Diabolical: The green-eyed monster

Chapter 2

You were supposed to protect my baby Vicky. You were supposed to shield her from harm but you didn't. You ran away like a coward. You abandoned her when she needed you the most. For how long will you continue to grieve Vicky, for how long will you continue to be this way? Listen to me Vicky Blaze...snap out of it!!!

Vicky woke up with a start at one o'clock in the morning, her nightgown drenched in sweat and her heart racing. She'd had the same dream for the past week and the guilt that followed each time she woke up was unbearable. She lay awake in bed thinking. Had she made the right decision by cutting all ties with her family? She sent a postcard once or twice. Phone call here and there but that was years ago. She never visited and didn't know what was going on in her parents' lives or Talia's life. She wondered if Michael was holding up alright. Being a single father was hard work. She sighed, she couldn't even begin to imagine what he'd gone through losing Vivian like that, it must've been torture for him. She knew deep down in her heart that a part of Michael died the moment Vivian passed away. If it hadn't been for Talia he would've followed her into the grave. What she'd give to experience the love Vivian and Michael shared but she'd give even more to get Vivian back. Even after two decades the loss was still too raw. She closed her eyes to will herself to sleep but couldn't. She rolled from side to side exasperated by the lack of sleep, her guilt was weighing heavily on her soul. Years ago she'd been able to push it to the side and justified her actions with the fact that she was still grieving for her sister but even she knew that was a tired excuse. No one lived forever, some deaths were natural, some accidental and some homicides it was all part of life. She knew that better than anyone, being a detective ensured that yet her heart hadn't grown callous to it. Death was hard to get used to. She wondered how her parents were coping, the question wearied her. She thought of calling them, ten years had passed since the last phone call, she dragged herself out of bed and went to her living room. Taking her phone from the charger she scrolled through the list of contacts and her finger hovered on a number.

***

Matthew Blaze paced up and down his bedroom unable to sleep, a pattern that had become a permanent fixture in his life much to his wife's annoyance. A month had passed since he last heard his granddaughter's voice. He was worried but couldn't figure out why. "Come to bed already. For God's sake please stop worrying. Talia is fine. She's a grown woman, married and expecting. Give her space." Matthew stopped and looked at his wife as if she was growing a second head. "She used to call us every week and visited every month for over a decade. Religiously. Then all of a sudden she stops. No calls, no visits. Just flimsy texts which sound nothing like Talia. Something isn't right Lilian, I'm telling you." Lilian shrugged, she didn't like coming to conclusions without any proof although part of her couldn't deny that Talia's behavior was a bit off. Talia hated texting, ever since she was a teenager always preferring either to call or have face to face conversations. It was this trait of hers that strengthened the bond between her and her grandparents. Even after she was married she always called. Always. Without fail. But then for the past month all she did was send text messages. At first Lilian thought nothing of it but Matthew's paranoia was rubbing off on her. Why the sudden change of behavior? Why was it that whenever they called she never took the call? Was it pregnancy hormones? Was it that she didn't want to be bothered by them? Was she in trouble? Matthew caught a glimpse of worry on Lilian's face. Whenever she worried she'd frown making her face appear crinklier than it really was and it saddened him to see her that way. He loved his Lilian and always wanted to see her smile. They'd lost both their daughters. One was dead and the other didn't want to be found. The thought that they could lose Talia too was too scary, too terrible. Matthew forced himself to smile, "Maybe you are right. I could be overreacting, can't blame me though, I was a detective for 30 years of my life. Situations like these were my daily bread but I'm sure our Talia is okay. She is okay" He got on the bed and his wife snuggled into his arms. "She is doing just fine" Lilian caught the doubt in his voice and prayed to God that he was worrying for nothing but the niggly feeling stayed with her for the rest of the night.