Chapter 37

The pier was unusually quiet for such a beautiful afternoon, and though Trudy had not lived in Seal Beach for more than a week or so, she had an unsettling feeling that something was wrong. Several of the trendy little beach shops had closed up early and Trudy could count on one hand how many beach goers she had spotted.

"Seal Beach is really beautiful." Mrs. Stevens commented as she desperately attempted to hold back her golden blonde hair, which her daughter Amber had inherited. "Though awfully quiet. From Amber's e-mails it sounded like it was quite a busy little seaside town."

"It is." Trudy wrinkled her brow, her eyes scanning the massive expanse of beach searching for a familiar pair of bright red lifeguard shorts. Even if the beach was completely deserted there should be at least one lifeguard on duty. Perhaps they would know what was going on.

"Come on." Trudy exclaimed suddenly, grabbing onto Mrs. Stevens arm and almost roughly led her down a pair of weather beaten wooden stairs that had been built to lead down to the beach. "I think I spotted someone who may be able to help us out a bit."

Mrs. Stevens was obviously confused, but she allowed Trudy to direct her, though she was extremely careful not to let the heel of her pump get caught and twisted off in one of the many gaping grooves that had been worn into the wooden stairs over the years.

"I can't believe that such an important resident like Lex Kennedy would not have his phone number listed in the phone book." Mrs. Stevens commented as she dusted off her peach coloured skirt that went perfectly with her cream coloured blouse with peach accents.

"And no one was answering over at the beach house." Trudy chewed on a hangnail as she found herself searching the beach once again in hopes of spotting the person she had seen earlier. "I'm afraid something is going on, Mrs. Stevens. I'm not exactly sure what, but this is not the same Seal Beach I left."

Mrs. Stevens nodded and pursed her lips, still allowing Trudy to take the lead. Though they had removed their shoes once they had arrived at the sand, it was still extremely slow going and it seemed that twenty minutes had slipped by before Trudy arrived at a lifeguard stand marked in black with the number thirteen.

"Well, this is where I saw them." Trudy sighed heavily, shaking her head and resting her hand on the small of her back to give herself a little relief from her growing abdomen. "But they seem to be gone now."

"Who?"

"Two beachgoers." Trudy explained. "The guy was wearing bright red shorts, just like a lifeguard, though he didn't seem to be doing much guarding. I couldn't tell what the woman was wearing. Violet I think."

"Maybe they went down by the water?" Mrs. Stevens suggested, her eyes scanning the area around them. "But I'm sure they'll be back. Look." She pointed to where two beach towels had been laid out. There were several bags of beach necessities and two pairs of shoes, one a larger pair of casual loafers that would fit a tall man and another extremely tiny pair of flip flops that had to be made only for a petite young woman.

"Let's wait here." Trudy nodded as she attempted to breathe evenly. Now that she was reaching the midway point in her second trimester she found it much more difficult to do tasks that she once had thought easy - such as walking to a lifeguard tower. "I'm a little tired and I'm sure you're right. They'll be back."

/

"Oh Bray!" Tai-San giggled as Bray tossed an ugly green piece of seaweed at her. It had come nowhere near the exotic beauty, or else she would not have been so good-natured about his childish game. "I'm going to get you for that."

"Oh are you?" Bray grinned wolfishly over at the tiny Oriental woman. He gave her a saucy wink, and then dived into the pounding waves, disappearing completely from view.

Tai-San rolled her eyes and began scanning the waters. It was a remarkably clear day and she could easily spot Bray's bright red swim trunks beneath the waves. He was slowly making his way towards her, probably to grab her and pull her under the breakers.

"Not this time Mr. Fielding." She shook her head as she carefully sidestepped to avoid Bray completely. He swam past her and seconds later was forced to resurface for air. "You almost had me, Bray." She commented, deciding to put an end to Bray's little game. "But I got away."

"All the best fish always do." Bray shook his head violently, causing cold wet droplets of water to hit Tai-San from Bray's sandy brown hair. "But that doesn't make the hunter any less determined to hook the right one."

