Reflections

by Susan Griscom

  He crept down the dark hallway and opened the bedroom door, expecting it to be dark in the room, but pleasure soaked through his bones when he saw Maia standing in front of the mirror wearing a sexy little nightgown. Maybe she wasn’t upset anymore. He stood quietly watching her as she reached up to touch the mirror. He almost swallowed his tongue when she dropped her hand back down to her side and the arm in the mirror stayed outstretched.

  “What the fuck?!” The sound of his voice must have started her because she whipped around and almost tripped over the glider’s ottoman. He rushed to her side to help steady her.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and smiled. “You scared me.”

  “I scared you? What the fuck just happened?”

  “Gerry, please don’t swear.”

  “All right, all right, I’m sorry, but Jesus, what do you expect when I see the mirror …,” he pointed at it, “the … the … the … mirror …” He stammered uncontrollably and squeezed his eyes tight for a second, trying to get a handle on his speaking ability. “Did … did you just do that? How did that happen?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. I told you the old woman was there by the creek with me. She said she was me. I think I must have some way of communicating with myself from the future, which,” she held up her hand as if he was going to argue with her, “I know makes me sound completely loony.”

  “No. Not loony, Maia.” He stroked her cheek, stared into her bright brown eyes and watched the golden speckles dance with light from the candle burning on the dresser. “Maia, if you’re crazy, I’m crazy.”

  “The twins. They must be girls. Gerry, I think we should find out.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Let’s go see Red tomorrow.”

  “We’ll need to bring him here. He’ll need the sonogram machine he lent us. Maybe Cael or Siana can teleport him. He’s not just around the corner, you know.”

  “Right.” He realized this was the first time in thirty-six hours that they had said more than two or three words to each other. “So, you’re talking to me now?”

  “I was never not talking to you.”

  He opened his mouth, but all that wanted to come out was something flippant, so he shut it and moved to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Tugging her against him, he felt the firmness of her womb against him. My God, she’d grown since last he held her. “Whoa!” Startled at the sudden movement that slid from one side of her stomach to the other he placed his hand over her stomach, splaying his fingers wide. “This is real, huh, Maia?”

  “It’s always been real.”

  “I mean … I’m sorry.”

  ***

  When Maia didn’t say anything, Gerry pressed his lips lightly to her forehead. “I’m so very sorry.” Placing his finger under her chin, he titled her head up, forcing her to look into his eyes.

  “Whenever I look at you I know that you are the one person in this entire universe I want to share my world with. You have my heart. I always thought you knew that. I’ve been a fool, Maia. Please forgive me. I need you in my life. You’re the one who keeps me balanced and complete. Without you I would die. And we are really good together.” He smiled but his eyes looked pained. Maia knew he hadn’t slept any more than she had with all the tossing and turning they seemed to have taken turns doing throughout the past couple of nights. “We work. We make sense. You and me, together, we are the only thing that makes sense. So, believe me when I say I love you with all my heart. Please be my wife.”

  Swallowing to minimize the huge lump in her throat, Maia shook her head slightly and couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. She swiped at them with the back of her hand and sniffled. Was this really happening? Was Gerry really committing to her and not because of the twins? She wanted to say yes. More than anything, she needed to say yes. “Gerry.”

  “Maia, please. I’m not asking for the babies. I’ll be there for them no matter what, but I need you to be my wife … for this.” He placed her hand over his heart. “This beats for you and only you.”

  “God, Gerry. I can’t …” she shook her head and watched his eyes glaze over. “I mean, I don’t believe you could ask me in a more beautiful way. Yes. Yes. I’ll marry you.”

  “You will?” His voice cracked as he spoke.

  She nodded. “Yes. You know you’ve always possessed my heart. I’ve never known a man like you. I knew you loved me. When I said no before … I had to know, Gerry, I had to be sure you wanted me for me and not because of the twins. I couldn’t bring them into a marriage based solely on their existence.”

