The Deception

by Marina Martindale

  Alex's father spoke up. "Now don't embarrass the boy, Catherine."

  "I'm not embarrassing him, Armando."

  "Mom!"

  "No really." Catherine ignored her son's protests as he began groaning in the background. "Mark was our outgoing son. He was the popular boy at school and he was always hanging out with his friends. Alex was our quiet child. I mean he wasn't disliked, but he was pretty shy, so he kept to himself."

  "Mom."

  "Alex always had his nose stuck in a book. Then one day Mrs. Tyler, his fourth-grade teacher, teamed him up with Carrie for a classroom assignment and that's how they became friends. Here she was, the girl in those TV commercials, and the next thing we knew she and her mother were bringing him along to watch while they were filming them. You know, I think Alex's being around all those television people was a good thing. It finally got him out of his shell."

  Carrie watched the door while Alex's mother was talking. It opened, and she recognized Hilda and another man as they stepped inside. She quickly waved; motioning for them to come to their table.

  "Saved by the bell," muttered Alex under his breath.

  Carrie introduced Hilda, who in turn introduced Reverend Fletcher, who would be conducting the memorial service. As they sat down, the conversation took a more somber tone. Everyone began to reminisce, sharing personal stories of Linda while Hilda talked about caring for her at the nursing home. After the meal was over they headed out to the parking lot. The reverend, and Alex's parents, would follow Steve.

  "Looks like some clouds are building up," Steve remarked as they settled back into his Explorer.

  "Yep," agreed Alex. "It's the time of year for afternoon thunderstorms. We should have enough time, though."

  "Where to?" Steve asked Carrie as he started up the engine.

  "I'm not exactly sure. Mama never had any place in particular staked out. We'd just get in the car and head north. Once we got here she'd meander down one of the back roads through the forest until we happened upon a spot we all liked."

  Steve exited the parking lot and made his way out of the city limits. A half-hour later they were heading down a Forest Service road when something caught Carrie's eye.

  "Steve, can you slow down?"

  "Sure. Is everything okay back there?"

  "I'm good. It's just that some of this is starting to look familiar to me. I think maybe we've been here once before, haven't we, Alex?"

  "Maybe, now that you mention it."

  After driving for another quarter-mile Carrie asked Steve to pull over. He shut down the engine and glanced in the rearview mirror. The other two cars were pulling up behind him.

  "It's somewhere back there." Carrie was pointing out the window. "It's a little bit of a hike, but not too far. It's just on the other side of that clump of trees." She stepped outside and was reaching for her mother's ashes, when Alex walked up behind her.

  "Let me take them for you, Carrie-Anne. We have a ways to walk and they're a little too heavy for you to carry by yourself."

  He scooped up the container while she led the others into the woods. After a short hike, she entered a small clearing and stopped. It was a beautiful spot. Golden wildflowers were mixed in with the grass.

  "This is it. I think Mama's final resting place should be right here."

  Everyone formed a circle and the reverend began his eulogy. He began by reading a few Bible verses, then he spoke of Linda's dedication to her friends, her coworkers and, most especially, to her daughter. He mentioned her desire for Carrie to have a better life than the one she'd had. He spoke of her friend, Bernie Carson, as he recalled the times when he consoled Bernie after Linda's stroke. He concluded by saying while both Linda's and Bernie's deaths were indeed untimely, their souls were now together in Heaven, where one day they all would be eternally reunited. As he led the group into a final prayer the sun went behind a cloud and a breeze began to blow.

  "Amen," said everyone in unison.

  "Are you ready, Carrie?" he asked.

  She suddenly felt hesitant. She looked at Alex, not sure what to do.

  "Come on, Carrie-Anne. It's time to tell her goodbye."

  He took her by the hand, leading her a short distance away from the others. He stopped to open the container. He tilted it slightly forward, allowing the contents to slowly escape. They were quickly caught in the breeze, which scattered them across the grass, blending them into the wildflowers. As the last of the ashes trickled out Carrie began to weep.

  "She's finally free now, Carrie-Anne." He took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "But there will always be a part of her that will live on in you." He held her for a few moments.

