by Allen Gates
“How long will you be gone?”
“It will only be two, maybe three days.”
She saw his eyes and facial expression tighten.
“Anne I want to explain about last night, I …”
She raised her hand in a hold everything motion. “Stop right there Terry. I don't want to listen to anything about what you did or didn’t do last night. It has nothing to do with me, and as I noted when you first arrived, I need to go.
She stood up and turned away from him and said, “Goodnight Johnny. I’ll see you when I return from Nevada.”
Shaking his head in bewilderment he watched her walk out the door.
“I wonder where this is going to end up between us,” he asked Johnny. Getting no response he ordered a drink and pondered the answer to his own question.
58
STEPHANIE FINISHED HER rounds early to begin the search with her real estate agent. After viewing three houses and none matching her need they agreed to meet again the next day. She was definitely disappointed, but convinced herself she was doing fine where she was and the best way to forget the day was to spend the evening at the beach watching the sunset with a nice Chardonnay.
Managing a quick change of clothes, she packed her bag with a bottle of wine and cheese and crackers and felt perfectly at peace as she drove to the coast. It was still early and she was relieved there was no one around as she pulled off to the area that was open enough to park.
Grabbing her bag of goodies and her towel, she walked down to the beach slowly admiring the panorama of sky and water before her. After spreading her beach towel she sat and stared at the rolling waves, relishing in its beauty as she watched the sun begin to slowly disappear below the horizon. The realization that it would be much more meaningful if she were sharing it with someone else swept over her.
A movement caught her eye. A man was walking on the beach and as he approached with the low setting sun to his back he appeared as a gray shadow preventing her from seeing his face clearly. She felt a pang of uneasiness as he continued walking in her direction. When he was directly in front of her blanket he stopped and looked at her not moving, just staring.
“Nice night,” he finally said. “It looks like you’ve been enjoying the magnificent sunset.”
His voice had a dreadful finality to it. She tried to speak, but her defense system had completely shut down and fear had taken over. She managed to regain her thoughts and lied to him that she was expecting a friend any minute to enjoy it with her. He smiled and said, “I know you’re lying, look around.” And he continued to stare and she knew he had seen through her frail defense.
He nodded, “Well, enjoy the night,” and then turned and walked back down the beach. She had never felt so alone. She heard a car door close and felt safer knowing William had arrived. Grabbing a cup, she poured two glasses of wine and awaited his approach. When she sensed he was near, she raised the cup, turned and stared into the face of Lenny boy.
59
OPENING A TALL beer, Anne picked up the Radford file and began to reread each item for anything that might prove—or disprove—the senator’s guilt or innocence. There were photos, newspaper clippings, and assorted notes. A newspaper article caught her eye. It was headlined with, “Radford Divorce Final.” The black and white photo was of Senator Radford and Beth Radford walking out of the courthouse.
She opened her purse and took out a magnifying glass. Laying it over the photo in the article, she searched the face of the woman. An expression of pain was obvious to anyone who looked closely. As she moved over to the senator’s face, she was stunned. He was almost smiling. No, not almost, he was actually grinning. Maybe Lon is right about this guy lacking in feelings or emotion.
Another intriguing photo caught her attention. It was of Senator Radford and a very attractive woman. The senator was undeniably pointing and screaming at the cameraman. He does have anger in him, she thought. Turning the photo over, she read the hand written inscription in very large letters, [MOMMY WINS AGAIN]. She realized this woman was his mother.
“What does it mean, and who wrote it? It had to have been a cop.”
There were several pictures of the couple when they were first married and his career was beginning. A picture of Beth, the mother, and the senator caught her eye. You could sense by the body language of the mother and the senator that they considered Beth, his wife, a tag along. The senator was holding the arm of the mother and they were smiling and waving to someone in the room while Beth, trailed behind, was staring at them. Turning the photo over, she read, again the hand written notation. [William Radford celebrates after winning election.]
Anne closed the file cover, “Beth, I can’t wait to hear your version of your marriage to this strange man.”
The phone rang at that moment causing her to jump. It was Lon giving her the time he would be there in the morning. She wanted to discuss her new feelings toward the senator with him, but thought better of it. You’ll have plenty of time on the plane to Nevada to consider admitting he might be right about the senator.
“Let me have one more for the road, Johnny, and then I need to get out of here and look at the back of my eyelids.”
Terry remained deep in thought as the glass was set in front of him and sat and stared at it using his finger to stir the ice.
“You look like a guy missing someone, Johnny offered.”
“Oh, I think you may be right and you can throw in the problems with my business and you have the picture of my life right now. I’m not sure why I have become so enamored with this woman cop.”
There was no response from Johnny who walked to the other end of the bar.
You do like her flashed through his mind and he wondered how she would react if he knocked on her door tonight? You’ll never know Terry, because you’re going home and forgetting about her until she returns from Nevada. You have other pressing needs closing in around you that require your immediate attention. He finished his drink, said goodnight to Johnny and walked out into the magical night he loved. Now he thought, make the most of it.
