17. Gisele
“Good morning, Gisele Heidi,” my mother called out the minute the door closed behind me, the warmth inside the shop hitting me in the face.
This morning, I woke to a chilly blast of early winter weather, Jamison had sent me a warning text to rug up before leaving the house, but he neglected to mention the artic wind blowing down the main street.
“What’s so good about it Georgina Grace,” I grumbled, peeling off my scarf, hat, and coat. If there was one thing I hated was the wind so cold it went straight through you. Thankfully, Miracle stayed at Elle’s last night for a sleep-over, giving my sister the pleasure of walking my daughter to school.
Snickering at my nasty thought, I walked behind the counter to put away my belongings before getting started on my day. Today was a full day for me, with Claudia coming in at lunch time to give me time for a lunch break. Unfortunately, it was going to be at my desk today, with Jamison busy doing cop things he said he would not be able to drop in and eat with me.
It was an unusual occurrence for Jamison not to have lunch with me when he was in town. Since getting together he and I spent nearly every spare minute together either as a couple or as a family with Miracle. So, for him to blow me off when he is in town working set off all kinds of alarm bells.
“Please don’t tell me you are complaining about the cooler weather already Gissy?” mum laughed, giving my hair a gentle tug.
Brushing her hand away, I ignored my mother’s comment instead grabbing the purchase order form and went about doing anything rather than listening to my mum herald in Autumn. I had a long shift in front of me, and with Georgina hovering over my shoulder I prayed for lunch time to come quickly.
Checking my watch for the eighth time, I noticed that Claudia was three and a half minutes late to give me a break. So far today I fended off old Mr Hanson, served Mrs Rowethorne and was forced to listen to her lecture about living in sin with the town’s new police officer and I had to leave the shop with mum to dash to the school because Miracle forgot her lunch on Elle’s kitchen bench.
I was on the edge and my mother knew it.
Just as I was about to ring my sister and rip her a new one, the front door banged open a gust of wind blowing in leaves from the street and my sister.
“It’s Armageddon out there!” Claudia exclaimed rather dramatically, much like her entrance and outfit. Like me she had on a coat, scarf, and hat, only her coat was one of those silly puffy types, her hat had a huge pompom on the top and her scarf looked to be two metres too long. A product of her knitting and not being able to cast off so she kept knitting until Georgina would finally take over to finished the scarf off for her.
Unwinding the scarf from her neck my sister’s face appeared from the confines of the wool. “Hello people,” she said cheerfully. Too cheerfully. Mum was yet to find out that Claude was pregnant, but if Claudia kept up the glowing cheerfulness there would be no more secret.
Rushing over to my sister on the other side of the shop counter, I stood in front of her in a ruse to grab her coat but really, I was hiding her blissful expression from our mother.
“A little less cheer,” I muttered under my breathe glaring at my sister.
“Shit,” Claudia mumbled, going red in the face her eyes darting to look at mum then back to me. “Thanks.” She whispered to me. I completely understood why she wanted to keep her pregnancy under wraps until she reached the safe zone, but hiding a secret from Georgina had not been successful in the past and I could not see it working this time either. Mum was a professional snoop and on top of that she could smell a coverup a mile away especially where it concerned her daughters and husband.
Claudia told me that dad had figured out her secret and that he said it was only a matter of time before he broke and told his wife. Claudia was playing a dangerous game, and the clock was ticking.
“You’re late Claudia,” I accused hotly my stomach rumbling in perfect timing.
“I know chickee, I’m sorry. Josh insisted I wait for him to walk me over the road, but I had to wait for him to finish a phone call,” she rushed to explain apologetically.
Coming out from her spot behind the counter, mum walked towards me and Claudia her face piqued with interest.
“What is going on with your men?” she asked suspiciously. “Jamison’s acting like a nervous cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” Looking over at Claudia, she pointed a finger at her. “And your husband has suddenly become your personal bodyguard.”
I opened my mouth to deny there was anything wrong with Jamison’s or Josh’s behaviour lately, but closed my mouth when I realised that mum was right. Jamison had been on edge the last few days, starting with him coming home early a couple of days ago just to check that the upstairs windows were locked as well as checking the garage and the shed. At the time I didn’t think it was anything more than Jamison familiarising himself with my outbuildings and the window checking I simply put down to him being a cop.
Now, I was not so sure.
Casting my eyes to Claudia I could see her mind was turning in the same direction as mine. Josh had been acting strange too, insisting on escorting Claudia to and from home and to and from work. Whatever was going on, Josh and my man were in on it.
“Maybe there is a serial killer on the loose?” I suggested deliberately to switch mum’s attention from Claudia to a topic I knew she would get into.
“A murder in Blessings, now that would be exciting,” mum enthused just like I hoped she would. For the next hour I sat in the office eating my packed lunch because Jamison didn’t want me moving from the shop unless he was the one to move me.
