Corporate Affair (31 page)

The inky darkness folded around them like a cloak. Jordan clutched Aiden’s hand and felt his strength pouring into her. She felt, rather than saw him, creeping along the edge of the canal ahead of her.

“Are you all right?” he whispered over his shoulder to her.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she assured him.

There was a cement retaining wall on their right. Aiden stopped about fifty feet from the dangling end of the fire escape stairs. “We have to jump up on the lip here. There’s room enough to walk as long as we’re careful.” He turned toward her. “Can you make it?”

“Yes.”

“Be careful.”

Jordan watched Aiden hoist himself noiselessly up onto the narrow ledge that ran along the foundation of the building. She waited as he braced himself against the brick wall. A moment later he reached down to her. “Take my hand. I’ll help you up.”

Jordan stretched out her hand and grasped his wrist. She clutched at the lip of the ledge as he drew her up, and then gathered all the strength she had and gave a jump. Twisting in mid-air, she landed on her rear end beside Aiden on the ledge. “Nice job,” he whispered and smiled at her. For the first time since this nightmare had begun, she felt a surge of hope.

“Now what?”

“He’s facing away from the stairs,” said Aiden. “I think I can sneak up the old ladder stairs here and get behind him. I can grab Grace before he knows what’s happening.”

“Oh, Aiden, that sounds too dangerous! What if he sees you and throws her into the canal?”

A strobe light washed over the fire escape. Aiden and Jordan shrank back into the shadow of the building.

Fenton screamed, “Get that light out of my eyes! Get it off me!”

Jordan saw Giamo wave his hand and the strobe light dropped to the water’s surface. Across the canal, she could see men lowering a rubber raft into the water.

“I know what you’re trying to do down there!” Fenton’s voice was full of panic. “Stay away from me!”

“We just want the baby,” called Giamo. “Fenton, just hand over the baby. We’ll help you. Things aren’t as bad as you think they are. You can get through this.”

“You’re not listening to me! My life is ruined! I’m going to ruin hers! I want to see her ruined!” Fenton moved to edge of the dilapidated railing and Jordan heard an ominous, metallic groan. The fire escape was straining with the weight of the man. The escalating heat inside the building was weakening the outer walls to which it was fastened. Grace began to cry.

“Aiden! Aiden!” Jordan cried. “Aiden, I think the fire escape is going to collapse.” She was nearly paralyzed with fear. She could feel the heat from the blaze now, at her back.

She and Aiden glanced up. Through the grate, they could see Fenton holding Grace. Then they noticed something at the broken window at the rear of the fire escape. A man stood in the shadows, the eerie undulating glow of the fire behind him: Caleb Cochran. Fenton had not seen him.

Fenton screamed at Giamo again, “Tell them to get that boat out of the water! If they don’t get it out of the water, I’ll throw this baby right into the canal! Then they’ll have something to fish for!”

Before Jordan could react to Fenton’s heinous threat, an unearthly screech filled the air. Aiden’s arm flashed across her chest, flattening her against the brick wall. A loud bang followed. Bits of brick, splinters of wood, and rusted metal shards rained down on them. Jordan felt something graze her cheek, but she was oblivious to the sting. The fire escape had collapsed.

All around her, chaos reigned. She struggled to keep her grip on reality, to sort things out.
Grace! Grace!
Her baby’s name thundered through her head over and over. Jordan had no idea she was screaming it out loud. She tried to move, then realized a piece of twisted metal held her leg tight to the wall.

There was a splash and Aiden disappeared from beside her. She struggled to see through the darkness. She heard the police chief shouting.

“I need spotlights! God damn it! I need lights here!”

Spotlights immediately flooded the area. Aiden was in the water. Jordan watched him take a breath and go under, then pop up a few seconds later, cradling Grace in the crook of his arm. He lifted the baby as high as he could, trying to keep her above the water line. With his other arm, he gripped a piece of the disintegrating fire escape that hung, twisted crazily, out over the water.

“Jordan!” he yelled. “Can you reach her?”

