Anything Your Heart Desires

by AJ Adaire

  Stacy dialed her old friend's number and was pleased when she answered with a cheerful greeting. Stacy told her that she was in town because of her father's health problem. Monique updated her about each of the kids.

  “How's Rob? You guys doing okay?” Stacy asked.

  “Yeah, for the most part. Rob's taking a more active role in the family and we seem to be doing better. How are you doing?”

  “I'm really happy, Monique. I've met someone.”

  “Great. Tell me.”

  Starting with how she was stuck on her novel and she needed to do research, Stacy went on from there. She concluded with the fact that she had fallen in love with Jo. “She's a wonderful woman, Monique.”

  “So you're telling me you're a queer now?”

  Stacy felt her face flush and her stomach clench with a sense of foreboding. “Queer? Yes, I guess I am.” There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. “Monique? Is there a problem?” Stacy waited for Monique to respond. She waited as long as she could before she made a final appeal. “I'd hoped you'd be happy for me, Monique. If you'd just meet her, I'm sure you'd like her.”

  “I wouldn't count on that. I don't know how you could have sex with another woman. I mean it’s unnatural. Ugh. It disgusts me.”

  Stacy could imagine Monique’s curled lip and disapproving visage. “I have to say that I'm surprised by your attitude about this. I never thought that our friendship could be this tenuous.”

  “And I have to say that I never expected my friend would become a queer.”

  “Monique. You know me. We've been friends for years. I'm your kids’ godmother. We've been through so much together. I'm your friend, same as always. How can you turn against me after all that history we've shared? And how can it be possible that I never knew you'd feel this way?”

  “I don't think the subject ever came up before. Thankfully. We didn’t know anyone queer in high school.”

  “So where do we go from here?”

  There was a long pause as Monique considered her response. “I don't know. Maybe if you come to your senses you can call me and we'll see.”

  “No, I don’t think so. If you can turn against me just because I fell in love with someone you don't approve of, I don't think our friendship was what I thought it was. I'm really sorry you feel this way.”

  “Don't blame me. You're the one who changed, not me.”

  “I haven't changed Monique. I'm the same person I always have been. I’m the same friend I've always been. There's just this one tiny little thing that's different. How can it matter so much to you?”

  “It just does. Goodbye, Stacy.”

  “Goodbye.” Eyes filled with tears, she hung up the phone. Stacy couldn’t help feeling shocked at Monique's reaction. It amazed her that a friendship she had considered one of her closest could end, just like that. She wanted to call Jo and tell her what happened. Instead, she decided she'd wait until they were together to talk about it.

  Too upset to go to bed, Stacy decided she'd work on her report until she settled down. She had anticipated it would take another two or three hours to finish it. She was pleasantly surprised when she was able to finish it in about an hour and a half. Attaching the report to her email to Jo, she added a note saying she'd had an unpleasant exchange with one of her friends and had learned something very interesting about another. Life is truly full of surprises, isn't it? She added that she was looking forward to talking with her around ten the next morning.

  Chapter 24

  JO WOKE UP AROUND seven missing Stacy. She got up and did her exercises, then massaged her leg. Stacy certainly does a much better job of that than I do. Following a quick breakfast, Jo checked her email, read Stacy’s report, and printed it out so she could work on the translation. Flipping through the pages to the end, she realized it wasn’t too long. She was supposed to meet Nic around ten at the office. Jo chuckled as she realized how spoiled she’d become by living at Stacy’s apartment. She’d gotten used to just walking across the street in the morning. Hoping to avoid the traffic between her house and the office by leaving early, she hoped to finish up translating the report at the office before she had to meet with Nic. Once Nic had reviewed it, she’d submit it for Stacy.

  Jo's cell phone rang, and she reached for it hoping it was Stacy. It was a surprise to discover Meg on the other end of the line.

  “Hi Jo. Hope I didn't wake you.”

  “No. I'm just on my way to the office. I'm leaving here in a few minutes.”

