The Twelfth Of Never: A suspense mystery romantic thriller (20 page)

But the end result was a big ball at the end of the fork.
Gideon laughed. He slid the noodles off his fork and then picked up a few
noodles, this time with better results. They talked while they ate and laughed
some more. It was the first time in ages that Jenny had felt at ease. Somehow
she forgot about all that had troubled her earlier, but the feeling would not
last. It was Gideon who broke the spell.

"Did you notice whether anything was missing?" he
asked when he finished the last bite of spaghetti.

Getting back to the business at hand, Jenny thought to
herself—so much for not being on duty.

"Just a few odds and ends," she said looking at him,
hoping he would drop the subject.

"Like what? Gideon asked.

Jenny could not lie to Gideon for some reason, and feared if
he started asking questions about Delaney she would tell him everything. She
could not understand why Delaney had put such a burden on her in the first
place and then to tell her not to trust anyone. Who did he mean, why wasn’t he
more clear?

Finally Jenny glanced up at Gideon, who was waiting for an
answer.

"John's letters, for one thing," she said.

"Was there anything else?"

"It's hard to tell. One of these days I'll need something
and probably discover it was taken. I know it was not robbery, though,"
Jenny said, watching the expression on Gideon's face change.

"Why would you say that?"

"My grandmother's brooch was still there. When my mother
gave it to me, she told me it was very valuable."

Jenny was uncomfortable once the interrogation started. She
had the distinct feeling he was prying and then other times it was like Gideon
might genuinely be interested in her and what she said. She fidgeted with her
wedding ring. For some reason it was binding her finger and hurt.

Jenny avoided his gaze. She looked out the window and focused
on the sign across the street, mesmerized by the flashing of the neon lights.

Gideon sensed her reluctance to talk. He drew her back into
the conversation, first by talking about the University and then life in the
Village. It was nearly twelve when they were done and started for home. The air
had turned brisk for September. It felt as if there might be an early frost in
the air. Gideon noticed Jenny shivering as they started down Thompson Street.
He offered her his jacket, but she declined. The walk home would not take long
and she didn't mind the cool night air.

"What are you going to do now that it's all over?"
Gideon finally asked.

"Do you mean, now that I'm a widow?" Her voice
quivered, it had been the first time she thought of herself in that way. It
didn't seem real for some reason.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite mean it like it sounded."

"It's hard thinking about John not coming back."

"I'm surprised you waited this long."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You waited five and a half years, that's a long
time."

"John was someone special. I never met anyone with such
insight into how I felt."

Jenny looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled. The moon
wasn’t visible. She remembered other nights with John walking the city streets,
and the burden of his loss ached in her heart. How could she explain to this stranger
that in her marriage vows she promised to love her husband until the twelfth of
never?

Jenny did not say more after that, just walked along in
silence. She felt like she had just emerged from a cocoon. It was when they
entered Washington Square Park that Gideon finally broke the silence.

"This is a pleasant little park," Gideon said.
Without waiting for her to answer, he just continued. "It's hard to
believe you're in the heart of a busy city."

"That's why I like it so much. People can get lost in their
own little world without ever being bothered by the outside."

The park was deserted; only a few people walked the outer
perimeter. Jenny stopped near the fountain. Lights from the traffic on the
outer edge streaked across the fountain frame. The sky was clear, and the stars
were brighter than Jenny ever remembered in the past. It was a quiet, serene
night, and in the distance she could hear music. It had a soft melody, one that
was familiar to her but could not place at the moment. Jenny started to walk
away, but Gideon reached and pulled her back. She turned, and as she did he
took her in his arms.

"I've always loved that song," Gideon whispered in
her ear as he held her close.

Jenny thought for a moment he was going to kiss her, but
instead they just swayed to the music, and he continued holding her firm. She
remembered it now. It was a song about people needing people. Gideon's hand was
cold on her back, sending chills up her spine. It was a good feeling to be
close to him. Jenny shut her eyes. For a moment she forgot who he was and why
he was there. She went back in time, to a time where there was only happiness.
She rested her head on his shoulder, and warm feelings of love came rushing
back.

"John, I love you so much," Jenny whispered.

Gideon stopped abruptly. The music continued but they just
stood there, not moving as he still held her firm.

