The Concealers (29 page)

Katherine told Harry about her master's program and her job with the
Twin Forks Press
.

“Your father must be proud.”

“You're a cagey guy, Harry. I know where you're going.”

“This may not be the place. We're here to have fun tonight. Sometime, though, I would like to ask you about the whole newfound father thing. It must have been really something for you to go through. Adrian wouldn't tell me much. He loves you to death.”

“You're right. I have some questions for you, too, but this isn't the time or place.”

“We'll talk again. I see why he loves you. Is your friend coming? What's her name—Susie?”

“Susan. She'll be here. I'm going to call her. I didn't know what time to tell her.”

“We start to play after the room fills and the dinners have been served. Probably around 7:30 p.m. The wait staff has to set up, and the guys have to place the speakers, do the sound check, and have their own meal. When we're done eating, I'd like you to meet them. Great guys.”

Katherine asked Harry to tell her how he got the band together, where they were from. Harry complied, and then he took her over to meet the other four bandmates. She counted an accordion, trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, guitars, and drums. How could they play so many instruments? Each of the men, following Harry's cue, gave her the same warm welcome he had. Katherine loved the attention, especially after a few beers. It was like having a whole roomful of convivial, musical uncles.

Harry joined the men for rehearsal while the room was being arranged. Katherine took advantage of the moment to go to a more quiet place and and call Susan.

“Come now. You're going to love it.”

Susan said she was on her way.

About thirty minutes later, Susan arrived. Katherine introduced her to Harry and the other members of the band, and then Katherine joined Susan at one of the tables while Susan had dinner. The room was starting to fill up, with several tables pulled together to accommodate various sized groups. The common denominators were drinking beer and having a great time.

As Susan enjoyed the German food, Katherine told her about Harry, his connection with her grandpa, and brought her up to date on what more she'd learned about the Collectibles. Finally, the band started to play and the crowd burst into applause. No matter how old you were or whether you thought you would like the
Volkstümliche Musik,
if you had a pulse, your arms couldn't resist swinging, your foot couldn't resist tapping, and your heart couldn't help but sing.

The band played on, the audience singing and swaying in harmony. The beer was flowing, and Susan was obviously having a great time with her St. Pauli non-alcoholic brew. Katherine was smiling, singing, and toasting Harry and the band when, for a moment, time stopped. She watched her father walk into the room and over to their table. She jumped up, threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss on the check.

“I'm so glad you came, Preston. Meet my friend, Susan.”

Preston shook Susan's hand, joined them at the table, and signaled their waitress for a beer.

He pointed to the man playing the accordion. “There's Harry,” he exclaimed.

“He's so cool,” Katherine said, “and he can play every instrument up there.”

Preston's beer arrived, and in no time, he was clapping and joining in the fun. Katherine had never seen him like this. So happy, totally, in the moment.

When the band finally took a well-deserved break, Harry came over to the table and gave Katherine another huge hug.

“I can see you're loving the music,” Harry told her. He turned to Preston and gave him a hug. “Car Man. Glad you came,” Harry said with a wide smile.

“How could I turn down an invitation from you and my daughter?” Preston asked. “I love the music, too. You guys are great.”

Katherine introduced Harry to Susan, and he gave her his signature Harry hug.

“Any friend of this pistol is a friend of mine,” he said and waved for another round. Katherine whispered in his ear what Susan was drinking. Harry nodded.

Before long it was time for Harry to rejoin his men on the stage. He was so much fun at the table, they were all sorry to see him go but equally eager to hear him play and sing again. The band went on for another two hours. The fortitude of the musicians was unbelievable. By the time the band began to play its last number, the entire room had become one, with everyone on their feet, clapping and singing.

Katherine, Susan, and Preston rushed to the stage afterward and hugged Harry and the other men in the band. Harry took Preston aside and thanked him again for coming.

“It meant a lot to me to have you here,” Harry said, “and even more to see you get over yourself and have a good time.”

“I wish Joe was here tonight,” Preston said, his eyes moist.

“He was here, Car Man. He was here.”

