A white sports car pulls up in front of Aaron's house in the early afternoon. Aaron steps out of the driver's side and closes the door. He clicks the car's alarm on his keychain as he carries a pizza box through the walkway leading to his front door.
Down in his basement, the pajama top that Samantha was previously wearing is on the floor next to the bed. Following the trail of the chain coming out from under that bed, the pajama bottoms are also on the floor a few feet over. Just a couple of steps from the bottoms, lies a black bra, not too far from them, black panties. The chain continues its trail up into a bubbling hot tub. Samantha isn't visible, the chain goes into the water and she is submerged.
Aaron enters the room through the spiral staircase. He slows down as he carefully looks at the trail of clothes following the chain into the jacuzzi. He puts the box of pizza down on the coffee table and curiously follows the chain. He picks up the chain and softly tries to pull it, however, he drops it when he is startled by the sight of Samantha's head beginning to emerge from the bubbling water.
Samantha brings her head and neck out of the warm water, leaving her body in it from her collar down. Her hair is straight as can be due to its heavily soaked condition, and strands of it even drape over her emotionless face. She slowly opens her eyes and leaves them open only halfway to look at Aaron.
"What."
Her simple word implies a question but does not seem to be spoken in the form of one. Water is dripping down over her face, with drops trickling from her nose and lips, which she in no way acknowledges. Aaron's eyes shift to many directions as he takes a step back.
"Sa-- Sam, I... I didn't think you were-- Or you would... I mean... What are you doing in there?"
"I'm bathing."
"I know, but--"
"Can you please leave?"
"Sh-Sure, I... I'm sorry, I... Look, I brought you some pizza. I'll just leave it on the table. Don't let it get cold, it's your favorite... Mushroom & black olives with extra cheese..."
Samantha glances at the pizza box on the coffee table and then shakes her head while letting out a frustrated breath through her nose.
"Please just let me be alone, Aaron. The less I have to look at you, the leas painful this whole experience is."
A look of concern and regret washes over Aaron's face as he looks down while shaking his head and biting his lower lip. He turns around and walks away. Samantha's angry eyes are fixed upon his every step as he gets to the spiral staircase. He walks upstairs with a very worried look on his face. Samantha hears the sound of door closing, lock engaging, second door closing and second lock engaging. She then sinks herself back into the bubbling water.
Later that afternoon as the sun is setting. Bethany is in her house speaking to a heavy set, mustachioed man.
"Alright, Stack, so he should be here shortly. Are you sure this microphone works?"
"Yes ma'am. I'll be standing by listening from your basement. If I hear any funny business I'm coming out right away. Also, remember, I can only hear what's going on, I can't see you. So if you observe anything strange and need me to come up, use the code word."
"Yes the code word is my husband's name an I'm sure I can work that into any conversation if I need to."
"Alright, I'll be downsta--"
The door bell rings. Bethany and Stack nervously whisper to each other unintelligibly and he hurries away into the door by the upward staircase. Bethany takes a deep breath and goes to the front door. She opens the door and is greeted by Aaron.
"Evening, Beth."
"Aaron, come on in. How are you?"
Aaron walks in. They make their way past the living room and into Bethany's humble dining room.
"Are you okay, Aaron?"
"Oh, I... Yes. Why?"
"I asked 'how are you' and you seem too nervous to answer. You're a little tense."
"I'm sorry. It's been... A strange day."
Bethany sits at the dining room table and invites Aaron to sit across from her with a hand gesture.
"Strange? Strange how?"
Aaron takes a seat at the dining room table and takes a deep breath.
"Well, it's just... You know, boring work stuff."
"Aaron, I want you to know I'm a good listener. You can tell me anything..."
Aaron looks at the table in an awkward silence. Bethany looks at him with shifty eyes and attempts to break the ice.
"Oh look at you, you're always ao nervous around me, why is that?"
"What do you mean?"
"You stutter, you're shy, you're unsure... Don't get me wrong, it was cute at first, but at first you were a child..."
"Heh. I'm sorry about that, I'll try to loosen up around you."
"You know what always helps me? Some wine. Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes but in the mean time... How about a drink?"
"Sure, Mrs. Lawrence."
"That's 'Beth' to you, young man."
Aaron smiles and slightly chuckles as Bethany gets up and heads to the kitchen. Aaron looks around the house while he waits for her to come back. Bethany then sees him staring at a picture on the wall in which Samantha is wearing a white cap and gown. She approaches him with the glass of wine and hands it to him.
