Lethal Affair (47 page)

“
My supervisor. She's in her
office.”

Holding Cookie firmly, Jolene marched
off with the attendant. Kylie joined her mother who was making
kissy noises at the dalmatian puppy.

“
Jolene is in
love.”

Rita's laugh tinkled. “Ah well, who
wouldn't love that big ape of a man? He's not only gorgeous, but he
can cook Julia Child under the table if you ask me.”

“
I meant Cookie.” At Rita's
puzzled look. “The dog. Her name's Cookie.”

“
Oh. Rats.”

“
Why do you say
that?”

“
That's what I was going to
call this little cutie. I've decided it's high time your father and
I get a little furry companion. And don't look at me like that. I
know she'll grow up and get big and maybe slobbery, and I'll have
poops to deal with and cursing to do. But I just can't leave this
poor little sweetie here. They euthanize the ones who aren't
claimed after a certain amount of time. Little Oreo will have a
good, long life instead.”

“
Oreo?”

“
My backup name. Suits her,
doesn't it, with her black spots on white.”

They found Jolene seated at a desk
opposite a formidable looking woman with a shock of thick, gray
hair and piercing, ice blue malamute eyes.

Rita wasted no time. “I'm Rita, this
is my daughter Kylie.”

“
Victoria Stillwater.” She
shook the proffered hand. “Call me Vickie.”

“
We want to take home two
dogs today. I understand there are rules, but you know what they
say about those, right?”

“
Ma'am, the rules are in
place to protect the animals. Many are traumatized and
we...”

“
You're welcome to come and
inspect my home as well as Jolene's today,” Rita interrupted.
“Let's get started right away. Who's in charge of the
evaluation?”

“
No one right now. That's
the problem. We had a recent set-back and haven't been able to get
back on our feet yet.”

“
Oh? What kind of
set-back?”

“
One of our volunteer
veterinarians was... is not able to come in anymore, so we've had
to shuffle some of the duties around.”

Dead silence prevailed for about five
seconds. Then Kylie spoke quietly. “That veterinarian, was it Gina
Kirby?”

“
Why, yes. How...?” Her eyes
suddenly welled with tears.

“
Vickie,” Rita said, handing
her a tissue, “we know what happened to her. Jolene has a male
terrier waiting to welcome home little Cookie. He was the dog she
was treating the night Miss Kirby got... well, the night she
died.”

Vickie rose accusing eyes to Kylie. “I
thought I'd recognized you. You're the one in the papers, the one
that maniac is harassing. It's because of you that Gina's
dead.”

The statement impacted Kylie like a
sucker punch.

Jolene intervened. “The newspapers
sell sensationalism. They vamp things up to reach sales quotas. The
real fact is that Kylie's a heroine who saved a young boy from
being one of his victims. Being a maniac's target doesn't make it
your fault.” She hugged Cookie tighter who didn't seem to mind.
“All the more reason to hand over these dogs. We need
protection.”

All three women stared at Jolene whose
little terrier would more than likely be the one needing
protection. Vickie's tears dissolved to laughter. Infectious,
Jolene's unwitting remark provided the humor that at last broke the
ice.

Vickie dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
“Alright ladies, let's see what we can do.” She got on her computer
and pulled up a file. “Let's go over the dalmatian's history
first.”

*

Officially engaged to Lyle, Jolene
rarely showed up at the girls' apartment. He'd replaced her tin
foil ring with a sapphire encrusted gold band, and although
thrilled with the piece she'd tucked away the tin foil version,
claiming she would keep it forever.

Will got his vehicle back from the
police yard and later from his mechanic with a new break fluid line
installed. He wouldn't leave Kylie on her own. Today was no
exception when he convinced her to accompany him to the Langford
diner. On the way Kylie was distant, her gaze turned inward as the
waning sun played over her profile, dapples of pale light on even
paler skin. The recent events had cut her appetite and to Will's
mind she couldn't afford to lose more weight. Her spirits were
dipping below a healthy line.

Understandable.

“
What's going through that
gorgeous head of yours?”

She tuned back in with haunted eyes.
“I was thinking about my Mom and Dad. They have a puppy. Never
thought I'd see the day. My Dad has always been in neutral with
animals, but if you would've seen him a couple of days ago when my
Mom presented him with Oreo; there are no words to describe his
actual joy.”

“
I have an uncle who swears
his dog is the best psychiatrist ever. He pours out his problems to
the hound and before he knows it he's totally de-stressed. Works
every time. Said his dog forces him to exercise too. If he doesn't
take him for a walk every day he feels guilty. He's in pretty good
shape for an old geezer.”

“
Who? Your uncle or the
hound?”

Good. Her sense of humor was still
intact. “Let's hope it's both.”

“
My parents' new motto is,
life is too short to go without the things within reach.
Procrastination has flown out the window.”

“
Must be a side effect of
almost losing their daughter to a psycho.”

“
How's Max
doing?”

That had come out of left field.
“Julia says he's settled into the idea of having Tom around. He's
back in school so his days are busy. It's costing us an arm and a
leg, but his hockey team is happy to have him for another
year.”

“
Huh. Well, it's good he's
back to normal activities, but what I meant was...”

“
He's a hardy soul. Besides,
how many kids have that kind of story to tell about how they spent
their summer?”

“
He's not writing an essay
on it, is he?”

“
Don't think the teacher
would encourage that. But I'm pretty sure he's popular as cool kids
go right now.”

“
Guess the wow factor
overrides the harsh reality.”

“
Or makes it easier to deal
with.”

“
And life goes on. But here
we are, still in limbo.”

