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2024-10-29 19:42:56As they sat in the small exam room on the second floor, he held her hand. They had been rushed to different places in the hospital a few times before. She had blood work done, and then this was in this last department. They were waiting for one of the techs and a doctor to confirm what they already knew. She smiled at him as he caressed her fingers with his.
“Is this your husband? “the tech asked as she walked in and looked over Mack.
“It is,” Henni said as she looked up with him.
“I didn’t even know you were married.” The woman said as she looked at the couple. “Well, Mr. Hanson.”
“Paulin.” He replied. “She is a Hanson. She didn’t change her name professionally.”
“Oh.” The woman said as she settled in. “Now, what are we here to check?”<
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The Friend Trap 36
Mack waited outside the bar for a few minutes after the time that he was supposed to meet his cousin. He wanted to see if some other people would show up in the parking lot after he was supposed to arrive so they could ambush him. He was tired. Though he tried to sleep, he had nightmares about this meeting. When he felt maybe he was overreacting a bit, he got out of the car and then walked into the building. He could spot his cousin easily. No one was with him. He moved to the table he was at and then sat down.“Sorry, I was later than expected,” Mack said as he looked at his cousin.“No problem,” Gabe said as he looked at Mack sitting in front of him. “What do you want to drink?”“Nothing.” He replied as he smiled a bit. He was watching his cousin see the changes in him.“Nothing?” Gabe ask
The Friend Trap 37
The group sat at the bar together though Gabe was watching all the people he was trying to replay what his cousin had said. “Nicole, when was the last time you went out with him?”“Like two days ago.” She said. “I just don’t want to talk about it or him right now.”“I can’t believe him,” Abby said. “Gabe, you need to do something about this.”“And what do you think I can do?” Gabe asked. “I mean, I called him and tried to get him to talk to me. I told you that you all showing up was not going to help anything. It would set him off.”“He is your cousin. He is hurting my friend.” Abby said as she stomped her foot. She looked over to her friend and then shook her head.“Is he, though?” Gabe asked. She looked at him, and it turned into a glare. “Did you see he
The Friend Trap 38
Mack called his mother the next day. He let her go ahead and tell the rest of the family. He was okay with the fact they would be mad at him for not inviting them. He hated the fact this was part of his life. However, the trade-off was better than he realized. When the phone calls didn’t come rolling in over the weekend, he didn’t care anymore. He had other things to think of now, and that was helping Henni adjust to the new burden she had growing inside of her.As the time passed, months went by, and she grew more and more. He was happy to let everyone know that they were expecting when he could. He was on a cloud nine most of the time. As the two made the nursery room for the babies and added to it when they went out on the weekends. He loved this quiet place he was in.“We have to talk to him!” Abby demande
The Friend Trap 39
They were discharged two days later. They settled into their house and watched over the boys. A few days after they came home, there was a knock on the door. Mack looked at the time and saw it was nearly nine at night. It was a Saturday now, so he didn’t think too much of it. It could be his parents or her father wanting to see the boys again. He got to the door and could hear quite a few different voices. It was time.He opened the door and looked at the group that was standing there. Everyone in the friend group was there, including the woman who had caused so much trouble. Christian was there as well. He was the first one to speak. “What are you doing here at my sister’s house?”“It is his house too,” Henni said from in back of him. Though Mack knew she would be the one to end all of this. She had one of the twins in her arms. She looked down at the baby and then back to the group in fr
The Friend Trap 40
“Are you going to tell me that you are going to blame us for this situation?” Abby demanded.“If the shoe fits, wear it, honey,” Henni said as she looked at the other woman. Mack had gone into the house to put the baby down. He had come out to find Henni almost ready to swing her arm. “Maybe you need to look at yourself and your friends and the way you all have handled this situation. You all acted like children each step of the way. You will never be welcome here in this house or any other I live at.”“Henni,” Mack said softly, and she softened a bit.“But you are right,” Mack said as he looked at the other women. “None of you are welcome in our house and near our children. That is a risk I will never take.”“Come on, Mack,” Beth said as she looked at him. “We
