"HIDDEN FLAME" by Sarah Ryniker

STORY LAST UPDATED ON 20/05/2002

Hidden Flame Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue

CHAPTER FIVE

I needed proof that I had never hurt the girls. I had no idea what either of them was telling police and child protective services. I knew that they'd never say that I had beaten them. It was a lie and my girls were not liars. I had made sure to instil in them the ability to be as honest as possible. I would not raise a liar. There were too many in the family as it was.
    Yet I still needed proof that I could safely keep the girls. But I also needed to know exactly what was going on. I would also need proof that I had not killed Grandfather Gerald. He had been sickly and I had taken care of him. I may have wanted to kill him many times after I had met him, but things had changed. Besides, I never would have done it, anyway.
    I went to the detective's office in the early afternoon. I needed to act as confident as I didn't feel. I felt sick and weak. I felt like closing my eyes and never waking up. I also wished that I could wake up from this horrendous nightmare that I was entangled in. I often found myself willing myself to open my eyes and wake up. Then I would realise I was already awake and this was no dream.
    I had made an appointment with a Detective Fieldman. I sat quietly outside of the office that was his and waited for the cute, petite, blonde secretary to call my name. She was full of smiles and bubbles. I was sure that there was nothing but dreamy bubbles in her head. It annoyed me. How could one be so happy when life was tumbling out of control?
    Finally, she went into the office and came back out. She smiled charmingly at me. I felt an incredible urge to smack her, but instead smiled back. She looked at the papers on her desk and then she turned to me. "Are you Mrs Phoenix Weston?"
    "Yes, I am." I was trying my hardest not to sound annoyed. Yet I had a feeling the agitation in my voice had been unmistakable, for her pretty smile faltered.
    "You may go in now," she said, her voice far less peppy and high pitched than it had been before.
    I made my way into the room, shutting the door behind me. Detective Fieldman looked up. He smiled at me. "Well, this is exactly the reason I became a detective in the first place," he remarked.
    I didn't smile as I made my way to the big brown leather chair sitting in front of his big mahogany desk. "And why is that, Detective?" I asked, sitting down.
    "Well, now I can be like those detectives in the movies. You know, the ones that have to help out the gorgeous lady that comes into their office begging for help." He flashed his debonair, movie star smile.
    I simply rolled my eyes. "I have no intention of begging you for help. Either you will help me or you will not. I suppose it would be up to you." I met his eyes dead on, letting him know I was very serious about this. "And please, Detective, do not help me because I have nice long legs or big breasts." I flashed my own smile, but it held no humour, only irritation.
    His own smile never faltered, however. "Boy, you're a sassy one, aren't you?"
    "I'm here to do important business, Detective Fieldman. My girls were taken from me because I supposedly beat them and sent them to a psychiatrist that molests his patients. My grandfather's death is now suddenly being looked at as a homicide and I have done nothing but mourn my own husband's passing this past January," I said, getting straight to business.
    "You deny the charges against you, then?" he asked, writing something down. He looked back up at me, his eyes a steely grey-blue that seemed to be able to go from humour to seriousness in two seconds flat. I was grateful for that.
    I nodded. "Of course I do. I would never harm my girls. Never. And as for my grandfather, there were times when I had wanted to just strangle him when I first met him but things changed and I came to love him dearly. I would have no reason to kill him. But my 'cousin'-" I used my fingers to make quotation marks in the air "-Joshua Hensely is out for money. That I do know. Since I didn't give him what he wanted, he has to go and try to ruin my life to get his hands on it."
    He looked thoughtful. "Were there any markings on either of your daughters that proved that you ever beat them?"
    I shook my head. "If there were any bruises or anything on either of the girls it wasn't even done by me. I would never do that. I was often beat by my father when I was a child."
    "That could go against you in court, Mrs Weston. Often people who were abused as children abuse their own without thinking," he said regretfully.
    "I did not touch my girls!" I cried, rising to my feet. "I would never hurt them! They are my world! They are all I have left since my husband died four months ago."
    He nodded. "How was your husband killed?" I looked at him confused. What did that have to do with anything? "Let me rephrase. What I mean is, is there any way they can accuse you of killing your husband?"
    I shook my head. "No, there is no way. He walked into a bank and was shot when someone robbing it got spooked and shot him."
    "Okay, that's good. This should be pretty simple. As long as there is no way possible that it can be proven that you killed your grandfather, whether or not you did it." He looked me in the eyes seriously. Before I could defend myself, he quickly put his hand up. "I believe you, Mrs Weston. I don't believe that you would harm your girls. Don't ask why I know, I just have a feeling that you aren't like that."
    I relaxed a bit and sat back down. "What can be done about these charges, though? How can I get my life back?"
    "Well, you're going to have to talk to Child Protective Services about getting the girls back. You'll probably need a lawyer, too, so you can fight it. I can only tell you that the chances of you getting your girls back are fifty-fifty. You could get them back, you could not." He wrote something down again and proceeded to type it.
    "Now what about the charges against murdering my grandfather? There is no way. There were witnesses to his death!" It was absurd that I would be accused of murder to a man that died in front of three other people's eyes.
    "Poison, my dear. If anyone can prove that you had your fingers on any kind of poison at the time, you'll be thrown into prison." He continued to type at the computer.
    I shook my head, frustration causing my head to ache. "I just don't understand why anyone would want me to be dead if they are just trying to throw me into prison for murdering my grandfather. It's all so confusing."
    "Killing you is probably a backup plan if this one fails. They know that it more than likely will, so they have other plans to just get rid of you." Then he looked confused. "When did anyone say anything about killing you?"
    "Last night at Doctor Calvin's home somebody threw a brick through his window that threatened him. It wasn't signed." I rummaged through my purse. "I have it in here somewhere."
