Spliced

by Robin Leigh Miller

  “Miss Easton,” a man spoke, snatching her out of her fog.

  Avery turned to find an older man looking spit-polished in an army dress uniform. “Yes,” she replied, wishing she could sound a bit more alive at the moment.

  “I’m Major Thomas Hall, we spoke on the phone,” he said, holding out his hand to shake hers.

  “Major, it’s a pleasure to meet you and thank you for all you’ve done for my brother.” Avery shook the major’s hand and offered what she hoped was a pleasant smile.

  “It has been my honor. I’ve just been informed your brother’s plane is about fifteen minutes out. I’ll take you to the tarmac where we’ll meet him.”

  Avery slipped her arm through the major’s and allowed him to lead the way. She didn’t know what to expect when she stepped out of the terminal but it certainly wasn’t the dozen flags lazily flapping in the breeze or the military men holding them.

  Avery’s steps faltered and her heart clenched in the middle of her chest. Not only was the color guard standing ready, but behind the dozen men forming a walkway were what looked like at least a hundred people standing quietly and solemn, some old, some young and some small children holding flags.

  “As long as there is breath in my lungs,” Major Hall told her as he patted her hand, “no soldier will return home without proper respect.”

  She couldn’t speak. Avery’s throat tightened and her eyes burned.

  “Some have lost their husbands, fathers, brothers and sisters, daughters and wives,” he told her, nodding toward the crowd of people. “And every time a soldier comes home, the families gather to show their respect.”

  A young girl around the age of ten approached them and handed Avery a stuffed bear dressed in army fatigues. “My daddy came home this way,” the child told her with a tear in her eye. “Someone gave me a stuffed bear like this and when I think of him, I hug it.”

  Avery swallowed a sob and accepted the gift with trembling hands. “Thank you,” she managed and then dropped to her knees to embrace the little angel.

  They held on to each other for a long moment before a warm hand on her shoulder brought her back to her senses. The child pulled away, cupped her cheek and smiled before running back to her sobbing mother. The hand gripped her elbow and helped Avery to her feet.

  “Thank you,” she said, turning and expecting to see the major at her side. “Ridge.” There he stood, dressed in his military best, looking more handsome than she’d ever seen him and as pained as her.

  Ridge took her hand, hooked it at his elbow and then stood tall. “Cale would hate this, ya know,” he told her in a thick, gravelly voice. “He wasn’t into all the pomp and circumstance. Too damn bad. He deserves this.”

  Avery couldn’t look away from his profile. Even with the inflamed scar on his cheek he took her breath away. “What are you doing here?” She’d never expected to see him here—hell, she’d never expected to see him again, period.

  “I made a promise a long time ago to Cale.”

  She waited patiently for him to continue and when he didn’t, she urged him on. “What promise, Ridge?”

  He turned his head slowly and looked down into her face. “I promised that if anything happened to him I’d take care of you. I broke that promise already, didn’t I?”

  Avery closed her eyes and prayed she didn’t collapse. So he wasn’t here for her. Did she really think he would be?

  “The plane is landing,” Major Hall told her as he stepped up to her other side.

  Ridge and the major escorted her toward the end of a red carpet that had been laid out between the two rows of flags. Her legs trembled with each step but Avery managed to keep vertical.

  Silently the three of them stood and watched as the plane landed and then taxied toward them. Ridge reached up and laid his hand over hers, squeezing it just enough to let her know he was there. A fresh wave of tears tried to break free but no way in hell would she cry over Ridge. No, if she shed any tears now they would be for her brother.

  In no time at all the plane’s large door opened and two men rolled a heavy metal gurney to the door. A few minutes later Cale’s casket slid out. Avery gasped, her heart sank to the pit of her stomach and her knees buckled.

  Ridge wrapped his arm around her waist and supported her against his body. “Easy, honey,” he whispered.

