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At 5:53 Sarah turned down the long driveway that led to her house. As she drove up the track her eyes roamed constantly for any sign that he might be waiting for her.
Nothing.
Parking the car next to her house she sighed as she switched the engine off. The afternoon had dragged on at Dawning and she just wanted to get this meeting over with.
Whatever this happened to be.
Unlocking her house Sarah walked in and dumped her handbag on the kitchen counter. Tristam jumped off the couch where he had been sleeping and, stretching his legs slowly made his way towards her. As he rubbed against her legs she looked down at him fondly. “I’ll check your litter tray in a second, okay buddy?” she promised him. Pushing Tristram gently aside with her foot Sarah pulled the fridge open and grabbed the bottle of white wine that she and Jamie had opened last night but not quite finished.
If there was ever an afternoon that called for a glass of wine, this is it. Bottle in hand she took the few steps towards the kitchen cupboard that held the wine glasses. With one hand on the handle of the cupboard she heard it.
A knock on the front door.
“Oh, fuck,” the curse slipped softly from her lips.
Leaving the wine bottle on the counter Sarah hurried to the front door. Turning the lock she opened the door and there he stood looking back at her from behind the protection of the security door.
Senior Sergeant Ben Fletcher.
The man who had helped her disappear from her former life as Cheryl Prescott and the man, who only a few short months ago she had refused to tell where she was living. He’d praised her for it at the time. Yet here he stood at the threshold of her home anyway.
Sarah stared at him transfixed.
“Can I come in?”
Nodding her head Sarah unlocked the security door and pushed it open, standing to the side to allow him entry. Closing and locking both doors behind him she took a deep breath before turning to face Ben.
“It’s good to see you again,” Ben stated offering Sarah a smile.
“You too,” Sarah agreed. “But....”
“Why am I here?” he asked.
Sarah exhaled. “Yeah. And how did you find me and oh, this wonderful little gem, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Sarah was quickly becoming frantic. Hearing the unusually loud voice his owner was using Tristram turned tail and ran off in the direction of Sarah’s bedroom to its perceived safety.
Ben frowned at her sudden outburst. “Calm down. It’s okay,” he reassured her calmly.
“Okay? You’re telling me it’s okay?” Sarah folded her arms across her chest and gave Ben a stare that would have made any man shake in his boots. “How can it possibly be okay?” She began to sob as the stress and worry she had been forced to push aside all day long at first seeing him and then carrying on her daily routine at Dawning came suddenly pouring forth. “You’re here! In Mount Kiernon! You shouldn’t be here. The only reason you could be is if something really bad has happened. So what is it?”
Ben stepped forward and reached out to draw Sarah into his arms. Pushing him away she shook her head.
“Please don’t touch me. Just tell me why you’re here.” Sarah swiped at the tears on her face with the back of her hand.
“Maybe we should sit down to have this conversation,” Ben suggested.
“Fine.” Sarah replied flatly. Stalking towards the living room she didn’t bother to look behind her to see if Ben had followed. Sitting down on the edge of the sofa, she waited.
She didn’t have to wait long. Ben was only a few steps behind her and without being asked sat himself in the other small couch that was featured in the room. Noticing a box of tissues on the coffee table he pulled one from it and offered it to Sarah.
“Thanks,” she mumbled accepting the tissue. Dropping her head to avoid his gaze she blew her nose and wiped her tears.
“You were right, Sarah. Something has happened and it does involve Jeff,” Ben started.
Sarah’s head snapped up. “Does he know where I am?” She could feel the churn in her stomach at the thought of her despicable ex-husband knowing about her new life. Immediately she began making plans for leaving. She knew her emergency backpack was ready for her to grab and leave at any given second if she ever needed to run.
“Not as far as I’m aware. If I thought he did I would have called to tell you to get out straight away. I’m sorry that I arrived unannounced, but believe me this is important enough that I didn’t want to do it over the phone. I left and came here almost as soon as I found out.” Ben took a deep breath and looking at Sarah he continued. “When we spoke on the phone a while ago I told you Jeff had been released from prison.”
