Ember Flowers (5 page)

The cop reached
her arms up and handed the cooler to the woman. A sharp nod and
long legs were stepping over the chrome railing and onto the deck.
A wobble as her feet adjusted to the rocking of the boat. Jean
smiled at her, smelling like coconut sunscreen.

The older woman
dusted her hands together as she looked at her. “So, never been
sailing before?”

A shake of her
head.

A good natured
smile in return. “Great, well you’re in for a treat.”

It turned out
that Jean was a patient and thorough teacher. Jo found herself far
less nervous around the large chrome wheel and the creaking boom as
it wove back and forth across the deck. Of course, she put up a
confident front, she wasn’t sure if the older woman could see
through it or not.

They sailed
around the cove, with Jean pointing out landmarks as they traded
turns at the wheel. When they slowed down, the gardener would take
time to explain what the different ropes and fixtures did. Joanne
nodded, taking mental notes.

Presently, her
hands were rested on the wheel, steering them around a couple of
nautical miles offshore. Jean stood beside her and pointed her
toward a leafy looking part of the bay dotted with picturesque
scenery.

“Hungry Jo?”
She hadn’t even noticed that she’d abbreviated her name.

The blonde had,
however. “Sure Jean, do we need to do anything?”

Another grin.
“Nope, swing into that flat bit of water over there and we’ll drop
anchor.”

She found
herself smiling too, she was feeling confident, the sun was
shining. The boat slipped through the water like a graceful
bird.

***

The older woman
dangled her legs over the back of the boat. The blonde was looking
through the cooler and setting lunch aside for the both of them. A
cold can of diet soda was passed to the brunette, along with a
plate loaded with suspiciously healthy looking contents.

Jean rested her
sunglasses beside her, and found Jo doing the same. The policewoman
joined her, they watched the blue ripples move along the tide.

The dark eyes
met hers as Jo pointed to different things. “Coleslaw, salad,
grilled chicken.” Jo moved her lunch around with a fork.

“Like to live
healthy, don’t you?”

A nod because
her mouth was full. Jo swallowed. “Yes, it helps me relax, time in
the gym, running some mornings.”

“Fair point.” A
mouthful of food, a sip of her drink.

“So what do you
do on an average day Jean?” The grey eyes looked blue with the sky
reflected in them.

She placed her
plate to the side, taking a few sips of the icy cold beverage. The
day had grown warmer.

“I wake up
early and feed the horses, then I get organised and make the daily
commute. After that, it’s all shrubbery and shovels.”

The blonde
smiled gently as she watched the waves. “Horses huh? How many?”

“Two, both
girls. Recent additions.”

A nod as she
took a bite of chicken, musing as she stared out at the waves. “I
always wanted to ride, so much of the countryside is beautiful,
just waiting to be explored.”

“That’s what I
thought, besides, the two of them keep each other company when I’m
not there, and there are worse places for an animal like that to
get around.”

Jean leant her
elbow on a bent knee. It was tempting to jump into that cool
refreshing water. The horizon stretching out into a sparkling
carpet of crystal blue.

“And yourself
Joanne? When you’re not out saving the world?”


The blonde
looked at her with a droll raised brow. Her life was pretty busy at
the moment just getting by. “Huh. Saving the world? No. Well, at
the moment I’m looking for a new place. That’s more time consuming
that I thought.” She skewered a piece of chicken with her fork.

“I see, well,
there’s a lot out there, are you renting at the moment?”

Downcast eyes
and a scowl. “No, I own, but I want to get rid of it. Find
somewhere new.”

“Ah. Need a
change of scenery?”

A tussle of her
pony tail as she shook her head. She wasn’t sure why she was
telling her this. Her gentle eyes just seemed to make her look like
she’d understand.

“No. My ex.”
She didn’t elaborate, she was by nature, guarded.

“Ah.” A nod of
understanding.

She slipped her
sunglasses on to hide the look in her eyes. It was too nice a day
to be miserable. “Ever been married, Jean?”

A barely
audible sigh, the older woman got up and busied herself.
“Once.”

