JanesPrize (13 page)

Chapter Fifteen

“Maybe this was a mistake. I like the coast
road better than the interstate but I hadn’t reckoned on all this traffic.
Other times of the year we’d be in Concord in an hour and a half.” Jane shifted
into neutral and eased into the line of summer traffic. “Today it’s anybody’s
guess.”

Pierce placed his hand on the nape of her
neck and rubbed gently. “Some things you can’t control,” he said. “It’s not your
fault. See how tense you are? You need a relaxing massage.”

“Mmm. Sounds good.” Jane arched back
against his hand.

A convertible full of teenagers slid
alongside. Two youngsters in shorts and tank tops were sprawled on the back
seat, soda cans in hand. The boy waved a bare foot at them, wiggling his toes.

“Did you phone the number Annice gave you?”
Pierce leaned forward and waved back, eliciting a cheer from the adolescents.

Jane nodded and rolled another three feet
forward. “I couldn’t give a definite arrival time but she said there’s no
problem if I call when we approach Concord. She’ll be home all evening.”
Pierce’s hand still lay lightly on her shoulder. It felt solid and reassuring.

“So what are we going to tell her exactly?”

“I think we should pose the question as a
hypothetical story. Just tell her we’re researching psychic phenomena.”

“If she’s truly psychic she’ll know there’s
more to it.”

A space opened up as a car left the line
and Jane took advantage of the gap.

“I’m not sure she has any abilities like
that. From what Annice said she’s more of a researcher.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Jane shot him a glance. “Are you okay with
consulting her?”

“I guess so.”

She saw the set of his mouth as he stared
ahead. “What’s the problem?”

“I’d just like us to get on with our life
and forget everything about my stepmother.”

“But we can’t do that if she keeps
appearing.”

“We’re not even sure it’s her. And the only
way to be sure is to let her get close.”

Jane shivered despite the summer heat. “You
think that could be dangerous?”

“She murdered once. Are you prepared for
her to do it again?”

Jane put a hand over his. “I think that’s
why we have to know what’s possible.”

“Anything is possible.” He pushed his hair
back and rubbed his hand over his face. “We could lose it all.”

The traffic light ahead changed to green
and the cars began to move again. Jane had to watch the road so she couldn’t
look at Pierce, but she felt the tension in his body.

“We won’t lose it,” she said firmly. “We’ll
go home after we talk to this woman and you see the lawyers in Boston. We’ll
know as much as we can about how to send your stepmother back where she came
from if she is here.” She made her voice positive and cheerful as if she were
encouraging her fifth graders to run another lap of the playing field. But a
cold knot of fear sat just above her breastbone, threatening to spread and take
over her mind unless she fought it with all she had.

“What happened to the railway?” Pierce said
suddenly.

It took a moment to switch to a new line of
thought. “The trains? They’re still there but not much used nowadays. People
prefer to drive.”

“There was a great service when I was
around.”

“America started a love affair with the
automobile. We built roads instead of track and rolling stock. This is the
result.” She gestured to a monstrous semi trailer that quivered and shuddered
in the adjoining lane.

Pierce laughed. “Ironic that your car can
drive a hundred miles an hour but it won’t get to Boston any faster than my
roadster would have done decades ago.”

“I know. Progress.”

The road opened up a couple of miles
farther on as some traffic peeled off toward Old Orchard Beach and then
Kennebunkport. Jane pressed on the gas pedal and they covered the next few
miles in good time.

Jane followed Route Nine and then Four,
passing over the I-95. Traffic below them was bumper to bumper. “Not such a
mistake after all, to take the other road,” she said.

They passed through North Berwick and then
reached Dover, following on to Concord. Jane glanced at her watch. “Four
o’clock. We didn’t stop for lunch. I bet you’re hungry.”

“Just a ghost of my former self.”

She laughed. “That’s not really funny. Want
a hamburger to keep you going?”

“Sounds good.”

She steered the car into a fast-food
drive-through and they ordered drinks and burgers. A small patch of grass
offered a couple of picnic tables in the shade. When their order came Jane
parked and they took one of the tables.