With more strength than she ever could have imagined she had, Jordan reached down and wrenched the metal detritus from around her leg. She was free! She inched along the ledge, getting as close as she could. The black current of icy water swirled around Aiden. She dropped to her knees and stretched her arm as far as she could, but she was still three or four feet from being able to reach them.

Then from above, she heard Caleb’s calming voice, deep and slow. “Jordan, I’m going to lower this rope to you. It has a grappling hook on it. Toss it out to him. Then hang on. I’ll lower myself and pull them in.”

Jordan nodded. She could see Caleb through the broken window, silhouetted against the glow of the burning interior. Caleb stepped to the edge of the window and slowly lowered the hook and rope. Jordan snatched at it and caught it.

Her eyes stayed fixed on Aiden and Grace, and Caleb called to Aiden, “Stewart! Are you there? Jordan has a hook. She’s going to throw it to you. Grab hold but don’t move until I get down to the ledge. Okay?”

“Okay!” acknowledged Aiden. The spotlights and eerie glow from the flames illuminated the scene, and Jordan could see that the freezing water was beginning to take its toll as Aiden fought to keep Grace as high as possible. She wasn’t even sure her daughter was conscious, but she buried that thought lest it interfere with her need to act. Around her, lights flashed. She could hear splashing and men running and yelling.

Jordan shouted, “Aiden! I can see you. I can see you and Grace. I’m throwing the hook. Here it comes.” She knew Giamo was struggling to keep the spotlights on them, but the shadows distorted her view. She aimed for the metal stair frame that Aiden gripped and heaved as hard as she could. The effort nearly knocked her from her perch on the ledge. As she struggled to keep her footing, she heard the clatter of steel on steel. A few seconds later, Aiden yelled, “I got it!”

Jordan braced herself back against the wall, gripping the rope. She could now see Aiden more clearly. He must have been standing on a part of the wreckage under the water. His torso was above the rushing black torrent. He held Grace in his right arm, steadying himself with his left arm hooked through the remains of the fire escape.

“Hold on!” Caleb called from above. “Don’t move, Aiden. I’m coming down. Jordan, hold on. Are you all right?”

“I got it,” muttered Jordan through chattering teeth. She was hanging on for Grace’s life, for Aiden’s life, for her life.

Jordan glanced up and saw Caleb sink a hook around the crumbling window casing and begin his decent down. After what seemed like an eternity, she heard his boots hit the ledge pavement. Then, his gloved hand was over hers, gripping the rope. She drew a shuddering deep breath but she couldn’t let go. Caleb said gently, “Step back, Jordan. Get ready to take Grace. It’s okay. I’ve got it.”

The mention of Grace’s name snapped Jordan out of her trance. She relinquished the rope to Caleb and stood ready.

“Let go of the railing, Aiden,” called Caleb. “Hold onto the rope. I’m pulling you in. When you get to the edge of the ledge, hand the baby to Jordan. I’ll pull you up. Can you hear me? Can you do that?”

Aiden called back through the darkness. “Yes, yes. I’m ready. Go ahead.”

Jordan couldn’t breathe. She knew neither Aiden nor Grace could last much longer. Only Aiden’s courage must be giving him the strength to hold onto the rope and onto Grace. She also knew the dangers of hypothermia, that it wouldn’t be long before he lost consciousness in the frigid water. “Go ahead!” she heard him call again. Her heart pounded.
Please, God, let them both be all right.

Caleb began to methodically haul in the rope. Jordan could see the current splashing up against Aiden as he held Grace tight to his chest with one arm and the lifeline with his free hand. Jordan dropped to her knees at the edge of the ledge and held out her arms. With one final pull, Caleb brought Aiden in to the abutment, and Jordan’s hands were on her baby, lifting her up to safety. She crushed Grace against her and began to cry.

Then she heard John’s voice cutting through the night. He stood at the end of the ledge where she and Aiden had walked out along the canal. “Jordan, come this way!” he urged. Two men stood behind him, holding blankets. “Jordan! Hurry! Come this way. Be careful!” He started out on the ledge to meet her. Then his arm was around her, guiding her to solid ground. The two paramedics quickly swathed her in blankets, wrapping both her and Grace tight. “Let’s get you to the ambulance so they can make sure Grace is okay.”

