28. Elle
With the last rubbish bag tossed into the back of dad’s ute, and the trailer filled with broken and ruined furniture. Torn cushions, tattered clothes and blankets, and nearly every plate, dish and cup I owned. All gone. Thankfully, I had the foresight when Jake started taking money out of our account at a regular rate, that I put my jewellery in the safe at the grocery store.
The smell of lavender disinfectant and a nearly empty house the final visual reminder what had happened only nights ago.
Once Claudia settled Gisele from her latest meltdown, my sister decided she was on a role, turning her attention to me. With sleeves literally rolled up, Claudia rallied the troops, and with Jamison’s permission, within hours my house was cleaned up and ready for me fill again. As sad as it was to see all my possessions wrecked it was also a good excuse to start again with fresh new things. Things Jake would never touch.
Gisele already had her iPad opened to an online furniture site and we had filled a cart with a new kitchen table setting, a sofa and arm chairs a new bed and some other odds and ends. As well as that, she had ordered me a shit load of new linens, kitchen and bathroom goods and even organised a security expert to come to Blessings to install cameras for the front and back of my house. Something Jamison wholeheartedly agreed with, even insisting that Gisele and Claudia do the same.
I wasn’t sure if Claudia was on the same page, but Gisele readily agreed after Jamison kissed away her rebuttal that they weren’t necessary at her house. I noticed he did that a lot once he arrived to give a hand once he returned from seeing his boss back in Gracefield. I’d also noticed that he didn’t spend the night in the city instead commuting back to Blessings to stay with Gisele and Miracle.
Good for them. Seeing Gisele struggling with something the last few days was obvious, but it took Claudia to drag it out of her and it worked. If Georgina or I had of gone over to Gisele it may have ended up in a full-on cat fight. I had less patience with some of Gisele’s dramatic moments and mum, well she just loved tormenting her daughters no matter what the reason, which is why we stayed on the porch with Miracle and Optimus.
However, now it was sorted, I was going to sit Gisele down and ask her why she didn’t think to use protection until after Jamison had nailed her for three nights in a row. I wanted more nieces or nephews but come on. She got knocked up at sixteen the first-time having sex. Did she need more of a reminder than her beautiful daughter that oops babies happened. Not that a new baby wouldn’t be just as loved as Miracle, but Gisele coped differently to trauma than Claudia and I. Which was why I was not worried that Claudia and Josh were at it again trying for a baby. Even if Claudia had not told me, staying a couple of nights at her place since the break-in, I would have worked it out.
My sister was … vocal when it was sexy time with her hubby and Josh, well my brother-in-law was downright filthy. Who would have thought the mild-mannered mechanic had such a dirty mouth during sex. I was still in shock from what I had been forced to listen to sleeping in the spare room, which is why I was thankful to my sister for forcing me to get my house fixed up. Tonight, I was going back to mum and dad’s place, as my furniture was still a few days away from being delivered. Plus, I wasn’t really ready just yet to get back to sleeping here, my mind still hung up on the fact that my own husband could be so nasty and cruel. He always hated Dutch, but that didn’t give him the right to do the most unspeakable act of violence towards a tiny little defenceless animal.
Walking around the lounge room, I was grateful that Josh and Ryan had taken care of Dutch for me. I liked that he was in Gigi’s rose garden, but I did not want to be the one to put him there. That was not the last memory I wanted of my Dutch.
Jamison had made sure the quick look I did get at Dutch had been my last. I had no intention of replacing my little man, no way no how. Miracle bringing Optimus around me constantly was a source of comfort I didn’t see coming, but that was my beautiful niece. Insightful and so caring, I adored her for it. She saw what I couldn’t, that having an animal around me was a good thing, and not at all sad. But still, I never wanted to ever have a dog of my own again.
“Elle, can we talk for a minute?” Jamison asked coming into the lounge like a super ninja, I was about to lay in him for it but stopped when I saw the stoic look on his face.
Jami was gone and Detective Jury was in the house.
“Sure,” I sighed, waiting for him to lead me to where no one would hear us. He chose the backyard as everyone was in my front yard helping Jock and Josh tie down the rubbish in the trailer.
Walking outside and down the back steps, I let Jami take the lead. I knew if I started talking, he was just going to interrupt me anyway, so why bother.
“Jake has been found,” Jami said without any preamble or emotion.
“Where?” I croaked shocked. I truly didn’t think it would happen so quick.
“Melbourne, actually that’s where I was today. I grabbed a police chopper ride from Gracefield to Melbourne this morning after a lead I received yesterday checked out.”
“Melbourne?” Where had my well-versed vocabulary gone for cripes sake. One-word answers were all I was capable of all of a sudden.
“Yes, Footscray to be exact. I got a tip from an old cop buddy of mine who retired from the force and went into private detective work a few years back. Anyway, Ronnie knew I was looking for him and called me with a tip Jake was seen down there.” Jamison paused, probably waiting for me to say something but to be honest I had no words. For the first time I was incapable of speech.
Smirking at my silence, Jamison continued, “He was hanging out with a pack of real lowlife degenerates and high on something more than weed. The dumb prick also had forgotten to get rid of the evidence he stupidly had on him placing him at the scene of the break-in, but he also was found with a serious amount of illicit drugs, identity left. The short of it is, he is under arrest for drug charges amongst other charges pending until the police down there finish questioning him.”
Stupefied all I could manage was a nod and a choked laugh. Illicit drugs? Who the hell had I married? Finding my voice, I asked the questions that were foremost on my mind.
“Is he going to go to jail? Do I have to go down to Melbourne and see him?”
