The Keeping (43 page)

“You mean, you and
he never...?”

Lucy made a wry
face. “Nope. We never.”

“But I thought you
said you’d...well...you know...with everyone.”

“Well, almost
everyone, but not Armand. I’ve teased him and ignored him and
practically thrown myself at him, but he never responded. I’d
actually wondered if he might be gay or celibate or something, but
now, I don’t know what to think!”

Mel sat back and
frowned. “Gee Lucy, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe he’s had a
secret crush on you all this time.”

“Then why did he
have to wait until I was leaving to do something about it?” Lucy
folded her arms, her face a study of consternation.

“Well...maybe he
needed the idea of you leaving to shake him up a bit.”

“I don’t know... I
suppose it’s a possibility.”

Studying her
friend’s face, Mel watched the myriad of emotions that passed over
it. Hmm... it appeared that Lucy had a crush on the bearish man but
now that he seemed to be finally returning her interest, she didn’t
know what to do about it, especially given the timing. “How would
you feel about it, if Armand had his eye on you?”

Lucy furrowed her
brow, considering the idea. “I’m not sure. For years I’ve been
saying that I want out of Stump River so I can make a fresh start,
but then again Armand is really good to me...” She gave a confused
whimper. “I just don’t know.”

“Well, this week
away might be the perfect time to get things in perspective.”

“Yeah, maybe so.”
Lucy was silent for a moment, before turning the tables on her
companion. “And how do you feel about leaving Ryne?”

“Ryne?” Mel
snorted and turned away, folding her arms across her chest then
wincing as her arm protested the motion. “I don’t want to ever see
him again. He’s nothing but a lying bastard.” Something inside her
quivered as she spoke the words, almost as if part of her was
protesting the thought, which was ridiculous. After the way he’d
treated her, the things he’d said; nothing could redeem him in her
eyes.

“Ouch! Is all that
anger just over him backing out of the interview?”

“Yes...No... Some
of it is and some of it is because of stuff he said.” Mel took a
quivering breath as the hurt she felt bubbled to the surface. “He
said I was only moderately entertaining and that...well...I wasn’t
worth very much in bed.”

“Ryne said that?”
Lucy looked aghast. “I don’t believe it.”

“It’s not the sort
of thing I’d imagine.”

“No... Of course
not, but...there must have been a reason. Ryne’s not usually quite
that rude. He isn’t exactly what people would call refined, but
usually he’s a decent guy.”

“Not with me, he
isn’t.” Mel glowered at the back of the seat in front of her as
Ryne’s words echoed in her head.

“Well, I wasn’t
there, so I don’t know exactly what happened, but I bet there’s
something else going on. Something we don’t know about that made
him act that way.”

Mel shook her
head, unwilling to hear anything that might exonerate the man. Lucy
sighed and turned away, probably realizing that her companion
wasn’t in a receptive mood. A silence fell between them and Mel
became lost in thought over recent events. It kept her occupied for
the remainder of the flight but by the time they landed in Chicago,
she had no clear answers as to what demon had made Ryne act as he
did. From the look on Lucy’s face, the other woman hadn’t been
successful in her musings, either.

Suppressing a
derisive snort, Mel stiffly rose from her seat and prepared to
depart the plane. Wasn’t this just fine and dandy. Here she and
Lucy were ready for an exciting week together exploring Chicago,
and instead of planning girl friend fun, they’d spent the last few
hours dwelling on the men they’d left several hundred miles
away.

*****

They survived the
wait at Immigration and even found their luggage with minimal
difficulty. Luck continued to be with them as they easily got a
taxi-cab and headed towards their destination—her apartment. Lucy
enjoyed the ride, exclaiming over the large buildings, multi-laned
highways, and throngs of people. By time the trip came to an end,
even the taciturn driver was smiling over her enthusiasm. As they
climbed out of the cab, Mel was uncomfortably aware that her
neighbourhood was going to be a let-down for her friend. The
rundown buildings, weedy cracked sidewalks and the constant rumble
from the nearby public transit was quite a change from Stump River.
However, Lucy either didn’t care or notice, instead chattering
about what she hoped to do during her visit.