  “Maia, if you weren’t pregnant. I would still want to spend the rest of my life with you, marry you. I just never thought about it before. Marriage never seemed important to you; you never mentioned it. When I went back home, back to see my da, I learned something. Marriage isn’t only about a piece of paper. Marriage is about love, friendship, family, and above all, respect. My ma wasn’t the witch my dad always claimed she was. He spent most of my life degrading women because of her. But I remembered something while I was there. I remembered the day she left, how they argued while I sat hidden in the hallway. She actually cried, I guess because she didn’t want to hurt him. It's possible she was scared for him, for me. Over the past couple of nights I've been doing some digging into the past. I think there could have been people after her, and I think she left to protect me. I believe she really loved him and me. She compelled him to hate her so he wouldn’t hurt so badly. I’m not saying she did the right thing, but she did it for the right reason. She didn’t try to compel me, most likely knew that wasn’t possible. But I remember her walking to me when she saw me hiding. She picked me up, hugged me, kissed me on the forehead, then put me back down and ran out of the house. That was the last time I saw her.”

  “Oh, Gerry, I’m so sorry. Is she still alive?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Haven’t a clue where to begin to look. Maybe I’ll check into it.”

  “Maybe the Sectorium can help.”

  “Perhaps.” Gerry held Maia close. “I have something for you.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ring with a tear-shaped blue sapphire surrounded by tiny little diamonds. “Oh my, it’s beautiful.”

  “You think so? I wasn’t sure. Aside from digging into my mother’s past, I’ve been working late, juggling around expenses for it.”

  “Can we afford this? I don’t need a fancy ring like this. I …”

  “Shhhh. I want you to have it. I want to see it on your finger, know it was me who put it there, and that you wanted me to.”

  “Oh, I do want you to.” She grinned as she held out her hand and Gerry slipped the ring on her finger.

  “It fits.” With pride beaming all over his face he pulled Maia to him and kissed her, lightly at first. When she moaned and leaned further into him, the kiss deepened and she lost herself in his warmth and familiar smell of hops and musk. With one quick flick of his finger, the nightgown she wore slid down and pooled at her feet. Gerry lowered his head to take one exposed nipple in his mouth just as the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock and frowned. “It’s close to midnight; if this is Careen again, I swear I’ll kill her.”

  Maia grabbed her robe from the back of the chair and shrugged it on as she followed Gerry down the stairs. Gerry swung open the front door ready to read Careen the riot act, but he was surprised to see Chief Thompson and Lieutenant Whelan instead.

  “Rob? What are you doing here? Was there a break-in at the bar?”

  “Gerry. Maia. No, no break-in. May we come in?”

  “Sure.” Gerry gestured toward the living room. “Have a seat.”

  “Can I get you anything?” Maia asked, but knew the answer the minute she saw the chief’s troubled face and the way he pulled on his bushy mustache, a nervous habit he displayed when he became concerned. She’d known him a long time and saw the pain in his dark eyes. Whatever brought him to their home tonight must be horrible news and she braced herself for the
worst.

  “Thanks, but we’ll stand. I’m afraid this isn’t a social call. I have some very distressing news.” He cleared his throat and added, “There’s no way to sugar-coat it so I’ll just get on with it. Careen Faraday has been murdered.”

  “Murdered? How? Who …? That’s impossible. I just saw her three hours ago. The band had a short performance tonight. She sang three songs,” Gerry proclaimed.

  “Oh God.” Maia put her hand over her mouth.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to ask Maia to come down to the station for questioning.”

  “Maia? Why Maia?”

  “Unfortunately, I have no choice. At this time, Maia is our prime suspect.”

  Maia shook her head and took a couple of steps back, disbelieving what she was hearing. “No.” This was worse than anything she could have imagined.

  “What?” Gerry said, looking at Maia. Her eyes felt as wide as his became. Could he actually believe she was capable of killing Careen? “That’s preposterous!” Gerry added. “Maia’s been here all evening and besides, she’d never hurt anybody. Right, Maia?” He looked to her for confirmation but all she could do was nod.

