A Pale Paradise

by Carol Anne Vick

  Chapter IV

  Phyl lay across the bed, her head on her hand, as she played the messages over and over. She wrote down any possible words she thought she understood on the notebook in front of her. She found that turning the volume down and putting her ear up to the speaker worked best for her.

  "This is so frustrating, Thad." She looked over at him, as he sat in the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room, absorbed in a large book on the islands of the Bahamas he had picked up in the lobby. "I don't know if we'll be any help here at all." He glanced up from the book.

  "Well, I know Scott and Leah are glad that we're here - you especially." He pursed his lips, the light from the floor lamp highlighting his strong face and dark eyes in the dim room. "We just have to be patient. We may not be able to do anything during the week we're here. We just don't know." He cleared his throat, and his gaze moved to the recorder. "Have you been able to discern any more words?"

  "Yes, actually, a few." She held up her notebook, as she sat upright. "If I adjust the tones, I can hear a little more through the static." She replayed his last message.

  ".....Phyl.....I.....am.............free....." click

  "Here's what I can make out so far: '...Phyl, I want......know....am in...free..' " She tapped her pencil on the edge of the notebook and glanced over at him. "How does this sound if I add words that might make sense with those? 'Phyl, I want you to know that I am in free...' "

  "Phyl, that's it! He's in Freeport....on another island." Thad fairly jumped from his seat, and took the book over to her, showing her the names of the islands, and the main cities on the inhabited ones. "That's it. You figured it out. Now we know where he is, as of this morning, at least. He's on Grand Bahamas Island."

  "You're right. But look, Thad, there's another city that begins with 'free'," She leaned over as he sat down on the bed, and pointed to the map. "However, it's an island south of here. It would make more sense for him to go towards Florida rather than further away from the U.S., don't you think?"

  "Hmm..m. Now that's a good question." Thad rubbed his bearded chin with his thumb, and narrowed his eyes at her. "If you think someone's after you, would you try to get back to your own country, or as far away from civilization as possible? Wouldn't you think he's on a some sort of list and would be noticed trying to get to the states?" He peered down at the map. "Freeport is about one hundred and thirty miles northwest of Nassau, and there are no ferries - only a mail boat that runs every two days. So a boat's out of the question, I would say."

  "So, you're thinking that we should take a plane to Freeport on the Grand Bahama Island?" Phyl leaned over and rewound the tape. "What about early tomorrow morning?" She rearranged her long, chestnut hair behind her shoulders. "It's late, but I'll need to call Scott and Leah. We've already booked this room for a week, but we can stay two nights in Freeport and see what we can find out, then return to our room here. I wonder how much the airfare is round-trip?" She paused. "Thad, suppose we do find Jonathan, then what?"

  "Do we convince him to come back with us and turn himself in? We still don't know why he's hiding, and Kristin's kidnapping was this past Wednesday - three days ago." Thad's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Scott was right about the authorities dragging their feet on this."

  "I agree. There haven't been any more news bulletins, and Leah said at dinner that the police are being very tight-lipped about the case."

  "Then, maybe there isn't a border watch out for him yet. He's somehow managed to make it several islands over pretty quickly without being picked up by the police." Thad looked down at the map. "Freeport is only ninety-five miles from Florida. Perhaps he's hoping to get there and tell his story in safety."

  "I wonder why he didn't just go to the embassy here. Wouldn't they have protected him?"

  "Maybe he knew they were in transition, and thought he had a better chance on his own." Thad pursed his lips. "Being a lawyer, he must have some pretty legitimate reasons for hiding out. We'll only know if we find him. And he seems to want us to find him, judging from his messages."

  Phyl reached over and picked up the phone, calling the desk and asking to be transferred to Scott and Leah's room. As she spoke to Leah, she searched in her shoulder bag for their airline tickets.

  "We'll call as often as we can, Leah, so we can update each other." Phyl hung up the phone, glancing up at Thad. "Well, she was stunned by the news."

  "I can imagine."

  "They're going to decide whether to tell the lawyer when they meet him tomorrow, based on our first phone call once we get there," she sighed. "I seriously doubt we'll have anything more to tell her at that point."

  "You're right about that." He was still studying the book.

  Phyl called the desk clerk and asked to be transferred to the airport, holding the plane tickets under the lamp to read him the airline number. Within a few minutes of reaching the airline agent, she had booked them round-trip tickets to Freeport, and she hung up the phone.

  "That's done. A pretty decent price. It's a forty-five minute flight to the Grand Bahama's International Airport in Freeport. The plane leaves at nine tomorrow morning, Sunday, and our return flight is at three Tuesday afternoon." She read her notes, then sighed as she looked up at her handsome husband, now standing by the bed, hands on his hips, and smiled as she saw the look in his eyes. "What are you thinking?" She swung her hair behind her shoulder.

  "I'm thinking that I want some time to relax with you out on the balcony." His eyebrows were raised as he smiled down at her. "We've done all we can do tonight. We'll have over forty-eight hours to explore Freeport." In response, she laid the tickets on the bed and stood up, resting her arms on his shoulders, leaning into him as he kissed her neck. His lips felt so warm. "I'll order us a bottle of wine. How does that sound?" he whispered in her ear.

