NO GOOD DEED (26 page)

“What are you going to do?”

Jessie glanced at Dan. “Pardon?”

“About Taylor. Are you going to find him?” For once, the man didn’t have a teasing glint in his eye.

Trying to act unconcerned, she shrugged. “I shouldn’t, but I promised his mother I’d find out what I could.” She waited for him to get in a smart remark, but he didn’t; he only nodded.

Thirty minutes later, Dan spoke again. “You know, he might not want to see you.”

Jessie stacked her completed files, stood and crossed to the file cabinet, tossing over her shoulder, “Why wouldn’t he?” Setting the stack on top of the cabinet, she turned towards Dan.

Dan wore a somber expression. “I had an older brother who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.” He held up his hand when Jessie began to tell him she was sorry about that. “Let me finish. When he came back, he didn’t want to see any of his old friends, especially the female ones.”

Jessie crossed her arms and shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. I’d think he’d want to re-connect.”

He sighed and stacked his files. “You’d think, but he said once that he couldn’t stand the pity in their eyes. I think there was more to it, but he never said much.” Dan held out the stack and she stepped forward and took them, adding them to her own on top of the cabinet. “Eventually, he did marry and have a family, but it was rough at first.”

She leaned against the cabinet, digesting his words. “Yeah, but Mark wasn’t a prisoner of the North Vietnamese. I mean, he was held by his own country. It couldn’t have been that bad…right?”

Dan turned his head and shrugged, his expression grim. “You saw the pictures.”

* * *

Jessie debated for a week what to do, but finally decided to find Mark to give his mother some peace of mind. There were a couple of dozen camera shops in Chicago, but she only had to call four before she found him. Or rather, she spoke to the manager who confirmed that Mark worked there, but he was on his break. She thanked him and said she’d try again later. After hanging up, she noticed the address of the shop and felt the hairs on her arms rise. It was the same shop that she had used to develop the pictures from Mark’s camera last summer.

An hour later, she stood in front of the shop, working up the nerve to enter. Should she force her presence on him? What if he’d changed? What if he was like Dan’s brother? There was only one way to find out. She removed her sunglasses in the dim interior of the shop. Mark had his back to her, his attention focused on a customer examining a camera. He looked leaner than she recalled. His hair was longer too, but it looked good.

“Can I help you?”

To her right, she found the young man who had helped her the last time she had been in, when Jim had been with her. His eyes widened in recognition.

“Hey, I remember you.” He stepped closer, his head bent as he said in a low voice, “I never told anyone about those photos, but if you have more like them, I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse to develop them. I don’t want to get mixed up in anything like that.”

Jessie held up her hand in a stop gesture. “No, I didn’t come for that reason. I’m actually here to see if I could get a moment to speak to Mark Taylor.” She glanced at Mark, who held the camera in his hand and was pointing to something on it, angling it for the customer to see. He’d turned a fraction and she had a glimpse of his face. It was the same, but different. His skin was pale, and she recognized the prison pallor. The young man spoke and drew her attention back. She peeked at his name-tag. Gary.

“Sure. You know Mark?”

She hesitated a beat. “Yes. It’s been awhile though.” Mark was still unaware of her presence, and looked like he was wrapping up a sale. He set the camera on a counter and put it back in the box, showing the customer some manuals before placing them in the box as well.

“Oh, shit.”

Startled, Jessie turned towards the manager. “Excuse me?”

The guy blushed, but he also had the oddest expression on his face. “Now I know where I’d seen Mark before. It was
him
in those pictures.”

She raised her chin, giving him a hard look. “I think you’re mistaken…Gary.”

He shot a wide-eyed look at Mark then back to her. “But—”

Jessie narrowed her eyes and Gary broke off and gulped.

Mark’s voice rose as the customer crossed the shop to the front door. “You have any problems or questions, don’t hesitate to come back in. Have a nice day.”

Gary backed away, then turned towards Mark. “Hey, Mark. Someone wants to see you.”

Jessie watched as Mark wrote something down on a pad of paper, then glanced up. His initial expression of curiosity turned to frozen shock.

She approached him. “Hi.”

He didn’t speak until she had come to a halt, the glass counter separating them. “Jessie.” He nodded.

