Shona Jackson- The Complete Trilogy

by Vicky Jones

  "Tell me, Kyle. Has she ever stolen anything?"

  "Well, no, sir, but—"

  "Has she ever been late?"

  "No, sir, the point is—"

  "Has she ever refused any kind of work?" Ellis was rapidly losing his patience.

  "No, sir, she's just lied about who she is. She’s given us a fake name!"

  "Now you listen to me, Chambers. Shona Jackson is the best worker we have there. You're tellin me that the person who’s raised morale, encouraged new ideas and charmed Jack Edwards into investing a massive chunk of his inheritance into the business should be fired? Just because she decided one day she wanted a different name?"

  Realizing the conversation wasn't going according to his plan, Kyle played his trump card.

  "But sir, I don't think you understand. There are things you don't know about her. I'm worried she's a bad influence on Chloe. She's getting in her head, manipulatin' her—"

  "Oh, I see. Well, that changes things. Has Miss Bruce made a complaint about this?" Ellis asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

  "Erm, well, no sir, but—"

  "Look, I'll be honest. I was at the Copperpot last night and I heard the way Chloe spoke about Shona and her ideas. Oh, that reminds me, I didn't see you there supporting the company? You have somewhere else y'had to be that was more important?" Ellis questioned.

  Kyle swallowed hard, mystified as to how his plan had gone so wrong.

  "Anyway, Chloe seemed pretty in control, and it didn't look to me like there was any manipulation there. In fact, she seemed to really respect Shona's ideas…as do I."

  "Sir, I really think—"

  "I don't have time for this. Unless you tell me she's broken any of my rules, then I don't care if she calls herself Marilyn Monroe–she stays! You seriously think that everyone in that place is using their real name? Some people have things in their background they're not proud of, don't they, Chambers?" Ellis's tone sharpened.

  Kyle’s blood ran cold.

  "Let me be crystal clear. If I find out Shona's been fired then YOU'RE next, understand?"

  Jeffrey Ellis hung up the phone, leaving Kyle in complete shock. He had to think of another plan.

  Fast.

  "I need to speak to you. It's urgent," Kyle announced as he flew through Chloe's office door.

  "What's the matter?" She looked up from her desk, startled at his unusually concerned voice.

  "Jackson! She's been lying to us all! I've just had her father on the phone; he saw the picture from the fete in the paper. There's a lot of stuff you don't know about her. She's been leadin’ you astray, targeting you ’cos you're so kind and soft. She's probably just tryin’ to get money out of you! I didn't want to be the one to tell you this but—"

  "What, Kyle? What is it?"

  "Shona Jackson…ain't even her real name!" His eyes blazed with fake concern.

  The expression on Chloe's face was unreadable as she leaned back in her chair, running her fingers over the pebble hanging around her neck.

  Chapter 69

  The venue of the fundraiser that Saturday night was the country club in the next town. Chloe had thought better of holding it in Daynes now that she knew how choosy some of the people who attended the fete were about where their raised funds should go. Even Tom and Ruby Bird were shunned now that word had spread that Cuban had stayed in their barn for the few months before he died, receiving nothing to help them with the costs of repairing their barn roof.

  Arriving at the country club at 8 o'clock, she was dressed in her best red velvet ball gown. Touching up her make up in the rearview mirror after pulling up in the parking lot, she breathed deeply to steady her nerves. She'd given Shona the address on Friday and told her to be here at 5 o'clock to meet her master of ceremonies who would give her her uniform and tell her which tables Chloe had set aside for her to be in charge of looking after.

  The ballroom had been decorated beautifully. Tables had been decked out with the finest crockery and crystal glasses, with the most exquisite red silk tablecloths draped over them. The band Chloe had arranged was all set up on the stage, the guests all milling around ready to take their seats for dinner. She looked around to find the master of ceremonies, to check that Shona had turned up.

