Eden stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. "What is going on with you today? Is this PMS? We can't PMS at the same time, someone will die."
"It's not that, I just feel like a slob today."
"You look amazing, but I've never seen you act like this. What's going on with you?" Eden asked as she stepped on the gas.
Jamie looked out the window for a moment, then looked back at Eden. "I don't want to look like a loser in front of Laura."
Eden chuckled and took Jamie's hand. "You don't think she's competition, do you?"
"You said you thought she was very attractive, and you did have a relationship with her." Jamie winced at her tone; she sounded like a petulant child even to her own ears.
"She's not the woman who holds my heart, though. That's reserved only for you." Eden squeezed Jamie's hand tightly. "The only face I care about seeing in that courtroom is yours."
The statuesque blonde was led into the courtroom and seated next to her attorneys, one of whom poured her a glass of water and whispered in her ear. Jamie stiffened, feeling jealousy and anger surge through her, seeing in person for the first time the woman responsible for her life being turned upside down. Eden felt the tension coming off her partner in waves and discreetly took her hand as they waited for the hearing to begin.
Laura McManus looked over her shoulder and searched the crowd until her eyes landed on Eden. Jamie gripped her hand so tightly that Eden's fingertips blanched. Eden glared back at Laura, contempt displayed on her face.
Laura's eyes slowly moved and settled on Jamie. Both blondes locked eyes and a sneer tugged at the corner of Laura's lips. Al, who sat on the other side of Jamie, watched the exchange and chuckled softly when Jamie mouthed, "mine," causing Laura to look away in disgust.
On the second day of the trial, Eden was called to the stand, and Jamie watched with pride as Eden fingered the gold band on her left hand each time she was asked a question, knowingly drawing Laura's attention to it.
Jamie glanced down at her left hand and looked at the matching band that encircled her finger, then back up at her partner. She had always thought that Eden was beautiful, but today she was stunning in her black business suit, which brought out the blue in her eyes. Her soft alto voice filled the courtroom as she confidently answered each question posed to her.
Jamie smiled as she remembered looking at Eden the day before when it had been her turn on the stand. Eden's eyes reflected the love she felt in her heart, and it calmed her as she was grilled by Laura's attorneys.
Laura played the part of the unwilling accomplice like a veteran actress. Tears flowed from her eyes as she looked at Eden and begged her for forgiveness. It was Eden's turn to hold tight to Jamie's hand, keeping her from disrupting the proceedings. Jamie hissed under her breath the entire time Laura spoke.
When the jury filed into the courtroom with the verdict, tension was running high and bounced off the walls like static electricity. The guilty verdict brought on shouts of joy, as the judge commanded control over the courtroom. The three-year sentence brought the same response, but instead of joy, it was gasps of disbelief.
Jamie held Eden's hand tightly after they went through security. Eden set her purse on a dingy table and took both of Jamie's hands. "I've got to do this."
"I know, and I'll be right here if you need me," Jamie said as she felt Eden's hands fall away from hers. She watched her partner walk across the room and take a seat in the booth. She was close enough to see Eden but too far away to hear what was being said. Jamie pulled out a chair and sat down.
Laura McManus sat on the other side of the glassed-in booth. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, feeling ill at ease since her true hair color was beginning to show. She pulled some of the strands close to her face in a meager attempt to cover the dark patch around her eye. "You'll have to excuse my appearance; we don't have a decent salon in here," she joked as Eden stared at her through the glass.
"I really don't care about what you look like, Laura," Eden said coolly into the handset.
"Honey, I know what you must think of me, but I never meant it to go as far as it did," Laura pleaded.
"Cut the shit, you're not on the stand anymore, there's no jury here to play to. Just tell me what I did to deserve what you did to me," Eden snarled.
Laura's face turned cold. "Don't sit there and act like you didn't have a hand in this. If you wouldn't have been such a bitch and treated me like shit, this would've never happened. Because of you, I was easy prey for that con artist."
"Well, she's dead, and the jury never got to hear her side of the story. I'm sure your sentence would've been significantly longer if she hadn't killed herself," Eden said.
Laura threw back her head and laughed. "Susan was an idiot but wasn't nearly as dumb as you are." Laura's face turned cold again. "The real brain is somewhere living it up on your money right now as we speak."
Eden stared back at Laura as she tried to process what she was hearing.
"Dad used to love to rub my nose in his success," Laura continued. "One day while he was showing off one of his new clinics, I met her. She treated me like a lady, so unlike you, and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker." Laura paused and scrubbed at her face in frustration. "I didn't even realize it was her who took you from the clinic until a few days later."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Eden asked, refusing to believe what she was hearing.
"She held all the cards and left me and Susan to fend for ourselves. Right up to the last minute, I thought for sure she would come through for me, but that day in the airport when my nose was shoved into the wall and they read me my rights, I knew I had been screwed."
