The Broken Ones: Chapter Four

Chapter Four: Complicated

(Sarah)
"And as you can see, the previous owner was less than adventurous with the colour scheme!"
"Y-yeah!" Adam half-heartedly chuckled, he looked nervous. His eyes never stayed still, always flicking from side to side and up and down. I was actually pleasantly surprised when, after about two weeks, Adam contacted me to re-schedule our appointment. And luckily for him, the cottage was yet to be snapped up. It was perfect for a single man living here at the bay. He seemed interested, although his edginess hid how he was feeling well. 

"And this is the bedroom!" I gestured with my hand, he looked inside rather non enthused and nodded.
"Y-yeah, looks...perfect!" He turned to me and smiled with a sparkle in his baby blues on the word perfect. Then he shook his head, as if to clear it, and said "Right!"

"Well, Mrs Wallace you have a sale!" I blinked at him, not quite sure what had changed, "I'll take it!" He nodded, patted me awkwardly on the shoulder, and left me standing in shock.

(Adam)
Same town, different location, same scenario! I stood in my newly acquired cottage surrounded by boxes. After my chat with Sarah's brother, I decided I was sticking around, for the simple reason that I arrived here in Brindleton Bay hoping to solve a mystery for one grieving widow...and ended up with more questions for myself! Like how the hell did Mark Caldwell, a detective, wind up in my flashbacks? Was it simply because I had met him, and I was mixing dreams and reality? Or did I actually see him on the night I killed Sarah's husband?

I'd promised Sarah and Una that I'd invite them over for a housewarming drink once I settled in properly. Yeah I was that stupid! But for a grieving recluse widow, Sarah seemed keen on the idea, much to Una's surprise.

So I had to get started on these boxes, and get myself some decent furniture too! I felt like we all needed this, an escape, and some good chat! All three of us had experienced loss in some capacity, one of us more than the others! And being responsible for that loss, I really did feel out of place in our potential trio. Being around Sarah was hard for me, knowing what I'd done, knowing that this beautiful young woman would soon hate me...

...I couldn't bear it! I knew that the truth would set us all free, but that I'd lose her and probably all the friends I'd made since I got here once I came clean. Karen had known John and his family, I'd asked her about him one day at work. She was more than happy to tell me what she knew.

She had smiled sadly, "He was my paper boy when he was 13!" She reminisced, "He was cheeky, always late, and always being led astray by Marky!" As in the detective? I raised an eyebrow at her and she smirked. "He and Mark were as thick as thieves from first year of Brindleton Bay Academy!" Were they really?

"Hit Marky hard, John's death! And the fact that he could do nothing about it, his family tie prevented him from having anything to do with the case! They caught him rifling through the evidence box though and he got suspended! He was based here mostly and filled in at the San Myshuno station three days a week. That all stopped when he was caught!" Did he really?
"Oh, well I guess he just wanted justice for his friend, and for his sister's husband!" Karen nodded.
"Yes, I suppose. But Mark was obsessed, he was constantly in his co-worker's faces, interrogating them like they were suspects. He just wanted John's killer to be found!" I swallowed hard, when I'd been out with Mark that night, he didn't seem suspicious of me. He didn't seem to see me as a suspect, more of a threat to his sister.

I was still feeling uneasy over my "vision" of Mark at the karaoke bar in San Myshuno. "Karen, do you happen to have any...um...old information regarding John's case?" Karen nodded solemnly and went into her office.

She came back out with a box much like my ads one, and placed it on the desk. "Knock yourself out hun." She sighed, "But I doubt you'll find anything that we didn't. It's still open, but the police aren't interested anymore!"
"It's only been seven months!" I frowned, and she sighed again.
"You see hun, things work differently around here. And because San Myshuno police are a large station with limited staff, cases come and go unsolved all the time! The boys from the city did their digging for a while but...well it just petered out!" I thought about Sarah, how heartbreaking it must be to not have any closure.

I could end her suffering with three little words, "I did it!", but I was a coward! I was selfish and thinking of only myself! I wasn't ready to lose Sarah as a friend, even though I was going to hurt her so much more by worming my way into her life...yeah I was a piece of fucking work alright!

(Sarah)
Una had fussed with her cleavage so many times as we sat in Adam's living room, she had already resided herself to being friend zoned, but when he invited us both to his new home she saw another opportunity open up for her.

Adam came in with a bottle of wine and three glasses, he sat them down on the coffee table and mumbled nervously to himself. Then he looked at me and said, "So, I wanted to thank you Sarah, for helping me find a house. This is...well it's exactly what I wanted!" I blushed, I was so pleased he liked it. It was my job, I did it all the time, but this one was special!

