Beside the Brook

by Paulette Rae

“What things?” Kirsten’s mind raced. What could Tyler possibly have said to Jamie to make him think so badly of her? Was it more lies?

  Jamie’s green eyes flamed with anger as he turned and stared at her. “You wanna tell me about someone called Greg Hamilton?”

  Kirsten’s stomach churned at the mention of the name, and she dropped Jamie’s arm as if it had burned her. It was a gut reaction which she immediately regretted. Her own anger flared, but inside she felt guilt for not telling Jamie herself. She had meant to, but the right time had never presented itself. Now Tyler had used it as more ammunition in his sick little game.

  “Jesus Christ,” she stammered as she dropped her gaze and crossed her arms across her stomach. “That bastard did it again didn’t he?”

  Jamie took a step away from the bed. “So are you saying it’s not true?”

  Kirsten looked up at Jamie, unsure of what to say. Just what had Tyler said?

  Obviously it had been blown out of proportion to suit his purpose, but he didn’t even know the full story himself.

  “It’s not what Tyler would have told you.” Kirsten stated.

  “And how do you know what Tyler told me?”

  Kirsten was suddenly mad at Jamie. How could he have believed anything Tyler told him, at least without double checking the story with her? He apparently believed whatever he’d been told otherwise he wouldn’t be packing and leaving in such a state.

  “Well whatever he said made you think the worst of me,” Kirsten flared as she stood toe to toe with Jamie. “And I can’t believe you just swallowed whatever bullshit he fed you.”

  Jamie’s eyes flashed doubt for a moment as he watched Kirsten act in such defiance.

  “It’s obviously not bullshit if you’re not denying it,” Jamie defended.

  “That would depend entirely on what Tyler said,” Kirsten spat. “Yes, I know Greg Hamilton. I worked for him and his wife for six months. Beyond that there are only two people who know the truth behind what happened while I was in their employ, and Tyler fucking Frampton is not one of them.” Kirsten’s chest pounded as she heaved her wrath at Jamie. She was so wild at him. How could he think these things of her? “And as for you, if you believe a word of what that man says, after everything, then you’re not the man I thought you were. I can’t believe you’re acting like this.”

  “Whoa.” Jamie took her by the arm, trying to calm her down. “Then why don’t you tell me what the truth is.”

  “It’s a bit late for that isn’t it?” Kirsten wrenched her arm from Jamie’s grasp.

  “You’ve already decided what that is.”

  “What would you have me think, Kirsty? You sleep with me and then I find out you’ve previously slept with another employer.” Jamie thundered, his face only inches from her own. “What would you think in my position?”

  “Well, I might think to actually ask you about it to start with!”

  “Fine, I fucked up on that count,” his voice boomed even as he conceded. “So you wanna tell me the real story?”

  “I don’t think at this point that I owe you an explanation.” Right now she was beyond reconciliation.

  “Fine!” Jamie yelled. “That certainly clears that up.”

  “Good, I’m pleased about that,” Kirsten snapped as she turned on her heel and headed for the door. “I’ll let you get on with your packing.”

  “Kirsty, wait-,” Jamie started. But it was too late. She pulled the door closed behind her and let it slam shut. She made for the stairs; heard the door open and Jamie’s footsteps behind her. He caught her on the stairs, passed her like a bullet and stepped in front of her, preventing her from climbing any further. They were both out of breath as they stood, staring at each other, chests heaving as though they had just run a marathon.

  “Kirsty, I can’t leave it like this.”

  Kirsten glared up at him but behind her eyes he saw her pain. “You were quite willing to leave it like this ten minutes ago.”

  “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m sorry, I over reacted.” He lifted her hand and pressed it to his chest.

  “I think you should just go, Jamie.” She fixed him with a blank stare. Inside she was screaming out. She wanted him to take her in his arms, tell her how sorry he was, but outwardly she was too proud to let him in. He would have to stand up to her if he wanted another chance; force her to believe how sorry he was.

  “Go, with things like this between us?”

