“She sure is lucky. Riley’s one big hunk of spunk.” Danny released a wistful sigh, his eyes dreamy.
“Sitting right here!” called Andrew, waving to get his attention.
“I know. But you have to admit he’s damned good to look at.”
We were lost in our mutual admiration of Riley’s god-like looks, when a quiet knock sounded at the door.
“We’re closed!” Danny yelled, as Andrew stood and made his way across the salon.
“It’s the police,” he explained, as the sound of the lock turning filled the otherwise quiet salon. Danny sat my chair up and handed me a towel to dry my hair.
“Can I help you?” Andrew asked, as the door opened.
I held my breath as I accepted the towel.
“Good evening,” said a uniformed officer. I recognized him as Sergeant Ed Helms. He was tall, dark skinned, had more muscles than I’d ever seen, and was completely edible. He had also declared his love for Lizzie. Still, there were at least two other Fuller’s in this room who would happily accept her seconds.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I needed to know if any of you has heard from Lizzie or Riley this evening?” His hands clenched at his side and the knot surrounding my stomach, tightened.
“I haven’t heard from her since mid-afternoon,” stated Andrew. I stood alongside Danny and made my way across the tiled floor.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, noting Ed’s strained expression and the dark rings under his eyes.
“No. I’m sorry. But there’s been an incident.”
Blood drained from my face and I felt the world sway slightly. Grabbing on to Danny for support, I took a deep breath and hoped my sudden nausea would settle.
“My colleague, Senior Constable Warwick Barnes was guarding Lizzie this evening when they visited an abandoned house in River Road. We responded to an emergency call where he’s been shot. Both Lizzie and Riley are now missing.”
Darkness filled my vision and the world turned black.
****
Danny, Andrew and I were curled up on the couch in mum’s living room.
I had a bruise on my hip and an egg on my head from when I’d fainted and fell, but otherwise I was okay. We’d spent the night leaning on one another and trying to keep mum sane and out of the gin bottle. I did see her sneak a swig around one this morning, but if I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have joined her. As it was, I had nothing but deep breathing to keep my anxiety at bay.
The strain was showing on everyone in the room. In the last twenty hours we’d been through every emotion possible, from crying to snapping, to yelling and then back to wanting to do nothing more than to hold each other close. I was mostly worried about grandma. For the first time I noticed she looked every bit of her eighty-five years.
“Grandma, are you going to eat that cake?” I asked.
“No.”
“But you need to keep your sugar up.”
“Your mother’s fed me enough sugar to last me a month. I don’t need anymore.”
The kitchen counter was overflowing with sweet treats that mum had spent the night preparing. We now had four dozen cupcakes of various flavors, a mud cake, a tiramisu, and three dozen chocolate chip muffins. To counteract the sugar, she had added a dozen spinach and feta muffins, but so far no one had touched those.
Time had slowly ticked by without any updates of Lizzie and Riley, and so far, all we knew was that they had been visiting an old house they wanted to purchase when all hell broke loose. The police had found two dead bodies, one policeman fighting for his life, and two missing people, along with blood that didn’t belong to any of the bodies found.
There had been no word since Ed had visited the salon, but I knew that he was doing everything humanly possible to find them and the Westport Police were out in force.
As the opening tune of evening news told us that it was six p.m. on Friday night, I jumped as a ringing phone broke the tension between us.
Dad beat everyone to answer it.
“Hello?” His voice was fatigued as he’d had as much sleep as the rest of us.
“Put it on speaker!” mum commanded.
“It’s Father Dawson.”
“Oh.” Her disappointment echoed through us all.
I couldn’t take it any longer. I stood and made my way outside to get some fresh air. After taking a few deep breaths, I swiped at my tears and dialed Matt for the hundredth time in the last twenty-one hours.
He still wasn’t answering so I left another message telling him once again what had happened, and how now more than ever I needed to hear his voice. To be honest, I wished he was here to hold me tight and tell me that Lizzie and Riley were fine, and they would be home soon, unharmed. I needed his calming voice, and his warm arms, but mostly I needed his strength.
“Molly!” Grandma called through the open window. “Matt’s on the news.”
My heart missed a beat and I ran back to the lounge. Grabbing the remote I turned the volume up and sat heavily on the nearest chair, my eyes glued to the screen. Unfortunately, all I got to hear of his report was him saying, “Thanks Rob. I’ll keep you posted.” As the vision of him flipped to the newsroom, he disappeared from view and once again from my life.
“What did he say?” I asked the others.
Danny shrugged. Andrew shook his head, and grandma swished her teeth, lost in a different thought.
“Molly, fifty-year old stories are the least of our worries right now!” snapped mum.
“I know. I’m sorry,” I replied, not wanting anyone to how I had a pain around my heart after seeing Matt’s gorgeous dark eyes filled with compassion for the story he was telling.
“I’m going to take Harper for a walk. Will someone call me if you get any news about Lizzie please?”
“Do you need someone to come with you, Possum?”
“No. I just think I need some time alone to process what’s happening.”
