Gemini Rain (19 page)

Again
as with previous times
the night lasted way into the early hours of the morning, they both agreed that what nearly happened in the kitchen was a mistake, Lauren was adamant and David tried to sound convinced. But both knew it was too early for any sort of a relationship and a one-night stand was out of the question, Lauren hated them with David just smirking as he admitted he did succumb to one or two in his time.

Lauren finally opened up about Peter’s death. The Inquest she said called it an accidental death for insurance purposes she presumed, but she knew different. The fact that he stopped his car on unprotected railway tracks was suspicious but ignored. The car, it was decided, broke down, ‘nobody even considered the idea that he could have left it when he saw the oncoming train,’ she said sarcastically.

‘My marriage,’ she admitted, ‘was on the rocks, actually it was slowly dying a long time before I discovered that he
knowingly permitted the transport and logistics
business we jointly owned with my parents to be used for drug trafficking.’

Having confronted him with the evidence three months before his death she sounded exasperated as she admitted, ‘Christ even my mother knew a long tim
e before I did. 
I found out that the drugs were originally coming from Colombia, but arrived in Ireland with false documentation from other countries. It was a complicated but highly organised operation. Peter admitted all of course promising to break all connections and…’ she sighed, ‘I think he tried but two weeks later he was dead.’

‘Colombia!  I’m going there well I think I am, in a couple of months time to make a film about drug trafficking. But who was Peter working with? Gangsters?’ David sounded shocked. Drugs were rampant in his line of business but thankfully he never succumbed to that particular temptation.

‘Are you? It’s a beautiful country and most of the people are so kind and generous. I’ve been there twice on holiday, the landscape is so varied and the beaches are magnificent. Or at least I thought it was a holiday, later I found out of course that for Peter they were business trips. But I’ve said too much David,’ Lauren felt exhausted.

‘But who? Was it gangsters or was he working alone, you’ve got to tell me,’ he was insistent.

‘I’m not certain,’ she lied, ‘maybe gangsters,’ but secretly she thought it was paramilitaries, using the drug business to support their so-called
“
C
ause
.
”
‘Please don’t repeat this to anyone,’ she begged him, ‘not even your family. Christ what must you think of me,’ putting he
r hand to her forehead and rubbing it intensely
.

‘What do you take me for!’ he
was annoyed at her distrust, ‘o
f course I won’t, but,’ he hesitated attempting a bribe, ‘but only if you tell me who
he was working with
.’

She stared at him, hesitant for a moment then reluctantly surrendering, ‘Terrorists.’

‘I’m sorry,’ leaning towards her David easily pulled her towards him softly hugging her as they went silent for a while wrapped in their own thoughts. Then they continued to talk about other little things with Lauren explaining why she sold her side of the business back to her parents. How she couldn’t stand the gossip, the sympathetic and sometimes patronizing looks from friends and business associates, David felt he could relate to that. Eventually they both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter 16

‘Mammy, oh Ma-mmy!’

Lauren could hear a little voice in the distance and somebody tugging at her, ‘What’s going on?’ Lauren opened her eyes to find her two children giggling. ‘What’s wrong?  Is it time for school?’ trying to move, she found her arm was stuck. She turned her head finding David still asleep and lying on her arm, ‘Oh, Shi…Sugar!’ remembering her children were there,
‘
What time is it?
’
she felt groggy and couldn’t get her head together.

‘It’s alright,’
Emma
acted out her motherly don’t panic act,
‘w
e’re dressed and waiting for breakfast
, there’s plenty of time,’ turning
away
and heading for the kitchen Emma
looked over her shoulder to Lauren, ‘Friends, huh?’

‘She’s getting too che
eky for her age,’ Lauren said aloud
deciding it was time she and the little madam had a chat.

Keith stared at David, ‘Is he our new daddy?’ turning to Lauren.

‘Oh no mister, he’s just a friend. We just fell asleep ‘cause we were talking ‘til very late,
’ Lauren was struggling to get her arm from under David.
‘C
an we talk about it later this
evening?
Is that okay?’ replying softly to him. 

Keith frowned, recognising h
is mood she gently suggested, ‘n
ow you run into the kitchen and
choose one of your
favourite cereal
s
,
I’ll follow in a minute.’

‘
How am
I going to get around this one
,’
she thought as she watched Keith leaving the room with a frown on his small forehead.

‘David,’ she nudged him, ‘David
, your flight is leaving in a few
hours, wake up.’

His eyes opened with a big grin appearing on his face, ‘I’m awake and boy is it going to be awkward to play down our relationship now.’

‘Did anybody ever call you a
pup
?’ she said thinking it was a perfect des
cription for him as she eventually
pull
ed
her arm out.

David raised his eyebrow
s, ‘No, what does it mean?’ sound
ing surprised.

‘I’ll leave you thinking about it and maybe you can work it out for yoursel
f. Now shift
or we’
ll be late for school.’

As they left the house together, David started walking towards the farm but then he turned back. ‘Oh, what’s he forgotten now,’ Lauren rolled down the car window.

Leaning in he looked at
Emma
and Keith speaking in French to them then he turned to Lauren looking straight into her eyes saying, ‘Thank you for everything, for the past
two
month
s
, for … just for everything. You’ve given me a strength I haven’t felt in a long time, never leave our hilltop please. You’re a friend we don’t want to lose, ever and I speak for my family
too
not just me,’ stretching in he held her head and softly kissed her on the lips then on the forehead. He walked away, not looking back.

