“Oh, Julian! Hello! Julian, wait!” I hear them open the gate to the front yard and debate the pros and cons of staying on course to Maris’. On the pros list there is the fact that I’ll be alone with her again and this time I’ll be free to touch her. She might even confess what she did last night if I’m lucky. The cons though, whoever this local is yelling at me will notice where I’m going and that’s going to lead to questions and questions bring attention. I need neither of them in Vesper Point because the biggest on my current list of secrets is, I buried a man for her in a graveyard last night and I really don’t fucking need any extra attention.
In the end cons wins and I stop in the yard and turn to face the human waving at me like I don’t see them. The only person that knows I’m here is Aubrey but this isn’t her, and I don’t think the staff from the hospital would be so brave as to track me down like this, so who the fuck is it? I look them over, it’s awoman, older, around her seventies with gray and silver hair, a teal dress with a big bow on the shoulder that looks more suited to an eighties soap opera than everyday attire. Cream heels and a clutch round out the look. What is this woman doing here so dressed up?
I raise my hand in greeting and walk to meet them when they come tottering off the sidewalk and into the grass with their heels. When she gets closer, I see a full face of makeup on the woman. She must have been a beauty in her day, but now the makeup is…garish at best. The eyeshadow matches her dress and it’s thick, the teal pigment settling into her wrinkles like a bruise. Bright pink lipstick highlights the fact that age has long stolen the collagen and left her with more of a slash. Gaunt cheeks sport a rosy blush that makes her look like she’s just run a mile, not walked the two hundred feet from the shiny Mercedes I see parked in front of the house.
“Oh, I'm so glad I caught you!”
“How can I help you?” I ask her, plastering a friendly smile on my face. “Miss….?” I opt for Miss, letting her think I believe the mask she’s tried to paint on her face. I’ll play into whatever game it is that she’s playing. Whatever she’s doing here, she’s doing it in the spirit of a younger woman. That has my guard up. Women only do that with me when they want one of two things: drugs or me. More often than not, they want both. I shift the bag on my shoulder closer. Drugs would make sense, maybe she’s an addict and thought she’d come try her luck with the new hapless doctor who doesn’t know her history.
The woman smacks her forehead with a hand that sparkles in the sun. There’s a ring on every finger and a diamond tennis bracelet slides down her forearm when she moves. Hmmm, maybe not drugs then. The jewelry looks real. The sparkling sapphire ring on her pointer finger alone is worth fifty thousand. If she wanted drugs she could find a connection no problem.
“Where are my manners? I’m Mrs. Owens! Well, I mean, my sister was Mrs. Owens, I’m a Bernaden now, but my husband is gone and my sister is long since passed, god rest her soul,” she says, making a cross and giving me a sunny smile, “I help the kids run this place. It’s easier to think of me as Mrs. Owens when explaining the whole history to newcomers. This is Owens’ House, you know how it is,” she tells me like I have any clue why this woman is claiming her dead sister’s name. “And my nieces and nephews, well they’ve moved out of town, and left me as the caretaker, you see. I run this place with my daughter, Jane.”
I nod because I’m supposed to. “I see. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs.” I don’t miss the way she leans forward, waiting to hear what I call her. Part of me thinks of calling her Bernaden just to watch her squirm but I don’t have the time for it today. “Owens,” I finish and she all but claps her hands when hearing it.
“The pleasure is all mine, Julian. I spoke to your assistant Aubrey, which oh my gosh, what a delight she is. Such a sweet girl, sharp as a tack too, never let that assistant get away. Good help is hard to find these days.”
I nod again. It’s easier than speaking.
“Aubrey let me know you were all settled in. I hope everything in the house was to your liking?”
“It is. Thank you, I do appreciate whoever did the shopping.” Even if I didn’t need food to survive, it was easy to see whoever had shopped had gone all out to make sure only the best was in the house. I hadn’t expected to find cheese from France or fresh baked bread, there was even a box of chocolate wrapped with a thick red velveteen bow that reminded me of Christmas. I had hardly needed to supplement the food at all with my own shopping to make my stay believable.
“Oh my daughter Jane arranged that. She’s quite the connoisseur, she will be pleased you’re enjoying it!”
“Give Jane my thanks,” I say and glance over at Maris’ house. I wonder if she’s watching me. If she is, I have no doubt she’ll know this woman. I wonder what Maris thinks of her and her daughter Jane. I scan the windows and sure enough I see movement in the kitchen window. There and gone in the blink of an eye.
She doesn’t want me to know she’s watching. The thought brings a smile to my face. Sweet Maris, she’s got a lot to learn when it comes to hunting and spying. I’m sure Aubrey would call it stalking if she knew what I was up to but that’s human sensibilities for you.
“Why, I bet she would bring a few extras for you while you’re a guest in our home.”
That snaps my ass back to reality real quick.
I shake my head. “That’s not necessary. I wouldn’t want to trouble your daughter. You’ve already been such gracious hosts. I couldn’t impose.”
She waves her hands at me, jewels sparkle and bony knuckles clench. “It’s no trouble at all, dear!” She trills and takes an uneven step towards me. “Why, I was coming here to invite you for dinner so it’s really no trouble at all, none. I said to myself, Jennifer, you simplycannotallow that young dashing doctor to suffer in solitude at the old family home. There’s so few in town that are your age you see and hardly any at all that are unattached.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“That’s because you’re newly arrived. You’ll see there’s not many eligible bachelorettes suitable to catch your eye but never worry, Jane is the perfect lady.”
My eye twitches when she says perfect lady. If this desperate woman notices, she doesn’t let on, and I know why. It’s because she doesn’t want to see it. Humans are simple, they’ll lie to themselves even when the truth is right in front of them. Shedesperately wants me to accept her dinner invitation to fall in love with her daughter. I could let how I feel show on my face, could spell it out for her with a deranged song and dance and she’d make an excuse for me. Delusional to the core humans are.
“She sounds…pleasant.” I glance back at the house again. Maris is no doubt starting to talk herself out of letting me back in the house. The longer I’m away from her the smaller my window to worm my way into her life gets.
I clear my throat. “Mrs. Owens, it was great meeting you. I wish I could stand here all day and talk but unfortunately I’ve got to get a move on. I’m expected somewhere. Thank you for coming by.”
I don’t say where I’m going and I don’t plan on it.
Mrs. Owens looks past me to Maris’ house and her lip curls. I notice that. I’m not a human ready to make excuses. Surprise, surprise, she doesn’t like Maris.
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really.” I take a step away, ready to turn my back on her and walk away. It’s not like she can do anything to me. I’m paid up for six months. She’d be an idiot to try something just because I don’t want to stand around letting her talk at me. Even if she did try something, Aubrey would be all too happy to bring in the lawyers. For better or worse, I’m exactly where I want to be for the next six months, more than enough time to have Maris.
“Have a good afternoon, Mrs. Owens. Thank you again for coming by.”
“Her parents are dead.” She crosses her arms and huffs. I’m hardly a step away when she speaks. “She’s a murderer you know. She killed poor Mike Sheep and everyone knows it.”
