Third to Die

by Carys Jones

  He tapped Aiden with a pointed finger and visibly seethed.

  “He hated you. He wanted to send you back to that city with your tail between your legs.”

  “Who did, your brother?”

  “And he went and fucking died before he could finish the job.”

  “Look, Buck. I’m not going to stand here all day and have you insult me. Let me take you home. Have someone come pick up your patrol car later, say it broke down. I’ll take you to your place where you can sleep it off. What do you say?”

  “Fine,” Buck muttered, allowing Aiden to guide him back towards his car. He placed the drunken sherriff in the passenger seat, buckled his belt for him and was about to climb into the driver’s side when he thought of something. He ran back to the patrol car and reached inside for the bottle of Jack Daniels. Then he jogged back to his car and threw the half-drunk bottle into his trunk.

  Buck watched this with a wry smile upon his thin lips.

  “Okay,” Aiden breathed as he got behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. “Which way to yours?”

  “I see what you did there, Mr. Connelly,” Buck pointed out at his patrol car. Aiden blushed.

  “I’m just trying to help you,” he explained, his voice low. “You’re hurting because your brother died, I get that. You made some stupid decisions but do you really want to lose your sherriff’s badge over this?”

  Buck said nothing, he merely raised his wispy eyebrows and smiled to himself.

  “I don’t think there’s anything to smile about!” Aiden told the old man curtly.

  “Isn’t there?” Buck asked, turning his head so that he was looking directly at Aiden. “I thought there was no hope for you but I might be wrong after all. You’re more Avalon than I realized.”

  “What do you mean?” Aiden could feel his cheeks burning; he knew the old man was baiting him and that he was walking right into his trap.

  “You know I’m drunk as a skunk, yet you’re going to assist me getting home, help keep my little drive quiet. You even made sure to hide the evidence. I’ve done my fair share of clean-ups in my day. Brandon used to keep me pretty busy. I just didn’t think you had it in you. I thought you were too good, too righteous.”

  Buck’s eyelids began to droop. His drunken haze was developing into more of a malaise, causing him to feel sleepy and relaxed.

  “I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do,” Aiden insisted as he commenced driving, giving the parked patrol car a wide berth as he passed it.

  “Is it?” Buck asked, his voice becoming low and dreamy. “In the eyes of the law do I get a pardon because my brother just died? I don’t think so.”

  “Look, let’s just get you back,” Aiden said tersely.

  “You thought you could rise above it all. You thought you were so high and mighty yet here you are, doing things the Avalon way.” Buck was smiling but his eyes were now closed.

  Aiden opened his mouth to argue but realized that he had nothing to say. As awful as it was, the old man was right. Aiden had assisted him in covering up his little drunken outing and why? To protect him? Just as Buck had once protected Brandon?

  “No,” Aiden muttered to himself as he drove. Buck’s breathing deepened as he drifted off to sleep. This was different, this was an act of kindness to stop a depressed old man self-destructing. Aiden had done the right thing; he wasn’t adhering to the Avalon way. Was he?

  Chapter Eight

  The Weight of Living

  Aiden hadn’t spoken to Guy Chambers since college. Back then they had been in the same dorms and shared a few classes. In many ways, Guy was a lot like Aiden; he was hard-working and ambitious but he loved to party and let off steam. Aiden had only fond memories of Guy. At least during college.

  Sat at his kitchen table, Aiden stared intently at his cell phone. He recalled the last time he had seen Guy.

  It had been raining in Chicago as Aiden stepped into the courthouse. He shook off the large black umbrella he had been carrying and dropped it into the appropriate stand. Then he spotted Claire Chambers across the hall. She looked worryingly pale and dark shadows had gathered beneath her pale-blue eyes. Aiden gave her a slight smile but she scowled at him and immediately turned away. Despite being seven months’ pregnant, he remembered how slim Claire was.

  Aiden was representing Guy through his divorce. Guy had met Claire in college, around the same time Aiden had met Isla. For a while the four of them had been friends. Then Isla and Claire graduated and Aiden and Guy knuckled down to complete their intense courses.

