Chapter Twelve

Kelleigh went back downstairs, through the kitchen. She glanced at the counter, flashing back to just a few hours ago when Steve pushed her. Her heart tripped a little with fear. Then she remembered: he was gone, never to return.

She opened the door to the garage and flipped on the light. It shone down on the racecar and Kelleigh paused. They had put so much time into this car. Steve would never see it finished. For the first time, she felt a twinge of sadness.

Here, in the garage, is where she found Steve. The essence of his life was in this garage. Here were his tools, his books, his everything. Kelleigh stood by the car, with her hand on the primered fender. Although their marriage had been rocky, they had some good times and they were mostly centered around this car.

"I'll finish the car Steve. Don't you worry. It'll be done." This would be how she honored Steve's memory. Not with a funeral, not by keeping his things around her like a shrine, not with fighting with his family. She would finish the racecar.

Turning her back to the car, she picked up boxes that used to hold car parts. Steve kept everything and for once, it came in handy. She thought it apropos that she pack his things in these boxes.

Returning upstairs, she found that Delly had stripped the bed and remade it. She was sitting on the edge of the bed now, waiting for Kelleigh. "You okay? You were gone a bit."

"Yeah, I'm fine. This is just so weird, you know?"

Delly nodded "Yes, it's definitely not how I would have guessed it to happen."

"Well, let's get to it." Kelleigh went to the closet and began taking out shirts. There were mostly t-shirts and occasionally, Kelleigh would fold one and set it aside. "I'm going to keep some of these." Was all she said. Delly just nodded and continued to pack.

Soon, the side of his closet was empty. They had packed everything away and were now working on the dresser. This was an easy task, impersonal things such as socks, jeans, and underwear. It went fairly quickly.

As Delly took out one last armful of socks, something fell to the ground. It was an old wallet. "I haven't seen that wallet for years." Kelleigh commented as she picked it up. Opening it, she saw that there was a wad of bills inside. "What's this?" She took it out, counting the bills on the bed. There was nearly one thousand dollars in the wallet. "I wonder what this is for?" Kelleigh was a little confused, she had always made sure that Steve had enough money for everything, including the racecar.

Looking at the wallet, she saw a picture slipped into the ID pocket. Turning the wallet, she looked more closely at the picture. It was a dark-haired girl, not unlike Kelleigh. "Who is this?" Kelleigh looked at Delly.

Delly, in return, looked a little guilty. "Delly, do you know who this is?"

"Um, well, no. Not exactly."

"Not exactly, what does that mean? Delly, what do you know?"

"I don't know who that is…"

"But what? You've known others? Delly! What's going on?"

"Well, Kel, it's not exactly what I know or what's going on. It's just that…"

"Delly, dammit. What do you know?" Kelleigh was beginning to get angry; she could feel it creeping up around the edges of her brain. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her fingers begin to clench.

"Well, rumor has it that there have been…um, well…others."

Kelleigh was deflated, sat down hard on the bed. "Others?" She looked at the photograph again. One couldn't ignore the similarities between she and this girl.

"Just rumors, Kel. If I knew something specific, I would have said something. I promise. But they were just rumors."

"Apparently not." She responded by holding up the picture. The anger faded and the numbness returned. Nothing, absolutely nothing about her life was what it seemed.

Frowning, Delly took the wallet from her hands. "Kel, go downstairs. Sit down, have a drink. Let me take care of the rest of this." Delly didn't want to say, but now she was afraid of what else they may find.

Kelleigh nodded mutely and went back downstairs. She sat down on the couch and stared, just stared. Nothing was what it seemed. No wonder she felt numb. She must have known subconsciously, she had to have known. She sat in silence as Delly made a few trips up and down the stairs; her arms loaded with boxes.

Returning, Delly sat down next to her on the couch, another of Steve's beers in her hand. "It's done. Everything is packed and put away."

Leaning her head back on the couch, Kelleigh looked at her friend. "Thanks Delly, for everything. You're a good friend." She paused. "I’m not mad, I'm not. I'm just so numb now. Nothing is what it seemed."

"No, no, it's not. But look at it this way. You've got no where to go but up from here."

All Kelleigh could do was nod in response. She was exhausted. Exhausted from everything that had happened and exhausted because it was so late. "Go home Delly. It's late. I need to go to bed."

"Are you sure? I can stay here, it's not a big deal."

She shook her head. "No, you go home. Sleep in your own bed…or Johnny's, whichever you choose." She smiled; it was the first attempt at humor since the discovery of that stupid wallet.

"No, I'll go home. Johnny was just a back-up date. I wasn't going to sleep with him. You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm just going to go to bed. I have to meet Steve's family at the funeral home in the morning." Kelleigh looked at the clock. "In a few hours."

"Okay, if you're sure. Call me in the morning. Let me know how it went." Delly stood then stooped over, giving her an awkward hug and kiss. "You'll be fine, Kel. Really, you will."

"I know. Thanks Delly." She watched Delly get in her car and leave. She was a little relieved that she was gone and she couldn't help but think Del knew more than she was telling.