The Vicarage Bench Anthology

by Barbour, Mimi

  The teasing husky voice broke into his musings and brought his attention back her way. “Hurt me? No you didn’t hurt me. You woke me up to the wonderful world of sex. Let’s do it again, because in case you’re unaware of it, I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d gotten it right the first time.” Her hand snuck out to rub his chest and twirl her fingers through the damp curls swirling there.

  For a few seconds the ends of each hair she touched sent silent messages along to the rest of the hair on his body, making them stand straight up, and they in turn sent tingles to his lower half, making it stand up, also. He quickly turned on his stomach and captured her face in his tender palms before she could use her lips to follow the path her hands had taken.

  He groaned. Or was it a growl. Whatever, it seemed to react strongly on her as he watched her eyes’ slumberous come-on darken to passion. Oh, oh! She embodied trouble but with a capital L. He was a goner.

  Her voice intrigued him with its husky tones.

  She murmured, “I love it when you make that noise. It’s almost animalistic, and you know me with animals. I evidently have an affinity with them.”

  “You certainly have one with me, my love, but we can’t take any more time now. We have to get you to safety, and I have to find Rhett before he leaves England to head back to Vegas. I need to bring him up to date on the Arnie caper. I won’t feel totally safe until we’re in Bury, where I have friends to help us in case anything goes wrong.”

  “You are a stickler, aren’t you? When you get something in your mind, you don’t let up. What does it matter if we’re…?”

  “Crystal?”

  “Oh, all right, already. Boy, what a baby. It’s your way or the highway. Males are such control freaks.”

  Wrapping her in the blanket and carting her to the bathroom stopped her tirade. Closing the door with her on the inside while he remained on the outside ranked as one of the hardest choices he’d made in a long while, but necessary.

  He had to keep her safe. She didn’t get Arnie like he did, and she hadn’t heard the stories floating out there about the kinds of jobs the maniac took on, where people disappeared. Not only did he look like a bulldog, he had the reputation of one for sinking his teeth into a job and invariably following through. Ash had the uncomfortable, frightened belief that Arnie might prove to be the one person who could make him lose his cool.

  Make him pick up a weapon.

  Make him use it.

  Chapter Nine

  “What do you mean, they’re gone? They weren’t scheduled to return Stateside until next week.” Standing on the doorstep, bags by his side, Ashley was blindsided by the latest news.

  “Come in, please! Come in.” Dr. Andrews stepped back and threw open the door. His face, wreathed in smiles, exuded a warm welcome. “Ashley, my boy, it’s good to see you.” Extending his hand, he waited for Ash to put down the suitcases again so he could handshake and hug the young fellow he obviously liked.

  After greeting their pleasant host, Ash placed his arm around the pretty woman standing quietly next to him and introduced her. “Dr. Andrews, this is my close friend Crystal Davis.”

  Like an aging aristocrat the older man bowed over her hand. “Welcome, my dear. It’s lovely to meet you.”

  Once they settled into the parlor, Dr. Andrews calmly explained that Carrie had started to feel unwell, but she’d refused to check into hospital while she and Rhett were visiting her grandparents. She’d hidden her symptoms from the two old dears because she didn’t want to scare them.

  Desperate and worried, Rhett had given the grands an excuse of unexpected business demanding his attention before he scooped her up and forced her on a flight back home, promising another trip to England in a few months if she’d go quietly.

  Dr. Andrews chuckled and added. “Mind you, his promise did come with conditions. She had to agree to see her doctor as soon as she stepped foot on American soil.”

  Ashley’s natural complexion faded. Visibly shaken, he asked, “What were her symptoms?”

  Dr. Andrews ticked off on his fingers a multitude of various items such as nausea, vomiting, cramps and worst of all a slight fainting spell that became the final straw. Up until the passing out part, Rhett couldn’t sway her. But Carrie lost all her arguments for putting her illness down to a flu bug or a bit of food poisoning, once that happened.

