Shadow of the Day

[RoRo90]

Just caught up with this story

cant believe how much I have missed

felt so bad for Brax when Jade fell in the water

was so worried in that last chapter but so glad Jade is ok

glad to se that Ruby isnt as hstile to Brax as she usually was

and Jake ... so lucky it wasnt Brax that found him talking to Jade he would have finsihed him right there and then

this story is so good

I have a feeling someone is going to pick on on Brax odd behaviour when ever he is hallucinating about Charlie some time soon, he isn't doing well at hiding it and it really isn't healthy for him

looking forward to the next chapter

[Samantha1]

Just started reading this now! It's a really great story

[Summer2011]

update soon please

[mizziette]

Thanks for being so patient...Finally got the next chapter put together, hopefully it's okay.

THIRTY THREE

‘Xavier?’ Xavier was starting to hate the sound of his own name. He rolled his eyes and hesitated to get up from the couch. Ever since Ruby’s return home with her broken foot casted heavily, all three boys had gotten used to her demanding nature; more so Xavier who beared the brunt of it all.

‘You know she’s just going to keep calling if you don’t go to her.’ Casey looked up from his marking at the dinner table towards the couch where Xavier still sat.

‘I know,’ Xavier sighed and walked slowly to Ruby’s room. He tapped the open door lightly in a knock as he entered. ‘You called your majesty?’

Ruby rolled her eyes and groaned. ‘I’m so bored,’

‘And…’ Xavier stood there watching Ruby sulk in bed. Her foot was still in a heavy cast but the bruise on her skull had healed.

‘And I need my cute awesome boyfriend to keep me company and make me feel better,’ Ruby sighed as if she was explaining the obvious.

Xavier laughed and sat down on the bed. ‘You have a boyfriend,’

Ruby blushed and looked up at him. ‘Well, I mean, yeah, I guess. That’s what you are, right?’

‘Boyfriend works for me,’ Xavier leaned in and kissed her lightly. He nodded in clarification. ‘Yeah, it definitely works for me,’

Ruby giggled. ‘So, boyfriend, how do you plan on relieving my boredom?’

‘Well, I do have a few suggestions,’ Xavier rubbed her knee softly. ‘But, I think you have somewhere to be soon, don’t you?’

Ruby scrunched her face in confusion for a second before she realised and frowned. ‘Oh, that stupid rehab thing.’

‘It’s part of your court conditions, Rubes,’ Xavier told her.

‘I know, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have to like it. Or need it,’ Ruby groaned. ‘It’s not like I’m some loser addict or anything,’

Xavier didn’t say a thing. ‘Just give it a go; you never know, you might learn something,’

Ruby wasn’t convinced.

‘Brax, I’m sorry, your baby would’ve never survived the blows,’ those words would resonate with Brax forever. When Rachel had spoken them, his whole world fell apart all over again. His fiancé and unborn child were both all gone in one day. They would never come back to him.

Even still, Brax did his best to comfort Ruby as they walked along the beach. ‘Rubes, it’s going to…Rubes?’

Ruby had halted in her tracks. Her voice was a cold whisper, sending chills into the warm summer air. ‘It’s him.’

‘It’s who?’ Brax looked confused.

‘Grant, my fa…the man who raped Charlie,’ Ruby was staring at Grant standing some distance away watching the ocean.

‘Where?’ Brax looked in the same direction and shook his head. ‘You must be mistaken, that’s my business partner.’

Ruby glared at Brax in shock. ‘What?’

‘Yeah, Ethan Grant, he…’ The realisation dawned on him.

‘Ethan Grant.’ Ruby repeated slowly. ‘Grant’s full name is Grant Ethan Bledcoe. And you believed him, you let him into our lives. You let him get close to her.’

‘I…I didn’t know, Ruby, I swear…’ Brax cursed himself for his naivety. The man had wanted anonymity and seemed all too eager to help. Brax, who’d never seen a single picture of Grant, would’ve been easily fooled. Brax felt rage not only at him, but at himself.

