by Mary May
He nodded his face very solemn. “I can’t swim either!” she whispered.
“Really? You really can’t either?” She shook her head.
“Nope, I sink like a rock. But I really want to go swimming in Abraham’s big pool. Maybe if we hold each other’s hands we will be ok.”
Matthew smiled and nodded then Klara shut the door, turning around to find Alec standing behind her. “Was that the truth? What you just told Matthew. Do you really not know how to swim?”
She shook her head. “I really can’t. David tried for years to teach me, but I guess my body defies the laws of nature; I can’t float.”
Alec looked at her like she suddenly grew another head. “That doesn’t make any sense; the human body is designed to float.” Then a horrifying thought struck him. “So when you jumped…”
“If you had not driven by when you did, I would have drowned,” she said quietly then she got in the car.
Alec was mostly silent on the ride back to his granddad’s house. He listened to Klara and Matthew chatter about what he had done all week. It sounded like the Walcott’s were at least trying to do better. They allowed the boy outside to play ball. But his mind was firmly caught on what she had told Matthew about her sinking like a rock. It suddenly really hit home with him that she had every intention of dying that night and she chose a method that guaranteed that would happen. Even if she had changed her mind once she hit the water, she was still a goner. Glancing over at her as she smiled about something Matthew told her, Alec felt his blood run cold at the thought.
It took Matthew all of five minutes to get over his fear of the pool. Unlike Klara, he could float and Alec had him doggy paddling in less than thirty minutes. She stayed in the shallow end and floated on an octopus floaty, laughing as Alec was repeatedly dunked by a squealing Matthew. She tried to keep her eyes on the little boy, but seeing Alec in his swimming trunks was proving to be a distraction. He had a very toned lean body that was actually built like a professional swimmer. He seemed very much at home in the water. Klara had on a modest pink and purple one piece that she covered up with a mesh cover up. She still felt very exposed and kept most of her body under the water. Abraham took to Matthew instantly and Klara had been around him enough now to know that there would be even more toys in the pool for his next visit. Agatha came out and announced that dinner was ready.
“Granddad, do you mind taking Matthew in and getting him dried off? We will be along in a few minutes.” Klara slid off the floaty and started to make her way to the steps when she felt Alec’s fingers circle her wrist.
“Hang on Klara, I would really like to at least show you that you can float. If you will let me.”
She looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. “I can’t, Alec, I really can’t.”
He backed away from her into deeper water until he was nearly chest deep. “Come on, give me five minutes. I’ll have you floating, and if not then you have the satisfaction of saying you told me so.”
It was that last line that had her heading his way. She stood in front of him, the water hitting just over her breasts. “Ok, fine, but I’m telling you I am a freak of nature. What do you want me to do?”
“Not much actually.” He slid his arm around her waist and lifted her up into his arms. Klara felt her face heat up at the contact with his bare chest. She really hoped the fading light concealed it.
“Ok, now just lay back and relax; my arms will hold you up.” She did as he instructed, leaning back until her body was stretched out just below the water line. She felt his warm hands supporting her.
“I can’t tell you how many times I have been held like this. As soon as you move your hands, I’m going to sink to the bottom.” She stared up at the evening sky as he rattled on about relaxing her body and moving her arms slowly to tread water.
This was actually quite pleasant, this floating sensation. She tilted her head back a little further until water filled her ears and all she could hear was the rumble of his voice and not what he was actually saying. Now that was really nice she thought to herself; she had found a way to tune him out. She smiled and moved her hands slowly through the water. She wondered how long she would have to do this? Whack! Klara’s head bumped into the side of the pool. Her feet shot down and she sputtered as water shot up her nose. She stood up and wiped the water from her face to hear Alec’s laughter from across the pool.
“That wasn’t very nice! I trusted you and you let me crack my head on the side of the pool!” Alec pointed to where she was standing. “I didn’t let you do anything. I have been over here for the past three minutes; you were on you own… floating!”
