Tahlia and Irene squeeze themselves into the tiny kitchen of Alan and Irene’s newly acquired motel room with hands holding coffee cups like microphones. The sound of a TV emanates throughout as Irene’s daughters watch TV in the second bedroom.
Tahlia, eyes dry but red from tears, speaks without prompting, “I learned years ago not to ask about work stuff. The first few months after he joined the police were fine. Even the first year or so. He did the occasional overtime, which I understood was necessary but then he’d take an entire extra shift a week, every week. I’d ask him about it and he’d say ‘it’s temporary, just while they’re understaffed’. They never had enough staff.
“Years later. I asked him again about how much he was working and he said it was good experience ‘cause he wanted to make detective. At work functions, if he ever took me, I’d ask his friends about how much overtime they do - they’d shrug it off, saying they didn’t do more than a few extra hours a week. If that. They didn’t have to do more ‘cause Max took most of it and they didn’t really want it anyway.”
Irene, listening patiently, says, “Men don’t really take hints - how about asking him straight out not to work so much?”
“I tried that once. He got really angry. We never spoke about it again.” Tahlia chokes back a tear. “What if he doesn’t come after me?”
“He will. He’s clearly not stupid. We’ll have to get you to counselling.”
Tahlia groans, “He won’t like that.”
“He’ll have to do something because what you’ve been going through isn’t working and sounds like it hasn’t been for years.”
Tahlia stares out the tiny kitchen window and relates Irene’s last few words to the last few years of her marriage. She realises the truth of her friend’s comment doesn’t even just relate to the last few years but to a good portion of the last ten. This isn’t how she imagined life would be when she was walking down the aisle toward the love of her life.
Her thoughts are interrupted by Alan entering from outside. He smiles as he spots Tahlia, “Hello! Tahlia. Good to see you again.”
“Thanks.”
Tahlia’s dry but red eyes tell Alan not to ask what’s going on. He’s got a strong theory though and leaves it alone. “You might be happy to know that there’s finally movement on your brother-in-law and we might have him soon.”
“Finally,” says Tahlia. “I wish we had the death penalty.”
Alan gives his wife a kiss on the cheek as she hands him a pre-prepared coffee. “Thank you dear.”
Irene says, “People might be screaming for the death penalty by the time this is all over.” She’s curious about what the detectives now have and asks her husband, “What’s been discovered?”
“A witness, finally. Someone who believes they saw a car that might be involved. Not the best lead but it’s all they’ve got.”
Tahlia tilts her head back and stares at the ceiling, “I can’t wait for all this to be over.”
Alan says matter-of-factly, “A lot of people have died.”
Tahlia looks at Alan, deeply embarrassed. She had been referring to her efforts to change her marriage but realises now there’s much more at stake. “Of course,” she says sheepishly.
Irene asks her, “Did you know him?”
“Heath? Yeah. I knew him before I knew Max.”
“He introduced you?” Irene asks.
“No, not exactly. Heath would come to this local skate park that all my friends went to when we were kids. He’d watch me. I’d see him out of the corner of my eye just staring at me. He’d sit off to the side. No skateboard or anything. He had a bike but never rode it on the park. It was awkward. Even my friends asked me why he was staring at me.”
Irene interjects, “Max came and saved the day?”
Tahlia shrugs, “Kind of. I spoke with Heath a few times thinking he’d just wanted someone to invite him in. He said he had a sore leg but would join in when he was better. Max turned up one day and I thought he was Heath but he was completely different in every way to the boy who kept staring at me. Plus he had friends with him. He said they were brothers. One of my friends told Max that Heath had been making me feel weird. Max and I got to talking about it and hit it off. When Heath came Max said we could stay together, Heath would get jealous and go away.”
“And love blossomed.” Alan says with a childlike grin.
Tahlia nods. “Yeah.”
Irene asks, “So Heath wasn’t normal even back then?”
“Not at all. I’d go to their place with Max and have to leave ‘cause Heath would stare at me. I once caught a reflection of him in a microwave, watching me. I didn’t even know he was there. He ran away for two days once when Max yelled at him and punched him. The last time we saw him Max screamed at him about making sure he didn’t ruin our wedding.”
Tahlia’s phone beeps. On checking it she stands. “My sister’s outside. Thank you so much for letting me talk.”
Irene gives Tahlia a hug, “Not at all my dear. Anytime you need, let me know.”
Alan and Irene walk her to the door.
As she’s about to step outside she stops and turns to Alan, “I almost forgot. Alan, I was going to tell you. Max has a phone, he got it in the mail a little while ago; unexpected. I’m pretty sure he’s spoken to Heath on it.”
Alan’s expression is stone-cold. “Really?”
“I know not to involve myself with his work but… you know.” She turns and walks off.
The Winters watch as she hops in a car and after offering one last wave, she’s off into the night.