The Black Feather

by Olivia Claire High

  “How do you know if those men weren’t trying to save you from him?”

  Twelve

  Her father’s words made Suzanne feel like she’d been socked in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Thad, a betrayer? No, he couldn’t be. She’d slept with the man, trusted him with her life, and the lives of the colonel and Nanadoo. Had she exposed her friends and neighbors to what could turn out to be a treachery far worse than what she’d accused her father of doing?

  Was she destined to become a pawn for every man she let into her life? The thought sickened her and made her stomach twist into a gut wrenching knot. Rubbing a slender hand across her warm, tingling forehead, Suzanne gently messaged the aching skin. It actually felt feverish. Did Thad fool her with his handsome face, sense of humor, and sexy body? He said he was falling in love with her. Was that another lie? He certainly had a talent for saying whatever he needed her to hear. Was he protecting her? Or could he be using her, as her father suggested?

  “I can’t get my brain to accept what you’re saying. I truly believe Thad cares about me. You haven’t witnessed how upset he is whenever I’ve run away from him.”

  “Of course he’d be upset. He needs you to get to me. He hasn’t told you who he works for. Don’t you think that would be pertinent information from a bodyguard? God only knows what else he’s keeping from you.”

  “I’m not saying I agree with you, but if Thad isn’t on the up and up, what do you suggest I do?”

  “Come to me, but don’t tell anyone. I can’t emphasize enough how crucial it is that you keep my whereabouts a secret. I’m trusting you with my life and the life of Muriel and her unborn child.”

  “Don’t forget it’s your child, too.”

  She heard him sputter into the phone.

  “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “You didn’t contradict me when I called her your girlfriend and you slept together at Nanadoo’s.”

  “I slept on the floor. Muriel is not my girlfriend. I’m old enough to be her father for heaven’s sake.”

  “Since when has that ever stopped you?”

  She held her breath, wondering what he would say. It took him several seconds before he replied.

  “Oh, honey. I’ve really been a terrible father to you, haven’t I? It’s no wonder you think of me the way you do. But I want you to know something, Suzanne, and it’s something I should have said to you a long time ago. What I feel for you goes beyond love. It’s difficult for me to express just what I do feel for you. I admire you. I respect you, and I’m in awe of you.”

  “How do I know you’re not saying these things just so I’ll help you?”

  “I don’t blame you for doubting me because of the way I’ve acted in the past. I’ll understand if you decide not to help me now. But it won’t make me love you any less because I’d rather lose my life than your love.”

  Suzanne fully expected him to defend himself, but his surprising reply left her reeling. Tears thickened in her throat and she swallowed several times, unable to speak. A long neglected yearning began to stir inside her. How many times over the years had she imagined hearing her father say he loved her only to be disappointed again and again?

  “Why did you wait so long to tell me something I’ve wanted to hear all my life?” she whispered.

  “I just took it for granted that you knew. I haven’t any idea how this fix I’m in is going to turn out, and I meant it when I said you can back away if you want. But I won’t lie. I’m hoping you’ll do as I ask, if not for me, then for Muriel’s sake.”

  Hearing her father’s concern for the girl irritated Suzanne. She wanted to savor this new-found declaration of his love for her without being forced to share the precious moment with a stranger.

  “Why are you putting yourself in such danger to protect her if she’s not your girlfriend, and the child she’s carrying isn’t yours?”

  “Guilt. I admit I started taking small sums of money from the Montanes. They hired me to keep their books because they saw I was good with numbers, and I didn’t ask questions about where those numbers came from. They have so much dough I figured they wouldn’t miss some of it.

  But Muriel’s boyfriend, Tony got wise to me; he threatened to tell her father, if I didn’t take a huge chunk and give it to them. What I didn’t know at the time was that Caesar Montane wasn’t aware of their relationship; and he had another man picked out for Muriel to marry.”

  “He sounds like a real old-fashioned father.”

  Wendell snorted into the phone.

