32. The improbable message
Chloe feels very lonely after Leo has left and she is longing for Isaac’s return from the hospital. She expects him to return early and doesn’t want to leave. She decides to go and lie on her bed and ponders the eventualities during the last days until she gradually eventually falls into an afternoon nap. She activates the alarm and overthinks Leo’s visit and Hunter’s news and slowly drowsiness overtakes her.
Isaac is standing next to her bed with only a towel around his loins. She marvels at his well-built body when he bends over to kiss her. He stops when they hear knocking at the front door. The knocking persists and becomes more audible and she awakes slowly and then realizes Isaac has not really been present. She has awoken in the middle of a dream. She deactivates the alarm and dizzily walks to the front door. She peeps and smiles happily and quickly opens the door and the gate.
“I have been dreaming about my prince just a while ago and now he is standing right in front of my door!”
Isaac smiles and holds out a paper bag in front of him.
“This prince bought a nice lunch at Spur. We must be quick, it’s still warm. Come with me to my palace. Another J.C. Le Roux is waiting and beautiful music.”
“What is the time? I felt downhearted and longed for you and I fell into sleep and guess who stole my dreams?”
“It is two-o’-clock and the rain is gone. The sky is clear.”
“Goodness! I am so thankful you surprised me with lunch. I would have felt so guilty if you were hungry and I haven’t even made a plan. Thank you, my dearest.”
She takes the key out of the lock, closes the door and locks it. With the remote still in her hand, she activates the alarm. She ducks in under his armpit and he leads her to his cozy palace.
They enjoy their meal at the table in the kitchen and after that they land next to each other on the soft leather sofa. The music of the all-around sound system encircles them and she is enchanted by his excellent choice of music while they leisurely drink Cold Duck and sometimes taste it out of each other’s mouths.
Chloe smiles happily. She feels they had drunk hopelessly too much sparkling wine but she doesn’t care. She feels utterly safe, is vulnerable in his arms and the wine enhances the feeling. She looks into his blue eyes and speaks like a small, naughty girl.
“Doctor Isjaac Horn, you arrr a medical doctorrr. We have polisjjed a whole J SSji le RRoux in your kitssjen. Now we sjjit and boosjj alsjo Cold Duck. I thought they sjay one sjjould not drrrink more than two glassjes per day.”
She pulls her nose up in a little frown. “What ddo you sjjay, doc. Huh?”
Isaac smiles and it is clear that he enjoys her drunken mimicry immensely and he imitates her and also speaks like a young girl.
“They sjjay alsjo one sjjould drrrink two literssj of water a day and we do sjo. Wine consjists mainly of water.”
She looks at him strangely and frowns and opens her eyes wide. “Arrre you drrrunk, sjjir?”
“This sjjir isjjn’t, but thisjj girl issj very.”
She bursts out laughing because she finds her shameless condition very funny and she realizes that for the first time in her life she is stoned. She lifts her forefinger and points to something up in the air and opens her eyes widely. “We arrrr drunk asj sjkunksj, you fiendisjjj rasjjcal!”
They awake still clutching each other on the sofa. The sound- surround system is still on repeat but the room is dark. The sun has already set and Chloe hears the noises of the frogs in the woods. She is still lying with her head on his breast and she looks at him. He opens his eyes and in the dark they can only make out each other’s smiles.
“How are you feeling, Chloe? I hope you won’t have a hangover.”
“Thanks for a very nice time. I’ve been drunk for the first time in my life. I never indulge and have occasionally only one or two drinks. The drinks go to your head very quickly but I feel okay. Don’t know how straight I’ll be able to walk. Come lead me to my place and I shall make coffee to pep us up.”
“Talking about your place! I don’t feel comfortable about that place after what had happened. Why don’t you rather move in with me?”
“My place has an alarm and yours not, do you realize it, sir? I don’t think Hunter will be happy if I move in here after he had secured my place with the alarm system.”
Suddenly her eyes shine as she recalls. “Oh yes, I forgot completely to tell you because you took over my thoughts completely.”
“What?”
“Hunter phoned with interesting news. Soon after he had arrived in George he met an old colleague and was invited to join a team of inspectors. There is a warrant for arrest out on Quinn for fraud. And they have a contact that will meet up with him tomorrow. They are planning to arrest him and want to persuade him to become state witness in a case against a money-laundering syndicate. Hunter believes that it will become clear during cross-examination whether he had anything to do with the onslaught on Zoey and Lyle’s lives.”
Isaac's eyes widen amazed. “Well, this is really good news, Chloe. It could mean that the uncertainty about your safety may be something of the past and that you will know what is going on.”
“However, Hunter urged me to be very careful. Anything might happen.”
“I still wonder what is going on in your place. If you don’t want to move in with me, I shall sleep over in your guest room, okay?”
Chloe smiles happily. “Okay, then I can spoil you with breakfast before you leave. Get your things and we will walk over.”
They are thankful for the lights as they navigate through the mud puddles on their way with the frogs’ noises loudly in their ears. The LED light at her front door ensures them that the alarm is still on but after Chloe has deactivated the alarm, Isaac enters first as if he wants to protect her from any unexplainable eventualities that might hide inside. Isaac pulls on the lights and peeps everywhere as if he expects to see something. He throws his things on the bed in the guest room and goes to the kitchen while Chloe walks to her bedroom.
Chloe pulls the chain and her heart leaps in her chest. Aghast she gazes at her bed and can’t believe what she sees. How is this possible! The alarm was on and everything was secured from the inside. The attic windows were closed with the latches in place. The only place not secured from inside was her front door!
Chloe steps closer and standing in front of her bed staring baffled at the scene while Isaac enters her room.
“Chloe, did you leave the attic windows open? I felt a slight breeze when I entered the corridor from the kitchen and went to look. The windows were wide open. I closed them and put the latches in place.”
Isaac now realizes something is amiss when he sees her standing and staring like a zombie at her bed. Blood red roses are packed on her bed and they form a picture that looks like a heart with the letter “L” next to it.
Chloe thinks back to the time with Leo this morning. She remembers the tears in his eyes. Tony leaves signs only for her and Leo and he believes something is bothering him and that he wants to make contact with them to leave a message before he travels on. The alarm hasn’t even been activated so no one of flesh and blood could have entered and arranged the roses in this way. This is totally impossible! The attic windows were secured from the inside. Was it ever the monkeys that unnerved her so much in the past? She remembers now the strange way in which Mrs Kennedy stared at her in the salon.
Nó, she simply must accept it! This place is bizarre and Mrs Kennedy had experienced it that the spiritual world and the physical world in one way or the other makes contact here. That is why she read Chloe like an open book and knew she hid the strange things going on here.
It can only be a message from Tony and it doesn’t help that she tries to rationalize it or deny it. She will simply have to accept it and the message is clear: a heart denoting love and an L for Leo arranged in red roses on her bed. Tony wants her to marry Leo and he will not rest until that day!
Isaac comes closer and asks a rhetorical question: “What is going on here?”
She suddenly feels guilty when she remembers the lovely times she and Leo spent together. He really cares about her a lot and he loves the farm. There was a strong bond between him and Tony and they respected each other. Why is she so stubborn? Then she feels Isaac’s presence and she presses her against him and clings to him like a baby monkey to its mother and she knows for sure that in spite of everything, she desires this man with her whole being.
“You are my rock, Isaac. What shall I do without you? How did you fall from heaven like an angel precisely at the right time?”
Isaac strokes her back. “I am going nowhere, Chloe. I am always here for you, my irresistible bundle of love.”