Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  “Oh God Lou I am so sorry!” Abby’s words were broken with sobs.

  “What the hell did you do?!” Niko shouted at the crying mess.

  “I made her laugh just as she took a bite! I didn’t think it was that funny!” Abby was horrified with herself.

  “Owe.” Lou croaked between gasps.

  “Damn, I probably cracked another rib.” Niko winced as he observed Lou clutching her torso. “Try and slow your breathing down so I can get you inside and take a look.” He smoothed her hair back, cringing that he had inflicted yet another injury on her. Suddenly, Shevaun came flying out onto the terrace, half dressed with her hair in curlers.

  “What happened?!” She shouted at them as she ran to her daughter’s side.

  “I choked her!” Abby’s sobs grew louder and more out of control. “It’s all my fault!”

  “It is not!” Niko scolded her. “It was just bad timing. Abby said something funny just as Lou took a bite. She was choking when I got here so I had to give her the Heimlich.” He sighed. “I think I cracked another rib.”

  “Dear God can I get one day of normalcy?!” Shevaun shouted to the sky. “I’m sure it was a nice normal sized bite too. Holy smurfs! Look at your face Tallulah!” Shevaun only just noticed her daughter’s bruises. “I swear to God I am going to start drinking heavily!”

  Lou couldn’t help but laugh, which made her cough as well. When she finally caught her breath she looked at her mother and smirked. “Momma, you are no slouch in the drinking department as is.”

  Shevaun stood up and put her hands on her hips, apparently insulted. “And just what are you implying missy?” Lou tried to get up but the pain in her ribs, and forgetting about her knee made her eyes water and she collapsed back down into the chair. “Oh shoot!” Shevaun knelt back down next to her. “I’m sorry sugar! I know you were just kidding. What can I do?”

  “Her pain killer is in the little dish!” Abby remembered. “I’ll call Connor and have him bring over the first aid trunk.”

  “Trunk?” Shevaun and Lou both asked at the same time.

  “Well it’s not like these guys need little stuff like normal people. Normal kit’s are useless!” Abby started to regain her composure so she flew into the house to make the call.

  “So we are going to modify our story for Vinny. Tell him my ribs got cracked from you giving me the Heimlich.” Lou tried to laugh but it hurt too much. “He will totally buy that.”

  Just then Dillon and Frank walked out of Lou’s room to see what was happening and Niko repeated the story all over again. As expected, Frank could not stop laughing which in turn made Dillon and Niko both crack up. Finally, Niko got himself under control and carried Lou to the bed where he could examine her ribs better.

  Hundreds of years as a warrior had given Niko ample field experience with all kinds of injuries. His examination revealed he did indeed crack another rib, but only one. Not like there were too many left to choose from. When Connor arrived with the first aid trunk, which was an actual steamer trunk filled with everything you could need for triage, Niko unwrapped Lou’s ribs and re-wrapped them with new dressing. The bandage he used was much stiffer and wider than the previous one. Though she insisted he had wrapped her too tight, Niko ignored her, knowing he had wrapped her exactly as was required. She could see behind him that Connor was prepping a syringe. Lou though she should have been apprehensive but instead she really was praying it was something to dull at least a little bit of the pain.

  “We are skipping the pills and going straight for the good stuff.” Connor winked at her.

  “I love you.” Lou croaked, her voice still hoarse from choking.

  He grinned. “You’re gonna love everyone in a minute.” Niko scooted out of the way so Connor could give her the injection. “This may make you a little drowsy but you have time for a little nap before the dedication so don’t worry.”

  “Caroline is coming up early to help you get ready so you can relax about your face.” Her mother informed her as she patted her gently on her shoulder. “I’ll get your clothes ready so you sleep as long as you like.”

  “Thanks Momma.” Lou felt the warm syrupy sensation of the injection already beginning to wash over her. “Oh that’s so nice.” She let it sweep over her, numbing the pain considerably as she sank into it’s warm embrace.

