Free Abandoning the Rules by Jp Grace Page B

house deeds, vehicle titles, Social Security cards, and stacks of bank bonds. She put them aside to look at later.
    The box was what had her curious.
    Hefting it in her hand-it couldn’t have weighed more than a pound-she lifted the lid and frowned.
    Why would Steven save an old watch , house keys, and a letter?
    She picked up the watch and exami ned it. Cheaply made with a frayed leather band, it wasn’t much to look at and had clearly been well worn by its owner.
    Flipping it over, she squinted at the initials etched into the tarnished silver back .
    B. M. F.
    Love Always,
    E. R. F.
    Ben Matthew Finley and Elizabeth Rose Finley. Ben’s deceased parents. Dimly, she remembered Ben showing her the watch and commenting it was the only thing he had left of his parents.
    Ben wasn’t careless. He wouldn’t have lost the only link he had left to his parents. Not willingly.
    She glanced around furtively before tucking the watch into her pocket and picking up the keys.
    One look and any remaining doubts she had concerning Steven’s responsibility for Ben’s…disappearance were erased. To what degree remained to be seen.
    The number nine was prominently displayed on a sticker barely hanging on t o the metal of the largest key. The address at Ben’s small rental. Another, a black topped Chevrolet key, matched the make of Ben’s car.
    Her stomach heaved. She held in the urge to vomit by sheer force of will, now was not the time to fall apart. Her first concern was to ensure Beth and Josh came out of this as unscathed as possible and they wouldn’t if she couldn’t keep it together.
    She added the keys to the watch in her pocket, grabbed th e letter and the bank bonds, folded them into fourths and shoved them into a small pocket in her purse. Spying her cell phone in the cluttered contents, she slipped it into her other pocket.
    A brief internal struggle ensued as she questioned the advisability of removing evidence, but if she left it she ran the risk of Steven removing it, which would get her nowhere.
    Closing and locking the safe, she attempted to breathe normally, but it was a pointless endeavor. She had to make it to her car and out of the garage, then she’d call Tony and tell him what she’d found. She prayed it was enough; it had to be, she wasn’t cut out for this level of deception now that she knew what Steven was capable of.
    Gathering her thoughts and her purse-she had to act as natural as possible; just a normal evening out-she left the room, walked to the stairs and stopped.
    Steven waited for her at the botto m .

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER eleven
     
     
     
    “WHERE have you been?” he demanded.
    Heart hammering in he r chest, Bree forced herself to meet his glare, her insides churning in fear.
    Raising her chin, she replied coolly, “I went to Stargazer’s Spa. I told you about it last week.”
    He eyed her speculatively but kept his silence.
    She walked down on trembling legs and stopped on the last tread, unable to move around his bulk. She waited for him to move.
    He didn’t flinch.
    “What time is dinner?”
    She forced out a brittle laugh.
    “Did you forget Beth and Josh are at camp? You know I don’t cook when they’re gone. Order something, I’m going out.”
    She attempted to sweep past him with her head up, hoping for a quick escape.
    His hand snaked out and grabbed her elbow, stopping her in her tracks.
    “Where are you going?”
    “Really, Steven, you’re being ridiculous. Tonight is my book club meeting; we meet at the library every week at this time.”
    She tried to dislodge her arm, but he held fast.
    “What if I want you to stay home and cook dinner? Are you going to put those snooty women above me and my needs?”
    Bree sighed. She hated it when he was petulant. It never boded well.
    “I am not putting them above you, Steven. I have commitments. I am bringing the main dish for our potluck, how would it look if I didn’t show?”
    Steven wasn’t nearly as