Vengeance Blind

by Anna Willett

  Belle nodded and picked up the sandwich. She wasn’t really hungry, but the sooner the meal was finished the sooner she’d get her pills. It briefly occurred to her that she was substituting the pills for alcohol, but she dismissed the idea, telling herself the tablets were prescribed for pain. When the pain went, so would her need for the medication.

  While Belle slowly plodded her way through half a sandwich, Lea wolfed down her food and disappeared upstairs. As the minutes dragged by, the ache in Belle’s leg grew into a throb. The girl’s trip to the bathroom added another five minutes to the wait for her medication and Belle could feel her skin growing hot with impatience.

  Once the carer returned and they were in the bedroom, Lea began turning down the bed. When Belle wheeled herself out of the bathroom, the bedroom was a blur. She counted the pushes, four to reach the side of the bed.

  “Lea, would you hand me my glasses.” Belle held out her hand in what she hoped was the caregiver’s direction.

  “Okay.” Lea’s voice beside her was an unexpected shock. “Once I get you into bed.”

  “No, I can’t see with–”

  Without warning, strong arms snaked under Belle’s armpits, pulling her up and forward. She winced at the jarring pain in her leg and gave an awkward hop.

  “That’s it, you’re doing fine.” Lea’s voice blew past Belle’s cheek in a wash of hot air.

  Belle grasped the girl’s shoulders. She felt off balance and was unable to make out the outline of the bed. She felt like a sack being hauled unceremoniously onto the mattress. Landing with a groan, Belle clutched the bed desperate for something solid to cling to.

  “Here you go.” Lea slapped the spectacles into Belle’s palm. “Where are your pills?” There was no trace of exertion in the carer’s voice.

  Still reeling from the shock of being jerked out of her chair and dumped on the bed, Belle was unable to speak. Glasses clamped in her hand, she clutched her thigh and sucked in a laboured breath. It was too much. Whether or not Lea realised it, she was over-stepping her role. Her approach wasn’t like anything Belle had experienced in the hospital. There was nothing she could do now, but in the morning she’d get the agency details from Guy and ask them to send a replacement.

  Hand trembling, Belle pulled her glasses on. Because of the thick padding over her injured eye, the lens was askew, but at least she could see her surroundings.

  Still breathing heavy, she nodded to the chest of drawers. “Over there, the Troplozine.”

  Belle leaned her head back on the pillows and watched the girl cross the room, noticing she was limping. The hitch in Lea’s gait was slight, but more noticeable when she turned. She wondered if the girl had hurt herself trying to lift her. Belle felt a stab of guilt. She’d been so focused on her own pain and discomfort that it hadn’t occurred to her that Lea was doing her best and maybe struggling.

  “Lea,” Belle pulled herself up in the bed. “Are you all right?”

  The caregiver set the pill bottle down next to the bedside lamp. “Yes, I’m fine. I’ll just get you a glass of water.”

  “But you’re limping.” Belle hesitated. “Are you… Did you hurt yourself lifting me?”

  When she turned from the door, Belle had the distinct impression the girl was angry. Something about her posture and the set of her jaw hinted at tension. But, with misaligned perception, it could have been more about Belle’s vision than what the girl was doing.

  “No. Nothing like that.” Lea bent and lifted the right leg of her pants. “It’s just this.” She tapped the prosthetic. “When I’m tired my limp’s more noticeable.”

  Belle could feel the heat creeping up her neck. She’d put Lea on the spot, embarrassed her. No, worse than that; she’d pushed the carer into revealing something personal and most likely painful.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I shouldn’t have asked.” She was stumbling, trying to find the words but the apology came off as clumsy.

  As Belle floundered, Lea leaned on the doorframe, her posture relaxed. “Don’t worry, it’s just one of those things.” Her voice was tight, suggesting she was holding back her emotions. “I lost my foot in an accident a couple of years ago.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t usually talk about it. It makes people...” She looked up, seeming to inspect the ceiling. “Uncomfortable.” For a second neither of them spoke, then Lea broke the awkward silence. “I’ll get you the water.”

