On Ice (40 page)

The sound of movement came from the end of the hall. She crept toward the open office, glowing with a soft light. Peering around the doorway, she noted that this was Dr. Ted’s private office. A broad shouldered male figure sat with his back to her. He faced a computer monitor on a console behind the massive, polished mahogany desk, his fingers busily typing on the keyboard.

T.J. flipped on the overhead lights, bracing herself against the doorjamb. The man whirled in the chair to face her. His handsome features froze when he saw the gun pointing at his chest.

T.J. could almost read his thoughts as he stared at her. He seemed to be running through a litany of possible verbiage, but finally cleared his throat.

“
Ah, who are you?” he asked in a voice that cracked halfway through the question.

“
I’m the woman holding the gun,” T.J. said coolly. “If you raise your hands slowly, I may not have to shoot you.”

He complied, saying, “I’m not armed.”

“
I am.” She approached the desk and reached for the telephone, sliding it toward her. It was a large, very complicated phone with several lines and an intercom system. T.J. attempted to read it upside down while still keeping the short barrel of the handgun leveled at Mark’s chest. She pushed the speaker button, randomly pushing others until she heard a loud dial tone, then punched in three numbers. It rang twice before a crisp voice came on the line.

“
This is the 911 Operator. Do you need to report a fire or is this a police emergency?”

“
Police.” T.J. noticed that the man lowered his hands slightly. She motioned with the gun for him to raise them higher and picked up the receiver, cutting off the speaker. A series of clicks put her through to the dispatcher.

“
This is T.J. McCann, Private Investigator. I am in the employ of Dr. and Mrs. Ted Sanders and I have just surprised an intruder in the Dr.’s office. I believe this man to be Mark Desmond, who has a warrant out on two counts of assault against the Sanders family. I’ll be holding him until the police arrive.”

While reciting this information, T.J. watched Mark’s face register a wide range of emotions. His initial surprise and fear had been replaced by anger moving toward rage. A purplish-red hue suffused his face and what had first seemed to be good looks appeared twisted and sick. He was shaking with fury.

Carefully, she replaced the receiver in its cradle, keeping a careful watch on her captive. She hoped the patrol car would be quick in coming.

Mark’s mouth twisted into a grimace. “That interfering bitch!” he screamed. He half rose from the high-backed chair, then fell back and swiveled around to face the computer. When the chair spun around again, he wasn’t in it.

Cautiously, T.J. peered around the side of the desk. Mark sprang up from the opposite side, throwing a framed picture of Maddy and the girls at her head. T.J. ducked but Mark scrambled over the desk and grabbed the gun barrel, pointing it toward the ceiling. She held on for her life, putting all her hundred and four pounds into it. He drew back his fist. T. J. swung the toe of her pump into his groin. He grunted, covering this area with the fist hand but held onto the gun barrel with the other. T.J. smashed the heel of her hand into his nose. He cursed, rising to his full height so that she dangled from her weapon.

A large figure appeared in the doorway.

“
Unhand my woman!” the voice commanded as Terrence crossed the room and threw a single punch, landing Mark across the top of Ted’s desk, swirling papers to the floor.

T.J.’s grip on her revolver gave way, sending it clattering against a row of barrister-style bookcases. She scrambled after it as Mark rebounded from the desk. He reached for her just as Terrence caught him with a left cross. The sound of fist meeting jaw was like a batter slamming a home run in Minute Maid Park. T.J. held her gun and watched Mark Desmond land in a heap in the spot she had just vacated by the bookcases. He didn’t move.

T.J. and Terrence stared at each other for a moment and then began speaking at once.

“
Has this beast hurt you, then?” he asked.

She said, “Did you really say, ‘Unhand my woman’?”

They faced each other another moment and began talking over each other again.

“
What are you doing here? Did you follow me?”

“
Of course I called you my woman. Who did you think you were?”

“
No, he didn’t hurt me and I’ll have you know I was doing okay by myself.”

“
Yes, you looked like you were doing okay, hanging there like a wee morsel on the end of a fishing line just waiting for the big fish to bite.”

They stared at one another in silence again and then wrapped their arms around each other, T.J. still gripping the revolver behind Terrence’s neck. Lifting her off her feet as their lips met, she felt the thudding in her chest again, but not from fear. Currents of passion surged through her body, igniting the places Terrence’s hands were roaming.

The sound of footsteps in the outer office alerted them to the arrival of the police. Terrence set her on her feet just as two patrolmen, guns drawn, came toward them.

“
Who’s T.J. McCann?” the smaller of the two asked, looking from T.J. to Terrence.

“
Right here, officer. My identification’s in my purse.” The officers were eyeing her gun, nervously. “I have a license to carry.” She tucked it into her purse as she showed him her I.D. and license.

“
I thought T.J. McCann was a man,” the taller patrolman said.

“
Not since that trip to Sweden,” she said.

“
Those Swedes do nice work,” Terrence muttered under his breath.

The smaller officer approached Terrence with a pair of handcuffs. Terrence backed away holding his hands up.

“
No, officer,” T.J. said. “That’s not the intruder. He’s my--my boyfriend.” She felt a blush creep up to stain her cheeks.
“The dispatcher said you were holding an intruder with outstanding warrants,” the taller patrolman said, an irritable edge to his voice.

“
He’s over th--” T.J. pointed to the spot where Mark had landed. There was no sign of him.

“
Is this a joke, lady?” the small officer asked.

“
No! He was here. I promise.” T.J. looked behind the huge desk. “Terrence knocked him out.”

“
Or thought he did.” The short officer smirked up at Terrence.