"And the right one is your precious Amber Stevens. Correct?" Tai-San arched a meticulously groomed eyebrow at the handsome young man. He was only a couple years younger than her, but to Tai-San it seemed that he sometimes acted as if he were fourteen going on twelve.

At the mention of Amber's name Bray sobered instantly. "Yeah." He murmured, closing his eyes and Tai-San could tell he was fantasizing about the attractive young blonde that had somehow captured Lex Kennedy's heart. "I really miss her, Tai. She was my everything for so long and then to suddenly loose her-..."

"She wasn't your everything, Bray." Tai-San rudely cut him off, wondering why it bothered her so much to know that the man she was sleeping with was still obsessed with his ex-girlfriend. "If she had been your everything you wouldn't have let her know about Trudy. You should have kept it a secret."

"I was keeping it a secret." Bray grumbled. "Trudy wanted to tell Amber on several occasions, but I kept that fish quiet. She doesn't exactly have the best reputation and I managed to convince her that Amber would believe me over her."

"And would she have?"

"Maybe. Probably." Bray sighed heavily, his eyes getting that vacant look that Tai-San had quickly learned to despise. "Look, I really don't want to talk about the past right now. Let's discuss the future."

Tai-San nodded slowly. "But not in the ocean. I'm freezing and I think I need to put some more oil on." She commented as she glanced down at her flawless skin. She didn't really need tanning oil or sun block, but it was an excellent excuse to get Bray to run his hands all over her. He may be a bit dumb, but he was amazing with those hands of his.

"I'll race you back." Bray grinned, taking off and tearing out of the water once again reminding Tai-San that men did the majority of their maturing in the twenties, or at least that had been her experience. Stifling a bored sigh, Tai-San slowly followed Bray out of the water, not realizing that a good rub down was not what she as going to receive once she reached their beach towels.

/

The afternoon seemed to tick by just as slowly as the morning had and Amber felt her neck muscles begin to cramp up painfully. The hard wooden seats in the courthouse had obviously not been designed to keep the spectators comfortable, and even though they had already had several short recesses, Amber felt her bottom quickly becoming completely numb.

"You alright?" Lex whispered next to her as Amber once again attempted to adjust herself into a more comfortable position. "You need to take a step outside for a minute?"

"No." Amber shook her head and pursed her lips. "I'll be fine, Lex. I'm just a bit sore, that's all. The judge can't keep us much longer, can she?"

"I hope not." Lex grinned, his eyes twinkling with a strange light that Amber chose to identify as mischief. She had still not learned to identify all of Lex's many moods, but she was getting better at it. "I had a really nice dinner planned for the two of us."

"Oh." Amber frowned, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Ebony who seemed not to have noticed how terribly uncomfortable the seats were. She was sitting as straight as a pin, devouring every word that the prosecutor said, her face growing more and more pale as the afternoon went on.

"Maybe dinner isn't such a good idea, sweetie." Amber reached down and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure Ebony is going to need us to be there for her tonight, seeing as how this is the first night of the trial and all. Besides, I'm rostered on to work tonight. You gave Patsy the night off, silly. And I really think Eb could do with a strong drink inside her."

Lex gritted his teeth and a flash of what looked like anger crossed his eyes, but he quickly masked it and gave Amber a tender smile. "Whatever you want, darling. Your wish is my command."

Amber returned Lex's smile, though a bit stiffly, wondering what had got in to Lex. He was acting peculiar. She quickly shrugged it off, determining it had to just be stress from the trial and everything that was going on with The Liberty Corporation now that Lex had lost his partner.

"I love you." She breathed softly, so that Lex was the only person who could possibly hear.

"I love you too." Lex whispered back, a triumphant expression lingering on his face before he turned his full attention back to the judge and what she was saying to the prosecuting attorney.

/

Ved learned long ago that you did not question a woman once she got something inside her head, and now that his beautiful young wife was so very determined to head back to Seal Beach before their meeting with Lex Kennedy at midnight, Ved was fully prepared to allow that to happen. Besides, he missed the town and he really needed to figure out a way to pay off some of the bills he and Cloe had wracked up on their impromptu honeymoon.

"Oh look at this, Ved." Cloe exclaimed as she folded down half of the news sheet she was reading. "It says that Martin's trial is scheduled to begin today."