Jenny was no longer cold, they stood like that until the music
stopped and still he did not release her. Finally the music started again, but
instead of a soft melody, it was hard rock and the spell was broken. She felt
his arm loosen around her, and for an instant she missed the warmth, wanting to
pretend again it was John. Jenny glanced up into Gideon's eyes, those deep
intense eyes that sparkled in the night. She saw in them something she was
unprepared for.

"I'd better take you back to your place," Gideon
finally mustered up to say and then turned away.

He’d walked a fine line that night. A line he was not prepared
to cross, but for a brief moment it was like there was no outside world to
save. Only the two of them standing in the moonlight and for him nothing else
mattered. But the moment did not last. The realization of what and why he was
there, hit home. Gideon did not touch Jenny again for fear of losing control.
He just walked off with her following. He would have to keep his distance from
this woman if he were going to be objective about the whole situation.

CHAPTER 20

As they turned the corner on Washington Square North, Jenny
could see the commotion in the alley ahead. Squad cars flashed their lights
while curiosity-seekers gathered like they always do in the big city when an
emergency is at hand. Jenny quickened her pace and then broke into a run. with
Gideon following close behind. Once she reached the alley entrance, she stopped
and stood momentarily. The ambulance was parked in front of her apartment
building. In all the confusion she felt a hand reach out to her, but shrugged
it off.

"Jenny, please wait."

"Leave me alone." Jenny snapped her arm back. She
ran quickly up to the ambulance.

She pushed her way through the onlookers and stared at
Benjamin, who lay on a stretcher while a paramedic attended to his head. Jenny
just stood there, too stunned to move, as Benjamin looked up but saw nothing.

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

Benjamin slowly turned to her, he struggled to get up, but the
man working on his head forced him back down on the stretcher. Then suddenly he
broke out into sobs. Jenny turned away. She was not able to watch the suffering
of her friend.

"Move out of the way," a voice came from behind
them.

Jenny stared at the men in white as they got closer with
another stretcher. She looked beyond their white uniforms at the gurney they
wheeled, but could not make out the figure lying motionless.

"What is she doing here?" Bronk pulled both Gideon
and Jenny out of the way of the two men in white uniforms.

"We just got back from eating."

"Gideon, you have to have rocks in your head," Bronk
snapped.

Jenny glanced at the blonde head lying on the gurney. She did
not recognize the face at first, and then it hit her who it was. Jenny looked
at Benjamin. She grabbed her stomach with one hand and started to convulse.

Gideon looked up at Bronk, "What happened?" he
asked.

"Someone did a number on her." He nodded to Benjamin
sitting in the ambulance. "He stopped it in time, otherwise I don't think
she would have made it."

"Who would do this?" Jenny turned and looked up at
the two men.

Gideon was cool and concise in the phrasing of his words.
"Maybe you should tell us?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"I don't know if I can," Jenny whispered. She wanted
to tell him. Finally, once and for all, to rid herself of the burden she
carried, but something inside would not let her.

Jenny turned to Bronk for help, but his jaw muscles tightened
while his eyes narrowed. Gideon took hold of her arm.

"We could put her in jail." Bronk turned away from
Jenny.

"They have to know we're on to her."

"You can't put me in jail." Jenny snapped her arm
free of Gideon's hold. She turned to Benjamin, who was sitting at Trish's side.
Jenny knew whoever did this, wanted what she had. "Inspector Bronk,"
one of the uniformed officers said as he came out of the apartment building. He
quickly walked up to the three while holding a small piece of plastic in a
little baggy.

"What you got?" Bronk asked.

"We found this in the bedroom, beside the dresser. It's a
diplomatic pass."

Bronk turned to Jenny as he took the plastic bag. He quickly
shoved it into her face. "Do you know who this belongs to?"

Jenny glanced at the picture. It was the man in the hospital
room. She looked at the name, Ian Usova, for the longest time. She then
swallowed hard before answering. "No. I never saw him before." It was
all she could get out, but she did not think she convinced either man.

Jenny turned to the ambulance and looked at Benjamin. He heard
the exchange, and when he shook his head no, Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.
Whoever did this still did not have all the answers.