  Guy was still studying when Claire got pregnant. In a panic, he married her. Claire was from a traditional Southern family and it wouldn’t do for her to have a child out of wedlock. Six months later, he was about to join the bureau and realized how much he didn’t want a wife, or a child.

  He corresponded with Aiden through email, enlisting his services to act as his divorce lawyer. Aiden had only been working for less than a month, Guy’s would be one of his first cases. This meant that he had to win. Guy had been ruthless in his requirements; he wanted to be completely severed from Claire and for her to be awarded full custody of their child. As brutal as Aiden knew it was, he acted at his client’s behest and managed to win the case.

  When Aiden looked across at Claire in the courtroom, he saw that Claire was weeping into the shoulder of her own lawyer. Further back in the room, Guy Chambers promptly stood up and walked out. He’d only been present for the hearing, refusing to partake in what he labelled the “charade” of courtroom antics. He didn’t even glance back at the mother of his child. It was the last time Aiden saw him.

  “Shit,” Aiden grumbled to himself as he spun his cell phone around on the kitchen table. He didn’t want to call Guy. He wanted to leave him in the past. But he had no choice. Justin’s death deserved an explanation.

  Aiden dialled a number he rarely ever had cause to use. He dialled the Chicago offices for the FBI.

  Almost twenty minutes later and Aiden had finally procured a direct line for Agent Chambers. The man on the other end of the line had been dubious about Aiden’s intentions, but thankfully he finally accepted his story of needing to consult with the agent over a previous case. Aiden had to give his full name, date of birth and passport details just to get the number. Now he was sat listening to it ring out, crossing his fingers that it was the right number.

  “Chambers,” Guy answered after the fourth ring. He barked his own name with forceful energy.

  “Hi…Guy. It’s Aiden. Aiden Connelly.”

  “Connelly?” He heard Guy’s tone soften slightly though it remained brisk.

  “Yeah, hey. Long time no speak, right?”

  “You’re calling me at the Bureau,” Aiden heard the squeak of a chair as Guy leaned back. “So I’m going to assume this is a professional call, not a personal one.”

  “It’s kind of both,” Aiden admitted awkwardly.

  “Oh?”

  “Look, I hate to do this,” Aiden sighed. “But I need to call in that favour you owe me.”

  For a moment Guy was silent.

  “Guy?”

  “How big a favour are we talking?” Guy asked suspiciously.

  “Moderate.”

  “Can you meet me later in the city?”

  “Can we make it tomorrow? I don’t live in Chicago anymore; I’ll have to fly in.”

  Aiden heard Guy thumbing through papers.

  “I can do three tomorrow. I can give you twenty minutes.”

  “That’s all I need,” Aiden said brightly.

  “You shouldn’t call me here.”

  “I didn’t know how else to find you.”

  “That’s kind of the point.”

  Aiden rested his head in his free hand.

  “I wouldn’t have called if I wasn’t desperate.”

  “Okay, okay, save me the pity speech. I’ll see you tomorrow. At the place with burgers.” Then Guy abruptly ended the call.

  “Je
eze,” Aiden shook his head and pulled his lips into a thin line. He hadn’t anticipated a warm welcome from Guy but he’d also hoped he’d be a little more civil. Aiden wasn’t sure if he was just agitated at being disturbed at work or just annoyed to hear from him at all.

  With little time to waste, Aiden made another call to an airline company. He had a flight to book.

  *

  “Mr. Connelly,” Edna looked flustered as she opened the front door. “What a surprise! We were expecting you yesterday!”

  “Hi, Edna,” Aiden suddenly felt unbearably sheepish. He knew he should have called before going over but once he got in his car it had seemed such a great idea to spontaneously check in on Edmond.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t come round yesterday. Something came up.” He wasn’t going to elaborate about how he’d come across a drunken Buck Fern.

  “Well, come on in.” Edna forced a polite smile and opened the door fully. Inside, the house felt cold and the air was pungent with the metallic odour of medicine and cleaning products.

  “Thanks.” Aiden stepped in and waited as she sealed the door shut behind him. He immediately noticed how quiet the house was.

