Catherine's Cross (22 page)

Seth was waiting at the downtown marina for Jenks when she arrived at one for the next dive by the Pattersons. They returned to a position near the area they had searched the day before. Once again the Pattersons completed two dives, but collected only marine debris. When they returned to the dock, Dave spoke to Jenks, and then she joined Seth in the parking lot.

“Dave says that he'll go out tomorrow afternoon, but he believes that would fulfill his commitment to me. He said if I wanted to continue this search, I'd have to hire another diver.”

“I told you he would be candid with you.” He took her hand and led her toward Bay Street. “Let's go have an early supper.”

“Only if you'll let me buy this time,” Jenks said.

“All right . . . but I'm treating you to dinner at the Walker's house tomorrow night.”

“That sounds like a fair exchange.”

“Where would you like to dine?” Seth asked.

“Let's go to Wren's. Frank Hiller recommended that restaurant.”

“You're going to accept his endorsement?”

“He looks healthy to me.”

Seth smiled, kissed the back of her hand, and then held it as they walked down Bay Street to the restaurant.

They were seated in a corner table, and since they were dining early, the restaurant had few patrons.

“They are very generous with their portions in this restaurant, so why don't you and I split an entrée and a salad?” Seth said.

“What do you suggest?”

Seth looked at the menu and recommended a seafood medley served over pasta. After the server took their order, Seth smiled at her and took her hand in his. “You're beautiful.”

She smiled at him and thanked him for his kind words.

As they dined, Jenks was impressed by how delicious the cuisine was and she said, “Frank made a good recommendation on the restaurant, and you made a wonderful suggestion for our dinner.” She was quiet for a moment. “I pray that he did not hurt Gigi.”

Seth squeezed her hand and said, “Last year, I saw your sister at an oyster roast at Port Royal.”

Jenks felt her stomach tighten with sudden fear. “You've never mentioned that.”

“I thought how beautiful she was, and I wanted to introduce myself, but I realized she was with Frank Hiller.”

“You were attracted to her?” She felt her face flush as she lost control of her emotions. “Am I her substitute?”

Seth had a look of astonishment on his face, and he picked up her hand and held it tightly. “That's not what I was implying. The day your sister drowned, I helped pull her from the river. I was shocked to see that she was the victim.”

Jenks began to feel tears well up in her eyes, and she wiped them away with her fingers before they ran down her face. She felt her face get hot. “What's going on, Seth? Is this like the detective in the movie
Laura
that obsessed over what he thought was the portrait of a beautiful dead woman? Come to think of it, you're Frank Hiller's only accuser . . . and you're basing your suspicions on some military philosophy.”

Seth's face darkened. She had never seen the look that descended on his countenance. “Hold on now,” he said calmly. “Disclosing my thoughts to you about Frank Hiller was meant to alert you to a possible danger. He could attempt to get close to you in order to . . .” His voice trailed off. “When I found out that Gigi had an identical twin, I knew that I could help you. I felt like there was a bond between us. Only people who lose their twins can understand exactly how it feels . . . how it hurts.”

He slid onto the bench seat beside her and put his arm around her. “I stand behind my intuition about Frank Hiller. And your sister . . . I admired her loveliness briefly, and from afar. I think you're beautiful.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could see into her eyes. “I'm crazy about you.”

Feeling her anger beginning to diminish, she wiped a tear off her cheek and squeezed his hand in return.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside the restaurant. Seth rose from the table and went out the door. Jenks followed him and stood at the door of Wren's with the hostess. Two cars were involved in a head-on collision on Carteret Street, and one of the automobiles was on fire. Seth was already at the driver's door, attempting to get the woman out of the burning vehicle, but she was slumped over the steering wheel.

A feeling of horror and helplessness raced through Jenks's mind, and she ran toward the burning car to help Seth.

“Jenkins, get back! The car could explode!” he yelled.

“I want to help you!”

“The car is locked, get back!”

A man came out of an antique store and brought a large fire extinguisher. Seth took it from him and smashed the rear passenger window of the car and then unlocked the doors. He lifted the woman from the driver's seat and ran with her to a nearby park off Bay Street. Placing her on the ground, he took her pulse and then began to perform CPR.

People began to gather at the scene, and several men were using fire extinguishers to put out the blazing automobile. The driver of the other car had been helped to a bench on the side of the street, and two women were applying pressure to a cut on his forehead.

The sound of sirens filled the air, and within moments police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance arrived. Paramedics took over resuscitating the woman and placed her into the ambulance.

Jenks's heart was still racing and she went to Seth's side. Blood was flowing from his left arm and down his hand. He had been intent on saving the woman's life and was completely oblivious to a serious cut on his forearm.

“Seth—you're bleeding,” Jenks said, her voice trembling.

He looked down at his wound, then removed his handkerchief from his back pocket and placed it over the cut. He sat down on a park bench. “I must have injured myself when I broke the car window.”

Jenks did not notice a man approaching them until he was standing next to Seth.

“Are you trying to have matching scars on your forearms, Mason?”

Seth looked up at him and responded with a slight smile, “Thomas, how about a ride to the hospital? I think I'm going to need to see a doctor.” He paused and turned to Jenks. “This is my partner, Detective Campbell. Thomas, this is my friend Jenks Ellington.”

They quickly exchanged greetings and then walked down Bay Street to Thomas's parked car. The handkerchief was red with blood, and the detective removed a first-aid kit from the police car. He put a compress on the cut and then tightly wrapped the wound with gauze. “I hope that will hold you for a few minutes.”