  “Nothing could be further from the truth. He’s a monster. Makes me look like a saint. Muriel is terrified of him. When she and Tony discovered she was pregnant, that’s when he came up with the idea for me to steal enough money, so they could get away. I, um, decided to take a little extra for myself. I also started gathering as much information as I could about the Montane’s criminal activities as a kind of insurance plan.”

  “I understand your motive now. Where’s her boyfriend? Why is she with you instead of him?”

  He breathed a heavy sigh into the phone.

  “That’s where my guilt comes into this. Caesar caught the three of us sneaking out one night. Tony got shot when he threw his body in front of Muriel and me. How could I not help her when I’m partly responsible for Tony’s death?”

  Suzanne found her animosity toward the girl lessening now that she knew the tragic circumstances.

  “So you want me to go to you without telling anyone and deliver the phones to the police?”

  “Yes. I don’t want to mail them and take the chance they might get lost.”

  “I see your point. Will you stay with Muriel once I’ve delivered the goods into safe hands, or do you plan to part ways? I can’t help feeling sorry for her knowing how terrible her father is. Is it possible for you to see her safely settled someplace?”

  “Remember I told you I’m going to go to an island and retire there? Well, we’re going to go to St. Kitts in the Caribbean. She has friends there who are willing to help. They hate her father and will do everything they can to keep her safe.”

  “Do you trust them enough to believe their protection plan will include you?”

  “Yes I do. I got to know Muriel very well while working for the Montanes. She’s a sweet girl who through no fault of her own happened to be born into a rotten family.”

  “What about her mother? Where is she in all of this?”

  “Dead. Caesar murdered her when he caught her sleeping with one of his so-called associates. But she got off easy, which is more than anyone can say about the guy who was bedding her.”

  Suzanne couldn’t stop the chill that ran down her spine at the implication in his words. Her parents may not have given her the fairytale upbringing she wanted, but she’d never felt in danger from them.

  The pity she’d begun to feel for Muriel grew and deepened for the unfortunate girl.

  “Dewey said he overheard you say you’d be staying with someone named Martinez in San Pedro.”

  “We let him think that on purpose. We’re actually in a motel in Long Beach.” He gave her the address and room number. “I’m counting on you, honey. I’m worn out from running, and Muriel isn’t having an easy time of it what with the grief over losing Tony and being pregnant.”

  “I’ll do my best, but it’s not going to be easy. Thad barely lets me go to the bathroom without him since I tricked him to go after your canvas bag and again to meet with Dewey.”

  “Well, whether or not you can help me, I’d advise you to put as many miles between you and your shadow as soon as you can in case he is in this for his own gain.”

  “I’m still not sure you’re right about that, but I’ll do my best for you, so your phones can get to the proper authorities.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “Dad, there’s one more thing I need to ask you before we hang up. It’s kind of melodramatic, but some guy shoved a black feather in my hand while I was on th
e cruise and said it was a warning.”

  Wendell groaned.

  “You want to watch out for those. It’s the Montane’s calling card. You get one, and you know something bad is going to happen.”

  “I had a feeling it was something like that. Someone left another feather on my bed the day I finally got to go home after the cruise, and I’ve run into trouble after each one.”

  Something she hadn’t contemplated before suddenly came to her. Thad was on the ship when she got the first feather, and he’d gone into her house ahead of her that first night back. He could have easily left that feather on the pillow. Maybe her father was right to be suspicious about Thad’s motives.

  “All right, you win. I’ll start thinking of a way I can leave here.”

  “Thank you. Oh, and just to be on the safe side, you’d better not use Dewey again. He’s probably being watched now. Be careful because even your best friends can be your enemy in a situation like this.”

  “My friends I trust. It’s the glib talking strangers I should have been more concerned about.”

  Suzanne ended the call and stood there staring into space while she went over the conversation.

