Color Blind (Team Red) (23 page)

“Just drape it over my shoulders for now. It’s too cold out here for me, and I’m ready to go inside.” I purposely gestured a little too far to the left, to emphasize my lack of sight, as I introduced the Captain and David to each other. “Please take me inside, Hon. We can leave our boy out here for a while to explore. Mr. Witherspoon will be happy to let him back in when he’s ready.”

I watched David sign to Red to leave lights on until he returned to the table.

“Wow, you have your dog trained for hand signals, that’s pretty impressive,” Captain Morales said.

“I just let him know he’s on break; otherwise, he’ll think he has to come indoors right away,” David explained. “He’s pretty social, so he’ll probably keep you company while you’re out here. He’s a sucker for ear scratches.”

“Oh thanks. Leave me with the loser, why don’t you?”
Red pouted, even though he was fully aware this was the plan all along.

“The music is about to start, Love. You promised me the first dance.”

“I’ll probably step all over your toes,” I warned with a grin.

“I’ll take my chances,” He laughed, and curled an arm around my waist. I leaned into his body heat and held my jacket closed with my free hand. “Captain, it was nice meeting you. Thank you for taking good care of my girl.”

“Thank you, Captain Morales,” I called out, as David led me away.

To our doorman, “Henry, Red needs a little time to unwind, when he comes to the door, can you let him inside. He’ll head straight to the table when he’s done inspecting chairs out here.”

“Not a problem, sir.”

As we exited, the woman in black squeezed thru the closing door onto the patio.

“We need a quiet spot to talk so that I can concentrate on the mind vision,” I said. I was going through that confusing clash with David leading me in one direction, while Red was feeding me images of someplace else. I trusted David to keep me from stumbling around. We had talked at length about the disorientation of being in two places at once, so he knew I’d concentrate better if I could be stationary. David stopped abruptly, and I almost tripped.

“Sorry, Teresa. Didn’t mean to stop so suddenly.” His supporting arm gave me an affectionate hug. “Bas is here too.”

“I have a glass of white wine for you,” so it looks like we’re standing here and socializing. “I watched Morales approach you after you split off from Melody.”

“Red noticed him standing in a deserted alcove with the blond woman on the balcony with them now. He made up a story about a lost earring, in order to chase after us. He was concerned about whether I was blind or not. I didn’t notice anything, and Red didn’t have a chance to tell me what caught his eye about the couple. He turned on the visual feed without me asking. It could be because he wanted me to see the woman, or that he saw something happen.”

I stopped speaking as I concentrated on Red’s mind sight. “They are making a big production of pretending they don’t know each other. Introducing themselves and shaking hands.”

“And the Oscar for the worst performance by a Commissioned Officer goes to… you got it, Captain Morales,”
Red mocked.
“Geez, could they be more obvious?”

“Red tells me they are pretending to be meeting for the first time. As far as I can see, there are no other people outside.” I concentrated on what I was seeing. “Red is approaching the captain, and head butting to get attention. He’s looking up at both of them.” I started laughing, “Oh my goodness; the look on her face! The woman looks like she swallowed a bug. Definitely not a dog person. She and the captain are speaking, but Red hasn’t started talking to me yet.”

“We have company coming,” David warned, as Dexter and Fritz joined us.

“Any luck?” Fritz asked.

David started to give him a rundown just as Red said,
“Her name is Major Stark. She says I probably have fleas.”
Red sounded offended at the idea.

“Major Stark,” I parroted.

“Holy shit!” Dexter exclaimed. “She’s out of Arizona. Tucson, I think. Wasn’t on our list of suspects. This is huge.”

“It’s nothing definitive, the only suspicious thing so far is pretending they didn’t know each other before they got to the balcony,” Bas snorted. “Could just as easily be an affair.”

Red started a stream of words and phrases that I simply repeated for the guys. At one point, I was aware of Fritz saying he would record the conversation (one-sided, though it may be). “Assault rifles, grenade launchers, AK 47, ‘something’ 5 or 7 caliber? The Major’s angry because pins missing from last shipment. Something about Private Walker, accident- brake lines? Phoenix, gang violence. Laundry? Hotel Baltimore, card key, room 427.”

Red had a short pause, in which I tried to explain that some of what he heard, he may not be able to put into context, so there may be some code breaking needed.