  She sighed as she gazed into his beautiful dark eyes, trailing the crease down his cheek with her fingertip. "That sounds wonderful. I can always pack in the morning." He kissed her softly, then smiled at her as he ran his thumb along her jaw. They pulled apart, and he dialed room service, while she headed out to the balcony. She pulled the two wicker chairs closer together, then sat in one and propped her feet on the balcony rail. The feel of the night air, the sounds of the ocean could lull a person right to sleep. She turned her head as Thad walked out and joined her and they held hands across the short space between the chairs.

  "Being out here just makes it seem even more surreal." Phyl turned to him, a strand of her hair lifting in the breeze. "I feel like I should be more worried than I am, that, unless I actually see Jonathan, it hasn't really happened."

  "I know, Phyl." His deep voice was soothing. She saw him put his other hand behind his head, and prop his feet up on the railing. "This is paradise. It's hard to fathom bad things happening here." They listened to the night sounds, and some muffled laughter down below them as guests returned to the hotel from an evening out. The sound of tapping interrupted their solemn reflections, and Thad rose to answer the door. He returned with a tray that held not only a chilled bottle of white wine and two long-stem glasses, but a plate of small pastries as well.

  "Did you order these?" Phyl eyed the pastries.

  "No, I think Emma sent them." Thad chuckled as he set the tray on the small table next to his chair.

  Phyl laughed with him, recalling the hundreds of pastries Emma must have given them over the last two years, extras from her very popular baking business in Lake Saint Catherine. "Well, they can't be half as delicious as hers, but they do look good. That was nice of them to add these."

  She watched as Thad poured the wine, and handed her a glass and she leaned over, pointing to a cheese danish, and he placed it on a napkin and passed it to her. He picked up a small bear claw, and sat back down, and they relaxed together, enjoying the wine and desserts in the warm night air. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, they could well be on a luxurious vacation. Well, they had figured out his last message, and t
hat seemed pretty important, and they would head out the next morning and hopefully find Jonathan. She had no clue how they would even begin to do that in forty-eight hours, but they had to try. First things first, though, they would need to find a small hotel the minute they arrived.

  "Umm..mm. Are you ready for bed?" Thad's voice was low as he looked over at her. "I'm almost asleep."

  Phyl yawned, and nodded.

  "Why don't we call home and check our messages, Thad. Just in case."

  "That's a good idea." Thad ran his hand through his hair. They reluctantly pulled themselves out of the comfortable chairs and Thad carried the tray into their room, as she locked the door, and closed the curtains.

  As he set the alarm on the clock, she sat on the bed, picked up the phone and dialed the desk, giving the clerk their home number. After their recorded message came on, she dialed their code to retrieve their messages.

  "You have one message." The automated voice responded.

  "There's a message, Thad."

  He came over to stand beside the bed, hands on his hips, and watched her intently as she listened to the message. She nodded her head as she looked up at him, indicating that it was Jonathan. He quickly grabbed the recorder and indicated for her to replay the message. She looked tense, as she dialed in the replay code number, and Thad held the recorder up to the speaker.

  "I.........lucay..." was all they could make out through the static.

  Thad rewound the tape, as Phyl hung up the phone, and he replayed the message. They nodded to each other as they heard that the two words came out pretty clearly.

  "So - 'lucay'? I'll check the map of the island." Thad went over to the chair and grabbed the book laying on the side table, hurrying back to sit beside her. He thumbed through the large, glossy, soft cover book until he found the map of the Grand Bahama Island, and peered down at the cities, as Phyl leaned over his shoulder, taking a deep breath. What luck that they had decided to call. Now, should they tell his parents or wait until they arrived on the island the next day. Phyl was leaning toward him, waiting. "Here it is, Phyl. Lucaya." Thad pointed to a spot on the southern shore of the island, not too far from the airport. "It's on what is called the Providence Channel."

  "Well, now we know where to look for a hotel." Phyl took a deep breath and exhaled. "That was a stroke of good luck."

  "I would say so," he smiled at her. "I'm glad you thought of it."

  "My opinion is that we shouldn't mention it to Leah and Scott until we get there and call them, what do you think?"

  "That would be my opinion as well," he yawned. "Wow, even after that excitement, I can't keep my eyes open. It must be the humidity." He set the recorder and book back on the table, and they undressed and climbed into the bed. She turned and snuggled back against him, and his arm went around her, resting on her arm. Despite the uncertainty of the next few days, they both fell into a deep sleep...

  "Will, I must throw today, so Candace is coming over."

