Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Lucy woke from her slumber, her eyes blinded by the morning sun coming through the lanai doors. She pulled off her covers. She was in the buff. Her nightgown had been laid aside by her bed.
She could hear gentle breathing coming from beside her. Roxanne was still sleeping and her nightgown, too, was beside her respective bed; but for some reason Roxie herself was in the same bed as Lucy. It took a few moments for Lucy to realize something wasn't quite right. Lucy looked down at her fingernails, which were full of grit.
"What the heck?" she thought. For a minute, she had no memory of the night before.
Then it hit her like a slap in the abdomen. She had cheated on Kevin – again.
Lucy and Roxie had taken turns reading from Job, reading through to the end of the twenty-first chapter. After replacing the Bible back into the bed- stand, Roxie wished Lucy good night and hugged her. Lucy, in an act of friendship and wanting to close the matter of their respective infidelities once and for all, leaned over to give Roxie a kiss on the cheek. But at the last second, Roxie had inadvertently turned her head and her lips met Lucy's. Lucy was stunned, and pulled away. But something about it made her mind go into a state of wonder. She put her hands on Roxie's cheeks, pulled her face towards hers, and they started kissing again – a long, deep kiss.
Within moments, they had removed each other's nightgown and were kissing one another all over each other's bodies. Roxanne had had an affair with a woman before – a fellow cop whom she had met long before meeting either Lucy or Chandler – during a difficult time in her life, but this was a first for Lucy. It was two hours she would never allow herself to forget.
For now in the morning dawn and the sun streaking all over Lucy's glorious feminine body, one totally devoid of stretch marks from her previous pregnancies, Lucy Kinkirk was furious with herself. It was bad enough that she had slept with Chandler. Now, she had done so with Chandler's wife too. She had betrayed her husband for a second time – and in the space of less than two months. And to make matters worse, she was "late."
Could she be actually pregnant with Chandler's child? Could Roxanne be carrying Kevin's? And how on earth, did she wind up with Roxanne like this? Didn't this complicate matters even more? And what example did this set for her children – Charles, Jennifer and Rhiannon?
Lucy's mind went back to the night several weeks back that she slept with Chandler. Her memory was a blur about that night, except for the papers flying, dishes being shoved off the dining room table, and both her and him grunting and groaning as they were together. But her mind also was replaying a gentle crunching sound. What could that have been?
She sighed in relief as she realized it must have been a condom, which Chandler would've put on at the last minute. Roxanne had confided to her friend that she and her husband were using them to avoid getting pregnant again, given the big bills they were already paying to take care of their "special needs" daughter, Catherine.
Lucy quickly reckoned that Kevin probably had done what he did with Roxanne on the spur of the moment but that he would not be so reckless as to spawn a son or daughter with someone other than his mate for life. He, too, would've used protection because he had a ready supply – Lucy had wanted to wait a few more years before trying to have a child again. She wanted to build up her ministry and church some more. But these last few weeks, she changed her mind over the guilt she had about Chandler.
So there was no question about it. Lucy Camden Kinkirk was pregnant again, and it was definitely Kevin's baby. Roxanne Hampton Richardson was also pregnant, and it was her husband's and not Kevin's. Lucy heaved a huge sigh of relief over that. At least both their tracks were covered there.
Roxanne finally awoke. She pulled off the covers, stirred and sat up. Her naked front was facing Lucy's, also highlighted by the sun but streaked by the shadows of the vertical blinds from the balcony door. Like Lucy, she too lacked the stretch marks that so many post-partum women were cursed with. And like Lucy, Roxanne quickly realized the compromising position they were both in – that they had put themselves in.
"Luce," said a shaking Roxanne, "don't tell me we did what we did last night. Did we actually, really, make love to each other?"
"Yeah, Roxie, we did," said Lucy, who thought she was going to convulse, too. "And we can't ever do that again! Nor can we tell anyone about it – not our husbands, not my siblings, no one."
"I agree," said Roxanne. "I mean, I liked it and all, but I made a commitment to my husband, as you did with yours; and here I am having broken it twice; just like you."
