Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
CALEB
The second the door to Ariella’s home opens, she jumps on me, forcing me to drop my travel duffel where I stand. Her lips find mine as she anchors her thighs to my hips and crosses her ankles behind me.
As I support her bum in my hands, it occurs to me that this is the first time I’ve ever returned home to my girlfriend after a trip.
‘Can I at least get inside the house?’ I laugh into our kiss.
‘No.’ She shakes her head as she beams before re-engaging our lips.
With her attached to me, I awkwardly kick the bag into the house with my foot before using it to slam the front door shut.
‘You’ve been cooking.’
‘The results were terrible but it’s a start.’
I somehow doubt that. ‘Where am I taking you?’
‘The shower. You just got off a thirteen-hour flight.’
‘Risky. But I like it.’
For someone who didn’t just get off a thirteen-hour flight, she is particularly keen to get in too.
We do our best to wash each other without getting too carried away, which, with Aari’s enthusiasm to stay close, is challenging.
I will never tire of tossing Ariella on a bed, spreading her legs and burying my head between them. It’s not just the way she tastes – which is, quite frankly, delicious – it’s the hands in my hair, the nails on my shoulders and back…It’s her total submission and vulnerability. Until she realises that she is about to tip over and stops us to bring me along. She deftly brings my mouth to hers, flips us over, situates herself on top and lets me sink into her before interlocking our fingers. I love supporting her weight in my hands as I watch her use her body to edge me closer to her. From here, I get to appreciate her beautiful face, her parted perfect lips, her elegant neck, soft full breasts with her hard, beaded nipples, that shapely waist and the way she employs the muscles in her legs and stomach to create motion for both of us.
‘Caleb…’ she moans.
And that’s the call. That I’ve lasted this long is beyond belief. I follow her lead to create the movements that she needs and, the second she collapses, I hug her close and finally release.
‘Welcome home. I really missed you,’ she says softly before she wraps her arms round my neck and places her head on my shoulder like she never wants to let go.
We spend Saturday moving me in. It’s not difficult. I’ve been using the apartment like a hotel, so, apart from my washbag, my Mac and the mountain of clothes Eden filled my wardrobe with, there was nothing else. As I put my clothes away in her walk-in wardrobe, Ariella attempts a nasi lemak in the kitchen. It’s delicious, despite her concerns that she hasn’t got the sambal quite right. Knowing her, I’m willing to bet that there are at least six other sample-sized variations neatly labelled and stacked in the fridge.
After dinner, we drag the couch blanket from home onto her sofa and watch her new favourite character, Shane, threaten to empty bullets into the zombies that emerge from Hershel’s barn in The Walking Dead . When I look at her to speculate about Carol’s daughter, she’s asleep, and I know that we have found our home with each other again.
‘I’m not sure about this guy.’ I’m lying on the couch looking at job applications with my head on Ariella’s lap.
‘Let me see?’ She stops running her fingers through my hair and takes the sheet from me.
‘Noooo…’ I complain. ‘Keep going. It’s soothing.’
‘I only have two hands, Caleb, and the other has a pencil in it. I’ll be quick.’
‘You better, or I’m going to start looking for places to tickle you.’ I poke her ribs gently and she jumps. ‘So, what do you think?’
She takes her time reading through. ‘Give him a chance. His application may not be exactly what you’re looking for, but he could be hungry for it, and that rarely shows up on paper.’
She hands the sheet over and bends to give me a quick kiss on my puckered lips before returning to playing with my hair.
‘I’ll keep him. That’s me done. What are you working on?’
‘Homework for MsPat. We’re off to the market again tomorrow. I might try chilli crab next. I’ve found a recipe that breaks every single item down and it’s a long list. Once I’ve learned how to cook the authentic recipe, I’m really tempted to get rid of some bits and swap in some scandalous ingredients for fun. I’m going to need to learn how to deshell crab in a way that keeps the jumbo pieces together so that it’s easier to eat.’
Ariella glows when she is talking and thinking about food. I’m happy that she has started experimenting with it again. It’s too soon to revisit the ‘after Singapore’ plan but, if she decides to leave Ivory Bow, the natural progression would be for her to work with food in some way.
‘Nice. I might tag along tomorrow.’
‘You can’t. Dominic is sending an advocate over after work to walk you through questions you may be asked by the police about Melissa.’
‘I saw that. Do I really need someone to prepare me?’
‘Yes, it’s good practice to ensure that you don’t drop any hints about her previous shenanigans with us. You’re with the police on Tuesday morning, so you need some preparation.’
‘I don’t need his help.’
‘It isn’t his help. The company is doing this to protect its employees. Please can you just sit through it and retain whatever you may find useful?’
She sounds a little exasperated, so I leave it, get up from the couch and try to make amends.
