A Heart Full of Diamonds (6 page)

It was mid-afternoon when Marilee finally slipped up the
stairs and out of the basement. Taking her earlier precautions, she checked to
see if the car was still there. It was.

A thought had come as she sat in the gloom searching for a
solution. The men had now been inside her home. They knew she wasn’t there. Therefore,
she should be able to slip in through the back door, get food, her bank book, a
few clothes and get back outside before they knew she was even close by.

She’d wanted to wait until dark, feeling it would be safer,
but hunger and other bodily functions brought her out. Silently backing away
from Richard’s corner of the house, she moved stealthily to her own back door
and up the single step. Marilee prayed they wouldn’t hear the squeak as she
slowly opened the screen.

Pausing, she listened for a car door opening. All stayed
quiet. She reached for the door knob. It wouldn’t turn. Tears of frustration
filmed her eyes. Having come this far, she couldn’t give up.

Taking a deep breath, Marilee pulled the door tight against
the frame and then twisted the knob once more. Slowly it rotated. Quietly, she
expelled the air her lungs had held hostage; her tears stemmed as her nearly subconscious
prayer of thanksgiving rose heavenward. Moving as quietly as possible, she
opened the back door and slipped inside.

Her things were fairly well in order, but she could tell
someone had been there. Books had been moved, a magazine she’d been reading
wasn’t where she’d left it. Even though there was no destruction, she still felt
a violation which all of the chasing during the long night had not given her. Now
she was angry as well as frightened; however it changed nothing. She must
escape this intolerable situation.

Marilee used the restroom, washing her face as well as her
hands then quietly gathered some food. She stuffed her bank book and a few
clothes in her duffle bag with the food, then zipped it closed.

She heard a car door whump shut and grabbing her bag,
hustled out the back door, closing it softly behind her. Darting to the
basement door, she opened it, stepped through, and secured it behind her.

Blood was pounding in her ears, her heart beating rapidly as
she tried to control her breathing. She listened to find whether she’d been
detected or not. Silence reigned. Slowly, her heart and breathing returned to
normal limits.

An explosive sound shattered the stillness and she jumped,
nearly knocking over a bucket before identifying the sound; a toilet flushing. Coming
from just above her head, the noise indicated someone was in Richard’s
apartment. Could it be…? They wouldn’t…!

Marilee heard the refrigerator door slam shut and realized Derrek
had returned from school. It wasn’t the two men in the apartment. It wouldn’t
be long now before Richard arrived home.

Marilee didn’t stop to wonder why that was significant for
her, she just knew she’d be okay when he reached home and she could be with
him. The day’s reflections and plans thought of and discarded let her know just
one thing for certain; she needed help.

Sitting quietly, she waited for the next hour to pass. She studied
ways Richard could help her get away. She thought of different destinations,
but found herself discarding each one with little consideration; as if she
could stay here. Finally, deciding she was simply too tired to think any more,
Marilee lay down to await Richard’s arrival from work, pillowing her head on
the duffle bag.

Darkness settled on the valley, seeping into the minuscule
basement, wrapping Marilee in sheltered arms. She heard Richard’s truck drive
into his parking place, and stood to stretch, straining to identify all sounds
coming to her. Nothing out of the ordinary was heard. Marilee felt encouraged.

She hefted the duffle bag and softly stepped from the
basement. She tiptoed to Richard’s corner of the house, setting the bag by his
back door on the way. Peeking around the corner, she found Richard’s truck in
his usual spot. The black car was pulled up almost to the front of Mr.
Brimblecom’s porch. They must have rolled forward so they would be closer to
the stairs in the gathering shadows of the night. Their new position would make
it easier for her to enter Richard’s house undetected.

She took the few steps from the corner of the house to
Richard’s back door. Hoping Richard or Derrek was close enough to hear, she
very quietly knocked. The door almost instantly swung open, revealing Derrek’s
freckled face.

“Hi, Marilee! Why’ya at the back door? Come on in. What’cha
need?” Derrek was nothing if not hospitable. Marilee stepped in and Derrek
closed the door behind her.

“Is your Dad here?” Marilee asked.

“Yep. He’s in the shower. Wanna wait?” His smile was a mile
wide.

Marilee nodded and Derrek led her through the kitchen and
into the living room. She seated herself on the couch, grateful the drapes were
drawn against the night and prying eyes.

Derrek sprawled on the floor next to a large spread of
paper.

