Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) (11 page)

“No, not that one.”

Jeff continued his guided tour,
“Over there is Salve Regina College.”

Susan gasped, “Oh, isn’t that
beautiful.”

“That’s
‘Chateau-sur-Mer,’ it’s one of the older mansions. It was built around 1850, I
think. Most of these were built around the turn-of-the-century, give or take a
decade or two. This was the playground of the very rich and famous back then.”

They drove on in
silence, punctuated with occasional gasps and “Ah!”s. “This one’s called
‘Rosecliff’,” Jeff pointed. “It was built by the daughter of one of the owners
of the Comstock Load, the big Nevada silver mine. Down that road on the beach
is ‘The Breakers’, one of the biggest. It was owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt.
I’ll take you down there sometime this weekend.”

“That’s one I
toured,” Gabe said. “That, and this one up here, ‘Marble House’.”

“Those would be the
two biggies. ‘Marble House’ belonged to another Vanderbilt. And think of it,
these were just their summer homes. Some of them were just referred to as
‘cottages’. It’s amazing. Did you take the Cliff Walk?”

“No.”

“Ah. It’s a paved
walk that runs along the coast for a couple miles. Goes right by ‘The
Breakers’. Nice place for a jog, if you’re into that.”

Jeff turned west onto
Ocean Avenue and followed along the coast.

“This isn’t still the
bay, is it? It’s huge,” Susan asked.

“No, that’s the
Atlantic Ocean. We’re down on the southern end of the island now.” Jeff drove
on then turned into the drive and stopped at the front door. “Well, here we
are. Home sweet home. Welcome to Wrentham House.”

“Holy shit!” Abby
gasped. “You live here?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

“Fuck me!”

Gabe stared out the
window her mouth hanging open, then swallowed hard. “Girl, we’re gonna have to
work on your social skills.”

Abby leaned forward
and flicked Gabe in the back of the head with her finger.

“Ouch.”

Jeff smiled at them,
“I can see you two are gonna get along just fine. Okay, everybody out. Grab
your gear.”

Gabe snapped her head
around toward him, “We’re staying here?”

“Sure. It’s
convenient and there’s plenty of room. What did you think? I’d fly you out here
first-class then put you up in Motel 6? Come on.”

While collecting
their bags from the back of the Escalade, Abby suddenly pointed to the corner
of the drive, “Is that an Aston Martin?”

“Good eye,” Jeff
mused. “Yeah, that’s my town car.”

“Oh my god. Is it
new?”

“No. That’s a ten year old Vanquish.
But it’s only got about 12,000 miles on it, and it was cheap – compared to new
ones – and I like it. This construction over here is the garage. In spite of a
vast renovation a few years back, this place was on the market for several years,
in part because it had no garage. So, I’m fixing that.”

Abby stood rigid,
staring at the Aston Martin. “Um, I know you’re married but, uh, can I marry
you?”

Jeff grinned.
“Actually, I’m not married.”

Abby frowned and
pointed at his left hand. “Ring?”

“Oh, yeah.” He held
up his hand. “I’m widowed. My wife passed away a couple years ago. I still wear
this out of habit.” He tugged at the wedding band. “Besides,” he chuckled, “I
can’t get it off.”

Abby cringed. “I’m
sorry.”

“Eh, don’t worry
about it, you couldn’t know. Come on inside. I’ll show you to your rooms, give
you a quick tour of the house, and then we’ll go out and get some supper. I
imagine you’re hungry.”

Jeff took them up to
their rooms then led them around the house explaining the history and features,
and what he’d had done and was doing. As they walked through the great room to
the library, Gabe veered off, walked up to the
piano
, and
gently ran her hand across the top.

Jeff stopped and
turned back to her, “Like it?”

Gabe nodded. “A
Bösendorfer
Imperial Grand?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, wow. I’ve heard
of these and heard a few recordings, but never actually seen one.”

“Well, you’ll have to
give us a recital later. It doesn’t get played nearly enough.”

“It’s beautiful. Do
you play?”

Jeff laughed, “Uh,
we’ll see. Depends on how well you play.”

When the brief tour was over, he
loaded them all back in the Escalade for dinner at 22 Bowen’s, “The shellfish
sampler with lobster is first-rate. Highly recommended.” Jeff kept the dinner
conversation to small talk, squashing any mention of the Mars mission, “Eh,
let’s not talk shop, there’ll be plenty of time for that later.” Having
satiated themselves on poached shrimp, native littleneck clams, East Coast
oysters and New England lobster, they headed back to Wrentham House.