"That was my doll's high school graduation... It took me a while but I managed to get her make up done just right that day. She would've come out as pale as her gown in every photo."
"She's a beautiful girl, Mrs. Lawrence."
"Aaron, again with the Mrs.? What's it gonna take for you to call me Beth?"
She giggles a bit and Aaron lets out a nervous chuckle. She takes a sip of her wine and sits down across from Aaron again.
"Seriously though, is it the name you don't like? Because if you just don't wanna say 'Beth' you can make up a better name to call me, I'd be okay with that. Call me 'Mitch' if you want, I don't care..."
Aaron laughs a little.
"You passed on that great sense of humor to your daughter, Beth, I must say. And I thank you for that."
"She doesn't think so. She says I'm weird."
"Maybe you both are. And that's a good thing. Because so am I."
"I'll drink to that."
Bethany holds up her cup of wine, Aaron gestures a distant 'cheers' with his, and they both sip from their drinks.
Meanwhile, Officer Stack is hiding downstairs, listening.
"Come on, get him to say something."
A few moments later, Aaron & Bethany's wine glasses are empty and they are eating dinner. Bethany tries to sound as casual as possible while looking to extract information from Aaron.
"So, what do you think happened to those detectives?"
Aaron coughs and clears his throat.
"The... ones in the NEWS, you mean?"
"Yes, Fuller and Jenkins. They suddenly stopped helping us. They wouldn't answer my calls, and then the NEWS says they vanished. That's a bit odd don't you think?"
"Well... Nothing about this city's law enforcement is odd to me any more. Look at what happened to Sosa. Same thing. They just can't seem to find anyone. And that makes me feel scared for Sam. So many people come up missing in this state and their system is so broken that they never solve anything. That's exactly why they never found Nathan all those years ago."
Bethany puts down her fork.
"Who?"
"Nathan. Your late husband. They claim his plane crashed but they never even found the plane. It's ridiculous."
Aaron notices that Bethany is speechless. He puts down his fork now and looks at her.
"Oh, Beth... I'm so sorry. It's a sensitive subject, I'm such a jerk..."
"No no no. It's okay. Just... Excuse me a second."
Bethany pushes her chair back and gets up from the table. Aaron looks at her with an embarrassed expression as she walks away. Bethany walks to the door beside her house's staircase and enters. She walks downstairs into the basement and meets with Officer Stack. They echange whispers.
"I didn't think he'd mention my husband! We're gonna need a new code word!"
"Well, pick one!"
"I dunno, anything I think of can come up! And if it can't come up, it is too ridiculous to relate in a conversation."
"Then keep the current one. I'll only come up if his full first and last name come out of your mouth. Now go. Go go go!"
Aaron is sitting by himself at the dinner table tapping his fingers next to his empty plate. Bethany comes back out of the door she had entered and smiles as she returns to sit at the table.
"Beth, I apologize. I didn't mean to upset you."
"Don't worry about it."
She proceeds to take a bite of her food. Aaron watches her fork's movement.
"You know, Beth... It's awkward to eat dinner here without Sam being present."
"Shoulda brought her with you, then."
A perplexed look takes over Aaron's face upon hearing this.
"What did you just say?!"
Bethany has food in her mouth and slightly chuckles while holding up a finger. She swallows her food with a smile.
"Mmm. Sorry, didn't mean to speak with my mouth full... What I said was 'it's always awkward with you,' Aaron."
Aaron exhales and nods his head.
"I guess you're right, Mrs. Lawrence."
"Beth."
"Beth."
"Still tense, huh? Do you want some more wine or something?"
Several moments later, the dinner table is clean and Bethany's dishwasher is running. Aaron and Bethany are now sitting on the couch in Bethany's living room. They are sharing a laugh.
"... I kid you not, Aaron! And then she said she actually had one! I thought she was kidding but to my surprise, she did! Even the waiter was shocked!"
"Oh I don't doubt it! Hahah! Sam is the most unique person in the world, I wouldn't put anything past her. That girl is amazing..."
They laugh a bit more and Bethany lets out a sigh.
"You really like her a lot, don't you?"
"That's an understatement, Beth. I love your daughter. I absolutely mega-love! Is... is 'megalove' a word? Heheh, it is now, I'm making it. Bethany, I megalove Samantha Lawrence. I think it is a love that is meant to be and a love well worth waiting for. That's what I think, personally, and I know it's not necessarily what Destiny thinks, but I am confident that if God wants to keep "us" from happening, then God himself is gonna have to come down here and do something about it."