‘Fine. I’ll behave. So, fancy cheese on toast for dinner?’
Her eyes immediately light up. She loves my cheese on toast.
‘Is that what’s in the bag in the fridge marked “Caleb”?’
‘You didn’t look?’
‘No. MsPat told me not to.’
This is one of the things I love about my girlfriend. She can be so sweet. I’d have found a way to open, take a peek and reseal the bag without leaving any evidence.
‘Yes. And a couple of other things. Now that you’re going to be cooking again, I know there will be some nights that you’ll be knackered or won’t feel like it and MsPat has gone home for the day, so I thought I’d get some basics in so that I can quickly rustle something up for you.’
I’m unprepared for the force with which Ariella hugs me. I know what you’re thinking. Do I really deserve relationship-affirming hugs for doing the bare minimum like making sure she doesn’t starve? Probably not, but I don’t make the rules. I’m just a grateful beneficiary who got bloody lucky, and I feel like now is a good time to bring up the shift that’s about to occur in our relationship.
‘So, I spoke to Honey while I was away,’ I start, tentatively. ‘We’ve come up with a plan to break up publicly.’
‘What about her blackmailer?’
‘You’re not going to believe it,’ I tease, knowing that she’ll get excited and beg for details. It’s cute.
‘Caleb. Spill, now.’ She puts her pencil and paper down, then sits up, erect, to listen.
‘It was her father. When she decided to take a break from her career, he wanted her to keep fighting. They had a huge falling-out.’
‘How did she find out?’
‘Lara. She texted the blackmailer, said she worked for Honey and had pictures that he may want. They met, Honey recognised him, all hell broke loose.’
‘Her dad?’ Ariella says, wide-eyed.
‘Her dad. Not everybody is lucky enough to get Hugh Mason.’ I give her a soft smile and she lights up at the mention of her father’s name. ‘Anyway, long story short, Honey and I are breaking up this week.’
‘What are you going to say?’
‘Nothing. We’re going out the way we came in. Social media is going to tell the story for us.’ I wink, then make my way to the kitchen to start our cheese on toast dinner.
We slip too easily back into our London routine out here and work that week is great. The DMVI lawyers don’t show up on Monday, so I go in on Tuesday without Dominic’s help, like I wanted. Honey and I also executed the perfect public break- up. All we did was attend the same high-profile charity event separately. I arrived first like we planned and, while I was standing to get my photo taken, she walked past me, texting on her mobile phone like I didn’t exist. When the photographers called for her, she insisted on standing as far away from me as possible. Then, as we expected, a photographer asked her for a picture of us together. She simply replied with an incredulous ‘I don’t think so’ and walked into the event. Lara caught it on video and sent it to The Singaporean . It was up within half a day and we all spent most of the week being entertained by all the speculation online.
Ariella and I decided to keep our relationship quiet until the drama died down at least, which allowed us to enjoy our quiet corner of the world in the only way that mattered to us. However, just when I thought Dominic Miller had cooled his heels, the very next week he popped up and pulled a stunt that you wouldn’t believe.
‘Ariella.’ The doorbell ringing incessantly startles both of us. It’s Friday evening, which is usually the quietest night of the week for Ariella. ‘Ariella, it’s me. Open up.’ I recognise Dominic’s voice.
Aari rushes to the door and I follow.
‘Dom?’
‘I’ve been calling you. Where’s Caleb?’ Dominic comes through, followed by a heavyset man.
‘What’s wrong?’ Ariella asks, frightened.
‘Caleb. We need to get you out of here now,’ Dominic demands urgently. ‘Ariella, put your shoes on. Victor will take you to mine. You’ve been there all night.’
‘What’s going on?’ I ask, confused.
‘Singapore police will be at your home soon. Formally, they are going to pick you up as a suspect in Mel’s disappearance. Informally, they are picking you up for her murder.’
‘What? That’s ridiculous…’
‘They’ve found her bloody clothes and you were the last to see her. You need to leave now.’
‘We can go to them and—’ Ariella starts.
‘Do you have any idea what they will do to him? Caleb needs to come with me now. We need to get him away while they figure it out.’
‘Oh my God, Caleb!’ Ariella starts crying.
‘Hey, hey.’ I hold my girlfriend’s face. ‘It’ll be okay.’
‘Where are you taking him?’ Ariella asks, shaking.
‘I’m not sure yet. He’s going to need to disappear, and fast. I can get him on a plane tonight but we have to go now,’ Dominic explains.
‘I’m coming!’ Ariella runs into her living room to grab her wallet, phone and keys.
Dominic looks at me and shakes his head.
‘No, you’re not,’ I say to stop her, resigned.
‘Caleb?’ she questions, confused.
‘If I have to disappear, you can’t come,’ I explain calmly to her.
I watch Ariella’s face crumple.
