On Ice (39 page)

He hesitated before answering. “Mark has disappeared."

“
What? How could he? Weren’t they watching him?” Maddy’s questions came rapid fire as a knot of anger gathered in her gut. “T.J. located him for them. Can’t they even keep an eye on him?”

“
Apparently not.” Ted removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “The chief said they had him under surveillance. He must have seen them because he disappeared. He abandoned the used car and the efficiency apartment he had down in Montrose.”

“
And to think I almost felt safe.”

“
There’s one more thing,” he added.

“
Let me sit down.” Maddy sank onto the chaise lounge she favored. “Okay, shoot, or should I say, just shoot me.”

Ted hesitated.

“
For heaven’s sake, Ted, just tell me.”

“
At one point they followed him to my office building.”

“
What?” Maddy sat up abruptly.

“
He went into my office building after dark.”

“
He was in your office?” Maddy’s voice was tinged with fear.

“
They don’t know. They didn’t follow him inside.”

“
Why not?”

“
My dear, I am not a police officer, nor am I knowledgeable about their manner of acting in a particular situation. I imagine they didn’t want to tip him off that they were following him.” He rubbed his hand across his head causing his hair to stand on end. “I’m sure they have standard procedures in such instances.”

Maddy rose from the chaise. She drew him into her arms. “I’m sure they do. You look very tired, dear. Why don’t you take a quick shower and go to bed.”

“
I’ll admit that two a.m. call from the emergency room really upset me. I couldn’t get back to sleep.”

“
I know you tossed and turned for the rest of the night. What was wrong?”

“
An old man, I’d advised to have gall bladder surgery but he put it off till it ruptured. I just wish I had been able to convince him to have the surgery before--.”

“
You advised him well.” Maddy rubbed his shoulders, kneading away the tightness. “You couldn’t force him to follow your advice. How is he?”

“
Hanging on, but the gall bladder was gangrenous. It didn’t have to happen.” Ted shook his head.

“
Take your shower. You’ll feel better.”

Ted stood and embraced her, then stretched and turned toward the stairs. “Are you coming up soon?”

“
Right away, dear. I’m going to put some things away and make a call.” She smiled as he headed up the stairs.

She checked the locks and alarm system. The girls had gone to bed hours ago. Maddy turned off the lights as she went from room to room. In the den, she picked up the receiver of the portable phone.

She dialed a number and waited for the answer but got a recording. “T.J., this is Maddy. The police managed to lose Mark Desmond. He’s abandoned the car he was using and his apartment in Montrose. They just lost him. I want you to find him. Do whatever it takes. I’ll pay anything you want. Just find him.” She hung up and turned out the light, then followed her husband upstairs.

~*~

Sunday morning, Brett and Rene overslept. She couldn’t remember sleeping so peacefully. Although she knew it might be for the short term, her life was better than it had been since before her mother’s death.

Rene always thought of that event as the end of life as she had known it. It was her first loss of security, but lately she had been making her own security. It felt strange to put her trust in a man when she had become so mistrustful of men in general.

Cindy was watching for them when they pulled up in front of her house. She led Seth and Sara out the door and called to her own family.

Rene apologized for being late.

“
No problem,” she said with a wide grin. “You look so happy. I can’t even believe you’re the same person.”

“
You mean I looked that miserable?” Rene asked, her warm breath creating a steamy aura as she spoke.

“
Not so much miserable, as tense.” Cindy nodded her head in affirmation. “Yes, that’s it exactly.”

Sam and the McCorkill children waited in their truck. Cindy handed him the baby to secure in the safety seat.

“
I guess I am a little more relaxed,” Rene admitted.

“
Like I said, you look like a whole different person. See you in church.” She gave Rene a quick hug and climbed into the idling vehicle.

Rene strode to Brett’s truck and hoisted herself inside. She looked around at her children and Brett, all smiling cheerfully. “Let’s get a move on,” she said.

Rene bore up under all the smiling scrutiny from her fellow parishioners, but whispered to Brett, “They know.”