“The bar’s open, if
anyone wants a nightcap. There’s an assortment of wines in the fridge, help
yourself.”

They all fixed drinks
and stood around the bar, on the main floor of the east tower, adjoining the
large dining room, raving about supper.

“I’m stuffed,” Abby
said, “I don’t think I’ll need to eat till Thursday.”

Gabe picked up her
glass and strolled across the great room to the piano. Jeff followed her with
his eyes. She seated herself on the bench and, looking around, set her glass on
the floor, apparently repulsed by any thought of possibly marring the
Bösendorfer
’s ebony finish.

Jeff followed her,
raised and propped open the lid on the giant concert grand, “Go ahead, play
something.”

She played a couple
of chords and a C major scale, getting a feel for the keyboard. “Wow. The tone
is remarkable. Okay, let’s see…” She thought for a moment, then played Bach’s G
major minuet from the
Anna Magdalena Notebook
.

As Jeff stood beside the piano,
listening critically, Abby and Susan wandered in and found seats on the sofa
nearby.

When Gabe had finished, Jeff smiled at
her, “Oh my god. Well, that tells us two things. First, no, I don’t play. And
second, you’re no amateur. We mere mortals don’t play that with all the grace
notes. So, show us what you’ve got.” He stepped away and took a seat between
Abby and Susan.

Gabe surveyed the
keyboard, “Okay. Oh, let’s see. Hmmm alright, I haven’t played this in a while
so… we’ll see. Bear with me.” She stretched her fingers and began.

Jeff recognized it
instantly, gasped softly, and whispered, “Jesus!”

Abby, sitting next to
him, leaned over, “What?”

“Rachmaninoff, the G
minor prelude. Good god, she
can
play. Listen.”

When Gabe finished,
her small audience sat in frozen silence, mouths agape, too stunned to even
applaud. After a moment Jeff jumped from his seat clapping, Abby and Susan, awe
struck, immediately joining him. “My god, I’ve heard Rachmaninoff’s own piano
roll recording of that, it wasn’t any better. What in the name of all that it
is holy are you doing in aeronautics and physics? You belong on a concert
stage.”

Gabe smiled, “No, not
really. I don’t have the temperament for it.”

“And the world is a
lesser place for that. You play magnificently.”

She bowed her head, a
little embarrassed, “Thank you.”

“You a Rachmaninoff
fan?”

“What girl isn’t?”

“You know the C sharp
minor prelude?’

“Uh huh.”

“Might I make a
request?”

She smiled, “Sure.”

Gabe bowed her head
and closed her eyes, readied her hands over the keyboard, then suddenly pulled
back, “There’s a popular concert pianist, Valentina Lisitsa…”

Jeff nodded, “I have
several of her recordings, she’s brilliant.”

Gabe nodded as well,
“She once said there are three kinds of music: music I’ll play for free, music
I’ll play for money, and music I won’t play at all. I don’t know about her, but
this one I’ll play for free. Rachmaninoff himself may have tired of it, but I
never will.” And she began.

Jeff leaned back in
the sofa, closed his eyes and soaked in the Imperial Grand’s sonority as it
filled the vast room.

As the last soft
chord died away, Abby said, “Jesus! How do you do that?”

Susan joined in,
“That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”

Jeff stared at Gabe
shaking his head, “I have never heard a woman play with such power. You sound
like Gilels. Why? Why did you stop.”

Gabe turned on the
bench toward them, “I don’t know. One day I just decided I wanted something
more than a never ending life of concert tours and recording sessions.”

Jeff nodded, “Music
and math, they do go together.”

“But I didn’t give up
entirely on it. I still play, but just because I enjoy it.”

“I’m pretty sure I
could sit here and listen to you play till the end of time but… Maybe one more,
then I’ll remove the shackles?”

She laughed, “Alright, one more. Let’s
see, uh, okay, how about some Chopin? You probably know this.”

Jeff closed his eyes
and shook his head in disbelief. Not only could she play Chopin’s monumental
exercise for the left hand, the famous etude, Opus 10 Number 12, but she could
play it flawlessly and at the proper tempo.

As she concluded  the
final massive chords, Jeff leaped to his feet clapping, “I’m speechless. You
didn’t have to play that to impress me.”

“Thanks. Alright,
that’s enough. It’s late.”

