The Secrets

Bang! Bang! The gavel for the court to come to session rang throughout the courtroom. Dressed in a conservative tan pantsuit, Laura sat quietly on a red cushioned bench towards the front of the courtroom. As she glanced around, she couldn’t help but think about the events that had brought her to this courthouse on this day. She lived in Newport, Rhode Island, the home of summer cottages of the Vanderbilts and other Gilded Age robber barons. The architect who had designed her own house won awards because, from the outside, it looked like a massive block of stone, but when visitors came inside, their jaws dropped, for its true beauty was within. The back of the house was built onto a hillside, with glass ceilings linking the front to the rear, and there were spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean from the back patio. The house contained all the modern features: a built-in coffee maker, an enormous kitchen with quartz countertops and a curved island, and outside a manicured garden with a concealed water system and a three-car garage. It even had a summerhouse with a hot tub.

When Laura and her husband, Craig, bought the house five years ago, they both felt it was a sign they had finally achieved the success for which they had always strived. Looking from the outside, people always thought her life was perfect. After all, she had money, a handsome, loving husband, and a beautiful home. What else could she want?

Little did people on the outside understand that appearances can be deceiving. The old saying goes, “No one knows what goes on behind closed doors.” Could people look at her calm face and see the dark secrets she held inside? Laura was the holder of many secrets, one from when she was a young girl living near the Louisiana swamps.

Laura’s father, Bruce, had been an alcoholic, an abusive man whose bitterness and anger were well known throughout the small community of Homer, Louisiana. There was a silent, unwritten code in the swamps that people minded their own business, but when Bruce disappeared suddenly without any trace, the people of Homer were not surprised. The memory of that day caused Laura's mouth to curl up into a sly smile. She and her mother, Evelyn, were the only ones to know the truth. The night had started like most nights. When Bruce came home, fear followed him like a menacing shadow, ready to lash out at the closest person. That night, it was as if he was looking for a reason to lash out at her mother. “Where is my dinner? I expect a hot meal when I get home!” screaming as he knocked things off the counter onto the floor. Fear was emitting from her mother's eyes as she crept over to calm her father down, but there wasn’t any way to calm him down this time. Bruce wasn’t listening, slapping her mother hard onto the rough wooden floor. Her mother threw her hands up, trying to protect herself from the brutal beating, but he didn’t let up. Laura had been frozen in the corner, unable to move or scream as she witnessed the scene being played before her. The sound of her mother's screams startled her into action. As she saw her mother cowering beneath her father’s fist, her first thought was, “If I don’t do something, he is going to kill my mother.” She grabbed the iron skillet from the stove in a daze and snuck up behind her father. Raising her arm, she brought it down, striking him hard in the head. It took a moment before she and her mother realized he was not moving. After discovering Bruce was genuinely dead, her mother snapped into action, “Don’t just stand there! We must get rid of his body.” Quickly devising a plan, she barked, “Go in the shed and get the wheelbarrow. We will place his body inside, roll it down to the swamp, dump it in, and let the gators have dinner.” Bruce or his body was never found, and law enforcement, after a casual investigation at best, chalked it up to Bruce deserting his wife and daughter.

Yes! Laura could keep secrets; no one would guess her most recent one. She wasn’t stupid! She had suspected that, for a while, her husband had been having an affair with his secretary. Craig worked as a junior associate at one of the top advertising companies in the United States. His job included traveling often for work, meetings with other associates, and planning strategies for their next advertising project. When Laura received notification of a charge for a local motel on Craig’s credit card for the same night he was supposed to be in Boston, she became highly suspicious. “Why was Craig at a local motel instead of a motel in Boston? What was going on?”

Laura’s first thought was to call her best friend, Cindy, who worked at Craig’s company; in fact, Laura had used her influence with Craig to help Cindy obtain her position. The beep of the buttons sounded as Laura pushed the keys, dialing Cindy’s number. The phone rang three times when Cindy picked up. “Hi, Laura, what’s going on? You usually don’t call during work hours.” Cindy could barely hear Laura whispering, “I don’t want to talk to you on the phone. Can you meet me at Capio’s at noon?” Sensing Laura’s unusual urgency, Cindy agreed, “Yes, I can meet you there.”

