Finders Keepers (33 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Finders Keepers
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“Jessie, honey, it's going to be all right. I promise. I don't want you to talk. Just blink your eyes so I know you understand what I'm saying. You might have a concussion. That's why you have to stay awake. Blink, Jessie.” Jessie blinked. “Are you in pain?” Jessie blinked several times.
“I hear the siren, honey. We're going to get you fixed up in no time. I'll follow in my car with Pop. It's going to be all right, Jessie. I promise. I know you want to talk. Whatever you want to say can wait.
“We'll be right behind you, honey,” Tanner shouted.
“She wants to say something,” the EMS attendant said.
“I know, she's worried about the baby. What, honey? What are you trying to say?”
“She . . . pushed . . . me.”
The ambulance door slammed shut. Tanner stood still as a statue, his eyes wide with shock. Angus Kingsley clutched at his chest.
“Go inside, Pop. I'll go to the hospital. Jessie is delirious. I was watching them at the top of the steps. So were you. No one pushed Jessie. We would have seen that. Calm down, Pop. You have a party to get through. Jessie is young and healthy. She's going to be fine.”
The senator's voice was harsh and flat when he said. “This might be a good time to tell you I checked with all the taxi companies after Irene's house was broken into at your suggestion. At first I wasn't going to do it because I didn't want to know. I have a photocopy of the driver's log sheet back in Washington. It was your mother. Furthermore, in the downstairs hall closet there is a pair of boots that belong to Irene. The driver described your mother perfectly. Don't discount what your wife just said.”
“We'll talk about this later, Pop. I have to get to the hospital.”
“Jessie is not a liar, Tanner.”
“I know that, Pop.”
His shoulders slumped, Angus Kingsley walked back into the house. His wife was standing in the doorway, a yellow blanket in her hands.”
“I should kill you for what you just did.”
“For getting a blanket. That medicine you keep gobbling is making you delusional, Angus.”
“What about those boots in the hall closet? How would you ever get Irene's boots unless you were in her house? I found the driver who took you to her house and back to the airport. You are a sick woman, Alexis. I'm going to look into having you committed.”
Alexis allowed her eyes to narrow to slits. “Do not ever make the mistake of threatening me again, Angus. I hear car engines, and I see headlights. Put on your party face. That's an order, Angus. Just remember this. I know where all your political bodies are buried.”
“Bitch!” Angus snarled.
“Bastard,” Alexis snarled in return.
 
Tanner grimaced at the array of Styrofoam cups lined up on the table next to where he was sitting. He was on his third ashtray. Each time he filled it up, he moved it and took a clean one from another table. The waiting room was empty, the hour late. He should have heard something by now. In his life he'd never been this worried. If he lived to be a hundred, he would never forget his wife's pale face filled with pain and her incredible last words.
He heard the scratching sound of the paper shoes doctors wore in the operating room before he saw the green-clad figure, the surgical mask dangling down his chest. Tanner leaped to his feet. “How is she?”
“She's going to be fine. We couldn't save the child. We did everything we could. It was a boy.”
“Does Jessie know about the baby?”
“Yes.”
“I can't be certain about this, Mr. Tanner, but I think your wife is going to have a short-term memory problem. It happens sometimes when the mind can't handle something this traumatic. I'm going to put in a call to a colleague to have her looked at tomorrow. I've arranged for a private-duty nurse for the night. We'll be monitoring her carefully. You can see her for five minutes. I want her to rest. She sprained her arm in the fall, and she has a cracked rib. Those will heal. She's resting comfortably right now. Please don't upset her. Follow me.”
“Jessie, it's me, Tanner. Are you awake, honey?”
“I'm awake. What happened? They said I lost the baby.”
“Yes. I'm sorry, Jessie.”
“I am, too, Tanner. Where am I?”
“In the hospital.”
“I know that. Which hospital? George Washington Hospital?”
“No, honey. You're at the local hospital here in Texas. We came home two days ago. Tonight was the party. Don't you remember?”
“I don't remember, Tanner. They said I fell. I'm not clumsy. How did that happen?”
