Brainstorm (15 page)

Jack called, and not wanting him to remember me angry, I
invited him over. By the time he arrived, I was in a better frame of mind, and
fixed him dinner from food I had in the fridge; less to throw out before I went
to meet Harley.

After we ate, we sat on the sofa, my head on his
shoulder. “So what did Harley have to say?” he asked.

“No big revelations this time.”

“Huh,” he said. “So, where are you going?”

Startled, I sat up and looked at him, “What?”

“You found a new place, right? A new apartment?”

“Oh, yes,” I breathed, and settled back.

“I’ll help you pack up when it’s time.” I didn’t
respond.
 
“At least we’ll get to watch one
parade from your window together,” he said. “You made it sound like fun.”

“It is.”

“You’re quiet tonight – one or two-word answers and no
enthusiasm. You feel okay?”

“I’m fine Jack. Can you stay tonight?”

“That’s more like it,” he said. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
I turned to him and stared at his wonderful face, taking in every laugh line
and worry wrinkle. His Irish eyes and ruddy skin – he was everything I’d ever
wanted. And I was going to walk out on him in a matter of days. I wrapped my
arms around his neck and kissed him – a lingering kiss that I could remember.

Taking the kiss as a signal, he stood up and unbuttoned
his shirt, untucked the ends, and pulled it off. He tossed it on the sofa
beside me. “Now you,” he whispered.

I was amazed, as I always was, at the well-defined
muscles in his arms and shoulders, and the spectacle of them brought me to my
feet. I pulled my T-shirt over my head and dropped it next to his. He
unbuttoned his jeans, pushed them to the floor, and stepped out of them. I did
the same. With one swoop, he picked me up and carried me to the bedroom, where
we scrambled out of our underwear and fell onto the bed.

He slid his hands and mouth over me, igniting a hunger
that I’d not yet experienced. I fought to lay still, resist the urge to give in
to my yearning for him, and let him continue to press his lips and fingers into
my flesh, but I couldn’t wait – I reached for him and brought him down on top
of me.

We spent the night moving in concert, rising and falling
together, calling to each other, responding to each other. He breathed, I
moaned. He whispered my name, I whimpered. At last we rested, tied in a human
knot. No one dared to move, for fear of triggering a reaction that would
motivate us to go again, when neither of us had an ounce of energy left.

The next morning we woke to find that during the night,
one of us had pulled up the covers. “Wow,” Jack said.

“I know,” I smiled.

“I had no idea you had that much passion in you, Audrey.
I mean every time’s been incredible, but last night…wow. I hate to get up, but
I have to go to work.”

“How about a shower?” I said.

“I’m sure I need one,” he laughed. “I just hope my legs
are strong enough to walk into the bathroom. You really took it out of me,
young lady.”

“I was planning on joining you.”

“Ah, well be gentle. If I had to run after a thief right
now, I’d have to shoot him to catch him.”

After Jack left, I broke down. I didn’t know when I was
leaving to join Harley, but I assumed it would be in the next day or two and I
might have just seen the last of him. I dried my eyes and took a deep breath,
got dressed, filled a travel mug with decaf, and headed down to Nelly. On the
way to the post office, I patted my pocket to be sure I had the key. Though my
heart was full of grief at the thought of leaving Jack, a feeling of excitement
built within, as I wondered if the plane ticket had arrived; I wanted to know
where I was going.

I fit the key into the lock and opened box #281. An
envelope was there. In it was a one-way ticket to LAX, via Philly, for
tomorrow.
Tomorrow!
Harley was in Los
Angeles. Where would she take me from there? There was also a note, instructing
me to use the layover in Philly to go to the airport salon and do something to
my hair that would change my appearance. I felt like I was in a movie, or a
play – that nothing was real – except now one thing was. I was leaving
tomorrow.

Once back in Nelly, I re-read the ticket. The USAIR
flight would leave here at 1:25 p.m. and land at 6:38 in Philly, where I would
have the 90-minute hairdo layover. From there I would fly again with USAIR, and
because of the change in time zones, I would arrive in Los Angeles at 7 p.m. I
wondered how long it would take Jack to start looking for me.

I made a stop at the bank and cleared out what money I
had left. I would take my own advice and buy what I needed when we reached
whatever destination Harley had in mind. There was precious little I couldn’t
leave; not one belonging I could think of. How sad was that? I headed back to
my apartment to figure out what I could pack into just a duffle bag, and trying
not to think about how much I would miss Jack and Lisa.

