Coming Home Page 12

  twenty-six

  Dayna left Warren’s place a few minutes past 10:30 p.m. and mentally reviewed her schedule for tomorrow’s workday. She was in the middle of a long yawn when Audrey’s ringtone filled the air.

  “What’s up?” Dayna asked when she answered.

  Instead of receiving a response, she heard what sounded like weeping.

  “Audrey? You okay?”

  The crying intensified. Dayna made a U-turn on the empty street in front of Warren’s house and sped toward Audrey’s neighborhood.

  “I’m on my way. Do you want to stay on the phone with me until I get there?”

  Audrey managed to yelp out a no, so Dayna ended the call and promised to be there in ten minutes. When she reached an intersection where the light was red, she sent a text to Warren, who was expecting her to check in when she made it home safely.

  Just got a call from Audrey.

  Need to stop by her place on way home.

  Will call you in the a.m. Luv u.

  Warren replied with an “ok” a few seconds later, but as she had anticipated, he insisted that she text him when she made it home for the night, however late it was.

  Dayna rang the doorbell to the side entrance of Audrey’s townhouse five times before Audrey answered. When her friend finally opened the door, Dayna was stunned speechless.

  Audrey’s thick, curly hair was disheveled, and tears streaked her face. She clutched a tissue box and collapsed into Dayna’s arms before Dayna could step inside.

  “What is it, Audrey? Are your parents okay? Is someone hurt? Let me come in.”

  Dayna led Audrey into the kitchen and filled a glass with water from the filtered water system next to the kitchen island.

  “Here.” She handed the glass to Audrey and motioned for her to sit at the kitchen table. A still-emotional Audrey shook her head.

  “Follow me into the living room; that’s probably the best place to meet the police.”

  Dayna paused midstep. “Excuse me?” She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. It wouldn’t be helpful if she and Audrey both lost it. She joined Audrey in the living room, sat next to her on the red leather sofa, and waited for details.

  Audrey took a sip of the water and shed a few more tears before attempting to gain her composure. She set the tissue box she’d been clutching on the coffee table and blew her nose.

  “I can’t believe this is happening. I want to die.”

  Dayna reached for her hand. “What on earth could have happened in the three hours since I last saw you?”

  Audrey lowered her eyes and her voice. “Enough to make you ashamed to know me.”

  twenty-seven

  The doorbell rang just as Audrey launched into an explanation.

  “They’re here,” she said resolutely.

  Dayna felt like she had walked into an episode of a Lifetime TV movie. Who would be ringing her friend’s doorbell this late on a Tuesday night? Had Audrey been serious about it being the police? She didn’t know whether to open the door or run for the side entrance through which she’d entered. She looked to Audrey for guidance.

  Audrey stood, and the tissue she’d just used fell from her lap. She stepped over it, squared her shoulders, and walked to the door. Before opening it, she peeked out of a window. Whatever she saw led her to rest her forehead on the door and close her eyes.

  When the bell rang twice more, she stood back and unlocked the door, which was still secured by a chain. Dayna had often teased Audrey about using that old-fashioned measure of security, but as she watched this strange scene unfold, fearful that her heart might beat its way loose from her chest, the extra barrier the chain provided gave her some comfort.

  Two men dressed in Calero police uniforms stood on the doorstep. The taller one spoke before Audrey could greet them.

  “Audrey Hammond?”

  “Yes.” Her usually firm and in-control voice sounded squeaky and thin.

  Both men flashed their badges. “May we come in and speak with you concerning an incident with a Mrs. Evelyn Anderson? We’re here about the simple assault she suffered earlier this evening, reportedly at your hands.”

  Audrey unchained the door with trembling fingers and stepped aside. The officers entered the dim hallway, and Audrey flipped the switch behind the door, filling the area with light.

  Dayna couldn’t move. Had she heard that stream of conversation correctly? Chesdin Medical Center’s top-notch accountant Audrey Hammond was being questioned by police on suspicion of committing assault?

