Double-Crossed (35 page)

“That's what they assume. You'll be asked about his final hours, they want to know what you know.”

Marianne grew suddenly cold. “Do they think…? I mean, they can't think that I…”

“You're not in trouble. Down at the beach, one of the boat people saw you tied up and immobilized in the back of the car as they huddled into the truck. You couldn't have done anything there.”

Peter stood and walked to the other side of the bed. He positioned himself looking out of a window with his back to her. He seemed to be thinking. When he spoke, he spoke deliberately, carefully.

“Marianne, do you know that he killed himself as soon as the police broke through the door? He's dead now.”

“And you came to me, in a weird kind of vision,” added Marianne.

Peter turned around to face her and walked around to the side of the bed again. He sat in the chair and reached out for her hand.

“That's no vision. Alan and I looked for you for a couple of hours. We went first to The Pink Pussycat, but found it empty. We looked elsewhere. Alan picked up a disturbance reported to the police. We went back to the Pussycat and met them outside. As soon as we saw the dead bodies around the back, we feared the worst for you.”

Marianne looked up into Peter's eyes. “Peter, they wanted to kill me. They said they would kill me. Even Joe. They all wanted to kill me. And the doctor! They all double-crossed me.”

A cloud crossed over Peter's eyes, so dark they'd almost turned black. He let his eye run over her face, and she saw a deep anger in them.

“I know. Thinking of you as dead was the most terrifying moment of my life. I want you to know that we are together now. The truth is, we are together forever. No one will touch you or hurt you again. I'm with you, and I love you and will care for you.” He looked down at her hand for a moment as if studying it.

“The difficulty of the next few months will override everything. They will have inquiries, and you will have to go to court as a witness. However, I'll stay by your side. I won't leave you alone, and you will take strength from me for this task.”

She looked back at him and saw his eyes full of love. Here she remained home now. She had found her man, and finally together, nothing could hurt them. No sadness anymore, no grief, no sorry, lost childhood, and no obligations to people who wanted to use her for their own agendas. This was the man she had never dreamed could be possible.

“And what about after that, Peter? What will happen after this circus is all over?”

“After that, we will have nothing but each other and our new life to get used to.”

He leaned in and kissed her softly on her lips.

THE END

Barbra Novac

Ten Things about Barbra

1.       I am very happily married with two children.

2.       I live in the Blue Mountains in a small town called Leura, near Sydney Australia.

3.       I have faked accents as a flirting technique

4.       I don't do housework and I hate cooking!

5.       I love reading romance novels and am proud to tell the world.

6.       I love watching
The Bold and the Beautiful
and am embarrassed to tell the world.

7.       I have a tattoo on my left shoulder of a snake and an apple and one on my lower back that is a Jack Kerouac quote.

8.       I am a feminist but I love the Marquis de Sade

9.       I secretly listen to Abba, but officially I love jazz, Indie and the Rolling Stones.

10.       I love to go to tarot readers and astrologers.