April Rising

Walsh pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. April looked at him, playing with his words in her mind; "You are Miss Rising." His face beamed with a smile as he took out a notebook from his jacket pocket and thumbed through its pages.

"Excuse me? You said that I was...?"

"That's right. You are April Rising. The supermodel."

"Really?"

"You bet. I know that you are having a few problems at the moment with your memory, but the doc said it would recover gradually. So I thought that coming in here to introduce myself was the right thing to do. Hope you don't mind Miss?"

"No, I don't mind."

The news of her identity stunned her. She began to struggle with the thoughts of who she really was. How a supermodel such as herself, just wearing a coat and nothing else, could have been dumped in an alleyway.

"Just to re-cap. Do you recall anything at all?" he asked.

"Yes. Just one person."

"And who might that person be if I may ask?"

"Franco."

"A man? You remember a man by the name of Franco? Anything else?"

"That's it. Nothing else."

The inspector looked at her. Her gown opened slightly revealing the curvaceous form of her breasts and his gaze settled upon them. "You don't know who this man is?"

"No. All I know is his name and I can see his face looking at me in my mind."

"Description?"

"He is handsome...." For a brief moment the recollections of him making love to her returned. "...he is..."

"Yes?" the inspector asked. His eyes looked closer still at the open gown. Now he could see a slight hint of her nipple and he quickly noticed her looking back at him as she recovered herself from the spontaneously arousing recall.

"I think he is someone I know very well."

"I see." He thumbed through his notebook and then found what he was looking for. "Would this person be Franco DiBarras?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure. Who is he?"

"That's fine Miss April. I will leave it there for now."

"If I remember more I will let you know inspector."

"Good. One last thing before I let you rest? Do you remember anyone called Michaelangelo Menotti?"

"No, I'm sorry, I can't recall knowing that name." she replied.

"That's ok." The inspector stood up and put his hand on her shoulder and thanked her for the short interview. From where he stood he managed to see more of her breasts beneath the partially open gown. He smiled and explained that he would return again soon.

Before he closed the door behind him she asked: "Can't you give me some information about me? I need to know who I am?"

"Sorry Miss Rising. The doc said that you would recover better if I didn't shock you too much. I don't want to upset things. I will be back to see you very soon."

8.

The quick visit by the inspector left April thinking very hard. There was still nothing that she could grasp to bring back her missing memory that day. And at night whilst sleeping she could only dream of Franco make love to her over and over again. The nurse came into the room and watched her moaning and writhing in her sleep, re-living every moment of the event so clear in her mind.

The nurse gently brushed April's hair as she began to calm. Her tongue licked her lips as if searching for something, kissing and caressing the lips of her dream lover until she became still once more, whispering the name "Franco" repeatedly until she faded back into silent sleep.

The following day April sat in the soothing bath of water, washing her arms with the towelling glove, smoothing out the soap. Suddenly she remembered something as if it came from nowhere. "Alfred?" she whispered to herself. Other things began to come back to her in swift succession; Marion and the house, the dungeon, her own apartment.

She climbed out of the bath quickly grabbing the robe. "Nurse!" She wrapped the robe around her and entered her private room in a panic. The nurse stood looking at her and grabbed her by the arms gently.

"April? What is it?"

"I remembered. I have to leave here, right now!"

"There is no way that you can. You still need to rest."

"No! I must leave now. Franco is in danger! Get my clothes!"

"Your agent has not brought them yet. Not until this afternoon."

"Then find me some! I need them now!"

The doctor came in and rushed at April. Together he and the nurse restrained her and eased her onto the bed. "Miss Rising, please try to calm yourself. This isn't good for you."

"But I need to get out of here. Franco is in danger, he needs my help."

"Not right now he doesn't. You need to relax." The doctor waved to the nurse to fetch a waiting tray by the bedside. "I'm going to give you a shot. It will help you relax."

"No, please, I have to leave here now. Please, I beg of you to let me leave."

The nurse purged the hypodermic as the doctor held April's arms. She saw the threatening needle coming towards her and cried; "No! No, please don't do this!" Then the sharp pain hit her in the upper arm as the nurse administered the drug. Within seconds April was out cold. Her tired body lay limp upon the bed as the two medics looked down at her.

