by Ann Heathman
“Ari,” Kathryn said. “Hello. Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
Arianna slowly rose and started to gather some glasses left from the party the night before. “Yeah, I heard. Clean out the fridge. Pack up today. Shopping when we get home. I got it.”
Kathryn stopped her as she tried to brush past her and go into the house. “It’ll be okay, sweetie. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.” She could read her daughter like a book, and she knew she was suffering.
Arianna gave her mother a half smile and hugged her. “Don’t know what I’d do without you, Mom. You’ve always been there for me during my lowest moments. It helps more than you know.”
“I hurt when you hurt,” she said, choking up, “but hey, listen.” She cleared her throat, then picked up a window screen lying on the deck. “I’m going to run into town and get this repaired before we leave. Doug from next door fell into it yesterday when he was here for the cookout. I think he was a bit tipsy… pushed the screen right out of the window. Have to fix it so Aunt Susan doesn’t yell at me. I love my sister, but she never misses a chance to nag me about something.”
“Never had a sister so wouldn’t know anything about sibling rivalry.” Arianna started into the house. “When I’m done here, I’m going swimming. I want to spend my last day here working on my tan, so I look good for this interview. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Boy, they don’t have these cottages marked very well,” Zach said to Juan, “but I think this is the one.” He got out of the SUV, walked up to the door, and with some trepidation, knocked. He wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation he knew was coming.
There was no answer.
“I talked to the neighbor over there,” Juan said, pointing to a lady sweeping her drive. “She said this is the right cottage. She came to a cookout here last night. She thinks they’re still around somewhere.”
“No car in the drive. Let’s check the back.” Zach walked up on the back deck and could see the screen door was unlocked. He knocked again but was greeted with silence. As he stood there pondering what to do next, he turned toward the sound of a dog’s incessant barking down by the lake. He looked in that direction and saw an elderly lady, yelling for help.
“Out there,” the lady yelled. “I think some girl is drowning.”
Several feet from shore, just beyond a stationary raft, he saw two women struggling in the water. Oh, my God. Don’t let that be Arianna. He and Juan dove into the lake and swiftly swam toward the struggling duo. His worst fears were realized when he saw Clare, trying to drown Arianna.
When they reached them, Zach delivered a glancing blow to Clare’s back causing her to release her grip. Juan grabbed Arianna and pulled her to shore while Zach struggled to contain Clare.
“Take a deep breath, and try to relax,” Juan said, when they reached shore.
Arianna was bent over, gasping for air. Between fits of coughing up water and fighting to catch her breath, she looked back at Zach struggling to wrestle her attacker out of the water. This was the woman in the pictures. She’d come here to kill her. He’d brought this danger right to her doorstep. Struggling to her feet, she stumbled her way toward the cottage.
“Here. Let me help you,” Juan pleaded, but she pushed him away and continued on her own.
When Juan looked back at the lake, he heard Zach yelling, “You fucking bitch. I’m going to kill you.” He saw him holding Clare under water. Racing to the end of the dock, he jumped in and swam up to the battling couple.
“Zach! Zach! Stop! Let her go!” he yelled. “The police are on their way. You can’t do this.” He pulled him off Clare, and she came up, gasping for air.
Zach kept trying to get back at her, but Juan put his body between them.
“You come near Arianna again,” he yelled at Clare, “and I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”
Kathryn had returned and saw the commotion down by the lake. “What in the world is going on?” she asked, joining Arianna on the deck. “Has someone drowned? Oh, my! Is that Zach out there? Is he trying to save that girl or drown her?”
“Yes, that’s Zach and his little girlfriend. Actually she just tried to drown me.”
“What!” Kathryn drew Arianna close and checked her up and down, searching for injuries. “Oh, honey. Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
Arianna didn’t answer as she continued to watch Zach and Juan struggle to contain the woman. She heard sirens in the distance and then saw two firemen come running around the side of the cottage followed shortly by two police officers.
Zach and Juan finally wrestled Clare to the shore, and Juan held her down while Zach explained to the officer what had happened. The officer also spoke with the elderly lady who had witnessed the event. Satisfied Clare had tried to drown Arianna, he read Clare her rights, cuffed her, and then escorted her to a waiting squad car.
As they passed the cottage, Clare yelled, “Zach’s a liar. He ruined my life. He’s going to ruin yours too, missy. Just wait and see. He’s evil and…” Her voice trailed off as the officer marched her around the corner of the cottage.
Another officer approached Arianna on the deck. “Miss, sorry to bother you, but I need to get a statement. Can you tell me what happened?”
Arianna stared at the officer and glanced over at Zach who stood a distance away, wringing out his t-shirt. “She tried to drown me. I was sunbathing on my float. She came up behind me and pushed me under.”
“And?” The officer was writing down everything she told him.
“And what? She pushed me under and held me down until I thought I was going to drown.”
“I see. So do you wish to press charges?
She shot him a scornful look. “Yes. Absolutely.”
“Very good then. I need you to sign right here.” He passed a form to her. “This will be all for now. When you’ve had a chance to collect yourself, I’d like you to come down to the station for a more complete statement. Here’s my card.”
