The Birth Of Eve (12 page)

Eve had more or less packed yesterday; apart from her cosmetics
and travelling home outfit, so different from the one she arrived in. It
consisted of a pale blue chiffon blouse and white short leather skirt. Blasting
her hair dry; she tied it into a loose bun which looked rather less severe than
her usual pony tail. Rachel did a double take when she reappeared

“Eve you arrived a shy young girl, you are leaving us a
confident young woman. It rather makes me feel emotional, I have watched you
blossom here. Whatever happens Eve don’t stop evolving; you are a very bright
accomplished female and should be proud of yourself.” Eve threw her arms around
her.

“Thank you Rachel, for all you have done. You and your
family have made me feel so welcome from the moment I arrived. I can’t wait to
come back again, I wish I could stay.” Victoria sniffled and excused herself

“I need to do some baking I hate goodbyes so I will do mine
now. Don’t leave it too long before you come back you two. By the time the baby
comes I will be hopefully living in the flat above the store. I promise however
to be here every chance I get as you will need plenty of outfits for all your
events. Thanks for promoting my clothes Eve; it looks like you have been the
boost I needed so I will owe you for the rest of my life. It has been a
pleasure meeting you, don’t forget to keep in touch with my website” Eve smiled,
Victoria as ever the business woman. The two girls hugged, But Eve knew where
she was going and blew her a cheeky kiss. Nathan wrapped his arm around her
waist, he could tell this goodbye was harder than she had ever imagined.

The car was ready and it was time to go, Shona came to wave
them off and Rachel kissed them both warmly. She was on standby to fly over as
soon as the baby arrived. A nanny had already been hired, and she would fly
over with Rachel. As soon as the baby was able to fly they would bring her back
here. Nathan would probably return with her, Eve had a lot to consider when
they got home. Everything was changing so fast; could Eve bear to be apart from
Nathan? She had Tara and Michael to consider and couldn’t just up and leave,
her father would be devastated.

Once settled into first class Eve reflected on the past four
days, she had changed a lot. Rachel was right; it was down to Nathan of that
she was certain. His love had released her, but now she was in a position where
his love could also destroy her. Eve was fretting she suddenly doubted her
decision to open her heart to the possibility of pain. Nathan who was looking
almost completely recovered held her hand firmly.

“Eve; I can see that brain of yours overthinking again, are
you having doubts?”  The man was definitely a mind reader; she nodded finding
it hard to put into words what was at the root of her worries.

“You are thinking about the baby, I can see that and don’t
you think I have the same worries? Eve I have no clue how to be a dad, a baby
is arriving and I am shipping her off to grandparents. People could say I am
heartless, but I see it as a rescue operation. Sasha does not want her, I didn’t
want a baby if I am being completely honest” Eve raised her eyebrows in shock,
wow he was being honest but she kind of sensed that anyway.

“I had no plans to have children until at least my thirties
if at all, but fate had a different plan for me. I want you to be with me all
the time now Eve, I can’t be apart from you.. We need to think about how we are
going to be together between two countries. It will work out while we are in LA
filming but in the UK I need to find a house where the baby can come too. I
can’t expect my parents to carry the burden forever.” Eve knew he was right,
she too had no plans for a family after all it was impossible for her anyway.
She didn’t have a mother and couldn’t imagine feeling maternal about any child.
Eve was actually scared that she would not be able to deal with Nathan’s daughter
at all.

“I know that there is a difficult road ahead Nathan but I
will feel awful if I end up resenting your daughter. What if I can’t bear her?
What if I find it impossible to love her the way you will, it is biological for
you. She will be nothing to me; I have never held a baby in my life I have no experience
at all” Nathan wiped the frown off her forehead

“We will learn together; that’s if you still want to? I am
shitting myself. Sometimes I wish I could take you and run away to the other
side of the world.” Eve had the exact same feeling on a few occasions, she did
want to try, she could not imagine life without Nathan now and he came as a
package.