The elevator doors closed with an almost silent swish. Inspector Jimmy was sealed in, moving upward, listening to soft jazz music and looking at the photographs on all three walls of the models that had passed through the agency. He spotted one of April and smiled to himself. Then the bell rang and the doors swished open onto the reception. A short journey that took him through thirteen floors.

"Good afternoon, Ward Creative Arts, can I help you?" the receptionist asked. She almost sang out the words as if it was a song she had learned. Jimmy produced his badge and looked at the petite blonde girl. She smiled at him with blush pink lips.

"I am here to see Mister Ward. Inspector Walsh, City Police."

"Thank you, take a seat sir." He nodded politely and sat on one of the many empty seats and looked at the various sized portraits on the walls of yet more models, searching out one or two of April. The receptionist looked at him diffidently, trying not to draw too much attention, but Jimmy had already noticed her fine smooth legs under the desk that disappeared beyond the hem of a tight skirt. He tried to guess her age; it was difficult as the make-up she wore gave a false impression.

There was a buzz. "Mister Ward will see you now." Jimmy stood and made his way to the door, knocking twice before entering. The receptionist watched intently and they both exchanged smiles. Steven Ward sat at his desk conversing with someone on the phone. The cityscape behind him through the large office window gave an indication of how high they were. Ward gestured to the inspector to take a seat waving his finger.

"No, I can't accept that, and you know the reasons why." Ward spoke arrogantly over the phone. "I'm not in the habit of throwing millions of dollars down the drain. Sort it out!" He hung up and looked at Jimmy, then standing he offered his hand across the desk.

Ward was a tall man, atleast taller than jimmy by eight centimetres. "Welcome Inspector Walsh." Jimmy shook his hand, feeling his strong grip. "What can I do for you? Can I offer any refreshments?"

"No I'm fine. I just had lunch. It's about one of your models, Miss Rising."

"Oh yes, April. I can't understand what happened there. The situation is so mysterious don't you think?"

"Quite." Jimmy replied. "You can understand why the police are investigating of course. It isn't everyday that you get a famous supermodel being discovered dumped in a back alley." Ward offered him a cigarette from a silver case. "No thanks, I'm trying to give up."

"So, how can I help you?"

"You know Miss Rising very well I believe? Not just as her agent?"

"Yes. We have known each other for some time now. I happen to think about her quite a lot. I have always taken care of her needs as best I can." Ward replied.

"You go back a long way?"

"Yes. We first met just after her father died. On the internet believe it or not. I owned one of the sites she frequently visited and we became very close friends."

"That I already found out. You discovered her on there too?"

"Indeed. But that is irrelevant in this case. What can I help you with?"

Jimmy took out his trusty notebook and thumbed through the pages. "When was the last time you saw her?" He gave the impression that his notes were disordered as he searched through them. "Oh yes, it was five days ago wasn't it? I have a note here that says you two had an argument."

"Sorry, I don't recall having an argument. Where exactly?"

"At a nightclub, Los Haciendas. I investigated that this morning. Are you two still very close?"

"Close? We are friends, yes. That wasn't an argument Inspector. We just disagreed, as we always seem to do. She disobeyed my instructions not to meet a certain person. I have to take care of her interests as well as her well being."

"Of course." Jimmy smiled. "This person was an advertising executive from Italy? A senor Franco DiBarras?"

"Yes. Not a good move for her career in my opinion. But then she idolised this man and there may have been a personal interest in that meeting."

"Did you ever meet DiBarras?"

"A few occasions, yes. Infact, many years ago one of my models had an unfortunate accident. She died. Franco DiBarras was dating her at the time and was implicated with her death." Ward pointed to a portrait on the wall of a dark haired girl. Jimmy looked up and gazed at the image. "She was an important asset to us. A sad and great loss you understand."

"Very nice. I mean the girl was very pretty. Would she be Yvette Elmsford?"

"Yes. You remember her?"