Klara looked at him in stunned disbelief. “I was? Really? How?”
He dove under the water, surfacing right next to her. “I told you the human body was designed to float. You just had to relax and trust it.”
“But I have been trying to do that since I was eight. My dad tried; my friends have all tried. Poor David even hired a lifeguard to teach me. Why did they fail? What did you do differently?”
He smiled at her. “I didn’t do anything any differently. The difference was in you. You were completely relaxed and you trusted me.” That made her frown at him.
“Are you saying that I trusted you more than my own father or my husband?”
He shrugged. “I’m not saying anything, Klara, but you did float on your own all the way across the pool. That speaks for itself, don’t you think?” Then with a self-satisfied smile he pulled himself up out of the pool, extending his hand out to her. Klara reached up and let him grasp her hand; bracing her feet against the side of the pool, she yanked with all her might and sent him flying back down into the water. She then pulled herself out of the pool, grabbed up a towel then walked on into the house not ever looking back…
Once more Matthew’s lip was quivering when it came time to leave. He pleaded with Klara then Alec and lastly Abraham to please let him stay. Abraham pulled the boy into his lap and promised him he would talk to the judge over the case about maybe letting him stay overnight next time. Nodding his head and sniffling, Matthew said goodbye to Abraham and to Scooter then followed Klara and Alec out to the car. She was about as upset as the child. She just didn’t see why he couldn’t stay with her. Suddenly a thought struck her! “Alec, do you suppose the judge would allow Matthew to stay with me now that I’m staying with your granddad?” she asked hopefully. She had kept her voice low to keep from getting Matthew’s hopes up.
“I don’t know, you’re only staying there for the time being. But the judge may grant temporary custody to my granddad. We can see if Granddad would be willing to do that. I bet he would.”
Klara felt hope spring up in her heart and she worked hard to keep it from blooming prematurely. They got Matthew back to the Walcott’s and like before Braylie was waiting outside and ushered him quickly in the house without a word to either Alec or Klara.
“That woman seriously needs a lesson in manners. Don’t suppose that just being plain rude is grounds enough for removing Matthew from her home, is it?”
Alec chuckled, “I wish it was that simple. I think we may have a decent shot with placing Matthew with my granddad if he is agreeable. Be patient, Klara.”
“Now you sound like my therapist. Ben is always telling me to slow down, stop rushing things. Take one day at a time. Blah, blah, blah,” she grumbled.
“Are you still seeing Ben?” Alec asked her. Nodding her head she looked out the window, not that there was much to see. The light had faded into night and all she could see was the reflection from the inside of the car. She noticed Alec watching her carefully and she saw a look on his face that she knew he rarely allowed to surface.
Chapter 17
Later that week Alec opened the door to his office then reached to turn on the lights. He felt something under his foot and when he looked he found a manila envelope had been slid under his door. There wasn’t any writing on the front to indicate who it was fr
om. A feeling of foreboding filled him as he sat at his desk and reached for a letter opener. He handled the package carefully trying not to smudge any fingerprints. When he opened it he poured the contents out on his desk without touching them. Swearing viciously he grabbed his desk phone and punched in the numbers to the police dept.
“Mr. Adams, we have monitored Marcus Kelley very carefully. I’m telling you he isn’t the one that is behind this.” Officer Willis carefully lifted the pictures that were scattered on Alec’s desk and put them in a plastic baggy. They were taken the day they were all swimming in the pool. There were three shots. The first was when Alec held Klara in his arms right before she stretched out to learn how to float. If you didn’t know what the situation was, it looked like a lover’s embrace. Klara had her arm around his neck and was smiling up into his face. The second was when she was stretched out in front of him. The position wasn’t the problem; you could clearly see what was happening in this shot. The problem was the hungry look on his face as he gazed down at her. Then the last shot was when he had grasped her hand to pull her out of the pool. If you only looked at the photographic evidence, it looked very much like they were a couple. The last article on the table was a hastily written warning to Klara. “You can run, but you can’t hide, Klara!” He was so beyond angry with whoever was doing this that he felt his temples throbbing. They had violated not only his privacy and Klara’s, but they had to be somewhere on his grandfather’s property to snap these shots! He turned to Officer Willis. “I want someone else assigned to this case. You have had weeks to come up with something, and so far you haven’t given me a single answer. This stops here. If I depend on you, I could very well be called to identify her body.” He leaned in close, inches from the officer’s face. “That is not acceptable.” He walked out of his office so mad that he didn’t see Clarissa as she stepped out of the elevator. Colliding hard he reached out to steady her.