“I will try, with your help and hopefully your mother’s
expertise we will be the best parents a little girl could hope for.” Eve meant
every word and was surprised at the well of emotion in her chest. She didn’t
want any other little girl to feel unwanted or unloved and Nathan’s daughter
would be no exception. Food was served and they ate together in a comfortable
silence, Eve noted that today was the first time they had really talked about
their future. It was also the first time they had ever discussed the baby, they
had both feared what the others reaction would be. They were in a good place at
the moment and Eve felt for the first time optimistic about the future.

Back in Manchester Nathan was grabbing a connecting flight
to Heathrow; they said their goodbyes. Nathan would be back in two days but to
Eve it felt like forever. Sitting in the taxi she felt empty; Tara was away so
the house would be empty. It was midmorning here but Eve still wanted to be
asleep; jet lag was far worse travelling back to the UK. It was late May and
warming up nicely; Eve was hoping to maintain her tan. She decided for the next
couple of days she would sort out the patio in the back garden. The patio
needed power washing, and she would purchase some rattan furniture for sitting
outside. That would take her mind off the separation at least.

The cottage looked pretty in the sunshine and Eve was
pleased to be home, the driver dumped her case and left her at her gate. Eve
noticed the neighbour weeding her front garden; she had only seen her to wave
to and hadn’t spoken before.

“Good morning, your garden looks lovely; the roses are
almost ready to flower aren’t they?” The old lady beamed at her, she wasn’t the
same lady that had lived here when she was a child.

“Hello dear, Eve isn’t it? Father Michael waited a long time
for you to come home” Eve had been about to go indoors but paused

“I’m sorry? Father Michael didn’t arrive until the same time
as me I thought” The old lady smiled

“Yes dear but when I moved here three years ago there was a
lovely letter through my door. Father Michael was doing his works over in
Africa and was desperate to get in touch with his long lost family. He asked me
to let him know if the young lady ever moved back in next door. So when you
turned up I rang him and he came straight over. You must have been delighted to
see him again”

Eve nodded in puzzlement and dragged her case indoors
closing the door behind her. He had known she was here? He said he didn’t know
she even existed. Perhaps he was talking about Isabella, but then why would he
want to see her again? She decided not to say anything to him until she felt it
was appropriate but it was strange and not how he told it at all.

The curtains were all drawn so she opened them to let the
summer light in; the house was just as she had left it. After unpacking she
made a drink, there was no fresh milk so she drank it black. She opened the
fridge and was surprised to see fresh food left to go mouldy. Tara was a
stickler for not wasting food, it looked like she had a meal prepared but not
got around to cooking it. She must have gone away on the spur of the moment,
another unfamiliar behaviour for her friend. Her alarm bells were ringing again;
despite the reassurance of her text she still had a tinge of doubt.

She decided to go out for some groceries and checked the
garage on the way. Tony had done an amazing job in there, the tool cupboard was
beautifully made and all the equipment had been set up for her.  There was a
running machine, exercise bike, power plate and an area fitted with special
sponge flooring for weights or any yoga type training. There were mirrors hung along
the wall in front of the weights area so you could check your posture. Eve
would pick up a docking station for her iPod, that way they could have music on
while they trained Tara would be thrilled.

After spending a fortune in Tesco on food and drink ready
for Nathan and Tara’s return she decided to call in on Michael. At least if she
called on him he wouldn’t turn up uninvited later, she fancied some alone time
and an early night. Leaving her car at her house she walked down the road to
the vicarage. The shortcut took her through the graveyard, she wanted to check
Leila’s grave on the way. As she rounded the corner she spotted the woman with
the cap, and she was crouching down in the same area as her mum’s grave.  She
shouted over to her to stay where she was, the woman rose to her feet startled
and set off running. Eve was wearing the wrong shoes for giving chase but she
ran as far as the grave then stopped. Freesia’s had been left there again, she
couldn’t be sure but the woman appeared to be in this spot. Michael may have
seen her hanging around and spoken to her, she was even surer now there was a
connection to Leila.

She carried on to the vicarage and rang the bell; she heard
rustling and lots of noise before he finally answered. Michael looked taken aback
to see her and pulled the door semi closed behind him, she obviously wasn’t
going to be invited inside.

“Eve darling I was coming over in a few minutes, I just had
to sort out Paul he is having a bad day, the nurse is struggling to calm him”
Eve could hear a lot of banging going on

“What is all the banging?” Michael looked shifty for want of
a better word.

