by Debbie Zello
“So now you’re hearing things in your head like me. At least yours are songs and not curses like mine.”
“I was hearing the curses before. When I saw you, it changed to the songs. You’re so lovely.”
“You always say the sweetest things to me. Thank you for that. I feel like a real person with you. Not just an object that occupies a space and serves a function,” she said, with a sad smile.
“You felt that way?”
“I was the decoration on his arm for functions. The employee at the office and the call girl in the bedroom. No conversation other than working on a case. We could go weeks without a word passing between us at home.
“Most of the time I came here by myself. With hindsight, it was very odd that he wanted to come here for our anniversary. We had done nothing for the first two. I almost think he wanted to try to ruin my love of the beach with the memory of him being here,” she said, with a vacant stare.
“That isn’t our problem. I think you know more about me than even my parents know. I’m sure you’re tired, let’s go to bed,” Gareth said, taking her hand. Cheri had lit some candles and pulled the covers down on the bed.
She slipped his coat from his shoulders, unbuttoned his vest and shirt, all while Gareth stood smiling. He knew that she didn’t take the lead very often and it was important to let her when she did.
When she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him he threaded his fingers through her hair to hold her to his lips but then released her to continue her mission. His shirt and vest fell to the floor as she ran her hands over his warm chest. She hugged him with her head resting against him. “I love hearing your heartbeat. It’s so strong; it comforts me,” she whispered.
“I love hearing the little sounds and moans you make when I’m moving around inside you. It’s music, Cheri. Beautiful music,” he said, holding her tightly.
After they had set the sheets on fire and had satisfied each other’s longings, she had her head on his chest again. He wrapped her hair around his fingers, feeling its softness. “Tell me about before your sister got sick. You never talk about growing up,” he asked, softly.
“My mom had problems as far back as I can remember. My dad shielded us from most of it but there were times when she would show up at school for a conference and be stumbling around. PTA meetings where she would slur her speech. Friends that would come over and she would offer them wine or beer.
“When she was on a binge, we wouldn’t see her for a day or two. I thought everyone’s mother drank. Then I was invited to a sleepover birthday party. The mother wasn’t drunk. She made a cake, braided our hair and polished our nails. She made breakfast. I had never had a mom-made breakfast in my life.
“My sister’s illness and death was just an excuse for her to give in to her natural appetites. I’ll never know what happened in their bedroom that day. I don’t know what made her snap so completely. The night before was probably the nicest I remember. We had pizza and went to bed without having had a scene prior.”
“You worry, don’t you, that you’ll develop her problems? That’s why you keep such a tight rein on everything you do. I doubt that you’re anything like her, Cheri,” he said holding her against him.
“Still, I worry. I don’t want to be that kind of person. That kind of mother. I want to help with homework, make dinner, and participate in their lives.”
“You will. Now get some sleep, knowing that I love you with every beat of my heart.”
The next few days passed without any further notes or packages left for Cheri. The security system was installed while she was at the office, with Gareth supervising the entire project.
When she got home, there was an hour tutorial on punch-codes, emergency-buttons, code words, and motion detectors. Gareth patiently explained everything. She even had a steel-mesh screen on her windows that couldn’t be cut by a box-cutter.
Her doors were secured by three bolt-locks that went through the door-jam and into the wall four inches. The doors were changed to steel-reinforced that you would need a battering ram to get through. Cheri felt more secure than if she was in the Pentagon.
Gareth knew better. Cheri still had to walk to her car, into her office, shopping and a thousand other areas she was unprotected. Now he needed to have the discussion he felt she would not go along with. “I want to hire personal protection for you. Only until September. Someone to drive you to work and home. Take you shopping and anywhere else you want to go.”
“I don’t need that, Gareth. I’m going to stay with Piper and Ben. David wants to scare me so I won’t testify. I won’t believe he would take it any further than that. I know I thought he might but he’s not a killer.”
The weekend was spent making tomato sauce and love. Not necessarily in that order. Gareth picked Cheri up and set her on the countertop, beginning to kiss down her neck and pulling down her shirt. “Gareth,” she said breathlessly. “Are you sure those motion detector things don’t record?”
“I’m positive they don’t.”
“So no one can see us?”
“No one can see us, I’m sure. I wouldn’t take that chance with you.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I’m very sure,” he said, laughing quietly.
Chapter Twenty-two
Cheri stood in the center of the hearing room, where the Grand Jury met. Gareth was at her side holding her hand. “They won’t let you stay for my testimony. You’ll have to wait outside,” she said quietly.
“Do you have any idea how long it might take?” he asked, concerned more for her than himself.
“No. Feel free to go for a walk. I can call you to come back when I’m finished,” she said, offering.
“I’ll be right here when you come out,” he said, giving her a comforting hug and kiss on her forehead. Gareth swatted her behind as he left joking, “Go get ‘em, tiger.” Cheri turned smiling as the door opened and the jury filed in to take their seats.