The tension crept back in no matter
how many light moments he could breathe into her day. Frankly he
was too busy to want to give Drew Hammond another thought. Having
disappeared down whatever hole he was hiding in, Hammond was
lulling them all into a false sense of security. Will realized his
attitude had unwittingly become too lackadaisical.

Kylie was back in her pensive world as
he pulled into the Langford Diner's now paved lot. He started to
get out but Kylie laid a hand on his arm decisively. The pained
look on her face had his guard up immediately.

“
Will, we've been through
things that most people will never experience in their
lifetime.”

He tried to speak but she shushed him.
“Hear me out. I put your child in mortal danger. I brought this
real life horror show into your home and business. You say you love
me and I know you mean it, but if you're living in the moment,
taking it one day at a time like you mentioned at some point, you
might decide you don't want anything more to do with me. You could
rue the day you met me in so many ways you might never
recover.”

He remained silent, sensing there was
something he didn't want to hear coming.

Her stomach rolled a little. She was
sick with what she needed to say next. “Here's what's happening.
I'm cutting the cord Delaney. At least until Drew is out of the
picture one way or another. You're off the hook. No more
babysitting me.”

Incredulity blossomed. “That's what
you think? His voice was even but his eyes sparked with fury.
“You're pushing me away because you think my love is temporary? You
must think I'm tremendously shallow. Are you the one having second
thoughts about loving me, Kylie? Does Hammond's rampage even have
anything to do with this decision of yours?”

Kylie's stubborn streak kicked in.
“Doesn't matter.” Her voice sounded overly petulant and harsh.
“Don't you get it? This way I won't bring more grief into your life
while you figure out where you want things to go.”

“
Stop.” It was his quietly
calm tone that had her clamping her mouth shut. “Don't say that
again. Ever. Hammond's got you exactly where he wants you; in
doubt, questioning yourself. Questioning me. Possibly a little
insane or you wouldn't be saying these ludicrous things right now.
Don't let him win. We need to stand together as a solid unit and I
won't have it any other way.”

The fury died, replaced by
hurt.

“
You think by handing me a
get-out-of-jail card I'll happily slink off?” he continued. “If
ever there comes a time when you truly don't want me in your life,
I will walk away no matter how hard it is and never bother you
again.” His eyes blazed with the blatant pain she'd inflicted. “But
not like this. Kylie, I know you love me, and damn it, I love you
like I've never loved anyone other than my son. If we split now
you'll be giving Hammond exactly what he wants. It will be his
triumph and your... no, our loss. I know what you just said was
because you care about me and Max, and not for any other
reason.”

A strange mix of emotion infused her.
Will was no fool, no game player, a no bullshit guy. He'd cut right
to the heart of the matter, seen through her angst, dissected and
discarded it just like that.

He wasn't through. “Maybe you think
you could protect me by walking away, and maybe you're right. But
what about your parents, Jolene, or anybody else on Hammond's sick
list? Cripes, he even wanted to kill Dino. Are you going to disown
everyone in your life now? It's exactly what he wants, to isolate
you and take everything that's good away from you.”

Hearing the logic, the love he spoke
of, Kylie shook her head affirmatively, her lashes glistening with
the onset of tears.

She blinked them back, crumbling. “Oh
God, I'm so fucking confused. I just want this to be over, one way
or another.”

He folded her in his arms and she let
the floodgates open as he held her in the dim light of the Jeep's
cab. “It's times of trouble that test the depth of the love you
feel for someone. Whether you stick or come unglued is what
measures that depth.” He took a deep breath. “Don't pull that one
on me again, okay? I'm not sure my heart can take it. You nearly
gave me a coronary just now.”

Between sobs she laughed. “You're a
strong guy Will Delaney, in every sense of the word. I'm lucky to
have you, and since you're determined to stick like glue, I have a
confession for you.”

For that he had to see her face, so he
eased her back and wiped away the tears.

“
I'm going to do a one
eighty and take a page from Jolene's book. She's always known what
she's wanted and gone after it full force. Add in the fact that my
parents got a dog. They're not putting things off anymore and
neither am I. Will, I want to take over your little greenhouse, to
move into your house and into your life. All the way. When Jolene
and Lyle get married I'll have to move anyway. The rent on our
apartment is too steep for me and I don't want another roommate. So
that's the deal. I know it sounds like an ultimatum, but I'm a
great housekeeper and I can cook when I put my mind to it. Those
are my terms. What do you say to that?”

“
You want to see how serious
I am about you.”

She speared him with a look that fell
short of confident.

“
Kylie, you're stealing my
thunder.” He opened the glove compartment, took out a small box and
presented it to her.

A beat as her heart fluttered, then
she snapped it open. It was an amethyst set amongst smaller ones on
a loop of white gold. Her lips parted but no words came
out.

“
It's the color of your
eyes. I was saving this moment for a more romantic setting but I
figure this is the best time, here and now.” He paused and took a
deep, steadying breath, and then took the plunge. “Marry
me?”

“
Oh. Wow.” She couldn't tear
her eyes off the spectacular piece.

“
I had it the day of our
visit to the Esquimalt Lagoon but I figure with everything that's
been going on you'd be too muddled to give me a straight answer.
What I feel here,” he placed a hand over his heart, “has been
strong and steady since day one.”

She looked up at him and smiled
radiantly. “Here I was, trying to shove you out of my life and
making myself miserable with the mere thought of it. Yes, yes I'll
marry you.”

He beamed at her. “Should we make it a
double wedding?”

Bemusedly, “If they're game we can
shoot for it.”

He took the ring from the box and put
it on her finger. “There. Now there's no getting away from
me.”