Murky Waters

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tristan decided to spend the remainder of the weekend relaxing with Claire. She had put off finishing her weekly reports until Monday and regretted that decision when her alarm went off at four-thirty that morning. She looked over at Claire, who was sleeping peacefully, and did not have the heart to wake her up.

Knowing Claire didn’t have to be at work until eight, Tristan let her sleep in.

Claire awoke later when she heard a sound in the room. She was aware that Tristan had already left, and she could sense that she was not alone. She lay very still, hoping against hope that she was wrong. She barely opened her eyes and scanned what she could see of the room without moving. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. Claire tensed when her eyes met his. Both waited for the other to make the first move. She reasoned in her head that if she sprung up first, she would at least have the element of surprise on her side.

His pupils began to dilate. Claire knew he had the same thought.

As he jumped into action, she sat straight up. His tooth caught her across the bridge of the nose, and Claire fell back onto the bed in pain. As she lay there with tears streaming from her eyes, she saw him prance across the room, his little orange tail held high in victory. The score was cat one, Claire zero. His victory would be a hollow one because today Claire would toss his favorite catnip toy down the garbage disposal.

Tristan noticed the small cut immediately when Claire arrived at work. “What happened to your nose? Are you okay?”

Claire frowned. “Ralph happened to my nose. I was lying in bed this morning, and he decided to act as my alarm clock. He pounced on my face and bit me!”

137

Murky Waters

Tristan tried her best not to laugh and add insult to injury. She comforted Claire as best she could under the circumstances; however, she quickly returned to her office, where she could be heard laughing hysterically.

The events of the morning did distract Claire for a while, but before long, her thoughts went back to Lauren and Mike. She watched them through the glass walls of her office. She could not fathom how either of them could be a stalker. Claire took into account that she didn’t really know much about them personally.

She figured that anyone could work next to a person for years and not really know him or her.

Claire studied Lauren’s profile as Lauren typed on her computer, unaware that she was being scrutinized. Claire wondered if the slightly overweight young woman would be capable of scurrying around snapping pictures cloaked in darkness. Her young and innocent features would not raise suspicion of anyone who passed by. Claire was unwilling to believe that Lauren, who had always been so kind to her, would do such a thing.

She focused her attention on Mike, who also sat at his desk working at his computer. He would be more likely to stoop to such a level. He wasn’t a bad-looking man, but Claire suspected that no one who passed him on the street would do a double take. It had nothing to do with his thinning hair, but more with the way he carried himself. His clothes never seemed to fit right, and it was obvious that he did not care much for personal hygiene.

He was the more likely suspect, especially since he paid Claire so much attention and was undaunted by her continually brushing him off when he asked her out. He seemed surprised each time Claire declined his offer as if he were certain she wanted to go out with him. Whether he was the stalker or not, he was well on his way to a harassment suit.

“I’ve been staring at them all morning, too,” Tristan said as she walked into the room. “I was tempted to go through their desks when I was alone in here.”

“What did you hope to find?”

Tristan furrowed her brow. “I don’t know, really, maybe something that would solve the mystery.”

Claire sighed and sat back in her chair. “I’m going to drive myself insane trying to figure out who is doing this.”

138

Robin Alexander

“Sweetie, you need a break. Why don’t we go away for the weekend? We could go to the beach in Gulf Shores. Cam has a condo there, and I’m sure he will let me use it. We can just go there and relax.”

Claire nearly purred. “That sounds heavenly.”

“Great! Leave all the planning to me. We will discuss all the details over lunch.”

Friday could not come soon enough for the both of them. They had taken the day off to make a long weekend. Claire put the last of their things in the car and joined Tristan on the deck, where she was giving Lucy feeding instructions for Ralph.

Lucy smiled at Claire as she approached. “Hi, sweetie. Tristan tells me that Ralph has been a pill lately. I’m going to leave my water gun here for you when you get back. When he gets out of line with me, I pop that fuzzy ass with a blast of water, and it straightens him right up.”

Once they were on their way out of town, Claire began to relax and enjoy the trip. She glanced over at Tristan, who was the picture of relaxation. Her long hair was in a ponytail protruding from the back of a baseball cap. She had kicked off her tennis shoes and had one foot tucked underneath her thigh. She was sporting an LSU T-shirt complemented by a pair of purple gym shorts. Claire thought at that moment that she had never seen Tristan look more lovely.

Tristan glanced from the road to Claire. “What are you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about how adorable you look,” Claire said with a wink.