The Friend Trap 41
They moved to the back of the house and looked at each other. He could see her anger still rolling through her. She had been ready to take on the world for him, and he opened his arms. “You know I love you more right now than ever before?”“Why?” She asked as she looked up at his face.“Simply because you are you. Henrietta Paulin, I am the luckiest man on the planet.” He said as he brushed his lips across her forehead.“But why? “She asked as she looked at him, confused.“You stood there and defended me. You were willing to cut every one of them to pieces because they hurt me. You have every right to be pissed because of things they caused you, but you were worried about me.” Mack said as he looked at her.“Mack, I still don’t understand why that is important. I will always hold a grudge against the pe
The Friend Trap 42
Time passed, and they both went on with their lives now that they had the boys there. Every day was the same, but for them, that was perfect. He would get home from work and then give her a break from being on a full-time on mom duty. Henni watched them all play as the boys grew. She had never been so happy in her life. Mack had brought so much into her life that she had never expected anything like this.There was a knock on the door. She went to get it when she looked at the kitchen and smiled it wasn’t so late. She looked at the door and then opened it. She was shocked when she saw who was there.“Hello, Henrietta.” Her mother said as she looked at her youngest daughter. The older woman was dressed in a nice outfit like almost looked like a business suit. She was far too made up for a visit with one of her children. Especially the one the older woman had turned her back on years before. This w
The Friend Trap 43
She smiled at him. “Well, at least now you have met your mother-in-law,” Henni said with a laugh.“And she is as wonderful as I thought she would be,” Mack said dryly. “I have a feeling we are going to have a few more incidents with her, and what the hell was she talking about the rumor?”“My mother has never been one of those people that said what they really wanted to outright. She always hid it with the statements, “I heard this.” Or “I heard a rumor about you.” Basically, it is the way she is. For someone who says they don’t like toxic people, she is one.” Henni said as she laughed. “I mean this one she said it was living in sin. She isn’t religious, and lord knows she has had more affairs than one of the presidents.”“Henni.” He said as he laughe
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The Friend Trap 64
As the group, all headed to the small ceremony for Matt in the church. They all knew this was the real end to the situation. They thought it had ended years before, but now there was no one left but them. They were now sitting as a group behind Matt’s parents, and the children all hugged them as well. They turned to Mack, “He is gone now. I hope you don’t mind if we adopt them as our grandchildren. We have known you and your cousin since you were born.” “Ma’am, if that is what you want to do, my wife and I would love you share them with you,” Mack replied, and Henni nodded. The kids all stood with their parents. “Matt was their godfather. It would honor him to have you a part of their lives.” Mack moved into the pew, and the kids sandwiched between them. “Daddy?” his daughter asked as he whispered. “What, sweetheart?” Mack asked quietly as the service was going to start in a moment. “Why are we here?” she asked and
The Friend Trap 63
Max couldn’t listen to her anymore. He got what he needed from her. He turned his back and walked out without another word. He shut the door, and the Captain clapped him on the back as he walked out into the air of the main room, and then he went to his car. He opened his glove compartment and took out the box of cigarettes. He hated the fact he still carried them, and he would debate on tossing them, knowing they were stale by now.He pulled one out and lit it as he took a deep drag. He was surprised he didn’t start coughing. It had been months since his last one. The captain walked out and spotted him. “Didn’t take you for a smoker.” He said as he walked up to the younger man.“I’m not. I quit when I got out of the army.” Max said as he looked at the cigarette in his hand. “Today, I really need this.”