“Report for school,” he explained as he motioned to the
mess. “I’ve got all my notes and now I’m organizing the whole thing.” He
frowned slightly and nudged the nearest sheet. “All there is to know about the
cheetah and then some.”

He suddenly looked up, a grin erupting on his face. “Like
why they got thrown out of the football game…for ‘cheetin’.” He giggled as he
returned at least some of his attention to the school project.

She smiled at his joke and wished the only thing she had to
worry about was a school project. Watching Derrek, she wondered what she was
going to tell Richard.

After the whole day’s worrying and fretting and getting
nowhere in her planning, Marilee realized she had to tell him everything. If
she didn’t, she’d crumble and nothing would be left but a little pile of rubble.
Tony would win.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She couldn’t
let that happen. Her very life depended on winning this.

Marilee watched as Derrek shuffled a piece of paper from one
pile to another, and the now-familiar warm feeling invaded her heart for this
boy. She loved him. She had for a long time now. If she lost this relationship
with Derrek, she’d lose more than she was willing to forfeit. Richard may turn
from her because of everything, but hope flared inside that he’d believe her. Accept
her. Like her, at least as a friend.

No, Tony couldn’t prevail. Not this time. Not now. Marilee
closed her eyes and thought about what she would tell Richard.

Richard stepped from the bathroom clad only in a dark blue
terrycloth robe. He crossed the kitchen before he realized they had company. Through
the open doorway into the living room he saw Marilee, and his heart skipped,
his loins tightening at the mere sight of her. Lately, his thoughts had him
sweeping her away to some private lair and making her his.

He shook his head to clear it. She’d never given him any
indication they were more than friends. Sometimes he caught a look in her eyes,
but before he could analyze it, the look would vanish and she would smile her
friends-only smile. It was a good thing she couldn’t read minds!

She appeared deep in conversation with Derrek. If his son had
invited her over on some pretext of needing help with his cheetah project just
to throw the adults together, he’d skin him alive.

The boy invented excuses to be with her and involved Richard
as much as possible. Richard knew Derrek wanted him to marry Marilee. Richard
didn’t want to rush his fences, but he’d need some indication from Marilee….

Richard dropped that thought and hurried into the bedroom to
get dressed. He drew on the first things he found; comfortable jeans and a
green sweater hastily dragged over his head and drawn into place.

Pulling on grey woolen socks to keep his feet warm, Richard
emerged from the bedroom. He managed a neutral expression as he entered the
front room. With Marilee here, the room seemed smaller; cozier; more like a
complete home, though her petite frame didn’t really take up much space.

Marilee looked up, saw him and rose from the couch.

“Hi…” her greeting trailed off. Richard’s gaze swept
Marilee, noting the rumpled clothing smudged with dried mud and grass stains at
the knees. Marilee usually dressed neatly. Twigs lodged in her unkempt hair. What
adventure had she been up to?

He grinned at her. “You look like you could use a cup of
cocoa. Come into the kitchen. I’ll make you one.”

“Thanks.”

Derrek started to rise, but Richard gave him a serious look
and nodded at his school papers. He sank back to the floor, a frown on his
normally happy face.

Marilee seated herself at the table while Richard busied
himself among the cupboards. “Sorry it’s only an instant mix. Derrek and I used
the last of the real stuff yesterday, and I haven’t been to the store yet.”

“That’s all right,” she replied, “I can’t make the real
stuff anyway, so I’m used to the instant kind.” She smiled back at him.

Richard brought two large mugs to the table, adding napkins
and spoons for each. He retrieved the teapot from the stove, feeling the side
to see if the water was still hot from an earlier use. It was. Bringing the
packages and teapot with him, he poured the water. Handing her a packet, he sat
down with his. Both were silent as they opened the cocoa pouches, emptied the rich
brown powder into the water and stirred the contents.

Richard removed his spoon from the cup, setting it on the
napkin. He dropped one hand to his thigh, the other rested on the table. Ignoring
the cocoa he’d just made, he looked at her. He noticed with a catch in his
throat that even rumpled, she was stunning. He also saw pain in her beautiful
eyes.

Wanting nothing more than to gather her close and protect
her, kiss her and hold her tenderly, Richard quickly blocked those thoughts
from his mind. She only liked him as a friend. He had to remind himself of
that. They were friends. Just friends. Blast it.

He took a deep breath and said, “Now, what’s the problem,
and how can I help?”

Marilee was staring into the mug she’d wrapped her hands
around. It looked like she was using the heat of the beverage seeping through
the ceramic as a lifeline, and he wondered what had happened to her today to
bring her to this point.