"Martin?" Ved furrowed his brow, trying to recall just who Martin was as he carefully navigated the twisting road that ran along the beach. "Who's Martin?"

"He's a friend of mine. Or at least he was a friend of mine. He lived in the beach house with Ebony, Sal, Jay and the others for the longest time but moved out after he started working for my father. Several weeks ago something happened to him, though, and he went crazy. He raped Ebony and now blames it on someone named Zoot."

"Zoot, eh?" Ved's eyebrows shot up with interest. "So what is the defence trying to do, claim insanity?"

"The paper doesn't say, but I'm pretty sure that would be the wisest course of action." Cloe gave a heavy sigh as she carefully folded the rest of the paper and tucked it between the door and the seat. "I feel so sorry for Martin. He was such a sweet guy."

"It's the sweet ones you have to look out for." Ved told her seriously. "They're the ones that are hiding something. Or at least usually that is. The guys that your parents always tell you to stay away from are the sort that isn't afraid to let everyone know who they are. They have no secrets."

"So are you saying you don't have any secrets?" Cloe teased, giving Ved a playful smile.

"Oh, I have my secrets." Ved grinned back at her. "But you know them all now."

"All of them?" Cloe cooed, moving over in the seat so she could be as close to Ved as possible. The rental had a bench seat, so if Cloe really wanted she could practically be in Ved's lap. That wouldn't be very safe, however, and wisely Cloe remained snuggled up against him, her seatbelt still firmly in place.

"Yeah, all of them." Ved let his eyes leave the road for the briefest of moments as he pressed his lips against the top of Cloe's head that she was now resting on his shoulder. "At least all that I remember. I love you Cloe."

"And I love you Ved." Cloe murmured softly, her eyelids drooping heavily.
Ved smiled down at her and decided to let her sleep, concentrating on the curves of the road. They were already past the place they had crashed on their desperate flight from Seal Beach, but Ved was still on edge. The roads were in serious need of repair and Ved was determined he would never again get in an accident while his precious Cloe was in the car with him.

An hour or so later Ved passed a sign that read 'Seal Beach 30 km'. They would be there in just a short while. He glanced down at Cloe's sleeping form, a smile spreading across his lips. He would awaken her in a bit, but not just yet. Let her sleep awhile longer.

/

"Bray!" Trudy gasped at the dripping wet Bray Fielding who had emerged from the horizon and had come up to the towels that Trudy and Mrs. Stevens were waiting by. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask the same of you, you old cow." Bray sneered at Trudy, then, spotting Mrs. Stevens standing beside the woman he had impregnated he quickly changed his facial expression and flashed the older woman a smile. "Why hello Mrs. Stevens. What are you doing in Seal Beach?"

"I've come to see my daughter." Mrs. Stevens stated coldly, wrapping a protective arm around Trudy. "What are you doing here?"

"Same reason." Bray replied smugly, and Trudy could see that Bray had become even more confident in himself and his abilities since they had parted ways. "I've come to see your daughter, win her back. Make her see that I'm the right guy for her."

Mrs. Stevens rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Amber is a smart girl, Bray. She's not going to fall for slim like you twice. Now that she knows what kind of man you are she is going to stay as far away from you as possible."

"Is that so?" Bray chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?"

"Stay away from Amber, Bray." Trudy spat, her fingers curling into tight fists at her sides. She hated the affect her former lover had on her. He infuriated her and it took all of Trudy's restraint from flying at him and clawing his face with her fingernails. "And I mean it."

"Oh yes, I'm going to listen to you." Bray shot back in a snide tone. "Why are you back, Trudy? I thought Amber told you she never wanted to see your ugly face again."

"I-..."

"I'll answer this one, Trudy." Mrs. Stevens stepped in confidently. "Bray, Trudy and I are both here to see Amber. My daughter is a very loving and forgiving person. Probably the only person she wouldn't be willing to forgive is scum like you."

Bray opened his mouth to shoot back a nasty retort to Mrs. Stevens, but at that moment the girl Trudy recognized as Tai-San Lui came up behind him, dressed only in a skimpy lavender bikini. She curled her arms around Bray's waist possessively and eyes the two women sceptically.

