First to Fall

by Carys Jones

  ‘I’ve read about his triumphant days on his school football team.’ Clyde smiled proudly at this. ‘Did he ever think about going pro?’

  Clyde leaned back in his chair, thinking hard. ‘He had the talent, no doubt about that, but he loved his family too much to leave. The good teams, where you could make a career out of playing, were all too far away.’

  ‘So he worked here?’

  ‘Sure did. He was my right-hand man and the hardest worker I ever knew. All the guys loved him, I’d hoped that one day he would take over the business for me but now…’ Clyde gazed at his desk in sadness. ‘He was my only son, my only child.’

  Any preconceived theories that Aiden had once had were slipping away. Clyde White was shaken to the core over the death of his son whom he had loved dearly. If Brandon was at all like his father – well spoken, intelligent – it was making it even harder to identify a motive for Brandy to have killed him. He knew that he had to dig deeper.

  ‘What did you think of Brandy?’ Clyde’s face suddenly distorted with disgust.

  ‘Little tramp. Blinded my son with her butter-wouldn’t-melt face and then…’ Aiden noticed that his fists were now clenched tightly in anger.

  ‘They were together a long time before it happened. Five years. How did she and Brandon get along?’

  ‘Fine, they seemed in love. She never came down to the yard when he was working so I didn’t see all that much of her, except the odd weekend when they came over for lunch and on the holidays. She was always polite, bit too quiet really. She never said much, it was clear Brandon didn’t marry her for her brains.’

  As discreetly as possible, Aiden switched on the Dictaphone which was concealed in his jacket pocket. Clyde’s perception of Brandy could prove invaluable later on in court.

  ‘She had a rather, unconventional upbringing,’ he said, trying not to sound too sensitive towards Brandy.

  ‘Oh yeah, her mother was a whack job. Whole town knew about her troubles. And then that whole beauty pageant thing. We weren’t happy when Brandon started knocking about with her, to say the least.’

  ‘What else was Brandon interested in, besides football?’

  ‘The usual, hanging with guys, watching sports, movies. He never read books or anything, his grades were average. His talents lay in the more physical aspects of things.’

  ‘So he didn’t gamble or drink excessively?’

  ‘No!’ Clyde White snapped. ‘My son was a gentleman through and through.’

  ‘I only asked as I’m trying to ascertain a motive for his murder. I didn’t know your son, but from what I can gather from the people of Avalon he was a great man.’

  ‘The greatest.’

  ‘So it must have been one hell of a shock when Brandy murdered him.’

  ‘Truly shocking,’ Clyde agreed, but something in his eyes gave him away. Was it regret, sadness? Aiden could not tell so he tried to push him further.

  ‘Do you have any idea what may have driven her to do it?’

  ‘None at all. Isn’t it your job to find out why she did it? She is probably as crazy as her jacked-up mother. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had been high as a kite for years.’

  ‘Well, I sincerely hope to get to the bottom of it all.’

  ‘As long as that little witch pays for what she has done.’ Clyde’s voice shook with emotion, his eyes narrowed in spite.

  ‘Do you know if Brandy had any friends in town, anyone I could talk to?’

  Clyde shook his head.

  ‘That girl was all about Brandon. Once they got married she stopped working and just stayed home. She was always at church though, seemed quite friendly with Father West, but then he was the one who had sent her mother away.’ Clyde glanced at his watch and seemed anxious.

  ‘I am very sorry, Mr. Connelly, but I have got work to attend to.’

  ‘Well, thank you very much for your time.’ Both men rose to their feet and shook hands.

  ‘If I can be of any further help, do not hesitate to call.’ Clyde handed him a business card.

  ‘I will.’ Aiden had one hand on the door handle and was about to leave when Clyde called him back.

  ‘One more thing. This Wednesday, it is a big game for the Avalon Angels. You should really try and come. That team meant everything to Brandon, thought you might want to check it out.’

  ‘Yes, I will, always been a big football fan anyway.’

  ‘Oh yeah, who is your team?’

  ‘Chicago Bears.’

  ‘Awww no, Dallas Cowboys all the way. I never miss a game!’ Clyde smiled and waved goodbye.

