Double Down by Cathy Perkins

Author:Cathy Perkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Mountain Publishing
Published: 2017-12-05T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Monday afternoon

“It’s creepy.” Maddie trapped her phone between her shoulder and ear. She tossed Legos in a tub and glanced at Caden. He was wrapped up in a PBS rerun of Reading Rainbow. She lowered her voice. “Someone left a threatening note on my windshield. The windshield of my mother’s car. Who even knows I’m driving it?”

“Your life is like some crazy reality TV show,” Lauren’s voice had that horrified can’t-look-away-from-the-train-wreck tone. “What did it say?”

She tossed more Legos into the bucket and collected the empty snack dishes. She and Caden had built a town after lunch. Then T. Rex stomped through and destroyed all the buildings. Caden had promptly used his firetruck to save everybody. Part of her regretted mentioning the note to Lauren, but it did have her a little weirded out. “Stuff about Daniel. About the money.”

“Did you tell the cops?”

“Well, duh? Of course.”

“And?”

“There’s nothing they can do except take the note and stick it in the file.” Balancing the empty popcorn bowl and juice glasses, she rounded the peninsula into the kitchen and placed the dishes in the sink.

“Be careful,” Lauren said. “That guy at the Tom Tom was bat-shit crazy. You think he’s doing it?”

“He’s in jail.” At least she thought Owen was still in jail. She turned on the faucet and rinsed the dishes. Over the sound of running water, she heard hammering on the front door.

“Open the door, Maddie.”

“Damn.” She grabbed a towel. “It’s Asher. I better go.”

“If he gives you any crap, call the cops,” Lauren warned.

“I know you’re in there.” The words were loud, angry and slurred.

“Dammit.” She dried her hands and tossed the towel on the counter. From the sound of it, Asher had been drinking.

“I saw the newspaper. You’re a murder suspect. I should haul your ass back to court. You aren’t a fit mother.”

“You’re so full of bull,” she muttered under her breath. She didn’t kill anybody. No way was he getting Caden away from her.

Another series of blows landed on the front door. “Open the goddamn door.”

She’d caved to Asher’s threats and demands too many times in the past. She’d tried to let him be part of Caden’s life, thinking her son needed to know his father. Now she realized exposing Caden to Asher wasn’t helpful. The bruise on Daniel’s face had made her face reality—a reality she’d ignored when she was the target. Someone being ‘family’ didn’t guarantee they weren’t toxic. Asher wasn’t a father figure she wanted her son using as a role model.

Caden ran across the living room, wide-eyed. “Daddy’s here.”

“Let’s stay in the kitchen. Daddy isn’t in a good mood today.”

He turned and made a beeline for the front door. “Daddy.”

“Caden, come here.” Still clutching her phone, she raced into the hall after him.

Caden raised both hands and tugged at the doorknob. Thank goodness she’d locked it after the police officer left with the windshield note.

“He wants to see me.” Asher pounded on the door. “Dammit, open the damn door.”

She snatched up her son.

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