A Deadly Reunion

Light poured from the open doorway, red neon trickling over wet pavement like blood from an open wound. An arterial thumping pounded inside my head in time to the beat of music that seeped from the party inside.

I swallowed. This really wasn’t how I’d envisaged meeting her. But it had to be done.

Twenty-five years had passed. But the memory, almost photographic, still remained in my thick skull in over-saturated colour. Any photograph would have faded away to blessed sepia. Instead, that damned woman was still there in technicolour. Still in my head. 

I paused and stared into the blackness of my shadow as the memories flooded back.

Twelve. Just twelve. Standing and staring in dumb-struck awe as she had moved languidly through a single beam of sunlight piercing the gloom of the school corridor. To me she was nothing more and nothing less than an angel dancing alongside the dust-motes of the sunlight. 

That little bastard Cupid, wielding not a bow and arrow but a heavy piece of wood studded with rusty nails had reached out and whacked me directly over the head. I’d discovered girls. This girl.

But of course I was too young. She, being thirteen, was a real woman, out of reach and not in my league. It was obvious I didn’t stand a hope in hell. Instead, I was sentenced to five school years of pathetic attempts to prove I even existed. She put me through Hell, and never even cared. 

But that was then. It was time to settle scores. I patted the cold steel of the thirty-eight holstered against my chest. The gun was now the thing closest to my heart.

I looked at my watch. It was nine pm. It was time. Yet I didn't move. 

I stared at the open doorway, listening to the music within, imagining her waiting. I was suddenly twelve again. All that awkwardness flooded back. Of trying to speak, to impress. Gurgling in a strangled hormonal daze to say something, anything, as she wafted by. 

I had always been invisible to her. But it wouldn’t be like that again, not tonight. I took a deep breath, a sigh really, shook my head clear of past ghosts and walked inside.

The atmosphere hit me in a fetid wave, blasting away the outside coldness but not my darkness of spirit. I stood there trying to recognise somebody from the past. But the ghosts of my memory had aged beyond recognition. This was the first school re-union I’d come to and it would be the last, especially after I’d done what I’d come here to do.

A figure detached itself from the crowd and came over. A sophisticated brunette with calm, confident eyes and a drink in her hand. But the drink wasn’t for me.

“Oh do come in, don’t be shy, you here for the re-union? I’m Sue, Sue Jackson, left in ’78, what year were you in?”

“I left in 76,” I said, trying my best to smile. I don't think it worked. 

“Oh, well, I was in third year then... you know, you look familiar? Jack? Jack Spalding, right?”

“Yes, Jack Spalding, You've a good memory, I’m impressed,” I said, holding out my hand. 

“Don’t be,” she shrugged, giving my hand an extra squeeze before releasing languidly. 

She looked around with a dismissive wave. “I’ve been studying the school mug shots and I’d recognise you anywhere, you haven’t changed all that much, you know. Here, take this, everyone has one, they’re name cards, just in case anyone forgets.”

Her eyes sparkled with amusement as she pinned my name-tag to my jacket while I desperately searched my memory to find any trace of this once third-year schoolgirl standing next to me. Then she sighed.

“You really don’t remember me, do you?”

“Sorry?”

“You don’t, do you?

Being wrong footed is something I hate. I shrugged helplessly. It had been a long time since I’d felt myself blush.

“I’m really sorry, but did we, erm, know each other, back then?”

Sue shook her head, and stared at her drink. An awkward silence was forming and I began to look around for an escape. Before I could, she answered, “No, not really … but I did have an awfully huge crush on you back then.”

“What?”

“A crush!” Sue repeated, grinning. “I thought you were the best thing since sliced bread. I used to try and get your attention, provoke you. Anything to get your attention I guess.”

I could see it was Sue's turn to blush.

Then an image of a skinny girl pestering the life out of me began to swim up from the depths. My embarrassment deepened as I finally remembered. I hadn’t been all that kind to her at the time. I'd dismissed her, brushing away her attempts to talk. To be friends.

“No, I’m sorry, and you’re right, I didn't remember your name, but I do now”. I shook my head. “I must have seemed a real bastard to you back then.”

“Yes you were. You know, I really hated you for a long while afterwards as well. But it’s not your fault, we were kids after all. And I was, what? All of three years too young for you.” Sue’s sudden and infectious laugh broke the awkwardness and I found myself beginning to relax. But I had a job to do.

“Childhood crushes eh?” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Here’s to them!” Sue raised her glass. “You’re still not too bad looking you know. I mean for your age. I can see the hint of a paunch, but not too bad overall.”

I patted my stomach ruefully. “Yeah,, one too many drinks I guess. You look fantastic.”

“Why thank you …” Sue’s eyes twinkled over the rim of her glass as she took a sip.

“You married?” I asked.

