Murder and Mayhem (49 page)

Luckily Nicola had had the foresight to phone ahead
and make a reservation so it wasn’t long before the hostess led them to a table
beside a large window. Once seated, she presented them with impressive looking
menus and hurried back to the podium where anxious diners waited.

Danny looked around the dark wood-paneled building
where a bank of large windows looked onto the busy roadway and beyond to the
freeway, where flickering car lights glittered like jewels as they crossed the
flyover above the Bothin Marshes where Nicola had seen the Tiger shark some
months ago. An enormous fish was mounted above a large stone fireplace where a fire
blazed in the hearth, filling the room with warmth and gave the restaurant a
cozy, intimate feeling.

Danny noticed the crowd of people sitting at the bar
and lined up out front in the hope of a last minute cancellation… or early
leavers. He didn’t like their chances. This was not a place where you ate and
moved on. It was a place where you spent a pleasant evening over a relaxed meal
and shared a bottle or two of good wine with family and friends.

The menu displayed an extensive array of tempting food
and they took their time choosing. The patient waiter returned several times
before they made their selection. Nicola decided on the Mongolian Pork Chop
with apple and apricot chutney, roasted squash and polenta croutons. Danny
couldn’t resist the thick New York Cut Steak, medium-rare, atop blue cheese
potato rosti.

“Would you care for something to drink?” the waiter, a
tall imposing middle-aged man with curly gray hair the color of steel wool,
asked. He was dressed in a white shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled up, black
waistcoat and neatly pressed black trousers. Danny noticed the man’s black
shoes were polished to perfection and figured he may have been in the service
at some time.

“Nic, why don’t you choose something you like,” Danny
suggested with his limited knowledge of the local wines.

While Nicola discussed wine with the waiter, Danny
took the opportunity to look around.

When the waiter headed for the bar with their order,
Danny nodded to a large buck’s head mounted on the wall at the top of the stairs
where the mezzanine floor was filled to capacity with diners. “Is the
restaurant named after that deer?”

Nicola laughed. “No. Buckeye is a tree, not a deer.
It’s the national emblem of Ohio. Maybe the owner came from Ohio. They own
eleven restaurants in and around the San Francisco area, and, I think, one in
Aspen. They’ve also got one on East Blithedale, called Bungalow 44. I’ve been
there a couple of times but I prefer this one.”

Their meal arrived and while they ate they chatted
about everyday things while at the same time taking care to avoid the subject
most on their minds–Danny’s departure.

Suddenly there was loud crash as thunder exploded out
of the sky. The restaurant fell silent while lightning splintered the night
with jagged flashes of white light. The lights in the restaurant flickered and
went out and a hushed silence fell over the room. While the battle of the skies
raged overhead, the only sounds to be heard were the crackling of the fire in
the grate and the traffic on the wet road illuminated by lightning as it forked
its way across the blackened sky. Candlelight reflected on anxious faces, the
air thick with anticipation. Then, suddenly, the lights flickered once, then
again–and came on. People looked around not sure what to do.  Should they go? 
Should they stay?  And then everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh and
took up conversations where they had left off. The atmosphere became vibrant
once more as people continued their meals. The fire flickered and danced in the
grate, while outside, the storm raged through the chaos of the night.

Danny noticed a bewildered look on Nicola’s face. He
reached out and touched her hand. “Are you all right?” he asked

“Fine, I’m fine. For a brief moment I had the
strangest feeling like something ominous was about to happen.” Nicola picked up
her fork and began eating.

As the efficient staff bustled about clearing the
empty dishes away and wiped the crumbs from the white linen tablecloth, Danny
suggested another bottle of wine but Nicola, not knowing the state the road
would be in after the storm, decided to be cautious and declined.

The storm had moved on and the hour grew late. Nicola
was behind the wheel of the BMW concerned Danny would have a problem
maneuvering the nightmare that Marion Avenue often became after a storm when
trees came down bringing power lines with them.

*****

Ross wandered into the guestroom and closed the door
behind him.

“Hope I didn’t keep you up,” he said softly.

I looked up from the screen, and smiled.

“No. I was just working on my story so I’d have
something to read to Rosie tomorrow.”

He sat on the bed and removed his boots. “How’s your
night been?”

“Fine.”

“Kids all in bed?”

“Kids all in bed.”

He nodded and got up. “Give me a minute to have a
shower then you can read me what you’ve written.”

“Or not?”

He laughed. This man could read my mind. “Or not…”

                                                                           *****

As they turned onto Marion Avenue, homes all across
the hill were cloaked in darkness. Except for the occasional glow of
candlelight through a window, the only light to be seen was the car’s
headlights slowly winding through trees as they drove down the pitch black road
where water ran in courses through washed-down debris and swept over the side
of the embankment in miniature waterfalls. 

As they rounded a bend, Nicola slowed down when she
noticed a large redwood tree on the road blocking their way. Live power and
cable lines twisted around branches and snaked across the narrow roadway. She
deftly backed the car onto a platform, turned around and headed back up the
hill. When she stopped at the intersection, Danny noticed the 2am Club was in
full swing with people spilling onto the sidewalk as the steady beat from loud
music, pulsated within. He looked along the street and saw that lights were on
in other establishments.

“How come they have power here, but not on the hill?”

“Because they’re on a different grid. Mill Valley is
made up of different power grids. Even along Marion Avenue there are several
different ones. You could have power while your neighbor does not. It’s just
the luck of the draw,” she explained as she turned left onto Miller and headed
towards the village.

