Under the Same Sun (Stone Trilogy) (36 page)

Naomi tried not to sob. “I’m sure my husband will take care of it. He’ll…he will take care of everything.” It sounded like a mantra, as if by saying it she could make it come true.

“But your abductor is somewhere out there,” Jane reasoned gently. “The local authorities should be informed. Really, my dear.” She hesitated. “You haven’t told me your name.”

“I’m Naomi.” And that was really all. She had no idea if she was still more than that.

“Right, Naomi. Pleased to meet you. I’ll leave you to make your calls and get the coffee going. I’ll be in the kitchen, okay? Right down the hall. The bathroom is next door. Join me when you feel you’re ready.” On the point of leaving, Jane turned back. “Are you hungry? I have some red velvet cake.”

Her fingers refused to dial Jon’s cell number. For the life of her she couldn’t remember it, almost as if her head wouldn’t allow her to call him.

Crying, shivering, her hand hovering over the phone, Naomi tried to think of Sal’s, or her father’s; but her mind was blank.

From one of the boxes a stuffed elephant was looking at her, his trunk raised like a question mark, his eyes big and pondering. For some unknown reason he had pink fur and was wearing a bow with a little bell, like a cat; and he seemed like the most comforting thing Naomi had ever seen. Careful not to disturb anything, she padded over and pulled him out to have a closer look. There was a price tag attached to his little string of a tail, and the badge of a toy shop. All the other animals, she saw, had something similar; but none of them was as cute as the elephant. She pressed him to her face, wondering if he was for sale, if all these things were for sale, and if Jane would sell it to her so she would have something, anything, friendly to hold on to during the night.

Again fear threatened to overwhelm her. Her feet were dirty, she had torn a toenail in her flight across the parking lot of the fast-food place, and there was a cut on her heel where she had stepped on something sharp. The black dress was rumpled, messy from sitting in the wet sand on the beach, stained from the seawater; and she knew her face was smeared with make up and eyeliner from all the crying she had done. She had not taken the time to clean herself up in the public restroom, too intent on getting away.

The elephant clasped to her breast, she made her call.

“Art,” she said, her voice wobbly with new tears, “could you please call Jon for me?”

J
ane had found slippers for her and made a pot of coffee. She placed a huge piece of cake on the table in front of Naomi and sat down across from her, her chin propped on her fists, watching, waiting, ready to listen.

The coffee smelled heavenly. Naomi wrapped her hands around the hot mug and took a sip, breathing in the steam.

“We live in Brooklyn.” She picked up the fork and cut off a piece of the red cake. “We just bought a house there. I’m from Toronto. My husband’s family lives in Brooklyn; that’s why we decided to live there.”

“You bought a house in New York?” Jane picked up her own cup.

“Yes, on the Promenade. It’s a very beautiful house.” The cake was heavenly, and just what she had needed. Naomi let the cream cheese icing melt in her mouth, savoring the sweetness. “I gave it to my husband for our wedding. Last year. Almost exactly a year ago. Well, eleven months. We’ve been married for eleven months.” She was babbling, and she bit her lip to stop herself. The dog had been locked out; he was in the conservatory just off the kitchen, where he had curled up in a dog crate and gone to sleep. His paws twitched from time to time, and he kept making small, funny noises that made Naomi look his way and smile.

“He’s chasing squirrels in his sleep,” Jane said. “We have so many of them in the yard, little pests. They like to raid my bird feeders.”

“I was downtown.” Naomi took another bite of the cake, this time a bigger one. It was almost as if the first taste had stirred her hunger. Her stomach was growling furiously. “I was downtown, and I wanted to go to Lincoln Center to check out the price for a box. I wanted to buy a box for the season. And then…I had met him before. He was always very nice; he interviewed me in London, and he was the perfect, charming gentleman. So when we ran into each other in that hotel lobby, I didn’t think twice when he asked me to go with him for a drink. It was almost dinnertime anyway, and I really wanted a drink. So I thought it would be better to have one with Parker than go to a bar all by myself, but…” She broke off, realizing that most of what she was saying was totally meaningless to someone else. “That pink elephant.”

Jane raised her eyebrows.

“Do you sell those animals? Can I buy the pink elephant?” Naomi asked.

“I sell them, yes. You can buy the elephant, sure.” She poured more coffee. “You were lucky. I rarely go to that restaurant at night; but I had a library board meeting, and it ran late. When I got out I wanted a milk shake, so I stopped there. I’m glad I was there to help you.  But I really think we should call the police now, Naomi.”

