Gemini Rain (36 page)

Jacqueline watched David leave and smiled to herself. Okay so nothing happened, they were both too drunk and she didn’t realise how the tab she put in his wine would have such a depleting effect on him.  But it served her purpose, she would get her agent to contact the magazine upon her return, butterflies began to rise in her stomach as she imagined the front-page headline –
‘
How we celebrated David’s retirement.
’

David tried everything to scrub the previous night away, his shower lasted longer than any restriction on the water would allow.  His skin was beginning to wilt but still he kept washing and scrubbing.  Harshly he washed his hair, the hangover wasn’t receding and he didn’t want it to, he let out a roar not caring if anybody could hear him now.  What did she want to achieve from this, what did Jacqueline want? Revenge? David had tried so hard to stay faithful to Lauren, this was the last week and with Jacqueline, that bitch! If any member of the crew found out about this they would see it as a quick way to make some money.  They had their
so-called journalistic contacts
it would
be something the French gossip columns
would jump at.

Finally stepping out of
the shower and towelling down
he still couldn’t feel clean. Staring into the bathroom mirror he felt nothing but disgust, it was something he never felt before.
‘
Yes,
’
he admitted,
‘
I’ve ha
d
an affair
and a few one night stands
,
’
but he never felt this guilty, this used before. 
‘
I’ll have to phone hom
e, warn Papa and prepare Lauren
I can’t hide this I know what Jacqueline will do now.
’

As David got dressed he began to hear shouting in the corridor and doors being barged open,
‘
what the hell is happening now
’
he thought he could hear people coming towards his room. As he walked forward to the door it burst open and the Colombian police started to scream at him, their machine guns pointing to the floor. David knew not to disagree with their orders.

C
hapter 39

Lauren arrived at the farm and beeped the horn, Jean-Pierre came out with Chantal, ‘Can I leave
Emma
with you and I’ll pick her up on my way back?’ she shouted to him. He nodded but didn’t smile;
Emma
jumped out of the car and ran over. 

He greeted her with a kiss and a hug then walked over to Lauren, ‘Will you be long in Marseille?’

Lauren was surprised at his question, ‘No I’m coming straight back, but if it’s a problem I’ll bring
Emma
with me.’

‘No, No I didn’t mean it that way,’ he replied nervously, ‘just come straight back.’ He walked away because the telephone was ringing, Lauren stared after him but he didn’t even wave goodbye.

‘
That’s weird
,’
she thought as she checked Chantal was strapped in and drove away.

When Lauren arrived back, the door was ajar and an unfamiliar car was parked in the yard. Jean-Pierre looked out he was talking on the telephone again and motioned for her to come in.

‘Mon Dieu, I hope that’s not the same call,’ she joked to him.

Jean-Pierre didn’t respond, his face was serious and he pointed toward the kitchen. Lauren entered and stopped, in front of her sitting at the table were Gabrielle, Joel, Veronique and a stranger, they returned her stare worry etched on each face. Pierre and
Emma
were playing football in the back garden.

‘What’s happened?’ her worst fears beginning to surface.

***************

‘He’s done what!’ Lauren couldn’t believe her ears.

Veronique stretched over to hold Lauren’s hand, Jean-Pierre then entered the room ‘Lauren, keep calm. It will be sorted and David will be home.’ 

Lauren looked at him, ‘Do you know the laws in Colombia when it comes to drugs? I’ve been there and although I couldn’t understand the news
papers
I knew what the
y were saying by the pictures, i
ts big time and big money for the Colombian terrorist organisation FARC.  The authorities are trying every tactic they’re allowed to stamp out FARC getting their funding through drugs.  And you say he’s been tested and it
’
s positive? Christ, he told me he’s never taking anything before.’

‘He can’t deny what has happened Lauren?’ Joel answered, ‘but I know David he wouldn’t call with this news if he intentionally had taken them.’

Lauren’s mind
was racing, what should she do
just accept what has happened and believe David or finish it here and now, just walk away
from the whole mess
.  The combination of her problems in Dublin and now this, if it got public and she was connected it would put everybody back home
and David
in an uncertain predicament.   Maybe it would cause problems for herself and her children.  She turned to Gabrielle who was silent throughout the whole revelation, what was she thinking,
‘
if you were me, Gabrielle what would you do.
’

Lauren turned to the stranger sitting at the table, ‘Who are you?’ But before Jacques could answer she began again, ‘Is it definitely David’s group they’re holding in prison?’ Lauren fired questions at him, ‘Are you sure someone’s been injured or are they dead? Who’s in charge on the Colombian side of things? Does France have any influence in their government? What is the French government doing?’

They all sat silently looking at her as the Jacques tried to answer her questions, but she re-questioned every piece of information he gave. He wasn’t used to this type of interrogation.     

Jean-Pierre cautiously watched, listening, hoping he was right in what he was thinking.  It was a risk, an illegal port of call but if the authorities couldn’t help then he would attempt another route. 
‘
David was not going to rot in a Colombian jail, he was innocent and my son will come home regardless of the method.
’
  Watching Lauren he knew now why she was so successful in her former business; she covered everything and was so straightforward and demanding. It was a different Lauren who sat at their table now, her experience and training shining through. And if what David told him was true about her parents and husband’s company then she was the one who would bring home his son, not any entertainment solicitor or government official.

