The Twelfth Of Never: A suspense mystery romantic thriller

by Lillian Francken

  "I'd better take you back to your place," Gideon finally mustered up to say and then turned away.

  He’d walked a fine line that night. A line he was not prepared to cross, but for a brief moment it was like there was no outside world to save. Only the two of them standing in the moonlight and for him nothing else mattered. But the moment did not last. The realization of what and why he was there, hit home. Gideon did not touch Jenny again for fear of losing control. He just walked off with her following. He would have to keep his distance from this woman if he were going to be objective about the whole situation.

  CHAPTER 20

  As they turned the corner on Washington Square North, Jenny could see the commotion in the alley ahead. Squad cars flashed their lights while curiosity-seekers gathered like they always do in the big city when an emergency is at hand. Jenny quickened her pace and then broke into a run. with Gideon following close behind. Once she reached the alley entrance, she stopped and stood momentarily. The ambulance was parked in front of her apartment building. In all the confusion she felt a hand reach out to her, but shrugged it off.

  "Jenny, please wait."

  "Leave me alone." Jenny snapped her arm back. She ran quickly up to the ambulance.

  She pushed her way through the onlookers and stared at Benjamin, who lay on a stretcher while a paramedic attended to his head. Jenny just stood there, too stunned to move, as Benjamin looked up but saw nothing.

  "What happened?" Jenny asked.

  Benjamin slowly turned to her, he struggled to get up, but the man working on his head forced him back down on the stretcher. Then suddenly he broke out into sobs. Jenny turned away. She was not able to watch the suffering of her friend.

  "Move out of the way," a voice came from behind them.

  Jenny stared at the men in white as they got closer with another stretcher. She looked beyond their white uniforms at the gurney they wheeled, but could not make out the figure lying motionless.

  "What is she doing here?" Bronk pulled both Gideon and Jenny out of the way of the two men in white uniforms.

  "We just got back from eating."

  "Gideon, you have to have rocks in your head," Bronk snapped.

  Jenny glanced at the blonde head lying on the gurney. She did not recognize the face at first, and then it hit her who it was. Jenny looked at Benjamin. She grabbed her stomach with one hand and started to convulse.

  Gideon looked up at Bronk, "What happened?" he asked.

  "Someone did a number on her." He nodded to Benjamin sitting in the ambulance. "He stopped it in time, otherwise I don't think she would have made it."

  "Who would do this?" Jenny turned and looked up at the two men.

  Gideon was cool and concise in the phrasing of his words. "Maybe you should tell us?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

  "I don't know if I can," Jenny whispered. She wanted to tell him. Finally, once and for all, to rid herself of the burden she carried, but something inside would not let her.

  Jenny turned to Bronk for help, but his jaw muscles tightened while his eyes narrowed. Gideon took hold of her arm.

  "We could put her in jail." Bronk turned away from Jenny.

  "They have to know we're on to her."

  "You can't put me in jail." Jenny snapped her arm free of Gideon's hold. She turned to Benjamin, who was sitting at Trish's side. Jenny knew whoever did this, wanted what she had. "Inspector Bronk," one of the uniformed officers said as he came out of the apartment building. He quickly walked up to the three while holding a small piece of plastic in a little baggy.

  "What you got?" Bronk asked.

  "We found this in the bedroom, beside the dresser. It's a diplomatic pass."

  Bronk turned to Jenny as he took the plastic bag. He quickly shoved it into her face. "Do you know who this belongs to?"

  Jenny glanced at the picture. It was the man in the hospital room. She looked at the name, Ian Usova, for the longest time. She then swallowed hard before answering. "No. I never saw him before." It was all she could get out, but she did not think she convinced either man.

  Jenny turned to the ambulance and looked at Benjamin. He heard the exchange, and when he shook his head no, Jenny breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever did this still did not have all the answers.

  Jenny turned and walked away from the two men standing at the ambulance. Before she reached the steps to the apartment building Gideon had her by the arm again.

  "Where in the hell do you think you're going?"

  She turned to him with tears streaming down her cheek. "Leave me alone. Haven't I been through enough?"

  "I want to know what it is they want."

  Jenny looked up at him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she cried. "Why won't you believe me?"

  "Because you haven't given me reason to," Gideon snapped.

  Bronk walked up to them. "What are you going to do with her?"

  "I could take her back to the safe house, at least for the night," Gideon said turning to Jenny. "It's for your own good, at least until this thing gets sorted out."

  "Let me get my things." Jenny glanced up at Gideon with pleading eyes. She swallowed hard as she tried to sort out in her mind what to do next.

  "Let's go now," Gideon said.

  "I'm not leaving without a few things," Jenny argued.

  "Okay, I'll wait for you here, don't take long," Gideon replied and then turned to a young uniformed officer standing near the bystanders and motioned him over. "Take her up to the apartment and keep an eye on her."

  Jenny disappeared into the building, followed close behind by the man in blue. Neighbors, who were kind and friendly once, looked at her as if she were the perpetrator who did the vile act. Jenny walked up to her apartment. The door had been kicked in, and the mess still cluttered the floor. It was hard for her to comprehend what was so important in the envelope to justify what they did to Trish.

