Derailed (13 page)

“Yes, Ritchie?”

I reach for her and take her in my arms. “Just five more days, then you can relax, okay?”

With a nod, she buries her face into my chest. As I hold her, I feel her anxiousness.

I wish I could do more to protect her. I wish there was some way I could gag her kids so that they say nothing to their father about us and ruin Rival’s chances of obtaining custody, but I can’t. And that makes me feel helpless.

Five more days.

Random Seduction Tip

Seduction requires rhythm. At times you come across as soft and gentle, avoiding eye-contact and using indirect words. You speak ambiguously or use silence to add to your mystery and magnetism. Other times, you must engage in direct eye-contact, speak forcefully and take complete charge. You will even touch your mark, to his surprise. This hot and cold technique is necessary to add to your allure. It keeps your mark unbalanced, slightly confused, but most of all, it keeps your mark thinking about you long after you have exited the room.

RIVAL

It is the eve of my court date, and so far, the kids have managed to keep my secret. So far. If they can keep it for another couple of hours, I could sail through my hearing and realize a dream.
Please God…

The kids and I enter the house to find the front door ajar. Scarlett is nowhere in sight.
Strange
. I look around for her, and eventually find her in the main bedroom, sitting with her head on her knees. Curious, I push open the door and enter. Something’s wrong.

“The front door was wide open,” I say with a frown.

When she raises her face to look at me, I’m taken aback at the black streaks running down her face, her bulbous nose, and her red-rimmed eyes. Never have I seen her look like this – less than perfect.

“Don’t let the kids come in,” she says. “I don’t want them to see me like this.”

I quickly shut the bedroom door and turn to her. “What’s wrong?” 

“As if you don’t know,” she says in a watery voice.

“I don’t know, Scarlett.”

She looks up at me and dabs a tissue on her wet cheek. “You can gloat now.”

“’Bout what?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know. He must have told you.”

“Scarlett, I don’t know. What the fuck is going on?”

“Bradley is leaving me.” A fresh batch of tears run down her cheeks.

“Wha…?”

“You’ve succeeded. You’ve destroyed us. You’ve stolen my book, you wormed your way back into Bradley’s heart, and now I have lost everything.” Her head falls forward and her body heaves with sobs.

I scratch my head, at a loss for words.

“You can move b…back in, ’cause he’s asked me to leave,” she says. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Running my thumbnail across my brow, I stare at her, befuddled. Can this be happening? Could my court date tomorrow have impacted on Bradley in such a way that he’s actually prepared to leave Scarlett and brave scandal?

“I…I…don’t know what to say, Scarlett.”

Her response is to blow her nose on some tissues. “I’m supposed to be taking the kids to see
Shaun the Sheep
, but I’m too upset to drive. Do you want to take them?”

“Um…sure.”

She reaches for her purse and fishes out three tickets. “Bought these a while ago.”

I nod as I take them from her. “Sure.” It’s a treat to be able to take my kids to the movies anyway. When I look at the ticket, I gasp. “4 p.m.!”

She nods. “You have to hurry.”

“Okay!” I throw open the bedroom door and yell, “Phoebe, Holly! Come quick. We’re going to the movies. Hurry, it starts in less than ten minutes.” I spend the next few minutes rounding up the kids and their jackets. Within minutes, we’re racing out of the house and into the car.

“Hurry!” I say as we get out of the car and race toward the cinema, where I present my tickets.

“Ma’am, these are three
children’s
tickets,” the usher says after she looks at them. “You need one
adult
and two children’s tickets.”

“Shit!”

“Language, Mum,” Holly scolds.

“Sorry,” I say, and with a chuckle, rush to the counter to purchase an adult ticket. “Stupid Scarlett,” I mutter as I turn off my phone and settle in with my precious girls.

Luckily, we only miss five minutes of the movie. But my kids are so thrilled to be sitting next to me watching a movie that none of us mind.

Of course, I am distracted by my conversation with Scarlett. Could Bradley really be leaving her? After he won a seat in Parliament and is on the way to become prime minister? As I think about it, I become more and more bothered by Scarlett’s words, her tears, and with what the future holds for…
all
of us, really.

