Clean Slate

by Andrea Bramhall

  “She was the woman!” Morgan’s eyes widened and her cheeks burned bright red. She turned to Erin, but dropped her eyes quickly. “I’m sorry.” She reached out to grab Erin’s hand but stopped before she touched her. “I’m so sorry.”

  Erin stared at the table, arms folded across her chest, her mouth set in a thin line.

  “I thought you said you checked with the security at the college and her picture didn’t match.” Erin’s words were sharp, her voice sounding thinner and tighter than normal.

  “The art models are contracted by the college, not employed as staff members. They don’t have their pictures in any database; they don’t have to go through the same security clearances.” Lock shrugged. “So when we went and showed her picture around to the security people and to staff in the college, no one recognized her, and her face wasn’t in the employees’ or students’ database. It seemed logical that she had no ties to the college so we turned our investigation in other directions. As there was alcohol in your system, we checked local pubs and found that you had been drinking in the Roundhouse. The bartender recognized both you and the woman as having been there that night, and he thought possibly the man, but he wasn’t sure. He also said that he didn’t know either of you and that he only remembered you because you’d asked him a number of questions about the wine they were serving.” He smiled slightly.

  “So I was out drinking with her?”

  “Yes.”

  “How long…when did I start to…” Morgan motioned with her hands, obviously trying to expand her meaning.

  Lock frowned. “How long what?”

  “How long was I—”

  “Oh, for God’s sake. She wants to know how long she was screwing her. Right? Darling.” Erin spat the words into the air, the endearment passing her lips with more venom than any four-letter word ever had.

  Lock’s eyes widened, but he showed no other reaction. “Mrs. Davidson stated that this was the first time they had been out together socially. All their other interactions had been work related.”

  “So I wasn’t having an affair with her?”

  “No. She admitted that you had no romantic relationship.”

  “I wasn’t cheating on you.” Morgan turned to Erin, she touched her cheek, lifting her face so there eyes met. “I wasn’t cheating. I wasn’t with her until after. She wasn’t the reason I left.”

  “I’m not discussing this here.” She folded her arms across her chest, and stared at the table.

  “Ms. Masters, Mrs. Davidson has given us a full statement regarding her involvement and what happened that night. Whilst I can’t tell you everything she said, I can tell you that they drugged you with a small amount of a Rohypnol derivative. Not enough to make you pass out straight away, but more than enough to make you amenable. She said she was acting on her husband’s orders. And he had been instructed to gather evidence of an incriminating kind on you.”

  Morgan blinked rapidly. The date rape drug Dr. Bann had given her information about came flooding back to her. The reassurance that she hadn’t been raped took a few seconds to settle in her brain. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her breathing. “So she drugged me to get me in a compromising position. Why?”

  “She said her husband was acting under the orders of a third party. But all that was required was for them to get the photos. They drugged you because you were uninterested in Mrs. Davidson.”

  She turned to look at Erin, her face was flushed and her eyes wide, she felt vindicated, absolved of the sin she had never committed. The feelings of shame she had carried with her since seeing the picture of herself in another woman’s arms lifted and she found herself wishing only for Erin to accept it, to look her in the eye and tell her that everything would be okay now. They could be together again, happy, in love. The shock still evident on Erin’s face made it abundantly clear that wasn’t going to happen. She choked down her disappointment and turned back to the two police officers.

  “They had what they needed so why did he attack me?”

  “Mrs. Davidson said that her husband is a very jealous man, prone to violence. We have had numerous call outs to their address from neighbors reporting disturbances.” He left the rest unsaid. She understood the inference of domestic violence clearly and a tiny flicker of sympathy blossomed for the woman who had deceived her.

  Ward cleared his throat. “Mr. Davidson was following his wife and attacked you when he saw you with her. You may recall Mr. Harper saying that we have Mrs. Davidson’s statement, the CCTV footage of the attack, and we found clothes in his house with blood on it, and a small quantity of the drug too. We’re waiting for the forensics team to confirm, but we believe the blood to be yours. With that, the CPS has more than enough evidence to try Mr. Davidson, with a very good chance of conviction.”

  “How did you finally catch them?”

  The two officers glanced at each other before Lock spoke. “Mrs. Davidson came forward to make a statement implicating herself and her husband. She felt guilty. She said that Ms. Masters had been nice to her, treated her well while she worked for her, and she was very sorry that she had any part in this incident. She asked me to convey her deepest regret over everything that has happened to you, and she wishes you a complete recovery.”

  “Do you believe her?” Morgan swallowed the angry retort about it being too little too late and focused on more positive things. She knew from her own experiences and watching her mother that fear was a powerful motivator.

  “Yes, I do.” Lock met her gaze without compunction. “She is genuinely terrified of this guy. I think another reason she came forward is because prison will be a better place for her. She’s already living in a prison with him.” He shrugged. “One without him can only be a step in the right direction for her.”

  Morgan closed her eyes and allowed the wave of sympathy to wash over her. As drastic as it sounded, she knew he was right. In an official prison, she would be far safer than she had ever been as Jimmy Davidson’s wife. She shook her head slowly. “I hope she gets the help she needs. What else do you need from me?”