60
LEN SAW THE fear on her face as he neared her blanket.
“Why are you here Lenny or I mean Len?”
“Relax Doc. I just want a few minutes to plead my case. I followed you here to see if we could somehow work out the strained relation between us at work and see if we can become friends. A definite dislike for me is very evident from you at the hospital and because I can be a jerk I can understand somewhat. But we have to work together and I’d like you to give me a second chance. I like the way you care for your patients and I think we could be great friends.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Len and based on your statement, I’ll try to be a little more sensitive to your feelings in the future. For now would you like to sit and have a little wine and enjoy the view?”
“No thanks to the wine Doc, I’m more of a beer kind of guy, but I would like to sit with you for a while.”
Stephanie found after they had conversed on various subjects that he wasn’t as scary as she had first perceived him. He definitely was not spit and polish, but there was a down home edge she found to be charming. She knew the hospital relationship would be much more to her liking.
“Don’t you worry about being out here all alone Doc? You know, with all these women getting knocked off all around the area I would think you would be a little on edge being here in this isolated place.”
“You know I think about it, but I refuse to live my life around his actions. If I do, he wins and the way I figure it this guy probably enjoys winning.”
“How do you know that, he asked with a more intensity?”
She picked up on his agitated tone immediately and added that she was merely guessing, and that he was probably right. She should be more careful being alone and she appreciated his concern for her safety.
Darkness was fast descending and they agreed it was time to gather up her various items and head to the ca
rs. They walked slowly up the hill and not a word was said between them.
“See you at work, Doc.”
“I look forward to it, Len, and thanks for keeping me company tonight. Now you know where to find me.”
As the words left her mouth she remembered the note, “I know where you go.”
61
THE CAPTAIN OF the plane announced in a very pleasant tone that they were on final approach to Reno’s Tahoe International Airport.
“We’re finally going to be alone, partner and when I think about that hotel room and that king size bed just waiting for the two of us I get chills.”
She smiled at his comment but did not turn to him and continued looking out the window at the fast approaching ground pretending to ignore his comment. The flight overall had been very smooth and they would soon be on the ground in Reno. After securing their rental car they left the airport and stopped for a quick lunch at a fast food outfit with girls on roller skates, Lon’s choice of course, and then headed for the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.
“I’m pleased to announce that I’m a new man now, partner. The flight was good and this seems like a very nice facility. I’m off my soapbox and back to my happy to be here mood.”
“Thank you for small favors,” she replied as they entered the room. She looked at him and he was smiling as she turned and saw the two queen size beds.
“Just kidding about the bed situation; I wanted to give you something to dream about.”
“You’re one sick puppy, partner. I’m taking the bed nearest to the bathroom and you can have the remote.”
The TV was turned on and they stretched out on their respective beds and watched a rerun of Family Feud. Lon fell asleep immediately.
Anne woke up first and showered and came out wearing the hotel robe and a towel around her head and Lon now awake made a comment about her outfit which she quickly dismissed as trite.
“I contacted Beth Radford while you were sleeping Lon and we’re meeting her at her house at ten o’ clock in the morning. I have directions.”
“Nice work partner. That means we are free until the morning. Let’s check out the bar and make dinner plans.”
“You go on down. I’ll get dressed and meet you.”
“I guess that means I can’t watch.”
“Dream on moron,” she said.
At the bar, Lon ordered a round of beers and an order of Nachos supreme for the two of them. Anne arrived a few minutes later, and after one bite quickly took a sip of beer; “they’re too hot for me.”
He found it amusing and ate a nacho with a red jalapeno pepper looking directly in her eyes as he chewed the morsel and swallowed.
“You’re disgusting. On the serious side for a minute Lon, what do you expect tomorrow? Will she be a willing participant or protective of her past?”
“I’m not sure how she is going to react to our questioning her relationship with the senator. But, I do think having a member of the female gender along to question her will definitely be a plus. What I mean is that there’s a good chance she will assume, as a woman, you will be more sympathetic.”
“I don’t know if that’s true nor not, but I did gain info on her from the file last night, and I’m very curious to hear about their relationship while they were married. I think she was like an uninvited guest in the house.”
“What do you mean?”
“She didn’t seem to be a happy housewife to me.”
“What in the world could you have learned from the Senator’s file that would make you say that Anne?”
“I sensed complete insensitivity on the part of the senator toward her from his statements in the newspaper clippings and photos of them together that definitely showed a standoff between him, his mother, and Beth Radford.”
“You got all that from the file?”
“Yes, and now I’m anxious to know if I’m right; but right now I want another beer before dinner.”
They picked out a steak buffet and all you can eat salad bar, with homemade bread and a desert tray loaded with every pastry a person could think of. It was a man’s dream and a woman’s worst nightmare.
