Semiautomatic Marriage

by Leona Karr

  She chuckled. “I’d never be able to get up in front of people like that.”

  “You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s great fun. You might enjoy seeing me make a fool of myself sometime.”

  “Yes, I would,” she said with an honest laugh. “That would be fun.” Fun. The word sounded strange on her lips. What if they had met under different circumstances? Would she have let herself relax enough to have fun with someone like him?

  “It’s a date,” he said as if they had all the time in the world for such frivolity.

  The growing intimacy was broken by a brisk knock on the door, and Della entered with some computer disks, followed by a thin, round-shouldered man in overalls carrying a computer. “Sorry, we didn’t get this back to you sooner,” Della said briskly. “I’ve been going in three directions all day. In fact, I really haven’t had much time to even check Arthur’s files. Everything is still the way he left it.”

  Adam instantly wondered if she was telling the truth. The fact that she kept her eyes from contacting either his or Carolyn’s was suspicious. People lied better when they didn’t have to look at someone.

  “I suppose you’ll want this on the computer stand next to the desk, Carolyn,” she said in a tone that indicated she expected Carolyn to be changing things around at the first opportunity.

  “That will be fine,” Carolyn replied, and added just as pointedly, “For now.”

  Adam suppressed a grin. Good for you, Carolyn. Once she got her feet on the ground, she’d be able to hold her own with the Dragon Lady. In fact, Carolyn ignored Della and turned around to smile at the man as he settled the computer, printer and files in their places.

  “Thank you for the help,” she told him.

  “Glad to meet you, ma’am. Bob Beavers.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, too. This is my husband, Adam Lawrence.”

  The man wiped his hand on his overalls before holding it out to Adam for a shake.

  Della gave them an impatient look as if taking time for such niceties with a maintenance man wasn’t on her list of priorities. She turned to Carolyn. “I imagine you’ll want to schedule some kind of staff meeting. You’ll have to let me know in time to clear the docket. Any extra demands put an overload on everyone.”

  “There isn’t any hurry, is there? I mean, none of us are going anywhere, are we?” she inquired innocently as if Della might have other plans in the works, like leaving the company.

  Della was obviously taken aback, and Adam could see fear in the tightening of her facial muscles. It was almost as if she realized for the first time that she wasn’t in the driver’s seat anymore.

  Adam wasn’t sure that putting her on the defensive was a good idea—people struck out when they had their backs to the wall. He couldn’t help but wonder if Arthur had put her in that position and lost his life over it.

  Della moistened her lips. “What are you suggesting, Carolyn? If you’re insinuating that I don’t intend to stay at Horizon under the present circumstances, you are totally wrong.”

  Her manner and voice indicated to Adam that the woman was willing to do whatever necessary to keep her present position and power.

  Della gave them a forced smile. “Horizon is my life.”

  “That’s a relief, Della,” Carolyn said quickly. “I can’t imagine the chaos if you were to leave us.” She shuddered. “I don’t even want to think about such a thing.”

  Good girl, Carolyn. Adam breathed a little easier. They didn’t want to stoke any dangerous fire. They needed time to ascertain where the smoke was coming from. Maybe Della was innocent. And maybe she wasn’t.

  After Della returned to her office with Bob Beavers in her wake, Adam turned to the computer. “Well, let’s see if this baby has anything to say. You want to take a look?”

  Carolyn shook her head. “The computer at the investment company where I worked was friendly because I knew the programs. I made use of the school computers for my studies, but I’m like someone trying to get upstream without an oar when you throw anything new at me.” She made a flourishing gesture at the computer. “It’s all yours.”

  While Adam sat mesmerized in front of the monitor for the rest of the afternoon, Carolyn went through material put out by Horizon, which gave some empirical data about the company’s commitment, its history and research. Her admiration for her grandfather grew as she began to glimpse the legacy he’d left her. It saddened her to think that someone had twisted her grandfather’s ideals into something ugly, and her resolve strengthened. She would prove that she was worthy of his trust, no matter what personal sacrifice she had to make. She was filled with a desire to learn everything she could about all the operations here and the people who were responsible for carrying them out. Writing down questions that she wanted answered gave her a sense of moving forward into her new responsibilities, and she was hopeful that her growing knowledge of the company would help Adam in his investigation.

