Second Chance Bride (Rapid Romance Short Stories) (3 page)

The officer then moved the barricade and let me through.

“Thank you officer please take me to whoever is in charge.”

“Follow me Mrs Preston.”

We walked in silence until we reached a police van positioned opposite the entrance to the radio station. The helpful officer ushered me in.

“Excuse me Captain but this lady says she is the shooter’s wife and her ID does say she is Mrs Preston so I thought it would be a good idea to bring her straight to you.”

“Great a young policeman with initiative. Back to your post and I will speak to you later. Well done.”

“Yes sir.”

“Now young lady I am Captain Blake and I’m in charge of this operation. If you are who you say you are then you may be of great help to us. Please tell me what may have set this train of events off.”

So I did tell him; the surprise wedding anniversary celebration, Jason’s problem drinking, the song request, his anger when he heard Neil Finn’s voice on the radio, how he accused me of having an affair with Neil, how he hit me and stormed out, everything that had happened until this moment. By the end of it I was in tears from the stress and the worry. My voice was starting to crack but I needed to know.

“Please Captain Blake can you tell me what has happened to Neil and to Jason? I am so afraid.”

Captain Blake motioned to someone behind me and a female officer came forward.

“This is Officer Kathy Parker. She is going to take you to a quiet place where you can sit down and have a coffee and she will brief you on the events so far. Kathy take her to the shelter and explain what’s happened.”

“Yes sir. Come on Mrs Preston come with me.”

I felt gentle hands on my shoulders and then I was led slowly out of the police van. We went into a café that the police had commandeered.

“How do you like your coffee Mrs Preston?”

“Black, strong and no sugar.”

“I won’t be long, you just make yourself comfortable.”

When the officer returned she had two steaming mugs of coffee.

“Here you go Mrs Preston I’m sure drinking this will help because I make the best coffee in the squad.”

Officer Parker tried to give me a reassuring smile but it had no effect on me.

“Please tell me right now what has happened.”

“I can only tell you what I have been briefed on so far. We know that two people are down. We also know that their injuries are serious and that they have both been rushed to hospital. The injuries were a result of gunfire exchanged between the suspect and a security guard. Officers are interviewing witnesses and scanning the crime scene for evidence. That is all I can tell you at this stage.”

“Can’t you tell me who the people are who have been rushed to the hospital?”

“I’m sorry Mrs Preston but I don’t want to give you names when they haven’t been confirmed. If I’m wrong I will only make the situation worse for you and I don’t want to do that.”

“How can they situation be worse than it already is?”

“I understand how you are feeling but I’ve dealt with many situations like this before and believe me things can get worse but you shouldn’t be dwelling on that. You should just hope for the best that your husband is all right.”

What Officer Parker didn’t know was that I wasn’t hoping that Jason was all right; I was hoping that Neil was all right. I know this sounds bad but I was hoping that Jason was dead. The thing I was dreading the most was that Jason would survive and Neil would die. If this happened I didn’t know what I would do.

“Mrs Preston the Captain has asked me to go back to the command vehicle. He has also asked that you stay here until I get back. Can you do that?”

“Yes I can.”

“Would you like me to send another officer to sit with you?”

“No I would prefer to sit on my own. I need time to take in everything that has happened tonight.”

“Of course you do Mrs Preston. What I’ve done is I’ve asked Officer Craig to remain over there at the door. If you need anything just see her. I promise I won’t be long.”

I just nodded in her direction and turned my head to stare into my coffee. I must have stayed like this for a while because I did not notice Officer Parker return until she sat down opposite me and my half filled cup of coffee, which was now cold.

Officer Parker looked at the unfinished coffee.

“It looks like I exaggerated my coffee making abilities.”

“No, no there’s nothing wrong with your coffee it’s just that I’m not really in the mood.”

“It’s all right Mrs Preston that was just my lame attempt at humor. The Captain has asked me to take you to the hospital. I’m afraid your husband is one of the two with serious gunshot wounds.”

I wanted to ask her if the other victim was Neil but I knew it would look bad if I showed more concern for Neil than my husband so I just nodded and followed Officer Parker to the waiting police car.

The drive to the hospital wasn’t far, which I was glad for because I didn’t feel like talking. Officer Parker respected my need for silence but she did make one comment.

“I heard you telling your story about what happened this evening to Captain Blake Mrs Preston and I have to say how sorry I was to hear how abusive your husband could be. I’ve also noticed that you have a bit of swelling and bruising around your left cheek. Since we’re going to the hospital you might want to get it checked out.”

I nodded my head in agreement and then gingerly felt my cheek. Because of all the excitement that had happened over the last two or three hours I had completely forgotten about my injury. Now that Officer Parker had brought it back to my attention I started feeling the pain from my throbbing cheekbone. Officer Parker was right; I better get it checked out at the hospital.

