“May I help you?” Rains asked Kathleen, waiting for Bett’s answer.
“Yes, please,” Kathleen said, handing Rains the bottle, as Bett said, “I’d like some punch, please.”
Rains smiled at the women waiting to fill their cups with the ladle as she dipped hers directly into the bowl. “Now why didn’t I think of that?” one asked.
Rains gave Bett her glass with a napkin wrapped around it and pulled the cork from the red wine as Bett had taught her. Bett was chatting with Sara, so Rains said to Kathleen, “When you are ready, we need to talk about what our next steps should be in the matter of my previous card-cutting opponent.” She didn’t want to say Miriam’s name, but when Kat’s face went slack, she knew she’d been understood. “I don’t want to trouble you with it tonight, but I am very interested in hearing your impressions.”
Kathleen’s eyes fluttered closed for a quick second before she nodded calmly. “Yes, all right. It might help…all of us…for me to share my experience, but it may have to wait a little while.”
Before Rains could ask more, she heard Bett say, “Oh, you’re not seeing each other anymore?”
Sara was shaking her head. “I don’t want anything more to do with that woman.”
When Kathleen murmured, “Me neither,” Rains raised her eyebrows quizzically. She noted Hartley’s slight shake of the head and didn’t pursue her comment further.
“Miriam told me once that you slapped her, Gale. Is that true?” Sara asked, sounding hopeful for a positive response.
Rains glanced at Bett, who arched an eyebrow. “I’d be interested in hearing that story, Gale.”
“I already told you this, Bett…that I had confronted Boudreaux about her behavior toward an earlier squad member of mine.”
“Yes, but you didn’t tell me that you slapped her.”
“Because that wasn’t the point of my story at the time.” Bett cocked her head, waiting. Rains looked a little embarrassed as she turned to Sara and Kathleen. “I was very distressed about her behavior with my recruit, which was similar to what she has done now. Since that girl didn’t want to press charges, I was also trying to abide by the officers’ unwritten code to handle such matters among ourselves. I had been reading a book that featured a duel, so I decided to use that model for my reaction. I got my dress gloves and slapped her with them, backhanded and not particularly hard. I told her why and if I ever heard even a rumor of another such incident, I would turn her in myself. I also told her that if she wanted to do anything about it, I would wait outside for ten minutes.” Rains looked at the three faces staring at her. “What?” she asked.
“I guess she never came out,” Sara said, quietly.
“No, Miriam’s a coward,” Kathleen said bitterly, her eyes distant. “She only abuses those she sees as weaker than herself.”
Just then, two more arrivals came into the kitchen.
“Let’s talk about this later,” Kathleen said, her bright tone sounding only slightly forced as she returned to her hostess duties. “Let me get you your wine, Sara.”
They went out past the punch bowl and into the hallway by the back rooms. When she heard voices beyond them, Bett turned, finding more than worry in Rains’s eyes. “What is it?”
“Don’t you sense some kind of trouble here?” Rains asked, squinting. “Maybe it’s between Whit and Kathleen, or perhaps someone else is involved. I just feel that something bad may have happened.”
Bett took Rains’s hand. “Then may I give you your ten points right now and say you can take me home whenever you are ready?”
Rains nodded, her eyes back on Bett’s face, her other hand touching Bett’s hair. “Thank you, Beloved. As much as I was looking forward to earning your company, this uneasiness has me a bit distracted right now.”
They agreed to stay for the New Year’s toast, and went into the study with the cuckoo clock, where Bett fell into a pleasant conversation with two teachers. Rains was exceptionally quiet, even for her. Then Sophie and Patrice came in. Rains lifted her head, looking hopefully for Lilly but not really expecting to see her.
Sophie sidled up to her cautiously. “You’re not mad at me, are you, Gale?”
“I am too much mentioned, Sophie,” Rains said seriously. Bett nudged her gently. “But besides that, it was an excellent article.”
“Thank you, Bett.” Sophie grinned.