I clipped Harper’s lead to his collar and made my way into the warm evening air, and along the footpath that Lizzie and I had walked every day of our childhood. Memories of running with her for the school bus, talking endlessly about boys, and arguing over stupid little things sisters argue over, filled my mind, as tears streamed down my cheeks. Reaching the park at the end of the road, I found a bench and sunk down onto it. Harper jumped up alongside me as I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled through pictures of happy times with my family.
I had no idea what was going to happen with Matt. Whether he would return and be the father and partner I wanted him to be, or whether I would be raising this child alone. But before yesterday I always thought I would have my sister by my side. I thought that one day we would have children together, sharing the ups and downs of life. The thought that she may never come home caused a tsunami of anxiety and I struggled not to drown. My heart raced, as I hugged my knees to my chest, and a sob stuck in my throat.
My hand spasmed as I clenched my phone like a lifeline and sat in the darkness, lost in despair, Harper glued to my side. I had no idea how long it had been, but as the air cooled around me, my phone vibrated in my hand. Danny’s caller ID shone back at me, and my stomach plummeted as my heart missed several beats.
I swiped to answer it, but he didn’t wait for me to say hello. Instead he just yelled, “They’ve found them! They’re alive and on their way to the hospital.”
An uncontrollable shake took hold of me and sobs escaped my throat as the tears fell like an avalanche.
Chapter Four
Lizzie had been to hell and back. She had a bandage taped to her neck covering the glue that held her skin together, and despite Riley being shot and losing more blood than what was healthy, he was going to pull through.
It had been touch and go for Riley, but the doctor said he would physically make a full recovery. Emotionally and mentally it was going to be a long road ahead. But they both had the love and support of family, and despite the fact that we could all get on each other�
�s nerves at times, when it was needed, we pulled together. They also had each other.
I still hadn’t heard from Matt. I had tried calling him repeatedly and was worried when he hadn’t returned my call. Even if he wasn’t ready to be a dad, I knew he cared about Lizzie and Riley and would have wanted to know how they were.
A wave of nausea rolled, as I twirled in front of the mirror assessing today’s outfit. Brooke had gone ahead and booked her vow renewal photos via my online booking service, and without Lizzie’s help, I just hoped that I could control my morning sickness and get the job done.
The sun streamed through the floor to ceiling window of my bedroom and I pushed the nausea aside, knowing that after what my family had just been through, everything from now on was going to be okay, and that my subconscious just needed to calm itself down and stop making me feel anxious all the time.
I dressed in my work uniform of black A line dress pulled it in around my waist with a thin belt, and slipped my feet into my peep toed wedges (not too high that I had to worry about varicose veins). I piled my hair up high and held it with a zirconia encrusted clip and upped my eyeliner to compensate for my lack of sleep.
Already feeling better, I ensured I had everything I needed in my camera bag, collected my tripod and made my way out into the heat.
Summer in Westport was always a scorcher. The temperatures got into the high thirties, but it was the humidity that zapped the energy. Today it was supposed to be around thirty-five degrees Celsius, and the humidity was going to be in the nineties. Ugh. Thank goodness by the time my stomach wouldn’t fit behind the steering wheel, the temperatures would have dropped.
I beeped the door of my black Lexus SUV open and then cranked the motor over, turning the fan of the air conditioning to high, hoping the cool air would relieve my discomfort. I then plugged my phone into the car’s audio system and made my way to the appointment. I loved my car. I loved the feel of the leather, cool against my legs. I loved the smell of the diffuser I plugged into the vents, and I loved the surround sound speakers that pumped music from every corner of the vehicle. Today the radio played the latest song from Ed Sheeran and I cranked the volume up and sang along to the words.
Traffic was light on Saturdays which meant I made my way across town easily. As I stopped for a red light on the corner of Wrigley and Nelson Road, my phone dinged, and a text message pushed Ed Sheeran aside on the screen.
My good mood plummeted as I read the words:
Do you know what your boyfriend is up to?
My phone dinged again. This time an image popped up of Matt laughing along with the woman glued to his side.
Shock caused my hands to grip the steering wheel and my mouth to hang open as I stared at the screen.
Who had sent the message? Who was the woman? And more importantly, where was Matt?
The traffic light turned green and a car horn blasted me, telling me that I needed to move through the intersection. With trembling hands, I pushed the car into gear and moved forward, only stopping again when I could pull safely to the side of the road. I then lifted my phone and zoomed in on the photo.
Matt was smiling as a woman stood next to him, their body language leaning towards more than friends. She was beaming, her eyes bright and alert, enjoying every second of his company, and they were standing out the front of Café on the River, a favorite spot of ours in Westport. An emotion crossing the line between jealousy and betrayal caused a ringing in my ears and a burn in the back of my throat.
I swallowed it down checking for who sent the message. I didn’t recognize the number, but with shaking hands I tapped the screen and tried to call it. Nothing like attacking the problem head on, right? Unfortunately, the number was switched off or not in a reception area as I got the standard voice recording. Ugh.
I gulped before taking three slow deep breaths, and tried to calm my racing thoughts of Matt having an affair. Thinking it all through logically I wondered if the photo held some clue as to who sent it. Zooming in, I noted the smile Matt was wearing like a badge of honor, as if everything in his life was the way it was meant to be. Bile rose into my throat as I moved to the woman. She was beautiful with long red hair, a dazzling smile, looking like she belonged.
