Dream Runner

by Gail McFarland

  Rissa pressed a hand to her lips and wished she had never said anything.

  Denial weighted Marlea’s voice. “Where did you hear such a preposterous thing?”

  “I spoke out of turn…” If Helen wasn’t addicted to those damned soaps, I never would have seen anything, then I never would have had anything to tell, and…and Daddy always did say, ‘if IF was a fifth, we would all be drunk.”

  “You’re a lawyer. You would know, wouldn’t you?”

  Rissa’s clear eyes and intelligent face said what her lips could not.

  “Why?”

  “I spoke out of turn.”

  Marlea reached across the space between them and gripped Rissa’s wrist. “You can’t stop now. Why? You have to tell me; why was he arrested?”

  “Damn, girl. You’ve got a mean grip on you.” Rissa pulled her wrist free and took a deep breath.

  Marlea grabbed again. “Oh, no. There’s no way you’re going to have a crisis of conscience now. You’ve told me he was arrested, now you need to finish. Why was he arrested?”

  How much to tell? Rissa’s eyes darted to the window, then back to Marlea. “He was arrested for a hit-and-run accident. Yours.”

  “Mine?” Marlea’s golden skin faded, leaving her face an ashen gray. “His was the car that hit me? Then he brought me here?” Fast tears filled her eyes. “He lied to me? The doctor who took off two of my toes and ended my running career lied to me?”

  “I don’t think he saw it that way.”

  “That’s mighty damned big of you.” Marlea’s eyes went back to the window. Two fat tears fell, staining her white shirt. Outside, the sun was lower in the sky, still shining, but it meant nothing to her. “How do you think he saw it? Make this good, ’cause it’s going to have to last me a lifetime!”

  Nobody’s ever rendered me speechless before, Rissa marveled, wishing she could say something to erase the horror on Marlea’s face. She didn’t have the words, and settled for stammering, “I don’t know what to say.”

  “At least you’re honest.” Marlea’s head drooped. Rissa pushed her feet back into her shoes and used the silence to escape.

  Fleeing, Rissa rushed past a pair of nurses in matching blue and lavender paisley print uniforms. One of them said something, but Rissa was too busy digging through her Prada bag. Coming to an emergency exit, she plunged through the door and darted down the stairs.

  Practically running, she ignored the metal handrails when she found her phone. Dreading the call but knowing she had to make it, she hit the speed dial. She was rewarded with the slim phone’s burring ring. “AJ,” she whispered furtively when he answered her urgent call. “Where are you?”

  “Grocery store,” he said, hefting the last of the bags into the jeep. “Why? What’s going on? And why are you whispering?”

  Rissa’s heels clattered on the metal stairs, as she passed the second floor. “Don’t fuss, but I’m at Grady. You’d better get down here quick, big brother, ’cause I’ve thrown both our asses into the fire! I didn’t know that she didn’t know. You didn’t tell me.”

  “Okay, this doesn’t sound good.” AJ climbed into the driver’s seat and pressed his hand over one ear, trying to hear better. “What didn’t I tell you? And what did you do?”

  Rissa swallowed hard. “I told Marlea about the doctor getting arrested.”

  “You told her what? You don’t even know her! You had no right…you…you…”

  Pushing through the door on the first floor, Rissa stopped in the middle of the marble-tiled lobby. She pulled the phone from her ear, glared at it, then slammed it back to her ear. “Don’t you holler at me, AJ. What do you mean, I shouldn’t have told her? You shouldn’t have told me. You know I can’t keep a secret.”

  On his end, AJ shook his head. It was true. Rissa’s mouth couldn’t hold water.

  So how do I fix this? he wondered, making the wide U-turn out of the parking lot and onto Cascade. Thinking hard, he tried several ways of turning the subject to his advantage and came up with nothing by the time he piloted his car down Butler Street and made the turn into Grady’s parking deck.

  Chapter 17

  Belted into the jeep’s passenger seat, Marlea sat stock-still and tried to think grateful thoughts. As Libby said last night; Yes, the doctor lied. And yes, a lie by omission is still a lie, but you’re going to have good care and good company—even if his sister IS the nosiest creature on two legs. He promised to take care of you, and he will do right by you. For some strange reason, Libby had faith in AJ. You said yourself, AJ and his sister are not to blame for anything, didn’t you? Yes, she had. So be thankful and get well.