"Tell me about it," replied Lucy. "Chandler was one thing, but you? I'm really going to have to explain myself to the deacons when we get back to the Mainland. Not to mention Kevin." She paused; then as if she needed to get rid of the evidence, added, "Um, I'm going to get a shower."
While the shower was running, Roxanne was seething against herself. This was totally unlike her. Was this possible: a minister's wife, sleeping with a married woman minister? Maybe Lucy was the irrational, stubborn one and maybe she made the move on her. But it was still wrong – totally wrong. She could have said no. She could have politely refused. There was no excuse for stabbing her spouse for a second time.
She also knew she had no choice but to deal with the consequences; that she could not wait much longer. She had to tell both Chandler and Kevin about both women's dalliances before Lucy had a chance to. But this wasn't a good time, not when Ruthie and Peter's lives were still in danger. She'd tell them as soon as the case was wrapped up and all had returned to the mainland.
Ten minutes later, Lucy stepped out of the shower, with a bathrobe around her. She signalled to Roxanne that it was her turn, and that after she stepped out they'd be meeting for breakfast with Michaels and a new cop with the 5-0, a specialist in serial killings, to go over their notes.
Lucy pulled off her bathrobe and selected her wardrobe for the day, a tan cotton business suit with jacket and matching skirt, along with a white blouse and women's tie to match the suit, and set them on her bed. She carefully slipped on her freshly laundered floral pattern cotton brassiere, then matching panties and then white stockings, before putting the rest of her clothes on her. She still couldn't believe what she and Roxanne had done. Then again, it really shouldn't have been a surprise.
They were the best of friends, and both had husbands that their respective wives adored, and the other woman killed for. They spent so much time together in each other's company, having pizza or just talking about stuff, it was a wonder they hadn't done this until now. That didn't make it right, of course, but it didn't mean that either Lucy or Roxanne was that way ... but they had made that choice and would now have to live with the consequences, whatever they might be. And she knew she'd have to tell Kevin the truth, and soon.
Lucy reached into her purse for her cell phone, and checked her messages. There were two text messages. One was from Matt. In shorthand, he wrote that he and Sarah were expecting another child. Lucy was thrilled by that news and for a moment almost completely forgotten her problems. If Ruthie had gotten pregnant – and both she and Lucy were convinced she was – that would mean the original five children were now all expecting children of their own at the same time. It couldn't get much better than that for Lucy – becoming a mother and an aunt four times over.
Lucy quickly typed, "CNGRTS BRO, LUV LUCY" and hit the reply button. She then checked the second message. It was from Ruthie. It seemed rather cryptic, "QE, JH, ALBGNSM?"
The minister didn't quite get it. But she understood why her sister might want to be coy about what she was saying. If the suspect was following Ruthie and her husband around, they might want to stay one step ahead of the predator.
She was still staring at the screen when Roxanne stepped out. She had been in there less than five minutes and she was still naked but had wiped herself dry, and was now brushing down her wet hair.
"What have you got there, Luce?"
Lucy shrugged and showed her the screen. It took less than a minute for Roxie to decode it. "QE" was the code name the Honolulu and Glen Oak police departments were using for their prime suspect, though those weren't the real initials of the person in question. The next two parts of the message seemed almost weird. Looking up at Lucy, Roxie said:
"John Hus, Albigensianism."
"You're kidding," said Lucy.
"Nope, that's what it says," replied Roxie.
"How can you be sure?"
"Remember your theory about you though that the parents of that woman – um, Theresa – was behind the killings? And how I thought you were nuts?"
"Yeah," said Lucy.
"Well, you were wrong about the suspects, but you got the motive right on. The guy we're looking for is someone who believes in the Albigensian heresy – namely, that there are two gods, one good and one evil. It also holds ..."
"... that we're partly the creation of God and partly of the devil," continued Lucy, "and that to save our souls and achieve eternal salvation, we need to separate ourselves from the world and live a virtuous life, free from sin, and in common with those who think the same way ..."
"... a heresy outlawed by the Fourth Lateran Council in the year 1215," said Roxie, almost as if was reciting it from memory from her first year religious studies class at university. "But how does John Hus factor into that? From what I've read about him, his beliefs were the furthest thing from that particular heresy."