  As her gaze wandered to him, she realized that giving up his companionship was going to cost her more than she’d ever imagined. Already he’d moved into a space in her heart that had been empty, even during her ill-fated infatuation with Eric.

  Restless, she wandered over to the computer. Leaning over his chair, she was aware of the scents of shampoo and aftershave. She placed her hands on his shoulders and felt the warmth of his body and the hard cords of muscle. An undefined desire spiraled through her. She remembered the times he’d had his arm around her, pretending to be the loving husband, and wished that his embraces could have been for real.

  Stop it! Your heading down the wrong road, girl. Aloud she said, “Well, what do you think?”

  “Everything seems routine, but I’ve selected a few disks to send to the agency’s system-analysis experts so they can take a look at them. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing here to show any irregularities in the production and shipping of the pharmaceuticals but we know for damn sure that someone is manipulating the system. All we have to do is find out how—and then we’ll know who.”

  “Is that all?” she teased.

  He reached back and captured her hands where they lay on his shoulders. “What do you say we call it a day? It’s almost ‘happy hour.’ Shall we wander down to the Galloping Goose and relax?”

  “Sure, why not?” she said, hiding a foolish disappointment as he turned off the computer and stood up.

  “I’m ready for a break.”

  The intimacy she’d felt touching his shoulders was gone. He wasn’t going to the bar to relax with her; he was going there on business. He was sticking to the game plan, and that was a good thing, she told herself, but what was wrong with enjoying the illusion that they were a happily married couple?

  She slipped her arm through his and gave him a smile that caused one of his dark eyebrows to lift in surprise.

  Chapter Eight

  The Galloping Goose was a saloon and café, fashioned with a timber ceiling, portholes for windows and a profusion of anchors, ropes and driftwood scattered about on the walls. The kitchen was labeled The Galley. Waitresses were dressed in short, white dresses with middy tops, and when they bent over tables, panties decorated with anchors were revealed.

  The building was on the waterfront and flanked by popular marinas, and the clientele seemed to be a mixture of working people and affluent boat owners.

  A Seat Yourself sign seemed to set the casual tone of the place. Adam put a guiding hand on Carolyn’s arm as they made their way along the side of the room to a booth near one of the portholes. Music blared from an adjoining room, and a small dance floor was visible through the open double doors. Several couples were dancing.

  A hefty barmaid, with a sailor’s hat perched saucily on her brassy-blond hair, approached Carolyn and Adam as soon as they were seated.

  “What’s your poison?” she asked tritely without giving them a menu. Apparently eating was not high on the list of customer priorities.

  Adam ordered draft beer and Car
olyn decided on a margarita.

  No sign of Nick and Nellie. Maybe they aren’t coming, Carolyn thought, not knowing whether to be disappointed or relieved.

  “Shall we order something to eat?” Adam asked, peering at plates of seafood and steak being served at other tables.

  “I wouldn’t dare. Morna advised me this morning in no uncertain terms that dinner would be at eight, and asked if we would be dining at home. I assured her that we would be. I don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with her. Della would never forgive me if Morna up and quit.”

  “I don’t think there’s any danger of that,” Adam said, remembering the way Morna hovered around Jasper that morning. He’d bet anything there was a history between those two. “Well, then, how about a dance to help me forget my hunger pangs?”

  Carolyn hesitated. She’d never had a chance to learn a lot of different dance steps, but she could hold her own with most partners. There was one intern at the hospital who was very good, and he always danced with Carolyn when they had staff parties. She was curious to know how Adam handled himself on the dance floor.

  Very nicely, as it turned out. With perfect ease he guided her steps in rhythm with a ballad about true love. He held his head so close to hers that laying her cheek against his was a given.

