The Unveiling of Amber

The Unveiling of Amber
Viola Russell

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Chapter One

August 1997

ABC News anchor:
Musician Lucien Travis has died! The guitarist’s Mercedes was found at the bottom of a ravine in the Texas town of Spring. Forty-year-old Travis was on his way to an appearance on Austin City Limits and never made it to the performance. His manager, Terry Page, discovered the crash after she traced his route to the performance. The vehicle was at the bottom of the ravine. Travis’s body has not been found. This tragedy comes only two months after Travis’s wife, Delta, died mysteriously in their home. The couple’s young son Justin discovered his mother’s body, and the incident is under investigation.


New Orleans, November 2017

“What’s wrong? You seem distant.” Amber ran a hand lightly over her boyfriend’s forearm. She could feel his muscles tighten under her touch, and she moved closer to him, drinking in his masculinity. They were alone in his shotgun double in Uptown New Orleans on a cold winter night. They sat on the sofa together, sipping wine and munching on cheese.
“Look, this isn’t easy.” Tyler turned to her, his mouth set in a firm line. Her arm was linked in his. He’d poured a glass of wine for her and himself. Setting the wine aside, he said, “I’ve been rehearsing this in my mind for a long time.”
Maybe he’s going to ask me to marry him. The thought raced through Amber’s mind, leaving her with a tingling sensation. She leaned closer to him, running her lips along his cheek. He flinched and rose abruptly from his seat beside her.
Tyler ran a hand through his hair. God, how Amber loved that dark hair! It was thick and black. When he looked at her with those startling green eyes, Amber’s heart skipped a beat. Of course, none of her colleagues at her conservative local Catholic school even knew she had a boyfriend, and they certainly didn’t think she possessed lustful thoughts. School librarians kept students quiet and doggedly guarded the books. Never mind that she introduced innovative techniques and policies . . . Oh, well.
Tyler paced the carpet in front of her, fisting and then unclenching his hands. “I’ve had something to tell you for a long time.”
At that moment, the door swung open, and Adrienne, Amber’s best friend, strode inside and turned to close the door behind her. She’d barely stepped inside before she turned, obscuring them from her line of vision.
“Hey, Tyler honey, did you tell her? I can’t stand the secrecy, and—”
She stopped abruptly, turning and suddenly seeing Amber with Tyler.
Adrienne had a key to his apartment? Amber had a key as well. Did he simply give his keys to random women? And what the hell did Adrienne mean? An uneasy feeling developed in Amber’s stomach. She threw a confused look in Tyler’s direction. He’d gone white, his fists still clenching and unclenching at his side. He was clearly debating what to do.
Amber swallowed and found her voice. “What in hell is going on here?”
Adrienne approached her mouth a round O. She was in shorts that showed the cheeks of her butt; the tank top she wore showed her nipples. Never had Amber seen her religion teacher friend dressed like this. Never.
Adrienne’s mouth moved feebly before she finally said, “We’ve been together for some time, Amber.”
The words echoed in Amber’s brain. Only a few days ago, she’d lain in Tyler’s bed and reveled in the warmth of his arms. His embrace had been pure sensuality. No, this couldn’t be happening.
Amber turned to Tyler, who remained silent, and pushed his arm away. She fought back angry and hurt tears. “When were you going to tell me, Tyler? When?”
Tyler started to speak. His mouth moved, but he stayed silent. He stood, turned on his heel, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Amber then turned to Adrienne. “You do realize he was with me only a few days ago, don’t you? Did you think we weren’t having sex?”
Adrienne stared at her for a long time. She placed her purse on the sofa and said evenly, patronizingly, “Look, Tyler and I just love each other.” Her voice took on a gushing tone. “We fulfill each other in soul and body in ways that you and he don’t. He said you were too virginal to fulfill him.”
Amber blinked away tears and laughed bitterly. “Is that what he’s told you? Funny, considering we do everything.” She strode into the kitchen.
Tyler was rummaging through the refrigerator and slammed it shut when she entered. Adrienne was on his heels.
“Shit, Adrienne, I told you not to come tonight.” He held a container of potato salad in his hand but still looked ashen. “You ruined everything.”
Adrienne stared at him with wide eyes. “I ruined everything? You told me your relationship with Amber was non-existent. You said she was like ice, like a stone. You called her Sister Mary Margaret.”
Amber’s shocked gaze drifted from her once-adored boyfriend to her once-loyal friend. “Adrienne, why did you believe him? And Tyler, how could you tell anyone that when you know how crazy we can be?”
Tyler hurled the container into the sink. “You two took this shit too seriously, for fuck’s sake. What did you think? I wasn’t proposing marriage. I gotta eat dinner. If you’d like to join me and make a—”
“Screw you!” Adrienne’s face crumpled into tears, and she sprinted from the kitchen. Amber heard the door slam hard and then Adrienne shouting. “I—I don’t need you! I’m pretty. People say I’m like Snow White. My prince will kiss me awake.”
Amber almost laughed. How could the spoiled little bitch say such a thing? Well, her daddy was some wealthy executive. She’d always been taken care of in a material way.
“Well, I guess it’s still us.” Tyler turned to open the fridge again.
How could she ever have been attracted to such a callous dope? Amber fought the tears threatening to blind her. She wasn’t sure if they came from anger or grief. She’d loved this guy, and not only had he betrayed her, he was showing himself to be a royal asshole. How could she have been so blinded?
“No, Tyler, don’t be an idiot. It’s not us. Stay away from me.”
“Look, shit happens.” He shrugged and tossed the container into a nearby garbage can. “Why do you chicks take everything so seriously? I thought we were all having fun.”
“How the hell old are you? Haven’t you gained any integrity or sense over the years? Look, at what—twenty-seven—you should have some goddamned sense.” Amber blinked back angry tears.
“You suddenly get integrity? You and your friend, that perky religion teacher? I didn’t hear any complaints when you groaned like some animal.” Tyler leered at her, walked to his refrigerator, cracked open a cheap beer, and took a deep swallow. He sent a mischievous wink her way.
Amber turned on her heel, made her way to the living room, and retrieved her purse and jacket before bolting out the door.
The crisp November air grasped her like the bite of a jungle cat. She turned up her collar and raced down the sidewalk to her car. She stumbled on her own heels and fell against an oak tree. Sobbing, she leaned against the tree until her tears subsided. The old oak felt stable, reliable, and comforting against her back. Apparently, neither her friend nor her lover had her back. Amber was going home to her corgi mix. Apparently, little Alwena was the only one who wouldn’t let her down.

