"Actually, the gallery isn't who wanted her there."
"But she said you told her, they wanted her."
"So I lied," he shook his head.
"Well she doesn't think any of this resembles her."
"Oh, but it does," Benjamin replied. He got up off the stool and quickly walked over to the one nearest them. "See the sparkle in the blue background, that represents her eyes, and see the way the crimson glistens, that's her smile, it glows and lights up the room." His eyes sparkled with pride talking about the masterpiece he created, and the woman who inspired it.
"Benjamin, I didn't know," Jenny whispered. For the first time she saw Benjamin as an admirer of Trish.
He glanced down, then raised his eyes and turned to Jenny. "She doesn't even know I exist."
"Maybe if you gave her a clue how you felt."
"She would only laugh," Benjamin replied, and then looked away for a moment.
"Benjamin," Jenny said softly. "The way you described her, she's a thing of beauty. But when she looks at what you paint, she thinks all you see is someone shallow, with no substance."
"No. That isn't the way it is."
"Well, tell her then."
"She has so many men falling at her feet worshiping the ground she walks on." Benjamin picked up the brush on the table then dabbed it into the pallet. He added a little linseed oil, but then just put the brush down and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
"That's all they are, Benjamin," Jenny reached over and gently touched him on the arm. "They all come and go and not one means anything to her. That should tell you something." Jenny sipped her coffee, forgetting for a moment the unpleasantness that brought her there.
"Duty calls." Benjamin got up finally. He reached for the pallet and brush, and then walked over to the easel.
"If you want me to play cupid, let me know." Jenny smiled.
"Don't do anything." Benjamin shook his head shyly. He was already applying touches of color to the canvas.
The envelope lay on the counter. Jenny opened it and took the map out; she glanced at all the markings. Jenny quickly jotted down the mountain range in Maryland before pulling out the other sheets. She had hoped for some enlightenment, but nothing came. The listing of caterers could only mean someone was planning a large gathering, but whom? Benjamin leaned over her shoulder, glanced at the list.
"You planning a party?"
"No," Jenny said finally. Suddenly she was frightened of Benjamin's involvement and pushed him aside.
Benjamin went back to his painting, leaving Jenny to the envelope and its contents. The last sheet definitely had to be in code. The numbers were almost cryptic and the second list of dashes and letters with numbers made no sense at all. Jenny did not know what she expected. She had hoped maybe she missed something earlier, but knew now that it was useless. Whatever was there still meant nothing to her. She reached in the envelope while Benjamin was not looking and pulled John's dog tag out, and then put it in her purse.
Benjamin glanced at his watch. "You'd better get going or you'll be late for work."
Jenny quickly slid everything back in the envelope. She walked back into the storage room and tucked it behind some boxes. Before leaving she walked up to Benjamin, reached over, and kissed him on the cheek. She then whispered in his ear.
"Tell her how you feel, she may surprise you."
"Do you really think so?" Benjamin asked.
Jenny smiled and picked up her purse. There was no time to dwell on the romance of her friends. She had a mountain range to check out, along with a list of caterers.
CHAPTER 13
Gideon drove through the heavy traffic, not saying a word to Jake. They had been driving aimlessly for what seemed like an eternity but in real time was only half an hour. It was not until Gideon pulled up to the old precinct in Midtown and parked behind a row of squad cars that Jake finally got up enough courage to speak.
"What are we doing here?" Jake asked.
"I want to know about Jenny Hamilton and if she's connected to John." Then he quickly corrected himself. "Delaney."
"Aren't we going back to the hospital?"
"Under the circumstances, it's highly unlikely." Gideon turned to Jake. "If someone is digging through our trash to see what we're up to, I would rather keep on the move."
"Yeah, but we have to stop sometime."
"Well this is our first stop," he said to Jake, looking at him straight in the eye. "You happy now?"
Gideon quickly got out of the car, and then turned back to Jake. "Are you coming?"
