Realizing that he wasn’t likely to understand a woman who he didn’t know, he instead picked up the handset next to him and connected to the line that his sister was on.
“She’s amazing, Zach, you lucky dog,” Tessa enthused, and he held in his sigh of resignation. That seemed to be the general consensus of those who didn’t know his wife’s true nature. Though something about her didn’t fit.
When he’d come home earlier he’d searched for her to ensure that she was nearby when Tessa rang back. He’d looked all over the house, expecting her to be pampering herself somewhere, or living a life of luxury. She hadn’t been anywhere.
Just as he’d been starting to think that perhaps he’d lucked out and she’d left to visit her father unchaperoned, therefore breaking the terms of the contract they’d signed, he’d noticed a figure sitting on a bench in his rear gardens. He’d been surprised to see her there, sitting in the snow and cold.
He’d also been captivated. She’d been smiling a soft smile, doing nothing except admiring the world around her. She’d looked so at peace and serene. And so beautiful. So incredibly beautiful with her rosy cheeks and bright red hair framed against the pale blue of her coat, hat, and scarf, sitting in the middle of a white wonderland.
He hadn’t been able to see them from the distance he’d been at, but he’d known that her eyes would’ve been sparkling that vivid green of hers. He’d been so captivated by the sight of her that he’d thought over their arrangement and realized that he didn’t want to be in a constant state of battle with her anymore.
She was stuck here, he was stuck with her, it seemed as though the best course of action to take would be to try to make the best out of the situation, and being cordial with each other could be the start to that.
When she’d asked him for a reason, though, he hadn’t been able to admit that to her. What would he say? That he thought her so beautiful that he didn’t want to stay angry at her? That was ridiculous, and not entirely true either. It wasn’t just her physical beauty, there was something else to her that he couldn’t seem to pinpoint. It seemed like there was some sort of inner beauty that had radiated from her at that exact moment in the garden.
Then when she’d confessed that she didn’t feel productive he’d been thrown for another loop. From the terms of the contract he’d thought that that was what she’d wanted, what she’d been aiming for, but she’d seemed genuinely disappointed in her life as a rich man’s housewife with nothing to do.
The realization had confused Zach, had him thinking that maybe he’d had things wrong. Then had come the reference to his sister, and he’d remembered what a master manipulator the woman was, and everything had gone back to square one. He’d reminded himself of everything that she was capable of, and how devious she was, and he’d gotten out of there, leaving her to talk to the woman who she’d threatened to destroy.
Remembering that he was now talking to his sister, Zach focused back on the voice that had continued to speak in his ear without him even listening.
“… such a devoted wife. I mean honestly. The fact that she’d try to portray you as such a loving and kind man is admirable, even if it is incredibly naïve of her to think that we’d believe it,” Tessa said with a laugh, and Zach found his brow furrowing.
“What?” he asked.
“Ellie. I mean bless her, she was trying so hard to make you out to be the most attentive husband in the world. And honestly if I hadn’t already known what an inconsiderate and selfish boor you’d been the night before I would have believed her. She’s such a sweetheart, Zach.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked in confusion.
“You do know who Ellie is, don’t you? Your wife?” Tessa said.
“Of course I know who my wife is.”
“Well then what’s got you so confused?”
“What do you mean she was making me out to be –”
“Some kind of a one in a million husband? I asked her about the dinner last night and she was regaling me with all of these wonderful attributes of yours. Telling me that she’d never felt so special and important in her life before. Telling me how you didn’t take your eyes off her, how amazing and spectacular it all was. Telling me how devoted you were and even that once you could see that someone was hassling her – was it Oscar by the way? I could only think of one man who’d be such a slimeball as to put the moves on your wife in front of you – anyway that doesn’t matter, she said that as soon as you saw him with her you immediately rescued her and dragged her home,” Tessa continued.
“I mean she made it all sound so plausible as well when she related it,” Tessa rambled. “And I have to say you should let her tell it all to Mom again, you’ll be redeemed in her eyes if Ellie spins the same yarn to her. But seeing as how you already confessed that you’d ignored her, and palmed her off to another man, I was hardly going to believe it. Though I didn’t let her know that. As far as she’s concerned I think that you’re the most wonderful husband there ever was,” Tessa finally finished with, and Zach sat there in total bewilderment.
“Why would she lie?” he asked more to himself than the voice on the other end, but Tessa answered anyway.
“Because she’s an angel, Zach. An absolute doll. She was trying to big you up to your family, brother dear. She’s a good girl that wife of yours. I mean she understands the importance of family and what they mean, doesn’t she? Didn’t she take care of her dad before she married you?” Tessa continued, and Zach found himself confused at that reference. “And if the roles had been reversed she most likely wouldn’t want you to tell her dad all about her flaws, now would she? She was just doing that kind of thing. Like I said, you’re one lucky dog.
“And she said that she was having to get off the phone so that she could finish cooking your dinner. Amazing. The woman’s even cooking for you, even after you treating her so badly last night and trying to spend the day away from her as well. Honestly, Zach, how did you manage to get so lucky?” she continued, and Zach just sat there utterly confounded over his sister’s words.