“I'm not sure, Jessie. Look, honey, the doctor said I could only stay five minutes. They want you to sleep. A nurse is going to stay with you through the night. I'll be back first thing in the morning. Can I bring you anything?”
“Just yourself. Am I going to be okay, Tanner?”
“You'll be good as new in a week or so. That's a promise.”
“Do you think Sophie is looking out for our baby?”
Tanner cleared his throat. His eyes started to burn unbearably. “I'm sure of it, Jessie.”
“Things always happen for a reason, Tanner. Sophie always said that. She'll look after him. Knowing that makes it bearable.”
“We'll have other children, Jessie.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It's a promise, Jessie. Go to sleep now.”
Tanner bent down to kiss his wife's cheek. When a tear rolled from his eye onto Jessie's cheek he kissed it away. “Sleep tight,” he whispered.
P
ART
III
15
Corpus Christi, Texas
July 1981
 
The slight buzzing of a bluebottle fly circling the paddle fan caught Jessie's attention. She stared at the blades but was unable to pick out the fly caught in the swirling motion. If she raised the screen, it might fly out, she thought. However, that meant she had to get up off the chair and exert herself. It was much nicer just sitting here breathing in the scent of the newly mown grass. She loved the sound of the lawn mower almost as much as the sound of the oscillating fan. She craned her neck to stare out the window at the bright summer sunshine. A swarm of fat yellow bumblebees circled the flower bed beneath the window. It was all so normal. A perfect summer day. A day to do things. A day to feel alive and a day to be grateful for all the good things in her life.
It was almost eight o‘clock, and already the ranch was buzzing with activity. Eight o'clock meant Tanner would be coming in for breakfast with three hours of work under his belt.
Jessie looked around the room she shared with Tanner. It was pleasant enough, comfortable, too, but she hated it. There was nothing here that said Jessie Roland Kingsley lived in this room. It was her fault for falling apart after the accident. Everyone said she had a breakdown. Did women really have nervous breakdowns when they lost a baby, or did other people sedate that person so she believed it? The array of pills on her night table drew her attention. Pills to go to sleep. Pills to wake up. Pills for energy. Pills for depression. Pills to increase her appetite. Pills to calm her down. Blue. Yellow. Pink. Green and the fat red ones that made her sick to her stomach. She blinked when the bluebottle fly settled on top of the bottle of red pills.
In the beginning, someone, usually Alexis, doled out the pills and watched as she swallowed them. It was easier back then to just take the pills so they didn't force them on her. Alexis had no patience with her. Tanner, on the other hand, would try to trick her and put the pills in her food or in her drinks. Now she realized she'd lived in a stupor for the last year. She hadn't taken any of the pills in a month. Mentally and physically, she was feeling like her old self. She continued to play the game of the invalid and wasn't sure why. Every morning when the ranch settled down she did an hour of calisthenics in the dressing room. Each day she removed the pills from the bottles and flushed them down the toilet. Let the Kingsleys think what they wanted to think.
“Hi, honey. Beautiful day, isn't it? Are you coming down to breakfast?”
“Do you think I should?”
“Absolutely. Did you take your pills?”
“I took them with the orange juice you left for me,” Jessie lied.
“I think you're looking a lot better. Lucille made waffles this morning and I'm starving.”
“Tanner, when are we going to move?”
“Are you going to start that again, Jessie? Just stop and think for a minute. If we were off somewhere else, what do you think would have happened to you without my family? My mother hasn't left the ranch since the day you came home. She was afraid for you. I know that doesn't sound like her, but she was so concerned she took over your care. You don't remember those early days when you came home from the hospital. They were pretty awful. You were downright suicidal.”
“Me!”
“You. It was Sophie's death and the miscarriage that pushed you over the edge. Before you know it, you'll be right as rain. In fact, my mother is so encouraged by your recovery, she's taking a few days off. She left this morning for Dallas to do some shopping at what she calls ‘the finer stores,' then she's going on to Washington. Pop wants her there for some ceremony. I need to know you'll be all right here on your own.”