"Well that certainly sounds crazy."
In the basement, Officer Stack places his hand on his earpiece to try and listen better as he feela he will finally hear what he needs to. Back upstairs, Aaron is responding to Bethany's comment.
"Oh, I am crazy about her. I always have been, and I would do anything to see her happy--"
"Then how come we haven't found her yet, Aaron?"
Aaron licks his lips and gets very serious.
"I can't answer that, Beth... Love knows no boundaries, but there are some things that need time. I mean... The love you felt for Nathan Lawrence didn't help find--"
"Feel, Aaron, the love I feel for Nate- uh, for that man."
"That man? You don't even feel comfortable saying his name any more. Are you sure there's still something there?"
"It's not that, Aaron, it's--"
"Tell me... Do you ever think about him?"
"Every waking moment. He had my heart, and when he died... He took it with him."
"I understand that. I understand what love is and how powerful it can become... And the crazy things it can do."
"What kind of crazy things can love do, Aaron?"
Aaron looks at Bethany and they lock eyes with each other for a few seconds. Aaron then looks away.
"Beth, I have to ask... Is there some kind of... Sexual tension... Between us here?
"What?! Oh dear God, no! What could possibly make you thin--"
"You know, because I only have eyes for Samantha. And even though she got most of her good qualities from you, I--"
"No, Aaron, listen. Shut up with that--"
"I admit I did have a crush on you as a kid but that's only because I knew Sam would grow up to be like you, it was always about her..."
Bethany laughs a little.
"Oh my lord, Aaron listen to yourself. Stop, that's ridiculous. I see you as a son..."
Aaron cleara his throat, and Bethany takes a deep breath.
"Okay, so maybe a potential son in law, if you prefer. But still, you're a kid to me. It would never even cross my mind... I mean, like I said; Sammy's father is the owner of my heart and of my body. I'll never know another man as long as I live and I haven't had the desire to."
"Beth... What If I told you... That I know something about your husband... That nobody else knows? Something that he took to his grave with him and left you and Sam, and everyone else in the dark...?"
"I'd ask you how you know this alleged secret, but humor me... What do you supposedly know?"
"Well... Don't you find it to be a little too much coincidence that his plane crashed exactly a week after my mom and dad's divorce was finalized?"
"What? No, Aaron. There's not even a connection..."
"Beth, my dad knew that my mother was having an affair. Whether you want to believe it or not, your husband was cheating on you... With my mother."
"Aaron, all that wine is making you crazy. That's not even funny. Speaking ill of the dead like that... Poor Gwendolyn."
"Oh but I'm serious. Once my dad found out, my mom knew he found out. So she filed for divorce before he could. She said she was moving to Canada but she just couldn't get away from Nathan... Your... Nathan. She stayed here and the two would secretly see each other almost every day. My dad was still bitter, so that night, when he knew they'd be taking that plane together, he paid someone off to make sure the plane went down."
"That's enough Aaron."
"I think you have a right to know. My mom isn't living in Calgary; She died here in Washington. In the same plane crash that killed your unfaithful husband."
"Aaron... You've had too much to drink and you don't know what you're talking about. I think you should leave."
"Think about it, Beth. Did your husband ever hide any phone calls from you that week? Did Gwen call him?"
"The only female he spoke to that week was his flight instructor, and her name was Wendy."
"Hmm... How do you get "Wendy" from "Gwen," I wonder?"
"Oh my God..."
Aaron's stare follows Bethany's eyes as she looks at the floor in a slight of shock. Aaron then runs his hand down his face while exhaling, and licks his lips before speaking.
"You know what, you're right. I'm way out of line here and I'm talking nonesense. Seer, this is why I don't like to drink. I'm sorry."
Aaron gets up from the couch and goes to the front door. Bethany follows behind him.
"Aaron, look. Maybe tomorrow we can just forget this conversation because the rest of the night was so pleasant. We talked and we caught up with one another... But alcohol can ruin things so let's not dwell in any of the drunk talk, okay?"
"Agreed."
Aaron opens the door to exit, then turns around and looks at Bethany.
"Good night Mrs. Lawrence."
"Good night, Aaron."
Aaron leans in and gives Bethany a hug. He holds her very tight with both arms, pressing the side of his face against hers.
Downstairs, Officer Stack taps his earpiece to test its integrity because the aound has become muffled and muted from Aaron's tight hold of Bethany.