  They stayed on the dance floor for several numbers. There was an unspoken communication between them as they moved together, and a demanding warmth began to surge between them. Carolyn ignored the warning that what was happening deep within her was no pretense, no playacting. When sexual desire, like a simmering Roman candle, was ready to ignite, she came to herself with a jolt. What kind of signals was she giving? She’d be a fool if she invited this kind of love-play and then expected him to stay on his side of the bed.

  She withdrew from his embrace and said rather breathlessly, “That’s enough.”

  She turned quickly and found herself face-to-face with Cliff Connors.

  “Whoa,” he said. “I was hoping to cut in before the song ended. How about it?” He gave Adam a wink. “You don’t mind my taking the little lady for a few turns around the floor, do you?”

  “Your timing is bad, Cliff. We were just about to sit down,” Adam replied in a pleasant tone, but one laced with enough firmness to make Cliff back off.

  He shrugged. “Well, maybe another time. How’d you discover my favorite haunt, anyway?” His tone implied they had deliberately followed him there.

  “We heard it was a popular place for people from Horizon,” Carolyn answered. From the way Cliff was crowding her, forcing his company on her, she knew that sooner or later, she was going to have to deal with him.

  “Let’s finish our drinks, darling,” Adam said, “and then head home.”

  Cliff hesitated as if about to force his company on them, but must have thought better of it. “Well, then, have a nice evening, you two. I’m sure we’ll connect another time.”

  It sounded more like a promise than an idle remark. He sauntered over to the bar and joined a group of young people, laughing and talking.

  Carolyn finished her margarita in a leisurely fashion and shared with Adam some of the questions she’d written down while going through the company’s printouts. They ordered a second round of drinks, and Carolyn would have felt uncomfortable in the rather raucous atmosphere without a date, but in Adam’s company she relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed herself. She couldn’t believe how late it was when he motioned for the check.

  Cliff had already left the bar, and there was still no sign of Nick and Nellie.

  “I guess they changed their minds about dropping in here tonight,” Carolyn said. “I bet Nick really didn’t expect us to come.”

  “You’re probably right,” Adam conceded, disappointed. He hated passing up any opportunity to get close to someone who might offer some insight to what was going on in the company.

  As they left the restaurant, the deepening twilight lay silvery patterns on the water, and a light breeze rocked tethered boats like a mother’s gentle hand.

  Carolyn took a deep breath of the misty air as they walked around the building to a crowded parking lot. She was thinking how much she was enjoying the evening when the sound of groaning stopped them in their tracks.

  “Someone’s hurt!”

  “Over there.” Adam spurted between two cars in the direction of the groans.

  A man lay on the ground, breath raspy, his limbs doubled up in pain. A high arc light and a sliver of moonlight flickered across his battered face.

  “Nick!” Adam cried in surprise.

  “Dear God, no,” Carolyn gasped as she knelt down beside him. Her trained fingers registered a pulse in his neck. Good. Strong. She quickly assessed the way he was doubled up. The reflex pinpointed pain in his abdomen, and his raspy breath was likely caused by broken ribs. Blood pooled on his bald head.

  “Call an ambulance,” she ordered as she began to check his limbs. No broken arms or legs.

  “We got a man hurt,” Adam told the 911 operator on his cell phone. “Galloping Goose parking lot on Cove Street. Send an ambulance.”

  Nick groaned louder than before as his eyes fluttered open.

  “Can you talk to me, Nick?” Carolyn asked as she checked the swelling on his head.

  The first audible words out of his mouth were curses. Carolyn had heard most of them before, but never with such vehemence.

  “Take it easy, old boy,” Adam soothed. Someone had beaten the hell out of the guy, for sure. “Was Nellie with you?”

  Carolyn’s heart lurched to stop. Had someone beat up Nick and abducted Nellie?

  “Talk to us, Nick,” Adam coaxed. As an investigator, he knew that time was the greatest element in solving any crime. “Nellie? Was Nellie with you?”

