what I said earlier tonight. You’re an underage girl, and I’m somebody who is more vulnerable than other men would be.”
“What do you mean?”
“My family name is known all over this part of the state, and I have a social position in the Valley. When everything is going fine, it’s an advantage. It gets me a good table in a restaurant. But if I get caught with you, the whole world will get turned upside down. If that happens, you will be a big news story, and I’ll probably be as good as dead.”
“Come on. They give you the death penalty for sleeping with somebody?”
“A man like me is in the same position as a girl like you. Other girls hear about your good grades, see your beautiful eyes and hair and figure, and they get jealous. They’re going to be compared to you, and they’re going to be second best. They’ll be nice to you to be associated with you. But they all secretly envy you, and some of them hate you.”
“You’re flattering me. I don’t understand.”
“It’s the same for me. Cops and people like that look at me and think my life has been easy compared to theirs. I have more, I do more, I don’t have to punch a time clock or defer to anyone. A cop who hears about me might secretly wish I would get knocked down a bit, but he would never harm me. But the second I get in trouble with the law, it will be different. You know what he’ll do then?”
“What?”
“Try to make sure I don’t get off-use my name or my money or my friendships to save myself. He’ll cook up whatever he can to make me look as bad as possible. And he’ll try to be sure I don’t get special treatment. He’ll put me in a cell with a bunch of career criminals who hate people like me. If they kill me, the cop will get praised because he didn’t give me special privileges.”
Kylie moved closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ted. I’ll never let them put you in danger.”
He drove on, trying to keep his speed just under the limit. He began to feel safer now that he had reminded her of the stakes. He couldn’t have her getting into a gossipy mood and confiding to some little friend of hers that she’s having an affair with a married man. He couldn’t let her get sloppy and careless about hiding their meetings. He had noticed many times that the generation of women now in their thirties had no reluctance to chatter about their sex lives to anyone who would listen. How much worse Kylie’s generation was going to be nobody knew, but a return to tasteful silence was too much to hope for. He had to keep her scared.
He drove into town and made his way along dimly lighted back streets to the block behind Marlene’s where she had been waiting for him. He stopped by the curb under the same old sycamore tree.
Kylie said, “Don’t worry anymore. I love you. Call me when you can.”
“I will.,,
She got out, closed the car door, and trotted toward the back door of Marlene’s. When she reached the building, Forrest saw her halfturn in the small semicircle of light. She stood still for a second, staring into the shadows on the street. It looked as though she were staring straight at him, although he knew she probably couldn’t see him in the dim light. Then she hurried inside.
He let out an audible breath in relief, then drew in another. She was a vulnerable little creature, and he had just seen her return to safety once more. Her safety made him safer, and that was what mattered.
Ted Forrest turned the car around and drove back the way he had come, made two turns, and emerged on the highway five blocks from Marlene’s. As soon as he was beyond the town limits, he accelerated as much as he dared. He was alone now, so he could afford to push the speed limit a bit. He opened his window to let the cool air blow on his face. He supposed he might have picked up a lingering scent of her perfume, and the wind would help get rid of it.
As he approached his house, his heart began to pound. He could still see cars parked along the length of his driveway. He had made it back in time. Guests were still inside. He drove up the driveway and around the house into the garage, slipped out to the path, and walked quickly. He cut through the rose garden to the French doors into the library. He reached out to touch the handle, and felt relief once again. Nobody had noticed the doors were unlocked and relocked them. He slipped inside and set the locks.
He moved into the foyer just as people began to stream out of the living room. He smiled and joined the fringe of the group, as though he were already in the middle of a conversation. He saw Collier and his wife Susanne, and said, “Suzy. Nice that the old boy brought you over here for once.”
“It’s part of my training program,” she said. “I’m trying to link music and good food in his subconscious so when I mention a concert, he’ll begin to salivate and take me.”
“Well, good luck with that. He’s smart enough to get the concept, but too loyal to let his old friends like me look dumb.”
“He’s a great guy, isn’t he?” She kissed Collier’s cheek.
Forrest felt a twinge of jealousy. When had Caroline ever said he was a great guy, let alone kissed him in public? He patted Collier’s arm in a way that gave the Colliers his permission to move on, and let the next set of guests take their place. One by one, they returned his smile, and he said something to acknowledge that he knew them and remembered the last time he had seen them. He let them know that for a few seconds, at least, he was paying attention to them exclusively.
His interest bordered on affection because each of them was bolstering his credibility as a host. But he was also aware that as each couple passed him, they were moving toward the front door and heading off into the night. Each time the door behind him swung open, it brought closer the time when he would have to be alone in this house with Caroline. As the time approached, he spoke with the stragglers in a kind of desperation, giving them the impression that he truly did not like to see them go.
The last one in the foyer was Dr. Feiniger, the president of the group. He was an old, wiry-looking professor who was almost a head shorter than Caroline. Feiniger thanked her for the special evening. Forrest was aware of his bristly little beard, the hair on the rims of his ears, and the springy wild hairs sprouting from his eyebrows. Dr. Feiniger kept talking, and Forrest used the opportunity to step out of the foyer into the hallway that ran along the center of the house to the back stairs.
“Ted!”
He considered pretending he had not heard her, but there was the sound of her footsteps coming after him. She had freed herself of the professor. Forrest stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to face her.
She stood six feet from him in the narrow hallway. It was her customary distance, just far enough away so he could not touch her unexpectedly, but near enough so he could not walk away from her. “Where the hell were you? Where did you go?”
He had to make an effort to unclench his jaw. He spoke carefully and quietly. “Caroline. I did my best to be gracious and help host your event. After dinner you made it clear that I was not wanted. I came back in time to say good night to your guests. Now I’m going to bed.”
“Oh. So now this is my fault?”
“It can be my fault, if you like. Good night.” He turned and stepped toward the back stairs.
“Ted.” There was an unexpected tone-softer, perhaps conciliatory.
He was curious. He looked back at her. “What?”
“Jesus, Ted. You should see yourself. That look of hatred on your face.” She held out both hands to him, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Can’t we just talk?”
“Not tonight.” He went up the back stairs, entered his closet, found some pajamas, and carried them to the nearest guest suite. After he got out of the shower, he heard Caroline slamming doors in the master suite, so he moved to another guest room farther down the hall.
20
Jerry Hobart got into his car, took out his pistol, checked the load and the safety, then slipped it into his jacket pocket. It was after midnight again, and he could go back to searching for the missing information. He was impatient to find it, but he knew he had to use this opportunity to spring the traps first and see who was watching them.
