by Hoy, E. S
“Shit Izzy go on hurry up, Sue get Tara away from here as fast as you can and call for help,” she could see Sue and Tara stumbling away, it would take them forever at that pace. Eve needed to buy them some time and jumped off the crate.
“Eve what are you doing? get up here now hurry” Eve stood resolutely as the door above her creaked open
“Go Izzy I will stall him and buy you some time, get help he won’t hurt me he loves me” Izzy was looking through the gap
“Jesus Eve you don’t know the whole story; you can’t trust him, he will do anything to protect himself” It was too late he was already half way down the stairs. Reluctantly her sister turned and ran away. Eve stood in the centre of the room to face him, this man had to answer her questions and she wouldn’t leave until he did.
Chapter 20
Michael paused the moment he saw Eve, his eyes scanned the darkness wildly then fell back to her.
“They’ve gone Michael, apart from Paul; he’s not going anywhere anymore is he?” She was hoping to keep the conversation calm as possible so he didn’t panic.
“Eve; what a pleasant surprise, how did you find your way in here? Isabella I presume I assume. She has always been a slippery creature; I guess we don’t have very long then do we?” Eve looked into the man’s eyes, the first time she had met him a micro expression had disturbed her, and he had masked it well. Now the mask was gone and all that remained was the manic expression that chilled her to the bone. The man was psychotic, it was plain to see that now; he had been a better actor than she could ever hope to be. The puzzle began to click together in her mind, Leila, Rory and Tara. Little details now seemed huge, the missing pages in her mums diary; he must have ripped them out himself. The fact he had been waiting for someone to move in to her parents’ home, had he known about her all along?
“I want to know the truth father, everything from the beginning” the term came out of her mouth like an expletive but Michael was visibly moved, it had been the first time she had used it when addressing him. Michael frowned shaking his head
“You will despise me Eve, I can’t tell you everything. I love you Eve isn’t that all that matters, everything I did was for you. I can’t lose you now Eve promise me you won’t hate me” Eve closed her eyes in horror but tried not to flinch as he reached out to touch her face.
“I promise I will not hate you as long as you tell me the whole truth” she reluctantly took his hand to show she meant it. Michael released her and began his story from the day Eve had left home.
“I came back to see Leila like I told you, I heard from an old parishioner that there was a little girl in the house. I guessed that she had to be my daughter; I wanted answers but Ian wouldn’t let me near her I didn’t know at that point Izzy had taken you away. So Leila arranged to meet me in secret while Ian was at work. We met in the garage, she told me she had sent Isabella away and she was going to report me for harassment and she would never tell me where you had gone. I didn’t mean to kill her but she made me so angry I picked up the hammer and just hit her.” Eve remembered finding the hammer
“You snatched the hammer off me to explain why your prints were on it didn’t you” Michael shook his head
“No I was wearing gloves so your fathers prints were on the hammer not mine at all; I grabbed the hammer off you so you didn’t rub his off.” Eve recalled the moment and felt stupid he had grabbed it with his left hand too. Michael was left handed, and she had known that but not registered it, all the times she noticed he held his phone the wrong side. She was angry with herself
“You bricked her in, how did you get away with that?” Michael smiled cruelly
“I waited for Ian I showed him what I had done and waked away, his prints were on the murder weapon I was a man of the cloth, untouchable. I didn’t think he would leave her there to be discovered; I had no idea what he had done with the body, the fool. I never for one moment thought he would live there all these years with her body rotting away next door. He drank himself to death then, he couldn’t handle it. No spine that man, never dealt with things like a real man.” Eve was sickened by the idea the man she had thought of as her father had lived with his wife’s body for so long, no wonder her soul was tormented.
“What about Rory Tara said you killed him too” Eve wasn’t done she wanted it all; the police would get the truth from her if it was the last thing she ever did. She gasped at another piece of puzzle.