It did not take long to climb the three flights of stairs. Once they reached Bronk's office, Bronk quickly motioned for them to come in.
"You bringing my guy back?" Bronk asked, motioning to Jake.
"Not really, I'm kind of growing attached to the red-headed buffoon."
Jake turned to Gideon. "Gee, thanks, you make it sound like I'm your new pet."
"I've got work for him," Bronk said pointing at the case files at the end of his desk that were growing by the hour.
"A few more days, that's all I ask."
"How am I going to justify this with the Commissioner?"
"Like you always do," Gideon replied. "Lie."
Bronk got up and walked over to the window and then threw his hands up. There was no use talking to Gideon; he never listened anyway.
"What do you have on the hospital murder? You know, the janitor, Louis Mendez."
Bronk turned to Gideon, and then looked at Jake. "Nothing. No one heard or saw a thing. Same old crap, no one wants to get involved!"
Gideon shook his head affirmatively. "We have another hospital employee who turned up dead this morning."
"Think it's connected?"
Gideon rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"
"Why are you here?"
Bronk had always been an easy source for information in the city, especially if Gideon didn't want the agency to know his angle. Gideon handed him a slip of paper. "Could you check her out? Where she lives, where she works... you know the routine."
"Does Beth know?"
"It isn't like that." Gideon laughed, and then continued, "She might be involved, we don't know for sure yet."
"Give me a few minutes. There's a coffee machine around the corner while you wait." Bronk pointed beyond a group of people standing near the exit sign.
After two cups and a rehash of the last two days events, Gideon sat with Jake on the old wooden bench that lined the precinct halls. It was there that they waited for Bronk.
"You always come to him to get information?"
"When it suits me."
"Isn't that a little unorthodox? Especially with the computer network you have down at Langley."
"Sometimes it's quicker to get info in the field. Besides, with a person like Bronk, there's no paper trail."
"Fine time to think about that now."
Gideon turned to Jake, his jaw muscles tensed. He knew what Jake meant and it angered him that he had to be reminded of his blunder. Most of all, it angered him that it was the truth.
"I can't undo that now, can I?"
Bronk, who had a yellow sheet of paper in his hand, interrupted the two.
"Here, this is what I turned up. It isn't much." Bronk handed it to Gideon while Jake watched.
Gideon looked at the name and the information on the yellow sheet. Neither address was far from Cindy's apartment. Slowly he got up, ripped the piece of paper in two, handed Jake the top piece and put the other piece in his pocket.
"Where are we going now?" Jake asked.
"I'll drop you off at her apartment. You check around to see if she's there. I'll go to the University."
* * *
Jenny stood on the corner of Washington Square North, staring at the park before her. A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Through the wave of branches birds sang out for the entire world to hear, calling attention to a new day, a new life. Her new life, one without perpetual mourning. So much
of what happened left her angry that she was not told the truth from the beginning.
Jenny could not hide from life any longer. The bells were ringing in the distance, symbolizing a new beginning. She turned and looked up at the fourth floor of the Admissions Building. She thought about Steve and what Trish had said, but was not prepared to deal with that just yet.
In the distance Jenny heard her name. She turned, quickly wiping away the tears. "I thought you were on location," Jenny said when she saw Trish coming toward her.
"I was."
"What happened?" Jenny asked.
"The usual. It wasn't a modeling assignment after all." Her eyes rolled with the usual disgust. "God, I hate men."
"You aren't hurt, are you?" Jenny asked. She reached for Trish to offer comfort.
"No. But let's just say he won't be causing anyone else trouble for a long while."
Jenny laughed. "What did you do?"
"You don't want to know," was all Trish said. The two walked slowly across the street to the entrance of the Admissions Building.
"Benjamin is looking for you," Jenny said.
"I don't know if I'm up to dealing with him today."
"Maybe if you stopped to see the paintings you'd understand that he sees the inner you after all."
