Rogowski stumbled and his weapon discharged, the blast eerily blunt-edged. For a man in his late fifties, however, he was possessed of extraordinary strength. Desperation, no doubt. While she was able to drag him a few feet, he didn't even loosen his grip on her wrist.
Vaguely aware of muffled sounds that indicated another struggle – Eddie and Skelly – she stopped abruptly, in one smooth motion turning and lifting her thigh to hip level. She snapped her lower leg, kicking out and making contact hard enough to break a kneecap. Pain shot along her foot, around her ankle and up her shin. But, hallelujah, the death-grip around her wrist slipped and she hobbled off.
Metal clattering to rock was followed by Skelly's “That's for the brake line!" Then she imagined hearing his knuckles smashing into softer flesh. “And this is for River Bluff!"
Renewed hope and Eddie's unexpected grunt of pain pushing her on, she quickly reached the wrecked car in hopes of finding the blessed phone. But Rogowski was directly behind her, kneecap intact, and grabbed her by the waistband of her trousers.
He swung her around full circle. Off-balance, Rosalind flew straight into the crooked beam of the car's headlights and landed against the grill. The Thunderbird rocked and protested with a metallic wail and she knew it wouldn't take much to send the car hurtling downhill. She staggered upright and faced Sullivan's murderer, who now had a clear shot at her.
"You sanctimonious bitch!" he yelled, stalking her, gun pointed directly at her face. “Had to put your nose where it didn't belong, just like your grandmother!"
A sharp whine accompanying a split-second bright flash stopped him cold. His eyes opened wide as he stared down at his side, slowly blooming with dark color.
His blood, Rosalind realized, her stomach turning.
"You keep your hands off my daughter!" Claudia snarled, stepping out of the dark, proceeded by the small handgun Rosalind had noticed earlier. It shook in her hands. “I was too young to stop you from getting what you wanted all those years ago," she said, “but I'll be damned if I let you hurt anyone else now!"
Her threat shocking Rosalind immobile.
"Claudia..." Rogowski's voice took on a sickening coaxing tone. “Sweetheart, did you forget what we had together?"
"You took advantage of me! I needed affection...fatherly affection."
"And I gave you what you wanted. Remember?"
Sick at heart, Rosalind held her breath as her mother spoke.
"I remember now...after Frank left the house looking for Hilary, you slipped inside so you could get to me again. I tried to make you stop, but you wouldn't. Then Frank caught you, and I ran. But I didn't go far, Walt. I heard everything...saw everything...now I remember it all."
"You were too young to understand.“
"I understood Frank realized you were the reason those girls quit working for him. He threatened to expose you, to end your political career right there. He said he'd see you in jail."
Finally Rogowski broke. “I couldn't let him ruin everything! I had my whole future ahead of me. So I fixed things!"
"Fixed things?" Rosalind echoed, aghast. “You make it sound like you repaired a boiler rather than killed a man!" Furious at what he'd done to her mother, at what he'd done to her, for now she knew why her mother had always kept her father at an emotional as well as physical distance, she spat, “What irony! A child molester running for governor on a family values ticket!"
"The public does seem to like that hoo-ha."
"The public isn't going to like you for much longer," she promised.
"None of you will be able to say anything if you're all dead. “A desperate sound issued from deep within Rogowski and he lurched toward Claudia, who tried to aim her weapon.
Panicked that he would hurt her mother again, Rosalind threw herself between the two, blindly swinging out toward the murderer with the heavy flashlight. Her first strike sent his gun flying. Her second caught him in the side of the head. Rogowski teetered, his expression wild as another explosion of noise – an unconscious Eddie's dead weight smashing into the Thunderbird's trunk – split the air.
"Roz, out of the way!" Skelly yelled.
Without hesitating, she flew back, dragging her mother, even as the heavy car swayed and tilted, and with a metallic groan bounced toward the villainous gubernatorial candidate.
Before Rosalind's amazed eyes, justice played itself out in slow motion.
