The Emerald Ring

by Dara Girard

  Syrah rushed into the kitchen. “What happened? I heard something bang.”

  “It’s nothing,” Jessie said. “Could you hold Alex for a minute? Oh, and here’s his bottle and blanket. I’ll meet you in the nursery in a minute. Thanks.”

  Kenneth waited for Syrah to leave before he said, “Jasmine, I didn’t mean it like that.”

  She folded her arms. “How did you mean it?”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

  “Yes, you do. Do you want space? I can take—”

  He reached for a glass then changed his mind and faced her. “I’m not Sean.”

  She paused. “I never said—”

  “I know you want me to be. I heard you say it.” He remembered when his brother-in-law Sean and Jessie’s sister Teresa came to visit and Jessie had been setting up Alex’s bath in the kitchen sink, a hooded baby towel, and diapers were set out nearby.

  “Is it bath time?” Sean said with a big smile, lifting Alex out of his chair, making him giggle. “Can I help?”

  “Sure.”

  He expertly tested the water to make sure it was the right temperature before lowering Alex into the few inches of water. Using a soapy washcloth he began wiping Alex down. “He’s a little scrawny,” he said, rubbing Alex’s tummy. “I like chubby babies. Are you sure you’re feeding him enough?” he teased.

  “He’s got a fast metabolism.”

  Kenneth watched from a distance. He envied Sean’s ease as he frequently used a cup and poured water over Alex to keep him warm.

  “You look like you’re having more fun than he is,” Jessie said.

  “Used to be Chloe’s favorite time,” Sean said referring to his daughter who had passed. A sad look crossed his features then left. “Besides, he’s a happy baby.”

  “He gets that from his father,” Jessie said, smiling at Kenneth.

  He returned her smile although he didn’t mean it. His son had a happy disposition most times but he also had a pair of lungs too. His nose would turn red when he was ready to wail. The first time had shocked him, scared him. He recalled trying to make soothing noises and rubbing his little arms and legs but he couldn’t seem to calm him. He’d never tried again.

  Kenneth watched Sean dry and wrap Alex up in a towel. His son grinned, looking warm and cozy.

  “Now you’re all clean,” Sean said. “Let’s get you dressed.”

  Jessie slapped her forehead. “His clothes. I knew I was forgetting something.”

  “I’ll get it,” Kenneth said, wanting to feel useful. He returned to the kitchen, hoping to impress Jessie with what he’d selected when he overheard her say in a low voice, “Sean’s amazing with kids.

  Teresa laughed. “If it were up to him, he’d have five of his own.”

  “And you?”

  There was a smile in her voice when she spoke. “We’ll come up with a compromise.”

  “You’re lucky.”

  Teresa shook her head. “Don’t compare. Sean grew up in a tight loving family, Kenneth didn’t.”

  He couldn’t remember what Jessie had said in return. He only remembered her words and the longing in her voice You’re lucky. He knew she meant: You’re lucky to have a man like him. You’re lucky to have a husband like him. Your child will be lucky to have a father like him. Not like the one I have. And it hurt because he didn’t know how to change.

  “I don’t know what you heard,” Jessie said, “but I never meant—” She leaned against the counter and folded her arms. “How long am I supposed to pretend that we’re okay? Pretend that we’re happy new parents? You know you’re better at pretending than I am.”

  “I’m not pretending. I am happy.”

  She slowly nodded. “That’s good because I’m not.” She pushed herself from the counter. “But you’re right. Let’s not talk about this right now. My sister is in trouble and we have to help her. After that…” She shrugged then turned and left the kitchen leaving the statement open and hanging in the air like an ominous coming storm.

  Chapter 44

  Jessie didn’t join Syrah in the nursery right away. She sat on the steps and took a deep breath to calm her temper. She couldn’t let Syrah suspect that anything was seriously wrong.

