Parkers Island Ch 03

The original two chapters were supposed to have been the story, and for some time I thought that adding to it would actually dilute it. A very good friend and I bounced a few ideas around and came up with this. Only you, the reader, can decide if what I've written has done the original storyline justice. Sorry, no sex in this one. Once again I thank Todger65 and SouthPacific for their editing work.

*****

Shelby met us both at the entrance to the Department's admin building. One of the clerks led Tessa away, and Shelby tossed me a set of keys.

"It's your old apartment, so I'm not going to bother showing you where it is."

"And Tessa?"

"She's going to be knee deep in paperwork, medicals and psych-evaluations for the rest of the day. She's living with you for now; Martha made it a request."

Shelby had THAT look. I waited her out, since she had no doubt been sitting on what she was about to say.

"No sharing showers with this member of the Burnett clan, Aiden. Your own work is back at your work station: you can get to it tomorrow." She turned and headed towards her own office, so she didn't see me wave my wedding band at her.

It took me an hour to move back into my old apartment, and I left Tessa's suitcase on the bed in the spare room for now. As I looked around the room I could still feel Carol in here; and now her sister would take her place. A part of me did wonder if she would have been pleased, or had instead already started spinning in her grave.

Shelby phoned later that afternoon to let me know that Tessa was just about done. I got to the office just as she was leaving it. She had a glow about her, the smile never leaving her lips as she talked non-stop all the way back to my apartment, but she stopped at the door and wouldn't come in.

"It seems your mom's insistent, Tessa. You're in the spare room for the next three months, and you can move into the main room when I go back home."

"Momma knows I'm sleeping with you?"

Both our cheeks reddened at the way she had worded her question, although she was quick to rephrase it. The vision of what my wife would do to me if that were true caused me to wince as well. Her head and neck came in the door, the rest of her holding back.

I pointed to her room. "That's yours, and it has a lock on the inside, just like mine does."

"You planning on using it?"

"Damn straight I am! I want to look Em in the eyes and tell her I did. That girl will know I'm telling the truth."

The rest of her body sidled into the apartment right about then, and she headed for her room. I made us both drinks while she quietly sang to herself as she put her clothes away. I knocked and handed Tessa her drink and, by the time she had finished hanging clothes, she had emptied the glass as well. It was then I gave her the ten cent tour, even catching up with Madison in the canteen, and I noticed that a strong bond seemed to have developed between these two during the day's journey to the Department. We finished our tour and headed back to our apartment.

That was the last real peace we had, as the ensuing weeks were full of tears and tantrums. Tessa loved the work, but her mind became so active during the day that, by the time she walked into our apartment, she barely had time to eat before crashing onto her bed. All thought of locking her bedroom door became a thing of memory, and all too often I was the one putting her to bed. Her concentration was so intense that even the instructors had to remind her that it was in fact the end of the day.

Those same instructors changed from weekly to daily reports on Tessa, all voicing their concerns. A burnout seemed to be coming very quickly and it worried us all. It was Madison, though, who came up with the answer.

It was a Sunday and we both had a lay-in, but the banging on the door cut that idea short. Madison strode in and then wandered into Tessa's room, slamming the door shut behind her. The screams and voices were muffled, but I got the impression that Tessa was losing whatever argument they were having. A few minutes of silence were followed by a dressed Tessa opening her bedroom door, with Madison close behind.

At least I got a wave goodbye from Madison as they both left. After three days of not seeing either of them I became concerned, and asked Shelby what was going on. All she did was smile and mutter the words "road trip" before dismissing any further talk on the subject. Just short of a week from the day they walked out they came crashing back into the apartment, giggling like schoolgirls.

Madison waved her goodbye once again, and I was left with a Tessa on a real high. It still took a good day and a half to get the full story out of her and, once she finished talking, I knew I would be flat-out blamed for what they got up to if it ever got out. Madison frogmarched her to her car and drove for an hour, ending up at some general store at the base of one of the more local-ish wilderness trails. It took two hours to kit them both out, and the owner even let them leave the car parked around the back of the store.

