Dirty Cops Next Door

by Summer Cooper

  Rainn felt restless, her body was partly paper weight and partly stone like. She fumbled through the room as she tried to make a recollection of having a phone perched somewhere in the vicinity. Her hand finally grabbed at a receiver and hope was rekindled in her when she placed it over her ear and heard that it was working. She punched in Yvonne’s number that she knew by heart and waited for it to connect. The long unanswered beeping sounds were tormenting her and she said a silent prayer that Yvonne would pick up the phone. Her head was feeling lighter and she could feel herself drift away into nothingness.

  “Hello?” Yvonne’s voice sounded over the receiver and Rainn felt relief by the sound of her voice.

  “It’s Rai…i…i..nnn” she managed to mouth before she realized that her speech was blurry and she could not really make out the words that were coming out of her mouth.

  “Rainn? Is that you?” Yvonne asked almost immediately with a concern in her voice. Rainn tried to speak up again, she tried to make the words come out of her mouth but it was an uphill task. Everything in her body seemed to be displaced, misplaced and rearranged.

  “Rainn? Rainn? Rainn? Are you there?” Yvonne asked again. Rainn could tell that she was talking to someone else in the room but it was a distant and strange voice to her.

  “I think there is something wrong with her, I can’t really reach her!” Yvonne spoke put loud to whoever she was with, in the room.

  “He… help me pl… please” Rainn managed to finally say after a lot of effort. Her body slumped to the floor and the phone fell from her hand as well. It rolled out to God knows where and Rainn could feel all the strength in her body slowly succumb to the drugs. She let her head face her lover’s direction and could feel a fresh pool of tears well up in her eyes at the thought of his limp, almost lifeless, body lying on the floor a few feet from her.

  She tried to search in her heart for any hateful word that she could utter out to him in these desperate moments. But even at that point, at that moment in her life when Rainn was staring despair right in the face, she could not find it in her to hate Jack.

  “You were my drug, Jack.” she thought to herself “You didn’t need to add any other.”

  Her eyes were slightly shutting and her lips could not move any more, all distant movement around her slowly came to her halt. Rainn could only imagine Jack’s face smiling down at her just as she had always imagined it. The image warmed her heart and she let out a slight smile before saying.

  “I love you Jack, I always will, in this world or the next”.

  17

  “Is she ok? Can she hear us?”

  Rainn slowly stirred, hearing frantic whispers and murmurings. Her body and mind were slowly coming round after the overdose Jack had forced upon her. Jack! What had happened to him, she wondered. Where was he?

  “Hello?” Rainn uttered weakly, head pounding. “Where am I? What happened?”

  “She’s awake! She’s awake!” Yvonne and Margaret’s voiced chimed in unison.

  “Where am I?” Rainn repeated, looking confused. Her surroundings smelt very sterile; Rainn could detect the scent of strong bleach. She also smelt the cloying scent of lilies.

  “You’re in hospital, Rainn” Margaret explained, “You were in a terrible way when Stewart found you. God knows what would have happened if he wasn’t there! We might have lost you!” Margaret wailed, as she broke down, sobbing heavily as Yvonne took over.

  “Stewart returned after being sent away with all the other staff. He had a gift for you as a surprise and wanted to hand deliver it. Stewart had heard Jack talking of a walking stick and thought it might make your life easier, especially in an unfamiliar place. He saved you.”

  Rainn frowned as she listened to Yvonne’s version of the story, impatient to hear what else had happened. Where was Jack? She could kill him!

  “Stewart walked in to see you both unconscious.” Yvonne continued, “You had a phone near you, obviously calling for help. Jack had a small pool of blood near his head. Stewart checked you were ok first and then rang for an ambulance. He looked at the call history and contacted us shortly after.”

  At news of Jack, Rainn tried sitting up. A sharp pain in her head prevented her from moving too rapidly. Easing herself gently into an upright position, Rainn began to speak. “Blood? What happened? Is he alive? Where is he?”

