The High Calling (22 page)

“No. I’ll go with you.”

Actually Brodie was glad for her company. He sat in the cab feeling hung over and ashamed. “I hate drunks, and the drunk I hate the most is me.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Well, it was like this. Parker peeled my potato in front of the whole squadron. It was all about flying in close formation, which I’ve told him before I think is stupid. I just got sore and walked out.”

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t preach at me, Kat.” He shook his head wearily. “I know I was wrong, and I feel terrible.”

She did not argue, and they sat quietly until they arrived at the airfield. “You go get cleaned up. I’ll find Parker and try to explain.”

“Would you, Kat? That’ll help a bit, maybe. Skipper thinks the world of you.”

The two divided then, Brodie sneaking as much as he could to his quarters to change his uniform while Kat went directly to the operations room. When she entered she asked for Parker, and the lieutenant nodded toward a door. “He’s right back there, miss.”

“Do I need to be announced?”

“No. Just knock on the door.”

Kat knocked and opened the door when Parker called for her to come in.

She saw surprise flare in Parker’s eyes. He was sitting behind his desk, and he got up at once. “Kat!” he said, and he smiled as he came around to greet her. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“No. I expect not. I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor? Well, you certainly have one coming. You’ve been so good to the children.”

“It’s about Brodie.”

“Brodie? What about him?” Parker frowned and shook his head. “He’s been off the station without permission.”

“I know. He got into trouble, Parker. He was arrested.”

“What for?”

“He got drunk and got into a fight.”

“I can’t believe he’d do a stupid thing like that! He knows he wasn’t supposed to leave the station.”

Kat almost said something about the argument over formation flying but did not feel she was qualified. “He feels awful about this, Parker. You know how it is when you pilots go into pubs. Everybody wants to buy you a drink.”

“Most of us manage to say no before we get blind drunk.”

“I know, but apparently Brodie’s got a problem with this.”

Parker was angry over the man’s misbehavior, but he saw the concern in her face. “You’re very fond of him, aren’t you?”

“We’ve known each other so long, and he’s been a good friend to me. I know he’s very sorry for what he did. He’ll be coming to tell you so as soon as he gets cleaned up.” She stepped closer. “Please, Parker. I can’t interfere with your policies as his superior officer, but Brodie’s not the kind of man that responds very well to harshness.”

“I can’t gloss over this, Katherine. It would set a bad precedent.”

“I know that, but I just wanted to put in a good word for him.”

“Well, I’ll make the punishment as light as I can.”

“Thank you, Parker.”

At that moment Parker Braden found Katherine Winslow most appealing. There was a freshness about her that never seemed to change, and now he stood for a moment wondering if he dared ask her to have tea.

Seeing that he wasn’t ready for her to leave, Kat agreed
to his unspoken offer. “Yes, thank you—I could use a little refreshment.”

“Fine. I’ll have tea sent in, and we can have some of the cake my mother sent over.”

Ten minutes later the two were seated in his office drinking tea and nibbling at the cake. They said no more about Brodie, but Kat was sure Parker would show clemency.

“I’ll be going to see Paul and Heather later this week.”

“Really?” Parker brightened at once. “How did that come about?”

“Your mother called me and invited me out for dinner this Wednesday.”

“I wish I could be there, but I’ll be tied to the station.” He suddenly got up and said, “I got the children some stuffed toys. Maybe you could take them to them.”

He pulled a sack from behind his desk and showed her the stuffed animals. One was of a fuzzy bear with bright button eyes, and the other was an elephant with a trunk that curled up. “They’ll probably fight over who gets which one,” he said. “You’ll have to sort it out.”

“But, Parker, you ought to give these to them yourself.”

“I know. I wish I could be there.”

Kat stayed for ten more minutes before leaving. As Parker watched her go, he saw Brodie coming across the field. Just the sight of the man irritated him, but he shook his head. “I’ll have to make it easy on him. Kat’s right. He’s not the kind of chap who responds to a whipping.”

