They spent the next ten days in Kansas City doing not much more than being tourists and making love, then on the ninth of September he told her he had a surprise for her.
“Remember you asked me what this place was” he watched her face as he pulled into the parking area at Arrowhead Stadium.
“Aye Gavin!” she answered excitedly, “Are we to see one of your football games then?”
“Aye Eddy that we are” he teased in a fake Irish accent
She laughed delightedly at his attempt to use her accent “Is fearr gaeilge briste, na bearla cliste”
“What was that?” he grinned
“Broken Irish is better than clever English” she told him smugly
He laughed good naturedly, “I don’t know about that but it sure sounds good the way you say it”
Crowds of people gathered at the entrance and Gavin and eddy joined them as they waited to get inside. Eddy was nearly beside herself with excitement and could not be still as Gavin tried to explain the game to her. There was plenty of time before the game and she dragged him to vendor after vendor looking at the wares they had displayed. He bought her a hat which he shaped for her and pulled down on her head, and then he bought her a jersey which she promptly pulled down over her gray tank top. Eventually they made their way to their seats which where at about the fifty yard line.
They watched the game and Eddy concentrated trying to learn the positions and the rules, but mostly she yelled when others yelled, booed when others did and cheered when they did as well. They ate hot dogs and soft pretzels smothered in yellow mustard, they guzzled beer from paper cups and shelled fresh roasted peanuts, they had fun.
In the morning they said goodbye to Kansas City and meandered their way to St. Louis where Gavin showed her the Gateway Arch and they stayed at the Chase Park Plaza hotel. Gavin snuck out and bought her a beautiful aqua colored satin gown with matching shoes and then took her out for a night of dinner and dancing. On September the twentieth he surprised her again by taking her to Bush Stadium to see a baseball game.
“Oh Gavin what a wonderful surprise” she clapped her hands like a child, “And I happen to know a bit about this game”
They got out of the truck and he reached behind the seat and withdrew a ball glove that looked old and well used and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans.
“What is that for?’ Eddy asked inquisitively
Gavin grinned, “For catching foul or fly balls” he said, “I thought you knew about this game”
“Aye but I’ve na been to one before” she exclaimed
They made their way around the vendors where he once again purchased a hat and jersey for Eddy before going to find their seats above the dug out on the first baseline. When the game began Eddy spent most of her time at the rail watching the game intently and yelling at calls that she believed to be in error. One particular call was when left fielder Matt Holliday hit a grounder and was called out at first base when his foot had clearly touched the bag before the first baseman tagged him.
“ Cac capaill, are ya fookin blind man” Eddie yelled at the first base umpire, “He had it by a mile ya mighty eejit!”
Gavin put an arm around her waist as she leaned out afraid she would fall over the rail as she continued ranting at the umpire as the coach did the same. A man at the other side of Eddy asked her what she had called the man.
“I did na call him anything I said his call was horse shit, oh yeah I did call him an eejit, that means idiot” she said the last behind her hand as if it were terrible, but the man went for the ‘horse shit’ and the crowd picked up on it and chanted it over and over and over, louder and louder until it became a roar. The jumbo screen across the field showed a slow motion replay that clearly showed Holliday touching base before the baseman tagged him.
A cheer went up and Eddy yelled, “Aye ya see ya eejit, next time where yer spectacles” she jumped up and down happily
Matt Holliday had been waiting at the mouth of the dugout and trotted back over to first base stopping halfway and blew Eddy a kiss before continuing on. Gavin tapped her shoulder a moment later and pointed across the field.
“Look” he yelled over the crowd, to the jumbo screen that showed Eddy and then Matt blowing her the kiss with cartoonish smooching lips fluttering around them.
“Oh my” she shouted smiling just as the screen showed her live and embarrassed she turned into Gavin and buried her face in his chest as her face turned red. He wrapped his arms around her and laughed as the crowd chanted, kiss, kiss, kiss. Gavin shrugged and swooped in removing her hat and kissed her, the crowd went wild.
Eddy stayed close to Gavin for the rest of the game and when it was over while they waited for the mass exodus of bodies to thin out some Matt Holliday stepped from the dugout and with a ‘Yo’ to get their attention tossed Gavin a baseball signed by all of the players, and then with a smile and a wave he disappeared.
It was nearly dinner time by the time they left the stadium and they stopped at a local restaurant and had pizza before going on to the hotel where they played in the oversize tub and made wild passionate love before ordering more food from room service much, much later.
