by Jaime Maddox
No, the only way to spare Ella the grief that surely awaited her, and the only chance she had to ever have something with Ella, was to end it now. When this was all over, perhaps—if Ella could forgive her for lying about Steph—then they could pick up where they’d left off.
Reese hoped they could. Ella was the most amazing woman she’d ever met. She was beautiful. She was intelligent. She had a sense of humor. And she didn’t have to sell Cass to Ella. If anything, Cass had sold Reese.
If they’d just met a few months earlier and had a chance to get to know each other better before all of this started, their relationship would have stood a chance. Once Ella knew her, she’d have no doubt about Reese’s innocence. Reese would have been able to call her and talk about this, lean on her when she felt like collapsing. Like now.
If they’d met a few months later, all of this would have been behind her, and she’d have a funny tale to tell about the time she’d gotten mixed up in a murder investigation.
But they didn’t meet then, and they didn’t meet when. They’d met now, and Reese had to do one of the hardest things she’d ever done: say good-bye to someone special, again.
The light was on at Ella and Pip’s, and Reese parked in front, instead of in her parents’ driveway where she usually did. If her parents—or more likely, her sister—saw her, they’d wonder why she was visiting the neighbors. The thought made her happy she hadn’t shared any details about her evening with Ella. Since she hadn’t really told anyone they’d gone out, there was no one to tell when they stopped seeing each other.
Ella met her at the door, wearing the same pajamas she’d seen all week when they’d talked on the computer. “I know what you’re thinking,” Ella said. “But they’re clean. I washed them as soon as I got home this afternoon.”
The teasing banter made Reese want to cry, because it just reinforced Reese’s decision. She couldn’t be casual with Ella. She couldn’t “just be friends” because Ella constantly made her laugh, touched her in a way few others had the ability to do.
“It’s a good thing,” Reese said. “I was a little nervous when I saw you.”
Ella grabbed her hand, pulled her inside, and closed the door behind her. “We’re letting in the cold.”
Reese tried to summon her courage. The best way to do this was quickly, but somehow, she couldn’t. Her feelings for Ella were too significant to blow her off in the hallway by the front door. Hell, it would have been better to send her a text.
“Can we talk?” Reese asked.
Ella looked at her, concern on her face. “Of course. Is everything all right?”
“It’s going to be okay,” she said, remembering what her lawyer had said earlier that day. Was it just this morning she’d run from the DA’s office to Bucky’s, only to be kicked out the door and into Gina Leone’s? It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Ella ushered her into the living room, where the couch was positioned in front of the large stone fireplace. It had been outfitted with a gas insert, and a fire danced across the faux logs behind the glass screen.
“Sit, here. Can I get you a drink?”
Reese meant to say no, to do this quickly, but she couldn’t. She just didn’t want to say good-bye to Ella, knowing how much she’d miss her when she did. They’d known each other for less than a month, but in that short time Ella had risen to an important place in the small circle of friends in her life. “Yes, sure. That’d be great.”
“What would you like? Water? Or how about coffee? It’ll keep you awake for your shift.”
Reese nodded. “Perfect.”
“Cream? Sugar?”
“Both, please.”
“I’ll be back in a snap,” she said, and when she left, Reese closed her eyes and leaned back into the buttery soft leather of the couch.
This is so fucking hard, Reese thought, and she fought tears of self-pity while she mentally rehearsed this speech once again.
“Here you go,” Ella said, handing her a large PMU mug. “You really look tired, Reese. Are you getting sick?”
“No, I’m not sick,” she said as she sipped the coffee. “This is perfect, Ella. Thank you.” Reese turned her head and looked at her. Her tan had faded a little, even as her blond hair had darkened, but the brown eyes staring back at her were the same shade of chocolate that always pulled her in. The connection made Reese even more nervous, made her hate herself for what she was doing, not just to herself, but to Ella as well.