  “Yeah, that’s gonna make it better.” Connor grinned as he sat on the edge of her bed beside her. “Rest now.” He tucked her hair back behind her ears. “Everything will be better when you wake up.”

  “Liar liar, pants on fire!” Lou waggled her finger at him then saw Dillon appear over Connor’s shoulder. “Hi! When did you get here?” She waved at him, making him chuckle.

  “Technically, I never left.” He handed Connor an ice pack. “I brought that for your knee. Or face. Whichever! The longer you keep that on, the better.”

  “Perfect time to ice her. She won’t even notice it with the shot I just gave her.” Connor carefully propped a pillow along side Lou’s knee and placed the ice pack so that it wouldn’t slip off. “There we go. You’ll be good as new in no time.”

  “Liar liar, pants on fire!” Lou sang again.

  “I think we already established that. Think of it as the power of suggestion.” He winked at her again then got up from the bed. “I’ll check on you in a little while and bring another ice pack for your face.”

  “Don’t worry about me!” Lou was sounding like a hoarse drunk. “Go find that scumbag Sanguinasshole Timms. Oh and let me know if you figure out where Ernesto and Manuel are, would you?”

  “I’ll get right on that.” Connor reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “No wonder he’s so over the moon for you.”

  “Who?” Lou asked but her eyelids were getting too heavy to wait for a response. She thought she heard him say Max but she knew that had to be the drugs.

  “Are you out of your mind?” Frank slugged Connor in the shoulder, making him wince.

  “What the hell was that for?!” He demanded, half ready to slug Frank back.

  “He ordered us not to meddle! Flat out telling her he’s over the moon for her? He’s going to crush you like a grape!” Frank looked down and saw that Lou was out cold.

  “You think she is going to remember anything from the time I gave her the shot?” Connor leaned into him. “We’ll be lucky if she remembers what day it is.”

  “You better hope so!” Frank chided.

  “Alright, enough of that.” Niko stepped in. “She won’t remember anything so don’t get your panties in a twist, Frank. Now, we all have work to do before the dedication so let’s get to it.” He turned and looked at Abby who was cowering just outside the terrace doors. “You have it back together?” She didn’t answer but nodded repeatedly. “Good. Go get ready then come back and sit with her. She’s going to need a lot of assistance getting ready. I got bromelain and more concealer for her. I think I dropped the bag outside.”

  “I’ll get it!” Abby finally spoke and raced out to retrieve the bag.

  Niko looked over at Shevaun and saw she was a mess. She was pale, worry plastered all over her face. Two of her curlers had unraveled and were dangling precariously off the ends of her hair. He walked over to her and guided her to sit down in the chair. When she did, he removed each curler, one by one and re-rolled the stray tendrils properly. Halfway through the last roller, Shevaun realized what he was doing and she grabbed his hand and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

  “What if you and Abby hadn’t been here?” She asked. Her voice trembling with fear.

  “Then she wouldn’t have choked on Abby’s pancakes in the first place.” He smiled down at her then kissed her forehead. “She’s fine so don’t worry about what could have been. I could have been a hairdresser, what would the world have been like then?”

  Shevaun couldn’t help but laugh. She squeezed his hand and wiped her tears away as she got up from the chair. She felt her curlers and marveled at how perfectly Niko
had re-rolled them. When she gave him a look of approval he chuckled and shook his head.

  “I’ll tell Max about this episode.” Frank announced.

  “Oh dear God, can’t we skip this one?” Abby begged. “Just this one time?”

  “Not gonna happen.” Niko turned and patted Abby on the head as he made his way out. “Sorry Red, you know the rules. Full disclosure.” Niko called her by their nickname for her. “I’ll tell him. I need to talk to him anyway. I’ll be in the guest house for a while then at the rental if anyone needs me. Keep me posted on how she’s doing.”