  Outside and back in the heat Aiden felt no closer to finding the truth; if anything he felt that he was edging further away from it. He needed to talk to Brandy again as soon as possible.

  Betty was sat at her desk, two fans billowing air at her, her normally immaculate hair dishevelled and soaked with sweat.

  ‘Too hot for you, Betty?’

  ‘Oh, I have always struggled with the heat. Ever since I was a girl. And these damn fans do nothing, they just circulate warm air! Edmond has said that I can leave as soon as all the admin for today is sorted. I honestly don’t know why he doesn’t just get air conditioning like everybody else!’ Her cheeks were flushed and she seemed extremely agitated. Aiden decided against asking her for a coffee.

  In the main office Edmond was looking equally flustered in the heat. There were fans on in the room but none were directed at him as they would cause havoc on the mounds of paperwork scattered around. He was sweating profusely as he typed away on his keyboard.

  ‘Aiden, my boy, how are you holding up in this weather? It is not normally this hot in Avalon!’

  Aiden undid the top few buttons of his shirt but that offered little comfort from the stifling heat. The air outside was so still, there wasn’t even the slightest breeze. It was unbearable.

  ‘All this mounting heat is no good,’ Edmond moaned. ‘There will be one hell of a storm soon, that’s for sure.’ The air in Avalon was indeed electric; you didn’t need to be a weatherman to know that some turbulent weather was heading their way.

  ‘Hope it comes before Wednesday,’ he added. ‘The boys can’t play good football in this damned heat!’

  ‘Speaking of football…’ Aiden was already typing away on his computer, writing up his conclusions from his encounter with Clyde. ‘You follow the Dallas Cowboys?’

  ‘Sure do, son. Think everyone around here does. Why do you ask?’

  ‘I went to see Clyde White before and he mentioned it. Figured Avalon was pretty big on sport, what with all the support the Angels get and that.’

  ‘You went to see Clyde?’ Edmond asked curiously.

  ‘Yeah, I’m trying to piece together an idea of what Brandon White was like. No one says a bad word against him.’

  ‘Well, people aren’t going to speak ill of the dead.’

  Aiden looked over at Edmond in surprise. ‘So, you think if he weren’t dead people’s opinion of him would be different?’

  ‘No, no.’ Edmond was sweating even more; was it the heat or was he feeling suddenly under pressure? ‘It is just an expression. Folks around here have always loved Brandon.’

  ‘Oh, I get that. The sheriff, Buck Fern wasn’t it? He seems…’ Aiden struggled to find the right word. ‘Protective of Brandon.’

  ‘Old Buck can be like that. I’m sorry if he came across as rude yesterday. He just isn’t the sociable type, never has been. I’m sure that once he gets to know you he will be as nice as pie.’ Aiden doubted that somehow.

  ‘So how was Clyde holding up? I keep meaning to go over and see him but I’ve been bogged down with work lately. Once the Brandy White case is all sorted I’m afraid I’ve got a nice pile of divorce proceedings I could really use your help with.’

  ‘Can’t wait,’ Aiden laughed sarcastically. ‘Clyde White seems like a genuine guy. Got a nice setup with his company. Losing his son must have hit him real hard.’

  ‘He’
s not been the same since,’ Edmond offered. ‘Always been such a composed man though. Takes himself very seriously as a businessman. I don’t think he is all that comfortable with the scandal of it all. He hasn’t been to church in a long while, probably isn’t up to facing the whole town yet, but you would think he would want to find some solace in God. Who knows?’

  ‘Mr. Cope.’ Betty’s voice was disjointed through the intercom.

  ‘Yes, Betty?’

  ‘I really cannot stand this heat any longer. I’m afraid I’ve got to clock off. I’ll be in all the earlier tomorrow to make up for lost time.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, Betty, my love. Go home and have some iced tea and come in usual time tomorrow.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr. Cope. Goodnight, and goodnight to Mr. Connelly, too.’ A few moments later the two men heard the soft whisper of chimes as Betty left for a cooler climate.

  ‘This heat is utterly ridiculous, poor old girl. I think it is worse for her, because, you know, she is going through that phase.’