Three days into their trek they met up with a couple of guys doing the same trail, so they all shared the journey. The bit that made Tessa go beet-red was that she and Madison alternated between the guys' tents for the rest of the trek as well. I could see my dead body floating face down in Clearwater Cove as she told me that little piece of information, but the warmth of her lips on my cheek quickly cleared that image from my mind.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Her eyes looked around the apartment, and then her arm went in a wide arc.

"For all this. I was close to burning out, wasn't I?"

I nodded at that comment, sighed to myself and stood, holding out my hand.

Confused, Tessa asked the only question she could. "What?"

"I'm taking you to the clinic to get tested."

"Already done, Aiden. Madison insisted the boys wore condoms, and scared the guys into knowing that, if one broke "accidentally," then they would break as well. We both had blood tests done when we got back."

This time her arms went around me, and I got the biggest hug ever from her.

"Thank you for caring for me, Aiden. I know Momma wanted you to look after me, and between you and Madison I'm the safest girl here."

She must have felt me blush. I offered a restaurant dinner, but she insisted on cooking at the apartment. She was even up before me the next day, and was first out the door. The next few weeks brought a new Tessa - always home on time and, from the reports I got from Shelby, the 'road trip' did seem to work. The assessments from the other instructors were full of praise and, considering they had all been close to letting her go, that in itself was a big turnaround.

My own work was all but done. I had a bag packed and, other than handing in my report to Shelby, I was ready to leave. Tessa came crashing into the apartment, saw me standing there, and smiled.

"Good! You're not gone yet."

She flew across the room and clung to me like a limpet. I had grown so fond of this woman, and she definitely was now a woman. Since being with the Department she had flourished: even the last three months had changed her so much. Her intelligence went well beyond a simple IQ test. I suppose in some ways she reminded me so much of myself when I first got here.

"You're coming back, aren't you? If you don't I may just have to send Madison to come get you."

Placing her back on her feet and laughing at the same time is not easy for a guy who isn't supposed to multi-task.

*******

She was sitting on the bench as the ferry opened its doors to the five cars and God knows how many people. The impatient ones pushed past those folks that were here for the day; the tourist season had but a week or two left to it. Her coffee cup came to her lips once again, and occasionally her arm would leave her leg and wave at someone who waved at her.

Amelia still watched the ferry and the car park when I sat next to her.

"I hear you do this every day."

"Had to keep the seat warm for my husband. Remember him? Keeps himself to himself, dumps his wife for months on end, and then comes home and doesn't even give her so much as a kiss."

We stood together; I took off her hat and then her sunglasses.

"Hello, wife of mine."

"Hello, husband of mine."

She blinked first. Her arms went around me and her head made it to my neck before she cried. I held her a little tighter right about then; it took her a moment to calm herself and pull away from me as my thumb gently brushed away a tear.

"You best be ready for make-up sex when I'm done today. Don't even think we're going out to dinner. The only thing to slow me down will be the amount of time it's going to take getting out of these clothes."

Her radio squawked just then, with a report of a car accident just outside of town. No casualties other than the wall the driver hit. Amelia acknowledged the call and, with a goodbye kiss that left me a little weak at the knees, she grabbed her hat and glasses back before leaving, shaking that cute ass of hers as she did.

I grabbed a bite to eat at the diner and then walked home. Martha was sitting on the porch seat when I opened the gate. I opened the door to let her in first before placing my bag by the door, and made us both drinks.

"She doesn't call, Aiden."

My finger instantly went to my lips; hers became a thin line, and her eyes clearly carried both anger and frustration about them. It took me only a moment to open my office and remove the two little black boxes. Martha watched but said nothing as I sat one on either side of the breakfast counter and switched them on.

"Dammit Aiden, she doesn't call."

"Tessa is doing exceptionally well, Martha."

I don't think either of us set out to have a staring competition.

"Even Carol came home after boot camp."

