by Marnie Perry
Montayne’s discomfort was replaced with one of imperiousness and his tone was unapologetic, ‘I’m happy that you see things our way, Mr. Lando,’ as he leaned forward his eyes were ice hard, ‘it would be a mistake to try to alter that. It wouldn’t pay you to go to the press or something stupid like that. You are after all a convicted felon and there is still the little matter of your killing at least one federal agent.’
Ah, thought Lando, I get the stick. Though he knew this was an empty threat, they were loathe to prosecute him for killing the fed because then this would all come out, corruption in the highest places, even in the FBI. Nevertheless he said, ‘don’t worry; I had my fair share of publicity back in the day. Didn’t want it then and sure as hell don’t want it now.’
Montayne leaned back a smile splitting his face as he said with some relief, ‘good to know, thank you, Mr. Lando. Of course you’ll be reimbursed for any expenses you might have incurred. Rebuilding your cabin or your attorney’s fees, things like that.’
‘Thanks, but I can take care of the cabin myself and…
He was interrupted by Berringer, ‘I’m doing this pro bono.’ Lando looked at him and opened his mouth but Berringer quietly but firmly said, ‘he’s a friend.’
Lando closed his mouth but his eyes conveyed his gratitude.
Berringer said, ‘well if that’s all gentlemen, my client needs to sleep.’ He stood up as did the two agents. Lando stood too but almost staggered with exhaustion, plus he was still reeling from everything that had been said in this room. He couldn’t quite believe that he was not in lock-up awaiting arraignment.
Montayne put out his hand to Lando, ‘thank you, Mr. Lando, you’ve done this country a great service and you can rest assured that the guilty will be brought to justice.’
Lando knew he was telling him that that included Hennessey too. He wished them luck; they were going to need it. He said nothing but took the man’s hand and shook it. Montayne said, ‘go get some rest; you’ll need to be refreshed when you see Miss. Faraday again.’
Lando’s eyes narrowed but Montayne’s smile grew wider. Lando with Berringer beside him walked to the door but stopped with the door open as Montayne said, ‘oh, Mr. Lando.’ He picked up another envelope from the table and handed it to him, ‘I almost forgot, you might find these interesting.’
Lando looked at the man his brow furrowed but took the envelope from his hand.
Montayne said, ‘goodbye, Mr. Lando, and good luck.’
Lando nodded and walked out of the room followed by Berringer. Once outside Berringer laughed his hearty laugh, ‘well I seen everything now, I never saw that coming. I thought for sure your goose was cooked.’
Lando was still too stunned to reply but he silently agreed with Berringer.
Berringer drove Lando to a small but clean motel and booked him in dismissing Lando’s insistence that he couldn’t pay by saying, ‘pro bono, my friend, ya know what that means don’t ya.’
Lando was too tired to argue so instead shook the man’s hand and said, ‘thank you, for everything.’
Berringer almost shook Lando’s hand from his wrist, ‘hey, that was fun, it’s not every day my client gets thanked by the FBI for doing their job for them. Although seems unfair to me that you do all the work and they get all the glory.’
Lando said, ‘fuck fair, I was prepared to go down forever, they can have the glory, I just want to go home, what’s left of it that is.’
Berringer’s expression suddenly took on a rare seriousness as he said, ‘I think you’ll find you’re going home to more that you had when you left, Jonas.’
Lando frowned perplexed but Berringer just slapped him on the back and once more laughed, ‘if you ever find yourself in trouble again you know who to call. I’d be very interested to see who thanks you next, maybe the president himself. See ya, Jonas old pal, take care now.’
Then he was gone leaving Lando alone. He found his room and the first thing he did was call the hospital to enquire about Adela’s welfare. He asked the receptionist if Sheriff Lomax was still there and when she said he was asked if he could speak to him. He waited only a minute or so before Lomax came on the phone. Without preamble he told Lando that Adela was still unconscious but was responding well to treatment. She had been upgraded from critical to serious.
