"I can promise that I won"t embarra.s.s you, Senator," Cadie agreed finally.
"Okay, folks," Toby said from across the room as he gathered up his hand luggage. "Time for one last joust with the press before we get home." He waited as the others cl.u.s.tered around him. He nodded at Naomi, who, along with Cadie, stood and walked over to the group. "Are you ready, Senator? Because this has to be good...the next five minutes are going to be replayed on the US networks for the next day and a half."
"Don"t teach your grandmother to suck eggs, Tobias," the senator said lightly, straightening her clothes and smoothing her hair. She turned to Cadie and put on one of her most charming smiles. "Ready, darling?"
Cadie silently wondered just which direction the ambush was going to come from. At least I know one"s coming, she thought ruefully.
Naomi held out a hand, inviting her partner to take it. Warily Cadie did so and the senator beamed at her with her best baby-kissing, campaign smile. They stepped through the door into a barrage of camera flashes and a forest of microphones. Questions lobbed at them from every side, but for now at least the senator ignored them all, following Toby and Jason"s lead in the direction of the departure gate. The two men plus Therese and Sarah formed a protective phalanx around Naomi and Cadie as the group pushed a path through the crowd of journalists. For a few moments Cadie was unnerved by the jostling, but soon they were into a clear s.p.a.ce just before the gate.
Once there, Naomi turned to face the press, pulling Cadie around with her. She waited a heartbeat to give the journalists a chance to gather around. "I"ll take a few questions before we leave," she said with a confident smile, tightening her grip on Cadie"s hand.
The blonde could almost feel the senator"s intensity increase. She feeds on this kind of thing, she thought not for the first time in their 12 years together. You can almost feel her grow more confident the longer she"s out here in the glare of the lights. G.o.d, I hope she doesn"t get overconfident.
Questions again came from everywhere and the senator waited with practiced ease until one became discernible in the confusion. Cadie felt all eyes, and cameras, turned on her.
Oh, Jo, I wish you were here, she thought. She had a brief flash of her dark-haired friend riding in on a white charger, complete with shining armor and flashing sword. Only in fairytales, Arcadia, she thought ruefully as Naomi held her hand up to dampen the chatter from the press corps.
"Senator, were you using illegal substances the night you were arrested?"
Naomi laughed casually. "First of all, let me correct the misapprehension y"all seem to have that I was arrested. I was not arrested. My friends and I were simply caught up in the confusion of what was a very large dance party on Hamilton Island. Like a lot of other people that night, we were questioned and then released in the morning. And no, at no stage then, or ever for that matter, was I, or anyone I was with, using illegal substances."
"But you were drinking, Senator?"
"I had a couple of martinis, yes."
"Who was the woman you were photographed with, Senator?"
Naomi pointed in the direction of Kelli, who stood to the side, arm wrapped around Larissa, both women wearing broad smiles and innocent looks. "My friend, Kelli Mathieson," she said simply.
"Is there any truth to the rumor that your relationship with your girlfriend is in trouble, Senator?" That question had an American accent and Cadie wondered which US network had spent the money to get a journalist here just in time to turn around and fly back again.
She felt Naomi look down at her and glanced up, tentatively returning the senator"s smile. Another barrage of flashes blinded her momentarily.
"This is my partner, Arcadia Jones," she heard the senator say. "And as you can see, we are very much together and happy. Isn"t that right, darling?"
Cadie felt fingers tightening around her hand. She didn"t trust her voice, so instead she just smiled and nodded. She felt Jason move in to stand close on her left, Toby mirroring his movement on Naomi"s right. Getting ready to move us on to the plane, she thought with relief. I"ve had just about enough of this.
But Naomi wasn"t finished yet. Cadie had a sinking feeling as she sensed the senator"s confidence growing. And a knowing suspicion that she had something else in mind from the very start. Uh-oh.
"In fact, we have a couple of announcements to make," Naomi said, beaming from ear to ear. "You"ll be the first to know."
Cadie felt a cold dread crawling through her intestines. Oh Jesus, where is she going with this?