“I'll be fine.” Three whole days without Alexis breathing down her neck. “I might even take a walk. Have I gotten any mail? Has anyone called me?”
“No mail. No calls that I know of. Did you ask my mother?”
“No. I will when she comes back. Since I seem to be improving, does that mean we're going to move. The agreement was for five weeks, Tanner.”
“Jessie, this is not the time to discuss moving. When you're fully recovered we'll talk about it.”
“I want to talk about it now. I don't like living in one room. I want my own space, my own kitchen.”
“Jessie, that was by your choice. You never wanted to come downstairs. You took your meals in our room. I had to beg you to go outdoors in the beginning. I'm happy to see that you've made such strides. Mackie told me you've been going riding. I'm glad you're up to it.”
“For heaven's sake, Tanner, it was those pills. I'm not going to take them anymore. They dope me up. I had a terrible fear of falling down those steps. That's why I didn't want to go down those steps. That's past now. I feel fine. I'm stronger. I feel alert. I've even done some gardening. I want to do it in my own place. I want to putter in my own kitchen. Can't you understand that?”
“We'll work on the moving thing when the doctor gives you a clean bill of health.”
“Are you having an affair, Tanner?”
Tanner stopped eating. “What the hell brought that on?”
“If you haven't been sleeping with me, then who are you sleeping with? You are a very virile man. You also look guilty.”
“You pushed me away. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to sound right no matter how I say it so I'll just say it. We tried making love, but you just lay there like a log. A couple of times you said and this is a direct quote—‘Just do it and get it over with.'”
Jessie cringed, knowing what her husband said was true. “So you did have an affair?”
“I won't lie to you, Jessie. It wasn't an affair. It was sex. It didn't mean anything.”
Jessie felt her strong new world start to crumble around her. “Would it mean anything if I did it?” she asked in a shaky voice.
Tanner slammed his fork down on the table. “Your first good goddamn day and you have to pick a fight. What the hell did you expect me to do?”
“I expected you to be faithful. It's obvious that you subscribe to a double standard where marriage is concerned. Was it Bippity-Bop?”
“I'm not getting into this, Jessie. It happened, it's over. End of discussion. Just let me remind you that you were not a wife to me these past months.”
Her shaky new world continued to crumble with her husband's harsh words. “I don't know if I can forgive you or not. Maybe if we're alone, on our own, it might be different. I want my own place. I want a garden. I want to do something. I
need
to do something. Where are my things, Tanner?” Her voice was so cold, Jessie felt a chill run through her body.
“It's not wise to rush into things. What things are you talking about?”
“The things I brought with me when we came here. Where's my Jeep?”
“I think all your stuff is in Resa's old room. Your Jeep is in the garage, where you would expect it to be. I have to get back to work. I'll see you this evening. How does a candlelight dinner and soft music sound?”
“Like a planned seduction to assuage your own guilt. I'm not interested. You admit to being unfaithful, and now you want me to . . . whatever it is you want. No thank you.”
“This could get real old, real quick. You didn't want that kid any more than I did. I did the right thing by marrying you, so we could give it a name. Face it, Jessie, neither one of us was ready for parenthood. You know it, and so do I. We both put the best face we could on the deal. I don't believe for one minute that losing the kid was the reason you stepped over the edge. It was Sophie dying that threw you into a tailspin. That's past. We're in a different place this time around.”
“I can't believe you're saying such cruel things to me. Who
are
you, Tanner Kingsley?” Jessie gasped, her eyes filling at what she considered his verbal cruelty.
Tanner stomped from the room, his face a mask of fury.
Jessie sat at the breakfast table long after Lucille had cleared it. On the housekeeper's last trip into the room Jessie queried her. “Lucille, did you take any calls for me during the past year?”
“Several times. Mrs. Kingsley always spoke to the gentleman. He was quite persistent. Didn't you return his calls?”
“Do you remember his name?”
“It sounded Spanish or maybe Italian.”
“Was it Arthur Mendenares?”
“Yes, that's the name.”
“Did he leave a number?”
“Once. I copied it down and gave it to Mrs. Kingsley. Do you want me to look for it?”