"No." Jimmy replied. "Then again, they all look the same to me. I have never followed the fashion industry until now. I pick up all these magazines and they just look like living mannequins." Jimmy coughed, noticing that Ward was not too impressed by his comment.

"Can I ask you Inspector? Do you have any idea how she got in that back alley?" Ward asked, favouring a change in subject.

"Not yet. But I will eventually."

"Do you think that Franco DiBarras had anything to do with it?"

"Interesting. Do you think that he might have?"

"Why should I?"

"I just thought you might have some reason to..."

"No. It was just a thought Inspector." Ward replied quickly.

Jimmy nodded and smiled. "You have a nice view of the mountains from here. I love the view. Did you choose this office space deliberately because of the view?"

"Not really. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Are you collecting Miss Rising this evening from the hospital?"

"Yes. She is better off with me and I have arranged for her to rest at my place. The doctor tells me she is getting her memory back. Unfortunately she is a little frustrated at the moment. Confused. Her imagination is also playing tricks on her, which they assure me is what usually happens when people get over amnesia."

"Of course. Sodium pentathol has that effect."

"Yes it does."

"Well. I thank you for your time Mister Ward." Jimmy stood up and reached down to shake hands. Ward remained seated and gripped it tighter this time. "I will get back to you soon."

"Always willing to help throw some light on this unusual situation."

"I hope so Mister Ward. It is a very unusual situation."

Jimmy returned to his office in the main city police headquarters. A desk, a chair, two filing cabinets and a computer terminal was all he had in a partitioned cubicle. He craved for a cigarette, looking at the pack on top of one of the cabinets and a voice told him; "Don't you dare!" Jimmy turned and saw his partner, a smart young officer assigned to him now for the past six months. Taken from the beat and given the chance to prove himself as an investigator.

"Fuck! It's been almost six hours now." Jimmy replied.

"Your wife won't thank me if I let you." The young officer replied. "Besides, you say it was six hours. But who knows, you could have smoked a whole pack while you were out there."

"Lewis, you have to learn to trust me. Found anything yet?"

Lewis gently pushed his boss to one side and tapped the keyboard of the computer. "You are going to love this. Even for the porn content if not anything else."

"You have me well profiled it seems."

"Yes, but then you are a dirty old man in disguise as a cop." Jimmy flicked his younger partners ear gently in response. Then the screen came alive with images of April Rising. "There you go. This site is an old one. Never been updated for atleast three years."

The images were of April. She posed in various nude shots, almost pornographic in nature, showing off her valued intimate assets. Jimmy sat in the creaky chair and clicked through the pages. "This is what she did before she became famous?"

"Not bad. Nice looker." Lewis replied. "That's one way they get to the top."

"I wonder why she didn't have them removed?"

"The site is owned by Ward Creative Arts. It's a dead site as far as hits are concerned, but its address is still active as you can see."

"And a free access site too?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes. It was tied in with a chatsite that is now discontinued."

"Interesting! Lewis, give yourself the rest of the day off."

"So that I can't see you pinch a cigarette you mean?"

9.

April bit into a piece of bread and looked around the dinner table at the others. Ward sat at the head of the table acting out his role as the patriarch of the family with his wife, Gabriella, beside him. The chinking of steel against bone china was the only sound made as the family ate in vocal silence.

Wards' two teenage daughters looked at each other then at April as if keeping a secret between themselves. She felt out of place, invited to stay against her wishes and forcing herself to comply. Yet in her mind she knew that there was some place else she needed to be.

"Everything alright April?" Ward asked, sipping his wine.

"Yes thanks. Not very hungry." She replied with a smile. The two girls giggled and then fell silent as Ward gave them a stern glance. "I think I need to lie down."

"Tired?" he asked.

"You have been through quite a lot." Gabriella remarked. "You must be worn out. But you can rest while you're here for a few days. It's very quiet."

"Excuse me." April stood up from the table and left. Ward took in her fragrance as she passed him, savouring its sweetness and tantalising his senses. He revelled in the knowledge that she was close to him, now under his roof sharing in his home. Something he had always wanted, as she was not only a friend, but also someone he admired and loved since they first met. She was also someone he dreamed of, making love to her, but never was able to get close enough.

