Who Kissed Charlie Fine?

Chapter 20

Claire's rage and sorrow at hearing Charlie's account of Eric's sabotage and her father's more than probable death at the hands of Creed was devastating to see, yet impossible to look away from. She convulsed at first like a drowning woman, disbelief stealing her breath and causing her to double over her desk, eyes wide in the silence of shock. When at last air found its way into her lungs again she released a terrifying wail, like a Fury's call for vengeance before falling to her knees and sobbing with her entire body and being.

Charlie picked her up and hugged her, grieving for her heavily. She continued to cry into his arm, her fingers digging into him to steady herself until, gradually, as her breath evened out, she released him. She raised her head and wiped her eyes.

"What can I do?" she asked Charlie with a cold, almost unnatural, calm.

"I don't think there's anything for you to do yet, Claire."

"Give me something to do," she demanded ominously.

Charlie thought a minute. "Is there any way you could find out where Creed will be tonight? Discreetly?"

He watched as she straightened herself out and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She dialled a number and when prompted asked for Creed's office.

"Hello, Detective Creed," she said with a well played, apologetic tone. "It's Claire Hawkins. How are you? Good, look, I found a strange number scribbled onto a notepad in my father's drawer and I don't think it's a phone number. I know it's reaching, but I was hoping you could look into it for me. Are you going to be at the anniversary party tonight? Great. If it's not too much of a bother I'll just pass it to you then. Thank you so much."

"You're amazing," Charlie said in awe. Claire screamed again and threw her coffee mug against the wall.

"When I see the bastard's face tonight I'm going to gouge his other eye out!"

"Maybe you shouldn't come."

"Try to stop me, Charlie," she said with a righteous determination he dared not challenge.

"Timing is everything here, Claire," he warned her carefully. "Don't give anything away until it's safe."

"Safe for who?" she said.

Charlie took her hand and squeezed it. Claire nodded in compliance and kicked her desk so hard it turned on an angle.

******

The Capital Golf Club had rolled out the red carpet. Like some glamorous Hollywood premiere, flashes of photographs being taken to commemorate the event created a strobe like effect on the ground while searchlight beams roved the skies above looking for anything that might rival the celebration below.

Unlike the reunion, it was not only Banquet Room A filled to capacity. The entire club had transformed into different rooms and stations where Messengers' own could mix and mingle and mark the occasion. A social media room, a guest signing wall, and historical exhibition all drew large crowds. The restaurants and bars had been rearranged for open-concept catering and the two main banquet rooms, with a partition removed, now created one enormous ballroom in front of a main stage with the backdrop of the club's terrace and lavish green course displayed through the stunning curved glass wall.

Claire, dressed in a black, sleeveless high-necked jumpsuit, kept pressing her hand into the back of Charlie's dark grey jacket as though she was afraid to lose him in the throng. While most guests who recognized her seemed either surprised or happy to see her there, few dared more than smile at her. What could be said that was fit to yell over the din?

Thankfully soon, Charlie spotted Jean P's bright red party frock in the crowd; her joyous aura, like a lighthouse in the dark, drawing them to safe harbour. Spotting Charlie she began to jump, shaking Pam's arm mercilessly in her excitement.