by M. E. Logan
“Stay in the house, don’t even try the doors,” Diana ordered as she headed for the living room, the library. Margaret disappeared into the pantry. They met downstairs in the communications room, the computer up and running, phones ringing.
“She reported a mayday,” the voice came over the speaker phone when Diana picked it up. “Over international waters.”
Margaret took the other phone, while Diana sat down at the computer. She was still aware enough to initiate house security. She glanced at the monitor showing Jessie and Julie picking up chairs, talking to each other. Then she dismissed them from her thoughts.
“Any idea what happened?” she asked as she went through security to access links.
“Negative.”
“They get off on schedule?”
“Package was picked up with little difficulty. Takeoff on time.”
“Anything unusual?”
“Helen dismissed the crew.”
“She what?”
“Dismissed the crew.”
“What the hell…”
With some trial and effort they managed to make links to find out what was going on, but even the links didn’t tell them anything.
“Should they be close enough to anywhere to make a landing?” Diana muttered. She pulled up maps of where the flight plan took them.
“Lots of open water,” Margaret reported. She put on headphones and started searching. “Cruise ships should be in vicinity. They might see something.” She listened. “Something’s going on, lots of chatter.”
Flight plans. Checkpoints. Diana went through the list, her gut instinct doing a fire dance. Weather was clear, no storms. No conflicting flight plans. No one scrambled. What would have prompted a mayday? Mechanical? Helen was a good pilot, she would manage. The ground crew was dependable.
“Lost them,” reported the voice over the phone. “Diana, what happened?”
“Don’t know, how the hell should I know?” Diana muttered. “I’m not there. I’m stuck here. Damn it, Helen, what did you go and do?”
Margaret looked at her. “Do you think she did something?”
“She wasn’t any fan of his, but—”
“Getting something.”
Hours passed before they were through sifting through reports, listening in on radio communications. Diana was still in some area of numbness that something could change so quickly, and she was conscious of Margaret covertly watching her.
“Diana, stop,” Margaret said finally. “Going over it and over it isn’t going to change the outcome.”
“There’s got to be a reason.”
“I don’t think you’re going to find it in those reports.”
Diana stopped, rested her head on her bent arm. “Damn, what the hell happened?”
“We need to go back upstairs,” Margaret suggested.
***
Diana hardly noticed that Julie had cooked dinner. She was still so lost in the problem that she hardly ate. She ignored everyone, everything, her tunnel vision kicking in as she searched for an answer. Margaret accepted this, Jessie watched. Julie, only conscious of discomfort, tried once or twice to make conversation, first with Margaret then with Jessie.
“I’m sorry,” Diana said as she got up to leave the table. “I know it’s rude. It’s not your fault, and it’s nothing you’ve done. It’ll be better tomorrow. Please just overlook my rudeness tonight.” She moved her chair back under the table. “Excuse me, there’re still things I need to take care of.”
Things to take care of, she thought as she went back downstairs. Like talk to papa.
***
By the time she came back upstairs, the house was quiet. Margaret was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for her. When Diana entered, Margaret immediately got up and poured hot tea for her. She didn’t ask anything, just put the mug down for Diana and pulled out the chair. Diana sank into the chair, buried her face in her hands, as Margaret moved in behind her to massage her shoulders, her neck.
“Was it bad, sweet pea?”
“Wasn’t good.” Even worse was his mildness, she thought but couldn’t say. Years past, his rage, his sarcasm would have reached through the phone for her, making her relieved she was miles away. Papa’s rages had been notorious and now they were gone. She took it as yet another sign her papa was failing, a thought as depressing as anything else that had happened.
“Did he blame you?” Margaret asked with all the wariness of a protective mama.
Diana sighed. “Actually, no. In fact, he asked if it could have been sabotage. That was something I hadn’t even considered.”
“Sabotage? Why sabotage?”
I can think of lots of reasons, Diana thought but she shook her head. If anyone suspects about papa’s health, that would stir things up. Damn I hate being stuck here. She sank down, her head on her folded arms. “Rub right in the middle, between the shoulder blades. Ahhh, right there.” She sighed. “How’s our company?”
“Quiet. Julie’s a little spooked. She doesn’t like these strong emotions. Or she’s afraid of you. They’re watching a movie.”
“I’ll try to be nice to her the next couple of days. Can’t have her afraid of me. Don’t know how long we’ll be here.” She moved for Margaret to rub different muscles.
“This waiting is bad.”
“May get worse.” She sat up. “Ohh, that felt good.” She arched her back, stretching stiff muscles. “Why don’t you go to bed, Margaret. Maybe I can find out more tomorrow.”
“Is that just a cover to say you want to be alone and brood?”
Diana laughed. “Can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
Margaret brushed back Diana’s hair. “Never.” The bodyguard sighed. “These two. What’s with them?”
“Cold storage for a while. Once I figure out what I’m going to do, then I’ll know what to do with them.”
“No harm?”
“What do you think?”
“Over your dead body.”