They pulled up
anchor, sensing conversation was over.

***

A few hours
were well spent in good company, expert hands guided the boat back
into the slip. The blonde looked on, impressed.

“Thanks again
Jean, this was much more fun than I anticipated.”

A little smirk
bedded in olivey skin. “You weren’t expecting it to be fun?”

“Well, no I
didn’t say that..”

Jean chuckled.
“C’mon, it wasn’t that bad, gotta relax Jo.”

She found
herself smiling, she seemed to do that around the older woman. She
looked at her watch. “Damn. I gotta go. Jean, thanks again, I
really did enjoy myself.”

The brunette
looked back at her with a pleased grin, lifting her sunglasses.
“Anytime.”

A last glance
and the blonde was jogging athletically back toward her car, her
feet barely skimming the boardwalk. Hands full. Already late, she
hadn’t realised the time.

Jean turned
around to see her go. “Wait! Jo you forgot your phone!”

Chapter 9

Jean got back
to the house with Jo’s phone in hand, she sat it down on the night
stand by the fireplace, concerned, just looking at it.

She had no real
way of contacting her to give it back, she was aware of how
important a phone was to a policewoman. Perhaps Jo would call her?,
her details were on the card.

As she got up
to get herself a coffee, she heard it go off, vibrating across the
varnished wooden surface. For a moment she just looked at it, she
didn’t want to invade Joanne’s privacy, but the thought did occur
to her that perhaps it was Joanne calling using a different phone.
Maybe Jo thought she had lost it somewhere and was ringing to
see if it was active? Maybe she thought it was at the bottom of the
ocean?

She frowned as
she picked it up, turning the cover over in her hands, a lacquered
deep red. A picture of a blue eyed man appeared on the screen,
‘Owen’.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Who is
this? Where’s Jo?”

“Hi, sorry, I’m
not Jo - she forgot her phone, I was actually waiting for her to
call so I can give it back.”

“…”

“Hello?”

“Who are
you?”

“I’m a friend
of hers, well..yeah I suppose a friend of hers. Listen, she’s not
here, but I’ll try to give her phone back as soon as I can. Maybe
try her on another number?”

The call
abruptly hung up.
Perhaps Owen had a bad day.
She shrugged
her shoulders dismissively.

She waited by
the fire, sitting on a leather sofa, the balmy night was calling to
her outside. She took her cup and sat outside on the porch for a
while, just listening to frogs and crickets. When she came back in
the phone hadn’t rung. She’d been listening for the noise. An
annoyed frown. Jean knew Jo was going to be at that race event
tomorrow, but she really didn’t want to intrude. She had little
choice.

The poster said
six thirty a.m. at the marina where she took her for her lesson.
She would hopefully catch the policewoman then, could swing by and
give her the device on the way through to the job site. Hopefully
Jo wouldn’t mind.

***

Jean hummed
along to 70’s rock as she sat waiting in traffic, it was early,
earlier than she normally got in the car. Luckily she was avoiding
most of the peak hour congestion. The drive from her home was
pleasant enough. Down the crunching gravel drive, and an easy turn
onto the curved road. From there a blanket of trees covered the
hills, sometimes enveloped in morning dew and mist if it got cold
enough. It was late November, the dew had long been replaced by a
dry heat, it made for spectacular colours at dawn.

From there, the
trees thinned out into paddocks and vineyards, turned gold by the
summer sun, the vines swollen with fruit.

Eventually, the
city, and currently, she waited at a slow set of lights. Fingertips
drummed the wheel along with the beat. She turned onto the coastal
road, it would take her to the marina. Jo seemed like the punctual
type. She’d arrived here yesterday ahead of time. With any luck
she’d be there early. Hopefully she could give her the phone and be
on her way. She looked out at the calm water and sighed to
herself.

The marina
elongated out from the end of the road, running along the bank, the
car park was pocketed at the end. She felt a flutter of nostalgia.
There were a handful of diehard sailors already walking the
boardwalk some distance away. A couple of cars. But for this time
of the morning there was little activity. Jean could see Jo’s car.
It looked as though she was the first one here amongst her
colleagues. As predicted, she was here early, she could give her
the phone, perhaps say hello, then be on her way.

