Undercover lifeguard

Chapter 24

*hey, worried about you! you're not in work today???and you're not at home either...where the hell are ya!? Ring me back*

*hello Becca! this is Patty! noticed you're not in work! let me know how you are, come back when you're ready! your team miss you*

*BECCA! Where the hell are you?!? Answer my calls at least...tell me you're not dead in a ditch or something! Give me something!!!!*

*i love you*

I sat there on the sofa of my mothers small house, my answer machine playing every single message I'd been left over the last week, I couldn't face work, just the thought of it made me feel ill. Carter had given me space, mainly because he couldn't find me, the curtains were closed,the room was dark I hadn't showered I days, with my hair scraped up into a messy bun I tapped my phone a seventeenth time *hey, I'm not home right now, but my answering machine is, so you can talk to that instead, wait for the beep, Mark* another tear ran down my cheek as I pressed it again, I stared forward as I listened to it, just hearing his voice one more time, just willing every time it rang for him to pick it up and answer.

As I pressed it again I bright light flooded the room "Rebecca! Look at the news! Mr Carter is on!" She ran over and shoved my phone to one side and turned the news on *shooting at local theatre* and there, in the background was Carter stood with Harry and Eric "oooh I'll text mark! Tell him to turn it on!" "No mum, he's away remember..." "Oh yeah...but he'll get the message won't he!!" "Yes mum but when he gets it it'll be too late" I swallowed as she nodded "oh of course!! Silly me!" I nodded as I watched the screen "yesterday at 11.45 Mr Tony Abott was shot dead by a mystery shooter as he enjoyed the show, crime scene investigators have said that he was shot from above killing him instantly, however the shot was silent and the body was only discover when his wife Tina Abott went to leave she said in her earlier statement tha-" "MUM!" I grabbed the remote and fiddled around with the channels "come on, you have your last dress fitting" I'd just caught the news lady saying "thank you and have a nice day" when I threw my head back.

"What is that smell?" My mum stood over me "Jesus it's you" she goode as a she wafted the air "thanks mum..." "When did you last shower!?" "About 4 days ago" "get your arse up there now!! The dress is coming in 2 hours!" She hauled me up and shoved me into the bathroom.

After half an hour she had me tied to a chair and was attacking me with tweezers "I just want to find your eyebrows..."they're here!" I pointed to me face "yes under the bushes so let me at them! Then I'm doing your hair!" She literally sat on my lap and started pulling out any stray hairs...

I had been waxed, tweezed, makeuped dressed up, although I didn't understand the dress up side I was getting undressed in less than 5 minutes. In came the woman, and out came the best champagne I'm still not sure who my mum was trying to please "okay here is the dress, I brought an extra one that your mum liked and wanted you to try first" I nodded once as she brought out this big puffy dress "I don't want that one" "try it Rebecca" I rolled my eyes and stepped into it, "oh you look like a princes!!" " I look like a bride from my big fat gypsy wedding!" I dropped it around my ankles and grabbed my dress,my he dress I wanted originally, it was zipped up behind me and I looked in the mirror as she placed a long simple veil over my head and pulled a smaller piece over my face, "oh you look perfect!" They both cooed "not quite" I shuck my head as I pulled up my dress to my thigh and attached my gun holster and pulled the dress back around "oh good...you can't see it....now...now it's perfect"

When everyone had gone except mum I sat at the kitchen table picking at some sort of fruit salad, them something clicked as I looked at the photos Natt had sent me, something just didn't add up about this shooting, the bullet couldn't have come from above, for it to have hit where it did, it would have had to have come from the ceiling, I zoomed in on the photo, it would be impossible for Mrs Abott not to have heard the gun shot being sat that close....I grabbed my gun and grabbed mum's car keys.

"Hey any of you heard from Becca?" I held my hand to my earpiece "Carter, you know we haven't, she will contact you when she's ready" "I know guys I'm just worrying! I'm getting married to her next week and she's done a runner....what's wrong with me do I smell" "I'm sure you don't now turn around and drop your gun" a woman's voice came behind me, I spun around slowly "mrs Abott?" "Put down the gun!" I put it down and pushed it toward her slowly "why?" "I will ask the questions!" She snapped "okay! I'm sorry" she stepped closer to the edge of the stage, still holding her gun at me "I'm going to kill you now" she took a breath as she loaded the gun, I heard a shot and grabbed at my chest, yet I felt no pain, I looked down quickly...no blood? I looked up and saw Mrs Abott fall to her knees and then off the stage, stood behind her was Becca.

I ran down the path, onto the stage and wrapped my arms around her "how are you?!" "I fine" "you're allowed to not be you know" "I know" she nodded her head in my shoulder "how did you know?" She stepped back and wiped her eyes "Natt sent me photos, they just didn't make sense, she couldn't have not heard the shot, which in my eyes made her the prime suspect, and just on a whim I came to see you and she was stood there" "this is why I love you" I hugged her again as I took her home, after stopping off at her mums to get her phone and dress.

Carter was in the living room, i had hidden the dress away and wrapped myself up in my pyjamas, I sat on the edge of the bed and flopped backwards, ringing Mark's phone one last time *hey, I'm not home right now, but my answering machine is, so you can talk to that instead, wait for the beep, Mark* "....hey...it's me....I still can't believe you're not here, it's not right, mum still has no idea, probably best she doesn't know really....please come back to me...I'm not me anymore...I love you" I sobbed into a pillow when Carter walked in "hey, I brought you a drink" he sat on the end of the bed, with my legs crossed I sat up and took it from him, baileys hot chocolate with squirty cream...his speciality "who's walking you down the aisle?" I rested my head on his shoulder "no one....I couldn't replace Mark, I wouldn't want to..." "You're so brave" he kissed the top of my head and rubbed my back as I drank the perfect hot chocolate...