“It’s being taken care of. I talked to Art, to my husband’s manager. Well, one of them. He’s in LA, but I’m sure he has called Jon by now, and…” Her voice caught on a sob. “And Jon will take care of it.”

Jane nodded. “You know what I think? I think you’re in shock. And you need medical attention, my dear. I should really take you to the hospital. Your husband will be able to find you there. Please?”

“No. No.” The tears spilled over. “If you’re okay with it, I’d really like to stay here. I don’t know if I’d feel safe at a hospital. I’ll just sit here and not bother you. Someone will be here soon to pick me up. Someone will come.”

chapter 34

S
he had fallen asleep on the couch. A sound woke her, and she looked around disoriented and scared until she saw Jane move across the room to peer through the window.

“Oh my,” she commented, “three limos and a row of SUVs? There’s a crowd out there for you, dear. I think I’m seeing FBI badges too.”

“Is Jon there?” Naomi sat up. “Can you see Jon?”

“Well.” Jane opened the door. “There are a lot of men out there, but I don’t know which one of them your Jon is. Why in the world wouldn’t he be here? He’s your husband, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” Only it didn’t feel like that anymore, after he had walked away from her, and without her rings.

“Ah.” Smiling, Jane glanced at her. “Yes, I think your Jon is here. At least I  see someone I know with that name, and he looks pretty worried. You didn’t tell me your Jon was that Jon.”

Naomi struggled to free herself from the quilt and rise from the couch. Her legs were shaky,  and she had a hard time standing up. Naomi  held on to the corner of a cabinet to face Jon when he rushed into the house.

“Are you okay?” He stopped right in front of her, his hands out as if he was ready to catch her. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, swallowing the tears, mourning that he wasn’t taking her into his arms, wasn’t touching her.

The others came in; her father, Sal, LaGasse, and a group of men in FBI jackets,  hands on the weapons just in case. From the kitchen, Jane’s dog howled at the commotion. Jane went to calm him down.

“I’m not hurt.” Naomi held up her hand. “But he took my rings, Jon. He threw them into the sea, and we have to go down there and find them, only I don’t exactly know where it was, so I’ll have to search for them, okay?”

“Yes, yes, don’t worry about that now.” Carefully, gently, Jon drew her into his arms. “Don’t worry about those rings right now.”

“Sir.” One of the agents touched Jon’s shoulder. “We should take your wife to the hospital. She should be checked out for several reasons.”

She buried her face in Jon’s shirt and closed her eyes. Finally, at last she felt safe again. He was holding her, his fingers stroking her neck; his breath felt warm and familiar on her brow.

“In a minute,” he said, and she could feel his voice resonate through his chest, caressing her cheek resting against it. “Give us a moment. Then we’ll go to the hospital together. We’ll go to Manhattan though, to my brother’s hospital, where we can be sure of privacy. And now, if you’ll excuse us…”

“Out,” Olaf added. “Please, gentlemen. There’s nothing to do here anyway.”

They wanted to talk to Jane, and she followed them outside to give her report, brief and useless as it was. Naomi could see her pointing, giving directions, running her fingers through the short curls behind her ears from time to time. She was such a small woman, narrow and straight, but she radiated calm strength. “I didn’t see him,” Naomi could hear her say. “I didn’t see anything until Naomi appeared beside my car and asked for help. After that, of course, I didn’t bother to look around. We just drove off. She looked distressed and disheveled enough to believe her. No, the place is near here, and yes, it will be open. It’s one of those twenty-four-hour places. You can’t miss it.” One of the men asked something, and she replied, “I really didn’t notice any of the cars parked there. I was thinking of what I was going to order; and after Naomi got into my car, all I could think about was getting out of there as fast as I could.”

Sal was gazing at her from where he stood in the door, his face old and gray, deep smudges under his eyes, his mouth in a tight line. Naomi could see silvery stubble on his chin and cheeks; and even his usually wild locks seemed subdued, tired.

“I really just want to go home,” Naomi said. “Can’t we just go home, Jon? I’m so exhausted. Please?”

Jane vanished down the hallway and returned a minute later, a stuffed, pink elephant in her hands. She handed it to Naomi, who took it and pressed it to her body.

“Here.” She smiled at Naomi. “I’m giving it to you. Take him.”