  "Alex, could you do me a big favor?"

  "Anything."

  "Would you go thank everyone for coming? And then would you mind waiting in the car with Steve and Allie? I need a few minutes alone."

  "I understand." He gave her one last hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Take all the time you need."

  He stepped away quietly and relayed Carrie's words of appreciation before everyone headed back to their cars. He walked his parents to their vehicle, telling them goodbye and thanking them once again for coming. He stood by the side of the road, waving goodbye as they drove away. As he walked back to the Explorer, he heard the distant sound of thunder. The clouds were thick and heavy and the sky was turning dark.

  "Looks like it's getting ready to rain," he said as he hopped into the backseat.

  "Is she okay?" asked Allison.

  "She's fine, Allie. She just needed a few minutes alone."

  As the minutes passed a smattering raindrops began to appear on the windshield.

  "I wonder if I should go get her."

  "You just said she's fine," Steve reminded him. "I have a hunch she'll be along in a couple of minutes."

  A few more minutes passed, and then the rain began falling in earnest. A bright flash of lightening streaked across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder.

  "That's it," declared Alex. "I don't care if I have to drag her back here by the hair."

  He jumped out of the Explorer and ran toward the clearing. He soon found Carrie, working her way toward him. He ran up and put his arm around her, trying to shelter her from the pelting rain. As they jumped into the backseat of the SUV, Alex noticed she was soaking wet.

  "Sorry, guys," she said as she reached for her seatbelt. "I guess I just lost track of the time."

  "You're shivering," observed Alex, "and you're soaked to the bone. We don't need you catching cold. I've got a sweatshirt for you to put on." He reached behind the seat and handed it to her.

  "I have a blanket in the back as well," added Allison. "It's got some of Lucy's fur on it, but other than that it should be clean."

  "Don't worry Allie, I happen to love your dog," replied Carrie as Alex reached for the blanket and began covering her up. She noticed he was soaking wet too. "You may as huddle up underneath this with me. That way you won't catch cold either. We can keep each other warm and dry off together."

  Alex eagerly accepted her invitation. Once they got back into town Steve took them through a fast food drive-thru to get hot coffee for the two of them and soft drinks for Allison and himself. Before long they were back on the Interstate, bound for Phoenix. Steve glanced into the rearview mirror. Alex and Carrie had dozed off in each other's arms, but by the time they reached Phoenix both were wide-awake and dry. He dropped them off at Alex's door. Everyone said goodnight as Carrie once again thanked them for coming. Steve waited until they were safely inside before he pointed the Explorer toward home. As they headed down the road, he let out a loud sigh.

  "Is something wrong, Steve?"

  "I'm afraid so."

  "What is it?"

  "Alex and Carrie. C'mon, you saw it. They've become much too emotionally attached to one another."

  "They go way back," she reminded him.

  "No, there's more to it than that. He's fallen for her. Hard. Really, really
hard."

  "Is that such a bad thing?"

  "In itself, no. They're two of my favorite people and under normal circumstances I'd be happy for both of them, but their situation isn't normal. He's representing her in a civil case and he's losing his objectivity."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes," he replied, matter-of-factly. "A few days ago I walked into Alex's office. He'd just happened to have gotten off the phone with our old buddy, Scott Andrews. Apparently Scott had made some crack about his prior involvement with Carrie and Alex went into a screaming rage. I've never known him to ever do anything like that before. It was like listening to a jealous lover. That's what has me worried."

  "How so?"

  "Alex has always been unflappable. That's why he has such a good track record. He stays calm and collected, just like a lion stalking its prey, while he waits patiently for the other side to make a mistake, and then he goes for the kill. He's always been able to do that because he never allows himself to become emotionally wrapped up. But now he's crossed that line, and even though it appears to be an open and shut case, this time he could, very easily, be the one who makes a mistake. If that happens, he could lose, and this is the one case, Allie, the one case that he can't afford to lose."

  "Damn," she said. "You can't let that happen, Steve. It could destroy both of them."

  "I know that, so I'm going to have to keep close watch on him and I'm going try to persuade him to bring Reggie on board."

