Devil Mail (25 page)

“Oh, one of
those
people. She’s singularly the neighborhood watch, I bet.”

“That’s not the funny part… I couldn’t believe my eyes!
She’s got to be about fifty, she’s dressed in a skimpy little baby doll that left absolutely nothing to my imagination. She starts asking me if I’m the meter man, I tell her I’m not. She asks if I’m the cable guy, I tell her I’m not him either….”

“And where are your eyes while you’re telling her who you’re not?”

“Firmly fastened on a dying blade of grass on the lawn, the whole time, I kid you not. I know that blade of grass like the back of my hand now. So I tell her I’m a computer repair guy and she tells me that she and her husband own Computer Medic on the main road in Apopka, and they’re looking for a good business-minded person to help them out. She runs inside and comes out with a business card. I take it, eyes still on the blade of grass….”

“So, you gonna call?” Angela tried to speed up the fascinating tale to get to what was really important to her.

“Call? I stopped by on my way back and spoke to her husband in person. Turns out his business partner is critically ill. He can’t manage the workload by himself and needs someone knowledgeable to fill in until a more permanent arrangement can be made. He was just about to advertise the position.”

“So what did you say?”

“He couldn’t go into all the details today; there were customers in the shop, but I’m gonna meet with him tomorrow so we can talk things through. This could be it, Babe.”

“But I thought you wanted your own business so you could work on your own terms.”

“But this would be a great starting point for me.” He was clearly invigorated by the prospect and Angela didn’t want to appear unsupportive, but she couldn’t help wondering why he had passed up so many other offers of help from the men at church and other potential contacts they had given to him, yet with such immediacy he pounced on the lead from a half-naked, middle-aged woman that he happened upon.

Over dinner
, after Angela had used up all her patience, she finally asked, “So what did you want to talk to me about that was so serious?”

“I have something to ask you.”

Angela wondered if the pounding of her heart was as loud as it was furious. “Mhm?”

“My friend’s moving to Miami, so I have to find somewhere to live. I was wondering if I could stay here until I find a place. I’ve spent many nights on the sofa over there anyway…”

That was not the question she had expected, and her expression was the telltale sign. “Oh….”

“I know me spending just one night caused problems with your mom, but if I get this gig with the guy in Apopka I’ll be able to get a place in no time.”

“I…err… need some time to think about it.”

“If not, Sasha mentioned a while ago that her dad has a one-bedroom apartment that he was looking to rent out. I could see if it’s still available.”

It smelled like manipulation. He must have known that Angela would rather have him stay with her temporarily than in an apartment belonging to Sasha’s father – a place where Sasha would, no doubt, frequent. “I’ll let you know,” she said. How cruelly contrasting was her grand idea of a proposal of marriage to his grand idea of shacking up with her. Angela’s disillusionment was perceptible.

“You don’t have to
if you’re uncomfortable with it. I don’t want to cause any more trouble with your family.”

“I know.” She tried to sound
cheerful, but it took effort.

“So did you call Aiden?”

“No.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“I just don’t feel like talking to him.”

“There’s no point putting it off, Babe; he’ll keep calling
unless you tell him to stop.”

“I know.” Angela wanted to talk to Aiden in her own time and on her own terms. She was beginning to resent being forced into it.

She branded her somber mood as tiredness when Kieran repeatedly asked the reason for her apparent distance. They took up their usual reclining position on the sofa, but unlike any other previous Friday night, Kieran did not want to watch a movie or listen to music, he suggested to Angela that they spend more time reading The Bible together as a couple. She wanted to talk about their future as a couple, but what would it look like if she rejected his suggestion. Besides, one of the many indicators of the godly man she sought was how much time he spent reading and studying The Bible; something she had neglected to do for some time now, with the exception of Sunday mornings and mid-week services.

He appeared to know his way around the New Testament, as he flipped confidently to the gospel of Luke and began reading chapter three. Angela considered it an
odd place to start a couple’s Bible study, but said nothing. He read with amplified emphasis when he reached verse eleven which admonished the ‘haves’ to share with the ‘have nots.’ His articulation waned as he sped through the subsequent verses, only to be interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Angela knew in her heart it was Aiden and she knew he’d be expecting her to keep her promise, but now was not a good time to talk.

“Angela?”
his smooth, deep voice floated out of receiver.

“Hi Aiden, I’m sorry I know I promised but I really can’t talk now.”

“Oh, come on, Angela, don’t play games with me, please.”

“I’m not, I will call you when I can talk, please, just give me time.” She hung up and returned to the sofa where Kieran’s stony eyes met hers.

“I don’t even know what to say to you anymore, Angela.” There was harshness in his tone, and he rarely called her anything other than ‘Babe’.