"He may not have been an Albigensian, but he was a heretic, too," pointed out Lucy. "He said that one lost grace if one was in a state of sin, rehashing the falsehoods Wycliffe spread. Hus also taught that a minister lost his mortal authority to preach if he himself was a sinner ... but that's weird. They're long forgotten, almost obscure points in history. The only way Ruthie could know about all that was – from Sunday school class, something which a lot of kids try to skip out on because they don't want to do into detail about those minutiae. Still, why would they ..."
Then it struck her like a missile.
"Of course!" said Lucy. "Our suspect must have believed that Ruthie and Peter were in a state of sin when they had gotten married, thus their marriage is invalid!"
"What would their 'sin' be?" inquired Roxanne. She quickly answered her own question. "They had premarital sex. Oh come on, Luce, we may have been virgins when we each got married to our respective husbands, but we're the exception. Like, 75% of couples, maybe more, have had sex either with each other or with someone else before they got married. It's nothing new!"
"Unless it goes completely against your belief system, and the only way to 'cleanse' the sin is to rid the world of it," said Lucy. "And until now, I've never told you this, but ..." Lucy lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned towards Roxanne. She continued, "... just before their honeymoon, Peter and Ruthie managed to change their admissions. They're not taking general arts anymore, they're taking theology. They're going to be ministers, just like me."
Roxanne pulled away and faced Lucy. "Are you serious? But ... I thought Peter was Catholic."
"A former, non-practising Catholic," replied Lucy. "He's pretty much given up on his former faith. Remember, he elected to be baptized in my church, so technically he converted."
"So, they're actually going to be ministers?" Roxie was amazed.
"Yes," said Lucy. "But they haven't told my parents yet, or even my siblings. The only other person in the world who would know they're studying divinity is ..."
"Someone in the admissions office; someone like ... QE." Roxanne now understood it all. No minister could ever claim to be perfect, although generally they and their spouses were normally held to a higher standard. But for this theory to hold water, they'd have to prove that QE did in fact work for UCLA. She discretely sent a text message to the special agent to check out that premise. "So what do we do in the meantime?"
"Stick to our schedules, like we didn't figure this out," replied Lucy.
"Do we tell Ruthie and Peter?"
"No," said Lucy. "Their honeymoon has already been marred enough. Last night they moved to a secret location, somewhere I don't know about. They're going to try to have sex in absolute tranquility; although will all that's happened and so many of their friends dead or wounded I can't see how they can clear their minds and focus only on each other, the poor lovebirds." She sighed sadly, feeling truly sorry for her sister and brother-in-law.
"Let's hope QE doesn't find them," said Roxie anxiously. "By the way, I wonder what Chandler and Kevin are up to." She put on her underwear and on top of them her clothes, a business suit that matched Lucy's but was a pale blue; then slapped on her police badge around the skirt's waistline. "Let's go, Luce; we don't want to keep the other cops waiting."
Twenty-five hundred miles northeast, in the parking lot of the Glen Oak police department, an altercation was occurring at that exact moment. Officers were struggling to keep Kevin and Chandler apart, after a verbal argument turned into a nasty fist-fight. Just moments before, Chandler had casually browsed through Kevin's desk (or rather, Roxanne's side of the desk she and Kevin shared at work) while he was on a coffee break; when he found a gold embossed Bible sitting on top of that writing table. He took a closer look. It had the initials "KK" and "LC" on it.
Apparently, after Chandler and Lucy had had their affair, they parted company but she left her Bible behind at the Hampton's (monogrammed with those initials) and left with his Bible (with the imprint "CH" and "RR".) Roxanne had brought that Bible to work the day before she left for Hawaii, not realizing the switch had taken place.
When Kevin had returned and was confronted with it, he countered by slamming on his desk the other switched Bible. He had found it alongside Lucy's bed stand at their home the previous night. He hadn't bothered to look closer until then because the Bible had the same leather cover and was also engraved, albeit discretely on the book's binding. The two men started shouting at each other. The reprimands turned into shouts, fists, and finally the drawing of blood – each giving the other an upper cut below the right eye. Finally, some other cops, all women, forced them apart but the looks in their eyes indicated that no one had heard the last of this matter.
