The Village of Gerard's Cliff (8 page)

"If you ever needed to
shoot an intruder, it would be at pretty close range." Connor
walked back towards Allie, after tying a stuffed scarecrow, one of
her fall decorations, from one of the tree branches. He had set up
a folding table, on which he had placed the gun and case of
bullets.

"...You ready?" He stood
beside her, hands on hips. Allie carefully picked up the unloaded
pistol. She made sure the safety was on, then picked up a bullet,
inserting it into the chamber. She repeated this until all six
bullets were in place. She placed the loaded gun into her jacket
pocket.

"Good..." Connor walked to
the other side of the table. "Now pretend the scarecrow is coming
towards you in the front room. What do you do?"

Allie silently reviewed the steps Connor had gone over with
her. She turned to face the hapless life-size scarecrow, its straw
hat askew, and withdrew the pistol. She released the safety and
took a deep breath. Wrapping her left hand around her right wrist
to steady her shooting arm, she aimed at the scarecrow's fat,
straw-filled mid-section. She rubbed her lips, took another
steadying breath, and pulled the trigger.
Crack...
The bullet tore into the scarecrow's
orange jacket, causing him to jerk slightly, his blue-jeaned legs
swayed from side to side. She remained still at the sound,
determined to not let it destroy her confidence. Allie lowered the
gun, staying in the same position.

"How was that?" She kept
her eyes on the scarecrow. "I think I hit his shoulder." Allie
stole a side-ways glance at Connor.

"Not bad at all." Connor
nodded his approval. "Next time, lower your hand just a bit -
remember, the mid-section is the largest target. Try
again."

Allie raised the gun again, steadied herself and the
pistol, and pulled the trigger.
Crack
....This time the bullet hit the intended
target.

"Excellent!" Connor smiled
at Allie, who, pleased with herself, was resetting the safety. She
lowered the gun. "How do you feel?" He put his hands in his jean's
pockets, nodding again.

Allie laid the gun back on
the table with the barrel pointed toward the trees, and smiled at
Connor. "Wow...I did it...I feel pretty relieved, actually." She
moved closer to him, putting her hands in her jacket pockets. "I..I
feel confident about it. I know I can protect myself." She took a
deep breath as she looked up at Connor.

"Well, well...what are you
up to, Allison?"

Allie swung her head
around at hearing the voice that she had grown to detest. Connor,
seeing her agitation, turned his head toward the parking lot as
well.

"Ethan, what are you doing
here?" Allie shouted at him. "I told you never to come here again."
She glared at him, as he started walking from the parking area
toward the spot between the fenced summer gardens and the copse of
trees, where they stood.

Connor shifted his weight,
and put his hands on his hips as he watched the heavy-set man walk
toward them.

"Stay there, Ethan, I warn
you." Connor saw Allie grab her right wrist as she yelled at him.
So he was the one. Connor turned to face the advancing threat,
squinting in the sun to get a better look at him.

"I'd listen to her, if I
were you." Connor's voice was deep and threatening. He saw Allie
glance at him, as he took a couple of steps in Ethan's
direction.

Ethan stopped, then looked
long and hard at Connor, as if he hadn't noticed him before this
"Who is this, Allison?" Ethan's eyes shifted between her and
Connor. "Patrick's only been dead for two months, girl." he
finished in disgust.

"He's a friend, but that's
none of your business, Ethan." Allie was standing with her hands on
her hips now, staring down the man. "I have nothing to say to you,
except what I've said before. I'll call the police if you come any
closer."

Ethan eyed the table and
the gun, then put both hands forward palms outward. "I thought I
heard gunshots." He laughed. "I'm surprised. You've always been
afraid of guns, Allison."

"Not anymore." Allie stood
her ground.

Ethan's gaze shifted from
the gun to Connor, who was taking all of this in with great
interest. Ethan licked his lips, and with his stubby hand, rubbed
the strands of hair, now hanging over his face, back to one side.
He looked back at Allie. "I haven't been drinking today, and I
apologized for the last time." He smiled. "I came to give you one
last chance. I have an offer for you that you can't refuse. You
would become a rich woman, Allison."

