No Ocean Deep

by Cate Swannell

  Jo had said very little on the trip out from O’Hare, preferring the solitude of her own thoughts. She didn’t know quite what she was driving into and wanted to be ready for any and all possibilities. About 10 minutes into the drive she had called the number of the senator’s Chicago house but it had gone unanswered. So, either Cadie has been and gone and is on her way back to Madison, or … Jo didn’t much like where that thought process went.

  For a brief, dark moment she had entertained a tiny doubt about Cadie’s intentions. But the thought of the feisty little blonde going back to Naomi after everything the senator had put her through… Not to mention the fact that I trust her, and she’s given no indication that she’s not happy with me, Jo reminded herself. Well, it was just too ludicrous a thought to give any credence to for more than about a nanosecond.

  Jo had her share of insecurities… And God knows, Cadie’s seen most of them by now, she allowed… but her faith in Cadie’s ability to know what was best for herself was damn near unshakable. If she’s gone back to Naomi I’ll eat my hat, coat and that old, scabby pair of ugg boots hiding in the back of my closet, Jo decided.

  She looked out at the senator’s house sitting high at the top end of the cul-de-sac. None of that makes me feel any better about what might be going on in there, however, Jo decided.

  “Maurice, do me a favor? Just drive past slowly and then take a turn around the block,” she said quietly. No sense rushing in where an armed police escort would fear to tread, she contemplated. Maurice nodded and did as he was told, swinging the mini-van in a wide arc around the top of the dead-end street.

  Jo didn’t move from her spot, but turned her head and calmly cast an experienced eye over the landscape. What she saw did not please her. Perched on the hood of a late-model sedan was a black-suited goon and he was in animated conversation with someone who could pass as his twin brother, if clothing and attitude were the only criteria.

  Hired muscle, Jo assessed. She turned away as Maurice straightened the mini-van up and headed back out to the main road. And not very attentive muscle at that. They didn’t even give us a second glance.

  “Okay, Maurice, pull over,” Jo said when they were back around the corner and out of sight of the senator’s house. Once they had come to a halt, she fished inside her jacket pocket and pulled out thirty dollars and an additional one hundred dollar bill. “Thanks for everything you’ve done so far,” she said, handing Maurice the thirty. “And this…” She waved the C-spot. “Is up for grabs if you’re willing to go the extra mile for me.” Jo smiled at him winningly, a grin few on the planet could resist.

  “You bet,” he answered immediately. “Name it.”

  “Piece of cake, really,” she said casually. “Wait here with my bags for an hour, and then come up to that house we just drove past, and the hundred is yours. Fair enough?”

  Maurice nodded. “Fair enough,” he agreed.

  “Good on you.” Jo patted his shoulder and moved for the door. “See you in an hour.”

  She turned into the cul-de-sac and began the walk back to the bottom of Naomi’s driveway.

  Okay, Madison. No weapons, other than my fists. But I’m here illegally, so let’s try like hell not to draw any attention to ourselves, eh? Last thing we want here is anyone calling the police when they see a fight in their neighbor’s drive. Let’s just play it cool.

  “M’not sure I like this, Jim,” Mr. ‘Smith’ said to his colleague. He reached up and loosened his tie as his partner refolded his newspaper.

  “Yeah, I know,” ‘Not-Smith’ replied. “I was talking to Rod Makersley... you know, that guy we met after that Stone Temple Pilots concert? The tour manager?” Smith nodded in recognition. “They’re looking for more roadies for the tour they’re starting next month. I was thinking of applying.”

  Smith shrugged. “S’gotta be better than this.” He jerked his head in the direction of the house behind them. “You know we’re effectively holding her hostage, dontcha?”

  “Yeah,” Not-Smith muttered. “Press would have a field day if they knew.”

  “Gentlemen,” Jo called out as she climbed the steep, concrete drive. The two men immediately stopped their conversation. Smith slid off the hood and together they began to walk towards her, shoulder-to-shoulder.

  “Can we help you, miss?” said Smith’, who was on the right.

  “You certainly can,” Jo drawled. “Would this happen to be Naomi Silverberg’s house?”

  “Who wants to know?” said Not-Smith.