Jenny turned and walked away from the two men standing at the
ambulance. Before she reached the steps to the apartment building Gideon had
her by the arm again.

"Where in the hell do you think you're going?"

She turned to him with tears streaming down her cheek.
"Leave me alone. Haven't I been through enough?"

"I want to know what it is they want."

Jenny looked up at him. "I don't know what you're talking
about," she cried. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because you haven't given me reason to," Gideon
snapped.

Bronk walked up to them. "What are you going to do with
her?"

"I could take her back to the safe house, at least for
the night," Gideon said turning to Jenny. "It's for your own good, at
least until this thing gets sorted out."

"Let me get my things." Jenny glanced up at Gideon
with pleading eyes. She swallowed hard as she tried to sort out in her mind
what to do next.

"Let's go now," Gideon said.

"I'm not leaving without a few things," Jenny
argued.

"Okay, I'll wait for you here, don't take long,"
Gideon replied and then turned to a young uniformed officer standing near the
bystanders and motioned him over. "Take her up to the apartment and keep
an eye on her."

Jenny disappeared into the building, followed close behind by
the man in blue. Neighbors, who were kind and friendly once, looked at her as
if she were the perpetrator who did the vile act. Jenny walked up to her
apartment. The door had been kicked in, and the mess still cluttered the floor.
It was hard for her to comprehend what was so important in the envelope to
justify what they did to Trish.

Quickly Jenny walked through the living room and into the
bedroom. She gathered up as much as she could find and tossed everything into
an overnight bag. As Jenny walked out of the bedroom, she glanced around the
living room. The young officer was nowhere in the apartment. She walked to the
door and looked down the hall. There were only a few men in suits dusting for
prints, but the young uniformed officer who followed her was gone.

Jenny walked down the hall to the stairs, and when she reached
the landing on the main floor she glanced outside. The ambulance was gone. The
squad cars still filled the street outside. Bronk and Gideon were talking to a
few of the uniformed officers, but neither man noticed her. Jenny quickly
walked out the back door. She raced down the back alley to the street near the
park. She kept glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone followed, but there
was no one. The streets were filled with people, yet she was alone.

Jenny walked up Fifth Avenue, then down West 9th Street. She
quickened her pace, glancing back as she walked. All she could think about was
the diplomatic pass, and Ian. He had entered her domain, took away all she had,
and now there was nowhere else to turn.

 
Before entering the
warehouse, Jenny glanced over her shoulder one more time, but saw nothing. She
quickly entered the building, lifted the gate for the freight elevator, and
pressed the button. When she reached the studio she had the key in hand and
quickly opened the door. Jenny hurried into the studio.

Streetlights filtered in from the window above. The light near
the painting in the corner was still on. Jenny glanced at the work Benjamin was
doing. It was a portrait of Trish, one that emanated her beauty. For a moment Jenny
felt as if it was Trish sitting there. When she heard the freight elevator
start to descend, it startled her out of her trance. Jenny quickly ran to the
storage room, grabbed the envelope, and hurried out of the studio. She did not
wait for the elevator, but ran down the stairs to the street below. Jenny knew
now she had been followed and quickly hurried down the street. She waved at
yellow cabs at random. Finally one pulled over and stopped. Jenny got in and
leaned on the back seat out of breath.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

Jenny turned around and looked at the top floor of the
warehouse. Her heart sank when she saw the lights were on.

"Penn Station." Jenny leaned back on the seat then
rested her head for a moment. Finally she tucked the envelope into her
overnight bag. The only place to run now was home, to the safety of the place
of her childhood, her parents’ farm. It was a place away from all the ugliness
of the city.

When the taxi finally pulled up to Penn Station, Jenny
hesitated before getting out. She searched the crowd for a familiar face. Any
hint that she was followed. She quickly walked into the station, bought her
ticket, and was disappointed to hear it would be a two-hour wait before the
train left for upstate. Jenny hurried into a little cafe nearby. She sat down
in one of the booths in back and ordered coffee. It would be a long night, and
there would be no sleep until she reached her destination.

