Sidney Sheldon (22 page)

Kelly stopped and listened.

“She must have gone crazy.”

“I’ve seen her turn down some of the handsomest men in the world, and the richest. What does she see in him?”

One of the models who had been quiet spoke up. “It’s very simple,” she said.

“What is?”

“You’ll laugh.” She hesitated.

“Go ahead.”

“Did you ever hear the phrase ‘seeing someone through the eyes of love’?”

No one laughed.

T
HE WEDDING TOOK
place at the Ministry of Justice, in Paris, and all the models were there as bridesmaids. Outside on the street, there was a large crowd that had heard about the marriage of the model Kelly. The paparazzi were there in full force.

Sam Meadows was Mark’s best man. “Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Meadows asked.

Mark and Kelly looked at each other. They had not even thought about a honeymoon.

Mark said, “Er—” He picked a place at random. “Saint Moritz.”

Kelly smiled uneasily. “Yes. Saint Moritz.”

N
EITHER OF THEM
had been to Saint Moritz before, and the view was breathtaking, an endless vista of majestic mountains and lush valleys.

Badrutt’s Palace Hotel nested high on a hill. Mark had called ahead for reservations, and when they arrived, the manager welcomed them. “Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Harris. I have the honeymoon suite all ready for you.”

Mark stalled for a moment. “Could—could we have twin beds put in the suite?”

The manager asked tonelessly, “Twin beds?”

“Er—yes, please.”

“Why—certainly.”

“Thank you.” Mark turned to Kelly. “There are a lot of interesting things to see here.” He pulled a list from his pocket. “The Engadine Museum, the Druid stone, St. Mauritius fountain, the leaning tower…”

W
HEN MARK AND
Kelly were alone in their suite, Mark said, “Darling, I don’t want the situation to make you uncomfortable. We’re just doing this to stop any gossip. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. And what we’re going to share is much more important than anything physical. I just want to be with you and I want you to be with me.”

Kelly threw her arms around him and hugged him. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

Mark smiled. “You don’t have to say anything.”

T
HEY HAD DINNER
downstairs and then went back to their suite. Twin beds had been put in the master bedroom.

“Should we toss a coin?”

Kelly smiled. “No, you take whichever one you like.”

When Kelly came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Mark was in bed.

Kelly walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed. “Mark, are you sure this is going to work for you?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Good night, my beautiful darling.”

“Good night.”

Kelly got into her bed and lay there, thinking. Reliving the night that had changed her life.
Shhh! Don’t make a sound…. If you tell your mother about this, I’ll come back and kill her.
What that monster had done to her had taken over her whole life. He had killed something in her, and made her afraid of the dark…afraid of men…afraid of love. She had given him power over her.
I’m not going to let him. Not anymore.
All the emotions she had repressed over the years, all the passion that had been building up in her, exploded like a dam bursting. Kelly looked over at Mark and suddenly wanted him desperately. She threw back the covers and walked over to his bed. “Move over,” she whispered.

Mark sat up, surprised. “You said you—you didn’t want me in your bed, and I—”

Kelly looked at him and said softly, “But I didn’t say I couldn’t be in
your
bed.” She watched the look on his face as she took off her nightgown and slid into bed beside him. “Make love to me,” she whispered.

“Oh, Kelly! Yes!”

He started softly and gently.
Too softly. Too gently.
The floodgates had opened, and Kelly needed him urgently. She made violent love to him, and she had never felt anything so wonderful in her life.

When they were lying in each other’s arms, resting, Kelly said, “You know that list you showed me?”

“Yes.”

She said softly, “You can throw it away.”

Mark grinned.

“What a fool I’ve been,” Kelly said. She held Mark close, and
they talked, and made love again, and finally they were both exhausted.

“I’ll turn out the lights,” Mark said.

She tensed and squeezed her eyes shut. She started to say no, but as she felt his warm body close to her, protecting her, she said nothing.

When Mark turned out the lights, Kelly opened her eyes.

Kelly was no longer afraid of the dark. She—

“K
ELLY
? K
ELLY
!”

She was jolted out of her reverie. She looked up, and she was back in the Fifth Avenue jewelry shop in New York, and Joseph Berry was holding out a thick envelope to her.

“Here you are. Twenty thousand dollars, in hundred-dollar bills, just as you requested.”

It took Kelly a moment to get her bearings. “Thank you.”

Kelly opened the envelope, extracted ten thousand dollars, and handed it to Diane.

Diane looked at her, puzzled. “What’s this?”

“This is your half.”

“For what? I can’t—”

“You can pay me back later.” Kelly shrugged. “If we’re still around. If we’re not around, I won’t need it anyway. Now let’s see if we can get out of here.”

O
N LEXINGTON AVENUE,
Diane hailed a cab.

“Where are we going?”

“To La Guardia airport.”

Kelly looked at Diane in surprise. “Don’t you know they’ll be watching all the airports?”

“I hope so.”

