Scarlet Rose

Chapter 41

Her eyes had been fixed at the half opened scarlet rosebud which he had added as his boutonnière on the left lapel of the jacket of his tux. She hadn't dared to look at his face. She would have stared too long at his eyes, his lips...she would have brought back the way they felt on hers two nights ago.

"I will leave you to it, Miss White." Detective Shaw said, breaking the reverie she had entered without even realising it. "Thank you again for your assistance"

"And very nice to have bumped once more into you Mr. Graham..." He said, before skipping down the stairs from Candy's front door. Suddenly he stopped. Turned back while both she and Terry were standing on her front door.

"One more thing Miss White...if I may." He raised his voice since he didn't even went up the stairs but stayed put at where he stood at the pavement. Without waiting for her response, he took a breath dipped in thought. "Do you recall perhaps at what time Mr. Blake went outside?"

Her stare darkened. She hadn't liked all those questions. Why wouldn't they just take Christian's word as true and be done with it? He saw the clouds in her eyes. "I think Miss White has given you whatever information she had." Terry said with a firm voice back to the police officer.

"No, it is ok Terry..." She turned and said to him.

"Detective, it must had been 11pm, a quarter to perhaps..." She commented, "If he had come himself to me, to take my permission for going to smoke outside... I could have given you an exact time...I was in the bathroom at the time and my partner you see, isn't a man that hangs from the hem of my skirt." She knew she was tittering to the edge of her temper.

Shaw seemed quiet. Thoughtful even. He tipped his hat nevertheless.

"Well, that was very helpful." He yelled back. "Thank you once more and apologies for keeping you from your engagement.". He greeted them both goodbye and left.

He  turned to her, the moment Det. Shaw's car pulled out from its parking spot.

"I see you had company..." He noted with interest.

"Oh...he was here for like ten minutes" She explained while trying to quiet the worry voice inside her.

Terry realised the reason Candy's visitor was there but decided not to question her any further. She seemed fretful enough.

"Terry..." She said his name, wondering why he was there.

"You...look" He said with a smooth voice, sounding almost hypnotised, "beautiful."

She felt the frantic beat of her heart. She always was self conscious in front of him. A beautiful a man as he was, he could date all those glamorous actresses, she had read about on the gossip mags. But there he was, on the same stairs he kissed her two nights ago. She found it an almost impossible task to concentrate, to say something coherent at least. His black tuxedo was sharp, expensive and made to measure to fit his physique in a perfect way. Clean shaven and smelling gorgeous, the adrenaline of the event had coloured his eyes even more, making their blue deeper and his stare more alive than ever. He suited this sparkling life he had chosen, down to a tee. All improper thoughts sprung inside her head and it made her panic.

"Thank you..." She mumbled, feeling her face flashing red up to the roots of her hair, trying to avoid his gaze.

"What are you" she tried to ask him again.

"I thought to come and pick you up, since I knew you'd be on your own..." He offered her the explanation before she managed to finish her question.

"Ah..."

"I hope you don't mind...I didn't ask."

"No, no...it's ok." She was still trying to steady her voice, the words left her mouth and felt clunky. She sweated. The summer breeze grazed her neck. She was grateful for it.