Allie straightened her
back, and shifted her feet to stand more firmly. "Ethan, I'm going
to count silently to five." She pointed at him, emphasizing her
words. "If I don't hear your car on that gravel, I'm calling the
police." Never mind that she'd have to run into the house to do it,
she thought.

Ethan gave Allie and
Connor one last disgusted look, then swiped the air with one hand
as he turned and walked away. "You're making a big mistake,
Allison. I gave you the chance." He got into his Lincoln, slammed
the door, and sped away.

Allie looked down and let
out a sigh of relief, then glanced quickly up at Connor. She looked
back down, hands on her hips.

"You didn't need me here,
that's for sure." Connor was impressed. "Allie, is that the man who
bruised your wrist?"

She jerked her head up at
him in surprise.

"I noticed it on the Cliff
Walk." He looked at her solemnly. "It's okay." He chose his words
carefully, as he moved closer to her. "I'm well aware of the fact
that we haven't known each other for very long, but you can tell
me. What happened with Ethan?"

Allie looked up into
Connor's eyes and saw warmth and concern. She had told Ethan that
Connor was her friend, and now she realized that he was. She
scanned his eyes as she exhaled, feeling calmer now.

"Ethan is Patrick's older
brother. He and his ex-wife, Mary, live in Virginia." She crossed
her arms. "He was drunk the other day when he came out here. But,
he's been acting really weird ever since Patrick died." Allie
looked thoughtful. "Ethan offered to buy the inn from me the day of
the funeral. I don't know why he wants it...he won't say." She
looked at Connor. "He's never shown any interest before." She
wrapped her arms around herself. "He frightens me now. Before, I
just didn't like him."

Connor listened quietly,
then lowered his head. "I wonder what his motive is?" They walked
back to the table. "Did you call the police before, when he came
here?" Connor picked up the gun and ejected the bullets, placing
them back in the case. They gathered up the rest of their shooting
equipment, and headed to the porch door.

"No, I thought I had
scared him enough by threatening to call them if he came back."
They walked up to the porch. "But, obviously, I didn't."

"I think you convinced him
this time." Connor opened the door for her.

Once inside, Allie went to
the safe, and deposited the pistol and ammunition. She closed the
safe door, and stood up, pleased with herself, but aggravated that
Ethan had returned despite her warnings. She put both hands on the
desk, and looked at Connor, who, with his arms crossed, and head
bowed, was slowly pacing up and down the hall in deep thought,
going over the events he had just witnessed.

"Thank you, Connor. I
appreciate all you've done." She smiled at him. "The police won't
be here 'till later this afternoon to check for fingerprints. Can I
fix you something to eat?"

Connor walked up to the
desk and faced her, putting his hands on the desk, smiling. "I have
an idea. How about packing up something and you can show me the
Cliff Walk." Connor had a few hours before he planned on heading to
Max's Bar again. "It's a nice day, and there's been a lot of drama
around here, don't you think?" He added. "But nothing you can't
handle, if the last hour is any indication."

She thought for a moment,
looking into his eyes. But only for a moment, because she already
knew her answer.

Connor shifted the handle
of the large wicker basket to his other hand, as he watched Allie
lock the front door of The Colborne Inn. She turned to him and they
descended the stairs side by side, in thoughtful silence. They
crossed the small lane, then walked along the path that led to the
Cliff Walk.

"You know, The Village of
Gerard's Cliff was settled by the English in 1643." Connor saw that
Allie was allowing herself to relax, and trying to forget about the
unsettling events of the past twelve hours. "It was primarily a
shipbuilding town, since the river is nearby, with access to the
sea."

She hugged the blanket to
her as they walked leisurely down the path. "They built dories, and
schooners here. Fishing was also a main livelihood, but the rocky
coast proved to be a problem." He saw her glance at him to see if
he was listening. Connor was not only absorbed by her story, but
also enchanted by her calm voice, which he was growing quite fond
of hearing. He put his free hand on her elbow, as they turned onto
the path.