“What is it, Reese? You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m sorry. I just…I have to cancel our date. We’re supposed to go out on Saturday after Cass’s party, but I can’t do it. I can’t date you. I can’t date anyone, really, not just you.” Reese looked at Ella and saw a jumble of expressions. Fear, confusion, sadness.
“What? Why?”
Reese struggled to remember what she was supposed to say now. Had Ella asked questions when she rehearsed this in her mind?
“I’m sorry, Ella. You are the sweetest, funniest woman I’ve ever met. I would love more than anything to follow this attraction I have for you…because I think you’re feeling the connection, too. It’s just not a good time for me.”
Ella shook her head. “What does that mean? Last night seemed like a fine time. What changed in twenty-four hours?”
How could Reese explain what was going on without betraying Steph? Was it possible? If she told Ella about the investigation, surely her first question would be the one she couldn’t answer. Had Reese and Steph been lovers? It was the question everyone would soon be asking, and Reese still wasn’t sure how she would answer. If Sophie had asked when Reese was there earlier, she would have told her the truth. Everyone else, she’d ignore, just as her lawyer had suggested. When she was under oath…Reese still wasn’t sure how she’d handle that. She just wasn’t ready to out Steph, and the only way to keep her safely in the closet was to avoid the question. She could do that with everyone on the planet except Ella.
“I just realized that with everything going on in my life, it would be a bad time to start a new relationship.”
“What’s going on in your life? What aren’t you telling me? Are you getting sued for malpractice? Is someone in your family sick? What’s wrong, Reese?”
Reese swallowed her coffee and put her mug on the coffee table, and then she stood. Swallowing her sadness was much harder. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t stay here and listen to Ella without crumbling. “I have to go.”
Rushing to the door, Reese didn’t give Ella a chance to come after her. To her credit, Ella was still sitting on the couch when Reese closed the door behind her.
Chapter 21: The End of the Loose End
It had been a long week. After Reese walked out, Ella had sat in front of the fire for hours, too numb to even think. Sure, they’d been friends for only a few weeks and hadn’t even really been on a date, but it was sure heading in that direction. They actually had a date scheduled, for after Cass’s party. They’d kissed, sort of. They’d talked and texted and FaceTimed. Reese had seen her with wet hair and no makeup! This was as serious as Ella had been in a long, long time.
That was precisely why she was married to her job. In development, the team set goals and worked toward them. If her individual goal was to raise a million dollars, and the team goal five million, she knew she had to call on a hundred donors to reach the mark. She needed to travel, host parties, eat way too many high-calorie dinners. But it was all pretty cut-and-dried in the end. People were either philanthropic, or they weren’t. They gave or they didn’t call her back. She understood that. It was the way it worked.
Women, though, were too difficult to figure out. It had been going great with Reese. For the first time in ages she’d looked forward to talking to someone. She saw a future. Reese’s job was so demanding that she understood Ella’s crazy hours and need to travel. They were both Phillies fans, which was huge. In 2009, she’d been dating a Yankees fan, and when their respective teams faced each ot
her in the World Series, that had been the end of them. Reese seemed so easy-going and pleasant all the time, she was smart and funny, and Ella couldn’t help but thinking of what might happen with them.
And then boom. The “I don’t want to see you anymore” came out of nowhere. At least it wasn’t an “I just want to be friends,” because Ella wouldn’t have been able to handle that. How could she, when she spent every moment she was with Reese thinking about kissing her, wondering how soft her skin was, longing to hold her close and smell her scent. And every moment they weren’t together was filled with thoughts of Reese. Ella had fallen hard and fast, and she felt bruised and battered.
At least the sun was shining, she thought as she put the top down on her convertible. On the way home, she took the scenic route and stopped at Riccardo’s Market in Dunmore, picking up a few things for the weekend. Her instinct was to skip Cass’s party, to take off for Philly and spend a couple of nights with friends and forget about Reese. But Cass wasn’t aware of the rift between Ella and Reese, still came over twice a day, and all she talked about was her party. Every time she saw Ella, she reminded Ella to bring a jacket, because it’s windy at Roba’s, and to wear old shoes, in case of mud.