“Miss Winslow, I presume?” inquired a stout older man with graying hair and a serious expression.
“Yes, sir. I’m Cheri Winslow.”
“Please remain standing until you are sworn in.” The bailiff approached Cheri and swore her in as a witness. Cheri took the seat provided for her and crossed her legs.
“My name is Jason Humphrey. In the pursuit of a quick and tidy hearing, I will be asking you all of the questions. The other seven members and I have compiled our lists independently of each other. Each of us has five to ten questions, but many overlap in content. You will only have to answer those once. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mr. Humphrey.” He began with the usual questions of full name address and occupation. He moved on to questions about the practice when Cheri was a part of it. Her duties, hours worked a week, responsibilities as to the day-to-day operations.
“Were you aware of any missing funds from your clients’ accounts?”
“No, sir.”
“Did you ever receive any money from those accounts?”
“Not that I am aware of.”
“I need you to explain that further.”
“If money was taken and used to say, pay for a dinner that I attended, I wasn’t aware that money was used to pay the bill. I can not honestly say that did or didn’t happen.”
“I see. We’ll move on. At one point you left the practice, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Why was that?”
“My marriage was over. I divorced my husband and sold my half of the practice.”
“Were you granted a monetary settlement in the divorce?”
“No. Purely a division of assets. No alimony or any cash settlement.”
“How and when were these assets obtained?”
“The marital home was purchased shortly before the marriage. My ex-husband retained that home. A cottage on Cape Cod was purchased approximately one year later. I received that in the divorce.”
“Was that an equitable division?”
&
nbsp; “My counsel didn’t think so. But I was happy with it. The house was worth more than the cottage, but only in money not in peace. If you understand my meaning.”
“I do. If, as you have testified, you had nothing to do with the pilfering of funds from these accounts, why did your ex-husband seek to join you to his pending lawsuit?”
“I don’t know. That is something you will have to ask him.”
“We did, he refused to answer. In fact, he refused to answer almost all of our questions. Purely as speculation you must have an inkling as to his motive for involving you?”
“He took out a large life insurance policy on me shortly before our marriage ended. I hadn’t changed my will to remove him as my beneficiary. I was threatened into thinking I might lose my cottage and my practice. Frankly, I believe he wanted me to kill myself. He could then blame me for all of this and have everything.”
“Nice package. Thank you for coming in, Miss Winslow. We have all of the evidence your investigator found. I’m glad you’re doing well.”
“Thank you,” she said, standing and walking out. When she got out to where Gareth was sitting on a bench, she saw her former office manager waiting. They nodded to each other as the bailiff came out to call her in.
Gareth noticed the two exchange nods. He asked, “Who was that?”
“Stella. She was the office manager for the practice. I don’t know if she still works for him or not.”
“Looks like they’re being very thorough with their investigation.”
“They usually are. He’s treading water right now. They said he refused to answer most of their questions.”
“He is a lawyer. I’m sure he doesn’t want to say anything that might incriminate him,” Gareth said, putting his arm around her to walk out.
Thursday night, Gareth, holding Cheri so tightly said, “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know you don’t. I don’t want you to go either. You have to finish your film and do your editing. I have to finish things and work on selling the practice. The bar exam is in July. We’ll have a completely new crop of attorneys looking for jobs and hopefully to buy their own practice.
“By the time you come back in September, I think everything will be settled. I’ll apply for a California license next year.”
“Take a year off to have a baby?” Gareth said, his eyes danced at the idea.
“You want a baby that soon?” Cheri asked, smiling.
“Yes, I do. Does that scare you?” he asked, lifting her chin to look in her eyes.
“No, it doesn’t. What scares me is being so happy. I’m not used to it.”
“Get used to it. It’s just our beginning.”
Cheri walked Gareth out to his car in the morning. He threw his bag in the back seat and shut the door. He pulled her to him and kissed her for the hundredth time that morning. “You’re staying with Piper and Ben tonight, right?”
“Yes. I packed what I need for now. It seems silly to go there now that you made the cottage a fortress.”
“Tell me that you’re going to Piper’s and not staying here. I can’t leave if I don’t think you’re safe. I have to have peace-of-mind, Cheri. I can’t get to you in five minutes when I’m clear across the country.”
“I’ll stay with them. Don’t worry about me. Make sure you call me as soon as you land. I love you, desperately.”
“Every time I breathe; I think of you. I’ll come back as soon as I can. If you can come out, I’ll show you around,” he said, holding her tightly.
“I might, around Easter. If not, I’ll see you in September.”
“Wow! You’re in early. What gives?” Piper said, sticking her head in Cheri’s door.
“I was up early with Gareth. He left around six. I didn’t have anything to do at home so I just came in.”
“You miss him already, don’t you?”
“He’s probably getting on the plane right now. I’m having all I can do not to call him and say come back.”
“He would, you know. I guess we’ll have to keep you busy and your mind off that incredible man. Are you staying tonight?”
“I am, roomie. My incredible man made me promise. I want you and Ben to go out while I’m there. I can baby-sit and at least earn my keep.”
