Hildy was wide awake by now. She quickly donned her thin, bright red jacket, ready to do as Roger suggested. She had mixed feelings. As much as she wanted to get out of this lodge and find refuge close by, at the same time she was apprehensive about what might be out there. Greg had said they were completely isolated. But she knew with no more food or wood there was no other choice.
Roger tried to reassure her. "This is the only thing we can do."
Hildy nodded and pulled her jacket around her as tightly as she could. Roger's sweater wasn't any warmer. He went into one of the other rooms and returned with two heavy blankets. "Here," he said, handing one to her. "Wrap this around you. It should help for a while."
The snow was coming down pretty hard as they left the lodge in search of help. It wasn't easy to walk without boots, but they kept trudging along looking for a road. They were exhausted and soaked to the skin. Hildy thought at one point that they should turn back, but by this time they had lost all sense of direction. They were tired and hungry, and the penetrating cold was making them sleepy.
Hildy sat down in the snow to rest. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"Hildy! Don't go to sleep!" Roger said, shaking her. "You'll freeze! We have to keep going!"
"I can't, Roger. I'm too cold and tired. And I'm so hungry. I think we're going to die, anyway," she sobbed. "I just have to rest."
He shook her again, but she was determined. "Just for a minute," she begged.
Reluctantly he agreed, and sat down beside her. "Okay, but for just a few minutes."
Drowsiness overtook them so quickly they weren't even aware of it till it was too late. They were sound asleep in the snow. It was fast turning into a blizzard raging around them, and the strong wind tore their blankets away. The lodge was no more than half a mile away, but their visibility was obscured by the snow, and they had been going around in circles.
* * *
Zack had taken off from Paris half an hour before Hildy and Roger left the lodge.
The flight over the Alps was breathtakingly beautiful. The snow covered mountains looked like huge marshmallows, complemented by the white, powder puff clouds. It seemed almost as though they could step out and sink into the soft pillows, like a feather bed covered with a blanket of blue sky.
But the passengers were in no mood to enjoy the scenery. All they could think of was Hildy and Roger. Were they all right? Had Greg murdered them, or had he just left them there to die? They would soon know.
Zack flew the plane as low as he dared so they could spot the lodge more easily. They had been flying for an hour and a half when Jay spotted smoke coming from a chimney. He checked the compass. "Bingo!" he exclaimed. True to his word, he knew exactly where the lodge was.
By this time it was snowing very hard, but the visibility suddenly cleared enough to land. Zack circled the plane several times before attempting to bring it down. He finally managed to set it down beside the lodge. It glided across the snow and stopped in front of the door.
Jay was the first one out of the plane. The snow was up to his knees, but he didn't care as he trudged up to the cabin. He pushed the door open and went inside. The others followed close behind.
They stood and stared. There was no one there, but telltale embers were still burning in the fireplace.
"Well," Zack said, "one thing is sure. Someone was here, but whoever it was isn't here now."
Jay scoured the back rooms. Still no one. He returned to the others. "There are some empty food cartons in a paper bag," he reported, "and the wood bin is empty."
The gendarme spied the coffee pot and picked it up. "It's still warm!" he observed. "They must have tried to find their way out of here."
"They can't have been gone long," Zack said. "The ashes in the fireplace are still smoldering."
Jenny looked frightened. "They must be out there somewhere in this storm. I think we should fly the plane over the area before the storm gets worse. We might see them."
Zack headed for the door. "Let's go," he said. "We're just wasting time here."
They sped back to the plane as fast as they could plow their way through the snow, and were soon airborne, flying low enough so they could easily spot them.
Suddenly Jenny screamed. "There they are! That's Hildy's red jacket! Jay, you were right!"
Jay looked out the window and his heart sank. Are we too late? he wondered. What if I hadn't come back to Paris? Hildy would have died! Or maybe she's already dead! Both she and Roger were so still, lying there.
Jay shook off these horrible thoughts. He had gone back to Paris. They had found her - - hopefully in time. The plane labored its way in fits and starts through the snow to where Hildy and Roger lay unconscious. Another five minutes and the snow would have buried them.
Jay jumped out of the plane and plowed his way over to where Hildy was lying. She looked so peaceful he hated to disturb her. Her sweet, angelic face was turned up toward him and her blond hair lay across the snow. She's even more beautiful than I remember, he thought.
He grabbed hold of her wrist. Her pulse was so faint he barely felt it. "She's still alive!" he shouted. He picked her up and carried her back to the plane. He laid her gently on the floor and put a pillow under her head. "Hildy," he said over and over while he rubbed her hands and tried to bring her to. "I'm so sorry. I should have trusted you. Can you ever forgive me? Come on, honey, wake up!"
Peter and Zack carried Roger to the plane and put him on the floor beside Hildy. Jenny was crying as she looked down at them. Zack stood there, angry and worried. "We'd better get them to a hospital fast," he said. "We don't know how long they've been unconscious, lying in the snow."
There were some warm blankets in the plane. After removing their wet outer garments, Jay put one blanket around Hildy and cradled her in his arms, while Peter wrapped the other one around Roger. Zack pushed the throttle to full power in an effort to get through the deep snow, and they took off, headed back to Paris.
