I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Broken.
It was a pleasantly warm afternoon in Trinity South Carolina and there were no clouds cluttering the clear deep blue sky. Flowers began to blossom, indicating the early onset of Spring and the unprecedented cold spell appeared to have finally passed.
Gail Buck sat in the driver's side of her blood red Mustang, determined to remain focused on her current task. Whispers had spread around Town of her husband making a big announcement later in the week and while all other Reporters were attempting to uncover details of what that could be, Gail had chosen to break from the pack and refocus her efforts on Goat Town.
She had returned home after her previous disagreeing with Lucas, like the dutiful wife that she was and she had been trying to keep up appearances for the sake of their family; however, her previous bout of freedom had stirred up her old desires to roam and she was restless. In addition to her desire to break free from her current binds, she still felt the urge to hurt her husband like he had hurt her and decided the safest option for all parties was for her to busy herself, so not to disturb the peace.
'I don't see why I'm gettin' roped into this, you're bein' unreasonable Rosie' Abe snapped when she had remained silent for some time and stared out of the passenger side window, pouting like a child.
Gail shook her head at the interruption of her thoughts and forced a sweet smile, in an attempt to calm to old man down. 'We've talked about this Uncle, this is good for you and the arrangements have already been made' she advised, attempting to keep her irritation out of her tone.
'I'm a little ol' confused man, you think uprootin' me is gonna help my heart?' he asked, feigning frailty.
Gail could not hold in her laughter at the statement and shot him a knowing look. 'You really expect me to fall for that? You're one of the most stubborn hard headed people I know, second only to my husband. Besides, I'll be right next door and on hand in case your frailty get's the better of you' she mocked.
Abe let out an irritated breath, then regarded her seriously. 'And if you decide to leave me to run off chasin' a story?' he asked accusingly, sensing her restlessness of late.
Gail thought for a moment, not taking her eyes off of the road, then pulled over and turned to face him. 'Your health is getting worse and you insist on ignoring that fact. It's bad enough that you choose to still work and live alone, without accepting any help that's offered to you. I've lost enough of my family and I won't lose you due to your stubborn pride, just because you won't slow down and accept they way things are' she advised sternly, then placed a reassuring hand on his knee.
'You're a Reporter Rosie, it's in your blood. You really think you can just sit around all day in that Wicca Store while others have all the fun investigatin'?' Abe asked knowingly.
Gail let out a long sigh, then shrugged. 'I've been doing that all week haven't I?' she asked bitterly, then turned on the car engine and pulled back on to the road. 'Besides, I'm amazing, who says I just can't do it all' she joked.
Abe laughed at her confidence and rolled his eyes at the statement. 'Your husband won't like you overworkin', no matter how amazin' you are' he advised, knowing Lucas had been trying to keep a tight leash on her not that she was home.
'My husband's the reason I'm stuck in this mess with Goat Town and he'll just have to deal with it' she sighed, then turned down Harper Street and headed towards Abe's new Antique Store.
Lucas Buck sat in his large dark office and let out a long sigh, as he reviewed the offence reports Ben had put together. It was a beautiful day outside and he begrudged being stuck indoors, especially when he knew it was Abe's moving day; however, Reporters had been badgering him wherever he went, due to his impending announcement and he did not have the patience to deal with them in addition to the old man.
His life appeared to have gotten back to normal since Gail returned to their home; however, he was not oblivious to her desires and sensed her yearning to break free. If that was not frustrating enough, her friend Christie had been attempting to dig into his past and his wife refused to step in, to assist with the problem.
Gail had warned him against any hostile action towards her friend and she had been very clear that any attempt to hurt or tarnish Christie's reputation would result in dire consequences. Although Lucas was intrigued by the threat and wanted nothing more than to discover what punishment his wife would conjure up, he had decided to play the dutiful husband and respect her wishes, at least until he was sure that their rough patch was over.
Christie did not have the skills Gail had, she may interview some people and come across some circumstantial evidence; however, she did not have the investigatory skills or the drive to actually pose him a threat, she was just a gnat that he could not swat. The woman was irritating but harmless, unless she managed to convince Gail to her side and that would be a different story.
He did not believe that would happen, after all the connections they shared; however, a woman's bond with her true friends could be strong and he would have to keep an eye on the situation, to ensure it did not impact his family.
A knock on the door came and Lucas sensed it was Ben wanting to alert him to what he already knew. He stood up from his is seated position and opened the door, then signalled Ben to return to the reception area while he followed close behind.
'Mornin' Miss Everard, to what do we owe the pleasure on this fine day?' Lucas asked, in his most charming southern drawl.
Christie stared at him unimpressed by his charm, then forced a sweet smile. 'Call me Christie Lucas, we're way past the formality of titles' she advised, feigning warmth.