Sunday, two days later

Amber was grateful that she had two days to grieve the loss of Tyler. She’d loved him, or had thought she did. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have befriended a backstabber like Adrienne? When Adrienne had arrived at the school, Amber had shown her the school’s proverbial ropes. They had enjoyed many of the same movies and books and had become close confidantes. Now, Amber simply felt like a fool.
She was sitting on her old sofa stroking Alwena while she munched on popcorn. It was then that her phone rang.
Did her mother have some power to let her know when Amber needed to hear her voice?
“Hi, honey, I wanted to know if you were coming to Austin for your grandmother’s birthday. Getting away from your job might be hard, but she is getting up in years. Since your dad died, we’re all she has.”
Vanessa Thorpe had been devoted to her husband, Amber’s father. Even when he returned from Iraq as a broken man, she’d stood by him. John Thorpe had never directed his violence against his wife and daughter, but he’d engaged in a number of self-destructive behaviors that had caused them much grief. He’d enjoyed fast motorcycles and too much liquor. His excesses had even dimmed his musical ability. He’d been a multi-instrumentalist before war had taken its toll.
Amber knew her mother never understood why he’d joined the air force during the Gulf War, but strangely, Amber did. Her father was a native-born Texan and infused with patriotism from his own military father. He’d loved his job teaching music, and his music store, but September 11 had inflamed his patriotic spirit. He hadn’t died at war, but he’d returned as one of the damaged ones. When he died in a motorcycle accident in his adopted home of New Orleans, police suspected his accident had been purposeful.
Grandma Margaret had adored her son. She was a spunky native Texan who still wore cowboy boots at seventy-seven and lived in suburban Austin. She respected Vanessa’s devotion to her son and adored his only daughter.
Vanessa’s mother had died when Amber was a teen, and Margaret was now her only grandmother. Of course she would go to Texas, but she sure as hell wouldn’t tell Vanessa or Margaret about the humiliating scene with Tyler—not yet. Her mother hadn’t liked the bum. She didn’t feel like hearing her mother’s “I told you so.” Any sympathy would have been like burning acid on her soul.
Amber barely kept her voice even. “Sure, I could swing a weekend, but it can’t be a long weekend. That skinny bitch principal we have doesn’t like it. She even makes us provide pictures of road accidents when we are late by a few minutes. Besides, I have to make provision for Alwena, make a reservation at the boarder’s, you know.”
“Don’t worry, Alwena will be fine. You worry about her like a child. Besides, you need a new job, darling. That woman harasses you too much. When I get back into town, I’ll give that skinny Trish Baumann a piece of my mind. The woman is a Nazi.” Vanessa was an alumnus of the school but bore it no special love. She hesitated. “What is it, Amber? Something’s wrong, I can tell.”
Tears flowed before Amber could blink them away. She hadn’t intended to say anything. How could her mother’s sympathy make her break her own vow so easily? “Mama, he broke up with me. Or, I did with him, and it was because he was sleeping with that bitch Adrienne!”
“That bitch! She’s your friend!” Vanessa’s horror resonated over the phone.
“I thought so, too.” Amber suppressed a sob.
“Take a few days. Tell the bitch Baumann you’re sick. Come visit with your grandmother and me.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Amber pushed a button on the remote. A juicy but predictable mystery flashed on the screen. She didn’t know how drastically her life would change on Monday.