  Margaret regained her composure and began to make soothing sounds, trying to calm Rainn. “Hush, Rainn. Don’t work yourself up, Jack is alive. The important thing is that you get better. You were very ill, we’re so glad you’re going to make a full recovery. ”

  “Where is Jack?” Rainn demanded angrily.

  Margaret and Yvonne shared a look, both secretly glad Rainn could not see. Suddenly, they were saved from Rainn’s questioning by the sound of the door opening. All three women turned their heads in the direction of the disruption, Margaret and Yvonne visibly relaxing. Rainn still looked puzzled and angry. From the sound of the slow, steady footsteps, she guessed it was a man. She smelt cinnamon and coffee. The air did not smell of wood or gin; it was not Jack. Rainn was silently pleased she would not have to confront her demons so soon.

  “Rainn! I’m so glad you’re awake, I’ve been terribly worried. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you came round.”

  Through Rainn’s muddled head, she recognized Stewart’s voice. She felt both happy and strangely shy as she greeted the man who saved her life.

  “Stewart, thank you so much for rescuing me, however can I repay you? What must you have thought?” Rainn despaired.

  “It sure was a shock seeing you and Mr. Bradley like that” Stewart admitted. “I couldn’t believe my eyes. I should have been there to protect you.” Stewart bit his lip, worried he’d said too much.

  Rainn sensed his discomfort, politely ignoring his embarrassment. “Stewart, would you please do one more thing for me? Would you please tell me what happened? I’ll be an old woman before I get the truth out of these two.” Rainn gestured to Margaret and Yvonne, both giggling, thrilled that Rainn had not lost her sense of humor.

  “Of course I’ll tell you, Rainn. But before I begin, I don’t want to upset you. Are you sure you want to hear this?” Stewart asked.

  Rainn thought for a moment and then nodded. “Hearing it cannot be as bad as experiencing it,” she reasoned “I need to know what happened before I can move on. I will not let these events define me.”

  Stewart acquiesced, making himself comfortable in an armchair before beginning. “Well, I came by the house with a walking stick. I knew you were against the idea, but I just wanted to help you. It was my grandmother’s. I hoped you might like to run your fingers over the wooden carvings; it has elephants carved into the handle, my grandmother was a great animal lover. I hoped you could use the stick as I moved furniture with your supervision, to make you more comfortable. It would be easier for you to get your bearing that way. I’d hate for you to get hurt again, like that day with the vase.”

  Rainn was touched at the thoughtfulness of this man; Jack had never considered moving the furniture; he was too attached to his expensive antiques and relished having them on display. She also noted the adoring tone with which he spoke of his grandmother; family values were important to Rainn and she found Stewart more intriguing as he continued.

  “I walked in and the house was deadly silent. I thought you may have been out for lunch, so I went to the balcony to leave the gift. I know you love to spend time there because you can feel the warmth of the sun and smell the beautiful flowers. I walked into the room and thought I entered a horror scene! You and Mr. Bradley were both unconscious and the room stank of liquor and blood. I ran over to check if you were okay. You were breathing but your pulse was very faint. I called for an ambulance on my cellphone. Then I noticed the phone by your hand. I checked the call history and got in touch with your sister and cousin.”

  Yvonne and Margaret blushed at their mention in Stewart’s story and beckoned for him to continue, both
inwardly delighted at his obvious adulation for Rainn.

  “I went to check Mr. Bradley next. I felt guilty for not checking him first; he is my boss after all, but I was so worried about you. I’ve seen Mr. Bradley like that before; when he drinks and takes drugs, he’s not a good man. I checked his pulse too, his was stronger than yours. I sat next to you to wait. I kept talking to you, hoping you’d know who I was and that I was there for you. I hated the thought of you waking up alone and frightened so I held your hand. The ambulance arrived with the police. Mr. Bradley was taken away in a separate vehicle– ” Stewart broke off, looking uneasy, unsure of how to continue.

  Rainn spoke softly, “You looked after me? Thank you so much. Please don’t be afraid to carry on. Jack, he got arrested, didn’t he?

