Intersection (50 page)

Christopher O’Brien sat dazed in the chair Alex Toles had given him. The apartment door was still partially open and he put his face in his hands. He took a deep breath and edged forward looking at the card the agent had dropped on the table during her conversation with his ex-wife. He studied the picture that stood just behind it and wondered where it all had gone so wrong. He’d seen the photo. He didn’t know when it was taken. The congressman closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn’t. He had no right. He couldn’t resist the temptation; not after what he had heard; the tall, attractive agent professing her love for the mother of his son. He hesitated momentarily but then he stretched and took the card into his hands. He opened it and he read. The words were eloquent, clearly Cassidy’s. He had forgotten how she once wrote poetry, many years ago. She had never written him anything close to what these words reflected:

I can’t wait for you to come home. Come home to me and to Dylan. I know you won’t stay away long, but even just a day will find us both missing you. So, take this…I’ve seen you look at it many times in the last days. This way we will be with you, or at least it can remind you that we are waiting for you. Sometimes it is hard for me to tell you what I feel. I am better on paper; perhaps that is the English teacher in me. All I know is that I want to spend my life with you, all of it…

Je t’adore, my love
.

Cassidy

The congressman set the card down softly and closed his eyes. This was far from over. If they knew; if they found out he went to Toles. They would find out. What choice did he have? His phone buzzed and he lifted it. “Christopher O’Brien.”

“You missed our call, Congressman,” the voice said.

“Chairman…I apologize,” the congressman inhaled and steadied himself. It was show time again. “I seem to still be a bit… well, hazy.”

“Understandable, Chris. How are you feeling?”

Christopher O’Brien looked back at the photo and nodded silently. He grabbed his crutches and put them in front of him. “Stronger each day. How would four o’clock work? I will be in my home office by then,” the congressman explained.

“That’s should be fine, Chris…as long as you are up to it.”

“Well, I may be moving slower, Congressman…but I am still in the game,” O’Brien offered.

“Very well…four it is,” the chairman agreed.

The congressman hung up his phone, placed it in his pocket and braced himself on his crutches. He glanced back at the photo and his lips curled into a small smile. “Still in the game,” he muttered.

Rose’s phone rang and she answered it without looking. “Alex?”

“No, Rose.”

“Chris. What do you want?”

“I’d like to speak to my son,” the congressman said.

“He’s upstairs right now getting some things together from his room here.”

“Rose...”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Chris.”

“He’s my son, Rose.”

“Yes…well, I suppose he is that,” Rose agreed.

“Is he all right? Where are you?” The congressman inquired. “What does he know?”

Rose McCollum licked her lips and attempted to quiet the anger that was festering within her. “He’s fine. Alex spoke with him a while ago,” the woman said with some satisfaction.

“I see. Alex spoke with him,” his disgust was apparent.

“That’s what I said.”

“Well, I would like to speak with him now.”

Rose took a deep breath and called her grandson. Dylan ran down the stairs. “Is it Mom?” Rose looked at him and shook her head slightly. “Is it Alex?”

“No, honey, it’s your father.”

Dylan frowned. He was very angry with his father. They had only spoken twice since the congressman came home from the hospital and both times the congressman had cut the conversation short when Cheryl had called to him. Then, Dylan heard his mother telling his grandmother about Alex leaving. Now, Alex was gone and Dylan knew with all these calls something was wrong. He reluctantly took the phone and put it to his ear. “Hey buddy,” the congressman said gently. Dylan said nothing. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

“Where’s Mom?” Dylan asked.

The congressman cleared his throat. “I’m not sure, Dylan… I think she had some…”

“You know,” Dylan said plainly.

“Dylan…I don’t know,” his father said.

“Are you coming to my party?” The boy changed the subject abruptly.

“What?”

“My birthday party?”

“Dylan, I have a lot of calls this week. I have to catch up. I will call you on….”

The doorbell rang in the distance and Dylan turned to see his grandmother opening the door for Nick. “It’s okay. I know you’re busy. Alex is on her way home,” Dylan said to his father.

“Listen, Dylan, you and I will do something…”

Dylan interrupted his father’s thought. “I have to go. Uncle Nick is here,” he handed the phone to his grandmother. As soon as she accepted it he ran and collapsed into Nick. At six, all of the adults’ stress was overloading him and as soon as he saw the strong man that looked so much like his hero he started crying.

Rose took the phone. “Who is Uncle Nick?” The congressman asked sharply.

Rose walked quietly into her kitchen, away from small ears and took a deep breath. “Chris, I always thought you loved Cassie, even when things were bad, even when you were screwing half your aides; I still thought you loved her.”

“Wait a minute,” he began to mount his defense.

“No. You wait a minute, Congressman. I have no idea what you have to do with what is happening to Cassidy but I know you have everything to do with why Dylan is crying and the fact that Alex is not here to take care of them both.”

“Rose, Cassidy is my…”

Rose McCollum could see right through the congressman now and she had every intention of making that known. “Cassidy is your
ex
-wife. That was your own doing and you know it. Now, Alex’s brother is here and Dylan and I are leaving.”