  Alone in the bedroom, Belle closed her eyes. She’d been wrapped up in her pain, complaining about her knee and demanding her pills: neurotic to the point of making the girl search the house in case the bogeyman was hiding upstairs. To someone like Lea, she must have sounded like a spoiled child. She ran her fingers through her hair. I am spoiled. Spoiled and self-involved.

  Belle pulled the phone out of her pocket and put it on the bedside table. She’d actually considered ringing the agency because she didn’t like the way Lea lifted her. Just thinking about it made her cringe with embarrassment. There I go thinking about myself again.

  “Here you go.” Lea held a glass of water. “I’ll put this next to your bed.”

  Belle nodded, unsure if she should broach the subject of the girl’s accident. Maybe it was a way for them to find common ground. After all, they’d both been injured. Lea worse than Belle, but still it could be a good place to start.

  “All right.” Lea handed Belle the pill bottle.

  She was supposed to take two, but Belle shook three tablets into her palm and tossed them into her mouth. If Lea noticed she’d taken an extra tablet, she said nothing.

  Lea picked up Belle’s phone. “I’m putting my number in here. That way if you need me in the night you can give me a buzz.”

  “Thank you.” Belle pulled the covers up around her chest, lying back, grateful that the day was almost over. It would be better, she decided, to talk tomorrow. Make the new day a fresh start and see if they could have a pleasant fortnight together.

  “Do you want the lamp left on?” Lea’s voice sounded distant, like an echo.

  Belle nodded and pulled her glasses off. The last thing she saw before the room became a haze was the carer’s face. Cool blue eyes like a cloudless sky regarded her with great interest.

  Chapter Four

  Guy stretched his back and tossed his bag on the bed. After a seven-and-a-half hour flight, he needed to move, get his blood pumping and his limbs loose. The studio paid for him to fly business class, a sign that he was important to them. Valuable enough for them to start spending big money on him. They hadn’t sent anyone to meet him at the airport, but it was the middle of the night.

  Shrugging off the idea that he wasn’t receiving the full star treatment, he focused on the positives. No one ever made it in movies without believing in themselves. Business class flights, five-star hotel; he was on his way. And this time he wasn’t depending on Belle to foot the bill. He loved his wife, but couldn’t suppress a wave of satisfaction at finally earning some recognition. I deserve this. He liked the sound of those words.

  But, despite the luxury and the sense of success, he still couldn’t shake the feeling of being restricted. Restricted and edgy. He checked his watch: almost 4 a.m. The hotel gym would be open and deserted, making it the ideal time for a workout.

  Five minutes later he had his training gear on and was ready to go. His phone sat on the bedside table. He hadn’t bothered to turn it back on after the flight. Guy twisted his wedding ring, turning it like a screw on his finger. The studio might have sent someone and he missed them because his phone was off. In the movie business you never turned your phone off, not even at a funeral.

  “Fuck.” He strode over to the bedside table and grabbed his mobile, turning it on with an impatient stab. “How bad can it be?”

  He gulped in a shaky breath. There were six messages. One from Jason Critchen at the studio, the others were all from the same caller.

  Why are you being like this? I love you, but you cut me out.

  Gu
y deleted the first message and then the next three without reading them. When he got to the last one, the strength went out of his legs and he sat down on the bed.

  You’re making me do something you’ll be sorry for. I didn’t want it to come to this, but maybe once you see the damage I can do you’ll be desperate to talk to me.

  He held the phone like it was a poisonous spider, the touch of the cold plastic setting his teeth on edge. Katrina was crazy. If he’d had any doubts, the last message made it crystal clear. Part of him knew it was dangerous getting involved with someone like her. But she was so attractive, almost dazzling. Not because of her good looks, although she was pretty. But it was the flaws that got him every time. Katrina was damaged and he couldn’t resist a woman with an edge. Wasn’t that what drew him to Belle?

