Claire Biebe: The Shadow Man
The direct continuation of Claire Biebe...The Story Continues
By Atonia Walpole
(Picture creations also by Atonia)
Part 1:
Jacky lay on the beach in Miami wishing he was back in London with Pam. He had his newly-acquired scar coated with sunblock and the edge of a towel over it. He still wasn’t quite sure what to make of Claire. Acting on his own he’d gone into SI’s Miami offices and given them the license plate number of the car that ‘Sam’ was driving. They promised to check it out and call him when they knew something. The fact that she wouldn’t give them any information about her new boyfriend only made him want to know more.
Maxi, meanwhile, was enjoying himself checking out the scenery on the beach. He agreed with Jacky that something wasn’t quite right with Claire. Okay, she’d fallen in love with someone. Did she hope to keep him a secret? What kind of a guy could he be? They had a lot of questions and no answers. Physically she was fine, looked really good, he’d remarked to Jacky, but they’d never known her to be so closed up before.
They’d been in Miami for three days and had asked Claire to go out with them twice and she had other things to do, making them even more suspicious.
“You know, Jacky, I think the reason she doesn’t want to go with us is because we ask questions she doesn’t want to answer.”
“Either that or she’s expecting him back.” Jacky sat up and reached for the little cooler they brought, pulling out a bottle of water.
“How long does it take to find out who was driving that vehicle?”
“Not long. We should hear something later today.”
“I tried to do something with the pictures I took as he drove by, but he’s only a shadow.”
Having had enough of the sun, they went back to the hotel and took showers and dressed, planning to go out and find a meal and a few drinks.
Jacky got the call he’d been waiting for. He went to Maxi’s room and banged on the door.
Maxi had on a pair of shorts and was looking for a shirt when he opened the door. “Yeah, Jacky...oh, what’s up?”
“The car is registered to Peter Daniels and I’ve got an address. Get your clothes on and let’s go.”
They drove carefully, following the GPS instructions to a little bungalow outside of Miami.
Jacky sat in the car for a minute and looked over the house. “Doesn’t look like our Claire, now does it?”
“No. Maybe why she doesn’t want anyone to know him.”
Jacky opened the car door, walked up to the front door of the house and rang the bell. A little girl about eight years old opened the door and called her mother. Maxi hung back on the sidewalk.
“Hi, my name is Jacky Thorne. I’m looking for Peter Daniels.”
The woman looked at him a minute. “You won’t find him. He’s dead.”
“Dead?”
“Dead for five years. He drowned.”
Jacky pulled the picture of the vehicle Maxi had taken earlier out of his pocket. “Recognize this vehicle?”
“No, I’ve never seen it. Why are you looking for Peter?”
“Could be the wrong guy. This car is registered to Peter Daniels.”
“I can’t help you. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry to bother you.” He started to step away and turned back. “Did he ever go by the name of Sam?”
“No, he was Pete.”
“Thanks.”
Jacky walked back to the car and shook his head. Maxi got back inside. “Nothing?”
“Peter Daniels is dead for five years.” He started the vehicle and pulled away from the curb. “I asked if he was ever called Sam and she said he was Pete.”
“Maybe there’s more than one Peter Daniels?”
“If there was, Maxi, the Department of Motor Vehicles would have had that information. SI would have checked for it. That’s the way they work, look at things from different angles.”
“Well, what do we do now?”
“Go see Claire.”
“Well, I hope she’s hungry,” Maxi looked out of the window, “because I am.”
Jacky parked across the street from the apartment high rise and called Claire.
“Yes, I’m home. What is it now, Jacky?”
“We’re coming up, okay?”
“Sure…why not?” Claire sighed. She knew why they were coming and she was getting a little tired of their questions. What difference could it make to them who she was dating?
“Seems like we just said bye,” she said when she opened the door.
“Hello,” Jacky grinned.
“You haven’t eaten, have you?” Maxi asked.
“No, Maxi, I haven’t. Have you come to take me out to eat?”
“Yes, if you will go. I’m beginning to think you don’t like us anymore.”
“You know I love you both but this constant harping on my personal life is wearing thin.”
“I’ve got another harp, Claire. Who is Peter Daniels?”
“I have no idea.” She looked at him blankly.
“No idea?”
“I’m sorry but, no, I don’t.” She looked from one to the other. “Why? Who is he?”
“As far as we know he’s a dead man. The vehicle your Sam was driving was registered to Peter Daniels. We went to his house and talked to his widow. The man drowned five years ago.”