“What? I wasn
’t going to let him override our Bible study.” Her tone did not fully convey the real sarcasm behind her statement.  “Anyway,” she continued, “I’m not stupid, Kier, I know that Christians are supposed to be kind and compassionate, you don’t need to pretend to randomly find something in The Bible to convince me of that. It feels like you’re trying to manipulate me into letting you stay here, by using something that’s important to me.”

“No, Babe, I really was thinking about
starting our own Bible study, honestly.”

Angela’s mind was preoccupied with the events of the day as she curled up in her bed that night. Kieran was asleep on her sofa, having again claimed that he was too tired to drive home. Finally at three fifteen in the morning, she made a decision that led her to tiptoe into the great room and remove the key to Kieran’s storage unit from his keychain.

He was up early on Saturday morning making her breakfast and
humming a song she had never heard before. The hope of a steady job with the possibility of something greater down the road had him in high spirits. He left at nine thirty to travel to Apopka to see the man about the job. Angela believed in serendipity, but was it likely that this man would offer Kieran a job out of the blue, knowing nothing about him? If the man’s wife fancied the eye candy that she saw in Kieran, how much of an influence would she have in the matter? And what kind of working environment would that present for him?

They’
d have to deal with that issue if and when it arose in the future, but for now, Angela had to get moving with her plans. She called the only person she could rely on to help her in these circumstances – Rachel. She explained that she was going to Kieran’s storage unit to collect some of his things and move them into her apartment as a surprise, so Rachel’s help might be needed if there were items too heavy for her to lift by herself. Rachel was running errands, but took down the address and agreed to meet her at the storage unit about an hour later. “This is so exciting, Gel,” Rachel squealed. “I’ll see you soon.”

Angela planned to get started with whatever smaller items she could manage by herself, and when Rachel arrived with her flashy Land Rover, they could load her up with larger items. She wanted Kieran to feel at home, but she still had to be selective, because she couldn’t stand for her apartment to become cluttered.

She lifted the bright orange door of the
storage unit in the same way she would lift a garage door. She found the damp, musty smell of the unit repulsive. Most of these businesses made a point of advertising the availability of air conditioned units, but air conditioning was positively lacking in this unit. The sunlight streamed in to shed light on only a few boxes stacked neatly on top of each other. There was no furniture and, it seemed, no real valuables to speak of. The soft texture of the contents of a couple of black trash bags she prodded suggested they contained clothes. She pitied Kieran. His brother was living it up in Isleworth while all of Kieran’s earthly possessions were contained in two trash bags and a few boxes in a fetid storage unit. She would take only one of the bags; she hardly had enough closet space for herself. 

What her eyes beheld next
caused her to gasp, freeze, then tremble. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision but the same devastating sight confronted her thereafter. On top of one of the boxes was a single orange file, identical to the ones from her office. Slowly, she approached the file and lifted it from the box. Tremulously, she opened the file to confirm the existence of what she already knew, but didn’t want to believe, was there – Aiden’s transcript.

Rachel found Angela in a
collapsed heap on the floor in the middle of the unit. Her unyielding grip on the orange file had drained all the blood from her knuckles. She was unable speak, but the language of tears told Rachel that something had gone horribly wrong. Rachel did the only thing she could think of to do. She sat on the sullied floor beside Angela and hugged her. Without that hug holding her together, there was every possibility that Angela would have shattered into tiny pieces.

CHAPTER EIGH
TEEN

T
he human body is preconditioned to react to stress in a healthy way, but the ability to stand up to one stressful blow after another, without some form of respite in between, was never a part of its design. Angela’s body was riddled with the physical evidence of stress. Her blood pressure had sky-rocketed, leading to a maddening headache and ringing in her ears.

             
“Can I take you home, Gel?” Rachel asked after a long silence.

             
“To my mom’s,” Angela whispered; her eyes glazed over and expressionless. Rachel lifted her friend’s aching body, locked her parked car, loaded her into the Land Rover, and proceeded to follow one word directions to Mrs. Craddock’s house. “Left, right,” straight, and thanks,” was all that Rachel was able to draw out of Angela.

             
As Mrs. Craddock opened the door, Angela fell out of Rachel’s arms and into her mother’s, where she bawled like a baby. Julia, hearing the commotion, approached and questioned, “What happened?”

             
“I don’t know,” Rachel mouthed, shaking her head. “Her car’s over on Greenwich Street, could you come with me to pick it up?”

             
“Sure.” Julia looked at Angela with great concern, not really wanting to leave her without knowing what had happened.

             
Angela plodded upstairs to her old bedroom and flopped onto the bed which was pushed up against the window of the room that had changed little since she left home. Her mother followed close behind her. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to talk, darling,” she said, stroking her hair as she spoke.

