No Return: A Contemporary Phantom Tale

by Pope, Christine

  The old man looked at him then, and although the skin around his eyes was pouched and bruised-looking, the dark eyes themselves were sharp as ever. “It’s good to be here, Erik,” he said, and his gaze shifted to Christine, who stood off to one side, her lovely face flushed with happiness. “This was exactly the homecoming I had hoped for.”

  Erik wondered how much Christine had told him, and then realized she hadn’t needed to say much. The mere fact of her presence here and the warmth of her gaze as she met Erik’s eyes from across the room were probably enough. “Christine, let me take that valise. I’d like to help Ennis to his room.”

  “Oh, that’s really not necessary—” Ennis began, but Erik’s words cut across his.

  “You’ve waited on me so many times over the years. Let me do this for you now.”

  Ennis paused, then nodded to Christine, who hurried over and handed the valise to Erik. Her fingers brushed his briefly as she did so, and again he felt a rush of desire for her. It amazed him that her merest touch could arouse such passion in him, that her continued presence only heightened his hunger for her. In the past, once he had sated his pent-up lust with the women he had bought, he had not found them all that exciting—until the passing weeks rebuilt his frustration and he needed to release the tension once again.

  The flicker of the dimple at the corner of her cheek told him she had felt the same thing. Then she gave a quick glance at Ennis, obviously hoping he had not noticed what had passed between her and Erik.

  “Let me just go see him settled,” Erik said then, and she nodded.

  “And I’ll keep an ear out for the phone in case Jerome calls.” Then she said to Ennis, “Would you like me to bring you something once you’re all situated? Some tea? Are you hungry?”

  “Such a fuss,” Ennis said, but he looked rather pleased, as if he were enjoying the attention. “I still need clear liquids, but some broth would be very nice. And tea, of course.”

  “I’ll get that started, then,” she replied and went out, giving Erik a quick smile as she went.

  “Such a lovely girl,” commented Ennis. “Erik, I can’t tell you how happy I am—”

  The blood burned in his cheeks, but Erik said only, “Let me get you to your rooms. You should be resting.”

  Ennis gave him a knowing look but refrained from further comment, leading Erik out of the foyer to the comfortable ground-floor rooms he had occupied for so long. Erik had only been here once or twice, but Ennis’s quarters hadn’t changed much over the years—they were still somewhat clubby and quintessentially English, with their oxblood leather furniture and hunting prints on the walls.

  After setting the valise down on the floor next to the bed, Erik went back out to the adjoining sitting room just as Ennis settled himself into an easy chair and swung his feet up on the ottoman. He sighed and closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them again, fixing Erik with a direct look.

  “If you think you need to apologize, let me tell you that you don’t—no, there’s no use arguing with me,” he added, as Erik opened his mouth to protest. “Who knows better than I what you’ve gone through your entire life? It was foolish what you did with Christine—very foolish.”

  It was amazing how the old man could make Erik feel as if he were twelve years old again. The next thing he knew, he would be shuffling his feet and pulling out the old excuses—I didn’t mean to—it was an accident—everybody always blames me— Somehow he managed to hold on to his composure, though, waiting for Ennis’s next words.

  “But since it seems that you and Miss Daly have reconciled, then there’s no use in self-recriminations, is there, Erik?” Ennis’s tone was mild, but Erik knew from long experience that there was no point in arguing with him.

  God knows he had been beating himself up enough the past few days over what he had done to Ennis, wracking himself with guilt over the rush of anger that had made him knock the old man to his feet, berating himself about the whole terrible series of events that led to Christine’s escape attempt. And now here was Ennis offering absolution.

  “But my question to you now is what you plan to do next. I assume Miss Daly intends to stay here?”

  What did he plan to do next? For so long he had only thought of getting Christine here, making her fall in love with him, that now, when those goals had apparently been accomplished, he was at a loss. Last night she had promised to stay with him here forever. He did not doubt her sincerity, but what exactly did her words mean? Would she forsake everything to be with him, or was she hoping to somehow integrate her former life with her new one? And if that were the case, what ramifications did those plans have for him? He cleared his throat. “We hadn’t really gotten that far.”