Claire stared at him a moment and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about it.”
“Well, I don’t either but it sure sounds strange to me. Doesn’t it to you…that your guy would be driving a car registered to a dead man and his widow has never seen the car before? No…doesn’t strike you as odd?”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Jacky, and I appreciate your concern for my welfare but I wish you’d leave it alone. I know what I’m doing.”
“So what is it you want us to tell your father when we call him?” Jacky made himself at home, flopping on her sofa.
“Tell him he doesn’t have anything to worry about, that I’m fine.”
“Claire, your father is a sheriff he’s going to want more than that. He didn’t send us down here to come back with that. All the way from across the pond, I might remind you.”
Claire sat down beside him. “He’s a wonderful man to me; he loves me and I love him. He’s going to take care of me and I will take care of him. He’s in my life, not yours or Dad’s or Maxi’s. I’m sorry if that doesn’t give you what you want but that’s all you’re going to get from me so you might as well leave it alone.”
“Okay, we’ll leave it at that. Maxi is starving. Wanna go get something to eat?”
“Yes,” she smiled, “I’d like that.”
Part 2
It was a late lunch followed by a few drinks before they took Claire back to her apartment. Jacky and Maxi had relented and they didn’t mention her Sam. It was almost like old times until her phone rang.
Claire answered, knowing only four people had the number and two of them were in her living room.
“Hello?”
“Claire…how are you?”
“Oh….” She went to her bedroom and closed the door. “I’m good, missing you.”
“I miss you, too. I should be back in four days. We’ll go to the key for awhile and then that trip I promised you. Have you got your passport with you?”
“No, it’s in Portland. I could fly up and get it and a few other things I need.”
“Do that tomorrow.”
“ Okay, I will. I can’t wait to see you. Sam, when you get back don’t drive the car. My cousins are here poking around trying to find out something about you. My Daddy sent them down here. I haven’t told them anything but they saw the car when you dropped me off and traced the license plate.”
“Get rid of them.”
“That’s not so easy…I want you here.”
“I can’t be there if you have company. Where are you now?”
“In my bedroom. They’re in the living room.”
“How long do they plan to stay?”
“I don’t know. Until they get some answers and they’ve got all they’re going to get from me. I just told them that I’m in love with you. I made a mistake when you left. Just a few minutes afterward my doorbell rang and I thought it was you. I said your name when I opened the door so they know you are Sam but that’s all they know.”
“That’s okay, honey. I’ll call you tomorrow about the same time. Try and get rid of them.”
“I’ll try. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Claire.”
Sam replaced the receiver in the pay phone and walked away. She was being smart. He knew she would be.
Maxi looked at Jacky when the bedroom door opened. “Everything all right, Claire?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Maxi, I think we’ve worn out our welcome here.” Jacky stood up and walked toward Claire.
“I love you, Claire. You know that I’m worried about you…that’s all.”
“I know,” she hugged him, “but you don’t have to be. Enjoy your vacation.” She smiled and hugged Maxi and kissed him.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
“Um, I’ve got some things to do tomorrow so I may not be around.”
“Is he coming back?”
“No. I just have things to do. I have a life, you know.”
“Right…I’ll call you then…just to check on you.” Jacky smiled and opened the door.
Claire sighed and leaned against the door for a minute then turned around and locked it. She had flight arrangements to make.
“I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere with Claire. She’s protecting him, you know.”
“Yeah, I know." Jacky pulled up at a stop light.
“I think we should leave it alone.”
“You changed your tune. Why?”
“It’s her private life, Jacky. You wouldn’t like it if we all came down on you about Pam, started poking around in her life.”
“Damn right I wouldn’t but you’ve met Pam. I had nothing to hide.”
“You saw her face when she came out of the bedroom. She loves him. Let her be. She’s intelligent, you know. We have to trust her a little. When the time is right she may bring him out into the open. We don’t know what his circumstances are. Maybe he is married?”
“True, he could be. I just have this gut feeling that there’s more to it than that. Besides, that doesn’t account for the vehicle. I don’t want to see her hurt or get involved in something that’s over her head. She’s led a pretty sheltered life, Maxi.”
“Yes, she has and I think she’s trying to come out of that shelter. For me, I think wait and see. The more we try, the harder it is for her and the more she defends him.”