  Meg sounded disappointed. “Oh. I was wondering if you could stop by and give me a ride to work. My truck won't start.”

  Jo hadn't been home in over a month. Puzzled, she asked, “How did you know I was here?”

  “I saw your truck in your driveway when I passed by your place last night.”

  “Really? That’s a bit out of your way, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, a little. I've been driving by keeping an eye on your place while you've been staying with Stacy. I figured it was a good idea, you know, just to make sure your place was okay.”

  “Gee, Meg. That's very nice of you. I had no idea you were doing that. Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  Jo checked her watch. Wanting to get the report finished and mailed, she knew she would be cutting it close if she picked up Meg and drove her to the doctor's office where she worked. Considering their tenuous friendship, she hated to leave her stranded. “Okay, I'm on my way. I'll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks for coming, Jo. I've really missed you. It'll be good to see you.”

  “Okay, I need to hurry. I’m short on time. I'll be there soon.”

  Thinking it strange that Meg hadn't mentioned Saturday night, Jo rushed to gather her belongings. She was in too much of a hurry to consider it at length. After her initial worry about finishing the report, she knew she'd be fine. She should still have time to translate most of it when she arrived at the office. She'd finish it up while Nic was proofing the first part. In addition to her normal need for punctuality, because Nic was doing her a favor, Jo didn't want to be late for her meeting. She also had a tutoring session later in the afternoon, and she wanted to do some preparation for that. She had one other thing she wanted to do. She wanted to stop at the florist and send flowers to Stacy and her family from her and the others. She was stressed by the time she pulled away from her house bound for Meg’s.

  She fired off a quick text to Stacy. Good morning. Miss you lots. I’m stopping off at Meg's to give her a lift to work. She has car trouble. May be a few minutes late texting you at ten. Love you.

  On her way to Meg's, she thought about what Stacy had attached as an addendum to her report. She’d apparently had a bad exchange with one of her friends. I hope they'll be able to work things out. She hated that their love had been the cause of the disagreement.

  As she approached Meg's house, she was surprised to find Meg's truck parked in the street and her garage door opened. That’s strange. How could Meg have gotten her car out of the garage if she wasn’t able to get it started?

  Jo pulled into the driveway and tooted the horn, expecting Meg to come trotting out. She waited a bit and tooted again. Where the hell is she? She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, turning her wrist to check the time. I told her I was in a hurry. She checked her watch again and heaved a sigh. Come on Meg. Geez, I told you I was in a hurry.

  She waited another minute. That’s it. She yanked forcefully on the door handle, muttering to herself as she got out of the car and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. When she tried the knob, she found the door unlocked. Opening it, she stuck her head in. “Meg, come on! I'm going to be late,” she yelled from the doorway.

  Receiving no response, Jo entered Meg's house. It was a tiny place, consisting of an open kitchen and living room combination. A short hallway led to a single bedroom and a bath. The best part about the house was the double doors that opened to a small but beautiful back yard. Meg loved to garde
n, and she’d made a lovely little oasis out there. Jo walked to the doorway at the back of the living room, thinking maybe Meg had gone outside to get something. Not seeing Meg there, she turned and headed for the hallway.

  “Meg,” she called again. Meg's bedroom door was closed, so she knocked and yelled Meg's name again. She opened the door a crack. “Meg?” The door jerked open. Meg grabbed Jo’s wrist and pulled her inside the room with such force that Jo fell face forward onto the rug, landing on her bad leg. The pain stunned her for a moment. As she shook her head to clear it, she felt something sharp in her leg and was puzzled about what it was. When she tried to get up, she felt a bit woozy. Wow, I must have fallen harder than I thought. She shook her head again to help clear it.

  “Gee, Jo, I'm sorry. Let me help you up. Here, sit on the bed for a bit until you get oriented. You really took a spill.”

  Jo wasn’t thinking clearly. She looked at Meg who had a strange look in her eyes. “We've got to get moving, or I'm going to be late,” Jo told Meg, her speech slurring. Jo was feeling strange and couldn't seem to lift her arm to push against the bed to help her stand up. A few short seconds later, everything went black.