They all stood
applauding again. Jeff walked to her with a warm glow of appreciation, “Thank
you so much, that was wonderful. Well, it has been a long day for you, I’m sure
you’re tired. Would breakfast at eight be alright?” They nodded and agreed that
would fine.

Gabe walked beside
Jeff up the stairs toward bed, “That piano is unbelievable.”

They said their ‘good
nights’ at the top of the stairs and as Gabe started down the hall, Jeff said
softly to himself, “Stick around and I’ll give it to you.”

Saturday, June 16,
2012 (T minus 1375 days)

Jeff’s alarm clock sounded at 6:00 a.m. and he gave
the snooze button a solid whack; morning was never his finest hour. He lay
awake in bed thinking of the previous evening: the delightful company of the
three women at dinner, Gabe’s marvelous performance, even the small talk on the
drive from the airport was great.

But then the doubts began to creep
in as he once again questioned his moral and ethical right to even ask this of
such fine people. They were young, brilliant, talented, not to mention
beautiful, women, and the thought of any of them perishing on some godforsaken
rock in space horrified him. His plan for the mission brief had been to start
at the beginning and, not unlike Alice, when he reached the end, stop, thus
saving the two hard issues as sort of an addendum. But that just didn’t seem
fair. ‘Fair’ would be to give them a way out, early. So, lying there, staring
at the ceiling in what little morning light there was falling through the
windows, Jeff decided to go the other route. He’d drop the bombshells first and
then see who was left standing. He was fairly certain Abby was onboard no
matter what, but of Gabriel and Susan, he had no idea.

He tossed back the covers, swung
out of bed, and turned off the alarm; once again thinking that he would dearly
love to get his hands around the neck of whoever it was that invented such a
horrid contraption. He showered and dressed and padded down to the kitchen.

In the kitchen annex Jeff reviewed
his meal-planning guide, pinned up on the bulletin board. He was pretty sure he
had all the details worked out for the entire weekend, but there was always the
unexpected. A simple breakfast was in order: scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit
salad, English muffins, coffee, tea and orange juice. He went to the dining
room, dug into the china closet, and laid out four place settings at the near
end of the dining room table. Jeff had toyed with the idea of hiring some help
for the weekend – chefs, butlers, maids, and the like – but he just wasn’t
ready for that, and might never be. Wrentham House was ostentatious enough
without a gaggle of servants flitting about.

Back in the kitchen, he rolled out
the serving cart, poured some water in the warming trays and plugged it in,
then fired up the griddle on one the kitchen’s two commercial gas ranges. A
buffet would be easiest; setup everything on the cart and, when ready, roll it
through the pantry into the dining room and have at it. He setup coffee and hot
water for tea on the counter, along with orange juice, and set out a few mugs
and glasses.

Shortly past seven Jeff heard the
front door, and a moment later Abby appeared, sweating profusely, wearing a
dark blue jogging suit with “NAVY” embroidered across the chest, her ginger
tresses tied up in long ponytail.

“Well, good morning your
joggingness.”

She grinned. “Good morning. Yeah, I
got up early and jogged a couple miles down the coast road. God, it’s beautiful
here.”

“Yes it is. You slept well?”

“Oh yeah, great. It’s so peaceful
and quiet.”

“Yeah. I found it a bit eerie at
first. I’m used to the big city and traffic noise and sirens and all that, and
it took a little getting used to.”

“Well, I love it.” She tugged at
her sweatshirt; “I need to go hit the showers before I pollute the atmosphere.
Won’t be long.”

“Take your time, there’s no hurry.”

Abby trotted off upstairs and Jeff
returned to his cooking. Fruit salad, already prepared, from the fridge, eggs
and sausage laid out on the range end of the island, and a dozen English
muffins split and arrayed in the salamander for browning at the last moment.

As Jeff began frying the eggs and
sausage, he was greeted with a cheery “Good morning,” from just behind. He
glanced over his shoulder to find Susan standing next to the island, looking
fresh and radiant.

“Good morning! Sorry, didn’t hear
you come in.” She defined ‘reserve’, a wisp, a breath, almost ghost-like, in
spite of her bright yellow cherry blossom blouse and blue jeans. Everything she
did, right down to her movement, was delicate and quiet. Jeff figured she could
probably walk the length of the great room’s teak floor in tap shoes, and not
make a sound. “How’d you sleep? Accommodations satisfactory?”