  “Why not, you were going to go anyway. If I hadn’t come to see you you’d probably be gone by now,” Kirsten said listlessly. She stared at the buttons on his shirt, unable to meet his gaze.

  “That’s not fair,” Jamie said in his defense. “I was going to come and see you before I left.”

  “Not fair,” Kirsten attacked him once more. “Let’s talk about what’s not fair shall we?”

  Jamie sighed as if in surrender, dropped her hand and ran it instead through his own hair. “We’re going to go round in circles on this one aren’t we? Maybe I should just go.”

  Kirsten felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat. She didn’t want him to go. But she wasn’t willing to let him off lightly either. She wanted him to know how upset she was, wanted him to understand how he had hurt her. And she wanted him to really make it clear how sorry he was, how much she meant to him. She needed to know he had been in the right all along, not Tyler.

  She bit her lip, waited a moment in case he had something else to say, but he just stood on the stairs, waiting for her reaction.

  “Fine,” she said in a bland tone. “Just go.”

  “If that’s what you want.” Jamie stepped down so he was level with her. “If you need me I’ll be close to the car. You can get me on the CB. I’m going to the cabin for a few days to paint.”

  “Okay.” Kirsten crept up the stairs as his heavy footsteps disappeared back down to the second floor. Tears flowed in a steady stream down her cheeks as she walked to her room and closed the door. She threw herself onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow and sobbed. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. She should have told Jamie what really happened; made him listen. But her pride had stepped in and her anger at the way he had acted toward her just fuelled that fire.

  If only she had told him about Greg Hamilton, it wouldn’t have given Tyler any more ammunition against her. The truth was she had slept with her previous employer, but she had no recollection of doing so.

  Chapter 14

  Monday arrived on summer wings and Kirsten buried herself in work. Sarah’s mind was on other things too. Wednesday Beth was taking her away on holiday and she was so excited she could hardly concentrate on her school work. The afternoon was humid so they escaped the classroom early and swam in the sea instead. Kirsten had now coaxed Sarah into swimming out past the jetty, where the water at high tide was deeper than both of them put together. The ground there had been dredged away so Tyler’s boat could dock on most tides except the very lowest. She was proving to be a promising swimmer. Her limbs had strengthened and she could hold her breath under water for quite some time. Treading water was no longer an issue for her either. Kirsten was very proud of her protégé.

  Today Sarah had grown even more adventurous. She jumped from the end of the jetty, into the deep emerald water below.

  When Wednesday rolled around Kirsten began to feel quite depressed. She helped Sarah pack for her trip, knowing that once they had gone she would rattle around in the big empty house on her own until Tyler or Jamie returned. She hadn’t contacted Jamie yet. She really wasn’t sure what she should say to him, save sorry please come home and tell me everything is going to be okay, but she didn’t think that was quite appropriate.

  She was furious with Tyler and the feeling grew with each day he didn’t show at the house. There was something about Tyler that niggled at her mind but she had pushed it away until the time was right.

  With Beth and Sarah gone in a cloud of excitement Kirsten could now turn her mind to these thin
gs. She remembered back to something Craig had told her about Brook. Tyler and his sister had been riding when she had been killed, according to Craig, and she had been hit by a branch and thrown from her horse. However, this conflicted with something Tyler had said to her the other night as she patched his war wounds. Tyler had mentioned the way his sister had looked as they stood together arguing on the day she died. Beth had also mentioned that Brook’s horse had come home without her, which matched what Craig had said, but not what Tyler inferred, unless…

  Kirsten thought about it long and hard. Unless it wasn’t a fall from the horse which had caused her death.

  She wandered down to the pool house and fished around under the loose boards for Brook’s diary. The pool house was so hot and stuffy that Kirsten took the book back to the patio instead, knowing very well there would be nobody around to interrupt her delving. She flipped through the pages to the last entry she had read and on to where the lazy sloped handwriting stopped. The pages beyond were white and untouched. Kirsten thought sadly that this had been Brook’s last entry before her life had ended so tragically. Would it hold enough clues for her to piece together what had really happened? What had gone so wrong to make Jamie and Tyler into the seething mess they now were?