“Okay,” Angela replied
, as she closed her eyes. It was immaterial that Angela was an adult who had flown the nest and established a level of independence. What mattered was, regardless of her age and status in life, in her time of despair she knew that ultimately she could seek and find anchorage under her mother’s roof. 

Sh
e opened her eyes a little later when she felt an arm encircling her waist. Julia had returned and had curled up beside her just like she did when they were two scared children on the rainy, thundery nights of years gone by, when flashes of lightning lit up the sky and transformed every dark shadow in the room into something threateningly eerie. Angela cupped her hand over her sister’s and the two reclined there in silence.  If she could orchestrate the impossible, Angela would have leapt off the earth, leaving it to continue to spin on its axis, while she burrowed into a secluded haven anywhere in the universe that extended the assurance of unqualified isolation and rest. No heartache, no stress, no decisions to make – just pure, uninterrupted rest. Be that as it may, decisions had to be made.

“It was Kieran who broke into my car and stole Aiden’s transcript,” Angela said eventually, loathing the very sound of her words that seemed to echo in the stillness.

“I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not,” Julia replied, maintaining her supporting hold on her sister as if she were delicate glass.

“Sorry I didn’t believe you – about him coming onto you, I mean.”

“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to believe it either if I were in your position.”

“I think he’s mixed up in a load of stuff, but I do
n’t know exactly what. He misled me about his business, lied to me about you and him; he managed to get back my impounded car without me paying for it, broke into my car, stole the transcript and blamed it on Aiden and worst still…I think the sapphire ring he gave me is stolen.

“Why, though? Why would he do all this to you?”

“I don’t know. I think he believes all court reporters make good money, so he could take advantage. I think he’s probably taking advantage of women all over the place and sweet-talking them out of their money. He did a good job too – I’ve lent him money, helped him pay off some of his debts and I was just about ready to move him into my apartment.”

“What? You two were going to live together?”

“I can hardly believe my love-sick induced delusion myself.”

“Well, at least you found out before it was too late.”

“Hmm,” Angela agreed, while contemplating the timing of all that had happened. For her, it was late; too late to prevent the shattering of her heart.

Julia inhaled sharply.
“You didn’t cast your pearls to that swine did you?” Angela’s feeble chuckle signaled to Julia that it was okay to laugh too; the sisters appreciating the phrase as something their mother would say by way of delicately enquiring as to whether or not they had slept together. In fact, there was still time for such inquiry as Mrs. Craddock patiently waited downstairs for Angela to open up to her and spill the beans.

“No, thank God,” Angela
sighed. “He was still in the process of duping me into believing that he was the perfect gentleman.”

“
Well, judging by the way he approached me, I’m pretty sure he’s probably getting it elsewhere. He’s a smooth operator, and women fall for guys like that all the time. Who knows how long he’s been a professional liar!”

“Now that I think about it, all the signs were there, I just chose to ignore them. And the things you said to me at the gym were true; I just didn’t want to hear it.”

“Well, I said those things more in anger than in love,” Julia admitted remorsefully.

“They still needed to be said, though
.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Julia was still as proactive as ever.

The sisters talked for a long while until they were joined by Mrs. Craddock. “Trey’s playing next door and I refuse to be left out of the loop any longer. What’s going on?” Angela responded by giving her mother a less detailed synopsis of the events, and kept her composure as she endured, with grace, her mother’s intensely probing interrogation.

Kieran was ecstatic when he called Angela later that afternoon. “I got the job! I start Monday. This is it, Babe. With your legal smarts and my street smarts, it won’t be long before I take over the business from this old coot, then we’ll be on our way – bigger house than my brother’s, faster cars, better vacations, whatever we want!”

“I
’m pleased for you,” Angela responded reservedly.

“You don’t sound pleased. What’s up?”

“No, really, I am. That’s wonderful news.”

“So, let’s celebrate,” Kieran suggested.

“I can’t. I’m at my mom’s. I finally took your advice and made up with my sister and we’re ironing things out right now.”

“That’s great. I’ll see you later then?”

“Well, actually, I’m staying the night here. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Oh…
” he said with both hesitation and disappointment in his voice. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then, I guess.”

“Tomorrow,
” Angela agreed.

“I love you, Angela.”
Sensing that something was wrong, his sentiments were expressed invitingly, anticipating reciprocation and assurance. But none came. Angela bid him goodbye and hung up to share with her mother and sister the light that the conversation shed on his underlying intentions. She was to partner with him in his less than honest endeavors, utilizing her legal knowledge to gain an advantage over this poor, unsuspecting man who had worked hard to establish his business in Apopka. Did he need her to manipulate the law to their best advantage, or circumvent the law altogether?