Anger turned to uncontrollable fury as Brax watched Grant standing on the beach, finally seeing who he thought had been an ally for what he really was. Seeing him look so smug only hours after Charlie’s death, Brax felt a rage he’d never felt before. The entire world around him disappeared and there was only Brax, Grant and the void in Brax’ heart.

‘I’m going to kill you, you hear me,’ Grant didn’t know what hit him as he was grabbed by the collar and flung onto the sand. Unperturbed, he played the innocent.

‘Brax, is something the matter?’ He asked.

Brax simply grabbed Grant’s shirt again and flung him back to a standing position. And then he hit him, sending him sprawling to the ground again.

‘You had me fooled, buying into my business, acting all friendly,’ Brax admitted as he slowly walked over to where Grant lay. Ruby stood attached to the ground, watching the scene unfold with a strange dissociated calmness, as if nothing was happening.

‘You just wanted to get close to Charlie,’ Brax grabbed Grant and administrated blows with his fists similar to the ones his unborn child would’ve experienced. An eye for an eye; Grant would pay. Within seconds, Grant was a bloody mess, completely at his mercy on the floor.

‘Brax, stop it,’ Ruby, who still hadn’t moved from her position, whispered calmly. She was tired of fighting; after the day she had, she just wanted to sleep for a really long time. Her mother had died only hours ago, it was still surreal. ‘He’s not worth it,’

Brax didn’t seem to hear but after a while, he stood up and spit disgustedly, ‘you step foot in this town again, I’ll kill you, you hear me, Bledcoe.’

‘I don’t think that will be necessary Mr Braxton,’ before Brax could hit Grant one last time, a hand stopped him. He turned around. It was Georgie.

‘I have a very good memory, Mr Braxton,’ Sergeant Watson admitted in the interview room with Brax for the second time since Grant’s body had been found. ‘What was it you said, “If you step foot in this town again, I’ll kill you”, that doesn’t sound very welcoming,’

Brax shrugged. Georgie pressed. ‘Is that what happened Darryl? Did you keep your promise? Grant was banished by you from the bay but he came back last month. You kept your promise and took his life,’

‘Everyone makes empty threats, I was upset, my fiancé had just died,’ Brax told her. He was getting sick of the investigation. Who really cared who killed Grant? It wasn’t like anyone cared.

‘Empty threats,’ Georgie repeated. ‘Unfortunately for you, there is substantial evidence that points to the fact that your “empty threat” became a reality. Like the dead body for example.’

‘You don’t believe in coincidences Sarge?’ Brax asked, sitting in the police station with his arms crossed.

‘Not when it comes to my profession, no,’

‘Well, I’d think, that when it comes to your profession, as you say…you would be keeping an open mind. You’d do well in expanding your horizons. You won’t find anything with me,’

‘You say that like I’ll actually take your word for it,’ Georgie scoffed. ‘I don’t take anyone’s word for anything, certainly not yours. May I show you something?’

Brax shrugged again and she pressed a remote control in her hand, turning on the small television screen. ‘Do you know what you’re seeing?’

‘Not in the slightest.’ Brax sighed.

‘This is footage from the security camera at the car park by the surf club, the same one which showed Grant walking towards the beach the night of his death.’ Georgie fast forwarded a little. Grant walked through the empty car park in fast forward and then she played it at normal speed again. ‘This is you, half an hour afterwards, running towards the beach in the same direction as Mr Bledcoe had.’

‘I like the beach, it’s not a crime to go for a midnight stroll,’ Brax kept his voice cool but he couldn’t help but realise what this implicated. Georgie knew all too well.

‘No, but when you go for a midnight stroll with a murder victim at the scene of the murder at the time of the murder, it sure could lead to a crime,’

‘Only if you believe in coincidences,’ Brax sighed. This day was just getting worse.