For the next eight weeks they traveled together to Memphis, where they visited Sun Studios and Graceland, and Nashville where they saw a show at the Grand Ole Opry. From there they went to Maryville and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the green Belt parkway, and Pigeon Forge for Dollywood. Taking I-81 they drove through Virginia before getting on I-64 to Virginia Beach where they played in the surf and Gavin showed her the Chrysler Museum of Art. They went to Washington DC and saw the National Cathedral, Jefferson Memorial, and the National Air and Space museum, and in Baltimore they visited the National aquarium, the B&O Railway Museum, as well as Camden Yards where the Oriels play. They stayed in another fancy hotel and Eddy had her aqua dress cleaned and pressed for another night of dinner and dancing, after which they went back to their suite and made love in every room and on every surface imaginable.
CHAPTER 8
Eddy rose early while Gavin slept, she showered and dressed quickly gathering all of her belongings and crept silently to the outer room. On the glass dining table she made a neat stack beginning with her aqua dress. She placed all of the shirts hats and souvenirs in the pile and sat to write him a note that he would not be able to read because she couldn’t write in English and he could not read Gaelic.
My dearest love these past months have been
The very best of my life, I have been so very
Happy and it is all due to you.
You have given me many wonderful memories
To carry with me in the coming days and it is
These that will see me through what I
Must face alone. I thank you for all of the fine
Things that you have given me but I can
Not take them with me because they would
Be discarded or destroyed and I could not
Bear to see that happen. Please know that you
Will be with me every minute of every day
In my mind and in my heart, you are my soul mate
Gavin Blackhawk whether you see it or not.
I love you and wish only the best
For you, I hope you find happiness and
Someone to love that will love you as much
As I do, you need that, everyone does
Please think fondly of me and do not be
Angry, and do not follow me for I can handle my lot
But I would die if they harmed you.
Always remember me Gavin for I shall
Never see you again.
My love forever
Eudora Louise Garrett
Wiping tears from her face she looked into the bedroom where Gavin slept peacefully, blissfully unaware that she was leaving. She wanted to go to him, to touch him and kiss him one final time, but she could not take the chance that he would waken because then she would not have the s
trength to go.
Eddy left walking out into the cold November air and the gray sky that threatened snow. She took a cab and stopped off at second hand store, donating her summer cloths and getting some heavy sweaters, jeans, and a thick winter coat. She also found a warm hat and a pair of sleek brown leather gloves. She hailed another cab and went to the train station wanting to put as much distance between her and Gavin as possible without flying.
Gavin stretched and reached his arm out for Eddy and she wasn’t there. Alarm bells went off in his head when he went into the bathroom and her toiletries where no longer on the counter. Walking quickly to the outer room he saw the pile of things on the table with a note on top and he knew that she was gone.
“Eddy no!” he whispered softly and his shoulders slumped and pain like nothing he’d ever felt smashed into him, “NO!” he roared and hurriedly dressed and collected his belongings. He went to the table and carefully placed her things in the bottom of his bag before replacing his and went down to check out. It was time to see Rundleman and he had no time to loose.
Eddy got to New York with time to spare and rented a cheap hotel room, she had no intention of going to Liam any sooner than she had to. After a restless night she went out for a hot meal and then found a salon that would take her as a walk in. She had half of her hair cut off, Liam had loved her long hair, and then she had it dyed back to her original color. The end results were pleasing, her hair was glossy and thick and relieved of half the weight it fell in soft waves past her shoulders. The stylist tried to talk her into getting highlights but she kindly declined not wanting to present anything that would be pleasing to her uncle. She spent the next week playing the tourist and visiting all of the places that she could have imagined her and Gavin going to.
Gavin drove straight for two days to get to Philadelphia, it was 2pm when he pulled up to Rundleman’s office and stormed inside. The lithe blonde receptionist recognized him, “Mr. Blackhawk” she purred and batted her lashes, “Is Mr. Rundleman expecting you?” she asked as she bent over the appointment book, showing him a generous amount of cleavage, for something that she already knew was not there.
Ignoring the woman’s obvious come on he barked, “Is he in his office?” and not waiting for an answer he headed down the hallway.
“You can’t go in there Mr. Blackhawk” the woman skittered after him in her ridiculously high heels
“Watch me” he spat darkly
“He’s with someone Mr. Blackhawk, you really mustn’t …” she stopped as Gavin pushed through the door without knocking.
Rundleman sat behind his desk while another man sat in front of it in one of the two leather covered chairs, “We need to talk” Gavin told him as he walked in.