  ‘Phase?’ Aiden was confused.

  ‘You know.’ Edmond seemed embarrassed by what he was trying to convey to his younger colleague. ‘They call it “the change”.’

  ‘Oh.’ Aiden felt his face flush. Why do men always fall apart at the mere mention of female problems? Every time Isla was on her period Aiden felt like an awkward twelve-year-old all over again. He hated it when she used to ask him to pick up tampons at the store, and he always got the wrong ones as in his haste he never read the labels properly. When she said words to him like ‘heavy flow’, he would just shut down and try to blank it all out. You would think he would have the maturity to deal with it all, but as Edmond had proved, men fail to grow out of their awkwardness with the female anatomy.

  ‘I suppose we should head home too,’ Edmond sighed, succumbing to the intensifying heat. ‘I think I am beginning to melt into this chair.’ He peeled himself up from the leather seat which was now soaked in his sweat.

  ‘I’m going to battle it out a bit longer. I need to get some paperwork sorted, I’m heading to Eastham again tomorrow.’

  ‘Ah, right. Well I’ll leave you with the keys then. Which reminds me, I need to get Betty to cut you your own set. We both have one, makes sense that you do too. Just in case you ever get the urge to come into the office at ungodly hours, not that I ever do, but there you go.’ He tossed a set of brass keys on a Dallas Cowboys keychain over to Aiden.

  ‘Just drop them off on your way home.’

  ‘Thanks, I will.’

  ‘And don’t work too late!’ Edmond called as he retreated to the sanctuary of his air-conditioned car.

  Aiden was lost in his own world as he wrote up reams of notes and scoured the internet for as much information as he could find. As he had suspected, Avalon Pine was a long-established company which had enjoyed moderate success over the years. He needed to get Brandy to open up about her marriage with Brandon. He was definitely missing some pieces of the puzzle and he felt that a majority of them lay with her. When Aiden glanced up at the clock it was 6.30pm.

  ‘Dammit,’ he muttered angrily, hastily switching off his computer and gathering his things together. He was late for dinner and he knew that Isla would not be happy.

  ‘You’re late,’ Isla snapped before he had chance to even come through the door.

  ‘I know, I know.’ Aiden held his hands up defensively. ‘I was busy at work and I lost track of time.’ His wife’s face was set in a harsh glare, her arms folded across her chest. He could tell that she was in the mood for an argument, but feeling tired and hot, all he wanted to do was relax with an ice-cold beer.

  ‘I thought the whole point of being here was that you didn’t have to work late!’

  ‘It was…it is. I just got caught up with stuff. Isla, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.’ He was happy to admit defeat and say whatever she wanted in order to diffuse the situation quickly.

  ‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘I fed Meegan but put our dinners in the oven.’ Aiden watched as she removed a whole pizza from the oven. He unbuttoned his shirt nearly halfway down and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. The cool glass felt like heaven in his hands, and when the amber liquid slid down his dry throat he felt himself reach a euphoric state of ecstasy.

  ‘Ah,’ he gasped in satisfaction.

  ‘You know, I slaved over dinner.’

  ‘Babe, it’s a pepperoni pizza, which I doubt you made from scratch.’ Isla was chomping through her first slice and replied to him whilst still chewing.

  ‘No, but still, I had to heat it, and do Meegan her dinner.’

  Aiden just nodded and began to eat the meal that had been so lovingly prepared for him.

  Two bottles of beer and half a pizza later, Aiden was feeling flushed with contentment. He was sprawled out on the couch, watching a baseball match on the television through drooping eyes.

  ‘Daddy!’ Meegan came running in and bounced on his chest.

  ‘Owww,’ he cried in protest as she began using him as a human trampoline. ‘Get off Daddy!’

  After a few more jumps she obeyed. She was wearing a bright pink nightdress and from the minty smell on her breath had just brushed her teeth and so was all ready for bed.

  ‘Will you read me a bedtime story?’

  ‘Sure thing, princess.’ He groggily sat up and shook his head in an attempt to wake up. ‘Where’s Mommy?’

