It was a warm, bright spring morning and Caleb sat eating his breakfast cereal at the big oak table in front of the kitchen window, admiring the faint haze that was still present at this time in the morning.
It was 7.30am and no other resident in the boarding house was up at this early hour. Caleb had awoken at 7.00am and had made his way to the kitchen 10 minutes later. He found that he enjoyed the quiet, as it gave him time to gather his thoughts for the day ahead.
Caleb sat pondering what reason he could give for not completing his homework this time. He was not purposely trying to annoy Miss Coombs, but he had come to the realisation, with all the drama in his life, that there were more important things to be doing with his time than homework.
A faint squeaking sound travelled through the kitchen window for the fifth time since Caleb had sat down and he decided to examine the cause of his distraction. He slowly opened the back door and popped his head out first to the left, then to the right. To Caleb's surprise, he was not the only person up at this ungodly hour, his cousin was perched on the porch swing with her legs crossed and hands wrapped around a mug full of hot liquid, he could see a slight cloud of steam rising from inside her hands. Gail was slowly swinging absent minded staring into the garden, seemingly unaware of his presence.
Caleb returned indoors to grab his bowl of cereal and spoon, then crept out onto the back porch. 'Morning cuz. What are you doing here so early?'
Gail, awoken from her reverie, turned towards Caleb with a shocked looked on her face. She had been up since 3.00am with thoughts of her encounter with Lucas plaguing her mind. Having tossed and turned uncomfortably in her bed for hours, she had gotten up and headed to the boarding house around 6.30am in preparation for taking Caleb to school. Gail thought she had at least another half hour before being disturbed, she enjoyed slowly rocking on the porch swing with a fresh mug of tea and admiring the fresh layer of morning dew which touched on the plants in the garden. Early spring mornings made Gail feel at peace, especially when no one was around to disturb her. Unfortunately, it was evident that her cousin was not going to leave her be, so she reluctantly edged over to make room for him to sit next to her with his breakfast.
'Morning Caleb, I was having trouble sleeping so I decided to get an early start and head over here. How come your up so early?' Gail asked.
'Couldn't sleep I guess' Caleb shrugged and ate a spoonful of his cereal.
Gail sat admiring her only living relative. He looked so young and without a care in the world; however, she understood how much he had been forced to grow up these past 11 months and she knew his innocence was slowly fading away.
Gail sighed and took a sip of her tea. 'So, you want to tell me why you've not been doing your homework and why your teacher thinks you've been disrupting your classmates?'
Caleb froze, he knew Miss Coombs would talk to Gail eventually; however, he had hoped he would have started to get back on the right path with his school work before she did. 'Well, I've not been feeling so well recently and-'
'You know-' Gail interrupted him, but did not take her eyes off the garden ahead of her '-when I was younger, I found it hard to concentrate in school. I came up with all sorts of excuses to try and explain away my lack of interest, but my English teacher wasn't born yesterday and he helped me realise that the impulsion to make up stories and excuses could be put to good use. That's when I started to realise I had an interest in writing...I've been where you are Caleb, don't take me for a fool'
Caleb looked down at his cereal bowl, Gail had previously told him that she would not tolerate him lying and she expected the truth from him no matter how bad that truth was. Since Gail had awoken from her coma a month ago she seemed to have less patience; therefore, he took a deep breath and decided to be honest. 'Ok cuz, I'm bored. I don't feel like wastin' my time colouring and doing sums when there's more important things I could be doin' with my time'
Gail was taken aback by how candid he was, she knew on the grand scale of things that missing some homework and disrupting the class was not that important. Hell, she had done worse things in her time before her English teacher had decided to mentor her; however, she needed to try and make Caleb understand that his education was important, maybe not at this level but we everyone had to start somewhere.
Gail knew she was guilty of not spending much time with Caleb recently. Truth be told, she had not quite figured out what their relationship would be after his revelation to her a month earlier. She had not considered that Caleb may need some guidance, she had been too caught up with her own problems recently to truly take notice of his needs. 'You know what? I'm going to call the school and tell them you're not coming in today' Gail said finally.
Caleb looked up from his cereal in confusion, he had a horrible feeling that he was in trouble.
Gail smiled and got up from the porch swing. 'Don't look so worried Caleb, you're going to spend the day with me and you can see what its like to walk in an adults shoes for the day'
If Caleb was so intent on spending his time doing other things, Gail thought he could learn from what adults had to do on a day to day basis and then he could decide whether school was more fun.
Ben Healy sat on a chair behind the Sheriff's station counter, staring into his cup of coffee. He was cursing himself for agreeing to the evening drinking sessions he had with Billy Peele, especially as he had drank more than intended and was still reeling from the effects of the alcohol. Ben was oblivious to anything else in his surroundings except for the cup of coffee sat motionless in front of him and he nearly jumped out of his seat when Lucas leaned on the counter beside him.
'Rough night Ben?' Lucas asked with a smirk, looking as fresh and enigmatic as he did every morning.