I could hear mum and Claudia bickering between customers, bickering with Mr Hanson when he came in to complain that the bait, we sold to him was not fresh. I made sure to stay hidden during that confrontation deciding it was Claudia’s turn to deal the old bastard.
Looking at the wall clock I saw it was time for me to free up my sister to go back across the road to the mechanic shop, getting up I was startled by the sound of glass smashing in the back room that had a door that led to mum and dad’s house. The two buildings were connected with a closed in porch dad built years ago so Georgina didn’t get wet going from the house to the shop in the winter.
“Dad.” I called out walking out of the office to the door, “Dad did you break another window?” I yelled again but got no response. Reaching for the doorknob I stopped from opening the door when I heard another noise this time not glass breaking but a male voice that was not my father’s.
Knowing something was wrong, I turned intending to race back to the shop front to tell mum when the door exploded in two pieces, the noise so loud it shook my bones. Suddenly two men burst through the broken door, both men were dressed in black, balaclavas covering their heads and faces. Both had a gun.
Letting out a blood curdling scream I tried to run but one man grabbed me by the back of my jumper and yanked me back, the gun pushing harshly and painfully into my back.
“Who are you?” I cried out scared out of my mind. My mother and sister were not far away in the shop, sure that they would have heard the door breaking and were on the phone to Jamison or Josh.
“Shut the fuck up,” one of the men, the one holding the gun at my back ordered, then pushed me forward, the barrel of the gun biting painfully into my flesh.
Suddenly my sister called out.
“Gissy? Is that you?” Her voice was closer than the shop front, instantly my fright level increased at the thought of Claudia being hurt. Her unborn baby hurt.
“Chickee run!” I shouted as loud as I could, not hiding the fear or seriousness in my voice. As soon as I yelled, one of the men growled and pushed past me, knocking me against an old box freezer no longer in use. Crying out in pain when my face contacted the sharp edge of the lid, I fell to the floor only to be yanked back up by the neck of my jumper by my captor. Claudia screamed, telling me that the other guy found his way into the shop.
My whole body started shaking, the reality hitting me that our innocent joking earlier a real possibility. My mind immediately went to my daughter, safe at school.
Oh, thank God.
Then another thought popped into my head, what if these men were going to kill us then make their way through the town looking for more victims? The school was a perfect target with so many people inside. I could not let that happen, I had to do something and quick.
Being roughly pulled to my feet, I did as I was told and walked out to the shop area only to see Claudia and mum huddled together with a gun pointed directly at Claudia’s temple. Claudia’s eyes were wide filled with tears, and she was shaking uncontrollably. Mum was much the same only her fear was twice as bad when she saw me being shoved roughly also with a gun pointed at me.
“Gisele!” mum cried looking over my body for any signs of injuries, when she noticed the gash on my cheek, she let out a low howl.
“I’m okay mum,” I rushed to calm her, knowing that seeing me visibly injured would raise her temper and act out impulsively. Now was not the time for Georgina’s mumma bear to show up.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Claudia shouted, her hands instinctively going to her belly, despite the gun being pointed at her head, she was thinking only of her unborn child.
Giving her a look I silently signalled for her to drop her hands, thinking the men could use her as a hostage if they discovered she was pregnant. My hope was that they just wanted money and or a vehicle and if we gave it to them maybe, maybe they will leave. We could not identify them because of the woollen coverings, nor had either of them used names. They were large heavy set men, both quite tall but that was all we would be able to tell if they let us go.
“Money,” one of the men shouted, “you must have a safe, where is it?”
Lifting my arm, I pointed my shaking hand in the direction of my office.
“Lock the door,” the other man ordered Claudia grabbing her roughly too and shoving her making her let go of mum. “Move!”
Rushing to do as ordered, Claudia fished the keys out of her pocket, dropping them once then again after picking them up.
“I will shoot you bitch,” the masked man threatened her, but finally Claudia had a hold of the keys and quickly locked the door, she was about to pull down the door blind when a familiar blonde pushed her face against the glass, banging on the glass.
Oh God Elle!
“What gives Claude? Open the door!” Elle demanded outraged. Suddenly I had visions of both my sisters and mother dead with gunshot wounds my mind reeling with horrible scenarios. Thinking quickly, I took a deep breath in an attempt to settle the terror that was taking over me before I called out.
“Sorry Mrs Cunningham the shop is closing early today due to unforeseen circumstances. Jock will know what’s going on once he gets home.” I called out as loudly as I could using code hoping that Elle knew something was wrong as soon as I used her former married name. Never ever had I ever referred to her by that last name, and saying our father’s first name which wasn’t unusual, but it was unusual for me to use it in front of mum. Elle and Claudia did, but not me, well not often. Dad would see the smashed glass and door in the house and tell Jamison.
My life and that of my mother and sister depended on it.