“Oh, wonderful. The room is lovely.
The whole house is lovely! What can I do to help?”

“Not a thing. I think I’ve got it
under control here. There’s coffee, water for tea and juice there on the
counter. Should be about ready now. Help yourself.”

“Thank you. Tea would be great.”

“I laid out a few teas, had no idea
what anyone might like. There’s more in the cupboard above.”

Susan chose an Oolong and brewed up
a cup. Jeff could smell it, even over the eggs and sausage, “Now that smells
nice.”

She smiled, “My favorite. You have
excellent taste, Mr. Grey.”

He laughed, “Uh, not really. But
fortunately I know how to read.” He shoveled eggs and sausage into the warming
trays, set them on the serving cart and covered them. “I saw Abby a bit
earlier, returning from her early morning jog – not sure she’s entirely sane –
but, did you happen to notice if Gabe’s up and about?”

She laughed at Abby’s expense, “I
think so. Thought I heard some activity in her room.”

“Ah, good. The house has an
intercom system but it’s so intrusive. I hate to use it.” Jeff set the coffee
and hot water carafes on the serving cart hot plates, and juice in an iced bowl
then, breakfast ready, unplugged the cart, rolled it into the dining room, and
plugged it back in to keep things warm. “That should do.”

Susan looked around the room and
shook her head, “This is beautiful. I’ve stayed in a few bed and breakfasts
during short vacations, but nothing like this. If you’re trying to impress me,
you’re doing a very good job of it.”

Jeff grinned, “You were kind enough
to come, so I guess I better make you comfortable.”

“Good morning,” said Gabe walking
into the dining room, wearing what may have been the same jeans and sweatshirt
she wore when he met her. “It smells wonderful.”

“Ah, good morning,” Jeff said,
greeting her with a big smile. “Thank you. Breakfast’s ready, Abby should be
down shortly. Sleep alright?”

Gabe shrugged, “Okay. I seldom
sleep well, but that’s not your fault. Over-active brain, I think.”

Jeff nodded and smiled knowingly,
“I know that feeling. Been there, done that.”

Abby appeared a moment later,
looking considerably less disheveled than earlier, and they all sat down to
breakfast.

When they had finished, Jeff rose
and started to clear the dishes. Susan immediately jumped up, “Here, you
cooked, we can do that,” with which Abby and Gabe immediately rose to join her.

Jeff, a bit embarrassed, said,
“Just stack them on the counter, I’ll deal with it later.”

“Dishwasher?” Asked Abby, carrying
a stack of plates toward the kitchen.

“Under the counter, just right of
the sink. Thanks.”

All was cleared quickly and the
women rejoined Jeff in the dining room.

“Thank you. You’re my guests and
that wasn’t necessary.”

They smiled and shook it off, “No
problem.”

Jeff smiled and nodded and, in
turn, looked each in the eyes, “Alright then, shall we get started? Follow me.”

The four proceeded downstairs to
the former bedroom that Jeff had reconfigured as a small conference room.

Jeff took a seat with his back to
the wall of porcelain dry-erase boards and motioned to the others to take
seats. Susan seated herself to his left, Abby to his right, and Gabe across the
table between them.

Jeff looked at each of them in turn
then took a deep breath. “I want to once again thank all of you for coming. You
don’t know me from Adam, it’s an, admittedly, wild idea, and, frankly, you’d be
fully justified in thinking me perhaps a bit off my rocker.”

They all smiled and shook their
heads, with Abby offering, “Hell, if we’re crazy enough to be here, I think
we’re all on the same page.” Susan and Gabe nodded in agreement.

Jeff smiled, “Point conceded.” He
took a deep breath, forcibly exhaled, and rubbed his chin. “That said, uh…
well, I haven’t been entirely forthcoming with all of you. And I sincerely
apologize for that and I’m going to lay all the cards on the table right now
and, after that, you can do what you think is best.”

There were furrowed brows, and
faces full of concern and apprehension around the table.

Jeff shook his head and mentally
kicked himself, thinking this could have been handled a lot better. He was a
rank amateur at this kind of thing, and he knew it. “Alright, here’s the first
part. I led each of you to believe, improperly so, that I wanted you to work
for me as part of a team to plan, organize and execute this mission. And that
is true. But, with the exception of Abby, what I didn’t tell you is… I want all
three of you to go with me. I want you as my crew.”