Arianna nodded. The officer exited the scene, and she saw Zach walking toward the house. “No. Go away,” she yelled at him, but he kept coming. She ran into the house and locked herself in the bedroom.
Zach followed her, but Kathryn put her hand out to stop him. “Uh… Uh…now, Zach. Wait a minute, uhm...”
“Kathryn… Mrs. Garrett,” Zach said. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it’s all a lie. I love your daughter and would never cheat on her. I can explain everything. You can ask me anything you want, just not now.” He gently, but firmly moved her aside and continued on into the house.
When he reached the bedroom door, he discovered it was locked. “Arianna, please let me in.” He shook the door. “We need to talk.”
“Go away. Your girlfriend tried to kill me. I hate you!” she yelled.
“She’s not my girlfriend.” He rattled the door again. “Open the door. You’ve got to let me explain.”
“I’m calling the police if you don’t leave this minute.”
With one kick of his foot, the door flew open, and he entered the bedroom.
“Uh, say,” Juan said, to Kathryn, who was looking on in horror. “Why don’t you and I go get a cup of coffee somewhere? I think these two have some things to talk about.” Not really giving her a choice, he gently guided her out of the house.
Back in the bedroom, Zach took a step toward Arianna. “I can explain everything. Just give me a chance.”
“You bastard!” She started throwing things at him. “Don’t come near me. I trusted you. Now, I know why you never call me. You’ve been too busy fooling around, and now your jealous girlfriend just tried to kill me.” She continued to pelt him with shoes, pictures, pillows and whatever else was handy every time he took a step in her direction.
“Wait! Stop!” He dodged all the incoming objects as he tried to approach her. “No, it’s not like that. You have it all wrong. Please, just give me a chance to explain.”
“I almost died out there
.” Anger consumed her, and she started hyperventilating. “She tried to drown me. She was so strong… I thought I was going to die.” Gulping for air as she relived the experience, she stammered, “I… I… I couldn’t breathe. I… can’t… breathe.” Her teeth started chattering, and she began shaking violently.
Zach could see she was slipping into a state of shock. Her skin was ashen, and her pupils were dilated. He reached out and grabbed her before she could get away. She was trembling though he couldn’t tell whether it was due to anger or to shock.
“Here, you need to get out of this wet suit and warm up.” She tried to wrestle away, but he held her with one hand and stripped off her wet bathing suit with the other.
“Ahh! Stop!” she shrieked. “Let go of me.” She struggled to get free, but he held her firmly by the wrist.
Snatching a comforter off the bed, he wrapped her up in it, then pulled her with him into the bathroom. He closed the door and blocked her from leaving.
“I’m calling the police,” she said, pulling the quilt around her and trying to get past him and go out the door.
“Shh! Stop talking.”
He wrestled out of his own soaked jeans and wrapped a towel around his waist. Ripping the hair dryer out of the bathroom wall, he opened the door and pulled her over to the bed, Arianna dragging her feet the entire way. Holding onto her, he plugged the dryer in, sat her down onto the bed, straddled her from behind, and began blow drying her dripping wet hair.
He alternated between blow drying her hair and snatching her back when she fussed and tried to get up. “That woman tried to kill me,” she gasped, still hyperventilating. “I almost died. I, I…” She twisted the corners of the blanket, riddled with anxiety over her near death experience.
“Take some deep breaths, Arianna, and try to relax. It’s over now. You’re safe. She isn’t going to bother you again.”
She momentarily stopped struggling and sat quietly. He massaged her scalp as he blew her hair dry, trying to soothe her and warm her up at the same time. Even more than this, he didn’t want to talk about anything while she was in such an emotional state. Thankfully, the hum of the hair dryer prevented any real conversation from taking place.
Usually cool under fire, his own anxiety level was sky high. He was the cause of all this. Not on purpose, of course. He had no way of knowing the lengths to which Clare would go to get even. But because of him, Arianna had almost died. He was immersed in his own private hell.
Hair dried, he laid the dryer down and snugged the comforter up around her. She didn’t move. Not able to see her face, he wasn’t sure if she was still in shock or just waiting to erupt.
He slid out from behind her, and said, “Stay here and keep warm.” Wrapping the towel around his waist, he went into the kitchen and returned with a bottle of whiskey and a glass. He poured a shot and offered it to Arianna. “Here. Drink this. It will help you relax.”
She hesitated a moment but finally took a sip, wincing as the burning alcohol oozed down her throat. Scrunching back up against the headboard, she downed the rest of the shot then tossed the glass onto the bed. Looking up at Zach, tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. “Why?” she cried. “How could you do this to me?”
The agony he saw in her face tore at his gut. He tried to cradle her in his arms, but she pushed him away.
“Okay, let’s talk, then,” he said, and sat down beside her. “Her name is Clare. Last name not important. I work with her or at least I did. The pictures you saw all happened in one night. We had some downtime, so we were playing cards. I thought it was innocent, but every time she won a hand, she made a point to lean in and hug me or something. I found it annoying, dropped out of the game, and went for a run. She caught every one of those moments on camera. Made it look like something it wasn’t.”
He looked over at her, trying to read her reaction.
“Go on,” she said.
