Death & Other Lies

by Carol L. Ochadleus

  “Just when did you find out my name?” Matt blurted out without thinking. Seeing Elizabeth's reaction, he felt terrible for the remark. “I'm sorry Elizabeth, I shouldn't have said that. That wasn't how I wanted to greet you.”

  A guilty blush stole over her face as she realized what he was talking about. “Oh no, Matt please, you don't owe me any apologies, but you don't know the whole story and ... well, at any rate, I wanted so badly to tell you everything I found out, but I'm sure you know the reasons, but I am so sorry about keeping it away from you. Not that giving you your identity would have helped much to give you back your life, but I hope you do understand what was going on at the time.”

  Elizabeth's rambling apology gave Matt a few minutes to catch his breath and take a quick look inside the door.

  The scents of heather and lavender hit him as he took in the sight and smells of the familiar cottage. His face was flushed, and his breathing was labored, albeit not from the walk up the drive, but the adrenaline fed by the fear of rejection, as it coursed through his veins. Trying hard to control his breathing, he willed his heart to slow down and hoped he didn’t look as stressed as he was feeling.

  “Can I start over?” he said, holding out his hand to Elizabeth. “I've been practicing all the way from Pennsylvania.”

  Elizabeth took one step forward and threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

  “Please start over,” she cried, regaining her composure, “It is truly wonderful to see you. How are you? Your leg has healed, and oh, my Lord, I was so impressed with what you did in London, I want to hear more about it, even after your call we have so much to catch up—”

  The look on his face stopped her midsentence. Over her shoulder, Matt watched Kate move into the room and take in the scene at the door, the blood draining from her face. Elizabeth looked between the two of them and wondered if she should say something or just stand there in silence. In the end, her dilemma resolved itself, as neither Matt nor Kate remembered she was even in the room and saw only each other.

  “I'm sorry if I've given you a shock,” his words were directed toward Elizabeth but meant for Kate. “I didn't want to do that,” Matt started, “but I was passing by and saw the lights on ...” He tried an attempt at humor to lighten the moment.

  Kate was struggling to regain her voice, and her hand went to her throat as if she were choking. She tried again, but nothing came out except a high-pitched squeak.

  “Well, don't ye just stand there in the doorway letting them fly things in, come in me lad and close the door.” Franny came up behind Kate, giving her a little nudge into the room.

  “Now Elizabeth, me thinks ye should be helpin me wie the dishes, I should no’ be working so hard, said so yeself.”

  “Right you are Franny, I'm on my way,” she said, quickly making her way past the paralyzed young people. Matt slowly pushed the door closed behind him and took his time turning around to delay the confrontation. He had picked a small bouquet of wildflowers on his way from town and stood turning them around and around in his hands.

  “I remembered how you like fresh flowers,” he said, motioning to the colorful bunch. “Drove myself out here,” he went on, trying to give her more time. “I didn't think I would need a map, the roads were pretty easy to follow, and I figured I would remember the way. It still feels strange riding on the wrong side of the road, but I'm starting to get the hang of it.”

  Kate finally composed herself and turned to close the door to the kitchen as well, preferring what she was going to do and say not have a room full of witnesses. “Matt,” she said, the silky voice he remembered so well was full of emotion. “I didn't think you would come. I know Ben thought you might, and he said you would, but I didn't think you would show up.” Tears started to flow silently down her cheeks even as she tried unsuccessfully to hold them back.

  “What?” Matt could hardly control the shaking coursing down his body. Just seeing her again was almost more than he could bear, but hearing her voice and what she was saying, took his breath away. “You wanted me to come here? You knew I might. I was afraid you would be furious because I followed you.”

  She was shaking her head up and down and sideways at the same time; tears flowed even faster. “Yes, I mean no, of course, I'm not furious, and why should I be? You came to find me, didn't you? Everything you've gone through was because you were looking for me ... all this time. In spite of what I did to you, I lied to you, betrayed you ... refused to see you. Why would you still come after me?” Matt’s eyes never left her face.