  She wanted to tear herself away from him, run to the casket and throw her body over it. She wanted to pound her fists against the metal box that held her brother and scream at the top of her lungs at the unfair hand life had dealt her. She’d already lost her father and mother, now her brother and Ridge too.

  Instead she found herself leaning against Ridge’s hard, strong body as they wheeled the casket up the red carpet behind the marching color guard. A sense of pride swept through her, so overwhelming it made every hair on her body stand on end. Ridge was right—Cale wouldn’t like this but he damned well deserved it.

  The color guard broke off before reaching them and marched over to the side and came to attention. The pilots of the plane rolled the casket to the end of the carpet and stopped. Both men approached.

  “It was our honor to bring your brother home, Miss Easton,” the eldest of the men said, shaking her hand.

  “Thank you,” she said on a sob, unable to hold it back any longer.

  The other pilot shook her hand without saying a word but the tears in his eyes spoke volumes. They didn’t know Cale or her yet they offered one of the most heartbreaking services known to man, bringing home the dead.

  The pilots stepped to the side and took their place with all those there to offer their respect and condolences.

  “If you’d like you may go to him,” Major Hall whispered.

  Unsure if she could walk on her own, she looked up at Ridge. As if knowing her concern, he nodded and walked by her side to the casket. She stood there a few moments, digging her fingers into Ridge’s arm.

  “Oh, Cale. What am I going to do without you?” She reached out then, her hand quaking, and touched the cool silver-brushed casket that would serve as his bed for eternity.

  Behind them the funeral home hearse pulled up. Rubbing the casket, she sighed. Cale had taken care of all the arrangements years ago in the case of his death. All she’d had to do was call and inform them. So like Cale to remove the responsibility from her shoulders.

  “You weren’t supposed to leave me,” she said, releasing Ridge’s arm and leaning against the casket. “You promised I’d never be alone after Dad left and Mom died. What am I supposed to do now? You were all I had.” The tears flowed now, more for herself than for Cale.

  “You aren’t alone, Avery,” Ridge spoke, stepping up next to her.

  Sharp anger flared and mixed with her grief. She turned and glared at Ridge. Oh, the things she wanted to say to him. Venom-laced words burned her tongue begging to be shouted. Instead, she looked away, kissed the surface of the casket and then walked back to the major.

  “I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done for Cale. Please, Major, put me on the list to be contacted when our next son returns home. I want to be here.” Clutching the stuffed bear, Avery walked toward the men from the funeral home. “Is there anything further you need from me?” she asked politely.

  “No, ma’am,” the elderly gentleman responded. “Everything has been taken care of. Since Mr. Easton requested not to have a viewing, we’ll be holding his body and then transporting him to the cemetery tomorrow for burial at two. There will also be an honor guard standing with him all night.”

  Avery blinked. “All night?”

  Ridge approached and stopped next to her. “It’s customary. His body will be watched over until he’s interred. I’ll be one of those watching over him.”

  Surprised, Avery jerked her head around and frowned. Ridge couldn’t stand all night on his leg. What the hell was he thinking? He was thinking he deserved the punishment. She knew it, assimilated it.

  Damn stubborn man. Are you out o
f your mind? That will kill your leg. Without realizing, her thoughts pushed their way into Ridge’s mind. He heard them. Ridge jolted, blinked and then looked at her with eyes so big it was as though they took up most of his face. His skin paled briefly before his jaw set and his brow furrowed.

  Avery looked away. She’d done it now. Oh yeah, she’d gone and done it now. Ridge Gates wasn’t stupid. He might have to think about this for a while but he’d come banging on her door and want to know what the hell was going on.

  “If you could be at the funeral home by one tomorrow, Miss Easton, we’ll have a car take you to the cemetery along with anyone else you’d like,” the man told her.

  Again her temper ran away with her. “I suppose you want to show up out of the blue so you don’t have to spend any more time with me than possible.”