“I’m going to call Uncle John tonight and tell him what we know. He might say fine, go home. I hope to hell he does. I’m about ready to go.”
“Well, you have someone waiting on you. I don’t I think there will ever be anyone waiting for me.”
“Poor little Maxi. Maybe you’re looking in the wrong places. Girls don’t always hang out in bars.”
“They don’t?”
“I found Pam in Africa.”
“That’s too far to go.”
The next day they tried to contact her about eleven in the morning and Jacky’s call went straight to her voice mail. They went around to her apartment but no one came to the door. The doorman told them she’d left earlier that morning in a taxi with a suitcase.
“She’s gone to him…damn it!” Jacky said, slamming the car door.
“That call yesterday. Ah, well, there is nothing more we can do.”
“Sam….”
“Where are you now?”
“At the airport in Atlanta. I missed the connection here and I’ve got to hang around until 8:00 tonight to get out. Where are you?”
“Looking at the ocean.”
“Are you at the key?”
“No, different continent. When are you booked out of Portland?”
“The same flight you and I took. I won’t have much time. It will be late when I get into Portland and I had hoped to pack up a few things. I may be up all night."
“Don’t pack. Just take what you can carry with you. Don’t forget your passport, honey.”
“I won’t…two more days…”
“That’s it. I probably won’t call tomorrow so when you get to Miami rent a car and go back to your apartment. I’m not taking any chances by coming to you. I’ll call you when I’m at the key. Just make sure your cousins are gone and that you aren’t followed. I can’t wait to hold you, baby. I love you.”
“I love you.” His deep soft voice warmed her. She needed him. She closed her eyes, still holding the phone to her ear but he was gone.
Claire arrived in Portland a little after eleven o’clock. She went straight to the parking garage and found her car was not there. Probably impounded, she thought, and so she took a cab to her apartment. There she hunted out her passport and quickly went through, picking up a few things that would fit in the carry on she brought then packed a bag with some clothes and a few special things she wanted, her photos and school papers. She would need to get her transcripts. She set her alarm clock, lay down and went to sleep.
The next morning she was downstairs in front of the building waiting for the taxi to arrive to take her to the airport. It was just pulling up when two men in uniform came up to her.
“Claire Biebe?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Would you come with us please?”
“No…no . What’s this about?”
“Just come with us to the station. We’ve got orders to bring you in.”
“For what? I haven’t done anything.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Well, I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Sorry, ma’am, you’ll have to come with us. Orders.”
Her bags were put in the trunk of the police vehicle and she sat in the back seat, stunned and scared to death.
She was taken to a little room and offered coffee or something to drink but she declined. All she could think of was that somehow she had been seen or connected with Sam in Portland. They’d only been at the hotel as far as she knew but she couldn’t remember what happened before that. He’d told her she passed out in Rockport.
Part 3
It was over an hour later that the door opened and her father walked in. Claire dropped her head in her hands.
“Claire…are you all right?” John went straight to her.
“Oh, Daddy! Why am I here?”
“Well, that’s my fault. They’ve been watching your apartment and called me last night late to let me know you were here. I just got here.”
“I don’t understand. Why were they looking for me?”
“You were officially a missing person. I filed a report and made it sound good. They were just doing their job, Claire. You’re not wanted for anything, sweetheart.”
“You…you had me picked up. Why?”
“I wanted to see you to talk to you and find out what’s going on in Miami.”
Anger began building up in Claire and she wouldn’t look at him. “You made me miss my plane. I only came back for a few things. I’m supposed to be on my way back right now. How could you do this to me?”
“Claire…I’m sorry about your plane but there’ll be another one…if you go back.”
“Of course I’m going back! Does no one listen to anything I say?”
“I had a call from Jacky last night, too. He’s not comfortable with your situation. He told me about the vehicle and the guy driving it.”
“I don’t know anything about that vehicle.”
“You rode in it. Who is this guy?”
“I’m not talking about him. I’m not, so don’t even ask me anything. I can’t believe you had me picked up and brought here.”
“Claire, for all I knew you’d been kidnapped or a victim of foul play of some kind. I had the highway patrol out combing the roads between here and Belfast. I couldn’t leave because of that big robbery on the cruise ship. We were short handed…every man was out looking for the culprit from here to Bangor.”
“Did you catch him?”
“What? No, no, still looking. He’s probably in Canada by now. If you’d called me we could have avoided all that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said contritely.
“I don’t mean to yell at you, sweetheart, but you don’t know how worried sick I’ve been.”
