Fourth to Run

by Carys Jones

  “But you did once,” Aiden glanced briefly at the deep scar across Javier’s eye. It was then that he noticed how the policeman’s left eye had remained motionless throughout their conversation. Aiden had tried not to stare at the scar out of politeness but now he realized with a chill that whatever had happened had left Javier with more than an unsightly scar; it had robbed him of one of his eyes.

  Javier blinked and lowered his sunglasses, his mouth set in a tight line.

  “My friend was just a young man when he was killed,” Aiden continued. “He was the kindest, most outgoing person I knew.”

  “Yeah, well he wasn’t the smartest,” Javier stated, taking the last of his cigarette and stubbing it out in a nearby ash tray.

  “Smart guys don’t get involved with the brothers. You look like a smart guy. You want my advice, turn around and go back to America and don’t look back, you got it?”

  Javier tossed down a few dollars and began to leave the café. Hurriedly, Aiden dropped a few dollars from his own wallet and followed him.

  “Javier, please—” He reached out and touched the policeman’s shoulder. He could feel the tension building up within Javier as he spun around and exhaled sharply in annoyance.

  “You can’t bring your friend back,” Javier confirmed grimly. “Coming here, all you can hope to do is bring about your own death.”

  “Can you seriously not tell me anything?” In his mind Aiden was frantically replaying his conversation with Guy Chambers. Had he misunderstood something? He’d thought Guy was being perfectly clear when he said he had a lead which Aiden should follow. A lead which had taken Aiden to Mexico but now he felt like he was standing at a dead end.

  “Things don’t work here like they do for you back home,” Javier sighed. “You think I run things because I wear this badge?”

  He tugged at his police badge clipped to his uniform.

  “I’m just a puppet. Please, do yourself a favor, go home. Mourn for your friend but seek no more answers, at least not here.”

  “His name was Justin, Justin Thompson. If you met him, you’d remember him.”

  Javier’s lips lifted into a sympathetic smile and he shook his head slowly.

  “I didn’t know him. Now, please, leave San Migeno.”

  Aiden could feel dozens of pairs of eyes burning into his back, observing his exchange with Officer Santo with interest. Their previously blasé expressions had now steeled with interest. The edges of Javier’s scar were visible around his sunglasses. Aiden didn’t want to risk him enduring further mutilation because of his own curiosity.

  “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Officer Santo.” Aiden nodded at him, raising his voice just slightly so that the onlookers wouldn’t need to strain to hear their words. “I’m disappointed you have nothing you can tell me but I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.”

  Javier nodded, a knowing smile pulling on his lips.

  “Have a safe journey home.” He offered his hand to Aiden and the two men shook.

  “Take care, Javier,” Aiden offered kindly. Javier’s eyebrows lifted slightly at this as if humored by the suggestion. Then they released one another’s hand and parted ways. Javier walked the short distance back to the police station, his steps brisk but heavy. Aiden climbed back in to his rental car and sat for a moment pondering on what had happened.

  Sunlight filtered through the grimy windscreen, quickly heating up the stuffy interior of the car. Aiden pulled the piece of paper from his pocket and read the hastily written details even though he had already committed them to memory.

  Caulerone Brothers in San Migeon, Mexico.

  Seek out Officer Javier Santo.

  The note hadn’t given Aiden any answers at all. In anger he bunched it into a tight ball and shoved it back in to his pocket. Then he turned the key in the ignition, turned the car’s air conditioning up as high as it would go and started heading back to his motel.

  *

  Brandy stood back and admired her new piano. The delivery men were gone and she was left alone to enjoy her purchase. It felt strange and wonderful to think that this piano was completely hers.

  The edges of the piano were scuffed and worn and the white paint was flaking off in numerous places but Brandy didn’t care. In her eyes it looked simply wondrous. Tentatively she stepped forward and gingerly lowered her fingers towards the exposed keys. They had once been as white as freshly fallen snow but time had churned their shade to a deep cream.