  “Were you here all evening with her?” Chief Thompson said.

  “No. I … I was at the bar, balancing some accounts. What evidence do you have that implicates Maia?”

  “We have the murder weapon, a serrated culinary knife with her prints on it.”

  “My fingerprints? Why would my fingerprints be on the knife and how do you know they are mine?” Maia stepped close to Gerry, wrapping her hands around his arm and he placed his other hand on top of hers.

  “You must have had them done when you were a child. There are safety programs all over the state that encourage parents to let professionals take their children’s prints, just as a precaution, you know, even when you were small.”

  “Oh, maybe.” It would have had to have been when she was a toddler, because she didn’t remember anything like that.

  “The prints on the knife match what we have in the system for you. That’s why we need to bring you in.”

  “Are you arresting her, then?”

  He nodded. “I have no choice. If you’ll just come with us peacefully, Maia, I won’t handcuff you.”

  “I didn’t.” Maia’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Gerry. “I swear I didn’t kill her! You know me, Gerry, you believe me, don’t you? Please don’t let them take me.”

  Gerry walked to her, placed his arms around her. “I know, darlin’, I know. We’ll get you cleared of this. There has to be some explanation.” He brushed a curly loose strand of hair from her face and turned to the chief. “You can’t take her in. She didn’t do it. You know she didn’t do it.”

  “Look, Gerry, I don’t believe Maia did this any more than you do, but I gotta follow the law. It’ll jeopardize the entire investigation if I don’t go by the book. I have to bring her in.”

  “Gerry, please.” Maia looked into Gerry’s eyes, pleading for him to use compulsion on the two men and make them forget everything about the knife and her fingerprints that inconceivably appeared there.

  He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head.

  “Gerry, please, if ever there was a time, it’s now,” she sobbed.

  “Maia, baby, I’m sorry.” He pulled her in close, whispered in her ear, “I know what you want me to do but I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now. Let’s wait and see. It’ll be okay, I promise.”

  She sniffled, wiped away the tears from her cheeks before straightening. He lifted her face to his and she nodded before facing the chief. “Okay. I’ll go with you. Can I please change clothes first?”

  “Yes.” The Chief gestured toward the Lieutenant and Dwayne took a couple of steps, following Maia.

  She stopped and glared at Chief Thompson. “Really, Rob? Please. I promise I won’t try to escape.”

  The Chief nodded and Lieutenant Whalen stayed downstairs.

  After changing, Maia walked down the steps, a nauseating sensation grabbed hold and she fought the urge to vomit.

  “Are you okay?” Gerry asked as she stood on the bottom step grasping the rail with both hands.

  “I think I need some crackers. I … don’t feel very well.”

  “I’ll get some,” Gerry said and headed toward the kitchen for the box of saltines, A few seconds later, he called. “Maia, did you leave the back door open earlier today?”

  “No,” Maia said as she, the Chief and Lieutenant Whelan walked into the kitchen to see the back door wide open. “I came home and placed my keys on the counter but never bothered to turn the light on. I was exhausted and headed straight up to the bedroom.”

  “Well, that explains it. Someone must be framing Maia,” Gerry said.

  Lieutenant Whelan ran his hand up and down the side of the door. “Doesn’t look like a forced entry. Anyone else have a key?”

  “Well, I do, Maia has one, and I keep one at the bar in case of an emergency. Do you think someone lifted the key from my office?”

  “It’s a possibility. Where’s your key?” Whelan asked.

  Gerry dug into his pocket, pulled out his key ring and dangled it at the Lieutenant. “Maia?”

  “My key is right there on the counter.”

  “I still need to take you in, Maia, until we can confirm that someone actually broke in and took the knife from here. We’ll try to make it as brief and as pleasant as possible,” he said, then without skipping a beat he continued, “You have the right to remain …”

  “Oh my God, you’re really arresting me!”