The next morning, Lucy woke from her slumber, her eyes blinded by the morning sun coming through the lanai doors. She pulled off her covers. She was in the buff. Her nightgown had been laid aside by her bed.
She could hear gentle breathing coming from beside her. Roxanne was still sleeping and her nightgown, too, was beside her respective bed; but for some reason Roxie herself was in the same bed as Lucy. It took a few moments for Lucy to realize something wasn't quite right. Lucy looked down at her fingernails, which were full of grit.
"What the heck?" she thought. For a minute, she had no memory of the night before.
Then it hit her like a slap in the abdomen. She had cheated on Kevin – again.
Lucy and Roxie had taken turns reading from Job, reading through to the end of the twenty-first chapter. After replacing the Bible back into the bed- stand, Roxie wished Lucy good night and hugged her. Lucy, in an act of friendship and wanting to close the matter of their respective infidelities once and for all, leaned over to give Roxie a kiss on the cheek. But at the last second, Roxie had inadvertently turned her head and her lips met Lucy's. Lucy was stunned, and pulled away. But something about it made her mind go into a state of wonder. She put her hands on Roxie's cheeks, pulled her face towards hers, and they started kissing again – a long, deep kiss.
Within moments, they had removed each other's nightgown and were kissing one another all over each other's bodies. Roxanne had had an affair with a woman before – a fellow cop whom she had met long before meeting either Lucy or Chandler – during a difficult time in her life, but this was a first for Lucy. It was two hours she would never allow herself to forget.
For now in the morning dawn and the sun streaking all over Lucy's glorious feminine body, one totally devoid of stretch marks from her previous pregnancies, Lucy Kinkirk was furious with herself. It was bad enough that she had slept with Chandler. Now, she had done so with Chandler's wife too. She had betrayed her husband for a second time – and in the space of less than two months. And to make matters worse, she was "late."
Could she be actually pregnant with Chandler's child? Could Roxanne be carrying Kevin's? And how on earth, did she wind up with Roxanne like this? Didn't this complicate matters even more? And what example did this set for her children – Charles, Jennifer and Rhiannon?
Lucy's mind went back to the night several weeks back that she slept with Chandler. Her memory was a blur about that night, except for the papers flying, dishes being shoved off the dining room table, and both her and him grunting and groaning as they were together. But her mind also was replaying a gentle crunching sound. What could that have been?
She sighed in relief as she realized it must have been a condom, which Chandler would've put on at the last minute. Roxanne had confided to her friend that she and her husband were using them to avoid getting pregnant again, given the big bills they were already paying to take care of their "special needs" daughter, Catherine.
Lucy quickly reckoned that Kevin probably had done what he did with Roxanne on the spur of the moment but that he would not be so reckless as to spawn a son or daughter with someone other than his mate for life. He, too, would've used protection because he had a ready supply – Lucy had wanted to wait a few more years before trying to have a child again. She wanted to build up her ministry and church some more. But these last few weeks, she changed her mind over the guilt she had about Chandler.
So there was no question about it. Lucy Camden Kinkirk was pregnant again, and it was definitely Kevin's baby. Roxanne Hampton Richardson was also pregnant, and it was her husband's and not Kevin's. Lucy heaved a huge sigh of relief over that. At least both their tracks were covered there.
Roxanne finally awoke. She pulled off the covers, stirred and sat up. Her naked front was facing Lucy's, also highlighted by the sun but streaked by the shadows of the vertical blinds from the balcony door. Like Lucy, she too lacked the stretch marks that so many post-partum women were cursed with. And like Lucy, Roxanne quickly realized the compromising position they were both in – that they had put themselves in.
"Luce," said a shaking Roxanne, "don't tell me we did what we did last night. Did we actually, really, make love to each other?"
"Yeah, Roxie, we did," said Lucy, who thought she was going to convulse, too. "And we can't ever do that again! Nor can we tell anyone about it – not our husbands, not my siblings, no one."
"I agree," said Roxanne. "I mean, I liked it and all, but I made a commitment to my husband, as you did with yours; and here I am having broken it twice; just like you."