"As soon as we get home to Chicago, Cadie will be giving up her business as a literary agent because we have decided to start a family. We"ve wanted this for a long while and now the timing is perfect for us. We hope that Cadie will become pregnant sometime in the next few months, G.o.d willing."
There was an empty silence for several seconds and Cadie took in the stunned expression on Toby"s face as well as the unmistakably vicious glint in Naomi"s eye as the senator looked triumphantly at her for a reaction.
Unbelievable, Cadie thought, momentarily dumbstruck by her partner"s audacity. Now I"ve seen everything. She"s actually willing to use a baby to keep her career on track. At long last the blonde"s temper reached its breaking point. I"m not going to give you the satisfaction. She saw an escape route. In fact, I might just see your bet, and double it.
"And that"s why," she picked up Naomi"s thread, smiling broadly at the wall of cameras and microphones, "that"s why I"m going to stay a little longer in this wonderful country while Naomi and our friends go home. I"m going to spend a couple more weeks resting up for what"s going to be a very big year for us both." She turned to the senator whose jaw was now in danger of hitting the floor. "Isn"t that right, sweetheart?" She raised an eyebrow at Naomi, challenging her to create a scene in front of the phalanx of eagerly waiting journalists.
Cadie watched Naomi"s eyes widen as she realized the predicament she was now in. A red flush crawled slowly up the stocky woman"s neck and though her practiced smile remained plastered in place, the blonde easily read the fury and dismay in the brown eyes staring at her.
Seeing the senator floundering for an appropriate response, Jason stepped in and called a halt to the impromptu press conference. "No more questions, ladies and gentlemen," he said quickly. "As you can see they are holding the plane for us and I think we"ve delayed these good people for long enough."
Cadie stepped closer to Naomi and kissed her on the cheek. "Safe travels darling," she said brightly. Naomi began to protest but Cadie pressed closer and whispered in her ear. "Ah, ah, ah, Senator. The eyes of the world are watching. Goodbye."
"You and that b.i.t.c.h will pay for this," Naomi growled softly. "Count on it."
No doubt, Cadie thought as she watched Toby edge the politician through the departure gate. But in the meantime, I know I"m doing the right thing. For the first time in weeks, I"m doing the right thing. Naomi turned for one last photo opportunity, and Cadie obliged, waving and smiling before the senator disappeared down the ramp-way to the plane.
"Jason, give me my bag, please," Cadie murmured, taking the slouch-bag that he had been holding for her. Calmly she slung it over her shoulder and without a backward glance turned away and began walking towards the main terminal building.
Jason hooked her elbow and pulled her back. "Cadie, wait." She looked at him and half-smiled. "Are you ever coming back?" he asked quietly.
"I"m sorry, Jason," she replied. "Not this time. I can"t do this anymore. I can"t keep letting her do this to me."
"Look, I know what she just did is unforgivable," he conceded. "But why not let things cool down then come home and have it out with her?"
A light came on in Cadie"s head. Finally. Finally, I get it. A realization slid home in her heart and she shook her head. "I am home, Jason," she said. "Nothing she can do or say can change that. And she"s done too much damage in here," She tapped her chest lightly. "I know it"s going to create huge problems for you, and for her, but I have to look after me...and Jo...now."
Jason stared at her for a few seconds and she held his gaze, more sure than she"d ever been that she was finally making the right choice for her. And then it was like he saw it too and the blond man smiled back at her. He pushed his gla.s.ses up his nose. "Good luck to you, Cadie," he said softly. "You deserve better. I hope you find it." He looked around at the press corps, most of whom were hanging around, still curious about the turn of events. "You"d better get out of here," Jason muttered.
He spotted an idle people-mover not far away, its driver leaning lazily on the wheel, waiting for someone to need a lift somewhere.
"Here, come on." He grabbed Cadie"s elbow and steered her to a seat in the vehicle, then dug in his trouser pocket for some banknotes. "Buddy, you take this lady as far from that pack of journalists as you can get her." He pressed the money into the man"s hand and then quickly kissed Cadie on the cheek. "Go, sweetie."
"Thanks, Jason. For everything," she said with a smile. Journalists were beginning to move towards them and Cadie touched the driver"s shoulder. "Take me to the nearest cab, please," she said urgently.