“Yes, if you wouldn't mind. Lucille, don't mention this to Mrs. Kingsley.”
“I understand. I'll look for it now. Would you like more coffee?”
“Yes. Yes, I would.”
“I'm glad to see you're feeling better.”
Twenty minutes later, Lucille was back with the slip of paper. Jessie thanked her and returned to her room. Should she call from here or go somewhere else? Instinct told her to call the operator and ask to make a person-to-person call and to charge it to Sophie's old phone number in Atlanta. Ten minutes later she announced herself to Arthur Mendenares.
“My dear, it is so good to finally hear from you. I trust your trip around the world was all you wanted it to be. You must have a very indulgent husband.”
Jessie felt her heart thumb against her rib cage. Why would Tanner's mother tell such a blatant lie to the attorney? “I didn't take a trip around the world, Mr. Mendenares. I've been here at the ranch. I fell down the steps and suffered a miscarriage. This past year is one big blur. I'm assuming my mother-in-law is the one who told you I was on a trip. Why were you trying to reach me?”
“I see.” The lawyer's tone of voice said he clearly didn't understand. “We need to set up a meeting. I have satchels full of papers for you to sign. I can be in Corpus Christi by noon tomorrow. We can meet at the office. Do you remember where it is? No. All right, copy this address down. Perhaps it would be advisable to continue this discussion tomorrow. You're well, Jessie?”
“I'm well, Mr. Mendenares. I wish there was a place to go to so I could visit with Sophie. I've thought about her so much these past two weeks. Why is it so hard on those left behind? I need a place.”
“Then pick one, Jessie. Sophie is wherever you are. If a particular place is important, designate one, and her spirit will follow you. This is not insight on my part. It's the way Sophie explained it to me. She said her garden in New Orleans was the spot for her mother. Is there anything I can do for you, my dear?”
“No. I need to think. I'll see you tomorrow.”
Jessie spent the remainder of the day walking around the ranch as she tried to reconcile Arthur Mendenares's conversation in her mind. She realized she felt fit and strong. There was no way in hell she was going to sleep with an unfaithful husband.
Late in the afternoon, Jessie moved her personal things into Resa's room. At four-thirty she sought out the handyman and asked to have a dead bolt installed on the door. She wasn't going to take a chance on the shiny brass lock. Somewhere there was a key, she was sure of it. At five o'clock she dumped all the colored pills into the toilet, the water turning into a rainbow of color. The empty vials went into the wastebasket. At five-thirty she was sitting in the garden room on a wicker chair, sketching.
The garden room was the only room at the ranch that Jessie felt comfortable in. The wraparound paned windows were tinted slightly to allow the sunlight to cover every inch of the long, narrow room but not blind the occupants. Thanks to Lucille's green thumb, the plants that lined the room were lush and healthy-looking, their leaves emerald green, the planting soil dark and rich. She particularly liked the vibrant, floral chintz covers on the cushions. Resa had told her once that she had made the covers because she, too, liked the room. She'd gone on to say that counting the stars at night was her favorite pastime. As far as she knew neither Tanner nor his mother ever sat in the room.
Jessie heard him long before she saw him. Her stomach started to knot itself the moment Tanner walked into the garden room. “I won't be here for dinner. I don't know what time I'll be home. I moved your things back into
our
room.”
Jessie pushed her back deeper into the cushions as she watched her husband to see if she could gauge his mood. His voice was friendly-sounding, a direct contradiction to his angry face.
“I'd like to get a dog, Tanner,” Jessie said quietly.
“That's out of the question. Both my mother and I are allergic to animals. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. Every time you open your mouth, it's to say you want something. Why is that, Jessie?”
“I'd like to know why your mother told Mr. Mendenares you took me on a trip around the world. She had no right to lie to my attorney like that. I have this awful feeling, Tanner, that you and your mother are up to something where I'm concerned. Perhaps we should file for divorce. The only reason we got married was to give the baby a name. Since there is no baby, there doesn't seem to be any reason to stay together. I have no intention of living the rest of my life with an unfaithful husband or a mother-in-law who hates my guts and lies about my wellbeing.”

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