by Donald Wells
It was then that I became aware of the thing.
I had always heard it was a tunnel of light, but this was no tunnel, and it sent forth no light.
It was darkness, blackness, emptiness and null, and I immediately hungered for it, for it offered silence, silence from my mind, deafness to Tori’s screams, and blindness, blindness to the memory of Tori’s eyes. Her eyes, as she plummeted to her fate, with her last vision one of me holding Felicia, knowing that in the end, I had abandoned her,
I fled into that darkness and felt myself wane, felt the pain lessen, felt consciousness dissolve, and wondered why in God’s holy name I would ever choose to come back.
THE
FIX-IT
MAN
PART THREE
52
At first, there was just a glimmer.
Then flashes, intermittent, and of varying intensities,
All at once came the light, dim, but ever growing in brightness. And with the brightness came the colors. Colors soon developed into shapes and sounds, sensations and feelings, and with the feelings arose pain, and that’s when I knew I had come back into the world.
As my eyes gained focus, I realized that I was lying down. I glanced above me, saw the bags and tubes, and then followed their course into my veins. A hospital room, I was in a hospital room. As I looked beyond the bed, I saw that I was not alone.
Felicia was asleep in a chair with a white blanket over her.
She looked like a wingless angel, but then, she always had.
I spied movement to my left and saw Bill smiling at me.
“John, how are you son?”
I said, “I’m back.” my voice barely a whisper.
“Yes you are, thank God. I’ll go get the doctor.”
I moved my tongue around. “How long?”
“What?”
“How long was I gone?”
“Three days, you’ve been comatose for three days.”
I threw my chin in Felicia’s direction.
“Is she all right?”
“Yes, and she’s barely moved from that chair since you… took ill. Sophie, the doctors, she wouldn’t listen to any of them, she said she was not leaving you, even if she had to have the baby in that chair.”
“Sounds messy,”
Bill reached over and gripped my shoulder. “Thank God you’re back. I’ll get the doctor.” Before leaving, he gently nudged Felicia awake. “Hey honey, look who’s here.”
Felicia’s eyes met mine and she threw the blanket aside and struggled out of the chair.
“Johnny! Oh thank God, how are you?”
I thought about it. “I’m hungry.”
That caused her to laugh; next, she leaned over and kissed me on the lips.
“I love you.”
“I know.”
Bill returned with a gray-haired man wearing a tweed sports jacket and carrying a clipboard. The man told me his name was Dr. Matthews and that he wanted to ask me a few questions.
“Ask away doctor,”
“What’s the last thing you remember Mr. Faron?”
“Three days ago was my wedding, there was a bomb, it went off and destroyed the section of the stilt home that sat above the rocks. Four people were killed, including my wife… and child. Felicia and I were rescued and brought to an emergency room where I later broke down and collapsed.”
Dr. Matthews blinked rapidly. “Well, I guess we can rule out acute denial, still, I’d like to keep you overnight for observation, all right?”
“Yes doctor, whatever you think is best.”
“I’ll drop by later and we’ll talk in more detail, but I would say Mr. Faron that you’ll return to normal soon, and I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you doctor,”
He spoke to Felicia. “Young lady, I am not an obstetrician, but it is my medical opinion that you go home and have a decent meal and then sleep in a bed, not a chair. You must think of your baby.”
Felicia smiled, “I will doctor, now that Johnny is all right, I promise.”
Matthews nodded at her and then left the room.
Bill looked back and forth between Felicia and I. “Why don’t you two take a moment to talk. I’ll be in the hall.”
After he left, Felicia sat on the side of the bed and gently held my hand.
“How are your hands, do they hurt?”
“They’re a little stiff.”
She shook her head in wonder.
“I thought I was dead. I lost my grip on that pipe and then you were there, holding me. You saved my life.”
“Yes.”
“Johnny? You… you couldn’t have saved Tori. They’re saying it was a miracle that you saved me.”
“I could have tried.”
“And I’d be dead, and so would Tori… and so would you.”
“Still, I could have tried.”
She threw herself upon me. “Please don’t blame me for Tori’s death; I couldn’t stand it if you felt that way.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I don’t blame you. I blame David Thorne.”
She sat up and wiped away tears. “I’ll be going back to New York tomorrow, please keep in touch.”
“Felicia… I—”
She looked stricken as she suddenly rose off the bed.
“I’m not asking you for anything. I’m just worried about you. Please call me when you need to talk, just talk, okay?”
“I’ll keep in touch.”
Bill appeared in the doorway with Ms. Lee.
“You have another visitor.”
Felicia looked Ms. Lee over with a guarded gaze.
“Who is she Johnny?”
“This is Ms. Lee, my Personal Assistant. Ms. Lee, this is Felicia Thorne.”
As she stared at Ms. Lee, Felicia spoke distractedly.
