The Simpatico Series Box Set (3 books in 1)

by Dermot Davis

  “Cola is fine, thank you,” Simon answered, sounding more relaxed. “I’m sorry for showing up like this. I can understand how crazy it must seem.”

  “Pretty crazy,” Fiona said as she handed him the soda. “But as you can see, things couldn’t be better, right, Andrew?”

  “Yes, absolutely, couldn’t be better,” Andrew answered politely.

  “That’s good to hear,” Simon said, as he took a swig of the drink. “That’s really good to hear. Don’t let me intrude on the…” he then said, referring to the left-over pizza.

  “Don’t worry about it, dad. We were finished anyway,” Fiona said.

  “So, what’s the plan, if you don’t mind me asking?” Simon asked, looking directly at Andrew.

  “Well, we…” Andrew said but paused.

  “We’re considering the possibilities,” Fiona interjected. “Nothing’s written in stone, just yet.”

  “Considering the possibilities?” Simon repeated. “What range of possibilities are you considering, exactly?”

  “We’re not going back to LA… right away,” Fiona answered. “We were hoping to travel, see a bit of the country, before we settle, while we’re still young and everything.”

  “You want to travel?” Simon asked.

  “Yes,” Fiona answered. “We’re going on an adventure.”

  “I see,” Simon said, taking another drink. “Your urge for sudden travel wouldn’t have anything to do with your boyfriend being on the run from the law, would it?”

  “It would have something to do with that, yes,” Fiona said, looking at Andrew as she spoke.

  “Not exactly, we talked about it last year before everything… and, anyway, I’m not asking Fiona to do anything that she doesn’t…” Andrew said but was interrupted by Fiona.

  “It was my idea. I convinced Andrew to come,” Fiona said firmly.

  “Do you need money?” Simon asked, taking out his wallet and surprising them both.

  “No, we’re fine,” Fiona said quickly. “We’re going to get jobs, at some point. We’ll be fine.”

  “Travel is always way more expensive than you first think,” Simon said, leaving a wad of cash on the mattress. “I trust you’ll do everything in your power to keep my daughter safe,” he then said to Andrew.

  “Yes, sir, of course, absolutely, no need to worry on that score. I’d lay down my life before I’d see Fiona get hurt,” Andrew answered.

  “Well then,” Simon said and stood, as if to leave. “I’m so glad to see you safe, you have no idea,” he said to Fiona.

  “Thank you, father,” she said softly as she ran to hug him tightly. “I’m safe and I’m happy; very, very happy. You have no need to worry.”

  “That’s my girl,” Simon said, kissing her on the top of her head. “I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, pops,” she said, tearfully.

  “Look after her, son,” he said to Andrew as he broke away. “It’s up to you now.”

  “Yes, sir, I totally will look after her,” Andrew said, shaking Simon’s hand.

  “You have some place to stay?” Fiona asked as Simon opened the door. “Are you flying back?”

  “I’m fine,” Simon answered. “Look after yourselves. Best of luck to you both.”

  As the door closed, Andrew looked quizzically at Fiona. “What just happened?” he asked.

  “That’s so my father,” she said, looking out through the side of the curtain. “He’s very unpredictable, like that.”

  “So what does it mean?” Andrew asked, not sure what kinds of questions to be asking. “Him showing up like that? I mean, how did he even know we were in this state, never mind this very motel room? Aren’t you spooked? Coz, I’m so spooked. I almost crapped in my pants when he walked in the door.”

  “Relax,” Fiona said, looking through the cash her father left behind. “He’s not going to do anything.”

  “Okay, when you say he’s not going to do anything, what does that mean, exactly?” Andrew asked, sounding even more panicked. “What could he do? That he’s not going to do?”

  “He just gave us his blessing; don’t you see?” Fiona said, waving the bunch of cash in the air and smiling. “He wished us the very best of British luck!”

  “I know, and that accent?” Andrew said, softening. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “I told you he was British,” Fiona said.