  She pressed her fist to her eyes. Lies. Lies. Lies. Her life felt like a series of lies. Michelle lying about James. Michelle lying about her business trip. And she had her own lies too. She was lying about how happy she and Kenneth were with Alex. It was all a lie. Everyone congratulating them when in truth Kenneth was too afraid to hold his own son. She knew the reason but it didn’t make it hurt less.

  She knew it was unfair to take her frustration out on him. But she was tired and edgy. She didn’t want to feel like a single parent in a two parent household. The nanny gave her all the support she needed, but she wanted Kenneth to take up his role. She wanted to see him pick up and hold his son. Interact with him, even briefly. She didn’t need him to be doting, but he avoided him every chance he got. Perhaps she was asking too much. Perhaps when Alex was a year or two it would be different.

  But that was her true fear—that it wouldn’t change. That Kenneth would show a preference to Syrah that Alex would eventually see and never understand. He was a good man and she wanted to give him time. But how much would he need? How much could she give?

  Jessie rose to her feet. She would figure that out later. Right now she had to come up with the right story to tell Teresa so they could help Michelle.

  Teresa sighed. “Bertha predicted this,” Teresa said the following day as she, Sean, Jessie and Kenneth sat in the Preston living room.

  Jessie’s eyebrows shot up. “What? That our brother-in-law is a possible abuser?”

  “James is not an abuser.”

  “You said Michelle had to worry about a monster and you thought it was James.”

  “I thought it might be him,” Teresa said. “But I wasn’t certain. After talking to Bertha I now know it isn’t. If he had a dark side she would have sensed it.”

  “What do you think is going on then?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Kenneth spoke up. “I’ll schedule a flight to go down there and—”

  “You can’t do that,” Sean said.

  “Why not?”

  Sean turned to his wife. “Tell them what Bertha said.”

  Teresa rubbed her hands together. “She told me that Michelle would go on a trip and that I was to let her go until she came back and asked for our help.”

  “But she needs our help now,” Jessie said.

  “No, Michelle will find her way out of this. She usually does. Bertha told me that Michelle and James have to heal the wounds of the past. It’s not our place to interfere.”

  Jessie threw up her hands. “But they’re in jail!”

  “They won’t stay there,” Sean said. “From what I understand he’s got strong family connections.”

  “But what about Michelle? Assault on a police officer is a serious offense.”

  “I don’t think James would leave her there,” Kenneth said. “She’s his wife.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time a husband let his wife down,” Jessie said under her breath.

  Kenneth looked away.

  Teresa and Sean looked at the pair sensing the tension between them. Sean sent Teresa a questioning look; she shrugged.

  “I’m with Kenneth,” Sean said. “Even with a mistress, I don’t see Winfield letting his wife get caught up in his mess.”

  “We can hope,” Jessie said. “But the truth is we don’t know anything about him anymore. And I’m not sure I know Michelle either.”

  “Michelle is going to come to us for help one day,” Teresa said. “And that day will come soon.”

  Jessie rubbed her forehead. “Michelle likes doing things on her own, taking charge. She never asks anyone for help.”

  “One day she’s going to have to.”

  “I hate the thought of just waiting,” Jes
sie said as she changed for bed. Kenneth sat staring at the marble chess set he’d placed on a side table in the corner. “I know it’s the best thing to do, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

  He moved a piece.

  Jessie climbed into bed. “I still can’t wrap my mind around Michelle going to see him.”

  Kenneth continued to stare at the board.

  “Do you think she was secretly seeing him all this time?”

  Kenneth moved another chess piece.

  Jessie sighed. He’d been quiet since Teresa and Sean left. He had a right to be angry. She was angry with him too. Perhaps they really needed space. Time away. He needed time and patience and she wasn’t giving it to him. Another wife would, knowing what he’d suffered. “When Michelle comes back, I think I’ll take Alex and stay at the family house for a while. That way—”

  Kenneth swept the chess pieces to the ground in one angry motion. “Don’t do that. I hate it.”

  Jessie looked down at the scattered pieces, startled then lifted her gaze to his face. “What?”