  “I thought I was prepared to see you again,” he said in a near whisper, his confidence buoyed by her remarks. “I had a lot of time to figure out exactly what I wanted to tell you ... what I want you to know, but the words are gone. I only know I have never been able to get you out of my head or my heart. I tried to believe you were only my imagination, even during the long months when I agonized about whether you were real or not, and then when I knew the truth ... I wanted to leave you and the deception behind, but I couldn’t. It was painful, no matter what course I chose. I needed to come, maybe it won’t work out between us, there’s so much I would like to talk about, but it was important I saw you one more time, assure myself you are real ... and tell you how I feel. All I wanted to say was I love you. I never got to say that all those months ago before you left. That’s the one thought that never went away through all the torture and doubt; I just knew I loved you. I know I have no right to intrude in your life ... if you tell me to go I will, but please understand I needed it to come from you.”

  It wasn’t easy to get the words out, and his courage was flagging. If he hesitated, he might never get another chance; as it was, he was afraid to take his eyes off her face for fear she would disappear into the mists again.

  As if waking from a dream Kate tried to move, she wanted to run to him but was frozen to the spot, unable to believe what was happening. She had given Ben permission to contact Matt, but she held little assurance he would be so easily swayed to see her, considering what she had done to him. Seeing his face again brought such mixed emotions. Pain, happiness, doubt, and regret. The memories of their time together flooded her senses and made her ache with the sweetness. The smell of lavender and salt air filled the cottage, and still, they stood facing each other just a few feet apart. Although it felt like hours, it was only seconds before they both moved together. He was pushed, and she was pulled, and they closed the gap between them.

  Matt slowly extended his hand to her. “I found you once and lost you ... unless your Ben Madison does me in for tampering with government property, I would like to keep you forever.” There was nothing more he could say. He poured out his heart, it was the end of the run, he either won or lost, and he could only hold his breath until she spoke.

  Kate nodded toward the closed kitchen door. “We have spies in the family, you know. Do you want to go for a walk?”

  Matt smiled, relieved the worst part was over, and the earth had not swallowed him or crashed down upon his head. “Haven’t you figured out by now,” he laughed nervously, “wherever you go, I’ll follow?” The heaviness left her heart about the same time Matt felt the pressure in his head release him from its grasp. She put out her hand, and he was quick to grab it before she could change her mind.

  “I’ll be sure and leave better tracks in the future so you’ll have no trouble keeping up with me.” She smiled her dazzling smile at him and pulled him through the heavy planked door out into the salt air.

  Far below them, the Irish Sea battered the ancient rocks, the foam rising and settling as it had for millennia. As they walked the bluffs, a salty spray mingled with the heady smell of fish and seaweed and penetrated the pores of their skin as the wet wind took their breaths away. Kate wrapped her sweater tighter around her, and Matt saw her shiver. Overhead, grey clouds scudded past, while two seabirds swooped low flitting in and out of the waves as they crashed loudly against the rocky overhangs.

  “I onl
y have a year left of my government contract,” Kate began, shouting into the wind to be heard, “I don’t have any plans beyond that. Maybe I can find something quieter and more stable somewhere in the department. Funny how life changes, I would never have thought it possible, but Ben even indicated he would help me find something sooner so I can have a personal life. We can work on it if you’re agreeable to sharing your home with me again.”

  “Bless that man,” Matt shouted back, surprised at how his anger and mistrust evaporated like the sea air. “I am sorry for all the hostility I directed toward him in the past. He’s not such a bad guy.”

  “Don’t go forgiving him carte blanch yet,” she shouted back, her tone much lighter. “He probably deserved most of what you threw at him.”

  “Maybe, but I might have been a bit harsh. Losing you wasn’t something I handled well, and I guess he took the brunt of my anger and resentment.”