Harry said good-bye to Katherine and Preston. The band had a large van and one of the men would be driving them to their hotel. They had offered to drive Susan home and she had accepted. Katherine gave Susan a hug and said good-bye.

When Katherine walked outside, she was surprised and happy to see Preston's driver waiting. She'd been wondering how in the world she was going to get home. She was glad Hailey was with Becky.

“Why don't you stay with us tonight? After my driver drops us off, he'll pick your car up and have it parked in our garage.”

“Are you sure I won't be disturbing anything?”

“I'm sure. You'll be good in our guest room.”

They climbed in the back seat of the limo.

“This is a good idea,” Katherine said. “I definitely shouldn't be driving.”

“Me either,” Preston said looking out of the window.

Katherine put her hand on Preston's arm and tugged until he turned her way. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. Fire away.”

“Do you think Joe would have picked Table Number Two or Table Number Thirty?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If Joe was here, or I mean, at the 21 Club, would he have had lunch at Table Number Two or Table Number Thirty?”

“I don't know which he would have picked. I like Number Two because Gecko sat there and I can see who comes in the room. Why do you ask?”

“Can't help myself,” Katherine said. “But, I've been wanting to ask you that for a long time.” Then they both burst out laughing.

The driver must have been able to hear their laughter, but it didn't seem to matter. They were having such a wonderful time.

Marcia was delighted with Katherine's description of Harry, the band, and especially the part about Harry taking Preston aside and talking with him.

“I love that you invited him. I've been trying to get him to reach out to Harry and the others. I don't know why he holds back.”

“Me, either, but he came, and he clearly had a good time. Hopefully, he'll do more of that.”

Marcia was conflicted. She wanted to say so much more to Katherine, but she also did not want to let her husband down. What good would it do to involve Katherine in her marital problems, which she had determined were severe? She didn't want to rehash her feelings about Preston's attitude toward P.J., and as much as she'd tried, she could not close the gap. She thought about marriage counseling. That's what she would have recommended to someone else. But this was her, and deep down, she had no faith that things would change. She hated the way she felt and knew that P.J. would ultimately be hurt if his parents separated. She felt she and P.J. were trapped in the benefits of luxury and security but without genuine love. In a sense, it was like a magnificent, hollow tree. She tried to choose her words carefully.

“He's really into you—he loves having a daughter. I think you're helping him in ways that I don't fully understand but greatly appreciate. It must be challenging for you.”

“I don't know about challenging. Between us . . . ”

“I promise you that. Absolutely.”

“I think about Harry. All the ups and downs. Life's like that. It sure has been for me. The last few months have been the happiest I've ever been. I feel more complete. I have a father now—something I've wanted all my life. My family's grown. And that includes you and P.J. I have to learn to trust it all. Challenged makes me feel selfish, ungrateful.”

Marcia marveled at this young lady and wondered if she was being selfish.

“I guess challenged was the wrong word. I'm sorry.”

“No. There's nothing to be sorry about. These are my issues . . . I've always held back. But that may be changing.”

“How? Why?”

“I met a guy. I spent time with him at Wrightsville Beach. He made me feel special. I may be crazy, but I trust him.”

“Tell me about him.”

“His name is Sean O'Malley. He's twenty-nine. In the Secret Service. Easy to look at and makes me laugh.”

Marcia thought about her early days with Preston. How much she had loved him. She suddenly felt robbed—the chill of years gone by.

“I'd like to meet this young man.”

“I don't know when I'm going to see him again.”

“Why don't we fix that? We're having a picnic in Southampton on Labor Day. You're family, and you should be there. Call him up right now and invite him.”

Katherine looked at her watch. “It's one in the morning.”

“So what? He's in the Secret Service. They're trained to adapt, I'm sure.” Marcia saw the wheels turning in Katherine's head. “Do it. Call him.”

Katherine picked up her cell phone and punched in the number. “Am I calling you too late?” she asked.

Marcia left the kitchen to give Katherine some privacy. When she came back, the conversation was over.

“Well?” Marcia asked.

“He was really good about the call. He said he'd check with his team leader in scheduling. He couldn't promise anything, but he said he'd try.”

“I think it's time for you to get some sleep. Me, too,” Marcia said and gave Katherine a hug.

