A Heart Full of Diamonds
Read A Heart Full of Diamonds Online
Authors: A.M. Jenner
Copyright 2014, The Electric Scroll
All rights reserved. Published in the United States of
America by The Electric Scroll. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without written permission from the publisher. For information contact The
Electric Scroll, 745 N. Gilbert Rd. Ste. 124 PMB 197, Gilbert, Arizona, 85234.
The characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and entirely in the
imagination of the reader.
I’d like to thank J A Konrath and Marsha Ward for their
timely advice.
Also, thanks to Traci, our one-time editor at the AudioBook
Club, and Racer Brad, online friend and excellent “reality advisor”, for their
assistance in preparing the original audio book.
If he catches me, I’m dead.
She looked at her watch
again. 6:10 AM. Marilee Ferguson shivered in the cold, waiting for the line of
early check-in passengers ahead of her to move. The cold air she was breathing
in soothed her headache sufficiently to allow her to keep her wits about her.
She looked around, trying to see if she recognized anyone near her.
Snowflakes glittered in the bright headlights of other cars
disgorging passengers trying to make their own early flights. In less than an
hour, she would be on an airplane, carrying her away to safety. At least, she
prayed it would be so. If Tony didn’t find her gone and chase her down before
she got on the plane, she’d make it.
Finally through the line, she showed her paperwork for her
own check-in and the sky cap put her checked luggage in the pile with the other
bags. She kept her purse and one carry-on bag with her and hurried forward into
the airport. She’d at least gotten this far, and as the tired cliché went, the
words ‘so far, so good’ echoed in her mind.
She hurried through the lobby and got on the escalator headed
for the gates. Just a few minutes more and she’d be through security and then,
even if Tony came into the airport, she’d be beyond his sight and hopefully
beyond his reach.
Her fear of being caught made her feel antsy, and stretched
her nerves to the breaking point.
Hurry, hurry,
her brain chanted,
he
mustn’t catch me.
As she moved through the security check points, she saw
incoming passengers moving quickly towards the baggage claim area where family
and friends hailed them, the boisterous calls and greetings adding to the
commotion around her. She hoped the cacophony and rush of people would help
hide her until she was out of sight of the main areas of the terminal. If Tony
didn’t come in the next few minutes, it would be nearly impossible for him to
find her. She hoped.
At last it was her turn. She slid out of her shoes, put her
purse and carry-on bag on the conveyor belt to be x-rayed, put her watch into
the small bowl and stepped through the scanner.
The security guard had asked about her cell phone, and she
nearly laughed out loud at the look on his face when she said she didn’t own
one. He couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d suddenly sprouted three more
arms and an extra nose. She didn’t tell him Tony didn’t think she needed one
because he didn’t allow her any friends and her body guard only had one to
receive instructions from Tony as to where Marilee needed to be next so he
could drive her there.
Once through security, she picked her things up, slipped
her shoes back on and all but ran down the concourse towards her gate. Even at
her fast pace, she took in a huge breath and let it out in a sigh of relief. It
would be much harder to be caught now she was through security. Only thirty
minutes to go and she’d be on the plane.
The arrest-me-red Corvette screeched its tires in protest as
the driver took a corner too fast in the airport parking garage. Tony Ferguson
saw an open parking space and pulled in, jamming on the brakes just in time to
keep from hitting the wall. He shut off the engine and jumped out, slamming the
door behind him as he ran toward the terminal. In his haste, he didn’t bother
to lock the car, reasoning that the convertible top was down anyway, so a
locked door wasn’t going to keep anyone out.
He was moving so quickly by the time he reached the terminal
that the automatic door didn’t open fast enough and he ran into it, knocking it
off the tracks. In reflex, Tony grabbed the glass door to keep it from falling
to the ground, pushed it aside, and leaned it against the wall where it would
normally sit when open.
He hurried toward the gates, rubbing his forehead where he’d
hit the door. He’d have a bruise, and that was just one more thing Marilee owed
him. As for what she’d done to his car, she’d pay, big time. A cruel smile
slashed across his face as he thought of all the ways he could exact payment.
An image of Marilee crossed his mind as he picked up speed
once more. Pale and thin, her huge violet eyes were almost too large to fit in
with the rest of her delicate facial features. At least her lips were the right
size for her face, though in his opinion their natural cherry coloring made
them appear too prominent.