Angela’s demeanor, body language and lack of eye contact when she met Kieran at church the next day, spoke voluminously to the fact that something was patently wrong. Kieran pulled her aside and insisted that she explain her behavior. She had to come up with something of substance. “I know you came onto my sister. It wasn’t the other way round.”

“Oh, so you all made up, and now she’s pulled you into her camp, huh? It’s just her word against mine.”

“Actually, it’s not. Have you forgotten that Trey was there too? He saw what happened. He’ll tell anyone who asks that you grabbed his mommy and tried to kiss her.” Angela tried calling his bluff, since she hadn’t really spoken to Trey about it; and didn’t intend to either.

“
Pssh, he’s just a kid; and he’ll say anything his mom tells him to!”

“I could handle you admitting to making a mistake, but your persistence in your lie
s scares me, Kieran.” Angela walked away, leaving him to chew on her words.

Sunday dinner with her family was much less strained than had been the trend prior to the family conflict. Despite her heartache, Angela felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She felt enlightened.

Angela’s
quest to make things right led her and Julia to Gordon and Vanessa’s Isleworth home later that afternoon. Having had no reason to previously make note of the address, she was uncertain as to whether or not her memory was reliable enough to get them there. They drove around in circles a few times, attracting the suspicious looks of residents out walking their dogs and indulging in what looked like Sunday afternoon gossip in the surrounding non-gated communities. “This is hopeless!” Angela sighed in frustration.

“D
on’t give up yet, we’ll find it.” Julia remained hopeful.

“Let’s try the second turn off the roundabout this time,” Angela suggested. It took th
em down a road that looked vaguely familiar. “This might be the way.”

As the passenger, Julia was afforded
the opportunity to sightsee and to be in awe of the magnitude of the properties. “These houses are phenomenal!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet, just wait,” Angela advised. She took a right turn and smiled as she approached the gate where she recognized the guard. Handing him her driver’s license, she stated that she was there to visit Gordon Doyle. A quick examination and scan of her license delivered the access she needed to drive in. Julia’s eyes could not grow any wider
as she gaped at the trappings of the opulent lifestyle – so much more than had even entered her imagination. “According to Kieran, he and I will one day share grandeur even greater than what your eyes currently behold.” They both smiled at Angela’s sarcasm – her wit coated with a layer of bitterness.

“This is where his brother lives?”

“Yes, now close your mouth and get out of the car!” Angela couldn’t help being amused at Julia’s reaction as they pulled up onto the driveway. It was completely identical to her own when she visited not so long ago.

Vanessa answered the door
, clearly surprised to see them. “Angela?”

“Hello Vanessa.”

“Hi, what an unexpected surprise. Glancing over Angela’s shoulder, she asked, “Kieran not with you?”

“No.” She really wanted to point out Vanessa’s redundant speech and explain that
if her visit was expected, it would hardly qualify as a surprise. “This is my sister, Julia.”

“Nice to me
et you. Well, come in,” she invited, although baffled at their unannounced appearance on her doorstep. “Gordon, look who’s here,” she called, summoning Gordon out of the office.  He was equally puzzled as to why Angela would be there without Kieran.

             
“Is everything alright? Is Kieran okay?” Gordon’s concern was evident.

             
“Gordon, this is my sister, Julia. Kieran’s fine, I just needed to speak with you both.”

A perplexed
Gordon followed Vanessa and the sisters into the living room. Angela nudged Julia to jerk her out of her awe-inspired stupor.

             
“So what really brings you here?” Vanessa wasted no time with small talk.

             
“I believe this might be yours,” Angela replied, nervously extending the hand in which she gripped the sapphire ring that Kieran had given her.

             
“I believe so too.” Vanessa’s smile was taut and forced. “Let’s see. Mine has a tiny scratch on the band just under the stone; barely visible.” She took the ring and examined it closely. “And there it is,” she gestured towards Angela then Gordon, who appeared to still be in the dark about the whole affair. “Honey, do you remember me telling you about the unlikely story of your mother passing down a sapphire ring to Kieran; one that was incidentally identical to the one you bought me?”

             
“Oh yes,” Gordon attempted to persuade her that he knew what she was talking about.

             
“Well, this is it. This is the ring that your mother supposedly gave to Kieran, and he gave it to Angela at a time when mine coincidentally went missing, and it just happens to have a tiny scratch in exactly the same place as mine.”

             
“Okaay.” Gordon looked like a man searching for a plausible explanation, reluctant to believe the glaring reality presented to him. “And how do you suppose Kieran got his hands on your ring?”

             
“When he comes here, you give him free reign of the house. No one’s watching his every move. It would be quite easy for him to slip into our room and take it.”