by Kari Shuey
His steely gaze stayed fixed on a point further out in the yard.
“I guess part of me didn’t want to admit to wrong-doing, when I found something today.”
This piqued his interest, his eyes filled with understanding, but he continued to avoid her gaze.
“Gavin, I was cleaning today and realized I hadn’t emptied your office garbage like you requested earlier in the week. I went in there.”
He looked at her, shock and betrayal flickered over his face. “Abby, I asked you to stay out of my office.”
“I know. I didn’t think there would be any harm getting the garbage. I saw a piece of paper on the floor – an envelope. It didn’t have your name on it.” She looked straight ahead. “Gavin, why did you open a letter written to a Garrett Saxe?”
He was silent. When she chanced a glance in his direction, he’d returned to staring blankly at the yard.
“I can’t say why it bothered me so much, just that this alarm went off in my head. It made me realize just how little we know about each other. I need to feel secure when I am dating someone-”
“Abby, don’t you think I need the same thing?” he whispered. Then a little louder and with a hint of anger. “Shouldn’t I feel safe telling someone to stay out of my private space and actually be able to trust them?”
Abby winced at his tone. “I’m sorry.” She waited for a moment. “I don’t think I will be able to move forward in this relationship if you don’t think you can open up to me about this. I understand you have your past and I have mine… but I am also willing to share everything with you. That is kind of what I thought we signed up for.”
“I can’t do that,” he muttered.
“Can’t do what?” she questioned. “Can’t give me exactly what you were asking I give you? A chance? A possibility of a bigger future together?” It was her turn to be irritated.
Gavin rubbed his temples, he was looking more and more worn down. “I can’t tell you why I received that letter. I can’t tell you why I opened it. I can’t tell you what that name means to me and my past.”
Abby nodded. “Alright then. We are at a stalemate. Considering the state your life was in when I met you, I find it more than fair to require full honesty. And seeing as I know next to nothing about you beyond your wealth and work… I don’t feel comfortable continuing to build a relationship.”
His head swiveled to look at her. His eyes almost pleading with her to reconsider this ultimatum, but he said nothing.
Abby stood up to go back inside and he stood with her. “It’s best we stop this now before we go any further and end up regretting it.” She hugged herself, tightening her coat. “Goodnight Mr. Saxe.” Abby went straight inside and started to fix dinner.
Chapter 17
When Abby broke off the relationship they had been building, Gavin felt hollow. Like banging an empty metal drum, hollow. She’d just taken everything that made his life fulfilling. If he could tell her about his secret and know it wouldn’t change anything without a shadow of a doubt, he’d tell her. He wanted to yell after her to come back so he could spill everything. No, he wanted to run after her and beg her to take him as he was… scars and all.
Instead, he watched her walk away from him and didn’t say a thing. His skeletons would remain hidden in the deep, dark crevices of his soul. Abby entered the house and the door shut quietly behind her.
Gavin cursed. He picked up another stone and chucked it as hard as he could. It met with a resounding thud against the stone wall. The sound of the contact made him yearn for more destruction. He picked up a pool chair and threw it into the yard, followed by tipping over an end table. He reached for another chair but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He whirled around, ready to fight off whoever was behind him uninvited and stopped upon seeing Windsor.
Windsor’s expression was one of pain and understanding. He didn’t say anything but Gavin could tell his friend was there for him. It was just that he didn’t want someone to empathize with him. He wanted her. He wanted the girl who made him feel what heaven was like.
Gavin brushed off Windsor’s hand. He shook his head, indicating he didn’t want to talk about it. Windsor gave a curt nod. He walked over to the chair and put it back on the patio. Gavin quietly watched him settle onto the chair and put up his legs. Windsor folded his arms and rested his head. He closed his eyes and waited.
Gavin’s energy spent, he sat down again on the patio and rested his arms on his knees. “This really sucks,” he muttered. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Windsor finally spoke up.
“If I might give you some advice?” Windsor looked at his friend pointedly.
Gavin grunted.
“I know you love her, but it’s over.” He waited to let that sink in. “You need to let her go. If it was meant to be something more, it would be.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “That’s awful advice, Windsor. Don’t quit your day job.”
Windsor chuckled slightly. “Yeah. It really sucks.” He got up and walked back to the guest house. A man of few words, but always there for Gavin when he needed it most.
Gavin stood and brushed himself off. He turned around and started. Abby had opened the door and was standing there forlornly.
“Dinner is ready if you’re hungry.”
Gavin took a deep breath and came inside. The table was set for one. Gavin looked up at Abby. He’d finally had enough of her assuming things. “Abby, why is there only one place setting at the table?”
Abby looked over at the table from where she was standing. “I thought, given the situation, you might prefer I remain absent from mealtime.”
Gavin pressed his finger and thumb into his closed eyes. Mentally telling himself he didn’t need to blow up about this, he finally looked up at her. “I’d like it if you joined me at mealtimes regardless if we are romantically involved. So please put another place setting on the table.” He took a seat and studied the woman he had grown attached to. He wasn’t going to give up by any means. What did Windsor know about love? He probably hadn’t gone on a date since the military.