  As he headed down the terrace stairs and made his way towards the guest house, Niko finally felt his heart settling down. It suddenly hit him hard. He didn’t know what he would have done if they had lost Lou to a stupid piece of pancake, or anything for that matter. By the time he got to the guest house he had come to a serious decision. Niko needed to have a heart to heart with Lou about her turning. That was the only way he was ever going to stop worrying about her so desperately. He had never had any siblings though he loved Abby like a sister, Max and the guys like they were his brothers. Lou was different though. In such a short time knowing her they had bonded in a way he just could not quite understand. She wasn’t his blood but she was a sister to him and he had to do whatever he could to protect her. As he knocked on the door and heard Max yell that it was open, Niko realized that if he felt this protective of Lou, he could not even begin to imagine how Max felt about her. For the first time in centuries, Niko was nervous about telling him what had just happened. He swallowed hard and went inside.

  The McAllister property butted right up to the park which made walking to the dedication a logical choice. Unfortunately for Lou with her dislocated knee among other injuries, the park may as well have been in another state. Shevaun had always thought that Joe’s purchase of the 4-wheel drive golf cart was a frivolous and silly purchase but today she had to take her previous mocking and ridicule back. It was a lifesaver for her handicapped daughter. Everyone else had headed over on foot but with Dillon at the helm of the 4-wheeler, Lou, Caroline and Abby piled in and cruised over just before 1:00 p.m. They were pushing it, time wise, to make it before the ceremony began but Lou had required a great deal of help getting ready so that she was presentable for the public.

  Lou hadn’t seen the park in a few days and hadn’t anticipated so much having been done in such a short period of time. As they bounded out of her drive and headed along the road to the other side of the park, she marveled at the beauty of it all. The park sat on a canvas of lush green grass with a cobblestone path that wended up and around the lake. There was a pebble trail that led deeper through the park and around the back to more of a wilderness areas. Max must have spent a fortune on all the full grown trees, not to mention the numerous saplings planted throughout. Lou caught site of a pair of finches already starting a nest in one of the massive magnolia trees and she felt her heart swell with joy. There were strategically placed rock formations, huge logs clustered with shrubs and bushes that were already exploding with color. The niches were perfect for providing shelter for the creatures as well as cozy spots to sit and relax. It was more than Lou could ever have dreamed of. When they finally reached the dock side of the lake, Lou could see the mass of people assembled for the dedication. There were easily fifty people present despite it being such an odd time for such an event to take place. Lou had asked Abby why they hadn’t scheduled the dedication for Saturday, rather than Friday, but Abby said that Max would not budge. It absolutely had to be held on the first of April and Abby had been instructed to spare no expense making sure it was precisely to his specifications.

  Immediately adjacent to the road a small pad of gravel fed into the path leading to the dock. Running the length of the gravel pad was an enormous log laid out with many of it’s limbs still attached. Upon closer inspection, Lou realized it was a beautifully sculpted piece of metal that only resembled a log. In fact, it was really a bicycle rack disguised as a log. Created for form but conceived for function. It was brilliant.

  As Lou noted the dozens of chairs flanking both sides of the path to the dock, she decided this was going to be a much sought after wedding venue. It was gorgeous how they set up festooned tents on the outer edges of the seating arrangement with tables overflowing with food and flowers. The small community was all gathered, laughing and chatting while partaking in the libations being served on gleaming silver trays by meticulously white gloved waitstaff. Max had spared no expense on this occasion and it meant the world to her. She gimped out of the 4-wheeler and headed up the path to take a good look at the pond. It was hardly a pond at all. It was a magnificent expanse of lake with cattails already sprouting at the edges. In the distance Lou saw that out in the middle of the lake was a small island, probably no more than thirty square feet. At it’s center was the most majestic willow tree Lou had ever seen. It was as if Max and Abby had cut it out of a Monet painting and slapped it right in the middle. She could barely stand how beautiful it all was as she moved closer. The dock itself looked like it too had been transported from another time. The heavy whitewashed wood platform reached out over the water about twenty feet and was covered with a portico that already had some vine winding it’s way up the heavy posts. Lou knew that by next spring it will have worked it’s way through the beams, making it all the more enchanting.