  Through swollen, bleeding lips Nick mumbled, “No. Just me.”

  “Do you know who they were, Nick?”

  “Didn’t see…clobbered me…from behind.”

  When the ambulance arrived, Nick was still swearing and clutching his stomach. Carolyn was concerned that some internal organs might have been damaged and gave a quick report to the paramedics.

  One of them recognized her from the runs he made to the Friends Free Clinic to pick up a patient who needed to go to the emergency ward.

  “Dr. Leigh, you making house calls in parking lots now?” he asked with a boyish grin.

  “Anytime, anyplace,” she quipped.

  He just laughed and quickly loaded Nick into the ambulance. They followed the ambulance at a slower pace to the University of Washington Hospital. By the time they got there, Nick was already on a stretcher and inside.

  Carolyn’s professional status gave her immediate access to what was happening. The examining doctor’s findings were very much what Carolyn had determined, and he ordered immediate diagnostic tests to determine any internal injuries.

  “I’m going to call Nellie Ryan,” Adam told Carolyn when she returned to the waiting room. “She’s listed in the telephone directory, and I think she should know what’s happened to Nick. There’s always a chance that she may be able to shed some light on this whole thing.”

  When he closed his cell phone after talking to Nellie, he said, “She’s on her way.”

  Twenty-five minutes later, Nellie burst into the emergency waiting room, flushed and breathless. Now that she wasn’t wearing a cap to cover her hair, they saw that she was a fiery redhead. “What kind of accident did Nick have? Is he all right?”

  Adam knew from Carolyn’s sharp glance that she was startled he’d labeled Nick’s beating an accident. He’d purposefully given Nellie the wrong impression because he wanted to witness her reaction when she learned the truth. Maybe the woman’s surprise would be honest and maybe it wouldn’t. The fact that Nick had showed up at the Galloping Goose alone, instead of with her, might mean something.

  Adam watched her carefully when he explained that Nick had actually suffered a vicious beating. Her gasp of “Oh, no,” could have meant anything. His gu
t feeling told him that Nellie Ryan wasn’t totally surprised.

  “The doctors are determining the extent of his injuries now,” Carolyn offered as Nellie dropped into a chair and stared at the floor.

  Adam sat down beside her. “Do you have any idea who might have done this, Nellie?”

  She was silent for a long moment, and Adam didn’t know if she was carefully fashioning a lie or was hesitant to tell the truth. Finally she said, “It’s his gambling. He’s been losing—a lot. I guess someone is trying to collect.”

  “He must be in pretty deep,” Carolyn murmured as if Nellie’s explanation made perfect sense to her.

  Adam wasn’t so sure. Nick could have been roughed up because of default on a gambling debt. On the other hand, he could have been beaten as a warning not to talk about what he knew was going on at Horizon.

  When the doctor came in to report on Nick’s injuries, the news was good. No serious damage. Just bruises, contusions and no sign of concussion from the blow on the head.

  Nellie hurried up to his room to see him, but Carolyn held Adam back when he was preparing to follow her.

  “You can talk to him tomorrow. He’ll be in better shape then.”

  And more prepared with any lies, thought Adam, but he didn’t argue. He could tell that Carolyn had had more than enough for one day. She glanced at her watch as they left the hospital.

  “Almost ten o’clock,” she groaned. “Della and Morna are going to be furious. We should have called. I didn’t even think about dinner.”

  “Do you want to stop someplace and get a bite?”

  “I don’t think so,” she answered. “Not if you’re courageous enough to raid that huge refrigerator with me.”

  “I’ll be behind you every step of the way,” Adam promised solemnly.

  She laughed, and they began to tease each other about who was going to face up to Della if they got caught sneaking out of the kitchen with a chicken leg in each hand.

  They slipped into the house like conspirators and she stilled a foolish impulse to giggle. Feelings that took her totally by surprise made her feel young, almost giddy. Nothing in her wildest dreams had prepared her for sneaking into her own wealthy mansion on a mission of stealing food for a late-night picnic.