“Well, I sure hope it doesn’t come to that.” She got to her feet. “Do we have a cake? Cookies? Something sweet.”
“In the pantry. I think Julie cooks for therapy. She baked a cake this afternoon.”
“That was accommodating of her.” She went into the pantry, pulled out the cake. She came out for the plate and knife.
“What are you going to do?” Margaret asked.
“Nothing I can do. The original timetable is royally screwed. I’m stuck here instead of running around getting things done. Can’t meet anyone. No face-to-face, this video conferencing just doesn’t cut it. But we’ll just have to go on the way we planned. I don’t know what else to do.”
She lifted the cake. “Not bad. I’ll need to mention it to her in the morning.”
“The cop,” Margaret said slowly. “She going to be a problem, sweet pea?”
Diana hesitated, started to say no and then shrugged. “I don’t know. Today’s probably not the day to ask. She’s a cop first.”
“But you’re still in—”
“Leave it,” Diana cut in, not sharply, just wearily. “Like I said, today’s not the day.” She finished the slice of cake and put the plate in the dishwasher. “I told you a long time ago not to bring that up again.”
Margaret shook her head, but she said nothing.
Diana stood at the sink a minute, staring at nothing. “Go to bed, Margaret. Let me brood. That’s what I came here for.”
She listened until Margaret went up the stairs and away. When she was alone, she could bury her face in her hands, wanting to weep but not ready to let go. Then aimlessly, she walked through the house, past the closed library door. The movie was still on, she could hear it faintly. She went to the bar and fixed a drink. She needed to be alone, and there was no place to be really alone. She went out the deck door, into the darkness.
Chapter Nineteen
Jessie woke up early, lay there staring at the ceiling in the morning light. Julie was still asleep beside her, curled up
on her side, wrapped up in the blanket, just like she always had. Jessie had forgotten how she always hogged the blankets. It had been over a year since they had slept together—well, mostly. There were the occasions when they tried at reconciliation. It wasn’t that they didn’t like each other, didn’t even sometimes love each other. It was just that Jessie had the choice between being a cop and loving Julie, and she chose being a cop.
It was a quandary that had led to many sleepless nights, days of turmoil. Being a cop was part of her identity. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Being a cop was a link with her past, it was her justification for living. Julie couldn’t understand. She thought Jessie should be able to change. There had been no way Jessie could explain it to her. And now, after all the dust had settled, after they had finally found ground where they could meet, could talk, could deal with each other again, this had happened.
Such a contrast between Diana and Julie, and yet she had loved them both. She blinked at that realization. She and Diana had never talked about love. Diana always insisted on the here and now. Clearly Jessie was just someone to fill the time until whoever Diana really wanted was available. Until Diana was gone, Jessie never even thought about whether she loved her. Then when time went by and it was clear she wasn’t coming back, Jessie began to realize she missed Diana. That passionate willful self-confident woman who would simply appear in town and sweep Jessie off her feet. She always had such great timing, never frequently enough to disrupt Jessie’s life and never so long between that Jessie felt like she wasn’t coming back. Until she didn’t.
Jessie folded her arms up and over her head. All the times and ways she had ever wondered if she would run into Diana again, this was not the way. Whatever had she missed all those days with Diana? Surely there was something. And now, she knew what she had to do. She just wasn’t sure how much she wanted to do it. And there was the small matter of how.
“What are you thinking?” Julie asked.
Jessie turned toward her. She hadn’t even felt Julie wake up and turn over. “I think,” she said with slow consideration, “today might be a good day for you to ask Diana about her papa.”
“Oh, really?” Julie got out of bed. “After her rudeness last night? She’s more likely to bite my head off.” She went into the bathroom, leaving Jessie to think some more.
“No, I think she’ll be conciliatory,” Jessie said when Julie came out.
“You sure about that?” Julie’s tone was one of disbelief.
“Yes. She really doesn’t want you to be scared of her.”
“She told you this?”
Jessie got out of bed. “No, I overheard it. She came upstairs when I was in the john. I decided it wasn’t a good time to come out, so I waited. She and Margaret were talking in the kitchen.”
“Wondered what took you so long. Began to think you fell in. Almost came looking for you.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t. Ever notice how women like to talk in the kitchen?”
“I’ve noticed.”
“They talked for quite a while. Then Margaret finally went to bed. Diana went out on the deck. I didn’t get the idea she had a good day. Something happened to Waldo’s plane.”
“What?”
Jessie shook her head. “They didn’t say, but she’s real upset. I guess it was something bad.”
“Hmm.” Julie thought about it. “Maybe Margaret will say something.”
“Margaret doesn’t strike me as the type to talk much.”
“Margaret thinks Diana walks on water, would do anything for her. The only time her face comes alive is when she talks about Diana.” She cocked her head and looked at Jessie. “Did you do something to hurt Diana?”
“Me? Not hardly,” Jessie answered in bewilderment. More like she hurt me.
Julie shook her head in puzzlement. “Can’t figure out why she doesn’t like you.”