Rains shook hands with Patrice, who said, “See, I’m just the opposite, Gale. I would love the publicity.” She and Bett shared a little side hug. “We’re still waiting for a response from England,” Patrice said to her quietly. “Otherwise, it’s finished.”
Bett gave a satisfied nod. The conversation turned to Christmas, and Rains was pleased to hear that Santa had to do some extra shopping to find Lilly her own wrench, pliers, and a model car to pretend to work on.
“I should have asked you for a spare carburetor,” Sophie said to Rains. “It would have made the perfect stocking stuffer.” While she and Bett laughed, Patrice added, “We need to have you over for a play day sometime soon. Maybe you two can rotate our tires or something.”
Rains knew she was being teased, but she didn’t mind. She felt a budding friendship with Sophie and Patrice, not to mention her affection for Lilly. She smiled along with them and suggested, “Once I finish with her automotive training, I’ll teach her to hunt. Then you’ll be all set.”
Patrice’s eyes widened. “You hunt? That’s great! Me too. My dad used to take us kids, but Sophie doesn’t care for hunting. I’ve got a client with a deer lease not too far from here. Would you like to go and get us a buck sometime?”
Rains thought for a moment. How would she feel about hunting for pleasure, not necessity? “You eat the meat too, right? Not only kill the animal?”
“Of course. I make a mean venison chili.”
“I don’t have my bow and arrows here.”
Patrice choked back a laugh when she realized Rains wasn’t joking. “Well, maybe you could use a rifle this time. I’m sure you could borrow one from the base.”
“Hmm. Let me think about this. May I call you sometime next week?”
“Sure, any time before the end of hunting season.”
Rains nodded before looking back around for her lover. Bett was deeply engaged in a conversation with Sophie, so Rains excused herself to find Kathleen. On the way, Sara stopped her. She was wobbling and latched onto Rains’s arm, her face a little closer than was comfortable. “I never got a chance to call you, Gale, but I’d still like to have lunch and talk about your powers. Especially now that Miriam’s out of the picture.”
“I hope you won’t feel misled, but I don’t have any powers. I only concentrate a little more on observation than some people.” Rains tried to finish the conversation, but Sara held on.
“No, you’re a true mystic. I can feel it. Only true mystics can touch me, in here.” She tried to bring Rains’s hand toward her chest, but Rains pulled back.
“Sara, I wish you wouldn’t—”
Sara stopped her movement but kept talking, her eyes scanning Rains’s face. “I thought Miriam was a true mystic, but she’s just a philanderer. A true mystic would be true to her woman. I bet you’re true to your woman, aren’t you, Gale?”
Rains recognized the repetitive nature of Sara conversation as someone who had been drinking too much or too quickly or both. “Yes, I am, Sara. Very much so. And I would like to have this talk some other time when Bett could join us.”
Sara shook her head. “I’m so stupid, Gale. I can’t seem to understand when to stay and when to go. I leave when I shouldn’t and I don’t leave when I should. Do you know what I’m talking about?”
Someone moved from a chair behind where Sara was standing, and Rains maneuvered her back a step. “Perhaps that’s another issue we could discuss next week, Sara.” Another step back. “Let me talk to Bett and see when she might be available.” One more step and the backs of Sara’s legs touched the chair. She flailed a bit, and Rains
got the glass of wine out of her hand as she sat back hard on the upholstery. “Please excuse me for now.”
Rains set her wine glass on the end table by the chair as Sara’s tone changed to one of frustration. “Hey! I’m trying to talk to you. Gale, Gale wait.”
As Rains moved away, a woman she didn’t know grinned at her. “Be careful, pal. Hell hath no fury and all.” Rains just shook her head and kept walking.
Chapter Seventeen
Kathleen was barely out of the kitchen, a few steps beyond the punch bowl, raising a cup to her lips as she stared out into the dark backyard. Rains touched her shoulder and she jumped. “I’m sorry, Kathleen. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
The redhead took Rains’s hand in hers and gave it a wag, smiling faintly. “Oh, Gale, it’s fine. I was lost in the weeds there for a moment. Thank you for rescuing me.”
