The Price (36 page)

Kate woke from a dubious state. She felt disoriented, and her stomach was aching something fierce. Another episode was ready to overtake her fast. She climbed from the bed and staggered to the bathroom. Her head was spinning which only added to the nausea creeping up her throat. She made it just in time and her stomach erupted. Once more, she was clinging to the cool, white porcelain until the episode passed.

She sprawled out on-to the tile floor and rested. After several minutes, she grabbed the commode for support and lifted herself to her feet. She walked to the shower and turned it on. Slowly she disrobed, discarding her garments then she stepped in-to the shower and felt the warm water cascade down her head and over her back. She ran her hands through her hair and to her horror massive clumps came out in her hand. Kate looked at the blond strands that looked like half of her head.

“Oh, no…no-” she wailed as she threw it on the shower floor and felt the top of her head. She felt nothing but smooth skin. She screamed in a state of panic.

She vaguely heard commotion in her bedroom and her name being called as a male voice bellowed in-to the bathroom.

“Katie, where are you?” shouted Paul.

He entered the bathroom and saw her silhouette behind the shower door. He opened the door and saw the clumps of hair on the floor and a semi-bald Kate pressed against the stall. His gaze lowered and rested on her breast.

“Jesus Christ,” he gasped, and took a step back.

Kate looked up with tears streaming down her face.

“Oh, no-” She released a high-pitched agonizing wail as she tried to cover up her shame with the remaining strands of hair still entwined in her hands.

“Your breast—its—its-” He couldn’t finish his sentence. “Oh my God, what the hell did they do to you?”

He just stared, his gray eyes displaying his shock, his disbelief—and his
disgust
.

Kate just wanted to die—seeing her ex-husband look at her like she was hideous. It pained her soul that no man would ever want her now. If this was Paul’s reaction, she could just imagine how Jack would react.

“I can’t-” Paul shook his head from side to side. “I’m sorry Katie—I just can’t-”

He shook his head once more and turned to leave. Kate watched him run from the room and she slid down the shower stall, curling up in ball on the floor. She couldn’t stop weeping as she continued to cover her disfigurement.

Paul raced from her room and down the stairs. He passed Marnie in the foyer, running for the door.

“Where are you going?” Marnie shouted at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” he stammered and pointed his finger at her. “It’s grotesque, that’s what it is.”

He shook his head from side to side as if in shock and disgust.

“I can’t do it,” he said flustered. “I can’t be with a woman with hair that’s falling out and a lump for a breast. Besides she’s dying anyway, and I won’t watch her die. Don’t ask me to do it because I won’t. I’m not a strong man, and I’d rather remember her the way she was. I’ll see you at the funeral.”

Paul headed for the door.

“You’re a coward!” Marnie shouted after him.

“No, I’m a weak man,” he said, then let the door close behind him.

Paul got in his car and drove as fast as he could away from the estate and Marnie St. Claire. It was unfortunate because he still had a thing for Katie—the old Katie that is. But this new one—well—he—he could never be with a woman with one good breast and the other—he shuddered at the thought.

His shallowness didn’t bother him. He came to accept it as his flaw. Lots of people had flaws, he justified. So his wasn’t so bad, was it? At least he wasn’t a meddling control freak like Marnie St. Claire. Now
that
woman had issues. He kind of felt sorry for Katie, spending her last days isolated and alone with her mother because Marnie was not the maternal type.

Paul laughed aloud turning on to the street he called home. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Marnie had fixated on him as the perfect match for Katie—though he used it to his advantage.

Who wouldn’t with all that money dripping into his hands like an overzealous fountain?
Katie was the best choice after Emily left him when she too found him with another woman. God, he had the worst timing when it came to women.

Paul pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. He leaned back in his seat and breathed in deeply then exhaled like he was washing away the day. He stepped from the car and started walking up the drive to his house.

“Hello,
Paul
,” he heard a feminine voice and before he knew what was happening he was thrown against his own car.

“Don’t hurt me,” he screamed and covered his arm over his face like a shield. “If it’s money you want, take my wallet.”

“We don’t want your money, you asshole!”