  "Why, of course, ma’am, Miss Jackson turned up just before 5 o'clock. She's already over with the other waitresses. I did exactly as you said and I don't mind saying, that girl looks just breathtaking tonight. That dress coulda been made for her—"

  Chloe had been smiling all the time Bob, the master of ceremonies, was speaking, but one word he'd uttered had made her face drop.

  "Dress? You put Shona in—"

  "Of course, was that not what you wanted? Oh, look now, there she is, don't she look a picture? I was so glad to get her out of those unflattering, manly clothes. Her figure was just wasted underneath them!"

  Chloe whirled around to face where Bob was pointing. Standing over by the bar area with the other waitresses stood a woman she barely recognized. She was dressed in a silver sequined cocktail dress and four-inch heels, her blonde hair matted down, her face made up like a cover girl. She was holding a tray laden with drinks, her expression blank as she served the guests. As Chloe raced over, the glamorous waitress turned around robotically and stared at her.

  "They put me in a dress. Did you ask them to put me in a dress?" Shona looked at her with tears in her eyes, the anguish on her face indescribable.

  "Oh my…NO, of course I didn't. I would never do that! All I said was for you to look smart. I would never want you to feel like this. Please believe me."

  Chloe was mortified at what had been done to Shona. There was no denying that she looked stunning, her blue eyes accentuated by the dark mascara she was wearing, her clear skin flawlessly made up.

  But it looked wrong.

  "Chloe, I'm sorry, but I can't wear this. I just—"

  "Come with me," she ordered, leading Shona firmly by the hand backstage to the little changing area the workers were using that night. "Go in there. I'll just be a minute." Leaving her in the staff bathroom, Chloe then searched around the changing room for anything that would be more suitable.

  "Excuse me, Miss Bruce, are you OK? You lookin' for something?" the young waiter asked as she rifled through all the clothes hangers, mindful that her opening speech to the guests was due in less than ten minutes. She turned to the waiter and smiled; the answer to her problem was right in front of her.

  "Say, would you like the rest of the night off? On full pay, of course."

  "Why, yes, ma'am!" The young waiter's eyes lit up.

  "Alright then. Just one thing…can I have your pants?"

  Standing in the bathroom, Shona stared vacantly into the mirror. Wearing a dress for the first time in her life, she felt completely exposed.

  Empty.

  The figure in the mirror stared back at her, its hair flat to its head, its mascara streaked from the desolate tears that had rolled down its face. Shona closed her eyes tight shut, hoping that when she opened them, the figure would be gone.

  "Shona, here, put these on!"

  Out of breath, Chloe ran up to her, holding the young waiter's black tuxedo, and locked the bathroom door behind them. Shona turned around, just as a bundle of clothes was thrust into her hands. She opened her eyes and looked down at the pile.

  "You mean…you don't want me to wear this…thing?" She looked down at her scratchy silver dress, then back up at Chloe, her eyes glassy.

  "No, I would NEVER want you to wear something that made you feel like this!" Chloe looked at Shona's head and, without thinking, reached her hands up and combed her fingers carefully through her matted-down hair.

  "I can't believe they did this to you. I told them not to make you feel uncomfortable!" Her fingers ruffled Shona's blonde hair back into its regular choppy style. The hairspray that the stylist had soaked it in made it a challenge, but eventually it fell back into place. Reaching over to a pile of cloths, Chloe ran one under
the faucet.

  "Now, let's get this off too. I can't see you properly under all this muck!" She ran the cloth over Shona's heavily made-up face, holding her chin tenderly as she concentrated. Several wipes later, Shona’s natural beauty was restored.

  "There we go. You look like you again now!" Chloe said triumphantly.

  Shona smiled back as if it were the most perfect thing she could've said to her at that moment.

  "Ma’am, we need you on the stage for the opening address," Bob called out from outside the bathroom door.

  "I gotta go. Will you be OK?"

  "I will be now," Shona replied as Chloe smiled at her, unlocked the door and turned to head off.

  "Chloe—" Shona called after her.

  "Yes?"

  "Thank you. For the clothes. And for understanding."

  "You're welcome. Now SCOOT! I need you out there, so get ready!"