  Quickly Jenny walked through the living room and into the bedroom. She gathered up as much as she could find and tossed everything into an overnight bag. As Jenny walked out of the bedroom, she glanced around the living room. The young officer was nowhere in the apartment. She walked to the door and looked down the hall. There were only a few men in suits dusting for prints, but the young uniformed officer who followed her was gone.

  Jenny walked down the hall to the stairs, and when she reached the landing on the main floor she glanced outside. The ambulance was gone. The squad cars still filled the street outside. Bronk and Gideon were talking to a few of the uniformed officers, but neither man noticed her. Jenny quickly walked out the back door. She raced down the back alley to the street near the park. She kept glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone followed, but there was no one. The streets were filled with people, yet she was alone.

  Jenny walked up Fifth Avenue, then down West 9th Street. She quickened her pace, glancing back as she walked. All she could think about was the diplomatic pass, and Ian. He had entered her domain, took away all she had, and now there was nowhere else to turn.

  Before entering the warehouse, Jenny glanced over her shoulder one more time, but saw nothing. She quickly entered the building, lifted the gate for the freight elevator, and pressed the button. When she reached the studio she had the key in hand and quickly opened the door. Jenny hurried into the studio.

  Streetlights filtered in from the window above. The light near the painting in the corner was still on. Jenny glanced at the work Benjamin was doing. It was a portrait of Trish, one that emanated her beauty. For a moment Jenny felt as if it was Trish sitting there. When she heard the freight elevator start to descend, it startled her out of her trance. Jenny quickly ran to the storage room, grabbed the envelope, and hurried out of the studio. She did not wait for the elevator, but ran down the stairs to the street below. Jenny knew now she had been followed and quickly hurried down the street. She waved at yellow cabs at random. Finally one pulled over and
stopped. Jenny got in and leaned on the back seat out of breath.

  "Where to?" the driver asked.

  Jenny turned around and looked at the top floor of the warehouse. Her heart sank when she saw the lights were on.

  "Penn Station." Jenny leaned back on the seat then rested her head for a moment. Finally she tucked the envelope into her overnight bag. The only place to run now was home, to the safety of the place of her childhood, her parents’ farm. It was a place away from all the ugliness of the city.

  When the taxi finally pulled up to Penn Station, Jenny hesitated before getting out. She searched the crowd for a familiar face. Any hint that she was followed. She quickly walked into the station, bought her ticket, and was disappointed to hear it would be a two-hour wait before the train left for upstate. Jenny hurried into a little cafe nearby. She sat down in one of the booths in back and ordered coffee. It would be a long night, and there would be no sleep until she reached her destination.

  While Jenny waited for the waitress she thought about Benjamin and feared Trish might not make it. She noticed the telephone booth in the corner. Jenny got up and walked over to the small cubicle. She set the book on her lap then thumbed through the grime-covered pages. She finally found the number for the hospital. Jenny dialed slowly while tears formed, and once the operator was on the line she asked for the emergency room. She was not even sure that was where Benjamin would be. Jenny waited for what seemed like forever for the operator to finally page Benjamin. In the meantime she put extra money in every time the operator came back on the line to remind her the time was up.

  Finally a familiar voice came on the line with a faint, "Hello."

  "Benjamin, how's Trish?" Jenny asked.

  Benjamin's voice quivered. "She'll be okay. How are you holding up?" he asked.

  "Could be better." Jenny fought back the tears.

  "They're looking for you."

  "I guessed as much," she said, then took a deep breath before continuing. "Benjamin, I have to know. Does anyone know about the envelope?"

  "No, but Jenny I think you should come clean. They're not going to give up until they have it."

  "I never would have held on to it, if I'd known."

  "I know," Benjamin replied.

  But it did not make her feel any better. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

  Jenny paused and listened to Benjamin on the other end. She could tell by his voice he was not alone.

  "Where are you?" he asked finally as if prompted.

  "I can't tell you," Jenny said.

  "Please, Jenny, it's for your own good."

  "No, Benjamin. Don't ask me to do this." Jenny guessed it was Gideon he was with. "I just need time to think this through. Once I've done that I'll talk."

  Jenny quickly hung up the phone, wondering now how long it took to trace a call. She had been on the line longer than five minutes waiting for them to find Benjamin, but there would have been no way for them to know it was her calling. Jenny was confident she was still safe. She walked back to the booth, sat down, and wrapped her hands around the coffee cup savoring its warmth.

  The waitress was back to fill her cup three times and finally Jenny told her no more. Jenny had a false sense of security watching all the people waiting for trains. She glanced down at her watch and did not take notice of the man who walked into the cafe until he was standing over her table. Jenny slid over to the edge and was about to get up but the man did not move out of her way. When Jenny glanced up into those dark, intense eyes, her heart raced. She reached for her purse and overnight bag, but Gideon grabbed her arm before she could escape.

  Jenny stared at Gideon as he pulled out a bill and tossed it on the table. He grabbed Jenny by the arm, and then dragged her to the door while she struggled. The waitress took notice, but did not move to help. She had seen enough confrontations between couples to know not to get involved.

