Chapter 20: Where the hell is Twinbrook?

The Slade story started with Adam Slade coming to Sunset Valley many years ago with just a pocketful of cash.  And a vision to create a family dynasty, a dynasty that would leave a lasting mark, a legacy. Now it is his grandchildren, Cleo and Carl, who are carrying that legacy forward.

In this chapter Carl searches the past for some answers and Cleo gives in to temptation  ...

Having delivered his latest consignment of produce from the Slade garden, Pascal took the opportunity to take Danielle for a tour round Sunset Valley's charming and pretty central park. As always the toddler revelled in the sights and sounds that teemed around her.

After his conversation with Garett, Carl couldn’t stop thinking about his grandfather and the unknowns in his family history.

He decided to do some research, see what he could unearth. There was, unsurprisingly, quite a lot in the news archives about his father and mother and the contributions they had made to Sunset Valley. There was also the occasional mention of his grandfather, Adam, as he built the family home on Summer Hill.

But he could find nothing about where he had come from. It was as if Adam had simply materialised out of nowhere.

Frustrated at his lack of success tracing back his own history, Carl started looking for information on Garett's family.

There was nothing in the local archives for Fisk but when Carl broadened his search he found references to a big family business based in a town called Twinbrook. Carl frowned at the screen "Twinbrook? Where the hell is that?"

But before he could continue the search he felt his phone vibrating. It was Malia Norwood. She was at the beach-front and hoping for company.

Carl closed the computer down and headed out to the meet his friend.

It was great to see Malia again, Carl was buzzing from the work he had done on his latest book and the results, or lack of, of his research into his family history.

And Twinbrook. Had she heard of the place?

"Umm, yes, I think it's some backwater place on the other side of the Greater Sim Swamplands."

"So," Carl wondered, "who would set up a business empire there?"

 Carl noticed Malia's eyes starting to glaze over, he quickly changed tack, "So, Mal, what you been up to?"

Pleased at last to be able to tell Carl her own good news. One of the councillors at City Hall was running for mayor and had asked her to join his campaign team.

Carl was so pleased for her. Malia had been working at City Hall for a couple of years now, she'd started as a part-timer in her last year at school, doing the essential menial tasks that kept the council working.

At the last election she had done a lot of overtime; counting ballot papers and running errands for the officials. Her dedication had obviously been noticed and someone thought she would be a valuable asset to their team.

A quick trip back to Summer Hill Court to change into something smarter, and Carl treated Malia to a slap–up meal at the Corsican Bistro. It was a bit beyond Carl's normal budget but Malia deserved the treat, and she was really good company.

The more time he spent with her, the more Carl thought that Malia could be the one: smart, dedicated, and sexy, she was as perfect as any man could wish for.

-- * --

Mary had brought a number of his father's possessions with her, which she left with Garett, one of which was an old ledger. The cover, which looked like leather, was deep maroon with "Fisk of Twinbrook" embossed in bold, gold, letters on the front.

He leafed casually through the closely hand-written names and figures. Names from his past, some still going, but most, long since left discarded on the scrapheap of the unfashionable and unprofitable.

Then, just past the halfway mark, there was one final page containing one single, boldly scrawled, word. SOLD.

-- * --

Garett’s reflections were disturbed by Cleo returning home. He packed the ledger away, put his plate in the dishwasher and went to the art room to meet her.

Cleo looked exhausted, it had clearly been a tough day. Cleo didn't normally say much about the incidents she attended but Garett had a talent for empathy and gently coaxed her into talking about this most recent emergency.

It had been a fire in one of the old office suites on the outskirts of town. It had started in the post room, developing quickly, fuelled by the paper and stationery supplies. Unfortunately the alarm and escape system was inadequate for the size of building and the speed with which the flames and heat spread had trapped nearly fifty people on the two upper floors.

"But you got them all out?" Garett asked, knowing that the Sunset Valley Fire Department was among the finest in the country.

"We did." Cleo confirmed, "but getting that many people to safety from a multi-storey block takes a lot of effort."

"And the fire spread so fast," she continued "we had a lot of people affected by the smoke and heat and, at one stage, a wall started to collapse and it looked like two of our crew would be trapped inside ..."

"But you got them all out." Garret said softly, but firmly, holding her head in his hands so that she would look directly into his eyes, "everyone is safe."

"Yes." Cleo quietly agreed.

"No one was badly hurt, the crew are all OK?" he stressed.

Being so close to Garett again Cleo started to feel that old, strange, magnetic, attraction to him. Searching his face and, especially, his eyes, for clues to what he was thinking she saw in him a deep empathy. The empathy of someone who has also suffered personal hardships but his breathing, the way his hands were stroking her face and hair, signalled something else.

Desire.

He was still holding her close; she was getting lost in those unique, purple, eyes. She closed her eyes just for a second, opened her mouth as if to say something and felt him drawing closer ...

It was if she was a girl again. Like that day, so long ago now, in the park when she had first kissed him. Back then it was Cleo who made the first move, but now, now it was Garett who was in charge and she didn't mind at all. Was it because she was so tired, physically and emotionally drained by her day at work and he was there at that moment to support her? Or was it that she had never stopped wanting Garett?

As they broke from the kiss Garett gently took hold of Cleo's arm. "Look, I'm just in from town and need to freshen up ... and I think you could do with washing away your day as well ..." He held her gaze as he turned to go to the bathroom, he didn't immediately let go of her but let his hand slide down her arm as if inviting her to follow him.

For a minute Cleo stood as if in a trance, then she heard the water start to flow in the shower and followed in Garett's footsteps.

She remembered the first time they had made love, it was powerful, passionate and exciting. She loved Pascal, he was warm and comforting and made her feel safe, secure and wanted but ... but today she needed something to release her from the pressures of her job.

She discarded her clothes and stepped into the shower.

Chapter 21: Confrontation