“Cops sometimes get that reaction,” Jessie pointed out. “After all, if I can, I’m the one who’s going to arrest and take them to jail.”
Julie shook her head. “I don’t know. It seems to me that would come with the territory. Margaret seems like too much of a realist to hold that against you. No, I think there’s something else.”
***
Diana was the last one up again and she looked like she had a bad night. Jessie noted the concern on Margaret’s face as she handed Diana her morning coffee, which made her wonder about their relationship. Diana had mentioned Margaret had changed her diapers, had been her nanny. That didn’t seem like what was expected of a bodyguard.
“Good morning,” Diana greeted them as she sat down at the table. “I had some of your cake last night, Julie. It was very good.”
Julie gave an uneasy laugh, glancing at Jessie. Jessie smiled encouragingly. “Thank you.”
“Julie bakes when she’s upset,” Jessie supplied.
“Oh.” Diana nodded. “Well, I’m sorry you were upset, but I can’t complain about the cake.” She sipped her coffee. “You know, Waldo was being transported yesterday.”
Jessie tensed but managed to stay leaned back in her chair. However Diana explained it, it would be telling. She nodded.
“Something happened. I still don’t know what, may never know, but anyway, the plane went down. No survivors.”
“Search parties?” Jessie asked casually. She wondered where they had been heading.
“It was over international waters,” Diana said. “I don’t expect anything will be found.”
“Should I say we’re sorry?”
Diana looked up at her with some of her old cynical amusement. “Not if you want to be believed. Waldo is no great loss to anyone, and I imagine many people will sleep easier.” She frowned and her face held more than a trace of sadness. “But the pilot was an old friend of mine.”
“We’re sorry to hear that part,” Julie said with compassion. “It’s always a shock when something like that happens unexpectedly.”
“Any idea of the cause?” Jessie asked, not looking at Diana directly. She didn’t miss the dirty look Julie gave her.
“No. We may never know.”
The shock had worn off Diana, that was what made her rude the night before, Jessie realized. Why hadn’t she recognized it? Now Diana was getting her footing again and an opportunity had passed. “So what now?” she mused without realizing she had said it aloud.
Diana looked at her, evidently taking it as a question directed at her. “We wait.”
Jessie tilted her head. She hadn’t expected an answer. “For?”
Diana shrugged and got up. Jessie took it that the conversation was over. Diana went and said something to Margaret and then she disappeared downstairs.
Margaret cleared the table. “You ask too many questions,” she said flatly, looking at Jessie.
Jessie drank her coffee and decided Julie was right: Margaret didn’t like her.
She thought about it as she wandered around the house. If Margaret had always been there, then she had to know about Jessie and Diana’s relationship. She hadn’t been along—at least Jessie had never seen her and she didn’t think she had been that blind. So Diana had been off by herself when she came to Lexington. Business? Or just pleasure? She never knew when Diana came into town, she usually knew only when Diana left. And she was always alone. Rented cars. She never had any idea where Diana had come from or where she was going. She had said business trips brought her into the area and Jessie hadn’t questioned. Damn, she was stupid. Or trusting. Maybe a mixture.
She went down to the exercise room. She needed to start moving again or she’d stiffen up too much. And she always did her best thinking when she ran. She just had too many questions. They were in a safe house, there were communications. They would be released, unhurt. What was Diana waiting on?
She wasn’t physically ready for a run, she discovered almost immediately. She slowed it down to a walk, had been walking about fifteen minutes, when Diana came in.
Diana stopped at t
he door when she saw Jessie and then came in. Ignoring Jessie, she chose the elliptical for her exercise, and for a few minutes, they worked out side by side.
“Margaret says I ask too many questions,” Jessie ventured finally.
“Probably right.”
“Doesn’t seem to bother you.” Diana made no response. “I am sorry about your friend.” Diana still made no response. “You always were a good listener, better than a talker,” Jessie went on. “I didn’t realize until afterward how much you knew about me and how little I knew about you. You knew about my dad, you knew about my sister, you knew about Julie. You knew I liked sweet wines, you knew I liked Chinese better than Mexican food. You knew I exercised regularly, I worried about my weight, I was afraid of dying alone.”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She stopped the treadmill, used the towel to wipe her face, came around and stood beside Diana. “Why didn’t you talk to me? Was it because you were there on Family business? Was I some little toy you used to while away the time while you waited for something to happen?”
Diana said nothing, her expression closed and noncommittal, but her eyes met Jessie’s with some defiance.
“Damn it!” Jessie turned the elliptical off, caught Diana by the arm and jerked her off, catching her when she lost her balance and stumbled against her. “Answer me!”
Diana didn’t try to pull away. “Why?”
“Because you owe me that.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” Diana retorted. “You were the one who used me while you were waiting, but you were pretty clear on that. I knew it and I still came back. So why should I bother talking with you? It would have been just a waste of breath.” She jerked her arm out of Jessie’s grip.
“I would have listened,” Jessie protested.
“Yeah.” Diana grabbed her towel off the treadmill. “I saw evidence of that. You listened, you just didn’t hear.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”