  Brandy pressed down and a deep chord was struck within the piano, shuddering out through its worn exterior and resonating throughout Aiden’s modest home. The sound sent a surge of excitement snaking down Brandy’s spine. Feeling exhilarated, she began to play. Her fingers knowingly danced along the keys, playing a sweet, uplifting tune. As Brandy played, she lost herself to the melody. She was no longer in Avalon, in a home that didn’t feel like her own, she was just consumed by the sound which here fingers were creating.

  The music hummed throughout the house, seeping into the walls and floors; absorbing Brandy’s essence. The song came to an end and Brandy lifted her hands, the tips of her fingers tingling. Taking a breath she stepped back and smiled. In her ears she could still hear the echo of the music playing. The house was finally starting to feel a bit more like home.

  Still smiling, Brandy pressed down on the keys once more and played another song. She remained there until her arms ached and the sun had started to lower in the sky. She’d brought music into Aiden’s home and in doing so she’d allowed a part of herself to take root there.

  *

  Aiden angrily shoved open the door to his motel room and stormed inside. He moved quickly; shoving his few belongings back in to his duffel bag. He knew he had to move fast before the dark hole of hopelessness which had been stalking him throughout his drive back from San Migeno caught up with him and swallowed him whole.

  “Dammit,” Aiden muttered repeatedly to himself. He wanted to stay, he wanted to search for more answers, but he knew he had to heed Javier Santo’s warnings. The last thing Aiden wanted was to show up on the Caulerone brothers’ radar.

  *

  Fifteen hours later, and under the cover of darkness, Aiden drove back into Avalon. His head felt heavy and leaden and his neck was struggling to support it. His muscles ached from the hours spent driving and the flight back from Mexico.

  As his car’s headlights illuminated the familiar Welcome to Avalon sign, a feeling of contentment washed over Aiden and he leaned back in his seat, savoring its warmth. But the pleasant sensation was abruptly disturbed by the dark shadow of disappointment which lingered around Aiden. It fell upon him, causing him to shiver. He was no closer to discovering who had killed Justin and why.

  Countless reasons bubbled in Aiden’s mind only to burst before they could be proven. Had Justin fumbled a deal? Looked the wrong way at one of the Caulerone brothers? Had he ever even been to San Migeno?

  Aiden kept reflecting on his youth, searching for signs that he might have previously missed. How did the cartel even find Justin? Or did he find them? As Aiden delved deeper into his questions, one unpleasant truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  Whatever reasons Justin had for getting involved with the cartel, he’d never shared them with his friends.

  Aiden smacked his palm against the steering wheel in frustration.

  “I could have saved you,” he muttered angrily to the darkness, his eyes glistening from tears of frustration.

  Aiden drove the short route through town towards his home. As he pulled up outside his house, he noticed that the sky above had turned pewter; dawn would soon be arriving. Stretching, Aiden breathed in the fresh, clean air of Avalon. It felt pure and wholesome in his lungs.

  Inside, the house was still. Aiden moved quietly so as not to disturb Brandy. He made himself a much-needed cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table nursing it. As he watched the heat rise out of the dark liquid and mist in a fog at the rim of the mug, he absent
ly retrieved his crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He smoothed it out on the table and looked forlornly at the words written upon it, his eyebrows drawing together in contemplation.

  Aiden was becoming increasingly certain that Guy Chambers had lied to him. That he’d knowingly given him a false lead, but why? Aiden was certain that he’d parted with Guy on good terms. He’d collected on the favor he was owed and now they were even. Weren’t they? Aiden was still frowning intently at the note when Brandy appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a white nightshirt which grazed the tops of her thighs and when Aiden looked up at her he felt his pulse quicken.

  “You’re home,” she said with a smile.

  “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Aiden subtly turned his note over and picked up his coffee.

  “I was awake anyway.” Brandy shrugged. “I didn’t sleep that well while you were gone.”

  “Well, I’m back now.”

  “How was your trip?”

  “It was a bust,” Aiden groaned, raking a hand through his disheveled hair. He was in serious need of a shower. The dust of San Migeno was still stuck to him, an unwanted souvenir of his ill-spent time in Mexico.

