It was nearing 5 o'clock. Arianne Beckett had been watching the wall clock in front of her for close to 3 minutes now. The bright red second hand ticked away at its own slow pace, oblivious to the yearning stares from those it served. Arry glanced away and hit dial on the computer screen and when someone picked up she started into her well-rehearsed pitch "Hello" she would start, cheerful and kind "My name is Anna and I'm calling on behalf of Marks and son." At this stage, many people would hang up. The joys of working in a call centre for an insurance company that no one knew about. If the costumer, for some reason decided to stay on the line, Arry would launch into a brilliant spiel about their APR rates and how highly recommended they were by the big banks.
It always helped to name drop her boss had said. Mr Marks was a short, fat, balding man with a greying moustache and a pennant for elbowing his employees in the ribs. "Name drop until the bastard can't think of anything else but money!" he would say. This was normally followed by a throaty laugh and a prod in the side. Arry liked Mr Marks, in the same way a student likes the teacher who curses in class.
The dial tone on the other end of the line told Arry that her call was an unsuccessful one. She eyed the clock again and noted with a sigh of relief that it was 5 minutes to 5. She pulled of her headset and laid it on her desk beside a half-finished cup of coffee. She lifted the mug and stood up, her legs were stiff and her back ached dully from sitting for so long. Arianne headed toward the small kitchen at the rear of the room, used by all the employees. She rinsed her cup out and returned to her desk. The routine was so monotonous now that she rarely had to think about what she was doing, like driving a car.
When Arianne had taken the job she had promised herself it would only be until she had saved enough money for an apartment of her own. She was 23 and still living at home and while it was nice having your laundry done for you a dinner waiting at the end of the day, she constantly felt displaced, like she was stuck in a pit and couldn't quite climb out. Arianne thought that her call centre job would be the end of it all. 6 months and she would have enough for a down payment, she had even researched apartments in the city and found a few that were perfect for her. Those 6 months had turned into a year though, and now it was verging on a year and a half. She wasn't making as much money as she thought she would.
Stupidly, she had thought that all the money she made would be hers that the world of grown-ups wouldn't be as cruel as to take half of her earnings. She had been wrong of course. Her taxes were through the roof and she was practically on minimum wage. Her life was staying wildly of course and she had no clue how to stop it.
Arry didn't bother sitting again. She was going on and Mr Marks wasn't around to spring an extra work load on her. Tugging on the camel hair coat she wore to work and nowhere else Arianne heaved her handbag onto her shoulder. Some of her colleges had already left and the rest were gathering their things to make a quick getaway. It was Friday after all, and that meant no one in Marks and sons wanted to be staying an extra hour.
Arry kept her head down and her legs going as she made for the elevator and only relaxed when the metal doors had closed behind her. When they reopened, she was on the ground floor of the modest office block and was one of many making a break for freedom. "Arry!" she heard her name and turned slightly to see who it was. Arianne smirked and slowed, allowing her friend to catch up. Caroline Slater was a year younger than her but they had been friends for years. Both had found employment with Marks and Sons around the same time but never actually spoke for a few months. When they had, Caroline almost became a life line for Arry. She had someone to talk to that was both a female and under 30. "Hey" Arianne smiled and fell into step beside her friend. "Hi" came Caroline's chipper reply. Despite their long day and dismal pay, Caroline was always happy. Arry had no clue how she did it. "So, I know it's stupid to ask, but are you free tomorrow?" Caroline asked, her iron grey stare flickering from their exit to Arianne. Arry smiled but shook her head "That was stupid to ask" she chuckled. Caroline huffed in defeat and rolled her eyes "You know, I think your dad will be fine by himself for a day" Caroline told her as she opened the door and held it so that Arianne could follow. "It's not about that Carol. It's just-"Arry shrugged as she dug around for her keys inside her too-big handbag. "-Its tradition, y'know?" Arianne glanced at her friend and offered her a smile. Caroline shook her head and Arry thought she would roll her eyes again. "Listen-"she countered, nudging Caroline gently in the arm "Wanna' go for lunch on Sunday instead?" Caroline perked up instantly and grinned "Ok, I'll take that compromise. First round can be on you." Arianne laughed and unlocked her car "Yeah yeah, see you then!" she shouted across the parking lot as Caroline scurried away in the grey kitten heels she looked so good in.