Even with pills, I’d tossed and turned all night and finally
got up and showered around seven. I sat by my window, knowing I’d never watch
another parade through it, and sure that I would never be back in Camillus
again. My stomach was upset and the beginnings of a headache had already
started. Was I doing the right thing? I didn’t know. I dug my bottle of happy
pills out of my purse and swallowed one, hoping that, if nothing else, it would
keep my stomach and head from getting any worse. At least the brain zaps had
stopped.

My duffle, packed and ready to go, waited by the front
door. On top, was an envelope I would leave downstairs for my landlord,
informing him that I was going out of town and that Lisa would be using my
Jeep. I’d tossed all perishables into the dumpster outside, and cleaned the
entire apartment.

Jack would expect to see me tonight, but not before. I
thought about writing a note and leaving it for him, but what would I say? I
certainly couldn’t tell him I was going away with Harley, but I didn’t want him
to think I’d been kidnapped, or like characters on TV, had come down with
amnesia and wandered away. He would be beside himself with worry and would no
doubt organize an all-out search for me. Maybe I could think of something to
say that would convince him I’d taken off of my own free will. But he’d never
believe it; he would think my abductor had forced me to write the note. It was
all too much.

At 11:30, with my taxi on the way, I hadn’t written a
word to Jack, so I gave up and stuck the one I’d written to my landlord in the
restaurant mailbox. Then I went back upstairs to take a last look at my
apartment. Small as it was, it had been mine. I rounded the corner to where I’d
carved my initials into the woodwork and ran my fingers over them.
Enough!
I picked up my duffle and
checked to be sure I had the plane ticket, my phone, and my medicine. Mentally
ready to go, I straightened my shoulders and opened the front door, to find
Jack standing there.

“Hi,” he said. “What’s up?”

“I” – I stammered, “I was just going out.”

“Where to?”

“What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you until
tonight.”

“Obviously, now where are you going?” He walked toward me
and I backed up into the living room.

“Jack – what are you doing?”

“Okay, look,” he said. “I know you’re on your way to the
airport, and you’re going to meet up with Harley. Am I correct?”

Lisa!
“Lisa
promised she wouldn’t say anything!” I couldn’t believe she had betrayed me.

“She thought about what you were doing and couldn’t let
you go through with it. She called me this morning.”

“She had no right to do that!”

“She was worried about you,” he said. “So you were going
to leave me? Run off with Harley?”

“I can’t stay here!” I said. “I hated the thought of
leaving you, but I cannot testify in that trial and I will not let Dr. Steele
commit me! I won’t! And you can’t stop me!” Then I had an awful thought.
“Please don’t tell me you have a warrant, or a subpoena, or something with
you.”

“Of course I don’t.”

“Then I’m leaving, if you will kindly get out of my way.”

“I’m sure you have one minute to talk to me before you
go.”

“So you won’t stop me?”

“No, in fact, I want you to go.”

I sat on the sofa, thoroughly confused. “What?”

“I want you to go meet Harley, so we can arrest her.”

“You want me to set a trap for her?”

“If that’s the way you want to put it, yes.”

“I can’t do that!”

“Think about it, Audrey, Harley is every bit as much a
fugitive as Ferdy. She will be found. And if you’re with her, you will be
charged with interfering with an investigation, aiding and abetting, and who
knows what else? You can’t put yourself in that position.”

I covered my face with my hands. Jack made sense; I’d
been about to put myself in the middle of yet another disaster. The booby hatch
was looking better and better.

“One way or the other, Harley is going to be brought in,”
he said. “Now you can be with her when that happens, as her accomplice, or you
can work with law enforcement and keep yourself out of trouble.”

“I should have realized,” I said.

“So you’ll do it? You’ll work with us?”

I hated myself for agreeing to set a trap for Harley. No
matter what, I had this soft spot in my heart for her, and sympathy for the
life she’d led. But I agreed. “I’ll do it.”

He produced a cell phone from his belt. “You’ll take this
along, because Harley will want you to give her yours. She’s not going to take
any chances that you might be able to give her location away.”

“Just leave it on? How am I supposed to charge it?”

“It’ll stay charged for a few days. You’ll be back by
then. Don’t call me unless you feel you have to; just text. It’s permanently
set to vibrate – no beeps or rings will come out of this thing. Got it? Texts
only. Don’t
offer
her your phone, but
if she asks for it, give it willingly. It’ll convince her you’re on her side.”