Jacques left assuring everybody that if he got any further information they would be the first to know. Claude arrived nearly crashing into Jacques car as it was exiting the small gateway. He was ashen-faced, ‘It’s not true, Papa Maman,’ he looked at them both tears welling up in his eyes, ‘Tell me, it’s not true!’ 

Veronique walked back into the house crying Joel quickly followed her. Lauren’s mind was racing; Jean-Pierre turned to her and suggested going for a walk.

Claude and Gabrielle were hugging but stopped puzzled,
‘
why on earth are you
going for a walk now and with Lauren?
’

Jean-Pierre waited for a response; Lauren stared at him just as baffled as the others. He answered for her, ‘Lets go,’ and he took her arm informing the others they’ll be back in a few minutes.

There was silence as they walked toward one of the fields where some of the goats were grazing. Everything was going through Lauren’s mind, Jean-Pierre wasn’t looking at her and took out his pipe and a cigarette offering it to her, ‘I won’t tell David if you smoke it,’ he said kindly to her.

Lauren gladly accepted, she hadn’t thought of a cigarette since she left Dublin but boy, did she need one now. They stopped at the fence and stared out onto the field, ‘Do you think you’ll get the opportunity to squeal on me,’ she asked inhaling the cigarette.

Jean-Pierre looked at her responding gravely, ‘Can your family help us?’

Lauren nearly choked and gasped for air,
‘
Jesus Christ he’s told them, David fucking told them.
’

Jean-Pierre patted her back, ‘It’s okay Lauren. David let it slip when he was drunk one night. It was the week of Francoise’s funeral,’ Jean-Pierre then reassured her, ‘I don’t think he even remembers telling me and I was alone. Nobody else knows, nobody else will.’

Lauren’s expression changed, ‘I don’t know how you think my family can help. I have no connection with that business anymore and I don’t want any connection,’ she saw the look of disappointment in his face, ‘I’m sorry Jean-Pierre but I’d rather die than ask my mother for help.’

He looked away over the field again, ‘And David too.’

Lauren let out a gasp holding her hand up to her mouth in shock, would Jean-Pierre blame her if she couldn’t help and David was executed or in prison for the rest of his life?

‘What do you expect me or that woman to do?’ she angrily asked.

‘She has connections in Colombia
David said
, can she try that direction?’

Lauren sarcastically laughed, ‘not very legal connections, if my sources are correct,’ what was the man thinking. She knew exactly how Patricia would react to a request like that; she put her hand on his shoulder and said solemnly, ‘Jean-Pierre, my darling mother is under suspicion of murdering my husb
and,’ she took a deep breath, ‘d
o you honestly think she will help me save my boyfriend.’

‘You mean Fiancé,’ he smiled.

Lauren returned the smile, ‘He wasn’t drunk
when he let that slip out
, was he? He confides everything to you.’

‘It’s amazing what information I can squeeze out of my sons while painting in my studio,’ he winked as he started to return to the farmhouse. Lauren volunteered to bring
Emma
and Pierre to her house and let the family talk. Jean-Pierre refused stating that the children were fine as they were
,
‘and anyhow are you
not a member too
?’
he smiled to her. 

Although Lauren felt warmth in his smile she could read the disappointment in his eyes.

When they returned there was still no news, the television was turned on a rare
daytime
occasion in the Corvasieur household. The phone kept ringing, reporters wanting an interview with the family; Joel put the telephone off the hook.

‘No, don’t do that!’ Gabrielle snapped at him
but
then
quickly
apologised reminding him that Jacques might try to get through. It rang again, Lauren picked it up and answered in English, it was another reporter, ‘Sorry but I think you have the wrong number,’ she said in English then repeated in pretend broken French. She hung up, noticing everybody was looking at her, ‘If I answer in English, they might stop and clear the line.’

The day dragged by with no word from Jacques, a small group of reporters gathered at the farmhouse gate, the local police were there to stop them from trespassing. Lauren and Claude left to collect Chantal, Keith and Helene. Reporters followed in a car, one was trying to take photos as the other tackled the small winding roads. A tractor was coming out of one of the fields Lauren increased her speed and got by but the reporter’s car got stuck.

‘Mon Dieu, with that sort of driving we should have let you tackle the Arc de
Triomphe, David would be proud
of you,’ Claude laughed.

Lauren responded determinedly, ‘They’re not getting any photos of the children.’

C
h
apter 40

Everybody was silent, now eating the morsel of food that the prison guards reluct
antly gave to them. David
hands were
no l
onger handcuffed as with
all the others. The guards decided there was no need to retie them after they robbed everybody of their money, jewellery and whatever else they could find. He watched as the guards had searched and pulled off watches, rings, necklaces from all members of the cast and crew, everybody was in fear of their lives and only protested when the doctors arrived to take blood tests.  David hid Lauren’s ring in his shoe and managed to make a quick phone call to home before a guard screamed at him to hang up.  That was the only contact they were allowed, one phone call and hopefully
Jacques and
his family were now making every effort to sort this out.