Sean pondered the phone call. He was glad to hear from Katherine. Her concern about the timing of the call underlined the difference in their worlds. His schedule changed rapidly with time zones and assignments.

Katherine, like so many others, thought of the Service as largely occupied with protecting the president, the vice president, and other high-level officials, past and present. But there were multiple threats—equally dangerous—including invasion of cyberspace security. The agency increasingly needed staff with the capacity to understand both computers and the mindset of those driven to disrupt and destroy lives.

Sean wanted to be one of those agents and was excited to be assigned to the financial institution and telecommunications fraud unit. The post had its practical limitations. The work of agents involved in investigating financial institutions was little known by the public, and the Secret Service preferred to keep it that way. There were many people he couldn't talk to about what he was doing—and that included Katherine.

Until now, it had been easy for Sean to manage the women in his life, keep it simple. The Service came first, but there was still time to play. But his feelings for Katherine ran deep. She was honest and open. He didn't want to betray that. She couldn't know that he'd been following her articles on the banks in the Hamptons. There was even a file on her. And one for her father and Wilson Holdings, too. This was not a time for him to show up at the Wilsons' Southampton home for hot dogs on Labor Day.

It was partly cloudy, with temperatures in the low seventies, when Katherine and Hailey arrived for the picnic. The smell of hot dogs and hamburgers permeated the air and drew her to the spot before she spied Preston at the grill surrounded by a group of men—all wearing loud Bermuda shorts, with Preston in a blue-checkered apron and white chef's hat.

Marcia and another woman about the same age were sitting in lounge chairs sipping drinks and talking. Hailey went to Preston and with her nose let him know she was ready for lunch.

Preston waved his long-handled spatula, and Marcia introduced Katherine to Ann. Marcia made sure that Katherine felt at home. Katherine met Bill and his wife, Sam and his wife, Antonio, and Loreen. Austin, who had come alone, was holding court with the other male guests, which was fine with Katherine.

Katherine followed Marcia into the kitchen, gave her a bottle of merlot she'd brought, and asked if there was anything she could do to help.

“No, this is pretty low-key. But I'm glad you're going to get the chance to get to know Ann.”

“Is there any chance that Casey may be coming?” Katherine asked.

“I think he's tied up with his children this weekend,” Marcia said. “At least that's the position we're taking.”

Selfishly, Katherine was hoping Casey would be there. She wanted to see him again and have him meet Hailey, but she figured that was unlikely now.

When lunch was ready, the men sat in a group at one end of the long picnic table; the women, at the other. Katherine sat next to Ann and enjoyed getting to know her and talking to the other women. Hailey made the rounds, accepting contributions from all the guests. Katherine could hear enough of the men's conversation to know they were talking shop and golf.

After lunch and a walk on the beach, the guests began to leave. Katherine and Preston relived their night with Harry and the oompah band.

“That's the first time I've seen you let go,” Katherine told him. “I loved it.”

“What about now?” Preston said pointing to his Bermuda shorts.

“Not so much,” she said. “But the shorts are nice.”

Katherine could not help but notice that Preston and Marcia had not spoken to each other all day, and she could feel the chill hanging in the air between them. It made her sad and uncomfortable. But she felt there was nothing she could do.

She thanked Preston and Marcia for a wonderful day, and she and Hailey headed for home. She was glad she'd gone, but worried about Marcia and Preston. And there was the empty feeling about Sean not being there. She knew it was short notice, and in any event he probably had other plans. She hoped it was work and not something else, but she also felt she had no right or at least no basis to expect that he'd be there. She argued with herself all the way home.

As she parked her car in the back, and they walked to her apartment, Hailey, to Katherine's surprise, wagged her tail and barked, running ahead of her to the door. When Katherine caught up, she saw why.

Without a word, she dropped what she was carrying, rushed towards the man she'd just been thinking about, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his midsection. Sean held her tightly but kissed her gently. Hailey jumped up, put her front paws on Sean's back, and licked his neck—almost knocking them both over. Sean and Katherine burst into laughter as Katherine pushed Hailey down and composed herself.

“Hi,” Sean said. “Guess you're glad to see me.”