She sat with her back to the driver and waved at Jason as they began to move away from the departure lounge. A detached part of herself kept waiting for the soundtrack to start. Marianne Faithful should start singing "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" right about now, she thought dispa.s.sionately.
A small pack of hardy photographers sprinted after her, motorized shutters whirring and clicking even as they ran. She looked over her shoulder at the driver.
"I don"t suppose this thing can go any faster," she asked.
"Not much, miss, but I can give it a go," he replied. "Hang on tight, now."
Cadie turned back to see the photographers dropping off the chase. She was relieved that for the time being at least she would be left alone.
Now what? She closed her eyes and mentally projected loving thoughts at Jo. I"ll be home soon, my love. I just need to get some sleep and figure out which way is up. And then I"ll come to you. She wearily watched the hectic world of the airport slipping past her. I just turned my world upside down. For good. I hope you "re ready for that, Jo.
h.e.l.l, I hope I"m ready for that.
Jo leaned wearily back against the wall and took a sip from the hot cup of coffee in her hand. The coolness of the hard corridor wall pressed against her back and she took the opportunity to stretch and loosen her shoulders. She had just swapped places with Doris after spending a few hours sitting by Ron"s bed and she welcomed the chance to straighten a few cramped muscles.
A glance at the clock told Jo it was mid-afternoon. Ron had been holding his own for the most part, though the big man hadn"t fully regained consciousness at any stage. Jo swirled her coffee and stared at the brown liquid pensively. There"s no knowing how long this will go on. But I guess every hour he doesn"t have another attack is a good thing.
Reluctantly her mind turned to more practical matters.
Frank"s got another three days to run on his trip. At least the Sea wolf has an extra week up her sleeve before she takes on another load of tourists. We "re gonna have to come up with some contingency plans. She spared a look back up the corridor towards the ICU where Doris was sitting with Ron. Especially if Doris is going to stay down here with him.
She worried away at that for a few minutes, gnawing at her bottom lip while the business of the ward went on, a stream of people flowing incessantly around her.
Cadie will be somewhere over the Pacific by now. She felt her emotions teetering on the brink of a very dark abyss at the concept of the increasing distance between herself and the lovely American. Boy, this week went to h.e.l.l. Hard to believe that two days ago we were winning that d.a.m.n trophy. Ron hasn"t even gotten to see it yet.
Jo suddenly became aware of a shift in the atmosphere of the ward. Staff members were hurrying towards the ICU and two nurses were pushing an ominous-looking blue cart at top speed.
Oh s.h.i.t. Jo took off at a sprint, leaving her half-empty cup suspended in mid-air before it splattered on the floor. She reached the door of the ICU where Doris was standing, her hands to her mouth. Inside doctors and nurses crowded around Ron"s bed, calling instructions to each other with a controlled brand of chaos Jo found chilling.
"What happened?" she asked breathlessly.
"I don"t know," Doris sobbed. "H-he started twitching and the heart monitor went crazy. Then there were doctors everywhere and they told me to get out of the way."
Jo clenched and unclenched her fists as she watched the people around Ron. She felt sick to her stomach-partly from helplessness but also the growing feeling that her mentor was in deep, dark trouble. She felt Doris" hands circle her upper arm and she winced slightly as the older woman"s fingers put pressure on the still tender bullet sc.r.a.pe there. Doris rested her chin on Jo"s shoulder, watching the activities in the darkened ICU.
Dread washed over Jo as she perceived that the urgency had suddenly drained out of the room. Low murmurs didn"t quite carry to the waiting women, but soon a doctor was walking slowly towards them. He wearily brushed his hand through his short-cropped hair, fatigue obvious in his every movement.
"Are you Mr. Cheswick"s family?" he asked quietly, his message already obvious on his face. Doris ducked her head, resting her forehead against Jo"s shoulder, stifling the sob that escaped her. Jo just nodded mutely. The doctor took her hand and patted it in a way that part of the skipper"s brain found oddly out of place. "I"m sorry," he said. "Mr. Cheswick just suffered a ma.s.sive myocardial infarct and we were unable to revive him despite our best endeavors."
