Love Never Dies (10 page)

“My dearest Julia.
You’re to be the happy recipient of a new Keeshond puppy, available for immediate adoption upon the sixth of January. The litter contains four females and two males, and you’re allowed to pick the puppy of your choice.” Julia shrieked and threw herself onto his lap as Seth rolled back his head and laughed, his straight teeth parted in utter contentment.

“It’s the perfect gift, the perfect gift!
I’ve always wanted a puppy but...” Her voice trailed off and she froze, still perched upon his knees. “We live in an apartment and I don’t think they allow pets.”

“Well your landlady, Mrs. Nelson, seems to think otherwise.
I told her I wanted to buy my girlfriend a puppy for Christmas and the lovely lady indicated she might make an exception since she herself has two poodles. Then I started telling her all about the Keeshond breed; how they originated in Holland and were used to patrol the barges as they drifted down the canals. To make a long story short, she as a girl raised many Keeshonds of her own. In fact, her father had been a breeder of the furry dogs, and when I mentioned what kind of puppy I’d chosen, she agreed you could have one, declaring the Keeshond is the most noble of dogs since it rarely barks and is always polite to strangers and other dogs. We’ll pick up your present on the sixth since the puppy will be eight weeks old. I just hope Angie doesn’t mind her roommate receiving a Christmas present that isn’t housebroken.”

“She better not mind,” growled Julia
, looping her arms affectionately around his neck and giving him a long sweet kiss. Seth enjoyed the first kiss so much he bent his lips down for another until the distant shrill jar of his cellular phone caused him to flinch.

“Saved by the bell,” he chuckled
, and gently moved Julia from his lap onto the soft leather cushions of the sofa. “Now just don’t forget where we were. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He dashed to his cell phone which rested upon the mahogany dresser next to his bed.
It was Mandy Gaskill.

“We’ve got a tail on Ad
am Gable,” she said without preamble, “and I just wanted you to know that your cousin Lucas is safe and has been moved to another province in Canada, though I have no inkling as to where that might be.” Seth gave a sharp sigh of relief.

“If anything I think we’ve bought you
some time. We’re going to tail this Gable fellow and find out what his game is. I still wouldn’t be surprised if he’s after your vehicle.”

Seth gave what could only be classified as a dismissive grunt. “I have my doubts about that.”

“Anyway I want you to watch yourself. You have a weapon?”

“Yes,” said Seth slowly.

“Then I suggest you start packing it. One can’t take their own security for granted. Like I said, we’ll tail him and do the best we can to keep you safe until we find out what is going on. Have you told the woman?”

“You mean Julia,” he said softly, her very n
ame a caress upon his lips. “No I haven’t. I’ll wait until I get your final report. Just keep my cousin safe.”

“And regarding the other party?
What do you want me to do about him?”

Seth gave a sharp intake of breath. “Don’t move on that at the present moment.
And whatever you do, don’t tell Lucas what’s happening. Let him live thinking I’m safe. Promise me that okay?”

“He, as well as
all
your family, has a right to know,” said Mandy stiffly.

“
Neither he, nor
anyone
else for that matter, has a right or a need to know. You and Angus promised me to keep all this quiet and I’m going to hold you to that. I’ll stay in touch.”

“I’d like you to fax me tomorrow with all the n
ames of people employed at your firm, even though we may have already checked them out; we’re going to double check again. And Seth, the woman you’re involved with, do you think you could possibly see a little less of her or maybe...?”

“When hell freezes over!
Whatever you’re contemplating just put it out of your mind! There’s no way I’ll stop seeing Julia Morris, now or ever. And about my tail Stan Garten? He needs to reveal himself to me so I know friend from foe. Tomorrow morning, at seven a.m., I’ll make a trip to the mini-mart at Cornwall and
Fifth to buy a newspaper. Have him relate the code word to me so I have a face to go with the name.”

“Got it,” said Mandy, deciding
she’d gotten off easy, and hung up on the phone.

The next morning Julia barely stirred as Seth kissed her on the forehead. She opened her eyes languidly.

“You sleep
, love; I’m just whisking off to get a newspaper. When I return, I’ll make you breakfast in bed. Would you like that?”

Julia sighed and reached a finge
r up to caress his cheek. “I’ll be waiting,” she answered sleepily before drifting off once again.