Rogowski's hands reaching for the vehicle...
His expression of horror when he realized he couldn't stop its forward momentum...
His body jerking as the heavy metal plowed into him...
Rosalind turned away from the final denouement. Bad enough she could hear the metallic thumps and screeches over his screams.
Suddenly, she was enveloped in familiar arms and opened her eyes to the face she knew nearly as well as her own. She covered it with thankful kisses even as she tried to explain herself.
"Skelly, I thought...I never would have...I'm sorry...I love you."
She only hoped that when she told him about the imagined curse and how she'd almost made the same mistake twice, he would understand and forgive her.
"I love you, too, Roz, more than life itself."
He captured her mouth and with a single, heart-wrenching kiss, convinced her.
For a dizzying moment, Rosalind even thought the swelling wail of sirens was part of the magic he always created in her. But all too soon, she realized the sounds were real. Above them, tires screeched and vehicle doors slammed.
"Down here!" Skelly yelled before saying, “I tried to tell you. I called the authorities the moment I regained consciousness. I must have lost the phone somewhere around here."
"Why didn't you say so?"
"You didn't give me a chance."
"So it's my fault?"
"You could learn to listen once in a while."
"Maybe you'll have to learn to speak up.“
"Rosalind, do stop going on," her mother interrupted. “I would guess your young man's head already aches."
"Uh, yes, Mother."
Skelly nuzzled her ear and whispered, “We can finish this later. I never want to stop arguing with you...not for as long as I live."
"...THIRTY YEARS AFTER HER ESCAPE, Lily Lang, The Blonde Temptress, is finally back where she belongs...”
On the television screen, the silver-haired Lily sat on a paper-flower festooned float that brought up the rear of Galena's Fourth of July parade. Decked out in one of her old glamorous dresses that had been altered to her more mature waistline, she was waving to the cheering crowd.
"...exonerated and firmly in the hearts of the people who love her."
Those in the living room of the Lang's Winnetka home all cheered, as well, as Skelly stopped the preview tape. He'd been nervous about their reactions. Lily. Noah. Claudia. Rip. Hilary. His own father and sister Aileen. Keelin, Tyler and Cheryl, his cousin's soon-to-be stepdaughter.
And most of all, he'd been worried about Roz's reaction. A quick check assured him that she was beaming with happiness.
"It'll air tomorrow," he said, relieved that everyone seemed to approve.
"You did a wonderful job." Eyes shining with love and more, Roz moved closer. “I'm so proud of you. Mother is, too."
Though he'd been willing to withhold names, to skirt around the fact that Claudia herself had been molested by Walt Rogowski, she'd insisted on his sticking to the facts. Many of the children supported by her pet charity, Be Kind to Kids, had been abused in one way or another. Claudia had seen this as an opportunity to open honest communications with the philanthropists she approached for funding. Now they would see her as more than a do-gooder who had no experience with sordid matters.
The very idea that he and Roz were investigating the past had stirred Claudia's private monsters – the reason she'd shown up unexpectedly in Galena. The truth had come back to her in unwelcome bits and pieces. Her witnessing Rogowski threatening her daughter's life had brought back the pa
st in startling clarity.
Though she'd been hiding in the rear parlor, Claudia had witnessed the shooting. Once Rogowski had fled the scene, she'd picked up the gun and had tried to awaken her mother's friend, only to realize he was dead. In her child's mind, Claudia had asked for Rogowski's sexual attention; therefore she was responsible for Frank Sullivan's death.
The two incidents combined were enough to leave her in deep shock. Lily's comforting her had been hypnotic, her suggestions welcome, and Claudia truly had forgotten everything on a conscious level. Unfortunately the incidents had worked on her subconsciously, hence her difficulty with closeness.
Skelly admired Claudia's new found courage and hoped that she would be able to mend the breach between her and her husband Rip as she'd said she wanted to do. He knew she and Roz had already vowed to work at becoming closer.