“He bangs the floor and walls with his stick to summon us,
listen I have to go to him I will call up later it’s wonderful to have you home”
Eve frowned as he turned round and disappeared back inside. Well that wasn’t
the welcome she expected, this day was becoming ever more curious. All she
wanted was to cook a nice meal and curl up, and now she wouldn’t be able to
great!

After sorting her kitchen Eve slipped on some shorts and
went to try out the gym. She had purchased a music player so set up some upbeat
tempo tunes to help her work up a sweat. The hour passed by very pleasantly,
who knew exercise could be such fun. She cooled down by stretching on the
matting and sang along to a bit of Whitney.

“Eve you have a beautiful voice” Startled she almost toppled
out of her pose

“Michael chr..rumbs you made me jump, I need a shower
really, now isn’t the best time.” Michael walked in looking at the room he appeared
impressed.

“You wouldn’t know a murder ever took place here now, it
looks totally transformed. The builder has done wonders you must be thrilled”
Eve shivered at her earlier memories of this space; yes Tony had eliminated
those bad vibes.

“Yes I did it for Tara really, she hates going to public
gyms, but actually I think I will use it just as much. I wanted to say earlier
that woman I told you about, I think she was at Leila’s grave before. She was
bending down in more or less the same place and when I shouted she ran away.
There were fresh flowers there again” Michael’s expression darkened
considerably

“I will find her and get some answers, although you may have
scared her off now” Eve felt like she had been told off. They walked out of the
garage and Eve stopped short causing Michael to run into her back.

“Michael there she is” The woman was walking towards the
cottage until she saw them and turned around. Michael was determined to stop
her

“I am going to catch up with her I will phone you after I speak
to her; you get a shower I will ring you.” He then jogged off after the woman
and Eve began to worry, she hoped the woman wasn’t dangerous, the dreams had
implied she was. The image of Michael standing over her body covered in blood
shot into her vision and she shuddered violently. Shoving all bad thoughts away
she went inside to wash and wait for him to call.

.

Two hours later and she still hadn’t received Michael’s
call. By now she was pacing the floor with worry; debating whether or not to go
back and search for him. Grabbing her door keys she was halted by the phone it
was her father

“Michael; thank goodness; what happened I have been worried.”
When he spoke his voice sounded a little strained

“I lost her; she must know the area as one minute she was in
front of me and then the next she had disappeared. I have been walking around
hoping to get a glimpse but nothing. Don’t be concerned I will be alert and if
she turns up again I will try and be more subtle. I can’t come back to your
house tonight; Paul is being rather demanding. I fear that his health is
failing and don’t feel able to leave him alone at the moment so I will call you
again tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart remember I love you.” Eve closed her phone
and sat on her bed, an odd call that was. She was jolted by the phone ringing again
this time it was Nathan; she inwardly smiled at the sight of his name.

“Hello angel I am missing you, how is everything up there?”
Eve took a calming breath and told Nathan everything that had happened
including the exchange with the lady next door.

“Eve I don’t like the sound of this at all, I will try and
come up tomorrow instead of Saturday, it will have to be late on so stay awake
for me, but I will be there. I hate the idea of you dealing with this alone,
that woman is obviously in need of help. Your father has lied to you and I have
no idea why, but the sooner I can get up there the better. Will you be okay
tonight?” Eve knew she was in for a disturbed sleep but brushed it off, Nathan
was aware of the same thing.

“If you wake up scared ring me and I will be here, I love
you Eve, please be careful and maybe have a glass of wine to help you sleep.”
Eve laughed but  after he had gone she went down to open a bottle of red.  Eve made
herself vegetarian pasta with lemon and garlic; it was delicious and she ate
most of it despite her nervous stomach. She curled up in front of the soaps;
she had no idea who half the characters were but it was great zone out TV.
Tiredness struck about midnight; she dragged herself to bed and once her head
hit the pillow she was out like a light.

