No Place for Marriage

by Jaden Skye

“Was your trust broken a lot in the past?” Olivia asked him as the waves came rippling up onto the sand.

  “Of course, many times,” Wayne replied matter-of-factly. “It happens to all of us, doesn’t it?”

  “It does,” said Olivia. “But some of us handle it better than others. For some, breaking trust feels like an earthquake. After that, the relationship can never be fixed again.”

  Wayne nodded. “You’re right, you’re smart, that’s well put. You continually surprise me with your insight.”

  Olivia was pleased. Despite being on edge, she was thoroughly enjoying their conversation. “I don’t handle trust being broken well either,” she said. “In fact, I hate it.”

  “Me, too,” Wayne agreed as the waves became more forceful.

  “But just because trust was broken between us and Megan,” Olivia went on, “it doesn’t mean she killed Tyron.”

  Wayne frowned. “No, but it means she can’t be trusted. Other things she told us may also be lies. We don’t know what to believe exactly. We can’t stand by her word or stand up for it.”

  “It may be that we don’t have the whole story yet,” Olivia mused.

  “We definitely have enough of the story to draw a conclusion,” Wayne insisted, rubbing his heel on the moist sand. “Obviously the police feel that way, too. They have a good enough case against Megan to take her in now.”

  “But I’m not convinced of it fully,” Olivia couldn’t help reply.

  “Why not?” Wayne was growing irritated.

  “Because things are adding up too neatly and too quickly,” Olivia remarked.

  “Does losing the case make you feel like a failure?” Wayne burst out, not holding anything back.

  Olivia was startled by his abrasive remark. “Maybe it does,” she had to admit. “What are you getting at?”

  “We all feel like failures when our cases collapse,” Wayne quickly added. “But you can’t give in to those feelings. If you do, you won’t last in this line of work. It’s never about personal failure or success, it’s about finding the real killer.”

  Olivia realized that she needed to hear that. Once she started taking things personally, she would be lost.

  “This is a high-stakes game we’re playing.” Wayne’s voice got louder, as if he were trying to wake her up. “There’s only so much that’s in our control. We’re up against killers and snakes of all kinds. If you’ve done your best, held nothing back, then no matter what happens, it’s a success.”

  Wayne’s sharp comments were right on point. But they also made Olivia feel sad. There were tricks to the trade, she realized, tools you needed, ways of looking at things that made it possible to keep going. Without them, it was easy to get off track.

  “Thanks for your insight, Wayne,” Olivia said quietly.

  “Thanks for listening,” he replied. “And it’s not some special insight. It’s just plain experience speaking. There are points of danger everywhere. One of them is feeling like a failure and letting that force you to keeping going on a case, long after things are done.”

  “I heard you, I get it.” Olivia began to get antsy.

  Wayne sighed. “You know, I think we both could use some downtime,” he replied. “We’ve been working so hard, we’re wound up in knots. How about planning an evening of dining and dancing? There are some wonderful clubs in Naples.”

  Olivia smiled. The invitation was tempting. It had been a long time since Olivia had time to just play.

  “It sounds like a wonderful idea,” Olivia responded. “I’d love to take you up on it after the case is really closed.”

  “I’ve got news for you, Olivia,” Wayne whispered. “It’s really closed now.”

  “Not for me, not yet,” Olivia whispered back, as another large wave rolled in over the sand and on top of the sandcastle Wayne had been building.

  “Wow, the waves are getting much stronger,” Wayne muttered.

  “Yes, they are and we’d better be careful or they’re going to pull down everything you’ve built,” Olivia remarked.

  “Let them pull down whatever they like.” Wayne grinned. “I’ll just start again and build something new.”

  *

  After time on the beach and lunch at the hotel, Olivia and Wayne went to their separate quarters for a few hours to have some time alone. After that, they planned to have dinner that evening, in a charming restaurant in Naples. Then Wayne wanted to return to Key West. There wasn’t anything left to do here and there certainly had to be other cases waiting for them. He wanted to be where they were needed and could make a real difference.