“There’s a nice old hotel in Concord where
I stayed once. I think it dates from the eighteen hundreds.”

Pierce groaned. “More old stuff.”

“It’s beautiful.” Jane smacked him lightly
on the arm. “It’s modernized of course, but I like the old stuff.”

“I know. That’s why you like me, right?” He
took her hand and looked into her eyes.

“Right.”

His tone was light but she saw seriousness
in his eyes and vulnerability in his face, which stabbed her heart. She could
sense his anxiety about the interview with the lawyers and she knew he was
worried about the possibility of his stepmother having rejoined the world. Jane
was his link to both the past and the future. Their relationship made it all
possible.

She squeezed his hand, let it go and
gathered up the debris of their lunch. “First let’s worry about finding a
room,” she said.

The historic inn in Concord was situated on
a quiet, tree-lined street. They pulled in front of the three story building.
It was a beautiful Victorian brick structure and a shiny plaque near the main
entrance indicated it was built in 1849.

“Older than me,” Pierce said as he looked
up at the façade.

“But inside it’s modern.”

“Just like me.” He grinned at her and took
her hand. “Lead on.”

The entrance was furnished like a large
sitting room in a family home, with comfortable chairs, small tables and deep
pile rugs in restful greens and blues. Jane located the reception desk tucked
discreetly into a corner. The young man greeted her with a smile.

“Welcome. I’ll check your name for your
reservation.”

“I didn’t make one.”

The clerk frowned. “Oh dear. At this time
of year—” He turned the pages of the register and shook his head. “I’m really
sorry.” The phone rang on the desk. “Excuse me a moment.” Jane sighed and
hitched her purse onto her shoulder. They would have to scour the motels on the
outskirts of the city.

“They don’t have a room,” she said to
Pierce. “I should have thought of calling for a reservation.”

The clerk put down the phone. “You’re in
luck,” he said. “That was a cancellation. Would you like to take it? It’s our
best room, a queen mini suite with hot tub and balcony.”

“We’ll take it.” Jane unzipped her purse to
find her credit card.

The room was on the top floor and had views
over the old part of the city. A tree sheltered the balcony with its spreading
branches, where a small table and chairs stood invitingly. In the bedroom area,
the wooden headboard gleamed with a silky patina that coordinated perfectly
with the white handwoven cover. In the sitting area a TV was housed in an
antique cupboard in front of the faded chintz sofa with large, round arms.

Jane looked around with a sigh of
contentment. “Isn’t this lovely?” she said. “There’s a hot tub.” The bathroom
was a masterpiece of modernity inserted into a beautifully paneled room. The
promised hot tub stood in front of the large window next to the gleaming
shower. She peeped through the curtains. “No one to overlook us,” she exclaimed
and drew back the drapes.

“Do you like it?” She turned back to Pierce
who still stood on the threshold. He nodded slowly. “Very nice. It gives me
ideas about what can be done with the mansion if I inherit it.”

“Of course you’ll inherit it.” She moved
toward him and slid her arms ‘round his waist. “This is an omen, getting this
room. It means everything is going to go perfectly with the lawyers.”

“Is that right?” Pierce’s voice was subdued
but he drew her head to his shoulder and stroked her hair.

“Let me call this psychic person and make
an appointment.”

She released him with a kiss and took her
cell phone from her purse.

Selma Thaddeus answered on the second ring.
Selma’s voice was deep and smooth. It was impossible to tell how old she might
be.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” she said when Jane
asked for an appointment, “I know I said I would be home this evening but I
forgot about a speaking engagement tonight at the university. I am free
tomorrow morning at nine. Could you make that?”

“We have to be in Boston tomorrow. We were
really hoping to see you tonight.”

“I see. Can you tell me once again exactly
what you want to know?”

“A friend of ours has been experiencing
some strange happenings and thinks it might be something to do with ghosts. We
wanted to ask you about other manifestations you’ve studied to see if this
could be real or imaginary.”

