Killer Cupid (The Redemption Series: Book 1) (17 page)

Pearson nodded. “Okay. We’ll move on. You were on that boat, thinking for hours, but you weren’t depressed.”

David turned toward Eduardo with his sarcastic grin.

Yeah, he knows I got his back.

“You know Christmas isn’t exactly my favorite time of year,” he told Pearson.

“Well it’s a good thing you didn’t get depressed or anything.”

“I hate corrupt politicians. They aggravate me.” David stared into space.

“Oh, they
aggravate
you?” Pearson loved to mock David’s proper English. “You mean they piss you off?”

David rolled his eyes. “Yes. They piss me off.”

“Yeah!” Eduardo slammed his fist on the bedside table.

Pearson took a seat, and the others pulled up chairs. “I’ve wanted to discuss this with the four of you for a while now, but Agent Lambrecht just did not want to cooperate. And at the risk of having him nod off again, I’ll make this short and sweet. We’re re-vamping our training program. We all know you’re four of our best. You’ve all paid your dues. I want you involved in the training
—
overseeing the program. You may still be called upon to do some real work, but it’ll be ‘home for dinner’ kind of stuff. Nothing like the last three years. ” There were four nods.

Eduardo began to wonder if God cared about hopeless sinners. Cat had sure been trying to convince him. Maybe things would change for the better.

Pearson continued, “I knew you’d be happy about the chance to work together. And this will be a relief from the stuff you’ve been doing for so long. And, of course, for those of you who are interested in personal relationships at this point, well, there may even be a little time for that.” Pearson grinned.

“Perhaps the best news for you
—
we’ll be opening a training facility in Salzburg. That will happen in the next several months. Meanwhile, you’ll be working here. My plan is to get you going with this as soon as Dusseault and Hollinger get back. Now I know you guys are entitled to some time off…” He turned to Eduardo and David. “Please let me know your plans in the next day or so, so we can get everything squared away. Lambrecht, Dr. Earle tells me they’ll need you here another couple of weeks or so, and then some time to rest up and rehab to get you going again. Just get me the general time frame you’ll be off.”

As David remained alert, and the men barraged him with questions, the General outlined his plans for the new program.

Chapter Eleven

Glori

My insides felt like mush by the time Alain got out the news that Kendra was dead. Cin burst into tears, and her dad took both of us in his arms to try and comfort us. It was a tough job. Kendra was a friend, but not a best friend. I think a lot of the grief was fear over the same thing that almost happened to us – or could still happen to us.

Who’d want Kendra dead? Who’d want us dead and why? I didn’t really wrestle with those questions since my interview with Jimmy Hollinger. And that went so well.

I decided to re-apply my smeared eye makeup and keep my date with Alain. Of course we went to the beach. Cin wasn’t surprised, and when I got home she was having breakfast by the pool.

“So did you have a good time with Alain last night?”

“Yeah, it was great. Actually, we did talk a little bit more.” We laughed. “We’ve been staying at that same hotel on the beach most every night. Last night we spent a lot of time just cuddling on the balcony of our room. It overlooks the ocean – really beautiful place. I’ve had the most unbelievable time with him. The bad news is it’s almost over. I’m trying not to be sad, Cin, at least until he’s gone.”

My lip trembled, and I couldn’t stop it. “So, anyway, he’s picking me up about five today.” I put my hand over my mouth to stop that weird trembling.

“Well, when you guys talked, didn’t he say anything about where he’s going next, or when he might get back this way again? He must have said something, given you some idea.” Cindy tried to set a more positive tone.

“No, Cin, no ideas about anything like that. Any time I bring it up, even the least little thing about seeing each other again, I might as well talk to the wall. He’s definitely not thinking about seeing me again. And I’ve just got to face it. Okay?” I sniffed away whatever tears were threatening.

“Well, what
do
you two talk about?”

“As far as personal stuff? Well, you know I can go on about myself for hours!” Cin had a good laugh. I used the time to blot my eyes.

Then I went on. “When he talks, anything he tells me about himself is mostly general stuff, like what he likes and dislikes. And he told me a lot of things from his childhood. We both had parents that got divorced right around the time we were born. So that’s kind of weird. His mother sounds alright enough, but she didn’t pay much attention to him. He grew up on the streets in Paris. And she got remarried when he was like seven or eight years old. And his stepfather really hated him. So he was out of the house when he was like thirteen or so.”

“Oh that’s too bad.” Cindy always sympathized with poor or troubled kids. “It does kind of sound like your mother. I mean, Jenny didn’t hate you, but she sure didn’t take care of you like she should have.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing I had your parents to bring me up right.” I took every opportunity to tease the Bainbridges about taking me in. But the truth was I’d be a real basket case if they didn’t take an interest in me and treat me like family. I’d lived with them for over ten years, and my mother never mentioned the fact that I wasn’t even living at her place. I wouldn’t have graduated high school if Cin and her parents hadn’t pushed me to go to school. Thanks to them, I had a degree.

I wondered what it’d be like to be all alone. “Poor Alain didn’t have anybody to turn to, I guess. And as far as finances, well I guess he was real poor. At least my Dad always sends money, even if I hardly ever see him. He never knew his father.”

Nita

As David was becoming more alert and recovering well, Dr. Earle decided he could be moved to a more spacious room. General Pearson and the rest of us were surprised to find Debbie uncharacteristically vocal in her demands for David, taking on the role of advocate. Even David was amused.

“David needs a room with a window. He wants to make sure to have some fresh air and sunshine coming in.”

As he settled into his new bed, he asked her with a grin, “So when do I see my new paintings on the wall?”