I continued to repeat the words and phrases Red fed to me. “Confiscated M4’s. Impound, Burbank PD. Officer Crowder. Detective Boo? (
Sorry Teresa, I didn’t understand the word
). Wednesday. Shipment to Phoenix…”

During the course of the fifteen minute conversation on the balcony, Major Stark and the Captain gave up six names that the military would need to question regarding their involvement in the disappearance of confiscated weapons. Three locations were discussed that may lead investigators to where the stolen caches were now, or where the smugglers meet to exchange guns and/or money. No arrests were made at the gala, but Bas and David were pretty confident that Major was about to have every inch of her house, car, phone, and office bugged before her plane even left San Francisco.

When the music started, I danced the first waltz with David. He was a beautiful dancer, all grace and elegance. Bastian claimed me for the second waltz (I know, who knew Mr. Muscled Macho could dance?). Bas was surprisingly graceful, powerful and sweeping. It was quite a contrast between the two men. We stayed until midnight, then made our goodbyes to our hostess.

I was tired when we returned to our hotel and the long ride up to the eighteenth floor seemed to take forever. Bas retired to his room in our suite as soon as we arrived, citing emails he needed to send off. Janey, Ken, and Jason/Jinx shared a suite next door, but we were pretty sure we beat them back to the hotel.

It was a relief to slip out of the heavily beaded gown. The thing weighed so much it would likely keep me grounded in a tornado. Yeah, okay, exaggeration, but if we threw it on a scale, it would probably come in at a hefty ten or fifteen pounds. I took a quick shower and fell into bed. David told me he’d join me shortly, he just wanted to type up his notes while they were still fresh. He told me he was concerned about Private Jean Walker, the alert soldier who pointed us at Morales, thinking her whistleblowing had been exposed and she may be in danger.

****************

Jinx didn’t win the Drag Show’s top award, but she did win for best female impersonator. Ken and Janey tell me she really hammed it up for her performance (is anyone surprised it was the ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ song?), and they thought she should have placed in the Top Five. They took lots of pictures. David promised to make a picture CD that each of them could play on their personal computers.

Just like our work with the Spokane Police, we will never know what happens with the information we gathered at the gala. Let me rephrase that:
I
may never know what happens. David and Bas, on the other hand, will probably know all the details down to what color Major Stark’s toothbrush is and the brand of deodorant she uses.

Red and I really enjoyed the assignment, and we are hoping the military can use us again. Gil called while we were out, and let us know he has some evidence for Red to look at when we get back to Spokane tomorrow afternoon. We plan to stop by on the way back from the airport.

We decided to exchange one present on Christmas Eve. Through Red’s vision, I watched David unwrap a dark brown leather computer carrying case. He had complained a month ago that his current case was coming apart. I looked up the brand and model with help from Ken. Luckily, I was able to order an exact replacement for him. I sat back on our living room couch, and watched with a wide smile as he transferred everything from one case to the other. I could have gotten something different or fancier, but, I noticed, for work items especially, David had a tendency to prefer tried and trusted over new and improved.

“Teresa, I need to take a break. My head’s starting to hurt,”
Red said, apologetically.

“Hey, no problem, Red. You did a great job today, and you held the sight link for a long time when we practiced this afternoon.”

Red withdrew from my mind, and I heard the whoosh as he dove through his dog door.

David fiddled around with the case, probably setting a new combination for the dual locks. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I appreciate you going to the trouble of getting me the same style. I really like this style. It’s so much easier that trying to fit all my stuff into new pockets and compartments.”

It seems I guessed correctly for this one. “You’re welcome, Lover.”

“So,” David started, then paused, as if considering his next words carefully. “That five-piece jewelry set I gave you before the ball? I never gave you the fifth item.”

“Mmm, I wondered about that. I figured you counted the pair of earrings as two pieces.”

He grunted, as if I’d answered an unasked question. “That explains your lack of curiosity,” He said, licking over the outline of my lips before pressing forward and slamming a deep, wet, carnal kiss against my mouth. He had pressed a small box in my hands while his lips had kept me otherwise occupied.

“It’s a ring box,” I said, stupidly.

“Two-carat solitaire with two smaller diamonds on either side. Some of the same decorative scrollwork as the bracelet and necklace.” He paused for another moment. I stilled, understanding where this conversation was going. “It’s an engagement ring, Teresa.”

I closed my eyes, and drew in a deep breath. Holding it in like I wanted to hold this moment in time.

“Breathe, Lover,” David chuckled. He waited for me to exhale, and he smoothed my hair back from my face.

