Missing Martha

28

Martin glared down at the image of his dead wife's contact picture flashing up as his ringtone chimed.
Zoe looked at his phone, "don't answer it Martin."
Martin still looked down at the phone, just wanting to hear Emily's voice again.
"Sir. Your wife is dead. I'm sorry, but somebody has her phone, you know that." Said Ollie.
Martin refrained, looking at his phone as the picture of Emily slowly dulled.
He sat down on the seat where Ryan initially sat, while Ryan drove off again.
"How could he have Emily's phone?" Wondered Martin.
"Do you know where it was?" Asked Jemma from the seat behind,
"I- I don't know. She didn't use it a lot, I assumed that it was just in the drawer or something. I didn't touch it after she died." Said Martin.
"Could someone have taken it?" Jemma asked again, gradually getting scared. "Could Alex have taken it?"
Martin sighed, "I didn't even know who he was.. unless.." Martin took a glance at Zoe. He trusted her. He had to trust her. That lingering notion that Zoe knew Alex.. and that Zoe was in Martin's house.. but she couldn't have taken Emily's phone.. she wouldn't..
"Unless..?" Asked Zoë, almost knowing what Martin was thinking. She met his gaze, her eyebrows rising slightly. "You really think I'd do that to you?"
"No." Replied Martin, unblinking.
Zoe stood up and sat on the seat beside Martin, putting her hands on his shoulders, "you know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Martin squinted, his face turned smug, "You sure about that?" He asked, noticing his phone buzzing.
Emily McCafferson: Voicemail
"Right that's really bothering me." Said Martin, thinking of every single possibility.. what if Emily is alive.. Martin's mouth dropped slightly before he picked up the phone,
"Martin don't-"
He listened to the voicemail.
He didn't make a sound; he just waited for something from the other line.
Then, all of a sudden, he heard a voice.
It was Emily's voice. It was definitely her.
"Don't you care about this family?! Don't you care about Martha?!"
"Emma?!" Called Martin, his jaw shaking, everyone turned to him in shock, even Ryan.
But then he heard his own voice..
"I'm doing this for Martha! She deserves to have a family that is happy! A full family! And you just destroyed a quarter of our family."
"She was never part of our family!"
"So your calling it a 'she'? Then you thought of your unborn child as a person! This is why I can't live with you! You killed my child!" Yelled Martin, "our family is already ruined." Martin began to realise that this was a recording.. this was the argument that he and Emily were having before Martha's death.
"How is a divorce going to make this situation any better?! It's going to ruin her!" Repelled Martin's ex-wife, her voice was shaking.
"Emily.. this can't go on." Soothed Martin, "from before we were born we were set up for marriage. You're my friend, you'll always be my friend but we don't belong with each other."
There was silence for a couple seconds, before a new voice was heard,
"Hello little girl.." crumbled a voice, low and male,
"Hello." Said a high excited voice.. Martin had to sit down.. it was Martha.
"What's your name?" Asked the man..
"Martha. Martha McCafferson." She said,
"Well Martha. You are just the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Said the man. Making Martin feel sick,
"What's your name?" Asked Martha.
While above Martin could hear the muffled argument that he and Emily were having,
"Emily please!"
"My child will grow up with two parents in the same house!" She yelled, "this is the way both our parents wanted it to be!"
"Emily! Why are you living for your parents just live for yourself!"
"I'm not living for my parents! I'm living for Martha!"
"Martha won't be happy if all we do is fight and-"
Then the man's voice was heard again, a loud grumble as he answered Martha's final question,
"Daddy."
Martin flinched at the sound of the gun shot and the scream of Martha.
Martin put down the phone, white with utter disbelief.
"Martin.." began Zoe, seeing Martin's broken face.
"Just keep driving, Ryan. Don't stop." Croaked Martin, looking out the side window, covering his mouth with his shaking hand.
"What was that?" Asked Ryan,
Martin was silent, a chill ran through him. He was shaken to the core. "Emily's not alive is she?"
Martin shook his head with the incapability to function properly.
"Jeez he's in shock." Said Ollie from the seat behind.
Ollie put one hand on his shoulder, "sir, sir come on we're in this together."
He handed his phone to Zoe, his eyes grey and his hands shaking with the voicemail open, "Is this the freak you lived with for seven years?" He breathed, breaking down.
Zoe said nothing, taking the phone and putting the voicemail on speaker.
Martin looked ahead, trying not to hear it again. He needed to concentrate on something else.. he was a teacher, a good teacher. He had been a teacher for five years. Personal life and work life stays separate. That's the way it should be and the way it should have been.
But now he has no personal life, it's all been taken from him.
The word "daddy" rang in his head.. maybe that's what connected everything..
Martin listened into the recording.. just wishing that he had stopped and listened, just wishing he went downstairs and saw it. Wishing he was with Martha.. wishing it was him instead of her.
Before he even noticed, the recording was finished. Zoe looked straight ahead, her eyes watering with disbelief.
"You went out with that man?!" Remarked Ollie, his face white with the shock.
"I know that voice.." Whispered Ryan,
"So do I..." breathed Lucy.
Zoe and Martin kneeled up on their seats, "where from?" Asked Martin,
"I.. I don't know.. I just know the voice.." said Lucy.
Zoe looked out the window, "Ryan, there's a hotel over there. Go and park beside it, somewhere hidden."
Ryan nodded, his face pale.
"Cloda- Ollie, you don't recognise the voice do you?"
Cloda's face was still, "...no..no.."
"Are you sure?" Asked Martin,
She nodded, looking at him in the eyes.
"Ollie?" Martin looked to him,
"No." He replied, "have you got any pictures?"
"I'll show you some later." Said Zoe as Ryan pulled into a parking place behind a bush.
Martin ran his hands down his face and took a gulp of water before opening the door.
"You guys come in with us." Bid Martin,
"We can stay here just in case-"
"I don't want you five out of my sight."
Everyone nodded, standing up and following them in.