  “Have the family been round?”

  “Yes,” Edna nodded. “Too much really. As much as he loved to see them, it’s exhausting him. Some days I have to keep them away so he can rest.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, I can leave if he needs to rest,” Aiden gestured towards the now-closed door.

  “You’re not going to climb on to his lap, are you?” Edna asked, a strain of humour lifting her voice.

  “Probably not,” Aiden smiled.

  “Then you should be fine. The grandkids, they just…struggle to understand he’s sick. They want him to play and rough house with him like he normally would. And when he just sits there, they get this disappointed look in their eyes and that makes Edmond feel wretched.”

  As Edna spoke, she guided Aiden towards the living room which had become Edmond’s medical epicentre. Once the doors were opened, the metallic odour intensified. The curtains were open, letting in the grey light of the afternoon. Since the cloud cover remained, the sun’s presence had been held at bay.

  “Edmond, you’ve got a visitor,” Edna moved towards her husband and lowered herself to his level. His head was slumped against his right shoulder and his eyes were closed. She gently tapped his other shoulder.

  Edmond awoke with a start. For a second he looked completely bewildered by his surroundings and then his features settled.

  “Why are you waking me up?” he asked groggily. Then, in a more chipper tone; “Is it dinner time already?”

  “Not quite,” Edna stroked his cheek which was covered in sporadic growths of grey hair. Edmond needed a shave.

  “Aiden has come to see you.”

  “Aiden, my lad!” Edmond turned to where Aiden was standing quietly near the doorway.

  “Come in, come in!” he ushered his young colleague towards him with his hands.

  “Can I get you some sweet tea?” Edna asked as she passed him on her way out.

  “I’m all right, thanks though.” Aiden didn’t want to put her out anymore than he already was.

  “Are you here to talk shop?” Edmond squirmed in his chair so that he was sitting straighter.

  “If you like.”

  Aiden tried to ignore how diminished Edmond now appeared. It was as if he were literally fading into his surroundings. Each time Aiden saw him he was thinner, his skin more translucent. He feared that one day Edna would go to wake her husband and he’d have disappeared entirely.

  “I’ll be back soon,” Edmond insisted. He paused to clear his throat. When he coughed his whole body trembled as though it might all shatter from the exertion.

  “It’s taken me longer than I thought to shake this thing.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Aiden told him.

  “Are you busy? Is that tyrant Clyde still giving you grief?”

  “Actually it hasn’t been too bad,” Aiden admitted. He suspected that Avalon’s awareness of Edmond’s plight meant that people were staying away from the firm out of respect. Respect for Edmond of course, not for Aiden.

  “No?” Edmond seemed slightly disappointed by this. He needed fresh news to feed on.

  “But I’ve been in my home town a bit lately.”

  “Oh?”

  “Years ago, an old high school friend of mine was killed in a motorbike accident.”

  “How terrible,” Edmond empathized.

  Aiden paused before continuing. He hadn’t really discussed Justin’s death with anyone outside of Greensburg. He all still felt a bit like a secret, but Aiden knew that if there was one person in Avalon he could share things with, it was Edmond. He missed seeing the old man in the office. He knew he’d have taken an interest when Aiden started returning to Greensburg, probably even offered him some sage advice.

  “Anyway,” he took a breath and concluded the story. “Some friends of mine turned up recently asking me do some digging. They believe there was more to his death than there originally seemed to be.”

  “And was there?” Edmond was still except for his lips which moved to deliver the question. He was hanging on Aiden’s every word.

  “Yes,” Aiden nodded. “I think there was. His files are sealed by the FBI.”

  “Delicious!” Edmond shuddered with glee. “Not about your friend, that’s wretched that he died so young, but the FBI’s involvement means you’ve got a great case on your hands.”

  “I just…” Aiden cast his eyes downwards at the floor. He suddenly felt guilty to come and burden Edmond with his own problems when the old man had more than enough to deal with.

  “You feel like you owe it to your friend to uncover the truth?” Edmond asked knowingly.