“That’s Felicia Delgado, Johnny, my marriage was annulled… I’m sorry, did you say she was your Personal Assistant?”
Ms. Lee sent her a polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you Ms. Delgado.”
Felicia smiled back weakly. “Yes, it’s nice to meet you also.”
Ms. Lee looked down at me and her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m so sorry for your loss John; we’re all going to miss her.”
“Thank you.”
Ms. Lee then bent over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
I looked at Felicia. “Why don’t you go and get some rest like the doctor said, hmm?”
Felicia nodded, and then she leaned over and gave me a kiss.
“I love you Johnny, please take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
Felicia looked around helplessly for a second, and after giving Bill a hug goodbye, she slowly drifted out of the room.
I pointed to the visitors chairs. “Take a seat you two. Bill, what’s the status on Thorne?”
“Thorne’s responsible for that bomb, but it appears he hired someone to plant it. The tech guys say that the trigger had to be activated on site, within a thousand yards. Whoever triggered the blast had to of seen us running from the room and set it off. John, if Felicia hadn’t been there, hadn’t recognized his handwriting, well, I don’t have to tell you how bad it would’ve been had everyone been in that room dancing at the time.”
“What about security now?”
“I’ve got six guards on you, and when Felicia leaves there will be a team guarding her, discreetly, just in case Thorne attempts to harm her.”
“Does she know she’s being guarded?”
“No, I didn’t want to upset her further.”
“Good Bill, and thank you,” I looked at Ms. Lee. “I want to offer a ten million dollar reward for David Thorne, is that doable?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes John, however we should coordinate with the authorities, but yes, the money is available.”
“Start on that right away please.”
“Yes John.” Ms. Lee rose from her seat, and after sending Bill a bright smile, she left.
“While you were sick, I was so worried, not knowing if you were ever going to get better, I went to see her in her room last night, to talk, and… she comforted me.”
“Comforted?”
“Yes, and that’s all I’m going to say.”
“I’m sorry I gave you a scare.”
“It’s all right, like the doctor said, you’ll be back to normal in no time.”
I stared into his eyes.
“The doctor was wrong. I’m far from normal.”
“What are you saying?”
“Normal? I’m not normal. I’m homicidal. I left here Bill, left this world wanting never to return. But I came back, and I came back for one reason and one reason only. I am going to find David Thorne, and as God is my witness, I’m going to kill the fucking son of a bitch if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
53
I stood on the western edge of the Castle Estate, which, I guess, was now the Faron Estate, and laid flowers on the grave of my wife, Victoria Jameson Faron.
We never had a honeymoon. We never even had a first dance.
Off in the distance, I saw our home, a white and shining palace. Tori spent months choosing the furniture, the fabric swatches, decorating everything down to the last detail.
In the kitchen, her kitchen, are huge ovens, bakers’ ovens, and a storage closet is filled with bakeware of all types.
But, Tori will never bake, ever again.
Bill stood to one side of me, as Janey stood to the other, clasping my hand in hers.
I turned and looked at the other mourners.
I had expected a small gathering of close friends and perhaps a number of her relatives. After all, Tori had only lived in this town for a few years and neither of us had a large social circle, and yet, they kept coming.
People I knew only by name, Tori had known with her heart.
“She baked a cake for my mother John, when mom had cancer.”
“She made me éclairs when I got divorced, told me I’d be okay.”
“While you were fixing my muffler, she made a few calls and got the judge to make my ex-husband pay the back child support, and she wouldn’t take a dime for her help.”
Story after story about a kindness, a word of cheer, a bawdy joke, while I was repairing their cars, Tori was mending their hearts.
In all, I would say that there were over two hundred people present for the service, and most wept along with me as we laid my bride to rest.
And tragic but true, not one among them bore the surname of Jameson.
At our start, she had told me that at times she felt invisible. Oh yes, her body, people noticed her magnificent body, particularly men. But her essence, her spirit, her very soul, seemed to her to be denied by most.
She claimed I was the only man who took the time to find the soul within, the only man to see her for what she truly was.
She was wrong. At her passing, I stood amongst a legion that had not only seen her, but also loved her.
Tori was my friend, my lover, my wife, bearer of my heir, and I know that my life is infinitely poorer for her passing, yet infinitely richer for her presence in it, and that I will mourn her for the rest of my days.
I buried her on the land of a home she loved, but never got to live in.
The former owners, the Castle family, interred their loved ones on family ground, and the Farons will follow suit.
I laid her to rest there, my Queen among Castles, and prayed that she’d find sweet peace.
54
Bill and I were at a firing range in a nearby town.
I was in the middle of my third shooting lesson, and at last, I was showing signs of improvement.
I had a bodyguard near me at all times since the bombing, but I found them intrusive and wanted to be able to protect myself. On my belt, I wore a holster and my wallet held a carry permit.
Bill reeled in the paper target and studied it with a critical eye.
“Well, you’re certainly not a natural at this, but you are getting better.”
