The Rosaries (Crossroads Series) (29 page)

“
Lakeisha
! I’m so glad to see you here. Do you have any funny feelings about tonight?”

Tom raised his eyebrow in confusion. “Is
Lakeisha
psychic?”

“Hmmm…not technically,” replied Natalie, “but she feels things. So,
Lakeisha
, do you pick anything up?” She nudged and touched
Lakeisha’s
arm, the rosary sweeping across her chest and fleetingly touching
Lakeisha’s
shoulder. A vision exploded into
Lakeisha’s
head, and she struggled to keep from gasping. “No, I don’t feel anything right now; all I’m feeling is that you are hungry and stressed. You’re shielding me from reading anything else.” She said averting her eyes as Natalie’s own pleaded with her for premonitory clues.

She couldn’t tell Natalie that she felt something – no, she saw something…a large stain of blood on the floor, soaking one of the white sheets that were candidly protecting Catherine’s paintings from curious eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest and her head spun, as a merry-go-round of events quickly flashed in front of her eyes. She reached a hand down to feel the book of prayers through the thin fabric of her large purse, closed her eyes to shut away the vision, and focused on regaining control of herself before Natalie would notice something was wrong. Unfortunately it would not be long before she found out on her own.

“Could you give us some sightseeing suggestions? This is my uncle’s last day here, and I really wanted to make today sort of special.” Melody told the clerk at the reception desk of her hotel.

“Have you been to the popular sites, Trafalgar square, Piccadilly Circus, and
Buckingham
Palace
, already?”

“Yep, we’ve seen all that. I was looking for something a bit more unusual.”

“What about the
London
Eye? Have you been on a flight?”

Melody’s throat tied into a knot the moment she heard the clerk mention the London Eye – that was one of the things she had hoped to do with Mario after Paul left to go back to the States.

I just wanted to bring back something that shows you how I feel…

She couldn’t erase the sound of those words from her memory, and each syllable was a knife wound to her heart. Afraid to burst into tears in front of the clerk, she thanked him quickly and left the hotel. She gulped air and tried steadying her breathing before going back inside. She didn’t know how to face Mario today. When she left the room, a half hour earlier, he was still sleeping but it wouldn’t be long before he woke up. Even if she kept to herself during the stay in
London
, they had to leave together to get back home, and most importantly, she didn’t want to worry Paul on his last day here. Love for her uncle pumped steel into her spine, and she decided to keep quiet about the necklace.

She went upstairs, and the moment she opened the door Mario called out to her. “Is it you, Honey?”

Her determination to check her mouth vanished the moment she heard his syrupy tone. “Yeah, it’s only me, unfortunately.”

“Melody? Is something wrong?”

She exploded. “Is something wrong? Why don’t you tell me, Mario? Or maybe you will tell her first, since there is so much you would like to say, if you weren’t afraid to rush her.”

“Melody?” Mario looked at his wife, confusion written on his face, “Who’s “her”? I don’t have a clue what’s going on.”

“Let me refresh your memory then!” she yelled as she flew across the room, took the suitcase out of the closet and spilled out the contents on the floor until the rectangular velvet box came into sight. “What the hell is this? I heard you, Mario; I heard you telling her that you wanted to bring back something that showed her how you feel.”

“Haven’t we already had this conversation last night? I was talking to Branson, Melody.”

“Oh yeah? And where is the book about fox hunting then? Or are you bringing Branson a nice necklace instead?’

Mario stood up, his smile increasing in size as he walked across the floor to the desk. He opened his carry-on bag and pulled out a book; a pretty red fox on the cover stared Melody in the face.

“But…but…the necklace…” She stammered, now totally confused.

“The necklace is for you, Melody. It’s a gift for our upcoming anniversary.”

Melody’s legs shook violently, her head spun, she thought she was going to faint. “Oh my God…I’m such a loser…I thought you were seeing someone, Mario.”

‘I thought we settled that doubt last night, Melody.”

“We did…you did…I thought…I am so sorry…”

“Maybe I should remind you right now.”

“Maybe you should. I think I’m a bit hard of hearing.”

Mario laughed as he picked her up and carried her to the bed, “I would like to argue my case again, Your Honor.”

She laughed and cried at the same time. Tears had never been so sweet.

Ryan looked out of the window while his cab sped through the streets of London toward his hotel. He had a lot of time to think on the plane. He loved Ashton, but felt he rushed into things when he suggested to her they should continue to be together. His mother wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if she knew her son was fixing to shack up with a waitress, even only as a mistress.

He shook his head, as if that could help clear his mind. Back in Wilmington, just the day before, he had no doubt that he wanted to be with Ashton – if only discreetly -- but now he wasn’t too sure any more. Maybe he just didn’t want to screw up, knowing what was at stake. For once, he wanted to think with his big head instead than the smaller, more convincing one. He could have everything he wanted if he married Natalie – a beautiful, talented wife, the money to save the good name of his family, and the respect of his parents. He didn’t love her, that much was true, but didn’t people say that love comes with time if you share enough common interests?

While his cab struggled to get through the traffic, he noticed a large crowd gathered on the street, some people wearing name tags, but before he could figure out what was happening, the cab gained speed, and the crowd was left behind. They pulled in front of the hotel a few minutes later and the driver quickly came around to open the trunk and pull his travel bag out. He crossed the lobby and almost ran into a gigantic man with gray hair and a fishing hat with a hook threaded through the visor. He apologized, and realized from the man’s accent that he was an American.

