Walking the Labyrinth

by Hart, Lois Cloarec

  Lee rolled her eyes but couldn’t help laughing. She knew exactly what Willem was doing. It was his trademark whenever he’d made, by his estimation, a brilliant call. She’d seen it often in their twenty-five years together. “Yeah, yeah. You’re the greatest. Now go push some paper. I’ve got things to do.”

  Willem bade Lee goodbye, self-satisfaction clearly apparent in his voice.

  Lee set down the cellphone and gazed at the ceiling. Contrary to what she’d told her partner, she really didn’t have anything pressing to do. She’d been for the usual morning walk with Gaëlle and had passed the rest of a pleasant day doing small domestic chores and reading another good novel. Other than folding her laundry, Lee had nothing she needed to do until it was time to leave for the Red Arrow.

  “I wonder what Gaëlle’s doing.” Lee swung her legs off the bed. “Think I’ll go find out.”

  What a dive!

  Lee followed Britten across the filthy floor to a corner table where several of her client’s friends were gathered. Judging by the slurred exuberance of their greeting, they’d been there a while.

  Lee was relieved to see that Pam was not among them. It would’ve lowered her estimation of the woman considerably. There was only one open chair at the table, and no one made a move to pull up another, so Lee quietly borrowed a chair from the next table and pulled it back against the wall. While she clearly wasn’t a part of the celebration, she could see and hear everything that went on.

  When a weary waitress with eyes far too old for her youthful face came by, Lee ordered a Coke and tipped heavily. Britten ordered wine and didn’t tip at all.

  The next two hours dragged by for Lee. Straight bars didn’t hold any appeal, and watching the mating rituals all around her was depressing. God, I don’t want to ever do this again. What did amuse her was the number of men who just happened to drift by the corner table, much to the hilarity of the women gathered there. They never spoke directly to Britten on first approach, but conversation with the other women inevitably led to offers to buy Britten a drink.

  It was clear that Britten enjoyed the attention. She flirted madly with all her suitors, but skillfully never made any spoken or unspoken promises. Lee was relieved to see that Britten shared the freebies dropped on her table with her friends. Still, she consumed a quantity and variety of alcohol sufficient that Lee began to wonder if she’d have to carry Britten to the SUV at the end of the night.

  It was after eleven when Tiffany’s squeal snapped Lee out of her semi-somnolence.

  “Oh, my God, Brit! Do you see who just walked in? It’s Brian! You remember Brian, don’t you?”

  Britten’s lascivious smile indicated she clearly remembered Brian...fondly. “Is he still married to that bitch? What was her name?”

  “Rhonda. You remember Rhonda, Brit. She was always so jealous of you and Brian. The minute you left for Europe, she moved right in on him. Had a ring on his finger within the year.”

  Britten didn’t look pleased at that. “A year? He forgot me in only a year?”

  “God, no. But Rhonda got pregnant. I think she did it on purpose.” There was a chorus of agreement among the friends. “So, Brian married her. It didn’t last though. They got divorced five or six years later. Honestly, hon, I think he still pines for the one who got away.”

  Britten smiled seductively. She looked right past the man who had just bought her a Canadian Club and Seven-Up and who had his hand on her forearm.

  Lee tensed at the look on the newcomer’s face when he saw Britten. Brian had a smouldering aspect as he began making his way through the crowd toward his ex-girlfriend’s table.

  Uh oh. Lee didn’t like the possessive manner in which Brian elbowed his way to Britten’s side.

  Neither did Mr. CC and Seven. “Hey, watch it, buddy.”

  “Go away, Junior. Me and the lady have some catching up to do.”

  The oblivious suitor protested. “Excuse me—”

  “You’re excused. Now beat it. I’m not telling you again.”

  “I was here first!”

  “Like hell you were. She was mine a long time ago. Ain’t that right, Heather Ann? You and me were doing the nasty before this boy could even grow a moustache.”

  “It’s Britten now, Brian.”

  “So I heard. Well, Britten, why don’t you tell this boy to take a hike? You and me are due a long stroll down memory lane.”

  Britten dropped her gaze, and her friends tittered.

