Passion's Price

by Gwynne Forster

  Friday finally arrived, and he wanted to fly on his own wings to Frederick, Maryland. “Calm down, man,” he told himself. “Put your feet on the ground and keep them there.” But when he saw her running to meet him with her arms widespread and a smile blooming on her face, he said to hell with propriety, dashed to meet her, brought her to him and nourished himself on the loving she offered.

  “This was the longest week I ever lived,” he said as they walked arm in arm to her car.

  “It couldn’t have been longer than mine, Mike. I’m practically a basket case. Every night, I sleep for an hour, wake up and start waiting for daybreak.”

  “Now it’ll be my turn, ’cause I don’t expect to sleep with you down the hall from me.”

  She giggled, or he thought she did. “If Maggie’s so fond of you, maybe you can bribe her to go to the all-night movie, and I can—”

  “I hope you’re joking. She’d send me straight back to Memphis quicker than you can say Michael Raines. No, sir. I’m staying on Maggie’s good side. How do you think she’ll react if we don’t eat at home tonight?”

  “Oh. I’m sure she’s planned something for you.”

  “I promised to visit Tyra when I came back, and something tells me I was a bit rash in making that promise. What do you say we drive there now? See if she’s home. We don’t have to stay too long, we can eat dinner with Maggie and—”

  “Why not eat dinner with Maggie and then drive over to visit Tyra?” She gave him Tyra’s phone number, and he dialed it on his cell phone. “Hello. May I please speak with Mrs. Whitley?”

  “Just a minute,” a deep male voice said. “I’ll get her.”

  “Hello, Tyra. This is Mike Raines. I promised to visit you and your family on my next trip here to see Darlene. I’m here to keep my word. Darlene suggests we see you this evening after dinner at home with Maggie. If that doesn’t sit well with you—”

  “That will be fine, Mike. I hope you can get here before Andy, our son, goes to bed.”

  He told her that he’d try, hung up and then turned to Darlene. “This is great. By midnight, when we come back home, we’ll be too tired to think about getting busy.”

  She took a sharp turn, glanced toward him and let the Volkswagen speed past seventy. “I hope you know you’re speaking for yourself.”

  He settled back in the soft, leather seat, comfortable and happy. “All right. You bribe Maggie. I’m doing no such thing.”

  “Y’all not gon’ have good weather tomorrow,” Maggie said when they walked into the house. He dropped his bag, hugged Maggie and told her of their plans to visit Tyra.

  “I’m so glad. I think you’ll like Byron. Go on up to your room and put your bags up there.”

  Halfway up the stairs, he called down to Darlene. “What are you wearing this evening?”

  “A long-sleeved red dress. You can come as you are.”

  He got a shower, dried off and lay across the bed. A knock from somewhere in the distance awakened him two hours later. He scrambled into his clothes, rushed down the stairs and joined Darlene and Maggie for dinner in the dining room.

  “I haven’t been sleeping too well,” he explained. “The minute I touched that bed, I was out. Please don’t think I was being deliberately rude.”

  “We don’t,” Darlene said. “I, for one, guessed right.”

  “It wasn’t my business,” Maggie said. “I figured you were tired and you’d come down when you felt like it, though I was getting kinda antsy about my dinner spoiling.” She patted his shoulder. “I hope you got a good rest.”

  “I did. Thank you.” He stopped eating and looked closely at Maggie, a woman who had openly scrutinized him on sight, then accepted him for whatever it was that she saw in him. “You’re not old enough to be my mother,” he told her, “but you’d make me the kind of big sister that I always wanted. I get a good feeling around you.”

  “Those words mean a lot to me, Mike, more than I can tell you.” She looked away from them, and he knew she was trying to maintain her composure. “What time y’all supposed to be at Tyra’s?”

  “About an hour and a quarter from now,” Darlene said. “I hope you don’t mind cleaning the kitchen tonight.”

