Page 49 of Return of the Spider

“I have reason to be angry! You’re gone all the time. And when you’re here, you’re Mr. Secrets.”

“I have a job with your family’s company that requires me to be on the road five days a week. Ask your brother. But you know what? You’re right. I’m sorry that I have to be gone five out of every seven days. But that’s the job, and you knew it when I took it. You encouraged me to take it, remember? I wanted to teach.”

She said nothing.

“Remember?” he said again.

She shrugged and started to cry.

“Ah, Jesus,” he said, wanting to kill her again. “Now what’s the matter?”

“Since my dad passed last year,” she said, sniveling, “I’ve just been wanting to make it real, you know?”

“Make what real?”

“Our marriage, Gary,” she said. “I want a real wedding with all my friends and family and a beautiful reception. The way it should have been at the start.”

They’d met her senior year at the University of Delaware. He’d swept her off her feet and into bed within three dates. Three and a half years ago, after finding out she was pregnant, they’d eloped to Atlantic City.

“I don’t know,” he said.

“C’mon, Gary,” she said. “I know you hate crowds and all. But this will put us right, give us a new beginning.”

“You think having a big wedding is going to change things in our marriage?”

“It could be a start,” she said, wiping at her tears. “A restart?”

Soneji didn’t mind crowds as long as he was anonymous. But he did hate being the object of other people’s attention. Scrutiny made his skin crawl.

The members of Soneji’s own family were all long dead. But Missy had a huge extended family. Their tribal get-togethers always made him feel claustrophobic and cornered.

The idea of a wedding involving the entire Kasajian clan was sheer misery as far as Soneji was concerned, and he groped for a way out.

“But we don’t have the money for a big wedding. You know what I make.”

“My mother has money, and I’m going to inherit lots of it when she dies anyway. She could give me an advance on that.”

“You’ve talked with your mom about this?”

“A little.”

“And?”

“She’s for it,” Missy said, coming over and getting back into bed. “As long as you are, Gary.” She rolled into his arms. “Okay?”

He kissed her. “Tell you what—I’ll sleep on it.”

Missy stiffened as if to fight. He gazed at her neck, imagining what he could do to it if provoked further.

She sighed, shut her eyes, and rolled away from him, leaving Soneji with a different perspective on dear Missy’s neck. And in that moment, the student of homicide and kidnapping geniuses knew whom and what to study next.

CHAPTER

37

Though he made moreof an effort to play with and care for his daughter and stayed attentive to Missy’s conversation, Soneji managed to avoid giving his wife a concrete answer all weekend.

He kissed Roni and Missy goodbye on Monday morning and told his wife he’d call in the evening.