After dinner, Ward made his excuses to leave the table. He climbed the old varnished oak stairs and made his way to the guests' room, knocking quietly on the door. "Come in." The reply he wanted came like an invite from heaven. He entered the room finding April lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling in the soothing light of the lamp from the bedside table. The soothing sound of a classical opera played in the background. He closed the door quietly and then sat beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I feel fine." April replied, without altering her glance.

"I hope you don't mind me inviting you back here? Thought it would be for the best. I can have you looked after and keep you safe." His hand touched her shoulder, running along the line of her dress towards her chest. "You know how I feel about you?"

"Yes." She pushed away his hand and turned on her side facing away from him. He felt rejected. "I appreciate your kindness, but you have other reasons."

He stood and walked towards the door, then stopped. "You know how I feel about you. I can't stop loving you. Once you felt the same way, but you have changed for some reason unknown to me. I only wish I knew what that reason was?"

"You scare me," she replied.

"But how? I never even forced myself onto you. Never hurt you or even want to hurt you"

"You are so possessive. I don't like it. Never did like it."

"You mean so much to me. I would do anything for you. Anything."

"Then let me find Franco."

"You want to go Italy? Because that is where he is right now."

"I don't believe any of you. I know he is still here in that house. Maybe in danger."

"You can ask the police. I am sure they checked." He returned to her side. "You have to believe that. I checked myself. He left on a flight this morning for Rome. How can I make you believe that?"

"You can't, nobody can. I just know what I know."

"You are still recovering from whatever happened. The man abandoned you, left you to die in an alleyway for all we know. You are still delusional."

April turned to look at him. Her face was wet with tears, strands of hair caught against her cheeks that Ward was tempted to gently remove, but he did not dare because of her rebuff. "Babe, I will send two of my men out in the morning to check the house. I promise."

"It might be too late by then. It might be too late even now."

"Babe, I can only do what I can under the circumstances. The doctor said that you would be having these flashbacks and some of them not even real. I checked on DiBarras and that is all we know."

"To me it was real. I know it was real."

"Maybe." Ward smiled and a reached with his hand to touch her face. April watched him and felt his fingers gently soothing against her moist skin. "I love you April," he whispered.

She was drawn to him. Inside she loved him too, but not physically. Her love for him was born of the time they allowed their souls to touch across the internet, through the terminals of their computers, separated by hundreds of miles. They once made loved a hundred times that way so tenderly and so romantically. But now they have met, she cannot bring herself to be as intimate. Ward was frustrated and wanted so much to fulfil his desperate wishes. All he wanted was to make love to her for real, and to touch her and to taste her as he imagined in the past and more than anything else, to feel her close to him. Their lips touched as they had done so before. The kiss grew passionate and then April retracted. "No!" She pulled away, holding him back.

"What is it?" he asked. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

She raised her hand and put it onto his lips. "I can't." she whispered, passion still running through her, yet unable to complete the response she wanted and he so much desired. "I....I..."

"What? Is it because you are in my home?"

"No. I have let you down. I broke my promise," she replied.

"Promise? Which promise?"

She looked at him and he began to drown in her startling blue eyes as always.

"I let Franco take my virginity," she told him. He was shocked. But then that promise was not a promise he held onto. He doubted her confession that she was untouched from the beginning.

"That isn't important. What is important is that right now we are together."

April lay back and took his hand, placing it onto her breast. He could feel the hardness of her nipple beneath the dress and his heart began to pound as she looked back at him. Without hesitation, he climbed on top of her and continued the passionate kiss they had previously started. April responded by wrapping her arms around him, pulling him closer. His hand traced the shape of her waist and hips until finding the hem of the dress and the warm flesh of her thigh. Gently his fingers sensed that warmth and smoothness as they moved over her skin.

She could feel the deep passion in his kiss and suddenly she was through the barrier of uncertainty, now she wanted him, to feel him, to be satisfied by him. The kiss ended and she looked at him, running her fingers through his hair with both hands. She wanted to devour him and consume him. The touch of his fingers on her groin sent a tingle through her spine that told her that it was good now and there was no stopping what could happen.