Northern Moonlight (29 page)

She was relieved when the storm subsided as quickly as it had emerged and soon there was nothing but a gentle trickle of water against the roof.  Collecting her belongings in a hurry, she decided that she would depart for Vermont that night.  She had already given the police all the information they needed, and it was Gio who was still stranded in the thick of this mystery back in Burlington.  No matter what hazard she encountered on the road, Sabrina knew that she had to leave at once.  Her conscience wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Ignoring the stares of fellow guests as she sprinted through the hall and down the winding staircase, Sabrina reached the front desk and ripped her checkbook from her pocketbook.  The owner accepted her check at the reception desk and asked with concern, “Was something at the lodge not to your liking, Miss Montrouge?”

“No, not at all.  I just need to get back to Vermont tonight.  It’s urgent.” Sabrina explained, signing her name to the check, smiling apologetically, and dodging out the door to her car.

Sabrina squinted and tried to keep her sleepy eyes focused on the road, as the windshield wipers swished back and forth to sweep away the lingering drizzle.  She hadn’t driven very far, but already she was grateful for the thermos of coffee she had filled in the lodge before checking out.  Keeping her concentration fastened on the dark highway, she took a mighty gulp from the thermos and instantly felt refreshed.  The caffeine burst carried her along without a single stop until she reached New Hampshire.  This time, she made sure to stop in a well-lit area just off the highway.  Back behind the wheel, she picked up speed and endeavored to make Burlington her next and final stop.

As soon as she crossed over into Burlington, Sabrina drove to Gio’s loft.  Never mind that it was four o’clock in the morning; she needed to speak with him immediately.  For an instant, as she turned onto his street, she thought how untidy she must look.  The interstate trek had deprived her of sleep and, as she glanced in the rearview mirror, she could discern dark circles under her normally perky eyes.  Rubbing some blush onto her cheeks and a quick smudge of color on her lips, Sabrina surfaced from the car and rang Gio’s doorbell.  She tried several times to no avail.  Getting back into her car, she thought of the only other place he might be at this hour.

A few minutes later, Sabrina parked the sedan outside of the firehouse.  She walked past fire engines directly into an area that clearly stated “Employees Only.”  Paying no mind to the sign, Sabrina pressed forward, down a long corridor leading to a room where male laughter could be heard.  Before she could proceed any further she nearly careened into a fortyish man in plain clothes who asked her, “How did you get through here young lady?”

His tone was stern and disarmed Sabrina, already taxed from the ridiculous amount of driving she had done in the last 48 hours.  Stammering a bit, she said, “I—I’m sorry, sir.  I saw the sign back there, and I know I’m not an employee.  But I have an emergency.  I need to speak with Giovanni Salvatore immediately.  Is he here?”

The man’s expression loosened as he replied, “Yes, Gio’s in the back room with the other guys.  He’s probably sleeping in the bunks.  You wait here, and I’ll get him.” He turned around, then called over his shoulder.  “What’s your name?”

“Sabrina.”

“Sabrina, hold tight.” The man disappeared into the back room and moments later, Gio emerged.  He was dressed in a gray tee-shirt and black sweat pants, and his beard looked like it hadn’t been shaved in days. 

Upon laying eyes on Sabrina, he seemed to awaken from a walking coma and cried, “What are you doing here?!”

“I thought you’d be in uniform.”

Gio gave her a strange look and said, “You mean in my gear?  No, firefighters don’t sleep in suspenders.  We only put the gear on when there’s work to be done.” His voice and demeanor were patronizing.  He continued, “Where did you run off to?  Your neighbor told me that you were with your parents in New York.  But when I called there, I spoke with Cara and she told me you weren’t there.  I’ve been very worried…and also confused about why you left so suddenly.” Gio looked deep into her eyes as he spoke, as if he were trying to extract the truth from her depths.

“I was in Maine.” She replied simply.

“Maine?!  What were you doing there?” Gio demanded, more confused than before.

Sabrina chose her words carefully. “I was taking pictures.  What else would I be doing?” She oozed nonchalance and it infuriated Gio.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were going on assignment?”

She knew she couldn’t evade the question and answered it forthrightly.  “You ran out so abruptly on Monday night that I didn’t even have time to think.  You’ve done that to me so many times that I just lost my patience.  I decided that I would be the one to run away this time.”

“But I don’t run away!” Gio interjected furiously.  “I do my job.  And I’ve never vanished like you did, weaving tall tales to my neighbors to throw you off track!”

“I didn’t lie to Mrs. Benjamin to throw you off track.  She’s just so nosy that I didn’t want her to know where I was going.  Truthfully, I didn’t know where I was going when I left.  But I ended up in Maine and that’s why I’m here right now…”

Gio interrupted again.  “Save your explanation.  You don’t owe me anything.  Our relationship clearly doesn’t merit common courtesy in your eyes, so maybe we should just end things right now.” Sabrina felt betrayed.  She had sacrificed her sleep and safety to come back to Vermont to Gio, and this was her welcome? 

