Catalyst

by Ross Richdale

  The woman smiled apprehensively. "Nothing, Jack. It's just me. Can I come in?"

  "Of course." His worried emotion changed to that of curiosity. "I was finishing off a sketch and time slipped by. I guess you saw my light."

  Amy appeared nervous with her writhing hands but her lips showed determination. "Will you hear me out? Please, Jack."

  "I thought you enjoyed our evening together."

  He shut the door and waved at the spare bed that acted as a couch.

  "I did," Amy whispered as she sat. "But I began to think about tomorrow."

  "The rescue? They're all well, Amy,"

  "It's not them." Amy's eyes bored into Jack's. "It's us."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Tomorrow they'll be out, no doubt Renee will be taken to the hospital to have her ankle set but then we'll go home."

  "I guess you're right."

  "I am. You'll go to Seattle and I'll return to Grand Rapids in Michigan." She stopped. "I doubt if Courtney will come with me." Her eyes turned to Jack and he saw her chin quiver.

  "Go on," he said.

  "I'm almost sixty, Jack and not good at this."

  "At what?"

  Her hands reached out to grab his. "My daughter is thirty-seven, granddaughter eighteen and I've been a widow for several years. It's just…" She stopped, dropped Jack's hands and stood. "It doesn't matter. I'll get back to my trailer. Sorry I interrupted."

  Jack grabbed Amy's arm. "There's more. Tell me, what is it?"

  Amy turned with tear-smudged eyes. "I want you to make love to me. I thought if I didn't tell you tonight, you'd leave tomorrow and I'd never see you again."

  Jack stood rock still as he assimilated the information but apart from a slight twitch of his left eye, his reaction was neutral. "I don't know," he replied in a monotone.

  Amy gave a gasp and stepped towards the door. "I'm sorry. I've been a fool. I..."

  "You don't understand," Jack blurted out. "My feelings for you are the same, Amy. If only I'd met you before my stroke I'd be the proudest man around to... you know. Oh hell." He groped for words. "I mean, with my disability I don't know if I can perform the way men should. I've never tried since my stroke."

  "But the rest of what I said?"

  "Don't go home. Come with Renee and me back to Washington State." He broke into his twisted smile. "I reckon it wouldn't take much to persuade your granddaughter to come too. She seems to be getting on well with Renee."

  Amy whispered, "You aren't just feeling sorry for me?"

  Jack sat down as something embarrassing happened in his groin area. Stirrings never felt for a decade were beginning to surface. "I'll need to change," he muttered and glanced poignantly at the double bed. "Did you..."

  The sentence was never finished. He could only gap when Amy slowly removed her blouse and jeans. Beneath she wore slick pink pajamas that hid nothing. She put her arms around Jack's waist and kissed him on the lips.

  "I'll help, Jack."

  The light went out and they crawled between the sheets. Jack discovered his fears were unfounded. Moments later, he proved his capabilities and made desperate love to the passionate, moaning woman beneath him. Afterwards, they sat up, cuddled, kissed, fondled and talked. Finally, Jack fell asleep and his dreams were of pleasant things, hope, happiness and a chubby woman near him.

  Morning arrived and the sun streamed in the cabin window. Amy, fully dressed and smiling, held a steaming mug of coffee. He took the coffee, placed in on the table and reached out to squeeze her arm.

  "God, I'm glad you came last night. I would never have scraped up the nerve. You know how conservative our generation is?"

  "Yes. The two stiff whiskies I took gave me courage," she replied and bit her lip as if her confidence had gone. "Jack, if the offer is still on, I would like to go back to Seattle with you, for a little while, anyway. Things have happened so quickly."

  "I know. The offer still stands but there's no hurry now, is there? We can take one day at a time."

  "Yes, we certainly can."

  ****

  When the rescue team arrived, Renee and the others had already packed up and were waiting near the spot where they had originally fallen in. Five people dressed in bright protective clothing appeared and descended down ropes to meet them. Introductions were given and she was strapped onto a stretcher. She smiled at her friends of the last few days and was pulled up to a ledge. Once there, she could see a well-lit corrugated iron cylinder twisting back through the collapsed area.