“I feel like a spy.”

“All you have to do, is get on the plane and meet Harley
in Los Angeles. Undercover officers will be watching for you at LAX. The moment
you meet her, they’ll move in and arrest her. They’ll hand you a return ticket
and you’ll fly right back here. I’ll be waiting for you at the gate.”

I threw my arms around him. “I’m sorry, Jack – I’m so
glad I don’t have to leave you. I didn’t know how I was going to handle that. I
think it would have killed me.”

“When you get back,” he said, “I hope you’ll put this
on.” He took a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was an
engagement ring, with an exquisite, square-cut, solitaire diamond.

“Oh, my God, Jack! This is the last thing I expected!”

“After the other night, I knew I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with you.”

“Was that the only reason?”

“No, it’s you. Everything about you,” he smiled. “But I
have to tell you, after that night you could have had my badge and all my
credit cards.”

“How long have you had this ring?”

“Not long; when Lisa called me, I was in the jewelry
store, buying it. Want to try it on?”

“No. If I put it on, I won’t want to take it off. It’s
the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen! But Jack, we’ve only known each other a
little while. Don’t you think this is too fast? You might regret tying yourself
to someone like me.”

“Audrey, you are the strongest person I know. For so many
years you’ve managed your anxiety, and the problems you’re having now are
external. Not internal. Once this crap you’ve had hurled at you goes away,
you’ll be totally fine again. I know you will. I
believe
you will. Besides, I’ve wanted you with me since the first
time I saw you.”

“Still…,”

“It’ll be here when you get back.” He closed the box and
tucked it back in his pocket. “By the way,” he said, as he pulled some papers
out of another pocket, “here’s the title and registration to your Jeep; Lisa
wanted me to give them back to you. Now you’d better get going.”

“Will you drive me? I can cancel my cab.”

“No, you can’t be seen with me at the airport, but an
officer will be watching in case Ferdy is in the vicinity keeping an eye on you
for Harley.”

We kissed goodbye – a wonderful kiss that I wouldn’t
forget. The last kiss before I wore his ring. The last kiss before I walked
Harley into a trap. Probably the last kiss before lost my mind.

When the cab arrived, I climbed in, pulled my duffle in
after me, and headed to Hancock Airport. The plane was on time, and after I
went through security, I settled in at the gate and waited to board.

Second thoughts plagued me, but Jack’s words played over
and over in my head, and by the time my flight was called, I knew I had no
choice but to go through with his plan. I focused on the flights to Philly and
Los Angeles, and the return flight that would bring me back here, and not so
much on what was going to take place in the hours between. It was going to be a
long day.

In Philly, I went to the airport salon and had my hair
stripped of all its color. Since it was already on the short side, there wasn’t
a lot the stylist could do with it, but she moussed the curls into spikes and
sprayed the hell out of it. I also subjected myself to a makeup session with a
young lady who lined my eyes with black and smudged my lids with a shade of
charcoal. The combination of hair and eyes left me looking like a punk raccoon,
but it did the trick; I didn’t even recognize myself.

The plane ride to Los Angeles was long, but I managed to
entertain myself with a couple of magazines I’d purchased in the airport gift
shop, when I wasn’t envisioning all the ways this could go wrong. My feet had
barely hit the ground at LAX, when my cell rang. “Change of plans,” said
Harley.

“What do you mean?” The first thing that could go wrong
just did. I glanced around in search of uniforms, but then remembered Jack had
said the officers looking for me would be undercover. Shit.

“I’m not in the airport,” she said. “I’m outside. Leave
through the USAir door so I can see you. Did you go to the salon in Philly?”

“I did,” I said, hoping I sounded normal. Where were the
police? Then it hit me – they would be looking for me as I appeared in the
photo they’d been given. And I’d forgotten to tell Jack that Harley had
instructed me to change my appearance, let alone that she’d changed hers.

“What color?”

“Well, I guess you could say platinum, but they really just
had time to strip the color out.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, and it’s all spiky.” Did I sound nervous? Could
she hear distraction in my voice as I searched for people who looked like they
were searching for me?

“Okay,” she said, as I exited the terminal, “I see you.
Now take the shuttle to Parking Lot B. I’ll meet you there.”

“How will I find you?”

“I’ll find you,” she said.