  Phyl brushed his dark hair, and pulled the bottom of the little blue and white striped shirt over his dark blue corduroy pants, as he sat on the changing table. He reached up with his chubby hands and patted her hair down and grabbed her ponytail, and she laughed at him as she pushed his little blue tennis shoes onto his sock-clad feet, and tied the laces. What a beautiful boy, she marveled, looking at their son, the spitting image of Thad. Thaddeus William Gallagher, Jr. What a surprising, supremely wonderful gift he was, a complete joy, with the temperament of his father as well. He was a quiet boy, but not above laughing and squealing when he was amused, and his dark eyes were thoughtful, especially for a toddler who had just celebrated his second birthday the month before. She picked him up and she held him on her hip as they looked around his room, searching for his favorite stuffed bear. Phyl gazed around his room, loving the way it had turned out - pale blue gray walls - natural wood crib and dresser, white curtains hanging softly from wood rods at the two large windows, and a comfy wicker rocker in the corner. Two months before Will's due date, they'd had the side wall of the cottage pushed out, and extended, so now he had a small bedroom, the bathroom was larger, and their bedroom was as well, which to Thad's delight, could accommodate a much larger bed. They'd had the windows on the lake side continued, so the view was even more expansive than before. There was so much room now that they'd had to buy another dresser, and a rocking chair to fill up some of the extra space in the room.

  Hearing Bear bark once, then a quick knock on the front door, Phyl raised her eyebrows and made a surprised face at her son, which he immediately mimicked, and laughing, they headed down the hall, and across the kitchen dining area. There was his bear, on the floor next to the round oak table. Phyl grabbed the floppy brown bear, and continued over to the living room, depositing her son on the ochre-colored oriental carpet in front of the fireplace, and he happily began playing with his blocks as she unlocked the baby gate at the top of the stairs and headed down to open the front door.

  "Candace, you don't know how much this helps me out." Phyl hugged the sweet woman and she hung up her coat for her on the wall hook. After she had found out she was pregnant, Phyl was surprised that Candace had decided to work part time at the clinic, starting after the baby was born, and she had very kindly offered to baby-sit for Will when Phyl needed to throw on the wheel for her orders, so they had worked out a weekly schedule that was perfect for both of them. Thad had hired another part-time assistant, and it had all worked out.

  "Not a problem. I'm crazy about this boy!" She headed over to him, as he sat playing on the floor with his building blocks. He waved a greeting with his pudgy hand. "I can't wait to have my own now."

  "Candee..e," he laughed, his dark eyes sparkling, as she immediately began to tickle him under his arms, and they settled down to play together, with Bear looking out for them as he lay in his usual spot by the fireplace. Phyl watched them, her hands on her hips, so thankful that it had worked out so she could continue to throw and keep her studio. There was no way she could have taken Will with her as she worked with the wet clay on the wheel. Too much clay dust, and too many sharp dangerous tools around for a toddler.

  "How's Phillip?"

  "He's doing great." Candace tucked a strand of her blond hair behind her ear and looked up from stacking the blocks. "The wedding plans are moving along."

  "Well, you know that Emma will do a great job on the dinner and cake."

  "I know, I remember yours and Thad's reception. It was wonderful." Candace replied warmly, and the two women stared at each other for a moment. Phyl blinked and rubbed her lips, and turned her head to gaze out through the window at the sparkling lake, the trees greening on this cool May morning, and she saw their chairs on the end of the pier. It had been almost a year now since that sudden illness had taken him from her. A dull ache in his side had turned out to be, not a pulled muscle as they had hoped, but an inoperable tumor that had already begun its insidious reach into other parts of his body. Three months later and he was gone.

  "Yes, it was," she smiled softly, remembering their intimate wedding on the pier, how handsome Thad had looked in the dark gray suit, with just a hint of beard on his handsome face. looking down at her lovingly as he solemnly repeated his vows to her. And, yes, the buffet and beautiful cake awaiting them after the ceremony had been wonderful.

  It had all been wonderful...

  Phyl awakened with a start, and realized that she was in a cold sweat. What an odd and disturbing dream. Why on earth would she dream something so awful? She sat up, feeling slightly dazed and rubbed her forehead, and saw that Thad was laying on his side, sleeping soundly. She took a deep breath and her gaze drifted to the clock on the night stand on his side of the bed.

  "Oh my God, Thad, wake up!" Phyl yelled as she jumped out of the bed. "The alarm didn't go off." She figured they had about fifteen minutes to dress and pack for the two day trip if they wanted to make it to the airport on time. Thad sat up and immediately dialed the lobby and re
quested a cab meet them in fifteen minutes in front of the hotel, and then it was a mad dash to get ready. Phyl brushed her hair into a ponytail, threw on white capris and a navy pullover, slung on her black sandals, then started quickly rolling up two changes of clothes for each of them, wadding the bundles in her large shoulder bag. Thad had dressed and helped her roll up the clothes. She quickly brushed her teeth, then threw whatever toiletries she thought they'd need into the little space left in her bag. They both scanned the room, and after checking for their passports and IDs, left the room, Thad returning quickly to grab the recorder and book. They took the stairs and made it down to the lobby in record time, calling out a thank-you to the clerk as they flew by him. The cab was out front and they entered it, gave the driver the destination, and they were off, leaning their heads back on the seat, already exhausted before their day had even begun.