  "You know," she said to Lem as she was jostled along by the four people holding the stretcher. "Last time I was here, you were just a stranger walking along behind me, offering advice every now and then."

  "Yes," he replied. "And I remember wondering how I could possibly keep up with that dynamic woman in front of me." He glanced at Courtney who held one side of Renee's stretcher. "And stay ahead of the keen young lady breathing down my neck."

  Cameras, reporters and spectators vied for positions when they appeared at the surface. Jack's tanned face had a wide grin and he had an arm around Amy, who appeared shorter in real life than on the monitor.

  "Grandma," Courtney yelled. "I'm here, Grandma."

  "Oh, Courtney," Amy replied and burst into tears when Courtney let a medic take over her corner of the stretcher and rushed to her. It was hugs and tears with Amy gushing the way grandmothers do.

  Renee turned and saw her father a few feet away. ""Daddy, thank you for being here the whole time to support me." She reached up, kissed her father on the cheek and squeezed his good hand.

  "That's what fathers are for, Sweetheart."

  Renee glanced to where Lem had stepped back. "I want you to meet Lem, Dad. Lem, meet my Dad."

  Jack turned and gave the younger man an enthusiastic handshake. "So you're the reason my daughter has a twinkle in her eye, Lad."

  Lem smiled. "I guess so, Jack. We all pulled together pretty well down there."

  "So I gathered." Jack chuckled and winked at Renee. It was as if he knew everything that had happened.

  Their conversation was interrupted by an over enthusiastic television reporter who brazenly pushed in and began asking questions. After answering a barrage of them for a few moments Renee switched her eyes to Lem and noticed his expression had changed into an annoyed frown. He gazed over her father's shoulders.

  "What is it, Lem?" she asked with alarm in her voice.

  "Why did she have to come?"

  "Who?" She wanted to sit but was held in place by the stretcher straps.

  "Nikki, my wife, is here," Lem muttered. "She's pushed her way past the security guards and is heading this way."

  ****

  CHAPTER 10

  "Courtney," Renee hissed. "Will you undo these damn stretcher straps. I want to sit up."

  The girl glanced at her, over to Lem and at the woman striding towards them.

  "Sure, Renee," she whispered. "But you aren't going to like what you see."

  She undid two leather straps and helped Renee to a sitting position. "If it's any comfort, I don't think Lem is pleased his wife has turned up. I've never seen him looking so annoyed."

  Renee nodded and saw the reason for Courtney's comments. Nikki Erksberg was a slim brunette, probably no older than herself, with long shoulder-length hair that tumbled down on a crisp navy blue business suit. She wore a frilly lemon-colored blouse and a tight skirt. As the woman walked closer, Renee could see a well made-up but pouting face that changed to a smile when the woman noticed herself under scrutiny. The smile never reached the cold, determined eyes.

  Compared with this stranger, Renee felt unkempt and dirty. Worse, though, was another emotion that gripped her. Was it fear or apprehension? This was no stranger but Lem's wife. The thought sent her mind churning and she realized what was wrong. She was jealous. With this attractive woman as his wife, why would he be interested in her?

  Renee felt a hand on her shoulder and glanced up to see Courtney gazing intently
at her. "You're better than that stuck up bitch," the girl whispered. "And don't you forget it."

  Another hand grabbed hers and squeezed so hard she almost gasped. She turned and saw Lem staring at the woman but at the same time he squeezed her hand.

  "Lem," Nikki called and without hesitation flung her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. Cameras flashed and she turned to smile at those around.

  Renee burned. Lem's hand was gone and throngs of people crowded around. She knew what was happening. This woman wanted the limelight. It was one big show for the media. At least, she hoped it was.

  She caught Courtney's eyes and saw the youngster put a finger to her lips and a hand behind her ear. Listen to Lem, her body language said. The youngster slipped away, tugged her grandmother's hand and said something Renee couldn't hear. Amy touched Jack and the three turned and engaged the reporters in a conversation.

  That was it! Dear Courtney was distracting the media. It worked, too. A moment later the small crowd had shifted their attention to the others and Lem was alone with his wife.

