The Taxman Killeth (20 page)

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of
a little pain.”

“Look at it. It’s all brown and
goopy.”

“I promise, you won’t feel a
thing, and I’ll only put on a thin layer. Any excess I’ll wipe away.”

When she was finished he thanked
her with a kiss, a long, open-mouthed wet kiss that had Amy’s legs quivering,
until Todd picked her up and carried her to the master bedroom.

“I see what you mean,” Amy said,
looking up at the massive carved wooden posts at the head of the bed.

Todd’s eyes followed her gaze.
He smiled.

“Makes me feel like a king.”

Amy almost asked if that was how
he felt when he shared the bed with Kay. But she stopped herself. Ten years ago
didn’t mean a thing at this moment. She believed that he and Kay were now
friends. Nothing more.

Slowly they worked each other’s
clothes off, viewing each revelation as a first after the painful separation
they had experienced. The moon was just past full and filled the room with
surreal lighting for their love play. Amy lifted the curve of her body to allow
Todd to pull down the chenille bed cover. When she sagged back down, she felt
the cool silkiness of satin. She spread her body across the sheet, enjoying the
luxurious texture against her hot skin. Todd’s tongue traveled her flesh,
lapping at her most sensitive zones. Amy turned her face into the pillow to
muffle her climactic cries.

When she attempted to reverse
positions, Todd stopped her.

“I’ll never last. I have to
enter you now,” he said, teasing his way slowly inside.

Amy couldn’t believe that she
was so quickly aroused again, but as Todd covered her mouth with his own groan
they both peaked.

Later they lay together,
spoon-fashion. Amy’s breathing was deep with sleep. Todd wanted to keep her
enfolded in his arms forever. Because of the kind of work he did, he never
thought he could manage a wife and children; however, given the current
situation, he was clearly unemployed. What was he thinking? He certainly wouldn’t
ask Amy to run off with a murder suspect. His arms gripped her tighter and she
moaned but didn’t wake. He kissed the crown of her head and wished that he
could discard the past, banish it from the memory of the world, especially the San
Francisco police.

Chapter 21

Leave

The dawn was stretching into the
master bedroom when Amy woke to the sound of a running shower. The wrinkled
sheets and tall wooden posts at the head of the bed reminded her of where she
was. Obviously Todd thought there would be no time for lovemaking, but Amy
decided to prove him wrong by stepping into the shower with him. Both were
gloriously rewarded.

Later, after Amy dressed, she
walked into the kitchen to find that Todd had breakfast on the table.

“It’s nice having you around. I
never have to face work on an empty stomach,” Amy said, snatching a slice of
toast from a plate Todd was carrying to a gingham place mat.

“Nice? Is that the way you
describe my company?”

“Depends on the room we’re in,”
Amy whispered close to his ear.

“Remind me to change your
viewpoint of the kitchen sometime.”

“Any time is fine with me.”

“We have things to discuss right
now.”

“It’s good that we’re in the
kitchen, then. Is that real Vermont syrup?”

“Kay wouldn’t use anything else.
Her grandfather sends her cartons of the stuff from his own trees.”

“You’re kidding. This is really
fresh, then.”

“I don’t know. Kay’s always
worried about her weight. I don’t think she gets around to using the syrup
much. Amy, about my sister...”

“Don’t worry. I’ll call in sick.
Wait outside her house, and when Michael leaves I’ll run upstairs and talk to
her. Maybe I’ll be able to get her out immediately.”

“No, I don’t want you putting
yourself at risk. I’ll take care of Michael.”

“Brilliant. He’ll have you
arrested. Then what do Jennifer, the children, and I do?”

“You go back to living your life
the way it was before I examined the firm’s books.”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because I think I’m in love
with you. I’ll need a little more time to make sure. I definitely don’t want to
make a mistake, given the circumstances and all. But—”

“Amy, I...”

She carefully placed her knife
and fork on the edge of her plate and looked into Todd’s eyes.

“I,” she said encouragingly.

Todd cleared his throat.

“Amy, I have to take care of my
sister myself.”

“And me?”