He recognized that male voice at once and his shield dropped to see Adam staring him in the eye with his burly arm pressed against Paul’s chest. And there was Clara, standing not three feet behind her husband with hands on hips.

“What are you two doing here?” cried Paul, though in his gut he already knew.

“Can’t two people pay a visit to an old friend?” stated Clara with a look that unnerved him.

“What have you been up to, old friend?” Adam smiled threateningly in Paul’s face.

“I know why you’re here-” Paul stammered, feeling Adam’s breath hot against his cheeks.

“Good, it’ll make it easier because we three have some things to talk over,” said Clara. “Let’s take a walk to our car.”

Paul’s face turned a pale green.

“After you, friend,” said Adam, flashing him a warning before removing his arm and giving Paul a push to start walking down the drive and toward their car parked on the street.

“What are you going to do to me?” Paul asked over his shoulder as he cautiously made his way to the rented vehicle. He was trembling so badly Adam thought he might wet himself.

“We’re just going to talk,” said Adam, flinging the back door open and motioning for Paul to get in.

Clara walked around the car and got in the back seat from the other side. Paul climbed in and was forced to sit in the middle as Adam slid next to him. Paul heard the doors slam closed and looked up in the driver’s seat when the car started to move. He saw a heavy set woman with dark hair behind the wheel.

“You remember Maria,” stated Clara with a big grin on her face.

Maria waved at Paul, then placed her hand back on the steering wheel and drove away from Paul’s house.

“You look a little nervous Paul.” said Clara, leaning forward in the seat and winking at Adam. “Sweetie, don’t you think he looks nervous?”

“He looks nervous to me,” Adam agreed, looking at Paul and then his wife. “You think we could coax him to tell us why?”

“I don’t know.” Clara shrugged. “Maybe we should ask him?”

They both glared at Paul. He was perspiring now, and Clara could see tiny beads of sweat on his brow. His eyes danced back and forth between the two of them in dreaded anticipation of what they were going to do next. It was enough to make anyone come undone, and Paul began to unravel before their eyes.

“All right, all right!” exclaimed Paul, breaking down from the mere tension alone. “It wasn’t my fault. Marnie made me do it!”

“Marnie made you do what?” asked Clara.

“You know damn well what,” he shouted.

“I’d like to hear it in your own words, if you don’t mind,” said Adam with a calmness that made Paul more uncomfortable by the minute.

“It was Marnie’s idea to call the police,” he stammered. “Katie and Jack just had a huge fight. She called me and told me to come right over. When I got there I found out that Jack had temporarily split. I guess he needed to cool down or something. So when he rolled up in his truck, I called the police. But that’s all I did.”

“So you set him up to make it look like he was violating the restraining order?” Clara shook her head from side to side and released a
tsk-tsk
sound. “Oh Paul, you have been a very bad boy! What are we going to do with him, Adam?”

“I don’t know? What do you think we should do with him, baby?” asked Adam as he glared at Paul.

“What about Marnie?” cried Paul. He was not going to go down alone. “She masterminded the whole thing. Told the police Jack and Katie were separated and he no longer lived there.”

“Marnie’s time will come,” said Adam. “Right now you should be thinking of a way to set right the wrong.”

“You want me to drop the charges?” he asked, nervously looking back and forth at the two of them.

“Say, that’s an idea,” said Clara as her eyes narrowed and she stared into his beady grey eyes.

“Fine, I’ll drop the charges,” he conceded. “I was going to do it anyway. There’s no point in Jack suffering now—now that Katie is…”

“What’s wrong with Kate?” Clara grabbed Paul angrily by the shirt, demanding answers. “What did you do to her?”

“I didn’t do anything to her,” he said, feeling Adam’s violent breath on his neck. “She’s dying okay? She’s dying. There’s no point in Jack rotting in jail when she probably only has a few weeks left.”

“Well then, I guess it’s your civic duty to get Jack out of there fast,” said Adam with teeth clenched.

“Fine.” Paul laid his head back against the seat. “Take me to the police station and I’ll tell them everything.”

“We’re already here,” said Clara, seeing their car pull into the parking area of the precinct.