This just cannot be happening. Doris" arms dropped around her waist and she could feel the older woman crying freely now against her back. Jo swallowed hard. "Th-thank you doctor," she stammered. "C-can we see him?"
"Yes, of course," he replied. "Just give the nurses a few minutes to remove all the machines and then you can take your time." With one last pat of Jo"s hand, he was gone, leaving the two women to their grief. Jo squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the urge to just sit on the floor and bawl.
"Come on, Doris," she finally muttered, pulling the office manager around and sliding an arm around her shoulders. Several nurses with sympathetic expressions pa.s.sed them, pushing various monitors and trolleys full of machines. Jo and Doris moved back to Ron"s bed where one nurse remained. She handed Jo a small plastic bag containing Ron"s personal effects. "d.a.m.n, look at that," Jo murmured. "They cut his wedding ring off."
Doris flopped helplessly into a chair, overcome with tears. Jo moved forward and leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on the big man"s cool forehead.
"Goodbye, Ronny," she whispered. "Safe travels."
Cadie pressed her forehead against the cool gla.s.s of the hotel room window. She gazed out at a panorama that normally would have thrilled her. Darling Harbor, one of the biggest and most picturesque of Sydney Harbor"s coves, stretched out before her. Its huge shopping mall, sweeping monorail and ferry terminus bustled with promise, and in any other circ.u.mstances, Cadie would have been the first one down there exploring.
But being a tourist was the last thing on her mind. Cadie had come straight from the airport to this hotel on the recommendation of the cab driver. Staying at the airport, even if it had meant a flight straight back to the Whitsundays, just wasn"t an option with the press pack prowling around. She hadn"t even waited around for her luggage to be pulled off the international flight. Fortunately a quick call to the airline once she had reached the hotel had solved that problem.
The practical implications of what she had done were beginning to sink in. She had handed over her credit card to the hotel receptionist-a joint card she shared with Naomi-with the realization that once the senator reached Chicago, she could expect to have that financial resource cut off.
And of course it"s the credit card with no cash advance capability, she realized wearily. Great.
Cadie turned away from window with a sigh. She knew she should have been feeling free, excited even, to be going back to Jo so soon, but instead she just felt exhausted. She had no luggage and soon, no money. And that nagging worry was still there in the back of her brain.
What will Naomi do for revenge? Everything she"s threatened so far has been nothing but bluff and bl.u.s.ter. But still... Maybe I should take the opportunity to go and find Detective Harding.
Cadie sat on the end of the bed and kicked off her shoes.
G.o.d knows, she can"t do anything else to me. I have my laptop with me and the business" finances are separate so she can"t touch those.
She let herself fall backwards onto the bed, staring at the s.p.a.ckled ceiling that seemed to be standard in hotel rooms around the world. There was a knock on the door and Cadie startled out of a light doze. She rolled off the bed and went to stand by the door. Looking through the peephole she could see a distorted image of one of the hotel"s bellhops.
He knocked again. "It"s room service, ma"am," he called out. "I have your luggage."
With a sigh of relief, Cadie pulled open the door. "Thanks," she said. "You can just put it on the bed." She scrabbled in her slouch-bag for some change to give the man as a tip. Instead her hand came up against an odd-feeling wad at the bottom of the bag. Puzzled, she pulled it out and found herself staring at a roll of banknotes. A silly grin plastered itself on her face and she giggled hysterically.
Eleven hundred and eighty dollars, she reminded herself. My share of the Seawolf"s winnings. That"s perfect. She laughed again. Thank you, Jo-Jo.
The bellhop was looking at her like she was an alien from a distant planet.
"Sorry," Cadie giggled, pulling off a smaller-sized note from the roll of cash and giving it to him. "It"s just been a very, very long day."
"No worries, miss," he replied, tipping his cap and moving back to the door. "I"ve seen a lot nuttier than you." He grinned cheekily and closed the door behind him.
I bet you have. She chuckled and tossed the wad of money from hand to hand for a few seconds, relishing her luck.