  "Who's he?"

  "He is a she. Regina Peters. Remember, she was at our engagement party? I introduced the two of you."

  "Oh, right," recalled Allison. "I think I remember her now. She was tall, thin, forty-something, with a dark-brown pageboy."

  "That's Reggie. She's one of the senior partners in the firm. She mentored Alex when he first came on board so he respects her. She also specializes in civil cases. If push comes to shove, Alex may have to step aside and let Reggie take over."

  Twenty-Four

  Carrie returned to her apartment the following afternoon. Alex's prediction had been accurate. There was some flack in the local media for a few days after the story broke of the Mercer's Markets girl showing up in the pages of Gentry Magazine. It had since faded into obscurity, being replaced by newer headlines, and Carrie didn't want to wear out her welcome. She gave Alex a long, lingering goodbye before getting into her car and heading home, but by the time she turned off his street and onto the main road she was starting to miss him. Alex spent the rest of the day moping around his empty house, missing her as well.

  The following weekend was the Labor Day holiday. Allison wanted to take advantage of all the sales to do some wedding shopping and she decided to take Carrie along. The time had come to find a bridesmaid's dress.

  Their first stop was the bridal shop. Allison had picked out a traditional white satin gown, trimmed with lace and pearls, with a chapel-length train. She had an appointment that morning for another fitting. Both women marveled after she put on the gown and looked in the full-length mirror. Her dress had a Victorian look with its high collar, tight-fitting bodice, and long lace sleeves. Completing the outfit was a fingertip length veil with a pearl-trimmed headband.

  "Allie, you're a beautiful, blushing bride, and I can't help it. I'm jealous."

  "Don't worry, your day will come," she replied.

  "I wish I had your confidence, but I'm afraid my Prince Charming was abducted by someone named Jennifer Logan."

  "Whoever said Doug was your Prince Charming? What about you and Alex?"

  "We're just friends, Allie."

  "Is that all?"

  "Okay, so we're best friends, but that's all it is. That's all it'll ever be."

  Carrie was obviously in denial so Allison decided not to force the issue. Whatever was meant to happen would happen, when the time was right. She only hoped that time wouldn't come until after Carrie's lawsuit with Louise was settled. In the meantime, she decided to change the subject.

  "Did I mention that my family and I are about to come to blows over my wedding?"

  "What? No way. What's going on?"

  "My parents, and my grandparents, are what you'd call old school," she explained. "They want me to have a traditional Catholic wedding, just like my two younger sisters had. I'm already on thin ice with them, because Steve and I have been living together for the past four years. On top of that, I'm marrying a man from a Protestant background with no intentions of converting. So, we've decided to have our wedding at a different church and that's not going over too well with some of my family."

  "What a shame. You know, I recall Alex once telling me the story of a similar thing happening to his parents. His mother was not only Protestant, she'd also been married and divorced."

  "I didn't know that."

  "Not that many people do," said Carrie. "She'd been married, briefly, when she was very young. Obviously, the marriage didn't work out and there were no children, but I guess when she and Alex's father decided to marry there was a big ruckus over it. They ended up getting married at her family's church, and Alex's dad decided to leave the Catholic Church. You know, the whole thing is just wrong. You should be able to marry the person you love and not be hassled over it."

  "You just did it again, Carrie."

  "Did what?"

  "You just brought up Alex's name. Again. That's the fourth time you've done that this morning."

  "I have not."

  "Yes, you have."

  Before Carrie could respond the alterations lady arrived to check Allison's gown. After a close inspection they determined it was ready and Allison made arrangements to have it delivered the day before her wedding. Next, they headed to the mall. It was time to look for a bridesmaid's dress for Carrie. They didn't find anything they liked at the first two department stores. They were now in the third, and so far they were coming up empty. Allison was nearly at her wits' end. If they didn't find the right dress soon, they'd have to return to the bridal shop.

  "I think I've found something," exclaimed Carrie as she pulled out a dress from one of the racks. "Take a look at this. It's my size, and it's even on sale."