The
Quick Stop was already busy for a Sunday morning. At 7 a.m. Seth moved to the magazine section and browsed the sports and car magazines, keeping a watchful eye upon the stream of customers who sauntered in on their countless Sunday morning missions. One harassed lady wearing outdated sharp-pointed reading glasses bought a can of cat food and a plastic container of orange juice. Another balding man, who looked like he hadn’t gone to bed the previous night, headed toward the antacid section and purchased two packages of the strongest tablets available. Seth watched all in a bemused manner, waiting for the one person who could give him some peace of mind.

Definitely not that one thought Seth
, as a harried mother with two toddlers trailing her and crying for breakfast scooped up a loaf of bread and a half-gallon of milk before hurrying to the cash register. An older man waltzed in and slammed down twenty dollars on top of the counter.

“Unleaded,” he shouted before running out as the overworked sales clerk wagged her red-tinted
hair and punched at the computer keyboard. Seth noticed a skinny man with a huge Adam’s apple, dressed in blue overalls, pick out two blue energy drinks. Because of his preoccupation he totally missed the next man who quietly entered the store. Tall and in his mid-to-late thirties, he wore a heavy black motorcycle jacket. A bushy black moustache and thick hair growing slightly silver at the sides afforded him a distinguished appearance; though the dimple in his chin suggested a reckless nature. His eyes surveyed the store’s few customers before zeroing in on Seth. He studied the tall architect for a long moment before finally strolling over to the magazine rack to pick up a computer gaming magazine. He cast a sideways glance at Seth and nonchalantly winked one brown eye.

“You wouldn’t by any chance know if they have any articles on the computer g
ame
Simon Says
?”

“I wouldn’t know,” said Seth
, eying the muscular man. He noticed the telltale bulge inside the biker’s leather jacket and immediately relaxed. “I’ll certainly keep an eye out for any articles on that game and let you know.” He replaced his roadster magazine, and picking up a Sunday newspaper paid the overweight clerk before waltzing out the store. So that was Stan Garten and suddenly Seth felt immensely relieved.

Chapter 5

The next few days were an immensely pleasant aftermath of the Christmas holiday.
There was shopping with Julia and her mother, a couple rounds of golf with Jim Morris, and on the thirtieth of December a visit to Gaviota to look over the six puppies, one of which Julia planned to adopt within a week. Twice Seth spotted Stan Garten in the distance, and while unobtrusive, he was an obvious presence. Seth did not observe the stalker’s silver Lexus again and began to relax.

As they walked up to the Mediterranean house with its well-manicured lawn Seth gave Julia a word of advice.

“I’ve heard that when picking a puppy you should sit down on your haunches, outstretch your hand, and see which puppy comes to you first. That’s the one you’ll want.”

“Like the puppy will pick me?
So you
are
an expert,” she said, giving him a warm hug, her arm remaining to drape loosely around his waist. She could never get enough of touching him and that warm tug signaling his undying devotion was always present in her heart, whether with him or not. So, as she and her soul mate waited before the elegant oak door after ringing the doorbell, Julia realized she’d never been happier in her entire life.

A petite woman with short gray-brown bobbed hair and standing scarcely five
-foot tall beckoned them inside.

“I’m Mrs. Alistair,” she said
, her chin dimpling, “and you must be the lucky young lady who’s waiting for her brand new puppy. Come inside and I’ll show you the lot.”

They followed her though
a well-furnished open plan house with cool wicker furniture and spotless cream tiles leading to wide sliding glass doors opening upon a spacious grass lawn. Six furry little puppies whose tails curled over their furry backs frisked about a makeshift pen under the shade of a large mulberry tree as their proud mother sniffed around the expansive garden.

“Oh, they’re
adorable!” cried Julia, resisting the urge to claim each and every one.

“I’ll tell you what I will do,” said Mrs. Alistair. “Just sit over there on that lawn chair while I open the little gate here and let them out.
Watch them play and interact with each other until you decide which one you want. There are four females and two males. If you’re not planning to breed your dog in the future you might want to pick one of the females. Both the males are show quality.”

“Don’t get a male,” suggested Seth quietly.
“Choose a nice sweet female; they’ll be smaller and easier to manage in your apartment.” He gave no other advice, content to fold his arms and watch Julia delightedly examine the gray puppies. The minute the gate creaked open the six shot into the huge yard as if they had never been free before in their lives. They sniffed about, dashing here and there, their hind legs often functioning separately from their forelegs, which occasionally caused the overeager pups to land in jumbled heaps upon one another.