  “I know you did and I don’t know what I was expecting but… just the way he talks, it’s so like, I don’t know, he sounds like a James Bond villain or something,” Andrew said, smiling. “No offense.”

  “You were probably expecting cockney or something. He’s upper class British, different accent,” Fiona explained as she counted the money.

  “That’s a lot of cash,” Andrew remarked, trying not to sound greedy.

  “It’s good that he showed up,” Fiona then said. “It’s out of the way, like it’s not hanging over us, you know?”

  “I guess,” Andrew replied as he sat on the bed beside her. “Did he just give us his blessing?”

  “Did he give you his approval you mean?” she said, smiling.

  “Yeah. Did he?” Andrew asked, faking shyness.

  “You know, I think maybe he did. He shook your hand, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah, that was weird, in a good way,” Andrew said, remembering how good it felt. “I guess that was a good visit, huh?”

  “Don’t get too cocky, buster,” Fiona cautioned playfully. “He approves of you as my traveling partner; it’s not like you were asking permission for anything else, okay?”

  “Anything else, like what?” Andrew teasingly asked.

  “You know,” Fiona said coyly.

  “Hmm,” Andrew said, lying back onto the bed. “Me and Simon is great buddies, so we are,” he said in a bad cockney accent.

  “Yeah, see, talk to him like that and you’d never stand a chance, trust me,” Fiona said, lying back and snuggling into his arms.

  “I would like your permission,” Andrew said in a very posh English accent. “I would be very much grateful, old boy, if you would consider…”

  “Oh shut up,” Fiona said and playfully belted him with a pillow. “My father sounds like a James Bond villain!” she scoffed.

  “Well, he does! I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Bond,” Andrew said in his best upper crust English impression, “but I’m going to have to destroy the world now, terribly sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “He’ll totally crack up when I tell him that,” Fiona said, teasing.

  “No you wouldn’t! You are never to tell him I said that! I don’t care how pissed you might be with me, you are never to tell him I said he reminds me of a James Bond villain!”

  “We’ll see,” Fiona said, a mischievous expression on her face. “Can’t make any promises.”

  “Come here, you,” Andrew said as he grabbed her with intent to tickle the living daylights out of her.

  Chapter 12

  Looking torn and confused, Simon paced his motel room. Staring at the motel phone, he sat on the side of the bed. He looked at it for quite some time. He then picked up the receiver and dialed. “Police,” he said when asked what emergency service he required. “I want to report the whereabouts of an escaped convict,” he answered when connected to the police.

  Passing Simon’s motel room, Dowling had to walk some distance to get to the stairs closest to where his rental was parked. Stepping out to pick up some food and toiletries, he took note of the best place to park upon his return.

  Andrew and Fiona lay snuggled together on the queen-sized bed. They were now watching an old black and white movie which starred William Powell and Myrna Loy. “Hey, they talk just like us,” Andrew remarked, charmed by the couple's onscreen chemistry and smart repartee.

  “Totally,” Fiona agreed.

  Simon looked out the gap in the curtains to check for any arriving police. He checked his watch and wondered why it should be taking so long for the police force to
respond to an emergency phone call. It was a very small town, after all, he considered. What could the officers possibly be doing that was more urgent than picking up a wanted convict?

  When a police car with its lights flashing pulled up on the street near the motel office, Simon became nervous. Had he made a mistake by calling the authorities? What if they arrested his daughter, as well? What if his daughter found out that he had turned them in? Would she ever forgive him? What on earth was the police car doing with its flashing lights on? His thoughts were interrupted when the motel telephone rang.

  “Yes?” he answered. “Why are you not acting on the information that I gave you earlier?” he asked the police dispatcher. “And why is it taking you so long to do something about this?”

  When he was told that they had to check with the authorities in Los Angeles, Simon calmed down. “Well, why does the police car have its lights flashing?" he asked. "You might as well be giving an advance warning to every criminal in the area?”

  “Sir, we have no knowledge of that," the officer responded. "The unit we dispatched is still en route. They should be arriving there shortly.”

