How are you feeling? she asked.
Like Sly Stallone at the end of Rocky.
Should you be working?
Hey, if Sly could go fifteen rounds with the champ and not quit, I can't let a couple of cracked ribs stop me. What's up?
Bobby Vasquez was working with me on the case. Now he's in the hospital. The police think that Cardoni did it.
Oh, shit. How bad is he?
I don't know, but I feel awful.
Do you need someone to talk to?
Yeah, Tony, I do.
I get off in an hour. Why don't you drive to my place? I'll meet you there.
That would be great.
See you in a few hours.
Tony gave Amanda directions to the house he' d purchased when he moved back to Portland. It was in the country, south of the city, several miles east of the interstate on two acres of secluded woodland. Amanda found the curving country lane that led to it. As soon as she got out of her car Tony put his arms around her. They held each other for a moment, then Tony pulled back so he could see Amanda's face.
You okay? he asked.
Amanda nodded somberly. Better now. Thanks.
Rain started to fall, and they hurried inside a modern log cabin with a huge stone fireplace and a high, peaked roof crossed by massive raw beams. No walls separated a large living room from a modern kitchen. On either side of a short hall were an office, a bathroom and the stairs to the basement. A wide stairway led to a sleeping loft that overlooked the first floor.
Logs were stacked in the fireplace, and there was a pile of old newspaper in a wicker basket next to the hearth. Tony used the paper to start a blaze. Amanda listened to the patter of the rain on the roof and the crackle of the flames. The heat from the fire soon took the chill from the room.
Can I fix you a drink? he asked when the fire was going. You look like it might help.
I don't want a drink. She sounded dragged out.
Tell me what happened.
Bobby Vasquez asked me if he could work on Justine's case. My father didn't trust him, but I did, so I argued with Dad until he gave in and let me hire Bobby. Amanda sounded like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. When Justine was released from jail I got Vasquez a job as her bodyguard. Now he's badly hurt and I ... I don't know, it feels like my fault somehow.
Tony sat beside Amanda and took her in his arms.
It's not, you know. Vasquez is an adult. You just told me that he wanted to work on the case.
Amanda pressed against him, feeling safe and comforted.
I know you're right. It just doesn't make me feel any better. What if he dies?
Tony stroked Amanda's hair and kissed her forehead. It was the right thing to do. Amanda wanted to forget Cardoni, Justine Castle and the terrible thing that had happened to Bobby Vasquez. She tilted her face up and their lips met.
Whatever happens to him, it won't be your fault, he whispered.
That was the right thing to say. Amanda grabbed Tony and kissed him hard. He kissed back just as passionately as they sank onto the white shag rug in front of the fireplace. Tony winced. Amanda drew back, alarmed. She had forgotten Tony's injuries.
Did I hurt you?
A little, he answered with a laugh. Can you do this gently?
Amanda placed a hand on Tony's chest. Lie back.
Tony lowered himself onto the rug as Amanda stripped off her clothes. Tony reached out and played with her nipples while she tried to undo the buttons on his shirt. The touch of his fingers made it hard to concentrate, and she fumbled a few times. Then she gave up altogether. Tony pulled her to his side. He stroked her thigh with a feathery touch, working his way upward until he slipped his fingers inside her. Amanda closed her eyes and lost herself in Tony's touch. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once, and each stroke made her quiver or flex. Amanda's senses were soon jumbled. Her breath came in gasps, and her body moved involuntarily. When she came the first time she squeezed Tony's fingers tight to keep them in her, straining for more. After a while her legs relaxed and Tony slipped his hand out. She opened her eyes. It took a few seconds to focus. He was watching her, still fully clothed. Her breathing was ragged. Tony smiled.
You've got strong legs. He shook his fingers slowly. These might be broken. I' m not sure I can finish unbuttoning my shirt.
Amanda flushed.
Think maybe you can do the job this time? he asked.
Amanda nodded, still too wasted to speak. Tony lay down beside her and she started undressing him. As she worked he played with her body. By the time they were both naked, she had no idea where she was.
Amanda lay in Tony's arms. She could feel the heat from the fire on her back. The rain beat a tattoo on the roof.
Maybe it would be a good idea if you stayed here for a while, Tony said. I don't like the idea of you being alone with Cardoni on the loose.
I don't think he'll go after me. Why would he?
Why did he go after any of the people he killed? Cardoni doesn't think logically.
Amanda remembered the way Cardoni had stared at her at the release hearing. She also remembered McCarthy's warning.
Hey, it's not like going to prison, Tony said. I make much better meals than they serve in the joint.
Amanda smiled. Okay, I' m sold.
Speaking of food, I' m starving. There's a shower upstairs and a warm-up suit in the closet that you can slip on. While you're showering I'll whip up some dinner.
It occurred to Amanda that she had not eaten for hours. Tony grabbed his jeans and shirt and limped toward the downstairs bathroom to wash up. Amanda picked up her crumpled clothes from the floor and climbed the stairs to the loft. A king-size bed sat beneath high windows. Amanda straightened her clothes as best she could and folded them over a chair. A blue warm-up suit was hanging in Tony's closet.
Amanda turned on the light in the bathroom. Tony had a large shower stall with multiple shower heads, and a Jacuzzi. Amanda set down the suit on the tiled counter next to the sink and turned on the shower. She watched the rain spatter on the skylight for a moment before stepping into the shower stall. It was chilly in the bathroom, and the cascade of hot water felt wonderful. Amanda closed her eyes, tilted her head back and let it run over her, trying to lose herself in the pulsating spray. But she couldn' t. The Castle case kept intruding on her thoughts.
For all intents and purposes, her involvement in Justine's case was over. Justine was out of jail and the charges against her would soon be dismissed. She should feel triumphant, but she didn' t. And the case wasn't really over. Cardoni was somewhere in the night, and Bobby Vasquez, his latest victim, was suffering in a hospital while Justine Castle lived in fear. The ending was unsatisfactory, not at all like a work of fiction where all the loose ends were tied up with a well-constructed knot.
Chapter 58
In the morning Tony left for St. Francis and Amanda returned to her apartment to dress for work and pack some clothes to take to Tony's at the end of the day. Amanda called the county hospital, only to find that the doctors weren't letting Vasquez have visitors. Then she tried Justine to find out why Vasquez was following Cardoni instead of guarding her. She got the machine and left a message asking Justine to call.
Tony phoned Amanda shortly before noon and told her to come by at nine. By the time she pulled into Tony's driveway, she was ravenous. The aroma of simmering tomatoes, herbs and spices assaulted Amanda as soon as she walked through the front door. Tony was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt spotted with tomato sauce.
Let me at the food, I' m starving, Amanda said, slipping an arm around his waist.
You're going to have to show maturity and self-control. I just beat you home.
