sky, gray the day before, had given way to an icy blue and the temperature was below freezing.
It was Sunday morning, the day after she’d had her hair done. She peeked in the toilet for blood, sure she’d see some after she peed. Her kidney still throbbed, radiating pain from her shoulder blades to the backs of her legs. It had kept her up for hours as Kevin snored beside her, but thankfully, it wasn’t as serious as it could have been. After closing the bedroom door behind her, she limped to the kitchen, reminding herself that in just a couple of days, it would be over. But she had to be careful not to arouse Kevin’s suspicions, to play things exactly right. If she ignored the beating he had given her the night before, he would be suspicious. If she went too far, he would be suspicious. After four years of hell, she’d learned the rules.
Kevin had to go into work at noon, even though it was Sunday, and she knew he’d be up soon. The house was cold and she pulled on a sweatshirt over her pajamas; in the mornings, Kevin didn’t mind, usually because he was too hung over to care. She started the coffee and put the milk and sugar on the table, along with butter and jelly. She set his silverware out and placed a cup of ice water beside the fork. After that, two pieces of toast went in the toaster, though she couldn’t toast them just yet. She put three eggs on the counter, where she could reach them quickly. When that was done, she placed half a dozen slices of bacon in the frying pan. They were sizzling and popping when Kevin finally wandered into the kitchen. He took a seat at the empty table and drank his water as she brought him a cup of coffee.
“I was dead to the world last night,” he said. “What time did we end up going to bed?”
“Maybe ten?” she answered. She put the coffee beside his empty glass. “It wasn’t late. You’ve been working hard and I know you’ve been tired.”
His eyes were bloodshot. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean it. I’ve just been under a lot of pressure lately. Since Terry’s heart attack, I’ve been having to do the work of two people, and the Preston case starts this week.”
“It’s okay,” she said. She could still smell the alcohol on his breath. “Your breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”
At the stove, she turned the bacon with a fork and a splash of grease scalded her arm, making her temporarily forget the pain in her back.
When the bacon was crispy, she put four pieces on Kevin’s plate and two on hers. She drained the grease into a soup can, wiped the frying pan with a paper towel, and oiled it again with cooking spray. She had to move fast, so the bacon wouldn’t get cold. She started the toaster and cracked the eggs. He liked his over medium, with the yolk intact, and she’d grown adept at the process. The pan was still hot and the eggs cooked quickly. She turned them once before sliding two onto his plate and one onto hers. The toast came up and she placed both slices on his plate.
She sat across from him at the table because he liked them to have breakfast together. He buttered his toast and added grape jelly before using his fork to break the eggs. The yolk pooled like yellow blood and he used his toast to sop it up.
“What are you going to do today?” he asked. He used his fork to cut another piece of egg. Chewing.
“I was going to do the windows and the laundry,” she said.
“The sheets probably need a wash, too, huh? After our fun last night?” he said, waggling his eyebrows. His hair was pointing in different directions and there was a piece of egg at the corner of his mouth.
She tried not to show her revulsion. Instead, she changed the subject.
“Do you think you’ll get a conviction in the Preston case?” she asked.
He leaned back and rolled his shoulders before hunching over his plate again.
“That’s up to the DA. Higgins is good, but you never know. Preston has a shyster lawyer and he’s going to try to twist all the facts around.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’re smarter than he is.”
“We’ll see. I just hate that it’s in Marlborough. Higgins wants to