The Black Feather

by Olivia Claire High

  But Heather had already ended the connection.

  “I take it everything isn’t copacetic,” Thad said.

  Suzanne dropped the phone into her purse and shook her head.

  “It’s not. I made her angry and probably hurt her feelings as well. I didn’t mean to. It’s just that they keep calling and bugging me so much I’m to the point I dread hearing from them. I suppose because they’re helping me they feel I’ve given them the right to make demands. But they’ve turned into control freaks.”

  “Could be because they think they have something to lose if you don’t find your father.”

  “It’s odd that you should say that because Heather just said something similar.”

  Thad decided to drive Suzanne back to the southern part of the state without further delay. He didn’t want to add to Suzanne’s concerns, but her friends’ behavior bothered him. Why were they so anxious to know if and when she heard from her dad? And why were they hiding her away and insisting they be her only contact? She’d convinced herself that they were protecting her. Thad knew it hadn’t occurred to Suzanne, but they could be keeping such a close eye on her because they were using her to get to her dad for their own ulterior motives, which was ironic when this was exactly what she’d convinced herself he’d been doing.

  He had a feeling the Martin’s didn’t care so much about Wendell Conway’s welfare as they did for their own. Thad knew if he was right about his suspicions he had to find out the reason. How much protection would they be willing to give to Suzanne once they got what they were after? Suzanne believed she could trust the Martins with her life. He wasn’t so sure about that. Were they worried about Suzanne’s welfare, or more concerned for their own skin? He very much feared it was the latter case, especially after listening to her conversation with Heather.

  Aaron drove along the coast when he brought Suzanne up north. Thad opted to head inland to make their way back down south. He took them through lush forests with trees so tall they sometimes blocked out the light. Where pristine rivers meandered carving their silver paths over rocky beds and around big boulders sometimes larger than their vehicle. He guided his truck out of the cool mountains of the gold country and entered the warmth of the wine valley where mile after mile of grapes wound their long spindly vines over rows of trellises lining either side of the road.

  Suzanne appeared to be enjoying the scenery as he drove. Thad kept up an easy flow of conversation with her while he continued to silently ponder over his ever growing suspicions about her friends. He told her he needed to stop for gas and a stretch, when they still had a couple hundred miles to go.

  Thad waited until she left the car to use the restroom before he pulled out his phone. He hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be a call he should have made sooner.

  “I need you to run a background check on Suzanne Conway’s friends, Aaron and Heather Martin. Find out everything you can about them and especially if there’s any way they could somehow have a connection to the Montanes.”

  He knew it sounded crazy, but sometimes crazy turned out not to be so crazy after all.

  Suzanne came back to the car a few minutes later.

  Thad smiled at her. “All set?”

  “Almost. Would you mind if I ran into the minimart for a bottle of water? I’ll get you one.”

  “I already took care of it,” he said and held the door open for her.

  “You must be a mind reader.”

  “Nope. Just thirsty; and I had a feeling you would be, too. I also bought you a Snickers candy bar.”

  “Okay, you really are scary.”

  He slid in behind the wheel and started the car.

  “I am? How come?”

  “Because as it happens I was craving something chocolate, and Snickers is my favorite candy bar.”

  “Lucky guess.”

  She studied him for a moment.

  “You probably have a dossier on me.”

  “Not about your favorite foods.

  I read somewhere that women like chocolate.”

  “Hmm. I have a feeling there are very few things you guess about, because you already seem to know so much. I wonder what else is going on in that very active brain of yours.”

  He couldn’t very well tell her that he was thinking her friends weren’t as altruistic as she believed.

  “What’s going on inside my head isn’t anything too earthshaking. I’m thinking I’d much rather be drinking a cold beer, which I can’t because I’m driving.”

  “You’re always so cautious, but I know you have to be given the nature of your work. I bet you hate it when you make mistakes.”

  “No one likes to make mistakes, and in my business it can cost a life, especially when I’m supposed to be protecting someone.”

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “Are you?” she asked when he remained quiet.

  “Everyone has experiences.”

  She waited.

  “You’re shutting me out again,” she said, when he didn’t elaborate.

  “Yes I am, and we’ll leave it at that.”

  They drove in silence. Suzanne’s head buzzed with questions, but she made herself respect Thad’s obvious desire not to say anything more on the subject. Several minutes elapsed before she worked up her nerve to speak again. She drank deeply from her bottle and cleared her throat.

  “I’m sorry for the times I ran out on you. It won’t happen again. I know you’re just trying to help me.” She recapped the bottle. “I kind of got mixed up on who I could and couldn’t trust.”

  “Keep that in mind.”

  She gave him a sharp look. “I hate it when you drop those cryptic bombs. Don’t forget I’ve been walking through a minefield of liars lately, and you were right there with the rest of them. I’m not accusing you,” she hastened to add. “But you have to admit I’m right.”

  “The only reason I’ve lied to you is to keep you safe. I’m just reminding you to be cautious.”

  “Well, you’re making me wonder again who to put my faith in when you say things like that.”

  He gave her a brief glance before returning his eyes to the road.