“Alec? What’s wrong? You look mad enough to kill someone.” Clarissa’s voice was pure sweetness, which rang every warning bell he had. “What are you doing here, Rissa?” He asked. He didn’t have time for any of her theatrics today.
She batted her heavily mascaraed eyes at him. “Can’t I stop by to say hi? Have we become enemies now Alec’zander?” He punched the down button on the elevator, casting her a scathing look.
“You have the audacity to ask me that after your past behavior? That’s asking a lot, even for you.” She pouted her glossed lips in a way that at one time he found adorable; now it just sickened him. He knew now what a grand manipulator she was. “That was mean…you hurt my feelings.”
Hearing the elevator about to reach his floor, he looked back at her as the doors opened. “To quote one of my favorite movie lines. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” He watched as the sweet innocence faded from her face and her green eyes turned cold as jade then the doors slid closed.
Alec paced the floor of his granddad’s home office. “They were here! Right under our noses and we didn’t see them. If they can get close enough to snap a picture, they can get close enough to take a shot with something other than a camera. Maybe I should take her and just leave town.” Watching his grandson pace his office, Abraham had never seen him so worked up. He was worried for the safety of the girl as well, but Alec was border line frantic. Abraham could count on one hand with fingers to spare the times he had seen him lose his composure. Now that he thought about it, all three times were over Klara. “If they found her here, what makes you think they won’t find her out there? Have you told Klara about the photos?”
“No, not yet. It will just scare her even more. I will tonight when she gets home. The more I think about it, I think getting her out of town is the best plan.”
Abraham rapped hard on the desk to get Alec’s attention. “Boy, how are you going to protect her from someone you can’t see? Whoever is doing this could be right behind you at any time and you wouldn’t know it. If they can follow her here, they will follow you wherever you take her. No, you need to stay right here. You’re not thinking clearly. You’re letting your emotions rule your thoughts. When are you going to admit that you have serious feelings for Klara?”
Alec knew he could no longer deny his feelings for her. If nothing else, the shot of his face as he looked at her brought that to light. “It doesn’t matter. She is still grieving over the loss of her husband and son. I don’t think she looks at me like that anyway. I’m a pest that won’t go away, as far as she is concerned.”
Narrowing his eyes Abraham shot down his logic with an eloquently spoken word. “Horse crap! Who does she turn to every time she is in need? You. Who does she call every time something happens and she is scared spitless? You. Who did she trust with her life enough to pack her bags and get in a your car with you not knowing where you were taking her? You. She has feelings for you, son; she just doesn’t recognize them yet for what they are. You just give her time; she’ll come around. Besides you still have to get rid of the first ex Mrs. Adams before you can start on a new one.”
Alec nodded. “Speaking of Clarissa, she came by the firm today. I have no idea what she wanted, but she was acting too sweet and innocent. I know she was up to something.”
“That girl is a sewer rat in a pretty package. You can bet she was up to no good. The sooner you get her out of your life the better we will all sleep.” Abraham then reached in his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope, tossing it on the desk. “We have been given temporary custody of Matthew. I spoke to Harold and he didn’t have a problem with him staying here. I told him all your concerns with the Walcott’s. However, he is concerned with Klara’s recent attempt to take her own life and he would like to speak to her himself before he signs off on these papers. I think after he speaks to her he will see that she is stable now.”