  “Don’t threaten to leave me. You know how much that hurts.” He rested his arms on the table and hung his head in misery. “I’m sorry you’re unhappy. I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you as a husband, as a father—”

  “No, you haven’t,” Jessie said, alarmed by the pain in his voice. She jumped out of bed and rushed over, eager to comfort him. On her way, she stepped on a chess piece, the sharp edge pinching into the sole of her foot. She silently swore and hopped the rest of the way, glad he was looking down so he didn’t see her. She gathered him in her arms, resting his head against her chest. “I’m not unhappy with you or the marriage. I just—”

  Kenneth drew away from her and stood. “Want me to be a better man.”

  Jessie violently shook her head. “No, you’re…” She didn’t want to say ‘perfect’ because they both knew he wasn’t. She watched him bend down and pick up the chess pieces. She knelt down and helped him. “You mean everything to me. It’s…sometimes I’m not sure I’m the right one. I have a temper. I’m not always patient. I’m not always understanding and I thought time away would give us a chance to deal with our fears. It wouldn’t be permanent it would—” She stopped when she realized he wasn’t listening. He put the pieces on the board then looked out the window at the dark sky. She’d hurt him and hadn’t realized how much. She walked over to him and set the pieces she’d gathered down. “I’m sorry. I won’t leave you. I’ll never mention it again.”

  He didn’t look at her, when he spoke his voice was soft. “Whatever the problem we’ll solve it. Together.”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “You, Syrah and Alex…” He bit his lip and shook his head. “You don’t know how much you mean to me. I’ll try harder to make you happy—”

  Jessie made a sound of frustration and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Your job isn’t to make me happy. Right now I’m still adjusting to the role of being the mother to an infant. My husband’s afraid to hold his son, I understand, but it’s still frustrating. My sister Teresa is talking about monsters coming and my other sister is in jail possibly married to a man who beat up his mistress.”

  His gaze grew tender. “Jasmine—”

  She rested her hands on her hips. “I don’t like not knowing what to do. I have a temper and I’m not always the best at controlling it.” She took a deep breath and held his gaze. “Your job, Mr. Preston, is to love me anyway. Think you can do that?”

  Kenneth drew her into his arms. Jessie felt the tension between them disappear and tears of relief filled her eyes. He held her in a warm embrace and whispered, “I always will.”

  Chapter 45

  They wanted to settle. James had been denied bail. He still sat in a cold cell and they wanted to settle. The thought made Michelle’s stomach turn. But Michelle hadn’t had much hope when she’d met with James’s lawyer in a downtown hotel after being released. Georgia Kent reminded Michelle of a wilted banana. Brown-skinned, petite, dressed in a sharp suit and shabby heels, she had the depressed face of a woman who always expected rain. Michelle had imagined the Winfields hiring a lawyer who was savvier; had more determination but Georgia looked ready to wave a flag of surrender. They sat in a private booth in the hotel restaurant. “It doesn’t look good,” she said with a sigh. She squeezed lemon into her glass of water. “It’s her word against his and she’s very sympathetic. The fact that he’s blind could help a little, but not much. He’s a big man and strong. The fact that he’s wealthy doesn’t help either.”

  “That’s why they’re paying you.”

  Georgia shot her a look before lifting her water. She took a sip. “I am being paid to assess and handle the situation and do what’s best for my client.”

  And for yourself, Michelle thought. The lawyer didn’t look as if she wanted to fight hard. “The Winfield’s think he’s guilty, don’t they? And you do too.”

  “He doesn’t remember anything and he can’t explain his bruises.”

  She was dancing around the answer, but Michelle knew it was ‘yes’. The Winfield’s had given up on him. Since I was nine, James had said, I knew I was cursed. They all thought this was the reason. The beast had returned. But Michelle sensed that wasn’t true. “He’s innocent.”

  “You’re his wife, right?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Of course it’s the point. You have to believe in him. I completely understand. Your reputation is on the line.”