Four of the r
ambunctious puppies totally ignored them but two of the smaller females hovered about, examining the quietly observant humans. Finally, one of the awkward females tentatively moved forward. Her short gray puppy fur had not yet given way to the long silver and black fur of her proud mother. She edged closer and peered directly at Julia before giving a high little bark and sitting down upon Julia’s foot. Delighted, Julia swooped down and snatched up the puppy that wiggled her short legs wildly. As Julia pulled her closer the dog leaned forward and gave her newly chosen mistress a quick lick of her small pink tongue.

“This one,” Ju
lia announced excitedly to Seth. “This is the one I want!”

Seth smiled indulgently. “Compared to the others she seems quite peaceful,” observed Seth
, watching the other puppies dash about. The little Keeshond seemed content to be held upon Julia’s lap. “And just what are you going to name your new found friend?”

“Hmm,” mused Julia. “Such a peaceful dog needs a special n
ame. We’ve been reading Russian fairytales in class and...” Julia snapped her fingers and the little puppy’s head shot up. “Mira! Doesn’t Mir mean peace in Russian? Since this is a girl, I’ll just add an ‘a’ and call her Mira.” She nuzzled the dog’s soft fur and received a quick lick as a reward.

“I see you’ve made a friend,” said M
rs. Alistair, who’d arrived with a plate of cocktail sausages cut into bite-sized bits. She whistled to the dogs scurrying around her feet to greedily snatch the tidbits from her fingers.

“W
hy don’t you give your new puppy a piece?” Mrs. Alistair asked Julia, handing her a sausage.

Mira
took it delicately from her fingers. Even at seven weeks this Keeshond was a real lady.

It was with great reluctance
, over thirty minutes later, that they left the puppies.

“You’ll remember which one it is?” asked Mrs. Alistair, “because if you can’t, I’ll place a little red collar on her.”

“I’ll remember who she is,” answered Julia confidently. “She’s the one with the four dainty black feet and silver-tipped ears. There’ll be no mistaking my Mira.”

Seth once again felt the complete blanket of contentment wash over him.
It was the same delicious feeling that had resided within him ever since he and Julia had exchanged souls. There was no way on God’s green earth he was going to lose all this now, and as he followed the gaily chattering Julia to his Jeep he realized it was time to call Angus O’Leary.

Angus seemed hesitant to follo
w through on any of Seth’s options until the young architect nearly slammed the phone down in frustration.

“Blast it man,” he snarled across the long-distance line at the portly police
officer who he knew sat mildly at his desk. One thing Angus had gained from his many years of police work was the ability to stay calm. Seth felt that he was essentially a calm person as well, but not where Julia was concerned. If things weren’t resolved over the next couple of weeks, Seth didn’t know what he was going to do.

“Be patient man, we’
re working on it,” soothed Angus. “Adam Gable completely dropped out of sight until the Stockton police spotted him at a local bowling alley. I’ve sent Stan up there so don’t you worry, we’ll keep a tail on him. We’ve relocated Lucas to a new province so everything’s going to be just fine. Just keep your head low and your eyes open. The Santa Barbara Metro Police have been alerted to a possible stalker staking out your girlfriend and I’ve placed a female undercover officer in her building to keep an eye on her. Contact me after New Years and we’ll revisit your situation.”

An
d so the days swirled by in a happy haze. New Year’s Eve was a joyous affair. The Morris’ and a few family friends celebrated New Year’s Eve with dancing and singing and the blare of horns at midnight. Later, in the dimly lit living room, the old black and white version
of
It’s a Wonderful life
with Jimmy Stewart caused Julia to fall asleep in the crook of Seth’s arm. Seth drifted off, only to awaken at dawn with an old thick comforter placed considerately over them as the rest of the house slept.

Over the next couple of days Seth accompanied Julia
to her classroom and helped change the bulletin boards and cut out letters. They sat companionably by one another, cutting out stars and moons for the bulletin board she prepared for her upcoming space unit. As she stapled on the planets Seth examined the large cork bulletin board filled with photographs of the round faces of her pupils. They were of every color; black, white, brown, and many had not yet lost the baby fat some seven-year-olds still carry. One particular little boy resembled Julia, with curly blonde hair and wide blue-gray eyes and Seth felt an overwhelming longing to have a son. As he watched the woman of his dreams putter around her tidy classroom he prayed he’d live to see their child.