The rain had held off, but not the gloom. If only Ella could convince herself that Reese was a jerk and just forget about her, it would be easier. Maybe after the party. She had to see her there, but after that, they might never meet again. She’d called Doug, the realtor, and was going to talk to him at the party as well, in the hopes that she might find something soon so she could finally get settled. Moving away from Reese’s family surely had to be a good thing. Although she’d miss Sharon and Cass, at least they wouldn’t constantly remind her of what might have been with Reese.
Turning right out of the parking lot, Ella soon found herself on the crowded streets of the hill section, heading toward Nay Aug Park and home. When she reached the stop sign, she looked both ways, startled when she recognized the man walking briskly toward the park. Not that he didn’t have the right to be there; it was a public park, after all. But his head was down, and he hurried as if avoiding people. If it wasn’t for the blue hat with the green Phillies P, she wouldn’t have realized she was seeing the same man who’d recently visited the Ryans.
He crossed before her, and she traveled through the intersection and then turned left and right and into the driveway. After parking in the garage, she carried her bag inside. Pip’s car was gone, and Ella wondered if Pip was avoiding her, so as to not make Ella feel uncomfortable about her sudden return to town. In her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and opened the balcony door and walked out. Maybe a walk in the park would help her relax. Or better yet, she’d take a blanket and sit under a tree and read. It was nearly seventy degrees outside, and in the middle of September, a day like this was a blessing. She turned to go back inside when she saw him again, entering the park near the pool.
If she saw him on her trek through Nay Aug, she’d say hello. He was one of the many alums she’d met at the golf tournament, and she wasn’t sure if he’d remember her, but that didn’t matter. It was her job to know him, not vice versa.
After pulling on a pair of denim capri pants and T-shirt, then her sneakers, she grabbed her blanket and her book and set off for the gorge.
* * *
On television, arranging a murder looks so easy. He hadn’t found that to be the case in real life. Making discreet inquiries about who might be able to do such a job hadn’t been a simple matter, and after a dozen phone calls and ten thousand dollars, he’d finally found someone willing to kill Cass Ryan before she could blow his alibi.
Doing it himself wasn’t an option. First of all, there would be witnesses. Cass didn’t leave the house unattended except to go to the park, and even when the park wasn’t busy, people were coming and going from the hospital, the nursery, or the Everhart Museum. He couldn’t take that chance. And he had to think about his conscience as well. After more than twenty years, Steph’s murder still haunted him, and that had been an accident. How would he feel about Cass? He was sure it would be just as bad, although in this case, it was either her or him. That made it a little easier to handle.
He sat on a bench just inside the park, pretending to read his phone but really watching the entrance. They’d planned for the man to lure Cass to the park and then push her into the gorge, where she’d be pulled under the waters of Roaring Brook and drown. Even strong swimmers couldn’t handle the powerful current in the gorge; Cass had no hope.
He’d read that drowning was a horrible way to die, that people were very afraid as they clawed their way helplessly toward the surface of the lake or stream, desperate for a breath of life-saving air. It was sad to think of Cass suffering like that, but it was really the best way. It would look like an accident, and no one would ask questions. Besides, with Cass’s disabilities, she might not even understand what was happening. It might not be so bad.
He was sitting, waiting and watching, when he saw her. Not Cass, running frantically toward the park in search of the neighbor’s little poodle. It was Ella Townes, the woman from PMU. He’d met her at the golf tournament and was sure she’d recognize him if she saw him. She was on her phone and hadn’t yet noticed him, so he stood and rushed deeper into the park, hopefully away from the direction she was taking. If only he knew which way that was.