  Kate stood frozen in her tracks, and her head dropped noticeably. “Matt,” she started to say as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, his mouth on the back of her neck. The wind buffeted them as they stood as one, rooted to the bare rock.

  “Don’t Kate. There’s no need to go there. I know all I need to know, and we can leave the past out here on the bluffs to blow away with the wind. I’m sorry for even mentioning my dealings with Ben. Can we go on from here, as if all the bad never happened and begin again?” All the love he buried for so long bubbled to the surface like the crest of waves on the sea beyond them.

  Kate turned to face him. “I tried to put you behind me too,” she said, “I never wanted to hurt you by letting you know the truth about us ...”

  “Kate,” he pleaded, lifting her chin until their eyes met. “Can you love me? If you have doubts about us, we can take it slow until you are sure about what you want. But, if you say the word, I’ll give you my solemn promise right now in front of your family and the world, I will treasure you and our life together forever. I don’t need anything more from you than that, no more lies, no more explanations. It has always just been you I wanted, as you are and as you have been. Please, Kate, don’t punish yourself ... or me either because of what was.”

  He held her out at arm’s length now but refused to let her go further from his grasp as he closely watched the play of emotions which ebbed and flowed across her face as she came to some life-altering decision. Without warning, a huge wave crashed upon the rocks reaching the top of the bluffs where they stood, making the rocks slippery and dangerous. Kate grabbed Matt around the waist as it nearly toppled them both with its cold, wet impact.

  “As if I needed a reason to grab hold of you,” she answered him, grinning ear to ear. “I’m not letting anything wipe you out of my life again either,” she promised him.

  Lauren nodded ceremoniously as she rode the receding wave, and Garwin smiled in his eternal sea sleep.

  “A WEDDING, HOW WONDERFUL!” Ben smiled as he got the news over the phone in his office. “I truly mean that my dear, I am happy for you,” he added. “I rather thought something like that might happen.” Never one to play coy, he didn’t hesitate to admit his role in the plot, when Kate called him to thank him for sending Matt to her in Wales. “I saw it was pointless to try and keep him away from you, so I left it up to your good head to decide what you wanted to do.”

  “Your decision wouldn’t have anything to do with Mom, would it?”

  “Your mother has certainly made her feelings known about Matt, that’s true,” he laughed, “and she did make some persuasive arguments in his favor I’ll admit,” Ben went on, “but our conversation a couple of weeks ago convinced me you had your head on straight and could handle your job and a personal life. Besides, a long time ago, I promised your parents I would always make decisions on your behalf based on what I felt was in your best interest. I could never take the place of your father, but I did what I thought he would do.”

  She never felt closer to Ben than she did at that moment. “Thanks, Ben, for always being there for us. Dad would approve.”

  The nostalgic mood was not good for his reputation. Ben quickly threw in, “I don’t suppose your mother is around right now, is she?”

  “Nope,” Kate answered. “She and Lilly took Franny shopping. But I’ll tell her you asked about her, and maybe she can call you back later if she returns early enough.”

  “No need, I’ll try back later. You entertain your young man. By the way, how is Franny? I know your mother has been worried about her health.”

  “Franny is fine and has reluctantly agreed to return with Mom to Michigan for an extended visit. Don’t know if we can keep her there indefinitely, but we’ll try. Oh, and Ben ... it had better be a very expensive wedding present or everyone in the department will find out what a softie you are.”

  “I’ll not be blackmailed by one of my best agents,” he nearly bellowed into the phone in mock anger. Then added almost in a whisper, “but between the two of us, I’m sure Lilly can help me think of something to keep you silent. Oh, yes, and speaking of Lilly, before I forget, Jim Jensen has some little glass things that belong to you. Haven’t gotten to the bottom yet of how he has them or why they are so important but do be sure and ask Lilly about them won’t you, and don’t be too hard on her, she meant well you know.”