‘Ahh, he’s a dreamboat,’
Emma
said dreamily.

‘
Emma
! You and I are going to have a long chat later, missy prim,’ Lauren played the shocked mother but couldn’t keep from smiling.

Keith turned to his sister, ‘Don’t worry, I’m in for one of those long chats too.’

‘Where do you two get your cheekiness? It’s definitely not my side of the family,’ she stated snootily, laughing as she drove off.

David entered by the back door; Gabrielle was putting on the kettle she looked at him disapprovingly, ‘Coffee?’ she asked bluntly.

‘No, thanks I’ve just had some,’ he rubbed his chin grinning at his mother’s huffed greeting, ‘Did you know Lauren gives her children cereals in the morning, ugh!’ David smirked but Gabrielle was not amused.

‘Oh La La! La La! La La!’ she grabbed her tea towel, ‘you promised, David.  Jean-Pierre talk to your son!’ she laughingly shouted as she tried to hit David with it. She could never lose her temper with her children always leaving the punishment to Jean-Pierre.

‘Maman, honestly!’ David tried to catch the tea towel, ‘honestly, we fell asleep on the couch. Please … Ouch!’
as
she caught his leg, ‘p
lease believe me,’ he decided his best option was to grab her around the waist, ‘you’re th
e only woman for me,’ laughing as he kissed his mother’s cheek
.

Later as Jean-Pierre and David drove to the airport, David decided to ask Jean-Pierre did he ever hear expres
sion of someone being called a
pup
, thinking it was a good way to bring up the subject of his friendship with Lauren. Jean-Pierre admitted no but had the feeling what was coming next, so he continued the conversation for David.

‘You like her don’t you,’ he stated.

‘We’re friends Papa, we both agreed it’s too early to see if our friendship will develop into anything more than that,’ David sounded disappointed.

‘Too early for Lauren, you mean,’ Jean-Pierre looked at him, he knew David recovered from the breakdown
of his marriage a long time ago
it was the
combination of the breakdown,
loss of
his
children
, bad relationships
and work pressure that affected him now.

David looked serious for a ch
ange, ‘k
eep an eye on her for me, Papa. I’m worried for her.’

‘Why?’ Jean-Pierre was surprised.

‘Why,’ David thought about his next sentence carefully, ‘because you too can see the sadness is still there, I’m afraid she’ll never lose it.’ David turned to look out the window
he could now see the airport, ‘d
o you know, we haven’t even kissed!’ he laughed but it wasn’t a jovial laugh.

‘It’s okay my son the family will be there for her,’ Jean-Pierre decided to add more h
oping David would understand, ‘t
his time we’ll get it right, I promise. Do you?’ 

David turned back to face his father fully comprehending what he was saying, ‘Yes, I promise too.’

Chapter 17

             
Dublin –
Paul drove into the castle grounds, his BMW sports car glided over the gravel driveway. Feeling little tingles of anticipation in his stomach, he tried to reassure and calm himself, ‘this is just another meeting, Paul. All will go well you’ve met these people before.’ But then he remembered he hadn’t met the Colombian or Dutch Ambassadors so he lightly corrected himself, ‘well at least I know the American and English representatives, so I’m halfway there.’

             
The meeting was hastily arranged via
private
telephone
personally
by An Taoiseach and all reluctantly agreed that only one bodyguard for each ambassador would be present, Paul didn’t even bring his own personal bodyguard, he hated the fact that he needed a shadow to watch his and others every move.

The castle was owned by a former An Taoiseach with the 15-acre grounds protected by the government’s special task force. It was one of the many privileges given to retired politicians fortunate enough to be elected to that throne and rich and powerful enough to still have influence within Dail Eireann’s walls. Although Paul had the feeling that this ex-Taoiseach needed as many favours as possible, there were too many government tribunals on-going and starting up and this guy was not enjoying his retirement as much as he had hoped, his name seemed to pop up in every tribunal discussion.

             
As he got out of his car, he was quickly ushered through the ancient grand entrance by one of the task force officers and directed to the left of the wide reception
hall with it
s two marble staircases gaping wide on either side of the magnificent walls. From a previous visit to the castle on a dinner invite, he knew this room was the old library. Entering he noted with relief he was the last to arrive, he nodded acknowledgement to Dec. Insp. O’Reilly and his colleague Dec. Sgt. Farrell and warmly greeted the other guests with handshakes, thanking them sincerely for giving up their precious and busy time at such short notice.

             
‘Okay,’ American Ambassador Whitaker cheerfully perked up, ‘enough of the political niceties crap, Paul. What the hell’s going down and what would you like to drink while you’re telling us?’

             
In the centre of the circular room with its smell of old leather bound books and wood was a long oak reading table, large enough for a dozen persons to sit comfortably and pour over whatever hidden treasure they found.

Paul immediately sat down and ushered the two detectives to join him, ‘I’ll have a cognac.’ It wasn’t his usual drink but he felt he needed one now, then as he opened his briefcase, a beautiful familiar face stared out at him, ‘Oh Christ,’ he whispered to himself, remembering who’s favourite drink it was.

Dec. Sgt. Farrell noticed Paul’s stunned expression following his minister’s hypnotized stare into the briefcase, ‘come on
Paul don’t fall apart on us now
we’re only at the beginning.’

             
A smooth whooshing sound of the rolling library stairs disturbed both Paul’s and Farrell’s thoughts, a tall and lean older man with smartly combed back white hair jumped off the ladder.