  Brian smiled lazily as he removed the rejected suitor’s hand from Britten’s arm. Mr. CC and Seven didn’t take that well.

  The first punch snapped Brian’s head back but didn’t drop him.

  Mr. CC and Seven stepped back and stared at his hand as if he couldn’t believe it had actually struck someone. Particularly someone twice his size.

  Brian roared, charged, and bulldozed Mr. CC and Seven to the ground.

  Screams and cheers erupted around them. Within moments, the entire bar boiled into a brawl.

  Lee seized Britten’s arm and pulled her toward the rear entrance.

  Britten struggled to pull away. “What are you doing? Let go of me!”

  Lee hung on grimly and dodged combatants as best she could. Pain blazed down the side of her cheek as glass sliced her and cold liquid drenched her. Gasping, Lee spun and saw Britten holding the remnants of the highball glass. Britten looked as stunned at what she’d done as Mr. CC and Seven had.

  Lee was fed up. “God damn it!” She grabbed Britten more firmly and fought her way out the back exit. Britten obviously realized she had crossed a line; she said nothing. Lee didn’t know where her client’s friends were; she didn’t care.

  Lee pushed Britten into the passenger seat and hurried around to the driver’s side. As they drove away, the fight spilled out of the bar into the parking lot. The sound of approaching sirens echoed through the night air.

  Lee had just passed the Donegal town limit sign when she saw the whirling red and blue lights of an RCMP patrol car behind her. With a sigh, she pulled over and rolled down her window.

  The Mountie strode up to the SUV and peered inside. “Did you just leave the Red Arrow?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Licence and registration, please.” The officer scanned the documents, looked at Lee sceptically, and wrinkled his nose. “Have you been drinking tonight, ma’am?”

  Before Lee could answer, Britten yelled, “Yes! She’s pissed as a rat! And she kidnapped me!”

  “Please step out of the vehicle, ma’am.”

  After shooting her passenger a fierce look, Lee got out of the car.

  “Are you injured, ma’am?”

  Lee looked at the Mountie with puzzlement, then realized there was blood running down her cheek. “Just cut by flying glass.”

  The Mountie returned to his patrol car and came back with a field Breathalyzer.

  Following his instructions, Lee blew hard and was vindicated when her blood alcohol numbers came up clear.

  The Mountie leaned over and addressed Britten. “Are you genuinely claiming to be kidnapped, Miss? That’s a very serious charge. I’ll have to take you both back to the station if you’re sticking with this allegation.”

  “I didn’t mean it. I was just joking.”

  “You should probably think twice about your jokes, Miss. Particularly when you’re making such a grave accusation to a police officer.” Satisfied that the situation was under control, the Mountie handed back Lee’s documents and gave her a sympathetic look. “You’d best have that cut looked at, ma’am. Drive safely.”

  Lee got back in the car and pulled slowly away as the Mountie made a U-turn and headed back toward Donegal. When Britten opened her mouth, Lee glared at her. “Not one fucking word, do you understand? Not one.”

  The ride back home was silent except for Britten’s sullen mutterings, which Lee pointedly ignored.

  When they arrived, Britten stormed into the house ahead of Lee and tried to slam the door in her
face.

  Lee caught the door and went inside to find Gaëlle staring at them. “My God! What happened?”

  Britten stamped her foot and pointed at Lee. “What happened was she ruined my night! Everything would’ve been fine if she hadn’t butted in and acted like a cave-dwelling dyke.”

  That was the last straw for Lee. “Look, lady, I don’t give a good goddamn if you want to go home with some hayseed you once knew. It’s no bloody skin off my nose who you have a booty call with. But I’m paid to keep your ass in one piece, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “Not anymore. You’re fired!” Britten ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door so hard it felt as if it made the whole house shake.

  Lee closed her eyes and drew several deep breaths. A soft touch on her shoulder made her open her eyes.

  “Let me look at that cut. You might need stitches.” Gaëlle led Lee to the kitchen and sat her down at the table. She delicately dabbed at the cut with a clean, damp, soft cloth until Lee winced and pulled away. “Stay still. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Lee submitted to Gaëlle’s ministrations. Her head throbbed, and though she’d applied a fresh patch just before they left for the Red Arrow, she would have killed for a cigarette right at that moment.