****

“Oh, that was a marvelous production, Charlie!”

Charles Gooding was sitting across from Veronica at the best steak house in London. She had agreed to attend the production and then later they had gone out to eat. “It was rather good, wasn’t it? But the leading lady left a little bit to be desired.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I thought she did rather well.”

“You could do better.”

Veronica looked up suddenly. “What do you mean, Charlie?”

“I mean it’s a shame that you are wasting your talent.” He gave her a warm smile and shook his head. “You had a great future before you. I’ve always been grieved that you weren’t able to continue. Isn’t it time you made a comeback?”

At one point it had appeared that Veronica was headed for a top career on the stage when her work had been interrupted first by marriage and pregnancy, then the tragic death of her first husband and second marriage to Parker Braden in close succession. She had known Charlie Gooding for some time, having met when they had both had small parts in the same production. He had been married at the time, but he had befriended her and encouraged her acting ambitions. Now Gooding was divorced and had become a successful producer.

“Why, that’s out of the question, Charlie.”

“You ought to think about it.”

Veronica looked down for a moment, and when she looked up there was almost desperation in her eyes. “I would love to, but how can I? Parker would divorce me.”

“But other married women go on with their stage work.”

“I have two children.”

“You know as well as I do that some married women with children do very well on the stage.”

The conversation went on for some time. Veronica had been surprised when Charlie had brought the matter up, but she herself had thought of it many times—especially as her marriage to Parker became increasingly frustrating. She missed the stage desperately, and now that Charlie had mentioned it, her old desires came rushing back.

All the way home Charlie Gooding kept speaking of how easy it would be for her to return. “I’ll be going into production with a new play soon, and we’re looking right now for people. You’d be perfect for one of the roles. Not the lead
but the second. But it would be a good career move for you, and you and I could work together.”

“I’d love to, Charlie. There’s nothing I would like better. But I don’t see how I could do it. You don’t know what I would have to face at home.”

“It might be hard,” he agreed with a shrug, “but wouldn’t it be worth it? And if you were successful, they’d be proud of you.”

“Not Parker. He wants me to stay home all the time—be a nice homey woman. I’ll never be the kind of woman he wants.”

When Charlie pulled up in front of her house, he said, “Don’t go. Let’s talk about this a bit more.”

“It’s getting late, Charlie.”

But he was persuasive. They talked for twenty minutes, and she realized that his interest in her was more than just professional. She saw it in his eyes, and when he pulled her into his arms, she did not protest, returning his kiss with the same passion he gave to her.

Finally she whispered, “I’ve got to go in, Charlie.”

“Think about doing the play. I believe it would be right—for both of us.”

He got out and walked around the car to open her door. Veronica stepped out, and he took her in his arms again. It was late and there was little chance that anyone would see, so she allowed it and kissed him fervently. Then she stepped back and said, “Good night, Charlie.”

“We’ll talk about this again.”

He got into his car then and drove off as Veronica entered the house. Neither of them had seen the man who had witnessed everything. The chauffeur, Joseph, had been coming in late from a date and had been on his way to his quarters when the car had pulled up. Moving into the shadows, he had watched the two as they talked and finally watched as they kissed. Then when they had embraced again just before the man left, Joseph noted the license number.

He had never liked Veronica, but he was intensely loyal to the family—especially to Parker. He muttered a curse under his breath. “You ain’t a proper wife, you ain’t, and I’m gonna do somethin’ about it!”

At once he turned and went to his room. He pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and wrote a note, being careful to write in plain block letters. He added the license plate of the car and then folded the sheet and put it in an envelope. He determined to get the note to Parker the following day.