  She brought it to Allison for a closer look. The dress was royal blue chiffon. It too had a slightly Victorian look with a tight-fitting bodice similar to the one on Allison's wedding gown. It was low-cut, with three-quarter length sleeves and a double-layered skirt. Carrie placed the dress in front of her so they could check the length. It came down to her mid calf.

  "Now that one I like," said Allison.

  "Me too. It's pretty, it's feminine, and it's kind of sexy too. Can I try it on?"

  Allison ran her fingers up and down the bodice to get a feel for the fabric.

  "Yeah, you can try it on, but you know what? It'd probably look better if you had a bustier underneath. Let's run down to the lingerie department and see what we can find before you try it on."

  Carrie handed the dress to a salesclerk, asking her to put it on hold. They took the escalator down and soon found a lacy-beige bustier in Carrie's size. They were just about to complete their purchase when something else caught her eye.

  "I absolutely, positively have to have that."

  Allison followed her gaze. Carrie had spotted a beautiful white negligee set. She went to take a closer look. The flowing, sleeveless nightgown was low-cut and very sexy. It was topped with a low-cut, lace-trimmed sheer peignoir with ruffled sleeves.

  "It's been far too long, Allie, since I've had anything as pretty as this." The gown felt soft and silky as she caressed it. "Most of the time I sleep in raggedy old t-shirts. I still have the pink nightshirt you gave me last year for my birthday, but even it's starting to get a little threadbare, although Alex thought it was pretty funny."

  "What was that?"

  "I wore it while I as staying at his place. He brought me there to hide out from the media, remember? It was on the up and up. I told you, I stayed in the guestroom."

  "Humph. That's makes the fifth time th
at you've brought Alex up."

  "Allie, please." Carrie rolled her eyes. "You don't know how good it feels just to be able to buy new clothes again, and I'm going to get this negligee set. It doesn't matter if anyone else ever gets to see me in it or not. I'll still wear it and I'll still enjoy having it."

  Carrie took the nightgown off the rack and made her purchases. Afterwards, they headed back up the escalator. She was anxious to try on the dress. Allison browsed while she waited.

  "Look at this," Carrie exclaimed as she stepped out of the fitting room.

  "Oh my gosh. Carrie, it's perfect. It's like this dress was made just for you. You look absolutely stunning in it, and the color even matches your eyes. There is one little problem, though."

  "What's that?"

  "You may just upstage the bride." Both women started to laugh. "Do you have a pair of shoes to go with it?"

  "Not any more. I used to have a pair of strappy, open-toed, black patent leather high-heels, but I threw them out."

  "Why?"

  Carrie let out a sigh. "Because I had them on when I did that stupid photo shoot, and then I wore them on my second, and final, date with Scott Andrews. They were tainted. Every time I saw them in my closet it brought back bad memories. Nothing good has ever come from that photo shoot, Allie. Doing it will always be one of the biggest regrets of my life."

  "Well, that's not entirely true," argued Allison. "One good thing came of it."

  "What's that?"

  "Alex came back into our lives."

  "Aha! Now you just dropped his name."

  "So I did," replied Allison with a smile. "Now if you'll just head back into the fitting room and change we can get out of this place and go grab a bite to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

  "What about the food court?"

  "Not today. Let's go someplace else, away from the mall."

  "What about the shoes?"

  "There's a big discount shoe store, not too far from here, where you'll get a much better deal. We'll head over there after lunch."

  As Carrie headed back to the fitting room, Allison decided to take a closer look at something that was bothering her. She thought she'd seen someone casually following them around the mall, and she'd just spotted that someone again. The person tailing them was a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair, and Allison noticed she'd been watching Carrie very intently. Both she and Steve had been concerned for her safety ever since the photos had appeared in Gentry Magazine. They became even more worried when the story broke on the local news. She turned to face the woman, giving her a strong look. A startled expression suddenly appeared on the other woman's face. She looked like a child who'd just been caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Allison took a few steps toward her, but as she did the other woman turned on her heel and quickly walked away. Allison hoped she'd scared her off. Carrie arrived a few minutes later with the blue dress in a plastic hanging bag.