Coming Home to Aurelius 11

Guys, thanks to those who commented, and while I know polls are fun, I really do need comments cuz they help me understand what direction the readers want the story to go. I'll even love new ideas that I could probably work into the story!
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Alexis stared out of the glass front of the library. She absently pondered, that the architecture of the whole ranch was rather unconventional. Very Western and comfortable of course, but her Uncle had had these quirks. Take the library for example, a huge room with dark wooden paneling, lined with books from the high ceiling to the floor, not an inch spared. But the one wall, that faced the private gardens of the ranch, was wholly of glass. The architect had protested furiously that it would be unsafe, given the violent nature of storms, so her uncle had spent a pretty penny on installing funny metallic roll down covers that were controlled by remote. In the case of a storm, this was rolled down, and the glass front was protected.

Alexis smiled vaguely as she counted the flowers on the bushes, of every colour. The sunlight poured into the library. Alexis watched the shiny particles of dust catch the light and she curled further into the chair as she contemplated on what she’d read in her uncle’s diary. It was another entry about one of his trips to Ireland to purchase a horse. Alexis wondered that she hadn’t panicked at the mention and description of the horses and her uncle’s rather graphic description of one of the fox-hunts he’d been a part of during that trip. She wondered if it were some sort of psychological desensitization to fear. She didn’t WANT to be scared. She knew, in some corner of her mind, that while she still quailed at the idea of being near horses because of the trauma her family had endured, horses weren’t harmless. She closed her eyes and firmed her jaw. It was time for war.
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"Alex, are you sure? No one’s going to expect you to. And there’s no need to force yourself."

Alexis scowled at Oscar, " You TOLD me that you’d help me. Remember, when you’d first told me about the horse show events that Uncle Alan hosted."

Oscar smiled at her determination, "Yes, I did. I just don’t want you to do it under pressure."

Alex sighed and paced the Carmichael’s drawing room, "I don’t know how to explain it. Technically, I’m not scared anymore. I mean, the part of me, that knows that horses aren’t truly stuff that nightmares are made of, is kind of becoming stronger. But that’s only theory right. But the point is, that I don’t want to hide away from it anymore. I know that I’m ready to get on with it. The sooner the better. I don’t want to let the wound fester."

Had Alexis seen the look of pride on Oscar’s face at that moment, she’d have probably died of happiness at the depth of his feeling. But we don’t want her dead or faint, so lets be glad that she was too busy staring out in the direction of the coral which was too far off for her to see anything but faint outlines of the horses.

"Very well. Tomorrow, you and I are going to pay a tentative visit to the stables. But remember one thing Alex, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard."

Alex ran towards him, and plonked her slight weight into his arms delightedly before she rained grateful kisses onto his face. Oscar groaned and put her away from him, "Honey, you’re this close to getting ravaged, and I have to go help the boys with work. So we’re going to stop all this right now."

Alexis smiled, and dropping a comparatively chaste kiss on his forehead she went off towards her car whistling.
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When Anna called that evening (she and Luke’d gone back to get a hold on work so that they’d be able to have a long honeymoon after their wedding which was scheduled six months on), Alex told her of her decision.

Concerned Anna said, "Alex, but what about your mum? How’ll she take to this?"

Alexis bit her lip, " I’m not going to tell her. At least until I’m not certain about how and where this is going. I spoke to Mum and Dad yesterday and they’re having a wonderful time in Tuscany. God knows they needed a break anyway. But enough about me, what’re you and Luke up to?"

Anna’s sigh could be heard even over the phone, "He’s turned into a holy tyrant. He now stops short of brushing my teeth for me and tucking me into bed with a bed time story."

A protest could be hear from somewhere in the background, indicating that Luke was with Anna and resented her description of him to which Anna said, "And now he’s even curbing my right to free speech. To imagine that the man is a media mogul."

Alex was busy laughing, when there was a muffled struggle, before a deep voice came on and Luke said, "Alexis, my fiance has wounded my sensitive feelings, now we must embark on a path of restitution. I’ll have her call you later. And I’m very proud of your decision to face your fears. I remember when I had a car accident when I was 17, my father put me right back in a car and on that freeway the day I was back on my feet. He said, I’d have to face my fears then, or I’d never drive."