  Solid long-distance counsel.

  They drove past a McDonald’s, a Wendy’s, a couple of banks, and a few other stores, and Marlea’s misgivings lingered. AJ crossed an unfamiliar intersection, and the street narrowed, becoming two lanes, and she felt no better. Five minutes later, AJ made one turn, then another, finally pulling to a stop in front of a massive wrought-iron gate.

  “Where are we?” Marlea asked, half afraid of the answer.

  “Home,” AJ told her.

  He lives behind these big gates? She lifted her sunglasses to see better, and it didn’t help. She folded the shades and dropped them into her pocket. Are these gates here to keep something in or something out? Like maybe, the police? She watched him punch numbers into an electronic keypad and waited as the gates swung wide. Oh, Lord, don’t tell me, this man is a drug dealer! A drug dealer who practices physical therapy on the side? She cut her eyes to the side. AJ drove through the gate, oblivious to her inspection. He looks harmless enough. Just wait and see, she cautioned herself.

  AJ steered the jeep along a twisting, tree-lined cobblestone path. Marlea leaned forward a little, trying to see better. She was able to pick out several houses sitting back from the road and ringing the stone drive. She squinted, picking out little details. One of the houses was high-walled and turreted like a castle, or at least that was what it looked like from where she was sitting. Another sprawled along a high ridge marked by a natural break of pine and spruce.

  This is a compound, Marlea noted, awed and wondering what just one of these places might go for. That’s at least five million dollars worth of house, she guessed, as AJ steered the jeep along the curving drive toward what looked like a mansion anchoring the circle of houses. Touching a remote in the center of the jeep’s sun visor, he cued a second gate that opened as he followed the rising driveway onto his property.

  Did I say five million? Marlea tried not to gape. That was before I saw the rest of it! If this brother is dealing drugs, this is a hell of an investment!

  “Well, this is it.” AJ looked at her, slapped his thighs, and climbed out of the jeep.

  From the front seat of the jeep, Marlea looked out at what she imagined must be a garage. A garage with eight doors? Even with his sister and the housekeeper in residence, who needs eight cars? A basketball court and a swimming pool were visible in the distance.

  Marlea bit the inside of her lip and waited. Give him a chance, that was what Libby said. Now that I’m here, what else can I do? From the rearview mirror, she could see him pulling her bags from the back of the jeep. AJ had already told her that Rissa and the housekeeper, Mrs. Baldwin, had gone to Marietta and brought down the rest of the things she would need for her stay. So here I am.

  Leaning hard, she shoved open the door of the jeep and managed to climb down. Not fully sure of what the front of the house looked like, she took a good look at the side. Brick and tuck-pointed mortar had never been done so perfectly. Cozy ivy climbed the narrow white banister bordering a small stone porch. Neatly flanked by manicured shrubbery, the side entrance to his house looked harmless enough.

  The door to the house had lead-paned windows that offered a view into what looked like the kitchen, but it was the breezeway that connected the house to a smaller building that intrigued her. The small building was constructed mostly of glass. High doors, glass ce
iling, and walls. She tipped her head and squinted. Plants inside, some tools, long tables, and stacks of assorted red clay pots answered her question. It was a greenhouse. Oh, Lord, he grows the stuff here!

  “My grandmother stayed here a while. She loved gardening. Rissa uses it now. She says it’s her therapy.”

  “Oh,” Marlea breathed, her pulse slowing.

  “Here, you might need this. For a little while, anyway.” Holding one bag under his arm and another in his hand, AJ offered the cane she had deliberately left in a corner of her hospital room.

  “I don’t…why would I need that?”

  “The house is new to you, new surfaces underfoot.” He shrugged. “Just until you get used to it.”

  She took the cane, then looked down at the arm he offered.

  “Allow me to escort you into my home?” She took his arm and walked with him up the curved ramp and through the side door.

  “You made it!” Rissa bounced down the stairs and planted herself solidly in front of Marlea and AJ.

