by Christina OW
Carson placed a hand on her back and led her forward, “Just imagine it as red paint.”
Ellie wasn’t sure what to make of his gentleness, but she always knew his job was a priority to him. It’s all for his job, she thought to herself.
“These are the blood written poems,” Gwen said with a smirk, handing her the pictures. “Try not to puke all over them.”
She took them, fully aware of the woman’s hostility, “I painted my friend’s fabric for his fashion show. I used his and my blood, but mostly his. It was his lunatic way of making a stand on animal rights. I did it because I liked the idea of using unconventional material. Blood doesn’t make me squeamish, dead bodies do.”
Carson laughed behind her, at Gwen’s stiff un-amused face. He was glad Ellie stood up for herself, especially against Gwen. He liked it.
“What light were these pictures taken in?”
“You are here to decipher the poem, not analyze our ability to take pictures.”
Ellie looked up at her, irate. It took a lot more than a bad attitude to get under her skin, but the redhead was working her last nerve. She didn’t even know the woman!
“Gwen!” Carson warned, stepping closer to Ellie. He placed his hand on her waist, his fingers resting on the small bulge on her waist. Wow, this is real, he thought to himself, gently stroking the bulge with his fingers. “What has the light got to do with anything?”
Ellie smiled, glad Dale came to her defence, happier that he seemed to be getting used to the idea of being a dad, “Well, it has a milk-like appearance, probably diluted. It’s not dripping off the wall, which means it’s not fresh,” she swallowed hard, the image of the bloody bodies still in her mind, “And the writing is done in calligraphy, kind of old school.”
Picking up copies of the writing, “He used a feather pen?” Doran asked.
“Yes. And the guy must have mixed it with some powder for it to crack like that.”
“Wonderful.” Gwen coughed, tapping her foot impatiently. Ellie stared at her, her own impatience rising.
“She’s right, on all of it.” Kevin defended.
Ellie smiled at him, appreciative, “Anyway the poem is ‘Uphold true and fitting justice and maintain the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. Fitting recompense will always accrue for one’s actions'.” She held up the picture with the writings, “this one’s probably for a cop or a lawyer.” She placed it down and held up the next one and recited;
‘Violence will meet violence and evil pay back evil,’ this part is obvious but the next lines aren’t in any of the pictures. He or she must be holding it for himself, ‘but good will also come to those who do good. Walk the line of the Doombringer’s teachings, seeking retribution, but do not fall into the trap of pursuing evil acts for evil’s sake, for that way is seductive and leads only to one’s downfall.”
She held up the last picture, “Vengeance must be sought for all injustices, and all punishments must fit the crime.” She stopped, placing the last photo on the table.
“Is that the end of the poem?” Paloma asked.
“No. ‘Revenge is sweetest when it is sharpened with irony. All attacks must be avenged.’ This one,” she swallowed the lump in her throat, “must be horrific, a crude joke to him. ‘Those who do not respond to attacks against their person or that which they hold dear, only invite further attacks.' He’s going to die for being a constant victim,” she said, with disbelief, “What the hell is wrong with this guy?”
“It can be the smallest of things that make people snap like this.” Paloma said, giving her a gentle smile.
“So he’s some kind of vigilante?” Carson said, stepping away from her and pulled up the pictures. “Something must have happened that made him want retribution against everyone involved, even the victim who let it go on.”
“How about you wait for me to leave the room? It was nice meeting all of you.” She smiled and hurriedly left the room.
“Ellie wait!” Carson said running after her. She stopped, wishing she had walked quicker. He pulled her close and placed one hand on the side of her head, gently caressing her cheek with his thumb. He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly, but with longing, “I promise we’ll talk later. I’ll come to your apartment, I can visit Kris too. I haven’t seen her in weeks.”
She smiled. She didn’t want to get too excited, but she was happy. It was a step, “Her boyfriend moved in to protect her after I left so you can imagine the chaos.” She stepped into the elevator, “I hope you catch this guy.”
