“Yes, I will wear that for you Darling, I don’t often get the chance to wear nice clothes.”
“Well maybe in time we can change that, but for now, while money is sort of tight, we’ll just have to pick and choose our nights out complete with fancy dining.”
“Oh I’m not complaining, Paul, I was just saying. I’d be just as happy staying at home with you. I don’t need to go out and have you spend money on me”
“Oh I know that, Princess, I do, I just want to spoil you once in a while, I love you.”
That remark prompted Maureen to get up throw her arms around Paul’s neck and say “I know you do and I love you even more Paul Machin.”
Later that morning Paul did manage to get two tickets for the show – he was very lucky in that respect. Ten minutes before he called two tickets were cancelled and he was allowed to buy them on the spot. He gave them his Visa number and that was that – they were going to the show on Saturday night.
With Paul and Maureen being off that weekend, Andre and Gwen would be on duty in both facilities. There was never any shortage of things to do, hands to hold and tears to dry in addition to the actual running of the place. Menus had to be prepared and then people had to be assigned to actually make the meals. All the women would chip in of course, but it had to be organized and chores assigned or else chaos would reign and nothing would turn out right. In the Man Cave they had a cook to actually do the cooking. Some of the men were capable in the kitchen, others were barbeque kings – but the rest were helpless in the kitchen and could barely boil water. If the cook was ill or away for whatever reason, Andre would step in and Gwen would help out too if she was free. All in all they had it covered and the men never went hungry. They were not running a high class restaurant here, but the food was certainly edible and not of a greasy spoon caliber. Your mother could very well have served this up to you from time to time – but not when she had company coming to dinner perhaps. The residents certainly had no complaints – and had they done so they would have been drafted into the kitchen immediately to prove they could do better. They all knew it too and consequently kept their mouths shut – even when there was cause to suggest that something could have been better. Overall, though the meals were very well received and appreciated. Jacob gobbled up whatever was placed before him, suggesting that he had been denied reasonably sized meals in the past. In fact he was starting to put on a little extra weight now. That could well be the result of his physical work around the facility and also the amount of food he was now consuming. He certainly was one happy kid now and everyone could clearly see that for themselves. Jacob had also formed an attachment to Clive too. The two of them were playing games together at night. Due to Clive having only one hand Jacob would help him out whenever a need arose. It was as if Jacob could sense that Clive was not all that he seemed. On the surface Clive gave the impression that he was just fine, apart for having a broken arm. Jacob, because of his past experiences, could sense that things were a little more complex in Clive’s case and this drew him to Clive on the strength of it. It was a two way street. Clive was equally drawn to Jacob. He was different, for sure, but there was just that certain something about him that drew him to Jacob like a powerful magnet. Anyway they both hit it off and were now sharing a companionship that was beneficial for them both.
***
On Saturday morning Maureen went to the hairdressers and when she re-appeared she looked like a different woman. Paul was out when she returned home and he came home again just before lunch. Maureen had thrown on an old dress and so he didn’t get the full effect until later. He had told her that her hair looked nice, but coupled with her old dress the full impact had yet to be felt. A couple of hours later when she emerged, Paul was almost knocked off his feet. Now he could really see the glowing beauty in front of him. She looked absolutely stunning in that outfit. She looked years younger too, almost schoolgirl like. Beautiful didn’t come close to describing her and how she looked. Once again Paul’s face spoke more than his words ever could and that made Maureen’s day right there.
While they were in the restaurant Paul picked up on the admiring glances being cast Maureen’s way by the other men – and also the envious ones by their wives or dates. All of them well deserved, Maureen was indeed the most beautiful woman in the room – and she was all his too. Paul was strutting around like a peacock with two tails that night.
They took their seats in the theatre a few minutes before curtain up and then settled in to enjoy the performance. It was everything they hoped it would be. While Colm Wilkinson and Lea Salonga were not in this production, the singers were of comparable quality. It was simply exquisite according to Maureen later. She had loved every second of it and of course had tears in her eyes several times. It had been a wonderful evening all around and one she wished would never end. The drive home from Toronto took longer this time as there was a sports event on that evening and the Don Valley Parkway was unusually busy for that time of night because of it. It was after midnight when they got home and they were both tired when they fell into bed. They were probably both asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
The following morning at breakfast Paul was just gazing lazily out of the window and sipping on his boiling hot coffee. His mind then began to drift back a few months and he began to compare where he was then and where he was now. He was essentially the same man, and yet he wasn’t. Things were so very different now. After his sister Margaret died he was aimless and lost, today he was not. He now had a purpose in life and a lovely woman to share it with. He still had his demons, but the episodes appeared less frequently. He was more at peace with himself now and that was all due to Maureen and the fact that she loved him. Knowing that allowed him to bestow sympathy and understanding on others and give them hope at the same time. Just having Maureen in his life had put him back on the rails and he was doing fine now. The love of a good woman was a very powerful force and he was now beginning to realize just how powerful a force it was. As he gazed out of that window he could see not only the past, but visions of the future. Marriage was something he had never considered previously, he was never that closely linked to anyone, but he was now. He could clearly see himself being married to Maureen and also having children with her too down the road. Right now they had only known each other for a short time and he didn’t wish to rush her – but his mind was now ambling down that road.