  “Exactly,” Aiden agreed. “But I’m worried what I’ll turn up. I know a guy at the Bureau who might be able to help me. But still…”

  “I think everyone deserves truth, even in death,” Edmond philosophized.

  “I know, I agree. I just keep wondering how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

  “However deep, I know you’ll plunge down it head first!” Edmond chuckled. “You search for truth, Aiden. You somehow manage to block out the politics, the drama and just see things in their simplest terms.”

  “I’m not so sure.” Aiden thought of his previous case, the paternity suit involving Samuel and Deena Fern. Back then his vision had been impaired by his feelings for Brandy. Did Edmond know that Samuel had passed? Should he tell him?

  “I know you’ll do the right thing by your friend, that you’ll honour his memory.” Edmond stated kindly.

  “Thanks, Edmond, look—” Aiden was about to mention Samuel Fern’s death when the old man continued speaking, silencing him.

  “You’re exactly what I was always looking for. Someone who sees the honour in upholding the law. It’s a privilege to be able to help others.”

  “Indeed it is.”

  “Could you ask Mrs. Copes to get a rush on with my dinner?” Edmond requested. Aiden realized that his colleague was politely asking him to leave, perhaps to resume his nap.

  “Of course,” Aiden lingered for a moment, still debating telling Edmond about Samuel Fern.

  “I know,” Edmond said gravely, his expression darkening. “I know about old Sam Fern. I fear that I may be set to join him all too soon.”

  *

  Aiden couldn’t shake Edmond’s foreboding words as he drove home. He kept telling himself that his old friend hadn’t meant it, that he hadn’t lost his will to fight. But he’d seen the acceptance darken Edmond’s eyes. The ravens were circling the Copes family home and Avalon looked set to lose another son.

  Tears caused Aiden’s vision to blur. He quickly wiped his eyes and focused on the road ahead. He drove as slowly as he could. Partly because of his grief but also because he was in no rush to arrive at an empty home. When he walked through the front door there would be no one there to welco
me him, no Meegan to clap her hands and smile when she saw him.

  “Dammit,” Aiden wiped away more tears and, despite his reduced pace, he was already turning to central Avalon, his home less than five minutes’ drive away.

  *

  As Aiden had feared, the silence he met upon his arrival hit against him like a hard, cold wall. Running his hands through his hair, he paused in the hallway waiting for the empty feeling which had gathered in his gut to subside but it didn’t. Reluctantly he moved into the kitchen and went directly to the fridge where he pulled out a bottle of beer. He popped the cap and took a long drink, hoping that the fermented liquid could go some way towards making him feel whole again. As he drank, he spotted the light blinking in the hallway on the answering machine. People rarely called him on the house number as he often wasn’t in. Bemused, he moved back into the hallway and pressed the play button.

  “You have one new message.” An electronic female voice told him.

  “Hi, Aid, it’s me.” Isla’s voice echoed around the house. It was eerie to hear her but not have her there.

  “I wanted to leave you a message so that when you get in from work you’re not…you know. Totally alone. God, this is harder than I thought it would be.” There was a pause.

  Aiden stared down at the answering machine as he continued to drink his beer.

  “And I also knew you wouldn’t answer as you’d be out as I think it would be strange to talk. At least, so soon. Anyway, Aid, I hope you’re okay. Meegan and I are doing fine at my parents though my mother is driving me crazy,” she lowered her voice on the latter part to almost a whisper.

  “I’m moving back to Chicago next week. I’m taking up my old job there, I’ve found a small apartment to rent and located a nursery I can take Meegs to. She’s fine, by the way, keeps asking where you are…”

  Isla’s voice moved away from the phone. Aiden couldn’t quite make out what she was saying but he caught snippets.

  “In a minute. On the phone. Clean her up then.”

  “Sorry. Just, my mother… Anyway, I was thinking maybe you could have Meegan the weekend after next? I just don’t want her travelling too much, she needs to feel settled once we’re in Chicago. There’s still so much we need to iron out. But I hope you’re okay, Aid. I hope Avalon is still being the home you always hoped it would be.”