"Like he could really see beyond the outer-image he has of me."
"I just left him at his studio," Jenny reached over, took hold of Trish's arm. "He sees and feels a lot more than you think."
"You're not just saying that?"
"No, Trish. Benjamin really does care about you. More than you know."
Jenny watched Trish hurry down the street, and then disappear around the corner. Jenny envied her. So much time had been wasted between the two because of petty bickering. Then she thought about her own life, the last five years waiting for John, and it angered her that she had not been allowed to mourn his death.
* * *
Gideon dropped Jake off at the entrance to MacDougal Alley and watched as he slowly walked down the deserted street. He'd purposely assigned Jake to the apartment, figuring Jenny would already be at work. Parking the car south of the park, Gideon slowly walked down the winding path. He remembered all of it from John's description, and had a sense of being there before. But Gideon knew he had never stepped foot in this part of the village. The park was filled with students, the Admissions Building was to his right. It was where he would find Jenny Hamilton, and possibly the girl of his dreams.
Gideon reached in his pocket and read what Bronk had written. Jenny was the wife of John Hamilton, who was still listed as MIA. It puzzled Gideon because he had seen John Hamilton die in Vietnam. Gideon's head ached. The noise of students scurrying about only made the pain worse and then, suddenly for a brief moment, they were not students.
The stench from human waste filled his nostrils while diesel fumes hung heavy in the air. Gideon covered his ears as he tried to block the chatter of some unknown language. He spun around. The trees were a blurred mixture of green and brown. Leaves blew in swirling whirlwinds while birds fluttered about. When Gideon heard the backfire in the distance, he stopped. His breathing was labored, his body felt too heavy to move. The sound of water from the fountain was all he focused on as he reached down, cupped his hands and splashed his face.
The flashbacks were getting worse as time went on. Ever since Delaney had contacted him two weeks earlier, he'd been reliving a time in his life that was locked deep inside the dark recesses of his mind. It was scaring the hell out of him.
The cool liquid dripped from his forehead. He leaned back and glanced up at the sky and prayed no more would come. For years Gideon had feared the memories his mind suppressed. He took a deep breath. There was work to do and no time to dwell on that period in his past.
* * *
Jenny walked down the hall to her office while glancing up at the clock on the wall. She was only fifteen minutes late. Opening the door she peeked in sheepishly. Steve was already sitting at his desk, his coffee mug empty.
"You decided to show up," Steve said looking up from the morning paper.
"You wouldn't believe how bad it got," Jenny said, walking over to her desk. She tossed her purse in the bottom drawer and sat down.
"I know, I've been reading all about it."
"What do you mean?" she asked, looking at Steve as if she did not know what he was referring to.
Steve set the paper down, and then stared up at Jenny for the longest time before speaking. "It says here, John Hamilton passed away while a patient at New York Hospital. They are looking for leads, which tell me he did not die of natural causes."
Jenny shrugged her shoulders. "Steve, he wasn't John, but he did tell me John was dead. I believe him."
"You aren't in trouble, are you?"
"If you mean, did I kill him? No."
"What happened?"
"It's too scary to talk about."
"Why don't you go to the cops?"
"He told me not to trust anyone."
"And you believe him?"
"I watched while someone killed him," Jenny whispered; her voice quivered as she spoke.
"What is so important that you shouldn't trust anyone?"
"He gave me some information."
"Like what?"
"I'd rather not say."
"You don't trust me?"
"It isn't that. Two people have already died. I'm afraid to get anyone else involved."
"I never heard of anything so absurd," Steve argued. He got up from his desk and walked over to the phone. Before dialing he turned to Jenny. "I'm calling the police."
Jenny grabbed his hand and stopped him from picking up the phone. "No, you can't."
"I knew the moment you said you were going to meet that man that it would only lead to trouble."
"Let me work this out," Jenny argued.