  “We don’t need anything right now. We may need to speak to you in the future.”

  “Who were they working for?” Erin’s voice was lightly hoarse and scratchy.

  “Mrs. Davidson claims that she doesn’t know, and Mr. Davidson has not yet revealed anything. Do you have any other questions?” Lock closed the file when they both shook their heads. “Thank you for coming in.”

  Morgan followed them through the building and into the car, as Erin drove in silence, her mind raced. So many questions had been answered for them all. So much doubt had been lifted from her mind. She hadn’t been having an affair and she wasn’t screwing someone else just weeks after leaving Erin. She had been targeted. Someone had set out to harm her, and her family. There was only one person she could think of who would do that.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Erin pulled up outside the house and held the door for Morgan as she struggled with her crutches before she opened the door to the house.

  Chris was waiting. He kissed Erin’s cheek and squeezed her shoulders. “You okay?”

  She shrugged and walked past him into the house.

  “Kettle’s on. Maddie’s in bed, and Tristan’s chatting to his girlfriend. He was in a funny mood. Probably just back to school blues, but it might be an idea to have a chat with him later.”

  “I will. Thanks, Chris. I think I need something stronger than tea.” She pulled the fridge open and grabbed a bottle of wine. She held it up to Chris in invitation.

  “No, thanks. Hey, Morgan.”

  “Hi, Chris.” Morgan hobbled into the kitchen and stood awkwardly by the table.

  Erin poured a drink and stalked out to the conservatory. She sat on the window seat and stared out at the stars, blinking against the black curtain of the night sky. The wind had picked up and the tree branches shook and rattled against the glass roof, jarring her nerves further. Each mouthful of w
ine warmed her throat as she twirled the glass in her fingers.

  “Penny for them?”

  Erin startled as Chris pulled open the door, smiling slightly before he sat down.

  “They’re not worth that much.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  Erin rested her forehead against the cool glass and let the chill ease the pounding in her skull. “Did she tell you what happened?”

  “Enough. She was drugged, she wasn’t cheating on you, and they’ve got the people who attacked her. Do I need any more?”

  Erin sighed. “I guess not.”

  “Do you?”

  She turned to look at him and debated playing ignorant, but the look on his face told her she wouldn’t get away with it. “I don’t know. Every time I think I’ve got a handle on this whole situation it shifts and everything changes again.”

  “Like those kaleidoscopes you used to love when we were kids.”

  “This isn’t a child’s toy, Chris. This is my life, the kids’ lives, we’re talking about.”

  “I know that. What I don’t know is what you want? And I don’t think you do either.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Correct me if I’m wrong here, but you wanted answers from her, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “You wanted to know why she left, if she was cheating, and whether or not she still loves you and the kids.”

  Erin laughed. “In a nutshell, huh?”

  “Bullet points have always worked much better for you than long, protracted essays, baby sis.” He grinned. “So, am I wrong?”

  “No.” She finished her drink and put the glass down.

  “You have those answers now, don’t you?”

  Erin closed her eyes and let PC Lock’s words play through her brain. Tricked, targeted, drugged, and left for dead. Morgan’s only crime that night had been to trust someone she thought of as a colleague. There was no question in her mind that Morgan had been faithful to her, but the fact that she’d doubted her at all had guilt knotted in her stomach. The love in Morgan’s eyes whenever she looked at Tristan and Maddie burned with an intensity that she had never seen before. She watched them constantly, and Erin could see her trying to commit every single thing to memory, and she accepted that her misgivings of letting Morgan back into their lives were unfounded.

  Still, she distrusted Morgan. Her reason for leaving, while obviously valid to her, made Erin question the very foundation of the relationship they’d had. All Morgan needed to do was talk to her, to show her the letter, tell her what had happened with her father, and they could have dealt with it all. Instead, she had walked away and left Erin to question everything she had believed in. What was it that was so fundamentally wrong in their relationship that Morgan couldn’t talk to her? Was she so unapproachable? Did Morgan really love her? Was it a convenient excuse? It seemed the more she learned, the less she knew.

  “Want to try that one question at a time?” Chris smiled gently, his eyes filled with compassion.

  “It won’t make a difference.”

  “Do you believe she cheated on you?”

  “No. She was clearly duped and then drugged. She was targeted by someone who the police have yet to identify.”

  “Progress. Do you believe she loves the kids?”

  Erin smiled. “With all her heart.”

  “You know why she felt she had to leave?”

  Erin felt the smile melt from her face and a frown tightened her brow. “I know her reason, but I don’t understand why she couldn’t talk to me.”

  Chris chuckled.

  Erin glared at him. “It’s not funny.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s actually pretty sad. How could you expect Morgan to talk to you about these things when you kept secrets from her too? You both came to an agreement, of sorts, in your relationship that incidents from the past stayed there. And now you don’t understand why she couldn’t talk to you about it?”

  “But this was affecting our current lives, not just the past.”