Sure that she was still watching, I didn’t dare text Jack
to tell him of Harley’s change of plans or of my new look. I followed the signs
to the shuttles, where one was loading up. On the ride to Parking Lot B, heat
built at the back of my neck and my muscles tensed, as I wondered if someone on
the shuttle was watching me for Harley. Paranoia like mine allows no leeway,
and I could easily believe she had hired the driver, the acne-riddled boy in
front of me, or the old lady sitting next to me, as easily as not. I’d known I
would screw this up and now I had. It looked like I would be leaving the area
with Harley. I wanted to cry.

I got off the shuttle and waited until the vehicle rolled
away. Five minutes passed with no sign of Harley and I began to get nervous.
Was she watching me? Waiting to see if it looked like I’d brought police with
me? I didn’t think so. She wouldn’t have asked me to come if she didn’t trust
me.

A black Cadillac Escalade ESV, with tinted windows,
pulled up to the curb; one of the back windows whirred down. A red-haired
Harley waved me into the back. “Audrey!” She was fairly wiggling with
excitement. “I’m so happy to see you! I’m so glad you came!”

I threw my duffle into the enormous vehicle and chose a
seat directly across from her. I would be riding backwards, but that was okay.
I wanted to see her eyes when she talked to me. I thought I would be able to
tell if she lied, even though so far she’d managed to do just fine in that
department.

“Oh my God,” she said, “you look so different!”

I put my hands on my head. “I know - can you believe this
makeup?” While we talked, a totally different conversation played in my head,
and I hoped that I wouldn’t confuse the two and blurt out the wrong thing. Soon
we were on the road. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“For a long ride,” she smiled, “so settle in.”

“Seriously? You’re not going to tell me after I took this
incredible leap of faith? I left Jack, my apartment, the one friend I had
besides you, screwed up my entire appearance, and flew across the country!”

“You also left the possibility of being committed and the
certainty of testifying against Danny. And you said you were
losing
your apartment.”

“That’s true, but I still want to know where we’re
going.” I was no longer Harley’s boss, and not even on an equal footing with
her now. Hippie Harley was holding all the cards.

“Okay,” she said. “We’re going to drive up the coast to
the place I’ve been staying. It’s right on the beach, it’s secluded, and it’s
so beautiful, Audrey. You won’t even believe the sunsets.”

“Good,” I said, “I was afraid we might be heading to
Mexico and I really wasn’t keen on that. But you didn’t have to hire such a
luxurious car just to pick me up!”

“I didn’t want to drive that far.”

“So what have you been up to?” I asked.

“Happily living without fear, especially now that Carl
has been arrested – honestly, Audrey, that was the best news you could have
given me, although I’m sorry it happened the way it did.”

“How did you stand him all those years?” I asked. “He’s
so mean. Whatever made you fall for a guy like that?”

“He wasn’t like that until well into our relationship. It
was like he was hiding that part of himself until he was sure I wouldn’t leave.
I guess he saw a vulnerability in me that made him think he could dominate me,
and that if he slowly put the fear of God into me, I’d put up with his abuse.
And of course, he was right. I’m still afraid of him, even knowing he’s behind
bars. People escape.”

“I doubt he could find you now.”

“I don’t ever take safety for granted,” she said.

All I could think of was Jack. He would have heard by now
that no one matching my description had gotten off the plane. He’d be out of
his mind with worry. As soon as I could, I’d text him. I was carrying two cell
phones, and Harley hadn’t yet asked for mine, which comforted me. Being able to
keep them both would be helpful, in case one of them lost its juice.

As if on cue, Harley put out her hand, “I’m gonna need
your phone, Aud. Sorry.”

“My phone? Really?”

“Yeah, I can’t take any chances, you know? Pings and all
that?”

I dug it out of my purse and handed it over. “Wow,
Harley, this feels serious.”

“It is, believe me.”

As the night wore on, we talked ourselves out. Harley
fell asleep and I quickly got bored, not being able to see much of anything out
of the heavily tinted windows; I eventually dropped off too. Harley shook me
awake around 4 a.m. and announced that we had reached our destination. “You
were really out,” she said. “You slept right through a fuel stop.”

She looked like she wanted to say something else, but
didn’t know how. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “What is it?”

“It’s…,” she said.

“What? Come on! You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t mean to,” she said. “But I’m going to need you
to let me explain some things without interrupting me, okay?” The driver got
out and shut his door.

“Yes, yes, okay! Out with it!”

Just then the car door opened and the driver reached for
my hand to help me out. I slid to the end of the seat and looked up at him. It
was Ferdy.