Lando closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief before enquiring after Leyton, Lomax told him the same thing Montayne had.
Lomax asked about the feds and Lando told him that everything was okay but he would fill him in more thoroughly when he got home, but if he couldn’t wait that long then he was sure Berringer would be only to willing to oblige. Lomax laughed at this and said since he couldn’t wait he would give his old friend a call. Lando thanked him for asking Berringer to be there for him and for watching the woman but told him to go on home now and he would join him in Alban shortly. Lomax said he didn’t want any thanks and to get some sleep, he sounded dead on his feet, which was a very accurate description of how Lando felt. He said goodbye and hung up.
He lay down on the bed but as tired as he was sleep would not come. His mind was a whirl of confusion and bewilderment and worry.
He couldn’t quite get his head around what Hennessey had done. How had he come across that information? The tapes he could understand, he had obviously recorded his conversations with Glissando and probably all his other clients too. Smart guy. But how the hell had he gotten hold of the other stuff, the names and places and everything else.
But did it really matter how he had gotten hold of them? The point was that he had and had used them to help him and the woman. That of course got him thinking about Adela.
He reached across and picked up one of the two envelopes Montayne had given him.
He tipped out the long length of hair and ran his hands down it, feeling the soft silkiness between his rough fingers. He sniffed in the scent, it smelled of the outdoors, a clean fresh smell, and of her. He put it against his cheek and closed his eyes. With the hair gripped in his fist and lying against his cheek he fell into a deep sleep.
*********
Lando didn’t know it but at the exact same time he awoke Adela regained consciousness. She awoke to a pounding skull crushing headache and moaned aloud which brought the nurse, who had been checking her vitals, swiftly to her side.
‘Hey,’ she said, ‘you’re awake at last. Welcome back. My name is Zara Chapman.’
Adela stared at her, or rather at the shadowy, unfocused figure standing by the bed. She blinked trying to bring the owner of the nice cheerful voice into focus. But even blinking hurt so she gave up and closed her eyes again.
The nurse said, ‘I’ll get you some ice chips, your lips are very dry.’ The next thing Adela new there was an icy sensation on her lips and she winced but then decided she liked it. This time when she opened her eyes she could just make out the other woman’s face. It was black and round and smiling. Adela tried to speak but realised she couldn’t there was something slimy in her throat and it was hurting her. She tried to raise her arm to remove whatever it was but the nurse prevented her saying, ‘no, Miss. Faraday, please leave it for the doctor to remove. He’ll be here any minute.’
Too tired and weak to argue Adela let the other woman put her hand back on the bed.
Just then another figure appeared this one male but just as cheerful as the nurse. He said, ‘hello there, Miss. Faraday, I’m Dr. Richard Jackson. So you decided to join the rest of us in the land of the living at last did you?’
Adela didn’t answer remembering what happened last time with the slimy thing in her throat. Plus, she didn’t know what he was talking about.
He was looking at something and frowning then he smiled at her, ‘right, I’ll take that pesky thing outta your throat now.’ He did and Adela retched and gagged as he did it.
If she could have talked she would have told him to leave it there…permanently.
Eventually he said, ‘there we are; all out. Now Nurse
Chapman will get you some water.’
As she drank Adela thought, so that’s what the nectar of the gods tastes like.
When she had drunk some of the water, although not enough in Adela’s view, she was able to speak. ‘I hurt.’
The other two laughed and the doctor said, ‘I’ll just bet you do. Now you need to take it slow and easy and most of all, rest.’
But Adela asked the inevitable question, ‘what happened?’
Doctor Jackson hesitated and Adela added, ‘please.’
He nodded to the nurse who after patting Adela’s hand left the room. Jackson sat down on the chair next to her bed and said softly, ‘do you recall anything that happened before you arrived at the hospital?’