CHAPTER XLII
The hour and a half that it took to fly back to Paris seemed like an eternity. Zack radioed ahead, and paramedics were waiting as soon as they arrived. They wheeled Hildy and Roger on stretchers to the ambulance. Zack and Jay rode with them to the hospital, while Peter, Jenny, and the gendarme followed close behind in the squad car. As soon as they arrived, the attendants rushed Hildy and Roger into the emergency room.
Jenny sat huddled in a corner while Peter tried to comfort her. Jay and Zack stood silently by the window, each with his own thoughts. They both felt they had let Hildy down. If Zack had just listened to his intuition, and Jay had given Hildy a chance to explain, she and Roger wouldn’t be in the emergency room now fighting for their lives.
After what seemed an interminable length of time, the door opened and one of the doctors came out. He looked tense. “The next few hours will be critical,” he told them. “We’re battling hypothermia and possible pneumonia. We’ve given them some antibiotics, and can only hope for the best.” He looked at them all, one by one, scanning their faces. “It’s a good thing you found them when you did,” he said. “If you hadn’t, the lady might have lost the baby.”
Jay stood in shocked silence, not able for a moment to speak. He looked at the doctor, stunned. “The baby?” he asked. “Hildy is pregnant?”
The doctor looked surprised. “Are you her husband?” he asked.
Jay nodded, speechless.
“You didn’t know your wife was pregnant?”
“No,” Jay said. What a shock it must have been when I left her that note! He turned to Zack. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zack was as shocked as Jay. “I didn’t know,” he told him.
Peter was just as surprised. “Did you know?” he asked Jenny.
“Hildy didn’t want you to know,” Jenny told Jay, “and I respected
her wishes. She didn’t want your pity. She wanted your love and trust to bring you back, and you denied her that. So she felt you gave up your right to know.”
“My God! My God!” Jay murmured over and over. Tears came to his eyes. “I’ve been such a fool. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her if she’ll just give me the chance.”
Just then the doors of the emergency room swung open, and they watched as the stretchers were wheeled out. Jay and Zack walked beside Hildy, while Peter and Jenny followed beside Roger.
Jay sat in a chair by Hildy’s bed, holding her hand. He was fighting hard to keep back the tears - tears of relief, tears of remorse. How could I have been so taken in by Greg? he asked himself over and over. He sat there for hours, oblivious of the passing time.
Zack sat over in a corner, waiting and watching for some sign of consciousness from Hildy.
The nurse came in and spoke gently to Jay. “You’ve been here for almost four hours,” she said. “Why don’t you get something to eat in the cafeteria?”
Jay shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”
“Then go down the hall and get yourself some coffee from the machine,” she suggested. “You, too,” she said to Zack. “I’ll stay here till you get back. You need a break.”
They reluctantly agreed and went outside.
They weren’t gone for more than a minute when Hildy stirred. She moaned and opened her eyes.
“Well,” said the nurse with a smile, “you’ve had quite a sleep. Are you ready to join the world again?”
“Where am I?” She tried to sit up but was too weak, and fell back against the pillows. Then she remembered, and became alarmed. “Roger! Where’s Roger?” she demanded. “Is he all right?”
“Oui, Madame,” the nurse assured her. “He regained consciousness a few minutes ago. He is in the next room.”
Hildy blinked, taking in her surroundings. “How did I get here? Am I in a hospital?”
“Oui, Madame. You must rest. You’ve been through quite an ordeal.”
“The baby!” Hildy gasped. “Is the baby all right?”
“Oui, Madame,” she assured her. “The baby is fine.”
Zack was the first to return with a coffee cup in his hand. As he entered the room Hildy and the nurse were talking. He rushed over to her side. “Thank God you’re okay!” was all he could say.
“Zack! How did you get here? How did you find us?”
“You can thank Jay for that,” he told her. “He had a hunch Greg took you to the lodge. He’s been there with him before, so he knew just where it was! If it hadn’t been for him, you and Roger would have died.”
Hildy was having a hard time taking this all in. “Jay? He’s here?”
“He sure is!” Zack replied. “He’s been sitting by your bed and holding your hand for hours just waiting for you to come back to us.”
“You mean he finally believes me?” she asked bitterly. “I don’t want to see him. Please send him away.”
Jay arrived at the door just in time to hear what she said. He went over to the bed. “Hildy,” he said gently, “I understand how you feel. I think asking you to forgive me is a little too much to expect. But now there’s the baby. I have a right to know what happens.”
Hildy turned and looked at him coldly. “You gave up that right when you believed Greg instead of me. Twice!”
“Hildy, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
“And be accused of using that just to get you back? I’ve been falsely accused of enough, thank you! I’m grateful to you for saving Roger and me. Really I am. But I don’t want to see you. Just go back to New York and Greg. Maybe he can tell you more lies about me that you’d like to believe.” Her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears as she turned away from him.
Jay looked defeated. “I guess maybe I deserve that,” he mumbled.
Zack motioned him to one side. “Be patient with her,” he said. “She’s been through a lot and she’s still in shock. She’ll come around.”