While Jenny waited for the waitress she thought about Benjamin
and feared Trish might not make it. She noticed the telephone booth in the
corner. Jenny got up and walked over to the small cubicle. She set the book on
her lap then thumbed through the grime-covered pages. She finally found the
number for the hospital. Jenny dialed slowly while tears formed, and once the
operator was on the line she asked for the emergency room. She was not even
sure that was where Benjamin would be. Jenny waited for what seemed like
forever for the operator to finally page Benjamin. In the meantime she put
extra money in every time the operator came back on the line to remind her the
time was up.

Finally a familiar voice came on the line with a faint,
"Hello."

"Benjamin, how's Trish?" Jenny asked.

Benjamin's voice quivered. "She'll be okay. How are you
holding up?" he asked.

"Could be better." Jenny fought back the tears.

"They're looking for you."

"I guessed as much," she said, then took a deep
breath before continuing. "Benjamin, I have to know. Does anyone know
about the envelope?"

"No, but Jenny I think you should come clean. They're not
going to give up until they have it."

"I never would have held on to it, if I'd known."

"I know," Benjamin replied.

But it did not make her feel any better. "I'm sorry for
all the trouble I've caused."

Jenny paused and listened to Benjamin on the other end. She
could tell by his voice he was not alone.

"Where are you?" he asked finally as if prompted.

"I can't tell you," Jenny said.

"Please, Jenny, it's for your own good."

"No, Benjamin. Don't ask me to do this." Jenny
guessed it was Gideon he was with. "I just need time to think this
through. Once I've done that I'll talk."

Jenny quickly hung up the phone, wondering now how long it
took to trace a call. She had been on the line longer than five minutes waiting
for them to find Benjamin, but there would have been no way for them to know it
was her calling. Jenny was confident she was still safe. She walked back to the
booth, sat down, and wrapped her hands around the coffee cup savoring its
warmth.

The waitress was back to fill her cup three times and finally
Jenny told her no more. Jenny had a false sense of security watching all the
people waiting for trains. She glanced down at her watch and did not take
notice of the man who walked into the cafe until he was standing over her table.
Jenny slid over to the edge and was about to get up but the man did not move
out of her way. When Jenny glanced up into those dark, intense eyes, her heart
raced. She reached for her purse and overnight bag, but Gideon grabbed her arm
before she could escape.

Jenny stared at Gideon as he pulled out a bill and tossed it
on the table. He grabbed Jenny by the arm, and then dragged her to the door
while she struggled. The waitress took notice, but did not move to help. She
had seen enough confrontations between couples to know not to get involved.

Jenny glanced up at Gideon, but it was futile to fight. She
had a purse full of money, an envelope full of secrets, and the only one who
seemed to care was the man standing next to her. Jenny's only consolation in
Gideon following her was that he was not the one who'd killed Delaney. It was
her only reason for trusting him now.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home," was all Jenny said.

Gideon shook his head. "Haven't you caused enough
trouble?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your friend got beat up because of you."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Isn't that why you're running?"

Jenny snapped her arm back. She walked past him and out of the
cafe. But Gideon was hot on her trail. Before she could get ten feet, he was at
her side and had her by the arm.

"Oh no you don't. Not this time," he said.

"You can't stop me."

"Want to make a bet?"

Jenny turned to Gideon. He was serious and meant every word he
said. "What are you going to do?" Jenny challenged, as if it would do
any good.

"For openers you are not getting on that train."

"What right have you?"

"Every right in the world when it comes to national
security."

"Oh, give me a break," Jenny mocked. "Little
old me, important to national security?" She mashed her dark eyes and
tried to look pathetically helpless.

"If you only knew what you had, you'd drop it like a hot
potato and run like hell."

"You're just trying to scare me."

"Then you do have something?"

"Yeah, right." Jenny tossed him her overnight bag.
"Do you want to frisk me too?"

Jenny watched him stare at the bag, but he made no attempt to
open it. He just picked it up, slung it around his shoulder, and took her arm.
Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where are you taking me?" Jenny looked up at Gideon
and asked.

"To your parents."

"Why can't I take the train?"

"And have me lose you again, not a chance. At least I'll
know where you are."

Jenny let herself be guided to his car, which sat near the
entrance. She watched Gideon toss her bag onto the floor of the passenger side.
Her heart pounded, wondering what she would have done if he had opened it. It
would have been the end, but then maybe he would have let her get on the train,
and not come with her.