The almost white-blonde hair she refused to cut hung below
her waist in a straight sheet. She rarely wore makeup except when he asked her,
but with her natural beauty, she really didn’t need it. Just over five feet
tall, his wife’s petite size complimented his masculinity and made heads turn
whenever they appeared together.
Tony remembered his first glimpse of her. She was such a
knockout; he knew he had to seize her for his own. She was just the showpiece
he needed to help him succeed in the highly visible social scene he wanted to
assure for himself.
She was such an innocent; the only way he could secure her
to his side was with a wedding ring. That worked, because it guaranteed his
total control over her. And for two years, it had served him well. Then, she’d
found the diamonds, damn her! He’d worked too hard stealing them to just give
them up.
He shook his head to clear the image. If it cost him client
time while he chased her to the airport, she’d pay for that, too.
Tony redoubled his pace as he rounded the corner…and ran
directly into an old woman. Packages went sailing in every direction as they both
fell to the floor in a tangle, her screeching cry of dismay making heads turn in
their direction. Muttering curses under his breath, Tony shoved the woman to
the side and scrambled to his feet.
As he was about to start off again, the woman spoke in a loud,
commanding tone which reminded him of his grandmother, whom he’d always feared.
“Young man!”
He hesitated momentarily, and looked wildly around for an
avenue of escape. Several security guards were heading towards them. Tony
stifled the caustic remark that rose to his lips as he looked back at the old
woman.
She continued, “You come here! Help me pick up these
packages. And if any of them are broken, you are going to replace them before
my flight. They’re Christmas presents for my grandchildren, you know.” She
sniffed disdainfully as if she looked him over and found him lacking.
Tony groaned, but the woman’s tone brooked no refusal. He
saw the security officers coming closer. If he hurried on, they’d detain him to
do her bidding anyway, and he’d never get through in time.
Stifling more curses, he quickly helped gather the gifts
together. None of them were obviously broken. She insisted upon his name and
address in the event damage was found upon opening. With a smile that didn’t dampen
the rage he felt, Tony quickly handed her one of his business cards along with
the last package. Turning, he ran through the concourse, grumbling fresh
imprecations against the holiday crowds.
He scanned the monitors for the departure gate and time of
her flight. With that information gained, he broke into a run, dodging
passengers. He’d had her watched for weeks. How dared she skip and make him
look a fool!
Tony had only learned about the flight this morning by
accident when the airline had called to inform her that the flight would be
only slightly delayed due to the weather; flight 716 to Dallas. If he could
just find…Ah! There it was; security checkpoint to Gate 17. If she was still in
line and hadn’t passed through it, he’d have her.
He sprinted the last 90 feet and looked at the people still
in the security line, but didn’t see her. The reason was obvious; she’d beat
him through and was beyond his reach at this airport.
Even with good reason to catch his wife, the airport
security would simply have her paged, and then she’d know he’d found out she
was leaving. She wouldn’t answer the page; she wouldn’t dare. She knew he’d
been having her activities closely monitored, and thought she may have guessed
the reason.
Tony stood looking at the line of passengers moving through
security. Damn! If he hadn’t run into that old biddy and her stupid packages,
he would have made it.
Tony started making plans as he caught his breath. First,
rent a car from an airport rental agency, then have his Corvette picked up with
special instructions to protect the leather interior as they towed it to the
dealership for the new top it now needed.
Tony could not believe Marilee had actually slashed the
convertible top to ribbons, forcing him to drive in a snowstorm with the top
down. Would the full leather interior need to be replaced from the accumulated
snow melting? The dealership manager would give him the answer, and he’d make
her pay for that, too.
Next, he’d go back to the house for his briefcase, cell
phone, and the papers he’d left on the desk when he’d received the airline’s
phone call. He’d have to cancel his appointments.
He’d also call Jamison, his law-school buddy in Dallas.
Jamison would catch her at the Dallas airport and hold her there until he could
get a flight out to join her. His hands clenched into tight fists; he smiled
with great pleasure as he imagined the look on Marilee’s face when he showed up
to personally escort her back home!
Marilee stared anxiously out the plane’s window as they
pushed away from the building. She could breathe a bit easier now that she was
on the plane. She really didn’t think Tony would have chased her to the
airport. Even if he’d somehow found out about her flight this morning, he
wouldn’t have had the time to order the car and driver to have brought him
after her.