Abby took a seat across from him and silently started eating. She refused to look at him, and didn’t appear to want to talk. Gavin spent his meal trying to come up with something that could tip the scales back in his favor. There had to be something that would allow her to overlook this secret.
“I can guarantee, it’s not what you think. You wouldn’t be able to guess in a million years.” Gavin stirred his mashed potatoes and took another bite.
“What isn’t?”
Putting down his fork, Gavin stood up and placed his palms on the table, leaning towards her. “Abby don’t act like a fool, it’s unbecoming. Look, that name has nothing to do with you, it has nothing to do with my murdered housekeeper, and it shouldn’t make you think the worst of me. I can’t tell you anything beyond that.” He stood over her for a few minutes, then awkwardly sat back down to his meal.
Abby continued to eat her meal. He could tell she was thinking about what he had said. “So, you’re not a criminal?”
Gavin scoffed at the question. “I can’t say I’m not when that isn’t the truth. Who hasn’t committed a criminal act by the time they hit their thirties? But I can promise you I would never hurt you.” Then in almost a whisper, “You’re different.”
She was quiet again. Then she shrugged and looked up at him with those penetrating eyes he’d grown to love. “That may be, but it’s still a secret and if you can’t promise me full transparency, I really don’t think I can dive into a relationship with you.” Picking up her plate, she walked over to the sink and started to clean up the meal prep. And when she got into her cleaning zone, there wasn’t anything he could do to reach her.
Gavin put down his utensils and threw his napkin onto the table. She may be the woman he was falling for, but she was also one of the most infuriating people he’d ever met. Once up from the table, Gavin retreated to his office.
A few hours later,
there was a buzz at the gate. Rather than look into it himself, Gavin allowed Windsor to do his job and notify him if there was any problem. He was surprised when a knock at the door echoed through the main floor. Curious, he looked out his window to see if he could figure out who was visiting this late in the evening. Startled to see a police car in his driveway, Gavin made his way to his office door to find out what was going on. Before he reached it, there was a knock alerting him he was needed.
He opened the door and slipped out. Abby stood in front of him, her eyes wide and concerned. “It’s the police. They want to talk to you.”
Gavin pushed past her and quickly set off to meet the officers. They were the same ones he’d interacted with during this whole embarrassing and frustrating part of his life. Detective York was a tall older gentleman, who could grow a beard and dress up as Santa during the Christmas season. Not that he was incredibly old, but he did have grey hair and a cheerful demeanor. Officer Lancaster was of average height. Her brown hair was usually pulled back into a tight bun. You never really knew if she was glad to see you or mad at the world. She had one of the most unreadable faces, and she was usually all business.
“Mr. Saxe, good to see you.” Detective York jumped in. He held out his hand to grab Gavin’s.
“I hope this is good news then. You have a lead?” Gavin questioned. The two officers exchanged glances.
“We finally heard back from Miss Sanchez’s sister. She mentioned that Miss Sanchez was seeing someone. Were you aware of this?”
Gavin looked down rubbed his neck, contemplating his housekeeper’s schedule. “I wasn’t, but it would make sense. She rarely spent time in the main house in the evenings nor on the weekends. Toward the end she was quick to do her work and let me know she was done. I wonder why she never told me she was seeing someone…”
Detective York pulled out a small notebook. Flipping the pages, he finally landed on the one he was looking for. “It says here, she was seeing someone with the last name Windsor.”
Gavin’s head shot up. “You have to be mistaken.” Gavin itched to go to the window and look out at the guest house. Windsor was romantically involved with Amara?
“I’m sorry, but we are certain. We have been doing some digging and it turns out there is a Mr. Adam Windsor who also works for you. It can’t be that much of a coincidence can it?”
“You have to have other leads. I mean, have you actually looked into everyone who had access to my property? I just recently fired my landscaper… he could have been…”
The officer shook his head and interrupted him. “Again, we have been doing our best to seek out all suspects, and only recently was Mr. Windsor’s relationship with the victim brought to light. We need to speak with him immediately.”
Gavin stared at the detective. He didn’t like that York was smiling at him. But it wasn’t his fault he was a happy guy, he reminded himself. This had just gotten serious. He tried to recall the week Amara was found. Windsor was stationed at the company, not on his property. He wondered if he had a legitimate alibi. He hoped his best friend would be able to present it.
Detective York interrupted his thoughts. “Do you know where we can find Mr. Windsor? We need to take him in for questioning.”
Gavin stared at the officers yet seeing nothing. How was he going to fix this if Windsor, a man who kept to himself, didn’t have an alibi? What lengths would he be able to go to so that his friend stayed out of prison? Why didn’t Windsor tell him he’d been seeing Amara… and now she was dead. What must he be going through!?
“Mr. Saxe? Mr. Saxe!”
Gavin focused on the detective again. “Oh, yes. He’s actually here. I can go get him for you.”
Practically tripping across the lawn, Gavin ran and pounded on the door to the guest house. Windsor swung the door open, a gun in hand. “What is it? Is Miss Russell-”
“The police, they’re here.” Gavin pulled out his phone and started dialing the number for his lawyer.