The look of frustration crossed Steve’s face. "What's the use anyway?" He stomped over to his desk, sat down and did not say another word.
Jenny busied herself with filing new applications and then completed the report she'd started yesterday afternoon. As much as she wanted to apologize to Steve she could not, for fear of pulling him into what was happening. Whatever it was, people were dying, and how much of it had to do with the information she had she was not sure. It was almost time for lunch. She glanced over at Steve who had been watching her off and on for the better part of the morning.
"I really think you should go to the cops."
Jenny looked at him with pleading eyes. "Promise me you'll stay out of it?"
"You can't do this," he snapped while tossing the pen on his desk sending it flying to the floor.
"I'll go to the authorities when the time is right."
"But when will that be?"
"Steve, I don't want to argue about this. I have something to do right now."
Jenny did not wait for Steve to continue. She reached for her purse, and then walked out of the office. She didn't know what she would find at the library. Certainly the mountain range in Maryland had something to do with what Delaney wanted to tell her. Jenny feared she would not figure it out in time.
Once Jenny was down the hall she turned and glanced back at the office door, almost changing her mind.
"Jenny!"
Jenny turned to see Diane from Personnel hurrying after her. "Steve's in the office if you need something."
"Did that man find you?" she asked.
Jenny stared for a moment before she could ask. "What man?"
"About nine-thirty this morning. He asked what floor you worked on. He said he had business with you."
"What did he look like?" Jenny asked. Her heart sank for a moment thinking about the man in the hospital room yesterday, the icy blue eyes, and the snow-white hair.
"He looked like he was in his mid to late thirties, prematurely gray, kind of cute," she smiled.
"Are you talking snow-white gray?" A cold chill crept up her spine after saying the words.
&nbs
p; "No, more salt-and-pepper gray." Diane shrugged her shoulders. "About Steve's build." Diane walked off down the hall and was about to disappear into an office. She turned back to Jenny. "Needed a shave, but other than that, he was nice-looking."
The man was not someone Jenny knew. She tried remembering the people who came into the office that morning, but no one fit that description.
Jenny ran down the four flights of stairs, looking back occasionally to see if she was followed. As she walked out of the building she glanced across the street. The stranger standing near the arch immediately caught her attention. In that instant, she knew it was the man who was looking for her earlier.
CHAPTER 14
Jenny quickly passed the main building. She was careful not to turn around, but by the time she reached Leonard Stern Hall she could not control herself. She looked back, got one last glimpse of the stranger before running across the street to the Library. The only thing in his favor was the fact that he was not the man in the hospital room. Jenny did not know if it was that fact or not, that gave her an almost casual attitude as she walked up to the information desk, and once she had what she wanted, took the stairs up to the fifth floor.
Jenny glanced at her watch. She only had forty minutes left before having to get back to work. She hoped it was enough time to find what she needed. Jenny walked over to the card catalog, found the atlas and looked up Maryland, and then narrowed her search down to the Catoctin Mountains. Somewhere within that mountain range lay the answer to what Delaney had wanted to tell her. She studied the maps as fast as time allowed. Nothing added up: the only places of interest were Camp David and a few local resorts, hardly worth getting killed over.
Jenny shut the book, too engrossed in what she was doing to notice or even care about the stranger who had followed her earlier. She hurried down the long row of books, then quickly turned a corner and walked down a narrow aisle. All the while she kept glancing around and suddenly she found herself in the middle of a maze of tall shelves. She turned, trying to remember which way to the exit. For a moment she lost her bearings and then quickly tried retracing her steps. She turned sharply, bumping into the tall stranger. Jenny looked up. The intense, dark eyes stared down at her. He had his hands on her arms as if to prevent her from leaving and then slowly she felt him release his hold. Her heart raced as a small group of students edged their way past them. Jenny wanted to cry out, but all she did was step back.
The Twelfth Of Never: A suspense mystery romantic thriller Page 13