Ruby couldn’t be more bored when she entered the hall and sat in the circular arrangement of seats. The lesson was relatively empty. The man who looked to be in charge stood by a television screen with an eighties rock t-shirt and stubble on his chin. ‘Hey guys, my name’s Max, and welcome to your first drug education session.’

He sounded too excited for Ruby’s liking. This was the last place she wanted to be but she had no choice. As far as Ruby was concerned, she didn’t have a problem but it was court mandated. At least eight hours of therapy, education and rehabilitation. She was only into the first five minutes; seven hours and fifty five minutes to go.

Ruby fiddled with her nails and yawned. And then the pictures went up onto the screen and Ruby frowned in disgust. So did her fellow classmates.

‘That was just the reaction I was hoping for,’ Max smiled. The screen behind him showed a gruesome photograph of rotting teeth. God, he was actually enjoying this, Ruby thought. She groaned.

‘Most of you are here because you have used methamphetamines in the past. Once upon a time, so did I. So did all of them,’ Max used his remote control to flick slowly through his pictures as he talked. Women scratching their skin off; before and after pictures before and after drug use; Ruby noticed the hollow aged expression on their faces.

Ruby wondered whether she looked like that, aged and anorexic; she wished she had a mirror. Was that what will happen to her? Max continued. ‘Meth, speed, ice, chalk, crystal, glass, doesn’t matter what it’s called, the result is all the same.’

‘Nasty, isn’t it?’ And he looked directly at Ruby’s shocked face. ‘If the looks don’t scare you away, maybe the impending brain damage will. Meth users are more prone to stroke, cardiac arrest, kidney failure…’

Ruby sat up listening. For the first time in a while, she began to think about her choices.

[Inactive User]

Great chapter. More soon please xx And am off to update my fanfiction Miracles Can Heal The Past now

[pembie]

Oh it doesnt look good for Brax with the whole Grant murder but I don't think he did it. Fancy him having a fight with Grant on the day of Charlie's death I can understand why though. Good that rehab might be helping Ruby out.

[kiwi151]

Yes, you haven't forgotten this story! It's so well-written and has such an intricate plotline that I'm glad that you're continuing

[soph1303]

Great update,

Don't think that Brax killed grant, but the circumstantial evidence they have against him is starting to build up !!!

Hoping that ruby will be helped by rehab, though I'm sure that group sessions would be hard for her considering the reason she started using in the first place !!!

More soon please

[Zetti]

Right apologies, I read but am always on iPod so I never comment.. but here I am..

Loving it and I dont think Brax is guilty..

[mizziette]

THIRTY FOUR

As he was under house arrest, Jake wasn’t allowed out of his hospital room unless it was a dire emergency. Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t any hope that the fire alarm would go off or there would be a gas leak anytime soon. So when the night nurse dozed off on his shift, Jake took the opportunity to explore.

In only his pyjama pants and wheeling the IV attached to his arm as he moved slowly through the halls, he found a room just down the hall. He peered inside it and noticing the occupant was sleeping, he entered.

Jake looked at the face of the elderly man innocently asleep on the hospital bed. For a fact, he knew that the old factory worker would see his last day in the coming weeks. Sixty five year old Mac Hilton had been in an accident and comatose for nearly six months before waking up with severe brain damage two weeks ago. The doctors had expected him to give out within the day but two weeks later, the persistent man still breathed.

And as long as this man was breathing, Jake would not get any closer to his new heart. He knew for a fact that this man was on the donor list and the sooner he was able to donate his organs to some dying child, the sooner Jake would get his turn. Every death brought Jake higher up the donor list.

Seeing the breathing machine all hooked up, Jake felt a strong urge to flick it off. Just one flick and he would be so much closer. Who knew, that heart that beat inside that old wrinkling chest might one day belong to him. It would be so easy for the doctors to just blame it on a machine malfunction.

The footsteps in the hallway erupted Jake from his thoughts and carefully, once the footsteps had faded, he made his way back to his room like nothing had happened. He sat on his bed and sighed. This confinement was driving him to desperation. He was even having desperate thoughts.