  What didn’t compute, and what Crystal picked up on immediately, was the sly glint in the doctor’s eye. Concentrating on his lightly clasped hands, he’d tried to conceal the slight upward slant of his lips until he said, “Ash, don’t worry. I’m positive that when they get her to the doctor they’ll find out she wasn’t deathly ill, not at all, but caught up in a normal malady that many women go through at certain times. In fact, I’d stake my medical career on it.”

  The wink, sent Crystal’s way, endeared the man to her like nothing else could have. It also reassured her about Carrie, a woman respected and liked by other Vegas girls. That thick-skinned, world-weary, street-smart pack of females held Carrie Parks in very high esteem.

  The doctor’s tone calmed the frightened man more than his words. “You’re sure? Carrie means more to Rhett than anything else in this world. If he lost her, I’d lose him. He’d never get over it—never be the same again.”

  Patting the younger man on the shoulder, the doctor stood up to dispense sherry into small glasses, then gestured for the young couple to help themselves. Ash’s normally healthy tanned look returned as they continued to chat.

  “Is this your first visit to England, my dear? We must show you around while you’re here, take some day trips about the area.”

  Crystal loved the old-worldliness of the dapper, middle-aged physician whose bifocals balanced on the tip of his nose. She found his habit of peering over his frames quite endearing.

  “Actually, Dr. Andrews, I’m afraid that’s rather impossible right now. I’ll explain later. First I need to use your telephone to call Rhett. Hopefully he will have arrived back home by now.” Ashley’s agitated manner had the doctor’s body language switching from relaxed to attentive.

  Coincidently the phone rang at the moment of Ash’s request. Upon answering, Dr. Andrews nodded, then passed the instrument over to the younger man.

  “Looks like you won’t be needing to make your call after all. He’s on the line right now. Come, my dear, we’ll leave Ashley to talk to his brother, and I’ll take you to visit my rose garden, which I’m rather proud of. I propagate different species of roses, an interest I’ve only recently acquired.”

  As soon as the door clicked behind the retreating pair, Ashley spoke. “Rhett, my God, how is Carrie? Dr. Andrews just told us you had to take her back home.”

  “Did he tell you—kicking and screaming? That woman is as determined to get her own way about certain issues as I am. But, thank God, I’m bigger. Her appointment’s tomorrow.”

  “And you’ve got the art of bribery down to a science. I hear you’ll be visiting jolly old England again soon.” Ash couldn’t hide the hint of laughter in his voice, knowing that Rhett would pick up on it.

  “Oh, you heard. The woman’s a little menace. So what the hell is going on with you? I expected you to be looking after the store while I was away, and what do I find? Not you! You’re gallivanting across Europe with some new headliner chick of Joey’s. What’s going on?”

  “Wait a minute, how the hell did you know where we were, and who I was with?”

  “Craziest bloody thing! We were coming through the airport in London when a hell of a noisy commotion caught my attention with the screeching and pleading in an American twang. Since I recognized Joey Scaglioni’s voice, I had to check it out. He was trying to yank Arnie Boggs off a ticket agent at the British Airways counter. Appeared as if the pitbull insisted on getting some info on the destination of a couple of passengers, and the airlines took exception to his approach.”

  “I thought they weren’t allowed to give out that
kind of information?”

  “I guess it all depends on your methods of persuasion. Someone slamming his fist into your face can be a pretty potent convincer.”

  “Shit! That means Arnie knows we’re in England. Did you talk to Joey? Ask him what was going on?”

  “You bet your sweet ass I did. Had to meet up with him in the men’s room, but I’d gathered from his gestures and expression that he had information he needed to pass on. He couldn’t have been more forthcoming. Said to call and warn you. Told me he’d travelled with Arnie to try to stop him, but it’s impossible—the man’s a maniac with a mission.”

  “Son of a bit…!”

  “Okay, what the hell is going on, and please tell me I don’t have to get back on another transatlantic flight. Especially when I have a mule-headed, sickly wife on my hands who says she feels a lot better now and is hedging on going to the doctors like she promised. Blasted silly woman!”

