Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(4)

Nora pulled her SUV into the empty space in the garage, shut off the engine, and checked her phone. A text from David read: the package has been delivered. We’re all set.

Nora smiled. “The package has been delivered” was his way of letting her know he had picked Trevor up from school and they were home. She found herself wishing she could be more like her husband—carefree, chill, not a worry in the world. At least that’s the way he came across. Everyone loved David. Including Nora. After all these years, she still got that tingling feeling inside just thinking about him.

As the garage door rolled shut, the side door leading into the kitchen came open. It was Hailey. “Need any help?” she asked when Nora stepped out of the car.

“Thanks. If you could grab the cake from the back seat and take it inside, that would be great.”

Hailey hopped right to it. “The pizza was delivered a few minutes before you got here, and Bridget is on her way over. I blew up a few balloons and made Trevor a card for all of us to sign.”

“That was nice of you. Where is the birthday boy?”

“In his room, glued to his computer, as usual.”

Nora inwardly smiled. If her daughter wasn’t teasing her brother, she liked to act as if it was her responsibility to keep tabs on him and lecture him if he played too many video games or stared at his computer for too long. Hailey disappeared. Nora was about to grab the rest of the groceries when her cell phone rang. She picked up the call.

“Hello. Is this Nora Williams?”

Williams was her maiden name. “Who’s calling, please?”

“I have a few questions about the accident.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” Nora told the caller. “My son was pushed.”

“The car accident, ma’am. Twenty-four years ago.”

“What?” Nora tightened her grip on her phone. “Who is this?”

The line went dead.

Hailey stuck her head through the door. “Do you need help?”

“I’ve got it,” Nora said. She dropped her phone inside her purse, then grabbed the two bags of groceries from the back seat and followed Hailey inside. Busying herself with putting the groceries away and then placing napkins and plates next to the pizza boxes, she thought about the call. The voice had been unfamiliar, deep and toneless, a male voice. She stopped what she was doing and simply stood at the table. She swallowed, wondering if the voice might belong to the man in the suit. She rushed over to the kitchen counter where she’d left her purse, dug around for her phone, and did a Google search on the telephone number. The number appeared to have an international area code. Commenters mentioned a scam. She blocked the number and put her phone away.

David entered the kitchen. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine.” She quickly decided not to mention the phone call for two reasons. One, she’d promised her parents never to talk about the accident, since it was too painful for them. And two, it was Trevor’s birthday, and she didn’t want to risk dampening the mood.

“How was work?” David asked.

“Same old, same old.”

He smiled. “Exactly why a change of scenery might be just what you need.”

He was talking about the job offer. “I was thinking about canceling our upcoming dinner with Jane Bell.”

“Why?”

That was a very good question, Nora thought. Jane Bell was the founder and CEO of IMPACT, a software company that helped businesses, large and small, streamline their data, allowing for fewer errors and delays and more organizational efficiency. IMPACT had taken root in Midtown Sacramento only a year ago and was already garnering a nice buzz. The woman had sent Nora a letter to her office in Folsom, where she worked at a high-tech corporation as a department head in sales and marketing. Nora had worked hard to get to where she was, but if she were brutally honest with herself, it could be a real slog, since most days she felt buried in corporate bureaucracy.

A few days after Nora had received the letter, Jane followed up with a phone call. She explained she was seeking a new kind of modern sales management where feedback becomes action. She had high hopes that Nora could help take her company to the next level. She gave Nora high praise. And even though Nora possessed a healthy dose of confidence, she didn’t understand why Jane was so adamant, so sure, that Nora was the right person for the job.

“What if I take the job and I don’t like it?” Nora asked David. “I will have given up a decent, well-paying job. There’s something to be said about ‘same old, same old.’”

“Boring and unpleasant come to mind,” David said.

“Maybe at times,” Nora agreed. “But besides the paycheck, I have great health coverage and a decent commute.”

David looked around the room, then back at Nora. “What have you done with my wife?”

She laughed. “She’s right here. She’s older, wiser, and maybe a little worn out.”

Hailey and Bridget joined them. “We’re starved. Should I go get Trevor?” Hailey asked.

“We’re ready,” Nora said.

Hailey ran to the bottom of the stairs and shouted, “Pizza is here!” at the top of her lungs. Then she ran back to the kitchen, and they all bent down low behind the kitchen island. When Trevor appeared a few minutes later, they jumped up and shouted, “Happy birthday, Trevor!”