Funnily enough, Jake had no problem with this desperation burning inside him. Life was slipping slowly away from him with every breath he took and no risk was too great, if it would restore the part of Jake that was struggling to exist.

‘Are you sure about this?’ Georgie looked up at the female constable with concern. The constable nodded and left the office. Georgie leaned back in her chair and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

It took an hour to get the warrant and Georgie stood outside the Austin house and knocked hesitantly. Casey opened the door. ‘Hey,’

‘Mr Braxton, I have a warrant to search your residence with regards to the murder of Grant Bledcoe. Could you please let us through?’

Casey snatched the warrant from Georgie with a scowl. ‘Is this about Ruby? She didn’t do anything, you know.’

‘Then I’m sure she won’t have anything to hide,’ Georgie stated. ‘Are you going to let us in?’

With a sigh, Casey pulled open the door and the police flooded the house. Ruby limped out of the hall in her crutches just in time, ‘Case, what’s going on?’

Casey handed her the warrant in his hand. ‘It says they found your DNA on the body,’

‘We’ll need to talk to you about that when we’re done here,’ Georgie told her as she turned the couch upside down.

Ruby shook her head. This was going to be a long day. Annoyed at the disruption, she limped over to her room just in time to watch Constable Avery open the dresser and rummage through her underwear drawer. The lack of privacy was angering.

Avery felt at the bottom of the drawer for anything amiss and ran across a small box. He picked it up. Ruby sighed nervously. ‘Don’t, that’s personal.’

Of course, personal meant nothing to the police. Ruby wished she hadn’t said anything; now Avery would want to look at it even more. And that he did. It wasn’t that Ruby had something to hide but she didn’t want to know what was inside. It was the Christmas present from Brax and it still remained unopened after all those weeks.

Avery tugged on the silk ribbon and it came undone. Ruby held her breath. She watched as the cop peered into the contents of the box, and put the box on top of the dresser again. He moved onto the next drawer; Ruby’s scarves and sweaters.

It was pure torture for Ruby knowing that Avery had seen her present before her. She reminded herself that she didn’t want to know but the curiosity had manifested itself again. Avery discarded several of her favourite silk scarves onto the floor before moving on to turn another part of the house upside down. As he did, his elbow knocked over the gift box, causing the content to fall out.

‘Make sure you don’t interfere with the investigation,’ Avery warned as he walked past Ruby into the hall. Ruby stared back at the dresser or rather the object in front of it on the floor. She bent down to pick it up but it took some difficulty with her injured foot. Eventually, she got back up again and leaned against the dishevelled dresser for support. She weighed it in her hands.

It was a small pendant, a heart shaped ruby set in a white gold wave. It was the jewel of her namesake and it was beautiful. Ruby’s mind was completely set against the thought of accepting such a gift from Brax of all people but it was just so beautiful. Sighing, she opened up her drawer again and stuffed it back where it had hidden for the past few weeks.

The Murphy couple were having a home check of their own. There’s was a little less offensive but it still felt like they were exposed. Valerie Pirovic walked slowly around the house, inspecting every minute detail.

Valerie brushed her hand lightly over the corner of the heavy mahogany dining table. ‘A little sharp,’

‘We’re planning on baby proofing, naturally.’ Bianca immediately assured her.

Valerie nodded and kept walking slowly through the room, not saying a word. Bianca and Liam followed nervously behind her huddled into each other for comfort. The silence was killing them.

Valerie noticed the medical books on the coffee table. ‘Paediatrics,’

‘Yeah, my sister’s a doctor at the hospital. She’s studying for her paediatrics specialisation.’ Bianca hoped this would work for them. Having a qualified doctor in the house with a baby had to be an upside.

Valerie walked over to the media unit and examined the wires. They were a cluster behind the television table. For the umpteenth time, she made scrutinising notes in her notepad. Then she looked up at Liam and Bianca. ‘Why don’t we take a look upstairs?’

