Ladyfish (19 page)

She needed someone to want to be part of those things for her, who wanted to hold her through tears of joy and pain. She needed someone who wanted to watch her sleep, just to be near her. She wanted someone who would bring her tissues when she had a cold, and flowers just because it would make her smile. Just one person in her life, one woman was all she wanted. Not an interchangeable face for each different occasion. She already had a lifetime filled with that, and all she wanted now was one face to memorize for the rest of her life. One face to be with hers in every photograph, accompanying each memory for the rest of her life. She needed one face beneath her fingertips, and one mouth to kiss, one single body to know, better than she knew her own. And just one person beside her, beneath her, above her, one person inside her skin. All she wanted was one single name on her lips. She would wait for that person.

Finn was sitting on the porch swing reading as Oz approached. Finn had on a pair of charcoal gray shorts and a pale blue tank top. Her bare feet were slapping on the tiled floor as she swung back and forth, humming to herself. Oz leaned against the rail and smiled.

“You’ve been shopping.” She placed a gentle kiss against Finn’s neck. “I definitely like the new disguise.”

“I’m glad. I was aiming for lesbian-in-training. My other top has the letter L embroidered on it.”

Oz chuckled. “I think that’s a look that could take off. We’ll start a new trend at Pearl’s. Do you have any plans, or can I tempt you to join me for the day?”

“I was only going to do some reading. What do you have in mind?”

“It’s a surprise, but it’s beautiful where we’re going so you might want to grab your camera.”

“Sure, I’ll go get it. Emmy’s in the kitchen if you want to say hello.”

“I’ll just wait for you here, if that’s okay?”

“Sure.” Finn hurried inside and Oz could hear her telling Mrs. Richmond that she was going out. When she returned, Oz couldn’t resist pulling her in close for a long, lingering kiss.

“We have a small errand to run on the way out there.”

“Okay.” Finn followed her back to her car and settled in for the ride, a slight frown marring her brow.

Oz started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re frowning. We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to.”

“I do want to. I was just thinking. That’s all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really, but it might help.” She shrugged. “My dad called me this morning. At four in the morning to be precise.”

“Is something wrong?” Oz knew a call at four a.m. was never a good thing.

“He said everything was fine and he didn’t seem to realize the time difference. I find that hard to believe since so much of his business is international.”

“So what did he want then?”

“He said he was just checking in on me. He knew that Pete and I weren’t staying at the hotel anymore. He seemed concerned.” She snorted.

“You don’t believe that?”

“No. I don’t.”

“Why not? He’s your dad.”

Finn shrugged. “He was never there.”

Oz waited, knowing that Finn needed to tell her in her own time. She worked to keep her face neutral, her own disgust and suspicion of the man growing with everything she learned about him.

“He never seemed to remember he had a child. I was left to a series of nannies, tutors, and various other staff members to be looked after. They made sure I had everything I needed, as you can imagine. Daddy’s money always bought the best. Best clothes, schools, coaches. Whatever. But they were all employees. You know?”

Oz smiled sadly. “Not really.”

“They all took care of me because it was their job. He’s my dad, but he never was. More like an open checkbook.”

“So today’s phone call was really unusual?”

“Very. I actually can’t remember the last time he called me. It’s usually his secretary who calls and passes a message or something.”

“So what do you really think it was about?” She watched as Finn chewed her lip, clearly debating whether or not to say any more.

“I think he knows that Pete’s gone and he was trying to find out if I knew the reasons why.”

“What do you mean? I thought you said it was always the plan that Pete would go back to the UK?”

“It was. There’s just a lot more to it. I think part of the reason Pete pushed me to stay in the States was so that I was away from my father when things get complicated.”

“I don’t understand.”

Finn sighed heavily. “Pete told you he had a new job to go back to, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, what he didn’t tell me until he was leaving is that the job is with MI6.”

“Wow. He must be very proud, but I still don’t understand what that has to do with your dad. I thought you were convinced he’d fire Pete anyway?”

“He would. Pete was recruited to MI6 by this Pritchard guy because they’re investigating my dad, and I think Pete by extension. It seemed like Pete didn’t have much choice about going to work for Pritchard, to be honest.”

