Heart & Soul
Episode 34
Turbulence
By Allan Craig
Angel’s
Attic
Jessica perused the rails of the trendy clothing store in search
of the perfect outfit for her date with Josh tonight. Finally, they were
getting somewhere…she couldn’t be happier. Well, if the whole mess had never
happened in the first place, she would be happier, but that was a given.
Across the store, Ally picked up a chunky belt and held it against
herself as she looked in the mirror. Cute, she thought, telling herself that
Marc would love her in it.
A young girl strolled in, carrying a large hold-all in one hand.
She didn’t look like the travelling type…her low slung jeans, white cropped
t-shirt and Converse sneakers, teamed with gorgeous, gypsy style earrings and a
simple, slick, high ponytail made her look like your typical teenage girl…very Ashlee Simpson. She couldn’t have been a day over 18,
Jessica thought, as she admired the girl’s earrings. The girl asked the cashier
if she could leave her bag behind the counter as she looked around, and the
cashier obliged.
Jessica lifted up a shirt and pondered buying it as the girl
barged past her, almost knocking Jessica into a mannequin.
“Watch where you’re going” the girl snapped, looking at Jessica
like a piece of dirt. Jessica was speechless…nobody had ever spoken to her like
that before and gotten away with it, and this girl wasn’t going to be an
exception.
Sterling
Enterprises: Greg’s Office
Greg sat at his desk, John stood behind him, as he spoke to the
police about Carrie’s disappearance. Detective Rex Davis, who sat opposite,
asked all the questions.
“Carrie left because she had an appointment at the
hospital…something to do with the baby; she said it was just a routine check
up.” Greg explained, “I called her later that night to see how it went but she
never picked up, I tried for days but no answer, nobody seems to know where she
went…not Megan, not Jessica, I called her family in Atlanta and none of them have
heard anything, which is where I hope you guys can help.”
“Well we’re sure gonna give it our best shot,” Davis
smiled…despite the circumstances he always found it in his best interest, and
the best interest for the case, to remain friendly and open to the families and
suspects, “Is there anywhere else you think she could have went? Any relatives
or old friends she might have visited?”
“Nobody comes to mind; she wouldn’t take off without calling or
telling someone.” Greg’s mind was still going through everyone at their
wedding, just in case anybody he had forgotten came back to him, “She would
have told Jessica if she was leaving town, they’ve been best friends all their
lives.”
“Besides, Carrie’s not the type of girl to just disappear. She
cares too much about her family and friends to put them through this much
stress,” John added.
“Well we’ll be putting our best guys on this case, Mr. Sterling,”
Rex assured him, there was something so trustworthy about him, “Anyway I better
be going, I’ve got a meeting with Jessica Monroe in twenty minutes and I’m
gonna have to beat traffic. I’ll be in touch with you regularly to keep up with
any developments.”
Rex and Greg both stood up and shook hands, followed by Rex
shaking John’s hand before smiling and walking out, followed by the police
officer he was accompanied by.
“Well that was useful,” Greg sat back down again, rolling his
eyes.
“You need to be patient,” John reminded his son, “These guys can
only do so much. They’re doing the best they can given
the circumstances.”
”I just want her found. She’s carrying my child and I’m not missing out on it
being born.”
John sighed, he wanted Greg to accept the possibility that perhaps
Carrie hadn’t run away, and he needed to accept the fact that she could be
dead.
The
DiCenzo Penthouse
Loretta stood, watching as the various removal men and technicians
scurried around her. In one hand was a skinny latte from Fix and in the other
was the cordless phone, glued to her ear.
“Be careful with that vase it’s an antique,” she yelled, before
returning to her phone conversation, “Yeah make sure that they gather at the
bottom so add like an extra half a meter onto the height you got the fabric I
sent over, didn’t you? Oh my god would you be careful with the crystal! No not
you I’m talking to one of my removal men…yeah anyway so how long will they be?