  It was too soon for Olivia, though. She felt jarred by the thought of leaving. “I can’t go yet, Wayne,” she responded immediately to his suggestion.

  “Are you driven to succeed in every single thing you do?” Wayne asked, putting the question slightly differently this time.

  Olivia was put off. “Maybe that’s part of it,” she said to Wayne. “It’s only part, though.”

  “You didn’t fail Megan, she failed us.” Wayne was suddenly adamant. “ Megan failed herself. That’s not our fault.”

  “I’m still not ready to return to Key West yet,” Olivia balked.

  “Well, we can’t stay here forever.” Wayne’s face grew tight. “Let’s take some time alone this afternoon and you think about what you need to be ready to go.”

  That suited Olivia. “Good,” she said. “I’ll think it over carefully.”

  “Please do,” said Wayne, “and then, at dinner tonight, you can let me know.”

  *

  Back in her room alone again now, Olivia stepped out onto the patio and wracked her brain to understand why she couldn’t go. What was really bothering her? She looked at the floating clouds in the sky above. Each cloud has its own destination, she thought. They all weren’t all headed in the same direction. She and Wayne didn’t have to agree on everything. She could follow her intuition and he could follow his.

  Olivia thought again about Wayne’s comment. Was she intent on continuing the investigation because of personal failure? She didn’t really think so. Olivia couldn’t help but also think of Tyron’s fate. His murder had to be accounted for properly. What if Megan wasn’t the one who’d harmed him? What if someone else out there was responsible? Should they be let off scot-free? Should an innocent woman get locked up because circumstantial evidence piled up and the conclusion was convenient? If that happened, would Tyron ever be able to rest in peace?

  Olivia went over all that had transpired, again and again. What bothered her most, she realized, was that she didn’t know who the father of Megan’s unborn child was. Why wouldn’t Megan tell them? She was definitely protecting him from something. Whoever the father was had to be more complicit than anyone knew.

  Once again Olivia’s thoughts returned to Alice and Clay. It seemed likely that Clay was the father of Megan’s baby. Had Alice found out about that earlier on? Both of them had seemed troubled by the idea of an abortion when Olivia and Wayne had mentioned it. But who knows? They could have been hiding the truth like everyone else. Olivia wanted one more chance to talk to both of them and have her questions answered once again. The second time around was often different.

  Olivia realized that she needed to return to Alice and Clay’s home in Key Largo for another visit. After that, she’d be able to return to Key West and move on. Relieved that she had an answer to Wayne’s question, Olivia went back to her room to dress for dinner. She’d tell him that the visit with Alice and Clay would help her tie things up.

  Olivia put on a long, willowy, black, silk summer dress, and brushed her hair over and over. Then she put on a hand-carved necklace and sandals. When Olivia met Wayne down in the lobby, she smiled to see the look of delight on his face as she approached.

  “You look fantastic,” said Wayne.

  “Thanks,” said Olivia, “and I have the answer to your question about returning to Key West, as well.”

  “Really? Tell me when we
get there.” Wayne looked happy as they left the lobby to get into a cab to take them to the French restaurant in town, which was placed in the middle of a wild garden.

  Fortunately, at dinner, Wayne did not bring up returning to Key West immediately. Instead, they enjoyed their meal as he went over details about the case closing.

  “We definitely do not have to stay here in Naples any longer,” Wayne finally remarked. “There’s nothing further left to do.”

  “Just one more thing,” Olivia contradicted him playfully.

  “What?” Wayne looked perplexed.

  “I want to go back to visit Alice and Clay one more time,” Olivia remarked.

  Wayne shook his head in confusion. “Why?”

  “I just have to,” Olivia said. “I’m not satisfied. It seems certain that Clay was the father of Megan’s unborn baby. So, why wouldn’t she have let us know that? In fact, she was adamant about not revealing who the father was. There has to be something else she’s hiding about this as well.”

  “Megan wasn’t forthcoming about anything, really,” Wayne responded. “The truth about her entire life dribbled out slowly.”