  “I’ll be there at one tomorrow and I’ll ride in that damn car if it kills me”.

  This time Avery jolted at the instant snide comeback echoing in her head. She looked up at Ridge and frowned. Okay, let’s see how serious he was. “There’ll be two of us riding to the cemetery tomorrow. Mr. Gates and myself.” Avery gave the elderly gentleman a smile.

  “Very well.”

  Not wanting a confrontation, Avery turned and headed back toward her brother’s casket. The people were beginning to leave—not that she didn’t appreciate their support and affection, but it relieved her.

  “Avery,” Ridge growled from behind her.

  “I’m not in the mood for your games, Ridge.” Avery turned toward him and clutched the bear to her breast. “I feel like I’ve been run back and forth over a cheese grater. My nerves are raw and I’m hollow inside. All I want to do is go home and get slightly drunk so I can sleep tonight. So, if you don’t mind, goodbye.”

  “We need to talk,” he insisted with a snap of command in his voice.

  “I don’t think we do,” she said on a sigh and rubbed at the dull throb in her temple. “I can’t fight with you, Ridge. Not now.”

  “You have a headache. I’ll take you home.”

  His tone gentled and he stepped toward her. Avery put up her hands. “No, you won’t. I’ll be fine. Just go wherever it is you hide. After tomorrow your obligation to Cale will be fulfilled.”

  Avery turned and held the bear tightly against her. God, she just wanted to go home.

  “No matter what you think, Avery, you aren’t alone.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” she whispered more to herself than to him. She’d never been more alone in her life than standing here beside her brother’s casket and the one man she ever loved getting ready to walk away again.

  * * * * *

  Avery pulled up in front of her house and laid her head on the steering wheel. Her head throbbed so badly her eyes wanted to blow out of her skull. If tomorrow went like today, she’d need to hibernate for the next couple of days to regain her strength. Reaching over into the passenger seat, Avery grabbed the stuffed bear and hugged it close.

  “Think we can make it inside?” she asked the plush animal staring up at her with empty eyes. “Yeah, that’s the way I feel, too.”

  Forcing her legs to move through invisible concrete, she exited the car, locked it and did a quick scan of the street. Nothing stirred. She dragged herself up the porch steps, inserted her key and opened the door. The warning beep of an alarm sounded until she punched in her code and then silence reigned again.

  A bottle of wine awaited her in the fridge and she intended to become intimate with it in a few seconds. A nice, quiet evening with a chilled wine was just what the doctor ordered. Avery turned and came to a shocked halt.

  Every raw nerve ending in her body went on alert. Her breath seized in her lungs as she listened for any sounds. With her ears tuned, Avery scanned the floor littered with Cale’s shredded clothing and his personal items.

  Someone had been in her house. Her living room had been trashed, the furniture tipped, cushions shredded, even the pages of her books were scattered around like confetti. From where she stood she could see her kitchen hadn’t been spared the ransacking.

  Adrenaline rushed through her body like a drug. Anger simmered just below the surface. Who the hell would have done this and why? Very slowly and as quietly as possible, Avery slipped off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen. Stepping over pots and pans, knives and dishes, she crouched in front of the sink, reached into the open cabinet and searched around for the gun she hid there.

  She gripped her Glock tucked securely between the bottom of the sink and side of the cabinet. A brief wave of relief tingled over her flesh. If that had been stolen and used in a crime, she never would have forgiven herself. Pulling the Glock free from the Velcro, she slid it from its holster and with expert handling held it in front of her.

  She still hadn’t heard any sounds in the house but that didn’t mean the thieves were gone. If they’d seen her coming into the house they could be hiding. Not wanting to confront them on her own, she gently removed her cell phone from her purse and called the police.

  After giving her address and the emergency, Avery made her way to the front door, opened it and ran to the sidewalk. What the hell was happening in her life? How could things have gone from nearly perfect to a steaming pile of crap in a matter of days? Slipping her gun into her purse, she recalled the scene inside.