“You were taking me here all the time?” Paul suddenly realized the ramifications and a panicked sweat dripped off his brow.

“Yep,” said Adam. “And just in case you get cold feet we have it all recorded.”

Clara held up her cell phone and hit play. Paul listened to the sound of his own voice repeating back their earlier conversation. Clara hit the stop button and grinned.

“Let’s go free Jack!”

Clara opened the car door and stepped outside. Adam exited the car along with Paul. He held him by the back of his shirt collar just in case he tried to run.

“We’ll be right back, Maria,” Clara informed her.

With that all three walked into the police station to render the true story and free an innocent man.

TWENTY-EIGHT

MOVING HEAVEN AND EARTH

Jack stepped into the sunlight and felt the golden rays upon his face. He was never so thankful to be a free man. He didn’t look back, walking through the gates of the prison, leaving its grey walls behind—not even when the guard said
good luck
.

All he saw was his two friends, Clara and Adam waiting by the car and Maria behind the wheel. She waved at him and he waved back.

“I don’t know how you guys did it, but I’m glad as hell you did,” said Jack as he walked up to them and hugged Adam then Clara.

“Good to see you, Jack,” said Adam, patting him on the back.

“God, it’s good to see you too.” He got all choked up inside.

“Hey there, Jack,” Clara smiled.

Jack grabbed Clara and squeezed her tight.

“Clara, I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me,” he said, giving her the biggest hug of all. “How’s Kate?”

“From what I hear, she’s not so good.” Her heart broke telling him that piece of news.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” said Jack, matching the worried look on her face.

Jack stepped to the driver door and opened it.

“Move over you beautiful woman,” he smiled at Maria. “I’ll take it from here.”

“It’s so good to see you, Señor Jack,” she said, scooting over in the seat and Jack climbed in.

“Now let’s go get Kate and my son.”

He waited for Clara and Adam to climb in the back seat before starting the car and speeding out of the parking lot. With foot on the accelerator, he drove like a mad man darting in and out of traffic, passing anything that was moving slower.

He had one thing on his mind and that was seeing Kate. There was no time to lose if she was in as bad a shape as Clara suggested. Jack wasn’t sure what he was going to find. All he knew was he had to get Kate away from Marnie St. Claire.

Jack rounded the corner and the gate to the mansion came into view.

“Hold on guys,” said Jack as his eyes narrowed.

“You’re not going to ram the gate?” gasped Clara.

“You bet I am!”

Jack pressed the accelerator to the floor. Clara grabbed the oh-shit handle and held on tight as did Adam. Maria just covered her face seeing the security gate get closer and closer.

Instead of slowing down by the guard station, Jack sped up and barreled past, taking out the security gate in the process.

“Oh, shit!” exclaimed Clara, hearing the screeching of tires and flying metal. She began to laugh when she looked out the back window and saw the guards running up the driveway chasing them.

Jack paid them no mind. He came to a screeching halt directly in front of the mansion. He jumped from the car and ran up the steps to the front door with Adam and Clara following close behind. He went to open the door but it was locked. Jack began pounding on the door and Clara was sure he was going to break it down.

“Open this damn door or I swear I will kick it in.” He pounded so hard the shutters on the adjoining window rattled. “Do you hear me, Marnie? I’m going to break this door in if you don’t open it now!”

Jack heard the click of the lock and the door opened slightly as Marnie St. Claire stood blocking him from entering.

“Get out of my way,” yelled Jack.

In all of her days, Marnie never saw an angrier man than Jack McBride. She sighed knowing he had good cause.

“Are you sure you want to see Kathryn?” she requisitioned. “I don’t think you are prepared for what you are going to see.”

“What have you done?” Jack’s eyes went violent. “Where is Kate?”

“She’s upstairs in her room,” she sighed again. “She’s not the Kathryn you’re used to seeing.”

“I have never hit a woman in my life but so help me God, Marnie, if you don’t move, I’m going to make an exception in your case,” thundered Jack, clenching loose hands into fists. “Now get out of my way!”

Marnie stepped aside and Jack barreled past her. He took to the stairs two at a time and raced down the hall to their bedroom. He slammed open the door and entered.