Claire Gulliver #06 - Carnage Goes Coastal (3 page)

Scott nodded. “I’m ready. You know I’ve been eager to start.”

Now the look in Stanford’s eyes hardened. “So it starts. Remember it takes time, but it will happen, just as we planned. Meanwhile, you need to finish the final proposal for that urban renewal project so the presentation can be made. That is key and it needs to be successful and behind you.”

Scott nodded, starting to think of the tasks which still needed to be completed.

“And take care of those loose ends in New York, Scott.”

Scott looked at him with surprise.

“I haven’t been pleased to hear about the little game you’ve been playing while you’ve been in New York. I haven’t said anything because I understand that men need their fun and, so far, these flirtations have been mostly harmless. But now, with us preparing to launch our plan, they could become dangerous. From now on you’re going to have to curb your tendency to tomcat around. Not only is it an insult to Phoebe, but it could potentially prevent you from being elected president one day. No, the public is just too sensitive to scandal these days. It’s too big a risk for you to continue. Get another hobby, like duck hunting, or mountain climbing. Something that is safer for your future. Understand?”

Scott nodded mutely. He had no defense. As much as he didn’t like Stanford’s order, he was grateful he wouldn’t have to talk to his wife about this issue. Hell, how had Stanford even gotten wind of his little game? He thought he had been so clever. But he immediately started planning how to break it off with Karen. He needed to close off that part of his life as soon as he could. He was mortified, feeling as if he was a school boy receiving a stern scolding from the head master.

Karen slammed the door on Scott’s words and hurried to the elevator. When she reached the lobby she was panting from the effort it took to hold her emotions in check. Somehow she managed to make it all the way back to her apartment before bursting into sobs which dropped her to the floor right inside her door.

She was an hour late arriving at the office the next morning and she looked terrible. Fortunately her boss was out of town for a couple days, so she made it through the day by keeping her head down and avoiding people. The next day was a Friday and she handled work better because she spent much of the day in one of the stalls in the ladies room. But Saturday it finally hit her. She was pregnant! And any thoughts she had for getting married and starting an idyllic family life were completely shattered.

He wanted her to get an abortion!

He was married!

The man she loved, the father of her child, was a complete cad!

And she realized he was right. She was a fool!

Tuesday, at the office, a business envelope arrived addressed to her personally. It contained a cashier’s check for twenty-five thousand dollars and a typewritten note.

“Karen, this should cover the cost of the procedure with a little over for something for you. I will remember our time together with fondness, Scott.”

That made her so mad she almost tore the check into pieces, but sanity returned in the nick of time. She deposited the check in her bank account until she could make up her mind what to do with it.

Meanwhile her anger was burning so hot she called Scott to tell him to go to hell, but his phone number was now disconnected. That made her even angrier. She tried to contact him at his office, only to find there was no listing in Philadelphia for a law firm under the name he gave her. Nor was there a listing for Scott Hutchins. And the only response to a Google inquiry was a man in Idaho, who couldn’t have possibly been her Scott. There was apparently no end to the lies he told.

Karen remained isolated through the Christmas holiday. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. It was fortunate her mother was still in South America with her new husband, because she knew her mother only needed to talk to her and immediately she would know something was wrong with Karen. And, as usual, she didn’t hear from her dad. That wasn’t strange as his line of work kept him out of touch for long periods of time. So she was able to lock herself away when she wasn’t working and try to ignore the problems in her life. She didn’t make any plans, and she didn’t ponder her choices. In fact, she made her decision about the abortion by not making a decision. But deep down, she knew she would never have had an abortion no matter how hurt she was, no matter what Scott told her to do.

Mark, her boss, was working hard adjusting to his new responsibilities. He was also trying to prove to the senior management how wise they were to promote him. He kept her very busy, which was good. Those long busy hours kept her from having time to brood, at least while she was at work. And the overtime pay was welcome. She was trying to build a nest egg, because she knew that soon she would need it. Mark must have noticed her protruding tummy, but he didn’t mention it; probably for the same reason Karen didn’t talk about it. They were both hoping it would go away.

