― Anais Nin
Flora Franklin
Neruda was right about mysterious women― the moon lives in the lining of their skin.
I was thinking about Flora Franklin and her mature beauty, She wasn't just an 'older woman'―she was enchanting, compelling and elegant. It was a lethal mix of elements that could only confound men and that was her secret power.
I was fascinated by Ella Wiltshire but Flora was also a possible rival if only for her ability to stir conflicting emotions inside me.
And yes, I was desperate to purge my guilt for allowing this seductress to torment me, but trying not to think about her at all only made me obsess more.
I wanted to seclude myself on my land because nothing I did could exorcise her image or prevent it from rising at the most inappropriate times and oppressing me.
Meeting Ella and her Father simply intensified my angst.
Ella had no idea that I was being tempted by Flora and Neil seemed impressed enough by me to ask for my help on a current case that was perplexing him.
They both saw me as an upstanding young man trying to live simply and fulfill his father's dream of living off the land, so why was I so fascinated by a woman who stood for everything I despised, especially social rank and privilege ?
Maybe Ella was eerily right when she jokingly wondered about what lurks in the hearts of men. I was now asking myself that same question.
The following day I texted Neil and told him I'd drop by the station around one pm.
I was feeling inadequate about my ability to offer any assistance, mostly because I struggled most days at my job because of lingering symptoms of PTSD caused by my service in Afghanistan.
It occurred to me he may have made discreet inquiries about me to assess whether I was a suitable suitor for his daughter. If that were the case, I'd probably fail the test. The way I was feeling, even I would reject me.
Neil, however, surprised me. He was incredibly kind and supportive and seemed genuinely interested in the work I did for the RCMP.
"We have a very small staff here in Willow Creek, Scott and we're stretched thin because there's no local police and a lot of routine policing becomes our responsibility."
"That would be a challenge, but thankfully, the town is rural and quiet."
Neil smiled and shook his head. "I know that's how it looks, but looks can be deceiving."
"Really? What major challenges do you encounter out here?"
"Well, for starters we have a serial killer who's managed to fly under our radar. We picked up on some patterns in recent homicides but we don't have the budget or manpower to thoroughly investigate or pursue leads."
I felt my blood freeze. I had an idea now where Neil wanted to go and frankly, it scared the hell right out of me.
It was one thing to use geographical information and crime mapping systems to provide actionable intelligence for the police force, but it was quite another thing to be up-close and personal doing fieldwork and taking risks.
That's where Neil was going and unfortunately, he picked someone who was unequal to the task.