“What are you—?” Kelly groaned. “You have a plan, right?”

Diane patted Kelly’s hand and smiled. “Right.”

A
T LA GUARDIA
,
Kelly followed Diane inside the terminal to the US Airways ticket counter.

The agent behind the counter said, “Good morning. Can I help you?”

Diane smiled. “Yes, we’d like two coach tickets to Los Angeles.”

“When would you like to leave?”

“On the first available flight. Our names are Diane Stevens and Kelly Harris.”

Kelly winced.

The ticket agent was consulting a schedule. “The next plane will be boarding at two-fifteen.”

“Perfect.” Diane looked at Kelly.

Kelly managed a weak smile. “Perfect.”

“Will that be cash or credit card?”

“Cash.” Diane handed him the money.

As they walked away, Kelly said, “Why don’t we just put up a neon sign telling Kingsley where we are?”

Diane said, “You worry too much.”

They started to pass the American Airlines booth. Diane stopped and walked up to the ticket agent. “We’d like two coach tickets to Miami on the next flight out of here.”

“Certainly.” The ticket agent checked the schedule. “That flight will be boarding in three hours.”

“Fine. Our names are Diane Stevens and Kelly Harris.”

Kelly closed her eyes for an instant.

“Credit card or cash?”

“Cash.”

Diane paid the clerk and he handed her their tickets.

Kelly said, “Is this how we’re going to outwit these geniuses? This wouldn’t fool a ten-year-old.”

Diane started walking toward the airport exit.

Kelly hurried after her. “Where are you going?”

“We’re going to—”

“Never mind. I don’t think I want to know.”

T
HERE WAS A
row of taxis in front of the airport. When the two women walked out of the terminal, one of the taxis pulled out of line
and drove up in front of the entrance. Kelly and Diane got into the cab.

“Where to, please?”

“Kennedy airport.”

Kelly said, “I don’t know if
they’re
going to be confused, but I sure am. I still wish we had some kind of weapon to protect ourselves.”

“I don’t know where we could find a Howitzer.”

The taxi went into gear. Diane leaned forward to examine the driver’s photo ID:
MARIO SILVA
.

“Mr. Silva, do you think that you can get us to Kennedy without being followed?”

They could see his grin in the mirror. “You came to the right party, lady.”

He pressed down on the accelerator and made a sudden U-turn. At the first corner, he drove halfway down the street, then sped into an alley.

The women looked through the rear window. There were no cars behind them.

Mario Silva’s grin widened. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Kelly said.

For the next thirty minutes, Mario Silva kept making unexpected turns and going down small side streets, to make sure no one could follow them. Finally, the taxi pulled up in front of the main entrance to Kennedy airport.

“We’re here,” Mario Silva announced triumphantly.

Diane took some bills from her purse. “There’s something extra for you.”

The driver took the money and smiled. “Thanks.” He sat in his cab, watching his two passengers walk into the Kennedy terminal. When they were out of sight, he picked up his cell phone.

“Tanner Kingsley.”

A
T THE DELTA
Airlines counter, the ticket agent glanced up at the board. “Yes, we do have two tickets available on the flight you want. It leaves at five-fifty
P.M
. There’s a one-hour layover in Madrid, and the plane arrives in Barcelona at nine-twenty
A.M
.”

“That will be fine,” Diane said.

“Will that be credit card or cash?”

“Cash.”

Diane handed the ticket agent the money and turned to Kelly.

“Let’s wait in the lounge.”

T
HIRTY MINUTES LATER
,
Harry Flint was on his cell phone talking to Tanner.

“I got the information you asked for. They’re flying Delta to Barcelona. Their plane leaves Kennedy at five-fifty this evening, with a one-hour layover in Madrid. They’ll arrive in Barcelona at nine-twenty in the morning.”

“Good. You’ll take a company jet to Barcelona, Mr. Flint, and meet them there when they arrive. I’m counting on you to give them a warm welcome.”

As Tanner hung up, Andrew walked in. He was wearing a boutonniere in his lapel. “Here are the schedules for the—”

“What the hell is
that
?”

Andrew was confused. “You asked me to bring—”

“I’m not talking about those. I’m talking about that stupid flower you have on.”

Andrew’s face lit up. “I’m wearing it to your wedding. I’m your best man.”

Tanner frowned. “What the hell are you—?” And the realization suddenly struck him. “That was seven years ago, you cretin, and there was no wedding. Now get your ass out of here!”

Andrew stood there, stunned, trying to understand what was happening.

“Out!”

Tanner watched his brother leave the office.
I should have put him away somewhere,
he thought.
The time is coming
.

T
HE TAKEOFF ON
the flight to Barcelona was smooth and uneventful.

Kelly looked out the window at New York fading into the distance. “Do you think we got away with it?”