Laura arrived a few minutes early, spotting Cindy sitting at an outdoor table sipping iced tea. Immediately, without small talk, Laura delved into asking Cindy the questions that brought Laura here. “I know you work for Craig and don’t want to be someone who spreads office gossip, but I think you might be able to answer some questions for me.” Without hesitation, Cindy gave Laura the answers she was looking for. “At first, it was just office rumors that Megan, a newly hired secretary, had been seen coming out of Craig’s office, straightening her clothes, and smoothing down her hair. It became more than rumors when Megan confided in me that she was looking to fill an opening as a personal secretary for a senior associate at the company, and she was using Craig to help her get it. If it helps, I don’t think Craig is in love with Megan; I believe for him, it is just sex, and for her, it is a means to an end.” Laura’s face didn’t show the inner turmoil raging inside. She had intuitively known what Cindy would say before she even said it. Laura thanked Cindy, saying, “I appreciate you telling me the truth even though it was hard to hear. You are a loyal friend.”

After Cindy left, Laura asked herself, " Should she confront him? Should she go home and pack her bags and leave him?" Laura needed time. Time to figure out what she was going to do. So, for now, she decided she wouldn't say anything. Another secret she will keep. A couple of days later, when Craig announced he had to make another trip to Boston, Laura’s first call was to Cindy. She had to know if Craig was lying or if he was meeting up with Megan at the local motel like before. Picking up after the second ring, Cindy asked, “Hi, Laura, are you okay?” Hurriedly, Laura answered, “Yes, I’m fine. Listen, I have a quick question. Is Craig scheduled for a meeting in Boston tomorrow?” Laura could hear the hesitation in Cindy's voice as she answered, “No, no, he doesn’t; he doesn't have any meeting scheduled in Boston until next month." Laura thanked Cindy and hung up, knowing it was time to decide what to do about Craig.

As on the trips before, suitcase in hand, Craig kissed her on the cheek, rushing out the door and shouting, “I’ll call you when I get there.” “Okay. See you the day after tomorrow,” she shouted as the door slammed behind her husband. Laura wasn’t afraid of being lonely tonight, for it was her turn to host the weekly Book Club meeting with four friends. The meeting with her friends turned into talking more about what was going on in each one’s life than it was about the book they were supposed to discuss. After everyone had left, Laura did a quick cleanup, and with the decision on what she would do about Craig still swirling in her mind, she went to bed.

The following day, as Laura made coffee, she heard the doorbell ring. She wondered who could be at the door; she wasn't expecting anyone. When she glimpsed out the door glass, Laura spotted two uniformed police officers standing on the porch. Questions were circling her mind, "Why were the police here?" As she opened the door, dread filled her heart. One of the officers asked, “Can we come in for a minute?” She waved them inside and sat on a leather chair near the door. After sitting, the younger officer spoke, “I’m Officer Ramirez, and this is Officer King. “Ms. Landry, we are here to inform you that your husband’s been killed. His body was found at the local Ramada Inn at about eight o’clock last night. We have detained a suspect by the name of Megan Reynolds, who was found at the scene of the crime. Our investigation is underway, and you will be notified of any updates in our case. Do you wish to call anyone?" “No…no, not right now,” she stuttered. Almost as an afterthought, Officer King asked, "By the way, Ms. Landry, can you give me your whereabouts last night?" In a daze, Laura answered, "I hosted the weekly Book Club meeting last night. There were four other women here." Officer Ramirez asked, "Can you give us the names and phone numbers of the other women?" Laura grabbed her phone and rattled off the names and numbers of the women present last night while Officer Ramirez wrote the information down on his notepad. Laura watched him reach into his shirt and hand her a card, "If you have any more questions, call this number." Officer King explained, "The medical examiner’s office will take about a week to finish the autopsy. You will be contacted as to when they will release the body."

The following weeks flew by in a complete blur; the death of her husband had become a media circus. Murder was something that happened in other places. To avoid as much attention as possible, Laura had decided to have Craig cremated, followed by a private secluded memorial.