Some of the women gave her knowing looks. They knew, but except for one who asked her kindly if she was all right, and offered assistance, they didn’t mention her stomach directly to her. Although Karen assumed they talked a lot about her condition behind her back.

Karen avoided her friends and tried not to consider how naïve she had been. She had been proud of her independence, and her ability to survive in New York on her own. She had always felt proud of her city smarts. This betrayal by Scott showed her just how wrong she had been. Her ego was crushed. Suddenly she couldn’t trust her judgment. How could she, after falling hook, line and sinker for Scott’s story?

Her dad called from California near the end of February. He apparently had a new girlfriend. He said he was spending some time with her. They were going to Mexico on vacation for a couple of weeks, and then he mentioned he might come to New York to visit her.

She was delighted to hear from him. She always worried when she didn’t hear from him for a while; he had such a dangerous job. And she was surprised at his admission of a girlfriend. That was very unusual for him. After her first moment of panic over his plan to visit, she decided not to be too worried, because chances were he would be off on a new assignment before he got here. So she didn’t even bother to mention her condition.

Her mother wasn’t a problem, as they continued to correspond via the Internet. Her mother announced they intended to visit Buena Aires on their vacation instead of returning to the States. Karen didn’t mention her pregnancy to her mother either, knowing she’d be on the first plane home if she knew. Then Karen would have to deal with her mother as well as everything else she was coping with.

A vicious series of kicks in the stomach reminded Karen she had been sitting for a long time on the stone wall, gazing over a field while reminiscing. That child within her was reminding her it needed food. She wandered back to the road and passed the bed and breakfast where she was staying. It would soon be time for the other guests to be gathering in the parlor for sherry, but she wasn’t interested in joining them. She wasn’t drinking these days and she really didn’t want to chitchat with strangers. She headed down into the little town, toward the cafe she had noticed this morning when she took a walk after breakfast. The menu had looked interesting and now she thought an early dinner would be good, that way a snack before bed would probably do her for the day. She had eaten far too much breakfast to even consider lunch, so now she was hungry.

She was strolling along, gazing in the windows of the shops when a display of baby things made her pause. The adorable tiny sweater and bonnet sets and frothy crocheted shawls reminded her she hadn’t as yet, bought one thing for this baby. And despite her reluctance to think about it, her baby was arriving in less than three months. She went in and sorted through the stock. Soon she had accumulated a little pile, two tiny, tiny nightgowns with elastic around the bottom to keep the baby’s feet snug and a delicate cream colored sweater set with a matching shawl. And finally, unable to resist it, she added a small beanbag cocker spaniel with a happy expression on its face and long curly ears. The price was shocking, but the package they made was small and would easily fit into the wheelie bag. She justified the expenditure by reminding herself she needed to start making preparations as she couldn’t be carrying this child around naked.

Actually she was pleased with her purchases and after selecting a table near the window and ordering today’s special of roast chicken and trimmings, she took a notebook out of her purse and started listing all the things she would need to buy before the baby’s arrival. She had been to enough baby showers since settling in New York to be aware of the basics and the list soon filled a couple pages. When she finished what she could eat of the generous plate of dinner, she left the restaurant feeling satisfied. She felt she was finally taking responsibility for managing her life and although the list was only a small step, it was an important first step.

Karen woke up Sunday morning late, and in a rotten mood. She had to hustle to get down for breakfast before they stopped serving. There were only three women still at the table. They each smiled and nodded, apparently having a glorious morning. The older woman, who was especially chirpy, said, “Did you see that darling baby boutique in the village? They had just the most precious things.” She smiled as if she expected credit for detecting the cause for Karen’s bulging stomach.

Karen forced herself to respond. After all, the woman wasn’t to blame for Karen’s nightmares all night. She nodded. “I did. In fact I couldn’t resist making a couple of purchases. Who would have thought they would have such a nice selection in such a remote place?”