As far as driving himself, well, that wouldn’t happen. He’d
never drive his precious Corvette with the top down in the middle of a
snowstorm. It was what had given her the courage to slash the convertible top
to shreds – to keep him from using it to come after her. At any rate, he was
too late now; she was safely on the plane.
Marilee settled back in her seat with a sigh of relief and
fastened the safety belt. It had been an emotionally harrowing morning and she
closed her eyes to rest. But the vibrant image of an extremely angry Tony as
she’d handed him the pouch full of diamonds she’d found among the luggage she
was unpacking for him was there behind her eyelids, holding her rest at bay. Would
all her plans really work? Would she actually escape her husband? A shiver of
fear ran down her spine.
Marilee fidgeted restlessly as the plane’s wheels touched
down in Dallas. She waited tensely while the plane taxied to the gate. She was
very much aware Tony had friends in Dallas. If Tony had discovered she was gone,
he could have called the airlines to find out where, and then called one of his
friends in Dallas to enlist help. She could still get away, though, with a
little luck to go with her advance planning.
Marilee left the airplane, looking anxiously about her. She
surreptitiously inspected people in the baggage claim area while waiting for
the luggage to appear on the carousel. No one looked the least familiar. Good.
At last, bags began to appear on the conveyor belt. Marilee
spotted her suitcases and collected them. She rented a luggage cart, piled her
bags on it, and headed for the exit.
As she cleared the turnstile, a hand roughly grasped her
elbow. Gasping at the pain, she twisted her head and saw Jamison Parkes, one of
Tony’s buddies. Blast! Another few moments and she’d have been well away. Marilee
squirmed as she tried to release his hold. He increased his hand pressure
ensuring no sudden moves on her part, while he propelled her forward. His grip
was so strong, she was certain there’d be bruises by morning.
“Hello, Marilee,” Jamison smirked.
“Hello, Jamison,” Marilee looked at the ground, making her
voice sound defeated; although she still held hope she could escape him.
“Tony called this morning. I had to reschedule clients to
meet you. Tony’s gonna owe me big time…” Jamison’s voice filled with his sneer
as he led her to a small waiting area. “We’ll wait here. Tony’ll be here in two
hours, depending on the weather, of course.” His smile had a harsh edge to it.
“Of course,” Marilee’s dispirited voice echoed as she sat
where he’d all but pushed her. She caused her shoulders droop. With an
exaggerated sigh, she made sure the cart was close to her. Her mind, however,
was in overdrive.
Two hours would be enough time, if I can escape Jamison
.
She looked around to find any assets she could work with, moving her eyes only
and keeping her head still so that Jamison wouldn’t know what she was up to.
She sat still for five minutes, purposely keeping her eyes
downcast, which she hoped gave Jamison the impression of utter defeat. Jamison
was silent, but alert. Marilee began to fidget, and then tapped her toes on the
floor. The fidgeting increased over the next few minutes and Marilee’s face
took on a look of distress.
“Jamison?” Finally, she spoke urgently.
“What?” He sounded bored.
“I…I need to go to the ladies room.” Her violet eyes
beseeched him.
Jamison rolled his eyes. “Really?”
“Yes. I…I didn’t get much sleep last night and I was so
tired I slept all the way here and so I didn’t go on the plane. Please? I really
need to go bad.” She tried to use the pleading voice of a five-year-old in dire
distress.
“Can’t you wait until Tony gets here?” Jamison sounded
disgusted.
Marilee bounced slightly in her chair. “I…I don’t think so.”
She bit her bottom lip in obvious agitation “Please? It’s right over there.” She
pointed to a nearby ladies room. “You can watch me all the way there and back.”
Jamison sighed. “Oh, all right, go! Be back here in ten
minutes, or I’m coming in after you, ladies room or not!”
Marilee nodded, picked up her handbag and the smaller of the
two suitcases, and headed for the restroom. She hadn’t gone two steps before
Jamison was blocking her path, his hand closing over hers on the bag’s handle.
“Leave the suitcase here; you don’t need it in there,” he
said scornfully.
“I…ah, yes, I do,” she hedged, desperately trying to think
of a good reason to bring the suitcase with her. “There’s…ah, an item,” she
said, as inspiration hit her, “that’s…ah…personal…. “
“And what would that be?” he jeered.
Marilee was exasperated. “A feminine hygiene product. Do you
mind? Or do you want to hold the case while I open it and get out what I need?”