Windsor shifted his head to look around Gavin. “They’re still here? They said they would only be here for a few minutes. I thought they’d be gone by now.” Windsor looked back at Gavin. “Any updates?”
Gavin held up a finger as he spoke into the phone. He demanded Williams get to his property as soon as possible. Turning to Windsor, he answered his question. “Windsor, they want to take you in for questioning. They said you knew the victim… intimately.” Gavin let that statement sink in. He watched a flash of guilt cross his friend’s face. “So it’s true. Why didn’t you tell me!? How long had this been going on?”
“A few months. Remember that time you asked me to come to the property and check up on security? Well, we kind of hit it off.”
“I can’t believe I’m even asking this, but did you do anything to her?”
Windsor looked hurt. He scowled at his friend and clenched his teeth. “I was in love with her. I’d never hurt her.”
Relief washed over Gavin. “Okay, then please tell me you had an alibi. Where were you when they say she was killed?”
Windsor closed his eyes. “I’m going to be out of luck on that one. You asked me to go to Texas.”
Gavin squeezed his eyes shut. “That’s right. You took my plane. Did you meet up with anyone who could vouch for you? Please tell me we used one of our regular flight crews.”
Windsor shook his head. “No sir, your normal crew was busy, so they gave me someone I didn’t know. And I didn’t interact with anyone per your guidelines.”
Gavin cursed. He paced a few steps, trying to come up with anything he could do at this point. The officers would likely keep him in holding while they got an arrest warrant and Gavin would have 48 hours to come up with a viable alibi. He could try to find one of the people on the flight… or… Looking up at Windsor, Gavin heatedly whispered his idea. “Please tell me you went to a bar or someplace that might have security cameras. I bet we can have our tech guys reach out to them and get some footage.”
Windsor thought about it. “There were security cameras at the airport and the gas stations I went to for snacks. I did go to one bar, but I don’t think it had a camera.”
Abby suddenly appeared behind Gavin. “They are wondering what is taking so long. And someone at the gate named Mr. Williams asked to be buzzed in.”
Gavin whirled on Abby. For the first time she’d taken him by surprise. He looked at her closely, watching as she studied Windsor with new eyes. It was likely she was now fearful this was the man who the police had been looking for all this time. He was astonished to find she was looking at him with what appeared to be curiosity and concern rather than distress. “Tell them we’re coming. Let Williams in. Windsor, Mr. Williams will be representing you. He has a way of figuring these things out.”
Chapter 18
Abby stood in the hall, listening as the officers spoke to Gavin. They appeared to have a new lead and it was someone right under Gavin’s nose. Windsor? She questioned. He was dating the housekeeper? Her heart beat faster as she considered the implications. The pieces were coming together. He was brusque and closed off because he either lost someone he loved or he was hiding something too.
Abby watched Gavin put it all together. He was having a hard time accepting that Windsor was now the new person of interest in this developing crime story. She could imagine Gavin trying to fix this before it unraveled completely. She slipped back out of sight and contemplated if she felt Windsor was the murder mastermind. He’d always been kind to her, albeit closed off and gruff. He frequently offered to help her bring in groceries, remained quietly present on the property and kept a watchful eye. He never made her feel unsafe – maybe a little unwelcome though. He was ex-military so she supposed he could have been violent enough… but she’d like to think, these kinds of red flags would have made an appearance and Amara would have made some mention of it to her sister. If he wasn’t the jealous or controlling type… it was possible he was just heartbroken over his loss.
Gavin l
eft the house. Abby overheard the officers discussing their thoughts on the case, assuming they were alone.
“This Windsor guy seems like he fits the bill. He’s been in trouble for assault before, the evidence of a struggle showed the victim was overpowered. And why didn’t he come forward before now telling everyone he was involved with the victim?”
“Yeah, he could be the one we’ve been looking for, but you must remember that if their relationship was a secret, he probably wouldn’t have come forward simply to keep his privacy. Who knows how long they were dating anyway? The victim’s sister said the two weren’t really close. For all she knows, the relationship was still very new.”
“I don’t know, York. I think with the numbers pointing to significant others being so high, it’s going to be hard not to really delve into this guy. If he doesn’t have a good enough alibi I say we file for an arrest warrant.” The female officer paused a few minutes. “Where are they? You don’t think Mr. Saxe warned the guy and helped him run, do you?”
Abby came out of the hallway. “Oh, you’re still here,” she feigned surprise. “Are you still waiting for Mr. Saxe?”
The two officers looked over at Abby and then at each other, as if having a whole conversation. She wouldn’t be surprised if they were hoping she hadn’t overheard them.
“Uh, yeah. He said a Mr. Windsor was on the property and he would be willing to go get him.”
“Okay. I can go see where they are right now if you’d like.” Abby motioned to the back part of the house, ready to go if they gave her the nod.
“Um, actually, can we ask you a few questions?” The gentleman reached into his pocket and pulled out his notebook. “You’re the new housekeeper, right?”
“Yes… My name is Abby Russell.” Abby wandered over to the officers, hoping she was buying enough time for Gavin to talk to Windsor.
“How well do you know Mr. Windsor?”