Maureen’s was also contemplating a future with Paul. She was hoping that he would ask her to marry him one day. Yesterday wouldn’t have been soon enough for Maureen. However, she too was conscious of the fact that it had only been a short while and men don’t rush into these things. In fact some fear being tied down. She knew that Paul loved her, he had told her often enough, but marriage was a huge step and not one to take lightly. She would sigh to herself and wish he would give some clue as to where he thought their future may lie – but in only a few months? That was an unrealistic expectation.
Well it was not as unrealistic as Maureen thought. When Paul turned away from that window still holding his coffee, he turned to Maureen and said, “I’ve been thinking”
“Oh” replied Maureen, “what have you been thinking?”
“Well I was just sort of daydreaming out of the window and thinking about our future.”
“Our future?” queried Maureen.
“Yes, our future together. I was just thinking of us down the road and it made me realize that we had never discussed it and I think we should. You are the most important thing in my life, Maureen and I want to spend the rest of my life with you – assuming you’ll have me.”
“Paul Machin, are you proposing to me, are you saying that you want to marry me one day?”
“Well yes, that is exactly what I’m saying, but I thought you may wish to get engaged first so that we can save up a little.”
“Well go on then, ask me properly and I’ll consider it” she said with a huge grin on her face.
“Mau
reen McLeod will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Oh Yes! Darling, Yes, Yes, Yes, of course I will. We don’t have to rush it, but I was hoping and hoping that you would ask me one day.”
“Well now I have, Maureen. I just can’t see me life without you in it and I wanted to snap you up before someone else did.”
“You are the only man for me Paul Machin, trust me on that. I have seen what is out there and nobody comes anywhere near close to you. I’ve wanted you from the first moment I saw you in that canteen when you rescued me. I don’t know what it was, Paul, personal magnetism, charisma pheromones or your scent – but I was captivated right then. Since then it has grown even stronger, darling, so you have me for life now, okay.”
“Hey that’s alright by me, that’s why I asked you to be my wife. Mind you to be honest, it was that kilt that did it for me” he said, and burst out laughing.
Maureen picked up the dish cloth and threw it at him.
“I was hoping it was soaking wet after that crack, consider yourself lucky it was dry.”
“Yes Ma’am I will, I promise” he jokingly replied, as he walked around the table to hug her. She could hardly wait now to tell Gwen and for Paul to tell Andre. It would hardly come as a surprise. The more she thought about it the more she thought that if those two were on the same page, perhaps they could have a double wedding? Hey, calm down girl, one thing at a time eh! Don’t go railroading people down the aisle, well not today anyway she told herself. It was a thought though – and one she secretly hoped would come to pass given time.
Chapter Fourteen
***
Paul and Andre were sitting in Paul’s office one morning having a coffee and shooting the breeze when a police cruiser pulls up and two officers get out, one male the other female. Paul recognizes the male officer and calls out to them.
“Come on in Guys, care for a coffee, it’s just freshly made?”
“Not just now, Paul, he replied. We have to deliver some devastating news to Mr. Harris.”
“Oh No, don’t tell me his wife has beaten up his kid.”
The two officers just looked at each other knowingly.
“No Paul, she killed herself and took all three children with her.”
Paul and Andre both just slumped back in the chairs.
“Holy Shit!” said Paul, “this is going to kill Clive. What happened exactly?”
“Well we can’t be sure if it was deliberate or an accident right now, but given her history we are leaning towards the deliberate – but that’s off the record Paul.”
“I hear ya, we’ll say nothing”. Andre nodded his assent to that.
“Well the house was full of gas and they were all dead in their beds inside. A neighbor raised the alarm when they got up the next morning and smelled gas. The called the gas company and they came and then called us. They had turned off the gas immediately upon arrival, but the house was still full of it. If anyone had lit a match half the street would have disappeared. It looked like they had all gone to bed and left the gas stove turned on. The pilot light was not working for some reason – they are still trying to figure that one out. That model of stove had a safety feature that would cut off the gas supply if the pilot light went out. Anyway, they apparently went to bed not knowing the stove was still on and they all died peacefully in their sleep. Now the problem we have is this. She could have set this on purpose to get back at him – could have. Here’s the thing, he now gets the Life Insurance money and that is quite substantial. There’s no way in hell she would want him to have that based on current history.”
“Yes, I can see your problem there alright. It’s what you can prove I guess and proving anything like a motive in this case will be difficult”, opined Paul.
“Personally I will go with the accident scenario”, said the officer. Harris could use a break. The Insurance money won’t even come close to making up for the loss of his family, nothing could, but it‘s better than nothing. If we declare it a suicide he gets nothing. It’s up to the Fire Marshal now. We won’t be pointing out our suspicions to him – they are only suspicions after all, not facts. Hopefully he will call it an accident. Now however, we have to go and tell Mr. Harris.”