She closed her eyes and a rush of memories came back to her. She and Ellis Leyton in Glissando’s chamber. Leyton screaming in pain. Lando and Hennessey coming to save them. Glissando with a knife against her throat. Dogs. Running. Fear and pain.
Oh yes, she recalled all right. She just wished she didn’t.
She turned swiftly to him then moaned as agony shot through her shoulder to her neck and down her arm. Jackson said, ‘take it easy, try not to move your head and neck too much. You have a dislocated shoulder.’ She hardly heard him as she said with great urgency and fear, ‘Ellis!’
‘Take it easy now. I can put your mind at rest about that at least. Detective Leyton is doing fine. He’s awake and being chatted up by just about every unmarried nurse on the ward, and some married ones too.’
She didn’t smile at this but her eyes filled with relief. He went on, ‘Detective Leyton must be some kinda cop, he’s in his own private room, some bigwigs from the Alabama P.D, and the Mayor’s office no less arranged that.’
She looked at him and frowned perplexed but didn’t pursue it. Jackson was all seriousness now, ‘Miss. Faraday, you asked me what happened, well, you fell on a knife, it punctured your spleen. I’m sorry, we had to perform a splenectomy.’
She hardly seem to hear him so he went on, ‘but don’t worry, it’s not a vital organ,
you can live quite easily without it. But you’ll have to take antibiotics from now on; you can’t afford to catch any kind of infection.’
She closed her eyes tightly and he said, ‘you also have a dislocated shoulder as I’ve said and some minor cuts and abrasions which should heal in time. You should be in hospital at least a week, perhaps longer, but after that you’ll be as good as new. All right.’
She nodded and winced again. He smiled, ‘I told you, try not to move too much, okay?’
‘Then stop asking me questions that require a nod or shake of the head.’
He laughed out loud, ‘well if you carry on like that you’ll be outta here by the day after tomorrow. Anyway, there’s someone outside who would like to see you.’
Her stomach clenched and her heart began to thump uncomfortably. She stammered, ‘the…the police?’
He frowned, ‘take it easy now, no, not the police. Although they were here, some sheriff from a place called Albany I think. And even a couple FBI agents, but they left, oh, hours ago.’
She closed her eyes thinking, they’ll be back. She said, ‘what time is it?’
‘10.33.’
‘In the morning?’
‘No, at night.’
She frowned, ‘how long have I been here?’
‘Thirty hours give or take.’
She closed her eyes again, thirty hours, thirty hours for Lando to be questioned and taken off to prison. Thirty hours for Hennessey to do what he had threatened and find Olivia. She felt ill and disoriented although she tried not to show the doctor her distress.
But he saw her agitation and said, ‘you’re worrying about things and you shouldn’t be, everything is okay, really.’
That’s all you know, she thought. Jackson said, ‘maybe I should tell your visitor to come back another time, when you’re more rested.’
A horrible thought came to her and her head whipped round but this time she didn’t notice the pain. She was about to say she didn’t want to see whoever it was when Jackson added, ‘he was here all during your surgery then he left for a while, now he’s back and been waiting for hours for you to wake. Name of Landry I think.’
Her relief was so great it almost overshadowed her surprise. Almost.
She said, ‘it’s Lando, and please, let him in.’
He hesitated then said, ‘all right, but just for a few minutes then rest, ma’am or else I’ll have to sedate you.’ But he smiled to take the threat out of his words.
She said, ‘thank you, Doctor Jackson, for everything.’
He smiled, ‘you’re very welcome, Miss. Faraday. Now don’t talk too long, okay?’
She nodded then groaned and he laughed, ‘you’ll learn…eventually.’ Then he went out of the room.
She hadn’t returned his smile, she wondered if she would ever smile again. She lay back on the pillow taking deep breaths her eyes on the door. She desperately wanted to know what had happened whilst she’d been unconscious. But more importantly she needed to know how Lando was and what had happened to him. She found her heart was beating very fast, just as it had when she had thought the police were waiting out there for her, or worse still, Hennessey.