  “You’re going to need a couple of stitches.” When Lee shook her head, Gaëlle held up her hand. “No arguments. You’re lucky you didn’t lose an eye.”

  “I’m not going to the ER. Besides, they’re probably overwhelmed with Red Arrow customers about now.”

  “You don’t have to go anywhere. Wait here a minute. I need to make a call.” Gaëlle left the room.

  Lee leaned back and closed her eyes against the bright ceiling light.

  When Gaëlle returned, she said, “My sister-in-law Wendy will be right over. She’s an RN.”

  “She doesn’t mind doing this?”

  “She’s used to stitching up family at all hours.”

  “I’m not family.”

  “No, but you’re a friend of the family, and that counts too.” Gaëlle wrinkled her nose as she tugged on Lee’s shirt collar. “I thought you said you didn’t drink on duty.”

  “I don’t. And the local constabulary has the Breathalyzer results to prove it. I reek thanks to Britten’s CC and Seven.”

  “Thanks to Britten’s... My God. Lee, did Britten cut you?”

  “Not on purpose. She just didn’t appreciate me dragging her away from some guy named Brian. She’d been drinking pretty hard all night. Her resistance to dickwad behaviour was lower than it should’ve been.” Lee was well aware that she was talking to Britten’s mother, but she was tired, disgusted, and in pain. She was also fired, and the realization that she’d be packing to go in the morning was causing an unexpected and far more potent pain.

  The doorbell rang.

  “Oh, that must be Wendy. Thank goodness, she must’ve been close by. Wait here.”

  Lee heard Gaëlle open the door, the murmur of voices, then her name called in alarm. Instantly, Lee was out of her chair and running. Without stopping, she flew by Gaëlle and tackled the man in the doorway. A scream sounded from halfway up the stairs. Then Britten called out, “Michael!”

  Lee pinned Saberi on the porch and yanked his arms behind him. Fists beat furiously at her back, and Lee tried to defend herself without letting Saberi free.

  Gaëlle shouted, “Britten, stop that! Lee’s protecting you!”

  Britten screamed curses and clawed at Lee’s shoulders as she tried to dislodge her.

  Gaëlle wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her away. Another man hurried from a limousine toward the porch with his fists clenched.

  “Enough. Stop this. Right now.” A deep, authoritative voice rang out in the dark, freezing everyone in their tracks.

  Wrong-Way Wally was in the yard, his arm impeding the man from the limousine. Wally repeated, “Enough.”

  Michael turned his head to Britten, who was still trapped within her mother’s arms. “Darling, what’s going on? Who are these people? Don’t they know I’m your husband?”

  Lee growled. “Being her husband doesn’t give you the right to abuse her.”

  “Abuse her? What are you talking about? She called me two days ago to come pick her up. I am here by her request.”

  Lee looked at Britten. “Is that true?”

  “Yes. He’s my husband, and I want to go home.”

  “Aw, for Christ’s sake. Just when I thought this night couldn’t get any worse.” Lee released Saberi and rolled to her feet.

  Lee, Gaëlle, Britten, Michael, and his driver were gathered around the kitchen table. Wendy, who had arrived on the scene moments after the ceasefire was called, tended to cuts and bruises. Wally watched from the corner by the cabinets.

  “So you were never in any danger?” Lee queried Britten as Wendy gently cleaned her wound.

  “Of course not. Michael would never hurt me.” Britten hung on Michael’s arm as if it was a life preserver.

  “And the blood on your face in the hotel? He wasn’t responsible for that?”

  Michael blinked. “You thought I did that? I’ve never laid so much as a finger on my wife.”

  “So how did she get cut?”

  “We had a...a little disagreement in our hotel room. My wife is as temperamental as she is beautiful. It was my fault, of course. It was a delicate issue that I should never have brought up. Poor Britten was so distraught that she threw a vase at me. I ducked and fell. The vase shattered; a piece of glass ricocheted and cut my wife. She ran out before I could regain my feet. By the time I got out to the hall, she had disappeared. Then I had to deal with hotel security, and... Well, you see it all just...how do you say it? Ah, yes. It all just snowballed out of control.”