Realizing the time was slipping away, he looked for courage of his own to make the announcement that would be a surprise to most of the people in the room.
"It's time," Roz said, nudging him and leaving him with no choice.
Skelly took a deep breath. “Everyone raise your glasses if you would." He lifted his own. “To Keelin and Tyler and –“ The rest of what he planned to say was cut off by more cheers.
"Keelin and Tyler!"
"Here, here!"
Everyone toasted and sipped at their champagne.
"And to Skelly and Rosalind!" Keelin added loudly, giving him one of her looks. “I'm proud to be telling you The McKenna Legacy has claimed another pair of hearts. We'll be having a double wedding on Sunday."
Then each member of their families had to congratulate and hug them both, starting with Keelin and Tyler and Cheryl.
"Hey, thanks for your help, cous," he told Keelin as they hugged. “I owe you."
"I think 'tis even we are."
Keelin stepped back between the man she loved and his pretty teenage daughter, wrapping an arm around each of their waists. Though the wedding wasn't until Sunday, they already looked like a happy family.
"Don't you let this man get away," a teary-eyed Hilary told Roz next. “A woman only has one once-in-a-lifetime love."
Roz hugged her aunt, then faced her grandmother.
"Hilary is right." Lily gave the man whose arm was possessively wrapped around her shoulders a loving glance. To Skelly, she said, “Make her as happy as Noah has made me."
"I'll make her happier," Skelly promised.
His gaze locked with Noah's. He would make certain Roz always knew how much he loved her without smothering her, Skelly vowed. And if she ever tried that controlling trick to distance herself from him again...well, he was no Tim Hayes. The older man was the first to look away.
Claudia and Rip were next. While Roz's mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and a pat on the arm, her father enveloped her in a bear hug.
"You be happy, sweetheart," he ordered. “Don't let work or anything else get in the way of your marriage."
"I won't," she promised.
Rip shook Skelly's hand. “That goes for you, as well, son."
"We'll be making decisions together. Right, Roz?"
Reassured, her parents moved away. Skelly noticed Rip taking Claudia's arm and her smiling in return.
"I can't believe you kept this from me," Aileen said, enveloping them both in a big hug and yards of colorful material that reflected her shining personality. “My brother...married!...I can hardly take it in."
"You won't be long behind," Roz assured her.
"Me?" Aileen laughed. “No man would have me."
"A special man would," Skelly assured her. “It's Moira's legacy."
At last he faced his father. Always his nemesis.
"So, you're to change your ways, are you?" Raymond asked, his expression serious.
"I love Roz more than anything, Dad. Whether or not you approve.“
His father held up his hand. “This is your finest hour, boyo. Don't spoil it.” He looked to Roz. ”If he lets you down, he'll be hearing from me."
"He won't. He couldn't," Roz said with such surety that Skelly's already overflowing heart filled with even more love.
Raymond cleared his throat. “Now, about your wedding present..."
"You eased the way for my grandmother to remain free while the legal system slowly grinds away," Roz said. ”That was the best present anyone could give me."
His father had surprised him, too, Skelly thought, remembering the call when he was driving back to Chicago. He'd talked about the sexual misconduct rumors – ones aimed at Rogowski rather than Sullivan. Skelly now knew the pervert had never stopped, that the girl named Kim had been his latest victim. She was willing to swear to it at Lily's new hearing, as was Barbara Pohl.
Rogowski was beyond earthly payment for his crimes, but Skelly was certain that he'd already answered to a higher power. And Eddie Turner would soon be judged by his peers for his participation in the attempted murders of three people.
Skelly realized his father was staring at him...almost as if he didn't know his own son.
"What about you, boyo? What is it you'll be wanting?"
That was easy. “I'm of one mind with Keelin. Our family reunited."
"Then you have it. I've already agreed to return to Ireland for the birthday reunion that Keelin's planning. I only hope Rose will be as amenable after what James and I put her through."