Rains looked around. A few more people had trickled in, but she’d seen the amount of liquor and food in the kitchen. “You were expecting more guests?” Kathleen nodded, biting her lip slightly. Rains could feel the weight of her sadness. “The decreased attendance tonight is not because people don’t want to come. They are staying away because of their fear.”
Kathleen nodded slowly. “I suppose you’re right.” She drained her glass and sighed. “I wonder why it doesn’t feel like that.”
“Hmm.” Rains shifted a bit closer before she thought better of it. “Maybe because of your fear,” she answered softly.
Kathleen looked up into her face for a long moment. “How do you know what I feel?” she whispered finally.
“We spoke on base about being observant, remember?” When Kat nodded, she went on. “Given our circumstances and the overall mood of our base, fear is a sensible emotion to be experiencing at this time.”
Staring into her empty glass, Kat said, “I was terrified during my meeting with Issacson. It was like this giant weight was slowly being lowered onto me and I couldn’t breathe. I’m such a coward, and I wanted to get out of there so badly, I actually began to think of names I could give.”
“But you didn’t.”
Kat sighed again. “No. But only because the colonel didn’t press me. If she had, I don’t know…”
“I do.” Rains said. “Because you care about others. You wouldn’t have let them down.”
“Is that how you keep from being afraid?” Hartley’s voice sounded almost desperate.
Rains didn’t answer right away, wondering how much to tell her. “Partly, yes. Defending others can help us not give in to our own fears. In my meeting with Colonel Issacson, she mentioned the name of the clerk who helped you with your gift.” She waited while Kat made the connection, feeling a distant echo of the shock that had happened when the colonel had mentioned Teresa Owens. A former squad member of yours, wasn’t she? Issacson had asked casually. Rains thought it was the most disingenuous thing she’d ever heard the colonel say, and she’d reacted accordingly. You know she was, she’d answered sharply. And I believe she’s turned into a very good soldier. Rains blinked back the memory and looked back at Kathleen, who was clearly upset.
“Oh, no.” She ran a hand over her face. “What did you say?”
“When the colonel said an MP had given the girl’s name, saying she seemed to be overly concerned about another woman who was being discharged, it made me angry. How many good people have already been sent away, and for what? Close friendships that were misunderstood? A kind of love they don’t want to understand? My anger overruled any self-preservation I might have had, and I asked her how much longer she thought this witch hunt would continue.”
Kathleen’s eyes went wide. “What did she say?”
“She seemed surprised,” Rains answered, “and asked why I called it that. I told her because the only true criminal we had here was already caught and awaiting her hearing, and that was as it should be. All else was based on whispers and suspicion, on fear and intimidation, which was no way to boost morale or show us as helping to win the war—or win the peace.”
“And?”
Rains shrugged. “She thanked me, and I left.”
“Did she seem cross?”
The corner of Rains’s mouth twitched. “I couldn’t say. It wasn’t until I closed the door that I realized how my remarks might have been interpreted.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out.”
“What did Bett say when you told her?”
Rains shifted uncomfortably. “I…uh…we haven’t discussed it in detail yet. She needed a break from all this, and there were other matters that seemed more…urgent.” She felt a blush creep up her neck, and Hartley must have seen it, because she turned away abruptly, moving to the punch bowl to refill her drink. Rains grimaced inwardly, feeling there was something wounded in Kathleen and equally sure she was not the one to heal her. Perhaps she should find Whit and they could talk. Or perhaps there would be no healing until the situation with Miriam was resolved. Conscious now of how much Kathleen would fear having to testify again, the likelihood of sacrificing her own career to Boudreaux’s ego seemed inevitable. At least she’d done all she could for Teresa Owens first. A rise of laughter in a nearby conversation caught her attention, and she saw Sara gesturing wildly as she talked with one of the teachers. It was possible, she realized, that Sara would play a role in what was to come.
She turned back to Kathleen. “Would Sara be willing to help us?”
“Help us with what?”