Diane shook her head. “No. Sooner or later they’ll find a way to track us down. But at least we’ll be over there.” She pulled the computer printout from her purse and studied it. “Sonja Verbrugge, in Berlin, who’s dead and whose husband is missing…Gary Reynolds, in Denver…” She hesitated. “Mark and Richard…”

Kelly looked at the printout. “So, we’re going to Paris, Berlin, Denver, and back to New York.”

“Right. We’ll cross the border into France at San Sebastián.”

K
ELLY WAS LOOKING
forward to getting back to Paris. She wanted to talk to Sam Meadows. She had a feeling he was going to be helpful. And Angel would be waiting for her.

“Have you ever been to Spain?”

“Mark took me there once. It was the most—” Kelly was silent for a long time. “Do you know the problem I’m going to have for the rest of my life, Diane? There’s no one in the whole wide world like Mark. You know, when you’re a kid, you read about people falling in love, and suddenly the world’s a magical place. That’s the kind of marriage
Mark and I had.” She looked at Diane. “You probably felt that way about Richard.”

Diane said quietly, “Yes.”

“What was Mark like?” Diane asked.

Kelly smiled. “There was something wonderfully childlike about him. I always felt that he had the mind of a child and the brain of a genius.” She gave a little chuckle.

“What?”

“The way he used to dress. On our first date, he wore a badly fitting gray suit, with brown shoes, a green shirt, and a bright red tie. After we were married, I saw to it that he was dressed properly.” She was silent. When she spoke, her voice was choked. “Do you know something? I would give anything to see Mark again, wearing that gray suit, with brown shoes, a green shirt, and a bright red tie.” Her eyes were moist. “Mark enjoyed surprising me with gifts. But his greatest gift was that he taught me how to love.” She dried her eyes with a handkerchief. “Tell me about Richard.”

Diane smiled. “He was a romantic. When we got into bed at night, he would say, ‘Press my secret button,’ and I would laugh and say, ‘I’m glad no one is taping this.’ ” She looked at Kelly and said, “His secret button was the ‘do not disturb’ key on the telephone. Richard told me that we were in a castle, all alone, and the key on the phone was the moat that kept the world at bay.” Diane thought of something and laughed. “He was a brilliant scientist and he enjoyed repairing things around the house. He would fix leaky faucets or electrical shorts, and I always had to call experts in to fix what Richard had repaired. I never told him.”

They talked until almost midnight.

Diane realized that it was the first time they had spoken about their husbands. It was as though some invisible barrier between them had evaporated.

Kelly yawned. “We’d better get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow’s going to be an exciting day.”

She had no idea how exciting.

H
ARRY FLINT ELBOWED
his way through the crowd at El Prat airport in Barcelona and walked up to the large plate glass window that overlooked the runway. He turned his head to scan the board that listed the arrivals and departures. The plane from New York was on schedule, due to arrive in thirty minutes. Everything was moving according to plan. Flint sat down and waited.

Half an hour later the plane landed and the New York flight began to disembark. The passengers all seemed excited—a typical planeload of carefree tourists, traveling salesmen, children, and couples on their honeymoons. Flint was careful to stay out of sight of the exit ramp as he watched the stream of travelers pour into the terminal, and then finally trickle to a stop. He frowned. There was no sign of Diane or Kelly. Flint waited another five minutes, then started to go through the boarding gate.

“Sir, you can’t go through here.”

Flint snapped, “FAA. We have national security information about a package that is hidden in the lavatory of this plane. I was ordered to inspect it immediately.”

Flint was already moving toward the tarmac. As he reached the plane, the crew was beginning to depart.

A flight attendant asked, “May I help you?”

“FAA inspection,” Flint said.

He walked up the steps into the plane. There were no passengers in sight.

The flight attendant asked, “Is there a problem?”

“Yes. A possible bomb.”

She watched as Flint strode to the end of the cabin and pulled open the rest-room doors. The rooms were empty.

The women had disappeared.

“T
HEY WEREN’T ON
the plane, Mr. Kingsley.”

Tanner’s voice was dangerously soft. “Mr. Flint, did you see them board the plane?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And were they still aboard when the plane took off?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I think we can safely reason that they either jumped out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without parachutes or that they disembarked in Madrid. Do you agree with that?”

“Of course, Mr. Kingsley. But—”

“Thank you. So, that means they intend to go from Madrid to France by way of San Sebastián.” He paused. “They have four choices: they can take a different flight to Barcelona or get there by train, bus, or car.” Tanner was thoughtful for a moment. “They will probably feel that buses, planes, and trains are too confining. Logic tells me that they will drive to the San Sebastián border to get into France.”

“If—”

“Do not interrupt me, Mr. Flint. It should take them about five hours to drive from Madrid to San Sebastián. Here’s what I want you to do. Fly to Madrid. Check all the airport rental-car places. Find out what kind of car they rented—color, make, everything.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then I want you to fly back to Barcelona and rent a car—a large one. Lie in wait for them along the highway to San Sebastián. I don’t want them to reach the border. And Mr. Flint—”

“Yes, sir?”

“Remember—make it look like an accident.”