The Friend Trap 62
At the station, he was waiting for Beth to be processed. He knew he had to make the phone call he was dreading. He picked up, knowing that he was going to make the in-person notification to Matt’s parents, but he was going to make this phone call first. It wasn’t normal, but Max needed to get it off his chest. “Hello?” Mack answered. “Mack,” Max said, and he found the words getting caught in his throat. “You found him, didn’t you?” Mack said softly. “Yes,” Max said as he hung his head down. “How long?” Mack asked. “Looks like the day of the murders,” Max said as he thought of his friend. He also had gone over the thought that Max had after he used Deanna’s paper as a clue itself. He thought he knew everything, but Mack was the one who had thought for weeks his friend was gone. “I see,” Mack said. “Well, I know the next
The Friend Trap 61
Max was standing in the building that was in the middle of nowhere. He had a team in the back of him that was going to breach the doors first. The two people inside were considered armed and dangerous after the break in the case that had come from his students. After that, everything fell into place just like Mack had said it would. It had been easy to locate the building after he was able to see everything more clearly. The woods were wet and chilly for the season. The smell of the forest was dank and deep. As the team was breathing deeply to make the breach a bit easier, they could feel the heaviness in the air. It was almost ominous for everyone. Walking into the unknown was never easy. This was a bit harder. They were waiting for the teams to get to all the exits covered. Max didn’t think they would run. He had to wonder if it was even them in the building. The team was moving around as they used the heat sensor to see
The Friend Trap 60
Max Anderson stood in front of his class the next day. It was an intro to criminal science, but these kids were the next possible generation of the police force. He looked around to the fifty or so students, and though his eyes lingered on one for a few seconds longer, she wasn’t looking at him. She hadn’t since the day she got tongue-tied and almost ran out of the room. That was a few months ago. She had shown up to class, but he could see she was having trouble with some of the concepts. She would not come to get help, though. She wouldn’t put herself in a position to be alone with him again. At least he thought that was the reason. The lecture hall was full. He was hoping to use their brains. They would be the new set of eyes they needed to get through this case and sifting the big things from the small things. If Matt knew the procedures, it was time to throw th
The Friend Trap 59
The Days passed. The more they knew about everything, the more they knew it wasn’t as it was supposed to be. It was a planned event to look like something else. Mack walked into the other police station to deliver a few things. He looked at Max’s office and saw him there. “I thought you would be at the university,” Mack said as he knocked at the doorframe of the small office. “I normally do,” Max said. “However, my basement office there is full of papers that I don’t want to deal with today.” “Makes sense,” Mack said as he took a step in. “What are you doing here?” Max asked as he looked at the man. “Dropping off a folder on another case,” Mack said as he sat down. “Any news?” “A thousand small pieces of information. Now just trying to make sense of it.” Max said as he looked at Mack, knowing he knew exactly what he meant without any more explaining. “The in
The Friend Trap 58
“Why would that matter?” Henni asked as she looked at the two men. “A crime of passion often has lesser charges,” Mack said as he looked at his wife. “Because passion can blind you from the way you normally would act. It is like a temporary, momentary insanity. You can do many things if you have that extra bit.” “I see,” Henni said as she looked at the two. “We need to go over what he does know and what he doesn’t,” Max said as he looked at the two. “This is going to take a while.” “Then we should get started,” Henni said as she sat down and then started to thinking. She was filtering the conversations with Matt that she had and the ones she overheard Mack have with him. Soon she was listing the questions and the information that the two had given him. She was rather quick about it, and Max was even more impressed with the woman. He had recorded the whole thing as he knew he would need to go back and list
The Friend Trap 57
“I don’t think the people are all the people we are supposed to think they are.” Max said, “as bad as that sounds.” “Henni is having the same issue.” Mack replied as he sighed, “I would say we need to wait on the DNA results before moving on.” “With that one, I agree. Your missing person, though. There are so many things not right I don’t know if I should keep it a missing person or move it up the food chain a bit.” Max said. “I think I have to move it. I am sorry because I know he was your friend, but I don’t think he is alive any longer.” “I know,” Mack said as he shook his head. “The only hope I had has already gone. Our second youngest’s birthday was a few days ago. Matt never forgot her birthday. He was there in the hospital with us right after she was born. He is her godfather. No matter what, even if he was hiding, he would have found a way to get her a message or something to h
The Friend Trap 56
“I see,” Henni said. Henni dreaded the reports being brought to her via her work email. She was grateful they did not call her to do the actual autopsies. She did the video observation, though. So she still had those imagines in her mind. Though right now, she was trying to be clinical about everything. She had worked on cases where she had known the person on the table before. This was different. “Are you holding up?” Mack asked as he walked into the house, knowing that she had been there to observe everything in the past three days. She hadn’t said much. She was still having a difficult time with processing everything to do with this. It was bringing up the past she had worked really hard to forget. “I am here,” Henni said. “They had to do DNA to identify Beth and Alisha. Their parents wouldn’t look at them.” “Why?” Mack asked, a little angry that someone could do this to their children