TWO WEEKS! I need them like yesterday…that’s absolutely fine money is no
object. Okay well send them over when they’re ready. Bye.” Loretta slammed the
antennae down and returned to the mess that was her new home. She could just
about tolerate the fact that it was nowhere near as big as their
“I should be an interior decorator,” Loretta remarked to herself,
“Although at the rate these morons are going it’s going to be weeks ‘til this
place is halfway bearable. CAREFUL WITH THAT! It costs more than you make in a
year!”
Loretta sat down on the staircase with the cordless phone in her
hand. She fiddled with the antennae for the phone and sighed…this was one move
she did not anticipate and was not happy about.
The
Megan sat upright on her bed on the telephone to her sister,
“I know but why is it always me? Why are the guys I go for always
the wrong ones?” Megan let a few stray tears trickle down her face, “I really
thought Marc and I had clicked…I thought we were going somewhere…and then I
find out he’s engaged...”
Megan lay down on her
back as her sister consoled her.
Marc’s
Apartment
Marc stood, painting the walls a light cream colour, despite the
blistering heat that had urged him to remove his shirt. Every window was open
to let the oxygen in and the paint fumes out, as well as to keep Marc cool. As
he crouched down to get more paint on his roller, he began to think. Why had
Ally chosen now, just when he was getting his life back on track, to turn up?
Why could she not just leave him alone? Just when he thought the events of the
last year were firmly behind him, she had to dredge up the past. His eyes
filled with rage as he vowed not to let Ally ruin his life, not again, no, he
was going to make sure of it.
The
Abbot House: Will’s Bedroom
Will sat on the edge of his bed; he felt like a prisoner, Wesley
had really put his foot down on all of this. Ashley walked into the room,
stopped and stared at her brother, and then headed over to the window. She
opened the curtains, submerging the room in light.
“What the hell? Are you trying to blind me?” Will yelled, covering
his eyes.
“No, I’m trying to wake you up. You really need to get a reality
check, big brother, and get over this whole situation,” Ashley folded her arms,
“Talk about clinging onto the past.”
“At least I’m not chasing after Leo Sterling despite the fact he’s
clearly not interested in me.”
Ashley’s heart sank. In those few words, Will had made her see
sense. Leo just used her for sex, took her virginity and then threw her away
like a piece of trash.
“If you ask me, steer well clear of that entire family,” Will
continued, “They’re a bunch of fucked up wierdos who
like nothing more than to play with other peoples lives and lead them on until
they get bored.”
“And you’re so much better,” Ashley’s eyes narrowed, “You really
need to get this out of your system, and if your body feels better, your mind
will as well. So get your sneaks on, we’re going for a run.”
“What?” Will looked at
his sister in disbelief.
“If only your old school friends could
see you now. Every guy at Oakridge high wanted to have your body, so you’re
getting it back whether you like it or not. Come on, I’ll be waiting
downstairs. You have five minutes!”
Fix
Coffee House
Jessica sat at a table with Rex, trying her best to help him with
his enquiries. She wanted more than anything to get Carrie back, but no amount
of questions could bring someone back from the dead, and she had begun to
accept that.
“It’s just so out of character for her to just take off without
telling anyone. Especially without telling me,” Jessica explained, “Which is
why I’m so worried.”
“I understand your concerns,” Rex replied, “But at this moment in
time we have no reason to suspect Mrs Sterling is dead. It’s a possibility,
yes, but not the most likely. Now from what I understand, Carrie had just gone
through a rough break up with her husband. In stressful situations like that,
people don’t think straight, which is why I think she might have just had to
get away from Oakridge for a while.”
“You’re not listening to me!” Jessica was growing more and more
frustrated by the second, “Carrie was thinking straight. Carrie left Greg
because she couldn’t live like that anymore.”
“Live like what?”
Jessica cleared her throat. She didn’t know what to do. Should she
tell Rex about all of the times Diane threatened to kill Carrie?