  Her belongings had been destroyed but from what she could see, nothing was missing. The flat-screen television was still there, broken, but there. Her DVD player hadn’t been touched. It didn’t make sense.

  And what about upstairs? What kind of hell would she find upstairs in her bedroom? She owned two pieces of good jewelry she’d treated herself to over the years—a diamond necklace and matching earrings.

  “Damn it,” she huffed. They’d probably taken them. Other than the diamonds, the television and DVD player, she didn’t own anything worth stealing.

  In the distance she heard sirens approaching. Great, the neighbors would come creeping out to see what the fuss was all about. That’s all she needed—busybodies.

  Two cruisers pulled up and four officers quickly exited the vehicles.

  “Miss Easton?” a very handsome officer asked.

  “Yes, I’m Avery Easton. That’s my house,” she said, pointing at what had once been her haven of security.

  “I’m Lieutenant Stone. Is there anyone inside?”

  Avery sighed and rubbed her still-throbbing head. “I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything.”

  “Is the door unlocked?” the lieutenant asked.

  Avery nodded. Now they’d go poking through her house, but better they find some hiding crackhead than her.

  “We’ll make a sweep through and then come back out.”

  Stone sent one man out back behind the house while the other three entered. It seemed like an hour before they returned when it had probably only taken them ten minutes. Patiently, Avery waited to see what they’d found.

  “The house is empty, ma’am, but they destroyed just about everything. Do you know how they got in?”

  Avery frowned. How had they got in? “That’s a good question. My alarm was still active when I got home. I opened the door, the warning went off and I keyed in my code. As soon as I turned around I found the mess.” What the hell was going on? Since when did addicts know how to beat a security alarm?

  Stone raised an eyebrow. “Anyone else have your code for the alarm?”

  “My brother,” she said and then cringed.

  “I’d like to talk to him.”

  “So would I,” Avery sighed.

  “Ma’am?”

  “I’m afraid that isn’t possible, Lieutenant. My brother died a few days ago.” Well, this was something she’d have to get used to telling people.

  “May I ask how he died? If he was involved in something illegal it may be linked to your break-in.”

  She admired the way Stone tried to be tactful. Taking a deep breath and clutching the bear she still held, she spoke the
words, “He was killed in Afghanistan. His body was flown in a little while ago. That’s where I was.”

  Stone lowered his head. “I’m very sorry, Miss Easton. My condolences for your loss. This is one hell of a day you’re having.”

  “Yes, it is.” And it was only going to get worse by the looks of things.

  “I’m sorry to have to do this to you but I need to ask you some questions while they document the crime scene and look for anything that will help us find the people who did this.”

  “Sure.” God, her head wanted to split open.

  “We could sit in the car if you’d like. You’re looking a little pale.”

  She must have looked more than pale. Poor Stone appeared to be getting nervous, holding his hands out as if he was getting ready to catch her. Come to think of it, she wasn’t very steady on her feet.

  “That might be a good idea. I’m not feeling very well.”

  He gently gripped her arm and led her to his car, opened the back door and helped her inside. Avery sat and dropped her head back on the seat. Stone came around and crawled in next to her.

  “Would you like me to call anybody before we get started? Any family or friends?”

  The only person she could think of off the bat was Ridge, but she had no idea where he was or if he’d come. Cindy would come, but dealing with her mothering and I told you so’s would only serve to make the situation worse.

  “No, no one.”

  Stone proceeded with the questioning, standard questions she supposed. Doing her best not to sound annoyed, she answered each and every question honestly.

  “What is it you do for a living, Miss Easton?”

  “I’m part-owner of Precious Treasures down town and I work part-time for the Celini Agency and in my spare time I teach self-defense to girls at the local high school.”

  “I thought your name sounded familiar. My youngest sister talks about you. She loves when you come in and give them demonstrations. She says you’re pretty good.”