“
So what?” he countered with a grin.

“
It’s embarrassing.”

“
So what? We’ll live.”

“
You’re not much help.” She pretended to pout.

“Oh, yes I am,” he insisted. “You don’t know how hard it is to hold myself back when I want to shout and laugh and grab you in front of all these knowing people and give them something to really talk about.”

“In that case, thanks for your restraint.” She grinned up at him.

“
Don’t know how long I can hold on.”

“
Don’t make it any worse than it is. I have to teach their children, after all.” She feigned a stern expression.

“
Yes, Ma’am, Miz Nichols,” he said meekly.

After church, they drove to the cabin. Rene made lunch for the children and Brett helped her prepare for the reading lesson.

Then she settled Seth and Sara with a video game and spent a quiet moment with Brett before the Schraeders arrival.

“
I guess I had better be going so you can do your part to wipe out illiteracy.” Brett kissed her tenderly and they both glanced over to where the children sat engrossed in their game. They laughed and started to speak at once.

“
I think they’ll get used to seeing us kiss,” Brett said.

“
I hope so. They haven’t seen many displays of affection.”

He gave her a quick kiss, promising to bring the puppy over later. He left as the Schraeders were climbing out of the red tow truck. Mrs. Schraeder held a plastic container and Ernst helped her up the icy steps.

“
Let me take that.” Rene relieved her of the container and placed it on the table. She hung their wraps and offered coffee. She heard the sound of another vehicle. Looking out, she saw Frenchy helping Celia Ryan, Cindy’s mother, from his red truck. She carried bags from the bakery.

“
Hi, folks,” Rene greeted them. “What a surprise. I didn’t know the bakery delivered.”

“
I came with some sweets, hoping to buy my way in to your class.” Celia took off her coat and knit cap. She ran her fingers through her gray-flecked curls self-consciously.

“
You don’t have to buy your way in,” Rene said, “but, the treats are always welcome. I didn’t know you weren’t a reader, Celia. We’re going to start with the basics today.”

“
That’s what I need.” Her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. “Cindy says I’ve been getting by on a few things I recognize, but it’s not the same as reading. Now that the children are getting older, I don’t want them to be ashamed of their grandmother.”

“
Nor their grandmother’s sweetheart,” Frenchy interjected. His thick accent seemed to caress each word, but there was no mistaking the fond look he gave Celia. She blushed a deeper shade of pink.

“
You don’t read well, Frenchy?” Rene asked.

“
I don’t read much at all,” he admitted. “Like Celia, I manage to get by, but in my business it is hard to know what I’m signing when I accept deliveries. I have to make the delivery men wait while I check the order. They think I’m difficult, but I’m just trying to make sure it’s all there.”

“
Whatever your reasons, you’re welcome,” Rene said. She seated the four adults around the kitchen table.

“
My ancestors were fur traders and trappers,” Frenchy said. “They were good with numbers, but not so good with reading. I’ve been, how do you say--” He paused, grabbing his chin in an exaggerated comic gesture. “Bluffing! I’ve been bluffing my way through all along.”

“
Ach! Und meinself too!” Ernst agreed, nodding his head vigorously.

They ate the sandwiches Mrs. Schraeder brought. As Rene bit into her sandwich, she heard footsteps on the back porch. She looked out the window to see Ben Franklin removing his snowshoes.

When Rene admitted him, he said,” I come to help you.”

“
That’s very nice, Ben.” Rene wondered where she would seat him. “I don’t have any more chairs inside, but if you don’t mind bringing one from the porch, we’ll be okay.”

“
Sure thing, Miz Reeny. You want me to bring you one?”

“
No, thanks, Ben. I’m going to stand.” She smiled as she watched him set about his task enthusiastically. When all were seated around the table, a sandwich was passed to Ben. Rene thanked him for volunteering his help with the reading lessons.