“Freud! You killed a helpless little cat too? How could you, Izzy found it that day, she must have seen you dump his body?”
“Freud was a pest, stupid cat I snapped its neck I hate animals and you stroked it all the time, gave it more affection than you did me” Eve recoiled, he continued “Rory I killed for you, he was going to hurt you I couldn’t allow that, no man would come between me and my daughter ever” A horrid thought crossed her mind
“You were away that day Nathan was attacked, you rang him to warn him off and the next day he was in hospital. That was you too wasn’t it? Oh my God you are insane; you suddenly liked him again why? He suddenly met your approval because of the baby why?” A sickening smirk lit up his face; she couldn’t ever understand why she had ever thought good of him. Over his shoulder she spotted Izzy carefully walking down the cellar stairs holding a walking stick, she must know help was on the way she kept him talking.
“Babies are a gift from God, especially little girls, I love tiny perfect girls. I wished I could have held you in my arms. To have a second chance with a new life to love and hold, it was worth allowing him to live.” He really was deranged but there was something else there she couldn’t put her finger on. If all he wanted was to be a good father why kill Leila if she was the only person who could lead him to Eve.
“You wanted me so badly why kill my mother, I was nine years old you should have made her tell you so you could come and find me I don’t understand?” Izzy’s face changed as she came up behind him
“Tell her why you wanted to find your little girl, you arsehole” Michael span around in surprise he reached out to grab the stick off her and it flew out of her hand scuttling across the floor. Izzy screamed as Michaels hands went around her throat. In a panic Eve searched the darkness for a weapon
“Shut up Izzy don’t you dare speak unholy words to me, don’t you speak to my daughter ever again” Eve could see Izzy struggling for breath so she grabbed at a piece of wood near her foot and swung with all her might striking the back of his head with a crack. Michael instantly released Izzy who crumpled to the floor moaning. Michael stared at Eve in disbelief, he reached out to her then his eyes rolled backwards and he dropped like a stone.
Eve gasped for breath fighting the rising bile in her throat, collecting her wits she picked up the ropes that had bound Tara and used them on her father. Izzy by this time had recovered enough to help and they soon had him restrained. They sat on the floor a few feet away to wait for help,
“I am sorry I never came for you Eve, we ran away because of Michael. I guess you now know that much, we hoped mum could scare him off and he would go back to Africa so we could come home. When I heard nothing I knew something bad had happened and I needed to hide. You were the most important thing Eve, he could never find you. I was ten years old when we first met Michael he was young and handsome, mum adored him but not in that way. He came to the house a lot and even baby sat sometimes for me, he was my Sunday school teacher too. When I became ill my mum asked Michael for help, he tried to talk her out of seeking medical help, and in fact he offered to take me to Africa. He had convinced her I was suffering with a lack of vitamin D.” She paused to take a breath and hold Eve’s hand
“I was twelve years old when my mum discovered I was pregnant” ignoring Eve’s horrified gasp she continued
“Michael had been planning to take me away to deliver the baby so nobody would find out; he had been abusing me from the start.” She paused to allow this information to sink in to Eve. It was sinking in like a knife in
the guts; he had abused a little girl and got her pregnant! He would have abused her too, no wonder they had to send her away it all made sense now. She shivered as she recalled his excitement finding out Nathan was having a daughter. Eve leant over unable to hold back the rising nausea any longer; she emptied her stomach on the floor while Izzy stroked her back.
Isabella was not her sister; this was too disturbing for words. Izzy was waiting for her to regain her composure so she nodded to encourage her to continue.
“Mum confronted him as soon as she learnt I was pregnant, she was going to report him but he disappeared; back to his missionary work. They couldn’t report it with nobody to prosecute, and also they didn’t want me to have the stigma. Mother took me away to a caravan site where I gave birth in secret. She had been wearing padding under her clothes so people would assume you were hers.” Leila had truly been an amazing woman; sacrificing so much for her child, not the heartless woman she had always believed. As for Ian he was as Michael described a spineless waste of space.