  “It’d be a good idea to keep that in mind, too.”

  Suzanne couldn’t help thinking there was more meaning in what Thad wasn’t saying than his actual advice. She toyed with the idea of asking him to go into greater detail, but abandoned the thought, knowing he probably wouldn’t’ tell her anything more. Several sentences could say a lot, but only one word would make a real difference here.

  Truth!

  And there didn’t seem to be an abundance of that going around in her life lately.

  Sixteen

  Suzanne stood in the living room of the house where Thad had taken her. The luxury home was part of an exclusive gated community filled with large custom built houses. Movie star fancy, as Nanadoo would say. One look told Suzanne that no money had been spared to create such opulence. They’d taken their shoes off at the door. She curled her toes into the thick carpet.

  “I’ve never been in a house with white carpeting before. This place is beautiful, but it’s way more space than I need. The rent has to be astronomical. It’s bound to put a serious dent in your expense account. Why not take me someplace less expensive?”

  “The client I told you about is paying for it. He suggested I bring you here.”

  “Really? Is this his house?”

  Thad shook his head.

  “No. The owner is a friend of his and has moved to another state. The house is for sale. He worked out something with the owner’s permission to hold off on the sale for a while. My client wants to do everything he can to make sure you’re comfortable and well protected.”

  “I’m thinking I’d like to meet this gentleman some day.”

  “I’m sure he’d like to meet you, too. I told you he’s a good man. He’s experienced the pain of losing his daughter. He doesn’t want anything happening to either you or Mu
riel. He already knows her, of course. I’ll see if I can arrange something when this is over to bring you two together.”

  “I’d like that. Will you be staying here with me?”

  “Yes. Is that going to be a problem?”

  She wrinkled her nose at him.

  “Not this time. I was too angry with you before to believe I shouldn’t be alone.”

  “I’ll stay when I can, and you’ll be well taken care of when I have to be somewhere else.”

  “Why here, other than the fact your client’s footing the bill?”

  “Being a gated community gives extra security. We also want you to be able to tell your father you have a secure place with plenty of room for him and Muriel to stay when he calls you again.”

  “If he calls, you mean. He said he loved me. I don’t want to lose that, but I’m beginning to think I already have. I just wish . . .” she stopped when her voice began to waver midway through her sentence.

  Thad pulled her into his arms.

  “Don’t. I realize the not knowing is difficult, but your dad has proven himself to be a pretty resilient man. Try to focus on that.”

  He held her, rubbing her back in slow, gentle circles. She nuzzled her nose against his chest sighing while her body relaxed from the effects of his soothing touch. She stepped away after a few minutes.

  “Thanks for the pep talk – and the backrub.”

  “Always happy to oblige. Why don’t I show you the rest of the house? I think you’re going to especially like the master bathroom. It has a Jacuzzi tub big enough to host a national convention.”

  “I don’t care about a convention as long as the tub has enough room for the two of us. If you’d be interested in joining me, that is,” she said with an impish grin.

  “You definitely have my aye vote on that.”

  Thad’s phone rang in the middle of the night. He bolted up in bed fully alert, while Suzanne took a little longer struggling to rouse herself. She listened, wondering why the caller found it necessary to phone at this hour. A sudden, unwelcomed thought stopped her in the middle of a yawn. Didn’t bad news often come at inconvenient times like this? She listened closely to the conversation trying to garner clues from Thad’s brief replies.

  “Who was that?” she asked, as soon as he finished.

  “One of the other investigators. He found your father.”

  “He did? Is Dad all right? Where is he? I want to see him.”

  She started to launch herself out of bed when Thad’s hand on her shoulder held her back.

  “Suzanne, wait. Let me answer your questions first.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Oh God, please, please don’t tell me he’s dead.”

  “No, but he is very ill.”

  Her eyes sprang open.

  “He hurt himself escaping the motel, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. Both he and Muriel cut themselves climbing out the window. Her cuts were minor, but your father wasn’t as lucky. He suffered deeper wounds that turned septic. They made it to another motel where she tried to treat him. She had to call for help when he started getting worse.”

  “Why didn’t Muriel contact me?”

  Thad pressed his fingers into her shoulder.

  “They think you were the person who betrayed them.”

  “I guess I should have seen that coming,” she said with a weary sigh. “Who helped them?”

  “Muriel called Dewey. He came and took them to a doctor’s house who happens to be a good friend. My agency had a man keeping an eye on Dewey since he’d helped your dad before, and followed him.”

  “Thank God it wasn’t the Montanne’s lynch mob on his tail. Is Dad still at that doctor’s house?”

  “No. He’s been moved to a private clinic where he’ll receive excellent care and be well guarded.”

  “What about the phones? Did your people find them?”

  “Unfortunately not, and your father is too delirious to tell anyone where they might be.”

  “I had a feeling it was going to be bad when I didn’t hear from him. I thought he’d at least want to call and bawl me out. I want you to take me to him. He may not want me hanging around, but if he’s angry enough with me my voice may make him respond. I’m also going to have words with that girl.”

  Suzanne climbed off the bed and began grabbing her clothes with quick, jerky movements.