"Tell me about it," replied Lucy. "Chandler was one thing, but you? I'm really going to have to explain myself to the deacons when we get back to the Mainland. Not to mention Kevin." She paused; then as if she needed to get rid of the evidence, added, "Um, I'm going to get a shower."
While the shower was running, Roxanne was seething against herself. This was totally unlike her. Was this possible: a minister's wife, sleeping with a married woman minister? Maybe Lucy was the irrational, stubborn one and maybe she made the move on her. But it was still wrong – totally wrong. She could have said no. She could have politely refused. There was no excuse for stabbing her spouse for a second time.
She also knew she had no choice but to deal with the consequences; that she could not wait much longer. She had to tell both Chandler and Kevin about both women's dalliances before Lucy had a chance to. But this wasn't a good time, not when Ruthie and Peter's lives were still in danger. She'd tell them as soon as the case was wrapped up and all had returned to the mainland.
Ten minutes later, Lucy stepped out of the shower, with a bathrobe around her. She signalled to Roxanne that it was her turn, and that after she stepped out they'd be meeting for breakfast with Michaels and a new cop with the 5-0, a specialist in serial killings, to go over their notes.
Lucy pulled off her bathrobe and selected her wardrobe for the day, a tan cotton business suit with jacket and matching skirt, along with a white blouse and women's tie to match the suit, and set them on her bed. She carefully slipped on her freshly laundered floral pattern cotton brassiere, then matching panties and then white stockings, before putting the rest of her clothes on her. She still couldn't believe what she and Roxanne had done. Then again, it really shouldn't have been a surprise.
They were the best of friends, and both had husbands that their respective wives adored, and the other woman killed for. They spent so much time together in each other's company, having pizza or just talking about stuff, it was a wonder they hadn't done this until now. That didn't make it right, of course, but it didn't mean that either Lucy or Roxanne was that way ... but they had made that choice and would now have to live with the consequences, whatever they might be. And she knew she'd have to tell Kevin the truth, and soon.
Lucy reached into her purse for her cell phone, and checked her messages. There were two text messages. One was from Matt. In shorthand, he wrote that he and Sarah were expecting another child. Lucy was thrilled by that news and for a moment almost completely forgotten her problems. If Ruthie had gotten pregnant – and both she and Lucy were convinced she was – that would mean the original five children were now all expecting children of their own at the same time. It couldn't get much better than that for Lucy – becoming a mother and an aunt four times over.
Lucy quickly typed, "CNGRTS BRO, LUV LUCY" and hit the reply button. She then checked the second message. It was from Ruthie. It seemed rather cryptic, "QE, JH, ALBGNSM?"
The minister didn't quite get it. But she understood why her sister might want to be coy about what she was saying. If the suspect was following Ruthie and her husband around, they might want to stay one step ahead of the predator.
She was still staring at the screen when Roxanne stepped out. She had been in there less than five minutes and she was still naked but had wiped herself dry, and was now brushing down her wet hair.
"What have you got there, Luce?"
Lucy shrugged and showed her the screen. It took less than a minute for Roxie to decode it. "QE" was the code name the Honolulu and Glen Oak police departments were using for their prime suspect, though those weren't the real initials of the person in question. The next two parts of the message seemed almost weird. Looking up at Lucy, Roxie said:
"John Hus, Albigensianism."
"You're kidding," said Lucy.
"Nope, that's what it says," replied Roxie.
"How can you be sure?"
"Remember your theory about you though that the parents of that woman – um, Theresa – was behind the killings? And how I thought you were nuts?"
"Yeah," said Lucy.
"Well, you were wrong about the suspects, but you got the motive right on. The guy we're looking for is someone who believes in the Albigensian heresy – namely, that there are two gods, one good and one evil. It also holds ..."
"... that we're partly the creation of God and partly of the devil," continued Lucy, "and that to save our souls and achieve eternal salvation, we need to separate ourselves from the world and live a virtuous life, free from sin, and in common with those who think the same way ..."
"... a heresy outlawed by the Fourth Lateran Council in the year 1215," said Roxie, almost as if was reciting it from memory from her first year religious studies class at university. "But how does John Hus factor into that? From what I've read about him, his beliefs were the furthest thing from that particular heresy."
