“Ya,” said Greta. “The bars are gone, I think . . . But Homer, the gold would be very heavy. Maybe the thieves are trapped in the tunnel . . . Timmy could search for them.”
“That would fix the bastards,” Homer’s nervous laugh sent chills down Carol’s spine. She back pedaled slowly until she had retreated to the main foyer of the house. She heard an outside door slam in the direction of the den. They’ve gone out to turn the sharks loose. Jesus. I must warn Nick and Troy.
Carol walked into the nearest bathroom in the hallway, pushed the door closed, and turned on the water faucet. Then she flushed the commode and untaped the small walkie-talkie that was hidden inside her shirt. She put the unit right next to her mouth. “Mayday, mayday,” she said. “They know you’re there. You are in danger.” She repeated the message and then pushed the button that would automatically recycle the communication several more times. I certainly hope this damn thing works, she thought.
She started to affix the tiny unit to the inside of her blouse again. While she was taping it down, she happened to look in the mirror. Her heart nearly stopped. Ellen was standing in the doorway, staring at her, the baleful glare in her eyes indicating that she had seen and heard everything. She took a step toward Carol.
“Just hold it right there, Ellen,” Carol said. Carol put her hands up. “I have no quarrel with you.” The fat woman hesitated. “Homer and Greta only use you anyway,” Carol added softly, “why don’t you leave them and make a life for yourself?”
Anger broke across Ellen’s face. Her eyes narrowed, her cheeks reddened, and she raised her huge fists to threaten Carol. “It’s none of your damn business how I live my life,” she said menacingly. She moved again in Carol’s direction.
Carol grabbed the thick metal towel rack beside her and pulled with all her might. The bar sprung free from the wall, dumping two peach bath towels and a wooden end piece on the linoleum floor. Carol brandished the bar over her head. “Don’t make me hit you,” she said. “Just move aside and get out of my way.”
Ellen did not slow down. Carol aimed carefully and struck her hard, on the right shoulder. The heavy woman collapsed.
“Greta,” she wailed in a monstrous voice, “Greta, help me.”
Still waving the bar from the towel rack, Carol walked carefully around Ellen and backed toward the door. Once in the hall, she sprinted to the family room and headed for the front door. Right beside the wet bar she was tackled from behind. Carol fell forward, hard, and smashed her nose on the carpet. She tried to squirm out of Greta’s arms but it was impossible. She was pinned. A few drops of blood trickled out of Carol’s nose and fell on the carpet.
Both women were breathing heavily. Carol managed to turn her body around so that she was facing Greta. She struggled vainly to free herself. Greta’s strong arms slammed Carol’s wrists against the floor. Greta bent down until her face was only inches away from Carol’s. “You were trying to get away, ya, and just why vere you in such a hurry.”
There was something feral in Greta’s eyes. On impulse, Carol lifted her head and kissed Greta, full on the lips. Startled, her assailant’s arms momentarily relaxed. That was all Carol needed. Gathering all her strength, she smashed the bottom of her palm into the side of Greta’s head. Greta was stunned. Carol pushed her off and made a dash for the door.
Carol was already calculating when she ran out the front door and down the steps. Greta will be up in an instant, she thought. I won’t have time to open the car door. I might as well run for it.
The German woman was only fifteen yards behind her, and gaining fast, when Carol turned onto the lane that led from Homer’s house to the Pelican Resort. For ten years I have run three times a week. But this is the only time my life has ever depended on it. She tried to accelerate. Greta continued to close the gap. Carol was certain she was going to be caught at any minute. Once she thought she felt Greta’s hand on her blouse.
But after two hundred yards Greta began to drop back. When she was a quarter of a mile from Homer’s driveway Carol dared to look over her shoulder. Her pursuer was clearly struggling and was now fifty yards behind her. Carol felt a renewed burst of energy. I’m going to make it, she thought. I’m actually going to escape.
Greta slowed to a walk. Eventually Carol did too, but not until she was almost to the restaurant. Even then she continued to look back, to try to find her antagonist in the moonlight. Now I’ll call a taxi, she was thinking, And go over to Nick’s apartment. I hope that the two of them heard my warning and are safe.
She could no longer see Greta. She stopped and strained her eyes. She must have turned back, Carol thought. While she was looking back down the lane, a pair of very strong hands grabbed her shoulders. She spun around and stared into the laughing eyes of Lieutenant Richard Todd.
10
HE had purposely waited until all the rest of the actors had left the dressing room. The package itself was inconspicuous, about the size of a large bar of soap, wrapped in white paper with a dark red ribbon. You don’t even know if it’s from her, Winters thought as he pulled the bow on the ribbon. The commander was full of anticipation. The show had been even better tonight. And in the bedroom scene he had felt, for just a second, the touch of Tiffani’s tongue against his lips. She didn’t have to do that, Winters told himself, suspending for a moment all vestiges of guilt.
His hands trembled a little as he opened the package. It was a plain white box. Inside was a silver cigarette lighter simple but handsome, with the initials VW engraved on the outside at the bottom. His heart raced. So she does feel it too. Commander Winters felt a powerful burst of lust in his groin. Now he was imagining a scene no more than three or four hours in the future. He was taking Tiffani home and they were kissing at her front door. “Would you like to come in,” she would say . . .
“I feel pretty . . . oh so pretty . . . I feel pretty and witty and gay . . .” He heard her singing as she came down the hall. She pushed open the door to his dressing room and twirled around. Tiffani’s hair was stacked high on her head showing the lines of her elegant neck. The gold filigree along the top of the comb that the commander had given her blended in perfectly with the rich red and brown of her hair. Her dress was white, low cut, with her shoulders exposed except for tiny straps in the corners.
“Well?” she said with a big and eager smile. She turned around again. “What do you think?”
“You look beautiful, Tiffani,” he replied. He stared at her with such intensity that she blushed.
“Oh, Vernon,” she sighed, now changing her mood, “the combs are wonderful.” She pulled a cigarette from his pack on the dresser table and lit it herself with his new lighter. She took a deep drag, her eyes fixed on his, and put the cigarette down in the ashtray. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she murmured.
She walked over to him and put her hands in his. “It’s already been another wonderful evening.” She put her left hand behind his head and reached up to kiss him. His heart was about to explode within his body. She could feel his arousal as her lips nestled softly against his. She pulled his head down to meet hers and subtly increased the pressure of her kiss. At length he put his arms around her and pressed her body against his.
Commander Winters thought he was going to drown in the pleasure of that kiss. Never had he felt such longing. He was certain he would gladly die in the morning if he could just continue to kiss her all night first. For a moment, as he let himself experience fully the rush of joy and love and lust, all his worries and despair were pushed aside. He wanted to wrap himself around Tiffani, somehow zip her inside his skin, and close out everything else in the universe.
Melvin and Marc had come to the dressing room to find the commander. They had not approached with stealth and were not even being especially quiet, but neither Tiffani nor Commander Winters heard them walk up. The two men could see the pair kissing through the open dressing room door. They looked at each other and reached out instinctively to touch hands for an instant. From their own experience they knew about the difficulty of love affairs outside the accepted norm.