  Oookay, play it that way then. “Nobody really,” Jo said, smiling politely at the two goons. “I’m just a friend of Cadie’s, come to pay a visit. I heard she was back in town.”

  “They’re not seeing visitors today,” said Smith. He had his hand buried in his coat pocket, a stance that had Jo up on the balls of her feet.

  Don’t make a scene, you bastard. Jo reached into her own pocket, where she felt the large roll of cash she had brought with her. Hmmmm, could it be that simple, she wondered.

  Both men had stiffened when she had gone for the pocket and Jo quickly raised both hands to show she was unarmed. Her right fist now held the bankroll.

  “Look, fellas, this doesn’t have to be complicated,” she said. “We all know what’s going on here. The senator is in there trying to talk Miss Jones into coming back to her, and I’m here to make sure that all that happens is talking. And you…” She pointed at the two big men. “Are being paid a lot of money to stop me. Is that a reasonably accurate assessment of the situation?” She grinned at them amiably and was pleased when Smith took the bait and grinned back.

  “I’d say so, yes,” he replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against the rental car’s trunk. His partner noticeably relaxed as well, and Jo decided it was time to take the plunge.

  “Whatever she’s paying you, I’ll double it,” she said quickly, suddenly becoming very serious indeed. It caught the two bodyguards by surprise and they both gaped at her for a few seconds. Finally Smith regained the power of speech.

  “You’re Jo Madison aren’t you?” he asked. Jo looked him squarely in the eye and nodded solemnly. “Thought so. You don’t seriously think we’re going to just walk away from this gig just because you wave a lot of cash in front of us, do you?”

  Jo looked down at her feet and nudged a small stone away with the toe of her sneaker.

  “How long have you worked for the senator?” she asked, looking up at him again.

  “We don’t work for her full-time,” Smith replied, sharing a glance with his colleague. “She just uses us on and off.”

  “So, on a job by job basis?”

  “When she’s in Chicago, yes,” said Smith. “We’ve been doing it for about five years now.”

  In for a penny, in for a pound, Jo thought, taking a deep breath. “Ah, so you’ve gotten to know her pretty well, then,” she said. Both men suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable, she thought, as she watched them exchanging looks again. “I mean, you’ll have noticed the changes in her personality the last few years.”

  Smith hedged his bets one more time. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered.

  Jo snorted. “Come on, fellas. If you’re anything like her other employees, you’re beginning to wonder whether it’s worth working for the big-shot senator any more. She’s losing it, and you know it. Or did you think Toby and Jason left because they got a better offer?”

  Smith and Not-Smith shuffled their feet and looked at each other again, their previous conversation replaying in their minds. Despite the money the senator had given them for this particular escorting job, neither of them were particularly comfortable with the idea of keeping Cadie as an unwilling resident. It was just the latest in what had been a series of weird briefs from the politician.

  Jo waited, sensing that she was on the brink of an unlikely victory. She began counting bills off the roll in her hand, making sure the men could see exactly how much she was offerin
g.

  “Double, eh?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  There was another pause before the duo made their decision. Jo smiled quietly to herself.

  “Done,” said Smith.

  “Good,” Jo replied. “Name your price.”

  Smith did and Jo didn’t even blink as she handed over the cash. Mission accomplished, no blood spilled, and no authorities alerted. The two ex-bodyguards pocketed the money and sauntered down the driveway towards their own vehicle.

  “Pleasure doing business with you, Miss Madison,” Smith said, tugging his forelock in acknowledgement as he walked past Jo.

  “And you.” She watched them as they reached the bottom of the drive and climbed into their black sedan. They drove off without a backward look. “Hurdle number 17 successfully negotiated. Now for the really …”

  A gunshot split the crisp air with shocking clarity. For a stunned millisecond, Jo was motionless, caught like a butterfly on the sharp end of a pin as her brain tried to process what she had just heard. A small flock of starlings rippled out of a nearby tree, seemingly in slow motion. The time splinter passed and Jo jerked into movement, her head snapping around and her legs powering her forward and up the remaining incline of the driveway.

  Before she could even gather her thoughts into a coherent sentence, Jo was through the heavy front door and heading towards the unmistakable sounds of the struggle from somewhere to her right.