  “Understandable. But you do realize that she must have family who would be worried about her?”

  “She’s an orphan,” Erik said flatly.

  “Friends, then. Coworkers and schoolmates. She had a life in the outside world, people who must have cared about her.” Again that sharp look. “And we know the police are looking for her. Somehow you must find a way to resolve these issues before the two of you can go on with your lives together.”

  The damnable truth of it was, he knew Ennis was right. Although Erik and Jerome had planned a kidnapping of almost surgical precision, the result was not as neat as they had hoped. There were always loose ends. And somehow Erik knew that Christine, honorable as she was, would want to be as truthful as she could be in revealing her current situation. They could not have any hope of a real future together if they continually built on a foundation of lies and deceit.

  “You have a lot to think about,” Ennis said, his voice dry. “But time enough for that in the days ahead. I don’t expect you to take care of everything immediately. But you need to give it careful consideration.”

  At that moment Christine came in, carrying a tray with a large soup bowl and a fine china teapot and matching cup. “Sorry it took me so long,” she said. “It took me a little bit to find everything.” Smiling, she added, “Your pantry is bigger than my living room.”

  “No trouble at all, my dear,” Ennis said. “Erik and I were just having a nice chat.” He allowed Christine to set the tray on his knees and fuss a bit with the napkin she had brought along. “I don’t know when I’ve been so well taken care of—”

  “I’ve had lots of experience,” she said.

  “Christine has been working as a waitress,” Erik supplied, noting Ennis’s slightly puzzled look.

  “Well, then, I’m in expert hands, aren’t I?” the butler said, then picked up the spoon and took a cautious sip of the steaming liquid.

  At that moment the phone rang; Ennis had an extension in his sitting room, since it was nearly always he who took the incoming calls. Erik went to the phone table and looked at the caller I.D. Jerome’s cell. Thank God.

  “I need to take this,” he said, lifting the phone from the receiver. “Hello, Jerome.”

  “Hi, boss.” Jerome sounded almost cheerful, so much so that Erik wondered briefly what the hell he had been up to. “Just got back from a little overnight stay at the police station.”

  That had been Erik’s fear all along, but Jerome didn’t sound terribly concerned. “Are you all right?”

  “My back’s complaining a little, but I’m okay. Don’t worry—they didn’t get anything out of me.”

  Erik sighed. “So what happened?”

  “Bastard Rigo ratted me out. Partly my own fault, I suppose—I really should have rented a car when I went to go see him. But it came down to his word against mine, since there’s no real evidence connecting us, so they had to let me go.”

  The relief was almost palpable, the rush that washed over him like a wave of heat in his joints and gut. Perhaps he really would have to start believing in a God—it seemed that He had been looking out for him lately. “So where are you now?”

  “At the condo. They gave me the standard line about not leaving town in case they needed to talk to me some more.
And I’m noticing a patrol car parked a little way down the block, so they’re keeping an eye out.” Jerome paused, then added, “I don’t think I’ll be able to get back to the estate without them tailing me.”

  Damn. Still, it could have been a lot worse. “Are you sure this is a secure line?”

  At that Jerome chuckled. “It’s fine—we’re dealing with the Pasadena P.D. here, not the CIA. They haven’t got anything that can tap into a cellular transmission.”

  Well, as much as he could have used Jerome back here, at least the man was safe, if limited in his movements. He slept at the condo every once in a while just to show that he did maintain a residence there, and Erik suspected it was where he took any women he might be seeing, since of course Jerome couldn’t bring them back to the estate.

  “Good,” Erik said at length. “Ennis is here, and doing very well. Christine’s helping to look after him.”

  A pause. “So you’re both—fine?”

  “More than fine.”

  Another pause, as Jerome apparently stopped to digest that piece of information. “Well, good. Then I’ll just hang out here, catch up on some movies, until we can figure out what to do next.”

