Love and Truth

by FRANCES, KAREN

  “Okay,” she agrees readily instead of challenging me. “When are we going to talk?”

  “As soon as you’re ready. Have you eaten?” I ask. She shakes her head, confirming what I knew. “You need to eat. I’ll call for a takeaway. Chinese okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come on.” I take her hand, walk through the hallway, and lead her up the stairs. “The main bathroom, if you want a bath,” I say, opening the bathroom door and letting her see inside. “Or if you want a shower.” I walk a little farther down the hall way and open the door to my bedroom, and she hesitates before entering.

  “You have a nice home,” she says, having a look around my room. Her eyes fall on the picture on the bedside table, but she doesn’t ask. I won’t lie to her. I’ll tell her the truth when she does ask. “I’ll have a shower, but I don’t have anything dry to put on.”

  “You can have one of my shirts.”

  “My bag. There’s a few things in there I need.”

  “I’ll get it and leave it on the bed for you,” I say. “Come back downstairs when you’re ready.”

  She nods and enters the en-suite, closing the door behind her. All I want to do is go to her and take her in my arms, but she’s not ready for that. And I don’t blame her after I walked away, leaving her to deal with everything on her own.

  Fuck, she’s not the only one I’ve turned my back on the past two weeks. After Craig left here that night, he’s tried to talk to me, but I had nothing to say and then I called in sick, leaving Craig to deal with the aftermath of Pete attacking Maria. That’s not like me, but I needed time out. To think without interruptions. I needed time to reflect on what I want.

  And my decision? Well, Maria is here with me.

  I’ll take another few days off, which hopefully she’ll want to spend with me, before I go back to work and try to close off Tony’s case. Which is going to be difficult, considering I know some of the details about the crime.

  Craig has kept me up to date on some of the other developments; namely Pete Jamieson, through text messages and emails. He seems to have disappeared since his attack on Maria. Not even Mark or Lou have seen him, according to Craig, which has me thinking he’ll turn up again when we least expect him. He must know his days are numbered.

  I get Maria’s bag from the car and take it upstairs, leaving it on the bed where I said I would. I hear the shower running and I have to walk away because all I want to do is open the door and go in.

  Dinner. I need to call and order some food. Maria looks as though she’s not eaten for weeks. She still looks ill. The bruising might have faded, but I know she’ll carry the pain of that day heavily on her shoulders, even if she won’t admit it. I have to at least take some responsibility for that.

  In the kitchen, I call for food and stand drinking tea, looking out into the darkness of the night. With all the rain and thunder, it feels and looks more like winter than summer. Hopefully, tonight’s storm makes way for a lovely summer’s day tomorrow. Warm and bright, that hopefully helps my sombre mood of the last few weeks.

  “Hey!”

  I spin around hearing her voice, almost spilling my tea. She’s standing by the table, wearing one of my white shirts with the sleeves rolled up. She looks great. Skinny, but great, and if things weren’t strained between us, I’d have her out of that shirt in a heartbeat.

  “Did you get your bag?”

  “Yes. Have you called for food?”

  “Of course. Come here,” I say, holding out my hand. She walks toward me, and when she’s beside me, I take hold of her around her waist. Her body melts against me and she rests her head on my shoulder. She’s back where she belongs. With me.

  “I’m sorry,” I say softly, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. She smells like heaven mixed with my shower gel and I can’t help smiling. “I should never have left you.”

  “I’m sorry too. I should’ve told you the truth.”

  I open my eyes, hearing her sad, soft voice. She isn’t to blame for this. For the way things are between us. That’s down to me. The way I handled her news. I didn’t even give her a chance to explain.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for. Is that clear?” She nods her head slightly against me. “Dinner will be here soon then we can talk if you want. And if you’re not ready to talk then we don’t. I’ll wait. Now, do you want tea or coffee?”

  “Don’t you have anything stronger?” she asks, lifting her head and looking at me.