“How are you doing, Mark?”

“I’m okay. You?”

She’d received warmer greetings from the people at the DMV. Jessie searched his face until he averted it; his fingers drumming a rhythm on the counter top. “I’m good, but I’d like to talk to you.” She gestured to the store. “It might be better to go somewhere a little more private.”

“I can’t. I’m working now and I already had my break.” He reacted as if she had asked him to rip his fingernails off one by one.

Jessie nodded. “Right. What about later? Tonight?”

He braced his hands on the edge of the counter, his head down. For a long moment, he remained in that position, then looked at her, his face calm. “Sure. I’ll meet you at O’Leary’s Pub. You know where that is?”

“Yeah. What time is good?” She wished he’d show some emotion, but his face, after the initial shock, was blank. Impassive.

“I’m off at six. I can be there by seven-thirty.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll get there a little early to get a table.” She began backing towards the door then stopped. “Mark. I missed you.” Without waiting for his reaction, she turned and hurried out the door.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The rest of the workday passed in a blur, except for an odd conversation with Gary. The guy had been giving him strange looks ever since Jessie had left. After the third time he’d caught Gary staring at him, Mark threw his pen down on the counter. “What? Do I have something hanging out of my nose?”

“No, I’m sorry. It’s just that…well, now I remember where I’ve seen you before.” He turned away and began sorting through customer film envelopes.

Mark waited to see if Gary would clue him in. A minute later, he stalked over to his manager and tapped his shoulder. “And? Ya got me curious.”

Gary straightened and his face was a deep red. It could have been from leaning over, but his expression hinted at more than that. “I shouldn’t have said anything. What I see in photos developed here is private stuff.” He stopped and scratched the back of his head. “I’ve seen plenty, but I don’t talk about it. I mean, it’s like a lawyer/client relationship, right? It should never go beyond these walls.”

Puzzled and irritated at the long-winded reply, Mark leaned back against the counter and folded his arms across his chest. “What the hell are you yapping about?” It was probably the wrong tone of voice to aim at his boss, but the guy was rambling.

Shoulders hunched, Gary evaded Mark’s look. “I saw those kinky pictures.”

“Now you’ve completely lost me.” It had been a mistake to ask. He had enough to think about without having to add concern that his boss was losing his mind.

Gary gave a covert glance around the shop as though expecting to see spies lurking in the corners. Mark didn’t know whether to be amused or angry. He braced for a sophomoric comment from the guy, and had a smart comeback ready to jump off the tip of his tongue.

“The pictures where you were chained and had someone pour water on your face.”

Mark sagged against the counter as if he’d been sucker punched. The shock changed back to anger. He straightened, grabbing Gary by the front of his shirt. “Who showed you those pictures? Where’d you get them?” He gave Gary a firm shake, but not as hard as he wanted. He ached to rattle the teeth right out of the guy’s head.

Gary’s eyes became round, and he shoved away. “From that woman who was here earlier. She came in a couple of times, said it was police business. Even had some government guy with her.” He straightened his clothes. “Hey, Mark, I don’t care what you do on your own time. Just as long as everyone is willing and nobody gets hurt.”

“You sonofbitch…” Mark raised his arm to grab Gary again, but when the guy flinched, it felt like bucket of ice water washed over him, dousing his anger. He wouldn’t become a crazy monster who made people fear him. He took a deep breath, easing it out and willed his muscles to relax. Instead of getting angry, he should find out who had shown Gary the pictures. As embarrassing as Gary’s presumption that it was a sexual thing, it was a good cover. “Look, I’m sorry.” He forced a smile. “I guess I got carried away.”

Gary straightened his collar and said, “No problem. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.”

“Not a big deal.” Mark sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Who was the government guy?” That part totally confused him.

“The second time she came in with film, there was an uptight guy who flashed a badge at me and made me swear not to tell anyone about the photos. That it was a big secret.” Gary ducked his head. “That made it even…odder.”

“Second time?”

“Yeah. The first time, instead of water, it was when you were doing some kind of bondage thing.” Gary’s face turned brick red.