“Yes,very happily.” But somehow she didn’t sound as though she believed it.

“I’m glad.” I said, “Kids?”

“No, and you?”

“No, not now and no kids.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“These things happen, my job just got in the way.”

Before Sue could ask any more awkward questions, I asked if she had seen Fiona.

“Ahh, the lovely Fiona, all the boys had a crush on her. Didn’t they?” she said, giving me a knowing look. “Is that why you want to find her?”

“No, not really. But you’re right, I did have a crush on her, I guess every boy did, but that was a long time ago.”

Sue spun around and shouted, “FIONA! Someone here wants to see you!”

I closed my eyes for a second. I really didn’t want the whole damned room alerted to what I was about to do, but it was too late. There she was. Walking towards me with that familiar swing to her hips, looking just as damned attractive now as she had back then. My gun felt tight against my chest. Or perhaps the tightness was in my heart? It didn't matter. She had what was coming to her. 

“Oh hello, yes, it's Jack Spalding isn’t it?”

Her perfume invaded my lungs and teased out the remnants of forgotten emotions. Hurt and longing swam up and grabbed my throat. I forced them back down into the depths, into the past, where they belonged. No room for sentimentality. Not now.

I nodded, my throat dry. Then she smiled that smile - half mocking, half seductive. She hadn’t changed a bit. But I knew different. There was no innocence here. That had left long ago. 

“Jack, you know something? I always thought you were going to ask me out, but you never did, such a shame,” she said, in practised honeyed tones, but darker and even more seductive than I could remember. She leaned forward to kiss my cheek, her hand upon my chest.

It was then her hand froze and her eyes locked onto mine. The shape and feel of the gun beneath my jacket was unmistakable. I didn’t move or return the kiss as she stepped slowly back, looking at me.

“Jack? Why are you wearing that?” Then she turned in alarm towards Sue, “He’s got a gun…”

“What?” Sue’s eyes widened.

I really didn’t want to do it this way, but I had no choice. Not now. I reached inside my jacket as both Sue and Fiona's eyes went wide. 

Then Fiona bolted. 

I pushed Sue aside and shouted “STOP!” gun in hand. 

Fiona didn't stop. I squeezed the trigger. 

The explosion of the gunshot above their heads froze everyone.

Except for Fiona. She turned and glared at me, backing away. That beautiful face transformed now into one of a cornered and feral animal.

I closed the space between us in three quick steps, grabbed her wrist as she spat into my face. Not the exchange of bodily fluids I had always dreamed. 

I flashed my badge to the shocked crowd as I snapped the cuffs on her.

“It’s over.” I hissed into her ear.

She never flinched, just spat in my face again. I wiped the spit away along with the last traces of emotional attachment I once had. 

Her eyes flickered rapidly between the gun and my face. She was a cool one. Calculating the odds, weighing the chances. Then her body relaxed as the tension burst and she collapsed in a sullen heap. 

Sue was staring open mouthed. But within seconds, she had composed herself.

“No wonder your wife left you. What has Fiona done? And why do this here? Now. At our reunion?” Anger and shock had replaced that sparkle I had seen earlier in her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m not too happy about it either Sue. Believe me. But she’s been on the run for years. This reunion, well, she had always been the Queen of our high-school after all, and when this invitation came through I just had a hunch she couldn’t miss it. Whatever the risk, she'd be here.” I was gabbling. It was suddenly important to me that Sue understood.

Fiona had also composed herself. She began twisting around to free herself.

“Let me go Jack, you can do it, just say I wasn’t here… Sue, help me!”

I almost let her go right there and then. Almost. But I knew how she used that soft and so-sincere aura of vulnerability to entrap her victims. I wasn’t buying. Not this time. Maybe the jury would.

“I’ve chased you longer than you’ll ever know Fiona – I'm sorry that it’s ended this way.”

“Yeah, right. You’re one real bastard, Jack”

“Yeah, I know.”

Two uniformed officers had appeared like magic. The back-up hauled Fiona up to take her down. 

It was over. I started to leave, but Sue stopped me in the entrance.

“Jack!”

I turned towards her. “Look, I’m sorry I spoiled the evening Sue…” I said, while shrugging hopelessly, and meaning every word.

Sue stared at me hard for three long heartbeats. Then she reached into her purse and gave me a card with her number. Then quickly kissed me on the cheek.

“Call me”, she said. “That is, when you’r free. Maybe you can buy me a drink and we can catch up on what we've missed…”

With that, she turned and left, her scent lingering in my brain. I realized it was time to put the past away. After all, as I watched them drag Fiona out into the dank night to her date with a judge, I knew I had my own date to think about.

This is the first 'Jack Spalding' episode, the second is here: https://www.abctales.com/story/tipp-hex/rookie