Second to Cry (6 page)

‘Take them in,’ he told her, exasperated.

‘You take them in; I’ve been with them all day!’ Deena was getting angry but there was something more in her voice, something hurt.

Aiden imaged that it had not always been so strained between them. The framed picture of her centrefold said as much. She was probably used to men doting on her, and Sam Fern had once done just that. But it was evident that things had changed, that the love within the home had cooled and it made Aiden sad to see two little boys, with innocence and purity in their eyes, get caught up in it all.

Jude and Davis had watched the interaction between their parents intently, their little heads moving back and forth as though they were spectators at a tennis match. They seemed uneasy to witness the dispute; it was not something they were apparently accustomed to seeing.

Usually in these sort of situations, the children would just carry on playing, as it was usual in their world to hear raised voices. But Jude and Davis looked fearful and alarmed by Sam and Deena’s dispute.

‘Take them inside,’ Sam Fern ordered his wife once more, his voice low and level.

‘You don’t spend enough time with them,’ Deena moaned, not caring about Aiden hearing this discussion. If anything, she seemed to enjoy having an audience as it was someone she could play up for.

‘Not now,’ Sam shook his head wearily. ‘Just take them in.’

‘Sam!’ Deena pouted angrily, her eyes narrowed as she pondered on how to further the argument.

‘Who is this guy anyway?’ she decided to turn her attention to Aiden but he shrank in to himself as he was pulled in to theconversation.

She regarded him with suspicious, hostile eyes. Scrutinizing him like he were an unwanted bug in her home and she was just deciding how best to get rid ofhim.

‘This is Aiden Connelly,’ Sam explained, his voice still low.

‘And who is he?’ Deena demanded.

‘My lawyer.’

Deena’s entire demeanour suddenly changed. Despite the warmth of the sun, she paled and almost shook within her bronzed skin, as though something had spooked her. She looked over to Aiden and he noticed the moisture which now misted her eyes.

She coughed awkwardly, trying to find her voice.

‘Jude, Davis,’ she managed to call her sons but she sounded strained, as though she was struggling to speak.

‘Let’s go inside while Daddy has his meeting.’

‘Pool!’ Davis whined, glancing longingly at the shimmering blue lagoon which he desperately wanted to play in.

‘You can go in the pool tomorrow,’ Deena told him.

‘Pool!’ the toddler pleaded again.

‘Davis Jeremiah Fern, get in the house this instance!’ Deena managed to raise her voice enough to be taken seriously and both her sons obediently left the terrace and entered the house through the kitchen.

Deena followed them, but before she went inside she paused and glanced over at Aiden. It was hard to read her face as she’d lowered her sunglasses to cover her eyes. It was as if she was going to say something but then decided against it.

She went inside and closed the patio door behind her, leaving Aiden and Samuel alone once more.

‘I apologize for that…display,’ Sam said before taking a long sip of his drink.

‘It’s quite all right,’ Aiden lied. It was the most uncomfortable he’d been in a long time. He just felt like he didn’t belong, that even sat in his own skin he didn’t seem to quite fit. There was nothing he disliked more than being present when couples fought. There was something so private about a disagreement between lovers and to bear witness to it felt like you were gaining access to the intimacies of their relationship.

‘Deena forgets her place sometimes,’ Sam continued, making excuses for what had just transpired.

‘If you give a woman everything she wants, you reach a point where she just thinks she is entitled to everything.’

Aiden wasn’t sure how to respond, it was hardly an issue he could relate to.

‘So as you can see, it’s not going to be easy to get her on board with the paternity test.’

‘She’s spirited,’ Aiden offered kindly.

‘She’s spoilt,’ Sam immediately corrected him. ‘I know I’m partly to blame but still…’ his voice broke off and he stared off into the distance, momentarily lost to his own thoughts.

Aiden felt that it was time to leave. He’d had enough dramatics for one day.

‘Well it’s been lovely meeting you,’ he began making the required motions for his exit.

‘Yes, you too,’ Sam said, smiling at him, but the smile didn’t extend to his eyes which remained hard and cold. Both men stood up and shook hands.

‘My secretary will show you out,’ Sam said, sitting back down as Aiden made to leave. ‘I’m sure you understand that I want to stay out here for a while longer. Give things a chance to cool down inside.’

