No Body, No Crime

9 | grief

"Oft I have heard that grief softens the mind,
And makes it fearful and degenerate;
Think therefore on revenge and cease to weep."

— William Shakespeare

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9 | grief

Till Saturday rolled in, Taylor was brimming with ferocity. Este was her childhood friend, her confidant, a sister she never had. Reminiscing about her brought forth tears from her helpless eyes, and Taylor allowed herself to crumble after being strong for so, very long. She didn't have to keep her defences now in the solitary of her home. She let her guard down, and grieved. The grief surged with every expelled breath, it filled her heart with a deep nothingness, the absence of peace. She felt the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, heavy and demanding; and there was no way to escape out from underneath it.

Este was gone.

She was gone now, six feet underground, or Lord knows where Carson disposed her off. Like she was worthless, like she deserved that fate for loving her husband, for staying faithful. Her best friend paid the price for the crimes a heartless man had committed. It was unfair in every aspect. And now he revelled in the arms of another woman; who was equally responsible for having an affair with a married man.

Taylor loathed them both.

She angrily wiped at the remnants of the tears on her cheeks. It wasn't fair. None of it. Este was too weak to stand up against him, but Taylor knows men like Carson inside out. And she was the only one who could do something about it. Who could finish what Este started. Who could avenge her. She wasn't giving up until she had her revenge, Taylor swore to herself.

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Danielle showed up at Taylor's house the next day with two bottles of champagne; one of which was already used. No doubt, by Danielle herself. Her eyes were bloodshot like she had rubbed them with the force of a dozen fists. The pain was quite evident on her features and Taylor felt a pang of sympathy for her. If she herself was in such distress, it would be twice as much for Este's sister.

They huddled together on Taylor's couch, who grabbed a pair of flutes for the champagne and filled them. What ever happened with Danielle was lamentable, and Taylor allowed the minutes to pass as she recovered slowly.

"So," Danielle said with farce enthusiasm, no doubt disguising her hurt, "News of the day. My poor innocent father called me up."

The Haim sisters' parents lives a couple towns away at their farmhouse, and visit them once or twice a year. Danielle had withheld the information about Este's disappearance from them, saving them from unnecessary worry in case she'd be found. But with no such luck, the truth was bound to surface sooner or later.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Dany," Taylor sympathised. "That must have been a hard conversation."

Danielle waved a hand in front of her face dismissively. "Oh, you have no idea." She took a big gulp straight from the bottle and continued, "Firstly, he asked about Este. He knew something was definitely wrong. The news travelled three towns over, I'm not surprised. He was disappointed that none of us called them soon. But then, I told him. I had to."

Danielle paused, shaking her head. "It was a mess. I could hear Mom sobbing so loudly behind him and she couldn't even gather up the strength to talk to me."

When Danielle herself burst into a bubble of tears, Taylor coaxed her head on her own lap, soothing her hair down, and murmuring hopeless words of reassurance. But she got up all too soon, her eyes holding a different emotion all together. And it was the one Taylor recognised well.

"There is more. Dad told me something else." This time, she filled up her flute to the brim and took a small sip, an angry glint in her eye. "The reason why he actually called me is because he found something."

While Danielle told her in excruciating details everything her Dad had found out from Este's bank, Taylor brewed up a mastermind plan to execute her new found mission. Together with Danielle, she established her scheme to the last detail, covered up loop holes, arranged alibis, and filled herself up with enough resolution and and resentment that she could even kill.