Mrs. Independent

Chapter Fifteen: Fax

Chapter Fifteen: Fax

Five days later, on the two week mark since I've seen my wife, my family decides it's a good idea to come into town to make sure I'm okay.
Katherine's family has decided to join as well.
The kids start school on Monday, August twentieth.
It's Saturday, August nineteenth.
They ask me every day if Katherine is going to be home for their first day at school, and honestly, I don't know.
It's tomorrow. I didn't even take them school shopping because I have no idea what to get.
It's Bryson's first day of preschool and Matthew's first day of kindergarten. On top of that, it's Caiden's first day of first grade.
Katherine will be here.
Right? Is she okay?
I feel sick everyday, because why hasn't she called?
I know everyone is starting to want me to file a missing persons report, but Katherine is an adult and she left on purpose.
They're not going to count her as missing.
None of my messages send and all my calls go straight to voicemail.
"Have you checked her bank?"
I look at my Mom in shock.
"What?" I ask.
"Have you checked her bank account? You know, to see if she's spending any money?"
Why didn't I think of that?
I grab my phone and go onto the banking app. I erase my account number and type hers in. I punch in the password and answer the security question, watching the loading bar fill up.
Katherine has over fourteen bank accounts and each account has two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in it, because that's the legal amount you can put in each account.
She has so much money, she has to deposit more than half of it, and it's locked in a safe in the basement. She has a safe so secure that only her fingerprint can open it. She's told me multiple times that the only way somebody is breaking in to rob us blind is if they murder her and put her fingerprint on the padlock.
Most of the account she doesn't use, she only has about three that she has cards for. I check the main one and click on her checking account.
I start shaking my head.
"She's too smart." I mumble.
"What?" Liam asks. "What is it?"
"She withdrew money."
"How much money?" My little sister Ashley asks. She's pregnant and her baby shower is next month.
"A lot of money.
Over fifty thousand dollars.
"When did she do that?" Liam asks.
"The day she left."
Frustrated, I sign out of the account and toss my phone on the couch.
It bounces off and lands on the floor.
Irritated, I pick it up and see I shattered the screen.
Katherine is going to rip me a new one when she finds out. She keeps telling me to get a case. When I told her I didn't like the way cases make my phone look, she said she didn't want to hear it when my phone shatters.
She was right, of course.
The woman is always right.
I shove my shattered phone into my pocket, raking my fingers through my hair and tugging on the ends.
Thank god the kids are playing outside. The fence is up around the pool so Emma can't fall in and get hurt, and the puppy is out there with them.
"I'm going insane." I say, finally not trying to act okay. "The kids are crying every night because they think she's dead, I haven't heard from her in two weeks! We've been separated for months while she was working, but I spoke to her every night. When she leaves I talk to her every day! Her phone hasn't been on in two weeks, she withdrew thousands of dollars so I can't trace her! I mean, what the fuck if he killed her?!"
In pure anger and frustration, my hand connects with the vase of flowers on the counter. It slams against the fridge and shatters, shooting water, glass, and flower all over the floor.
"Dammit." I start walking over there blindly to pick it up.
"Whoa, whoa dude, you're gonna end up getting cut." Liam grabs the back of my shirt and starts pulling me back.
"One of the kids is going to step on it, I need to pick it up-"
"I'll pick it up." Sophia says gently. "Where's the broom?"
I rake my hands through my hair again, tugging on the ends, and then I rest both hands on the kitchen counter, my mind insane with thoughts.
"Josh?" Sophia puts her hand on my arm. "Where's the broom at?"
I force my eyes off of the mess on the floor to look at her, rubbing my forehead insistently. I have such a bad headache.
I think the last time I cried was when Emma was born, but that's just happy tears. It doesn't count. I don't even remember the last time I cried for real.
But I feel like I'm about to go crazy.
"Josh?"
I can't even find words. It's like I've been forced mute.
"I-" I swallow. "I'm gonna go."
"What? Where are you going?" Mom asks.
"Josh, sweetie, just sit down, okay? We can find a way to contact Katherine."
I start shaking my head, rushing out of the room. I grab my sneakers on the way out, shoving open the garage door.
It's been getting suck forever because it's the wrong size for the doorframe.
I keep meaning to fix it but I keep forgetting.
I slam the door shut behind me, pressing the button for the garage door.
Have you ever been so upset, so mentally exhausted that you just want to run?
Because that's me right now. I'm a hairline away from a breakdown.
I can't keep doing this.
Having to hold the kids each night and promise them that my wife isn't dead when I don't even know that? It's too painful.
I just want to talk to her. I just want to hear her voice.
I pull out my shattered phone, running my fingers through my hair.
The next thing I know, I'm grabbing the bike pump and pumping up the tires to my bike.
Katherine said we should all get bikes so the kids can go on bike rides and be active. I agreed but the kids haven't used them once, because they still don't know how to ride them.
I stare at the teal bike.
Teal is her favorite color.
I shake my head to myself and pump up the tire until it's full. I throw my leg over the seat and push up the kickstand, flying out of the garage, pedaling so fast that I'm standing up on the pedals.