Ben tried to calm his nerves before answering his boss, Lucas had a way of getting into his head and making him feel guilty, even if he hadn't done anything wrong. It was hard to believe they had been friends for over 15 years. 'I'm fine Lucas, I just drank a little too much last night.'
Lucas shook his head in a sarcastic scolding manner and smiled mischievously, 'you should know better than to go out drinking on a school night, Deputy'
Lucas stopped when the familiar sound of the bell above the Sheriffs station door rang. He looked up to see Gail approaching the counter, with a weary Caleb trailing behind her.
'Nice to see you boys busy earning your wages' Gail said sarcastically, as she approached confidently.
'Aw hell Ma'am it's early, you haven't even given us time to finish our morning coffee' Lucas said inspecting Ben's cup of coffee.
Ben tried to sink down in his seat, he glanced at Caleb and could see he was also trying to disappear into the surroundings. Ben had gotten close to Gail when Lucas had 'died', even closer when she awoke from her coma and he knew from past experience that these playful conversations did not usually end well.
Gail put on her sweetest smile and regarded Lucas sarcastically. 'Well excuse me for expecting the law officials in this town to clock in at a reasonable time, as apposed to sitting on their ass's until their coffee and doughnuts have been consumed'
'Whoa there Darlin', has someone woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?' Lucas asked coolly as he slowly walked around the counter and approached her. 'I'd prefer it if you watched your language around the boy, we don't want him copying our bad habits'
Gail stared at Lucas and stood her ground, she had not meant to engage in this type of conversation around Caleb; however, Lucas had a way of making her forget herself. Choosing to disregard his comment, she continued to her desired goal. 'I hear there was a car accident with a local Judge last night involving alcohol, care to comment?'
Lucas narrowed his eyes for a split second, this woman had a way of findings out things that he did not want publicised. The quality would be admiring to him, if it was not so irritating.
Judge Trebor had in fact had a little too much to drink and crashed into Jack Rowlands fence, whilst participating in a sexual act with a women who certainly was not his wife; however, Lucas had cleared the matter up with Jack, after making a deal with the good Judge. The last thing he needed now was Gail snooping around this particular accident.
'Darlin', is news so slow that you have to hang around waitin' for car accidents to earn your pay cheque?' he smirked, 'And I thought those personal injury Lawyers were bad'
Caleb skulked further into the corner behind Gail, he could feel the tension rising in the room. Ben, noticing the boys actions, decided to remove them both from the firing path. He got up from the chair quicker than he had intended and felt a momentary haziness between his eyes. 'Come on Caleb-' he signalled to the boy, shaking off the queasy feeling, '-lets go get you something to drink'
Caleb could not move quick enough to get away from the awkward exchange and followed Ben through the back door of the Sheriffs station, leaving his Cousin alone with his Father.
Gail did not take her eyes off of Lucas, but waited for Ben and Caleb to leave before answering the insult that had just been thrown at her. When they had left, she became very aware that she was alone in the station with Lucas and she began to feel the familiar knot in her stomach. 'I have no problem earning my pay cheque Sheriff-' Gail tried not to sound offended or defensive, '-Besides, I'm not the one who sit's on my ass all day and doesn't do any actual police work'
Lucas' smile grew wider and he leaned in closer to Gail. 'Now, now Miss Emory, the boy may have gone but I still don't appreciate that foul tongue of yours...Maybe we should step into my office where it's a bit more private and I can teach you how to control those urges'
Gail attempted to hide her deep intake of breath and tried to force back the urge to act on her desires. It would be so easy to reach up and run her fingers through his caramel blond hair while he was this close. The way her body was feeling at this moment, she could easily forget about the consequences these actions might have and just allow him to make her feel good.
Lucas could sense the inner turmoil inside of her and felt his own control start to waiver. It was always fun making women bend to his will; however, with Gail it was even more enjoyable knowing how hard she tried to fight the temptation, regardless of how often she failed.
Lucas always had it easy with women, which made him lose a certain respect for them. Gail on the other hand, she had resisted his charms for months then only gave in when he had information that she wanted and she had exhausted all other options in her pursuit of the truth. Even then she had made him wait another month before finally letting him inside of her, proving to him that she was not as easy to control as he may have hoped. No, he had more respect for this one and he admired the fight that was still left in her.
After a moment of contemplation from them both, Lucas began to raise his hand to caress her cheek when the familiar sound of the bell above the door rang. He felt Gail back up and he turned towards the sound, ready to unleash all sorts of hell on the person who had dared to interrupt this exchange; however, no one was there.
Gail mentally shook off her ill advised feelings and turned towards the door herself, no one was there; however, she saw a bright glow close to the door. It must be the light shining through, she thought and pushed down her feeling of unease. Turning her attention back to Lucas, she could see him looking with anger at the door. 'So-' she started, trying to regain control of the situation, '-the car accident...Do you care to comment on how a Judge managed to crash his car when the road he was driving down was well lit and empty?' she asked forcing a professional tone.
Lucas narrowed his gaze, he was trying to hide his anger and felt his control slipping. He knew that the interruption was Merlyn Ann, he just did not know how she was around after the incident in his house with Caleb. The women in this family were really beginning to bother him and their insubordination was unacceptable. If it was not the living snooping into his affairs, it was the dead invading his personal life. If Merlyn had been alive, he would hate to think what trouble these two would try to cause him teaming up.