  “Yeah,” a man’s voice said from behind the door.

  “Come out from back there, Dench. You’re scaring her.”

  “Me?” The tall, barrel-chested man stepped out, frowning. “I’m not the one zooming down the stairs like…”

  “Never mind all that. Meet Marlea.” Her tone was almost as suggestive as her expression when Rissa reached for Marlea’s free hand. “Marlea Kellogg, meet Dennis Charles Traylor. Dench, to his friends. Now that you’re here, you can call him Dench, too.”

  Marlea opened her mouth to respond, but Rissa had taken charge and was moving her away from the men and down the main corridor of the house. “AJ and Dench will bring the rest of your stuff later. Dench went up to Marietta with me to collect your stuff. How did you ever find that cute little townhouse? I can see why you miss it, but you’re going to like it here. Smell that? Mrs. Baldwin made a special lunch for you. Girl, wait ‘til you taste her cooking. Fabulous, that’s all I can say.”

  How does she manage to talk so much? When does she breathe? Oh, I forgot, she’s a lawyer. It must be a job-related skill. Marlea listened and kept walking.

  Rissa stopped outside a set of double-hung mahogany doors and grinned. “This is the library, and I love showing this off.” Flinging the doors open, she stepped into the room and turned in a small circle. “Don’t you love it? Floor to ceiling books, and AJ everywhere you look.”

  The library was a small gem of a room. Set in a corner of the house, high-polished green marble sparkled underfoot, and recessed lighting blended softly with the light from wide windows cornering the room. Dark mahogany shelves housed leather-bound books. Marlea couldn’t help herself. She leaned on the cane and reached out to touch the handsome volumes. Books by Chaucer, Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, and a host of other authors were discreetly lined up like literary soldiers. Two rows down, she found a mix of paper and hardback romance novels. “Eclectic taste. Does he actually read these?”

  Rissa flipped her hand. “He reads the literary stuff; I read the romance. It gets me away from the day to day. You ever read any?” Marlea shook her head and giggled. “You don’t seem the type, but if the notion ever strikes you, they’re here.”

  “Maybe…” Marlea hoped she sounded polite.

  Rissa kept moving. “There’s a couple of things I love about this room. The furniture is great.” She brushed a languid hand across the backs of a pair of sand-colored leather chairs. “You can have music if you like.” Rissa touched a panel in the wall and soft music filled the room. “The mate to this room is at the other end of the house. AJ uses it as an office, but if you need to handle business in here, you can always use one of these desks.” She went to the wall, between the windows and pressed a decorative latch. The desk folded out from the wall complete with a computer docking station. Marlea squeaked in surprise.

  “But,” Rissa pressed her hands together, obviously pleased, “my most favorite part of this room has got to be this wall.” She walked toward the doors they had come through, and Marlea saw the photos—hundreds of them.

  So the doctor didn’t lie about everything. And here was the proof, a wall of AJ in his uniforms from peewee leagues to pros. “He really is a football player.” Then it dawned on her. “Oh, is he that AJ Yarborough? The one they call ‘the nicest man in football?’” And not a drug dealer. “Well, there are certainly enough pictures of him.”

  “Don’t take it so hard. They weren’t AJ’s idea, but Mom and I think they’re sweet,” Rissa volunteered.

  “I told you this is where she would bring her,” AJ muttered.

  “Yeah, that’s what you said, man. But I thought for sure she would take her to the kitchen.” Dench said.

  “And pass up the opportunity to embarrass me? Don’t be silly.”

  “Well, I just thought,” Dench passed a big hand over his belly. “Lunch is ready and all.”

  “I hope you’re not too bored,” AJ said, turning to Marlea. “Our mother has been taking these shots for a long time. She kept them, no matter what anybody else said. Then when I built this place, she insisted I put them up, and she wanted them all together, so they’re in here. When I retired, she added more.”

  Leaning on her cane, Marlea took a closer look and smiled. “You’re cute…I mean, as a kid…you were cute.”

  “How about now?” Rissa’s smile was knowing.

  AJ ignored his sister. “She took a lot of them with her very own little Brownie Starfire. It’s a box camera that Kodak used to make. It uses flashbulbs, can you believe it? And she loves it. It’s something she had as a child.”