  Guy tossed the phone on the bedside table and flopped back on the bed. He didn’t want to think about his wife, but her image filled his mind. Not of Belle at home pushing herself around the house like a ghost, but the woman he’d first met in the early hours of morning in a hotel in Mexico.

  He turned his head and watched the city lights through the floor-to-ceiling hotel window. But he wasn’t seeing the night sky, Guy was watching Belle powering through the water, a lone figure in the hotel pool. He sat on a lounger, the slippery fabric damp and clinging from the humidity. Still mildly drunk from the wrap party, he stayed in the shadows, a half-full bottle of champagne at his feet.

  When she’d finished swimming, Belle climbed out of the pool. He was struck by the colour of her skin, like caramel in the moonlight. She wore a one-piece suit, sensible and functional, nothing like the skimpy little things most women wore.

  He must have nudged the bottle with his foot, because it tipped and clanked on the paving, the sound shattering the silence and drawing Belle’s attention. Her head snapped in his direction and she immediately picked up her towel and wrapped it around her body. There was something modest in her reaction that was surprising and alluring at the same time.

  He watched her walk around the pool. She had a cautious way of moving, but it was only when she stopped at a lounger and picked up her glasses that he realised she might have been moving with uncertainty because she couldn’t see clearly. With her glasses in place, he caught her glancing his way and gave her a smile. Even under the moody pool lights, he could see she was flustered. Her shyness only made her more appealing.

  “Are you a swimmer?” It was the first thing that sprang to mind. Not a great pick-up line, but enough to get her attention.

  “What?” She pushed her glasses up on her nose and looked at him with confusion creasing her brow.

  It was the opportunity he needed, an excuse to move closer. Guy picked up the champagne bottle and crossed to where she stood. “I just noticed you swimming. You make it look easy so I thought maybe you were an extra on the movie.”

  Her confusion softened into a smile that was warm and somehow vulnerable at the same time. His heart did a weird flip-flop and the bottle almost slipped from his hand.

  “No.” She shook her head and a spray of water dappled his shirt. “Oh, no. I’ve got you wet.” She said the words with such innocence that Guy couldn’t help laughing.

  Five minutes later they were chatting about nothing important. She wasn’t beautiful. She was pretty, but not flawless in the way most actresses were. She had a charm that came from a combination of intelligence, good humour, and unpretentiousness. And there were her flaws. She was self-conscious, too curvy to be considered slim and too short to be thought of as striking. It stirred something in him that he couldn’t quite identify. Maybe he’d strived so long and hard for physical perfection, he needed a woman who was real, tangible. Whatever the reason, he wanted Belle from those first few moments. They spent the next week together and six months later they were married.

  Guy pulled his gaze away from the hotel window. Now three and a half years later he was cheating on her with girls like Katrina. He pulled himself off the bed and went to the mini bar. He wanted a beer but wouldn’t risk looking bloated on the first day of shooting. Instead, he grabbed a tiny bottle of vodka and drank it with the fridge door still open.

  Things had gone wrong somewhere along the way. No, he corrected himself. Not somewhere along the way. He knew exactly when he started filling the void in his life. He tossed the empty bottle at the waste-paper basket and missed. He pulled out another bottle, this one whiskey. Rubbing his eyes, he drained the mini and underarmed it into the bin. He couldn’t let himself think about the past. Not now. Not with Katrina to worry about.

  By the time he’d downed the fourth mini, Guy felt mellow. The tension had drained from his shoulders and all thoughts of the gym were swallowed by the need for sleep. He’d worry about Katrina tomorrow. She was nuts, that was clear. The messages were over the top, but how far was she really willing to go?

  He pulled off his shoes then stripped down to his underwear. Ignoring her was probably the best course of action. His head landed on the pillow and a few seconds later he was asleep.

  Chapter Five

  “Mrs Hammer.” The words jolted Belle awake.

  A circle of light surrounded Lea’s head. The girl’s face was only inches from Belle’s. Lea’s eyes and features were almost clear when she got this close.

