Shadowed by a Spy

by Marilyn Turk

  “So why don’t you get married? What are you waiting for? There’s married women in the school.”

  “True, but their husbands are in the military. You know, even if you’re married, you have to live in the nursing residence until you graduate, so we’d still live apart. That doesn’t matter when your husband is overseas.”

  The waitress brought their milkshakes and set them on the table. The women glanced up and smiled their appreciation. “Thank you,” they chimed.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So why don’t you go ahead and plan your wedding for after your graduation? They really need nurses now, so I heard they’re going to shorten the training.”

  “I heard that, too, just don’t know when it will happen.” Lexie ran her finger along the cool moisture on the outside of the glass.

  Penny held her cherry above her head, then dropped it into her mouth. “I don’t know. If it were me, I couldn’t wait. You know, don’t you want to snuggle, like a married couple?”

  Lexie’s face warmed at the suggestion. Of course, she wanted a real marriage relationship, and someday she’d have one with Russell. She stirred her shake with the straw and sipped, savoring the cool chocolatey flavor as it eased down her throat.

  Penny slurped her milkshake, then quickly covered her mouth, “Oops! Got a little carried away. This is so good.”

  “I’m glad you had this idea.” Lexie patted her mouth with her napkin. “It’s very refreshing.”

  “Lexie, have you thought about joining the army, being an army nurse?”

  Startled, Lexie raised an eyebrow. “No, I haven’t. Have you?”

  “Yeah, I have. Or maybe being a navy nurse.”

  “I didn’t realize you were considering either.” Lexie couldn’t imagine her frivolous roommate in the military.

  Penny stirred her shake. “Well, I wasn’t, until now. You know, they’re begging for nurses in the military. Besides, what a good place to meet guys!”

  Lexie smiled at her friend. “So that’s the real reason?”

  “Not altogether. But you have to admit it’s a nice bonus.”

  Penny was honest, at least. Lexie didn’t think she’d ever been as man-crazy as her roommate, though. Lexie hadn’t even been looking for a boyfriend when she’d met Russell. Falling in love with him had been an unexpected surprise.

  “Maybe you’ll meet the right man when you’re not looking. Like I did with Russell.”

  “Trust me, I’m always on the lookout.” Penny eyed the counter. “Take those guys, for example. They’re not bad looking, especially the blond guy with the glasses. He keeps looking over here. Do you know him?”

  Lexie glanced toward the counter and flinched as the man sitting at the counter looked over his shoulder at her and nodded. It was the man from the train.

  Chapter Five

  “What are you looking at, Karl, those dames?”

  “Henry, the name is Cal, remember?” Karl asked in a hushed tone, reminding Henry of his alias. “And yes, you might say I’m looking at the scenery.”

  “Don’t get any ideas, Cal,” Henry said, with emphasis on the name Cal. “Oscar warned you.”

  “I’m not worried about him. And he doesn’t need to worry about me. I know what I’m here for.”

  Henry glanced over his shoulder at the girls in the booth. “Say, isn’t that blonde the girl that was on the train with us?”

  “The same. Seems like we keep running into each other.”

  Henry frowned, squirming on the stool. “You think she’s following you?”

  “Of course not. Relax, Henry, she’s not spying on us.”

  “But how do you know she’s not?” Henry lit another cigarette, forgetting he already had one burning in the ashtray in front of him. “Don’t you think it’s odd that she was on that train all the way from Long Island with us, and we’re still running into her?”

  “No, I don’t. Pure coincidence.” Karl lifted his coffee cup, then paused. “But maybe I should investigate, make sure.”

  Henry’s head whipped around to face Karl. “You wouldn’t. I mean, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Karl patted his comrade on the arm. “Don’t worry, friend. I’ll be very careful.” Then he turned on his stool, faced the women, and stood.

  Russell sped along Further Lane on one of the bicycles the sisters kept for guests. The salt air was invigorating, the afternoon sun warming his face. He wasn’t alone on the road since gas rationing and the government’s encouragement had inspired more people to ride bikes instead of drive cars. In fact, there was barely any room for a car, with so many enjoying the summer day on their bicycles. Groups of carefree young women sporting shorts with blouses tied at their midriffs passed him along the way, waving and laughing, even flirting with him.