    He watched me as I looked for the slip of paper that had my death warrant on it. The note burned my fingers every time I touched it. Fear burned up my throat and felt like throwing up if I looked down at it. Finally, I found the tiny folded up slip and handed it to him.
    He took it from my hands and read it over and over. "Well, that is a rather, hmm, interesting letter. Mrs Weston, I'd leave the doctor's home if I were you. I wouldn't trust anyone that was in your life at the same time the girls were taken from you."
    "But I have nowhere to go! Josh has made sure that I cannot go into my own home and all of my funds are frozen. I have no money, no clothes of my own; I have nothing! Where am I supposed to stay?" I was getting scared now. I was supposed to suspect even Dr Calvin? But I was positive that he had nothing to do with this.
    "And your cousin Josh did all of this?" he asked.
    I nodded. "Yes! He's making my life a living Hell!"
    "Well, if your grandfather's will says that everything he owned went to you, then Josh can do nothing. I wonder how he is making all of this possible. What exactly does your grandfather's will say?" He seemed to get more and more confused as my story went on.
    "Well, it says that only his children and grandchildren will get any of it. I have it all because his daughter Jenny killed herself and my other aunt only wanted a little bit of money because she didn't want to have anything to do with the rich life," I explained quickly.
    He shook his head in confusion. "There has to be some blood connection between himself and your grandfather, then. Only that way could he get his hands on the lands and money. And with the charges against you, he would get it all after confessing and proving his relation."
    "But how can he be anything to my grandfather? I just don't understand!" I cried. I felt like breaking down and letting the tears that were building behind my eyes free. But I didn't.
    "We will figure it out, Phoenix. In the long run, just keep a close eye on your doctor," he warned and then looked back at the computer and began to print something out. "We'll meet again tomorrow. Meet me out front of the building. Say nothing to Doctor Calvin about where you're really going."
    I left even more confused than when I had gone in there. Why was he warning me about Dr Calvin? Dr Calvin had nothing to do with this. He had been a friend who had helped me out. It made me angry that the detective didn't even know him and was telling me to be careful around him. I decided not to tell Dr Calvin what really went on with the detective, but not because of what the detective told me.
    I was shocked to walk into an empty house. Alec had supposedly left a mere five minutes after me. I didn't ask questions, though for some reason it did raise them. I shook my head in disgust with myself. I wouldn't let that stupid detective put things into my head. I would simply use him to get my girls back and get the charges against me dropped. Other than that, I would have no reason to talk to him. I already had a feeling he was only going to cause more drama and trouble. And that was something that I definitely didn't need.
    I simply sat down into the dining room and ate a small lunch. I finished it quickly and decided to take a nap. The past days had taken such a toll on me. My body was so weak feeling. All of the emotional strain had me tired all of the time.
    I was making my way up the stairs when I heard the loud thump above me. My eyes immediately went to the ceiling. Another loud thump, followed by three more and then all was quiet. I didn't know what was going on but I definitely wanted to find out. Maybe I was too curious for my own good. I walked slowly to the door at the end of the hall that led to a stairway Alec had told me led to the attic. He had told me that nobody had been in the attic for years. That's why the noise had me a bit shaken. I had always been one to believe in ghosts and this house was incredibly old.
    I got to the door but when I tried the knob it was locked. I didn't want to just leave it at that, however. I cursed silently, and looked around for something to pick the lock. I hadn't really expected to find anything but I found what looked like a little girl's barrette on the floor. I picked it up and studied it, confused. Alec didn't have any children, so where had it come from? What bothered me was how familiar the barrette looked. It looked just like one of Kit's favourites.
    I looked at the door suspiciously and then walked back to it. I kept trying the door over and over again. Yet no matter how I yanked on the door I couldn't break it open. I didn't know why I felt so frantic to open it now, but there was a primal need to do so.
    I didn't want to give up, but I had no choice. I shoved the barrette into the small pocket in my skirt. Just as I turned to leave, I heard somebody fumbling with the lock. I turned around just as it opened. To my surprise Alec stood there, looking pale and sick. I was confused. I didn't have a clue anymore as to what was going on. My life had never been turned this much upside down! "What's going on, Alec?" I demanded. "Why were you up in the attic with this door locked?"
    "I don't know," he said, looking confused. He was sweating and holding his hand to his head as if he were dizzy. "Somebody tried to lock me up there. I was leaving the house and I was knocked over the head. I just woke up in the attic. There was another note by me."
    I went quickly to him. And put my hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right? Where is the note?"
    He nodded and shoved his hand in his pocket. He pulled out the crumpled note and handed it to me. "I'm sorry, Phoenix. I just don't understand what's going on! I want to help you, but it is getting dangerous."
    "I told you I'd leave," I said absentmindedly as I read the note. "I wasn't lying. I'll find somewhere else to stay."
    "No, don't leave. I want you to stay here. Only leave if it gets any worse." I just simply nodded. I kept reading the words on the note over and over again.

Dear Dr Calvin,
    You are really signing your own death warrant. You need to back off and let us deal with her.

The note was confusing to me. It made it sound as if Dr Calvin were trying to deal with me. I decided then to listen to the detective. I also decided that I was definitely staying. Yet I didn't know if I could trust Alec or not. It hurt to think that he had been my friend through this, my only friend. I couldn't just distrust him now, could I?
    But then a voice inside of me was warning me not to trust him. Remember Mitch, Phoenix? I heard my mind saying to me. Remember how you trusted him for so long? Enough to fall in love with him? Look what happened there!
    I felt a chill run down my spine. Trust was a big deal to me. But living and being with my girls was an even bigger deal. From that moment on, I would trust no one.

Hidden Flame Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Epilogue

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