  ***

  Jo started to become aware of her surroundings, unsure of how much time had passed. She was still feeling groggy and disoriented. Alone in Meg's bedroom, stretched out on the bed, she tried to bring her hand to her face to wipe it and found that her hands were restrained. Looking up, she saw that her wrists were immobilized by two sets of handcuffs the other end of which were attached to the headboard. What time is it? She glanced over at the clock. Almost nine. She tried to concentrate. In a little while, Nic will begin to miss me, and Stacy will wonder why I haven't texted her at ten or so as I promised. Maybe they would touch base and someone will come to look for me. I have to keep Meg talking and occupied as long as I can to buy some time.

  As quietly as she could, Jo tested the handcuffs against the bars on the brass bed. No, that didn't seem like it would work. Solid construction. Why couldn't Meg have bought a cheap bed? That would be a funny line if this were not such a serious situation. Despite her situation, Jo chuckled.

  Jo blinked, trying to clear her mind enough so she could figure out the situation. What could Meg possibly hope to achieve by taking her a prisoner? This was so unlike her friend. Meg was normally such a kind person. Something was obviously wrong with her. Jo thought back to Saturday night. Meg had obviously had too much to drink. Maybe that wasn't all, though. She seemed belligerent one minute and then hurting and deserving of sympathy the next. Maybe she shook a screw loose when she hit her head. Jo didn't know enough about brain injury to know whether it could cause someone to act like this. However, one thing about which she was certain—Meg was not acting rationally.

  Jo's brain fog was starting to clear. She realized that when she felt the sting in her leg, Meg must have injected her with some sort of anesthetic or paralyzing agent. What did she have in mind for her next? She couldn't keep her here. Eventually her friends and Stacy would compare notes and figure out she was with Meg. It made sense that if Meg planned to keep her alive, she'd have to move her somewhere else, but where? Jo didn't have to wait long to find out. At nine thirty-seven, Meg opened the door to her bedroom as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have someone chained up there.

  “Hello, my love,” she virtually sang. “Awake I see. Do you feel okay? I got you some breakfast. I know you like those blueberry muffins from the bakery, so I went out and got gas and stopped to pick some of them up for you. I got you tea, too. It took me a little longer than I thought it would. Hope you weren't too uncomfortable.”

  Meg came over and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out her hand and smoothed back Jo's hair. “I meant to tell you, I like your new haircut. You look rather cute with your hair cut short like that. Did your new girlfriend suggest that to you?”

  “I told you on Saturday night, she's not my girlfriend. She's my employer. I'm working for her. She's an author, and I'm helping her with some of her research. Plus, she needed some things translated and I've been helping with that.”

  “You don't expect me to believe that you moved in with her to do research and translation, do you?” Meg broke off a piece of the muffin and fed it to Jo.

  Jo suspected she'd never want to eat another blueberry muffin as long as she lived, assuming she lived to get out of this situation. The one advantage that she had was that Meg was unaware that Stacy knew where she was going. She was thankful she’d left her phone in her truck. If Stacy called or texted her, at least Meg wouldn't hear the signal and intercept the message.

  “Well, you can believe what you want. Really, Meg, it's true. Stacy’s straight. She's always been straight. You have no reason to be jealous of her.”

  “Don't I? I've seen you parading up and down the street arm in arm. I've seen her rub your leg. For a straight woman, she's pretty familiar with your body.”

  “She's trained in healing massage. She's helped me a lot. The walks help my endurance. I'm grateful to her. That's all.”

  “I watched you dance with her Saturday night. She was all over you like white on rice.”

  “Look, Meg, I swear to you, I've never touched her. I swear. I haven't made love with anyone since you.”