Sarah snorted. “One year of a three year sentence. What kind of judge allows a man like him to be out after only twelve months? It’s just wrong!”
Ben ignored her outcry and continued calmly talking as if she hadn’t reacted emotionally. “Since he was released he’s been staying in Burnleigh. For all intents and purposes he’s been keeping his head down and his nose clean from what I’ve been told. I haven’t seen him myself though.”
“Yeah, well he was always good at giving the perfect appearance,” Sarah snorted. Ben knew she was referring to how her ex-husband had always given the appearance of being a wonderful husband and model citizen while he had been physically abusing her behind closed doors.
“It turns out he’s been doing some digging into a few things. He’s hired a lawyer and on Thursday he submitted a document to the courthouse. I’m sorry, but he’s suing you, Sarah.”
Sarah felt like the oxygen had been sucked out of her lungs and she found it difficult to breathe. “What for?” Sarah could scarce believe the voice that managed to leave her body was her own.
“It seems he’s after your inheritance from your grandmother.”
A numbness crawled over Sarah’s body. “W-what?”
“Your grandmother, Sarah,” Ben reminded her gently. “He’s after the money.”
“I don’t understand....” Sarah felt as if her body were floating. Surely this was one of those moments in life that someone jumped out from behind a door and yelled ‘gotcha’ in some sick, twisted type of practical joke. Looking up at Ben Sarah sat open mouthed. “He can’t do that, can he? It was left to me, not him.”
“He’s claiming the estate made a mistake in paying it out to only you, and that he wants the share that was rightfully his.”
“What do you mean?”
“You need to discuss it with a lawyer, but from what I gather from the court papers that have been submitted, he claims the money was to be left to the both of you.”
Sarah scoffed. “If we were married it was,” she agreed. “If we were divorced the money was to come to me. That’s what it said in Nan’s will. We weren’t together when she died.”
“Which is what he’s contending. He claims you were still married when your Nan passed.”
A small meow took the attention of both Sarah and Ben. Tristram had re-entered the room and jumped on to the side of the couch next to his beloved owner. Absently Sarah extended a hand and began to rub behind his ears, his soft purr the only noise in the room in that moment.
“There’s more,” Ben stated flatly. “Because he’s suing, it will be heard in court. The judge will hear the petition in three weeks’ time. You need to be there.”
Sarah felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under her with what Ben had just said. She started to shake as the realisation of what his words meant for her. Appearing in court would mean returning to Burnleigh and seeing her ex-husband again. “No. No. No way. No.” She shook her head vehemently, dropping her hand from Tristram’s head and hugging her arms around her body as tightly as she could. “I can’t go back there. I can’t see him.” Sarah’s chest heaved as she began to hyperventilate.
Tristram narrowed his eyes and stared hard at Ben, knowing that the cause of his owner’s consternation came from the stranger who had invaded his home. A low growl emitted from his throat.
Ben slid off of the couch where he sat and keeping a close eye on Tristram he placed himself next to Sarah. Rubbing circles on her back, he began an attempt to soothe her. “Hey, breathe. Slow, deep breaths. Come on, Sarah. Concentrate on your breathing for me.”
His words had their desired effect and Sarah’s breathing began to slow. Sarah turned slowly to face Ben where he sat on the couch. “I can’t, Ben. I can’t. After what he did...I just....can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t go back there and be in that courthouse again.”
“And that’s exactly what I think he’s trying to do, Sarah. I don’t think it’s about the money at all. He’s lost control. He doesn’t know where you are. No one does – well, except Keith and now me. Neither of us are going to tell anyone where you’re living. Hell, it took all my powers of persuasion to get your address out of Keith as it was. I think Jeff’s just trying to smoke you out to find out what’s going on with you.”
“But I have a restraining order against him. He can’t be in the same room as me,” Sarah pointed out.
“He can if it’s for a court case,” Ben explained patiently. “With a judge, court clerk, lawyers and usually a whole bunch of other people in the room he can be there. He won’t touch you while you’re in the courtroom, that I can promise you.”
