The door slid open and Patrick approached them with a champagne glass in each hand. “Champagne, anyone?”
“Just in the nick of time. I was starting to feel a little parched.” Sam took the proffered glass, lifting the effervescent liquid to her lips. Todd appeared from the cabin champagne glass in hand, and joined them at the rail.
Patrick removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. “Does anyone feel like a swim before lunch? Sharon and I are going in.”
“Sure. Give me a few minutes to change. Do you feel like a swim, Todd? How about you, Sam?” Chloe picked up her beach bag.
Sam slipped her arm around both Chloe’s and Todd’s shoulders, and turned to Todd. “I’m pleased to see you are both looking happier than I have seen in a long time. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Todd’s smile reached eyes full of mischief.
“Yeah, I’ll second that. You’re not so much of a grouch since Chloe came back. And for that I am eternally grateful.” Patrick slapped his brother on the back, winked at Chloe, and went off in search of Sharon.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The setting sun cast an orange glow over the bay, and in turn slowed down the frenetic pace of Melbourne’s bayside population by the time they made their way back to Port Melbourne. Todd reached over the seat and took Chloe’s warm hand in his, stroking the back of it with his thumb. The atmosphere inside the car hummed with anticipation. Tonight we’re on the same track at last. He couldn’t wait to get Chloe back home and alone, to share his thoughts on how they could spend the rest of their evening together.
As they rounded the bend in the road from St Kilda, they could see the sky lit up ahead of them. The light appeared to be coming from a large bonfire on the beach. It wasn’t until they drove closer they realised the source wasn’t on the beach but across from the beach. Not a bonfire but a house fire. Chloe’s house!
Dense smoke billowed from the windows, and bright tangerine and yellow flames leapt into the darkening sky. Sparks and soot rained down on the surrounding gardens and left them in no doubt about the ferocity of the blaze.
“Oh my God, my house!” Chloe cried out, and tried to get out as the car inched nearer through the slowly moving traffic.
“Wait, Chloe. They’ve blocked off the road!” Todd yelled at her through the open passenger door. He pulled over to the kerb and hurried after her, locking the car with the remote as he ran.
A fireman stood by the gate, issuing instructions to his crew, his face covered in black soot. He grabbed her arm as she tried to push past him. “Ma’am, you can’t go in there. Get back behind the tape.” He motioned to a policewoman on the footpath to come and restrain Chloe.
Todd intervened, shook his head as the policewoman came forwards, and grasped Chloe by the elbow, easing her away from the heat and smoke.
“Chloe, do as they say and come back over here, please. Let them do their job. You can’t help them.” He tugged her arm, encouraging her to move until they stood well away from the majority of the falling debris. They watched, horrified, as the fire took hold of the upper level and the roof collapsed, folding in on what remained of the weatherboard and brick structure.
“All my things, my clothes, my father’s furniture and keepsakes. Photos … Oh my God, the renovation, Todd. All our hard work. Gone!” The tears began to fall, and she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
“It’s only a house, Chloe, and they are only material possessions. The most precious thing in that house is you and you are safe. That’s all that matters. You are safe. Insurance will cover everything else.”
She lifted her face to look at him and brushed away her tears. She saw concern etched into his features.
“Why are the police here?” Chloe turned and asked the fireman who had appeared beside them. “Who is in charge? Why are the police here?”
“Is this your house, ma’am? The policeman over there would like to talk to you.”
Chloe and Todd approached a policeman who was deep in conversation with another man with his back towards them. “You wanted to talk to me. This is … was … my house.”
The man dressed in a dark suit finished his conversation, turned and scrutinised Todd and Chloe. “I’m Detective Blake. And you are …?”
“Chloe Armstrong. And this is Todd Baker.”
“I’m sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but your partner couldn’t be saved. We got him out before the roof collapsed in the rear of the building, but we couldn’t resuscitate him. Smoke inhalation probably. The firemen said it looked like the fire started with a lit cigarette. He had probably passed out on the couch. There were bottles of alchol in the vicinity of the body.
“My partner?” Chloe announced incredulously. “I don’t have a partner. There shouldn’t have been anyone in my house.”
“Chloe, what about Paul?” Todd turned to the detective. “We had an incident last night. Miss Armstrong was assaulted at home and the man responsible was arrested. He was very angry and upset when he was being taken away. He made threats. It wouldn’t surprise me if he came back. Can you check if he is still in custody?”
“Give me a minute. Wait here.” He strode off to issue instructions to the officer in the police car, who in turn made a call. He returned a few minutes later.
“It seems he was allowed to leave the lock-up. His employer posted bail this morning.”
“He must have come back. He didn’t look like the kind of man who would take kindly to being told to stay away,” Todd explained to the detective.
“Where were you today?” Detective Blake asked.
“We were out on the bay all day. We were with several others. They can corroborate our whereabouts.” Todd answered, anticipating the reason for the enquiry.
“You surely don’t think we had anything to do with this. Why would I burn down my own house? You’re crazy …” Chloe stopped as Todd wrapped his hand around her upper arm and gently squeezed.
“They’re just asking routine questions. No one is accusing us of doing anything. Isn’t that right, detective?”