“Hey, where are you from?”

“Louisiana, what about you?”

“
North Carolina
. My fiancée is having a show here, and I came to support her. She doesn’t know I’m here yet, I’m hoping to surprise her.”

“That’s great. My niece is from
North Carolina
; she’s here too.”

“Yeah? Where in North Carolina?”

“Clayton, I think; it’s a small town near
Raleigh
.”

“Oh yes, I’m from
Wilmington
, on the coast.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Paul said, “well, I’d better be going. My niece and her husband are waiting for me to go sightseeing a bit before I fly back tomorrow.”

“Nice to meet you, too. Maybe I’ll get to meet your folks before they leave.”

Paul nodded, and the stranger went to the reception desk after nodding himself.

Euphoria was growing by the minute; he felt in his heart that he was finally closing in and the rosary would be his in a matter of hours. He had it all planned out – he would get into the gallery and hide, then wait for the right moment to approach Natalie alone. The housekeeper presented a problem. He thought he had killed her at Catherine
Bouvier’s
house, but she survived. He couldn’t keep making mistakes of this kind, and he wondered if he should get rid of her even before approaching Natalie. He wasn’t sure if she had seen him that night in the closet when he struck at her with his gun, but if she had she might be able to recognize him, and that wouldn’t do.

He stood across the street, watching the crowd increase in size, and keeping out of sight behind a newspaper and dark glasses – didn’t he hear somewhere that British people often read the newspaper on the street? He saw the door of the gallery open, and his heart skipped a beat. A woman walked outside – the housekeeper! She was alone, and got ready to go down the steps when Natalie came out after her and the two exchanged a few words.

He was too far to be sure, but he thought that what he saw around Natalie’s neck was the rosary. His heart thumped wildly in his chest and his legs shook from the emotion of being so close to it. The rosary’s red and black stones seemed to hum a silent melody only he could hear – a siren song that had him under its spell. The two women walked back inside together, and he cursed out loud as he saw his chance of getting rid of the housekeeper dissipate like fog in bright sunshine.

His best bet was to walk in once the doors opened and mix with the rest of the crowd, steering away from the housekeeper. The exhibit would open soon, but he couldn’t go in yet. First, he had something else to take care of.

Phillip stood in front of the mirror and checked the knot on his silk tie.

“Phillip, are you ready yet? I think Natalie mentioned that the doors would open at five, and it is already almost five. I wish you didn’t leave earlier, this was hardly a day to indulge sightseeing.”

“I’m sorry, Angie. My idea was to stay away long enough to let you have a nap and then I lost track of time.”

“It’s okay, Darling. I believe the gallery is fairly close to here.”

“Yes, I think it is. Do you have the piece of paper on which I wrote the address this morning?”

“It’s right there, on the desk, near the magazines.”

“Oh, good. I really think we need to do our best to be supportive of Natalie, tonight. It’s a huge thing for her.”

“I guess so, Phillip. Yet, I can’t believe we came all the way here for this.”

“Well, we didn’t just come for the art show. We have other reasons too, don’t we?” He drew her to him and kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Do we?”

“Yes, I believe we do.” And in part, he was being honest.

Chapter Nineteen

“Are you ready, Natalie?”

“As ready as I will ever be, I guess.” Natalie answered nervously as Tom walked across the hall to open the main door.

“There’s quite a crowd out there” Tom said, “Marcie Walker’s work is highly sought. Her fans will be saddened by the fact that she is dead, but thrilled knowing that her niece has similar talent. A new star is about to be born.”

“I hope so. God, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

Someone knocked lightly on the door. Natalie took a big breath and waited anxiously to see who it was. The faces of her parents and Ryan beamed from the doorway.

“Ryan? What are you doing here?” She asked, shocked to see him there.

“Look who we found outside, Sweetheart. Such a wonderful surprise!” Her father said.

“The nice surprise was mine, Mr. Sanders. It’s always a pleasure to see you and your lovely lady.” Ryan’s voice was dripping sugar.

Natalie couldn’t decide if it was nauseating or funny, but it was the distraction she needed to defuse some of the anxiety she felt. “I didn’t even know you were in town, Ryan, why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to get in your way while you got ready for your big day, Sweetie, but I wanted to be here for you. I just arrived this morning.”

“I’m sorry I got so busy before I left. I didn’t even call to say good-bye.” She said, unsure if she should believe him or not, after what she heard from Mr. Dillard.

Ryan rushed to her and drew her into a warm embrace, “It’s okay, Sweetie. I knew you were excited.” He answered as his muscular arms folded gently around her.

Other voices filled the room, as a crowd of art enthusiasts began to spill in from the street. Natalie’s stomach tied into a knot, and she felt her legs tremble as she stared at the many unknown faces eager to see Marcie Walker’s unreleased works. Tom had withheld the news of Catherine’s death, and since no one knew her true identity, he was sure that once it became public knowledge, the value of her paintings would instantly skyrocket.
Lakeisha
walked her way to Natalie through the thick crowd.

“Here you are,
Lakeisha
. You’ve already met my parents and Ryan, I believe.”

“Yes.”
Lakeisha
extended her hand and quickly dropped it when she realized that her gesture was not going to be returned. “How are you?”

“Very well, thank you.
Lakeisha
, right?” Ryan said with a charming smile.

“Right.” She said with no further ceremony, “Natalie, I’m going to look around and see if I can hear interesting comments. I will be the reporter in disguise.” She winked at Natalie and disappeared in the midst of the crowd.