Eden slammed her hand down onto the counter, causing the guard to raise a brow. "This is just more of your bullshit!"
Laura grinned at Eden through the glass. "Tell me...is your little nurse as good to you as I was? She doesn't look very adventurous; does she bore you in the bedroom?"
"How did you get that black eye? Are your cellmates a little too adventurous in the showers?" Eden shot back.
Laura leaned back in her seat and smiled. "I get it better in here than I ever did with you, you're a lousy lay."
"Then you must enjoy having a broomstick rammed up your ass," Eden said with a grin.
"Two more minutes, McManus," the guard called out.
Laura leaned forward and placed both elbows on the counter. "Did you sleep with Holly, too? Tell me what she was like, I never had the pleasure. She just screwed me over."
"Holly is dead, so that just leaves you to rot in here alone," Eden sneered.
Laura smiled again and Eden realized at that moment that the woman whom she once thought was attractive was truly vile inside and out.
"They never found her body, and I'm certain they aren't even looking for her now. Just know that justice has not been served. She screwed you, just like she did me, and she's the one enjoying your money." Laura stood and prepared to be led back to her cell. "It was good to see you," she quipped snidely.
"Enjoy your rides on the broomstick," Eden said before hanging up her handset.
"Are you okay?" Jamie asked as Eden walked up and took her purse.
"I'm fine, but let's wait to get outside before we discuss anything further."
Eden took Jamie by the hand, and they went back through the same security checkpoints they had before. Eden filled her lungs with fresh air when they walked outside, relieved to be out of the oppressive atmosphere and the dirty feeling of being in such a place.
Detective Salamoni was poised in front of her car with her arms folded over her chest. "Well?" she asked with a knowing smirk.
"It went as easy as you said it would. She told me about Holly without me having to ask." Eden wrapped her arm over Jamie's shoulders as they slumped down.
"I just can't believe she did this, but in hindsight, it makes so much sense now—why she was so adamant about not going to the police when we took Eden that morning. I was too
shaken to think rationally," Jamie said as she rubbed her temples.
"Don't knock yourself, Jamie. She really screwed with Susan and Laura's heads, too. She let them do all the dirty work and knocked them both off kilter when she took Eden and put the ball in her court. Laura had already secured the passports and the money, and Holly left the country without her. That's gotta rub Laura the wrong way, and she has three years with nothing but time to think about it."
Jamie smiled at Eden. "I'm not happy that it happened, but I'm thankful for what I took away from it all."
Detective Salamoni shook both their hands and thanked them for helping to get the confirmation she needed. "I have a lot of work ahead of me now, and I'll keep you both abreast of what I find on Holly."
"Well, what will we do with ourselves now that we've finished all the work on the yard and the house?" Eden said as they strolled lazily to their car.
Jamie grinned and took Eden by the hand. "I think we need a relaxing weekend, and I know of a little love nest in the woods that would be perfect for just that."
Epilogue
A gentle breeze blew in off the water, cooling overheated skin as she lay looking at the ugly scar on her arm. She had drawn the knife deeper than she intended, but she accomplished the desired effect when she left behind huge traces of her blood in the van.
Kelly Edgemont nearly bled to death as she waited to board the plane. Her wound was concealed under the sleeve of a heavy coat that was beginning to soak through with her blood. She handed her fake passport with shaking hands to the officials when she landed on the tropical island; true freedom was simply a checkpoint away.
Six months had passed since that horrible trip, and the scar was just beginning to really heal. She never liked the name Kelly, but then again, Laura wasn't very creative. The foolish blonde secured the fake passport and now Holly would have to learn to live with the name.
She smiled and waved at the well-built man five years her junior as he trimmed the sails of the boat that sliced through the blue water. His seduction was as easy as Laura's had been. Simply pretend to be in awe of their physical beauty and they were wrapped around her finger, sometimes so tightly it hurt. Laura was easier than any man Holly had ever met. She had never so much as kissed the woman, and with a few well-placed words and empty promises, she had the spoiled tramp eating out of her hand.
Occasionally, there were moments when she felt guilt for Jamie. She had been so trusting and willing to help someone in need that she fell into the plan without a hitch. The papers spoke of her heroism, so maybe she faired well after all, Holly thought to herself.
"Here's to you, Jamie," Holly said in toast as she raised her glass to the sea ahead. "I hope you and the rich bitch live happily ever after because this rich dead woman certainly is."
About the author
Born in 1965, Robin Alexander grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she still resides. An avid reader of lesbian fiction, Robin decided to take the leap and try her hand at writing, which is now more than her favorite hobby. Other favorites are camping, snorkeling, and anything to do with the outdoors or the water. Robin approaches everything with a sense of humor, which is evident in her style of writing. To learn more about Robin and read some of her short stories, visit www.robinfic.com.
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