  Still fuzzy from sleep, Belle tried to reconcile what was happening. “What? What’s wrong?” Her tongue felt thick like it was dry and enlarged.

  “I thought you called me?” Lea pulled back slightly and her face took on blurry edges. “I was asleep. I heard something.” The words came out in a rush. “It wasn’t you?”

  Belle’s heart fluttered uncomfortably. “No. No, I didn’t call. What did you hear?” She was fully awake now, pulling herself up in the bed and reaching for her glasses.

  “I’m not sure.” Lea spoke slowly, stringing out the last word. Belle could see her clearly now and noticed she was wearing oversized pyjamas. “It might have come from out the back.” She jerked her thumb towards the door. “I’d better go and take a look.”

  “No.” It came out as a shriek, louder than she intended. Belle took a breath and tried again. “I mean, it’s not a good idea for you to go outside alone.” She swallowed, remembering the uneasy feeling she’d had after Guy left. She’d felt certain someone was in the house. Maybe her instincts had been correct.

  Lea leaned down and patted Belle’s hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll just take a quick look around.” She sounded confident, but Belle noticed the way she glanced at the bedroom door. Lea was worried, maybe even scared, but doing her best to stay calm.

  “I’ll come with you.” Belle threw back the covers. Going outside in the dark was the last thing she wanted to do, but she couldn’t just sit there while Lea went into the night alone.

  “No.” The girl held up her hand. “It will be quicker and easier if I go alone.”

  She was right. Belle would be a hindrance, not to mention the time it would take to get her out of bed and in the chair. It made sense for Lea to go alone. And a small part of Belle was relieved she didn’t have to venture outside. However, going alone seemed foolhardy.

  “Don’t go out there.” Belle snatched up her phone. “I’ll call the police and… and we’ll just wait until they arrive.”

  She saw something flicker across Lea’s face in the shadowy light: impatience or maybe even disgust.

  “And what will you tell the cops? I heard something go bump in the night?” There was contempt in the way she spoke, her tone so harsh it made Belle pull back in the bed. “No.” Lea spoke with finality. “Just wait here.”

  “All right.” Belle kept her voice even. “But make sure you have your phone with you.”

  Lea nodded, but it was an absentminded gesture, suggesting she was only half listening. A second later she was gone and Belle was left alone. She fell back into counting, a habit that was familiar and comforting. Thirteen seconds later the back door rattled.

  Belle looked down
at her phone. 4:08 a.m. How long would it take her to look around outside? The pool area and the deck would be easy to check if she put the outside lights on. But the property stretched for acres. If someone was lurking in the trees, it would be almost impossible to spot them. Lurking in the trees. The idea made her breathless.

  She thought of getting in her chair, but noticed Lea had parked it out of reach near the bathroom door. Despite the anxiety over a possible prowler, Belle felt a jab of annoyance. Why had the caregiver parked her chair so far away? What if she needed the toilet?

  “Damn.” Lea was out in the dark making sure they were safe and Belle still managed to worry about her own needs. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

  She glanced at the phone noticing it was now 4:12 a.m. Belle made a decision. If Lea wasn’t back in ten minutes, she’d call the police. So what if she looked like an idiot? It wasn’t like the neighbours would see the police car pulling up in the middle of the night. And then a thought crystallised in her mind with frightening clarity.

  Arthur, their nearest neighbour. Guy put his number in her phone in case she needed him. What if Guy told the man he was going away? Guy could never see it, but Arthur was strange. Strange and creepy. If he knew she was alone with the carer, maybe he was the one hanging around. What if he had slipped into the house earlier and hid until they were asleep? The noise Lea heard could have been Arthur moving around the house.

  The idea of her neighbour sneaking around the house while they slept made Belle’s stomach clench. She looked around the room almost expecting to see the man folded behind the curtains. She bit down on her thumbnail, hating the torturous waiting. If only Lea had left the chair near the bed, at least then Belle would be able to get to the kitchen.