  “So?”

  “So our relationship was fucked up!”

  “No, it wasn’t. But you didn’t have great communication with this kind of stuff. You wanted to leave your pain in the past, and Morgan obviously did too. I’m not saying it was right or wrong. It worked for you both for a very long time, and there was no real way for her to know that it was ever going to come back and bite you all. Plenty of people make threats like her father did and nothing ever comes of it. You know what they say about hindsight.”

  “Doesn’t stop it hurting now, Chris.” The tears were warm on her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. She felt Chris’s arms wrap around her as he rocked her gently and she let go, allowing the sobs to wrack her body. She knew Chris was right. They had each closed off parts of themselves to the other and contributed to the destruction of their relationship. They had both slowly allowed life to get in the way of their love, and she felt a fool for not seeing the cracks that had been steadily growing.

  The little things that had slowly faded away when children got demanding and jobs took priority over them. The little text messages through the day, just to say I love you faded to nothing. The cuddle in front of the TV when the children went to bed, just to feel close, gave way to laundry, dishes, school lunches, and PE kits. And making love, while still good, had dwindled, sleep a more immediate concern.

  “We let it fall apart.”

  Chris stroked her back. “It’s not gone, Erin.” He pulled back and wiped her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Do you still love her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then please give me a chance.” They both turned to see Morgan standing in the doorway, her grip on her crutches so tight her knuckles had turned white. She hobbled forward and slowly dropped to one knee in front of Erin, her braced leg stuck awkwardly out to the side. “I made terrible mistakes, Erin. I hurt you so much, and I will never be able to tell you how sorry I am for it all. But I do love you. Every second I spend with you makes me love you even more. I want to be everything for you. Everything I was before and more.” She took hold of Erin’s hand. “Please give me a chance to love you.”

  Erin tried to speak, but her mouth had gone dry. Chris left the room, closing the door with a soft click.

  “Please, Erin. Please give me a chance.”

  Morgan’s eyes implored her, and Erin wanted to give in. She wanted Morgan’s arms around her never letting go. She saw nothing in those dark depths but sincerity, love, and hope, but she still couldn’t let go.

  “I don’t know if I can trust you.”

  Tears welled in Morgan’s eyes, but she didn’t move. “Why not?”

  “You hurt me.”

  “I know and I’m so sorry for that. So sorry. I’m asking for a chance to make it up to you. To put it all right again.”

  “Morgan, it’s not as simple as that.”

  “It can be. Just give me a chance.” She leaned forward and kissed her.

  Erin closed her eyes, letting the tears fall as Morgan cradled her face in her hands and claimed her lips, her tongue flicking and sliding across Erin’s lower lip. Erin moaned and let her in. She was helpless as Morgan pulled her closer, her fingers threading into her hair. All she wanted was to feel Morgan’s hands driving away the nagging ache of her loneliness, to bring to life things she felt were dead inside. Her body responded to Morgan’s touch, even as her brain demanded she pull away. Her body and mind fought a battle, and her heart was the trophy they both sought.

  Morgan eased away from Erin’s lips, kissed her gently on the forehead, and wiped at her tears with her thumbs.

  “I love you.” She kissed her lips again chastely. “Don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever doubt it. There will never be anyone else for me.”

  “Morgan, I don’t—”

  Morgan placed her fingers to Erin’s lips. “Think about it. As long as you need. As slow as you want. Whenever you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.” Morga
n kissed her hand before struggling to her feet and leaving the room.

  Erin picked up her glass. “Shit.” She got up slowly and poured herself another drink. The stairs creaked as she climbed them, and she paused to look at some of the pictures. Their wedding picture caught her eye and she ran her finger over the glass. They were so happy then, the four of them. Could they have that again? Could it even be better?

  She crawled under the covers and pulled an old T-shirt from under the pillow. Holding it to her face, she breathed in the scent of Morgan. Could it be better? Maybe.

  Chapter Thirty

  The phone’s shrill ring startled Morgan as she sketched. She reached for it, cursing as she smeared charcoal across her face.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, I’m calling from Marple Hall School. Can I speak to Ms. Masters?”

  “I’m Tristan’s mum, Morgan Masters. Is he all right?”

  “Oh, well that’s what we’re calling about. I’m afraid he isn’t in school. He attended on Monday, but hasn’t been in for the past two days, and we haven’t heard anything. I take it you didn’t know he wasn’t attending?”

  Shit. “He left this morning in his school uniform, as normal.”

  “Ah. I think we need to discuss this unauthorized absence.”

  “It’s unlikely that I’ll find him right now, unless you can direct me specifically. I’m afraid I’m on crutches.”

  “Well, there are a number of places that the boys tend to go when they are truanting. But I suspect he’ll arrive home as usual this afternoon. The head teacher would like to see you and Tristan. Would tomorrow be okay?”

  Morgan quickly checked the calendar, grateful that Erin was due to work a late shift so she’d be able to come too. “First thing?”

  “I’ll make the appointment for you for eight thirty.”

  “Has Tristan had other unauthorized absences?”