The Unborn

Chapter 14

A dim porch light beside the white front door lit the small cottage style house. A quaint wrap-around verandah added a touch of charm to the otherwise plain abode. Through the darkness, Ben saw the silhouette of a set of what he thought were a child’s swings, in the yard beside the house. A small rock lined pathway led from the footpath to an outdoor mat at the base of the front steps. The Saunders home was by no means a palace, but it looked homey enough.

He glanced in his rear view mirror; still no sign of Mike and it was now ten o’clock. Even though he was expected, he didn’t want to keep the Saunders’ up any longer than was necessary. Under the circumstances, he didn’t want to keep them waiting at all. Ben rolled up his window and got out of his car, he would give Mike just a few more minutes to show and then he would go it alone. His watch captivated him, the soft iridescent glow mesmerised him when he glanced down at it once more. The squealing of tyres on asphalt soon broke this hypnosis… Mike had finally arrived. He pulled in behind Ben and got out of his cruiser, his boots clicking when they hit the footpath below him.

"Where have you been? It’s just after ten."

"Damn kids and their street racing…"

"Never mind. Let’s just get this over with shall we?"

"Let’s!" Snapped Mike, flicking a cigarette butt to the ground and stomping it out with his foot.

"Don’t you know how to use an ashtray, Mikey?"

"Gees, who rubbed your lamp the wrong way tonight? asked Mike, ‚I was having a blissful evening, but it’s souring by the second."

Ben stood still, his head lowered to the footpath and his shoulders slumped forward. "Sorry, mate. It’s been a rough night and the whole meeting with Anna. You know how it is." he replied.

"Yeah, couldn’t have been an easy thing for ya to do, Ben. Maybe I shoulda just gone and done it myself, eh?"

"No, I think I needed to do it. I have to get some perspective in my life and this was a good start, I guess." He straightened up and breathed out loudly, a groan escaping him. "You ready?"

Mike nodded that he was.

"Let’s do it."

The two men marched up the pathway, climbed the three steps and stopped at the front door. Ben pressed a button marked ‚Saunders‛ on the architrave around the door. They heard the chimes ring out inside the house and a minute later middle-aged man appeared in front of them.

"Mr. Saunders?" Ben asked.

"Frank Saunders, that’s right," he replied. "You must be Detective Torrens?"

"Yes, and this is my partner Detective Lynch." Ben gestured to Mike.

"Please, won’t you come inside?" Frank stepped aside and held the door open for them to pass through and pointed them to the living room on the right. He closed the door and walked into the living room behind them. "Take a seat," he said, settling into a recliner. "Janice," he yelled, seemingly into the air, "the Detectives are here."

A short, petite woman of about fifty or so emerged from a doorway behind him, bringing with her a tea tray and a plate of biscuits. She made her way to the living room and placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the three men before seating herself on a sofa near her husband.

"Help yourselves, Detectives," she softly said. 

"This is my wife, Janice," Frank made a formal introduction. "Janice this is Detective Torrens and Detective Lynch."

Janice smiled politely and gave them a simple nod to greet them. Mike and Ben did the same.

"Now what’s this about Kylie-Anne? What trouble is that girl in now?" Frank asked.