"Friends of yours, Bray?" She inquired; her voice smooth like well washed silk.

"Not quite." Bray gritted his teeth. "Tai-San, I'd like you to meet Mrs. Stevens, Amber's mother, and Trudy Taylor, Amber's former best friend."

"Oh." Tai-San's eyes lit up as Bray revealed their identities. "I've been looking forward to meeting the two of you. I suppose you're here in Seal Beach to get Amber away from that maniac, I suppose."

"Maniac?" Mrs. Stevens queried, staring at the young woman with disgust.

"Lex Kennedy." Tai-San purred, her eyes flashing with a triumphant light. "He murdered his wife, you know. Four years ago. He drowned her. And there's talk around the town that he's the one who did in Ned Matthews and Jack Parrish as well. I wouldn't be surprised if your darling daughter was next, Mrs. Stevens."

/

Detective Ryan Williams was not really one for trails. They bored him. He preferred being out on the hunt, tracking down the criminals, not watching a jury of twelve idiots let all his hard work get washed down the drain. For that reason, Ryan had skipped out of Martin's trial after the judge had adjourned them for lunch. Plus, it had been getting a bit painful watching Salene curled up in Pride's arms, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what Martin had been capable of.

He had decided, instead, to start hunting down clues of the murderer who seemed to think that Seal Beach was fair game. Whoever this killer was, Ryan was determined to track him (or her) down and bring them to justice.

The streets of Seal Beach were nearly deserted as Ryan walked, talking to the few individuals he found out and about. If people weren't at Martin's trail they were locked up, hidden indoors determined to wait out the killing spree. Ryan didn't have the heart to tell them that they were probably much safer out on the city streets than they were hidden alone in their apartments.

"Good afternoon Detective Williams." The pleasant middle-aged florist whom Ryan recognized as Rosa greeted him as she passed her stand. "How are you doing this fine day?"

"I'm well." Ryan smiled at her, relieved that at least one Seal Beach resident didn't seem to be overly terrified of the killer on the loose. "It's good to see you're open for business on a day like today. How are you?"

"I'm alright." Rosa beamed at him as she stepped out from behind her counter. "Business is slow, but I figure that if I let this killer ruin my life he's already won, right?"

"Exactly." Ryan nodded. "No one should let a madman interrupt their lives. Not like they seem to have. It's sad, really."

"Not everyone is letting this murderer chase them away." Rosa told him importantly. "I've had a few customers this morning, and if people are buying flowers than everything can't be that bad, now can it?"

"No, I guess not." Ryan grinned, then on a sudden hunch added, "If you don't mind me asking, Rosa, who were your customers this morning?"

"Well," Rosa scrunched up her face as if she were in deep thought as she quickly retrieved her receipt book. "Siva Lewis came by needing flowers for Ned Matthews' funeral, quite a lot actually and I think I may need to bring in some extra help to get them made up in time. Then there was that nice Jay boy, the lifeguard. He wanted to have some flowers delivered to Ebony day after tomorrow. That's really it unless you count this one." She gestured to a beautiful bouquet of daisies set on the counter behind her.

"Who are those for, Rosa?" Ryan inquired, inspecting the flowers, quite impressed by their high quality.

"Well, they're for Ebony. She's a popular little filly." Rosa's eyes twinkled. "Lex bought them for her, but he disappeared before I was done with them. Paid for them and everything."

"What do you mean, disappeared?" Ryan felt the hackles on the back of his neck start to rise.

"Well, he came, ordered the flowers, paid me far too much for them, then he received a message on his little phone thing." Rosa explained carefully. "He said he would be right back for the flowers, but he hasn't been back. I was going to take them to his condo after I close up in a few hours."

"That's really nice of you." Ryan gave Rosa a strained smile as a sickening feeling hit him in the pit of his stomach. "I need to be going, Rosa, but if you see any other mysterious behaviour, please let me know."

"Now wait a minute, I wasn't saying that Mr. Kennedy was acting mysterious-..."

"That's alright." Ryan cut her off, his smile still plastered on his face. "You've been most helpful."