We are about forty-five minutes into the movie when a number of ushers bearing flashlights swarm the cinema. Seems like they are searching for something. Or someone.

Suddenly, Holly screams. I turn to see her being lifted from behind and pulled away from me. Horrified, I jump to my feet and spin around. A man I have never seen before snatches my daughter. “What the hell are you doing?” I scream as I grab hold of Holly’s legs. He pulls, and I pull back, while Holly screams in terror.  

Then Phoebe screams. I look at her, and to my horror, another man from behind us is lifting her too. My kids are being kidnapped by two men!

Distracted by Phoebe’s scream, I slacken my grip on Holly, which allows the man to run off with her.

Shocked, I try to save Phoebe, but the man behind us is too strong, and he too runs off with Phoebe in his arms.

Feeling like I’m in a horror movie, I scurry out of my aisle to chase after the men. “Help me!” I scream. “Help!” What is most confusing is that the ushers do nothing to help me. 

Suddenly lights flood the cinema, blinding me. I blink rapidly, focus, and it is then that I see the cops. About twenty of them have surrounded me, preventing me from running after my children. One of them grabs my bag from me and starts going through it while the other cop shoves me against the cinema wall.

“What the hell is going on?” I scream. “Where are my babies?”

“Where’s the knife?” the cop asks, stepping back and making way for a female officer.  

“What knife?” I ask the female officer frisking me.

“The one you stabbed Mrs. Murdoch with?”

“What? Stabbed? Are you fucking crazy?”

“Got it!” someone shouts. “It was in her bag.”

I turn my head around and watch him hold up a small knife.

“That’s not mine!” I say.

“Rival Murdoch, you’re being arrested for kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon…”

“What? Who did I kidnap? Who did I assault with a deadly weapon?”

“For starters, you’ve kidnapped your kids. Not to mention the assault with a deadly weapon on Mrs. Murdoch. Turn around and put your hands behind your –”

“What assault? Mrs. Murdoch? Scarlett?”

I take too long, so he spins me around slaps handcuffs on me.

“She said I
assaulted
her?”

“She did. Those were serious cuts you gave her.”

At a total loss for words, I can only stare at the arresting officer. Scarlett set me up. One day before my court date, she has me arrested. One day before my court date.

My shoulders sag as the cops lead me away, out of the cinema and into the back of a cop van.
Scarlett
…

Chapter Ten

RITCHIE

I’m with a client when I get Arena’s call. At first, I let it go to voicemail. When Arena calls again, I become a little concerned.

I excuse myself, step out of my client’s office, and call my sister.

“Ritchie!” Just one word, but I hear the panic in Arena’s voice.

“Arena, what’s wr –”

“Ritchie, do you know where Rival is?”

“No, why?”

“Ritchie, she stabbed Scarlett and kidnapped the –”

“What?”

“– kids and ran off! Bradley’s just called looking for her.”

“You’re kidding me!”

“Nobody can get a hold of her, and the cops, they’ve got an APB out on her.”

“Oh fuck! Okay, okay, let me try reaching her.” I hang up and quickly dial Rival. Voicemail. I try her again and again. All I get is her voicemail.

I text her.
Babe call me right away.

She doesn’t respond to my dozen or so calls and texts.

I don’t know what to do. Kidnapping and stabbing. That’s huge. Why would she do something like that the day before she’s due to appear in court? Could she have flipped? Could Bradley have changed his mind about supporting her in court?

Just then Bradley calls. I answer on the first ring. “Bradley, what’s going –”

“Big, I’m in Queensland. I need you to go over to my place and check up on things, please.” His voice is strained, but controlled. 

“I’m on my way.” I hang up and race off to Bradley’s. Along the way, I constantly call Rival and text her.

Bradley’s house is surrounded by cops, who refuse to let me in. Luckily, Scarlett
instructs
the cops to allow me in.

When I see the huge bandage across her forehead and the one on her hand, my heart sinks. 

“What’s going on, Scarlett?”

