Cobalt (9 page)

     ‘I don’t see anything funny about that.’ Gillian remarked, taking the photo from her husband.

     ‘It’s a hoax honey. Of that you can be assured. Someone has used a photo editing program to doctor that image.’ William countered.

     ‘Hoax? But who would do such a cruel thing?’ Gillian asked, still not totally convinced, ‘Seriously, who would go to the trouble.’

     ‘For someone proficient with a computer, and the thousands of photo editing programs available honey, it’d be no trouble at all. A quick cut and paste.’ William stated. ‘Any kid with internet access can download the new and improved ‘Photoshop’ or ‘Image-editor. And anyone who wants to cause problems, or and unthinking hack with a little time to kill could doctor the image and post it to you. I’m surprised your security team didn’t screen the incoming mail, stop this from getting to you’ William frowned. 

    ‘If it is a hoax, why should you care if I see it or not?’ Gillian knew she sounded ridiculous, she knew that William was only trying to stop her suffering un-necessary angst such as this. She knew all mail entering the White House was screened for exactly this reason, among others; security, sorting and allocation to name a few others. ‘How can you be so certain it’s a hoax?’

     ‘Give it to me.’ William said, evenly. ‘I want to show you something.’ He took the photo as Gillian offered it. ‘Now look. This is San Fransisco. Remember the trip we took two months ago. And that,’ William stated, pointing to the woman, ‘Is you…or rather you are the base photo for the completed, doctored image. The body is yours, but the head belongs to this Angela woman. Look closely,’ He said, gesturing to the base of the neck. ‘You can see where they’ve cut and pasted the two images together. The skin-tone is close, but it’s not identical.’

     ‘How can you be so sure that’s me? My body?’ Gillian questioned.

     ‘Well for one thing, there has only ever been you. I haven’t been anywhere without you. And, honey, I’d know that body anywhere. Everything about that body.’ William smiled, gently running his right index finger down her arm. ‘Look closely at the photo.’

Gillian looked at the image. He was right. She even remembered when they had walked down the street, shortly after dinner. She looked into her husband’s patient amber eyes, as she deliberately tore the photo into thousands of pieces, and brushed them from the bed. ‘I’m so sorry’ she said, concern and genuine remorse tinting her voice, tears of regret welling in her nearly violet eyes.

William responded by taking her in his arms, and kissing her deeply. ‘Now where were we?’ he asked as he eased her down onto the mattress.

CHAPTER 13

The taxi pulled up in front of Club Fun and Madeline virtually threw herself out of it,  before it had completely stopped. Not even bothering to see if her partner  followed she crossed the pavement to the doors. Carefully, as she strode through the glass front door of the night-club, Madeline checked to see if the pistol was still positioned in the back waist band of her black pants.

Rick caught up to her as she stood in the centre of the dance-floor, scanning the room. ‘Well?’ he questioned, following her search of the room, as he attempted to blend into the crowd, moving to the techno beat that pumped through the club.

Madeline’s gaze ended on a door in the corner. On the front read 'Club Personale Soltanto- Staff only', but following a hunch Madeline strode over and silently opened it.  Inside was a small, dimly lit, descending stairwell. Anger and frustration were replaced by professional requirement so she beckoned Rick to follow as she entered it.

Rick followed quickly and quietly. At the bottom of the stairs was another door, guarded by two men, each holding a semi-automatic weapon, by his side. Staying out of sight Rick fixed the silencer to his weapon, and fired two shots, killing the two men before they even knew he was there. Madeline stepped over the slain terrorists and tried the door-knob. It was locked. Taking a step back, she kicked it open. The swing of it allowed her to view the inner room, and the three men inside. Two were armed. She burst through the door, Rick closely on her heels. She fired two shots, taking out the two guards either side of the desk, the sound of her shots echoing throughout the office. They both fell, but one fired a shot before hers reached him. The bullet sailed past her and directly at Rick.

Madeline spun around to look at him. This action, gave their suspect the time he needed to flee out the back door of the office. With one glance she saw the bullet, too, had missed Rick, and whipping her attention forward she saw Teslovich exit the office.

Acting quickly Rick and Madeline raced through the open door, after him. The door led into a deserted alleyway. Madeline frantically spun in a circle, trying to locate their suspect. He was no where to be seen. Un-decided on what to do next, she turned and confronted Rick. ‘This is all your fault’, she accused, her voice slightly raised, ‘If I didn't care so much abo...’ Madeline's voice trailed off, realising she'd said, in her mind, too much. Before Rick could answer she ran back through the door, and into the office. Desperately she searched the room for something, anything. They'd come this far, just to lose the lead. This isn't happening, she thought.

     ‘Madeline, face it. There's nothing here. Let's go. Marcus will call us soon with more information. We'll pick up the suspect then. Teslovich won't escape twice.’ Rick said from standing in the open doorway.