“Why is MI6 investigating your dad?”

“Pete said they were looking at money laundering and that he has proof that it’s going on and that my dad knows about it.”

“Wow. And you think your dad is trying to find out how much you know?”

Finn shrugged. “It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. He never calls me, so why now? What’s different?”

Oz felt the cold grip of guilt, knowing she should tell Finn that she had her own file on her father. She knew she should share her suspicions, but the look of confusion and anguish in Finn’s eyes made her keep quiet. She wanted to take the pain away for her, to help heal the wounds written so clearly on Finn’s face. She wanted to weep for the child that had been left alone, and protect the tender heart that was still evident in Finn. She tried to figure out the consequences of keeping the damaging things she knew to herself, but the situation stayed murky. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, frustrated and worried.

“Can we change the subject, please? There’s nothing I can do about any of it, and I’d really just like to forget about it all for a while. Enjoy spending the day with you. And who knows, maybe we can talk about you for a change.”

“Sure.”

“So where are you taking me?”

“Well, we’re going to the mall first. I need to pick up a few things, and then I thought I’d take you kayaking on the Everglades.”

“Wow. Tell me about the Everglades, then.”

“The Everglades was called the River of Grass by the Native Americans who lived in Florida. It’s about eleven thousand square miles of slow moving water that creates all these ponds, wetlands, swamps, and mangroves, as well as some forest areas too. It’s a huge refuge for wildlife and has some species unique to the area, and some more that are endangered and others still that are just plain spectacular. It’s like a patchwork quilt of different habitats. It’s amazing. One part of it is called ten thousand islands, for obvious reasons.” Oz pulled into the parking lot at the Dolphin Mall and turned off the engine.

“You can come with me or wait here. It’s up to you. I’m only going to one store, but these places have a habit of swallowing me whole. I may need you to rescue me.”

Finn was already out the door.

“I guess you’re coming with me.”

“I can’t have you getting lost. So what shop are we heading for?”

“You’ll see.”

Oz led them through the labyrinth of stores and kiosks to a camera store specializing in underwater camera equipment. Finn barely seemed to notice as Oz led her inside. She seemed awestruck by the sheer size of the store.

“Don’t they have malls in England?”

“We have the Trafford Centre Mall in Manchester. But that’s maybe half the size of this.”

Oz chuckled and left her looking around at the cameras while she made her way to the counter.

“Hey, I’m Olivia Zuckerman. I have some items reserved.”

“The Ikelite 6801.70 underwater housing for a Nikon D7000. The lens port and strobe light are also in there. I’ve also included the arm and cables for the strobe light, a spare set of O-rings and some silicone, so it should all be good to go.” Oz paid for her purchases quickly and found Finn staring into one of the cabinets.

“You ready?”

“I think I should talk to these guys about my camera case.”

“Why don’t you speak to Juanita? She’ll probably be able to get you a discount or something.” Oz headed for the door, smiling as Finn followed grumbling under her breath.

“Come on.”

“You know it was cruel taking me in there don’t you?”

Oz climbed back into the car and waited until Finn had fastened her seatbelt before she handed the bag to her. “This is for you.”

“What is it?”

“You won’t know until you open it.” Oz grinned as Finn pulled open the bag and started to lift out the boxes inside. She stared, slack-jawed, as she peered at the unopened boxes. “Do you like it?”

Finn nodded her head slowly, tears filling her eyes. “But I can’t accept this, Oz. It’s too much.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Oz, the housing alone costs more than a thousand pounds. That’s more like two thousand dollars, and the rest…it’s too much.”

“Finn, I can afford it. There are some things I need to explain about all that, but I can afford to do this. I’ve seen you under the water. Did you know that your fingers twitch when you see something amazing? It’s like you’re trying to take the picture even without the camera there. You want to be able to capture all those things, and this will let you do that. Then you can show me all the wonderful pictures you’ll take, and I can enjoy it too.”

“How can you afford this?”

Oz blew out a long breath and ran her fingers through her hair.

