Mary's Bones

EIGHTEEN

Cory would have been proud if he'd known how far I'd come with his case. He would have probably been a little jealous too. I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

I sighed and leaned back, closing my eyes. Steaming hot water drowned my pores. It stung, to say the least, but I didn't mind.

"Babe, don't stay in there for too long. You might end up falling asleep again," John said, peering through the crack of the door. "Did you hear me?" he questioned.

I nodded, rinsing the soap off my stomach. "Yeah, I'm coming out in a minute."

He eased his head back with a small smile, closing the door.

An hour ago, I had run the bath water until the tub was halfway filled. My first thoughts were to acquire a game plan. I needed a way to approach Jeremiah Adams without coming off as weird. I also needed to figure out how I was going to find Holly without letting my motives slip to John. There was no chance he'd let me go hiking in the woods alone. I was sure I wouldn't let myself go hiking in the woods alone, either.

Last night, I'd knocked the list down to two rivers that carried along New Jersey—Clareleche River and Sterile Brook. I still couldn't figure out how far down the river her bones might've been. Then, there was the where. Rivers were already known to be fairly spacious. The vast majority of a river's surroundings were filled with trees. So, the more I imagined myself searching alone, the less likely it seemed possible.

"John, can you bring me my towel! I forgot it on the bed!"

My ears perked at the footsteps thumping across the floor. Then, there were footsteps thumping back in this direction. John strolled into the bathroom with my towel.

"Here, let me help you," he said. I took his hand and stood from the water, placing one foot out of the bathtub.

The more I thought about it, the more eager I was to pass on this one. I felt guilty, though. It wouldn't have been fair of me to skip over Holly's bones. I was the only person who knew where she might have been buried. Geez, the pressure was on. These were the times I contemplated filling John in on my secret. Ha, as if! That'd probably have given him a legitimate reason to make sure I was hospitalized.

"Careful, babe." He clenched my hand.

"Thank you," I murmured while closing the towel around me.

My eyes followed John's movements. When I caressed his skin, his shoulders relaxed. Geez, he was stressed already. There was no way I could put more stress on him. Gosh, I could be such a shitty wife. Baby steps, Angie. I sighed, coaxing myself in my head.

Besides the risk, there were also consequences. How would Mary react if I didn't go through with this? Would she leave me alone? Would she haunt me for the rest of my life? I couldn't bear the guilt. And I was sure she wouldn't be satisfied until all the children's bones were found.

Come to think of it, I had no idea what was going to happen after all thirteen girls were discovered. Were we supposed to part ways? The butterfly would no longer show up. My life would go back to normal. Not that it had been since Cory left us. I hadn't thought about that. But now, it was all I could think about.

* * *

The Adam family's residence mocked me ever so slightly. All it took was the tinted brown door, splashed in a sliver of gold, to remind me who I was dealing with here. If that weren't enough, the fancy doorbell screamed it. I cleared my throat and raised my fist. I tried to ignore the butterflies settling in my stomach. I'd come this far. Why the hell was I getting nervous now?