  Jo rounded the corner of the entrance to the living room and barely slowed down at the sight of the tableau before her. All she could see was the trail of blood down the side of Cadie’s face as the small blonde grappled with Naomi. Cadie’s hands gripped the senator’s left wrist and held it and the smoking gun clasped in Naomi’s hand, high above their heads. The two women were at close quarters, nose-to-nose, struggling in a do-or-die wrestle for control. Naomi was screaming like a banshee, her eyes wild and manic.

  Jo launched herself at the pair, knocking Cadie out of the way when she slammed into the side of the senator’s stocky form. Her momentum took them both down onto the carpet, the gun spinning out of Naomi’s hand and clattering into the stone fireplace on the far side of the room. Cadie stumbled backwards, falling down and slamming into the armchair, the wind knocked out of her.

  There was no time for Jo to do anything other than try and contain the whirling dervish that Naomi became. Despite being taller than the senator, and despite ending up on top of her, Jo had her hands full as Naomi squirmed and fought to get free.

  “You goddamned bitch,” Naomi screamed, the spittle flying from the corners of her mouth. “Fuck you! Goddamn and fuck YOU!!”

  Cadie sucked in a deep breath, hardly believing that it was really Jo wrestling with Naomi. She could feel something warm and wet trickling down the side of her face and somehow knew she was bleeding. Her ears were ringing from the close retort of the gun.

  “Jesus,” she breathed hoarsely. “Jesus, Jo, what are you doing here?”

  “Owwww, fuck!” Jo exclaimed as Naomi’s flailing arm caught her across the bridge of her nose. The senator was still yelling and squealing like a stuck pig as Jo tried to pin her arms to the carpet.

  Cadie came to her senses and scrambled to her feet, intending to retrieve the gun.

  “No!” Jo yelled. “Don’t touch it!” Don’t want anyone’s fingerprints but Naomi’s on that thing, she thought. She grunted with renewed effort as Naomi twisted under her in an attempt to gain purchase.

  Cadie stopped mid-step, her brain still several miles behind the events of the last few minutes. Jo’s here. How the hell can she be here? “I’ll call the police,” she muttered, changing direction and heading for the phone.

  Jo finally managed to get a grip on Naomi’s pummeling fists and she pinned them to the carpet with her full body weight. God damn, she’s strong. Then again, being totally fucked in the head will do that for someone. Then Cadie’s words sank in and Jo snapped her head around in alarm.

  “No!” she shouted again. “Don’t call them. Don’t call anyone. Just let me get her under control and then I can think.” Naomi’s screams had turned to sobs now and Jo realized the anger was dissolving into a full-blown, emotional meltdown. Jesus.

  “Why?” Cadie couldn’t see why Jo wouldn’t want to call the authorities. The situation was way beyond anything they could handle alone, surely.

  Jo looked up at her lover and their eyes locked for the first time. She felt the flow of warmth between them, unmistakable, even under these bizarre circumstances.

  “I can’t explain right now,” Jo said, indicating Naomi with a tilt of her head. “Just trust me. Okay?” She held Cadie’s gaze for a moment longer and the blonde nodded with a small, tight smile.

  “Okay.”

  Naomi was almost completely still now, but she was sobbing helplessly. Cadie sat down heavily in the armchair, the shock of the situation and how close she had come to being seriously hurt finally hitting her. She reached up a tentative hand and touched the blood that trailed from her cheek. Holy crap. Cadie watched as Jo shifted her own position so she could more easily control Naomi should the senator get rambunctious again.

  “Cadie, you’re hurt,” Jo said, concern and a need to be close to her lover warring with her need to keep the slippery senator subdued.

  “I… I’m o-okay,” Cadie mumbled. “It’s just a scratch.”

  Jo felt a sudden wave of nausea sweep through her. That was close. So close. And I was too late to stop it. Jesus. She sent out a silent thank you to the universe for keeping Cadie relatively safe.

  “N-now what?” Cadie stammered. She was full of questions, not the least of which was how the hell Jo had managed to get herself here at just the right moment. But the warning look on her lover’s face made her bite her tongue.