That afternoon Alec spoke with Klara. He told her everything from the good news of getting temporary custody of Matthew to the bad news of the photos. She took it all with remarkable calm. “Alec, do you think it’s safe for him here? I mean whoever is after me knows where I am; what if they harm Matthew to hurt me? Maybe he should stay with the Walcott’s, at least until we find out who is stalking me.”
Alec shook his head. “No, I have already hired a private investigator and a security team. You will be protected at all times, as will Matthew. After you speak with Judge Miles I think we should go get him, the sooner the better.”
Klara played with her napkin, twisting it up tightly with nervous fingers. “What if he doesn’t think I’m stable enough to be around Matthew?”
Alec leaned over and took the napkin from her then placed his warm hand over her cold one. “Klara, if I thought for one second that you would be a threat or pose any danger to that boy I would never have suggested that he stay here. Just be yourself and be honest with the judge and he will see what I see.”
“What do you see, Alec? When you look at me?” she asked.
He studied her for a moment. “I see a woman that was dealt a horrible blow that would bring most people to their knees. I see a woman that loved so deeply, that when the subjects of that love were taken away from her, she broke. I see a woman that in a weak moment when her heart had taken all the pain that it could handle made a decision to join those loved ones. You are not a woman with a mental illness nor are you out of touch with your reality. You have suffered a devastating loss and you were escaping the pain in the only way you knew how. I believe you are stronger now; I don’t think you are a danger to yourself or anyone else. I think that when the judge hears you, he will feel the same way.”
Klara stared at him with tears in her eyes. “Thank you for that. For telling me that I’m not crazy or delusional.” They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again in a voice so soft he strained to hear her words. “They never did know exactly what happened. The driver of the other car said that David swerved suddenly into his lane then he jerked the car back too hard, causing it to flip. We don’t know why he swerved into t
he other lane. He wasn’t one to talk on the phone or text while driving, especially when Josh was with him. The car rolled five times before landing on its roof. The cab was crushed and even with seat belts and a car seat it wasn’t a survivable crash, or that’s what I was told.” She paused there, but Alec kept quiet. He had a feeling this was the first time she had spoken about it.
After a minute she continued. “The only real comfort, if it can be called that, was the fact they didn’t suffer. The doctors told me they died quickly, David from blunt force trauma to his head and Josh died from a broken neck.” Again she went silent and he knew she was reliving it in her heart and mind.
“I got a phone call from the police department that they were in an accident and where to find them. I drove to the spot and it was like something out of a movie or a nightmare. Red and blue flashing lights, people walking around with clipboards and flashlights. The sound of radios and the smell of gasoline on wet pavement. No one seemed to notice that I had arrived. No one prepared me for what I would find when I walked around the crumpled remains of his car. I didn’t have time, not even a second, to try and prepare myself for what was waiting for me.” This time she stopped and looked up at him. Alec was actually chilled from the bleak look of anguish and despair that haunted her eyes.
“You know, I’ve always heard that when you die your life passes in front of your eyes. Did you know that it doesn’t have to be your life in danger for that to happen? When I saw the white sheets covering their bodies, I saw our lives together flash before my eyes in an instant. The first time David and I met, to our wedding to the day that Josh was born. I saw all of it.”
“The paramedics didn’t realize who I was until I fainted. I woke up in the ambulance with our pastor, who was also David’s older brother. He had to comfort me while his own heart was shattered. He tried to pray with me, but I wouldn’t have it. I think in that instant I decided that any God who could take the life of someone as innocent as my Josh didn’t deserve my prayers. I hated Him with every cell in my body; every breath that filled my lungs was filled with pure hatred for God. I’m still so angry. There really isn’t a word strong enough to describe how angry I am.” She stopped again to wipe the tears that flowed from her eyes.