Lucas walked around the main desk and reviewed the box of donuts that Floyd had brought in for them all, he was not a conventional treat lover so walked over to the new coffee machine that his wife had convinced him to buy for his employees. 'Formality is part of what makes the world run smoothly Miss Everard, without that we're all just a bunch of animals wanderin' around with no purpose or respect. Coffee?' he offered politely, smiling as her warmth faded and her true resentment of him showed.
'Alright Sheriff, I'd like to gain access to Juniper House and the officials over there tell me I need to speak to you' she advised, crossing her arms over her chest and watching him closely.
Lucas could not hold in his laughter and shook his head in amusement. 'Your much more capable counterpart has already been down that road and came up with nothin', in fact her thorough investigations brought us closer together and resulted in our happy marriage of today. I don't need another follower, so why don't you pick somethin' a little more original to focus your attention on?' he mocked and his smile grew wider when he saw her fury.
'Your wife may have dropped her investigation due to a conflict of interest, but that won't happen with me' Christie advised sternly.
Lucas disregarded the uncertain look Ben was giving him and approached Christie slowly. 'My wife wasn't my wife until she had proven to herself that her suspicions were unfounded. Had Gail have found somethin' concrete, you would've seen it published by now and we both know she's more thorough than you' he stated, then leaned over the counter and placed his lips close to her ear. 'This half arsed investigation of yours is a joke and you'll get nowhere, just like she did. Now, why don't you run along like all the other sheep and try to figure out what announcement is comin'?'
Christie felt a stir within her at their closeness and pushed it deep down. She did not appreciate being talked down to, especially by a man she did not trust and his confidence only made her want to bring him down more. 'We'll see how thorough I really am won't we Sheriff?' she asked bitterly, then stormed out of the Sheriff's Station and headed towards her car.
'You really think baitin' Gail's best friend is gonna make your life easier?' Ben asked in disbelief of what Lucas had just done.
'You and Matt are her best friends, that cockroach is just a worn out piece of her past that needs to be erased' Lucas advised flatly, then went back to his office and left Ben to worry over his comment.
Gail stared at the large full box in front of her and let out a long exasperated sigh. She had left Luke with Abe at the front of the Store and had offered to unpack all of the merchandise that needed to be on display; however, the task had become tedious and after she had gotten through the third box, she felt a strong urge to scream. On the plus side, Abe appeared happily distracted by Luke and it meant she did not have to put up with his whining.
She supposed she should be grateful that her son had taken up the burden of Abe's mood, as she would likely have murdered him and buried him under the floorboards. Luke always seemed to be oblivious to Abe's bad moods or ailments and managed to cheer him up effortlessly, she suspected he had the same trait his father had for sensing people's true emotions and the thought concerned her.
Gail would never expect her son to be without the teachings of his father; however, she did not want to consider what would happen if Lucas managed to raise him in his image, or the possibility of darkness festering inside her son. Luke was her good, pure boy and she was not ready to think of him as a traditional Buck. She would do everything in her power to ensure he was protected from past mistakes, knowing full well that Lucas would want him raised in a certain way. She was not about to let her son be engulfed by whatever made Lucas' father Malcolm tick and she knew the road forward would be hard.
As if sensing her thoughts, Luke screamed loudly to attract her attention then waved happily at her. Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head at this apparent purity, then waved at him lovingly and pulled her tongue out at him. Before he could retaliate, the bell above the door rang and they both turned towards the unexpected sound. Gail glanced over the tall bookshelf in front of her and watched the tall man who had entered curiously, as he moved slowly around the Store.
'We're not open' Abe said uninviting, as he shifted Luke to his other side and bounced him up and down gently.
The tall man continued to move around slowly, disregarding the comment and then stopped a few inches away Gail. 'You finally appear to be makin' some progress here, it's about time' he stated casually, then walked past Gail and glanced into the boxes she was unpacking.
Abe was about to order the intrusive man out of his Store, when Gail's index finger came up to silence him.
Gail glanced at the man curiously, intrigued by his mysterious appearance, then remembered her current position in this Town and smiled sweetly. 'It's a big project which is coming along nicely, have you seen a building you'd like to invest in?' she asked warmly, attempting to uncover the reason for this visit.
The man let out a small laugh, amused at her assumption and turned towards her. 'I have no desire to own a business, I like what you're doin' here though. It's about time someone got Goat Town out of the dumps, considerin' it's decline has been public knowledge for years'
Gail's intrigue increased and her senses were going crazy. She took in the mans appearance discreetly, noting his expensive suit and well kept hair. This was not just some working class citizen and he clearly had an agenda. 'I never understand how people can allow official bodies to disregard a place that's still part of their community' Gail shrugged casually, keeping her guard well hidden.
'Spoken like a true first lady, the Sheriff's lucky to have you on his side' the man advised, then turned around and began walking towards the door.
'And who's lucky enough to have you on their side?' Gail called after him suspiciously.
'You if you play your cards right' he advised, then shot her a mischievous wink before exiting the Store.
-To be continued-