“Yes, he is going to jail. For now, he will be held on remand because his parents, who have been informed by the way, have decided he has a lesson to learn. And no, you don’t have to see him if you dot want to.”
“I don’t,” I replied quickly, “I never want to lay eyes on that piece of shit ever again.” I vehemently declared. Just the thought of seeing him again turned my stomach.
“Done,” Jamison nodded, “the missing person case has obviously been closed. The drug charges will take precedence over the burglary, but he will be charged with that as well and I’m sure the prosecutors on the case will add animal cruelty to the list of charges.”
“They better,” I growled, definitely wanting justice for Dutch as well as me.
“Like I said it will be taken care of Elle, I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you as far from him as possible. Jake will be doing some serious time. I won’t go into all the details with you tonight, but he was really deep in with a drug ring. Trafficking, dealing and a lot more that can wait for another day.”
Grateful to Jamison for sparing me another horror story, my limit had been reached for the foreseeable future. I knew a difficult conversation was going to have to happen at some point with solicitors and such but for right now I was happy to know that my family was safe from Jake.
“So, the case is filed? No missing person to look for in Blessings Detective?” I asked hiding behind my sarcastic sense of humour, the news Jamison just dropped on me was too much for me and I needed to compartmentalize it. For my own sanity. Jake lived a double life; one I was not privy too. I was mortified that I had been taken by the scumbag, allowed him into my family and worse Miracle.
Jamison gave me his detective glare; he saw right through my subterfuge, but I stood there stubbornly not giving an inch.
Finally, Jamison threw his hands up in frustration. “Damn stubborn Blessing women,” he muttered but he picked up that I wanted the subject changed.
“Officially, yes, the missing person case is wrapped up. Jake’s parents are actually quite embarrassed with their son and wanted you to know that.”
My only comment to my in-laws message was just an eye roll. I’d never had a close relationship with my in-laws. Jake grew up in Blessings with his family, but they never really accepted what they called my strange family. Jake’s mother had always been wary of Georgina and out right scared of Jock. Family barbeques had been a rare occurrence during our teen years and marriage.
“They are embarrassed for themselves, not sorry for what Jake did to me.” I insisted and Jamison nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I got that feeling too. They seem to think their former standing in the town is now in disrepute because of their son’s criminal activities.”
“Trust me, they weren’t that liked,” I huffed remembering how cold Jake’s mother came across to everyone. She also didn’t hide her annoyance for me. Me marrying Jake had been bad enough for her but when I refused to leave Blessings and move to a bigger city that had more variety of restaurants and more affluent housing estates, my brittle friendship with her shattered for good. They moved without Jake and me, reducing my communication with his family to Christmas cards and twenty dollars in a birthday card once a year. It was no great lose.
“So, does this mean that you are heading back to Gracefield?” I asked once again trying to get Jami back on the subject I wanted to talk about.
Stubborn and proud of it.
“No Elle, I am not going back to Gracefield yet. In fact, today I put in for some time off, so I will be staying here in town for my whole leave,” he said matter of factly, his tone daring me to continue challenging him. Which of course I did.
“So, you aren’t leaving my little sister high and dry after banging her?” It was the crudest I’d been with Jami since meeting him, even when he arrested my dad, but I refused to back down. If he wanted to be a part of Gisele’s life, he was going to have to get used to having Gisele meant having the rest of the family too. Something Jake or Liam never accepted.
Jami’s eyes turned murderous, and for a split second I saw what Jake must have encountered when Jamison found him hiding out because of his crime against me. It gave me a sense of relief. Relief that Gisele had indeed found the right man to give her heart to. I was still pissed at her for not using common sense and birth control. She should have known better, and I wasn’t going to let that slide. Jamison Jury, however, wasn’t the kind of man to leave a woman pregnant with his child and go on with his life, leaving her to deal with the consequence’s.
With my chin raised, I stood there waiting for an argument from Jami, at least tell me off for being so crass, but I wasn’t expecting what he finally came out with. Not in a million years.
“I would ever degrade Gisele or what she and I shared together in the privacy of her bedroom with that word. Got it Elle.” His jaw ticking and tight as he tried to remain calm.
“My feelings for Gisele go a lot deeper than sex, and I don’t appreciate the insinuation. Agreed I live and work in Gracefield, but don’t for a second think I am the type of man to put my career before the woman I have fallen in love with. And that it goes without saying before you bloody interrupt me, Miracle is included in that too.”
Inwardly I was high fiving myself, but I remained stoic, my hands stubbornly on my hips my eyes narrowed still challenging him.
“Love? Tell me Detective, what happens if Gisele gets pregnant?” I asked without blinking an eye. “Claudia had to talk Gisele off a ledge earlier today because she admitted you guys had forgotten to use birth control.” As soon as I finished my semi-tirade shock registered on his face then as quick as that it was gone replaced with that damn detective face, giving me nothing.
Looking over my shoulder to where we could hear my boisterous family in a friendly argument, Jami dropped his head for a few seconds, the muscles in his body so tense it was a wonder nothing snapped. When he had hold of himself, Jami leaned down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“Give that to Miracle for me please and tell Gisele I’ll text her soon.” It was all he said before turning away and walking down the to back gate and left through it without a single word. He did stumble briefly when the sound of Gisele’s unique giggle sounded out in the quiet of the night, but he gathered himself and kept going, presumably back to the B and B and not Gisele’s.
Maybe I said a little too much,the thought briefly entered my mind before I shoved it aside. No, Jami had not seen the heap Gisele collapsed in when Miracle was born. He didn’t spend over a hundred days sitting beside that beautiful baby, most of the time unable to hold her because she had been so critical. I wasn’t about to let that happen to Gisele ever again.
Or our family.