“Amy, I’m wanted for murder. And
even if this whole mess blows over, my job doesn’t permit me to have a normal
life.”

“You can be retrained. There are
lots of programs out there. In the meantime, I’ll keep my job until we want to
start a family.”

Todd closed his eyes. A mistake,
he decided, when a vision of Amy cradling an infant popped into his mind.

“No!” he said, crashing his sore
hand down on the table. “I’m set in my ways. I’m not going to change my career
and the way I live my life.”

“Oh, inflexibility. That’s the
first fault I’ve found in you. Besides the fact you’re wanted for murder, but
then you and I know you didn’t commit the crime.”

“I have lots of faults, Amy. A
warehouse of faults. From the smallest detail of my life right on up to my...”
Todd hesitated; he wasn’t sure how far he wanted to press the issue. What the
hell, he decided he may as well go all the way for Amy’s sake. “...womanizing!”

“That kind of experience
actually may be a plus.” Amy hid the twinge of jealousy. She knew he meant to
hurt, to drive her away, and she wouldn’t let him. Wanting to change the topic,
Amy brought the subject back to Todd’s sister.

“Anyway, what can you do about
Jennie? The police may be watching her house, waiting for you to show. I
certainly can get in easier than you.”

“Amy, I don’t want you
endangering yourself with Michael.”

“I have an idea.”

***

Todd hadn’t liked the idea when
she first broached it over breakfast, but he couldn’t come up with an alternative.
Therefore, the two of them sat in a car Amy had rented. She hadn’t driven in
several years, and it showed.

“Perhaps I should drive.”

“The car’s in my name.”

“Damn it, look out for that
trolley.”

“Stop being a backseat driver.
It makes plenty of noise; I can hear it coming.”

She had suggested renting the
car to give Todd a low profile on the street, but with her driving, he figured
he’d be in jail before the morning was over.

“There’s the building over
there,” she said.

“Watch where you’re going.”

Amy had inadvertently steered
into the direction of the building and narrowly missed a car coming in the
opposite direction.

“I drive on the way back.”

Amy decided to let his statement
stand. She’d keep the keys in her pocket; then there wouldn’t be much to argue
about.

“Thank goodness, a parking
space,” Amy said.

Todd watched as an old Pinto
pulled out of a small space. He covered his eyes, unable to bear the view of
the battle Amy was going to have to fight to fit into the parking space.
However, Todd was amazed when seconds later Amy shut off the engine and Todd
opened his eyes to see that they were perfectly parked parallel to the curb.

“Why can’t you drive the way you
park?”

“I’m a good driver. Only once in
a while my attention wanders.”

“Once in a while...”

“Shh. Someone’s coming out,” she
hushed him. “Never mind, I remember that staggering gait. At least he made it
out of the vestibule this time.”

“What are you talking about?”

“That guy lives on the floor
above your sister with Flora.”

“Who’s Flora?”

“She’s irrelevant right now.”

“Amy, I don’t want you to stay
long at the apartment. Get my sister and the kids out as fast as possible.”

“Right; I blitz my way in, grab
everything I can, and run out. I’m sorry, Todd, but I don’t think it’s going to
be that simple. Even if she’s not still in love with Michael, she’s going to be
afraid to leave. She may even worry about how it will affect the children to be
taken away from their father and home.” Amy saw Todd’s lips tighten and she
spoke softly. “I’ll do the best I can. Everything is up to Jennifer. Neither
you nor I can make her do something she’s not ready to do yet. Please, not the
dashboard. Remember it’s rented.”

She had grabbed his hand in
mid-slam. His anger and frustration were painful to watch. She knew that he
believed he was at fault for the situation that existed. Gripping his hand
tighter, she tried to free some of the pent-up guilt that he felt, guilt that
was not legitimately his, but she knew he wouldn’t be talked out of it.

“There he is now,” Todd said.

Startled, Amy first watched Todd’s
body stiffen, then she looked out her window to see Michael descending the
stairs. He wore the same jogging suit he had worn when he had attempted to rape
her. Had he really been about to rape her? Or was he just trying to frighten
her away for some reason? It didn’t matter right now, she realized, as she
watched him jog down the block.