“As long as I learn how to use one; I’ll need it someday.”
“You really mean to kill Thorne yourself?”
“If at all possible, but I won’t stop until he’s dead. He killed Tori, Bill. He’s not going to do that and still draw breath.”
“It may take more than a huge reward to find him. Garner says that Thorne most likely has left the country by now.”
“I want to hire someone, a mercenary or someone like that, but a professional.”
“I know of someone. His name is Richard McCarthy. Years ago, while he was on vacation with his family they became victims of a terrorist group, his wife and three children were killed in an explosion. The group was relatively small, about thirty members. Over time, McCarthy infiltrated them and killed the people responsible for the death of his family.”
After reloading my gun, I sent out a new target.
“How do we contact him?”
“I have friends in the F.B.I., maybe they can help me get in touch.”
“What was McCarthy before his family was killed, a cop or something?”
“No, he was a businessman, sports bars, that sort of thing.”
I took my stance and raised the gun. “What happened to the other members of the terrorist group?”
“They’re dead. McCarthy initiated some sort of dispute between one faction of the group and another, in the end, they killed each other off.”
“He sounds smart, good, Thorne’s a madman but he’s intelligent. McCarthy may have to outthink him to find him.”
I took a breath and held it, and then I fired.
“Bull’s-eye!” Bill said.
“My first,” I said, and then I fired the rest of the bullets. No more bulls-eyes, but I was definitely improving.
Bill reached into his pocket and took out his notebook.
For as long as I’ve known him, he’s carried a pocket-sized notebook. A habit he developed as a cop. He tore out a page and handed it to me.
“I thought you might want to know about this. It’s the gist of a report from the men guarding Felicia.”
After reading his notes, I looked at him, perplexed.
“Why would she do this?”
“John, maybe she has no choice.”
* * *
I stood at the scarred door of a cheap rental in the Bronx and knocked.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Johnny, Felicia,”
After a few moments of silence, I heard several locks being unfastened and she opened the door.
“Johnny, how did you know where I was?”
“You told me to keep in touch.”
She smiled, “Yes I did, come on in.” I entered and Felicia gave me a peck on the cheek. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Johnny… about Tori’s funeral, I debated going, but I didn’t think it was right that I—”
“I understand.” I said, cutting her off, and then I took a good look around the place.
I was in the living area; the room was about twelve by twelve with three rooms leading off of it, a small kitchen, a bathroom the size of a closet and what I took to be the bedroom, although the door was closed. It was all worn furniture and cheap lamps.
Not exactly the Thorne Estate,
“Felicia, why are you living here?”
She shrugged. “It’s all I can afford.”
“Did Thorne take everything when he ran?”
“There were a few properties left, but the families of his victims are looking for restitution, and I’m certainly not going to fight them for it.”
“What about the agreement? Tori told me that there was a monthly stipend in there for the baby, a generous one she said.”
“Yes, that was part of the agreement, but it doesn’t take effect until the baby is born.”
“Oh,”
“It’s okay, I’ll be all ri
ght. I sold my jewelry, now I have enough to pay for this place until the baby comes, and after that I’ll get a job.”
“A job? That baby should be your job.”
“I also want you to tear up our agreement. I’m more grateful than you know that you’re claiming to be the father, but I don’t want a dime of your money.”
I sighed and fell into a chair.
“Felicia, baby, I’m sorry I said I thought you married Thorne for his money. I didn’t mean it that way, really, but this place, you’re three flights up, that’s a lot of stairs for a pregnant woman.”
“So what do you want to do, just give me money? I won’t take it.”
“I want you to come home, to Castle Ridge. I want you to come home.”
“You mean live with you?”
“I’ve got twelve bedrooms and it’s basically just me and Bill there, we could use the company, and besides, the world thinks that’s my baby, it would only make sense that I give it a home.”
Felicia gazed at me in silence, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No, I just can’t believe that you want me there, I mean, Janey told me that you bought the Castle land for Tori.”
“Tori would understand. She didn’t hate you, you know?”
“I never thought she did, in fact, I liked her.”
“So you’ll come home with me?”
Felicia turned and stared at the bedroom door, while nibbling her bottom lip.
“There’s just one thing.”
* * *
I pushed open the door and there she was, sitting on the end of one of a set of twin-sized beds.
Sophie, looking sadder than I’d ever seen her,
Felicia told me the story before I went in.
Sophie too was broke, and always had been. I had assumed that her late husband had left her wealthy, but it seems the money had all been David’s.
In fact, Sophie has never worked a day in her life. She had gone from middle class parents to becoming the trophy wife of Thorne’s uncle, who had her sign a pre-nuptial agreement.
While David was away at school he simply let her live on in the home after his uncle died, and Sophie was more than happy to stay. Now, with Thorne gone, and along with him the Thorne millions, Sophie was looking at a bleak future.