  Stewart stared at her, amazed at her perceptiveness and dazzled by her beauty. “Yes, for drug possession and forceful consumption; what he did to you. He confessed to everything when he came round. He had a fantasy you were like Romeo and Juliet; star crossed lovers, destined to live and die together. He is being charged soon. I’m sorry.”

  Rainn, to everyone’s shock, smiled. She was glad to be free of Jack. She had not realized, until it was almost too late, how toxic their relationship was. She remembered the heartache he put her through all those months ago. Why had she taken him back? He was clearly mentally unstable. She didn’t need a bad boy to tame; she didn’t want to feel scared or small or intimidated. She wanted a good, honest man. Someone kind, who would want to take care of her and love her. Someone who did not drink or have irrational bursts of anger. She realized with a start, that she wanted someone like Stewart. Stewart had helped her when she fell. Stewart had never been unkind to her in any way. He had wanted to move the furniture to make her comfortable; even though it would have gotten him in trouble with Jack.

  “Stewart…” Rainn began nervously. “How long have you been here?”

  Stewart thought for a moment “Well, you’ve been here six days. The first two I slept on the floor beside you. But your wonderful family told me to get some rest. With Mr. Bradley in prison, I have no work to do, so I’ve been spending my days here with Yvonne and Margaret, just hoping you’d wake up.”

  Rainn felt stirrings of butterflies in her stomach. She was so touched at the sweetness of Stewart. She loved listening to him speak, his deep velvety voice sending shivers down her spine. Rainn blushed as her adoring crowd watched. Thinking deeply about the dependable, gentle man before her, she plucked up the courage to ask:

  “Stewart, when I am out of hospital, would you perhaps like to go for a coffee..?”

  The End

  Part IV

  Beautiful Stranger

  Romantic Comedy

  1

  There really wasn't a whole lot that Clara had expectations for in life, and yet, she found herself still disappointed; she wanted a loving mother, not one who was obsessed with finding her a suitor of some sort, like this was the fourteenth century or something. She wanted her career to pan out, and yet, here she was, with a degree in Game Design and nothing more than unfinished prototypes to show for it. And, most of all, she wanted to be accepted by someone for who she was, not who she could be or what she could do for them. And yet...she gets one Daryl Marley, a man only a few years older that she, but no less pompous and cocksure in his own abilities and successes, like the world owes him for his greatness. What Clara doesn't realize, however, is that there is so much more to Mr. Marley, so much depth that he hides behind his words, that she might see, if only she would let him show her.

  “Oh, darling,” Gerta sighed heavily as she eyed her daughter's jewelry box without touching it, as if she could conjure up some trinket that would attract more men to her daughter. “I just want you to be happy.” Clara had no doubt that, on some level, her mother was telling the truth – it just wasn't the entire truth. Which, really, was the source of all their disagreements these days. With a huff, Clara set her hair brush down, fearful that in her irritation, she might pull out her chestnut hair with the bristles of the brush, before addressing her mother.

  “No, Mom,” she snapped, rising and rummaging through her jewelry box to find her favorite necklace; a little London topaz, surrounded by little amber gems and strung on a gold chain, a gift from her father before he left this world. “You want me to be married, not happy.” She clasped the necklace around her pale, thin neck, and walked over to her closet, flicking through her dresses to decide what to wear.

  “Clara,” her mother said tiredly. “You know that's not true-”

  “Isn't it?” Clara cut her off in a clipped tone. “I pay my bills, I attend your charity balls, I have my own independence, and I don't ask you for any favors,” Finding a lovely black dress, with a low back that draped loosely, like a theatre curtain on the small of her back, a skirt that rested on her thighs in the front, and flowed out in layers in the back. “Is that not enough for you? Is it not enough that I'm content in where I'm at?” She laid out her dress on her bed, and began to rummage around on her shoe racks for a pair of shoes for the evening.

  “But you're not,” her mother said in an exasperated tone. “I know you're not!”