  Erik had a feeling that Jerome was looking forward to his extended house arrest at the condo and its immediate environs. There were definitely worse places to be trapped, that was for sure. “We’re working on that, Jerome,” he said. “I’ll keep you updated.”

  “Got it. Say hello to Ennis for me, and tell him I’m sorry I couldn’t pick him up from the hospital.”

  “Given the circumstances, I think he’ll understand. I’ll call you as soon as something develops.” With that, Erik hung up and turned to face expectant looks from both Ennis and Christine.

  “Is Jerome okay?” Christine asked.

  “He spent a night in jail, but he’s fine—which is why he missed picking you up at the hospital, Ennis.”

  Ennis nodded. “I knew it had to be something like that. He’s usually such a responsible person.”

  Of course he is—I pay him enough to be responsible, Erik thought, but made no comment. Then he said, “If you’ll excuse me—”

  “Is everything all right?” Christine asked. She looked concerned, as if worried that Erik had not told them everything about Jerome’s situation.

  “Everything’s fine,” he said. Action was going to need to be taken, and soon—he couldn’t have Jerome’s every future movement tracked by the police. “I just need to call my attorney.”

  And with that he exited the room, leaving Christine and Ennis to stare after him.

  It was only logical, I supposed. Sooner or later Erik would have had to call in legal assistance, if only to get advice on how to proceed further. And poor Jerome—

  I reflected that I never thought I’d be stringing those two words together. Still, it wasn’t fair that he had the police watching his every move in the hopes he would lead them back to me. Very soon now, I would have to come clean. I was just fooling myself if I thought I could hide away from the world here forever.

  Erik would not want me to do anything without consulting his lawyer first. But now, left to myself while he spoke to Mr. Greenburg, I felt frustrated, wishing I could do more than just sit and wait to be told what to do. Surely it wouldn’t hurt if I just made one phone call—

  Erik was on the phone, but they had more than one line here at the house, and there was an extension in the media room in which I now waited—not the same room where I had shown the news broadcast to Ennis, but a smaller chamber just a couple of doors down from the breakfast room.

  Probably I should call Randall first, but I was too much of a coward to handle that confrontation right now. A call to Meg would be infinitely easier, and would accomplish the same purpose.

  Without giving myself time to hesitate and back out, I lifted the receiver, pushed the button to activate the second line, and dialed Meg’s cell number. Calling her at her apartment was pointless—she was hardly ever home, and even when she was there she never picked up.

  The phone rang once, twice, three times. Finally it rolled over to her voicemail. I almost hung up, then thought, Isn’t this even easier?

  When I spoke, I hurried through the words. “Meg, this is Christine. Look, I can’t really tell you where I am, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m safe, that everything is okay. I’ll explain it to you when I get to see you, but I’m not sure yet when that will be. Just—just tell everyone I’m okay, and that they shouldn’t worry anymore. And tell everyone I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble. I—” And then I paused. Better not to give any details. “I’ll call you when I can.”

  I replaced the receiver in its cradle, shaking a little. I wasn’t sure what Erik would say when I told him that I had called Meg, but surely he would understand my need to begin mending bridges, if only to let those close to me know that I was still alive and in possession of enough freedom to at least make a phone call. Perhaps it had been foolish of me, but I was beginning to see that as much as I wanted to be here with Erik, I also did not want to divorce myself completely from my previous life. I could only imagine how I would have felt if it had been Meg who had disappeared so precipitously, and I didn’t want her—or Randall—to worry any more than either one of them had already.

  Afterward I sat and flipped through channels for the better part of an hour, too agitated to do anything constructive. I had already seen Ennis settled into bed after he had finished his broth—the poor man needed rest in his own surroundings more than anything else, and I knew he was sleeping. Erik’s call with his lawyer seemed to be going on forever, but I knew better than to go and interrupt him. Better to stay here and wait for him to call on me.