“That oughta fix her,” he muttered, a grim smile shaping his lips. He undressed and went to bed, and the last thing he thought of was how happy he would be if the sorry woman got her comeuppance.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I Shouldn’t Have Come Here”

Kat stood holding the receiver of the telephone to her ear, pressing against it so hard that it hurt. The caller was Lord Braden, and she had been caught off-guard to hear his voice on the other end of the line. Even though she had spent some time with him and found him to be very easy to be around, the mere idea of speaking with a baron on the phone made her nervous.

“As my wife mentioned the other day, Parker won’t be able to come,” he was saying, “but Paul and Heather have been asking for you to come back. Demanding, I should say.”

Relief washed through Kat. As secretly attracted as she was to Parker, she was determined not to spend any time alone with him. “Well, I’m looking forward to seeing the twins.”

“Good. I’ll send Joseph to pick you up at the mission tomorrow. Shall we say five o’clock?”

“That will be fine.”

“Splendid! The children will be so excited. We’ll look forward to seeing you then.”

“Yes. It will be nice. Good-bye, Lord Braden.”

Replacing the phone, Kat turned slowly and saw that Meredith had paused from the task of filing her nails to watch her. She had told Meredith at a weak moment that she did not feel quite safe around Parker, and then, of course, the whole story had come out about his proposal in America three years earlier. She had also promised Meredith she would take all
precautions to keep out of situations that would throw her alone together with Parker.

“That was Lord Braden confirming our dinner plans for tomorrow. He and his wife and the twins will be there, but not Parker.”

Meredith studied her carefully, a smile suddenly coming to her lips. “You’re playing it safe, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Oh, I think it’s a good idea. You really shouldn’t be around Parker. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“There’s nothing to that,” Kat said stiffly. She started across the room, but Meredith asked, “What about Brodie?”

Kat turned. “What do you mean ‘What about Brodie?’”

“I think he’s been in love with you for a long time from what you tell me.”

“No. We’re just friends.”

“Really? I think you might be wrong. He keeps coming around.”

“We’re from the same part of Georgia. We’ve been friends for a long time.”

“He’s a very attractive man.”

“He has enough bad habits for a squadron, Meredith. He’s not even a Christian, and he would give a wife nothing but trouble.”

“That wouldn’t stop some women, a good-looking chap like that.”

“You have such a romantic streak. You’re always seeing romances that simply don’t exist. I’ve got to go get ready for work.”

****

The next day, Parker stood at the window staring at the note that was before him.
Watch out for your wife,
it said.
She’s seeing other men. One of them drives a car with the license number ANV483.

As Parker read the note, his hands were not steady. There
was no way of tracing it, and he was not sure that he wanted to. Who would send a note like this? He had no idea, and he wanted desperately not to believe it. Still he stared at the license number and wondered if he should have it traced. He had no idea how such things could be done, but he had a friend at Scotland Yard who would be glad to find out for him.

He looked out the window and watched as a flight of bombers took off from the field. They were headed for Germany to destroy Hitler’s munitions factories. Part of him demanded action, and he had the impulse to trace the number. But another part of him resisted. What if he learned the man’s name? What if he knew him? What would he do then? He remembered a young man, Gerald Barnett, who had been a member of his squadron. Before the man was shot down over France in the early part of the war, he had said once to Parker, “I don’t want to know bad things. There’s enough bad things that happen to us without going and digging up more.”

As he stared out the window, Parker tried to remember Barnett’s face but found that his memory was fuzzy. It was that way with other men he had flown with. While they were alive their faces were sharp and clear, but after they died, the memory seemed to fade so that he could not hold on to them.

“Maybe Barnett was right,” Parker murmured. Turning back to the desk, he sat down and tried to study the records of the replacements who would be coming in to his squadron. He had not lost a man in over a month, but the way the Jerries were stepping up their attacks, he knew he would before long. Finding it impossible to concentrate, he put the papers back into the folder. He did not move for a long time and just sat, elbows on the desk, leaning forward against the palms of his hands, hands over his eyes. He tried to blot out the note and the license number, but he knew that the number had inscribed itself on his memory and that he would probably remember it forty years from now, if he lived that long.