  Dayna remained near the sofa while one officer surveyed Audrey’s living room and kitchen and the other man assessed her and Audrey. Dayna knew he must be thinking what she herself was: Why was a good-looking, accomplished professional like Audrey somehow in trouble with the law?

  “Ma’am, who are you?”

  Dayna had been wondering when her presence would be acknowledged.

  “She’s my friend,” Audrey said before Dayna could find her voice. “She came over to check on me.”

  “Well,” the officer said, “we need to talk to you about something serious. Maybe your friend needs to find her way home.”

  He spoke to Audrey as if he were reprimanding a teenager for missing curfew. Dayna wasn’t sure how to react. Audrey glanced at her, and the fear Dayna read in her friend’s eyes translated into “Don’t leave me.”

  Dayna cleared her throat. “Officer, if it’s okay with Audrey and with you, I want to stay.”

  The other officer added his two cents. “I don’t know that Ms. Hammond really has any say in the matter. We need to talk to her privately.”

  “Actually,” the shorter policeman said, “we didn’t come here to talk to her, so it doesn’t matter whether her friend stays or goes.”

  His partner pulled a yellow sheet of paper from his back pocket. It reminded Dayna of a speeding violation form, but from what little she had fathomed from their comments, and from Audrey’s actions in the past half hour, Audrey’s troubles were more serious than having a lead foot or running a few lights.

  “Ma’am, we need you to come with us, in regard to an assault on Evelyn Anderson, the woman we mentioned earlier. She has filed charges against you, and we are placing you under arrest.”

  Audrey began to shake and sob.

  Dayna sank onto the sofa. What on earth?

  The officers watched with mild disinterest and, after a few minutes, suggested that Audrey find shoes to wear down to the station.

  “There’s no need for us to handcuff you, as long as you come with us willingly,” the taller officer said.

  With her permission, he followed Audrey to her bedroom to watch as she slid on sneakers. She returned to the living room carrying her designer leather purse, and the other officer searched the bag until he located her wallet, so she could take her ID down to the station. He suggested that she leave her purse with Dayna so there would be less to process at the station.

  “The key to the house is on a hook under one of the kitchen cabinets,” Audrey said.

  She seemed dazed. Dayna wanted to hug her but was afraid to move.

  “Come with us, ma’am,” the shorter officer told Audrey. He looked toward Dayna. “We’re taking her to the downtown precinct, on Eighth Street, if you’re planning to bail her out.”

  Dayna nodded. “Don’t worry, Audrey,” she said to her friend. “I’m coming for you.”

  Audrey didn’t look her way, but she mumbled a plea. “Please don’t tell anyone about this, Dayna. Not even Warren.”

  She lowered her head and walked out of her house, between the two officers. They led her to their squad car, and she slid into the backseat when one of them opened the door.

  Dayna knew Audrey would weep during the entire twenty-minute drive downtown. She wasn’t sure what to do next. Should she call Warren, Audrey’s parents or sister, or honor her friend’s request to keep this quiet?

  She sat on the sofa and tried to calm her racing thoughts. She played
with the charms on her bracelet and started to pace. Finally, she realized the only helpful thing she could do right now was give this to God.

  “Lord, I committed earlier tonight to pray for my mother and father, and for Brent and Tamara,” she said. “Right now I’m praying for Audrey. I don’t know what exactly she’s accused of doing or whether the charges are valid or a mistake; I just know that my friend needs you. So I’m calling on your name on her behalf and asking you to rescue her and give her your peace and comfort. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

  Whatever was being brought to light tonight, suddenly Dayna realized what her daddy meant when he boomed from the pulpit that there were some things only God had the power to fix. In her humble opinion, this situation qualified.

  twenty-eight

  Forty minutes later and five hundred dollars lighter, Dayna sat in the dingy lobby of the police station, anxious for Audrey to be released and give her the answers she craved.

  She waited next to an elderly man with watery gray eyes who swore under his breath every few minutes; a pregnant girl who looked no older than fifteen; and a heavyset Hispanic woman who gripped a sleepy, squirming toddler in her arms. What could have brought this motley crew down here tonight? she wondered, then realized they were probably sitting there asking the same about her.