Tristan laughed. “I hope you weren’t looking forward to dressing up for anything because this is the dress code for the weekend. I plan for us to be bums the whole time. Our biggest decisions should be what to eat and which bathing suit to wear.”

“You have a deal on that. I might not want to go home after a weekend like this.” Claire rubbed Tristan’s neck as she spoke.

“Tris, I have been meaning to ask you about something. There is a picture of a towboat taken at sunset in your bedroom. Did you take that picture?”

139

Murky Waters

Tristan looked at Claire for a moment with an odd expression on her face. Her voice took on a dreamlike tone when she spoke.

“Actually, my mother took that picture years ago. It used to hang in my dad’s office. My mother has become a very popular photographer in the last few years. She’s done a few wildlife features in local magazines.”

“I wouldn’t have figured her for a photographer. She seems more like a banker to me.”

Tristan chuckled. “Yeah, she does look like one of those tight-assed business types, ready to pounce if you miss a payment.”

“Oh, Tris, that’s not what I meant. She just didn’t strike me as a photographer. What about you? Did any of that creative talent rub off on the little apple?”

“Nope, I’m afraid not. I’ve always been more like my dad, not an artistic bone in my body.”

They rode in silence for a while, both deep in their own thoughts.

Tristan fought the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

Remorse filled her heart because she had lied to her first love. She was learning to cope with the raw feelings of her past, but the memories that flooded her mind brought a new kind of pain that she struggled to deal with. Pain that she was not ready to give voice to.

Memories of the day that picture had been taken had not been skewed with the passage of time. Tristan could still remember running down the levee with “Uncle Cam.” The light was perfect when she snapped that picture. She took many photographs that day, waiting for her father to finish his work with the boat in dry dock. It was a perfect afternoon spent with those who truly loved her.

She sat watching the sunset next to Cam. With his arm draped over her shoulders, he told her of the humorous antics of his Cajun grandmother. Tristan burrowed closer to Uncle Cam; he was just like her dad. He made her feel loved. Unfortunately for the ten-year-old, all her happy feelings would desert her when she returned home.

Tristan chattered excitedly about her adventures with Uncle on the ride home. Her dad never seemed to tire of hearing her stories and was content to listen as she relayed the day’s events. “I took a bunch of pictures, Dad. Do you think Mom would develop them 140

Robin Alexander

for me?” Her innocent face rose to her father, waiting expectantly for an answer.

Mitchell, Tristan’s father, sat silently for a moment. “I’m not sure, sweetie. She may be busy with her work when we get home.

Why don’t you let me ask her about it?”

When they arrived at the modest Delacroix home, Tristan became quiet and sullen once more. Mitchell grieved for the way his wife treated their only daughter. The change in Tristan’s behavior when she was around her mother had not escaped his attention. He had attempted to reason with his wife to no avail; she was a hard woman, and any suggestions made to her about her child were always taken as an insult. Mitchell did what he could to keep peace in the household, but he feared what effect it might have on his daughter later in life.

Mallory Delacroix was setting the table when Tristan and Mitchell walked in. Instead of a hug and kiss for either of them, she went about her tasks and suggested that they wash up for dinner. Mitchell complimented his wife on her cooking, as he always did, while they ate. Tristan, as usual, did not say a word at the table but sat listening to the conversations between her parents.

When he had finished most of his meal, Mitchell patted his wife on the hand and asked her about developing Tristan’s film.

“Mallory, Tristan took a lot of pictures down at the work site of the boat we put on dry dock today. I would like to see what she captured on film. Would you minddeveloping it when you get a chance?”

Mallory looked up at her husband. “If you wanted photos of the boat, why didn’t you have an adult take them? I am sure that whatever Tristan took will not be suitable for what you are looking for. You will be lucky if she were able to get a shot of anything that would be useful to you.”

Mitchell chose his words carefully, hoping not to spark his wife’s temper. “I would like to see what Tristan captured. She may have taken after you and may have an eye for photography. Who knows, your daughter may follow in your footsteps.”

Mallory set her fork down and pushed her plate back. She looked at Tristan, who refused to meet her eyes. “Like I said before, if you were hoping to get some decent photos, you should have had 141

Murky Waters

them taken by an adult. I see no reason to waste my time and effort on developing something taken by a child.”

Tears formed in Tristan’s big brown eyes, but she refused to look at her mother and give the hateful woman the satisfaction of knowing she had hurt her. When she was confident that she had her emotions under control, Tristan asked to be excused from the table. She took her plate to the sink and went to take a shower.

Only then did she allow her tears to flow freely.

142

Robin Alexander