Abby looked on quietly, but Gabe’s
and Susan’s eyes suddenly opened wide as they glared at Jeff with bewilderment.

He quickly raised his hand to still
them, “Please, before you say or do anything… there’s more.” He had their
attention, there was no doubting that, so he went on. “Part two is, I wish for
one of you to conceive and bear a child on Mars.”

All three women gaped at him in
stunned silence.

Jeff, half expecting one of them to
leap over the table and gouge his eyes out, struggled to look calm. “You may
fire when you are ready, Gridley.”

Gabe suddenly leaped from her
chair, sending it tumbling behind her, “Are you insane! You’re a fucking
lunatic!” She stormed away from the table and paced in a tight circle. “I
thought you were a decent guy: your nice house and big piano and silver tongue,
but you’re a nut… and some kind of fucking pervert!”

Jeff sat quietly, trying to appear
stoic. Her reaction was not entirely unanticipated, and he decided to give her
all the time she needed to vent.

Gabe stopped pacing and turned to
Abby, “You’re not seriously considering this bullshit, are you?” Pointing at
Jeff, “He’s crazy! This’ll never get off the ground. And even if it does, even
if he takes all his money and buys some rockets, it’s still insanity. NASA can’t
do this. What on God’s green earth makes you think this dumbshit can? You’re
gonna die!”

Abby stared at the floor for a
moment then looked up at her, “I’m a pilot. I get paid to take chances. If he
wants me to have his baby on Mars… okay, fine, whatever. I don’t care. But I’m
going. Because I want this.”

Gabe screamed at her, “You’re
insane too!” She turned to Susan, “Come on Sue, let’s get out of here. You, of
the three of us, have to know this is depraved lunacy!”

Susan sat quietly, pensive, rubbing
her finger across her lips. “I’m thinking.” Then, turning back to Jeff, “I
can’t say as I like this but, I promised to listen, and I will. And then I’ll
decide.”

Jeff bowed his head to her in
thankfulness and appreciation.

Gabe threw her hands in the air, “You’re
all mad. That’s it. I’m done. I’m out of here!” And she stormed out the door
and headed upstairs.

For a long moment, the three of
them sat stock-still, watching the door where Gabe had exited.

Finally, Abby swung back around in
her chair and faced Jeff, “That could have gone better.”

Jeff forced a smile, shook his head
and stood up. “Yeah. Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked to the
door then stopped and turned back to them, “Thanks. Thanks for at least
listening.” Then he took off up the stairs after Gabe.

As he hit the main floor landing,
Jeff knew where Gabe was. It wasn’t hard to figure out; the stream of
profanities from the second floor were a pretty good clue. Wrentham House was
large, but not large enough to conceal Gabe’s discontent. Jeff figured she was
packing, walked over to a small bureau in the foyer, and withdrew an envelope
from one drawer with Gabe’s name on it.

When Gabe hit the bottom of the
stairs, she stopped short, seemingly surprised to see Jeff holding the front
door open for her. He tried to appear kindly, even understanding. “I can drive
you to the airport, or anywhere else you’d like.”

Gabe’s face was flushed and
streaked with tears, “Just stay away from me. I already called a cab.”

“As you wish. But Gabe, know this,
I wish you no ill will. If I were you, I’d think I was crazy to. It’s been my
blessing to have known you, and I wish you nothing but the best, and god
speed.”

Gabe stood for a moment staring at
him, perhaps a bit confused but none-the-less determined to go. She half
trotted to the front door and past him.

“Gabe!” Jeff hollered, “Please,
take this,” holding out the envelope toward her, “just something for your
trouble.”

“You’re one sick son of a bitch!
You think your money can placate me?”

“No, I don’t. But neither will it
harm you.”

She tore the envelope from his hand
and hurried off down the drive.

He shouted after her, “Gabe!
Please. At least wait here.” She neither slowed down nor looked back.

Jeff watched her until she was out
of sight then hung his head, “Damn!” This was not exactly how he’d planned the
weekend. He sighed and, leaning against the doorjamb, stared off into space for
a while, thinking of what might have been. “I’m sorry.” He closed the door and
slowly headed downstairs to rejoin Abby and Susan.

Jeff walked back into the
conference room and took his seat without saying anything.

Abby leaned forward, “She leave?”

“Yes.”

Susan viewed him curiously, “What
will you do now?”

“Find a replacement.” They sat in
nervous silence for a minute. “I’m sorry. I really am. This isn’t what I
wanted.”