  Everything her father said about Thad’s so-called protecting her made sense now. He had resources; and he used them to plot and orchestrate his every move, so she would let down her guard enough to betray her dad. He’d probably kept her in that Belize jungle house all that time for just that purpose. What about the day they went to lunch with Heather? He could have arranged that car chase to scare her into believing he was the only one who could keep her safe.

  He’d seduced her not only with his body, but also with the aura of mystery he cultivated. But what woman wouldn’t be taken in by a handsome, mysterious stranger? It’d be tantamount to waving catnip under her nose, if she happened to be a cat.

  Suzanne already knew Thad was an impressive ally. She had a feeling he’d be an even more formidable adversary, which meant she’d have to be very clever to outwit him. The surprising thing was having his own words help her. He accused her of copying his idea to get to her old house the night she went for the green bag. This time she’d use what had happened to Liam and Nanadoo. Drugs.

  She suggested the others adjourn to the living room while she prepared the after dinner coffee. She slipped sleeping pills into their cups. She hated having to include Liam and Nesta in this, but didn’t feel an iota of guilt while adding an extra pill to Thad’s cup. He was a big man and she wanted to make sure he stayed knocked out. But even then, he took so long to go completely under she had to rush to get away.

  Suzanne waited until they fell into their drug induced sleep before taking all the money from Thad’s wallet. She used Liam’s golf cart and drove to the harbor to catch the last ferry off the island. Leaving Nanadoo and the colonel in such a state filled Suzanne with remorse, which in turn made her anger against Thad intensify. This wasn’t just between him and her. He’d made her hurt people dear to her because of his duplicity.

  Thad. Fake friend. Fake lover. Now it was his turn to be on the receiving end of being duped and dumped. Let him see how he liked it.

  She stood at the railing of the ferry watching the dark mass of the island grow smaller and smaller, wondering if she would ever be able to trust a man again. She’d taken a bite of an apple that looked perfect on the outside, but had she gone deeper, she would have found decay. Unbidden tears filled her eyes as a testimony to promises made and future dreams lost.

  Her ex-fiancé’s disloyalty had damaged her self-confidence.

  Thad’s deception felt more like a mutilation of the soul.

  The first thing Thad thought when he opened his eyes the next morning was he must be suffering the aftereffects of a very bad hangover. The second thing that registered in his foggy brain was how quiet the house seemed. He sniffed the air and smelled the lingering scent of the vanilla candle Nesta burned last night. But not a hint of coffee aroma or any breakfast food being prepared. He looked outside and could tell by the position of the sun it was much later than he was used to waking up.

  Had his hosts both overslept, too? Or could they have decided to go out to eat and didn’t want to wake him. What about Suzanne? He rolled off the sofa and staggered a bit while pulling on his jeans. What the hell was the matter with him? His head pounded, and his mouth and throat felt like he’d swallowed a bucket of sand.

  Maybe he was coming down with something. He almost groaned. He didn’t have time to be sick. He made his way to the kitchen and found it empty. He pulled on the hand railing literally dragging himself upstairs to the bedrooms. Since when had climbing a few steps become a trek to Mt. Everest?

  Liam came out of his bedroom looking disheveled just as Thad arrived on the landing. Nesta still lay in bed sleeping soundly. The two men greeted each other with a barely perceptible nod.

  “I thought I heard someone. Nesta and I must have overslept.” Liam pressed a hand to his forehead. “I have a devil of a headache.”

  “That makes two of us. Let me check on Suzanne.”

  Thad knocked, opened her door, and peeked inside.

  “Her bed’s empty. I’ll check the bathroom.”

  He returned to Liam seconds later.

  “She’s not here.”

  “Perhaps she went for a morning walk. She does that sometimes.”

  Thad shook his head, instantly regretting the motion when it felt like someone was pounding spikes into his eyes.

  “Her bed hasn’t been slept in.”

  “Oh my. Shall I go see if my golf cart is still here?”

  “I’ll do it. You stay here with Nesta in case she wakes up while I’m gone.”