‘No problem, see you again, Mr Fern.’

‘You too, Mr Connelly.’

Leaving the heat of the terrace, Aiden entered the pleasant cool of the kitchen which was eerily quiet. He glanced around for any signs of anyone but the entire room was empty. Relying on memory as Sam’s secretary hadn’t materialized, he made his way back to the foyer.

He could now hear distant sounds coming from the upper level which must have been Deena and the boys.

His footsteps clipped as he briskly walked along the marble floor, eager to leave.

When at last he was within the sanctuary of his own car, Aiden allowed himself to relax and shake off the stiffness of being in an uncomfortable situation.

He began to drive home, the large gates automatically granting him leave as he approached, asking no questions as if the fortress knew that all he wanted was release.

On the radio a country sang twanged out, this time about two men being in love with the same, unobtainable woman. Aiden mused over what had occurred at Samuel Fern’s home and what he dwelled upon, what he found most troubling, was how distressed Deena Fern had been upon learning he was Sam’s lawyer. She had gone from sassy and confident to meek and fearful in the blink of an eye. He wondered if she did have something to hide. Maybe Sam Fern’s instincts were right.

Looking up, Aiden noticed that the sky was no longer open and blue. Clouds had formed on the horizon and seemed to be closing in. As beautiful as the sunshine was, it couldn’t last forever. You need a rainstorm to wash everything away so that the next time the sun shines,the slate has been cleared.

Chapter Three

Down Will Come Baby

After putting Meegan down for a nap, Isla lingered near her bedroom window, her gaze fixated on her mailbox. Several days had passed since she’d received the last ominous note. As much as she tried to tell herself that there was nothing in it, that someone was just playing childish games with her, she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease which followed her throughout the day.

As she looked out, she saw a car approaching. There was something peculiar about the car and as Isla watched she realized that it was driving extremely slowly, almost crawling along the street.

She took a sharp intake of breath when the car came completely in to view and that it was a patrol car belonging to the County Sheriff’s Office. Isla quickly moved away from the window and hid by the wall. She listened as the car’s engine grew louder as it crept by her own house and after a few elongated minutes the sound became more distant as the vehicle pulled away.

Isla was satisfied that the car was gone and so she carefully peered back out of the window. Immediately she looked down at the mailbox but the arm was still down.

‘Mommy!’ Meegan’s shrill voice suddenly howled, splitting through the air with the sharp precision of a knife.

‘I’m coming!’ Isla shouted and left her vigil by the window to check on her daughter.

Meegan had been rattled by a spider and so refused to get back in to her crib until a thorough search of her bedroom had been conducted, which would require Aiden’s presence. So instead of sleeping in her crib she fell asleep in Isla’s arms. Struggling slightly beneath the weight of her growing daughter, Isla wandered back into her bedroom and looked back out of the window. She tensed when she realized that the arm of the mailbox was up once again.

‘Shit,’ Isla couldn’t stop herself from cussing but luckily Meegan slept through it. Carefully Isla carried the little girl downstairs and out the front door with her to the mailbox. With one hand she managed to pop open the front door and felt her stomach drop when she spotted the white envelope. She placed it between her teeth as she shut the mailbox back up and headed inside.

Placing Meegan in her travel cot in the lounge, Isla sat down heavily on the sofa and surveyed the white envelope. The front was blank, no addressee. For a moment she didn’t dare to open it but then her curiosity got the better of her and she ripped it open and unfolded the note contained inside.

The same erratic lettering. A different, yet still menacing message.

Get Out While You Can.

Isla’s grip tightened on the note. There was no misinterpreting the author’s intention. Barely daring to breathe, Isla looked over at her sleeping daughter who was so innocent, so small and so painfully vulnerable. Isla knew it was time to make Aiden aware of the notes; they’d gone beyond a joke and escalated into something far more troubling.

*

Isla seemed distracted over dinner. Meegan was upstairs, sleeping soundly, the heat of the day making her more tired than usual, so it was just the two of them sitting down to eat which was a rare occurrence. Usually Isla would take advantage of such a situation and light candles and open a bottle of wine, but there was no ceremony for the meal. Just two plates of meat loaf.