  “Not because I'm single!” She whirred upon her mother, anger flaring in her bright bird-of-prey gold eyes. “I'm unhappy because I haven't advanced in my career like I had hoped I would by now! I'm unhappy because I haven't finished a complete game yet because I've hit a creative block!”

  “Clara...” Gerta whispered, eyes as big as dishes as she stared at her daughter incredulously. The thought occurred to Clara that she might not have ever snapped like this at her mother, and maybe it wasn't entirely deserved, but she was tired of it all, tired of having this back and forth with her, and wanted it to end tonight.

  “I get it, I get it. You want to see me taken care of when you're gone. That's fine. But I'm self-sufficient, and I ask that you respect that. If I find someone, then I find someone. If not,” she narrowed her eyes at her to drive the point home. “I don't want to hear another word about marriage, or children, or settling down.”

  “Clara, I didn't-” she wasn't sure whether her mother was trying to turn it around and blame it on her, or if she was trying to beseech her to forgive her, or to understand where she was coming from, but this conversation wasn't going to go many places, at least, not in the time they had before they were needed at the charity ball. Clara held up her hand to silence her mother, having heard enough, at least for now.

  “I think you should go; you have a speech to memorize, and a charity ball to host. I'll meet you there,” Clara kissed her mother's cheek mechanically before turning away from her, clearly finished with the conversation and had no intention of engaging in any further discussion with her mother.

  It didn't make it sting any less when her mother stormed out of the room and slammed the front door of her house shut.

  2

  With a sigh, Clara pulled out a pair of sapphire pumps and began to tug off her dressing robe to begin donning her attire for the evening's events; her mother, a rather successful businesswoman who contributed regularly to several charities, was hosting one of her many luxurious charity balls – one for a charity pertaining to the local orphanage, if memory served. Clara never failed to make an appearance, and when she had a little extra money to contribute, even donated her own money to the cause. She couldn't deny that her mother was a humanitarian in this particular regard, and had always looked for legitimate ways to improve the city.

  It was such a shame that she barely acknowledged her children's wants.

  Her older brother was set to inherit the company, and though she worked within the company herself, it was more on an IT level than anything else; might as well put her Computer Science degree to use, and get paid for it while she was at it. Her brother, a very business savvy man who was kind and always looked out for his little sister, allowed himself to be groomed for the family business so that she could pursue her own dreams. It was just fortun
ate happenstance that he had found his passion, his calling, in business anyway, and to this day, the two have always looked out for each other in any way that they could.

  If she were being entirely honest with herself, she admitted as she applied some smoky gray eye shadow, flecked with silver, over her black eyeliner, she was only attending this particular event because her brother was going, and asked her to come keep him company while they smiled and pretended to care about whatever the dusty old aristocrats of the city were droning on about. With a giggle, she had no problem admitting to herself that the two of them had always, since they were dragged to these events as children, giggled about the old geezers that hobbled about, rambling on about how important they were. Evidently, he was bringing some other friends of his to the event, fellow business school alumni that he had particularly strong friendships with, and she found herself excited to meet new people.

  Pulling her dress up over her hips, and slipping her arms through the ruffled cap sleeves, she zipped it shut and stepped into her pumps. She opted to let her thick, wavy hair ripple down one side of her head, gathering it there with a few secure pins in the back of her head, rather than something extravagant that would take more time than it was worth. With a quick glance in the mirror and a nod of her head in satisfaction at what she saw there, she plucked her clutch purse with her wallet and phone off of her dresser and walked out of her room to leave.

  Stepping out into the cool night air and hopping into her car, she started the engine, and took off down the street, toward one of the many skyscrapers that lined the inner city's skyline. It was a relatively short trip, barring traffic during rush hour, but it was a blessedly short ride tonight, preventing her from dwelling on the argument with her mother for too long before the valet was parking her car in the family's garage level of the building, and she was stepping inside the lobby of the building. Thankfully, the bellhop and the greeter recognized her, and she was swiftly escorted into the grand ballroom on the tenth floor.