+1+
I didn't bother knocking as I entered the quiet house in Monroe County, the screen door squeaked open to the dusty hallway. The stained glass windows were murky and blocked out the warm spring weather.
Pulling of my shades I observed the quit house it hadn't changed much in the three months since I last stepped foot in it.
“Rose”, I called up the stairs, “Rosalie !”
I looked down at the red stained wood beneath my heels and stepped back, unconsciously touching the back of my head. I once again remembered why I hadn't been back. I'd found my hotel more comforting than this house.
I called for Rose again, this time stepping back and tripping over Rosalie’s luggage. I picked myself up and sat with my back against the wall.
Rosalie came down the stairs, her arms were folded and her lips pursed into a thin line. I noticed she was still wearing my music-note necklace.
“Go outside and wait for me”, I instructed her, "I'll be out in a minute"
She glared back at me as she slipped out the screen door. I went to the window and watched her sitting outside, pulling up the spring flowers in the flowerbed.
“Clara”
“Don’t” , I said gritting my teeth, “Don’t think calling me Clara is going to make me change my mind about leaving.”
“Fine then, Ms. DeLune. I thought you should know this is very much like you”
I turned away from the screen door to where he was standing against the stairs.
“And this is very much like you. Big house, beautiful garden in the spring, all alone and . . . really overdressed”, I gestured half-heartdly at him.
He picked up the plane tickets I had dropped when I fell.
“Genoa”, he read the tickets, “What a lovely place to runaway too.”
“Don’t be this way”, I said taking back the tickets, “You said it yourself. The longer I stay the harder it will be to leave. When they realize I’m different. There really is no better time and besides I like traveling and I think it will be exciting for a little girl. She'll tell you all about it when she visits.”
“This isn’t what I meant”, he said sternly
“This is what you meant, when you plotted to marry me to protect yourself.”
“ I had good reason didn't I ? After all our union has very little to no legal standing"
"Good", I said
"While my intentions were not honorable, my feelings were”
“Did you forget that I just sent my mother to prison for murdering her husband. Do you think I believe in your feelings ? Let alone honorable ones ?"
I reached into my purse and placed the engagement ring on the counter, I pushed it away from me with the tips of my fingernails.
Mr.Fierro picked it up, watching the large diamond catch the light.
“You know Ms. DeLune this is the second time I’ve had a woman return a ring to me. I’m beginning to take it personally.”
"I'm tired of saying I'm sorry to people, so I"m just going to go”,
I ran my hand through my hair and looked into Mr. Fierro's cloudy eyes, they were unmoving I felt as if I were being scrutinized
“Are you sorry ?”, he asked
I bit my lip and let a few tears fall. I thought I had been done with crying, with disappointing people.
“You know, every night for 29 years my parents said 'I love you' to each other. I used to dream about having what they had for so long. And when I finally think I do, I realize what they had was nothing more than an illusion. Mr. Fierro I never thought I would say this. . . but you are such a romantic.You’ll fall in love a million times over again.”
"Don't insult me, Ms. DeLune"
“You and Lucie, Lucie and my grandpa, my parents; hell even Claudia and Derek. What's the point anymore ?”
“We must move on”, He said. I tried to stop crying as he leaned in to me, my eyes closed as he kissed me. “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. Believe me, I know”
I pulled back slightly, never thinking I'd be the one to break a kiss with him.
I took a step back and went to pick up Rosalie's luggage by the stairs, my steps were unsteady as I headed towards the front door, pushing it open with my elbow.
“Play for me”, he asked. His voice carrying down the hallway, ". . . One last time"
I leaned against the door and set the luggage down.
"I don't know"
"Please, Ms. DeLune"
“Alright", I breathed.
I shook out my hands and followed him to the parlor, nervously twisting the ends of my dress in my hands. It had been so long since I'd played, too long really. I wondered if I still could.
The piano was an antique upright made of deep oak with deep floral engraving. It looked as if it has seen better days.
I sat down awkwardly behind the piano and slid to the edge of the bench.
"Sit", I said gesturing to the space beside me.
He declined and I began to tune the piano quickly. It took a while for the keys to come to me. I kept my eyes down studying the keys.
"Request ?", I asked watching him from the corner of my eye.
"Debussy."
"Moonlight Sonata ?"
"Please"
My fingers tentatively found the keys, once I found them the rhythm of the music it was so calming, so familiar.