  “No one is considering that Delana may be lying.”

  Georgia took another sip of her water then set it down. “Her injuries are real and that’s the only thing anyone is going to focus on.” She waved a finger before Michelle could speak. “Even if I managed to get a non-jury trial, I don’t think I can convince a judge of that. James has two options. Agree to a lesser charge or settle.”

  “Either way he admits to being guilty.”

  Georgia bristled at her tone. “I don’t know why I’m sharing all this with you anyway.”

  Michelle smiled. “Because I asked you to.” And I convinced you that you wanted to. Persuading her to speak hadn’t been as hard as she’d imagined. Martha had given her the lawyer’s contact information; meeting with her at the hotel then persuading her to share her strategy hadn’t been difficult.

  “The Winfields want to quietly settle this. I would suggest you convince him that it’s his best option. He won’t have to admit to anything. With a decent cheque amount dangling in front of them, mainly her, I don’t think it will take much effort to make this all go away.”

  She wouldn’t have James branded a criminal. More so, she didn’t want him to think he was. Settling meant he was admitting to being culpable somehow and Michelle knew he wasn’t. She just had to find a way to prove it.

  That afternoon Michelle went to the hospital, snuck past the busy nurse’s station, walked down a long corridor and into Delana’s room. Fortunately, only two other beds were occupied—one with a woman snoring, her red wig sitting on the stand beside her, another with a woman listening to something flowing through her large headphones.

  Michelle walked over to Delana’s bed, which was near the window on the far wall, and held up her hands when Delana’s eyes widen with fear. “I won’t touch you. I’m only here to talk.”

  Delana sat up and gathered her bed sheets closer. “I have nothing to say.”

  Michelle sat down beside her bed. “I wanted to apologize for not believing you.”

  Delana let her grip ease a little. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s only…when I was returning to the house, I thought I saw a man running out back.”

  “You saw him?”

  Michelle narrowed her eyes. “Clearly you saw him too.”

  “No. I mean—” Delana shook her head. “You’re trying to trick me.”

  Michelle motioned to Delana’s facial scars. “We both know James did
n’t do this. He helped you. He was kind to you. Why would you want to see him go to jail?”

  “He won’t go to jail.”

  “He’s in jail now.”

  “But he won’t stay there. Not for long. He’s rich. He’ll settle this and then it will be over.”

  Michelle nodded. “Is that what he told you?”

  “Who?”

  “The man you’re protecting.”

  Delana turned to the window. “I’m not protecting anyone.”

  “You’re scared. You’ve been acting strange since yesterday morning. What happened?”

  “I can’t say anything to you. He could hurt my family.” She looked at Michelle. “He has money like James and power. I can’t make him angry. Please. He told me it won’t be a lot of money to settle everything and then we can be together.”

  “But—”

  She returned her gaze to the window. “You should leave. He could hurt you too.”

  “Okay, I’ll leave.” Michelle lightly patted Delana’s hand as if in farewell. “I’ll let you rest. You look tired.” She let her voice slow. “Very, very tired.”

  Delana yawned. “I am tired.”

  “Exhausted.”

  Delana’s eyes grew heavy. “Yes.” She yawned again and rested down. “Thanks for understanding and letting me sleep.” She closed her eyes.

  Michelle rested her hand on top of Delana’s, and with her free hand turned on a recorder before she said in a soft voice, “You need to rest in order to be strong. Lying takes so much effort. I know you want to protect him because you love him. But you want to protect us even more because you know what he can do. You want to tell me everything and you don’t have to be scared because I know it all.”

  Delana frowned but kept her eyes closed. “You know about the sleeping pills? How I would sometimes put them in James’s food and drink…”

  Michelle took a deep breath determined to keep her voice steady, in spite of her shock. “Yes, I knew.”

  “He told me I was helping James and I wanted to. James didn’t always sleep well even at the retreat. Sometimes he’d looked so tired. I thought a good night’s sleep would help. It was harmless. But then…” She shook her head.