Heart Of Marley

by Leigh, T. K.

  “She may have done the same thing. I just… As much as I want to blame someone, I can’t. Killing Marley was a group effort, I’m afraid.”

  It was silent before she spoke again.

  “Are you still going to move back in with your mama? You can stay with us as long as you want to,” she said quickly. “But I understand if you want to move in with her.”

  I nodded. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to move on. Leaving the house and moving in with Mama makes me feel like I’m ditching Marley. I’m thinking of going to U.S.C. in the fall instead of Georgetown so that I can be near Mama during the school year.”

  “Her room will always be here, and so will yours. And, of course, the roof.”

  I smiled at her words. “You better never get rid of that house now.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Good.”

  The doors opened again and people began to flood from the church in a solemn manner, quiet whispers sounding as sympathetic eyes met mine. Guilt covered all of their faces, but I knew it was only fleeting. After a week passed, they would go back to their lives. Hell, they would probably go back to their old ways in a few hours, and I hated them for that.

  “Aunt Terryn,” I said, turning to her.

  She grabbed my hands in hers and simply nodded. “I get it, Cam. You go say good-bye to your sister the way you want to.” She stood on her toes and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I love you, Cam. And I am sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  I darted up the steps, stopping abruptly at the top when I was met with Brianna’s beautiful brown eyes. I hadn’t seen her since earlier that week when I lost my temper with her. I hated myself for not apologizing sooner.

  “Hey, Bri,” I said quietly, shuffling my feet.

  “Hi, Cam. How are you?”

  I shrugged, looking away, not wanting her to see how broken I was. “I’m okay.”

  She shook her head and a small smile crossed her face. “Liar.”

  I chuckled. “You got me.”

  There was an awkward silence between us as I tried to formulate my thoughts. “Listen, Bri…”

  “Cam, stop. I know what you’re going to say and I don’t want you to. You were right to be angry with me. I’m angry with myself. I wish I had…” She looked to the sky as if trying to calm her emotions. After taking several deep breaths, she returned her eyes to mine and I could see how remorseful she was. It was genuine and pure. Everything I had come to expect from Brianna over the years. “I should have told you a long time ago. I’m going to have to live with this regret the rest of my life.”

  “What is it, Bri?”

  “Brianna!” a booming voice called out.

  We both snapped our heads and my eyes settled on Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, her father just behind them.

  Her body tensed up and she returned her gaze to mine, her eyes narrowed. “There are things you need to know, but I can’t tell you right now. Can you meet me at the trees where we…?” She blushed.

  “When?”

  “Eight o’clock?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “Thank you, Cam.” She turned away from me, walking to meet her family.

  “Brianna?” I called out.

  She looked over her shoulder at me.

  “I love you.”

  Her chin began to quiver. “I love you, too. I am so sorry, Cam.”

  “Brianna Marie! We’re leaving. Now!” Mr. Monroe shouted at her and a sinking feeling formed in the pit of my stomach.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  ALL AFTERNOON, OUR HOUSE was flooded with well-wishers that came to pay their last respects to the beautiful girl that was taken from me far too soon. Half of the high school showed up, most of the girls crying as they walked through the living room and wrote their good-byes on one of the many giant portraits of Marley that Mama had made for the occasion.

  I sat in the corner with Mama and watched the rather strange dynamic between the teenagers and adults that mourned and socialized. Most of the adults had a look of fake compassion on their faces as they walked by all the photos of Marley smiling and posing for pictures after having won one pageant or another. Their noses were turned in the air as if they were belittling their integrity by paying their respects to a girl that was so clearly unstable that she took her own life.

  “She was so beautiful, wasn’t she?” Mama asked quietly.

  “She was. She took after you.”

  A smile crossed her face. “You always know just what to say, Cameron Michael. You’ll make some woman very happy one day. Speaking of which…it looks like you and Brianna had a bit of a reconciliation today outside the church.”

  “I guess,” I responded. “I overreacted last time I saw her and I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me. I grabbed her arm and it left a mark, Mama. You taught me better than that.”

  “Yes, I did. But I also taught you to never hide your feelings. At least I tried to. Your emotions just got the better of you. It happens to everyone. Do you regret it?”

  “The second I did it, I was ashamed of myself.”

  “As well you should have been. Brianna will understand.” The sound of polite chatter and china dishes filled the room as Mama and I were content to remain in our own little world. “Have you spoken with Doug?”

  “No. I’m a bad friend.”

  She gestured toward the doorway and my eyes settled on the broken frame of my best friend. “I know this week has been difficult for you. It’s been that way for all of us, Cameron. Don’t let it fester. There are other people, like Doug, who are experiencing the same pain you are. He loved Marley with all his heart. It’s always good to share your pain with someone else. So go. Share your pain, baby.”

  I shook my head in disbelief that the woman sitting next to me was the same woman that neglected her children for so long. “How do you always seem to know what to say?”

  “Years of remorse. Now go.”

  Squeezing her hand, I raised myself off the chair and walked across the room to where Doug stood, his normally tall stature shrunken.