  “Oh no, how so?”

  “I went to see a guy,” Aiden explained vaguely. “I thought he might have some answers for me. He didn’t.”

  “At least you tried.”

  “Yeah.” Aiden wasn’t sure he’d tried hard enough. Maybe Guy hadn’t given him a red herring. Maybe the lead was legit and Aiden just hadn’t pressed Javier Santo hard enough. After all, if he was living in fear of the Caulerone brothers, it was going to be tough to get him to talk about them. But he must have talked, the scar on his face told Aiden that, as did the fact that he was known to the FBI.

  Aiden was starting to consider going back. He didn’t know how, but he’d have to make Javier talk. Could he offer him money? The thought made Aiden feel dirtier than he already was. He wasn’t the sort of guy who bought someone like that. But he was also desperate. He needed to know why Justin died, did it matter if he hands got a little muddy in the process?

  “Let me show you something,” Brandy purred from the doorway. Her seductive tone instantly grabbed Aiden’s attention. He left his coffee and crumpled note and followed her into the living room.

  Brandy gestured proudly to the new item in the room; a piano.

  “Don’t you just love it?” she gushed.

  Aiden eyed the instrument and nodded. It was in dire need of painting but it retained some of its original splendor. It was easy to imagine it once having been in a grand hotel lobby or on the stage in some theatre. Now, after the years had taken their toll, it had found itself in Aiden’s home. Glancing around, Aiden had to admit that it fit in well. His entire home needed sprucing up. The new curtains and cushions did little to hide the faded wallpaper and cracked paint. Aiden made a decision there and then to be more committed to his home, to his life with Brandy.

  He’d smarten up the house, tidy the garden, do all the things he’d been meaning to do since he had first arrived in Avalon. He needed to stop chasing ghosts.

  “Are you okay?” Brandy touched his arm gently, her eyes wide and concerned.

  “I’m fine,” Aiden nodded. “Play something for me.”

  Brandy smiled and pulled up a nearby stool and sat at her piano. As the first warming rays of sunlight crept in across the floor, Brandy played a gentle, haunting melody. The music soothed Aiden’s tormented soul. Again he told himself that Justin was gone, that nothing he discovered about the night of his death could bring him back. It was time he focused on Avalon, on Brandy, on the promise he’d made to Edmond.

  Brandy continued to play and Aiden crept up behind her and placed his hands on her delicate shoulders. He could feel her muscles flexing as she manoeuvred her hands across the various keys.

  “You play beautifully.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, inhaling her sweet, alluring scent. Then he tenderly kissed her neck and Brandy ceased playing. She turned around and Aiden put his hand on the back of her head and drew her lips to his. When he kissed her she tasted of cinnamon and hope.

  The kiss deepened and Aiden’s hands hungrily felt their way down her body, savoring every curve. He reached the edge of her nightdress and hurriedly pulled it up. He pressed her against the piano, a dense note ringing out as Brandy landed upon the keys breathing hard.

  Aiden kissed her as his body became fevered with passion. He wanted to lose himself in her, to forget all about Justin, to momentarily unshackle himself from the guilt he felt over his death.

  Several more awkward notes rang out of the piano as the sun began to ascend in the sky.

  *

  Buck watched the rising dawn from the bleachers at the high school football field. He hadn’t slept that night, making the rugged lines around his eyes appear deeper than normal. He could see that the sky above was clear, that it was going to be another glorious day.

  Buck wiped a hand across his tired eyes and shivered. No matter how brightly the sun burned, he knew it couldn’t penetrate the shadow which had passed across Avalon. He could feel its darkness sinking into his old bones making them feel even more wearied; even more worthless.

  Exhaling deeply, Buck wished, as he so often did, for his brother. Samuel Fern was gone, forever resting within Avalon’s cemetery along with Edmond Copes, along with Brandon White. Buck missed his brother’s iron will. He had helped make Buck strong and without him Buck felt like the old sheriff he truly was. For so long he’d denied what he saw in the mirror, told himself he was still a force to be reckoned with. But Avalon was mocking him. Brandy had returned as if it was her home, as if it was her right to come back.