  Chloe was halfway through her opening address to the guests when a figure appeared at the back of the ballroom, completely distracting her. The waiter that had caught her eye was captivating, their aura filling the room with light. Dressed smartly in a black tuxedo and balancing a tray of drinks on one palm, the waiter flashed an infectious grin at everyone they passed; men and women alike raising their eyebrows in surprise at how natural the figure looked. Just then, the waiter ran a tanned hand through their long blonde bangs and lifted up their piercing blue eyes to meet Chloe's gaze, hypnotizing her completely into forgetting every remaining word of her speech.

  "So, the first lot of the evening is this magnificent beast. Do I hear two dollars?"

  As the auctioneer started off the night's main fundraising event, a flurry of offers was fired at him with five dollars becoming six, then ten. Chloe stood at the edge of the stage, still mesmerized by Shona's movements around the ballroom, watching her effortlessly charm everyone she came into contact with. Her gentleness when seating some of the older guests made Chloe’s heart ache with affection for her, so much so that she’d taken her attention off the auction and completely misheard what amount they had reached.

  "I'll bid FIFTY dollars for the cow!" She raised her hand to stunned gasps.

  "SOLD! To Miss Bruce. Wow, I thought it was only gon' go for fifteen there! Thank you, ma'am!"

  After rushing to sign the sale document, Chloe then darted over to Shona, taking advantage of the first opportunity she'd had since seeing her emerge from the bathroom. Walking up to her, she couldn't help but notice the strange look spread over Shona's face.

  "What? What is it?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide.

  "What in the blue blazes you gon' do with a COW?" Shona replied, shaking her head.

  As the night wore on, it was clear that Shona had become the most popular waiter in the room, even challenging the others to a juggling competition to entertain the more jovial of the guests.

  "I got two bucks says you can't juggle three, girl!"

  "Easy!" She grabbed three oranges from the fruit bowl on the bar and tossed them into the air, catching them expertly over and over again. Her smile faded moments later, though, as she saw Chloe approach looking stern faced.

  "Shoot, guys. Think the boss just busted us foolin' around!" one of the waiters panicked.

  Chloe stood in front of Shona, her lips pursed in thought. With a glint in her eye, she reached over to the fruit bowl and picked up another orange.

  "FIVE bucks says you can't juggle four!" She held the orange out to Shona who grinned.

  "You're on!"

  Shona tossed the oranges in the air and, with impressive ease, juggled them perfectly, even picking up a grape simultaneously and catching it in her mouth, to rapturous cheers from the onlooking crowd.

  "Now you're just showing off!" Chloe yelled over the noise.

  After she'd finished and taken her bow, Shona held out her palm playfully for the five dollars Chloe was holding, then popped it in her top pocket with her other tips from the evening.

  "Excuse me, Miss Bruce, but I would like to donate one hundred dollars to your fund in exchange for the first dance of the night with you."

  Chloe turned around to see an old man standing behind her, leaning heavily on his stick. She had known Chester for years, as well as his grandson Matthew, who’d escorted him over.

  "Well, sir, that is mighty generous of you. Matthew, shall we?" She gestured towards the dance floor.

  Shona watched, her heart aching when she saw Chloe standing next to Chester's incredibly handsome grandson.

  "What? Hell, NO! I want your first dance to be with ME! Here, young lady, put this in the pot, will you!" Chester handed Shona the hundred dollars, which she placed securely in her top pocket. He then waved his stick at Matthew, who bowed graciously at Chloe and backed away, leaving her to gently walk her dance partner over to the middle of the floor.

  Feeling strangely relieved seeing a forlorn Matthew traipse back to his table, Shona couldn't help but watch in awe as Chloe twirled around the dance floor, gingerly moving the elderly man with typical care and grace.

  Suddenly she felt as if the whole world, apart from the movements of Chloe Bruce, had stopped. Her red crushed velvet dress caressed every curve of her body, her sheer beauty completely mesmerizing to Shona, who hadn't until that very moment properly registered how breathtakingly gorgeous Chloe looked that night.