  “And it still works,” Rissa added. “Mom has promised that she’s gonna use that camera to take pictures of her grandkids.” She nudged AJ. “One of us better hurry up. You know that camera is real old.”

  Embarrassed, AJ took Marlea’s elbow and steered her toward the door. “Please ignore my sister. She was dropped on her head as an infant.”

  “But he loves me, ’cause I’m special.” Rissa blew her brother a kiss. “Come on, Marlea, I’ll help you get settled in.”

  “Then lunch,” Dench said, making it plain what was on his mind.

  “Ten minutes, sweetie.”

  “That means at least an hour,” Dench mumbled, following AJ. “Think Mrs. Baldwin will let us start without them?”

  “You know, I can wait to do this,” Marlea offered.

  “Honey, please.” Rissa fanned a hand at the departing men. “Does Dench look like he’s missed any meals lately? They’ll be fine, I promise. Let’s get you settled.”

  Leading the way along the broad parquet-floored corridor and talking nonstop, Rissa finally pushed open a second set of mahogany doors. “What do you think?”

  “I think this is bigger than my first apartment.” Marlea stood in the doorway, leaning on her cane. She looked at Rissa and wondered, half hoped, that this was the person with the fine eye for decoration. No way a man did this; it’s just too pretty. The shining textures of taffeta and silk caught her eye and her imagination. Done in cool shades of blue and green with flashes of yellow and mauve, the small sitting room had a welcoming aura. “This is lovely.”

  Crossing the hardwood floor, Marlea admired the oriental rugs. To her mostly uneducated eyes, they looked like antiques, their colors warmed and muted by time. Walking further into the room and pausing at the first doorway she came to, she discovered a bedroom and looked back at her hostess with wonder etched on her face. “I’m going to feel like a princess in here.”

  “A four-poster bed with a canopy will do that to a girl, won’t it?” Rissa preened, glad she had chosen it. “The bathroom is over here.”

  Marlea followed her pointing finger. Stark-white porcelain and swan-shaped brass fixtures were complimented by towels and curtains done in blues, greens, and teals reminiscent of the sitting room. “This is gorgeous. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate…”

 
; “No, girl. I appreciate the smile you put on my brother’s face. AJ only smiles like this when he’s excited about a project or…Oh! Not that he thinks you’re a project or anything. It’s just…” Rissa stopped and twisted her lips. “Something about you always has me putting my foot in my mouth. What is it?”

  “Rissa, I have the feeling that that is a trick you manage all by yourself.”

  “Anyway, let me show you where we started putting your things.”

  Moving to one of the walls, Rissa laid her palm against an almost invisible panel. Marlea gasped as the wall rolled back to reveal a dressing room. Touching another hidden switch, Rissa bathed the room in light. Marlea hoped that she didn’t seem like too much of a bumpkin amid the obvious luxury.

  “I didn’t know if you’d want dresses or skirts, so I only brought a few of each.”

  Marlea smiled, not wanting to say that she only owned a few. “I mostly wear the running stuff, anyway.” Open drawers in the chest that stood in the middle of the room revealed stacks of tee shirts and running shorts. Aware of Rissa’s eyes on her, Marlea moved to close the drawers.

  “Your shoes are over there.” Rissa pointed out a wall of shoe racks. Six pairs of Nike, New Balance and Reebok shoes waited. “I’m not sure how they’ll fit, but AJ said you had an appointment with a ped…” she moved her hands and shrugged. “He said you had an appointment with a man to make some shoes, so I just thought that in the meantime…”

  She didn’t bring any pumps, Marlea thought miserably. “Thanks, but…Thank you for doing this for me.” She closed another drawer.

  “Well, that’s all there is to see in here.” Rissa stepped back into the bedroom. “Oh, hey, are you tired?” She grabbed Marlea’s arm and steered her toward the bed. “Sit.”

  “Dang, Rissa, I’m not a puppy.”

  “Right. Let me try that again.”

  “No need,” Marlea’s raised hand backed the other woman off.

  “It’s easy to see why you and AJ get along.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a fair statement.”