  May 17th

  Tomorrow I’ve decided I’m going to tell Jamie everything. I have to get it all off my conscience before it destroys me. I can’t keep protecting Tyler anymore. He has to face

  up to what he’s done to us, to me. If Jamie loves me then he’ll understand, and we can start again. If he doesn’t then at least I know where I am and where to go from here. I have to be honest with myself. What Tyler did to me is wrong, I know that now. In some sick way he thinks he’s protecting me, but in reality he’s just continuing what my father started.

  Margaret has helped me face my demons and I have to help Tyler work through his. What will happen if he thinks he can control Sarah the same way when she gets older? I just couldn’t bear that happening. It’s going to kill my mother but I have to do it for my own sanity. Besides, I have to know one way or the other who Sarah’s father really is . .

  .

  Kirsten felt sick as she finished the last sentence. The book dropped from her fingers and fell to the concrete with a dull thud. Never in a million years would it have occurred to her that this was Tyler’s dark twisted secret.

  He had been molesting his own sister. That’s why he hated Jamie so much. Jamie was a threat; a normal relationship Brook had found outside their sordid affair. In Tyler’s mind Jamie really had taken Brook away from. And to top that Brook had been terrified her brother may have been the father of her child.

  Did Jamie know, was all she could think, over and over. Is that why Jamie was so terrified to take Sarah away from Beth and Tyler, in case Tyler challenged her true parentage? It was the only explanation she could think of which made any sense. As if on cue, Tyler’s vehicle came down through the trees. The brakes protested as Tyler drove the little red machine behind the house and they disappeared from view. Kirsten’s mind raced. This was her chance to talk to Tyler, but where did she start?

  She had him alone in the house, but she had to approach him the right way; make him feel like he had to open up to her. She had one major draw card up her sleeve and that was making him feel as though he owed her.

  She jumped up from the deck chair and ran through to the kitchen. Opening the door she met Tyler at the back entrance. He looked up in surprise as she flung the door open.

  “Well it’s nice to see you missed me.” He smirked.

  Kirsten pounced on him. “Good to see your face has healed,” she remarked. Then she lifted her arm and smacked her open palm across his left cheek with all her might. The force made him take a step backward and he put both hands onto the bonnet of the car for support. When he turned back to her the left side of his face had turned a bright shade of red, but in spite of it his mouth curled into a smile. “I guess you warned me about that one.”

  Kirsten folded both arms across her chest. “Oh, that’s not the one I owe you. That’s for blurting to Jamie about Greg Hamilton. Next time you decide to tell tales you might want to make sure you get your facts straight.”

  “Hey, I already paid for that one, remember? Your boyfriend tried to kill me.”

  Kirsten moved to strike him again but he grabbed her wrist with a vice like hand and twisted her arm behind her back. She squealed in fright and he let her go, but right before the remorse flashed Kirsten noticed a look in his eye that frightened her far more than his actions had.

  “Why did you say those things, Tyler?” she pleaded with him. Tyler sighed and turned back to the car. “Look, I’ve just got home, I’m tired and I’ve got a lot to do before the day’s out. Can’t we talk about this later?” He opened the back

  door of the car and slid a long grey plastic tray from the seat. It had no lid and Kirsten could see it was full of netting, topped with a floatation device.

  “Oh no, you’re not getting away that easily. I’ve been waiting three days to have this conversation with you.”

  “Whatever,” Tyler said blithely, “but I have to get these nets out to the salmon farm. So if you wanna talk then it will have to be on the water. Are you up for that?” He carried the tray to the back door and dropped it at Kirsten’s feet.

  “Of course,” Kirsten said unsurely. It wasn’t the most ideal place in the world to pick a fight with Tyler, but it could work to her advantage. An idea formed in her mind. Yes, maybe this would work. She could kill two birds with one stone. “Just let me get a jacket.”