The scene she
interrupted was the last thing she expected to see. She pulled into
the car park a few bays away, and quickly threw her seat belt
aside, leaving the engine running.

“Hey!!”

Whoever he was
he had her bailed up against the door of her own car, and was
clamping her wrists with rough hands. Jo was struggling, her low
voice growling threats through gritted teeth. A pink mark had
welted on her arm, he was gripping her so tightly.

He looked up
and let go as Jean approached, tense all over with a dark look on
his face.

“What the fuck
do you think you’re doing?” She tried to seem bigger, louder than
she really was. Her own voice was unfamiliar in her ears.

He glowered,
looking back and forth between them. He’d never been sprung
before.

“Mind your own
business.” Joanne’s wrists were released and she rubbed the sore
skin with a baleful look.

“I am, leave
her alone.”

“Jean..?” An
embarrassed look from the policewoman pleaded with her to
leave.

He was looking
her over suspiciously. Jean saw the emblem on his t-shirt lapel.
A shield..another cop.

He took a step
toward Jean, as she stood by the rear of the white sedan, Jo’s arm
shot out to stop him but he pushed it away. He must have meant to
intimidate her. He would be too smart to leave a mark, and soon the
car park would be full of cops.

“Like I said,
fuck off. Nothing to see.” The tendon in his jaw bunching.

She knew if he
swung that would be the end of her, she couldn’t fight her way out
of a wet paper bag. Jo seemed to be in shock, or utterly
embarrassed beyond words, perhaps both. She had to think
quickly.

“Jo? Come with
me?”

Grey eyes
flitted between her and the imposing figure.

“Jo, c’mon?
Lets go get coffee.” At least an exit avoided further
confrontation.

The blonde
seemed frozen, then she caught her breath and straightened, until
he turned to her. “We aren’t done talking.”

Jean answered
for her. She’d never seen her look like this, not that she knew her
well. “Yes you are. C’mon Jo?”

A trailer load
of tools, some of which looked more menacing than they were
bolstered her bravado. It was all hot air, but he’d made enough of
a scene.
If it came down to it, she could make one too.
Other cars were pulling into the parking area. The tall woman gave
him one last glare as she rounded the bumper. Hopefully her car
would be in once piece when she got back.

***

The blonde
stared out the window silently as Jean drove. The older woman
looked between her new friend and the road.

A hesitant
voice, not sure what to say. “You want to talk about it?”

A shake of a
blonde head, half a hand cupped over her mouth. Jean wasn’t sure if
she was crying.

Silence for a
few moments. Obviously it was something Jo hadn’t wanted anyone to
see, and was doing her best to contain. Jean could see her
retreating.

She pulled into
a car park of a small street side restaurant, under the shade of a
tree away from the road. A pull of the hand brake, Jo was looking
out the window, probably trying to compose herself.

“I take it you
know that guy?”

The policewoman
wouldn’t look at her, her voice was softer than Jean had heard her
speak before. Usually so confident and business like. The Officer’s
usual self assurance eluded her now. “Ex husband.”

Jean sighed. “I
can see why you’re no longer together.”

A sniffle from
the passenger seat. Jean reached across the blonde’s lap across to
the glove box, pulling out a travel pack of tissues.

“Thanks.” Jo
dabbed at her eyes.

Brown eyes
looked even softer under long delicate lashes. The policewoman
looked at her then looked away, shaking her head. “I just had to
start something, he wanted to talk..” She blamed herself, he had a
way of making her feel it was for her own good. She knew deep down
it wasn’t the truth.

Jean unclipped
her belt and turned toward her, not sure what she could do to
comfort the younger woman in what was obviously a very distressing
situation. A situation she had been pulled into, she had no
idea.

“Jo?”

“Yes?”

“Do you need
anything? A place to stay? Money?”

“No..it’s OK. I
just need a minute.”


“OK.” She
reached out and gently rubbed her shoulder.