“Let’s hit the casino and try our luck, Anne.”
“I’ll watch. I work too hard for my money to lose it in the slots.”
“Come on Anne loosen up a little. Tomorrow we can get serious and earn our money, tonight it’s spend a little of our expense account. Here’s twenty dollars, try your luck. They entered the casino and the glitz and glitter was amazing.
A very attractive young lady, practically topless carrying a tray offered them a free drink which they both accepted and Lon placed a tip on the tray.
He watched her walk away then turned back to Anne smiling.
“You are a pig, Lon.”
“Don’t get on me for looking, or we’re going to have a rocky relationship. I’ll see you in the room later. ”
Anne left the casino and decided to take in the excitement that radiated everywhere she looked. A topless show was in full swing which did not appeal to her. She watched two security guards drag an obviously intoxicated man out of the show. A woman, followed behind pleading for them to leave him alone, she could handle him.
Forget it, not your concern, she thought and went back to the casino to search for someone carrying free drinks she had always heard about. For some reason a slot machine caught her interest.
“Do I dare,” she wondered.
She touched the twenty dollar bill in her pocket, and walked to the machine. Red White and Blue, I can do this for the good old USA she reasoned. She heard the sound she had been waiting for; free coffee and drinks. A very attractive young man of maybe twenty-five, offered her a choice of drinks. He stared directly into her eyes and smiled. Taking the drink from the tray, she returned his smile and without thinking, placed the twenty on the tray.
He beamed at her generosity and walked on. She looked at her hand and couldn’t believe what she had done.
“A guy smiles at you and you melt. You have no right to harp on your partner. You just gave twenty dollars away to a kid in tight pants who smiled at you. Get up to your room before you wind up in trouble.”
62
ANNE HEARD LON enter the room the previous night, but chose not to engage him. In the morning, she woke early showered, dressed and waited for him in the lobby. Apparently feeling none the worse as she watched him step out of the elevator she could tell he was in his serious mode and went right into their planned routine for the day.
“Sutcliff is thirty-one miles from the hotel, so an hour leeway should be adequate. We can eat breakfast here, read the paper and then you can discuss your feelings derived from your file reading.”
“That’s a nice word for you, partner, derived. Yeah, derived, I like that word, she said in a teasingly.”
Her teasing was wasted on him; he stayed focused and in his detective mind-set.
“How did your twenty dollars go last night? Did you take a chance or did you pocket it?”
“Let’s just say that I gambled and lost and leave it at that.”
Lon drove and Anne read a brochure on the history of the Sutcliff and the surrounding countryside. It listed several exciting places to visit while in the area.
“It seems that Pyramid Lake plays a major role in Sutcliff’s existence,” Anne said to Lon. No response from him. The population of less than 300 intrigued Anne but sounded boring to Lon. She tried to picture being retired in a city the size of Sutcliff, Nevada.
“It seems, continuing to read to him, that in the early nineteen hundreds, it was one of the main stop overs and trains would stop there to fill up with water. That’s interesting, don’t you think?”
“Sure and what time is the next gunfight?”
“You are so citified, Lon you can’t appreciate any part of cultures beyond what you know.”
Pulling up in front of a very small home with a well-manicured lawn Anne thought it picture perfect for a single woman. “I c
ould live here,” she thought. She tried to picture the lady waiting inside based on her younger pictures in the file as they approached the front door.
“Here we go and Anne, I think it would be better if you take the lead. I can get pretty aggressive if I don’t get the right response.”
“I can relate to that. I’ve seen you at your worst.”
When the door opened, they were surprised at the appearance of Beth Radford. She was dressed in tight jeans, cowboy boots and a low cut top of the deepest coral that caused her face to radiate with contentment. She stepped back from the door and welcomed them in. Stepping in front of her, Anne guessed her to be about five foot two one hundred fifteen pounds and very attractive. She led the way into a very pleasant sitting area with a wonderful view.
“May I get you some lemonade, or iced tea?”
“I’ll have the iced tea, please,” Anne quickly responded.
“What can I get you detective?”
“I’ll have the tea also.”
“Right so it’s tea all around.”
Watching her walk to the kitchen, Lon gave Anne a thumbs up sign of approval which brought a smirk and a shake of her head in return. The tea was served in some kind of clay Indian glasses. A questioning look by Lon almost made Anne laugh.
“I love your glasses, Mrs. Radford, Anne injected.”
“Call me Beth, You make me sound ancient.”
“I understand and so from now on it’s, Beth, but I expect the same from you in return; you can call me Anne. I don’t speak for this one next to me, but his name is Lon.”
A smile on her face, brought out a little more of the age that had been hidden by the last few years of found happiness.
“Now detectives, what in the world brings you all the way to Sutcliff, Nevada? I can tell you if you’re looking for excitement you wasted your time.”