  He waved back and smiled, missing Lexie even more and their bike rides on Jekyll Island. Following the road into Amagansett, he rode to Bluff Road, then continued on to Atlantic Avenue, where he turned down the path to the beach. The coast guard station sat on a sand dune by the water, and the place was swarming with activity. Men in uniform stood in groups on the porch, some holding binoculars, while others walked the beach, probing and searching the sand, apparently conducting a training exercise. Their presence affirmed the safety of the islanders. Thank God Lexie could quit worrying about danger.

  Russell climbed off the bike, rolled up his shirt sleeves and pants legs, then pulled off his shoes and socks to step on the sand, hoping he wouldn’t get too many stares at his misshapen foot. The shooting accident had left its scars, but thankfully, he still had a foot to walk on. He sauntered to the water and let it wash over his toes. “Oh! That’s cold,” he said to no one in particular as he jumped back.

  The sunny weather imitated summer, but the water still had some warming up to do. Russell turned and moved a few yards back to sit on the sand and watch the waves. The front page of today’s East Hampton Star flashed through his mind. Boldly displayed on the front was the “Roll of Honor,” a list of local people who served in the military, divided into Army, Navy, and Marines. At the bottom of the list were the names of two army nurses. Would Lexie’s name be there someday? If that’s what she really wanted to do, then she’d have no problem joining up. But his name would never appear on that list.

  He blew out a breath. Quit feeling sorry for yourself, pal. Buck up. Fine. He was finished with all the sulking. After all, he had plenty to be thankful for. A great job, friends, his health, and the love of a beautiful woman. Why wasn’t that enough? He closed his eyes and prayed. Dear God, please show me what I can do to be part of the war effort, and help me to be thankful for what I have.

  Standing, he brushed himself off, then went back to the bike, stopping to put his shoes and socks back on. He glanced back at the water, thankful for the chance to be near it. But there was something, no, someone, missing. She couldn’t be with him today, but he could be with her tomorrow. Besides, he felt guilty knowing how busy the hotel must be with so many in town for the parade. He’d call Lexie when he got back to the cottage and let her know he would be coming back on the train tonight so they could spend Sunday together.

  Penny and Lexie hurried down the sidewalk to the dorm.

  “Why are you in such a hurry, Lexie? Nobody’s chasing us!” Penny huffed as she tried to catch up with Lexie.

  “I just want to get back, that’s all.”

  “Was it the guy—Cal? Geez, all he did was introduce himself and his friend Henry to us.” She stopped and grabbed Lexie’s arm. “Hey, slow down, will ya?”

  “All right. I’m sorry. I guess I was just embarrassed,” said Lexie.

  “So you’ve run into him before. What’s to be embarrassed about? He seemed like a nice guy, nicer than that Henry, the ‘nervous Nellie.’ That guy kept looking around like a caged animal.”

  “You’re right. I have no reason to be embarrassed. I just didn’t want to encourage him or make him think I’m interested in him.”

&
nbsp; “Well, I think you made that pretty clear, the way you practically ran away.”

  “Did I? I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  They reached the door of the nursing residence and went inside.

  “Are you Lexie Smithfield?” a girl said from across the room. “You had a phone call.”

  “Yes, that’s me. Do you know who it was?”

  The other nursing student handed her a piece of paper. “He left a message.”

  Pick you up for church tomorrow at ten. Love, Russell. Lexie’s heart fluttered. Even though she’d just seen him the night before, she was excited to be with him again. Maybe she’d been worried about nothing. Besides, tomorrow would be different because he didn’t have to go to work and neither did she. They could spend the whole day together before either of them had to report back.

  “Good news? Must be, judging from that smile on your face,” said Penny.

  “Yes, it’s Russell. He’s coming back tonight.”

  “Hi, sunshine!”