Michael stood before her crying, the woman in the cap was
standing behind him laughing her arm rose holding her father’s hammer. Tara was
screaming clinging to Eve’s leg; Eve looked down at her tear streaked face.
Michael was begging Eve to save him, but the hammer was about to fall. As she
closed her eyes to block out the sight, her mother whispered in her ear “let
him go Eve he deserves to die”

This time the dream had come later into her sleep so Eve
could get up; she was getting fed up of waking up as though she had been
through an ordeal. The dreams felt so realistic and the clarity was incredible. 
Despite the feeling of warmth and the hour of the day, it seemed dark to Eve so
she pulled back a curtain to be confronted by a wall of fog.

“Oh great I was going to clean the patio” Fog usually lifted
after a few hours so she went out to her gym for an early morning workout. By
the time she was done the fog had lifted a little but there was still a mist on
the fields. Instead of showering straight away she got out her Karcher washer
and blasted the large patio in front of the conservatory. The area was quite large;
she would be able to purchase a dining set as well as two recliners. They would
all fit comfortably on it along with some nice large planters. She was covered
in mud and wet through but she had found it very therapeutic.

Clean and fresh in cropped jeans and a lovely top from
Victoria’s shop she went online to search rattan furniture. There was a knock
at the door and Eve was surprised and a little worried to find Detective Newton
standing there.

“Come in please, it’s nice to see you again, well nice is
the wrong word I guess. Is this about Rory?” The detective sat on her sofa and
waited for her to sit also.

“Miss Purnell when did you last see your lodger?” Eve’s
heart started beating madly; her mind was spinning what was going on now?

“I saw her last Friday, a week ago, I left for LA. Tara was
going to stay at her sisters Wednesday but stopped off at friends on the way.
That is what she told Sue and I anyway, what is going on?” Eve had a terrible
feeling

“We have spoken to her sister I believe she is now on her
way here to see you, you both only received text messages is that correct?
Neither of you spoke to her in person or knew who this person was she
supposedly went to see?” Shaking her head in disbelief Eve confirmed that was
all correct

“We have found her vehicle abandoned on a farm track a
couple of miles away. The farm has lain empty for years but developers went on
site and found the empty vehicle blocking their path. They alerted us because
the driver’s door was wide open and there was no sign of the owner.” Eve
couldn’t help but cry, she had known something wasn’t right but not done
anything about it.

“Don’t be alarmed we found no sign of a struggle or any
blood, it may be she just met up with someone and got into their car. We did
find a second set of tyre tracks; we are treating it as a missing person’s
investigation. With the recent events surrounding your arrival here however
there is a slight chance of some kind of plot against you do you know of anyone
who may wish to cause you or your friends any harm?” Eve stopped crying and
told him about the woman in the cap; actually she hadn’t seen her today so
maybe Michael had scared her off.

“Rory was the only person I would have cause to worry about;
you don’t make enemies in a kid’s home. You all stick together like family, so
I can’t imagine any of them wanting me scared. Nathan has stalkers maybe it is
a jealous female, but why Tara it doesn’t make sense.” Detective Newton made a
few notes and then left. Eve was worried sick and tried Tara’s phone a few
times but it was disconnected. Sue turned up an hour later and after sobbing on
each other they sat and waited for news. Eve told Nathan what was happening and
he was heading back shortly, she needed a hug right now. Sue looked devastated,
she felt as stupid as Eve did, they knew Tara wouldn’t just change plans at the
last minute they should have done something sooner.

They opened a bottle of wine to calm their nerves; it was
dark now and the fog was back with a vengeance. They sat in the dark in silence
not knowing what to do; suddenly there was a crashing on the window. The two
girls both screamed and Eve recognised the woman looking in at them, it was the
lady with the cap. Her cap was gone, she appeared to have a split lip and her
hair was sticking out making her look like a wild banshee.

“Don’t let her in Eve call the police she looks deranged”
Eve however was of a different opinion, the woman’s eyes looked very familiar
and she felt a cold chill down her spine. The woman looked very much like
Leila, and she looked terrified not dangerous. Eve opened the door and the
woman dragged her by the arm

“Quick I know where your friend is you must hurry before he
comes back and finds me gone. Hurry please she needs help” Eve and Sue charged
out into the night following the woman, it was hard to keep up especially with
the fog. They had no idea what was happening but the urgency in her voice
demanded action. Eve was struggling to keep up with her; she was still feeling
the effects of her earlier work out. Sue however had no trouble keeping pace.