“She took the kids, Ritchie,” Scarlett says in a wavering voice. “She said…she said she was going to kill them! She threatened to burn down my house, Ritchie.” She bursts into tears. “I was so scared, Ritchie.”

“Okay, okay, calm down, Scarlett. Tell me what happened from the beginning.”

“Well, I was home, and she was dropping off the kids. She seemed really spaced out, and I questioned her about it. Then she became really angry, grabbed a knife and came at me. She went nuts – started slashing at me. She managed to cut me here.” She points to the wound on her forehead. “I tried my best to defend myself and…” She raises her right arm for me to see the bandage. “Then she took my phone, locked me in the house, and raced off with the kids.” She points to the neighbor’s house. “They called the cops when they saw me screaming hysterically.”

My eyes shift to the neighbors – an old woman with two younger women standing on their patio with their necks craned. They would have gotten a good view of Scarlett if they were on their patio. I turn to look at Scarlett. “But you have your phone now?”

“Yes. The cops found it in the garden. She must have tossed it before she left.” She starts to cry again. “What if she hurts the kids, Ritchie? I’m so afraid for them. The last time, she broke the window.” When she spots a female cop, she says, “Officer please, find my children. Please! Please! Please! They are so little.”

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Murdoch, we’re doing all we can. She
will
be found. It’s just a matter of time. In the meantime, you really should go to the hospital and have yourself checked out.”

“No, I can’t leave my home. I have to be here for my children.”

Arena calls. I excuse myself and walk away to take her call.

“What the hell is happening, Ritchie?”

I fill Arena in.

“I don’t believe it,” Arena says. “She’s setting Rival up. Probably cut herself. Which hand is cut? Her left hand? If it is her left hand, then it’s self-inflicted, Ritchie. Without a doubt, she’s setting Rival up.”

I turn around to look at Scarlett’s arms. “Arena, Scarlett was stabbed in the
right
arm.”

Silence.

“Arena?”

“Seriously, Ritchie? Her
right
hand?”

“Yeah.”

Silence.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. Yeah.”

“Shit!” Arena says in a voice filled with defeat. Suddenly there’s great excitement among the cops.

“Call you back, Arena.” I hang up and rush over to Scarlett. 

A detective hurries over to us. “Found her! Kids are fine and are being taken to the hospital, Mrs. Murdoch.”

“H…hospital?” I croak.

“Yeah, just routine. But as I said, they appear fine, just shaken up.”

“Where’s Rival?” I ask.

“At the police station. Heard she put up a fight.”

I groan as images of her glaring at me with a rock in her hand play in my head.
Rival, baby, what the hell is going on? 

RIVAL

Even though I’ve been arrested, falsely at that, and thrown in the back seat of a police car, I fight to stay calm. Now that I know
why
they’re taking away my children and why they’re arresting me, I’m less confused. 

Even though I’m horrified at the accusations against me, I say little. If I am not belligerent and psychotic, hopefully they will release me on bail, which means I can still make my court date tomorrow. That is of paramount importance to me. 

I think about calling Ritchie and Arena, but it’s
Bradley’s
help I need today. “Officer, can you please call my husband. Eh,
ex
-husband. Tell him what happened. Please?”

“You’ll get your one call,” the officer says without looking at me. “Just sit tight.”

Damn
!

It’s around 5: 30 p.m., and in all probability, I’m going to spend the night in jail unless Bradley gets to Sydney
tonight
and cashes in some favors. What if he doesn’t get here on time? What if I miss my family court date tomorrow? My head lolls.
Please God…

I pace in the holding cell while they process my arrest.

My wrists are sore from the handcuffs, and my cheek throbs from the bruising I received when the cop shoved me against the cinema wall. To make matters worse, Holly and Phoebe’s terrified screams still echo in my ears. What a mess.

This round to Scarlett. She is just brilliant. And evil. God, she is evil. What an actress. The black streaks running down her cheeks, the rid-rimmed eyes, the bulbous nose…

I shake my head and let out a little chuckle, even though nothing is funny right now.

The big question is: will Bradley believe me, or will he believe Scarlett?

Imagine, I thought my kids would tell on me and ruin my chances at family court, but they managed to keep mum. The irony of it.