  “Hey,” I said, shoving my hands in the pockets of my dress pants.

  “Hey.”

  “How are you? Wait. I’m sorry. I fucking hate that question.”

  He laughed slightly. “Me, too. I really hate that question these days. At least you haven’t been in school this week. That’s all I’ve been hearing. Every day. Everyone’s been so concerned about how I’m doing, but they don’t want to hear the truth. They just want to ask so they can feel like they actually care when they probably don’t.”

  “Fake people,” I muttered.

  “Yup. They’re mourning Marley because it’s the cool thing to do right now. Next week, there will be a new fad and they’ll move on and forget that Marley Jane Bowen ever existed. But not me. I’ll never…” He trailed off and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. “I’ll never forget her,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper.

  “Here. Come with me. I want to show you something.” I gestured toward the stairs and led him into my room. Opening the window, I climbed onto the roof. He followed.

  We sat there in silence, watching the last bit of daylight disappear behind us.

  “So this is the famous roof?” he asked several minutes later.

  I nodded. “Yup. This is it. Not too exciting, is it?”

  “No, but I see why she liked to come up here. You can almost forget for a minute, can’t you? Like you’re in your own little world and it can just be you.”

  “I’ve slept out here the past few nights,” I admitted. “I feel her out here. All I feel inside the house is regret and remorse. I hate that feeling. Out here, I feel Marley’s spirit. I can hear her laughter when the wind blows.”

  “Do you hear her bellow at the rain to leave when she’s out on the beach?”

  I grinned fondly at the memory. “Yeah. I definitely hear that. Loud and clear. The rain doesn’t listen, though.”

&n
bsp; “It never does. Stubborn ass.”

  Long moments passed before either one of us spoke again.

  “She loved you, ya know,” I said, breaking the silence. “I’ll never forget the look on her face the morning after the bonfire all those months ago…”

  “Which bonfire?”

  “The one right before the start of the school year. I walked into her bedroom to bring her a coffee and she was sitting on her vanity with the biggest grin on her face because you left a love letter in her purse or something.”

  Doug grinned, his ears turning red. “Yeah. I remember that. You always had to bring your top game with Marley. Hell, I was thrilled when she noticed me. I know there were lots of ups and downs with us, but I’m glad we finally reached a point that she trusted me…with everything. I just wish I could have done something m-.” He stopped short, a sudden movement in the sky catching our attention. “Holy…”

  “Marley and her shooting stars,” I said, wiping my eye. “She’s okay. That’s got to be her way of letting us know.”

  He nodded. “Then why do I still feel like this?”

  I shook my head. “Maybe because we both know there’s more to what happened to Marley. Something happened after the Jessamine Pageant and I’m going to find out.”

  “Are you sure, Cam?”

  “No. I’m not sure of anything these days. But I refuse to believe that Marley would have done this unless something set her off. The day before, she was talking about how excited she was to graduate. Hell, she was working on her speech! That’s not a girl who would kill a man before turning the gun on herself…unless she was provoked.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Doug turned to me, a look of unease on his face.

  “I have to be.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  SNEAKING OUT OF MY house just a few minutes before eight that evening, I made my way down the street toward the beach, thankful when I couldn’t spot Brianna’s Beetle in the public lot yet. Reaching the tree alcove where we went to be alone, I sat down to wait.

  As I stared out into the darkness, the sound of waves crashing in the distance, I pondered what Brianna wanted to tell me. My mind ran through thousands of different scenarios as time passed with no sign of her. Concern washing over me, I checked my watch and saw that it was nearly nine o’clock.

  Raising myself off the sand, I dusted my pants and headed back to the house, wondering if she stood me up because she was still angry with me about what happened earlier this week. Or maybe there was something more.

  Opening the door to my house, I was relieved to see that most of the guests had left over the past hour. “Hey, Aunt Terryn. Has anyone called?”

  She shook her head. “No. The phone hasn’t rung all day. Why?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. “I had plans to meet Brianna at the beach and she never showed up.”

  “Her mother and step-father were supposed to stop by today and they never did, either. But I think she left the church with her father.”

  “Her father? I didn’t think she stayed with him much.”

  “Neither did I. Word is, Mr. Grayson and Mr. Monroe got into a bit of an argument in the church parking lot when she was getting into the car with her mother. Mr. Monroe grabbed her out of the car and threw her into his. He certainly has a bit of a temper.”

  “I gotta go, Aunt Terryn.”

  “Where are you going, Cam?”

  “I just… I have to go.”

  I dashed out of my house and raced away from the shore and inland several miles, toward her father’s home. Pulling in front of the large plantation-style house, I bolted out of my Jeep when I saw two ambulances in the driveway.

  “Brianna!” I yelled, heading for the door just as I observed paramedics rushing out of the living room with a stretcher. “Is she okay?” I asked as they pumped air into her lungs.

  “No. We’ve got to get her to the hospital before we lose her again.”