"The fishermen devised a
way to protect their boats by digging a large channel from the
ocean to the river, which then filled with water, and is now known
as Baskin's Cove." Allie smiled at him. "There, they could safely
keep their boats when they were ashore."

They turned left onto the
Cliff Walk. "There's so much about this place that intrigues me."
She continued. "I love hearing stories about the trading vessels
that left the piers here for Boston and the Caribbean, loaded with
lumber. Then they would return with rum, salt, molasses, and
sugar."

They walked slowly along
the pathway that followed the curves of the jutting cliffs hanging
over the white, sandy beach. "There's even a small lighthouse on
the Cliff Walk," she added. "I'll show you." He nodded, mesmerized
by the transformation he was witnessing. Connor could see that
Allie's love of this wild, rugged shoreline seemed to give her a
sense of peace and tranquility.

They stopped at what
Connor surmised was one of Allie's favorite spots - a small, dry
clearing next to a wind-twisted tree that seemed to hang over the
granite cliff, with breathtaking views of the beach and ocean
below.

"How is this?" Allie
turned to Connor, and, for a moment, he was speechless. Her face
shone with pure contentment, and her eyes and smile were dazzling.
My God, he thought...

"This looks fine." He
tried not to stammer, and busied himself with helping her lay the
blanket on the rough soil. Since there was a strong breeze, they
gathered some large rocks to hold down the corners of the blanket.
Allie began to unpack the basket, first pulling out the chilled
bottle of pinot grigio they had finally agreed upon, after a
spirited debate in the kitchen on the merits of various wines. A
loaf of crusty bread, an assortment of hard cheeses, and a couple
of apples composed the rest of the meal. Connor uncorked the bottle
and poured the wine into two plain glasses, as Allie arranged
slices of each of the items on her favorite blue print
plates.

"To more days..." Connor
began, tilting his glass toward Allie.

"...with no drama." Allie
finished, laughing, and they clinked their glasses amiably, then
sipped their wine. They ate their meal in peaceful quiet, save for
the crashing of the waves, and the rustle of the breeze through the
evergreens. Connor stole glances at Allie as often as he could,
fascinated, as she watched the ocean as if drawn to it.

Connor sensed that both he
and Allie were letting the idyllic setting, the wine, and the food,
lull them into a false sense of security, and he was okay with
that, for now. His mind started to drift to her idiot
brother-in-law...former brother-in-law, Connor corrected himself.
He didn't think Ethan would return again, but now Connor would have
to find out where he figured in with all of this, if at all. He
leaned back on one elbow, and looked out at the crashing waves, as
he mentally reviewed the information he had at hand. Did he need to
call for re-enforcement at this point? Connor was anxious to talk
to Jake Ayers tonight...just a few hours from now...then he would
have some answers...and a clearer sense of time. But, things seemed
to be gelling more quickly than anyone had anticipated. He looked
over at Allie, who was leaning against the gnarled tree, holding
the glass of wine...her eyes slowly scanning the horizon. She
turned her head towards him when she noticed his glance. "This is
just heaven, don't you think?" She leaned her head back as she
breathed in the ocean air. "...just heaven."

"What are the cliffs like
below?" Connor was curious since he couldn't see what was below the
walk.

"We can walk down, if you
want to." Allie raised her eyebrows and smiled at him, seemingly
eager for an adventure.

"Then, what are we waiting
for?"

Connor stood up and held
his hand down to help Allie up off the blanket. They gathered up
their food, plates, and glasses, and stored them in the basket,
leaving everything in its place. They walked further down the Cliff
Walk, being careful of fallen branches, rocks, and the uneven path.
Allie pointed to an area a short distance away that was accessible
to the beach below. "We'll have to climb down those rocks," Allie
looked at Connor. "But it's not so hard. I've climbed down many
times. However..." She laughed. "I've never done it after drinking
a glass of wine."