“
Why, Miz Reeny,” he said, his face lit with an ingenuous smile. “You know when Mr. and Miz Pindar took me in I didn’t know how to read at all. Then Miz Pindar started teachin’ me. She was real patient and always nice to me. I want to help someone else to know how to read.”

“
That’s wonderful Ben. I know Mrs. Pindar will be very proud of you for sharing what she taught you.”

“
She’s just the nicest lady in the whole world.” He blushed so the edges of his ears turned red. “N’ Miz Honeybee, too.” He smiled at that, then added, “N’ you, Miz Reeny.”

~*~

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

T.J. adjusted the rear-view mirror and caught sight of her own smile. She had just come from a third dinner date with Terrence. The man was nice to be with. She felt comfortable in his presence. Once in a while she thought things were too smooth, going too fast. But she shoved those thoughts to the far recesses of her brain. She wanted to savor each moment, because it would all come to an end when he returned to Scotland.

Changing lanes, she made a left turn. Two more blocks and she was outside Dr. Sanders’ office building. Lifting her foot from the gas pedal she allowed the automobile to slow without flashing her brake lights.

Cruising by the building she made a mental note of the vehicles parked on the street. Her natural curiosity was her best weapon. Only two cars looked familiar. One was a Chevy Cavalier, some gray or light blue color with a dented fender. The other was a black Tempo, late eighties she thought. The finish was faded, not waxed in years. She made a note of both car tags.

Mark Desmond had used the ATM in the lobby twice in the past week. It was late when both transactions had taken place. Why would he be in Dr. Sanders building at seven-twenty and eight-o-nine p.m. on weekdays? T.J. considered the possibilities as she made the block, locating a parking space on the opposite side of the street.

She scanned the sidewalks before getting out. No one lurked in the shadows. As she clicked across the street in her high heels, she reflected that her choice of footwear wasn’t the best selection for unobtrusive surveillance.

The lobby looked deserted. There was no guard but a security camera high on a polished marble wall blinked in a benign manner. She crossed to the bank of eight elevators, four on each side of a wide hallway. Checking the directory, she saw mostly doctors, dentists and accounting firms. Other than Dr. Theodore Sanders office, she found nothing of interest to a deranged sadist intent on persecuting his wife and sister-in-law.

Ted’s office was on the eighth floor. T.J. entered a vacant elevator and pushed the button for seven. The cable lifted her smoothly and quickly, causing a brief lurching sensation in the pit of her stomach. She checked the hallway before stepping into the morgue-like silence. T.J. shook her head.
Not a good image.

The carpet was gray down the center and a deep burgundy next to the walls. Soundlessly, she walked to the stairs and made her way up to the next level. Her heels made a noise like a tack hammer echoing on the hard surface of the stairs. She listened carefully before opening the door to the hallway. She heard nothing.

This corridor was carpeted in the same gray and burgundy. Slowly, she walked toward Ted’s office, the hair on the back of her neck seemed to be standing at attention. Every nerve fiber in her body was on alert. Frosted glass panels flanked the door to the waiting room. The room was dark as was the office just beyond the glass window but somewhere down the hall a soft light glowed. She craned her neck, leaning against the door for support. It swung inward. T.J. kept herself from falling by stepping into the darkened office.

The sound of the hammer was no longer caused by her shoes but by her heart thudding against her ribs. This hammer was much bigger. T.J. drew a shaky breath and tried to slow the hammer down. She stepped back into the hallway and reached in her small handbag for her cellular phone. As she turned it on, a dull buzz and blinking message told her it required a recharge.
Worthless piece of trash!
She flipped it closed, scowling as she pushed it to the bottom of her purse.
So much for back up!
T.J. took off the safety on her .38 snub-nosed revolver and slid the toe of her pump into the doorway, pushing it wide open. She held the weapon at her side as she stepped into the waiting room. The shadowy space had a flat, empty feeling. She tiptoed to the door separating the reception area from the inner offices and exam rooms. Silently turning the knob, she cracked the door open. The inner offices had a different air, more alive, inhabited. Her skin prickled, sensing the danger.