  As they talked, it seemed that Meg might be a little more in touch with reality. “Look,” Jo said. “Here's how it happened that I moved in with her. It all started when she came into the office to get us to do a translation job for her. She was our first customer.” Jo told Meg the story of how she got involved with helping Stacy with her research. “So it could have been any one of us. Because I was hobbling around and she lived right across the street, moving in with her just seemed the easiest thing to do to enable us to spend as much time as possible on her research project. Also, it was convenient for me to be so close to the office because of my leg and all.”

  “You know, Jo, you almost make it sound reasonable. Here, have some more muffin.”

  Jo swallowed. “It's the truth. We're done. I finished the job. You can see for yourself that I've moved back home. I'm telling you the truth. Besides, you know me. What have I always said?” She smiled at her captor. “You must have heard me state rule number two a million times. No straight women.”

  “I don't know, Jo. You've almost got me convinced. You really haven't had sex with her?”

  Jo looked Meg in the eyes. She could honestly make the statement. “I can swear to you on all that's holy. I haven't had sex with Stacy Alexander. I swear that's the truth.”

  Meg broke off another piece of muffin and pushed it into Jo's mouth.

  “Can I have some tea?” Jo's mouth was so dry that she was having a hard time choking down the muffin.

  Meg held the cup so that Jo could sip her tea. Jo took the opportunity to glance at the clock over Meg's shoulder. In another ten minutes, it would be ten o'clock. Nic would be wondering where she was soon. At least she hoped Nic would be wondering.

  “Well, Jo, I hate to leave you. However, I'm going to be late for work if I don't go. I'll be back for lunch at one thirty. I'll bring you a sandwich when I come back. I know you like that ham and cheese on combo rye with that horseradish mustard from Sid's Deli. I'll get one on my way back. It'll be around one forty-five. Why don't you take a little nap? I suspect you might have a bit of a headache from the medicine I gave you.”

  Meg leaned over and gave Jo a soft kiss on the lips. As much as she didn't want to, Jo kissed her back. I hope Stacy will forgive me, Jo thought irrationally. “Umm, sounds good.” She gave Meg the brightest smile she could muster.

  Chapter 25

  MALLORY SAID TO NIC, “Where do you suppose Jo is? She’s never late.”

  “I don't know,” Nic replied. “She told me she'd be here by ten. It's already almost eleven, and we haven't seen or heard from her. You don't think Stacy's dad took a turn for the worst and she went down there to be with her, do you?”

  “Jo is the
most responsible person I know. She'd have let us know. I wonder if Stacy has heard from her.”

  “One way to find out.” Nic got out her phone and dialed Stacy's cell number, hitting the speaker button.

  “Hello, it’s Nic. Everything okay there?”

  They listened as Stacy updated them about her father’s condition. She was brief in her description and ended by asking them a question. “I was wondering. I’m a bit worried. Is Jo there? She was supposed to call me at ten and she didn't. I’ve left several messages for her on her phone, and she hasn’t returned any of them. Is everything all right?”

  “Hi, Stacy. It's Mallory, too. We have you on speaker. We were wondering the same thing. Jo didn't show up here this morning. She was supposed to meet with Nic around ten and she didn’t show up. You know that's not like her. We were wondering if you've heard from her.”

  “She sent me a text earlier this morning saying she was stopping off at Meg's to give her a lift to work. You don't think something happened to them, do you? Like maybe they had an accident or…?”

  Mallory grabbed Nic's hand. “Don't know. For sure, we'll contact Meg and see if she knows anything. Don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing. She's probably just gotten tied up in something. You know her, she's always helping someone.”

  “Well, I hope that's it. I'm worried. It’s not like her to be late without letting someone know. Please call me as soon as you know anything.”

  “That's a promise.”

  When Mallory disconnected the call, she turned to her friend. “Nic, something’s very wrong. You know this isn't like Jo. I don't like it that Meg is involved in this somehow. I told you, she wasn't right on Saturday.”

  “Okay, let's not panic.”

  Mallory picked up her cell phone and her jacket. “I think I should take a ride by Jo's house and see if she's there. If not, I think we should check out Meg's place. If they're not at either place, we can call Meg and see if she knows anything.”