  “I don’t know,” Jo muttered. “I’m thinking about it.” She was still half-reclined over Naomi’s back, pinning the stocky senator face down on the shag-pile carpet. Despite the woman’s relative stillness, Jo didn’t trust her to stay that way if she let her go.

  As if to prove the point, Naomi erupted again in a renewed burst of manic energy. Jo yelped as the back of senator’s head impacted the point of her chin and she narrowly avoided biting her tongue. Naomi snarled and arched her back, attempting to tip Jo off. The Australian, who wasn’t as heavy as the senator, but outdid her in the power and reach departments, clung on tenaciously.

  “God damn it,” Jo muttered. She could feel her own temper fraying and she had to consciously resist the urge to knock the senator into next week. “For Christ’s sake, Cadie, what the hell were you thinking?” A political elbow jabbed up at her. “Keep still, you maniac or I swear to God I will …” Finally, she managed to pin Naomi’s hands. “Lie STILL, damn you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “What do you mean, what was I thinking?” Cadie asked, bristling at the question, even though it was one she’d asked herself several times in the past two days.

  “Coming down here on your own, is what I mean,” Jo snapped. She’d had just about enough of the wriggling ball of poison under her, and although she was aware she was probably taking out her irritation on her partner, she just couldn’t seem to help it. “I mean, Jesus, your parents offered.”

  “How do you know that?” Cadie responded sharply, feeling the sting of Jo’s words. “In fact, how did you know to come at all?”

  “Look, can we talk about this later?” Jo answered. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’ve got a bit of a handful, right now.”

  The handful in question renewed her struggle. “You MOTHERFUCKER!” Naomi screamed.

  Cadie decided to ignore the hurt Jo’s words had caused, for now, the present situation needing all their attention. “Jo, if the gunshot doesn’t bring police running in this neighborhood, then her screaming will.”

  “I know, I know.” Jo grunted as Naomi elbow caught her in the midriff. An idea occurred to her. “Does she have a therapist? Here in town, I mean?
”

  Cadie’s eyes widened. “Yes. Yes, she does. Dr Salinger. And she’s on this side of city as well.”

  “Call her,” Jo said bluntly. “Explain what’s happened…” She glanced up at her lover. “More or less. And get her over here.”

  Cadie nodded and reached for the phone.

  “Wait, Cadie,” Jo said suddenly. “I’ve changed my mind about the gun. If she thinks you’ve been shot, isn’t she required by law to report it?”

  Cadie thought about it. “I don’t know for sure,” she hesitated. “But I would guess so, yes.”

  “Okay.” Jo let go of Naomi’s left hand long enough to yank a handkerchief out of her own back pocket. “Use this to pick it up and hide it.” Cadie took the piece of material and walked over to the fireplace, while Jo craned her neck to see if she could spot where the bullet that had grazed her lover had ended up. Finally, she spotted it, buried high in the opposite wall. No need to worry about that right now, she decided. I’ll pull that out later, when this is all sorted.

  Cadie gingerly wrapped the firearm in the handkerchief and picked it up. It shocked her that the barrel was still warm and she swallowed, knowing just how lucky she was. She didn’t want to think about that right now. Nor did she want to think about how far Naomi had fallen. Or who was responsible for that. Instead, she wrapped the gun in the handkerchief and stuffed it under the cushion of the chair she had been sitting in. Once it was safely hidden away she reached once more for the telephone.

  Fifteen minutes and a few more bruises for Jo later, there was a knock on the door. Cadie ran for it, opening the heavy portal to reveal a willowy redhead, carrying a medical bag.

  “Dr Salinger.”

  “Arcadia.” The psychiatrist frowned. “I didn’t know you were back in town. What’s going on? Your phone call didn’t exactly make a lot of sense.”

  Cadie nodded. “Come in, please.” She led the tall doctor down the corridor to the entrance to the living room. “I came back to clean out my stuff and Naomi was here,” the blonde said as she walked. “She’s been violent towards me, and then she threatened to kill herself.” Cadie nodded in the direction of Jo and Naomi, who were still sprawled together on the floor. Jo was breathing heavily from the effort of keeping the senator subdued. “I was lucky,” Cadie murmured. “My friend turned up at just the right moment.”