Chapter Two

Amber placed a determined smile on her face as she entered the building on Monday. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a Catholic co-ed school that catered to the city’s supposedly devout. In reality, most of the residents used it as a means of isolating their children from those they considered unsavory elements.
Amber hadn’t liked the school when she’d attended it, but St. Elizabeth had offered her a job upon graduating. She’d grown comfortable and stayed even after earning her master’s in library science. Instinctively, Amber knew she’d regret that decision.
At least very few people knew about Tyler, except Adrienne—who she’d thought was a friend. With the advent of social media, Amber knew better than to reveal too much about herself to many of her colleagues, but she cursed herself for so misjudging Adrienne.
Amber wrapped herself in her leather jacket. It was a blustery morning in New Orleans, threatening rain. A streetcar rattled down the road. Tourists and college students made their way to nearby campuses and museums. A streak of lightning illuminated the dark sky, followed by a crash of thunder.
A chill raced through Amber as she made her way inside the school, and a black sense of foreboding cascaded over her like a waterfall.
“Amber, honey, Mrs. Baumann wants to see you.” Brenda LeBlanc, the elderly secretary, looked out from her small office as Amber signed in and cast a sympathetic glance her way. “She says it’s important.”
Amber nodded and then knocked on Trish Baumann’s door. What would the woman be on about today? She pinched the budget like no principal Amber had ever known and constantly questioned Amber’s every purchase for the library.
“Come in.” Trish’s high-pitched, whiny voice echoed from the depths of her office. Amber opened the door and entered the room.
She sat behind a huge mahogany desk that made her look like a child playing executive. Her mousy blond hair hung loosely around her face, and her thin hands clutched a pen. Several folders lay on her desk, and a laptop lay open before her. The technical support leader, also a teacher, stood at Trish’s side.
Trish indicated the chair across from her desk. She cleared her throat and frowned, seemingly pained or disgusted. Trish was perhaps forty, but her sharp features gave her the appearance of someone fifty or older.
“Something was brought to our attention by a parent, one of our major contributors.”
Amber stood ramrod straight, not acknowledging the chair offered her. She couldn’t imagine why Trish wanted to see her, but she knew that the principal frequently called people into her office like this before firing them.
Shana Banko, the technical support teacher, took over. She said coldly, “One of our parents came across something involving you online. It seems it has gone viral among the students.” She raised her eyebrows and widened her pig-like eyes.
She was as fat as Trish was skinny, with folds around her midsection that protruded from her too-tight blouse. A rotund stomach pressed against a pair of jeans that threatened to bust a button. Flabby arms and chubby fingers worked at the laptop on the principal’s desk.
“I’ve never published a thing online.” Amber looked from one woman to the other, genuinely confused. Still, a sinking feeling formed at the pit of her stomach. Where was this going?
Shana’s gaze narrowed further. “You and Ms. Adrienne Torelli apparently have a mutual friend.”
Okay, so they knew about Tyler. Well, how was it anyone’s business, and what in hell did this have to do with some video? “I don’t understand.”
Trish glanced up at her compatriot, looking grimly smug. “Show her.”
Shana turned the computer so that the screen faced Amber. The image of Amber herself engaged in a very sensual moment with Tyler loomed on the screen. Their bodies were bare and locked together in an embrace of heated passion. He was nibbling on her neck and then her breasts. Then, she took him in her mouth. Amber sank down heavily in the chair across from Trish. The breath left her body. She’d never known Tyler, the asshole, had filmed their most intimate moments. Jesus!
“This is a Catholic school. We can’t have this behavior for our children to see.” Trish folded her hands on her desk, the pen falling from her grip. She looked smugly satisfied. Amber wondered if the woman always wore blouses with Peter Pan collars. How prim did she need to look? “Too many of them have seen it already. They may be damaged for life. Parents want your immediate dismissal.”
Amber swallowed hard. She wouldn’t cry. Her grandmother had taught her never to show weakness, but she knew her cheeks were burning bright. “I never knew about those videos.”