"He may not have been an Albigensian, but he was a heretic, too," pointed out Lucy. "He said that one lost grace if one was in a state of sin, rehashing the falsehoods Wycliffe spread. Hus also taught that a minister lost his mortal authority to preach if he himself was a sinner ... but that's weird. They're long forgotten, almost obscure points in history. The only way Ruthie could know about all that was – from Sunday school class, something which a lot of kids try to skip out on because they don't want to do into detail about those minutiae. Still, why would they ..."
Then it struck her like a missile.
"Of course!" said Lucy. "Our suspect must have believed that Ruthie and Peter were in a state of sin when they had gotten married, thus their marriage is invalid!"
"What would their 'sin' be?" inquired Roxanne. She quickly answered her own question. "They had premarital sex. Oh come on, Luce, we may have been virgins when we each got married to our respective husbands, but we're the exception. Like, 75% of couples, maybe more, have had sex either with each other or with someone else before they got married. It's nothing new!"
"Unless it goes completely against your belief system, and the only way to 'cleanse' the sin is to rid the world of it," said Lucy. "And until now, I've never told you this, but ..." Lucy lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned towards Roxanne. She continued, "... just before their honeymoon, Peter and Ruthie managed to change their admissions. They're not taking general arts anymore, they're taking theology. They're going to be ministers, just like me."
Roxanne pulled away and faced Lucy. "Are you serious? But ... I thought Peter was Catholic."
"A former, non-practising Catholic," replied Lucy. "He's pretty much given up on his former faith. Remember, he elected to be baptized in my church, so technically he converted."
"So, they're actually going to be ministers?" Roxie was amazed.
"Yes," said Lucy. "But they haven't told my parents yet, or even my siblings. The only other person in the world who would know they're studying divinity is ..."
"Someone in the admissions office; someone like ... QE." Roxanne now understood it all. No minister could ever claim to be perfect, although generally they and their spouses were normally held to a higher standard. But for this theory to hold water, they'd have to prove that QE did in fact work for UCLA. She discretely sent a text message to the special agent to check out that premise. "So what do we do in the meantime?"
"Stick to our schedules, like we didn't figure this out," replied Lucy.
"Do we tell Ruthie and Peter?"
"No," said Lucy. "Their honeymoon has already been marred enough. Last night they moved to a secret location, somewhere I don't know about. They're going to try to have sex in absolute tranquility; although will all that's happened and so many of their friends dead or wounded I can't see how they can clear their minds and focus only on each other, the poor lovebirds." She sighed sadly, feeling truly sorry for her sister and brother-in-law.
"Let's hope QE doesn't find them," said Roxie anxiously. "By the way, I wonder what Chandler and Kevin are up to." She put on her underwear and on top of them her clothes, a business suit that matched Lucy's but was a pale blue; then slapped on her police badge around the skirt's waistline. "Let's go, Luce; we don't want to keep the other cops waiting."
Twenty-five hundred miles northeast, in the parking lot of the Glen Oak police department, an altercation was occurring at that exact moment. Officers were struggling to keep Kevin and Chandler apart, after a verbal argument turned into a nasty fist-fight. Just moments before, Chandler had casually browsed through Kevin's desk (or rather, Roxanne's side of the desk she and Kevin shared at work) while he was on a coffee break; when he found a gold embossed Bible sitting on top of that writing table. He took a closer look. It had the initials "KK" and "LC" on it.
Apparently, after Chandler and Lucy had had their affair, they parted company but she left her Bible behind at the Hampton's (monogrammed with those initials) and left with his Bible (with the imprint "CH" and "RR".) Roxanne had brought that Bible to work the day before she left for Hawaii, not realizing the switch had taken place.
When Kevin had returned and was confronted with it, he countered by slamming on his desk the other switched Bible. He had found it alongside Lucy's bed stand at their home the previous night. He hadn't bothered to look closer until then because the Bible had the same leather cover and was also engraved, albeit discretely on the book's binding. The two men started shouting at each other. The reprimands turned into shouts, fists, and finally the drawing of blood – each giving the other an upper cut below the right eye. Finally, some other cops, all women, forced them apart but the looks in their eyes indicated that no one had heard the last of this matter.