“A friend of yours, eh?” Jane could hear
the chuckle in the velvety voice. “Well, I can certainly tell you if the
experiences he’s having are anything like others I’ve documented.”

“That’s exactly what we want.”

Selma paused as if weighing what Jane had
just told her. “I usually go to bed quite late and I should be home by ten
tonight. I’d be happy to meet you then. Will that suit you?”

“Thank you. We’ll be there.”

Jane tucked the phone away and pushed back
her hair, then felt Pierce’s arms wind ‘round her. She leaned back against him
and let out a long breath. “Selma Thaddeus can’t see us until later tonight. We
have to go over about ten.

He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “So
we have the rest of the afternoon and this evening to ourselves.”

“That’s right.”

“I think we should put everything else out
of our minds. Let’s indulge ourselves.”

It was true they had been absorbed with
setting up their apartment, dealing with finding Pierce his ID, meeting with
his cousin Alexander. They made love often but sometimes they were distracted
by the other concerns.

“Just us.” He placed a gentle kiss next to
her eye. “No one to see, no phone to answer, no plans to make, except how you
want me to fuck you.”

“That’s what you’re going to do?” She kept
her tone light but her heart had begun to pound and she felt the release of the
first drops of moisture between her legs. They were standing facing the window
and the breeze through the open panes ruffled the lace curtains and fanned her
hot face.

“First we need to get naked, or nearly
naked,” he murmured. “What did you bring with you?”

“Nothing special.”

“I thought as much. Just one moment.”

He released her and picked up his overnight
bag. Undoing the fastening he pulled out a small package wrapped in pretty
tissue paper. “This is for you.”

Jane took it in wonder. “What on Earth—?”
She pulled off the wrapping and shook out short robe in midnight blue silk. It
would just graze the top of her thighs. The tie at the neck allowed the front
to remain open.

“Nothing underneath,” Pierce whispered. “It
will just cover your delicious pussy and I can open it up to fuck you. Put it
on now.”

Without a word she obeyed, pulling her
T-shirt over her head, stepping out of her cotton pants. She stood in her lace
bra and panties.

“All of it. I’ll close my eyes.” He did
more than close his eyes. He turned his back while she stripped to her skin and
slipped into the short robe. The silk wafted sensuously over her body,
caressing her breasts so the nipples puckered and stood up. As Pierce had
predicted, the frilled hem just covered her pussy. The open front invited an
exploring hand.

Jane drew a long, slow breath. “Your turn,”
she said. “But I want you naked.”

“Good, you want to see all of me.” He
grinned. “Happy to oblige.” Immediately he unbuckled and stepped out of his
pants. In thirty seconds all his clothes pooled around his feet save for his
briefs. She noted a satisfying bulge.

“Maybe I should have made you go slower,”
she said. “But now I see what you have for me, I think you’d better go all the
way.”

“You wanted it slow?” With a wicked smile,
he hooked his thumbs into the waistband and inched the fabric down, stopping
just short of revealing his cock.

“More, more,” she commanded.

“As you wish.” He continued to push the
underwear down until it slid down his legs. He kicked the briefs away from his
feet.

Jane’s pulse raced even faster as she
stared at him. His cock was long and thick, even in its half-aroused state.
Reaching out, she took him in her hand, letting her fingers float teasingly
down the length of the shaft. At once she felt him begin to harden. Her hand
slipped lower, cupping the sac holding his balls.

“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.

“Hey, that’s my line.”

“This is going to be wonderful.” She gave
his balls a gentle squeeze. “You’re absolutely right that we need this time.”

“No talk of lawyers or of psychics, on pain
of a severe beating.”

She felt a twitch in her pussy like a tiny
electric shock. “Maybe I’ll mention them just to see what you would do.”

“I’d smack that pretty bottom of yours ‘til
it was pink and then—” He paused and took the hand playing with him. “Just look
what you’ve done.”

She glanced down and sucked in a breath.
His penis was swollen, the tip pink and dripping with pearly drops.

“I think we need a quick fuck to get
ourselves in the mood.” Pierce took her hand. “Then when our minds are clear we
can plan the rest of the night.”