  Before Lou could reach the dock, she noticed a mound in front of it, nearly three feet high and covered with a pristine white sheet. She started to head towards it to see what was underneath but before she could hobble a step, Max stepped in front of her, smiling that smile that always took her breath away.

  “No peeking.” He said with a grin.

  “What’s under there?” She asked him.

  “You’ll see. Now, take a seat over here and I’ll have Abby get us under way.” Max gently steered her to the first chair in the front row.

  “Max...” She tried to say something gracious or profound but she could only manage to say his name again. “Max...”

  “Sit.” He winked at her. “Plenty of time to talk after the ceremony.”

  Shevaun and Joe appeared out of nowhere and they all exchanged greetings. Joe took a seat next to Lou while Lou’s mother took her position standing up front, to the left of the mystery mound. After a quick announcement by Abby on the microphone, all the attendees began taking their seats. It only took about five minutes before everyone was settled. Abby took her place up next to Shevaun as did Sandra Arthur, one of Shevaun’s dearest friends and neighbor. The rest of the park committee members flanking the mound in a nice balanced line. As Lou tried to turn and look at who all was in attendance, she saw Jane Michaels waving at her from the other side of the isle and a few rows back. Lou smiled and waved back but turned back when she heard Abby’s voice on the microphone and all the guests grew quiet.

  “Hello neighbors!” Abby said with a giggle. “Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedules so that we can celebrate this very special occasion. I think you all would agree that even Mother Nature did her part in making this day magnificent!” She fanned her hand about, obviously referring to the beautiful weather. After nearly a week of constant sopping rain, the day could not have been a more picture perfect representation of Spring. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shevaun McAllister, Sandra Arthur and the other members of the Park Committee for all their tireless work in making this day possible.” There was a hearty round of applause as Shevaun, Sandra and the others took their bows. Once the guests settled once more, Abby continued. “Now, I would like to introduce the person to whom without, this project would not have been possible. Whose vision for this community is now a stunning reality as we all can see. Please welcome, your new neighbor and our park’s generous benefactor, Mister Max Julian.”

  There was a roar of applause as Abby pointed to Max who was seated at the end of Lou’s row. It was evident by the expression on his face Abby had gone off s
cript and he was clearly not prepared for his introduction. Shevaun immediately walked over to him and yanked him from his chair to pull him up to the front. Lou knew as soon as Abby handed him a piece of paper that he had been ambushed. The women must have altered the plan to set him as the centerpiece of the event, along with the park itself, as he well should have been. Lou was biased, she knew, but her heart swelled when she noticed all the guests were on their feet, giving him a standing ovation. After a long moment, Abby stuffed the microphone in his hand and stepped off to the side. Lou was reveling in seeing Max flustered. The normally calm, unflappable Max was blushing and it suited him. Lou doubted she would see him surprised very often so she enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He finally spoke. “Apparently the itinerary I was given got scrapped so forgive me as I fumble through here.” He tossed a glare in Abby and Shevaun’s direction making many of the guests laugh. After clearing his throat, he continued. “I am so grateful to you all for your warm welcome and am privileged that I will be able to count myself and my family as part of this community. You all have been so kind and patient with my situation and I am forever in your debt.” He bowed his head and took a breath as applause were given again. “It is one thing to write a check and sign off on plans. It is another thing entirely to bring a vision to life in such a grand manner which is precisely what these lovely ladies have done with this park. It was my intention to give back to you all with this landscape that we all could enjoy but in the process, I discovered that I am the true receiver of this gift. With all their hard work, tireless efforts, Abby, Shevaun, ladies, you have given me my vision in a grander scale then I could ever have hoped for. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.” Max tucked the microphone under his arm and applauded the women, as did the crowd.