“Don’t worry about me any longer. I’m fine…really I am.”
John looked at her a minute. “What about this guy?”
“What about him? I fell in love. It happened really fast but, you know, it happened. I don’t want to be here; I want to be with him.”
“I told Jacky and Maxi to hang around. I want them to meet this guy and if he passes Jacky then…okay.”
“No! Why can’t you trust me to make up my own mind about someone? I don’t need Jacky’s opinion.”
“Because something’s not quite kosher about this dude, that’s why. I need his opinion for my peace of mind.”
“Daddy, please! I’m twenty-three years old…let me go.”
John went quiet for a moment. “All right. What is it you want to do?”
“I want to go to the airport and take the next flight out that will get me to Miami.”
“Okay, we can do that. I’ll take you to the airport.”
Claire stared at him a moment…something….
John did take her to the airport and she got a flight to Charlotte. He left the airport more determined than ever to get to the bottom of her and this dude she’d hooked up with.
Claire made it to Charlotte and had a three hour layover. She became worried about going back to her apartment in Miami. For all she knew her father could have it watched by some private security company. There was something in his eyes that told her it wasn’t over yet. On a hunch she went to the desk and changed her flight to New Orleans.
She got into New Orleans and took the first shuttle bus that appeared to a hotel downtown and booked herself a room. She was exhausted and fell into the bed and slept until noon the next day. After she got herself together she went out and found a meal, carrying her cell in her hand. He said he wasn’t going to call her today but she kept hoping he would. She hadn’t a number for him. Sam called her from pay phones. By nightfall she had worked herself up into a state. Sam would be back in Miami tomorrow and she was in New Orleans, afraid to go home. She did a little thinking in that hotel room.
She couldn’t live like this, running from hotel room to apartments to hotel rooms to airports. She knew there was nowhere in the world she could go completely undetected. She hadn’t told Sam about the magic, that Jacky and Rose had the ability to know where she was at any given time if they wanted to. It wouldn’t be long before Jacky would want to but whether he would act on it…she didn’t know. She trusted Rose but wasn’t sure about Jacky. He’d already tried to mentally contact her, get in and find out what her feelings were, but she’d shut him and everybody else out. She just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn’t they understand that?
Jacky and Maxi were sipping drinks at the hotel pool bar. John had called Jacky the day before and let him know what time Claire’s flight would arrive. They were at the airport to meet her but she wasn’t on the flight. Jacky knew where she was when he woke up that morning but he hadn’t said anything to Maxi about it. It was magic he rarely ever used; he had no reason to use it until now. All he knew was that she was okay and what state she was in. A check with the airlines told him she was most likely in New Orleans, timing the flights from Charlotte.
“You know it’s warm at home in Provence but nothing like this tropic heat.”
“Are you about ready to go home, Maxi?”
“I am, yes, but I don’t want to let Uncle John down. He’s asked us to help him.”
“Yeah, and it’s getting too complicated for me.”
“You know I called Mum and Rose has had the pirate at the house. Yes, she has and is taking him to the House of Four Seasons for a week.”
“Poor guy. I can’t believe he actually found her.”
“Her magic is strong, stronger than mine.” He sipped his drink.
Jacky stirred his tropical concoction. “I know where Claire is.”
“Well, tell her father and let’s go home. He can deal with her.”
“I’m not sure I want to. You know as much as I love Uncle John, he needs to let up on Claire. He’s seen her and talked to her and if she didn’t deliver up Sam I’m not sure I could.”
“Not sure you would, you mean. It’s between them and I agree about Claire. She’s old enough to make up her own mind about her friends. Can you tell, Jacky, if she is with him…Sam?”
“No, she won’t let me in. We’ve hounded her for a week now and got nothing. She’s not going to give him up to us.”
“Call Uncle John and tell him where she is and let’s be done with it.”
“I’ll call him and tell him she wasn’t on the plane but that I know she’s okay.”
“You think he will be satisfied with that? If you tell him she’s okay he will want to know more.”
Jacky grinned, “We’re all fucked. You know that, Maxi?”
“Yeah, I've known that for a long time. But you know, Jacky, you could be a detective. Your mind works good in this kind of work.”
“No…one cop in the family is enough. All right, I’ll call and tell him what I know and then I’m done. I’ll tell him so, too. I’m ready to go back to London and get on with my own life.”