  “I don’t. Y’all have a good time, and give Andy a hug for me. I declare he is the most loveable little devil.”

  It amazed Darlene that her brother-in-law, Byron, and Mike got on so well—too well, in fact.

  “It must be a relief to be able to discuss your case with someone you trust. My firm pays good money for the services of a good private detective,” Byron said to Darlene.

  She wished Byron had kept his thoughts to himself. The quiet that accompanied her non-response spoke volumes, but she was not about to change her attitude for the sake of pleasant conversation. And as she drove home, Mike commented on it.

  “Byron was embarrassed when you didn’t agree with his comment about working with a detective who you trust. You surprised me, too.”

  “I thought you and I had settled that,” she replied.

  “So did I. But it seems that we haven’t.”

  She did not want to beat a horse to death again. She slowed down and switched to the right lane. “Mike, let’s be clear that we deal with this working-together relationship on a case-by-case basis? Sometimes I will ask you for help, and at other times, I will rely on my own judgment. Incidentally, the questions you suggested I ask produced some telling results. It only confirms my belief that I should drop this case. I haven’t turned in my report to Sam yet, because I wanted you to read it.”

  “Is it in your office?”

  “No. I brought it home. My client’s alibi is his aunt. I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I plan to use those lessons from now on.”

  “You don’t know how happy I am that I could be of some help to you. You don’t need me for much. But I want you to need me. I need that, Darlene.”

  Why didn’t I realize that? It never occurred to me, and all I’ve done is show him that I don’t need him except to satisfy my libido. It’s a lesson I won’t forget, she thought. She saw a big replica of an ice-cream cone on top of a building that she’d passed most of her life. She had never been there before but decided to pull into the parking lot.

  “Are we going in for ice cream?” he asked.

  “If you want to, but I drove in here so I could put my arms around you. Why do you think I don’t need you?” She turned to him, opening her arms as she did so. “I could hardly live through this week without you. You’ve changed my life, and I’m happy. When you’re holding my hand, the stress melts away. I can’t even describe it. I guess I mean that when I’m with you, whether walking side-by-side, in the kitchen, my office or in bed, I’m a whole person. I’m not the clinging-vine type, Mike. But I need you.”

  He tightened his grip on her, bent his head and brushed his lips over her mouth, eyes, nose and cheeks. “You’re precious to me, Darlene. Don’t forget that.”

  She kissed his nose. “I’d better get moving before I get a ticket for making out in public.”

  “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. I’ll show him my badge and get some respect. Did I tell you I’ve been promoted to chief of detectives?”

  “No, you didn’t. Congratulations. We’ll drink to that when we get home. What does the chief do? Does it mean you’ll be exposed to greater danger?”

  “No. If anything, it will be less dangerous. Please don’t worry about that.”

  She didn’t want him to know it, but she did worry. “Here we are,” she said.

  Maggie met them at the door. “How are you two doing? I was on my way up the stairs when I saw your lights. Maybe you better put the car in the garage. According to the news, a storm’s heading this way, and it’s supposed to be a humdinger.”

  Mike held out his hand for the car keys. “I’d say that’s a good idea. What about the windows?”

  “All these windows are storm windows, but we can nail things down tomorrow morning. Go
od night.”

  “Good night,” they said in unison.

  “Darlene, do you have matches, candles and flashlights?”

  “In the pantry.”

  “Why don’t you round those up while I put the car in the garage?”

  When he returned, she gave him a flashlight, took one for herself and left the candles and matches on the dining-room table. “Let’s sit in the living room for a while,” she said. “We have to toast to your promotion.”

  “But only for a minute. I have a feeling that tomorrow will be a difficult day. We’d better get some sleep.” After a glass of Tia Maria, they climbed the steps with Mike’s arms around Darlene’s waist and her head against his shoulder. She told herself that she could do that every night for the rest of her life. “Darlene, do you think you could kiss me without going for broke?”

  “I can try.”