“Can’t I just refuse to go?” Sarah pleaded.
“You could, but the judge will then take that into account when they’re looking at the facts of the case and that may not be to your advantage.” Hesitating for a moment, Ben ploughed on. “My advice is to go. For the time it takes to appear in court, be Cheryl Prescott again. In name only of course,” Ben stated quickly seeing the murderous look that Sarah gave him at his suggestion. “Go there, deal with this, then disappear again.”
“There has to be a summons though, right? If I have to appear in court, there has to be a summons. If they can’t find me, they can’t serve me.” Sarah began to grasp at straws anywhere she could find them.
“It just means that they will hear the case without you. It won’t be as bad as last time, I promise you. It will just be a judge, there’s no jury for this type of case. Come on, Sarah, don’t let him do this to you. Go there. Show him that you aren’t the woman he used to hurt. Show him how strong you are now,” Ben’s tone was encouraging, but firm.
“Oh my God.” Sarah turned ashen as the blood drained from her face. “Dawning. He’ll take Dawning from me.”
With that horrid thought voiced Sarah bolted from the couch and ran into the kitchen just in time to vomit into the sink. Resting her arms on the cool edge of the stainless steel she lowered her head on her arms. The sour stench of her stomach’s contents floated back up at her, but she didn’t have the strength to move away.
“Come on, Sarah. Come and sit down.” Sarah felt Ben’s warm hand on the base of her back. Allowing herself to be guided away she moved with him back to the couch. Sinking down onto the soft cushions Sarah curled into a ball as she lay on her side. “Stay there. I’ll get you a glass of water,” he said gently.
Laying in the living room she heard the flush of water in the kitchen and the opening and closing of cupboard doors. Sarah groaned as he returned with the promised glass of water. “Here, sit up and drink this,” he instructed.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have had to deal with that.”
“It’s fine. I’m a cop. I’ve dealt with a lot worse than a bit of vomit in a kitchen sink,” he countered calmly.
Doing as she was told Sarah sat up and gratefully accepted the water from him. Sipping slowly she washed away the taste of vomit from her mouth. As she did she felt a mite of strength begin to return to her still quivering body. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“No problems.” Sitting down on the couch near Sarah again Ben turned to face her. “Tell me something, Sarah. How does where you work matter? What has Dawning got to do with Jeff?”
“It’s my café. I own it.”
“That one I was in today? You own it?” Sarah could hear the note of surprise in his voice.
“Yeah, it’s mine.” Despite everything Sarah couldn’t help the small smile of pride that came to her face as she talked about her beloved café. “It’s what I did with the money that Nan left me.”
“Wow, Sarah. That’s bloody fantastic. You put down roots,” Ben was grinning broadly at her. For the first time since he had arrived at her house he sat back against the couch comfortably, his long legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle.
“Keith didn’t tell you about it? I thought you knew. When you walked in today –“ she began.
“Sheer coincidence,” Ben interrupted her. “I’d been driving for a couple of hours and needed a coffee. Saw the café and pulled over. I was probably as surprised as you were when I saw you behind the counter.”
Sarah gave a short bark of laughter. “Somehow I doubt that.”
“So, you really settled down, huh?” Ben asked again smiling at Sarah, referring to the fact that it seemed she had finally stopped running from her past.
Sarah couldn’t help but to return the smile. “I never thought I would, but I have. Bought this house and I have Dawning. Mount Kiernon is my home.” Leaning forward she placed the glass on the coffee table that sat in front of her. The thought of Dawning, her home and Mount Kiernon brought strength to her limbs.
“And you’re happy here?” Ben’s asked the question in earnestness.
“I am.” There was no hesitation in Sarah’s words.
They sat silently for a few minutes before Ben spoke again.
“You need to be in Burnleigh to fight this, Sarah.”
“I know,” she wearily agreed, accepting her fate.
Silence descended over the pair. For Sarah it was as if purging the contents of her stomach into the sink had purged the overriding fear of what might lay ahead of her. She knew she had to fight her ex-husband once again no matter how fearful she was of seeing him again.
And fight she would.