Chapter 5
Katherine: June 2005

Katherine was livid. She stared at the text message on her flip phone. Joe was bringing Martin here. To their home. Where Robbie was.

She snapped her phone shut thinking fast. She had to get him out of the house. She grabbed her purse called up the stairs.

“Robbie! Jesse! Come down here now!” Unfortunately Alison was a friend’s house, her only kid old enough to their driver’s license. In moments, feet were thundering down the stairs.

“Where’s Jesse?” she asked, looking up from her purse where she was scrounging through her wallet.

“Still in her room I guess.” He shrugged his shoulders.

Sighing, she grabbed money from her purse and shoved it in his hand. “Here’s some money for a movie.”

“What?” he asked, looking down at the money in his hand.

“Jesse! Come down here please!” she called up the stairs. Then turning to Robbie she asked, “Didn’t you and Jesse say you wanted to go see Batman Begins?”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes lighting up. “Yay!” He pumped his fist in the air. “Jesse! C’mon!”

Katherine heard the sound of car doors slamming and raced to the front window. Joe was back already. He and Martin were climbing out of their dark blue Nissan.

“Jesse! Now!” she yelled up the stairs.

She could hear voices through the front door getting closer as their shadows fell across the frosted glass in the front door.

She grabbed Robbie by the shoulders and lead him out the garage. “I’ll send Jesse out as soon as she comes down. Get your helmet on and you guys can take your bikes.” Behind her, she heard the front door opening. She shoved Robbie through the door to the garage and shut it.

She raced back to the hall just as they were coming in the front door. At the same time Jesse landed at the bottom of the stairs. She looked back and forth between the men at the door and her.

“You called me?” she asked.

Katherine held up one finger to the men and smiled. “I’ll be right back.” Then she grabbed Jesse by the wrist and they walked to the garage door. “I gave Robbie some money to see the new Batman movie. If you guys hurry, you can make it in time.”

Jesse’s eyes opened in surprise. “I thought you said he was too young?”

“I changed my mind. But you need to hurry.”

Jesse grinned and slipped out the door.

“Katherine?” Joe called.

“I’ll be there in just a sec!” She called back.

She stood at the door listening to the sound of the garage door to opening. Behind her, she heard footsteps as Joe and Martin approached from around the corner.

“Close. Close. C’mon, close,” She silently pleaded with the garage door knowing it would signal that the kids had left.

“Hello Katherine,” Martin asked. She turned to see Martin standing in the laundry room with Joe cowering behind him.