“When I—we, Tony and Juan went with me—we got back from our run, the poker game had turned into strip poker. I found her wearing nothing but her underwear. She was drunk. I blew up and called an end to the game. She tried to protest, but was so drunk she passed out. I caught her before she fell, picked her up, and carried her to her room. There are security cameras where we stay, and she photo-shopped the pictures she sent, making them look incriminating. I know it looked bad, but you have to believe me, nothing happened.”
“Nothing?” Arianna shook her head, uncertain. “I’m not sure I believe that. From what I saw today, it looked like she’s obsessed with you. I can’t believe the mad woman who tried to drown me gave up on you that easily.”
Zach got up and began to pace. “You’re right. She tried to make a play for me. Tried to pull me into her bed, but I shut that down immediately. Call me naïve, but that was the first I realized she had a thing for me, but it was all one-sided. I had absolutely no interest in her.” He turned and looked at Arianna. “I was her boss for Christ’s sake. I gave her no reason to think there was anything between us.”
“That’s it?” she asked. “That’s why she tried to kill me… because you shot her down? That doesn’t even make sense. Something else must have happened or else you’re lying to me.”
He came back to the bed and sat down again. “I’m not lying, but, yes, there’s more. Something else did happen. Let’s just say I fired her. She was too unstable to work with, and I didn’t want her around anymore. I’m afraid getting fired, killed her career. She hates me for what I did. She was out for revenge and wanted to hurt me by hurting you. Probably a bit of jealous rage thrown in there, too.”
Arianna shifted on the bed. “Was she the one that posed as your cousin at Camilla’s wedding?”
Zach nodded slowly. Taking a deep breath, he reached for her hand. “Arianna, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she would go to this extreme to get even.” Clearing his throat, he continued. “Had I ever suspected she would do something like this, I would have moved heaven and earth to stop her.” He let out a long, deep sigh. “I did not. I would not cheat on you.” He pressed her hand to his lips, kissed it, and looked her straight in the eye. “I love you, Arianna. You’re my whole world.”
Tears pooled in hers eyes, and she choked back a sob. “I was so scared. I thought you’d found someone else. I…”
He pulled her into his arms. “No, never. You’re the only one I want.”
She buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed.
“I’m so sorry, babe. If I could change any of this I would. I would never hurt you. I would never let anyone else hurt you. I love you so much.” He held her tight, wanting to swallow her up. All those long, hopeless nights at sea, he dreamed of this moment, the moment he held her in his arms again, though he never dreamed he’d have to go through this kind of hell before it happened. But it didn’t matter. She was in his arms now.
“I’m sorry” she said, trying to snuff up her tears. “I’m an emotional wreck, but it’s just that I love you so much. I never want to be without you.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead and cry. I’m sure it’s been hell for you. Today was hell. None of this should have ever happened. But I’m home now, and I promise, you don’t ever have to worry about being without me.”
They lay there at peace, nestled in each other’s arms, not moving, not speaking. Arianna had drifted off to sleep, mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. Zach could not sleep, his mind going ninety miles an hour. He’d need to talk to Veritas concerning what to do about Clare. No way could this case end up in court with her naming names, divulging secrets. For the right amount of money, he hoped she could be silenced and convinced to vanish into the night. The Agency needed to work its magic and make Clare and this problem disappear.
Zach heard Kathryn and Juan come into the cottage. Picking up his phone, he shot Juan a text and asked him to bring some dry clothes from the car. He was pretty sure he had an extra pair of jeans and a t-shirt in there. He needed to move soon since lying there with Arianna’s n
aked body pressed to his naked body was going to lead to real agony soon. Now was not the time or the place for lovemaking, but someone had forgotten to inform a certain part of his anatomy of this fact.
There was a soft knock on the door. “Everyone decent?” Juan asked as he eased the door open and waved a pile of clothes at Zach.
“Thanks, buddy,” Zach replied. “Just lay them on the chair over there.”
“Hey, sweet pea,” Juan said to Arianna who was just waking. “You doing okay?”
“I think so,” she said. “Never want to go through this again.”
“I hear ya’. Anyway, your mom is making dinner. If you guys are hungry, come on out and join us.”
“I could probably eat a bite.” Zach looked over at Arianna who nodded she was hungry too.
Turning to Arianna, he mussed her hair, gave her a quick kiss, and started to get out of bed. “You sure have a lot of hair, babe. I thought I was never going to get it dry.”
“Yeah, that had to be a first… you drying my hair.” She stifled a laugh. “Not sure about the new style though.” She tried to smooth down her poofed out hair which was sticking up all over. “Don’t think being a hair stylist is your forte.” She smiled, pulled him back into bed with her, and planted a big kiss on his lips.
“Mhh, mmm. I think I better get dressed before things get out of hand,” he said, extricating himself from her embrace. He pulled on a t-shirt, but found no underwear. “Oh, well. Guess I’ll be going commando.” He slipped on a pair of jeans and picked up his shoes. “Damn, these are still soaked.” He set them down and opted to go barefoot. After running a comb through his hair, he stepped back to the bed. “See you in a few minutes.” He gave her one more kiss on the cheek and left the room.