Trish glanced at Shana, clasped her own hands even tighter, and said coldly, “That may be the case, but it is irrelevant. We have impressionable teenagers here. Our parents expect something different. We can’t have this.”
Well, what else could the woman say? Amber actually understood their position, but she hated the smug way they looked at each other.
Trish had gone to school with Amber’s mother. Vanessa had always been the popular, beautiful girl who wore outlandish earrings and often visited the disciplinarian’s office but was still loved by all. Administrators had smiled indulgently at her foibles as childish mischief, and her parents, though not wealthy, had adored her and her younger brother. Trish had been the homely outcast whose military father had drunk himself to death and whose mother had put a bullet through her head. After their deaths, her grandmother had taken her in but had required her to perform hours of housework. Trish hated girls like Vanessa and her daughter.
Amber managed to match Trish’s smug smile. “I completely understand, but I want to say this first.” When Shana started to open her mouth, Amber shot her a look of such ferocity that the woman immediately clamped her mouth shut. “You and your minions have terrorized anyone who was in this school before you came or who had any allegiance to the old administration.” She turned to Shana. “You, for example, said you thought one teacher didn’t know what plagiarism was. Well, she has a doctorate, so I guess she does understand that, you fat fuck.”
Shana emitted an outraged gasp and turned to Trish, who was reaching for her phone. The “O” that Shana’s mouth formed made her look like a huge doughnut. “Are you going to—?”
“Oh, come on, Trish. I’ll go. You don’t have to call the police.” Amber laughed. They were afraid of her. The absurdity of the situation struck her like a pleasurable sexual current. “Before I go, I also want to say to you, you skinny bitch, that the email criticizing my filing system was unprofessional and inaccurate. Nothing was wrong with the system, and when you ever criticize an employee, you don’t send it to the whole school.” Hot coals raced through Amber as she remembered the incident. “Oh, by the way, I know you didn’t like my email response, but Trish, it’s not my fault that your parents didn’t love you.” Amber had made delightful use of Trish’s family history in her response.
Trish went white. Her hands were clasped together so tightly that the knuckles formed very pale mini-fists all their own. Every vein in her hands showed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you didn’t have to put that in an email.”
Amber grinned. “When I brought my complaints to the archdiocese, they agreed with me. They thought your behavior was unprofessional.” She laughed dryly and shrugged. “So, I lost today. I won’t in the future.”
With those words, she rose from her seat, turned on her heel, and slammed the door.
Amber marched out of the building, traversed the schoolyard, and avoided the stares of the arriving students. She threw open the library door, strode to her desk, and thrust the framed portrait of her parents into her purse. As she walked to her car, raindrops began falling. Amber made it to her car, but not before she heard the stifled snickers of several students and noted several boys grabbing their crotches. Was she forever to be a cock joke for teenaged boys?
***
Tyler the sonofabitch! Amber wondered if she could have the videos taken down. Still, too many who knew her had already seen them.
Her friends began calling soon after her dismissal. Well, at least she wasn’t the only one in disgrace. The little bitch Adrienne had also had her nude body exposed all over the Internet.
Amber wondered how she could face Vanessa and Margaret in Austin. She prayed her mother and grandmother hadn’t heard of her indiscretions and stupidity; however, she also wanted her mother’s advice and comfort. Why was it that she still needed her mother’s warm hands—even as a grown woman? Maybe no one ever stopped needing that love.
After depositing a pouting Alwena at the boarder’s and placing a kiss on the dog’s head, Amber made her way to the airport.
Vanessa and Margaret met her in Austin. As usual, Margaret wore her staple cowboy boots and denim blouse. She looked chic in the fur coat that protected her from the brisk wind. Though in her seventies, Margaret still dyed her hair the flaming red of her youth.
Smiling broadly, she waved at Amber and enfolded her in a long embrace. “My precious girl, give Gran a kiss and let me look at you.”