“Pretty much.”

“I know I'm too late for the picnic.”

“But you're here.”

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Well . . . okay,” Katherine said.

Sean gave Hailey a pat as they went inside, and then he looked around the apartment. The pictures on the wall caught his eye, and he carefully studied each one.

“I like your apartment.”

“It's small but it's . . . cozy.”

He focused on the picture of the racer's back and smiled.

“He's a good guy,” Katherine said. “I followed him in a race. Still following him.”

“And he's following you.”

“Hungry?”

“Yes.”

Katherine reached in the bag of leftovers Marcia had sent home with her, quickly arranged a plate of potato salad, and reheated the hamburgers and hot dogs.

“Would you like something to drink . . . beer, wine?”

“I'll have a beer, thanks.”

Katherine brought the food to the table and then a couple of cold Sam Adams. Suddenly, she realized she was hungry again and fixed a hamburger for herself.

“How long have you been here, and how did you know where to come?”

“I'm a Secret Service agent. I'm supposed to know these things, or at least be able to figure them out.”

“I can't tell you how happy I am that you did.”

He reached over and put his hand on hers. “Me, too.” He raised his beer and clinked it with Katherine's. “A toast to Kat—who, despite the obstacles, always finishes the race.”

Katherine raised her bottle. “A toast to a man I would follow anywhere.”

Sean took the dishes to the kitchen and started washing them. Katherine joined him.

“We can put these in the dishwasher,” Katherine said.

“I like doing them. Tell me about the picnic.”

Katherine described the house and its proximity to the beach and gave Sean a rundown of the people. “It was nice. The girls took a walk on the beach, and you could tell they all got along great. But there was a bit of tension between Preston and Marcia.”

“That bothered you.”

“It made me uncomfortable. Marcia made a point of inviting me as part of the family. They're not getting along.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“A lot of things. It's complicated. I just hope I'm not adding to it.”

Hailey sauntered into the kitchen with her rubber bone toy and dropped it at Sean's feet. She then pointed to her favorite spot on the carpet in the living room, went there, circled a couple of times, and lay down. Sean accepted the invitation and followed her.

Katherine joined them on the floor. Sean asked her about how her work was going, and Katherine told him about her job and how happy she was with Sol and the opportunity to pursue the kinds of stories that interested her. She talked about her grandfather's call and the good time they had had with Harry.

It was getting dark outside, and from where they were sitting they could see the waning moon through the window. Sean put his arm around Katherine, gently pulled her to him, and kissed her.

Sean continued to watch the moon.

“I wonder if we can see it from in there,” Katherine said, indicating the only other full-sized room in the place.

Katherine told Hailey to stay, as she led Sean to her bedroom. Hailey ignored the command and followed them in. Katherine and Sean ignored Hailey, as they gently sat on the bed. Katherine stretched out on her back and placed her hands together on Sean's face. She stared at him for a full minute. His eyes locked on hers, and she felt their hands begin to undress each other, slowly, deliberately.

The next thing she felt was a warm, soft kiss on her left eye and then her right, making her smile. She opened her eyes and felt herself kissing Sean back, harder and deeper than she had ever kissed before. She felt the weight of his body first along her side and then on top of her, enveloping hers.

Katherine held her arms tightly around Sean's neck with the intent to never let go. She felt a lifetime of defenses being stripped away until suddenly, they disappeared, frightening her and releasing her at the same time. She felt the power of a man, more powerful than she had known. The rhythm of their movements became stronger, each setting off a new fire, adding more fuel of desire, more naked need, until finally she felt their hearts burst together.

Later, after they slept in each other's arms for a time unknown, they woke and looked deeply into each other's eyes, not saying a word.

“How are you feeling?” Sean asked, pulling the bedspread over her. “Are you warm enough?”

“I've never felt so warm in my life. I've dreamed about feeling like this forever,” Katherine said, her eyes misty.

“Tell me what you are thinking right now,” Sean said.

“I'm not sure I can. Thoughts are buzzing through my brain in all directions like Grand Central Station. Sean, so much has happened—major stuff—in the last six months. You're the most major of all. I think you're my Joe,” she said.