It wasn’t until January fifth, the day before they were supposed to pick up the Keeshond puppy, that a mo
mentous event happened. They’d all been invited over to the Morris residence, that final Sunday evening before school began, for a wonderful dinner consisting of ham drenched in honey and pineapple, baked potatoes, fresh sourdough bread, and an unusual green bean casserole whose secret ingredient seemed to be onion rings soon loaded their plates. Jim Morris filled their glasses full of a light California White Zinfandel wine and toasted his lovely wife, who still managed to blush after thirty years of marriage.

Both Angie and Paul disappeared into the lounge directly after dinner to peruse some old photo albums while Seth and Julia retreated to the kitchen to relieve Mrs. Morris from dish duty.
Halfway through the dishes a shout and roar of laughter issued from the front room, followed by a definite whoop of joy that could only have come from the boisterous Jim Morris.

“What on earth can that be?” asked Julia
, drying her hands upon a strawberry-colored hand towel. She scurried out of the kitchen with Seth close behind. Angie, lovely in a midnight blue silk dress, held her left hand up for all to see.

“He did it,” she st
ammered. “He did it, lookie here!” and there on her slim white finger was the largest emerald-cut diamond Julia had ever seen. Julia’s hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened while Seth grinned knowingly at Paul. So he’d
finally
popped the question.

“Hmm,” said Seth quite seriously after everyone had calmed down. “So I guess I’ll be
looking for new digs pretty soon?”

“Hold your ho
rses Hayes; the wedding won’t happen until June or July, but I just couldn’t hold off asking her any longer. I had my proposal all planned for Valentines Day, but that ring’s been burning a hole in my pocket for weeks, and Angie was making such a fuss over my parents’ wedding pictures that I couldn’t resist.”

“He actually got down on one kne
e,” burst out Angie, who looped her arms around Paul’s neck and kissed him tenderly.

“This calls for a celebration,” declared Jim Morris, hugging his wife impulsively
, and within five minutes the pop of a Brut Champagne cork bouncing off the ceiling echoed through the merry house. The evening was a lovely finale to a beautiful holiday break and as Julia walked Seth to his car she sighed in perfect contentment while he tightened his arm around her shoulder. He kissed her gently on the forehead before unlocking his Jeep.

“I’m delighted
to know that Paul is planning for his future. He couldn’t find a better girl than Angie.” said Seth.

“He appeared so happy, and did you see the
look on my parent’s faces; they couldn’t have been more overjoyed if it was their own engagement.”

“So he planned to propose on Valentines Day,” commented Seth misch
ievously. “How very original.” He sent her a searing look before turning away and Julia’s heart leaped.

“You rarely speak of you
r family,” Julia commented one misty evening in early January, as Seth lounged across from her at his favorite sushi restaurant. Sushi was a passion with him and he popped a crab California roll happily into his mouth after adding a healthy dose of wasabi and ginger to the concoction. He rolled his gray eyes in ecstasy. Julia relished his simple enjoyment of oriental food, thankful a wonderful sushi bar was located only ten minutes from her flat so Seth could get his weekly fix.

“You know about my mother and father.”

“Of course, but were you an only child?” Julia suspected he wasn’t, but had been afraid to pursue the subject before. She had a premonition his sibling was dead, but Seth was part of her and she had to know.

A shadow darkened his face and he
took a swallow of green tea before answering.

“No.
I have a brother and a cousin.”

“A brother?
What’s his name?”

“Can’t be trusted.”

“That’s his name?”

“No, but it’s what I prefer to call him.”

“Ooh. Do I detect a bitter note at the mention of him? Is this subject taboo?”

Seth shrugged and mixed
more wasabi into his soy sauce before dipping a portion of a prawn sandwich into it. He let it soak up the hot juice for a moment.

“Let me put it this way.
He’s not my favorite subject
or
relative. Maybe, in a few months, I’ll tell you more about him, but for now I prefer not to ruin my evening, the delicious sushi, or your sweet company by thinking about him.”

Julia decided it was best to move on to the other relative.
“And your cousin?”

“The salt of the earth.
The kindest, most dependable cuss you’d ever have the honor to meet. He is, however, a rover, a wanderer, and just a bit of a cad; at least where women are concerned.”

“Where does he live
?”

“I’m not certain. I
believe he’s traipsing about Canada somewhere, probably with a couple of redheads keeping him warm at night.”