He watched her take  her own deep breath, hold it for a
moment, then let it slowly out, shaking her head as though to dispel the dark
thoughts tormenting her.

Another deep breath gave her courage to lift her eyes. “I’m
not sure where to begin,” she confessed in a small voice. “It’s all so
complicated.” Her eyes dropped back to her cup.

Richard didn’t dare move for fear he’d scare her. He wasn’t
sure how he knew that, he just did. He had to consciously keep from reaching
for her.

His voice low and warm, he said, “My mother used to tell me
to begin at the beginning, go on until I came to the end, and then stop.”

Marilee smiled, as fleeting as it was small. One more deep
breath and she began.

“Well, the beginning then. Last October, Tony was late
coming home from a business trip.” Her eyes darted up to his face and then
dropped back to her cocoa. Richard caught his breath with the next sentence.

“Tony, um, is…my husband.” He easily read the misery and
pain on her face. Richard felt as though the softly spoken words had been
yelled as someone punched him in the gut.

Shock kept him silent as Marilee continued, her eyes still
on her hands; he took time to school his features to neutral. He hadn’t counted
on another man being in the picture. Oops. Just friends. Just listen.

“He didn’t have time to unpack his suitcase this time as he usually
did because we had to get ready for a costume party; a benefit his law firm
throws every year for a local orphanage.

“We came in late afterwards and went straight to bed. When I
got up in the morning, he’d already gone to the office, so I thought I’d unpack
for him. In the bottom of the suitcase, I found a small velvet pouch. I thought
it was my gift. He usually brought me things when he’d been away, so I opened
it. I shouldn’t have. I’m not snoopy, but I really thought it was for me. Besides,
as I was unpacking for him, I had to know what it was to put it away.”

Marilee paused, looking up. His look must have been neutral
enough to give her the courage to continue.

“The bag was full of diamonds. Different shapes. All sizes. It
was like a rainbow as they tumbled onto the bedspread. I was stunned. I stared
at them for a while, trying to figure out whose they were and why Tony had
them.

Reason-wise, I came up empty, except maybe they were a
client’s. But then, why would Tony have them? Nothing made sense, so I put them
back into the velvet bag.

“When Tony got home, I handed him the bag.” Marilee
shuddered with the remembering. “Tony got angry. As usual, he started yelling and
then he threatened me. When I started to cry, he hit me. He’d never hit me
before, ever.” Her voice caught; her eyes were full of misery.

As she took a sip of cocoa, Richard noticed she was shaking.
His hands balled into tight fists. He wanted to kill the bastard. Unaware of
his thoughts, Marilee sighed and then continued.

“He said they belonged to him. He’s a very successful
lawyer, I know, but how could we afford a whole bag of diamonds? Tony saw the
look on my face, guessed what I was thinking, and laughed. He said I was so
stupid I couldn’t see what was going on under my nose.”

Marilee paused and took another swallow of cocoa. Her eyes
were unfocused, as if she were far away, actually watching her husband. Pain
sharpened her voice.

“He consistently told me I was stupid. He loved showing off
how smart he was. I had already learned never to show intelligence around him
because it made him angry. I was only supposed to be decorative; you know,
beautiful but brainless.

He wouldn’t let me finish college, or work after we married.
I read a lot of books to pass the time, though he never knew that. He’d have
been hateful, I think, because it would have shown I wasn’t dumb. I think he
really believes blondes are naturally dumb.”

Marilee looked up at Richard, a guilty grin on her face. “My
natural hair color is platinum blonde. It still surprises me to look in a
mirror and see the darker hair.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked down at
her hands. Silence reigned for a few moments.

His loins felt a strong pull of heat gather at a mental
image of her being blonde. She’d be a knockout. He could understand this Tony
person wanting to show her off. He mentally shook off thoughts of what he’d
like to do to a stupid pig that would hurt this intelligent, sensitive,
beautiful woman.

He gently asked, “What happened then?”

Sighing, Marilee continued. “Well, Tony bragged he and some
friends were stealing gemstones. Not just diamonds, but other stones, too. My
face must have shown him what I thought about his dishonesty. He threatened if
I told anybody about the gems, I’d be killed.”

Marilee appeared unaware of the tears coursing down her
cheeks, but Richard was very conscious of them. He didn’t dare reach out to
wipe them away or take her in his arms and protect her like he wanted to do.

Marilee took another small sip of the chocolate and then
continued.