The warm greeting sent a wave of love mingled with sadness through Amber’s whole psyche. She quickly blinked away the tears that sprang to her eyes, swallowed, and forced a smile when Margaret held her at arm’s length.
Vanessa, looking gorgeous in a denim jacket, embraced her next and looked at Amber searchingly. Amber always felt that she was like a dull spark compared to her mother’s soaring beauty. While Amber’s hair was a dark auburn, Vanessa had shining blond hair that made men turn their heads. While Amber had to work hard to maintain her figure, her mother was naturally svelte but curvy. Though in her fifties, Vanessa attracted the attention of men half her age. Her smile dazzled with a genuine love of life that infected all who met her. Still, Amber knew the deep sadness her mother harbored since the death of her husband.
They had once been part of a wide circle of friends and couples that Vanessa had discarded when Amber was young. When Amber had once asked about where their friends went and why her parents had put aside a lifetime of travel and parties, Vanessa had simply said, “That life is over.” Since John’s death, Vanessa had met no one special. She saw men occasionally, but they failed to arouse her interest.
She’d immersed herself in cultivating Amber. There had been guitar lessons, dancing lessons, and swimming lessons. Amber had gone to good schools and studied writing at an exclusive arts school.
Vanessa walked beside Amber as they made the trek to baggage claim. “Is something else bothering you beside that jerk Tyler?”
“Not in front of Gran Margaret.” Amber shook her head in warning as Margaret turned to them. Amber smiled at her grandmother.
Margaret gave her a searching look but said nothing.
As Amber unpacked her clothes in her grandmother’s house, she reflected on her next move. She couldn’t hide the truth forever. Vanessa knew her too well, and her grandmother was too astute. She sighed heavily and sat on the bed.
The tears came in the form of heavy sobs. Within a few days, she’d lost everything—her boyfriend, her job, her friend, and her credibility. Amber had thought she loved Tyler. Apparently, he hadn’t felt the same, and not only had he not reciprocated her love, he’d betrayed her with a metaphoric blow to the gut, making certain her life would be changed forever. She’d thought Adrienne was a friend, but this friend had slept with her boyfriend and then played an innocent when she’d been revealed. But, Amber had practical issues to consider. She would need a job soon, or she wouldn’t be able to afford even her small Mid-City apartment. How would she feed Alwena? She couldn’t lose her baby!
As if on cue, Vanessa pushed open the door. “I thought you might need help unpacking, and now I hear you crying.” She sat beside Amber on the bed and took her face in her hands. “Tell me what’s wrong. Tyler’s one jerk. Why has this hurt you so much?”
“Mom, you don’t know the half of it. It’s much worse than his breaking up with me. He—he—”
The words spilled from Amber. She revealed every detail of the past few days, ending with “He’d taken videos of us, Mom. He put them online for the whole damned world to see.”
“Amber, how could you let him film you? You know better.” Vanessa shook her head, disbelieving.
“I didn’t know he was filming us. I swear I didn’t. Hell, I don’t know why he’s so bitter or wants to ruin me. Then, that bitch Baumann fired me.”
“Bitch is right!” Vanessa’s lips formed a thin line. “Well, I’m not surprised about her. She always loved condemning anyone who had better sex than she did.”
Amber laughed in spite of her tears. Vanessa could always make her laugh, but her mother’s flippant comment disarmed her. She hadn’t completely horrified or scandalized her mother.
“Don’t hate me,” she said.
Vanessa drew her into her arms. “You know better than that. I’d never hate you, and if you say you didn’t know about his devious actions, then you’re a victim. My love, stay here for a while.” Vanessa’s lips brushed Amber’s hair. “I don’t have to be back in New Orleans soon, either. We can hang with your grandmother. Shop. We’ll come up with a game plan.”
“Okay, just don’t say anything to Gran right now.” Amber met her mother’s gaze. “Please, Mom. I don’t know how I’ll ever face her if she knows.” A twinge of guilt tugged at Amber’s heart. She suddenly felt very lonely. “I can’t stay too long, though. I miss Alwena when she’s at the boarder’s.”
“Okay, but don’t worry about money. You can always move in with me if you need to, hon.” Vanessa embraced her tighter.
“I know, but I need to decide my next move for myself.” Amber wouldn’t rely on anyone anymore, not even her mother.