  ‘Right here.’ Isla came down the stairs. She still seemed to be annoyed with Aiden so he had been doing his best to avoid her until she calmed down.

  ‘I had a bath!’ Meegan told her Dad proudly.

  ‘Good girl, at least you don’t smell then.’

  ‘Come on.’ She was tugging on his hand, leading him towards the staircase.

  ‘OK, OK, I’m coming.’

  ‘Aid, I was thinking we could watch a movie or something.’ Isla grabbed onto his arms, her fingertips gently caressing the soft skin, letting him know what she really meant.

  ‘Honey, I’m pretty beat.’ She immediately let go of him and turned away, her shoulders slumping with disappointment. Aiden sighed in frustration and followed Meegan upstairs, thankful for the temporary distraction from yet another disagreement with his wife. He’d known it would be a difficult transition for them but Isla was struggling to adapt to her new life. She’d been so comfortable in Chicago; the city suited her. Sometimes Aiden feared he’d made a mistake taking her to a town so far removed from all that she had known and loved.

  He stood and watched Meegan sleeping for a while. She looked so angelic and peaceful. She had only made it up until Snow White meets the dwarfs in the woods when her eyelids grew too heavy and she slipped into that beautiful, dreamless serenity of sleep that only the innocence of youth can bring.

  Downstairs Aiden could hear cupboards banging; Isla was clearly still mad. Her immature attitude really grated on him sometimes. Meegan was trying to sleep yet she was still childishly making a commotion to get his attention. As much as he just wanted to ignore her and get to bed himself, he could not risk her waking their daughter so he went downstairs to face the fire.

  ‘Oh, here you are,’ she said nastily, placing the remains of the night’s dishes into the appropriate cupboards.

  ‘I’m sorry I worked late.’

  ‘I know you are.’

  ‘Then what is wrong?’

  She sat down at the table and looked up at him with sad eyes.

  ‘I’m worried you are not attracted to me any more.’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’ He reached out to stroke her cheek but she pushed him away.

  ‘I’m not being silly, we used to do it all the time and now…’

  ‘Now, we have a little girl to think about.’ Aiden sat down opposite her and held her hands in his. ‘Isla, you are beautiful, I fancy the pants off you baby, you know that.’ She began to smile and her anger seemed to subside. As usual, Aiden found that complimenting her was the best way to get her to calm down.

&n
bsp; ‘When you were late home, and then when you blew me off, it just felt like we were slipping back into our old ways and I don’t want that.’

  ‘I don’t want that either. And we are not. Tonight was a one-off, I swear. This case is just bigger than I thought, that’s all.’

  ‘Bigger? I thought it was an open, shut case?’

  Aiden ran his hands through his hair. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind to start discussing the case, he just wanted to switch off for the night. He went to the fridge to get another beer, hoping to avoid her questions.

  ‘Want one?’ He asked from the welcoming cool of the open fridge door. Isla nodded so he grabbed a second bottle and handed it to her.

  ‘Aid, the case, why is it bigger than you thought?’

  ‘I don’t know, honey,’ he took a deep, long swig from his bottle. ‘It is a murder case, sure as hell. But I don’t get why she did it.’

  ‘Could it be what the French call a “crime of passion”?’

  ‘I suppose…perhaps.’ Aiden thought it over.

  ‘Maybe the husband was having an affair.’

  ‘It’s a possibility. I just need to do some more digging around. I’m heading to the prison tomorrow.’

  ‘Again?!’

  ‘Yes, again, I need to ask her a few more questions.’

  ‘What else can she say apart from, I’m guilty?’

  ‘It is more complicated than that.’

  ‘Complicated how?’

  ‘I can’t go into it,’ Aiden explained dismissively.

  ‘You’re too attached to this case,’ Isla noted, her eyes narrowing. She’d developed a keen perception of men over the years and she sensed something in her husband now that she didn’t like.

  ‘No, it’s not the case you are attached to, it’s the girl, the accused,’ she declared, her tone growing cold.

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Aiden replied empathically. ‘It’s just that this is my first case here and I want to make a good impression.’

  Isla’s face remained frozen in annoyance, her lips pouting.