Alexis smiled softly as the line went dead. Luke seemed so different from the gaunt unhappy man she’d first seen at the station. Anna softened him up, and they got to see a completely different side to him during the last few days of their stay. While Anna may laughingly call it tyranny, Luke actually worshiped the ground she walked on and was rewarded for his efforts by a reciprocation of the same magnitude of feelings. Quite like Oscar and her. Alexis smiled into her pillow as she thought of Oscar. A knock on the door alerted her to Bertha’s entry and she quickly wiped off the smile because it would lead to merciless teasing. But the look on Bertha’s face wiped all thoughts of fun from her head, "What’s wrong?" she blurted.

Bertha was wringing her hands, "The Sheriff’s downstairs, Alex. He wanted to have a word with you about something regarding your Uncle’s accident."

Alex was out of the bed and running before her feet hit the ground.

She entered the sitting room to find the Sheriff and Officer Vaugh sitting with grim expressions on their faces. At her entry, both men stood up with forced smiles of greeting. Alexis offered to have some refreshments brought in for them, given the lateness of the hour and both men accepted with alacrity. A gnawing suspicion grew in her mind, that more than out of exhaustion, they accepted the hospitality as a delaying tactic. Bertha’s efficiency however gave them only a very short respite. With coffee and meat-pies in front of them, the Sheriff cleared his throat, "Alex, out Forensics team was conducting its routine tests on your uncle’s vehicle. The first conclusion was of course malfunctioning breaks. But yesterday, one of the senior members noted some signs of tampering which suggests that someone purposely drained the breaking fluid."

The sheriff would later tell the rest of the town, that inspite of the shock that was apparent from her paleness, Alexis maintained her poise, and sat there regally till she recovered momentarily. She then asked, "I don’t doubt your team’s expertise, Sir, but if I may ask, it’s been five weeks since my Uncle……died. Why did it take so much time for this to be noticed?"
The sheriff nodded vigorously, "Alexis, there are a few things that may be related to this case, that I cannot tell you about unless I have more proof to link them directly. We KNOW there has been foul play. But we only suspect the involvement of certain groups. We also have cause to believe that there may be a mole in the office. Which is why we asked the senior to run a check again."

Alexis was visibly startled, " But who’d want to deliberately hurt Uncle Alan. It’s a small county, the population can hardly exceed two thousand. And people watch out for each other."

Officer Vaugh cleared his throat, "Which makes the implications all the more terrible Ms.Knightly , unless, there’s an outside hand."

A light went on in Alex’s head and she asked shrewdly, "Is it possible that the people involved in the drug bust may be involved?"

The Sheriff gave out a shout of laughter, "You’re too smart for your own good, my dear. Not to mention a threat to people’s intelligence," his expression became serious, "But I must ask you not to discuss this with anyone. The more people you involve, the more chances of……….."

"The word getting out," finished Alex grimly.

Officer Vaugh smiled, "But you may of course tell Oscar. He’d be a great help to the case."

The sheriff scowled as Alex asked curiously, "How can he help?"

Vaugh now looked uncomfortable, " You mean you don’t know?"

Alex was now visibly confused, "Know what?"

There was a moment of strained silence, before Oscar’s voice spoke, "That I used to work for the CIA and I’m a freelance cyber-crime expert."

Alexis’s head whipped around to the arched entry of the room to watch Oscar stalk into the room, looking dangerous. Her head was still spinning with these new revelations when Oscar spoke again, "And you Vaugh, will get nowhere with that big mouth of yours."

Alexis looked at Vaugh who looked slightly abashed while the Sheriff merely rolled his eyes. She then felt a sense of betrayal rise. How could Oscar not have told her? They’d gotten so close to each other. Or so she’d thought. She raised her eyes, full of accusation at Oscar, who grimaced. With panther like speed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of her seat and lead her protesting to the door before he looked back at the grinning Sheriff and ‘reluctantly’ grinning Vaugh, "I’ll deal with you both later. Right now, I have some explaining to do."