  “It’s a long story, and I don’t have a lot of time to try and explain it all to you. Needless to say, Crystal, the girl travelling with me, did me a huge favor but pissed off Arnie at the same time. He’s sworn to pay her back, and it’s up to me to keep her safe.”

  “What the hell did she do to him that put him in such a sorry state? I saw him at the airport.”

  “She accidentally re-arranged his face a bit. Since he’s ugly as road kill anyway, I don’t get why he took such an exception, but he did. Probably hurt his professional pride, I don’t know, but he’s not getting his hands on her without going through me first.”

  Silence droned across the transatlantic telephone lines. Rhett took more than a few moments to answer, and when he did, he came through, like always.

  “He can’t find her if she’s safely ensconced in a coma, hidden in a hospital ward, now can he?”

  “The rose bush! I thought you might suggest that. When we left Vegas, I chose to come here because of the distance. I needed to get her as far away from Arnie as I could. And I thought I’d find you here, to tell you I’d left the hotel. But I guess I’ve had the option of the rose’s magic at the back of my mind all along, and if you think it’s viable, then it might be the way to go. Crystal won’t like it, she’s a mite independent, but it’ll be for her own good. Right?”

  Hesitation sounded in Rhett’s tone. “Right!”

  “You’re a genius, brother mine, a bloody, freaking genius. I trust your suggestions more than anyone’s.”

  “I have my moments. Listen! Call if you need backup. Otherwise, bring Dr. Andrews in on your plan. He’ll be a big help.”

  “Will do, Rhett.”

  “Take care of yourself. Wouldn’t want to have to serve a long prison sentence for avenging my little brother’s demise.”

  “Kiss Carrie for me. Tell her I said to behave.”

  “Like it’ll matter, damn stubborn female. I’ll see she gets that kiss—it’ll be an excuse to get my hands on her.”

  The dial tone sounded loudly in Ash’s ear, advising the call had come to an end. He felt a lot better now that he had a plan. He needed to get the doctor alone and on board so they could strategize. The faster he got Crystal to the vicarage bench, the better off they’d all be. Then he’d only have himself to look out for, and he’d been doing a pretty good job of that for a number of years.

  But no one had ever come after him with a gun before.

  * * *

  “Dr. Andrews, your garden is lovely. I especially like this rose bush here behind the bench. How in the world did you cultivate three different colors in one single plant?” Crystal turned to gaze upon the lavish flowers blooming profusely.

  “Good grief! I’m not capable of producing such a miracle. All I did was get a cutting from the roots of another bush. It rather floored me when it took, and the new growth appeared. Unfortunately, there is a special power about the mother plant that failed to transplant into the baby, so these roses are for my enjoyment only.”

  “A power? Oh, you mean in the fragrance?” Crystal’s misty grey eyes enchanted the doctor, and her voice soothed. Smitten and fascinated, he wondered if she and Rhett’s wife had ever met. Carrie was another woman who delighted him.

  “Not exactly in the fragrance. More like a mystical sort of thing, hard to explain. To change the subject, I’m concerned with Ashley’s behaviour. He seemed distracted and actually rather worried. Is there anything wrong?”

  “I’ll let him explain it to you, Dr. Andrews. As long as we can remain here for a time, I have no doubt everything will turn out fine.”

  “Dear Miss Davis, you may stay as long as you wish. It would be my pleasure to deepen our acquaintance. After all, an old bachelor like myself enjoys the company of young people, especially beautiful young ladies.”

  * * *

  “Do you agree with Rhett that the best way to protect her is to take her to the rose bush and use its magic?” Ashley paced back and forth in front of a thoughtful Dr. Andrews. They had waited for this meeting until tiredness had forced Crystal to go to her room, disgruntled and alone.

  “You say this Arnie character is vicious and intends to hurt that young woman? Then yes, absolutely I agree. She must be sheltered, at all costs. I’ll arrange for a hospital bed in one of the older wards where there are more nurses to watch the patients. I can also hint of an unsavory relative who might wish to do her harm. The nurses would be more vigilant in that case.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you, Doctor.”

  “Happy to help, my boy. Life’s become a bit boring lately. Can’t tell you how much it delights me to have another adventure with that particular rose bush.”