  When Audrey emerged from the holding cell at close to 1:00 a.m., she was stone-faced, as if she had shut down her emotions to keep from completely losing it. The woman Dayna enjoyed dinner, shopping, and occasional double dates and worship services with didn’t look like herself.

  Audrey’s shame was as transparent as the nonchalance of the officers on duty. Their eyes and attitudes intimated they had seen it all and could care less about what had led to tonight’s arrests.

  Dayna leapt from her seat to comfort Audrey. “You’re going to be okay,” she told her friend, and patted her arm.

  The officer escorting Audrey from the holding cell interjected. “Ma’am, she needs to fill out some paperwork and claim her belongings before she leaves. Wait over there where you were sitting before.”

  He guided Audrey to a desk across the room and pulled out a piece of paper, along with the ID she had brought with her and the shoes she had put on during her arrest.

  The officer said something to Audrey that Dayna couldn’t hear. Audrey signed the paper, then headed in Dayna’s direction. They walked out of the precinct shoulder to shoulder, and the minute they were on the other side of the door, Audrey crumbled.

  Dayna held her as she sat on the sidewalk in front of the police precinct and wept. After what seemed like eternity, but was really less than five minutes, Dayna managed to lead Audrey to the Lexus. She helped Audrey into the passenger seat then trotted around to the driver’s side.

  Dayna pulled away, full of questions and concerns. She decided to give Audrey time to calm down before pestering her for answers. After a few minutes, though, she couldn’t resist.

  “Was this a big mistake, or did you really injure someone?”

  Audrey sighed and let her head fall. When she began sobbing again, Dayna patted her on the back and drove on in silence.

  “You’re coming home with me,” she told Audrey. “I’m way taller than you, but I have some jammies you can roll up at the hem and sleep in, and a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for tomorrow. I think you might be calling in sick anyway.”

  The tears kept flowing, and Audrey didn’t protest. Dayna realized she might have to take the day off too, not only to console her friend, but also to get some rest. It was nearly two a.m.

  A half hour later, a much calmer, puffy-eyed Audrey emerged from the guest bedroom and joined Dayna in her family room, in front of the TV. She plopped next to Dayna and pulled a blue silk robe tighter around her waist just as Dayna issued a text to Warren, letting him know she was finally home safe and sound.

  “You couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Dayna asked.

  Audrey shook her head. “Not when I’ve ruined my life.”

  Dayna pressed the remote to shut off the TV and turned to her friend. “What on earth happened after you left Brent’s foundation meeting here?”

  Audrey leaned back and laid her head on the sofa. She closed her eyes and sighed. “If I tell you, you may never speak to me again.”

  “Please, Audrey. We’re better than that. So you messed up. Talk to me.”

  With her eyes still closed, Audrey shook her head. “This isn’t just a ‘mess up,’ Dayna,” she said. “This is something I chose to do that represents everything you hate.”

  She turned her head toward Dayna and pursed her lips. She looked as if she were wrestling with herself about whether to speak, but finally, she did.

  “I’m in love with someone else’s husband, and tonight, I let her know it in the worst way possible.”

  twenty-nine

  If words could slice, that one sentence uttered by Audrey would have ripped Dayna’s flesh.

  Did she really just bail someone out of jail for being an unhappy mistress? Had she consoled and offered her spare bedroom to a woman who was intent on making another woman’s husband her own?

  Dayna felt dizzy. Audrey knew her story and her pain.

  “How could you even call me?” she whispered the question and didn’t try to mask her shock. “I should have been the last person on your list.”

  “But you were first,” Audrey replied. “You are my friend, and I knew I could trust you.”

  “You also know my husband left me for another woman.”

  Dayna slid closer to the farthest end of the sofa and shook her head, as if doing so would distance her from Audrey’s revelation.

  “How could you do something like that? Here I was, all this time feeling sorry for you because I thought you were lonely and praying that God would send you ‘Mr. Right’ so you would be happy. And you weren’t lonely — you were busy having a good time at someone else’s expense. Wow, Audrey.”

