To Love Twice (25 page)

A short man came through the doors.  He hesitated a
second as he scanned the lobby.  His gazed settled on Edward and the man
quickly walked over to him.

“Mr. Kent?”  The man asked as he stuck out his hand
toward Edward.

Standing, Edward clasped the man’s hand.  “Yes. 
You would be Mr. Robbins?”

Mr. Robbins nodded his head.  “Come with me, it’ll be
easier to discuss this in my office.”

“Sir?”  Amanda interrupted.  “Mr. Lenovo is on his
way.  Should I send him to your office?”

Mr. Robbins sighed and dropped his head.  Shaking it
once, he raised his head and looked at Amanda.  “No, have him wait down
here.  I’ll speak to him once we’re done.” he said and then turned and led
the way to his office.

Mr. Robbins motioned for Edward to sit down when they
entered his office.  He glanced up at Jason and the officer
apologetically.  “I’m sorry I don’t have more seats.  It’s not often
I entertain more than one person at a time.”  He took his seat behind his
desk, retrieving a piece of paper and a pen before glancing up at Edward. 
“Would you please fill me in on all the details?”

“Yes.”  Edward explained the ransom notes, Mary’s
abduction and the deadline and his willingness to pay the ransom.  “I know
you aren’t my bank, but I figured you were the only bank around with the
resources to help.  I’m sure my bank would be willing to do a transfer.”

“This won’t be a problem.  We definitely have the
resources, and I’ll work with your bank in London to replenish our funds. 
We have an account for such an occasion, not that we have to use it
often.  I think we’ve only used it twice since I’ve been president and
both times the money was returned as the criminals were caught.”

“I’m hoping we have the same outcome tomorrow, sir.” Edward
said.

“I need a number where I can reach you,” Mr. Robbins
said.  Edward gave Mr. Robbins his number, and Kate’s as well.  “I’ll
start the paperwork for this tonight and as soon as your bank in London opens,
I’ll be on the phone with them.  Would you mind writing down the name of
the person you usually deal with?  It’ll make things go smoother in the
morning.”

“Not a problem,” Edward said as he wrote down the
information.  “I’ve also marked down my account number, in case you need
it.”  Edward stood and shook Mr. Robbins hand.  “I appreciate your
assistance, Mr. Robbins.”

“Anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call. 
Here’s my card.”

“Thank you.” Edward turned and walked out of the office,
relieved to have this part of the situation under control.

Kate couldn’t get her mind to focus.  She had gone
straight to Mary’s room when they had returned to her apartment.  Tears
streaked down her face as she stood in the doorway.  Her eyes scanned the
room and settled on Mary’s lovey, a purple spotted cheetah they’d gotten at the
zoo.

Kate walked over to Mary’s bed and sat down pulling the
cheetah into her arms.  She remembered the day they’d gotten this
cheetah.  It had been shortly after they’d moved into the apartment. 
The weather had been beautiful, a warm day with almost no humidity.  Not
wanting to waste the day, Kate had decided to take them to the zoo. 

They’d done the tour of the zoo, stopping for lunch at one
of the cafés.  They’d snacked on popcorn and cotton candy as well. 
And at the end of the day, they’d swung into the gift shop to pick up a small
souvenir of their day.  Mary had spotted the cheetah right away and
pointed at it.  When Kate picked it up, Mary had strained against the
buckles in the stroller to hold it.  Once Mary had gotten her hands on it,
she hadn’t let it go for days.

The cheetah wasn’t left behind often, but with the reporter
camped out and the spontaneous decision to send Mary to Georgie’s, it was no
wonder he’d been forgotten.  Kate bent her head and inhaled Mary’s unique
child scent.  Her tears fell in earnest as Kate sat clutching the cheetah
to her heart.  Slowly, Kate fell sideways on the bed, pulling her knees up
and settling in the fetal position.

Closing her eyes she let her mind drift in and out of six
years of memories.  The moment she found out she was pregnant.  The
joy she and Brad had shared at the news.  The initial shopping trip and
the onesie Brad had held up with “Daddy’s Little Girl” written on it.  The
day Mary was born and the moment Georgie when had appeared in the hospital room
declaring Mary the most beautiful child ever born.  Mary’s first birthday
and how she’d been covered head to toes in frosting from her smash cake. 
The joy of life that Mary had and the unconditional love they shared.  The
way her eyes lit up on Christmas morning and her insistence that they put out
carrots for the reindeer along with Santa’s cookies and egg nog. 

The way she’d trusted Edward on sight and had so easily
fallen in love with him.  The way she had listened intently to Edward as
he showed her how to ride a pony that day at his home in England. And the way
she would curl up at your side when listening to bedtime stories.  The way
her nose would scrunch when she didn’t like something.  And the way her
eyes would dance when someone told her they loved her.

“Kathryn!”