  “Again?” I quivered, stepping back to allow them to load her into the ambulance. My eyes settled on a nasty bruise and a welt on her head, blood tricking down her pale face.

  “Yeah. Looks like she shot the sick prick before she tried to off herself with all those pills. He probably won’t make it.” He gestured toward the doorway and I saw another stretcher being rolled from the house and into the second ambulance.

  Mr. Grayson followed close behind, his eyes frantic. “Cam! It’s awful. I just don’t… I never should have allowed her to come over here.”

  “Where are they taking her?” I asked, confused.

  “To Memorial General.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll give you a ride.”

  I glanced down, spying his wedding band. “No. I’ll take my own car.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  AWAKE

  I SAT IN THE emergency room waiting area for hours, my mind racing and trying to replay everything in my head, looking for a clue. I prayed that when the doctor came out, he would have good news. Mama arrived with Doug as soon as she heard, as did Aunt Terryn and Uncle Graham. It seemed the only times we saw each other lately was during tragic events. I hated that.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Grayson,” an authoritative voice said sometime after midnight.

  We all raised our heads to see a man in hospital scrubs standing there. “I’m Dr. Avery. Your daughter is stable enough to see you now.”

  “What happened?!” I shouted. “Is she okay?”

  Her mother glared at me. “Cameron, we’ll go see her first. She’s our daughter.”

  “No. She’s your daughter. Not his,” I fumed.

  “Cameron, baby,” Mama said, placing her hand on my arm. “You can go see her once they come out. That way, you’ll have some privacy with her.” She raised her eyebrows at me and I knew what she was saying.

  I nodded and turned my attention back to Mr. and Mrs. Grayson. “I apologize. I’m just tired and emotionally drained. Please excuse my behavior.”

  A forgiving smile crossed Mr. Grayson’s face. “Of course, Cameron. It’s completely understandable.” He excused himself and followed the doctor down the hallway, his arm around Brianna’s mother’s shoulders.

  After an excruciatingly long time, they emerged into the waiting room where we were all eager to hear what they had to say.

  “She’s going to be okay,” Mr. Grayson said rather stoically. “They were able to pump her stomach. They estimated that she swallowed a few oxy pills leftover from a recent back injury, as well as several dozen acetaminophen pills. She’s lucky I got there when I did.”

  “Why were you there?” I asked.

  He glowered at me, obviously irritated and perhaps unsettled by my questions. “As I’ve told the police, Brianna forgot her purse at the church and I brought it to her just in case she needed it.” He faced everyone else. “She’s resting at the moment. We appreciate all of your concern, but please come back to see her tomorrow. She’s had a trying day.”

  They both stood there as if waiting for us to leave.

  I remained unmoving, not wanting to leave that dismal place without seeing Brianna’s chest rise and fall. I needed to know that she was still breathing.

  Mama nudged me. “Come on, baby.” She leaned into me. “At least make everyone think you’re leaving. Okay?”

  “Okay.” I reluctantly walked with Mama out of the emergency room waiting area, leading her toward my Jeep. Doug followed us.

  “What’s going on? Do you think…?” he asked once he was certain no one could overhear.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know what to think, but Brianna wanted me to meet her at the beach. She never showed up. When I got to her house, there were two ambulances. Her father was shot and she was, apparently, unconscious from a pill overdose. But there was a bruise on her head as if it had been slammed against a hard surface. I don’t know. Maybe she fell, but something is off.”

  “Do you think Mr. Monroe…? And that’s why Marley…?”

  “I have no idea what t
o think, but I know that the one person with answers is lying in a hospital bed right now. And I’m going to sit by her side until she can give me those answers.”

  Mr. Grayson drove past us in his Mercedes and I opened the door to my car as if I was about to get in. Mama leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Get going then, Cameron. We’ll come to check on you in the morning.”

  I threw Doug the keys and dashed back into the emergency room, thankful when the nurse at the registration desk gave me Brianna’s room number and allowed me to go see her. Running through the hallways, I found her room and pushed the door open, my heart dropping when I saw how pale and lifeless she looked, her head bandaged, monitors measuring her vital signs.

  Sitting down in the chair beside the bed, I grabbed her cold hand in mine.

  “Cam?” she whispered.

  “I’m here, baby.” I caressed her skin.

  “I knew you’d find me.”

  “Shhhh… Get some rest. I’ll stay by your side all night. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Good. Then he won’t come back to finish the job.”

  My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, wondering what her words could imply.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~

  THE SOUND OF A soft giggle cut through my dreamless sleep. I startled awake, confused, before my eyes settled on Brianna’s weak, yet smiling face as she lay in the hospital bed.

  “You were snoring. And drooling.”

  I adjusted myself in the chair and wiped my face. “Sorry. I’m sure that’s a big turn-on.”

  “You being yourself around me? Hell, yeah, it is.”

  I leaned over the bed and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “How’s my dad?” she asked, her eyes becoming impassioned and overflowing with unease.

  I hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

  A look of resignation washed over her face, her chin trembling. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”