“
I think you need to make your statements downtown,” the taller one said.

“
I’ll go quietly, officer,” Terrence agreed, “as long as you handcuff me to her.”

~*~

Maddy composed an e-mail message to Rene. She felt a pang of loneliness for her baby sister that was unlike any other. Rene had always been the little sister, looking up to Maddy to lead the way, to make all the decisions and occasionally to get her out of trouble.
Some things never change.
She chuckled to herself. When they got Rene back home, Maddy would have to look into some assertiveness training for her. She couldn’t go on just being the little sister all her life.

She pictured Rene as a little girl, always dogging her footsteps. Maddy loved her fiercely, and although she sometimes got in the way, Rene was her little sister after all and was always welcomed.

Maddy sighed and reread the words on the screen. She clicked in a few more sentences and sent the message, waiting a few minutes to see if there was a quick reply. It was Saturday morning. What could Rene be doing at about mid-day in Alaska? No, it was three hours earlier there. She could be shopping, but from what Rene had told her, that couldn’t take too much time. Perhaps she and the children were visiting Nadine or Cindy’s family. She smiled again to think of Rene visiting and having friends like any normal woman. Mark had even cut her off from her dorky friends from school. Maddy snorted and set her mouth firmly. Mark had isolated Rene from just about everything.
I’d never let anyone do that to me
. She folded her arms across her chest.

Maddy’s smile faded and she felt herself go pale. “That’s exactly what the son-of-a-bitch has done to me!”

She thought of the friends she hadn’t seen in ages, of the organizations and charity events she would have normally been involved in. It was amazing that she hadn’t been invited to any parties. Perhaps her friends and acquaintances thought she had contracted a dreaded disease or was recovering from a botched face-lift.

A horrible dark cloud settled over her as she realized that she too, had become a victim of abuse. She allowed a bully to make her run and hide. Her natural fight or flight instinct usually resulted in her sticking out her chin and doubling her fists, but this time, because she had a family, because she was a mother--she groped for something that felt like an excuse. For whatever reason, she had been frightened. She had gone to ground. She was locked in her beautiful River Oaks home, surrounded by alarms. She even had a bodyguard. Maddy Sanders had run scared. She handed her whole life over to a contemptible man for whom she had nothing but loathing. Her self-esteem was destroyed.

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over, running unchecked down her cheeks. Maddy’s shoulders shook as she gave in to a wash of sorrow. She wasn’t crying for herself. She cried for Rene, who had felt these same emotions all the years she spent with Mark.

~*~

Terrence lay on the peach-colored satin sheets, his arms cradling the woman who had invaded his heart. He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Rays of sunshine streamed through the lacy curtains. He longed to touch the blue-black hair spread across his shoulder or kiss the peacefully sleeping face, but he resisted the urge lest he awaken her. He was content to lie in her bed, holding her, with her hand on his chest and leg sprawled across his torso.
Ah, yes, this is heaven.

She had every reason to be tired. After having been taken to the police station, they waited for the Chief to be called to confirm their stories. When he was finally located, they were separated and their statements taken. He wondered what T.J. said as to the reason they had allowed Mark Desmond to slip away unnoticed.

They called a taxi so they could pick up their vehicles in front of Dr. Ted’s office. Terrence suggested coffee, but she said she wanted breakfast and insisted on driving him in her car. He was surprised when she pulled into the driveway of a two-story home in a quiet residential neighborhood. She led him inside and into the kitchen where she promised to fix him a sumptuous breakfast, but they had been sidetracked. That had been about four in the morning. The white porcelain clock read eight-twenty. What a glorious way to spend the wee small hours.

Two gentle knocks at the door and it was pushed open by a small Chinese woman in a robe. She carried a tray with a teapot, cup and a plate of toast. She didn’t drop the tray, but she did drop her jaw as her eyes lit on Terrence.

“
Oh!” they said in unison.

T.J. stirred and roused herself. “Oh,” she said in a slightly less than enthusiastic tone. “Mom.” She clutched the sheets around her. “Mom, this is Terrence, my--my,” she paused.

“
Fiancé?” the woman asked, her graceful eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

“
No,” T.J. said just as Terrence said, “Yes.”

“
Ah, the young man has better sense than my daughter.” She set the tray down on the table beside the bed. “I’ll get another cup.” She turned toward the door and then paused.

“
Mom?” T.J. began, but let the sound dwindle into nothingness.

“
I’m glad you took your mother’s advice and picked American boy. Chinese boys too selfish. American boys give you the earth.” She slipped through the door.

“
He’s not,” she said, “American,” to the closed door.

“
It’s all right. “ Terrence stroked her silky arm. “The Scots boy will give you heaven, the earth and his heart.”

“
I thought she was going to be with Dad to the lake.” T.J.’s voice trailed off in a pitiful wail.

“
She handled this very well,” Terrence said with a smile. “Does this happen often?”

“
No! Of course not.” She smacked his arm with her fist.

“
Enjoy your tea. I’d like to take a shower.” He threw back the sheets and rolled to a seated position on the side of the bed.

“
No! You have to leave.”

“
Tiger,” Terrence said, using her given name for the first time. “It’s too late. You can’t make this go away. Is your bathroom through here?” He put his hand on one of the doors other than the one to the hallway.

“
Closet. The other one’s the bath.” T.J. took a deep breath. “I’m sure she’s on the phone to Daddy, now.”

“
Well, I should freshen up a bit, then.”

“
Ooh!” T.J. wailed. “I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“
It was meant to be.” He leaned across the bed to give her a kiss. “Cheer up. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

“
Don’t ask.” T.J. shuddered. “You don’t know my daddy.”