“Me too,” he waited for the doors to close before he went back in.
“It’s not bring-your-girlfriend-to-work day Carson,” Gwen reproached.
“Shut up, Gwen!”
“She looks prettier than the last time I saw her,” Audrey shrieked excitedly, “And by that kiss I’m sure it’s safe to say she’s realized the errors of her ways. You are one in a million, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to lose you.”
Carson’s wide grin showed exactly how happy he was, “Audrey. Undo what you did, please.”
She smiled, walking away, “Already done.”
“Audrey!” Carson half yelled, running after her, “I need to talk to you.” He held her arm and half dragged her behind him into his office. He closed the door behind them and began pacing anxiously, the news finally making its impact.
“Dale, is there anything you’d like to tell me?” She asked, following him with her eyes.
“Yes but I’m not sure. Isn’t it superstitious to tell people while it’s still early, you know like counting your chickens before they hatch?” He stopped for a second and stared at her, waiting for her answer.
Audrey wasn’t sure what to say. She had no idea what he was talking about and his pacing around like a headless chicken was beginning to worry her, “Well, it depends on what we are talking about.”
“Ellie is pregnant.” He spat out and waited.
Her eyes popped open. She froze, looking at him, mouth agape.
“That’s what I did and she didn’t like that very much.”
She shook her head, trying to clear it, “Okay. Okay. Let’s start from the beginning because I’m confused. When did you sleep with her?”
He went back to pacing, “The day she dumped me.”
“That’s fifteen weeks ago, there should be a bump or something. Does she seem heavier?”
“Her waist is a lot rounder than the last time I felt it. I put my hand on her belly,” he felt sweaty and breathing was becoming a chore for him, “He’s in there all right.”
“OMG!” she yelled, dancing around, “You are going to be a dad!” She jumped on him and hugged him tight, “I’ve got dibs on godmother.”
He laughed nervously, “So this is a good thing?”
Audrey held his face in the palms of her hands, “Dale Carson, you are thirty-six years old. It’s about time you spread your good genes around.”
“So it’s a good thing?”
She laughed, hugging him. “It’s a great thing!”
Chapter Nine
Carson drove to Ellie’s apartment, his mind still in a whirlwind. Possibly, falling in love wasn’t something he thought seriously about. When he was younger, yes he thought about it, he had it all planned- law school, his own practice, a wife and three kids- two boys and one girl- all by the age of forty. He’d have a wonderful marriage and give his kids the best childhood that he could. Just like his dad did, then things changed.
Practicing law didn’t seem as fun as getting into the minds of psychopaths and hunting them down. Going head to head with situations people only had nightmares about or watched in movies. Knowing that each day he went out on the job there was a fifty percent chance he would be back in a body bag. He had to admit, those odds gave him a rush nothing else could match up to. With everything he’d seen on the job, bringing children into the world at the risk they’d be tortured by one of the animals he hunted down, or leaving a widow behind, or becoming a widower
himself because of his job was something he wasn’t willing to put up to risk. The pain of losing a loved one isn’t something he would wish on anyone.
He was content being a bachelor for the rest of his life. But now, at the age of thirty-six, he had a girl he thought he loved and she was expecting their first child. A life he was frightened of living was becoming a reality.
He rang her doorbell, each hand holding snacks and foods he’d heard Richard complain about, having to drive to a twenty-four hour store in the middle of the night for his wife, and what Paloma used to stuff herself with at work.
Kris opened the door in her flannel shorts and red vest, “Good, you are finally here.”
Holding up the bags to her as he stepped in, “Hi. Long time no see. I brought pizza, burgers, chips, chocolates and ice cream. I wasn’t exactly sure what her cravings were.”
“You nailed it.” Kris took the bags from him and set them on the kitchen counter, “We barely have any food in the house since hurricane Ellie arrived four days ago,” she pulled four slices of pizza out of the box and put them on a plate.