     ‘He shouldn't have escaped once.’ she hissed as she forced herself past him and outside into the alley. She walked along it, to the main road and hailed a taxi. Not waiting for Rick, she climbed in and drove off. Rick decided to walk back to the hotel. It wasn't far and Madeline needed some space, a moment alone to calm down he decided. He began the short journey back to the hotel, walking slowly, being careful not to trip on the uneven cobbles, in the dark.

CHAPTER 14

It took Rick half and hour to reach the hotel. He could have stretched it out, but he needed to see Madeline. He was worried about her. Her actions at the club were very un-characteristic of her. He decided she had had enough time to recover and her near admission that she cared for him, in the alley, had really sparked his interest. It was the closest she’d ever come to admitting she had feelings for him. He felt badly deceiving her about his afternoon’s encounter with Angela, but her actions ended any regrets he had. Rick had been waiting for nine years to hear Madeline admit that she truly cared for him, that she had finally forgiven him, and it looked as though, with a little persuasion,  his wait would be brought to an end tonight.

He walked into the room, and seeing Madeline’s coat thrown roughly over the back of an arm chair, but no Madeline, he tried the bathroom door. It was locked. He knocked gently, but received no answer. Rick waited for what seemed like an eternity. It became apparent that Madeline was not coming out. He decided to go in. Using his shoulder, he forced his way into the room. Madeline, seated on the edge of the bathtub, looked up in surprise. He took one look at her, and realized that he had been right in hurrying back to the hotel after her.

     ‘Have you been crying?’ he asked, almost in disbelief.

Standing she answered defiantly, ‘No! I do not cry. Ever!’

     ‘Then why do you look like Alice Cooper?’ he stated angrily, more angry at the fact she had been crying, than that she was denying it.

Madeline turned and grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the white ceramic basin, and began mopping her eyes viciously, wiping away the black smudges of mascara from her cheeks.

     ‘Madeline,’ he stated calmly. ‘Why have you been crying?’

     Now satisfied that the evidence was gone from her face, she raised her gaze to allow her to see Rick’s reflection in the mirror. ‘Why are you in here?’

     ‘Why did you change the subject?’

     ‘I didn't,’ she replied sarcastically. ‘You haven't given me one yet!’

     ‘Your emotions’ he challenged. ‘Towards us. Your tears.’

Her answer was cold and abrupt, ‘There is no us.’

     ‘I don't accept that,’ he stated bluntly, ‘You said before...’

     ‘Who cares what I....’ she interrupted only to be cut off by him.

     ‘I care.’

     ‘Well, I don’t’

     Rick ignored her last comment, her latest attempt to hurt him, knowing that at least she was expressing some sort of emotion in front of him. He continued, ‘I want you to tell me everything this time, Madeline. Relevant or not, I want to hear it. Good or bad. You owe me that much.’

     ‘I don't owe you anything.’ she answered defiantly as she began to walk away. Rick grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to face him.

    ‘Don't give me that Madeline! At least justify your recent irrational, emotional actions.’ He placed emphasis on irrational, and emotional, trying to anger her into an admission.

     Madeline tried unsuccessfully to break away from his grip. ‘I don't have to justify anything to you.’ she retorted.

     ‘You don't have to, or you won't? I think you're afraid to. You always act like you're not afraid of anything, but you are afraid. I can see it in your eyes, Madeline.’ he responded still holding her wrist.

     ‘Really?’ she questioned, one eyebrow raised.

     ‘You appear to be the strong one, but you are afraid.’

     ‘Afraid? Of you?’ she stated in disbelief.

     ‘Of being human, of being vulnerable. Perhaps of being hurt.’ he challenged.

     With a laugh Madeline wrenched her arm away from him, and retorted. ‘You have no idea what you're talking about. You think you know me, understand me. But you don’t.’

     ‘Oh, don't I?’ Rick attacked her then. ‘You completely withdraw from me anytime I try to relate to you on a personal level, then when you finally give way to a more intimate relationship, you try to pass it off as a mere act of satisfying my needs, instead of admitting to yourself that you're afraid to commit to anything, afraid to trust anyone.’

     Madeline went on the defensive, arms folded, her voice cold and tight. ‘You've given me no reason not to be afraid. The Barnem case! You and you're causes. You put my life and my reputation on the line, and then you have the nerve to lie straight-faced to me about it! And what about Angela? You sleep with me and then turn to her!  Yes Rick, it hurt. It hurts like hell to see the casual disregard you hold for my integrity, my feelings, to dismiss the possibility of just telling me the truth. We'd been partners for six years when that case arose. That's what hurt. But you know what hurts even more, Rick? It hurts knowing that I did something consistent with your personality. I lied. I lied to Marcus to cover your tracks.’

     Rick interrupted her, frantically confused. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

     ‘Forget it’ she snapped, ‘I don't even know why I'm telling you any of this.’ Madeline headed for the bathroom door, but he beat her to it effectively blocking her passage from the room.

     ‘Because you're trying to be human. Because you really do care about me, even love me, that's why you're telling me. And while we're on this I want complete honesty.’

     Madeline cut him off. Her voice was like ice as she spoke. ‘And you think you deserve honesty? After everything you’ve done? Why don't you tell me the  truth for a change.’