  Jenny glanced up at Gideon, but it was futile to fight. She had a purse full of money, an envelope full of secrets, and the only one who seemed to care was the man standing next to her. Jenny's only consolation in Gideon following her was that he was not the one who'd killed Delaney. It was her only reason for trusting him now.

  "Where do you think you're going?"

  "Home," was all Jenny said.

  Gideon shook his head. "Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Your friend got beat up because of you."

  "You don't know that for sure."

  "Isn't that why you're running?"

  Jenny snapped her arm back. She walked past him and out of the cafe. But Gideon was hot on her trail. Before she could get ten feet, he was at her side and had her by the arm.

  "Oh no you don't. Not this time," he said.

  "You can't stop me."

  "Want to make a bet?"

  Jenny turned to Gideon. He was serious and meant every word he said. "What are you going to do?" Jenny challenged, as if it would do any good.

  "For openers you are not getting on that train."

  "What right have you?"

  "Every right in the world when it comes to national security."

  "Oh, give me a break," Jenny mocked. "Little old me, important to national security?" She mashed her dark eyes and tried to look pathetically helpless.

  "If you only knew what you had, you'd drop it like a hot potato and run like hell."

  "You're just trying to scare me."

  "Then you do have something?"

  "Yeah, right." Jenny tossed him her overnight bag. "Do you want to frisk me too?"

  Jenny watched him stare at the bag, but he made no attempt to open it. He just picked it up, slung it around his shoulder, and took her arm. Jenny breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Where are you taking me?" Jenny looked up at Gideon and asked.

  "To your parents."

  "Why can't I take the train?"

  "And have me lose you again, not a chance. At least I'll know where you are."

  Jenny let herself be guided to his car, which sat near the entrance. She watched Gideon toss her bag onto the floor of the passenger side. Her heart pounded, wondering what she would have done if he had opened it. It would have been the end, but then maybe he would have let her get on the train, and not come with her.

  Jenny sat silently while Gideon took the Interstate 87 out of the city. Once they got to Kingston, Gideon got off the highway and took rural roads. It was the longer route to her parents’ farm, but she did not say a word. As tired as she was, she could not sleep. She just watched the sky while listening to the soft blend of nighttime music.

  CHAPTER 21

  Friday, September 16, 1977

  They had been on the road for three hours. The sun peeked over the horizon, sending rays of crimson across the sky. Because of the concrete walls she lived in, it had been a while since Jenny had seen a full sunrise in its entire splendor. But the beauty of the sunrise that morning was wasted on her and her traveling companion.

  "You'll have to guide me the rest of the way," Gideon said.

  "I'm surprised," Jenny mocked, turning to Gideon. "I would have figured you had them staked out by now."

  "Very funny."

  "Well, you have to admit someone wasted an awful lot of time on me," Jenny looked away. She did not want to challenge him further.

  "I wouldn't say that. What did Delaney say to you anyway?"

  "It isn't what he said as much as what he didn't have time to say."

  "You're in a lot of trouble and you better start leveling with me soon."

  "Or what," she turned to Gideon and waited for him to answer.

  "I don't know, we could always put you in protective custody until you do decide to talk."

  "You wouldn't dare," Jenny said, staring at Gideon.

  By the expression on Gideon's face, Jenny knew he was serious. He would enjoy locking her up and maybe throwing away the key, as well.

  Jenny turned away. The
y were ten miles from her parents’ farmhouse. The church steeple that loomed over the horizon sent her back in time. Her heart ached as thoughts turned to that cold day in April standing in the freezing drizzle. Through the tears, she watched as uniformed soldiers carried her brother to his final resting place.

  "Are you okay?" Gideon asked.

  "Would you mind stopping up here for a few minutes?"

  "You're guiding me," he replied.

  Gideon pulled into the small church cemetery and parked his car off to the side of the rectory. Jenny got out and slowly walked down the narrow path, glancing at the names of some of the boys she had gone to school with. In all, seven of her classmates never made it back from the war; her brother Paddy was the last to be buried. A chill went through her remembering the companion of her youth.

  Gideon took Jenny's arm as they walked down the row of stone markers. He read the names out loud as they walked slowly up to the one that said Patrick Morgan, our loving son and brother.

  "Your brother?" Gideon asked.

  "I thought you knew all about me?"

  "Would you just knock it off? We did not go that deep. All I really know is that you work for the University. That and what John told me about you."

  Jenny did a double-take. "How much did John tell you?"

  "You were a student at the University and then gave it up to put him through school." Gideon turned away for a moment before continuing. "Why didn't you ever finish?"

  "Money," Jenny said, shrugging her shoulders. "There never seemed to be enough, then it just didn't matter anymore."

  Jenny slowly bent down and picked up the vase of flowers that had tipped over on the ground. She pressed the vase into the soft grass and set the flowers back in. Then she ran her fingers across the words etched in stone.

  "He was just twenty-one, one month left of his tour."

  "That's rough. There were a lot of my friends who never made it back, John included."

  Jenny glanced up at Gideon. "How did he die?" Jenny asked. She did not know what he would tell her, but she had to know if he suffered.