This time I tried hard not to sigh.

"Martha! Let's not fool ourselves here. You knew what Tessa was letting herself in for, since you had me as a shining example. She will be home soon: that's all I can tell you, since I don't know for sure myself when that will be."

It was perhaps the one time I felt the need to point something out that I truly doubt she had even considered.

"Are you ready for her return, Martha?"

The flash of anger came quickly to her; I leant on the breakfast bar.

"Know this, Martha; she will be as honest as she can be with you, since you are both her mother AND Matriarch. But ask her a question she can't answer and she will either not answer or will lie to you. That moment will hurt you both, since I suspect it will be a first for both of you."

My hand went to hers and held tight. I felt her hand tense, but I kept hold and my eyes never left hers.

"She belongs to the Department now, Martha, and I suspect when she comes here on her leave she will only then understand what it is to be you, and how you have all those secrets in your head. She has them now, Martha."

A small smile escaped her lips and she nodded. Her hand gripped mine just as tightly.

"That's the part I'm terrified of, Aiden."

I felt I had to give her something, so I told Martha that on the day of her first leave Tessa would be handed a sheet of paper and told to read and sign it. It's a list of what she could and couldn't do. My name would no doubt be on there as a point of contact, as would approval for access to my office. A phone number would be given to her that she could only ever memorize so that, if she was ever in any trouble and had no access to her own phone or laptop, that number could be used.

The day she left the Department on her first leave would be the day she would become an "asset:" a person of value. Most assets on their first leave were shadowed by a member of Bingham Securities. I even warned Martha that I suspected that Madison may well accompany Tessa. That raised an eyebrow and left me telling Martha that those two girls had bonded to some degree, both on the way to the Department and during her time there.

I just prayed she couldn't read my thoughts on how well they bonded on their "road trip" as well. Martha listened; she nodded her head on occasion, and gripped my hand tighter when I came to the hard part of telling a mother how her daughter would have changed.

"Did they do all this to you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, and even smiled at the memories that one question brought to the front of my thoughts.

"I was different as I chose no leave, so instead I was sent directly into the field. I think my first leave was two years into my time at the Department, and even then they had to pick me up and throw me out the gate. I spent a week hiking and taking pictures of Mount Rushmore."

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of the door swinging open and crashing against the wall as Amelia made her entrance caused her to stay silent. Amelia made it three paces into the room before she noticed us both sitting at the kitchen counter. She spotted the little black boxes and went a little red around the cheeks. Martha smiled and let go of my hand before she walked over to Amelia and hugged her.

"He's all yours, my dear."

The door was closed more gently than it was opened, with Amelia still standing where she was. I switched off the little black boxes and, by the time I had replaced them in my office and closed the door, my wife was standing in the middle of a pool of discarded clothes, just as naked as she had intended to be.

*******

The summer houses started to empty out on an almost daily basis, as school had already started. The Sheriff left Amelia on the island three days a week, but she still had to go to the mainland to cover for days off and sickness amongst the other deputies.

Shelby phoned about a month after my return. All of Tessa's instructors were so impressed with her progress that she was given her first leave, and Madison was assigned as her shadow. I told Shelby to send Madison my way when they arrived, and we would put her up in our spare room.

"Given the background between your wife and Madison, is that wise?"

"Other than the stuff she can never know, Shelby, I'm not holding anything back from my wife. She knows Tessa would have a shadow, and figured out herself that it would be Madison. She offered, so all I'm doing is passing on the invitation."

We talked for a few minutes more before she told me to expect Madison the following afternoon. Hell, it made a nice change to at least be given some kind of advance warning.

It was Amelia who joined up with the girls on the ferry over, and they even stopped off at the diner for an hour to catch up. Tessa took the car home with her, and Madison went with Amelia. I did watch from the window to see if she was in the front of the patrol car or the back, but both got out of the front so I breathed a sigh of relief.

Dinner was fun, and both girls seemed to have some kind of vibe going between them. That unnerved me to begin with; it was like a twin thing when they sometimes finished the other's sentence. Eventually Madison pleaded tiredness and had an early night.