  Grimacing, Buck leaned to his left and spat. Even thinking of her left a bitter taste in his mouth. His throat still burned from the liquor he’d hungrily poured down it the previous night. Lately even whiskey couldn’t cure his insomnia the way it usually could.

  He looked back at the empty field. Soon it would be covered in high school kids attending football practice. Any one of them could be the next Brandon White, so the coach always said, but Buck knew better. He knew that lightning didn’t strike the same place twice. Avalon would never know another Brandon White.

  The sun did its best to warm Buck, but he resisted its charms. Instead he stood up, levelled his Stetson and began to walk back towards his waiting patrol car. His eyes, the color of storm clouds, glanced back briefly at the field. The grass looked so green and glorious, bathed in the early morning sunlight. But it wasn’t real, it was Astro Turf. Like so many things in Avalon, it was just a façade. Buck knew that the locals would welcome the sunshine, relish in its warmth, but he resented it as it would make the approaching storm seem even fiercer.

  Slowly, Buck returned to his car. His steps were heavy and reluctant. With one hand resting on the vehicle, he paused and took one last look at the field.

  “Something is coming,” he muttered to himself. The air around him almost sparked with energy. The storm would soon be there.

  Chapter Four

  Faces in the Shadows

  Aiden drove the short commute into work. The radio was playing the familiar country melodies which he had grown quite fond of and the kiss Brandy had planted on him before he departed still tingled on his lips. Everything was as it should be. It was just another Monday morning in Avalon and yet something felt off.

  Aiden wasn’t sure what it was. As he turned into the main road in town on which the offices of Copes and May were located, he glanced up at the ashen sky and shuddered. The sun had refused to come out that morning, allowing a chill to creep into the breeze. The air almost hummed with building intensity. Soon a storm would break. Aiden kept his eyes on the sky, was the change in weather enough to make him uneasy?

  His focus was abruptly diverted by the black estate car which pulled into the street a few yards behind him. Aiden glanced at it in his rear-view mirror and frowned. He couldn’t be sure, but he felt like he’d se
en the car before. A brief memory flickered in his mind; as he’d been driving out of his residential estate he’d seen a car idling by the road and thought nothing of it. Was the same car now driving into Avalon? Was he being followed?

  As Aiden parked up outside his offices, his feeling of unease deepened. He stood by his car, briefcase in hand, and paused for several seconds. Long enough to watch the estate car glide past, its windows blacked out showing Aiden only his concerned reflection rather than the identity of the driver.

  “Good morning, Aiden,” Betty offered brightly from where she was standing by the entrance to the offices, pulling Aiden out of his thoughts. Her hands were clasped formally over her purse, her silver hair as always neatly gathered at the nape of her neck in an immaculate bun.

  “Morning, Betty,” Aiden smiled in greeting, casting a swift glance towards the estate car which was now turning right at the end of the street.

  “Everything alright?” Betty enquired politely. “How was your trip?”

  “My trip?” Aiden was still gazing after the car. “Ah, yes, my trip,” he nodded and proceeded to unlock the door to the office.

  “My trip was a bit of a disappointment,” he admitted as he let them both in.

  “Well, you know what they say.” Betty pushed her glasses up before continuing so that they magnified her eyes rather than perching on the edge of her nose. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Betty delivered her words of wisdom with an air of authority and then briskly walked the short distance to her desk.

  “Yeah,” Aiden sighed lightly in agreement. He kept thinking about the car. It had to just be a coincidence, nothing more.

  *

  Meegan was sucking noisily on a lollipop as Isla admired the designer dresses in the store. She ran her hands along the colored silks of the gowns and had to suppress a giggle of excitement.

  In her purse there was a credit card which wasn’t her own. A card which had been given to her with the sole purpose of being used to purchase an outfit for the following evening. There was no limit to what she could spend.