “But too bad for you, I couldn’t,” he sighed. “You need to understand that I was,” he shook his head. “I am…prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure you stay alive. Whether you want me to or not.”
Lola turned back slowly to face him, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I know you would,“ she whispered. “I‘m so sorry,” she choked out. “I’m just - I’m just so overwhelmed,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” she motioned around herself. “Two days ago I was just trying to wake up in the morning. Then Bryon shows up, I find just a sliver of hope in that, in laughing again…I laughed for the first time yesterday,” she said in disbelief. “And now I think that my husband was mur…”she couldn’t finish, sobs broke out of her.
Mark closed the short gap that stood between them, and pulled her in against his chest, engulfing her in his arms and stroked her curls softly with his hand.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried to keep my distance,” he paused. “But I’m not doing that anymore. You can’t do this on your own, and I’m not sitting back to watch. You’re stuck with me now.” he laughed gently.
Tommy stood to the side awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Then he spotted a box of dusty tissues and handed one to Lola. "Sorry if it makes you sneeze."
📃A special note to the readers📃
Please check out the Story Club @canadianrenegade has started in the comment section of the posts! She has some great, engaging questions!
If you would like to be added to the list (or taken off) please let me know in the comments!
"You have to make the prompts work for you." ~@borrowedearth*