“So you think he came back here? And when you weren’t home, he broke in to wait. Is that what you’re telling me?” Detective Blake raised an eyebrow.
“That is the only explanation I have. I expect you will check his ID. If it is indeed who we think it is, the officers who attended the house after my triple-0 call can testify how furious and obnoxious he was last night. He made threats, as I have already explained. The police officers would endorse that fact.” Todd said.
Chloe laid her head on Todd’s chest. “What am I going to do?”
“You’re coming home with me tonight. Let’s take this one step at a time, okay.” He turned to the detective. “Do you need anything further from us? Miss Armstrong has had a shock and I think we should go back to my apartment.”
“Leave your details with the officer over there. I’ll call you in the morning. Someone is going to have to identify the body.” Detective Blake looked from Todd to Chloe.
“I think it’s best if I do it, don’t you?” Todd looked at Chloe, who nodded, her relief evident in her expression.
Todd pulled out his wallet and handed the police officer a business card. He kept his arm around Chloe’s shoulders as he walked her to the car. The evening had taken on a surreal quality. His body continued to go through the motions, but his mind had trouble coming to terms with the finality of the house fire, and what this would mean for Chloe. What this would mean for them both.
It had been no surprise to learn Paul had been the cause of this dreadful act of arson. Breaking in had backfired badly. He had paid for it with his life.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The sun crept over the balcony, warming the solitary figure huddled on the lounge chair in the corner. The cotton blanket had seemed like a good idea at 5 am, but had done little to protect Chloe fr
om the early morning chill.
Sleep had eluded her. Worry and fear for the future had caused her to toss and turn all night. Exhausted, she had given up the struggle and decided the city view might be better than staring at the ceiling in Todd’s bedroom. Her gaze fell on the lights blinking on in the buildings around her. Neighbours were going about their business; starting their day. What will I do now? Should I return to Paris?
The balcony door slid open and Todd appeared with two cups of coffee and another blanket under his arm. He put down the cups and tucked the blanket around her legs.
“I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Here, this’ll warm you up, you look a little blue.” Todd held out the mug of steaming coffee.
“Thanks. You must’ve read my mind.” Chloe wrapped her hands around the cup and sipped the contents. “I couldn’t sleep. I keep going over the scene of the fire in my head. I can’t believe it’s all gone. Even if we find anything in the ruins, I can’t think anything will be worth saving, with the smoke and water damage.”
“What about important papers? Birth certificates, passports etc.”
“They were in the safe. Do you think they will allow me to retrieve it? Hopefully they will still be intact?” She leant forwards and cast him a hopeful look.
“We can ask at the police station. If they say it’s okay, we can go and take a look later. Patrick can bring his ute to transport it back to the office, and we can attempt to open it. I presume it was firesafe.”
“I have no clothes, no possessions, other than what I had with me yesterday. I’ll have to go shopping to buy something else to wear.
“Chloe, I’m here for you. I presume you have your credit cards in your wallet, but if you need cash just let me know. Whatever you need, just tell me and it’s yours. You still have your car. Unbelievable when you think about it. Lucky it was parked down the street yesterday. You know you have a home here. I want you to stay. The Portsea house will be ready soon so you can start work on furnishing it. That will keep you busy.” Todd sat on the side of the lounge and reached out to lift her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “So that’s clothes, a car, a roof over your head and a job taken care of. What else do you need … oh yes … someone to love you … that would be me.”
“I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I just feel lost. I can’t believe it’s gone. It seems like everything has gone wrong since I came back to live in Australia. My father died, I had another fall, my ex-boyfriend assaulted me and now my house has been burnt to the ground, and he’s dead.”
“You’re dwelling on all the negatives. What about the positives?”
“The positives?”
“I’d like to think I was a positive in your life.” Todd said quietly. “Then there is Samantha and Malcolm, and Patrick. We have all come into your life in the last year. We all love you.”
“You must think me very ungrateful. I didn’t mean to dismiss you all, especially not you, Todd. I just never thought that at my age I would have nothing but the clothes I am wearing.”
“Correction. Those are my shorts and T-shirt. “ Todd plucked at the cotton fabric. “I’m trying to lighten the mood. Not buying it, are you?” He moved a little nearer to her.
“I was thinking that maybe I should go back to Paris.” Tears welled up in her eyes, and fell, leaving streaks of silver on her cheeks in the early morning light.
“What! Why would you do that?” He brushed each tear away with his thumb. “Chloe, I love you and I want you to stay here with me and give us a chance. Am I so hard to live with? Tell you what, give it another month … that’s all I am asking … one month. Then if you still feel the same way, if I can’t convince you to stay with me, I will drive you to the airport myself, and say so long, it’s been nice knowing you. Deal?”
“Why do you put up with me? What on earth do you see in me? I’ve been nothing but trouble to you ever since you met me.” A slow trickle of tears continued to fall. “And before you answer that, I know I am feeling sorry for myself.”
Todd leaned in towards her. “I see a strong, beautiful, talented woman, who just needs to be shown that the right man in her life could offer all sorts of possibilities. I see a future for us, if only you will open up to the fact that I want to take care of you, not take away your independence. I love you. I think you love me too; you’re just a little scared to admit it. One day I hope to be down on bended knee when I say that.”