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” she
murmured.

Todd kissed her hand before
letting it go.

In great haste, Amy closed the
car door and ran between passing cars on up the front steps. Inside the
building she halted, facing Flora.

“Your boyfriend just went out
for his daily run.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. I’m here
to see Jennie.”

Amy tried to sidestep her way
around Flora, but was prevented by the woman’s bulk.

“Poor girl has enough trouble
without you coming ‘round to rub salt into the wounds.”

“I want to help her. Please, let
me by.”

“They’re all bums.”

Amy caught the whiff of a minty
odor. She was sure it hid the scent of alcohol.

“Do you want to come up with me,
Flora? Maybe we can talk to Jennie together.”

“About what?”

Amy held her breath. Should she
reveal the reason for her visit? She didn’t have much time. She doubted that
Michael was built for long jogs.

“About leaving Michael.”

The woman gasped.

“But she’s got three children.”

“That gives her at least three
good reasons to leave.”

As best as Amy could tell, the
woman had been so shocked by the idea that she fell back against the mailboxes,
leaving enough room for Amy to slip by.

She had to pound loudly at
Jennie’s door to get an answer. The door edged open an inch. She could see no
one.

“Jennie, I want to talk to you.”

“Go away. I want nothing to do
with you.”

Amy decided that stretching the
truth might help her to gain access to the apartment.

“Your brother is with me. He won’t
go away until you talk to us.”

The door opened wider, and
Jennie, with raised hand, was shaking her head as she spoke.

“No. Go away, Todd, before
Michael...”

Quickly, Amy pushed her way in
before Jennie could stop her.

“Where’s my brother?”

After shutting the door Amy
noticed a chain lock and put it in place.

“He’s downstairs, waiting.”

“For what?”

For the first time, Amy got the
full impact of the bruises and cuts that covered Jennie’s face. Both eyes were
blackened, and several gashes cut across the woman’s pronounced cheekbones.

“Mama?”

A toddler clung to the jamb of
the doorway leading to the apartment’s hall. The child’s baggy pajamas hung low
under her belly.

“Go back in the bedroom and
watch your sister,” Jennie commanded. The child obeyed.

“I called a women’s crisis
center this morning. They have a place for you to stay.”

“I can’t leave him. Are you
crazy? He’d kill us all.”

“No; he won’t have the
opportunity.”

“How long do you think I can
stay hiding? He’ll wait.”

“When your brother is cleared,
he’ll be able to protect you.”

“And what if he isn’t cleared?”

“You don’t believe Todd killed
Joey, do you?”

Tears filled Jennie’s eyes. She
turned her back to Amy and raised the front of her blouse. Amy knew the woman was
wiping away the tears.

“Jennie, I didn’t mean to accuse
you.” Amy reached out and took hold of the woman’s shoulders. “I know you
believe in Todd. Right now everything looks hopeless to you. But please, for
the sake of the children, leave with me. Trust Todd, and trust me.”

Jennie swung around and threw
herself into Amy’s arms. The sobbing next to her heart brought raging tears to
Amy’s eyes.

Suddenly she heard the chain on
the door.

“You bitch, open this door.”

Michael was back. How could she
get them all out without a fight? Amy wondered. And if she had to leave Jennie
behind, what would become of her?

“Listen, Jennie, do you still
have my telephone number and address?”

“No.” Jennie sobbed. “Michael
found it and took the paper away from me.”

“Do you have a pencil and paper?”

She nodded. Fear made her search
clumsy, but finally she found both beneath a stack of newspapers and handed
them to Amy.

“This is my telephone number and
address. Memorize them. You’ll have to be strong, because I don’t think I can
take you out with me now, but I want you to come to my apartment as soon as you
can, and I’ll take you to the crisis center. It doesn’t matter what time it is,
understand?”

“But you work.”

“I’m taking vacation time. Hide
the paper,” she said, tucking it inside the woman’s blouse. “And when you get a
chance, memorize the address.”

Jennie nodded, but her eyes were
transfixed on the door against which Michael was starting to crash his body.