It took Arianne almost 45 minutes to get home. The joys of living in the Washington countryside. Her house used to be an old farm, until the owners sold it to her grandfather. At least that's what her dad always told her. It used to be called golden acres and when her dad had first told her the story Arianne had been enthralled with the idea of living of the land. She was 7 at the time and had requested that her mother buy her nothing but plaid shirts and dungarees. She had pestered her parents to start planting vegetables but the closet they had ever come to it was start a small potato crop in the corner of their garden. Nothing ever came of it; the potatoes were either too small or rotten. Still, it had been a nice thought to the young Arianne Beckett, that it was fully possible for her and her family to live of their own hard labour.
Arianne pointed her ford escort up the dirt drive and pulled up behind her Mothers old BMW. Something looked off thought. The drive was empty, save for her and her mother's car. Normally her father's pick up was parked beside the BMW, dwarfing it by a good few feet. Arianne tried to think nothing of it. Her father was probably in town, he was probably buying bait, he was probably fine.
Arry headed inside "Hi!, I'm home!" she called out, tossing her keys into the chipped bowl in the front hall. They bounced of the ceramic and jangled merrily. "Hi Bird!" came a reply. Arianne kicked of her pumps and dumped her bag. Ambling to the kitchen she stood in the doorway to take of her coat. "Hey mom" she smiled, tossing the camelhair over one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Her mother did not look up from the stove.
Sian Beckett was a waif of a woman, all sharp edges and hard lines. She had always been bony and her hugs had always hurt. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, she had met Arianne's father over there. Once married they had both moved to a state they had chosen at random. At least that was the story. Even after all those year, Arianne's mother still maintained a broad and quite scary Irish accent. Stopped over the stove, she was currently stirring a pot viciously, the wooden spoon banging on the metal sides.
Arry braced her elbows on the breakfast bar and leaned over slightly "Where's dad?" she asked casually, eyeing her mother's back. Sian Beckett shrugged "He left over an hour ago to go fishing" came the clipped reply, as if she didn't approve.
Instantly, Arianne was on high alert. Never, in the 20+ years she had known her father did he go fishing on a Friday night and never had she known him to go without her.
"-he said he was meeting some friends out by the lake. He said he wouldn't be home for dinner." Sian made a noise deep in her throat, something that sounded a lot like a snort of snide laughter. "-said he didn't want any kept. Can you imagine?...oh that man" she shook her head in anger "Sit, it's just me 'n you tonight bird." She finally said, turning at the stove and trying to look somewhat happy about it.
Arianne had never really been close with her mother, she loved the woman sure…but it was a basic, mammal bond. Arianne sat at the table slowly, dragging the chair out and lowering herself down. She sat ram-rod straight, her knees pressed together and her hands clasped as if in prayer. Sian set the bowl of soup down in front of her, bits of vegetable and potato floated lazily on top. Arianne waited until her mother had sat down to lift her spoon.
Her eyes kept flickering to the empty chair in front of her, the one her father normally occupied, the wood just stared back at her. Arry managed to eat a little bit, but she had knots in her belly that made her stomach churn. It seemed Sian was the same; normally her mother ate everything and went back for seconds. Not tonight. The bony Irish red-head sat there, ate little and practically pulsated worry. Finally, after close to 20 minutes of silence Arry turned to her mother, lips pressed into a tight line. "Dad doesn't have friends." Arry said quietly.
It was true. Her father was a man who kept to himself; he had acquaintances, men he met at the tackle store or at the gas station. He didn't have friends. Franklin Beckett had always said that Arianne and her mother were the only real friends he had ever had.