  “Just procedure, Maia. It’s for your protection when you’re questioned so you know that anything you say can be held against you.” He finished citing the Miranda, then led her to the patrol car. After he helped her in, he turned to Gerry who had followed them out. “Lieutenant Whelan will go with you to the bar to check on that key after he dusts here for fingerprints, but even if someone did break in here and steal the knife, chances are they wore gloves.”

  ***

  Chief Thompson led Maia through the double glass doors of the police station and she tugged her coat closed as tight as it would possibly go, wishing she could hide inside it. A self-conscious undulation of emotions enveloped her even though no one else was there at that time of night. The twins were growing fast and her clothes were all becoming tight but she tugged her coat over her stomach as far as it would go. The wool garment barely made its way around her midriff and she felt very exposed.

  All the station lights were on, but both desks were empty. Cheryl, the deputy, was long gone and Maia was thankful for that, but she’d hear about it soon enough. The embarrassment of the situation was almost too much to bear. In a small town like Whisper Cape, by sunrise everyone would know that Maia had been arrested for murder. Murder! Not in a million years did she ever think she’d be implicated in a murder, let alone be the prime suspect. Oh God, what’s going to happen to the twins if I’m convicted? Wait, don’t get ahead of yourself.

  “Maia, please come over here. I need to get your fingerprints.”

  “I thought you already had them.”

  “They are in the system, but we need them now for the booking. It’s standard procedure. Please.” He gestured to the table holding a book and the little plastic case that contained the black ink strip. After getting her prints recorded, he asked her to stand with the tips of her toes against a yellow strip of tape on the floor and he took her picture.

  “Deputy Hann will be here in a few minutes to do the pat down.”

  Maia wiped the tear that dripped down her check and sniffled. So much for avoiding the humiliation of everyone finding out. Deputy or not, Cheryl Hann was a friend and Maia didn’t like the idea of her possibly thinking Maia was actually capable of something as horrible as murder.

  Chief Thompson sat behind his wide desk, pushed a pile of papers to the side and gestured toward the brown fiber-weaved chair at the side. “Take a seat, Maia. Le
t’s talk.”

  “Rob, please, you know I didn’t do this.”

  He sat back in his big black leather chair and crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing her. “I want to believe that. But answer these questions for me.”

  “I’ll try, but I don’t see what I can tell you that you don’t already know.”

  “Humor me. Where were you tonight between nine and eleven?”

  “I was home. I came home from having dinner with Cael and Addison. Breena, his …” What was she? His niece, his little sister? “mother’s adopted daughter was there visiting,” she finally settled on, not that it mattered. She wanted to keep everything as accurate as possible even though it had absolutely nothing to do with Careen’s murder. “I was exhausted. The little girl, she asked so many questions. Anyway, I threw my keys on the counter and went right up-stairs.”

  “What about the kitchen door. Was it open then?”

  “I didn’t notice.”

  “Maia, this is important. Think hard.”

  “Oh God, Rob.” She ran her fingers through the top of her hair. Keeping her hands there, she shook her head. “I just don’t know. I’m sorry, I can’t remember.” She began to cry but caught herself, pulled her hands from her head and placed them in her lap. “I was so tired. I didn’t even turn the lights on. All I wanted to do was get upstairs and into bed. This pregnancy is draining all my energy. Why is this happening to me? I didn’t kill her. Honest. I didn’t. I haven’t even seen her since the first night’s performance at the bar and I left early because I was beat. Who would do this to her, to me?”

  The chief reached over, picked up a large plastic bag and held it for her to see. “Is this your knife?”

  Maia studied the knife in the bag. It looked familiar. She shrugged. “It could be. I don’t know for sure.”

  “Did you and Careen argue a few days ago?”

  “Yes. No. We didn’t really argue. She was rude to me, said some unnecessarily nasty things.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as, she’d see me dead before she’d let me get my claws any further into Gerry. But that was her threatening me, not the other way around.”