  Russell’s dimpled grin lit his face as Lexie entered the living room of the nurses’ quarters. Looking quite dapper in his double-breasted navy pinstriped suit, Lexie’s fiancé struck a handsome pose as he waited for her, rocking on his heels and twirling his fedora in his hand. A new suntan made Russell’s smile even brighter.

  Lexie returned her own as her heart bubbled with excitement. They’d only been apart less than forty-eight hours, but he appeared more attractive than ever.

  “Hello, Russell. Good to see you again,” Penny said, walking beside Lexie. Whispering in Lexie’s ear, she said, “That boyfriend of yours is a handsome devil. You better hold on to him, or I’ll snatch him away!”

  “You couldn’t,” said Lexie, whispering back. “He’s only got eyes for me.”

  “Hello, Penny. What are you girls up to? You’re not talking about me, are you?” Russell winked at them.

  “Well, as a matter of fact, we are,” said Penny, “but you don’t need to worry about it.”

  Russell reached out to take Lexie’s hand, lifting it to his lips and planting a kiss on it. “My lady, you doth look lovely today.”

  Lexie blushed as Penny rolled her eyes. “Okay, Lexie, you’re right.”

  Russell lifted an eyebrow. “She is? Say, Penny, are you going to church with us?”

  “Na, I don’t think so. I might go to the chapel at the hospital.” As she strolled away toward the door, she looked over her shoulder. “You kids behave yourself today. As if I have to tell you that. Tata!”

  Russell returned his gaze to Lexie, pulled her close, and gave her a hug. “Boy, I missed you. I just couldn’t stay away any longer.”

  Lexie gave him a little shove. “Sure, Russell. Did you get tired of all the young lovelies at the beach?”

  “Actually, I did. They just weren’t you, and when I thought about what I’d do today with my free time, I decided I’d rather spend it with you than Peg and Marian.”

  Lexie smiled. “I certainly hope so.”

  Russell placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her gently toward the door. “So, are we going to Fifth Avenue Presbyterian today? After the service, how about we grab a bite to eat from the deli down the street from the church, take it over to Central Park, and have a picnic?”

  “Sounds great.” Lexie pulled on her white gloves, then adjusted her hat, using her reflection in the glass door as a mirror. “It’s a beautiful day for a picnic.”

  After church, the park was full of people enjoying the warm June weather. Lexie and Russell strolled arm in arm along the sidewalk until they found an empty bench in the shade. Russell removed his suit coat and draped it over the back of the bench, rolled up his shirtsleeves, and loosened his tie. They sat down and unwrapped their sandwiches while pigeons gathered on the ground in front of them, waiting for a morsel. Russell pulled a bottle opener from his pants pocket and opened the two glass bottles of soda they’d bought at the deli, then handed her one.

  “So what did you do yesterday on the island?” Lexie pinched off a crumb of her sandwich and tossed it to a pigeon that fought competition pursuing the morsel.

  “I rode a bike for a while—down to the Maidstone Club and back over to Amagansett to the beach near the coast guard station. Boy, it was lively yesterday. Those guys were all over the beach.”

  “That’s good to know.” She took a sip of soda. “I didn’t know the Maidstone was open yet.”

  “It’s not. As a matter of fact, the paper said they’re opening in two weeks. They’re having a grand opening dance, and the sisters think they might be interested in having a certain piano player for the evening.”

  Lexie leaned back and eyed him. “That so? Would you like to do that? I mean, it’s not the USO.”

  “I know, but I think it’d be a nice change. It’s a fundraiser for the USO anyway. Besides, I might even get to meet somebody famous.” He gave Lexie a wink.

  “I suppose you might. You never know who’s going to show up in the Hamptons.”

  “Think you’d like to join me?”

  “Sure, if I can get the time off. But with the new patients that came in this week and more coming next week, I can’t promise you I can make it.”

  “Of course.” Russell glanced away, watching a couple stroll down the sidewalk, the man wearing an army uniform, one of many soldiers enjoying the park today.

  Lexie saw his jaw tighten. She laid her hand on his leg. “Russell, are you mad at me?”