My family had given me a lot of gifts, but this was the one I would always cherish.
In the mirror I could see Rose sitting by the screen door pulling petals off buttercups. Without thinking or even realizing it I was smiling. I didn't want the song to end, I felt as if I could play forever and I never wanted to stop.
I realized Mr. Fierro was now sitting next to me. I jumped as he reached for my hand but quickly picked up playing with one.
“What are you doing”, I asked.
“Ms. DeLune, I want to ask you something-"
I hit a sour note and held both hands very close to me.
"Save yourself the time. I won't marry you"
"I have something much simpler to ask from you."
"What ?"
"Your music."
"My music ?"
"Ms. DeLune, since the moment I first heard your music, I have wanted nothing more than to ask you to play for me every night of my life. And if I am ever to tire of your music, or you are ever to tire of playing then you can leave having made me a happy man, for however short a time."
With one hand he placed the ring in the palm of my hand, my fingers closed around its smooth surface. His other hand began tracing my scars, his mouth following the same path. I pressed my lips to his. It wasn't an answer just an odd instinct.
“Did you forget flattery does not work on me”, I led him to stand up with me.
"Not flattery. Simply a proposal of another type."
"I can't- ", I took a deep breath and started over, "Whenever I hear my music you fill my every thought. So I stopped playing for a long time, I couldn't bare such thoughts."
"I--"
"The first time we met; if you would have asked me I would have said... yes."
"Ms. DeLune--"
" Mr.Fierro I'm afraid against my better judgment I am in love with you. I want to fill your life with music. If you will give me that chance."
"I will. I love you, Ms. DeLune"
"I love you, Mr. Fierro."
+2+
Rainer leaned on her crutches and watched as Juliet collected her suspect sketches from the small office.
“This case wasn’t what I was hoping”, Rainer said
“Nothing is ever cut and dry”, Juliet responded.
“You said something, to Clara's fiancee”
“What ?”
“During the arrest. Did you think I didn't notice ?”,
“Oh, well”, Juliet said , “I told him his future”
Rainer stopped short, happy that in a few days she could say good-bye to the crutches
“I thought you couldn’t read the living”, Rainer remembered
“Right”, Juliet seettled back on her heels, “ It’. . .uh, complicated.”
“Are you going to spill ?”
“No, but I don't see any murders in the future”
"Good for her.”, Rainer quibbed sarcastically, "What did you see."
"Let's just say life doesn't really have a happily ever after, no matter how hard you try"
"No surprise here, kid"
“What’s next ?”, Juliet asked looking at the blank board.
Rainer waved a white envelope that had just been released from escrow. She pulled out the check freshly signed from the solicitor's office.
“I deliver the windfall to Martin DeLune's heir”, she said.
She gave a low whistle at the amount of money the check was worth 65 million dollars, made out to Rosalie E. DeLune.
“Mind if I tag along ?”, Juliet asked.
“Why not ?”
They pair drove in silence to the outskirts of town and into the quiet country.
When they reached the house in Monroe County, Detective Rainer leaned against her cruiser slamming the door and supporting herself on one crutch. Her other hand firmly clutching the envelope.
The spring wind blew and Rainer tigtned her grasp on the envelope.
In the back seat Juliet sat with her hands folded. She rolled down her window and watched as the Detective balanced herself.
Rainer made her way up the slopping driveway towards the house. Her crutches creaked on the stairs and she hit a tea cup on the front steps. With a sigh she knocked and waited. The check felt heavy in her hands.
She leaned on the door, nearly toppling over as the screen door squeaked opened.
“Clara”, she called, “Clara”
With clunky movements Rainer stepped inside the house, the faint smell of dust and wood overwhelmed her. The large stained glass windows were bare and sunlight streamed in touching ever surface.
The rich wood floors clicked beneath her, the elegant crown molding and open floor plan was highlighted by the sunlight.
She stepped into a few of the main rooms, the kitchen and backyard.
It was useless.
The house was empty. It was just bare walls and floor.
“The hell”, she whispered noticing two tickets to Genoa on the floor.
She hobbled upstairs from room to room, finding nothing except for the floors and walls.
Exasperated she went back out to the car, Juliet was now standing on the driveway.
“She’s--”
“Gone”, Juliet finished
“How ? Why ? What about the money---”
Juliet kicked the dirt.
“I guess. . .maybe they wanted something more important.”