“Let’s just say that Carrie didn’t get on too well with Greg’s
mother.”
Loretta got off the elevator at the correct floor and quickly made
her way to Michael’s room, pushing past anyone in her way. She reached for the
door and opened it to see Michael standing, fully dressed as if he was fully
recovered.
“What are you doing dressed? You’re supposed to be in that bed
resting!” Loretta closed the door and marched over to her husband, taking his
jacket off despite his hesitance.
“I’m fine,” Michael insisted, “And I got a lot of business to be
taking care of. Time is money, Loretta, and I can’t be losin’
too much of that if I’m gonna keep you in the style to which you are
accustomed.”
“Don’t be so stupid,” Loretta folded her arms, “You’ve just been
seriously injured! Now, get back in you’re PJ’s and
get back in that bed!”
“Don’t push me, Loretta,
my mind’s made up.”
Loretta sighed. She knew she couldn’t change his mind, he was
stubborn like that, once he had made a decision, nobody
could talk him round.
“Fine,” Loretta rolled her eyes, “But you’re takin’
me for a coffee and we’re gonna talk about this. Got it?”
“Whatever you want,” Michael put his jacket back on, “But we can’t
take too long, I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”
Marc’s
Apartment
Marc put his roller in the tray and walked over to the door upon
hearing a knock at it. Unusual considering nobody buzzed up from outside, he
had thought. He opened the door to see Ally standing in front of him.
“You must have known I was coming,” she smiled, referring to his
bare chest as she walked into the apartment, “I just thought I’d stop by and
check out your new place.”
“Well now you’ve checked it out so you can go,” Marc grabbed
Ally’s arm and began to march her out of the apartment.
“Not quite,” Ally stopped moving and turned to face Marc, “We’ve
got some talking to do.”
“There’s nothing left to
say, it’s over.”
“Why? We were so good together,” Ally pouted, “You still love me…I
can feel it…don’t deny yourself the one thing that makes you truly happy.”
“Happy?” Marc laughed, “You know as well as I do that I wasn’t
happy the whole time I was with you, the way you treated me...”
“Okay, so we had a few teething problems,” Ally shrugged, “Nothing
we can’t work through. I’m trying to change, and that’s why I hoped we could
try again.”
“Forget it, I don’t want to be anywhere near
you, now get out of my apartment.”
“Cant we talk about
this?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Marc hated being this blunt and rude
to anybody, but it was the only way to get through to Ally, “It’s
over. End of. Now if you don’t mind, I want you to leave.”
Ally rolled her eyes; this was far from over, “Whatever, I’ll talk
to you when you’re in a better mood.”
The
Abbot House: Front Porch
Will sat down on the steps, exhausted from his run. He felt so out
of shape, but this run was a definite improvement. Ashley sat herself down next
to him, glowing.
“Well that was fun, wasn’t it?” Ashley smiled. Will
couldn’t believe how chirpy she was considering how tiring their run
was.
“If you say so,” Will took a swig from his bottle of water. He
knew his sister was only looking out for him, but all he wanted was to be left
alone.
The door opened and Alex
walked out.
“I was wondering where you two had got to,” she folded her arms
and leaned against the doorway, “You look exhausted, Will. Why don’t both of
you go and get washed up and I’ll whip you guys up something to eat.”
“Thanks mom,” Ashley jumped up and kissed her mother on the cheek
before going inside.
Alex watched as Will
stayed totally still.
“You know, shutting people out isn’t going to help you at all,”
Alex sat down next to Will on the step.
“I’m not trying to shut anybody out, I just wish I knew why Megan
changed her mind so suddenly. What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything, the
“But I don’t want any
other girl,” Will insisted, “I want Megan.”
Alex sighed, rubbing her son’s back, “Come inside and we can talk
about this over some coffee.”