“Aiden! Aiden!” Jordan craned her neck as she was shuffled away. She needed to know that this man who’d risked his life to rescue her daughter, this man she loved desperately, was going to be all right.

“I’ve got him, Jordan,” Caleb called out. “Go with the paramedics. I’m bringing him through. John, give me a hand, here.” Jordan looked back just in time to see the two men pull Aiden’s limp body from the water.

The paramedics continued to usher her away from the scene. “Aiden!” she screamed, but he didn’t answer.

Chapter Sixteen

T
HE
T
OWN’S
F
OUR
P
OLICE
V
EHICLES
, lights flashing, led the procession, followed by fire trucks from Clark’s Corner and three surrounding towns. The hearse followed the fire engines. Small American flags fluttered on each front fender. Behind the hearse, the mourners followed. The traffic line stretched a quarter of a mile down the main street, and each car was packed. The first three cars behind the hearse held the family.

Jordan sat in the back seat of one of those cars, staring out the window. She was dressed in a black suit, her hair subdued in a low chignon at the back of her neck. High on her cheekbone, a small bandage covered the stitched-up gash inflicted by the falling rubble from the night of the fire. Grace, dressed in a daffodil-yellow ruffled pinafore, squirmed on her lap and sucked her pacifier.

Tears brimmed at Jordan’s lashes. She tried to blink them back, but one breached the delicate dam of her soft eye lid and slid down her cheek. She felt a gentle touch to her cheek, brushing the tear away. She turned and smiled at Aiden. He smiled back and took her free hand in his.

“Thank you for riding with me today,” she said softly.

“I was flattered that Mrs. Palmer asked me herself,” he answered.

“It still doesn’t seem real to me,” reflected Jordan, holding Grace with both hands and bouncing her gently on her knees. “I mean, so much has happened over the last three days. Mr. Palmer dies, Fenton goes crazy, kidnaps my baby, and sets the company on fire.” She heaved a deep sigh, then turned and looked Aiden directly in the face. “And I almost lost you,” she whispered. “I almost lost both of you. I don’t know what—”

“Shhh,” Aiden interrupted her. “You didn’t lose either one of us. We’re both still here, where we should be. With you.”

“I can’t help thinking about it, though. Especially today, when we’re burying Mr. Palmer.”

Aiden peered out his window. “Looks like we’re turning into the cemetery now. I think most of the people who were in the church are going to be here too.”

“There’s a big reception at the fire station hall after the burial.”

“That’s a funny place to have it,” said Aiden. “Isn’t there any place a little more…sophisticated?”

“Mr. Palmer donated the money to restore that building and buy a new fire truck. It’s only fitting that the reception be there.”

“Hm,” Aiden mused. “He was a surprising man.”

The procession halted along the stone wall of the old cemetery. Only the hearse entered the peaceful grounds, scented with lilacs and lily of the valley. It came to a stop beside the open grave. People filed in quietly and stood around in familial groups. Aiden and Jordan stood with their parents as the casket was lowered into the ground. Ashley and Kyle stood with them, holding hands.

As if on cue, the morning mist began to dissipate. The sun glowed through, glistening off the remaining droplets of fog that hung in the air and making little rainbows on the dewy grass.

The priest gave a short eulogy. Jordan couldn’t hear what he said, but she didn’t have to. She held her own thoughts in her heart. At last, the Palmer family collected together. Dan, the oldest son, spoke to the crowd. “Please come to the fire station hall for a remembrance reception,” he said. “We hope to see you all there.”

Mrs. Palmer took her son’s arm and walked with the rest of her children and grandchildren back to the cars. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were dull, her face stricken with unfathomable sadness.

“I’d rather we rode back with you,” said Jordan to her mother.

“We’ll see you there, Jordan,” Ashley said. She looked up at Kyle, telegraphing something to him with her eyes. They walked hand in hand back to their truck.