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Chapter 45
Properly dressed and groomed, Bella and I walked into the kitchen to find Jasper finishing the coffee by adding a healthy slug of an amber liquid from a small silver flask. Bella rushed over to him and held him to her in a fierce embrace. He tilted his head and laid his cheek on the top of her head, sighing with a smile on his face as if having her in his arms was a balm to soothe his soul. After hearing some of their shared history, I was fairly certain they were medicine to each other; the kind that can't be bought or manufactured.
Jasper broke the embrace and kissed Bella on the forehead before pointing her to the coffee he'd prepared. We bypassed the dining room to gather in the parlour.
"Something bad has happened to Father, hasn't it? You wouldn't come here otherwise." Bella surprised Jasper as he was mid-sip of his hot drink. He spluttered and gulped before answering.
"You were always too smart by half, my girl. I could never get anything by you. No, I would never have come here if it weren't important. Parts of Billy Black's boat washed up down shore the other day. I know Justice Swan usually goes with him. Port Authority is looking into it but I recognized the name of the boat and made my way here as quickly as I could."
"What's the name of Mr. Black's boat?" I blurted without thinking. This was by no means an important question and by far the dumbest thing I could have said under the circumstances. Here Bella's father may have met with a horrific accident, possibly death and I'm asking for the name of the boat. I smacked my hand to my forehead and then started to apologise to Bella.
"He named it Lupa. He always had a fascination with wolves that bordered on obsession." Bella said with a dismissive wave of her hand, more toward the apology that just died on my lips than the oddities of her father's friend.
"There's a search underway and the ocean has been calm, so if they met with an accident they may have survived. You know he kept that little dory strapped to the stern. They could be stranded just out of visual range. You can't give up hope, not yet." Jasper consoled her, patting her hand and encouraging her to drink her enhanced coffee. Whatever it was he poured, whichever alcohol, it brought a lovely pink bloom to her cheeks.
Bella was remarkably calm with such horrendous news but I could see the worry in her eyes.
"Now, Billy is a seasoned sailor and he handles that boat like an admiral, you know this. Justice Swan is no novice sailor himself. There's no point borrowing sorrow until we know more for sure." He handed her the ancient doll and squeezed her shoulder.
Bella nodded, taking Jasper's advice, took a deep breath and fiddled with the doll for a long time before speaking again.
"Which part washed ashore?" Her voice was quiet but did not warble or falter. She was a strong woman, my bride, and every successive hour I knew her my love for her grew.
"A good piece of port side gunwale with her name painted on it. Not necessarily enough to scuttle them completely but a worrisome size nonetheless. I need to start back but if I hear more, either way, I'll be back as soon as my feet will allow." He leant over to give Bella a kiss on the cheek when she stopped him.
"You walked here? Oh Jasper, that must have taken ages. Surely you'll rest first? Let me make you some food and pack you some supplies." She got up, rushing to the kitchen. Jasper and I trailed after her.
"If I don't head back soon, I might lose my position. I hitched a ride for part of the walk, it wasn't that bad. I'm still a spry old fighter, you needn't fuss over me. Not with all that's doing in your life. I appreciate it, but you fret over you, Bella, not me. I can catch a bit of sleep in the woods nearer to Searsport on my way back. And there is a fine chance of another ride with all those automobiles on the road these days." I heard his stomach rumble, so I knew he was lying to her, albeit kindly.
"My employer gave me the whole day but I don't want to waste daylight by sleeping. I'd rather be back by sundown."
Bella ignored him and gathered an armful of ingredients before stoking the range to cook. She made him the fastest breakfast she could and prepared a large stack of sandwiches for his journey. It wasn't until I had finished my own breakfast that the thought occurred to me.
"Do you know how to drive, Jasper?" As I asked, Bella turned to me with a broad smile.
"I've had a lesson or two in a truck for work." He looked at me with a bit of a scowl.
"Why don't you take my car? We won't be needing it, not until we hear about Charles. You could rest now and drive back in a few hours." His expression changed with my offer. His scowl turned to a toothy grin and he thanked me.
"Come, I'll introduce you to Alice while Bella finishes your picnic." I winked at Bella and started back to the shed. Jasper followed after a few moments and we took Alice around the yard in practise. Jasper took to driving very well, as if he'd always been doing it, and Alice purred under his control. He asked if he could take her up and down the lane alone so I went back into the house to find my girl. Bella was standing at the sink, crying. I rushed over to her and took her in my arms. I listened as she cried herself out, letting her have all the time she needed. She had already lost one parent, granted a horrible, cruel, and useless one. Now she was facing the loss of the other.
AN: Beachcomberlc is my wonderful story editor. IpsitaC77 made my lovely banner. JulieToo patiently waits for me to re-start Uncredited. LunaBev makes me smile on facebook. But I would be lost without a reader, so thank you for reading.
