He might have been more horrified if she’d been the Pope, but probably not. Wilson tried to stand and pull his dark slacks up at the same time, his face beet red and his hands trembling. He was close to the point of no return in his ministrations, and she looked where he had been attending to himself with a certain level of amusement, but she also tried to hide it.
“I—”
She didn’t let him get any further than the one word. His blue eyes were wide and his entire body was prepared for flight before she reached out to give him a little assistance.
A few moments later he was leaning against her, his face buried in her hair, and begging her not to tell anyone. Maggie turned her head and kissed his forehead softly, and then lowered to her knees in front of him and did things with her mouth that kept him speechless for quite some time.
A short while later she stared at the statue of the Virgin Mary that stood near the front door of the church as she leaned over the altar and he entered her from behind.
He was more imaginative than the other two priests had been. He was also less vocal. When they were done, she walked him back over to the alcove where she had caught him in the act and gave him one kiss on the lips before she left. His secret would be safe with her.
Maggie felt invigorated as she started back for home, and she felt as relaxed as she ever had. Several people who saw her thought to themselves that she was a woman in love as she walked; the soft, sweet smile on her face was a wonderful sight to behold.
It wasn’t love, but it was as close as she ever let herself get. The three men she had been with in the last couple of days had all managed to bring her more pleasure than she’d experienced sexually in her life. Maybe it was something about priests, or maybe it was the fact that they all so desperately wanted her again. Whatever the reason for her pleasure, she wasn’t even trying to hide it.
She made a short visit to the library, where she checked out three books she knew would be useful for her term paper. It was still a few weeks before she’d really have to worry, but it was best to get the work done early and she had the time.
Ben, from across the hallway, was just getting ready to leave when she came home. He smiled sweetly and made a quick wave before he closed and locked his door.
“Hi, Ben.” She smiled back, pleased to see him. He was funny and he was cute and she liked him. “You heading out somewhere?”
“Yep. I have to pick up a few packages. From my friend. The one I called.”
She stared blankly for a second and then remembered what he said he was doing to a crooked cop. “Really?”
“Yep. He’s supposed to leave them out for me and I’m going to check on them.” He looked at his watch. “He should just about be done setting everything in place.”
“Want company?” The last thing she’d expected to come out of her mouth was a request to come along on what could be a dangerous little trip. She didn’t need to get into any trouble with the law, that was all there was to it. But she was curious about Ben and she was doubly curious about what he had planned. And she was restless. Very, very restless.
Ben looked at her for a few seconds and she could almost see him working out all of the details in his brain.
“If you don’t, it’s okay.” She laughed to show him the truth of her words. “I won’t be offended or anything.”
He blushed, even in the growing darkness, she could see it. “Well, it’s not exactly legal. I just don’t want you getting into any trouble if he’s outsmarted me.”
“I could be your alibi.” She smiled and brightened, then winked conspiratorially. “You could say we were just making out if anyone gives you trouble.”
Ben looked away for a second and she saw a smile start on his face. He was blushing worse than ever.
“Okay. If you want to.” He put his hands into his jacket pockets. “You need to change first, or anything?”
“Yeah, gimme just a sec.” She slid into her apartment and shimmied out of her skirt as she walked toward her bedroom. There was a nice dark pair of jeans and a sweater that would be perfect for sneaking around in the woods. By the time she’d changed her clothes, she was actually looking forward to the trip more than she had expected.
It was the risk. That was the conclusion she came to. It was the risk that made it so damned exciting with the priests, and it was the thrill of being mischievous that had her heading into the woods with a man she barely knew, all so she could watch him commit a crime.
Too many years of playing it safe and working hard had made her a thrill junkie. She hoped it was temporary insanity, because she didn’t need the complications in her life.
But that was okay, too. Now and then everyone needed to have a little fun.
Later, she’d have reason to doubt the wisdom of those words.
Chapter 5
I
Kelli Entwhistle slumped on the front porch and rubbed at her temples. The night had gone on and on, but at least the crisis seemed to be over.
Of course, the eight hours at the hospital and the numerous tests hadn’t told them a damned thing. They would probably have kept Teddy, too, but Bill was having none of it and Michelle was furious that they’d failed to uncover anything.
The Listers were inside now, tucking in their son. His color was better at least, but he still seemed listless. The plan was for Kelli to take him to a specialist the next day, one of the family doctors who had known Teddy since he was born and could, presumably, find out answers with more ease.
Kelli was scared for him. Thinking about his situation made her stomach want to knot up, and made her want to puke her guts out. He was such a sweet kid. Her cousin Amy had been a sweet kid, too, and had always been so energetic. Right up until the time she suddenly couldn’t keep any food down.
By the time the doctors discovered the stomach cancer, it was too late. Kelli had watched the girl who was almost like a sister to her waste away in a matter of months. The idea of that happening to Teddy was enough to wrench her heart out of place.
“Kids shouldn’t get sick. It ought to be a law.” She was talking to herself, of course.
So she almost had a coronary on the spot when she got a response. “I agree. I was just coming over to see how your little friend was doing.”
Jason Soulis stood in front of her, dressed in a dark gray suit and a heavy black overcoat. He was either just going out for an evening or just coming back, she had no idea which.
“Oh, shit.” She clutched at her chest and felt her heart beating. That was good, because he’d scared the life out of her. “I didn’t see you come up.” She laughed lightly.
He lowered his head and raised it again, a slight bow of apology. His eyes never left hers. “I certainly meant no harm. Forgive me.”
“Oh, no, please. That’s just me freaking out a bit.”
“You’ve had a long day; I did not mean to make it longer.” He took a step back and did a more formal bow. She got the impression the man could have managed to look just as polite and proper if he were carrying a bucket of pig slop in each hand. He was just that smooth. “I hope all is well with your friend.”
