Finding Madelyn (23 page)

His stomach shook under her hands.

“I’m here now,” she whispered. “I’m here always.
”

They moved together, slow and rhythmic like the tide pushing against the shore. Greedy for more but taking the time they needed together. A unique version of one last meal before she was tossed in jail or, at least, flew back to Maine.

His fingertips played over her shoulder, followed by his mouth and she realized how different this was. They were no longer the youths exploring, using each other for the sensations. Instead
,
it was more feeling, more caresses, more love.

Pe
a
king was long and drawn out, infuriating and intoxicating. His eyes searched her face. Her lips whispered his name. She pulled him into her pleasure.

They ran up the courthouse steps with less than five minutes to spare and her body still humming. If they let her out of here with him, she planned
to never go without him again.

Galen slid into the bench behind Harland. She flopped down in her seat with far too much energy to be sitting still and a smile she wasn’t sure she could remove.

“What are you so happy about?” Harland looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

She leaned close. “I’ll plead the fifth on that one.”

His eyebrow
rose
,
then raised more and he turned to look at Galen who
chose
that
instant
to look at the other side of the room.

The bailiff announced the judge and all three jumped to attention. Madelyn’s smile faded.

Galen led her out of the courtroom heading toward the stairs. She didn’t understand what the judge said by he was done with her. Why exactly were they going upstairs?

“Galen? What just happened?”

“I’ll explain in a minute.”

She pulled her arm making him stop and look at her. He was smiling
;
at least that was a good sign. His fingers wrapped back around her arm and he was pulling her along again.

“Please
,
I really don’t understand.”

Harland had hardly said two words. In light of new evidence she was no longer a suspect…What in the world did that mean?

He stopped and looked at her. Something about his eyes were unnerving.

“Fine. You are free, after we go upstairs and take care of one last thing.”

“Free?”
Had she really heard him right?

“Enough so to do as you please.” He wasn’t nearly as chipper as he had just been.

While she was still in shock, he continued up the stairs. At the top she stopped and wondered if she were insane.

“I need to tell you something.” She bit her lip, flinching as he turned and glared.

“It won’t wait a few minutes?”

“It could but I think it’s better not to.”

He
ran a hand ov
er his chin and crossed the floor back to
her. “Alright, what is it.”

The nervousness of the courtroom was back and even worse so. She had to tell him the truth.

“I wasn’t entirely honest about
what came out of the safe
.”

His eyes grew.

“Now, just wait a second before you go getting any ideas.” She drew a hard breath. “There was more in the envelope than what you saw.”

“What else was in there?” He sounded like he was prodding a child.

“Money.” She set her face straighter and quickened her pace. “Which is good, if they
ta
k
e
all your inheritance
,
you and Harland can split what I ended up with.”

“Sounds like a plan. Can we go on now?” His charming smile was back.

“You mean you’re not sore with me?”

“If you don’t quit dragging your feet I will be.”

She stopped. He stomped.

“You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever known.”

“Yes
,
I am.” She smiled and
strutted
to him with the complete urge to kiss him
.
He was easy to oblige, slowly conforming to her lips. When she pulled away he looked a confused.

“Thank you.” She smiled and stepped past him only to turn back when he didn’t follow. “Are you coming or not?”

He laughed and looked heavenward. Then walked to the door she had almost passed.
“This is our stop.”

She strode back and reached for the door
,
stopping when his hand held hers.

“Madelyn, you know I love you right?”

“I’ve always known.” She stared at the door feeling her heart quicken.

“What do you plan when we leave here?”

The quickening thudded in her stomach. “I plan to go back to Maine.”

“What if I wanted to join you?”

Her eyes shot to him. “
I expect you to.
I don’t want to go back without you.”

“Then marry me and give me beautiful stubborn children, just like their mother. ”

She pulled back to look at him. The boy that she’d always loved stared back at her almost petrified.

“There is nothing I’d rather do.”

He slid his hand from her back and opened the door. “Good ‘cause I’d hate to tell a room full of friends and family that you said no.”

Also

From

Suzette Vaughn

It was just out of reach. All those fuzzy thoughts. Memories flowed in and out but nothing stayed long enough to grasp but she was trying. The wall
directly before her
looked to be moving,
beige
sand under the waves. A familiar feeling but she couldn’t remember why and she didn’t like it.

A name. “Tyler.”

Is this your name? “No. Jonathan? Johnny? No.”

Your name is? Still just out of grasp. “
Doyle
?”

She looked at her hands, Doyle wasn’t right, that name caused the breath in her throat to catch. Her eyes clamped shut. She wouldn’t do that again, wouldn’t look at anything living. While the walls looked odd in their beige crawl, her hands were grotesque as the skin writhed.