"Oh you're very welcome! I'm just glad you got back in touch before it was snapped up!" I replied, trying to sound as neutral as I could. Una gave me a dirty look and then started chatting to Adam.
"So, Adam!" He gave her a startled look, "Tell us why a handsome guy like you is single!" Oh my God Una!!! I couldn't believe she'd said it!

"Well...um..." He cleared his throat and poured the wine, almost spilling it with a trembling hand.
"Una, that's...none of our business!" I muttered and kicked her.
"OW!" She wailed, "Sarah God damn..."
"I was engaged!" Adam announced, "But I caught her in bed with my best friend!" Una's mouth gaped open, and I kicked her again. "So, um...once bitten and all that!" He shrugged sitting opposite us. He looked sad, my heart went out to him, at least I was John's one and only. Leaving me through no fault of his own was bad enough, I don't think I could have handled him leaving me for someone else...or being with someone behind my back!

"I'm sorry Adam!" I answered him sincerely, "It's her loss!" He smiled at me then, and I could tell he was fighting back a tear or two.
"Thank you!" He replied, almost a whisper. I could see a devilish look on Una's face.

She was going to glue all his broken bits back together, well at least that look on her face inferred such. She was looking at Adam as a little pet project! And suddenly I felt the need to protect him from her, to stop her from trying to benefit from his heartbreak!

Una was not happy with me, all day at work she scowled at me. The reason being that I'd stayed all night with her and Adam, she'd given me hint after hint, but I remained until my eyelids were drooping and she'd finally given up! Thom could sense the atmosphere and avoided us all day, Grant on the other hand...not so much! He was so far up his own arse, he couldn't see anything that didn't involve him!

Grant Webster and Thomas Baird owned the estate agents where Una and I worked. Thom was kind and thoughtful, whereas Grant would give Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother a run for his money in the sleaze department...and then some! He loved himself, and he loved to be with a different woman every night. He had always liked me, in an unhealthy way, but Thom managed to keep him at bay, plus John would have had him castrated if he tried anything. He had, however, had his way with Una way back when she started working there.

Una gave me a dirty look when Thom asked us "Everything okay ladies?"
"Ask her!" Una grunted, really? Such playground stuff!

"Everything is a-okay Thom!" I smiled faintly and then frowned at Una.
When he'd left I asked her, "Okay Una what the hell is this all about?"

"Didn't you get my signals last night?" I smirked, then cleared my throat, trying to conceal the grin that threatened to spread across my face.
"What are you talking..." I didn't get to finish.
"I was hinting like mad for you to leave me and Adam to it!"
"Oh!" I bit my lip, it was getting harder to hide how amused I was.
"Yeah Sarah, oh! I was in there!" In your dreams!

"The poor guy is obviously not looking for a relationship at the moment! You heard him, he's been hurt badly and..." Again I didn't get to finish.
"Who said anything about a relationship? I don't mind being his fuck buddy until he realises I'm a keeper!" She shrugged and smiled to herself. She was seriously dreaming! Adam wasn't like that and she knew it first hand! My God she was deluded!

"Una he spurned you once, take the hint! Adam isn't a casual sex kind of guy!" Una's big brown eyes blinked at me in surprise.
"Are you...are you jealous?" Where was she getting this crap???
"No I..."
"You are, oh my gosh Sarah you fancy him!" She laughed. No, no I didn't! Did I?

"Don't be ridiculous!" I huffed, "I just don't want things to be awkward between you two and have me in the middle. You're my friend, and he is...a potential friend! Just be careful!" She shook her head, still smiling at me, she was not convinced.

And as I left her sipping her coffee and smiling at my back...neither was I!

(Adam)
Since Karen had given me the box of clippings and information regarding John Wallace's death, I was obsessed! In between writing the ads for the paper, I delved into that box whenever I could. Stevie Crawford, Karen's top girl, was giving me the eye again. I wasn't sure if it was because she saw me as a threat or...

"What is it with you and the John Wallace case?" She called to me, eyeing me curiously. I shrugged, not looking up from the article I was reading.
"Just curious!" I answered her briefly. She came over to my desk and stood over me.
"Well you'll get nothing in there!" She began rifling through the box casually. I gave her a stern look, one that meant leave me alone, but she just sighed and continued to brazenly rummage.

Finally I spoke, "Stevie do you mind?" She screwed up her eyes at me and replied,
"If you're really interested in John's death, which I find really creepy FYI, then don't waste your time on Karen's articles!" This time I gave her a curious look as she turned her back to me and added, "Try Alison, his sister!"

Sister? And then I remembered the obit, loving brother! It was worth a shot. Why was I doing this? Why was I investigating myself? It was because I wanted closure for all of us, and since that night, and having no memory of it...

...I needed this more than Sarah!

To Be Continued...

Previous Chapters:
The Broken Ones