“Eve listen to me; Leila was your mum; I was a child and your big sister, I couldn’t possibly have been a mother. The day we were sent away she saved you from his clutches, who knows what he would have done to you. I could never acknowledge what he did to me so I have waited all this time until I could get him for something else. Now he can pay for these murders without anyone knowing about me. Eve I am biologically your mother but please will you just be happy to have me back as a sister?” Eve felt incredible passion for this woman, who had endured such suffering as a child, she deserved to be free.
“I would love my sister back Izzy, I have two of my own now and I think they will love you too” They heard sirens outside, Izzy grasped her hand with pleading eyes
“I promise Izzy, what you have told me will stay here forever, you can live again. If Michael confesses that part then we keep it out of the papers. It will be fine we will deal with it.” There was a crashing up stairs and Michael moaned at their feet, Eve gave him a kick and shouted to alert the police where they were.
After that it was pandemonium, Nathan was waiting for her outside and sobbed as he held her
“Eve, I was so scared when I got home and saw Tara they told me you were in the cellar with him I freaked out. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Eve was so happy to see him, Izzy was being questioned by Detective Newton, and she would be next. This was going to be a long night
“I am fine he didn’t hurt me, is Tara okay?” Nathan said she was taken to hospital for dehydration but other than that she was fine” Relief washed over her and the enormity of tonight’s events sent her body into free-fall. The weightless feeling she had felt in the water was there again, but this time she allowed it to take her. Darkness descended removing her from the horror around her, she didn’t fight it she welcomed it with joy, it was over.
One Month Later
Eve was staring at the tiny bundle in her arms, her tiny fingers wrapped around Eves thumb. Tears pricked her eyes as she felt an unfamiliar emotion in the pit of her stomach. This helpless creature had been abandoned by her mother, all of the doubts dissipated as she felt an overwhelming instinct to protect this little girl. She felt Nathan’s arm anchoring her to the spot she glanced at the sparkling diamond sitting on her finger. Rachel was proudly snapping shots of her new grandchild and future daughter in law. Could life get any better?
The last four weeks had been a tumultuous event; Michael had been charged with three counts of murder one of GBH two abductions and fraud. He had never been a real vicar, when he was first sent to Acton Bridge he was under suspicion of sexual harassment. He was discharged but covered it up with so called missionary work. They were currently seeking answers as to where he had been in Africa as the church did not endorse his trip. They were investigating a number of avenues but one thing was certain, he would never see the light of day again. He didn’t confess to child abuse and Eve kept her word to Isabella, it would never come out who she really was. Eve had told Nathan who had been horrified but totally understanding. The press here and overseas were running the story for days it made going out impossible. Izzy had moved into the cottage as legally she was entitled to it over Eve. Tara had bonded with her whilst in captivity and they were very close helping each other deal with the aftermath.
Eve and Nathan were heading out to LA in six weeks to start filming with Christopher. For now the focus was all on bonding with Leila Beth; she was only a week old and already they were both smitten. Eve was so happy when Nathan chose the name Leila; she had died protecting her two daughters and deserved respect.
Nathan had proposed last night in front of his parents; Eve was so against marriage but since experiencing so much death she had completely changed her way of thinking. You had to grab happiness when you could as you never know what is around the corner.
She hadn’t slept in lilac cottage since that night; she also hadn’t had a single dream either. Nathan had booked them into a hotel; Izzy was now sleeping in her room. They still didn’t have a home but Eve knew what she wanted and would find the right time to tell Nathan soon. Leila let out a tiny cry that shook her from her thoughts; she adjusted her hold so she was upright with her face pressed against her neck. Rachel was watching her
“Eve you are a natural with her, she settles so much better with you than anyone else. It will be hard for her to be separated from you” Eve handed the little girl to her grandmother
“I want to talk to you both about that, I want to live in LA permanently if you want to Nathan? I have nothing here now Izzy has the house Tara loves her to bits and doesn’t need me the same way anymore. I just feel this is the best thing, more settled for Leila and better for our jobs. This place has too many bad memories now, I couldn’t imagine buying a house anywhere here. Nathan pulled her close; Rachel was crying it was obvious that she had made a choice that they had both hoped for. So it was organised, her future sorted, a new baby, marriage a new home abroad and a brand new family bigger and stronger than ever. …..