“No, I don’t think so. I treated her badly. She can’t forgive me for that, and frankly, neither can I. If I’d given her half a chance this would never have happened. Thank God she’s okay and she didn’t lose the baby.”
Jay left and went into Roger’s room. The gendarme was there making a report on Roger’s account of what happened. Jay walked over to Roger’s bed and held out his hand.
Hildy, in the next room, heard every word that was said, but it had no effect on her. She had been too deeply hurt. She felt numb.
“I’m glad to meet you, Roger,” she heard Jay say. “I’m Jay Stuart. I’m sorry you had to go through all this, but I know now what Greg did. I’ll continue to produce your musical. We’ll have to wait to put your name on it until you and Hildy have a chance to bring your suit against him in court. We can’t let him know what you’re up to. He might try again to kill you. But don’t worry. The opening won’t take place until the time is right. Then the name of ‘Sunny Days’ will be changed back to ‘The Happy Heart,’ and your name will be on it. Peter, I’m going back to the hotel. Hildy is awake, but she doesn’t want to see me. Let me know if there’s any change in her condition. I’ll stay in Paris until I know she’s out of danger.”
Hildy heard him leave the room and walk down the corridor. The ring from the elevator floated into her ears, haunting her. She shook it off.
She was sitting up in bed sipping some water when Jenny and Peter rushed into her room.
With tears in her eyes, Jenny threw her arms around her. “We were so worried,” she sobbed. “What happened? As though I couldn’t guess! If it hadn’t been for Jay we would never have found you!”
Hildy stiffened at Jenny’s words. “I’m grateful,” she said, “but that doesn’t excuse him for believing Greg, not me. Twice! I wish I could forget that, but I can’t.”
“Hildy,” Peter interrupted, “he blames himself for this whole thing. He’s sorry he didn’t listen to you. Don’t you think you’re being a little hard on him?”
“Maybe,” she answered. “But don’t you think he was more than a little hard on me?”
Zack sat down on the chair next to the bed and took her hand in his. “Hildy, you don’t know the whole story.” He proceeded to tell her what happened. “Hildy, Jay didn’t believe Greg until he showed him a copy of ‘La Fleur Rouge’ with his logo on it. Greg claimed it was in his files in Boston under the name of ‘The Red Flower.’ And Jay still had doubts until Greg told him you were the same person who claimed to write ‘The Pepper Pot.’ That cinched it. He felt you hadn’t been honest with him, keeping your true identity from him. Put yourself in his shoes. He thought Greg had shown him proof positive that what he was saying was true. But then he saw your name and Roger’s under those labels.”
Hildy sounded bitter. “What a waste of time! And what a chance he took with our marriage! I can’t believe it took all that to make him believe me! All this could have been avoided if he’d just trusted me. I’m his wife. Or at least, I was!” she snorted.
“You still are,” Zack said. “He couldn’t bring himself to get the annulment.”
Hildy was in no mood to listen.
Peter changed the subject. “I’m concerned about what Greg did with my gun.”
“He kidnapped us at gunpoint,” Hildy told him. “It must have been your gun that he used.”
“That’s a serious offense,” Zack said. “Stealing a firearm is bad enough, but using it to kidnap - “ he shook his head - “that’s even worse. He’s not only a plagiarist and an attempted murderer, but a kidnapper and a thief as well.” He rose to his feet and headed toward Roger’s room. “Hildy, one of the French police is here and wants to see you. He needs a full report on what happened. I told him I’d let him know when you felt up to it. He’s already t
alked with Roger.”
Hildy nodded consent.
Zack motioned to the gendarme, who entered the room with a pad of paper and a pen in his hands.
“What more can I tell you?” Hildy asked him.
“I need to hear your version of what happened,” the gendarme told her. “Monsieur Fielding tells me he was unconscious until after Monsieur Wilcox left, so he didn’t see him. Tell me in your own words exactly how you ended up in that lodge in the Alps, s’il vous plait.”
Hildy was apologetic as she looked at Zack. “I thought it was safe to go out alone as long as Greg was in New York. I should have known better.” She told the gendarme in graphic detail everything that happened. “Greg insisted he had to kidnap us. He said it was the only way to keep us from ruining his reputation. He bragged about planting that bomb on my plane. He said he was sorry it didn’t work, and I wasn’t dead.”
The gendarme finished scribbling his notes, and handed the pad of paper to Hildy. “Sign this written statement, s’il vous plait. I will file the report here, and you may take a copy back with you to the United States.”
Hildy thanked him and handed him the signed document.
“If there is any question,” he told her, “have them contact us from the States and we will corroborate the report.” He turned to Peter. “Monsieur, you said something about a briefcase? A script and a gun that were stolen from it? I understand the script was returned, but the gun is still missing?”
Peter nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”
“When you return to the States, have the police check for fingerprints on the case, the bottle of Scotch, and the script, s’il vous plait. I am sure they have a record of Monsieur Wilcox’s prints back there. If they’re found on any of these, that will be proof.”
“I certainly will!” Peter told the gendarme. “Thank you for your help!”
The gendarme nodded and left.
“We’d better let Hildy get some rest,” Zack said as he prepared to leave.
La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower Page 21