The Perfect Family

Revelation

Emily:

I shook my head as I glanced at the time on my cell phone. It was almost ten o' clock, and Cora was still out with her boyfriend. She knew I hated it when she stayed out late on a school night, especially when she had an important math test tomorrow, yet she decided that spending time with that loser was more important than her studies.

We had such a wonderful breakthrough the other day that I thought we would finally be able to move past giving each other the silent treatment.  But it was obvious that Cora still needed more time to adjust to everything; the visions of her father, her life without James, and coping with my drinking.

That was a lot for a girl to have to deal with, and I was trying my best to be patient.  I only wished that she would not lean on Trevor Simmons to distract her from the crap going on in her world.  The boy is a total creep, and I was certain that he was treating her badly.  But I could not say a word about it.

If I tried to tear them apart, she would only run to him more.  All I could do for now was hold my tongue and hope that she used her best judgement.

I dialed her number on my cellphone and pressed it against my ear as I waited for her to answer.  It rang five times and went to voicemail, making me clench my fist in frustration.  "Cora Reed."  I said when her voicemail picked up, "You should have been home over an hour ago.  Call me as soon as you get this, or else I will come find you myself."

I hung up the phone with a heavy sigh, then I went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine.  I had to get my mind off of this or else I would worry myself into a frenzy. "She's fine."  I said to myself, "She's just being a teenager.  Don't worry so much."

I decided to draw myself a warm bubble bath to try and relax. Dean Martin sang a love ballad as I sank down into the warm water, savoring the scent of the lavender bubbles.

The much needed relaxation was shattered when my cellphone began to ring. I reached down and picked it up from the floor, tilting my head when I saw that it was one of my teacher friends calling. What in the world did she want this time of night?

"Hello."

"Emily!" Her voice was frantic. "Is Cora home!?"

"No." I sat up straighter in the tub as a bad feeling washed over me. "Why? What's the matter?"

"Trevor Simmons is dead."

"What!?"

"His younger brother came home and found his body lying on the floor. He was stabbed to death, Emily."

"Oh my God!" I climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my soaking body.

"You need to call the police, Emily. Cora could be in trouble."

"What do you mean?  Are you implying that she had something to do with it?"

"No! No, of course not! One of Trevor's neighbors saw Cora leaving the house with a strange man. I was worried that she might be in danger."

"There has to be some kind of mistake. Cora would never-"

I froze in horror.