  Audrey moved toward Dayna on the sofa, and Dayna slid backward again.

  “I didn’t mean for this to happen — really,” Audrey said. “It just did. And once I fell in love with Raymond, I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t, Dayna. I’ve been hiding this for a year because I felt so guilty. Then Brent came back, and the back-and-forth conversations I had with myself about how to tell you just shut down. How could I let you know that I had become the kind of person you despise?”

  Dayna smirked. She was so angry that tears began to form. “So you decided to be selfish and deceitful on top of what you’d already done, huh? What happened tonight? Did your boyfriend’s wife show up ready to fight?”

  Shame danced across Audrey’s face again. She lowered her eyes and wrung her hands. “Actually, the opposite happened. She and a friend showed up at the restaurant where Raymond and I were having dinner, and she walked over to us, all cool, calm, and collected, and asked him if our date was the reason he had refused to join her for Bible study that night. She told him she wasn’t even going to worry about it; God had her back.

  “Then she looked at me and told me she pitied any woman whose self-esteem was low enough to allow her to sneak around with a married church deacon. She told me she’d pray for me, and that maybe she and Raymond would do so together when he made it home that night.”

  Dayna couldn’t help but be intrigued and shocked. She wanted to laugh out loud at this woman’s unusual boldness — too bad she hadn’t had that much guts, and sense, when Brent and Tamara were tripping. Dayna wanted to ask what happened next, but she decided to be patient. Audrey had to get it all out anyway.

  “Can you believe she went back to the table with her girlfriend and actually sat down and ordered?” Audrey fumed.

  “Raymond made me get up, and I thought we were leaving together, but I noticed as I walked toward the door that he had stopped at her table and was trying to talk to her. I got confused. Was he with me or not? I waited and finally I called his name. He looked at me like he didn’t know me and told me he had to take hi
s wife home.

  “I flipped out,” Audrey said. She hugged herself and rocked back and forth as she remembered how the incident unfolded. “I started yelling and crying and I don’t even know what I said. What I do remember is that he escorted his wife and her friend out of the restaurant and left me standing there. When I followed them outside, Raymond got in his car and pulled up alongside the car that his wife’s friend was driving. He acted like he didn’t see me and motioned for Evelyn to get in the car with him.”

  Audrey shook her head and looked away as she remembered.

  “Something inside me just broke,” she said. “I realized I had been used, treated like scum, and all for nothing when the wife showed up. Without even thinking about it, I took off one of the three-inch wedge heels I was wearing and hurled it in their direction. I saw the shoe graze Evelyn’s forehead before she ducked into Raymond’s car. I could tell by the way she was holding her head as he drove off that it must have hurt. He rolled down his window and told me he was calling the police on me for attacking his wife. Somehow I made it home and called you.”

  Dayna stared at Audrey.

  “So what do you think about all of this?” Dayna asked.

  Fresh tears stained Audrey’s cheeks. “I think I should be as ashamed of myself as I feel. I was completely wrong and I knew better. Now I’m paying for it with the possibility of losing my job and my reputation for a man who didn’t even think enough of me to pay the dinner bill. The restaurant manager brought me the receipt while I stood outside the restaurant, with one shoe on and mascara going every which way.”

  She doubled over and began sobbing again. When the tears eased, she reached for one of the tissues Dayna set before her and blew her nose. She stared at her hands while she spoke. “Why did I call you, knowing how you feel about cheating spouses and mistresses? I don’t know, Dayna. I guess because you’re the only real friend I have, the only one with enough integrity not to have my business blasted all over Calero before sunrise. I can’t let my parents and siblings know about this, let alone our boss. My career would be over, my family would label me a disgrace for the rest of my life, and I’d never be able to hold my head up in this town again. It made me sick to my stomach when I realized I was going to have to tell you what I had been doing. I knew this revelation would hurt you, but the Dayna I know is also forgiving. I was hoping that you’d help me in a desperate situation.”