We don’t speak about last nights stripping on the table top. In fact I think she is very embarrassed about the whole incident. Over breakfast I noticed Tucker was staring at me with raised eyebrows. I need to have a word with him. I can tell he is concerned that I am getting too involved. This can be damaging to a case. I need to reassure him that everything is in perfect control and I am compliable to do this job.
We have decided to check out her old home. It’s a pretty obvious place to look, which means he won’t be there. He is untraceable. We have spent months trying to track him down. This is a long shot. There’s even been talk that he has flied the country. I am hoping in Jen’s case that is not the case and he has just gone underground.
We pull up outside a pretty house in the suburbs. It’s exactly how I pictured it to be. Houses with white picket fences and colourful gardens. Outside each house is an expensive car. The whole place screams of money; Men with well paid jobs and the poor women playing the desperate housewife. I cut the engine and sit back in my seat. Jen is staring at the house in front of her.
“Its weird, I feel like this was a life time ago.” She points to a swing in the middle of a perfect luscious green lawn. “I would spend hours pushing Lacey on that. She would scream for me to push her higher.”
“I wished I had a younger brother or sister” I smile as her blue eyes turn to me.
“What are your parents like?
“My mother walked out when I was ten” I begin. “My father turned to drink and forgot I even existed.” She places a hand on my knee and I can see the pity in her eyes. “I left home as soon as I could and I’ve never looked back.”
“So you really are alone” she says slowly. I turn to look at her in wonder. “Its just I felt sorry for you in Summerton. You lived all alone and there was no sign of a family. I couldn’t imagine not having my mother or Lacey.”
I shrug my shoulders casually. “You learn to deal with what is dealt to you. Besides, I have Tucker and you.”
The second I say that I want to hit myself in the forehead. I won’t have her in my life much longer. What a stupid thing to say? I look at her beautiful face, she is smiling and her blue eyes sparkle with happiness.
I know I’m giving her false hope, for the moment I won’t burst her bubble. When this is over, we will both go back to our normal lives and move on. I’ll just play along for the moment.
My thoughts stop when I see Jen quickly turn her head towards the front door. A woman with long blonde hair is stood watching us. Her eyes are narrowed and her arms are folded across her chest. She doesn’t look happy. I notice Jen doesn’t seem be bothered about this woman, in fact she is smiling.
She opens the door, jumps out and runs towards her. I watch as she flings her arms around the woman’s neck and the woman hugs her back.
As I get out the car the woman is now smiling and holding Jen at arms length studying her? “Oh my god, Jennifer” her voice is almost high pitch. “What are you doing here? Does your mother know you’re here?”
“I’m here to see my father and yes she does know.” Jen looks over at me. “This is my friend, Ayden and he’s helping me. Ayden, this is my aunty Melanie Anderson. She’s my mom’s sister.”
‘Great to meet you Mrs Anderson” I give her most charming smile and hold out my hand.
“Great to meet you too, Ayden. It’s actually Miss” she shakes my hand. “I’ve never gotten round to the whole marriage thing yet.” She stands back and hand gestures. “Why don’t you both come in? I bet you have a thousand questions you want to ask.” She raises an eyebrow in Jen’s direction. “I take it your mother has explained what happened?”
“Yes” Jen replies, the smile drops off her face and she begins to look confused. “Why are you here, Aunt Mel?”
“I’ll explain everything inside, sweetie.” We both follow her inside and through into a very stylist expensive kitchen. Jen settles down at the breakfast bar while Melanie prepares the drinks. I take my place next to Jen, but never take my eyes of Melanie. I don’t know there is something about her that has put me on guard.
Melanie places a three glasses of lemonade down and sits opposite me and Jen. “I’ve been staying here for the last year” she begins. “Your father wasn’t dealing very well with your mother leaving. In fact, you could stay he suffered a break down.”
“That wasn’t my mothers fault” Jen snaps, picking up her drink and taking a sip. “She had to leave him. He lied to her.”
“She stole all his money. He even had to sell his business just to keep the house.”
“Yes, but you do know why she left him, don’t you Melanie” I say, my voice a little icy. I don’t like this Melanie. There is something behind her reason for being here. After all this was her sister’s home. She looks like Jen’s mom, but an older version. This makes me think maybe Jen’s dad has her here as some sort of substitute.