  I smile seeing her smile. “Yes. I’m sure I have some wine.” The doorbell chimes. “You go and get comfortable in the front room and I’ll get that.”

  “Okay.” I stop and watch her walking away, looking more relaxed than when I first saw her at the church. There’s a lot of work to be done between us, but for now, I’m happy. It will take time, but for Maria I don’t care how long it takes to heal the rift between us. She’s worth the wait. I love her and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her in my life, forever.

  If only I had come to this decision sooner.

  The delivery guy at the door isn’t likely to be happy if I leave him standing for much longer in the rain.

  Chapter Seven

  Maria

  “Mmm, this is tasty, but don’t expect me to finish all this,” I say, looking at the amount of food that is still before us. Who did he think he was feeding?

  “That’s fine. I just didn’t know what to order.”

  “So, you ordered the entire menu?”

  “Not quite,” he says, his voice laced with amusement. “Have you called Lou?” he asks, and I wonder why he’s asked that question. I stare at him. “Just because I walked away from you, doesn’t mean I didn’t care. I had to know where you were and who you were with.”

  So, he’s been keeping an eye on me from a distance. Unless Joe has been keeping him updated. I shrug the last thought from my head. “Yes. I called her saying I’m staying out. She asked where and who with. I told her I’d tell her everything when I see her.” She’s going to be so mad with me and she’ll have every right to be.

  “Maybe not a good thing to tell her everything. Not yet.” He has a point. “What about Joe?”

  “He’s been staying at Lou’s to keep an eye on me. I snuck out. He’s not happy with me, but I was sick of all the constant fussing and not being able to do anything or go anywhere on my own. I felt like a prisoner.”

  “I get that. Does Joe know you’re with me?”

  “Yes. I called him too. He said, and I quote, ‘you’ve to call him if I decide to do another little disappearing act.’”

  “I hope you don’t disappear on me. You might’ve felt like a prisoner at Lou’s, but I’m prepared to hold you hostage here with me.”

  I put my plate down on the table and inch closer to him, slightly embarrassed. “I won’t be a hostage if I choose to stay.”

  There’s an uncomfortable feeling hanging in the air between us and I don’t want there to be.

  Jack wraps an arm around me, stroking my arm, and I snuggle against him, finally feeling so relaxed that I could close my heavy eyes and drift off to sleep. “I want you to stay, but I also want to get away for a few days,” he tells me, taking me by surprise.

  “What about work?”

  “I’ve not been in since that night.”

  “But won’t you be in trouble?” I ask, surprised by his admission.

  “Not really. This is the first time I’ve taken time off sick. I needed to get my head in a better place. Christ, I usually work through my holiday days as well. This time is more than owed to me.”

  I sigh heavily, knowing it’s my fault he’s not been in the right frame of mind to concentrate on his job. A job that is highly demanding. Guilt fills me. “So, you’re a workaholic,” I tease, trying to make light of our conversation. A few days away, just the two of us, sounds perfect, but I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. We have so much to talk about; Pete, what happened, my confession and how that led him to turn his
back on me. He broke me. Shattered my already fragile heart and ripped it away with his footsteps as he walked out of the door.

  “I confess, I am a bit.” He puts his empty plate beside mine. “Do you want to talk?”

  “Yes. I need to speak to someone before I drive myself insane.” He smirks. “Don’t say a word.”

  “Me? Never. I’m going to sit here and listen to your story without judgement.”

  This is the part I’ve been dreading, owning up to what I’ve done. Yes, I confessed in the hospital, but he doesn’t know the details, and that is what he needs.