When we arrived at the hospital the entrance was surrounded by the media; reporters, vans and cameras were all over the place. Officer Parker drove around the back into a restricted area and I was ushered into the hospital chapel where a sombre looking priest met me.

Officer Parker left me with him.

“Hello my dear my name is Father Horan. Please take a seat because I’m afraid I have bad news for you. The hospital has asked me to convey their deepest sympathies to you but your husband past away shortly after arriving on the ambulance. He died of traumatic gunshot wounds to the chest. I can stay with you child and help you find solace in God if you so desire.”

“No thank you Father I would prefer to be alone.”

“I understand my child but if you do want my help in any way I am only on the other side of the door.”

“Actually Father there is one thing you can help me with.”

“What is that my child?”

“Can you tell me who the other gunshot victim is and if they are going to be okay? I need to know because I’m feeling so ashamed of what my husband has done and I would not be able to forgive myself if someone has died because of my husband’s actions.”

“Of course my child but you should not feel shame. You are your own person and so is your husband. God will judge him for his actions. You however should just concern yourself with the grieving process and then look towards the road of recovery and God and I can help there, you only have to ask.”

“Thank you Father for your wise words but I really do need to know who the other person is and if they will be okay for my own peace of mind and to help me through the grieving process. I don’t want to be grieving for two people if I don’t have to so please Father can you help clear my conscience and find the road to recovery?”

“Of course you are right my child. From what I have been told the second victim is Neil Finn and he is in a serious but stable condition. The doctors have told me that they are confident that he will make a full recovery but the healing process may take some time.”

“Thank God. Do you know what his injuries are Father?”

“I’m sorry my child but that is something that the doctors have not shared with me. I will leave now and let you find solace with God. Bless you my child.”

After Father Horan had left I couldn’t help but smile. Tears of relief rolled down my cheeks and even though I am not deeply religious I thanked the Almighty for leaving the right man on Earth. I knew I would be facing scrutiny from the public but I also knew that once the media lost interest I would be able to get on with a new life without the threat of further abuse from my now dead husband.

Part Five

Neil did indeed make a full recovery from his injuries. Jason had shot him in the shoulder close to the neck, which was why the injury was so serious.  I followed Officer Parker’s suggestion and got my cheek checked out. It turned out to have a hairline fracture so I had to take it easy for a few weeks.

An inquest was convened six months later and it was found that the security guard who had shot Jason was also the one that let him into the building. His name was Tom Watson and he and Jason were old friends from High School. Jason had convinced him that he was there to give Neil a surprise gift. Because they were old friends Tom had let him in. When he heard the commotion he rushed up to the studio.

Neil confirmed this and also added that after he was shot he remembered Jason standing over him and pointing the gun at him while he lay on the floor. He thought he was going to die when he heard two shots ring out. But those shots weren’t from Jason’s gun; they were from Tom Watson’s gun. Jason dropped down next to Neil. That was the last thing Neil remembered because he passed out.

The judge found that Tom Watson was simultaneously at fault and a hero so he dropped the charges of manslaughter and charged him with negligence instead. Neil spoke in support of Tom, which helped. He also threatened to quit the radio station if they sacked Tom. Neil felt that not only had Tom saved his life but also that he had learnt his lesson and he would never make the same mistake again.

The radio station agreed with Neil and reinstated Tom as the security guard but they placed him on probation for a year. It was a wise move that they retained Neil’s service because his profile was sky high after the attempted murder and the radio station was getting requests for Neil’s show from all over the country.

I was pretty happy that Tom Watson kept his job because he was a great guy at school and I didn’t want him to suffer because of my husband’s actions. It must have been hard on Tom because he was a friend of Jason’s and he’s the one that had to shoot him. I was extremely proud of Neil and the dignity and calmness throughout what must have been a gruelling ordeal.

I stayed away from the inquest because I didn’t want to be caught up in the media hype, which surrounded it. The month after the incident was terrible and I didn’t want to go through that all again.

My life settled down after the inquest and people stopped staring at me and whispering as I went past. I couldn’t go back to work in the first month because the media were stalking me everywhere. My boss was very understanding and she let me have as much time as I needed to recover. I had to move back with my parents until I could get back on my feet again. They loved having me at home and they were very protective of me, which I really appreciated. I changed my surname back to Jones to try and escape some of the stigma that was attached to being the wife of Jason Preston.

I still listen to Neil Finn’s radio show and it is so good hearing his voice again sounding better than ever. Even though I knew that we would probably never see or talk to each other again because of what my husband did I took comfort in knowing that Neil is able to carry on doing something that he loves and is so good at.

Therefore it was a surprise to hear Neil’s special message over the air one night almost a year after the shooting.