  Olivia knew that was true, but it didn’t matter. “I still need to talk to both Clay and Alice again,” she insisted. I want to find out if Alice knew all along that Clay was the father of Megan’s baby.”

  “And if she did? So what?” Wayne wasn’t going along with it.

  “Was Clay afraid of what Alice was going to do about it? Was that why Megan was keeping it hidden?” Olivia was glad for the chance to let Wayne know what she’d been thinking. “Megan said she had no choice except to have the abortion. Was pressure from Alice the reason? Had Alice been threatening Megan secretly? Or perhaps it was Clay?”

  “This is fantasy and pure speculation,” Wayne replied. “If Alice found out that Clay was the father, it’s possible that she’d be furious and leave him. What has that got to do with Tyron’s death? This is all nothing more than a side show.”

  “No, you’re wrong.” Olivia was feeling more and more certain. “Clay was definitely afraid of something too, or Megan would have told us that he was the father.”

  “It’s ridiculous, Olivia,” Wayne interrupted. “Clay doesn’t need Alice anymore, he has enough money now to live well without her. What kind of danger could there be in this for him?”

  “Then why didn’t he admit to us that he was the father?” Olivia couldn’t let it go.

  “Olivia, Olivia,” Wayne burst out. “There’s a fine line between being a good detective and becoming suspicious of everything.”

  “I know that,” Olivia retorted.

  “And what if Clay wasn’t the father?” Wayne was upset. “Megan admitted to playing around with lots of different guys, didn’t she? And from the way she described her affairs, none of the guys meant much to her either. Didn’t she tell us that she was never in love with any one of them?”

  “She said that but I don’t believe her,” Olivia exclaimed. “And I still want to go back there and talk to Alice and Clay.”

  Wayne became silent. “I can’t go along with this. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “That’s fine, Wayne.” Olivia was steadfast. “You don’t have to agree. I’ll go myself and talk to them. Then I’ll feel satisfied. I’ll be able to return to Key West after that. If you want you can go back to Key West while I’m down at Key Largo.”

  “Okay, I will,” Wayne said slowly. “That makes the most sense, doesn’t it?”

  “It does, it’s fine,” Olivia assured him. “We don’t have to agree about everything. We can each follow the road that calls to us. In fact, we have to.”

  “You’re right,” Wayne agreed.

  “Okay, then, we have a deal.” Olivia was relieved. “I’ll go back to see Alice and Clay and you return to Key West. We’ll stay in touch and when things are settled, I’ll return as well.”

  “Okay, we have a deal,” said Wayne, glumly, “although I don’t feel one hundred percent good about it.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  Olivia was relieved when Wayne left to go back to Key West. She needed the time alone to clear her mind and collect her thoughts. It was actually imperative that they be able to go in different directions in order for their partnership to last, she realized. They couldn’t agree on everything, nor should they. That was the benefit of having a partner, to be able to see a situation from different points of view. Exploring all kinds of options.

  After Wayne was gone, Olivia booked the next flight down to Key Largo. She didn’t tell either Alice or Clay she was on her way. It was wonderful to arrive unexpectedly, not giving anyone a chance to prepare. When people were caught unaware, they were often rattled. Then their defenses came down and all kinds of information started spilling out.

  Olivia got to the airport early. The day was perfect and the flying conditions unobstructed. In a very short time she would arrive in Key Largo and go straight to Alice and Clay’s home. If they weren’t there, she’d wait at a nearby hotel until they returned. Somehow, Olivia felt that they were home, though, and that the meeting would be life-changing.

  The flight was easy and uneventful, and just as Olivia predicted, in no time at all she found herself getting out of the cab at Alice and Clay’s home. As Olivia started to walk down the hill toward the front door a figure suddenly came outside and stood in the shadows under a big tree. Olivia strained to make out who it was, but couldn’t be sure. Was the person hiding?

  Olivia approached carefully and as she got closer, Alice stepped out onto the path.