Back at the front door, Bethany's shifty eyes open wide as Aaron whispers into her ear.
"Bethany, I know you're wired but I know you don't mean any harm. You apologized for sending Jenkins and Fuller after me, and I accepted your apology instantly. But understand this, I don't have your daughter, and I have nothing to do with the case of the missing detectives. I'm as much a victim as you are and I'm trying to help. I'm willing to accept another apology, if you so chooseto extend one."
Aaron releases Bethany from the long hug and looks at her with a smile. He moves a strand of hair from her forehead and runs his hand through her hair on the side of her head. Bethany's eyes become watery as she speaks with a quivering voice.
"I... I'm sorry, Aaron. I'm sorry."
Aaron leans in and kisses Bethany's forehead.
"Apology accepted. Now... I hope you find closure as far as Nathan is concerned. You obviously haven't been able to let go."
"Good bye, Aaron."
Aaron walks away and heads toward his car as Bethany closes the door. Bethany walks to the couch and sits by herself while staring at her coffee table.
"You can come up, Officer Stack, he's... He's gone."
Within seconds, Officer Stack has come upstairs and is walking toward her in the living room.
"What the hell was all that about?"
"Aaron is innocent, Stack. He loves Sammy too much to do anything like this. I'm just an awful person for doubting him. For letting you and Fuller put those doubts in my head to begin with."
"Are you saying you...?"
"I don't want to bother him again. And I want you to leave him alone as well."
"When will you be reporting your daughter missing?"
"Never. It's pointless. I'm better off looking for her myself. If I had looked for my husband myself I probably would've found him. I can't count on your laws. And I need my daughter to be found safe and sound. Filing a missing persons report will lead to signing her death certificate and I refuse to let my only other love I have in this world to be washed away in disregard. Please, just forget about this whole thing."
"Are you going to be okay?"
"That doesn't matter. I'll worry about being okay after I'm certain my daughter is okay."
Samantha is sitting in Aaron's basement Indian style on one of the couches. She is wearing a long black shirt and no pants or shoes. On the floor in front of her is an empty pizza box. She is looking at the television on the wall as if hypnotized by it.
"Coming up next! Find out how this brave little boy, used his kidnapper's videogame system's online account to call for help! Right after the break."
Aaron enters through the spiral staircase and walks to where Samantha is seated. He sits down next to her.
"What are we watching?"
Samantha doesn't turn to him but lets her eyes look in his direction without saying a word. Aaron looks at the empty box of pizza and then again at Samantha.
"I'm glad you're finally eating..."
"Aaron?"
"Yes, dear?"
Samantha is still facing the television while talking to Aaron.
"You have said that you would do anything to see me happy, right?"
"Absolutely. As long as it doesn't mean letting you go."
"Well. I'm bored down here. I was wondering if you could at least provide some entertainment for me to pass the time... Perhaps a videogame system? With some online games?"
Aaron shakes his head.
"I'm sorry, Sam. If you want I can get you all the premium cable channels you want and you can click as many pay per views as you can, but I can't grant you anythig with online or internet access. I don't think I need to explain why."
Samantha sulks and stares at the television.
"Besides... I need to make sure you have time to speak to me. If you're always busy playing videogames, it defeats the purpose of why I need you here."
"Why do you need me here? You contradict yourself, Aaron. You want me happy but yet you put me through hell."
"It's for the sake of love, Love. It's like I was telling Beth earlier, love knows no bounds..."
"You saw my mother?"
"Yes... And we had a... Nice talk... About my love for you and how it compares to her love for Nathan..."
"And I'm sure you left out the part where you kidnapped me and killed Nathan..."
"I made up a bunch of stuff just to make sure she stayed away from the subject. Although I think some of the stuff I said might have gotten to her."
"What kind of 'stuff' did you make up, Aaron...?"
Back at Bethany's house, Bethany is alone, crying, going through her photo albums and ripping up pictures. She tares through pages and throws different pictures aside. She then throws the photo album down on the floor and removes her wedding ring from her finger, also throwing it down on the floor. She sits on the couch burying her face into the palm of her hands, crying and sobbing hysterically.
"How could you, Nathan! I Loved you, dammit...! I loved you...!"
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Author's Note**
I am very open to any questions anyone may want answered in future chapters, or anything that you would like me to explain or go into more detail as well. Please don't forget to vote and fan me if you like my work :) Thank You so much for letting me share this with you. -GB