As he started down the stairs she realized she didn’t want him to leave. He was interesting, and obviously a nice man. “We don’t know yet.”
Soulis stopped and looked back at her. His face was half submerged in shadows, making him look slightly gaunt as the darkness caressed his features. “They have no diagnosis as yet?”
“No. They took all sorts of tests, but they couldn’t figure out what was wrong. His blood pressure is doing strange things and he is too tired, but they didn’t find anything that should have made him sick.”
“You must be patient. Sometimes the mysteries of the body hide themselves. The doctors will undoubtedly find the problem given a little more time.”
Yes, he talked with an accent, but it was faint, and she could have listened to him speak for hours. She shook the thought away and smiled for his benefit. Amy’s death had long since crushed her faith in doctors and modern medicine.
“Have a good night. I will keep your friend in my thoughts.” Jason turned and walked away, his steps as graceful as a dancer’s. He was gone before she remembered to say good night herself.
A few minutes later, Bill came out to the porch and snuck one of his rare cigarettes. He only smoked when he’d had a particularly bad day. This one qualified.
He sat down near her on the wooden bench, and sighed. “Did I mention you’re a lifesaver, Kelli?”
She smiled and nodded. “About ten times, but don’t stop on my account.”
“Teddy’s a good kid. And he’s lucky—he has a good home and a super nanny to watch over him.” His voice sounded a little lost. She could hear guilt riding along with the compliments.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Bill. You work yourself half to death and I know you do it to make sure Teddy has a good future.” She knew no such thing, but it seemed like the right thing to say.
Bill inhaled deeply and held the smoke in his lungs, savoring it before he exhaled. “Teddy’s future is all taken care of, Kelli. He’ll never want for anything, at least not financially.”
“So why do you work so hard, then?”
He looked her way and she couldn’t help but notice that his eyes lingered for a few seconds in places where married men should not let their attention stray. “I like to stay busy, and I like to take on new challenges.”
She opted not to take any possible innuendoes to heart. Her fantasies were just that, and not something she ever intended to act on.
“Well, I guess I better go hit the books.” Kelli stood up and rolled her head a few times, getting the blood flow back into her tense muscles.
“Have a good night, Kelli. Thanks again.” Bill stood up and put a companionable arm around her shoulders, giving her a half hug. He kissed the top of her head and then let her pass.
“Nothing to thank me for, Bill. Sweet dreams.”
She left him out in the deepening cold of the night, and went up to her bedroom, across from Teddy’s. Michelle Lister was still in the room looking down on her sleeping son. She had a few lines from crying on her face, but Kelli didn’t look for long or offer any sort of comfort. Michelle was a very private woman, and she knew the lady would prefer to be by herself with her sleeping child.
There was surprisingly little traffic on Cliff Walk. Normally, even in the dead of winter, she could expect to see a few cars traveling up and down the long stretch of road. Kelli stared at the road and the house across the street for several minutes, her mind wandering from her employer on the porch to the man who had just recently come to town.
She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep still fully clothed and far too tired to care about the discomfort of wearing her jeans to slumber land.
Across the street, Jason watched her from the shadows of an oak tree. He barely moved until the moon had risen into the sky.
II
Brian Freemont drove like a madman, desperate to get back to his house and the phone call he knew he had to expect. He’d had more than enough of his mystery caller and the threats the man had delivered. He wanted the situation resolved.
“I just want my life back. That’s all. Please, God, let me have my life back.”
His stomach seethed with tension. Angie was at home and he dreaded the idea that she would answer that particular phone call. If she did, she could make his life a living hell. He didn’t like the idea of a divorce, and he liked the idea of child support even less.
Sometimes, when he was halfway to sleep, he looked back and wondered if he had ever loved Angie. He thought so. These days she was too high maintenance and her moods were pissing him off to the point that he didn’t fucking care what happened to her.
That was a lie. He did care, he just didn’t know if he cared as much as he should. She was a good woman, one of the best he’d ever known, but her mood swings and weight gain were taxing his patience.
Mostly, these days, he was worried about what was going to happen if he didn’t get this all worked out. Everything he had was gone; all of the money in his accounts, except for his last paycheck. He knew, because he’d looked all of the accounts over online earlier in the day. It wasn’t that the money had been taken. Instead it was as if the money had never existed. Even his transaction records were screwed up beyond all repair. If this wasn’t fixed to the bastard on the phone’s satisfaction, his whole world was going to fall apart.
He wanted that fucker dead.
He wanted to make the son of a bitch scream and die and bleed.
But mostly he wanted his life back.
The clock on the dashboard told him he still had five minutes to get home. He parked as calmly as he could and climbed from the car. His hands were doing their best to clench into fists and he made himself calm down a bit. Angie didn’t need to see him like this.
He opened the door to his house and smiled as he walked in, ready to put on a cheery face for his wife. He needn’t have bothered. She was already in a bad mood.
Angie Freemont sat on the couch, the TV playing the last of the nightly news, and stared daggers at Brian.
“Angie? What’s wrong?”
Her voice was hoarse and tense. “You want to tell me why the bank called four times today, Brian?”
“What did they call about, honey?”
“About the fact that we have no money, and seven checks have bounced since this morning. How’s that for a starter?”
Brian felt his stomach fall a few stories and took a deep breath. “I can explain that.”
“Good! Because I’m sick to death of this shit, Brian!”
“It was a mistake, I already talked to the bank and everything should be fine in the morning. Something about a hacker trying to steal from a bunch of accounts.” This was closer to the truth than he liked to think about, but it made the lie easier.