“Would she be willing to go see Miriam Boudreaux, possibly to pretend more affection than she actually feels, in order to find out her intentions?”
She thought she detected a shiver in Kathleen’s frame before she masked it with a quick sip of her drink. “She might if you asked her to. I think she likes Whit too. Or did you want me to talk to her about it?”
Rains watched as Sara grabbed the teacher’s arm to steady herself. When she looked back, Kathleen seemed pale. She shook her head. “Whatever we do, we won’t decide it tonight.” She put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I apologize for bringing this up to you now. This is a social event and no place for such talk. In any case, I’ll discuss the idea with Whit. You’ve already done your part.” Kathleen drained her cup as Rains continued. “And I recall that Whit said Miriam was the first person she met here. I suppose I came to you because…” Rains hesitated. “Because you are somehow easy for me to talk to and I—we—”
Kathleen’s breathing had quickened and her green eyes were bright. “We click, don’t we, Gale? It’s all right. I’ve felt it too. But in our case, it doesn’t mean anything. We’re both spoken for and happily so. That means we’ll just continue to have a very special kind of friendship. And watch out for those occasional weak moments like tonight…” Kathleen kissed her on the lips, pulling her mouth back quickly, though she lingered just a space away for an extra second as if waiting to see Rains’s response. “When I’ve had a bit too much to drink and you’re too far from Bett. Happy New Year, Gale.”
She walked toward the den toward where Whit was holding court around the game table. She didn’t look back. Rains stood for a moment before making her way back, coming in behind where Bett was now standing, listening politely while Sophie and Patrice were talking schools with two newcomers. She put her hands on Bett’s shoulders and felt Bett lean back into her. “I knew you’d make it back before the new year,” she said happily.
“This year and every new year from now on,” Rains answered.
Bett looked around. “Are you all right? You sound a little bit…bothered.”
“I want your counsel, Bett, as always. Let’s talk later, once we get home.”
Someone turned the radio up, and the countdown began at two minutes until midnight. Kathleen and Whit began handing out champagne. Whit saw Rains decline a glass that was passed to her, and she yelled above the crowd noise as she passed another glass, “Gale! This one’s for you!” It was club soda in a champagne glass.
“Thank you, Whit!” Rains yelled back.
They motioned clinking glasses through the air, and then someone was counting from twenty. After watching Whit make her way over to Kathleen, Rains turned her attention to Bett. They counted the last five together and kissed, as did everyone else at the party.
Rains looked at the beautiful woman in her arms. “Isn’t this a time that people speak of important ideas?”
“It can be,” Bett answered. “Usually people make resolutions, and set goals, make promises.”
“Then my resolution is to make sure to show you what a profound difference you have made in my life. You’ve given me so much, Bett, such love, joy, passion, and contentment. I don’t know what it will be like to go through a new year as the person I am now, thanks to you, but as long as we are together, I will look forward to it. I love you.”
“I love you too, Beloved. And I could say the same about what having you in my life has meant,” Bett said, not totally sober but as close as she’d ever been as an adult on a New Year’s Eve and not the least bit sorry about it. “You’ve taught me about strength, courage, integrity, and honor, and you’ve helped me find those qualities in myself. I know whatever this year brings, we will see it side by side. Always.” They kissed again, neither wanting to stop.
“Sophie!” Kathleen’s voice carried over the crowd. “You’re the writer. Give us a toast.”
Sophie thought for a few seconds and called out, “Love to one, friendship to many, and goodwill to all.”
Everyone drank to that, and then Whit chimed in with, “The Lord gives our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends,” and everyone cheered. Whit got an extra kiss from Kathleen.
The radio began playing music again and some couples were dancing, but Rains was ready to go. Bett didn’t mind, aware that her lover was still anxious and equally ready to be alone with her in any case.
Several others were leaving as Whit was dutifully retrieving the coats. Rains hugged her, adding, “If it’s possible, call me tomorrow. There are actions we need to discuss and to prepare for.” Whit nodded solemnly.
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