“Did someone say something about food?” Seth, Kris’s blond headed boyfriend, appeared out of her room, “Hey man. So you are the lucky guy?” He nodded at Carson as he went to join Kris.
“Yeah, I guess I am,” Carson answered, staring at the duo. They looked like a pair of chaos judging by the way they went through his craving kit, “Where is Ellie?”
Kris hissed, “Speaking to the she-devil!”
Before he could inquire further, he turned to the soft padding of feet on the hardwood floor.
“Did someone say food?” Ellie walked out of her room, a jar of peanut butter in her hand and a spoon hanging loosely in her mouth. She pulled the spoon out of her mouth and just stared at Carson.
“Hi. I brought you something to eat,” he said, pointing at Kris and Seth.
“Hey, hands off. He brought that for me,” Ellie warned, pointing at them with a spoon.
“Once you refill the refrigerator, we’ll be happy to, until then,” Kris bit into a slice of pizza she was holding defiantly.
“Kris, did you call me a she-devil again?”
Instinctively, Carson’s head jerked in the direction of the voice, “Whoa!” She looked exactly like Ellie the first night they met.
“Ellsa, Dale. Dale, Ellsa.” Ellie quickly introduced them.
“She-devil, baby daddy. Baby daddy, she-devil,” Kris added.
Carson turned to Kris with an arched brow. She made no attempts to hide her distaste for Ellie’s twin.
“Don’t mind her. She’s bitter, with no ambition in life.” Ellsa spoke, pulling his attention.
He gave her a weary smile, as he did a quick assessment of her.
She dressed in designer labels right down to her shoes. Her hair was held back, giving her makeup accentuated face precedence. Her red lips matched her red purse and shoes contrasting well with her black cocktail dress. Her confidence that amused him: She knew she was attractive and had no problem letting that fact known.
But it was her eyes that unsettled him.
When Kris coughed and Ellsa’s lips parted in a seductive smile, he knew he’d been staring for too long.
“You look like you are going someplace fun.”
She moved to him, a subtle sway in her hips, “I was, but I think I’ll stay a while.” She put her hand on his arm and squeezed. Her lips formed a red O then she looked up at him, her brow raised and her lips back to a seductive smile. “Get to know you better.”
Carson heard Kris snort. He shifted his eyes to Ellie. All her attention was on the jar of peanut butter. She was the only one in the room oblivious to her twin’s tactless advances.
He gave her hand a brotherly pat and pushed it away from his arm, “Maybe another time. I’d like to spend some time with Ellie.”
She sighed, “Well it’s the least you could do. You did knock her up.”
That caught Ellie’s attention, “Excuse me? The least he could do? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ellsa huffed and rolled her eyes, “Let’s not pretend that baby is not an inconvenience.” She moved to Ellie and kissed her cheek, “All it did was trap you a man.”
Ellie stepped back, shock written all over her face, “You did not just say that!”
Ellsa shrugged and walked back to Carson, “Ugly way to keep a man sis.” With a bat of her eyelashes and a telling smile, she slid a card down his front pocket, taking the opportunity to feel out his chest, right down to his abs. She bit her lower lip and sighed, “Call me when you get tired of playing daddy.”
With a final gaze she called out, “Bye sis,” and left the apartment.
Seth whistled, “She’s something.”
“And then some,” Kris growled.
“Good night you two,” Kris dragged Seth into the living room. She stopped behind Carson, “One more thing,” she reached into his pocket and retrieved the card. ‘Don’t even think about it!’ then proceeded into her room.
Carson laughed, “Does your sister always do that? Hit on your boyfriend right in front of you?”
Ellie huffed, “It’s nothing. She’s just... it’s Ellsa being Ellsa.”
Nothing! Wow! He thought.
“I’m sorry if she made you uncomfortable.” Ellie was sincere and yet the apology sounded automated.
“You do that a lot, apologise for your sister?”
She nodded and laughed, “It’s become second nature to me. The minute she leaves the room, I find myself apologising to everyone, even if I wasn’t paying attention. Ellsa can’t be in a room for five minutes without offending someone... or everyone.”