“I figured I should wait another half-year, because a sane man would never propose after only seven months; but Sweetheart, I can’t wait five more months to satisfy appearances sake. I love you. You love me. I’ve waited a lifetime for you, and I don’t need any more time to be sure that you’re the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I want to marry you. I want to wake up every morning knowing that we belong to each other. I have this insanely possessive need to look down at your hand and see proof of our commitment to each other. I want my ring on your finger, and I want a ring for me to wear, so that everyone knows I have found a woman that wants me enough to bag and tag me.”

“Bag and tag huh?” I asked with a lifted brow.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to get flippant about this. This is important. I got nervous, I guess.” He rested his forehead against mine. “When I’m old, I want to be holding your hand in mine. You are IT for me. The embodiment of every fantasy, dream, and half-formed thought. I want to marry you.”

“David, I love you. I belong to you already - ring or no ring. Marriage certificate or not, I fully intend to wake up fifty years from now sharing your pillow.”

A cell phone rang, not a ring tone I recognized. David went still beside me. “Sorry Teresa, I have to take this call.” This cell phone was ringing from his brand new laptop case, so I knew it wasn’t his regular phone, which he kept clipped to his belt. This was the first indication I had that he owned more than one.

“Preston,” He said, abruptly. He listened to the caller, making no comment until, “I’ll catch the first plane I can. I’ll call you back when I have details.” He disconnected the call.

“What’s up?” I asked. David had not moved or spoken to me, I wasn’t sure what to make of the silence. “Work emergency? I hadn’t even realized you carried a second phone.”

The silence stretched out. Okay, now I was nervous. David walked toward me, slowly. Hesitantly. “Oh God, please tell me no one is hurt. Janey? Bas?”

“Sorry, Babe. Didn’t mean to scare you. All our friends are okay. I’m not sure how to explain what’s going on.”

I felt my grin kick up at the corner, “Truth works great. Usually keeps your ass out of trouble too.”

“Yeah, well, I kinda screwed up that part already. There are some things I didn’t tell you. You are going to be pissed. The worst part is that I have to catch a plane to Boston right away.”

“You just proposed, David. If you have this big, dark, bite-you-in-the-ass secret, shouldn’t you have sat down with me to discuss that before offering the ring?” The silence stretched out. “It’s that bad, huh?”

“Worse, as far as you’ll be concerned. Fuck, Teresa, I don’t know what to say.” He took a deep, fortifying breath. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, hopefully only a week or two. I’ll know more when I get to Boston. I’ll call Bas from the cab, and let him know what’s going on.”

“You’ll call him from the cab?” I asked, totally confused. David has always been upfront about things, he is the most honest, and straight-forward man I know. I thought we had no secrets. Obviously, I was wrong. “Are you worried he’ll try and prevent you from leaving?”

David stood me up and pulled me in to his arms. “No, I’m worried he’ll kick my ass; right before he drives me to the plane and personally sticks my black and blue body in a seat.” He framed my face with gentle, loving hands and gave me the most heartbreakingly tender kiss we had ever shared. “I love you so very, very much. And, I am so very, very sorry to leave like this. I
Will
be back, to sit down and explain. But I have to go.”

“Who was on the phone, David?” My voice was calm, belying all the emotion roiling under the surface.

With a final press of his lips to my forehead, he confessed, “That was my wife Marcia. My son, Wesley, is in a hospital. I have to go to Boston. I
will
be back and I
will
explain. I promise.” There was a plea in his voice. For what? I wondered. Understanding?

I was stunned. Speechless. I knew David. He is my best friend. We have trust- no secrets. Well, except two: My wife. My son.

I stiffened in his arms, and he pulled away from my confusion and pain. That action, in itself, proved that things had changed. Before that phone call, David would not have pulled back from me. We would be talking, he would be explaining. What was happening here? He had just proposed. We have been living together, building a life for the past few months. My Wife. My Son

“Why, David?” I wasn’t even sure which ‘why’ I was asking about. At this point, getting an answer to any of them might help me make sense of this nightmare I found myself in. Maybe he meant ex-wife?

“I don’t have time to talk this out before I go. Answering some questions will lead to more questions, and I just don’t have the time to answer them all. I’m sorry, but I have to get to my son, Teresa. I love you. I
will
be back. I
will
fix this, fix us, as soon as I can arrange it.”

David was gone. The door closed quietly behind him.

So, that’s what a breaking heart sounds like. Not like the tinkling shatter of glass on a countertop, or the violent thud of a fist to the gut. Not harsh, panicked screams yelled at a retreating back, or an argument peppered with words you can never take back. It’s not even like the sound of wrenching sobs that steal your breath and bow your body with grief. Heartbreak sounds like the sad, quiet finality of a closing door. Click.