But why was I worried? The photo could have been taken before he left. It could have been taken months ago. In fact, it could have been taken long before he met me. Zooming further in, I saw a banner advertising the upcoming Triathlon behind them. I knew we had one coming up in a few weeks’ time, but was this photo taken at last year’s event?
There was only one way to find out. As determination pushed my fear down, I hit my indicator, pulled back into traffic, and headed for the river.
Thankfully the aroma of coffee didn’t upset my noisy stomach, as the second I stepped onto the boardwalk that ran past Café by the River, the scent of coffee filled the air and beckoned me in. This coffee shop was one of the best in Westport. Appropriately named, it sat alongside the aqua blue river, a timber boardwalk running all the way to the beach. The staff here were super friendly, and Tom the barista waved as he saw me approach.
“Hi Molly!”
I waved my hello, as I stepped through the glass door that was folded back allowing transition from outside to inside seamless. I stopped at the counter, a glass cabinet tempting me with many chocolate covered treats. But I wasn’t here for a social event. I was here to check what banners were displayed out the front. Thankfully no one was lining up at the counter waiting to be served.
“You’re looking good today.” Tom grinned and the light crinkles around his eyes deepened. He was pretty cute in the surfer kind of way. He wore his sun-bleached hair tied back in a man bun, his skin glowed with health, and his arms almost rattled with the bead bracelets he wore. As far as I could tell, he was a full-time student despite the fact that I would put him in his late twenties. What he studied was a mystery, but I knew that he loved to grow his own food and was a vegetarian.
“The usual?” he asked, leaning across the counter and into my personal space. Danny had a theory that Tom had a crush on me. I figured Danny may be right. Either that or Tom was blind, as with my black dress and green tinged complexion I looked anything but good.
“No thanks. I mean, thanks. For the compliment. But no to the drink. I’m just here to check out some signage.” The scent of coffee surrounded me and my blood pressure dropped. “Actually, I will have that coffee after all.” I smiled.
Tom grinned back, grabbing a paper cup and scribbling my order on it. “What kind of signage?” he asked, chatting as he worked.
“Oh, I just wondered if the signs for the triathlon were out yet? But I can’t see any, so I guess they’re not.” My mood pepped up with the knowledge that at least the photo had been taken before Matt met me. Who was messing with me was a whole other concern.
“Are you referring to the banners that sit out front on the boardwalk?”
I nodded.
“We had a sudden windstorm yesterday and they took them down in fear of them blowing away and hurting someone.”
My stomach dropped to my feet.
“Are these the same banners?” I asked, finding the message and showing the photo to Tom.
He leaned towards me simultaneously pushing a silver canister of milk under the steamer. “Yeah, that’s them. This year they’ve gone with a different design. If you ask me it’s just a huge waste of money as there was nothing wrong with the banners they’ve used for the last few years.”
“Do you know when they first put them up?”
“Yeah, they were put up on Monday.” Which meant that the photo couldn’t have been taken before Matt left for New York. “Any specific reason you are asking?”
My voice shook as I hurriedly brought him up to date.
“Oh geez, that’s rough. Do you need to sit down?” he asked, his kind grey eyes filled with concern, yet I was sure I detected a hint of a smile tilt the corners of his lips. If Matt messed up, Tom was standing
on the side-lines waiting for me. I wondered how fast he would run when he found out about my condition.
“No. I’m fine.” Fake it till you make it, right? “Have you seen Matt around here in the last few days?”
“No, but I’ve only just got back from Byron Bay. Had a week off with my mates.”
“Oh okay,” I replied, leaning heavily on the counter.
“Who do you think sent the message?” Tom asked, filling the cup with heated milk. He sprinkled the froth with chocolate powder and clipped on a lid, then handed it to me.
“It was from a blocked number.”
He nodded but his attention strayed as two teenage girls ran into the shop, laughing. They saw Tom and a blush started at their ears.
His hand reached across to cover mine and he gave me a small smile. “I’m sorry Molly. But if I see him, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks Tom,” I replied, gently pulling my hand from his. It was just way too friendly and even though Matt wasn’t completely honest with me, it felt like I was betraying him.
****
Brooke had set the venue in Alexandra Park, high on the hill that overlooked the ocean. The view was a spectacular backdrop to any photo as the water stretched to the horizon, the sun sparkled on the waves below the cliff, and the breeze rippled the palm fronds that offered much needed shade.
I parked the car, wound my windows down, and took a moment to enjoy the last of the (decaf) cappuccino that Tom had insisted on making me, and enjoyed the peaceful sound of the ocean. To be honest I could have just stayed here all day. I never knew if it was the lulling sound of the waves hitting the shore, the warmth from the sun, or the smell of the salt that filled the air, but something about the ocean had a calming effect on my nerves, and was the perfect tonic to my not so good start on the day.
Even though I’d made a pit stop, I was still early as I had wanted to scope the area out for the best angle. I’d photographed here on many occasions, but every event was different depending on the set up the couple had chosen.
Wicked Little Lies- Molly Page 4