Suppressing tears of outrage, she said, “That’s fine with me!  But I’m not leaving until I tell you what I came here to say.  Glen Cooper robbed a bank in Texas and got away to Mexico.  I saw it on the evening news.  They showed a sketch of his face and everything.  I called the police and told them his name.  It shouldn’t be long until they find him.” She gave him a look of disdain and raced out of the firehouse, not turning back.

As soon as she was safely out of view, Sabrina let her tears fall freely.  How could she have been so foolish?  She should have stayed in Maine and made a vacation of it instead of rushing back to a man who neither understood nor appreciated her.  He had behaved so coldly towards her.

“What did you expect?” She shouted at herself, knowing exactly what she had expected.  She had expected Gio to see her as his heroine who came one step closer to bringing his enemies to a richly deserved justice.  Instead, he had let her run out of there without making the slightest effort to stop her.  Sabrina drove blindly through tears and explosive emotions.

At home, she stumbled into the foyer and collapsed onto the sofa.  Softy appeared from the darkness and pounced on her chest.  In her state of exhaustion and desolation, she did not even feel the crushing weight.  Her heart already felt like it had been pummeled with an iron block from Gio’s callous treatment.  Overtired and yet immune to sleep, Sabrina lay on the sofa as the sky changed from teal to plum and finally gave way to a rising sun. 

*****

In the days that followed, she completely immersed herself in her photography, snatching up every assignment that her boss offered.  One morning, Sabrina went to the office to have a
tête-à-tête
with Darlene.  Her supervisor had requested the meeting, and Sabrina assumed that she was going to be given another new project.

“Good morning, Darlene.” Sabrina walked into Darlene’s office with an air of self-confidence, noting that the woman’s desk was covered with proof sheets.  “Am I interrupting?” She asked when Darlene did not look up.

“No, please sit down Sabrina.  I need to speak with you.” The woman’s tone was much more professional than usual and disconcerted Sabrina.  “I’ll preface this discussion by saying that you have always been one of our most diligent and creative photographers.  If anything, your diligence has increased recently, but your creativity has not.  The last spectacular photos you presented to me were taken in New York.  After that, the quality of your work has diminished, and I’m trying to understand why.” Darlene paused, seeing the crestfallen expression on Sabrina’s face. 

“I’m sorry, Darlene, but I don’t know what you mean.” Sabrina said quietly.

“Take a look at these pictures.” Darlene removed two photographs from a manila folder.  “Do you recognize them?”

“Yes, one of them I took in New York, and the other I took in Maine.” Sabrina provided, wondering where this was leading.

“Do you see the difference between them?” Darlene asked gently, as Sabrina inspected the pictures.

“It’s hard for me to be objective about my own work.  All of my photos contain a piece of me, so I’d prefer if you told me what you think the difference is.”

Darlene folded her hands on the desk.  “Very well.  The photo from New York is almost tangibly
alive
.  It depicts people in action, enjoying an afternoon in Central Park.  The photo from Maine is simply lifeless.  It’s just a picture of a maple tree.  The angle is not particularly remarkable, nor is the perspective very original.  Even the lighting is off.  If I didn’t know better, I would think this picture had been taken by an ordinary tourist.”

Sabrina tried to hide how much this criticism crushed her. “What can I say, Darlene?  I find your assessment harsh, but I respect your expertise. I’ll try to revive my photography to what it was during the New York assignment.”

Darlene, discontent with Sabrina’s answer, began tapping her pen on the desk.  “I have no doubt that you’ll try to improve your work, but it has to come naturally.  Something in you has changed.  If you don’t feel comfortable discussing it with me, I certainly won’t pry.  But you need to work out whatever is bothering you emotionally or else these issues will continue to plague your work.  And when you go to Martinique, I’ll expect much more dynamic output from that camera of yours.”

With all the recent pandemonium, Sabrina had forgotten about Martinique.  Now that Gio was no longer a factor, she knew she should feel excited, but somehow did not.   And Darlene had shrewdly perceived that something was amiss in her personal life.   Boldly, Sabrina confided in the older woman as though she were a friend.  “The truth is that I was involved in a relationship that was…difficult.  I hadn’t realized that it was affecting my work, but it won’t anymore because I’m no longer with the man.”

Darlene rolled her eyes humorously.  “I should have known it was a man. Sabrina, you’re such a beautiful and talented young woman.  I know it hurts right now, but don’t let one man affect your spirits so much.  You’ll find someone else.”

“I don’t want to meet anyone else right now.” Sabrina objected firmly.

Darlene looked at Sabrina for a long moment and hesitated before saying, “I think you
should
meet someone.  I’m not talking about anything committal.  No, just a dinner date.  That would cheer you up.”

Sabrina looked at her skeptically and responded, “No, I can have dinner by myself for a while.  I’ve been doing it for a long time.  Now, I’m sure we both have work to do, so I’ll be on my way now.” She rose from the chair to leave and was surprised when Darlene stood up as well.

“Just consider having dinner with my husband’s friend.”