“Of course I do” she smiles sweetly in Jen’s direction. I know behind that smile is some sinister motive. “What ever your mother has said about your father is beyond the truth. Everything he did was for her, Lacey and you. Things did get out of control and he messed up.”
“Where is he?” Jen abruptly asks.
“He’s away for a while.”
“How long?”
“I am not sure” she shrugs. She places her glass down and looks down at her watch. “Is that the time? I really should be heading off out.” She stands up from the breakfast bar and begins to clean away the glasses. “You should both come over for dinner tonight.”
“Can’t you tell me where my father is?” Jen says sadly.
“I would if I knew where he was, sweetie.” She walks over to Jen and places an arm round her shoulder. “Come over tonight and we can catch up.” She looks over at me. “You too, Ayden.”
We climb into the car and I can’t shift that nagging feeling that Melanie wasn’t telling the truth about something. Jen is silent as we drive off, her eyes focused on the road ahead.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so” she sighs, she turns in her seat to face me. “It was just… I think I just assumed he would be there. I thought I would walk into that house and nothing would have changed.”
“Have you always seen a lot of your Aunt Mel?”
“Yeah, she’s always been around.” She pauses and tilts her head to the side. “In fact I can’t remember a time she wasn’t around. Do you think she knows more than she is letting on?”
I pull the car into a car park and cut the engine. “I know she does. That was obvious, what I didn’t get is why she is living in your father’s house. It just seems strange,”
“I thought that too. If Lacey had left her husband, I wouldn’t bother with him ever again.” She stops talking and looks at me, she seems shocked. “Do you think…” her eyes dart from side to side. “That they're together? As in together together?”
I nod my head. “Sort of makes sense.”
“If that is the case… she does know where he is” anger fills her voice. “Why would she lie to me?”
“Because I think she’s covering something up. Her body language gave her way.”
“We need to go back there tonight. We need her to tell us and if she doesn’t then we just search that house for clues.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Clues? What are you detective Hopkins now?”
She playfully hits me in the arm. “Yeah and you’re my side kick. Come, let’s get some lunch and discuss our plan.”
For the rest of the day we chill out back at the flat. Jen calls a few people, but no one has heard or seen her father in a while. I feel as if we have hit a brick wall. I know Melanie has all the answers.
I sit down on the sofa as she hangs up another call. This is all beginning to get a little too much for her. I wrap an arm round her shoulder, her head rests against my chest and she lets out a deflated sigh.
“How can someone disappear like this?” She curls into
me and I hold her tighter. “We’re not going to find him, are we?”
“I don’t know… Leave Mel to me. I’m pretty sure by the end of the night we will have at least one lead.” I feel her smile against my chest. I’m going to stand by my word. Tonight Melanie is going to tell me something. That I am going to make sure of.
The front door opens and then closes. “Honey, I’m home” Tucker calls out. Jen gives a little chuckle and moves out of my grip. Tucker slumps down in one of the chairs. “So, what have you two been doing today?” He wiggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner and I immediately give him a dirty look.
“I think I’m going to have a little lay down” Jen stands up and leaves the room.
The second I hear the bedroom door, I pick up a cushion and throw it at Tucker. He ducks and it flies over his head. “Why did you do that?”
“What?” he looks all innocent. “I was only messing. What, you can’t take a joke anymore?”
“Just don’t do it again” I warn.
“Alright” he smiles. “What you love birds up to tonight?”
“Tucker,” I say sternly. He just shrugs and sits back in his chair. “We are actually going to have dinner with Jen’s Aunt.”
“Ah” Tucker smiles. “Meeting the family already? Sounds pretty serious.”
“It is serious. Do you still have that connection?”
“What connection?”
“From the data base agency? I need someone checked out.”
Tucker sits up and lets out a groan. “Ayden, you’re talking about that woman April.”
“Yeah and? Can you do this background check for me or what?”
“It means I have to take her out. I haven’t spoken to her in a year and you know how obsessive she got the last time.” He lets out a deep breath and rubs his brow. “She practically walked me down the aisle.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I was desperate…” I beg, my eyes pleading with him. “Please, Tuck, you know I would never ask if it wasn’t important.”
He rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Fine, but you’re paying. When do you want this info?”
“A.S.A.P” I grab a piece of paper and a pen and quickly write down Melanie’s name and address. “I want to know everything you can find out about her.” I hand it over, just as Tucker starts talking on the phone.
I am hoping Tucker can find that missing link and I’ll have something to confirm my suspensions about sweet aunty Mel.