After climbing the
stairs—the elevator was out of order again—Mel unlocked her
apartment door and pushed it open. Stale air wafted into their
faces, only slightly more pleasant than the scent in the hallway,
where the smell of boiled cabbage was predominant.

“Here we are, home
sweet home.” Mel ushered Lucy inside and shut the door,
automatically chaining it, and turning the various locks.

“I don’t think
I’ve ever seen that many locks on a door. Do you use them all the
time?” Lucy stared in apparent amazement.

Mel nodded. “Yep.
This isn’t the safest of neighbourhoods. The crime rate is high;
theft, drugs, assaults... You can’t be too careful.”

“But what about
the people next door? What if they want to pop in for a visit? All
that locking and unlocking must get tiring.”

“Lucy, quite
frankly I don’t even know the names of the people next door...” She
paused and then qualified her answer. “Well, I do know one person’s
name but that’s only because I hear the woman calling it out when
they’re...”

“Having sex? You
can hear that? Ew!” Lucy wrinkled her nose and Mel laughed at her
obvious distaste.

“Yeah. I agree.
The walls are pretty thin, but the rent’s cheap.” Mel flopped down
on the sofa and closed her eyes. Travelling was tiring at the best
of times and this infection, or whatever was wrong with her, seemed
to be draining all her energy. If she didn’t feel better by
morning, she’d have to go to a clinic; there went more money she
didn’t have.

“You look all done
in, Mel. Why don’t you go to bed? I can take care of myself.”

Forcing her eyes
open, she tried to sound perky for the sake of her guest. “No. I
invited you to come with me. Just let me rest for a few minutes and
then I’ll head to the corner store and get some groceries.”

Lucy folded her
arms and raised her brows. “Nonsense. You rest. I can go out. It’ll
be my first adventure in Chicago.”

It was a short
lived argument and soon Mel was lying in bed while Lucy left to
purchase food. The cool sheets felt good against her hot skin and
she began to relax, enjoying the first bit of peace and quiet she’d
experienced in several days.

Her eyes drifted
shut only to snap open when she heard a voice beside her. Startled,
she sat up and looked around, but no one was there. Grumbling about
noisy neighbours, she glared at the adjoining walls. She debated
banging on the plastered surface but knew from previous experience
it would do little good. Instead she flopped back down and put the
pillow over her head, determined to get some rest. A moment later,
the voice spoke again, the murmuring indistinguishable, yet
definitely nearby. Mel stiffened, feeling the hairs rising on the
back of her neck. There was definitely someone speaking, another
presence close at hand. Slowly she removed the pillow from her face
and glanced nervously about, trying to determine the source. It
wasn’t coming from the walls or the dead clock-radio beside her
bed, yet there was no doubt she was hearing a voice. A shiver ran
over her as she recalled the dubious stain that had been on the
carpet when she’d moved in. Had it been blood? Was her apartment
haunted?

As soon as the
idea popped into her head, she scoffed at her own foolishness. No,
she wasn’t going down that road again, not after what happened last
time at Ryne’s house. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on the
sound. Hmm... It seemed to be...inside her head? But how could that
be?

She tugged on her
ear and gave her head a shake before listening again. There! It was
definitely a voice! Furrowing her brow she tried to decipher what
was being said, but the sound faded away to nothing. Just as
suddenly as it had appeared, the voice was gone. Mel swallowed and
pushed her hair from her face with a shaking hand. Was she losing
her mind? No. Of course, not. She was overtired, that was all. Rest
was what she needed.

Latching onto the
idea like a lifeline, Mel forced herself to calm down. Plumping her
pillows, she wiggled into a comfortable position, closed her eyes,
and breathed deeply. No voices resounded in her head. A relieved
smile crept onto her face. Yep, overtired, that’s all it was. Her
muscles relaxed and she sank into the softness of her mattress.
Sleep, glorious sleep...everything was calm and quiet...she was
just on the edge...drifting away... Darn! The phone rang and her
eyes popped open.