‘So how is the case coming along?’ she asked between mouthfuls, but then looked away as though she didn’t care for the answer.

‘It’s…interesting,’ Aiden admitted, more interested in what was troubling his wife.

‘Mmm,’ Isla gave a non-committal response.

‘I think it has the potential to get a lot messier than I anticipated.’

‘Uh huh.’

Isla would normally jump on such a comment, demanding to know the ‘messier’ details. Something was definitely wrong with her. Aiden put down his cutlery and looked her square in the face.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘What?’ Isla feigned surprised.

‘You’re behaving oddly, what’s the matter now?’

The inclusion of the word now seemed to irritate Isla and her eyes narrowed.

‘I’m fine.’

‘Seriously, what’s wrong?’ Aiden pushed.

‘I’m fine.’

‘Isla, I’m not an idiot. I know that when a woman says she’s fine she means the exact opposite!’

‘I’m really fine.’

‘Can we just skip to the part where you tell me what’s wrong, please?’ Aiden sighed, feeling drained from the argument he’d previously witnessed at Samuel Fern’s mansion and not wanting to enter into one of his own.

‘It’s just,’ Isla picked absently at the remains of her dinner as she tried to find the words.

‘Just what?’

Aiden was tired himself. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with whatever issue his wife currently had. In an ideal world he’d be able to just go up to bed and sleep. But Isla would only be unbearable the following day if he did that. Aiden ran a hand through his hair and wondered if he was heading in the same direction as Samuel Fern, if one day all that would remain in his marriage would be bitterness.

‘I don’t think I can stay here any longer,’ Isla told him, her voice rising slightly from nerves. ‘I know you like it here, and I know you think it’s best for Meegan for us to remain here, but I get a vote too and I’ve given the rural life a try and it’s not for me.’

Isla thought of the note, now torn up with the trash. As much as she wanted to ignore the notes, she couldn’t help but agree with their sentiment; that it was time to leave.

She seemed to relax a little after delivering her statement. Aiden was quiet as he took in what she’d said. He’d felt this moment was coming, ever since they had first arrived in Avalon, but he was too tired to deal with it.

‘You just need to give it time. Once you make friends you’ll feel more settled here.’

‘I’ve given it time!’ Isla shot back angrily. ‘I’ve given it months of my time, of Meegan’s time, but nothing changes. This isn’t where I want to be, Aiden! We don’t have an infinite supply of time; I’m wasting my life being here! Everyone here hates us and wants us gone! I’m completely alone here!’

‘You’re completely alone? So what, you’re saying you don’t have me?’ Aiden asked, his voice cold and tinged with spite. It wasn’t like him to be so hostile, but his increasing fatigue had stolen from him what little reserves of kindness he had left.

‘That’s not what I’m saying,’ Isla stammered out the words, visibly shocked by Aiden’s reaction.

‘Of course I’ve got you. I just don’t want to be here. Don’t you care about my happiness?’ she asked, sounding hurt.

Guilt settled upon Aiden’s shoulders; a heavy, unwanted weight that he wasn’t in any state to carry. Had he been so blind to his wife’s happiness? He always thought that each protest she made, each whinge of despair, was just part of her nature to be overly dramatic and she had a spoilt streak a mile long. He’d hoped that living in Avalon would help curb that, make her more humble. What if he’d been wrong and all he was doing was making her suffer and that she’d never change?

‘I care about your happiness,’ he told her earnestly, reaching across the table so he could hold her hands.

‘Good,’ Isla sniffed tearfully. ‘I want us to be happy.’

‘Me too!’

Without warning the image of Brandy appeared in Aiden’s mind. Reminding him of his heart’s desire which he chose to ignore. He pushed her face away, determined to focus on the moment, on his family.

‘Are you really hating it here so much?’ he asked gently.

As much as Aiden liked Avalon, there was perhaps a time when, if Isla had protested enough, they would have relocated back to Chicago. But not now, the city was no longer an option for them. Because Brandy was now there, which would make life difficult. Which would cause Aiden conflict. He thought of her enough when she was miles away. If she was in the same city, if he risked bumping in to her on his morning commute, he wasn’t sure how he’d cope.