Knowing that his cousin and her new husband would stop to see Aunt Rose in South Dakota while on their honeymoon, Skelly asked, “How can anyone refuse Keelin anything?"
"Aye. She's something, that one. A real McKenna...like you."
Winking, his father left them alone and joined the throng gathered around the buffet table.
"Whew!" Skelly kissed Roz lightly. “That went better than I thought."
"He's always loved you."
"He hasn't always been proud of me."
"After the piece on Lily airs, you'll be offered that promotion. He'll have no reason to criticize then."
"Trust me, he can find one." Skelly knew he had to say something more. “Um, Roz, I've been meaning to talk to you about the prime time spot. Assuming I am offered the job, would you be terribly disappointed if I turned it down?"
Her expression didn't change when she asked, “You'd rather stay with The Whole Story?"
"I'd rather try chasing a dream, for a little while, at least. Maybe a year or so? I have a wonderful idea for a novel. A woman is incarcerated for a murder that she didn't commit, and –"
"This sounds familiar."
"A writer should write what he knows."
"Do I get to read as you create?"
"Only if you don't try to censor me."
She subtly rubbed up against him. “Can I try to influence you, then?"
Skelly grinned. “Anytime, Roz. Anytime." He glanced up, imagining his own grandmother chuckling with satisfaction as she drifted through the clouds. “Thank you, Moira, my dear," he whispered.
And hoped that each and every McKenna grandchild would find an equally wonderful legacy.
The McKenna Legacy
Book 3
Touch Me in The Dark
Patricia Rosemoor
Copyright © 2010 Patricia Pinianski
Touch Me in the Dark was previously
print-published by Harlequin Intrigue
In memory of my late husband,
Edward Majeski
Feeling that justice is all too rare in real life, Patricia Rosemoor drives her characters to seek an equitable resolution, no matter the personal sacrifice. Her fascination with "dangerous love" – combining romance with danger – has led her to write various forms of romantic suspense and paranormal romantic thrillers, bringing a different mix of thrills and chills and romance to each book. She believes strongly in breaking down barriers to write crossover fiction that appeals to a large and varied audience.
The McKenna Legacy
To My Darling Grandchildren,
I leave you my l
ove and more. Within thirty-three days of your thirty-third birthday-enough time to know what you are about-you will have in your grasp a legacy of which your dreams are made. Dreams are not always tangible things, but more often are born in the heart. Act selflessly in another’s behalf, and my legacy will be yours.
Your loving grandmother,
Moira McKenna
P.S. Use any other inheritance from me wisely and only for good, lest you destroy yourself or those you love.
Touch Me In The Dark
Prologue
THE SKY HAD SWIFTLY CHANGED from a luminous pink to a deep copper by the time Oscar Weber arrived at the far back reaches of the refuge. The flat was dotted with a series of holding corrals, most of which hadn't been used in years. One currently confined several of his patients, however.
Alighting from his pickup, he fetched his bag and a bucket of bribery, sweetened grain mash being an effective way of tempting the wild horses to come to him so that he could check them out up close and personal. He hobbled into the occupied corral.
A strange, sad sound moaned through the sharp tortured buttes lining the flat. Gave some people the willies, he knew, but the soughing wind was music to his ears.
As was the excited nickering of the mustangs.
Recovering from a virus that had spread through the small band like wildfire, the seven mares quarantined from the rest of the herd crowded him, ready to let him inspect them in trade for the treat. Few humans could ever get so close. It took a special touch to tame the wildness in the heart of any beast, especially ones who'd already been betrayed by man.
After hitching the gate, Oscar dipped his arthritic hand into the bucket again and again, thrilled as always by the soft noses that pressed his flesh for the sweet. One of the mares bumped him aggressively.
"Hey, Sage, don't be a pig." He moved the bucket slightly so the greedy mare couldn't stick her head inside as she was trying to do. "Leave some for the others," he ordered in a gruff voice.
The McKenna Legacy Trilogy Page 40