When the phone call came through she felt like the ground underneath her fell away. She had no recollection of getting to the car and then the scene.
She remembered jumping from the car gathering the skirt of her wedding dress and running to where the police stood. The scene that played out in front of her made her stop in her tracks. In front of her was her fiancé's car, flames billowing from it. She froze, no this couldn't be happening, he had to be alive. She could feel the wetness of tears on her cheeks reality came back to her.
She was aware of voices calling her name as she scrambled down the embankment towards the burning car. The heat that greeted her was intense, so intense she couldn't get any closer to the car. She dropped to her knees unable to stop the tears anymore. She could hear voices and screams knowing his mother and daughter had made it but still she could not move. She knew her dress was getting ruined but that didn't matter what mattered was her fiancé had to be alive.
Today was to have been the happiest of her life, instead she was facing the worst, worse than the day her mother had been killed.
She felt water pour from above, glancing up to see fire fighters tackling the blaze from above. She was soaked, her dress definitely ruined but she didn't care. She felt arms lifting her, but not the arms she craved. She tried to wrestle out of them but the soft voice in her ear stopped her. "Kate, lets go." Espo's voice was soft, such tenderness whispering in her ear.
"No." Her voice broken but loud. She got to her feet and walked towards the now smouldering car. She needed to look but couldn't. Finally opening her eyes, she gasped. "It's empty." She was almost relieved. "He's not here." Her voice wavered, needing someone else to confirm what she had seem.
Espo appeared behind her. "She's right, there's nothing in the car."
She began looking around, expecting to see his body lying off to the side, Epso was pulling on her arm trying to get her away from the scene but she was determined. "Kate, I know you want to look for him but you're no good to anyone dressed how you are. Come on, lets get you back to the house."
Kate finally allowed herself to be taken away from the scene. Trudging back up the verge she could see Alexis and Martha, questions in their eyes but she had no answers for them. She walked past without a word towards the car. The dress weighed a tonne thanks to the water soaked into it. She couldn't believe another beautiful dress was destroyed.
The journey back to the house didn't take long but seeing it with all the decorations made her want to cry. Today should have been the happiest day of her life so far but it wasn't turning out that way. She made her way upstairs to the bedroom she and Rick shared. The room held so many memories and a new one that she had left for him to find after the ceremony. Lanie appeared behind her helping undo the dress. The dress fell to the carpet with a dull thud. She felt the softness of a warm towel wrap around her. Kates knees buckled under her causing her to land in a heap at the bottom of their bed.
"Oh Kate, what can I do for you? Lanie asked crouching down beside her.
"Find him." Her voice quiet but full of hope.
"The boys are searching and they have the Hamptons police helping." Lanie tried to move hair from Kate's face but she flinched away. "What do you need right now?"
"Nothing." Her voice small again. She stood and made her way to the ensuite where lying on the counter top was the surprise she had hoped to tell Rick that day. Guess the secret would be held for a bit longer now.