*******

"Aiden, can you open your office, please? I need to speak to Shelby."

That alone got her one of those looks, as her own cell was almost as secure as my office. With a shrug of my shoulders I let her in, got the Department on-line, and set the wheels in motion before I left her to it.

Madison waited until I had left and the door was locked before she asked to be put through to Shelby. It took a moment before Shelby's face filled to screen, her concern evident.

"What's up?"

"I need clarification on something. Worst case scenario, who do I protect? You now have two assets on an island, so who do I protect first?"

Shelby pondered her question for a moment; a flicker of anger crossed her face as she allowed her own imagination to play out Madison's question.

"You're assigned to Tessa, so she is your priority. Aiden no longer works for us, so is not afforded Tessa's kind of protection."

"That's bullshit, Shelby, and we both know it. Aiden still works for the Department and, even as an independent, is deemed an asset. His value to the Department won't ever go away; this tin box he calls an office is a prime example of the investment you people have in him."

It still took a moment for Shelby to nod her head.

"Very well - you have a point. What do you suggest, since you look like you already have the answer?"

"I need to speak to Martha Burnett first before I talk again about this. Can you get Aiden off this island at a moment's notice?"

The nod of her head came first. "It's not impossible; I can slot Aiden over one of the other assets if I have to."

This time Madison smiled. "For now I'm still not happy with the numbers, so can I have authority to bring Lauren here?"

Shelby's brow creased and she leaned a little closer to the screen, her concentration totally on Madison. "OK, you've piqued my interest. Why Lauren?"

"For one, the numbers will even out, and I will need her help with what I have in mind." It was clear to Madison that Shelby was going to refuse. "Shelby, I can't give you details until I have all the facts myself. Martha can smooth the way with this, and Lauren's connection with Carol Burnett when they were both in the Corps will help me, or should I say us."

Shelby slowly shook her head before replying. "It was all so much easier when Aiden refused to see any of his family. Very well: I'll take your request upstairs, but look on it as a formality and set whatever you need to do in motion. Let me know what else you need when you need it."

The screen went blank as Shelby severed the connection. Madison closed the system down and left the office. Amelia was doing the washing up as Madison looked around the room.

"He's gone to do his rituals."

"You're not at work today?"

Amelia shook her head before telling Madison that it was her two days off unless something drastic happened, and then the Sheriff's department would phone.

"Phone Martha. Tell her that it would be a good idea to send Tessa on some errands and, since it's such a nice, fine day, all three of us should go and place flowers on Carol's grave."

Both stared at each other for a moment. Madison just smiled, and Amelia sighed before she shook her head, knowing she wasn't fooling anyone. Amelia left a note for Aiden that they were going for a walk and he may have to fend for himself if he didn't see them for lunch. Both took a roundabout route to the florist, so it was a good half an hour later that they entered the cemetery. Martha was kneeling by the grave; both slowed their pace to allow Martha a private moment.

When her hand reached out to Carol's headstone her fingers gently brushed her name before she used it to pull herself up. Martha took a step back as both girls paid their own respects and then turned to face her. She watched Madison, since she knew it was she who had initiated this meeting.

"You know what I am and why I'm on this island?"

Martha nodded her head, and there was a pause before she replied.

"Tessa told me; you're what she called a shadow. All first leavers from the Department are required to have one to look after them and make sure that they can be trusted not to shoot their mouths off."

Amelia eyed up Madison, who just smiled right on back at Martha.

"This morning I pointed out a problem that had not occurred to Shelby; now I'm telling you. There is a solution, but I had to talk to you both together, rather than individually."

As all three walked over and sat on a bench, Madison spoke about the fact that, while Tessa was on the Island and Aiden was here as well, this would bring into conflict the duties of any shadow sent here. Although Madison was Tessa's shadow, in a worst case scenario her duty would be to protect Aiden, since his value to the Department outweighed Tessa's.