“You’re leaving with the agent’s brother?”

“No, I am leaving with Cassidy’s lover’s brother, Chris. Cassidy’s family, Dylan’s family…. MY family. Don’t call again. Dylan is upset enough. And, Chris? If you wanted to be here, you’d find a way.”

“Dylan and Cassidy are my family,” he said with his own frustration mounting, “not some FBI agent that…”

“No? You could learn a few things from Alex. Funny, you may have gotten her suspended, even fired…Yet, she’s still on her way here to help Cassie; how I can’t even imagine. And, I doubt the entire Army could stop her from being here for Dylan’s party. Don’t call. I’m sure Alex will call you when she
knows something. You are Dylan’s father after all.” She hung up the phone.

Nick accepted the small boy into his arms and led him to the living room. He put Dylan in a chair and squatted in front of him. “Why are you crying, Dylan?”

“No one will tell me,” Dylan said through his tears.

“Tell you what?”

“Where my mom is.” The boy knew something was wrong and the only person that hadn’t called was his mother. Even for a six year old, it was not a difficult puzzle to solve. At the end of the day, Cassidy was Dylan’s life. He loved his mother every bit as much as she loved him and he was terrified.

Nick sighed. He didn’t know all the details. He only knew that Cassidy was in some trouble and that Alex was on her way. He did know his sister. He had seen Cassidy’s intelligence and was keenly aware that anyone who could capture his sister’s heart had to be resilient and assertive as well as smart. “Dylan,” he said softly, “did you talk to Alex?” Dylan nodded. “What did she say?”

“She said she’d see me at your house…with Mom.”

“You know, if Alex told you that, then Alex will see you there with your mom.”

“She promised but Mom hasn’t called…”

The man stood and picked up the small boy, placing him on his lap. Rose reached the hallway and watched. His mannerisms were so much like his sister’s, but he had an even greater softness about him. Nick could tell that the small boy had already added two plus two and gotten four. Dylan may not have known details, but he was astute enough to know something was not right and all the denials were making it worse for him. “You know,” Nick began, wiping a tear from Dylan’s cheek. “When I was your age, do you know what I called Alex?”
Dylan shook his head. “I called her my protector.” Nick smiled as he remembered their youth. “Alex always protected me. She never let anything bad happen to me, Dylan. That’s Alex. She loved me and she kept me safe.”

“Did someone try to hurt you?” Dylan asked.

“Well, sometimes but Alex never let them. And, there was one time this boy who was much bigger than me managed to hit me at school,” Dylan’s eyes grew wide as he looked at the man he now called ‘Uncle’. “Alex waited for him after school…”

“Did she beat him up?” Dylan’s eyes grew wide.

Nick laughed. “No, but she made him apologize and then she made him walk through the playground in his underwear.” Dylan giggled. “Listen, Dylan…Whatever is going on with your mom and with Alex, if Alex promised you she’d be at my house with your mom; she will be. She loves you both very much and she always keeps her promises.”

“I know,” he fought his tears. “I wish she was here.”

Nick felt he might cry himself. He’d seen Dylan with his sister and Cassidy just a few days ago. He knew how much the boy loved them both. He also was certain his sister would move heaven and earth to keep Cassidy safe. “It’ll be okay, Dylan. You know, we’d better go and get some practice in. Alex still thinks she and Cat can beat us at eight ball.” Dylan let out a small smile and hopped off Nick’s lap. “Plus, I hear we need to talk about birthday party games.”

Dylan’s eyes flew open. “Are you coming?”

“Of course! Your mom talked to Aunt Barb earlier. We wouldn’t miss our favorite nephew’s seventh birthday.” Dylan hugged Nick’s waist. “All right,” the man said looking over to Rose. “We’d better get moving, if Alex beats us there, she’ll have my head!”

“No, she’s our protector,” Dylan reminded his uncle.

Nick chuckled, “that she is, Dylan. That she is.”

Carl Fisher paced back and forth in front of Cassidy. He was ranting and rambling. Every so often he would drink from a large silver flask and wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. There was a knife in his red bag that Cassidy noticed he would fondle every now and again. The teacher watched him closely trying to discern what he might do next. Her hands were bound tightly and it hurt to move them, but she kept shifting them as much as she could, hoping that her repetitive action would loosen the knots. He crouched in front of her and put his hands on her thighs. “Congressman, Agent….ohhh Johnny. My turn,” he sighed. “You see them….I see you.” Cassidy felt a chill run up her spine at his words. It reminded her of the letters. “MMM…I know you….yes I do.” The small blonde woman was deceptively strong. She kept her legs still as much as she could. Gradually she shifted them forward into a position that she knew would allow her kick him forcefully if she needed to. She wondered if she did, what she could possibly do next. The thought of him touching her was making her ill. She kept trying to recall Alex’s voice, Alex’s face, Dylan’s face. She was a teacher not a fighter. But, she was determined he would not have his way; not with her.