ROMANTIC SUSPENSE : DEATH WHISPERED SOFTLY (12 page)

“Steve, you look so... so different today”, she said shyly.  How can I thank you; thank you very much for saving my life. Had it not been for you I would be lying dead and buried in some old cemetery…”

But even before she could finish her sentence, Steve on an impulse placed his fingers on her mouth, preventing her from completing her words. The very thought of Grace being dead was unbearable to him now.  ‘”Don’t say that Grace. May you live a hundred years” Steve’s spontaneous and so obviously unpremeditated utterance made Grace look sharply at him. She knew instantly it was a genuine sentiment.  As she continued to look at his eyes intently, searchingly, she knew this tall ruggedly handsome man loved her deeply. Her eyes turned moist, as she took the flowers from his limp hands and she hugged him tightly.

Steve was convinced now that Grace liked him immensely, but did she love him? He wanted to know that...
He needed to know that
…

CHAPTER XVl

    From that day on Steve started coming every day to the hospital to visit Grace. They would sit and chat for hours and with each passing day Steve and Grace became closer. When he was not with her, his thoughts were filled with her violet eyes, and how they twinkled as he gazed into them; the silky hair that danced on her shoulders and framed her beautiful face. Ironically, this girl who he hadn’t even known until a month back and whom he had agreed to murder for a fistful of dollars had now become the very focus of his life and his future.

And then on the day Grace was to be discharged, Steve mustered the courage and invited her out for dinner. It would be her first night after being released from the hospital and Steve wanted her to spend the evening with him and have dinner together—hopefully if she would want that.

And he was elated when Grace willingly accepted his invitation. This would be their first evening out together after that fateful night and Steve was excited about their date.

He still had plenty of money left from the advance Ricardo had given to him and he gave no thought to the fact that he would want it back it was all so bizarre, baffling, and inexplicable. Just a short time back he was practicing painstakingly to make sure the plan to kill Grace Kingsbury would be pulled off flawlessly. And here he was now, painstakingly preparing to do absolutely anything to
shield and safeguard
the life of the very woman he had wanted to exterminate. He was prepared to go to any lengths to protect her from any harm, even if that meant laying down his own life for her. This was how strongly he felt about Grace Kingsbury now.  Besides protecting her, Steve also wanted to fill Grace’s life with happiness, love and fervor. He wanted to obliterate all the sorrow and trauma she was going through, because of her father’s untimely demise, and replace it with joyous bliss. This way he would atone for the despicable plan he was to carry out. 

He was confident that his parents—wherever they might be
—would approve of what their son was doing
now.

CHAPTER XVll

    Steve took Grace out to a carefully chosen restaurant, which was not overly fancy, yet classy enough to host candle-light dinners. Since it was a Monday, Steve hoped there wouldn’t be much of a crowd.  And that was exactly how it turned out when he and Grace entered the restaurant. Although
there was abundant dining room, there were but a few diners. The tables were nicely laid out, with a candle glowing at the center of each one, and there was instrumental music playing softly in the background.

Steve thought the ambience was exceedingly romantic.  And he was not the only one; he was pleased to see that the whole ambience was making a tremendous impression on Grace…
his
Grace.  She too was obviously impacted by the splendor of the setting and the magic of the moment. The staff was cordial and friendly, and this made them feel even more comfortable. 

Steve ordered the most expensive wine the restaurant was serving.  He wanted Grace to thoroughly enjoy her first evening after her stint at the hospital. He wanted her to have a break from her worries, troubles and sadness. And the wine really hit the spot. The steward, who had highly recommended the wine,
was
right. The wine was indeed splendid, it’s rich color and pleasant aroma was smooth and delicious, and they drank it liberally. After all that they had been through in the past few weeks, it was a nice way to relax and unwind.

As they wined and dined in the dim romantic candle light, Steve and Grace seemed to melt in the romance of the evening, accentuated by the candles and soft piano music playing in the back ground. Soon they were on the floor, dancing.

Steve noticed how happy and beautiful Grace looked.  She swayed to the music, her soft curls bouncing on her shoulders and the candlelight illuminating her flawless complexion. Her sadness had all but disappeared. The thick cloud of melancholy that surrounded her—when he had first seen her at the café—seemed to have been replaced with joy and serenity. It was a great contrast to see the young lady, who once appeared overwhelmed with tragedy and pathos, scarcely contain her happiness now.

    She looked absolutely gorgeous when she laughed. His eyes were transfixed on her face and the sound of her laughter gave him more happiness than any other thing he had experienced in his life. And he found this delightfully peculiar. He was amazed how someone else’s joy could make him so glad.

The night was turning out to be a very special night for both Grace and Steve as they swayed to the romantic numbers played by the restaurant’s DJ. It was during their third dance, as Steve was twirling Grace under his arm, she all of a sudden came close to him.  So close that Steve found her lips on his and before he could check himself or fully comprehend what was happening, they were kissing passionately.

At that moment in time, they were lost
in
their world, and lost
to
the world. Their hearts seemed to be over flowing with love for each other, which would find a simple expression in the form of kisses. Kisses so soft and sweet that went on until late in the night—when there was hardly any other guests left in the restaurant besides them. 

In the midst of this magic, Steve found himself saying something he had never said before, to
anyone
.  Looking deep into Graces eyes, he murmured softly but distinctly, “I love you Grace… I love you more than anyone or anything I have loved in my life. You matter more to me than life itself; I can’t imagine my life without you in it Grace”.  And after this spur-of-the-moment confession Steve closed his eyes. He knew he had failed in resisting the power of the moment, and had expressed what his heart genuinely felt. He was now deeply concerned he may have been hasty about this. He didn’t want to lose his darling Grace for anything on earth. He knew that
he
loved this gorgeous lady like crazy, but the question was did
she
love him as well?