“I’ll go back through the township and come up from
Cascade. Hopefully the road will be clear down there,” she said mentally crossing
her fingers.

“And, if it’s not?”

 She shrugged, unconcerned. “Then we’ll just park the
car somewhere and walk up. This always happens when there’s a severe storm.
Marion Avenue has so many trees there’s always one or two that come down, and
quite often they bring power and cable lines down with them. Tomorrow it will
all be cleared with the power back on, and cable trucks will be lined up one
after the other at the bottom of the hill, anxious to get their paid customers
up and running before they decide to switch to another supplier,” she said
cheerily.

 Nicola drove cautiously down Throckmorton Avenue and
turned onto Cascade, at the base of the hill where lights from candles twinkled
in windows, like fairyland. Nicola braked suddenly as a deer scampered across
the road, its startled eyes caught in the blaze of the car’s headlights. 

After deftly maneuvering around fallen branches and
debris scattered all over the road, Nicola pulled into the driveway and cut the
engine.

“There you are,” she said, “home safe and sound.
Didn’t I tell you there was nothing to worry about?”

All the houses along the avenue were in darkness
except for the glow of candles and torches, so it was no surprise when Nicola
found that she too had no power.

“Wait here while I go get some candles,” she said and
hurried down the dark hallway. 

It wasn’t long before Danny saw the flickering light
of a candle coming towards him with Nicola’s face illuminated in that out of
worldly look you often see in horror movies. He followed behind as she led him
to the room at the back of the house and placed the candle on the kitchen
bench.

When they had lit more candles and placed them around
the room, the walls and furniture came alive with dancing images that flickered
with the movement of air around them.

As they stood by the window and watched lightning
illuminate the garden with white light, Danny put his arm around Nicola. She
leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t you think this
is romantic?” Nicola asked.

“Yes, I do. Come with me,” Danny whispered and took
hold of her hand. 

 They placed candles on the window ledge in the
bathroom and watched the flames twist and turn like exotic dancers. In the soft
glow, Danny slowly undressed her, gently caressing her body as he removed each
garment. When she stood naked in front of him, Nicola reached up and tugged the
T-shirt over his head then she knelt on the floor and slowly undid the button
on his jeans, pulled the zip down and worked his jeans over his hips. As she
slipped them over his feet he lifted first one leg, then the other. When she
removed his Calvin Klein underpants, his penis sprang free. She leaned forward
and kissed the tip lightly, cupping his testicles in her hand.

Danny ran his hands through her hair, across her
shoulders and down her spine. The sensation of his touch and the nearness of
his fully erect penis sent chills through her body. As Danny raised her up his
eyes drank in every curve and contour in the shadowy light, made more exotic by
the dancing flame. He turned on the shower and guided her under the water jet.
When they soaped each other up, Danny lifted her up and lowered her slowly onto
his shaft–impaling her with his weapon.

*****

“Romantic, erotic
and
sensual. It looks like
you’ve got all the necessary ingredients–covered all the bases,” Rosie said the
next morning as she fanned her face with a magazine she’d brought into the
garden to read–but somehow never got around to. “Hot flush,” she offered by way
of an explanation.

“From the story or deprived
HRT?”

When Rosie was diagnosed with
breast cancer, her doctor advised her to cease HRT medication, because the
tumors were estrogen driven. I knew the withdrawal of HRT was taking its toll
on her body, adding to her discomfort.

Even though a light breeze whispered through the
trees, her face was flushed. “Probably a combination of both,” she said,
smiling.

I pointed to a shaded area nestled amongst the
redwoods. “Do you want me to move the lounge over there?”

“Nah! This is fine. The sun isn’t hot−just
pleasant. It’ll pass in a minute. Beside, we need all the Vitamin D we can get.
You know, old ladies, brittle bones.”

“Speak for yourself! Would you like me to get you a
cold drink?”

“Nah. It’ll just make me want to go to the bathroom
again and I’ve only just got myself settled.” Suddenly she stopped fanning and
grinned. “There you go, what did I tell you? Hot flush! Read on, McDuff. I’m
all ears... and no wisecrack remarks from you.”

*****

Lightning splintered the sky in silvery flashes while
thunder shook the windows. They lay wrapped in each other’s arm and listened to
the wind howl through the trees. It was a night of demons, and they clung to
each other, not in fear of the storm, but in fear of parting.

A loud crack resounded across the valley like the
sound of a giant whip, then the screech of large limbs snapping was followed by
a loud thud, as a giant redwood struck by lightning was brought down by the
fury of the wind. The candles on the bedside table flickered and jumped sending
shadowy figures dancing around the room.

* * *

Danny woke with a feeling of unease. He sat on the
edge of the bed, rubbed his face with his hands and ran his fingers through his
hair. A small amount of light filtered in through the window as a car traced
its way down the winding road and allowed him to safely navigate his way to the
bathroom. Without bothering to check if the black-out was over, he relied on
light from the candle that still burned on the window ledge as he leaned over
the toilet and urinated, his free hand resting on the wall for support. He
washed his hands and laid his forehead against the mirror, feeling the coolness
of the glass against the heat of his face. He turned on the tap and splashed
water on his face then wandered down the hallway to the kitchen, his way lit by
the pale flicker of a candle at the end of the hallway. When he opened the
refrigerator door no light came on. He removed a container of milk and poured
it into a glass, leaned against the bench and drank while he watched shadows dancing
across the room. When he climbed back into bed the black velvet oblivion took
him to where demons welcomed him with open arms.