When Lando came into the room the first thing she noticed was that he had shaved and he was wearing an obviously new pale grey shirt. He looked clean and tidy. She wished she did.
He approached the bed but stopped six feet away from it, he looked as uncomfortable as she felt. After a silence that seemed to stretch into infinity. He asked finally, ‘how you feeling?’
She answered truthfully, ‘really, really awful.’
His eyebrows rose, he had expected her to say, okay, fine, all right. But he liked her honesty. He said inanely, ‘well, yeah.’
She asked, ‘how are you?’
‘Okay.’
‘I’m surprised to see you here.’
He looked even more uncomfortable and she rushed on, ‘I mean, I thought you would be with the police, answering questions, that kind of thing.’
‘I done that.’
‘Oh.’
She waited for him to elaborate when he didn’t she had to ask, ‘what happened?’
He shrugged, ‘I told 'em what happened and they let me go.’
She was aghast, ‘just like that?’
‘Yeah, just like that.’
‘I just thought well, after everything, they might put you in jail.’ Her lips turned up just the slightest, ‘unless you’ve escaped of course.’
‘I didn’t escape.’
‘Then…
‘What is this? You’re worse than the feds. Don’t you believe me? Do you think they’re waiting outside to take me to jail?’
She was taken aback by his sudden anger but said quietly, ‘of course I believe you, I’m just surprised that’s all. I mean after everything, well, you know, I just thought…’
She left the sentence unfinished and with a deep sigh turned her face away from him. He felt ashamed of his brusqueness. He said more mildly, ‘look, there’s a lot to tell, but now isn’t the time, you’re still very weak. You need time to recover. All you need to know is that you’re in the clear, the cops won’t be bothering you.’
She turned to look at him again her eyes wide in disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak but he forestalled her by holding up his hand. ‘I said later.’
She looked at him frustrated but saw he was immovable…as usual. So she nodded then inevitably winced. He said, ‘are you okay, shall I get the doctor?’
‘Oh no, it’s just hurts when I move, or speak,’ her lips moved upwards again in that not quite a smile way as she finished, ‘or breath.’
‘Well there ain’t nothing you can do about the last one, but the first two are easily remedied.’
She studied his face but he didn’t seem to be joking. Her own expression very serious now as she said, ‘just one question then I’m done with that subject…
for now anyway.’
He looked uncertain then nodded and she said one word. ‘Hennessey?’
He hesitated then said very quietly, ‘he’s gone.’ He did not add that he had been here in this hospital checking up on her, he didn’t think she would want to hear that when she was in this vulnerable position, it would only freak her out. He added, ‘he won’t be back.’
She stared at him not really believing him he knew. But changing the subject she said,
‘I thought you would want to go home, see to your animals and...everything.'
‘They’re being well taken care of, according to Sheriff Lomax.’
‘Oh that’s good. Sheriff Lomax seems like an awfully nice man. A good friend.’
Lando gave her a sharp look, ‘you’re tired and need to rest, so I’ll leave you to…do that.’
She said nothing so he turned to leave but at the door stopped and turned as she said, ‘Mr. Lando. Will…are you leaving for Alban right now?’
His eyes met hers and held them; in hers he saw the emotions chase one another. There was uncertainty there and trepidation as well as expectation. She was trying to sound nonchalant but failing. He told himself that she was only concerned that he come back and tell her everything that had happened. He said brusquely, ‘I’ll be back.’ He added ‘then I’ll tell you everything you need to know.’
There was a mixture of relief and hurt in her eyes that confused him. He felt those eyes on him as he left the room.
When he’d gone Adela let out a long sigh then closed her eyes. Lando would have been satisfied to know that just for once she obeyed him and fell into a deep sleep.
Lando found his way to Leyton’s room and found the man sitting up in bed looking much better than he had any right to and laughing with a cute, curly haired nurse. She was saying, ‘oh you policemen, so naughty.’