“It wasn’t a bondage thing…I was just…bound. But not for reasons you’re thinking. Anyway, what was Jessie doing with the pictures?”

Gary didn’t look at him, just shrugged and sorted newly processed photos. “You’d have to ask her.”

* * *

Mark paused outside O’Leary’s as a wave of nausea hit him. It was just Jessie. He squared his shoulders and entered the dim interior. At least he’d picked a location where he felt comfortable. He and Bud had taken to watching ball games and shooting pool here a couple of times a week. Blinking as his eyes adjusted, it was a moment before he spotted Jessie sitting at a table towards the back. She hadn’t seen him yet, and he took the opportunity to drink in the sight of her.

She wore her hair pulled back and twisted into some kind of clip that allowed a few strands to trail down and brush her shoulders. It was sophisticated, yet soft and inviting. At that moment, she turned and spotted him. Their eyes locked. His heart thundered like the hooves of a racehorse in the homestretch, and he couldn’t move until a waitress crossed between them, breaking the connection.

“Hey.” It was all he could manage as he slipped onto the bench opposite her.

“Hi, Mark.” She handed him a menu. “I waited to order. I didn’t know if you wanted to eat or just have a drink.”

“Are you hungry?” Nerves had stolen his appetite, but he figured he should eat anyway. He studied the menu.

“I don’t know if I’m hungry. I think I’m too keyed up to eat.” She chuckled and he looked up from the menu in surprise.

“What’s got you all nervous?” He could think of lots of possibilities and none were good. Was she going to tell him that she was married? Had a steady boyfriend? Thought he was guilty?

She spun a coaster in circles with her index finger and watched it as though fascinated. “I don’t know.” She shrugged and flashed an embarrassed smile at him. “I guess I don’t know what to say to you.”

Mark understood what she meant, but understanding didn’t make it easier to respond. He crossed his arms on top of the table and leaned forward, and looked at the television screen over the bar. Should he ask her how she’d been the last year and a half?

The silence between them stretched. Finally, afraid she’d leave, he cleared his throat. “Listen, I…I’ve never been good at small talk, and I’m out of practice. What do you say we just order a pizza? We can talk about that.”

Biting her lip, she nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

They decided on sausage and mushrooms and a pitcher of beer. Mark poured for both of them when the beer arrived. “I didn’t know you liked mushrooms.”

She sipped hers, and a tiny bit of foam clung to her upper lip. When her tongue darted out to catch it, he shifted in his seat and tried to keep from staring and hoping for a repeat performance.

“Yeah, I’m not picky. Mushrooms are good. I draw the line at green peppers though.”

Feeling safe with the topic, Mark smiled. “Really? What do you have against peppers?” He took a sip of his beer. He’d never been a big drinker, but he’d missed having one now and again. Mostly, he’d missed the social aspect, being with friends and relaxing.

Jessie made a face and shuddered. “Ugh. I can’t even stand the smell. It makes me want to puke.” She grinned at him. “Consider yourself warned.”

“Noted. I’ll be sure never to eat green peppers before kissing—” He broke off when her eyes widened and met his. Heat flooded his face. “I’m sorry. I guess I was back in the past.” He couldn’t look at her as he lifted his beer and gulped.

She turned in her seat. “I wonder when that pizza will get here? I’m starved.”

“Yeah, me too.”

The TV screen was a blur as he stared at it. He hated this. He hated the awkwardness and the stilted conversation. He hated making her feel uncomfortable. Deciding he’d rather just rip off the bandage rather than tease it off bit by bit, Mark took a deep breath and plunged into the topic that was foremost in his mind. “I completely understand if you’ve moved on in your life, so you can tell me. I just have to know.” He searched her face, unable to read what she was thinking.

She played with an earring, her eyes averted. He took her silence for an affirmative and tried to quell the pain that swept from his chest through his body down to the bones in his hands. He couldn’t blame her.

“I just want you to know that I never had any involvement with terrorists.” Sitting back, he blew out a deep breath. There — it was out. A burden lifted. He rubbed his hands together, studying his fingers because he couldn’t look at her. “All this time, it killed me that you might think that I had something to do with it. I...I just wanted you to know. And for what it’s worth, the government finally figured it out too.”