  Thad found the carport empty. His search around the outside of the house didn’t reveal any clues. He went back to Suzanne’s bedroom. He looked in the closet and the dresser drawers. Her jacket and purse seemed to be the only things missing. Traveling light; or in too much of a hurry to pack? On her own? Or taken? Either way, the grim reality was, she was gone. Again.

  He walked out of her room. Liam met him on the landing and held up a small prescription bottle.

  “Nesta woke up and found this in the bathroom when she went to take her shower. Sleeping pills.” He popped off the plastic lid. “Some are missing. We’re careful to keep count. As much as I hate to accuse Suzanne, I’d say our girl may have laced the coffee last night.”

  Thad eyed the bottle. “I’d have to say you’re probably right, considering how late we all slept and how lethargic we feel. By the way, your cart is gone.”

  “Why would she do that to us?” Liam said, shaking his head at the distressing thought.

  “She wouldn’t want to do anything to deliberately harm you unless it was absolutely necessary, which means I was probably her main target.”

  “But why do you suppose she felt it was so necessary to go on her own?”

  “Good question.

  She hadn’t forgotten her father’s warning about not telling anyone his whereabouts. But Suzanne knew they’d all have to find somewhere to stay for the time being. It’d be too dangerous to use her own house. She had in mind what she felt certain would be a safe place, but first she had to find out if the house was empty. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse.

  “Heather.”

  “Hey, girlfriend. I’ve been thinking about you. Are you okay? You sound kind of weird.”

  “Maybe that’s because I feel weird; and to answer your question, I haven’t been okay since I got off our cruise ship in Belize, but let’s not go into that again. You said you wanted to be kept in the loop.”

  “I meant it. That’s what friends are for. Has anything happened since we last talked?”

  “Yes. Is your parents’ beach house still empty?”

  “Why do you want to know? Oh wait, I get it. You and your hot man want to be alone. I don’t imagine you’ve had much opportunity to share a bed at your godmother’s.”

  “He’s not my hot man. He’s a b
ackstabbing liar,” Suzanne snapped, cutting through her friend’s chuckle.

  “Whoa, what happened? It’d be a shame if you had a lovers’ quarrel. Things were going so well.”

  “Well for him. He’s been lying to me, so he can get those phones from my dad and use them to bargain with the Montane brothers for a big fat reward.”

  She blew out a breath.

  “Busted! Who knew all that gorgeous man flesh would turn out to be the skin of a rat? Are you still at your godmother’s?”

  “Thad is. He doesn’t know I left. I’m on a ferry right now.”

  “He doesn’t know you’re gone? How’d you shake him?”

  “I put sleeping pills in his coffee.”

  Heather laughed out loud.

  “Hot damn! Good for you. Did Liam or Nesta give you any flack?”

  “I had to drug them too. I feel sick about that.”

  “I bet.” Heather paused. “But you know, sometimes you have to do things to people you care about that you wish you didn’t because there’s no other way. So you want the beach house for yourself?”

  “Not just for me. I need it for my dad and Muriel, too.”

  “Oh my gosh! Does this mean you know where they are?”

  “Yes, he called this afternoon. They’re staying at a motel in Long Beach. That’s where I’m headed. I’d really appreciate it if you could meet me and take us to your parents’ place.”

  “Sure, but I thought you hated his girlfriend.”

  “She’s not his girlfriend. I don’t have time to go into it. But she is a friend, and she needs our help.”

  “I see. Does your father still have those elusive phones?”

  “Yes. I’m taking them to the police as soon as I get to him. Then we’ll have to hide for a while.”

  “Okay. Tell me the name and address of the motel.” Suzanne gave her the information.

  “Aaron and I will meet you there. You haven’t told anyone else where your dad is, have you?”

  “Of course not. I have to be careful who I can trust. Thank you, Heather. I’m more grateful for your help than I can say. Now I owe you another slice of that double fudge chocolate cake.”