CHAPTER TWO

Waking with a start Tori looked about her surroundings in confusion. Slowly her memory kicked in and she recalled the move back to The Cove and the previous day’s storm. Glancing at the stack of boxes that were serving as a substitute bed side table, she saw that the power was still out as the blank screen of her digital alarm clock stared back at her.

Wrinkling her nose she got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Pleased that she had the fore sight to purchase hand sanitizer she quickly used the bathroom and cleansed her hands and face.  Pulling her hair up into a pony tail she returned to her room to change into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Debating about making a run into the nearby town of Sonny’s Point for breakfast she opened the front door to access the damage from the storm and screamed.

Stretched out on her front bridge was the body of a girl. There was no mistaking her for anything but dead as her flesh had been torn from her mid section and her ribs broken open, exposing her innards which were strewn about like macabre decorations amongst the debris of leaves and broken branches. Her pale yellow hair waved in the wind and her colourless eyes peered up at Tori accusingly.

Horrified she stepped backward so fast that she fell on her ass but she kept scrambling back into the house, her eyes never leaving the blank ones of the corpse. Outside she could hear the crunch of tires on the gravel and was immediately relieved that she was no longer alone.

Still in shock she could hear her name being called and was vaguely aware that Alec was on the steps of her bridge telling her to call the police but all she could do was stare at those empty eyes...

***

“Here; drink this. It’ll help” instructed Alec as he passed her a steaming mug of whiskey laced tea.

“Did you know her?” she asked as she held the mug with both hands.

Alec raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing until she took a sip of the tea.

 “You’ve been gone too long! The Cove’s a small community and there’s no escaping everyone knowing who you are, what you’re up to or who you’re doing! Or at least those were the reasons a certain someone; who shall remain nameless; gave to me when she drove off to the big city.” Tori shifted her weight uncomfortably and took another mouthful of the tea. Alec meanwhile continued on “To answer your question; yes I knew her. Her name is or rather her name was Hattie Bedo. Her father was in our class...”

“She’s Harry’s daughter?” said Tori in disbelief.

“Prefers to be called Harold nowadays” commented Alec with a snort.

“But she’s at least twelve years old!” she exclaimed, finding it difficult to comprehend that someone would sleep with Harry Bedo let alone create a child with him.  “She would have been born when we were 18!”

“Hattie was a graduation present for him and Shelly Bennett. They got married ‘bout a month after you left town” explained Alec running his fingers through his hair absently.  “She’s in my class...needed to work on her grammar but otherwise a solid B student.” His voice cracked at the end betraying his calm exterior for the turmoil going on within.

“I’m sorry...”she said and leaned her head on his shoulder while yet another cop walked past her and into the kitchen where the others had gathered around the coffee Alec set out for them.

Alec opened his mouth to say something but the Constable in charge of the scene interrupted him. “Ms. Whitfield? Could you come with me please? I have some questions I’d like you to answer.”

Tori felt her stomach lurch as the phrase echoed in her head. “Just like last time...No! This is different! I have to talk about the girl...not what happened to me...”she argued with herself but said the following aloud to  Constable Benoit “But I already told you what happened...What more could you possibly want to know?”

“This way please” he indicated the dining room.

Getting to her feet took all the effort Tori could muster; she felt heavy and ill at ease. Alec gave her shoulder a squeeze of encouragement and she had to fight the urge to cling to him and refuse to go with the constable. That however was not an option. Giving Alec a wan smile she started to walk towards the dining room area.

“I’ll just wait right here for you” said Alec to her, though Tori could have sworn that it was directed to the Constable.

“You do that” said the Constable while exchanging glares with Alec.

Glancing back and forth between the two men Tori wondered what the story was between them. To the best of her knowledge, there was no one who could behold a grudge against Alec....he was just too sweet and kind....though the look he was currently giving the Constable was anything but sweet or kind. Suddenly another cop came into the house “There’s another one! Just down the road! We got to get over there!”

The cops in the kitchen were already filing out while the Constable at her side turned to her and said “We will continue this later. Excuse me.”

Just as Tori was about to breathe a sigh of relief the Constable came back in “And Ms. Whitfield? We need you to vacate the premises. It’s our crime scene now. An officer will escort you out after you gather a few things”.

Head now pounding with a vicious headache, Tori felt the tears start to come on and she wanted to drop through the floor. Crying in public was about the most embarrassing thing she could do...if given a choice between crying in front of others or being naked she would choose the latter. Her body she was comfortable with...her emotions? Not so much.

Moving as fast as she could without running; Tori breezed past Alec to go upstairs to her room to begin packing. As she tossed shirts, pants and various other articles of clothing into a duffle bag she could hear Alec arguing with someone downstairs.  She wandered over to the bathroom and caught a few snippets of the words being exchanged.

“Why should she have to go? It’s only the front...if she just went out the back...”said Alec heatedly.

“I don’t make the rules Alec! I just enforce them and if Benoit wants her out then she has to get out” said a voice Tori didn’t recognize but given the content of what he said, she assumed it was the officer she was told to expect.

“And go where?” demanded Alec. “The roads are washed out!”

“Got a couch; don’t you?” said the other man.

She moved back into the bed room and tossed her toiletry bag in with her clothes. Everything was just so overwhelming! And now to top it off she knew Alec was going to ask her to stay at his place...he had feelings for her...then again that was nothing new, she ignored it in elementary school and for most of high school too but now she could no longer feign ignorance.

The burning question that was hanging in the air between them had more to do with her and how she felt about him. Looking into the dresser mirror she met her own leery gaze and decided that the answer could wait until after she dealt with the current crisis. With a curt nod of self approval she hoisted her bag and made her way down the stairs.

She was a surprisingly three quarters of the way down before Alec spoke up and inquired about her staying with him for the next few days. She responded in the expected manner of mingled surprise and gratitude while mentally she wondered what she was getting herself into...