He picked that up, but there was something else that nagged him about Ellsa.
They stayed quiet, just staring at each other, neither one of them too keen to take the first step to each other. It was Ellie who broke the silence, the scent of the burgers driving her border line insane with hunger. At the rate she was going, she was going to end up giving birth to a ten pound baby, “Can I get you anything?”
“Do you have anything to drink?” taking off his leather jacket and placing it on the couch, “preferably something with alcohol in it.” Ellie brought out two cans of beer and set it on the counter for him, “Wait, you are not drinking, are you?” he asked, taking a seat. As far as he knew, pregnant women didn’t drink.
“No. The two cans are for you. I figured you’d want to chase them one after the other,” she said, pulling a burger out of the bag and biting into it. She purred when the sauce touches her tongue.
Carson laughed, “Are you okay? Would you and that burger like some privacy?”
Ellie smiled embarrassed, “It’s not easy eating for two. Food just... I don’t know... it’s kind of like a lover.” She laughed, “I can’t believe I just said that.” She picked up her burger and moved to the couch, Carson followed. “The food I used to love, I now hate, and that I rarely ate, I now can’t live without.”
“Is that how you noticed you were pregnant?” he shifted his gaze between her face and her belly. He could clearly see her small bump with the tight white vest she had on.
She put her hand on her belly, “I thought I was stress eating and when I couldn’t fit into my skinny jeans, I went on a diet. Two days into it, I collapse in front of a class of fifty. Not my proudest moment.”
“Were you wearing a skirt or a pair of pants?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
His eyebrows arched upwards, “Really? You have to ask?”
She rolled her eyes, “I was wearing leggings. Anyway, I woke up to a smiling nurse looking down at me,” she laughed. “She freaked me out at first, but once I realised where I was, she yelled with this freakish high-pitch voice, ‘you’re pregnant!’ She went quiet for a while, smiling to herself, “I was frightened at first, but after a few days it felt.... right.”
Carson stared at her, soaking in her happiness. He was happy she was happy,
but he couldn’t help but worry. That was going to be his new role, “I’m happy you are happy.”
“But are you happy you’re going to be a dad?” She asked cautiously. She’d spent the day preparing herself for a bad reaction, but she still wasn’t sure if she would take it well. She was going to breathe through it, no matter what; she had Kris and Ellsa to help. Well... maybe not Ellsa.
“As hard as it is for my ego to admit, I’m scared and worried. There are so many bad things out there...”
“I’m not as worried. I googled the cases you guys have worked on and you have a good record.”
Carson smiled, such blind faith, “A good record doesn’t guarantee I’ll be able to protect you, or the baby if something bad happens.”
Ellie moved to him and laid her head on his chest, “Don’t think of the bad things. I think of the good things. And I think feeling like that is normal for dads.”
He wished it was that easy and normal, but it wasn’t. He put his arm around her and held her close, kissing the top of her head, “One step at a time. You want some ice cream?”
“Actually,” she pulled up and stared at him with an embarrassed look on her face, “Being pregnant is the weirdest thing,” she bit her lip, wondering if she should say something.
“What else, other than the insane cravings?” he tugged at her curly hair and watched as they sprang back to place.
“Another kind of craving,” she covered her face with her hands and giggled, “Oh God this is so embarrassing.”
“What?”
Standing up from the couch and going to the kitchen, “Forget it, I’ll just have an ice cream.” She pulled out a tub of ice cream from the freezer and opened it, digging up a full spoon of strawberry chocolate chip and putting it in her mouth.
He stood up and turned to her, “Wait, cravings?” With an arched brow his lips lifted in half a smile, “My kind of craving?”
She rolled her eyes and smiled shyly, “You are impossible!” She walked back to him, the tub of ice cream in her hand.
“Is it an insane craving?” he placed his hands on her round waist and pulled her to him, “Like you want me right now craving?”