″I didn′t know her,″ Evelyn replied. ″Her name was Anaïs Loring. She died last spring right before I joined the Newbodies. Anaïs was the group′s founder. Everyone said she was very charismatic.″
″Was it a carjacking?″
″No,″ she said. ″Anaïs was killed in a home-invasion robbery. There was lots of stuff stolen from her home, including her jewelry and credit cards. Anaïs was found shot dead in her kitchen. ″
The story rang a distant bell. I must have heard about the Anaïs Loring murder at the time. I′d have to look it up when I got back to the studio. Talk about being behind the times.
While I was thinking, Evelyn continued. ″The police never arrested anybody in Anaïs′s murder, ″ she said. ″And now Jana′s dead. And last week another woman in our group got her identity stolen. So I′m thinking-″
″Wait a second. Slow down, Evelyn,″ I said as her implication sunk in. ″You think the two murders-of Jana and Anaïs-are linked? A home invasion and a carjacking? And that the killings are connected somehow to the identity theft of another woman in the group?″
When Evelyn didn′t respond, I added, ″Iden tity theft usually happens when someone logs on to a bad Web site on the Internet. What makes you think it has anything to do with Jana? Or Anaïs?″
″I don′t know exactly,″ Evelyn admitted. ″But it feels like some evil karma is stalking the Newbodies. I′m even wondering if we should disband the group.″
When my conversation with Evelyn wrapped up, I punched in Jonathan′s number. I was already mentally rehearsing the message I wanted to leave, the precise words that would let him know how urgent it was that I speak to him right away.
Jonathan surprised me by picking up on the third ring.
″Hallo,″ he said.
″Hi, sweetie; it′s me.″
A slight pause. ″Of course. How′ve you been?″ Jonathan′s tone was stilted.
″Well, I just wanted to reach you in general,″ I began, thinking how lame my words sounded. ″And especially today, because something has happened.″
″Oh.″ Another weird pause. ″Kate, I′m sorry, but is it okay if I call you right back? I′m-″
From his end of the line I heard a strange noise. It sounded like the trilling sound a caged bird makes. Then there was a muffled sound, as if Jonathan was covering the receiver with his hand. Or maybe someone was trying to grab it from him.
″Is everything all right with you there?″ I asked, worried now. ″Is it your mother? Is she okay?″
″Mum′s fine. I′ve just been busy because some things came up. I′ll call you when I-″
Another sound of a struggle that ended in a peal of female laughter. Then a different voice came on the line. It was a woman′s voice.
″Katie, honey, Jonathan′s busy right now.″ She sounded extremely young, and she spoke with an Asian-sounding accent.
Then she added with a giggle, ″You′ve heard of me, right, Katie? My name is Gi. I′m Jonathan′s wife.″
My heart tumbled into my gut.
″But why don′t you call me Gigi?″ she continued. ″That′s what my Johnnie calls me.″
I tried to think of something to come back with. But I was completely speechless. I couldn′t even move my lips.
Meanwhile Gi-Gigi-continued speaking in a bright, oddly chipper tone: ″Ooh, did Johnnie forget to tell you he′s still married? His bad. I′ll spank him now for you, okay? He likes that. We′re fucking like love bunnies right now.″
In the background, Jonathan yelled, ″Cut it out, Gi. Damn you.″
Then he came back on the line, his voice urgent. ″Kate, let me explain. This is not what you-″
I couldn′t bear to hear anything more. There would be. No. More. Words.
I slammed down the receiver.
Chapter 13
Straighten out Your Eye Circles
Nothing says ″old and tired″ like dark circles underneath your eyes. While some of us have a genetic predisposition toward eye circles, there are remedies and concealment tricks galore.
Here are a few of my tried-and-true techniques:
• Get plenty of sleep. Too often, many of us get shortchanged on z′s. Make sure you get seven or eight hours of sleep on a regular basis.
• Don′t skip your exercise-poor circulation exacerbates circles.
• Drink lots of water-dehydration makes circles worse.
• Use a concealer with a pink tint to mask graytone circles.
• Stay moisturized-try rubbing a bit of almond oil under your eyes every night and every morning.
– From The Little Book of Beauty Secrets by Mimi Morgan
I gaped down at my hand that was resting on the phone, trying to absorb what I′d just heard. Then my palm felt a vibration. It was the phone ringing-Jonathan trying to call me back.
Abruptly, I picked up the receiver and banged it down again to cut him off. Then I unplugged the cord from the wall. There would be no more talking. Not now.
In a daze, I dropped onto a stool by the kitchen counter. For a long while I simply perched there, staring silently into space. My brain was too stunned to think-all it could do was reel from the shockwaves.
Gi.
It was a name I knew well. Gi, Jonathan had told me when we′d first met, was his ex-wife. He′d never said much about her, only that she was a refugee from North Korea, and that their marriage had ended when he′d discovered that she was having an affair. Jonathan had never been willing to talk about her much, and I hadn′t pried. But once when I was over at his apartment I′d found a picture of her. The photo had showed Gi wrapped in the arms of a beaming Jonathan. He′d been staring down at her with obvious adoration-and more than a little lust. (Had he ever looked at me that way? I′d wondered at the time.)
Gi had delicate features and huge dark eyes that were set in an alabaster complexion. She looked like an Asian Audrey Hepburn. Gorgeous as hell.
My first thought when I′d stumbled across the picture of them together was How can the man who loved this incredible beauty be satisfied with someone who is overweight and out of shape? How can he want me after Gi?
The answer was obvious to me now. He′d never wanted me at all. He′d never really left her, in fact. On the phone Gi had said that she was Jonathan′s wife, not his ex-wife. Could that possibly be? Had Jonathan lied to me when he′d said they were divorced? Did I even know this man, really? Maybe he′d been covering up a long-distance marriage to Gi all this time. Plenty of guys did that, I knew. I just hadn′t thought that Jonathan was that kind of guy.
I cast back on every conversation we′d had about Jonathan′s marriage to Gi. There hadn′t been many of them. In fact, it had been Jonathan′s resolute silence on the subject of Gi that had always fueled my insecurities about our relationship. On some level I figured he′d never gotten over her. And, boy, had I gotten that one right. It was obvious now that he′d never left her at all. Jonathan and Gi were still married. Married.
So what precisely did that make me?
″You′re an idiot, Kate; that′s what you are. A fool, un estupido,″ I muttered out loud. ″You were just an easy port of call for Jonathan. A no-stress lay. Dammit dammit dammit…″
I′d made everything so easy for him. I′d been so-o Miss Independence with my TV news career, never pressing to know where our relationship was headed. I′d never asked, because I hadn′t known where I was headed myself, ca reerwise. It had never occurred to me that I was just the right type of woman for a man who wasn′t looking for a permanent relationship. That I was an easy target for a liar.
That′s when the anger broke loose. No crying yet-that would undoubtedly come later.