  Renee glanced at the men holding her stretcher. "Thank you. Can you leave us for a moment, please?"

  "Sure, Ma'am," one replied. "The helicopter will be here in a few moments and we'll fly you out." He folded down a set of wheels under the stretcher so Renee remained at waist height and moved away. She could hear everything Lem said to his wife.

  His first words were controlled and neutral. "Okay, what do you want Nikki?"

  "I've come to see my husband rescued after being entombed beneath the earth."

  "Come off it, Nikki. Keep the crap for the cameras."

  "Okay," the woman replied and swished her hair back. "It's about my shares in Epsilon Products. I want to invoke the buy back clause."

  "For how many?"

  "The full five hundred thousand, Lem," Nikki retorted. "I need the money and want to get out of your depressing little business."

  "You know I haven't the finances to buy you out."

  Nikki shrugged and took a document from the purse she carried. "It was made up yesterday," she said and handed the paper to Lem. "In the terms our original agreement you have the sole right to purchase my shares. Yesterday they were worth a dollar and twenty-seven cents per share. You're doing well, Lem. They were below a dollar nine months back." She smiled coldly. "If, after thirty days, you don't wish to purchase them, I have the right to find another buyer." Her smile turned to a smirk. "I have an offer."

  "From whom?"

  "Allied Pacific Manufacturing."

  "You wouldn't." Lem's cold expression darkened into fury. "After all these years."

  "Why not?" Nikki whispered. "That's it. Buy me out or I sell to Allied Pacific. It's as simple as that. Thirty days, Lem. You know who my attorney is." She hitched on another artificial smile and disappeared through the throng of spectators.

  Lem turned to embrace Renee. Not caring that the ominous eye of a television camera was in the vicinity, he kissed her passionately and held her in his arms. "There's something I never had the nerve to say down there."

  "And that is?"

  "I love you, Renee. I realize that more than ever. It wasn't just taking advantage of the situation because we happened to be stranded there."

  "I know." She smiled and kissed him back.

  ****

  The afternoon shadows were long when Jack, with Amy beside him, drove the Chevy Blazer into the small city of Casper, a hundred and sixty miles south of Misty Depths Catacombs. They turned off I-25 and found East 2nd Street where the Wyoming Medical Center, the city's major hospital, was situated.

  The pair was barely in the main door when Courtney rushed up. "Grandma and Jack," she called. "We've been waiting for hours. What kept you?"

  "It's okay for you," Jack muttered. "You three get whipped down here in a helicopter but your Grandma and me had to pack up and drive here." He glanced at the teenager's excited face and broke into a grin. "But how is everyone?"

  "Lem and I were declared fit and discharged. Renee has been in the operating room getting her leg fixed. She's just come around and Lem is with her. Come on, follow me."

  Ignoring the stare of a brisk looking woman behind the reception desk, Courtney bounded up the corridor, stopped, realized she was going too fast for Jack and waited.

  "I'm right behind you," the elderly man said. "Keep going, young lady." He turned to Amy when Courtney again surged ahead. "Inherited her grandmother's enthusiasm for life, didn't she?"

  " Could be," Amy replied with a smile. "I've never seen her so bouncy. She's grown up and is not the high school kid I remembered, Jack."

  "Come on," the subject of their conversation called back from a junction in the corridor. "Turn left here."

  In a small side room, Renee was lying on a bed with her plastered leg held aloft by a sling and counterweight joined by ropes slung over a metal frame above the bed. When the three arrived she was in deep conversation with Lem and never noticed her new visitors until Jack gave a polite cough.

  "Daddy," she called and broke into a broad grin. "How did you get here so quickly? Did you fly down?"

  "Nope. Brought the Chevy," Jack replied. He bent over and kissed his daughter. "So how's the leg?"

  Renee screwed up her nose. "They had to break the bone and reset it. I'll be in plaster for six weeks but the doctor said I'll be discharged in a couple days."

  "Luckily, the bone was not a complete fracture but much of Renee's lower leg was squashed and bruised," Lem added. "They said the mobile clamps we used were successful in preventing more serious injuries."

  "And the expert way it was applied," Renee added. "The doctor made a special mention of that, didn't he Lem?"