That was enough encouragement for the women with her. They immediately launched into a discussion of the best shops in New York to buy baby presents. It seemed that one of their daughters was expecting and apparently the woman had already bought out the town. Actually, the conversation was a distraction for Karen and it wasn’t long until she dug into her purse and extracted her list so she could jot down the names of a couple of the stores they were especially enthused about, thinking it would help her find the things she needed. Finally, the women finished their coffee and took themselves off for the day. Karen helped herself to a refill of herbal tea and took it out to a rocking chair on the porch.

It was a beautiful day. Truly, today felt as if spring was here to stay. The sunshine was warm with a gentle breeze which wafted through the newly sprouted leaves. It was pleasant sitting there sipping tea, while watching the world pass by. Gradually, the terror of last night’s nightmare slipped away and she felt she could think about that event earlier in the week calmly. First, she examined why she thought the incident in the subway had been a deliberate attempt to kill her.

Well, maybe because it almost killed me, she told herself. And she could still feel the way those hands felt on her back when that mighty shove pushed her forward. It hardly felt like an accident.

She shuddered. Thank God for that man standing next to her. He not only noticed what was happening, but he acted fast enough to snatch her back from what would have been sure death. And, she realized, she hadn’t even thanked him properly.

She shook that worry off, remembering the concern on his face before he disappeared into the crowd in the subway car. He knew. He was well aware that he saved her life. She could visualize him telling his wife over dinner how he saved the life of some ditzy pregnant woman who stumbled, or fainted, and was falling right in front of the arriving train when he pulled her back to safety.

Thank God he was there.

She watched a bee flitting about in the tree at the edge of the porch. Finally, she allowed herself to admit the real reason she felt someone tried to kill her. It was probably the reason someone was chasing her through her dreams last night. It was all the result of that distressing and sudden meeting with Scott.

Two weeks ago on Tuesday it looked like spring would never arrive. It was cold and blustery and threatening rain. In fact, it felt as if it might even snow. It was late afternoon and Mark Irving, Karen’s boss, was attending a two-day conference at the Algonquin. And as usual he needed her presence to assist him in preparing for the presentation he was giving. Usually, she enjoyed the opportunity to be out of the office for a day or two, but today she was exhausted. It had been a particularly difficult day. It seemed like Mark kept finding more tasks for her to do, and mostly he wanted them all done at the same time.

And it was such a glum day, as if winter was starting all over again. Worse, her pregnancy was starting to weigh on her. Anyway, at four o’clock the conference was breaking up and Mark decided to go down to the bar for drinks with some of the other participants. In a moment of generosity he told Karen to go home for the day instead of going back to the office as usual. That was a welcome order.

She headed out of the hotel through the beautiful and historic lobby already thinking about picking up an order of Chinese fried rice to take home for dinner when something caught her eye across the lobby. She glanced that way and then froze in place.

It was him. Scott!

There was a stunningly glamorous woman attached to his arm and he was smiling down on her, just as he used to smile at Karen. There was something about the proprietary hold she had on his arm, the confident way she smiled up at him that made Karen certain she was his wife. They were walking toward her and in a panic she looked around for somewhere to hide, but she really couldn’t move. She prayed he wouldn’t look up.

Suddenly, with a burst of anger she remembered she had nothing to be ashamed of. She had not knowingly wronged this woman. If anything, they were both victims of that scum so adoringly holding her arm lest she stumble.

Karen boldly stared at Scott and, as if feeling the malevolence of her gaze, he looked up, straight into her eyes. At first his eyes lit with pleasure and a smile started to pull at his lips, then she saw the shock freeze his face as he remembered who she was. His eyes traveled down her body and lingered on the bulge of her stomach, the eyes turned grey with anger, his face froze with an expression of fury. Karen stepped back under the force of that look. She suddenly realized she was seeing a look that could kill.