Jamison snatched his hand away, a horrified look on his face.
He acted as if he would be contaminated were he to touch either hand or handle.
“Go! Just go! But remember the ten minutes. Even with…that,
it shouldn’t take long.”
Marilee nodded, and crossed to the ladies’ room. She headed
for the largest stall and locked the door, hanging her purse on the back of it.
The stall had a baby diaper changing station in it. She opened the tray for
laying the baby on and laid her suitcase on it and then opened the case.
Yanking off her coat, she hung it over her purse on the back
of the door. Turning back, she lifted out a small carry-on bag and hung it over
the tissue dispenser.
Swiftly removing her pale mauve dress and slip, she donned a
vibrant red jumpsuit and fastened a wide black belt around her narrow waist. Removing
a large black duffel bag from the suitcase, she unfolded it and stuffed her
dress and slip into it. She grabbed a short black jacket from the case and set
it aside.
Marilee transferred things from the suitcase to the duffel,
then folded her winter coat and pushed it into the suitcase. Too bulky for the
duffle bag, the coat had to be hidden.
Now for the hard part. She pulled a pair of scissors and
from the carry-on and gathered her hair up in one hand, right at
shoulder-length.
Biting her lower lip, Marilee stiffened her resolve. Before
she could change her mind, she cut her hair off, dropped the handful of
butchered strands into the toilet and flushed it, making sure no hair had
fallen onto the floor.
Marilee hated cutting it, but couldn’t guarantee her wig
would stay in place with her waist-length hair beneath it. Her life depended on
her disguise being absolutely perfect. Even one lock of blonde hair hanging
below the wig would blow it.
The hair amputation complete, Marilee swiftly slid the scissors
into her duffle bag. Once that bag was checked, there’d be no available
evidence that she’d cut her hair. Pulling the shaggy remains of her hair together,
she used large curved hairclips to keep it flat against her head. Donning the
shoulder-length black wig, she pulled out a mirror to be sure none of her own
hair showed.
Hurriedly, but with a lavish hand, Marilee layered makeup
over the face she rarely touched makeup to. Things learned in her college drama
class were coming in handy.
Bold colors sculpted her facial contours and darkened her
eyebrows. Adjusting the wig, she was satisfied with the change to her
appearance. She looked totally different from the blonde young woman who’d
entered the ladies room.
Marilee checked her watch. 10:05 AM. She’d been in the
restroom about fifteen minutes. Jamison was likely trying to summon security
with some story so they’d come in after her. He was probably as good at lying
as Tony was, but she didn’t think he’d actually brave the ladies room himself,
no matter what he’d said.
Marilee heard several people enter the restroom. She removed
her prior flight tags and luggage labels from the suitcase and flushed them. She
stuffed the suitcase behind the toilet against the wall and donned the black
jacket.
Hefting both the small carry-on and the black duffel bag,
she grabbed her purse and left the cubicle, stopping to wash her hands for show
while checking her reflection in the mirror for escaping blond strands of hair.
Marilee closely but nonchalantly followed two girls leaving
the restroom, as if she were part of their group. If mysteries and thrillers
were correct, pretending to be casually “minding-your-own-business” was the
best way to avoid being noticed.
She’d certainly had time to read since Tony refused to let
her to work. He hadn’t even let her finish college after they married. He just
wanted her to sit around looking pretty. Marilee hated that.
No one looked at her as she walked near the girls, not even
Jamison, who was standing nearby, talking to someone in a uniform, one eye on
the ladies’ room doorway. She continued to walk close to the girls for some
distance before stepping away. So far, the books’ counsel was working.
Marilee managed to ride a bus across the airport in
comparative calm, although she felt a million eyes watching her. When the bus
reached the other terminal, she pulled the black duffel bag strap onto her
shoulder, picked up the carry-on and her purse, and walked inside the terminal.
She got into line, wishing she hadn’t had to leave the other luggage behind.
She paid cash for the ticket to Los Angeles she’d reserved in
her maiden name, using the driver’s license she’d never relinquished or changed
after her marriage to Tony. She’d anticipated a little trouble over the hair
color change, but the woman hardly looked at the ID before accepting the
checked bag, issuing the boarding pass, and waving her on toward the security
station.
If the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the Los
Angeles International Airport weren’t big enough to get lost in, with the
day-after-Thanksgiving-crowds, no place was. She hoped her plans for
disappearing from Tony would work. They simply had to!