“Tony said the law would hold me as an accomplice since I
was his wife. He said the police would never believe I didn’t know about it.” She
trembled and bit her lip and then resumed.

“A couple of weeks later, I picked up the phone to make a
call, but Tony was already on the line. I heard him talking about getting rid
of the problem once and for all. He mentioned a trip scheduled the week after
Thanksgiving. The plan was to torch the house with me in it, while he was out
of town, so he’d have an alibi.

“I was amazed he didn’t realize I was on the line and had
overheard. By then, though, I didn’t dare do anything to make him angry. My
fear must have been palpable, because Tony always laughed, mocking me, when we
were alone together.

“Every day he went to work, one of his thugs stayed at home
with me. The only thing I was permitted to do without a bodyguard attached was
go to the gym over at the mall.” She looked apologetically at Richard. “When
Tony married me, he insisted I work out three times a week so I’d look good
when he took me places. After seeing the diamonds, I was dropped off and picked
up there by his men.”

She shivered again, and took a gulp of the cocoa, licked her
lips, and continued; almost as if she had to finish now that she’d begun and
before her courage failed her.

“While I was being guarded at home, I worked out a plan. I
thought I’d learned enough from the mysteries I’d read to get away and hide so
he couldn’t find me. When I was let off at the gym, I didn’t stay there.” She
smiled up at Richard, and then kept her eyes on his face, finally seeming calm
enough to face him while she spoke.

“I’d wait at the gym until the goon left and then sneak
away. I got airline tickets at a mall travel agency, picked up really different
clothes and make-up at nearby boutiques, and I bought a couple of wigs for my
get-away disguises. I even got some hair dye so that when I got here, I could
change my appearance. I brought it all home in my gym bag wrapped in my workout
clothes. I was as ready as I could be with only one more detail.

“The day before Thanksgiving, I slipped out to the bank and
virtually cleared out our joint account, putting the money in the gym bag. I
knew the bank would be closed on Thanksgiving, so it wouldn’t show the
withdrawal until Friday.

“Early the morning after Thanksgiving, I left. Two flights,
a train and a bus ride later, I ended up here.” Her smile slipped now, and fear
clouded her face.

“Tony must have hired a really good detective, though. Last
night…” Marilee began to cry. Richard quietly rose, procuring the dishtowel
from where it hung on the oven’s handle, and offered it to her for her tears.

Marilee’s tears faded and she smiled. “I’m not going to cry
that much,” she protested as she accepted the towel and dried her face. Somehow,
sharing her problems with him must have made her feel better; she didn’t seem
so depressed, and sat straighter on the chair. Richard returned her smile and
sat at the table again.

“So, what happened last night?” he gently prompted, his chin
resting on one fist, his elbow leaning on the table, the other fist again
resting on his thigh.

Marilee traced the events of the previous evening and day. “So,
what do I do now? Tony’s men have found me. It has to be Tony. No one in Salt
Lake even knew I was married, much less that my name is Mrs. Ferguson. I think
one of them said Tony had sent them, too.”

She tucked her top lip between her teeth and let it slide
out, making a small sound as it came free. He tightened his body muscles to
hold him in place. He hadn’t realized such an action and sound could be so
sensuous. It was all he could do not to reach for her.

She looked at Richard and shrugged her shoulders in
hopelessness. “It isn’t right to come here and involve you, but I don’t know
what else to do. I need help.” Tears hung on her lower lashes, ready to fall.

Richard knew she had no idea how appealing she looked. Once
again he wanted to gather her close and protect her, but didn’t. Instead, he
smiled and rose from the table.

“Well, the first thing I’d suggest is dinner.”

Marilee looked up at him in confusion. “Dinner?”

Richard nodded. “Dinner,” he confirmed. “You know. Food. And
a shower.”

“My life may end at any second, and you have the temerity to
suggest food?” Her eyes were wide in her face, incredulity marking her
features, but Richard noticed the tears had disappeared altogether.

He nodded again. “Can’t hurt; I saw the men in the car out
front by the way. It didn’t seem as though they were looking for a casual party
to crash, but they weren’t doing anything I could call the police about either.
But, if you don’t eat, your life will come to an end no matter what else
happens. Besides, you’ll think more clearly and run faster with some calories
inside you. When did you last eat?”

“Uh, I guess it was a small bag of chips and a soda at my evening
break at work.”

“I thought so,” he laughed as he disappeared into the
bedroom, emerging moments later with a clean pair of sweats. “Sorry I can’t get
you underwear, but I don’t happen to stock any in your size.”