  “What are you doing here?” Alice’s eyes flashed at Olivia. She was dressed in a long khaki dress that didn’t fit well. Olivia had never seen her looking so disarrayed.

  “I’m just here for a few minutes,” Olivia replied.

  “A few minutes? Who do you think you’re kidding?” Alice was definitely not buying it.

  “My visit will be short, Alice,” Olivia promised.

  “Short or long, who said you’re welcome?” Alice stared at Olivia. “You’re here to see my husband, aren’t you? Okay, let’s have it. What do you want with him?”

  Olivia was taken aback. “I came to see both of you,” she said softly.

  “Both of us?” Alice sneered. “So why are you slipping into the house the back way, if you came to see me too? Right now you’re headed to Clay’s workspace. Why didn’t you come around the other side to where both of us live?”

  Olivia was jarred. “I didn’t realize this wasn’t the main entrance,” she said.

  “Of course you did!” Alice rubbed her foot on the ground. “You came here before with that other detective, didn’t you? You know this was where Clay had his studio. And now you’re creeping up on him like a thief.”

  Olivia felt unnerved by Alice’s comment.

  “You want to steal Clay away from me, too, don’t you?” Alice had no intention of allowing Olivia to take a step further. “Well, get in line, honey, there are plenty of others before you who want Clay for their own.”

  Olivia was electrified. “Who else is trying to steal Clay away from you?” she asked. “Megan?”

  Alice laughed. “Sure, Megan tried her best, for starters. And I’ve recently found out that there’s others, too.”

  Despite her frantic manner, Olivia felt bad for Alice. She remembered that Clay had mentioned that Alice was paranoid, but whether or not that was true, it had to be awful to feel that your husband and marriage were slipping out of your hands. Olivia had been through that with Todd. She realized she had to take charge of the situation quickly. It would calm Alice down if she did.

  “Alice, I’m not here to take Clay away,” Olivia said swiftly. “That’s not my MO. I don’t steal other women’s men from them. I know how much that hurts. I’ve been there myself.”

  That stopped Alice cold. “It’s happened to you, too?” she asked, suddenly quieter.

  “Yes, it has,” Olivia replied.

  “Why should I
believe you?” Alice was upset.

  “Why don’t we go to your side of the house now and talk about it more?” asked Olivia. She felt more in command now and Alice sensed it fully.

  “Sure, let’s go,” said Alice. “I need to find out why you really came anyway. Besides, there’s plenty I have to tell you, too.”

  Olivia was pleased by her reaction. “Okay, lead the way,” she said, “and I’ll follow.”

  Alice turned and quickly led Olivia along a path that ambled beside a cluster of trees, bushes, and huge wildflowers. They walked for a while until they got to the other side of the property.

  “This is the way you enter our joint quarters,” Alice announced as they came to a large oak door.

  Alice opened the door and they walked into a beautiful, large entrance way with a spiral staircase at the end of it leading to the second floor.

  “My personal quarters are upstairs.” Alice motioned toward the staircase. “The master bedroom that Clay and I share is down here. Follow me upstairs and we’ll have privacy. Clay won’t have the least idea that you’re here.”

  Olivia followed Alice up the spiral staircase without another word. “Is Clay in his studio now?” she asked as they both climbed to the second floor.

  Alice spun around swiftly. “Why are you asking that? I thought you said you didn’t care!”

  “I don’t,” Olivia shot back, realizing how edgy and suspicious Alice was. Clay was right, she definitely seemed to be living on the edge of paranoia, in a hell of her own.

  “You do care about Clay, though, don’t you?” Alice grew anxious again.

  “Alice, you just said Clay wouldn’t know I was here. I wondered if he was there, that’s all.”

  “How can I believe you?” asked Alice, looking frantic again as they arrived on the landing of the second floor.

  “This place is amazing, it’s beautiful,” Olivia said, looking around, immediately changing the topic. The hallway had huge glass windows and led to a large, outdoor patio, overlooking willowy trees and a pond.

  “Let’s go out on the patio and sit under the trees,” Alice said as she pushed open the door and they both stepped outside.