Naomi let go of Jon for long enough to wipe her face and embrace her. “Thank you for everything. Thank you for the cake; it was delicious.”

“Yes,” Jon added, “Thank you for helping my wife. I promise, I’ll not forget this. Thank you.”

“Anyone would have done the same.” The blue eyes sparkled at him. “A rather wild night, wasn’t it? I’m glad it ended well.”

“That piece of paper with your phone number,” Naomi said. “Can I have it? Can I call you in a few days and maybe take you to lunch or dinner or something? I’d really like to do that.”

Jane pursed her lips. “You can have my phone number, but you don’t have to take me out. Really. It’s fine.” She glanced at Jon. “I’m just glad this is over and you are safe.”

“I’ll call you.” Naomi took her hand and pressed it tightly. “I really want to do this. Thank you.”

S
he fell asleep halfway across Staten Island, nestled into Jon’s arms, her head on his shoulder.

He held her close and watched the lights slip by as the limousine sped over the now empty highway.

Olaf, sitting across from Jon, had been gazing at Naomi the entire time, his face inscrutable, his lips set in a stern line.

“She should be in a hospital, Jon,” he remarked, speaking in a low voice, trying not to wake her. “They  are right; she should be checked.”

Jon shook his head. “She doesn’t want to. Olaf, she’s had enough of hospitals. Let her get some rest. Let her sleep in her own bed tonight, and then if she needs it I’ll take her myself tomorrow.”

“Insanity. You are as insane as she is.
You and my daughter, you were made for each other. Drama, obsession, impulsiveness. There’s no talking sense to either of you.” Disgusted, Olaf leaned back into th
e seat.

“Well, thank you, Olaf.” Jon grinned mirthlessly. “Thank you for saying that. I really do think we were made for each other, yes.”

Sal, in the other corner seat, tapped nervously against the window. “What I’d like to know is how Parker got hold of her. I can’t believe she just got into his car. Not even Naomi is that naive.”

Jon didn’t reply. He’d been asking himself the same thing and then shied away from possible scenarios. The idea of Naomi drugged or forced into a car and abducted, harmed, was more than he could take.

Parker. He hadn’t seemed like a threat, a nuisance perhaps, another journalist who wanted a closer look; but nothing more than that. It scared Jon that he had underestimated him, had not looked harder; he had felt spikes of jealousy and possessiveness at the way he had danced around Naomi, but he hadn’t felt threatened.

“He didn’t seem dangerous.” He said it softly, thoughtfully, without looking at Sal.

There was no answer for quite a while, not until they had reached the ramp to the Verazzano Bridge. His eyes closed, Jon listened to the rhythmic thumping of the wheels as they raced over the tar joints in the asphalt. It sounded as if the bridge had a heartbeat, as if it was a big beast that had come to life as their vehicle rode along the ridge of its back.

“It may have been my fault.”

Startled, Jon opened his eyes to look at Sal.

“My mistake,” Sal repeated. “I should have acted earlier. Only there was nothing tangible, nothing I could grasp…” He shifted uncomfortably. “When I saw you off at the airport in Hamburg, on your way to Italy, he was there. He was on the visitor’s platform, taking photographs of the airfield and the hangar where your jet was parked. I didn’t think he could see a whole lot, it was too far away, so I just followed him to check-in and watched him leave. And I thought that was that. Seems like I was wrong.”

He was so tired. Jon had the feeling that every bone in his body was aching, as if his skin was old leather and his hair had turned gray in a matter of hours. There’d been no rest since they had gotten off the plane.

“It’s not your fault, Sal. You can’t have every person arrested who trails me. Us. I bet he wasn’t the only one lying in wait for us.”

“Yeah.” Sal glanced at Olaf, who was listening to their conversation.

“You would have to arrest all those fans who hang out in the hotel lobbies, or at the backstage entrances, too.” Gently, Jon tried to shift Naomi to make her more comfortable. She muttered and clamped her hand onto his shirt. He looked down at it, at the bare fingers, missing her rings, and covered it with his own.  “It’s over now. I think Naomi was careless. I don’t want to blame her for what happened; I know she was very upset and terribly hurt when we parted. She would never have allowed Parker near her under normal circumstances.”

“Why was she so upset?” Sal drew his brows together. “She must have been terribly upset to get into a stranger’s car.”

“Yes.” Jon laid his cheek on her hair. “She was. It doesn’t matter, Sal. It’s over. We need a few days of rest and quiet now to get everything sorted out. That’s all we need.”