  He turned quickly and faced her, smiling. “No, dear, I’m not. I understand you might have other commitments.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “So tell me, did you see any new patients yesterday?”

  “Yes, I did.” She nibbled the last bit of her sandwich, saving a piece of the crust for the waiting pigeons. “There was one young soldier in the mild psychiatric ward with a head injury. His arm was broken, too, but his head injury must’ve affected his brain or something because he’s catatonic.”

  “And that means…”

  “It’s like he’s in a trance. He stares but doesn’t focus, like he’s not aware he’s in the world. He doesn’t react to anything around him.”

  “So what is the hospital going to do for him? Can’t they just snap their fingers and bring him out of it?”

  Lexie shot him a glare. “Russell, it’s not funny. Actually, there are a couple of treatments they could try. One of them would be electric shock therapy.”

  “You mean, you actually shock someone on purpose?”

  “Yes, several times. It’s been known to help, especially violent patients or schizophrenics.”

  “Sounds like torture—something you’d do to an enemy, not a friend.”

  Lexie opened her mouth to defend the treatment, then changed her mind. She wasn’t sure she approved of the procedure either. But she was just a trainee. Doctors much wiser about mental disorders knew more about their proper treatment than she did. Who was she to question such a practice? Especially if it had been successful with some patients.

  She sighed. “I know. It does sound rather barbaric, but I’m just learning about the various treatments. And that one’s not used on everyone. It’s possible we can reach John Doe another way.”

  Russell lifted an eyebrow. “John Doe?”

  Lexie sighed. “Yes, poor guy. He was found by a fisherman washed up on some remote island in the Philippines. It took a while for the fisherman to find some Americans to turn him over to. They think he might have been in a plane that crashed into the ocean. At this point, we don’t know his real name, so we don’t know how to contact his relatives either.”

  “That’s too bad. Well, I’ll pray you can help him come out of his trance and find out who he is. I’m sure God will use your compassion to minister to the patients—whatever their problem.”

  Lexie smiled at Russell, leaned over, and put her head on his shoulder. “I hope so.”

  Russell put his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. One of the things she admired m
ost about Russell was his faith. Thanks to him, her own faith had grown.

  What a perfect day. The church service had fulfilled her spiritual thirst, and their time at the park was relaxing, renewing their relationship. Being close to him now was so comfortable, so natural. With his strong arms around her, she was safe, and nothing could harm her as long as she was with him. She didn’t want to be apart from him, but she had to be, at least until she graduated from nurses’ training. Then they could marry and live together as husband and wife. Maybe now they could talk about the wedding.

  “Russell? Have you thought…”

  A woman screamed, and people started running toward the sound. “My baby! Help!”

  Lexie jumped up, and Russell followed as she hurried toward the woman’s cry.

  A small crowd had gathered beside the lake. Lexie pushed her way through the throng. “I’m a nurse,” she said. When she saw the toddler lying at the base of a huge boulder by the water’s edge, she rushed over to him, extending her hand to keep others back. “Don’t move him!”

  “I was sitting up there,” the woman said, pointing to the top of the rock, “holding Toby for a picture, then he wiggled out of my arms and fell off!” The woman sobbed as Lexie knelt on the ground beside him and felt the child’s pulse. The pulse was there, but the child was unconscious and must have hit his head when he fell, according to the gash and knot on his forehead.

  “He’ll be okay,” said Lexie, hoping she was right. “Can someone get a policeman or find a payphone to call for an ambulance?”

  “I just did,” came a man’s voice from the crowd.

  Lexie looked into the mother’s eyes. “I’ll go to the hospital with him. Meet me at the emergency room.”

  The mother lifted a tear-stained face to Lexie. “Oh, thank you.” She kissed the child on his cheek as the ambulance workers arrived carrying a stretcher.

  “I’m a nurse at Bellevue,” Lexie said to the men. “Can you take him there?”

  The men nodded, and as Lexie began to follow the child to the ambulance, she turned to Russell. “I’m so sorry to have to leave you this way, Russell.”