“Oh, Mom’s calling us all in for dinner, and I’m starving so I’m going to head off and let you spend your day with that amazing wife of yours. Happy Thanksgiving, Zach. Speak to you soon. We’ll need to arrange something for Christmas as well. Perhaps I’ll just sort it all out with Ellie, should I?” she queried but before Zach could even respond Tessa was speaking again. His sister was so much like his mom it was freaky. Neither women could shut up once they’d started. At least Ellie wasn’t like that, he thought with relief. Then chastised himself that he would care.
But things were starting to get muddy with regards to the woman he’d married. Things weren’t adding up. Something somewhere was off.
“See you soon,” the voice said in his ear, and Zach said his goodbyes before replacing the handset.
Sitting at his desk, he tried to puzzle out the conundrum that was his wife and just couldn’t manage it. Was it all a game she was playing? Or was there more to her than he’d originally thought? She didn’t seem interested in his money or fortune, yet she’d married him for it, to get out of her current situation he’d always thought, but she seemed so lonely and disappointed in what she had now.
Had she not realized what life would be like once they were married and now regretted it all? Or was it something else? Perhaps she and her dad took some sort of sick pleasure in being able to manipulate powerful people. Maybe it was all a game. He just didn’t know anymore.
He’d originally thought her worldly and knowledgeable about people and situations, but there were moments when she seemed so innocent and naïve, but was it all an act? Was it meant to lure him into letting his guard down with her?
None of it made any sense, and he had no idea how to sort it all out. The only thing he did know was that he didn’t trust her. Not at all.
Watching the study door open again, and his bride moving towards his desk with a tray laden with fantastic looking f
ood for him, Zach tried to garner at least some sort of answer to all of his questions, but he was just left with even more. Especially when she placed it on his desk, mumbled something about letting him get on with his work, and backed out again in silence.
No, he didn’t understand his wife. And no, he most definitely didn’t trust her.
Chapter Twelve
Scrambling for the light switch of her bedside lamp, Ellie bolted upright and quickly grabbed up her cellphone that was ringing.
“Hello?” she managed to get out through her sleep roughened voice.
“Mrs Ellie McCormack?” a deep voice said on the other end, and Ellie finally found the switch to turn the light on.
“Yes?” she answered and looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. What the heck was someone phoning her about in the middle of the night?
“Mrs McCormack,” the voice said with a sigh, and Ellie tensed. She was getting a bad feeling about this call, so just sat there waiting in dreaded anticipation for what would follow. “My name is Detective Jackson and I’m calling about your father,” he said somberly, and Ellie found her breathing coming in short sharp gasps. There was something in that tone. Something sad and regretful.
“Yes?” she managed to get out, but this time she knew that it was barely audible.
“I need you to come down to the station if that’s possible, ma’am,” the detective said with that same regretful and gentle tone, and Ellie’s breath caught.
“What’s happened?” she asked nervously.
“I think it would be best to talk about it once you’ve arrived.”
“Please,” she said and heard her voice break. “Please just tell me what’s happened,” she pleaded and heard him sigh on the other end.
“Ma’am, I really think –,” he started but she cut him off.
“Detective, I know that you think that whatever it is shouldn’t be related over the phone, but if you’d really thought that you would have turned up on my doorstep instead, wouldn’t you?” she declared and heard the silence on the other end.
“The fact is, ma’am, that we are on your doorstep,” he said, and she sprang out of bed and rushed out of her bedroom straight for the front door. “There was no answer, so we presumed that you and your husband had gone –,” he was saying but the voice stopped when Ellie opened the door behind where the man was heading into his car.
“Detective?” she asked and disconnected the call as she stood trembling in the doorway. She knew it was cold out, it was snowing, after all, but it wasn’t the external temperature that was causing her body to shake so much.
“Mrs McCormack?” he asked as he took in her appearance, and Ellie didn’t even care that she was standing in front of him in her pajamas. She didn’t even care that her husband’s house was always so well heated that she never wore anything more than a tank top and short shorts. She didn’t care about anything except for the look in the man’s eyes and the fact that he was reaching up to remove his winter hat.
“Don’t,” she said suddenly on a croak. “Don’t take it off. It’s cold and snowing. You don’t need to remove your hat to tell me. In fact, I don’t think you need to tell me at all, do you?” she said ruefully as tears started to flow down her cheeks. “How?” she asked and watched as the man looked at her compassionately.
“I think that maybe we should take this inside, ma’am,” he said, and she shook her head at him.
“No. Tell me. Now. Just tell me how he died,” she requested while her voice broke on the last word and watched as he sighed heavily again.
“We don’t know yet, ma’am.”
“What happened?” she managed through her tears and sniffles.
“We had a call from some neighbors,” he said before pulling out his notebook and flipping to the relevant page there. “The Lowensteins?” he queried, and she nodded. “They were concerned about him. Apparently you’d been worried about him and they’d made a concerted effort to keep an eye on him.”