  “A jacket?” Tyler looked at the sky and smirked. “Kirst, it’s thirty degrees out here.”

  “Yeah it is now. But God knows how long you’ll be out there and I hate being cold.”

  “Fine,” Tyler said in dismissal. “Go get whatever you need. I’ll meet you down at the boat,” He glanced at his watch, “in ten minutes.”

  “Okay.” Kirsten ran back inside and took both flights of stairs two steps at a time. Instead of turning right to her own room, she checked to make sure Tyler had not followed her then hung a left and ran down the corridor to his office. She crept across the floor to his desk, feeling somewhat like a trespasser as she made sure the CB radio was set to the correct channel to get Jamie.

  She plucked the handset from its cradle and stretched the plastic coated wire out from its coil. She depressed the black call button on the side of the handset and took a deep breath.

  “Jamie, are you there?” She let her thumb slip from the call button and waited for his familiar voice to come back to her over the air waves. For a few moments there was only static.

  “Jamie?” She tried once more.

  Again static, and then, “Kirsty, are you okay?”

  She sighed with relief. Her plan may just work yet.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Jamie, listen. I haven’t got much time. I can’t explain right now, but are you going to be near the radio for a while?”

  “I’m in the car so yeah, I guess I will be. Is everything okay?”

  Kirsten sighed and without pressing the button she whispered, “No.” Everything was upside down and pear shaped, but she would try to put things right somehow. She pressed the button so Jamie could hear her once more. “Jamie, can you promise me you’ll just keep listening?”

  “Kirsten, I don’t understand.”

  “You will. Just promise me you’ll keep listening.”

  “Okay.” He sounded very unsure of himself, or what she was asking of him.

  “Great.” She clicked the radio off, grabbed her jacket from her bedroom and ran back downstairs. As she crossed the lawn she could hear the steady strum of the motor boat at the jetty.

  Tyler untied the ropes as she ran down the wharf, her footfalls echoing like thunder in a barrel over the old boards. She climbed breathlessly onto the boat and sat at the back. For now she was happy to just sit and wait until the time was right. Tyler maneuvered the vessel carefully
out into the bay before easing it into full throttle. A great white wake rose up behind them and Kirsten watched with delight. She loved the feel of the

  sea spray on her face and the wind in her hair. Luckily her firmly set pony tail kept her own hair from whipping into her face.

  When they reached the salmon farm Kirsten moved over to Tyler as he steered the boat slowly in beside the nets.

  “Can you hold her steady for a minute?” Tyler smiled down at her.

  “Of course.” Kirsten grabbed the wheel from Tyler. Her heart raced as he climbed onto the front of the boat and lifted the thick ropes from the deck. His back was turned. This was her one chance to let Jamie in on the conversation. She pulled the coloured elastic band from her hair. Her deep red hair fell around her shoulders as she changed the channel on the CB radio, checked it matched the one in Tyler’s office then wound her hair tie around the handset to force the talk button down. She placed the handset back in its original position and waited for Tyler to return. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. How could she look at Tyler and pretend she didn’t know everything? Would he see it in her eyes?

  “Right, we’re secure.” Tyler jumped back into the cabin.

  “Can we talk first, Tyler? Before you run off and do whatever it is you need to do.”

  “I thought the idea was talk and work. Isn’t that why you came along?”

  “Yes, but I need your full attention Tyler. I need to know you’re telling me the truth.”

  “When have I ever lied to you Kirsty?” Tyler asked with sincerity.

  “You haven’t always told me everything, let’s put it that way. You’ve told me what you wanted me to hear. This time I want the whole story.”

  “Well, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Tyler looked grim, as though she had asked for his life, not his words.

  “Come on, Tyler. This game you’re playing is really growing old. Why did you tell Jamie about what happened with Greg? What sick purpose could it have served, other than to hurt everyone involved?”

  Tyler laughed, taking pleasure in the results he got. “Come on. You saw how Jamie reacted. Where is he now Kirst? I think I proved my point.”