  “You weren’t tracking her?”

  “Of course not. I know better than that. When these things happen, my wife just needs a little time to cool off. She always returns or calls me to come get her when she’s ready.” Michael beamed at Britten, who pouted and laid her head on his shoulder.

  “What was the issue?”

  Michael looked at Gaëlle. “Pardone, Madame?”

  “What was the issue that caused my daughter to behave so poorly?” Gaëlle’s voice was cool, but implacable.

  “It was nothing, Mom.”

  “Now, darling, your mother has a right to know. We were discussing the best time to have children. Britten isn’t quite ready to take such a major step, and I’m afraid I pushed too hard. I promise you, though, it won’t happen again. My wife is a woman of tender feelings and deserves to be treated so. Don’t you, darling?”

  Michael and Britten nibbled on each other’s lips, reconciliation obviously achieved.

  Lee could see the magnitude of disappointment in Gaëlle’s face. Her daughter’s immaturity had caused problems for so many, and Lee was sure that no matter what she said, Gaëlle felt some sense of failure.

  Lee found that despite the pain in her cheek as Wendy inserted three stitches, she held no animus for her flighty client. Ten days ago she had been mired so deep in her own misery that she couldn’t see a way out. This past week, she had looked forward to waking up every morning. In a way, she owed Britten a debt.

  Lee and the driver, who hadn’t been introduced, sat uncomfortably across from each other in the living room. Wendy had departed, taking her little black bag with her. Britten and Michael were upstairs. Lee hoped they were packing, not taking their reunion to the next level.

  Gaëlle and Wally were outside. Lee could see them talking on the front porch. They hugged each other and parted just as Britten and Michael descended the stairs.

  “Ahmad, bring the luggage down to the car.”

  Ahmad nodded at Michael’s instructions and hurried upstairs.

  Lee briefly contemplated helping him with the excess of bags, then mentally shrugged. I’m fired. Someone else can look after her things.

  Michael approached Lee, who regarded him warily. He lo
oked a little more dishevelled than the suave, debonair bon vivant Lee had researched, but he smiled as he pulled a wallet from inside his suit coat and extracted a cheque. “I trust this will cover my wife’s expenses, Ms. Glenn. Thank you for taking such good care of my treasure. I tell you sincerely, I would not like to be your enemy.” He extended his hand, and Lee rose to take it, accepting the payment as she did so.

  When Michael turned to address Gaëlle, Lee glanced at the cheque and raised an eyebrow at the generous amount. It would more than cover DeGroot and Glenn’s fee, with enough for staff bonuses all around.

  “It was very good to meet my wife’s mother, Mrs. Germaine. I hope it will not be so long until the next visit.”

  “That’s up to Britten.”

  “Ah, well then. Perhaps we will have you to our home in Paris one day.”

  “Perhaps.”

  Britten offered her mother a self-conscious embrace.

  Gaëlle held her daughter tightly before allowing Britten to pull away.

  Ahmad descended the stairs with Britten’s bags precariously balanced in one load. Gaëlle hastened to open the door, and Michael followed his man out.

  Lee thought Britten was going to leave without another word, but surprisingly she turned to Lee. “Look, I’m sorry about all that—you know, what I said to the cop and all. I was just mad.”

  Lee nodded but didn’t otherwise respond to the half-hearted apology.

  Gaëlle followed Britten out to the porch and raised a hand in farewell as the limousine departed. She came back in and closed the door softly behind her. “That was quite the surprise, wasn’t it? Can’t say I expected all this drama when you set off for an evening at the Red Arrow. What did Britten mean with reference to her apology? Was that part of her throwing a drink on you and cutting your face?”

  “Kind of the second act. I was pulled over shortly after I left the Red Arrow. Britten told the Mountie I’d been drinking and had kidnapped her. I imagine I looked the part, what with my face bleeding and my clothes stinking of Canadian Club, but I was able to persuade the officer that I was not guilty of either accusation.”