“Wait please I can’t see you” The woman paused but only for
a second, they were now in the cemetery and Eve had a sudden wave of nausea as
she realised that this was her dream coming to life. She had no idea how this
would turn out but she knew it was going to be very bad indeed. The woman
slowed as they reached the vicarage, out of breath the three women leant
against the wall.

“Be very quiet, he is in the front room resting, I escaped
but Tara is poorly and it needs two of us to get her out.” Eve needed questions
answering

“You are talking about Michael? Are you saying he has Tara?
That is ridiculous he is a vicar, he wouldn’t do this and why would he anyway?
You have been following us for weeks, why are you here?” The woman looked into
Eve’s eyes and immediately she knew who she was.

“Izzy? It’s you isn’t it? What is going on tell me please”
her sister shook her head Sue was staring open mouthed.

“I can’t answer any of that yet, we need to get Tara out she
is fading fast dehydration I think. I promised I would come back for her and
she will be scared. Eve you check round the front and see if he is still in the
lounge. That way we know we have enough time to get her out, also if he spots
you he won’t sense that something is wrong” Eve did as her sister instructed.
Holding her breath she sidled along the walls until she could peer into the
front window. Michael was sitting with his head in his hands, he looked
distressed. Eve felt her heart break; she had let this man in despite her
reservations. Here was yet another person to trample on her fragile soul,
snapping out of her moment of self-pity she returned to the girls.

“All clear, but he looks like a man on the edge to me we
need to get her out without disturbing him, God knows what he is capable of”
Eve followed Sue as they crept around the back of the vicarage. Izzy halted at
a low window close to the ground and carefully removed the glass. She whispered
inside Sue almost choked when she saw her sister tied up in the corner, the
room was obviously a cellar.

“Sue you stay up here we will go down to her and lift her up
to you, get her straight home and get help. Eve you need to be strong there is
another body down there with her and it smells pretty bad. Looks like Michael
had to dispose of the vicar to take his place. Eve swallowed a sob, what the
hell was going on, she knew the priority was Tara but her need for answers was
overpowering.

Izzy lowered herself through the small gap, and then dragged
a crate over so Eve could drop down easier.  She lowered her self carefully
onto the crate and tiptoed over to her friend, Tara looked very pale and her
eyes were closed. The smell down there was pungent she glanced over to the back
of the room and could just make out a second body that was tied up. That must
be Paul, he had obviously died down here and Michael had just left him to rot.
Dragging her gaze away from the body she went over to the two girls, Izzy was
bending over Tara.

“Eve quickly help me untie her, you try and undo her ankles”
Eve touched her friends face and Tara opened her eyes, at first there was fear
which was quickly replaced by relief.

“Eve thank God you have come, thank you Izzy, I knew you
could do it. Eve he killed Rory you know I made him tell me, but then he shut
me in here. I thought he was going to rape me” Tara was sobbing Eve was
struggling with the knots but stopped to look at her friend

“Tara he didn’t hurt you did he? Not like that tell me
please”

Tara shook her head to Eve’s relief and battled on with the
ropes; the more she struggled the sweatier her hands became.  Eventually after
what seemed like a lifetime they finally had freed her. The two sisters dragged
her shakily to her feet and lifted her carefully onto the crate; Sue reached
down to grab her arms.

“Tara honey I am here; grab my hands,” Sue managed to pull
while Eve and her sister pushed from underneath it was hard work but she made
it out in one piece. They heard the cellar door rattle

“Shit Izzy go on hurry up, Sue get Tara away from here as
fast as you can and call for help,” she could see Sue and Tara stumbling away,
it would take them forever at that pace. Eve needed to buy them some time and
jumped off the crate.

“Eve what are you doing? get up here now hurry” Eve stood
resolutely as the door above her creaked open

“Go Izzy I will stall him and buy you some time, get help he
won’t hurt me he loves me” Izzy was looking through the gap

“Jesus Eve you don’t know the whole story; you can’t trust
him, he will do anything to protect himself” It was too late he was already
half way down the stairs. Reluctantly her sister turned and ran away. Eve stood
in the centre of the room to face him, this man had to answer her questions and
she wouldn’t leave until he did.