“Would you like him to come down here, or would prefer that I take you up to his room?”
“I think up in his room would be better, don’t you, Jean?” he said to the female officer.
“Yes, I think it would be more private and this kind of news will be devastating and he’ll more than likely breakdown and he’ll prefer privacy for that I would imagine.”
“I agree said, Paul, please follow me.”
With that he led both officers upstairs to Clive Harris’s room. That would not be a pleasant conversation to have for all three of them. Nobody wants to hear that kind of news and having to deliver it is almost as painful.
Clive was stood in his room looking out of his window across the fields when they knocked on his open door. The minute he saw the two police officers, he just sort of sank down into his chair like a sack of potatoes. The two officers never got to say a word before he said: “She killed my kid didn’t she?”
“It was a tragic accident, Sir. I am sorry to have to inform you that your wife and children were overcome by a gas leak and they all died peacefully in their sleep last night. We are so sorry for your loss Sir.”
Clive just placed his head in his hands and sobbed. The two officers and Paul felt totally helpless, knowing that there was nothing that they or anyone else could do to ease the poor man’s pain.
“We’ll be just downstairs in Paul’s office, sir, if you need to ask us a few questions a little later.”
They then walked out of his room and closed the door behind them.
“When he’s up to it Paul we will need him to come and identify the bodies, it’s a requirement I’m afraid.”
“Yeah I know, replied Paul. I’ll call you and then bring him down to the morgue.”
“You mentioned something about a coffee, I believe, Jean queried?”
“Memory like an elephant your partner,” cracked Paul.
“You have no idea” came back his reply and both men laughed. Paul then made them all a fresh pot and they sat and chatted for a while and Paul then learned that the officer’s names were Andy Blanford and Jean Gibbs. He would get to know many more officers as time went by.
Clive did not come down before lunch to seek further clarification on how this had happened and the two police offers just left. That afternoon when he was a little calmer, Paul took him to identify the bodies. Needless to say Clive broke down again and Paul gave him time to collect himself before taking him back to the Man Cave.
His house meanwhile had been invaded by the Fire Marshal’s office, the Gas Company and the Insurance Company. All of whom had their investigators working like beavers trying to determine the cause of the failure. It apparently mystified all of them. The house itself had been fully aired out now and was back to normal and so they could re-light that pilot light. When then did so it worked just fine. All three agencies were present and saw this quite clearly. They were just about to wrap things up when the pilot suddenly and inexplicably went out with a pop. The men just looked at each other in disbelief. There was no reason for this, well none that they could see at least. Once again they took things apart and studied them looking for something they had missed. They could find nothing. Obviously there was a fault with that valve, but what. Perhaps it was dirty? It was thoroughly cleaned and put back. The same thing happened again, the pilot worked just fine and then for no apparent reason it went out again. In each instance it failed to shut off the gas supply. They then decided to change that valve totally and the feeder pipe. This time everything was perfect. When the Gas Company technician blew out the pilot light the valve immediately shut off the gas supply. This was repeated several times over the next few days and every time it worked perfectly. They had taken that valve back to the workshop and taken it
apart – they could find nothing wrong. On paper it was fine, but they all knew that it wasn’t. It was a mystery, but one thing was for sure, Bessie had not tampered with it. She didn’t have the physical strength for one thing. No this was simply an unexplainable accident and not a deliberate act. The valve itself was then sent to the University lab for them to examine. They came up with one or two theories – but they were just that, theories. In essence they too could find no reason for this valve’s failure – but it had failed and been seen to fail by several people. It was then scrapped with the mystery still hanging in the air. No other valves of that type and model had every failed, before or since. The Insurance Company would be on the hook this time and have to pay out the death claims – suicide was definitely not involved.
That of course was of little consolation to Clive Harris, he had lost his family and right now he was a broken man. The fact that his wife had been a nasty vicious bitch to him was of little consequence now and in fact he now only remembered the good times they had together. This being normal behavior in such cases apparently. Only time would heal this despair he was feeling right now.
***
Across town, Mary Marsh was preparing for court armed with an arsenal of weapons ready to do battle with Kelly Robbins’ husband. He had wrongly assumed that Kelly would not be able to fight him in court due to having no money. Furthermore, he never would expect any lawyer she could afford to uncover his scheming and nasty plans in making her look like an unfit mother. He had been wrong on all counts. Mary Marsh had an excellent investigator on staff, an ex-detective inspector in fact and one who had a stellar reputation when he was on the force. It hadn’t taken him long to dig up all the dirt in this case. As for Mary’s legal skills, she would decimate her opponent in court.
Initially this issue would be argued in civil court, but Mary had a surprise awaiting the husband. The judge came in and sat down and the clerk read out the case to be heard. The husband was on one side of the aisle Kelly on the other with Mary. The husband’s case was laid out first. A very compelling case it was too. Kelly was portrayed as a drunken slut, an amoral pole dancing drug addict who screwed anybody and everybody in order to earn money for her habit. How could she possibly be a role model for her children?
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