The Achilles Heel Read Online Free

this, where is that, what would you like,” type questions, and especially without
     being asked to do so, is a person with a good heart. I could see the kindness in Officer
     Grady and realized how lucky I was that he was the one on my doorstep.
    Liz had already packed a suitcase with all my necessities, big enough to last me a
     week.
    “You’re staying at our house tonight, and I don’t want to hear another word about
     it,” she said. Almost fighting her on it, my body and mind were too exhausted; I wanted
     sleep and to send this day straight to hell.
    I just nodded in agreement. “Where are the kids?” I asked.
    “My mom came and picked them up. They’re going to stay with her for a few days so
     we can sort some things out.”
    Jamie and Elizabeth have two kids; Max is seven and Mia is almost five. My niece and
     nephew are the closest thing to having my own children I will probably ever experience.
     I love them madly and would walk through fire to protect them. Max is the spitting
     image of Jamie when he was seven, but with the personality of his mama‌—‌sweet and
     sensitive. Mia looks just like Elizabeth, but has her daddy’s quick temper and is
     stubborn as a mule. These are terrible character traits for a five year old, but when
     she gets older, she’s going to be the CEO of something. Ever since these kids were
     born, Jack and I have been a constant in their lives. We were the first ones at the
     hospital when each one of them was born, and the first ones at every birthday party
     they’ve ever had. We have date night with them once a week taking them to get ice
     cream or a movie, and they spend the night at our house at least once a month, not
     because we feel obligated, but because we truly love spending time with them. Since
     I don’t work anymore, when Liz needs a break or is in a bind, I’m always happy to
     pick them up from school or head over to their house and make myself at home. This
     is the only family I have known for some time now, and I don’t know how it’s supposed
     to work without Jack in it.
    The investigators had very little information at this point and spent most of their
     time asking me the same questions over and over again. Jack’s Range Rover was found
     on a secluded stretch of HWY 29, wrapped around a massive pine tree. They can only
     speculate that the impact of the crash was what set the car on fire; the windows were
     blown out and it was burned to the ground. The only way they identified him was because
     the force of impact from his car hitting the tree shot his front bumper with the license
     plate still intact through the woods; again speculation. The officers who arrived
     first on the scene recovered only the license plate. Everything else was turned into
     ash. My only prayer at this point was that Jack had been killed in the wreck, not
     in the fire. I couldn’t let my mind take me to the latter scenario; it was just too
     graphic, and strangely enough, physically painful to imagine.
    One by one the officers left the house until it was just the three of us staring at
     each other in silence.
    “It’s two in the morning, let’s go,” Liz said.
    “I’ll just put Janet and Tito in their kennel for the rest of the night. Can you drop
     me off in the morning?” I asked Jamie.
    “Yeah, okay. I’ll get your bag, Annie,” Jamie said, and he held my hand as we walked
     out the door.
    As we slowly drove down the driveway, Jamie looked as though he had a slight smirk
     on his face. Is he smiling? I squinched my eyes to get a better look at him through the rearview mirror, but when
     our eyes made contact he instantly looked away. I couldn’t even register what I thought
     I saw, but I haven’t ever lost a sibling. Never even having a sibling, I can’t imagine
     what it feels like to lose one. I shouldn’t judge. The house grew smaller, fading into the darkness through the back windshield, and
     my gut told me nothing about this house