  Simon carried the phone to the window and peeked back out. He could now see that the police car with the flashing lights below had actually pulled over a motorist. One cop was interviewing the driver while another cop stood nearby. Another police car pulled into the front parking lot. Its lights were not flashing. “I see them, they’re here,” Simon said and hung up.

  Andrew noticed the reflection of something flashing at the side of the curtains. Diverting his eyes from the TV, he watched closer. “Do you see that?” he asked.

  “See what?” Fiona asked, following his line of sight.

  Jumping off the bed to check it out, Andrew slowly pushed aside the curtains. “Oh, shit,” he then said in a panic. “We need to go!”

  “What?” Fiona asked, jumping off the bed to investigate.

  “Don’t move the curtains,” Andrew warned as he threw his clothes on. “We need to leave, now!” he said urgently.

  Looking out the window, Fiona saw the police car with the flashing lights. She saw the other police car as two police officers got out. They walked to her SUV and inspected it with their flashlights. “They’re at the car!” she exclaimed.

  Running back to the window, Andrew looked out to see for himself. “Shit!” he almost yelled. “We’ll have to go on foot! Are you dressed?” he asked impatiently.

  Quickly dressing, Fiona made sure she had collected all of the cash. Throwing her stuff together, she rapidly scanned the room for whatever else they might need.

  “We have to go, now!” Andrew insisted, looking through the spy hole, his hand on the door knob. “Is there another door out of here?” he asked. “Like a bathroom window or something?”

  Running into the bathroom to check for an escape, Fiona instantly evaluated their chances. “There’s a window!” she breathlessly remarked.

  “Help me take out the slits,” Andrew said as he ran into the bathroom. He jumped straight to the window above the bath. “Put the lock on the front door,” he then gasped as Fiona ran to do so. Once all the window slits were removed, Andrew leaned out to make sure the corridor was clear. “Hurry,” he said, taking her hands and lifting her up towards the open window.

  Once both out and landing in the rear corridor, they ran for the nearest stairs.

  Dowling parked his rental car in the more convenient rear parking lot by the very same stairs. Taking his bags of food and toiletries, he locked the car. He had climbed a few steps when Andrew and Fiona came bounding down, Andrew almost colliding with him.

  “Andrew?” Dowling asked.

  “Professor Dowling?” Andrew responded. “What are you doing?” he asked, not quite sure if he should keep running or not. “The cops,” he then said in a loud whisper. “They’re at our car; we need to go!”

  “Take mine,” Dowling said quickly, holding out the key. “We’ll do a switch,” he then said, suggesting they exchange keys. “You can call me when it’s all clear, we’ll switch back!”

  “Perfect!” Andrew exclaimed like he just got the best gift ever.

  “I’ll explain everything later, when we talk,” Dowling said as he watched the couple hustle into the pickup. They wasted no time in taking off.

  Rounding the corner by the motel office, Andrew didn’t dare turn his head in the direction of the police cars. Looking past Andrew, Fiona tried to see exactly where the police were positioned. “We’re good,” she said as she saw two police officers knocking on their motel door. “Don’t drive too fast.”

  “Shit, the lights!” Andrew said as he turned on the headlights. His heart pounded as if he’d just run a race. He was sweaty and felt panicked. Holy crap, they’d almost been caught. “Okay, we’re in the clear,” he said to calm himself. As casually as he could, he pulled out onto the road and merged into the regular street traffic.

  Making sure to drive just below the speed limit, it didn’t take the two of them long to be free of the town. Constantly checking his rear view mirror, he was sure they were not being followed. Once on a rural, secondary road that was dark and mostly deserted, Andrew sighed. Both still in shock, neither of them had spoken for quite some time. “Now it’s a movie,” Andrew said, hoping to break the tension.

  Fiona remained silent, her gaze still focused on the road ahead.

  “You okay?” Andrew asked.