  Which he did, eventually, as the day stretched into early evening and I had to reach over and flip on a light. Even behind the mask he looked grim.

  “That good?” I asked.

  “Only if your definition of ‘good’ involves listening to your lawyer lecture you about the consequences of kidnapping for the better part of two hours.” Erik sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “But I eventually got him calmed down. He’s coming tomorrow morning to discuss our next steps.”

  A little thrill of anxiety ran down my back. I wasn’t sure how Erik was going to react to the fact that I had already taken a step without his knowledge. “Well, sit down and put your feet up. This is a very comfortable couch.”

  “Is it?” he asked vaguely. “I never spent that much time in here....”

  “Obviously,” I said. “The wrapper was still on the remote control.”

  That got a little chuckle out of him, and he sat down on the couch next to me, then put his feet up on the coffee table. It felt good to have him so close to me, to hear him sigh a little as he eased back into the cushions. “I’ll have to thank Ennis for this couch the next time I see him.”

  For a man who had just spent a considerable chunk of time getting chewed out by his attorney, he seemed remarkably mellow. Perhaps it was having Ennis back home, and knowing that Jerome was at least safe, if not exactly accessible. Better to go ahead and tell him now—I probably wouldn’t get a better opportunity. “About those next steps your lawyer mentioned—”

  “What about them?” He looked over at me, the one eye I could see clearly narrowing a bit.

  “Well, don’t be angry, but—” Now that the moment had come, I was having a difficult time finding the words.

  “Why is it that whenever someone prefaces a discussion with ‘don’t be angry,’ it invariably means that I’m about to become very angry?”

  So much for our cozy relaxed evening on the couch. I turned so I was facing him, and tucked one leg under the other to get it out of the way. The words came quickly, so that I couldn’t stop myself from saying them. “I called Meg.”

  “You what?”

  “I called Meg. It’s okay—I just got her voicemail. But I wanted to let her know that I was all right, and that everything would be fine. I just fel
t so guilty thinking about how she and Ran—well, how worried everyone must be about me.”

  Silence for a moment, as I watched a muscle clench in his jaw and waited for the explosion.

  His voice was very quiet. “And in your effort to assuage your guilt, did you at all think that you might be betraying your location with caller I.D.?”

  Oh, shit. Stupid, Christine, stupid! Of course I hadn’t—partly because I didn’t have the service at home and didn’t use it; it was just another one of life’s little extras that I couldn’t afford. I stared at him in consternation. “Oh, my God, Erik—I didn’t think about that. I am so sorry—”

  He glared back at me for a moment, and then, inexplicably, the corner of his mouth began to twitch. Then, shockingly, he began to laugh.

  “What is so goddamn funny?” I burst out, wondering whether he really had gone mad.

  “The caller I.D. on my numbers is blocked,” he said. “Anyone receiving a call will just get a ‘restricted number’ message.”

  I stared at him for a moment before comprehension set in. I gasped, “Oh, that was so mean!” And then, as he continued to chuckle, I snapped, “Stop laughing!”

  “But the expression on your face—”

  There was nothing for it but to grab a pillow and swing it at his head. He blocked it with his arm and then snatched it from me, returning the blow. I wasn’t quite as good at intercepting it, so the pillow did a sideswipe of my ear before I wrested it from his grasp. At that point he knocked it out of my hand, then pushed me down against the sofa cushions, his breath hot against my neck.

  “Here?” I gasped.

  “Why not? Ennis is asleep and Jerome is gone.” With a casual gesture he reached up and pulled off the mask, tossing it onto the coffee table. Evidently he didn’t want it getting in the way.

  His touch was too irresistible. He continued to kiss me, and once again my body warmed to his. I let him make love to me there on the couch, cushions scattered and remote control knocked to the floor, the two of us like a couple of high school kids getting away with something right under their parents’ noses. God knows what his lawyer would have thought if he’d known how casually I’d made my first contact with the outside world. But just then, as we reached for each other once more, the two of us were the only world that mattered.