  He hands me my glass of wine after topping it up and I relax back into his arms. Or at least, I try to. I fiddle with the stem of the glass. I need to be honest with him. He deserves that from me. “You know what Tony was like. You were already investigating him and his dealings. I won’t bore you with the minor details. He was spending more time away from home and I suspected he had more than one woman on the go. But I was always expected to play my part of the dutiful wife. I’d had enough. I went to the club one night to finally have it out with him a few months back, and I couldn’t find him, so I wandered downstairs to the basement. I heard noise and commotion. There was a guy tied to a chair. He was so badly beaten up and Pete was still hitting him, trying to make him talk. But there was a young girl, and I mean young. Maybe early twenties. She was crying. I watched on as Tony unbuttoned his trousers and ripped her underwear from her body.”

  I pause, taking a deep breath, tears filling my eyes as the visions of that night flood my mind. “I can’t remember who said what, but I do know they made that poor guy watch as Tony and Pete raped her. I left without any of them knowing I was there, feeling helpless. I wanted to help, but I knew if I did, it would’ve been me next because Tony had already started taking from me what wasn’t on offer.”

  “Bloody hell, Maria. I don’t know what to say.”

  “I’ve not finished. This was the night I decided enough was enough. I knew I had to get out, but I think we both know Tony was never going to just let me walk away from him with no questions asked. I knew, if it really came down to it, there wouldn’t be a happy outcome. As I ran from the club, I called Giovanni and pleaded with him to help me. I needed out and he was the only person I knew would help me.”

  “Of course he would. He’s your brother and he loves you. He’d do anything to try and protect you. So, Giovanni organised everything then?”

  “Yes, I presume so.”

  “What do you mean presume so? Have you and Giovanni not discussed what happened that night?”

  “No. Every time we’ve been together, there’s always been someone else around. We’ve had no privacy to talk about the details.” Given everything that’s gone on, this sounds unrealistic, but it wasn’t something I wanted to discuss with others around.

  I turn in his arms to face him, not sure what I was expecting to see. But he’s deep in thought. “Call your brother and give him my address. We need to speak to him tonight. So we both know what we’re dealing with, and so I can think of a way to bring my investigation to an end without raising suspicion.”

  Jack hands me my phone. I call him. “Ah, sorella. È bello sentire la tua voce,” he says. I’ve been avoiding him for the last week or so. He came to the hospital, but I’ve ignored most of his calls.

  “Giovanni, I need to see you tonight. I’m at Jack’s.”

  “Cazzo dell'inferno! Vuoi che venga a casa degli investigatori. Sei pazzo?”

  “Please, Giovanni. This is important. We need to talk, and Jack can help.”

  I hear my brother’s deep sigh. “Fine. Give me the address.” I do and he tells me he’ll be here in ten minutes.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad,” Jack says, holding me close. I rest against him, enjoying the warmth that I’ve so desperately missed these last two weeks. My complicated life doesn’t seem so fucked up when I’m with him. Everything is more bearable. “Now, we haven’t spoken about Pete.”

  My whole body tenses at that bastard’s name. “I wish he were dead.”

  “You’re not the only one. I know Craig has been dealing with this investigation, but I don’t know much of the details, other than the fact Pete has disappeared.”

  “He must be somewhere. Somebody must know something. Giovanni has been looking for him too and has come up with nothing. He has to be found and made to pay one way or another. I won’t spend my life looking over my shoulder. Living in fear. Waiting for him to make a move.”

  “You won’t. We’ll work something out.” He kisses the top of my head and my body melts further into his. Right now, with his arms around me, I could drift off into a deep, trouble less sleep for the first night in weeks. As the doorbell rings, I know I can’t. “I’ll go and let your brother in.”

  There’s a throw at the end of the couch; I grab it and pull it around me. I sit, straining, trying to listen to what is being said between the two, but all I hear is their hushed voices in the hallway.

  “Maria, let me look at you,” Giovanni says, walking toward me as he enters the room with Jack behind him. He sits down beside me and wraps his big arms around me as I look at Jack. Jack sits on the other couch and watches on. “You and I, we’re going to end up falling out if you ever shut me out again.”

  Hold on.

  “I’m surprised,” I say.

  “What about?”

  “Every word you said was English. You usually give me a telling off in Italian.”