“I tried to stop him sir” the receptionist glared at Gavin accusingly
Rundleman stood; he was a few inches shorter than Gavin and slimmer built. He had wavy blonde hair and a well manicured mustache and goatee, and where Gavin wore jeans, he wore finally tailored Armani suits.
“It’s alright Cherise you can go back to your desk now” he dismissed the woman and she closed the door quietly behind her.
“Have a seat Gavin I have a feeling I know why you are here” Rundleman invited stoically
Gavin remained standing and looked pointedly at the man seated in front of the desk.
“If my assumption is correct then Mr. Jones will be staying” he said before seating himself, “This is about Eudora Garrett yes”
“Yes” Gavin snapped and sat down
“A drink Gavin” Rundleman offered gesturing towards the small bar in the corner
“Coffee, black” Gavin ordered instead
“Cherise dear we will be needing coffee for three please” Rundleman requested into the intercom.
Rundleman looked Gavin over, “How did you get here Gavin you look exhausted”
“I drove” Gavin answered and scrubbed his hands over his face quietly
“From Seattle” Rundleman questioned loudly
Cherise chose that moment to bring in the coffee and brushed up against Gavin accidentally on purpose twice and Gavin raised a brow in irritation and asked, “Am I in your way”
“That will be enough Cherise” Rundleman said dismissively and the women left blushing to the roots of her hair.
“Let’s cut to the chase Bob” Gavin said to Rundleman intentionally using the shortened version of his first name because he knew the man disliked it, “What exactly is the deal with Eddy?”
“Eddy?” Rundleman grinned, “It’s that way is it”
Gavin simply glared at him
“Alright, alright, we want Liam Garrett and we were hoping that at the right time she could be persuaded to help us, but I take since you are here that you have … misplaced her” Rundleman lifted a well shaped blonde brow
Gavin glared at him but then finally spoke, “She gave me the slip in Seattle and I caught up with her in Kansas City, but I lost her in Baltimore”
“And in between Kansas City and Baltimore would it be correct for me to assume that the two of you have been together” Rundleman rested his chin on his steepled fingers
“We have and unless you want me to go and blow her mother fucking Uncle’s head off you’d better help me find a way to get her out of there”
“Maybe you’re the one that should explain what you know to me” Rundleman said with a surprised expression on his face.
So Gavin began explaining everything that Eddy had ever told him about her uncle Liam Garrett and when he was finished he sat in silence and waited for Rundleman’s response and lit a cigarette.
Rundleman pushed a clean ashtray across the desk and frowned, “We obviously were not as well informed about the young lady as we had thought we were and here is an important time element, on December 5th each year Garrett holds his annual Christmas bash” he paused, “Many of his associates are invited to this thing every year and it lasts for days. The people he invites are the same type of low life deviants that he is and my bet is that he will use this party to auction off the girl, God help her if he does” he frowned bleakly, “Why the hell didn’t you bring her to me Gavin?”
“I thought I could talk her out of it, she loves me, hell I thought I had more time God damn it!” Gavin stood up to pace and further explained about his offering to pay Garrett for Eddy and how she had refused.
Rundleman made a rude noise, “Damned Irish pride”
Gavin reached into his pocket and handed Rundleman a slip of paper, “I need you to read this for me Robert”
When Gavin said his actual first name Rundleman knew that this woman meant the world to him and if they could not save her he was going to have one very angry tiger by the tail that he had no hopes of holding on to. He looked at the paper and read through it quickly, “Gavin this is very personal, why didn’t she write it in English”
“She never learned how to read or write English and her parents never taught her, just read the damned thing please” Gavin stamped out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood and began pacing as Rundleman read his letter. When he finished Gavin turned his back with his hands on his hips and hung his head, both of the other man pretended not to have seen the sheen of moisture in his eyes before he had turned away.
Gavin sat back down and with hands that were not quite steady lit another cigarette and picked up the letter from the desk and put it back in his pocket, he looked at the man next to him, “Who are you”
The man was at least Gavin’s height and built, clean shaven with jet black short cropped hair. He extended a hand to Gavin, “Special Agent Holt Deavers FBI” the man looked at Gavin seriously, “Mr. Blackhawk I’m very sorry to hear about Miss Garrett but you must understand that this situation is about more than one woman, Garrett has young girls and boys that he has, ‘collected’ for lack of a better word from around the world that he intends to auction off and if you can not function as part of this operation then I will have you detained while we see it through”
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