Epilogue
Martha was swinging on the tyre fiddling with her braids watching two butterflies dancing, she was singing to herself “Summertime and the living is easy, fish are jumping and the cotton is high” Rufus was staring from his bedroom window, this girl had captivated him, she was like a living flower fairy. Cross with himself he tried to ignore her but the haunting sound of her crystal clear voice floated up to his room.
“Cut.. Eve fantastic, we need more singing in this film your voice is incredible, we will work out a list of songs Martha may have heard as a child and you can practise them, Nathan good work today George and Sharon have a full day tomorrow so you tow can take the day off” Eve skipped over to Rachel who had been watching from the back she was holding a now wriggly three month old Leila who was grasping for Eve to cuddle her.
“Christopher is right Eve you have a stunning voice, it made my hairs stand on end. You should sing at the wedding next year it would be lovely” Eve hardly paid any attention as she lifted the tiny girl into the air forcing her into a fit of giggles. Nathan came up behind and kissed Eve on the back of the neck
“I love the pig tails baby keep them in for later” Eve elbowed him in the ribs while Rachel coughed politely. She said her goodbyes and left, Eve tucked Leila on her hip while Nathan wrestled with the pushchair cursing. They got into their SUV and set off for their own Los Feliz home, they had bought it two weeks ago; it was vacant so they moved straight in. It was a four bedroom villa with one essential feature; a swimming pool. Eve had become an addict and even had Leila swimming under water; she had read that if they start swimming from birth it comes naturally. Leila floated about like a mini dolphin right from the word go. The villa also came with a separate guest annexe perfect for their UK family.
Tara, Sue who was now single and Izzy were planning to visit every school holiday. Izzy was working in the local pub as a cook and also tried her hand at writing novels, she was very good too. Eve thought one of
them would make an excellent movie and Christopher had a contact looking at it now. Tara was still single but very happy, she had been badly burned by Michael and out of all of them Eve felt her friend would take the longest to recover.
Victoria was now a successful designer with an invitation to this year’s New York Fashion Week, she had her own apartment which she shared with a certain French Chef. Michel had now opened his own restaurant and was doing very well. Victoria was designing Eve’s bridal gowns, Leila, Sue, Izzy, Tara and Vic were all flower girls. The wedding wasn’t until next summer; they wanted to finish the movie and all the premiers first. There was no hurry anyway, as a couple they were stronger than ever Leila had bonded them even further and her welfare was their joint priority.
Leila was sound asleep in her cot; Eve knew they had a good hour before she would need feeding. Eve fancied a swim, the garden was private and she fancied some fun. Eve sent a message to Nathan telling him she needed urgent help in the pool. She slipped her clothes off left her hair in the braids and slipped into the water. Nathan’s footsteps echoed under the water and she felt him slip in beside her. Turning to face him his eyes widened when he saw her nudity, sliding off his own shorts he came up for air bringing her with him.
“You are full of surprises you need my help I hear? What do you need my help with?” Eve smiled biting her lip she took his hands and placed one on each breast.
“I need help with a conundrum” He smiled whilst his fingers traced the edges of her nipples
“What is this conundrum?” Eve moaned as one his hands slid between her thighs
“Is sex under water as good as sex out of the water is my question” Nathan cocked his brow
“I have no idea but I think I know a way we can find out” He pulled her under the water and their bodies joined as one. Sometime later they resurfaced, Eve was giggling