Her mother knew this of course and her brows furrowed in response. She made another low sound in her throat and tried to take another bite of her dinner.
It took her a long time to swallow. Arianne watched her the whole time. "He never brought his cell." Her mother said quietly "I found it in the bedroom…"
Arianne was out of her chair and reaching for her coat then. Her father didn't go anywhere outside the house without his cell. "He's fine!" Sian snapped, reaching for her daughter. Arianne was shaking again, so she backed away before her mother could find out. "I'm just going for a look…he's probably on the lake is all…he might be lost too…if he doesn't have a phone."
The lie didn't make her or Sian feel any different, it only reinforced the situation. Her father was gone, with no means to contact them and with people that definitely were not his friends.
Arianne shoved her feet into a pair of welly boots by the front door before dashing out and starting up her car. She threw the thing into reverse and swung around at a sharp angle to drive of the property. She hit the main road and turned left, punching the gas as the night began to suffocate the sky. Arianne sat in silence, her fingers tapping an anxious rhythm on the steering wheel. "Come on….dad…come on…" she mumbled under her breath, her eyes pale and wide in her skull as she scanned the tree line for any sign of him. She then turned right, taking the dirt path down to the edge of the lake. It took her 15 minutes to finish the journey. Normally it took 25.
Arianne practically threw herself out of the car, leaving the door open and tripping on the gravel. Her knees took the impact of the scuff and she felt pain but ignored it. The knots in her belly were growing tighter. "DAD!" she cried out over the hum of crickets. She rushed to the water side, the small waves lapped idly against the toes of her boots. "DAD!" she tried again. Nothing. She trailed the water, almost running along the edge until she spotted it.
Her heart sank to her currently bleeding knees.
Her father's pick up sat huddled among the trees, as if playing a cruel game of hide and seek with her. She rushed over and pressed her hands on the glass of the window and peered inside. She was greeted with darkness.
Arianne's shaking started up again as her breath left her lungs in harsh gasps. "DAD!" she tried a third time and was again greeted with silence. Arianne turned away from the truck and stared out over the water, her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark but she still couldn't see anything. The small wooden pier that jutted out over the lake caught her attention so she ran over, dread had taken a hold of her now, and she was frantic with worry. The worst had started coming to mind, her father lying face down in the water as it pushed him far out where she could never reach him. Arianne tore down the pier, stood at the end and cupped her hands around her mouth "DDDAAAADDDDD!" She howled, long and lonely into the night and was again, met with nothing.
She spotted the rope in the water then, floating in front of her face. Arianne leaned down and reached into the freezing cold darkness to pick it up. The rope was the one that tethered their boat to the pier. This rope was normally tied tightly to one of the many wooden pillars. This rope should not be in the water. Arianne swallowed thickly and stood up; she gave the rope a sharp tug and felt something heavy on the other end. Her entire body went numb and fear, cold and needle sharp, it hit her hard at the base of her spine. Arry kept pulling, she pulled until her elbows ached and the sleeves of her coat were soaked with water. When the boat drifted up and hit of the end of the pier, Arry knelt down. A tarp had been laid over the boat, the corners flapping gently in the breeze. With a shaking hand Arry pulled the cover back.
She screamed.
A car squealed to a stop somewhere far in the distance.
Arry fell back onto the pier, eyes glassy with tears and her mouth open in silent agony. Loud footfalls that sounded far away. A hand on her shoulder. Another under her elbow. She was being hauled to her feet. Arianne moaned in despair, unable to form any actually words. Someone was holding her, keeping her at arm's length in a tight grip.
"Arianne Beckett"
"Arianne Beckett"
She was spun around suddenly but her feet were numb and clumsy below her. It was the man holding her that was keeping her upright. Dark eyed found hers and held on "Look at me…Stay with me." He said. He sounded so far away to her. Finally her feet gave way completely and she was falling, fast and hard.
Oddly, the pier did not cushion her fall.