  She raised her arms to him, and, in that second, before he touched her, she committed to him. Her lips trembled when they met his. And as if he sensed that she was totally vulnerable, his hands stroked her body gently, tenderly, while his lips cherished her mouth.

  “Go to bed, baby, while I can still let you go.”

  “You’re spoiling me, Maggie,” Mike said at breakfast the next morning. He leaned against the straight-backed kitchen chair and drank his coffee. “I could eat a breakfast like this twice a day.”

  “Only the first one would be breakfast,” Darlene said, reaching up and tweaking his nose.

  “That’s one thing you two can’t argue ’bout,” Maggie said, “and I bet you’ll try. This weather looks pretty bad. I don’t think you ought to go out in this storm.”

  “I thought I’d make some calls to report back what I’ve found out about Albert Frank.”

  She glared at him. He held his hands up as if to surrender. “You know I’m still a detective, honey. That means I have to report anything that might have some bearing on my case.”

  White heat radiated from Darlene, and she seemed to fume until he thought she’d explode. “How dare you?” she said, her voice trembling and her body shaking.

  The doorbell rang, and neither of them moved, but sat staring at each other. Maggie got up. “Try not to kill each other before I get back.” He couldn’t remember a time in their relationship when Darlene had been so angry at him.

  “I was on my way to Boonsboro and stopped to make sure that Darlene and Maggie were okay,” Clark said. “Looks as if I barely beat the storm. We’d better shore up this place.”

  Mike stood and greeted Clark. “I’ll help you. What can we expect?”

  “Hurricane-strength wind, and it’s heading here with nearly eighty-mile-an-hour winds.”

  After securing the storm windows and doors, the four of them repaired to the basement, where Maggie knitted and the others played pinochle.

  The howling wind grew louder and louder. Through the cracks of light visible from the boarded-up basement window, they could see that the sky had darkened to night. Sounds of metal crashing and objects being tossed about sent chills through all of them. Mike looked at Darlene, her shoulders shivered in fright.

  Suddenly, everything went black and the house shook violently. Mike sprang up, grabbed Darlene, rushed her under the pool table and covered her with his body. “I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered, “no matter what. You’re my only love, everything to me.”

  She had barely breathed, but he felt her relax then and slip her arms around him. “I know you care for me, and I’m not going to be angry with you. I do need you. I’m just frustrated.”

  “It’s all right. We’ll deal with that after the storm passes.”

  Nature’s fury abated as suddenly as it began. Mike pulled himself and Darlene from under the pool table and held her for a few seconds, not caring about the eyes that watched him cherish her.

  “Let’s check out the damage, Clark. I hope it’s only minor.”

  Chapter 6

  Darlene went to the living room, sat down and attempted to collect her thoughts and retrieve her emotional balance. Maggie strolled to the kitchen casually, as if the storm had been just a calm, southern breeze. Darlene didn’t care about what Clark and Mike would discover as they went through the house and searched outside it. Mike had shocked her more than the storm had. He’d showed her in the presence of her family that, if need be, he would protect her with his life. And then, he’d told her that he loved her. She tried to internalize it, to make sense of his feelings and hers.

  “I’ll have someone remove the tree limbs and replace the garage door. That’s about it,” she heard Clark say to Maggie when he and Mike came inside.

  Maggie came into the living room with coffee and cake. “I thought for sure the wind was gonna take the roof off this house. Hmm, y’all sure are quiet.”

  Clark hugged Maggie and Darlene, finished his coffee and cake and stood. “I’d better get on to Boonsboro. It’s been good to see you, Mike.”

  Maggie walked over to where Mike and Darlene sat together and refreshed their coffee cups. “I’ve been thinking ’bout how you’d feel if one of you had gotten hurt or worse during that storm. Life never guarantees you anything. You have a blessing in each other. So cherish it. If you don’t stop arguing about unimportant things, you’ll destroy God’s gift.”

  Darlene loved Maggie, but she did not want a lecture, not on any topic. “I’ve had enough for today, Maggie.”