Well, she wasn’t
getting up to answer it. Whoever was on the line could just leave a
message. She rolled onto her side and firmly shut her eyes again.
Unfortunately, as much as she tried to ignore it, Mel’s curiosity
clicked in and she couldn’t help but strain to hear who was calling
when the machine turned on. Aldrich’s supercilious voice filled the
room.

“Ms. Greene? Pick
up the phone.....” Immediately, she identified the voice as
belonging to Mr. Aldrich. He huffed when she didn’t comply. “I know
you’re home. You can pretend you aren’t, but rest assured I have my
sources.... Fine. Play games if you wish, but I’ll still expect you
at my office at ten o’clock tomorrow morning with a complete
report. No excuses, unless you’re prepared to face legal
proceedings for the return of the funds advanced to you. And make
no mistake; I have the papers here on my desk, ready to be filed.
By time I’m done with you, you won’t have a penny left.”

Mel groaned.
Wasn’t this just great. How had the man known she was home? It
hadn’t been three hours since she’d stepped off the plane. He must
have spies at the airport. Well, it was fine and dandy for him to
want a report, but there wasn’t one! Mr.
Ryne-pain-in-the-ass-Taylor had only given her the most meagre
details about himself. All she really knew was how he took
pictures. How in heaven’s name was she supposed to write a report
when the only information she had...

Hmm... Mel nibbled
on her lip as she considered a possible solution. Those pictures
from Ryne’s camera were still on her computer. While she’d never
looked at them, she hadn’t dumped the recycle bin, either. Maybe...
Dragging herself out of bed, she found her laptop and turned it on.
If she studied the pictures carefully enough, she might be able to
gather enough information to satisfy Aldrich, at least for a while.
What Greyson would think of the report was another story since
she’d never dealt with him in person, but she’d cross that bridge
when she came to it.

Opening the
picture file, she leaned close to study the images trying to ignore
the wave of guilt that washed over her. Ryne hadn’t wanted her
looking at these. Mel hesitated, glancing around her apartment. The
furniture was old, the decorations cheap; it wasn’t much, but it
was all she had. The thought of losing everything she owned gave
her a sinking feeling—what would it be like to start over, with
absolutely nothing?

She furrowed her
brow. Surely, Ryne was over-reacting. Letting the world know a
little bit about his life wasn’t such a bad thing. Still trying to
convince herself that she wasn’t doing anything
that
wrong,
Mel began to analyze the images on the screen.

*****

It was four in the
morning. Mel rubbed her gritty eyes and then arched her back before
clicking on save. The report—such as it was—was complete. She’d
read it over again in the morning before printing, but didn’t think
there was much else she could add to it.

By examining the
pictures on her laptop and noting their sequence, she’d been able
to piece together a plausible background for Ryne. Much of it was
supposition, but if the man didn’t grant interviews, who would ever
know? And there were
some
concrete facts. His work on cars
and the restoration of that house were facts. He’d mentioned
running, and by the look of his lean muscled body—she suppressed
the physical response the image invoked—he must be into fitness.
The photography lessons he’d given her had provided insight into
his techniques and even his street-crossing lessons with Harley
showed a love of animals. Mel was actually rather impressed with
herself over what she’d managed to piece together.

In some places,
she had really stretched things. A picture of an older couple in
front of a large house had her writing that he had a large extended
family, and wanted a big family himself one day. After all, she
reasoned, why would he have purchased that oversized monstrosity
outside Stump River, if he was going to live there all alone?

Their dinner at
Armand’s had allowed her to state that he enjoyed life’s simple
pleasures; cold beer, time spent with friends and a good movie...
Her more ‘personal’ experiences with him, and his sexual prowess,
however, were definitely
not
included. Some things just
weren’t meant to be shared!

The piece de
resistance of the whole report was her deduction regarding where
Ryne took his pictures. Mel knew that for some reason Greyson was
extremely interested in that point and felt he’d be pleased with
her sleuthing. The background, clothing, numbering of the pictures
and even the weather, led her to believe all were taken on the same
day somewhere near Smythston, Oregon. Even more exciting was the
fact that in one picture, she was sure she saw wolves in the
distance. The image was fuzzy, but unmistakeably some form of
canine. If Greyson was looking for where a certain wolf picture had
originated, she was sure she’d found his answer.