“That’s right. I recently got married and left home. He was all on his own for the first time. Something wasn’t right with him though so I asked them to look out for him.”
“They were worried that he hadn’t spoken to them today,” he continued, and Ellie started.
“Wait. What do you mean he hadn’t spoken to them?” she asked suddenly.
“They were used to talking to him during the day but had presumed that he was with you and your husband for the day.”
“He wasn’t,” she said quickly. “I spoke to my father first thing in the morning. He told me that Hershel and Dana had invited him to spend Thanksgiving with them. He said that he had plans with them already,” she explained and watched as the man looked at her in sympathy.
“He didn’t, ma’am. They thought that he’d stayed the night with you. When a neighbor complained about the noise coming from his apartment and asked the couple to do something, they grew concerned and contacted the police, reporting their worries.”
“And somebody turned up for that?” she asked in surprise.
“Uh … it appears as though your husband’s name holds a fair amount of sway,” he said cagily, and she nodded at him while wiping at her wet cheeks. Nobody wanted to be the one who had dropped the ball and let something happen to Zachary McCormack’s father-in-law.
“What did they find?” she asked and rubbed her arms to try to chase the chill away.
“I really do think that we should take this inside,” the man suggested again, and she shook her head.
“My husband’s asleep, Detective. He works long hours. I don’t want to disturb him,” she said and watched as the man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at her words.
“But –”
“My father and husband were not exactly on the best of terms,” she said in a gross understatement of the truth. “I’d rather not concern him with this,” she said and swallowed hard as the reality of what was happening set in. Her father was dead and she was completely alone. She had no one left now. No one except for a husband who couldn’t stand her and treated her as nothing more than a possession to control.
No, right now she didn’t want the man anywhere near her. He’d caused this. He’d left her dad on his own. The man had died with nobody around him, and she wasn’t likely to forgive Zachary McCormack for that.
“Alright, ma’am,” the detective said softly as she tried to wipe the tears away that had started to fall even faster. “Perhaps you could come with us to the station then?” he asked, and she nodded at him.
“I’ll just grab my coat and shoes,” she said before closing the door softly and dashing away for her footwear and something to throw over the top of her meagre clothing.
Wrapping herself up tightly, she reached the front door again and breathed in deeply in an attempt to find her strength for the night to come. When she felt composed enough, she quietly and carefully opened the door and headed back outside into the cold. The cold that was a heck of a lot warmer than the warm house that she’d just left.
* * *
The scent of eggs and bacon tickled Zach’s nose and he smiled appreciatively at the smell. Pauline was amazing, she took care of him completely. Thoughts of food had him thinking back to the previous evening and his time with Ellie.
Her food had been amazing as well. He’d eaten in his study and then tracked her down in the kitchen where she seemed to have made herself at home with the rest of the staff away. She’d been as distant from him as he had been from her, but for once they’d been able to be around each other without arguing or yelling.
They’d spent the rest of the evening doing their own thing, in the same room together, which mainly consisted of reading. They’d watched a movie at Zach’s suggestion for a part of the night as well before she’d put together a small plate of food for them for a late supper. Then they’d finished off the evening with hot chocolates and the rest of the pie.
It had been tense and strained, there was no denying that, b
ut it hadn’t been intolerable. Not that he wanted to repeat the experience, but he’d done as his mother and sister had requested of him and he could feel vindicated that he wasn’t acting like his father towards his wife.
Exiting his closet while buttoning up his jacket, he found himself stopping short when he noticed his housekeeper still standing in his room.
“Pauline,” he greeted.
“How are you, Mr McCormack?” she asked with a small smile.
“I’m fine,” he said cautiously, unsure why she was asking. Usually his housekeeper would bring up his breakfast then leave, and he wouldn’t see her again until he returned in the evening. So for her to be in his bedroom and starting a conversation with him was different.
“And Mrs McCormack?” she asked.
“You’d have a better idea about that than me, wouldn’t you? Though I suspect that she’s still sleeping.”
“No, she’s not,” she said with a sigh.
“Really?” he asked in surprise.
“I’m not sure where she is,” she said worriedly, and Zach suddenly understood why the woman was in his room. She was surreptitiously informing him that his wife was missing. A strange combination of emotions overtook Zach in that instant; worry mixed with relief. The relief was obvious to understand, if she left he was free of her, but the worry was more difficult to comprehend. He put it down to that damn condition stating that if he drove her away he’d lose everything, and immediately frowned at the thought that she was gone.
“You’ve checked her room obviously. How about the kitchen, she spent most of her time in there yesterday,” he suggested, and she shook her head.
“She’s not there. Nobody’s seen her. I’m worried, Mr McCormack,” she confessed, and Zach sighed while trying to think of where his wife could be.
“The swimming pool? Gym? Jacuzzi? Hot tub? Sauna? Steam room?” he asked as he ran through all of the amenities that he had on hand for his wife to make the most of. Although he was listing them, he didn’t really believe that she’d be in any of them at all, not with the way she’d reacted to his suggestion the day before about using the facilities at hand.
Bonds of Matrimony Page 16