Her heart was beating fast, too fast. Adrenalin? No the only time that would happen, she’d be afraid and running not sitting…sitting on…the coffee table.

“Name?” this time her voice made it through the mud clogging her ears as it echoed off the walls. Then more sounds came through. Crying. A baby? Her baby. Her son. “Tyler?”

She stooped, making sure she wouldn’t fall over, then stood from the coffee table. What an odd place to sit, she shook it off and opened a door. Bedroom. No baby. Her room…hers and… “Tyler?”

He stopped crying. “Mamma.”

She took a weight off the knob and opened another door and he laughed. “Mamma, I couldn’t get out.
Are y
ou okay?”

“No, baby, Mamma not okay.”

How could she do this and not look at him. His skin would be crawling like her hands. Use instincts. She had mother’s instincts. That would work. She followed the shadow out of the room, moving much slower than him.

“Badda.”

Had Johnny left something out he’d get a hold of? Johnny, Jonathan, her husband,
Badda
. What would he leave out
that
the baby couldn’t have?

“Why is he Badda?”

“He’s sleeping at the table.” Little hands touched her
hand
. “Is it a moment, Mamma?”

A
knock was at the door. Which door? “Not a moment.” What was a moment?

“Cereal, please.”

“Door, cereal in a minute.”

He ran to her, she opened her arms, keeping her eyes averted from him. A wet face pressed against hers. Kisses. She kissed him back, keeping her eyes downcast.

She opened the door letting her eyes rest on black pants and shiny black shoes. “Can I help you?”

“We had a report of a child crying.” A deep voice sounded from in front of her.

Her heart rate actually increased.
That
would be adrenaline. “That was him, Tyler, I didn’t hear him for a while.”

“Miss, can you look at me?”

“I’d rather not, please come in.” She pushed open the door and started back through the
small
living room.

She heard the unmistakable sound of the snap on his gun holster. “Miss, stay right there.”

“My son would like his breakfast if you’d rather follow me.”

Shoes on the tile entry. A silent partner.

“There is a gun in the bedroom, this side’s nightstand. And one in the hall closet. Hall is loaded so please don’t shot yourself.” Why in the world did she have Tyler and a loaded gun?

“Mamma, good guys.” Little legs kicked in excitement.

“Yes, Tyler, police officers.” She kissed as close to his forehead as she could, sure that she got part of his eye.

“Badda.” He pointed as she got to the refrigerator.

She pulled out the milk and glanced where he pointed, at the body sitting at the kitchen table. Not that she could focus on it. And even if she could would she recognize him as Johnny? She’d yet to figure out her own name. The box of cereal didn’t wiggle as much as anything else she looked at, it was the right box and not her bran.

Tyler kicked excitedly. “That’s it Mamma.”

“Thanks, Tyler.”

“Simpson?” The voice from the entry sounded, somewhere in the bedroom now.

A female voice
answered
from not too far away. “She’s just fixing the kid cereal.”

“Officer…Miss…Simpson…Officer Simpson, that would be right. Can you tell me that there is cereal in the bowl and not anything else?”

“She’s definitely on something.” Simpson yelled toward the rest of the
apartment
.

“I haven’t done anything in almost five years.” She thought for a few seconds. “What haven’t I done?”

“A flashback maybe?” Simpson didn’t yell this time.

A flashback. She’d done that before. Freaked out in the middle of the grocery store. “This is not that. Whatever that is.”

“Looks good Mamma, can I eat now?”

“Sorry, sweetie.” She tried the kiss again, not feeling eyelashes on her lips.

She heard a clang next to her on the counter. “The nightstand wasn’t loaded, shells close. The closet was loaded
.
”

“The closet one is mine, and I did warn you. Johnny doesn’t know it’s there. He knows it’s somewhere, just not where.”

She picked up the bowl of cereal that she couldn’t look at either, though she wouldn’t tell Tyler what it looked like to her. Once he was secure in his chair with his cereal she kicked, Jonathan.

“Get up
,
asshole.”

“Bad, Mamma.”

“I know, Tyler. I shouldn’t call him an asshole.”

“We don’t hit either.” Tyler added.

“Don’t do that again please.” The deep voice said from across the kitchen.

Simpson was in the living room, whispering into her walkie-talkie.

“What did you all do last night?” The officer still in the kitchen asked.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Sure. You wake up every morning after your son’s been crying long enough for us to get a call, and not be able to see straight?” Even in her half-full state she caught the sarcasm.

“I can see, a little blurry mind you. I just don’t like what I see.” She returned to the cereal box and put it up. “As far as what Johnny might have done last night, your guess is probably as good as mine.”