‘For how long?’ She turns to Dominic, desperate for answers.
‘I don’t know, until this blows over.’ Dominic sounds unconvinced.
‘That could take months.’
‘He has to come now, Ariella,’ Dominic repeats.
Ariella throws herself at me and pulls me into a kiss. ‘Don’t go too far, please,’ she begs. ‘Will you let me know when you’re safe?’
‘He can’t. He has to stay moving and stay gone,’ Dominic explains sadly.
‘I will find you,’ she cries, and she pulls me in to kiss and hold me. I inhale the centre of my universe and try to bury this feeling deep in my memory.
‘Come on, Caleb,’ Dominic urges for the last time before I walk out of the door. Ariella starts to follow us, but the hefty man Dominic turned up with blocks her way. ‘I’ll look after him,’ Dominic says to Ariella, then follows me out of the front door.
All I can think about as I sit immobile next to Dominic in the back of his car is Ariella’s fear and panic-stricken face. ‘I will find you.’ Her last words to me replay in my mind as I try to hold on to our last kiss, mixed with both our tears. I try to keep my emotions buried.
‘Hopefully, this will blow over soon,’ Dominic says quietly, looking out of the window at the night lights as we speed to the east of the city.
‘Do you honestly think taking off is the best option here? Surely this will make me look more guilty?’
‘Have you ever been in a Singaporean prison?’ he asks, incredulously. ‘And that’s if you’re lucky. The maximum penalty for murder here is death. You were the last to see her and the bloody clothes don’t help.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Good job you were at Ariella’s and not yours. You’d be in custody by now.’
‘How did you know?’
‘Kevin. I was with him when he got the call.’
‘Why are you helping me?’
‘You know why.’ He has the decency not to meet my eyes. After a pause, I accept my fate and decide to help him out.
‘You can’t make her choose you,’ I tell him.
‘That’s not what this is.’
‘It doesn’t hurt you though, does it?’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ he admits.
It kills me to let Ariella go. She has become the sun my existence revolves around and living without her seems impossible to fathom. Dominic moves his gaze back out of the window. We are silent for the rest of the journey, until we pull into an airfield, where another car and a plane are waiting. Two men move towards the car as we come to a stop.
‘We’re here.’ Dominic opens the door and steps out into the night. I do the same.
‘Is it ready?’ Dominic asks briskly.
‘Yes, sir.’ One of the men hands him a black rucksack.
‘What’s going on?’ I ask.
‘We’re getting you out of here. There’s a hundred thousand US cash in this rucksack, a burner and an address. Here, take it.’
I do as I am told.
‘My plane is going to fly you just outside Cà Mau in Vietnam tonight. Nothing will be waiting for you. The first thing you need to do, when you land, is to get a new identity. Find your way to the address in the bag. He has already been paid. Lie low. It will take a couple of days. Once you have your new ID, call Ariella on your burner, let her know you’re okay, then toss it. I think that should be the last she hears from you until all this is sorted. Once you’ve tossed the burner, you will be given the details of another plane arranged for the same night, to fly you out of Vietnam.’
‘Where will that plane be going?’
‘I don’t know yet, but somewhere Caleb Black didn’t land and doesn’t exist. You’ll need to use the cash to keep moving.’
I take the bag.
‘Good luck, Caleb. I’ll look after her.’
‘She doesn’t need looking after.’ I turn round and walk towards the plane.
‘Anything you want me to tell her?’ Dominic shouts after me as I take the first step to ascend.
‘No.’
I actually don’t give a shit about what happens to me. This is just another beating life is dishing out, one that I will have to fight through. Then it occurs to me. I could choose to dodge immigration, customs and police in a bunch of foreign countries so I don’t end up facing the death penalty for someone who, I am sure, is pulling all our strings and will resurface eventually.
But things have changed, and more importantly I am trying to change. While I still don’t give a shit what happens to me, leaving means driving Ariella mad with worry, because I believe her. She will stop at nothing until she finds me again. I’m not going to put her through that. I can’t and I won’t. I’m going to hand myself in and call the British High Commission in the morning, if Ariella hasn’t left them a dozen messages already. I stop at the top of the stairs, turn round, make my way back down and walk directly towards a perplexed Dominic. I throw the rucksack at his feet.
We are exactly the same height, so I step up to him, nose to nose.
‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m pretty certain that you know more than you’re letting on, MrNice Guy. I’m going to do whatever it takes to find out just how involved you are in this mess, because I don’t think this is just about Ariella. I think you have a lot more to hide.’
I look at him dead in the eyes and smile.
‘Almost, Budget Jasper. Almost.’ I pat him on the shoulder, walk off the airfield, find my car app and drop a pin to be picked up before I send a text to Ariella.
I’m not going anywhere. Sit tight. I’m coming to get you.