After a moment, Lucas regained his composer and smiled again. 'Well, the good Judge was drivin' along responsibly when a rabbit ran out into the road. Not wantin' to kill an innocent animal, the Judge valiantly tried to swerve out of the way and crashed into a fence...I've had a word with the Judge and he is aware of the highway code. As no one was hurt and the fence will be fully paid for, no charges will be filed. Is that good enough for you Miss Emory?'
Gail shook her head in disgust, she could see right through this far fetched story; however, without proof of any foul play she could not do anything. She had already spoken to the owner of the fence and he had recited this same story to her, exactly as Lucas had. She was hoping Lucas would slip up with some details, but she should have known that he was too smart for that.
Gail had been in Trinity long enough to know not to underestimate this man as he always covered his tracks, she just thought it was worth a shot to try and get to the truth. It was frustrating that her efforts had been waisted once again. 'What a well rehearsed story Lucas, with an imagination like that you should have been a writer' she responded bitterly.
Lucas took a step towards Gail, closing the distance she had managed to put between them. He raised his hand to caress her cheek and whispered softly in her ear. 'Now that this is all cleared up, how about we head to my office for that lesson I mentioned earlier?'
Gail grabbed Lucas' wrist and pushed him away gently. 'Get over yourself' she laughed in disbelief of his arrogance, then turned and walked out of the Sheriff's station.
'Oh well-' Lucas spoke out loud, as he stared after her '-it was worth a try' he shrugged, then headed to his office to see what tasks awaited his attention.
Gail found Ben and Caleb sat at the Coffee Shop down the road from the Sheriff's station, both smiled at her as she pulled up a chair.
'Did you get your story?' Caleb asked and passed her a cup of coffee that they had bought in preparation of her meeting them.
'Not really' Gail sighed. 'Thanks for my drink. How are you Ben?'
Ben looked up from the fresh coffee that he was enjoying and let out a long sigh. 'A little worse for the wear thanks to our good friend Billy, but I'm survivin'. Glad to see you survived that encounter Gail' he smiled, happy that Gail appeared unscathed
Gail smiled affectionately at Ben, she liked him a lot and she appreciated his patience when she acted inappropriately due to her stubbornness. Gail was hoping Lucas would bit be too hard on him, knowing that they were now friends. Ben had made it clear that he would speak about Lucas and she respected his professionalism; therefore, Lucas should have nothing to worry about. 'I wish I could've joined you two last night, it probably would've made my evening more eventful than it was' she sighed in frustration.
'Did you not get what you needed last night?' Ben asked curiously, expecting Gail to have made some head way with her goal. He knew that she had gone to Juniper House and he had made it clear that he wanted no part of what she was doing there. He suspected that she was trying to do something with Matt Crower, as there was no other reason for her to go there; however, judging from her mood today, he could see that she did not get what she wanted.
Gail shook her head in agitation. 'What a wasted day that was, I should have know better than to think I could just walk up to Juniper and be able to-' she stopped herself, seeing Ben tense up and suddenly remembered that Caleb was with them. She closed her eyes and mentally scolded herself, she could feel Caleb's eyes on her expectantly waiting for her to finish her sentence. '-to, erm...Nevermind, I won't bore you with the details' she advised, choosing to just stop talking.
Gail watched as Caleb looked back down into his cup of juice and let out a long breath. She had always tried to drill it into him that she expected the truth from him, so rather than become a hypocrite she chose to just drop the subject and hope he would not notice.
Ben relaxed slightly and downed the last of his coffee in one gulp. 'On that note, I think I best return to my day job. Take care Gail and you be good for your Cousin Caleb.' Ben got up out of the chair and headed back to the Sheriff's station.
'Bye Ben' both Caleb and Gail said in unison. Caleb turned to Gail and stared at her expectantly, 'So, what now cuz?' he asked curiously.
What now indeed, Gail thought. Her Editor had told her that she should consider becoming a columnist if she chose to stay in Trinity, as there was no news to report on. Gail hated that idea and the fact that this town was slowly ruining the career which she had worked so hard to build up. Normally at this point in an investigation, she would try and dig up facts from difficult places; however, she needed to set a good example for Caleb and stooping to her usual levels was not appropriate behaviour in front of a young boy. 'Well, Lucas says my story is a bust, but I'm not convinced...Do you want to help me dig out the truth?' she asked finally.
Caleb shrugged, this could not be worse than being in school. 'Ok cuz, lets do this' he smiled.
Gail ruffled his hair and asked the Waitress to put her coffee in a cup to go. 'Great, so I think our first stop should be the Courthouse. What do you think?'
Caleb pondered the idea and nodded, 'that seems a good enough place to start as any' he advised, standing up and following his Cousin.
Gail smiled and led him towards her Mustang. 'Perfect, the Courthouse it is. I just need to head home first and we're good to go' she advised, wanting to get a head start before Lucas began patrolling.
-To be continued-