“Okay,” Will got up, stretching his arms
above his head. They walked inside, “I’m just gonna go take a shower.”
“I’ll be in the kitchen,
how does a plate of nachos sound?”
“Like heaven,” Will smiled. It was the
first time he had smiled in a long time.
Alex walked into the kitchen as Will headed up the stairs. She
went into her purse and took out her cell phone, dialling a number and waiting
for her call to be answered. The voicemail message caused her to roll her eyes.
“Hi it’s
Alex…listen, you need to give me a call when you get this, I think it’s time we
told Will.”
Matt strolled down the street, a bunch of flowers in his hand. He
knew Alex was stressed lately, not that he knew why, but he wanted to cheer her
up. Orchids were her favourite, a sure fire bet to put a smile on her face.
Sterling Enterprises: Greg’s Office
Greg hung up his phone, frustrated with the lack of leads on
Carrie’s whereabouts.
“I take it that call didn’t get you anywhere?” John said, sipping
his coffee as he looked up at his son.
“No news is good news,” Greg tried to remain positive…at least to
other people, quite how any outcome of this situation could be good news was
beyond him.
“Look, Greg, I think that you need to ease off from this search,
it’s in the police’s hands now, there’s nothing else you can do.”
“She’s carrying my child, I’m not giving up on this until she’s
found,” Greg insisted.
“I take it you’re talking about Carrie?” came
a voice from the doorway. John and Greg looked over to see Diane standing
before them.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Greg distracted himself from the
list of people he was going to phone, and completely removed himself from the
prospect of actually doing his job.
“I came by to see how you’re doing, to see if you fancied joining
me for a spot of lunch,” Diane looked around the office, glancing at her
estranged husband, “But it looks like your father has everything under control,
so I best be leaving.”
“Don’t be stupid, Diane,” John stood up, “Stay, I’ve got work to
be getting on with anyway.” John did his best to be civil to Diane, even though
all he wanted was to throw her out of the building…preferably via the window.
Fix Coffee House
Leo strolled into the coffee house and ordered a latte and a
baguette to go, jingling his car keys impatiently as he waited for his order to
be made up. His eyes scanned the coffee house, looking for the next lucky lady
to be on his arm…no standouts…disappointing. He turned to the girl behind the
counter to pay, lifted the brown paper bag containing his order and turned
around again, not expecting to see Ashley standing before him, although that
was exactly what he got.
“So do you want to tell me why you’ve been ignoring me for so
long?” Ashley folded her arms, letting Leo know he wasn’t going anywhere
without giving her an explanation.
The Abbot House: Front Porch
Matt walked up the path, still clutching the bunch of flowers he
would give to Alex. He noticed Wesley rushing out of the front door, stopping
dead in his tracks when he saw Matt.
“Hello Wesley,” Matt smiled, he knew deep down inside that Wesley
was a threat to his happiness with Alex, but he wasn’t going to let Wesley know
that, “Nice day, isn’t it?”
“It’s not bad, maybe we should barbeque later,” Wesley resented
Matt’s presence in his house, but he knew he had to be civil or Matt and Alex
would be out from under his roof in no time at all, and he wanted to be able to
keep an eye on them.
“Sounds good, I’ll get it started.”
“What a guy!” Wesley smiled, a sarcastic undertone to his
compliment, “Nice flowers, feel like treating yourself, did you?”
“They’re for Alex, I thought she could
use some cheering up. She hasn’t been herself since we came here.”
“Don’t take it personally; she just has a lot on with the kids,
trying to make up for lost time. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with you.”
“Oh I know that, Wesley,” Matt chuckled, “Alex and I are stronger
than ever. Anyway I better get inside and give Alex these flowers before they
wilt.”
Matt rushed inside, leaving Wesley fuming.
Sterling Enterprises: Greg’s Office
Diane sat down on one of the armchairs in Greg’s office, elegantly
placing her bag by her side. Greg handed his mother a coffee and sat down
opposite.