“Be careful, I might not let you leave,” Piper said, winking. Cheri was very busy all morning, catching up on what she had missed while she testified. At one thirty-two, her cell rang. “You’re there?” she asked, smiling knowing it was Gareth.
“Just got in. I’m on my way to baggage claim. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I checked into flights. I booked on American non-stop to LA the night before Good Friday. I fly out Monday morning.”
“I love you. That’s five long weeks. I’ll come to you for Memorial weekend.”
“See, we’re making this work. I can stand it if I know I’ll see you every few weeks.”
“You must be more patient than I am. I want you now and it’s only been a few hours,” he said, sighing.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want you right now. I do. Rest up, my love, because when I get there, you’re not sleeping for three days,” Cheri said in her most sexy voice. A loud growl was heard on the other end of the phone.
“I love it when you make promises like that. Looking forward to it. Who needs sleep anyway? I have to go, sweetheart. Call me tonight when you’re settled at Piper’s.”
“So you can check up on me?”
“You got it! Bye.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Piper and Ben’s two-year-old daughter, Grace, made herself comfortable on Cheri’s lap. Cheri was reading a story about a dog and bunny that become lasting friends in spite of the fact they speak different languages.
Piper was making dinner and Ben was bringing wood in for a fire. It was going to be a very cold night. Ben walked all around the perimeter of his house looking for anything unusual. He’d had a long conversation over lunch with Gareth before he had agreed to Cheri moving in.
There was a car parked across the street and Ben waved at the driver. Joe, the limo driver, was in fact private protection hired by Gareth. He was to be outside of Ben’s house all night, watching. They had installed cameras surrounding Ben’s house with video feed to their vehicles. They were taking no chances with any of their lives.
Someone would be outside Cheri’s office when she was there and follow her anywhere she went. Her car was to be checked daily for tracking devices. Gareth wanted her carefully watched until David was in custody permanently.
Ben came in with the wood just as Cheri called Gareth. “Hi. Are you home?”
“I’m on my way back to the airport for my flight to Texas. Are you at Pipers?”
“I am. I have a beautiful young woman on my lap. Her mom is making dinner and her dad is lighting a fire.”
“I’d like to be lighting your fire.”
“Cheesy, Mr. Marshall. Have a safe flight. If you can, call tomorrow night. If you’re not able to, please don’t stress it. I know you have long days,” she said, sounding sad.
“I can take five minutes to call. I am allowed a pee break every now and then. I turned down a project slated to start in October. I’m not accepting anything until January next year.”
“You’re sure you want to do that? I could go with you. I won’t be working until I have a license to practice.”
“I want to give us a little time to get pregnant,” he said, explaining.
“Oh! Okay, I get it. Sounds like fun,” she giggled.
“I love you. Be careful and look around before you do anything,” he said cautiously.
“I will. I love you too. Bye.” Cheri kissed the top of Grace’s head. Somehow, the little girl made her feel less lonely.
They ate their dinner and Cheri excused herself to go to her room under the pretext of unpacking and straightening her things out. The truth was she felt like an intruder on this family. Only one night in, and she was ready to bolt. How was she
ever going to last five and a half months?
Cheri sat at the desk in the bedroom that was given to her, searching the internet for stories about Gareth. She thought reading about him would lessen the pain of separation. One of the pop-ups she saw was a Google alert notification service. She could sign up for e-mail alerts every time Gareth’s name was mentioned anywhere on line. A few minutes later she was all signed up and awaiting her first alert.
Cheri looked out the window, kind of daydreaming, but noticed a car was parked across the street that she thought she had seen when she first got here. A shadow of someone was visible in the streetlight. She couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.
Cheri decided to go and ask Ben if he had seen the same car when he came home. Piper and Ben were watching the TV when Cheri walked into the living room. “Ben, did you see a dark colored car across the street when you came home?”
“Yes. He’s watching the house.”
“So Gareth sucked you into his vortex of paranoia too?”
“He’s worried about you. Frankly, I am too. The cat and note thing made my blood run cold. You’re staying here, and I agreed with Gareth, that puts my family at some risk. I agreed to the whole thing.”
“I don’t want you to feel unsafe in your own home because of me, Ben. I have no problem going to a hotel,” Cheri said.
“That is not what I want. I think you’re safer here with us. I also don’t believe he would try anything with Piper and me here. He doesn’t want any extra trouble.”
“If anything happened to either of you, or God forbid Grace, I couldn’t live with myself. David is in trouble. The cat thing I can see him doing, to scare me. Actually hurting me, physically, I don’t see that. I’m torn.”
“Gareth is too; on one hand, David’s facing prison time and that would make anyone crazy. Yet, he’s never been violent, that we know of.”
Over the next few days, Spring decided it was time to begin. The trees developed buds and the crocuses came up. Cheri walked to her car and picked the tiny purple flower to take with her. She waved at the car in front of the house as she had become accustomed to doing.