Her attention was suddenly brought back to the Newport Courthouse courtroom #2, where the jury was to deliver their verdict on the guilt and innocence of Megan Reynolds. The judge solemnly asked, “Ms. Foreperson, does the jury have a decision?” The foreperson stood up with her shoulders straight and, in a determined voice, announced, “Yes, we do.” The judge asked, “What is your verdict?” The foreperson spoke in her most assertive voice, “We have found the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree.” No one in the courtroom made a sound; all one could hear was the boards of the floor squeaking as the audience shuffled their feet. Even though the defendant claimed her innocence, the evidence proved substantial. First, there was Cindy’s testimony on the conversation she had with Megan, where she admitted the affair and how she was only using Craig for a big promotion. The senior advertising associate testified that when Megan questioned whether he had received Craig's recommendation for her to become his new secretary, he told her he had never gotten anything from Craig and had already hired someone else. The most damaging evidence was that the bullet that had killed Craig Landry matched a bullet from a 35mm gun registered to Megan Reynolds, which had been recovered at the scene. The prosecution had the means and motive to prove Megan had indeed murdered Craig Landry. The evidence was all there, causing the jury to deliberate only a few hours before delivering their verdict.

With the trial finally over, and without speaking to anyone, Laura slipped out a side door to avoid the press. She had refused to comment during the trial, and even though the press had pressured her to agree to an interview or news conference, her answer remained, “No comment.” A black sedan pulled to the curb as she entered the sunlight. Laura opened the passenger door and slipped into the leather upholstered seat; glancing to her left, she saw the figure of a woman with dark hair and sunglasses. Laura spoke first, “Hi, momma.” “Hi, baby! Do you want to talk about it? Your plan worked perfectly." Laura gazed into her mother’s face silently, acknowledging with one look that they had one more secret to keep.

With a satisfied look, Laura's mother, Evelyn, thought of how easy it had all been. The receipt from Craig's previous hotel stay had revealed the location of his tryst with Megan. Megan's propensity to gossip at the office led to the knowledge that she carried a 35mm gun in her purse for protection. In her conversation with Laura at the restaurant, Cindy revealed that Megan hadn't put her purse in a locker but had left it wedged in an open shelf on her desk. When Laura learned Megan always slipped into Craig's office while everyone else was on break, she knew how to get Megan's gun. She had carefully entered Craig's office, placed gloves in her hands, and lifted the weapon from Megan's purse. Evelyn remembered how she carefully staked out the Ramada Inn, awaiting Craig's arrival. She waited patiently, watching Craig sign into the motel and walk towards Room #205. She cautiously approached Craig's room, looking around to ensure no one else was around, and knocked at the door. When Craig stared out the peephole of the white motel door, Evelyn could almost hear him ask himself. "How did Evelyn know he was here? Did she know about Megan? Should he open the door? If he didn't open the door, would Evelyn tell Laura she had found him at the local Ramada Inn instead of in Boston?” Evelyn and Laura had planned what would happen next. Without hesitation, Evelyn pulled out Megan's 35mm gun with her gloved hands. She wished Laura could have seen Craig's face when she laughingly told him, "You thought you were so smart, telling Laura you were going on a business trip when you were meeting up with your secretary Megan. I don't want to hear your excuses or promises never to do anything like this again. I learned a long time ago that men like you never really change. You will play the loving husband for a while, but I know, and I think somewhere deep inside, you know you won't change." Evelyn fired two bullets into his chest, firing rapidly, one after the other. Craig's body slipped over, falling on the brown carpeted floor. She had quickly called the police, leaving an anonymous report of hearing shots fired. Evelyn calmly walked out the door, leaving it slightly propped open. She knew Megan would arrive soon, and after seeing the door propped open and her curiosity getting better, she would let herself into the room. When the police arrived, Megan was standing over Craig's body with a gun lying on the floor. Yes, all the pieces of Laura's plan had fallen into place. She and Laura, the keepers of secrets, would always be content with the knowledge that their secrets would remain unknown to the rest of the world.