I could have so easily put this in the other bag with Naomi"s stuff. Score one for me! She flipped the money back into her bag and crawled onto the bed, pushing her luggage away to the other side. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her, and she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.
Jo pointed the Cheswick Marine SUV north and let her mind drift as she and Doris began the trek back to Shute Harbor and Airlie Beach. The office manager was stretched out along the back seat, dead to the world. Jo wished fervently she could do the same, but she had the sinking feeling there wasn"t going to be much sleep for her over the next few days.
She had hastily arranged for Ron"s body to be transported up to Shute in the morning. Then, realizing there was nothing else she and Doris could do in Mackay, she opted to drive them home that evening. Now, with the highway stretching out endlessly in front of her, she was beginning to regret the decision.
If Cadie were here I"d be pointing things out to her. Things that are everyday to me would be so interesting to her. She smiled quietly into the fading light, wondering if the American was thinking of her right now. I hope so. And I hope that b.i.t.c.h sitting next to her is giving her some peace and quiet, too. She deserves it.
As the sun began to sink below the level of the low hills to her left, Jo tried to keep her weary mind alert. Traffic coming towards her already had lights on, and absentmindedly she flicked on her own. Something away in the distance on her side of the road caught her attention and she frowned, trying to make out the details.
The big red kangaroo stood on the soft edge looking for all the world like an old man trying to decide whether to cross or not. At six feet tall and a couple of hundred pounds, the "roo wasn"t anything Jo wanted to tangle with, whether in a car or not. She slowed the SUV right down as she approached the marsupial.
"Come on, you b.u.g.g.e.r, make up your mind," she muttered. Tentatively he took a couple of small hops, holding his front paws together in front of him. "Come on then, cross."
Just to be contrary the "roo stopped and Jo decided to take a chance. She accelerated to give him a wide berth. As she reached cruising speed the animal changed its mind again and bounded out onto the highway.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Jo exclaimed, slamming on the brakes. She heard Doris give a yelp as the sudden deceleration rolled her off the back seat, but Jo was more concerned with the "roo. He swerved almost in mid-air, kicked hard with his enormous back legs against the bull-bar on the front of the SUV and then sprang off into the bush on the other side of the highway. "G.o.d d.a.m.n it," Jo muttered, heart pounding in her throat. "You okay, Doris?" she called over her shoulder.
"What the h.e.l.l was that?" grumbled the older woman as she scrambled up from the floor.
"Dumb "roo," Jo replied. "I think he"s bent the bull-bar." She scrubbed at her eyes wearily. "Should"ve known better than to try and do this drive at sunset. They"re always on the move then."
"Do you want some company up there, Jo?" Doris asked, worriedly noting the tired slump of the skipper"s shoulders.
Jo shook her head. "M"okay, D," she murmured. "I just want to get home." Except home"s about 30,000 feet up and several thousand miles away by now.
Cadie replaced the receiver on the hook. She had had a frustrating morning. Despite several attempts the blonde had been unable to get through on Jo"s cell phone number. That was unusual for the skipper and it worried her.
She had worked out her finances, disconcerted to find that the airfare back to Hamilton Island was going to take a bigger chunk out of her prize money than she was willing to risk. Looks like it"s a bus ride for me. d.a.m.n, is nothing going to be simple? She quickly double-checked her calculations. Enough for one more night in the hotel, a few meals, a bus ticket and, with any luck, one call home to Mom. She knew she could just charge everything to the credit card now, while it was still functioning, but something made her reluctant to do that. That life is done with. I want to do this on my own. And there was something deeply satisfying about using the money she"d earned on the Sea-wolf. A new life.
There was a tap on the door and she got up to answer the knock, expecting to find a housekeeper wanting to change the towels. Instead a camera flash went off in her face as soon as she opened the door.
"Hey!" she yelped, shielding her face from any further flashes. The man behind the camera stepped forward and she recognized him as one of the pack of journalists who had been at the airport the day before.
"h.e.l.lo, Miss Jones," he said with a grin. "I"m Tom Saunders from the Sydney Gazette."
"It might have been polite to ask before you took that photo, Mr. Saunders," Cadie retorted.