Later that night Claire lay on the bed with the phone by her side, half asleep and a flash came into her mind from Jacky…get out of New Orleans. She was wide awake now and sat up in the bed. She must have been thinking about him to let him in…get out of New Orleans. Then he’d told her father. She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked at the bedside clock. It was too late for a flight tonight. After the scare she’d gotten in Portland she didn’t trust her father not to have her picked up in New Orleans. The cops could be standing outside the hotel in the morning. She packed up her things and picked up the phone book. Buses usually ran all night, didn’t they?
Ten o’clock the next morning she was sitting in a café in Gulf Port, MS with a cup of coffee when her phone rang. She looked at it before answering. It was a number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hi, where are you?”
“Oh…oh, Sam!” She clutched the phone to her ear. “I’m in Gulf Port. You just wouldn’t believe…!”
“What are you doing there?”
She told him about what had happened to her since she left Miami. “Sam, I need you to come and get me. I can’t…can’t do this. I don’t know where to go…what to do.”
Sam was on the key. He walked out onto the patio, thinking. ”Let me call you back. Sit tight for a bit. Don’t worry, honey. I’ll come and get you out of there.”
Sam got into the borrowed vehicle and drove to Key West where he knew somebody with a small plane. He found him in the hanger and after some money changed hands and the pilot made the flight arrangements he called her back.
“Still at the café?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a private airstrip.” He gave her directions. “I’ll be there in about three hours. Hold on, Claire.”
“I am, but just barely.”
Claire was sitting on a bench under a tree with her bags, absently slapping at mosquitoes and gnats that were trying to feast on her exposed skin. She saw the little plane circle and come in for a landing. She was on her feet when he jumped from the plane and looked around. They met half way across the airfield. Claire latched onto him so tight he had to pry her off. Smiling, he kissed her quickly and ran over to get her bags. “We have to hurry, baby.” Only a little time for refueling and they were back in the air headed for the keys.
She was mostly quiet on the flight over to the keys. Just to be able to reach out and take his hand…he was there. He had come for her.
Part 4
They were back on No Name Key, safe for the time being. Sam took her in his arms as soon as they came through the door and kissed her.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that to get here, Claire.”
“I was about at the end when you called. I’d run out of ideas.”
“You did good. I still don’t understand how they traced you to New Orleans.”
“Sam, there’s something about me you don’t know, something I know is going to be hard to believe but I need to tell you.”
“Now…?”
“I think so. You might not want me here when I tell you.”
“Let’s get something to drink and go sit down and you can tell me anything. There is nothing you can say that is going to change my mind about wanting you."
They sat down at the orange table on the patio and she told him all of it, about where her father and his brothers came from, what abilities they had between them. “I know it sounds fantastic, Sam, but I’ve no reason to lie to you. It’s all true.”
Sam looked at her a moment and then out over the ocean. “So you can be located anywhere in the world at any time?”
“Yes, only Jacky and Rose have that ability with me. Rose I trust with my life and Jacky did warn me to get out of New Orleans. I think he understands me. We were once very close.”
“Do you trust him with your life?”
“Yes.”
“With mine?”
“Yes.”
“You have to, you know, because where I am you are going to be. I don’t want to live with looking over my shoulder to see if the cops are after me because you’re with me. “ He looked back to the ocean. “We need to get out of here. I don’t want you traced here. Did you bring your passport?”
“Yes…I’m sorry, Sam.” She bit her lip.
“Hey, honey, that’s just how it’s going to be because I can’t let you go.” He met her eyes for a moment and moved toward her, pulling her out of her chair and holding her against him tightly. “I don’t know if you did this or I did but you and I, baby…I can’t imagine living without you.”
“I love you, Sam.” He kissed her for a long time then picked her up and crossed to the bed.
Despite the urgency he felt, he took his time making love to her and moved on top of her. Not losing eye contact, he entered her, moving slowly, feeling it build with each thrust. It finally took him and he lost himself in her. Lying in their sweat and juices, he said to her, “You may bury me some day but, my God, I’ve lived in you, Claire.”
“I’ll never let you go…never! I am the earth and I’ve already received you.”
He kissed her, teasing her tongue with his. “I’d like to say we have tonight but we’ll never know again, will we? If we make it to tomorrow, I’m taking you out of the country.”
“I’ll go anywhere with you and, as much as I can, I’ll protect you.”