Eduardo came through the door with a pile of artwork. “Wow, talk about a room with a view – nice big window. You can waltz in here!” Eduardo was in a good mood.

“That’s next week.” David grinned.

Eduardo looked unsure what to do with the top painting, and I took it, immediately knowing what it was. David gave me an expectant look. He knew what it was too. I handed it to him as Eduardo frowned. David focused on it intently, and Debbie leaned over to see.

David looked a bit confused. “It’s the painting, but I never noticed this rainbow before. That’s strange.”

I leaned over from the other side of the bed. “It’s a very pale rainbow. Perhaps it’s just the lighting that makes it more noticeable.”

“Hmm.” David seemed drawn into it.

Debbie shrugged. “Sometimes I like to paint rainbows. I can take it out if you don’t like that part, David.”

His eyes watered. “No Sweetheart. You mustn’t touch it. It’s perfect. It’s perfect just the way it is.”

Eduardo leaned over me to take a look, and I heard him squelch a painful moan. I turned to see he’d bitten his lip so hard it bled.

***

I found Eduardo with a cup of coffee, by himself in a conference room. He was almost shaking, and his face showed he’d been crying. He sniffed away whatever tears were left.

“What’s going on Eduardo? Why is that rainbow so upsetting?” I took the seat beside him.

“Ah.” He wiped his face with his sleeve, and after awhile understood I needed an answer. “That rainbow wasn’t there before. I don’t care what Debbie said.”

“Why do we care whether it was or wasn’t?”

“That’s the last thing we saw. A big friggin’ rainbow in the sky. Just before we were hit. What’s goin’ on?”

I noticed Cat in the doorway. “It’s God’s promise – His Covenant. God is faithful, Eduardo.” She came around the table, kissed his cheek as she sat down beside him, and rested her head on his arm.

After a few moments of contemplation, Jimmy came through the door. “Thought you could use a real cup of coffee.” He slid a mug across the table to Eduardo, winking at us.

“Yeah.” Eduardo motioned him to sit, without his usual argument about his coffee-making skills. Cat and I refused his offer of the second mug, so he took a seat and took a sip, an expectant look on his face.

“Cat was about to give us another prayer. You’re just in time.” Eduardo smirked.

“Bring it.” Jimmy had that mischievous look in his eye, and I’m sure Cat saw it too.

Cat unwrapped herself from Eduardo’s arm and bowed her head in reverence. “Abba, Father God, we pray for the peace of Israel. Those who bless Israel will be blessed. Psalm 34 tells us ‘the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them. The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him…”

I watched, amused, as Jimmy’s face turned from mischievous sarcasm to bewilderment.

Eduardo shook his head. “You can’t tell Pearson about her.”

Jimmy didn’t look so sure.

“It’s not like she knows exactly where you’re goin’.” He practically grabbed Cat out of the seat beside him. “You don’t do you?”

Cat raised her eyes to his. “Eduardo, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He dropped Cat back into her seat and turned to Jimmy. “See? She knows nothing.”

Jimmy squinted at us. “Right.”

Debbie

I flipped through the pile of paintings and quickly took the painting I’d done for David after he left in December. He was so emotional over the rainbow in the winter scene, I didn’t want to chance upsetting him again. Unfortunately, he looked up in time to see me stashing it under the bed.

“What are you doing, Sweetheart?” He let the winter scene drop in his lap and wiped his face.

I probably looked pretty guilty. “I – I was just sorting through – stuff.”

He smiled that knowing smile. He made his living as a secret agent. How could I think I could ever trick him?

“I was hoping you’d have that new painting for me.”

I started to shake. “Well David, I put the rainbow underneath, but you may still be able to see a trace of it. I’ll fix it and bring it back to you.”

Well that did it. Of course he only wanted it more. He held out his hand, and I crawled under the bed to get the painting. I stood up and held it against my stomach.

Unstoppable words came pouring out as nerves got the best of me. “David, this one’s a little bit dark. I was playing with the light, and that’s why you might see part of the pink of the rainbow underneath the light of the moon in the sky. I did the first one in the daylight, and I had a rainbow in the sky, but I didn’t know rainbows would upset you. So I was going to keep the rainbow, but when I got up to put the painting away, red paint spilled all over it. It was red paint, and I thought I wouldn’t bother trying to fix it, and I did this one, but this is the night time one
…
”

He reached over and drew me by my waist, then took the painting. I could see him swallow hard, and his eyes were wide.

“I – I can do another one for you, David.”

“Red paint?” His voice was strange.

“Well, that was on the daytime painting, David. The red paint spilled on the daytime scene. This … this one… you can hardly see a rainbow, but it’s there, but I can fix it. Is
—
is it the red you don’t like?”

I was so hoping something bad hadn’t happened in this painting too.

David

How did she do this? “It’s amazing, Sweetheart. Amazing. Thank you.” He wiped his eyes, and she handed him more tissues.

He looked down, and it was still there. His boat. It was obviously the last evening he’d spent on it, under the full moon, wondering if he was insane. Perhaps he was.

Red paint? He coughed and took a minute to catch his breath. “You did a daytime scene? You mean of this boat?”

“Yes, David.” She chewed her lip. “Only the boat was out at sea. This – this one is in the marina. Did – did you want a daytime scene? I can do another one if you like.”

“I don’t want to put you to any trouble, Sweetheart. How did you decide to paint a boat?”

“I don’t know. It just came into my head. That’s how I do most of my paintings. The idea comes to me, and I put it on the canvas. Would you rather something else?”

“No. This is perfect. I knew it would be. Tell me – tell me about the red paint.”