Chloe’s heart stuttered in her chest. On bended knee? He wants to propose? She brushed away the tears, ducked her head and sipped the coffee while her mind tried to grasp the possibility. He wants to marry me! At any other time in her life she would have tried to run away from this scenario. The overwhelming anxiety she had experienced in the past did not flood her body, did not bring on the sharp pains in her stomach. This was a new feeling. Anxious? Excited? Yes, she was anxious but a little excited by the fact that someone actually wanted to marry her. She took a few minutes to consder the idea of marrying Todd. She blushed.
“Are you going to say something? Or have I shocked you into silence?”
“I’m a little shocked, yes. I’m running the idea through my mind. Processing it. In the past I would have run from such a statement.”
“But now …” Todd reached out and took her hand.“Tell me how you feel now.”
“I’m thrown a little off balance by this to tell you the truth. I had no idea you felt this way. But a little excited too.” Chloe squeezed his hand. “That’s a start, isn’t it?”
“Yes. That is definitely a start. What do you think caused the change of heart?”
“When you stood up to Paul, I didn’t feel so afraid or so alone any more. And now that he’s gone, I don’t feel as overwhelmed by my past.”
“And that’s a good thing, Maybe now you can start to let go of all the bad memories. Lock them up tight and throw away the key. A new beginning?”
“I really hope so. And while we’re on the subject of Paul. I can’t remember if I have to go and identify the body? “
“No. I will take care of that for you, if you’ll let me.” Todd pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. He kissed the top of her head. “I’d better get ready for work. I’ll have to switch some things around this morning if I’m going to the police station. I’ll call you when I know the time, and pick you up. You can’t get out of making a statement, I’m afraid.”
Todd picked up the empty coffee mugs and disappeared inside, sliding the balcony door closed behind him. Chloe drew up her legs and clasped her arms around her knees, hugging them to her chest. The thought of the trip to the police station and answering endless questions made her want to disappear into herself. It frightened her to talk about Paul, but she had Todd now, and very soon it would all be over. He said he would be there with her; he wouldn’t let her do this on her own. She realised how lucky she was. For the first time in a very long time, someone cared enough about her. He even wants to marry me.
However, the million dollar question running around in her brain was did she want to marry Todd?
The visit to the police station had been easier than she imagined it would be. After some routine questions, Todd disappeared to identify the body in the morgue while she had a cup of coffee with Detective Blake. They were back in the car in a little under an hour, and heading for the Port Melbourne office.
As they entered, Daniel and Samantha stopped their conversation mid-sentence, their eyes full of concern and sympathy. Samantha approached Chloe and gave her a hug. Daniel headed for the kitchen muttering something about making coffee, but obviously happy to be leaving an uncomfortable emotional situation, and the possibility of weeping women.
“You poor thing. How awful for you. I couldn’t believe it when Todd called to tell me. Neither could Malcolm.” Samantha held Chloe at arm’s length, scrutinising her face, trying to determine how much damage had been done. “You should have called me. I would have come straight over.”
“Than
ks Sam. There was nothing you could’ve done. Nothing anyone could’ve done. It was nearly all gone by the time we got back to Port Melbourne.” Chloe squeezed Sam’s hand.
“So there’s nothing left? You couldn’t save anything?”
Chloe shook her head wordlessly.
“How about I take you clothes shopping this afternoon. You’ll need some basic outfits to get you started. Daniel can look after the office for a couple of hours. What do you think, Todd?”
“That’s a great idea, Sam. I was going to go with her, but I think you would be better suited to the task.” Todd removed his Amex card from his wallet and gave it to Samantha. “I know Chloe will try to refuse, but I trust you know how to spend a man’s money, Sam. Buy something pretty from me. Enjoy.”
“You know me well.” Sam tucked the credit card into her pocket.
“You can go now if you like. I’ll be here. Daniel and I can hold down the fort.”
“You heard the man. Let’s go. I have a credit card that’s dying for a full workout. That’s what you meant, wasn’t it?” Samantha asked. She winked cheekily at Todd.
“I trust you won’t bankrupt me.” Todd turned towards the door as a distinguished elderly gentleman entered. He offered the man a seat in his office, and gave Chloe and Samantha a thumbs-up sign as they prepared to leave.
“I’m thinking of going back to Paris.”
“Why? And before you answer that, does Todd know you are thinking of leaving again?” Samantha pulled up at the traffic lights, and stared at Chloe. “I don’t understand. You have been getting back on track with Todd. I could see it out on the yacht, so don’t deny it.”
“Yes, but after everything that’s happened … and now this. I am bad luck. I must’ve smashed a few mirrors to have this much bad luck.”
“I don’t buy it. Sure you’ve had some bad luck lately. But that does not mean to say you are bad luck. And you were not to blame for your house going up in flames. That was down to someone else. Not to speak ill of the dead, but that guy was going to cause more trouble for you if he was still around, Chloe. Think yourself lucky you were not in the house when he decided to break in. I bet Todd is thinking the same thing.”
From Paris to Forever Page 18