“That’s my job. Leave that to me. I’m pretty resourceful.” He smiled and rolled off of her. “You didn’t sleep all night, did you? I’ll give you a shower and then you sleep for awhile. He kissed her belly button and took her into the outside shower, soaped her from top to bottom, rinsed her off and kissed her, then wrapped her in a towel and led her back to the bed. “Sleep now.”
It didn’t take her long to go to sleep and while she slept Sam made arrangements to get them out of the country. Then he went around to a neighbor and brought back some shrimp for their dinner.
He sat on the edge of the patio with his feet in the sand. How ironic to end up with a cop’s daughter…a cop’s daughter with magical abilities and one with a homing device somewhere inside her delicious body that could put him away for the rest of his life. A chance he’d have to take. He glanced back toward the bed. He loved her and he’d never loved a living thing before in his life. There might be a price to pay for that love someday…it might be worth it.
Claire was coming alive, lying on the bed with the ocean breeze flowing over her, no sound except the waves on the beach just below the house. Soon her senses detected something else, shrimp boiling. She smiled, rolled over and opened her eyes. Out on the patio Sam had a big pot on the grill. Steam was coming out of the top. He’d not shaved since he left. She guessed it could be part of a disguise or maybe it didn’t matter to him. He had on a pair of surfer shorts faded to a pale reddish color.
Claire sat up and stretched. She put on one of his tee shirts, walked out and slipped her arms around his waist. “What are you cooking?”
“Shrimp stew. Hungry?”
“Yes, starving. I slept for a long time.”
“Yeah, you did. Feel better now?”
“I feel great.” She kissed the middle of his back and moved away, walking into the kitchen area and found a fresh pitcher of iced tea. “Want some tea?”
“Yes, I would.” He turned off the burner on the grill.
They walked around the island to watch the sunset with the residents. “I’ve shown you a sunset, Claire. Next I’m going to show you a sunrise and then we’ll see what’s in between for us.”
“As long as we’re together, Sam, I can make it anywhere.”
“Your college is going by the wayside.”
“I know. It doesn’t seem so important now. I’ve been going to school since I was five. Surely that’s long enough. I’m going to take what money I have out of the bank tomorrow in travelers checks. I figured that out tonight. I’m burning my bridges behind me.”
“What will you do about that trust fund?”
“Once we get settled somewhere I may go and see my Uncle Max and see what I can do about getting control of it myself. He can’t refuse me. It’s my money.”
“It may be awhile before we’re settled completely. We’re going to Switzerland tomorrow,. I’ve got some business there to take care of…banking,” he smiled. “That’s all.”
“Sam, can’t you stop working?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never not worked. At least for awhile we’re set. Where would you like to live? Give it some thought.”
She looked up at him. “You just brush it off, Sam. It scares me when you go off like you did this week. I kept thinking what if something happened and you didn’t come back.”
“But I did. I’ll always come back. I told you that. I’m not an amateur, Claire. I know what I’m doing.”
“Where were you?”
“It’s best you don’t know. I’m not trying to keep secrets from you but what I do has nothing to do with you, baby. I don’t want it to touch you and so I’m not going to discuss it with you.”
She leaned her head against his chest.
They were up early the next morning. Sam closed down the house while Claire packed up their clothes. He’d told her they would be gone for a long time so she packed the things she’d brought from Portland in among her clothes. He took them to Key West and they hopped a plane to Miami. A taxi to the bank took care of Claire’s money and then they were at the airport waiting on a flight. Two hours they had to spend there. Sam checked the luggage and they had their boarding passes. He went outside to smoke a few cigarettes and then they passed through security and onto to the international flight section of the airport.
She was standing outside a coffee shop when she saw Jacky and Maxi on the other side coming out of the men’s room. Jacky stopped and looked at her. Maxi hadn’t noticed. She mentally told him to not acknowledge her.
He wanted to know where she was going and she shook her head no. Jacky walked across to speak to her. Claire was frozen because Sam was behind her paying for coffees.
“I just wanted to say good bye. I don’t know what you’ve got going and I don’t want to know, Claire. Whatever or whoever it is, it’s safe with me.”
“Thank you. I love you, Jacky.”
He kissed her cheek. “Me, too. Keep in touch.”
“I’ll try.” She watched him walk away, catching up with Maxi at the newsstand.
“Who was that?” Sam asked, handing her a coffee.
“My cousin Jacky Thorne. You’d like him.”
“Maybe someday, Claire…someday.”
ON TO ROSE AUBREY: THE GIFT OF MAGIC
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