“Well, when I was in the navy, I lived in the barracks or with my parents. I was at sea a lot so I lived really cheap. I saved almost every penny I earned and made some good investments, and when I decided to get out, I really wanted to work for myself. I didn’t like the idea of taking orders from anyone else.” She threw a small grin in Finn’s direction. “Anyway, long story short. The dive center, the boats, they’re all mine, and they’re all paid for. I don’t like all the paperwork, so Rudy runs the office for me. I also like just being one of the guys, so they don’t know that I’m actually Rudy’s boss. It sounds complicated, but really, we’ve never had any problems. Rudy phrases questions like he’s asking for my opinion in front of the guys, or just makes the decision and we deal with it later. He’s a really great guy. Anyway, that’s how I afford the house and how I can afford to do this for you. Please.” Finn still looked skeptical. “Technically, I am your boss, so I could insist on it and make you take pictures for work.” The words froze on her lips as Finn stretched over and kissed her.

“I still say it’s too much.”

Oz took a deep breath ready to begin on the next prepared speech until Finn put her hand to her lips.

“But we’ll argue about that later. Thank you. This is the most wonderful, thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me.” The tears rolled down her cheeks. “Now take me to the Everglades. I need to take pictures so we never forget today.” She sat back in her seat, slowly pulling open the boxes and examining their contents.

“I’ll never forget.”
Nor will I forget the look on your face right now.
She cast her eyes upward as she turned on the ignition.
Please don’t let me screw this up.

*

By the time they had reached Cape Sable, Finn had her camera encased in the housing and was taking shots to get used to the controls. Oz found a parking space close to the water to make it easier to launch the kayak.

“So what’s the plan, Captain?”

“Well, me hearty.” Oz assumed an exaggerated pirate-type gravelly voice but started coughing and ruined the effect, making Finn giggle. “Thanks for the sympathy.”

Finn shrugged, still laughing.

“Care to give me a hand getting the kayak down?”

“Sure.” They worked together and quickly had the boat floating at the edge of the water. Oz held it steady as Finn climbed in.

“I figured we could find a good quiet place and go snorkeling for a while. Give that new housing a try. How does that sound?”

“Can we go swimming here? What about crocodiles and stuff?”

“I’m not planning on getting near any crocs. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I didn’t bring my stuff.”

Oz pointed to a bag in the bottom of the craft. “I took the liberty of packing madame’s swimsuit and snorkeling apparel. I hope you don’t mind. They were at the dive center so I grabbed them.”

“You are so sweet.”

Oz put a finger in front of her lips. “Shush, don’t go telling anyone. It’s a very closely guarded secret.”

Finn kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Your secret is safe with me. Besides, if other women found out, they’d want you too much. I don’t think I want the competition.”

Oz wrapped her arms around Finn’s waist. “There wouldn’t be a competition. You’d win hands down.”

“See what I’m talking about? Sweet.”

“I try. Are you ready? I’ll push us off.”

Finn set her paddle in the water and waited for the kayak to move. They paddled together, letting the quiet envelop them, only occasionally stopping to take pictures, until they came across a manatee cow and her calf.

Oz couldn’t help but laugh as Finn grabbed her camera and slipped into the water to follow them around, taking picture after picture, even though she was still in her shorts and T-shirt. She kept the boat close by in case Finn needed to get out, but the gentle nature of the heavy beasts made it unlikely. She shuddered at the sight of their scarred backs as they played in the water, the battle wounds of survival in a marine world where man was the only predator, yet professed to be a protector.

She rubbed at the scar on her stomach subconsciously as her mind wandered. The scent on the wind was no longer the salt water and mangrove trees, but rather the pungent iron of blood congealing on the blade in her hand. The weight of the knife was reassuring as she stalked the corridors of the cargo ship, searching each room systematically as they tried to gain control, and summon help. Shots reverberated around her, and she knew time was running out. For her and for Rudy. Her heart rate picked up as she kicked open the last door and dropped to roll inside, anticipating the gunfire aimed at the open doorway. She took cover behind an overturned table then peeked around the edge to gauge the shooter’s position. One look. Two. And throw the knife on three. Then the crash of a body hitting the floor and the clatter of the gun.