The entire walk upstairs, Bianca was wondering what was on the notepad Valerie so methodically wrote in during the home study. Were they words of approval, condemnation; positive, negative, damaging? When they reached the landing, they stood awkwardly. Bianca waved her hands. ‘So, this is the landing.’

‘Yes, thank you, I realised that,’ Valerie understood the couple’s nerves and she sympathised. She had seen it many times before. The anxious couple led them to a room.

‘This is the spare room, it’s mostly for storage; we bought…’ Bianca halted a little, overwhelmed by the thought. She felt like choking up a little but persevered. ‘We, um, we bought some baby supplies for my first pregnancy and they’ve been here ever since.’

The three of them were in a room with taupe walls; a faded red strip running at face height along the walls. The nursery furniture was white and remained dusty and untouched after three years sitting unused. It was very obviously a room created out of care and love. Neither Bianca nor Liam had ever had the heart to dismantle the hopes that lay within that room.

Valerie noticed this. Before she could say anymore however, her phone began to vibrate. She smiled apologetically. ‘I’m sorry, my son’s in hospital. I have to get this,’

‘Of course, take your time,’ Liam smiled.

Once Valerie had left the room, Bianca, who was cuddling her husband, looked up at him. The gender neutral walls around her were filled with nostalgia and the baby armoire was still full stocked with diapers and clothes. ‘You know, I haven’t been in this nursery since we realised we didn’t need it anymore,’

‘We could need it again really soon if this adoption process goes forward,’ Liam pointed out optimistically.

‘Yeah, but it’s not our baby,’ Bianca felt a tear coming but willed it away. ‘The baby I had growing in me, I mean,’

‘No, I guess not,’ both took a moment to remember their losses.

‘Sorry about that,’ Valerie looked struck as she re-entered the nursery.

‘Is everything alright?’ Liam asked.

‘My son, he’s needed a heart transplant for years now and…in and out of hospital for months,’ Valerie didn’t know why she felt like explaining. ‘The doctor says he’s making some improvement. I’m afraid I have to cut this session short,’

‘No, we understand,’ Bianca waved away the apology, not realising she was talking about Jake Pirovic. ‘You need to be there for your son,’

Valerie apologised again and hurried off to the hospital, so relieved that her beloved Jake was again improving slowly. After Hammer’s death, Jake was the only son she had left, and she was not letting him go without a fight.

‘DNA is hard evidence Ruby, I’m not here to be your enemy, I just need you to be honest with me, I can help you,’ Georgie took the concerned angle in the interview room.

Ruby stayed silent. ‘Did Grant attack you?’

‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’ Ruby finally said.

‘I didn’t ask if you did. I’m asking if he attacked you the night he died.’ Georgie repeated. ‘Was it an accident?’

Ruby didn’t speak. She had nothing to say. Georgie sighed. ‘I know you lied about not seeing Grant before, Ruby. Your DNA was found under his nails. We found several strands of your hair as well.’

‘Grant and I would have similar DNA. It’s really hard to tell the difference between family members isn’t it? Practically impossible,’ Ruby clarified.

‘How do you know that?’ Georgie asked. The girl had done her homework; it was rare.

‘Morag Bellingham, NCIS, Jodi Picoult. Take your pick,’ Ruby shrugged.

‘Well, you’re right; it is very difficult to determine the difference in DNA between families. But Grant Bledcoe doesn’t have elbow length hair, does he? The chest length hair with Bledcoe family DNA couldn’t possibly have belonged to him. That leaves you,’

Ruby felt defeated again. She resumed her silence. They sat there for two minutes while Georgie scoped her out and Ruby finally gave in. ‘Am I being arrested?’

Georgie shook her head. ‘Not this moment, no,’

‘Then I guess that kind of means you can’t keep me here, right?’ Ruby asked and she received a nod of confirmation. Ruby stood up slowly. ‘In that case, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go help my roommates clean up the mess you created in our house.’