  Kate instantly knew the vases must have been part of the clues Lilly left for Matt and irritation only flickered a second before it was replaced by sincere gratitude. There would be a discussion with Lilly she promised. “Thanks again, Ben. For everything. We’ll be in touch soon.”

  The wedding wouldn’t take place until they got back to the States, but who said they couldn’t have the honeymoon first, and Wales was a wonderful place for a honeymoon. Lilly and Elizabeth had headed back home with the reluctant Franny in their care, and Matt and Kate would follow in a few days. The waves crashed against the jagged crags below them as the lovers stood their ground against the wind and the spray. Gulls tipped their wings in the young couple’s direction in silent salute of their union. Few places on earth would have made them feel so together or would have offered them a new beginning as did the cottage built by love for lovers.

  In their watery repose, Garwin and Lauren gave their approval. Their marital home was finally going to be filled with love.

  Carol L. Ochadleus

  CAROL OCHADLEUS IS a published novelist and short story author. A retired, professional development officer with a background in psychology, she lives in the woods near Rochester, Michigan with her husband and their English Shepherd-Gracee.

  Sneak Peek of

  DEATH

  On the

  Market

  Carol L. Ochadleus

  Chapter One

  IT WAS A SHOCK FOR Ben Madison to get a call from his ex-wife, in fact, it was extremely disturbing since Helen had spent the past eighteen years hiding from him and the world. They hadn’t spoken in nearly two decades, yet the sound of her voice on his answering machine hurled him back to another place and another life. It could only mean she was in trouble for her to reach out to him after all that time. Her voice shook as she left her message. Helen lived on the streets of Alexandria, Virginia, amongst the homeless, alcoholics, drug abusers, and the mentally ill. When she called a second time, Ben grabbed the phone and took a quick breath before he said, “Hello Helen. How are you?”

  He had found her many times, living as she was with her ‘family’ of street people, under bridges, in parks or various shelters. But he kept his distance. He didn’t want to scare her into running deeper underground. Ben knew to what extremes she had gone to hide her identity; even changing her looks to not be recognizable to the various police, health, and social services Ben had tapped over the years to find her. He only wanted to keep her safe; not interfere in her choice of lifestyle. Even if he didn’t understand it.

  Why, he thought, today, as I’m about to marry Elizabeth, did she finally contact me? There was no ‘Hello Ben, how are you,’ no small ta
lk of any kind. She jumped right into the conversation as if only days had passed since they had last spoken.

  “Ben, you have got to find my Frankie. He’s been gone for four days, and that’s not like him. He is always here. Especially on Mondays when Mannino’s Bakery throws out their weekend leftovers. He’s never missed a day. I need you to find out what happened to him.” Helen’s voice rose higher as she spoke.

  “Whoa, Helen, calm, down. Breathe. Tell me, who is Frank?” Ben wanted Helen to catch her breath and keep talking.

  “Frank is my friend,” Helen, answered. “Frankie and I have been together for a long time.”

  Taking a cue from her impatience, Ben picked up on the thread. “Can you tell me a little about him? Something to help find him?”

  Defensive again, Helen hesitated. “Nothing else you need to know except he is my family, my protector. I’ll give you a description if that’s what you want.”

  “Okay Helen, I’m not trying to pry into your life, but I need a little more to go on than a name. When was the last time you saw Frank?”

  “Friday, it was Friday. Right after those strange men came around again. I told Frankie to stay away from them, but he thought they needed help. He always wants to help people.”

  “What strange people,” Ben asked. “How many, and what did they look like.”

  “You know-dark skinned. Different looking with weird clothes. There were two or three of them this time. They come around, ya’ know. I’ve heard them talking to some of my friends. I think they are a cult. They offer people a place to stay, free food, and a warm bed. And TV. My friend Iris, that’s not her real name Ben,” Helen stammered, “Iris said we could get medical and dental care and a free cell phone. I know it’s probably a trap, but it makes some people want to go with them.”

  “Go where? Can you give me a location, an address?”