  “You can’t talk to Muriel,” Thad informed her, as he rose to stand by her.

  She whirled to face him, fury in her eyes.

  “Who says I can’t? I have every right to question her. My father risked his life for that woman. The least she can do is help me now. I also need this opportunity to try and convince them I wasn’t responsible for what happened at their motel. She owes me that.”

  “I’ll take you to your dad, but you can’t question Muriel because she’s disappeared.”

  Suzanne lowered the tee shirt she was about to pull over her head and stared at him.

  “She’s gone? That doesn’t make sense. She stayed with my father all this time; and now she left just when they’re finally in a safe place. Why would she leave when Dad needs her the most?”

  “I don’t know, but I sure as hell hope we can find out.”

  Suzanne had to force down the lump in her throat when she walked into the room where her father lay, pale and silent. She hurried over to him and stared, noting the sterile dressings covering his wounds.

  “Oh, Dad,” she whispered between trembling lips.

  Thad pulled a chair close to the bed. She sat down and called to her father, louder this time wanting him to know she was there. He opened his eyes and looked at her, but showed no signs of recognition. He mumbled incoherently in disjointed sentences. Suzanne heard her name and sometimes Muriel’s, but most of what he babbled didn’t make any sense.

  Thad left her alone, returning later to check on her before leaving the room again. Nurses came and went silently doing their job. Deep shadows filled the room when Thad came back for one last time. He tugged Suzanne to her feet. She stumbled, her body stiff with sitting so long in the same position.

  “You’ve been in here for hours. You need to eat.”

  “I’m not hungry and I don’t want to leave Dad.”

  “You aren’t going to help your father by making yourself sick. You need to walk around a bit and get some sustenance into you. They have a small cafeteria here, so you’ll still be in the clinic.”

  The grip on her arm left little doubt that he wasn’t going to allow her to refuse.

  “All right, but I don’t want to be gone too long.”

  Thad tucked her hand in the crook of his arm.

  “We won’t be.”

  She ate a small bowl of chicken noodle soup under his watchful eyes and sat sipping coffee.

  “Has anyone been able to glean anything helpful from Dad’s mumblings? I certainly haven’t.”

  “No. Maybe if they can get his fever down he’ll be able to communicate better. He hasn’t been here very long, Suzanne. Give the medical team a chance.”

  “I hate seeing him so ill, and it’s almost more than I can bear having him think I betrayed him. I just wish he’d come around enough for me to at least tell him the truth about that.”

  “That’s my hope for both of you.”

  Suzanne finished her coffee and looked at her watch. “I’ve been gone long enough. I want to go back to Dad’s room. I’m going to keep talking to him. Hopefully he’ll recognize my voice eventually.”

  “Are you prepared to handle his possible rejection?” Thad asked in a gentle voice.

  “You know, the strange thing about that is the way I’ve felt kind of rejected by him most of my life. Then he said something so lovely to me on his phone call that I knew I’d always been loved. That’s why it hurts so much now to feel like I’ve lost him all over again. I know I’m risking losing that love if I can’t convince him I’m not the person who betrayed him, but I have to try.”


  Thad stood up and took her by the hand.

  “I know this has been one hell of an ordeal for you. I wish for your sake it could have ended long before now and spare you all this anguish.”

  “I’m not the only one who’s suffered, by the look of my dad. He’s aged ten years since I last saw him.”

  “Isn’t there an adage that says something like, out of great suffering comes great triumph?”

  “If there is I would have liked us to be spared the suffering part.”

  Suzanne stayed by her father’s bed pleading, consoling, even chastising in an effort to break through his delirium. But nothing she did appeared to be reaching into his fevered brain. She grew hoarse from talking and still she pressed on late into the night, even when she couldn’t recognize her voice as her own.

  Thad came into the room and insisted she needed to go back to the house for some rest.

  “You go. I’m not leaving Dad until he wakes up and tells me he’d rather I go jump off a cliff.”

  “All right, then. I’ll stick around here to catch you if you end up falling.”

  He walked out of the room and leaned against the wall a few feet away. He’d handled a lot of different assignments in his career, but never one with so many twists and turns as this case. The whole thing hinged on finding those phones of Suzanne’s father before the Montanes got their hands on them.

  Now Wendell was finally here in safe hands for all the good it was doing anyone since he couldn’t communicate. Had he stashed the phones somewhere for safe keeping when he felt himself becoming so ill? Did Muriel have them? Was she intending to take them to the police? Thad couldn’t imagine what else she’d want to do with them. Surely she’d want to have her relatives behind bars, so they wouldn’t keep coming after her.

  He’d worked with the team searching the doctor’s house where Dewey took Suzanne’s father. Everyone went through the place inside and out until it looked like a warzone. But they came up empty-handed despite their diligence. Dewey and the doctor swore they had no idea where Muriel could be.

  Were they telling the truth? Hell, he didn’t know. This entire assignment was fraught with liars from the beginning, himself included. He’d spun some tales on other cases to get the job done and that never bothered him, but lying to Suzanne did. He’d meant it when he told her she’d gotten to him.