He helped Seth into the vehicle and Jenks climbed into the rear. The hospital was less than ten minutes away, and after a short wait, Seth was seen by an emergency room doctor. She introduced herself as Dr. Coleman Petty. As she began to clean and stitch the wound, Jenks walked out to the hallway. Thomas was standing near the nurses' station, and Jenks walked in his direction. He was a tall black man with broad shoulders. His hair was cut short like Seth's, in a military style, and he smiled as he saw her approach. “Miss Ellington, can I get you a drink from the vending machine?”

“No, thank you. I'm fine.”

“The lady driving the car that caught fire has been seen by the doctors. They think she suffered a heart attack, which led to the accident. I was told she's in stable condition. She was fortunate that Seth was nearby. The driver of the other car suffered a facial laceration, but he should be released later this evening.”

He sipped a cup of coffee. “How's Seth doing?”

“The doctor was stitching the wound. I didn't want to watch.”

He smiled at her and then said, “Seth is a good man. I'm proud to have him as my partner.”

“Detective, were you in the Marines?”

“Yes, ma'am, for twenty years.”

Jenks went back into the room with Seth and waited until Dr. Petty was finished tending his wound. She wrote Seth two prescriptions. After Seth completed paperwork for insurance purposes, Thomas drove them back to their cars at the downtown marina. He offered to drive Seth home, but Seth said he would be all right and thanked him for his help. “Good night then,” his partner said as he drove away.

The last rays of sunlight were setting over the bay, and Jenks looked up into Seth's golden-brown eyes. “I owe you an apology. I had no excuse for reacting the way I did in the restaurant.”

“It's all right, dear. I understand how raw your emotions are now.”

She put her arms around him and settled her face against his chest. “I didn't pay for our meal. I left my purse in the restaurant.”

“I'll go with you to settle up.”

“Thank you.” She raised her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. “You're my hero. You were very brave to save that lady's life without consideration for your own.”

He smiled at her words and then took her hand as they began their walk down Bay Street to Wren's.

CHAPTER 10
“At Last”

I
n the next morning's edition of the
Beaufort Gazette
, there was a story about the accident. Seth was cited for his heroism in saving the life of the driver, Maggie Reynolds. Jenks was still nervous from last evening's events and embarrassed about her behavior. She cringed as she thought of the accusations she had made against him. She felt fortunate he was still speaking to her. And Gigi—she dearly loved her twin, but at times she had been envious of the ease at which Gigi was accepted and accomplished her goals. Last night, her jealousy had been evident, and she regretted allowing her emotions and poor judgment to show.

The summer heat and humidity was now stifling, and she found that if there were to be any outdoor activity, she needed to accomplish it during the morning. This morning, she weeded Gigi's flower beds, which were planted with an abundance of perennials.

From next door, David Bernstein called out, “Good morning.” She put down her trowel and walked over to his yard. Noticing his pink geraniums, she said, “These are lovely. I've never been able to grow them.”

“They need a little fertilizer. I've always found that helps.”

Jenks inhaled the fragrance of a rose by bending a large pink blossom over to her before saying, “David, I had a visit from Crawford Forrest recently. Gigi thought that she and Marvin were husband and wife, but she told me that he was her twin. Did you know that?”

“Yes, I did. I try to stay out of discussions on other people's business. When I was growing up in Brooklyn, my father set a strict family policy of not getting involved in other people's affairs. He said that you avoid trouble that way.”

“I felt badly for her. It's as though she has sacrificed the better part of her life taking care of an alcoholic.”

“Jenks—you're just in your mid-twenties. There are harsh matters in life that you will experience as you age. Marvin, no matter what he has done, is her fraternal twin. I'm not sure how she deals with her struggles, and I'm not sure that I could endure what she has. But, I can tell you that I admire her greatly. She could have very easily walked away from here and never looked back, but she didn't. I think she's very brave.”

“Yes, sir, I agree.”

David trimmed the dead head of a rose from a bush with his garden scissors and then said, “She must feel comfortable with you if she confided in you.”

“She said that she didn't realize Gigi had a twin and knew that I would understand her feelings.”

“You're both familiar with loss,” he solemnly replied.

Before they finished their conversation, Jenks told him that they had a new neighbor. David was unaware that a man had rented the house behind them.

When she finished her work, Jenks looked over the garden with pride and then went inside for a shower. At two o'clock, she met Seth at the downtown marina. He was wearing khaki shorts and a white polo shirt. His left arm was bandaged from the elbow to the wrist.

“How are you today?” Jenks asked.

He smiled and said, “I'm fine, Jenks, and I hope you are.”

“Yes, sir . . . and your arm?”

“It hurts a bit.”

“I'm sorry.”

He smiled, and within a few moments, the Pattersons arrived in their boat. They pulled up to the pier, and Seth and Jenks got on board. They greeted each other, and Dave Patterson came forward and shook Seth's hand. “I heard about the accident last night on Carteret. You were very brave.”

“Thank you, Dave.”

“Candice and I will be extra careful while diving today. I would hate the thought of your having to come into the water to save one of us. I think the salt water wouldn't feel too good on that arm today.”

Before they left the marina, Dave rigged a Bimini top on his boat and they set out for Woodward Point. Once they arrived at the site, the Pattersons prepared for the dive, checking each other's equipment and testing their regulators.

They went into the water and Jenks walked close to Seth's side. They were both under the shade of the Bimini top and she said, “Seth, I feel bad about my behavior last night.”

“Jenks, forget about it. We all have bad moments.” A slight frown crossed his brow, and then he added, “There were times when I felt jealous of Steel. I think it's normal for siblings to experience that type of emotion. I bet you haven't considered that she was probably envious of you over certain aspects.”

She paused as she considered what he had said. “No—I never thought of that—your explanations make me feel better.”

“That's what I hope for.”

“And my comments about Frank Hiller?”

“Please forget about it,” he said as he patted her on the back.

Jenks pointed to an island that was just east of their location. “What's the name of that island?”

“That's Palmer's Island, but it has a nickname.”