  Giovanni smiles. “Very true, but I’m in Jack’s home and I want him to understand everything that is said. That is, after all, only fair.”

  He releases his hold of me and sits back, giving me a little space to breathe again. My brother’s hugs can be somewhat overbearing at times.

  “Maria, you won’t be let off the hook. I’ll deal with you later for ignoring my calls. I’m not happy with that, but I’ve given you the space you’ve needed to deal with everything you’ve been through.”

  “Space? I’ve been staying with Lou. With the girls, I’ve not had much space.”

  Giovanni smiles. “And I’m sure they have brought you comfort.”

  “I’m not so sure,” I say, looking away from both men and staring at the great bay window. “I didn’t want a baby with Tony, but somehow, losing a baby I didn’t know I was carrying is playing havoc with my mind. Being around the girls has been upsetting. It’s like I’m seeing first-hand what I could’ve had, if that makes any sense.”

  Silence fills the room and I’m scared to look at either of them because, at the moment, I’m not sure how I should be feeling.

  “Maria.” Giovanni’s hand touches my face and he turns me so I’m facing him. “You are bound to feel a loss, even when this is something you didn’t plan on, and you’re going to be emotional because of everything you’ve been through. But when the time is right and you’re with the right man, you’ll have children and you’ll be an incredible mum.” My eyes drift across the room to Jack. He offers me a sad smile.

  “I know,” I say softly. “Now, to change the subject, we need to know who was involved in Tony’s murder.”

  Giovanni’s eyes dart between Jack and me and he laughs. “Ah, my gorgeous sister. If we had a few minutes alone over these past few weeks, I would’ve been able to tell you.”

  Confusion crosses Jack’s face, and he’s not the only one who’s confused.

  “Let me straighten a few things out. Yes, you asked for my help, and I made calls to arrange it. The person I enlisted doesn’t live here in Scotland and I had to wait until he arrived in the country. But, here’s the truth; that night at your home was nothing to do with either me or you. My guy was due to arrive the following week. Think about it. Do you really think I would send someone into your home while you were there? I would never put you in harm’s way like that.”

  I stare at my brother, allowing his words to sink in. But I’m not sure they do.

  “So, you’re saying this is down to someone else
?” Jack asks.

  “Yes.”

  “But I heard their Italian voices.”

  “You never told me this.”

  I turn to Jack. “I’m sorry, but I thought this was down to me. I was scared you’d start putting two and two together early in your investigation. And then when things changed between us, I thought it was better keeping that to myself.” He nods slowly, taking in what I said. “So, why am I still alive? Why did they not shoot me too?”

  “I don’t know,” Giovanni says. “But I’m grateful I still have my sister in my life. We’ll find out.” He squeezes my hand. I’m grateful too. But also scared because someone wanted me kept alive for what purpose?

  Chapter Eight

  Jack

  There’s something very calming about watching the woman you love sleep, sappy as it sounds. Whenever I’ve heard people talking about it before, I thought it was kind of creepy and that they were weird. But not any longer. I’ve been lying here wide awake for over an hour just watching her. Seeing her settled and relaxed has a peaceful effect on me. Having her beside me in my bed is something I wasn’t sure would ever happen, but now that she’s here with me, there’s a huge possibility that I’ll never let her go.

  She belongs here with me.

  She snuggled in and stayed close to me all night, as though she was scared I might leave her. There’s no chance of that happening. Her head is on my chest and her hand is on my shoulder. I honestly don’t think she’s moved from the position she settled herself in after we came to bed. She must’ve been totally exhausted. But of course, she would be. She’s been through so much lately.

  Giovanni stayed for an hour after we finished discussing that fateful night of the fire. I found a few things to do around the house and left them alone to talk. Maria needs him, and unlike Tony, I’ll give them space and time together. Reading between the lines, when Tony was alive, I don’t think they got that. Maria’s smile and affection towards her brother were there for me to see.