But he needn’t have worried, for his confession of love met with the deepest kiss of the evening.  Grace Kingsbury in a whisper repeated “I love you too my darling.  It seems I waited all my life just for you. Now you are with me and there is nothing else my heart desires. It’s as if all my wishes have been fulfilled Steve.”

The moment Grace said this, Steve knew his life had changed… forever!  And he was completely blown away by the magic of the moment, and the utter relief that grace loved him too!

Suspended in that moment of love and bliss, Steve knew that he and Grace had become one, and nothing could separate them now. Their days of torment, loneliness and pain were behind them.

A tragedy had separated Steve from the love of his parents and ironically it was a

tragic set of events that had united him with the one he
now
loved so greatly.

Grace and Steve would long cherish this starlit spring night---- enhanced by the marvelous settings of candlelight and melodious music of the intimate restaurant- apart from their confession of love. This evening would be etched on their hearts and minds for a long, long, time.

Steve and Grace finally left the restaurant at three in the morning in Steve’s car—a hired BMW.  When they finally reached Grace’s house—a huge mansion really— Steve parked the car in front of the majestic foyer of her house.

As they hugged tightly, Grace whispered in Steve’s ear “Thank you my darling, this was the most beautiful evening of my life. I have never been as happy as I am today and it’s all because of you; I so love you. Thank you for coming into my life. It has been blessed.  I believe that you’re coming to the café was not a mere coincidence but something much more than that.  I so believe it was God who orchestrated all this; he sent you there to save my life. For, had it not been for you, the elderly lady would have certainly crushed me under her car and I would be dead by now. My darling you don’t know how blessed I am to have you in my life. You have changed everything.” And so saying, Grace kissed him lovingly.

Although Steve was struck by the sheer sincerity and uninhibited expression of love he was surprised to experience a pang of guilt go through him. And he knew exactly why. “This wonderful girl who obviously loves me so deeply has little idea that it was
not
God who had orchestrated this incident to occur, and sent him there, but rather a wicked twosome had sent him there. It was a reprehensible plan devised by a deadly-duo who wanted her murdered, so that they could usurp her business that had in fact caused him to be there.
Only that their plan had turned sour by a sheer quirk of fate, and I ended up saving the girl I had come to kill!
 

Now standing in the mansion’s foyer next to Grace, Steve deliberated whether he should tell Grace the truth or hide it-- lest it jeopardize their love and future together. But he found that he couldn’t make a decision—it wasn’t easy. So he decided he would give himself more time before telling Grace what transpired that fateful night.

On the one hand Steve did not want to lose the one he now loved so intensely, but on the other he was not comfortable with the thought of concealing the truth from her.  He would have to make a decision
when
to tell her. But now was certainly
not
the moment, he decided. He didn’t want to ruin the wonderful evening Grace had had with him.

“The poor girl doesn’t need to hear it at this time!” he reminded himself.

Keeping this in mind, Steve did not tell Grace
why
he had happened to be at the café on the fateful night. Instead he kissed her and on that note they parted for the night.  Grace Kingsbury, blissfully unaware of the thoughts tormenting Steve, let him go. 

Steve arrived at his hotel at four in the morning. Although he was tired, and a bit drained, from the evening he had with Grace, he found he couldn’t sleep! The reflection —whether to tell Grace the truth, or to hide it from her – niggled his mind. He didn’t want to lose Grace who had, in such a short time, become the most precious thing in his life.

Steve wanted to start their new life based on trust and honesty, but was deeply fearful that his confession of truth could not only place his life in jeopardy, but more importantly, crush his new found love.

He knew the moment he told Grace the truth, his life would be at her mercy. Should he trust Grace, or should he not, was the question.

“Is it wise to place my life in someone else’s hands even if it is a person who loves me?”

After reflecting much on it in the solitude of his room, Steve decided he must tell Grace everything. He was convinced that if he and Grace were to have a life of trust and commitment, he would have to tell her everything.  There could be no room for lies and dark secrets in love.

He decided to lay the naked truth on the table and then leave it to Grace and fate (God?).  He was weary of living a life of crime, deception and dishonesty. If fate –or was it a higher force as Grace believed – had presented him a golden opportunity to start a brand-new life with someone who he loved so completely, he didn’t want to ruin it by hiding such a daunting truth. He
had
to tell Grace that he had been hired, by her own business partner, to kill her and that he
had
accepted that offer and had come to the café to carry out the devious assassination plan.

And when he made a firm decision to tell her the whole truth, he was surprised to discover that he felt glad and relieved, even though he was risking his life by doing so. But something was inspiring him and he did not want to ponder on what or who it was. He just decided to go through with this—tell the entire truth to Grace and then leave everything to her.

The release and liberation he felt from the decision was so enormous and soothing that Steve didn’t even realize when he fell asleep. His soul at peace, his restlessness gone, he slept deeply and serenely.

The next morning after he was done showering, he called up Grace.  After they spoke for a while Steve said, “Grace I want to meet you; there is something I want to tell you, I need to tell you; can we go out for dinner tonight again please?”  The solemnity and urgency in Steve’s voice startled Grace and she immediately became worried, but decided to wait for the evening and not ask anything on the phone. And so she simply said, “Sure darling, I would love to go out with you again”. Although Grace had tried to conceal her surprise and concern, Steve noticed a hint of worry in her voice.