“Thank you,” Diane stirred her coffee, “So anyway, I came by to
see how the search was getting on. Since I’ve moved out of the mansion I
haven’t seen you as much, and I thought it was time we had a good catch up.”
“Well I suppose, you never really did fill me in on just what your
relationship with Uncle Joseph is these days,” Greg tapped his fingers on the
desk.
Diane cleared her throat; she had envisioned the situation being
her asking all of the questions, not the other way around.
Fix Coffee House
Despite her hardened exterior, deep down inside Ashley Abbot was
falling apart. Why did she have to be so confrontational towards Leo? Why
couldn’t she have just been friendly and act all cool and calm and mature like
nothing had happened? Her arms were folded, her face staring straight at Leo.
Despite her regrets about the way she had just approached the guy she thought
she was falling in love with, she wasn’t going to let it show.
“Ashley…hey…um,” Leo’s eyes continued to scan the coffee house,
avoiding eye contact with his mad ex, “I’m really sorry about this, but you
know how it goes…we were never serious.”
“You could have at least called, you know, let me know that you
weren’t interested,” Ashley’s eyes filled with rage, “But no, you just keep me
hanging on.”
“Look, you really need to get a grip, you’re embarrassing
yourself.” Leo held onto a fake smile and a soft voice as he insulted Ashley,
“I should have known better than to get involved with a high school girl.”
Leo walked out of the coffee house, leaving Ashley fuming. She
about turned and followed him out onto the street.
“Don’t walk away from me!” Ashley yelled, “Who do you think you
are?”
“Get over it, Ashley,” Leo remained cool, calm and collected as he
slid into his car, “Seriously, get a grip.”
He started up his car and sped off into the distance, leaving
Ashley standing alone on the sidewalk.
“I’ve had enough of this,” Ashley thought, “I’m not gonna sit
around and take this anymore.”
Josh & Jessica’s
Josh and Jessica strolled into their apartment, fresh from their
date. Despite his doubts over the future of their relationship, Josh had done
his best to make Jessica happy to help her to forget about the fact that her
best friend was missing, even if it was just for a few hours. Jessica perched
on the arm of the sofa to check the answering machine while Josh poured two
glasses of wine and handed one to Jessica.
“Any word?” Josh sat down on the
sofa and placed his glass on the coffee table, watching as Jessica moved next
to him.
“Nope, I really wish she would call, just to let me know she’s
okay.” Jessica took a drink of her wine and placed her glass on the table next
to Josh’s, “I know she’s pregnant and her hormones are all over the place, but
still; you’d think she’d at least get in touch with her best friend.”
“I’m sure everything will be okay.” Josh put his arm around
Jessica, her head resting on his shoulder as he stroked her long blonde hair,
“Maybe she just needs to get her head straight about everything.”
“That’s if she’s okay,” Jessica reminded herself, being careful to
stay realistic, “I just wish I knew; that’s all.”
“Look, Jess,” Josh cleared his throat, “You and Carrie are like
sisters, if she was in trouble, you’d know.”
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Josh jumped up and walked over as
Jessica sat up and adjusted herself, fixing her hair.
“Natalie!” Josh’s excited voice filled the room, “You should have
called!”
“Well you know how I roll, I love the element of surprise,” came a
girl’s voice. Jessica got up to see who it was. She knew she recognized her
from somewhere…suddenly it clicked…it was the girl from the mall today.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your guest?” Jessica folded
her arms.
“How rude of me,” Josh began, his face like a kid in a toy store,
“Natalie, this is Jessica, my girlfriend.”
“Hi there, have we met before, you look awfully familiar?” Natalie
entered the apartment, Josh closing the door.
“Jessica, this is Natalie, my sister.” Josh finished.
Jessica’s heart sank, the girl who had
been a total bitch to her earlier in the mall was going to be her sister in
law.
“Great,” she thought.
TO BE CONTINUED…