  And with that recognition, she felt something irreversibly change within her.

  Chloe had searched everywhere. In the half an hour since she'd finished her dance with Chester, her panic had grown worse.

  "Excuse me, ma’am, but are you lost? This is the staff area, no place for someone as important as you!" The young waiter who had sidled up to Chloe looked embarrassed as he tried to coax her back to the ballroom.

  "Do you know where Shona is, please?"

  "I think she went home, ma'am. She wasn't feelin' so good."

  Chloe's heart raced. She searched the piles of clothes lying around, a single thought hammering around her brain. But she couldn't let herself believe that Shona would do such a thing. Next to the back door, she finally found what she was looking for and picked up the tuxedo jacket, her heart in her mouth as she rifled through the top pocket.

  Nothing.

  Reeling, Chloe felt her head spin. Kyle had been right about Shona all along!

  "Oh, Miss Bruce, there was one thing. I was told to make sure you got this." The waiter reached over to her and dropped a wad of dollar bills in her hand. She counted slowly, then counted again. There were one hundred and twenty dollars.

  "Hey, there's more here than I was expecting," she said to the bemused waiter.

  "Oh, yeah. Shona said something about wanting to donate her tips from the evening to the fund. Said she just wanted to help. I told her she was crazy, but she insisted!" He shrugged.

  Chloe stared down at the huge sum of money in her hand, open-mouthed in horror at what she'd allowed herself to briefly consider and almost believe. Kyle had been so determined to convince her to mistrust Shona and now, as she ran her shaking fingers over her bare neck and around the hollow space that was normally filled by her precious pebble, Chloe vowed to herself never to take it off again.

  Determined to find Shona, she made her excuses and ran to her car.

  Meanwhile, stumbling through the darkness, Shona felt dazed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she bent over, thrusting her fingers down her throat. She dragged her flailing body along the road, screaming at the moon, trying to somehow instigate the retching she’d come to expect when thinking that way about Chloe.

  "What's the matter with me? Come on! Do what you usually do, COME ON! It's wrong to have these feelings, IT'S WRONG! GODDAMN IT! What the hell do I do? I don't know what this means now!"

  No matter how hard she punched herself, her stomach felt unnervingly settled.

  Calm.

  Chloe flew down the driveway of the Birds’ farmhouse, having seen no sign of Shona along the way.

  "Miss Chloe, whatever's the matter?"
Tom asked as he opened the door.

  "Is Shona here? Is she home OK?"

  "She's home, but I'm not sure if OK’s the word I'd use. She was in a real state. I didn't wanna ask, I just left her to go straight to the barn. She looked exhausted."

  "Can I go see her? Please?"

  "Best leave it for tonight. Let her calm down," he replied.

  "OK, well, tell her I said thank you for tonight and I'll see her Monday."

  "Will do, Miss Chloe. Goodnight."

  Chloe left, but she was surer now than ever about what she wanted and it terrified and exhilarated her in equal measure.

  Chapter 70

  Kyle charged into Bruce's office on Monday morning and slammed the door almost off its hinges.

  "What in God's name's the matter with you?" Bruce’s head shot up from his desk.

  "The matter? That broad is what the matter is! I've had a call from her father. She's been deceiving us all and Ellis won't fire her ’cos she's so damn perfect. We need to get rid of her, fast! She's sniffin’ around Chloe too much. She'll brainwash her, mess with her head. That's why she's on the run from Louisiana. She's a fucking dyke!"

  Bruce saw the opportunity as clear as day in front of him.

  "I'm gon' call in the Bullen boys. This is beyond scaring the bitch now; she needs to be taken out. Permanently."

  All of a sudden, Kyle's fury subsided. He stood still, a thought crossing his red-misted mind.

  "Wait a goddamn minute. We might not need to get our hands dirty on this one. Her father said she was a dead woman if she ever set foot back in Louisiana–" His brain was processing the finer points of his plan.

  "Yeah?" Bruce was trying to keep up.

  "So why are we gon' get blood on our hands when there are others only too willin’ to do that for us?"