  "I guess."

  An hour slipped by with everyone chatting and catching up with news. The helicopter flight, automobile journey and even the weather were mentioned but nothing about the future was discussed. It was as if nobody wanted to disclose innermost thoughts.

  Renee was curious about Amy but assumed she was there to be with her granddaughter. Since their rescue she hadn't talked to Courtney, so did not know whether the youngster still wanted to return home with them. Also playing on her mind was the confrontation between Lem and his wife. She gazed at him before drowsiness overcame her and she dropped off into a dreamless sleep.

  ****

  Breakfast was in progress the next morning when Lem appeared in Renee's room with a massive armful of flowers. "Flowers for a beautiful lady."

  "Oh, Lem, they're lovely. I'll get a nurse to bring a vase in." She took a sip of coffee before glancing up with a smile. "How did you get in so early? "

  "Easy," he said. "As long as you look as if you know what you're doing, nobody intercepts you. I just nodded at the security guard at the front door and kept walking." He produced a tiny parcel from his pocket, adding in a solemn voice as he handed it to her, "Happy Birthday."

  "Birthday!" she exclaimed. "It's not my birthday."

  Lem shrugged. "What's a few months between friends? Call it a peace offering, if you like."

  "What for?"

  "My wife turning up." Lem turned serious. "You must have been so embarrassed."

  Renee frowned, then remembered the present and undid the pink paper to reveal an exquisite gold chain bracelet. She lifted the bracelet and slid it over her wrist. "You didn't have to do this." She reached up and kissed him. "You aren't responsible for your wife's behavior."

  "No but I want to explain," he replied. "That's why I slipped away from the others and came here early."

  "But this bracelet? Where did you get it?"

  Lem flushed. "Courtney told me if I didn't damn make an effort and get something for you after the way Nikki behaved, you'd think I was just a lecherous old man who took advantage of you."

  "That sounds like Courtney." Renee laughed. "But she was wrong, you know. I never thought that."

  "Well, she practically dragged me downtown last night and this is the result." He smiled and
reached for Renee's hand with the new bracelet on. "Mind you, I was thinking along the same lines myself. She gave me a bit of a shove."

  "And I love it." Her eyes met Lem's. "I am curious about those shares Nikki spoke of and why you were so annoyed."

  Lem sighed and sat on the bed. "Allied Pacific Manufacturing is one of those multinational companies and one of our main competitors. When we beat them in this latest contract, they filed a lawsuit against us on pretense that we knew what their tender was and undercut them. We found later it is just a ploy to persuade our minority shareholders to sell to them in a hostile takeover bid."

  "And they need Nikki's shares, as well?"

  "Yes. I rang my accountant last night and he said that if APM. can get Nikki's shares they will have enough to take control. The silly thing is, our company is a drop in the ocean for them."

  "So what would they do if they did take you over?"

  "Close us down. They need our contracts but aren't interested in continuing the factory as a going concern."

  "I see," Renee replied in a lawyer's tone. "It is lucky you have that buy back clause so Nikki can't just sell the shares to this other firm."

  "Yes."

  "But why is your wife so vindictive?"

  "I would say she's just bitter but my accountant, Ashley, has a different slant. Apparently, Nikki needs money urgently. He heard she has massive debts to pay off. I have no idea what they are, over extension on the share market, gambling or some shady deal, I guess. She is quite capable of anything. My wife is a selfish greedy woman, I'm afraid."

  "So you'll have to buy her out."

  "That's the trouble," Lem confessed. "It's necessary to fly back to Seattle today to arrange the finances." He grimaced. "I'm taking a flight out at nine."

  Renee looked disappointed for a moment but changed her expression to a smile when she noticed Lem appeared downcast. "You go and sort it out," she said and reached for his hand. "I'll be fine. With Dad and Courtney here I'm thoroughly spoiled. I'll call as soon as we arrive home. At least you're in the same state. Now if you lived in Miami…"

  "That's a point." His frown turned to a smile.

  After he left, Renee felt deflated. Deep in thought, she ran a hand over her new bracelet and failed to notice her second visitor walk in the room.