  Chapter Ten

  Arnie looked around the boarding room and caught on immediately that something was out of place. “Hey, Joey, how’d you get here so fast?”

  Joey couldn’t believe his rotten luck when he looked up. His nemesis lumbered into the area where he sat waiting for the next flight.

  “I hung around after the cops came, and I heard you telling them you were taking a plane to Manchester. Figured we’d meet up when you got here.”

  “I could have sworn you’d done a disappearing act on me. I looked everywhere, but you were gone.” Arnie’s head lolled to the side, and his face took on a craftiness that dispelled the notion the man was a total idiot. His lids lowered, and he peered at Joey, who kept his jaunty, foolish grin in place.

  “Hey, man, I wouldn’t leave you stuck. You know that. We’re buddies. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink. We have time before the next flight. I’m starving and thirsty, and I just spied some gorgeous broads at a table in the bar over there. Let’s check it out.”

  Even Joey’s good looks couldn’t make up for Arnie’s lack thereof, and so the girls split soon after the two men had strolled over with an offer to buy the drinks. To pass the time waiting for the food, Joey incautious, questioned Arnie, the two quick whiskeys working their magic on his cowardice.

  “Arnie! How the hell did you find out they were in Bury?”

  “I have my ways.”

  “Did they include any bloodletting or probable jail sentences, by any chance?”

  “Nope. Just the threat of there being blood, and a lot of pain can make a person spill his guts, or so I’ve found out over my career. The airline clerk I choked wrote the name of the place on his blotter before you hauled me off him, and before the coppers showed up.”

  “How did you get the Scotland Yard bozos to release you this quickly?”

  “The clerk decided not to press charges after I told ‘em I’d be leaving on the next flight to Manchester.” Arnie lifted his stubby index finger, and drew an imaginary line across his throat. “This little mind-picture helped do the trick for the bum, also. He almost peed his pants trying to talk the cops into letting me go. Hey, you ever seen such weird cop hats?”

  Three hours later, arriving in the Manchester terminal half drunk, Joey followed Arnie to the nearest phone book. The big goon proceeded to flip through pages, looking for a phone numb
er and address for Carrie’s grandparents. How the hell Arnie knew their last name continued to be a mystery to him.

  “Tell me again how you know Carrie Parks’ maiden name?”

  “I told you. The Vegas papers wrote her maiden name, Temple, as part of her wedding announcement. I just remembered it. I have this name thing. Tell me a name once and I can usually remember it; let me read it and for some reason it sticks like toilet paper.”

  Toilet paper? The guy was a complete moron. Unfortunately, he had enough small brain cells to make him dangerous.

  “So what are you gonna to do now? Beat up on some old geezer related to Rhett Parks’ wife just to find out where Ashley and the dumb broad are? You wanna make an enemy of his big brother? He’s not Ashley. And he’s not someone you wanna fool around with, at least I don’t. Give it up, Arnie. Anyway, why would granny or grandpa know anything? Chances are they won’t remember Ashley or have a clue where he’d be hanging.”

  “Shut up, Joey. You’re beginning to bug me. Back off and keep your yap shut for five minutes.” Arnie’s hard finger prodding Joey’s chest convinced him to follow instructions.

  Checking for change, Arnie took out a handful of the English coins he’d traded his American dollars for and shut himself inside the red telephone booth.

  Joey’s crossed fingers and quick prayer didn’t work. The happy smirk plastered over the nasty puss of the big man destroyed his hopes for a dead end.

  “The old lady couldn’t have been more helpful. Funny thing. Seems they have a close friend called Dr. Andrews. The old crow gabbed on and on, even passed on the address. Easy as pie.”

  “Are they near here?” The visible lack of encouragement showed up in his voice. Joey, perturbed and frustrated, wore a long face and a worried expression.

  “You don’t want to come along, fine. I never asked you, anyway. Get out of here. Go back to Vegas. In fact, you can go straight to hell.” Arnie headed in the direction of the taxi stand, but Joey quickly shadowed him.