A minute later, he saw Ella disappear around the corner near the old coal mine, by the museum. Good, he thought. She wouldn’t be anywhere near the gorge.
* * *
Ella closed her phone as she rounded the corner by the museum and then began power-walking. The talk with her mom, who was too busy playing golf to give her any sound advice, was exactly what she needed. Proof that she could rely on no one and had to look out for herself. It was just as she’d always known, but she had to admit that it still stung. Reese had gotten to her, made her care. It would take a little time to undo that mistake, but she would, and in the end, everything would be fine. She’d be fine.
Remembering her thought that she’d never meet any interesting women in the mountains, Ella laughed. If she’d met one, chances were she’d meet another. And if not—well, she always had work.
She caught the walking path on the edge of the park, near the greenhouse, and in ten minutes she’d made her way to a secluded section of cliff overlooking the gorge. It was loud, and Ella wondered if it was the right spot to be in. Something a little quieter might be better, but then she shook her head, tossed her blanket over the rocks, and leaned up against the wall of rock behind her. After opening her book she began to read, and before long, the roar of Roaring Brook was just background noise.
A few minutes later, a group of Scouts walked by. “Nice day to be out,” one of the adult leaders, an attractive woman dressed in scouting T-shirt and shorts, said with a smile. A rather flirty smile, Ella thought. See, there are lots of other women in the mountains, she said to herself before answering.
“It sure is. Out for a hike?”
“Yes. The boys have hiking requirements to advance in rank, and this is a beautiful spot.”
“One of my favorites.”
She had stopped to talk, but the rest of her troop marched on, and she looked at their backs and waved. “I’d better catch up,” she said with a smile.
Definitely flirting, Ella thought as she watched a perfectly shaped body walk down toward the stream.
“All right!” she said and fist-pumped the air. She’d never been much of a scout kind of girl—camping, for instance, sounded totally like torture—but she did love the outdoors. A relationship with a scouty kind of woman could bring all kinds of new adventures with it.
With a contented sigh, she turned back to her book.
* * *
It was a bad idea to come here, he thought as he glanced at his watch. It was after four o’clock, he’d been gone from his office for more than an hour, and eventually someone would wonder where he was. He wanted to be here, though, to ma
ke sure the job got done right, and at this point, it was too late to back out. He supposed he could just climb into his car and go home, but then what? More hours of waiting to find out what happened. This way, he’d know right away.
He’d repositioned himself far enough away from the Arthur Avenue entrance that he could make his way to the gorge to watch, but close enough that he could still see her when she entered the park. If she came at all. Knowing Cass, she might be asking his guy for an ID or checking with her mother before she came to rescue the dog. In that case, the guy was instructed to abort the mission while he figured out plan B.
Just when he thought of going home, he saw her, running with that awkward waddle of hers. A car almost did him a favor by hitting her but braked in time as Cass edged by and into the park. Turning toward the gorge, he began striding along, checking over his shoulder to see if Cass was being followed. Sure enough, his guy was a few yards behind her. More importantly, no one else was on their tail. Making his way to the tree house, he walked on the circuitous gangway and out onto the overlook, where he could see the water below.
* * *
Ella paused from her book to take a sip from the water bottle in her bag. To her surprise, she’d been able to forget about Reese for a little while as she got lost in her novel, a work of fiction by a new lesbian author. The story was about a woman who bought a condo in an all-lesbian community in Staten Island, and Ella found herself wondering if she should buy property there, instead of in Scranton. There must be a college in Staten Island, right? She could always find a new job, right? Look how easy it had been at PMU.
Falling rocks bouncing off the façade of the cliff above the water caused Ella to look up. At times, the path was very close to the edge, and it wasn’t paved, so it wasn’t unusual to see someone slip and send loose gravel skidding. She was startled not to see just anyone, but Cass, leaning far over the railing on the level above. Before she could warn her to be careful, a stocky man wearing a dark baseball cap and jersey shoved Cass forward.