  Mike took her hand. “Let’s walk outside for a while. Sometimes being in the open air clears the head.” With his arm around her, they walked down the street for nearly half a block, seeing more evidence of nature’s rage.

  “What’s that?” Darlene asked with a sound of terror in her voice.

  “Some kind of… It could be a tornado. I don’t like it. We’d better head back.”

  She had never associated fear with him, but she heard it in his voice. Knowing that he wanted to shield her from harm, she made herself smile as they walked faster and faster. Inside the house, he cradled her in his arms.

  “I love you, Darlene, and I want us to pull together. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what or where. Let’s see if we can build a life together.”

  “I want that, too, Mike.”

  “But?”

  “There aren’t any buts. Promise me you will remember that as long as I practice law with Myrtle and Coppersmith, I’m a lawyer, and I’m required to consult with my partners on certain decisions. That doesn’t mean I won’t need your help sometimes. I will, but let me ask you for it when I need it.”

  “That makes sense.”

  The sun appeared, and with no evidence of another approaching storm, Darlene relaxed. “Now that I’ve completed my report, I’m going to drop it by the office, since it was due yesterday. I suspect Sam is there. Will you come with me? It won’t take more than five minutes.”

  “Thank you for asking. Of course I will.”

  “Well, well,” Sam said when he met them in the hallway. “That was some storm.”

  “Yes, it was. You remember Detective Raines?” The two men shook hands. “I thought I’d drop by and put the report on your desk.”

  She handed it to Sam, but it annoyed her that he began reading it while standing there. “Come on in the office.” She followed Sam, but she held Mike’s hand to let him know that she wanted him with her. “This is what we need, Darlene. I’ve begun to trust your judgment. I’ve defended clients who I suspected were guilty, but not one whose guilt I was certain of.”

  “I’m not going to defend him,” Darlene said, her tone sharp.

  “I agree. I have a case for you that you’ll love.” From her peripheral vision, she saw Mike sit forward. Alert. But whatever he wanted to say, he withheld his comments.

  “What is it about?”

  “A man who walked off the job because of unsafe working conditions. He got fired. The unions are behind him.”

  “That’s for me,” she said. “Thanks, Sam. I’ll see you Monday. The day is half ov
er, and Mike and I have a lot to do.”

  Mike shook hands with Sam Myrtle and left the office with her arm in arm.

  “That case sounds a lot more interesting,” he said. “If I were in your place, I’d consider it a real opportunity.”

  “Isn’t it? I’m so glad it worked out this way. How would you like to visit some of our local wineries? Or, say, do you like antiques? We have some wonderful antique dealers. And Gettysburg is only thirty-three miles from here. What would you like to do?”

  “If you want the truth, I’d love a shaded park bench, a hot dog and a cup of coffee.”

  “I know just the places for both.” He didn’t intervene during her talk with Sam, she mused, but he was there for her, and she didn’t need more.

  After consuming hot dogs and coffee, they sat beneath a shading tree for nearly an hour, holding hands and hardly talking. “This past hour has meant far more to me than any sightseeing,” he told her. “We need moments like this when we’re comfortable with each other, just being together.”

  “Are you going back to Memphis tomorrow without making love to me?” She wanted to bite her tongue, but it was out there, and, with no one else near, she couldn’t claim that it wasn’t she who had said it. His quiet had begun to irritate her, and then he starting laughing. “Let me in on what’s funny, will you?”

  He threw back his head and whooped. “There I was thinking about the peace and contentment of being with you, and damned if you weren’t thinking about sex.”

  “Well, I never wanted it at all till you did your thing. Now I get it in dribbles. What do you want from me? If you teach a rabbit to enjoy lettuce, dammit, he wants lettuce.” Mike shook with laughter until he began to hiccup, stood and fought to get his breath. “Serves you right,” she said, pounding him in the back.

  A passing cyclist stopped. “You all right, buddy?”