  “I don’t think so,” she answered.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  “No, of course I’m not hurt,” Fiona answered, perhaps not sure herself of how she was feeling. “I’m pretty shook up, I guess.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Andrew said, relieved that she was physically alright. “I can’t believe he did that!”

  “Who? Did what?” Fiona asked.

  “Your father,” Andrew answered, curbing his anger.

  “You think my father turned us in?” Fiona asked, incredulously.

  Looking over at her quickly, he wondered if she was being for real. “You don’t?” he asked delicately.

  “He gave us a bunch of cash,” she said, like it was a ludicrous suggestion. “He was nice to you, shook your hand, gave us his blessing, you were there, for chrissakes!”

  “Yeah,” Andrew answered, sounding perplexed.

  “You think my father called the cops?” she asked accusingly.

  “How else?” Andrew answered. “Who else knew we were there?”

  “Everybody, apparently,” Fiona scoffed. “What about that professor dude, your new BFF?”

  “You think Professor Dowling turned us in? Why would he do that?” Andrew asked like it was a crazy notion.

  “You don’t think it was a bit suspicious, he meets us in the rear parking lot? Right at the same time the cops arrive? Hello?” she said sarcastically.

  “He wouldn’t do that,” Andrew answered. “He’s been helping us all along.”

  “Why, Andrew?” Fiona asked pointedly. “Why has he been helping you all along? Huh? He shows up out here in this Godforsaken place? Why? What’s he doing here? What’s he getting out of helping you, out here? Huh?”

  “That, I don’t know,” Andrew confessed. “Maybe I’m the son he never had; maybe he wants to avenge the death of his wife or something… Look, all I know is, he would not, he did not turn us in. I know that. Don’t ask me why but I just know that, okay?”

  “But you know for sure that my father did it?” Fiona asked sourly. “Stop the car.”

  “You’re kidding,” Andrew said.

  “Stop the car, Andrew,” Fiona insisted.

  “I’ll pull over but don’t you dare think of opening that door, promise me?” Andrew said, totally freaked out.

  Andrew checked his mirror again before he pulled onto the dirt shoulder of the deserted country road. Fiona put her hand on the door handle but hesitated and didn’t open it, as if she was still undecided.

  “I’m sure he thought that maybe he was doin
g the right thing but…” Andrew said but ceased talking when Fiona raised her hand for him to stop.

  “My father loves me,” Fiona said, still looking straight ahead. “He’s concerned about me, yes, but he would never, ever, put me into this kind of situation. I mean, look at us, Andrew?” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “We’re like, on the run here; seriously on the run from the friggin’ police; like criminals and, no, this is not like a movie, this is as real as it gets!”

  “Look, I know you’re upset,” Andrew said, talking softly and leaning towards her to comfort her, “but I don’t want us to lose it, okay? I don’t want either of us to lose this, okay?”

  Tears now running down her eyes, Andrew took her hand in his.

  “I’m scared too, Fi,” he said softly. “I really am totally freaked out and I don’t want to lose you.”

  Immediately spooked by the approach of the headlights of an approaching car, Andrew watched it closely until it harmlessly passed.

  “I need you, Fiona,” he then said, now giving her his full attention. “And maybe you don’t need me or maybe it’s not right of me to ask you to come with me… Should I take you back home, Fiona?” he asked gently. “I should turn this car around and take you back to your father, shouldn’t I?” he asked, dreading that she was going to nod her head, yes.

  “This is too much, I agree,” he then said. “This is too much to ask of you. I’m taking you back and I’m going alone, okay?” he said, fully prepared to do so.

  “No,” she finally said, holding back the tears. “No, I got scared, that’s all. We’re together,” she said, brightening up. “It’s you and me, me and you,” she said and smiled between her tears.

  “And your father?” Andrew asked.

  “What about my father?”

  “Between him and me, you’re choosing me,” Andrew asked hopefully.

  “What?” Fiona asked, reacting as if he had slapped her. “Choose between you and my father? Choose between you and my family? Are you insane?”

  Looking totally confused, Andrew didn’t know how to respond.