Kate started at the stern voice coming from the door. 
She opened her eyes and focused on her mother as she walked into the
room.  She sat on the bed next to Kate and rested her hand on Kate’s head,
brushing the hair from her forehead.

“Kate, you can’t hide in here,” Barbara said soothingly.

“Mom, she’s gone and I don’t know what to do,” Kate voice
cracked.

“The police need your help,” Barbara said softly.

“I know.  But I can’t help them.  If I do, it’ll
make this real and I can’t handle real, Mom.  It’s too much.  I’ve
been through too much and this is it.  This is what breaks me.”

“You know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.”

“Mom, I can’t.  I just can’t,” Kate shook her
head.  “You and Georgie can answer any questions they have.”

Barbara continued to sit and rub Kate’s back.  Kate’s
tears wouldn’t stop.  Barbara handed Kate a tissue and Kate clutched it in
her hand along with the cheetah.

“Edward proposed,” Barbara asked.

Kate groaned and nodded.

“You accepted and then changed your mind?”

Kate nodded again.

Her mother made a tsking noise.  “Seems to me that man
is doing more to find your daughter than you are right now.  Doesn’t seem
like you’re giving him a fair shake.”

“He’s the reason, Mom.”

“Really?” Barbara shook her head.  “What’s your
reasoning?  He wasn’t even there.  You should be blaming Georgie and
Tim, your logic is so convoluted.”

“Mom!”  Kate exclaimed.  “It wasn’t their fault!”

“How can you say that?  They were there.  They
should have been watching her more closely.  How can you blame a man who
was asking you to marry him and not blame the people who were with her and
supposedly watching her?”

“Because!  If it weren’t for him, no one would want
her.  No one would even know she existed!”

“Kathryn Faith Walker!  That is the most ridiculous
thing I’ve ever heard,” Barbara said as she jumped to her feet.  She
pointed her finger in Kate’s face.  “You need to think long and hard about
what you’re doing.  That man loves you and your daughter and something
like that doesn’t come around everyday.  He’s out there, fighting and
working to find Mary and all you seem to be able to do is lay in here,
clutching a toy and blaming him.”  Barbara walked to the door. 
“You’re stronger and fairer than this, Kathryn.  Pull yourself together,
get out here and help us get Mary back!”  She walked out and gently pulled
the door closed leaving Kate to her thoughts.

Kate watched her mother leave the room.  Rolling onto
her back, Kate glared at the ceiling.  Leave it to her mother to take away
the one thing Kate had to be angry about.  She still felt as if Edward
were to blame, though to be fair, it was indirectly.  It wasn’t as if he
called the kidnappers himself and set it up.  And her mother was right, he
was out there trying to get Mary back.

But Kate couldn’t see past her fear for Mary.  What if
they never got her back?  Or what if they did but someone else tried this
again?  When Kate thought it was just pictures being taken and reporters
camping in lobbies, she could deal with that.  Mary being kidnapped was a
whole other beast and Kate wasn’t willing to make that kind of adjustment to
their life. 

Kate had never been interested in the rich and famous. 
Even as a kid she’d been more interested in books and her friends.  She
never knew who the popular actors or musicians were.  Never knew which
movies were playing or which song was number one.  When she wasn’t playing
with friends, she was reading or creating patterns for her pretend clothing
line.

Georgie had been the one interested in all that.  She
could remember Georgie going crazy for all types of teenaged heartthrobs. 
The posters all over her walls and piles of keepsakes. 

Even now, Georgie subscribed to all the gossip magazines and
watched all the entertainment shows.  She was very well-versed in who’s
who around the globe. 

And just like that, everything clicked into place.

Georgie.

Georgie would have to know Edward.  As addicted to that
realm as she was, there was no way Georgie hadn’t known or heard about
Edward.  No way he had avoided her radar.

And the circus had been a perfect opportunity.  Plenty
of people, plenty of exits.  And Georgie was well-acquainted with the
layout of the convention center since they’d been to the circus a few times
before. 

But the biggest question was who took Mary?  Witnesses
placed both Georgie and Tim in the center-stage the whole time.

It really hadn’t been Edward’s fault, he’d been a pawn in
this sick game.  Kate felt a sudden urge to vomit.  She’d given his
ring back.  She’d been so cold and furious with him.  She’d told him
she never wanted to see him again.  How would she ever fix what she’d
broken?

She shook her head.  First she had to get Mary back,
then she’d work the rest of her life to earn Edward back.

She placed the cheetah back on Mary’s bed, in it’s place of
honor on Mary’s pillow.  She stormed out of Mary’s room, eyes darting
everywhere are she searched for her sister.  Walking into the kitchen, she
stopped just inside the door.  Kate pinned Georgie with a furious stare.

The cops stood up, ready to ask Kate questions and Barbara
walked over to place a hand on Kate’s shoulder. 

“Oh good, Kate.  I’m glad you came to your senses,”
Barbara said.

Kate didn’t spare her mother a glance.  “Where’s Mary?”
Kate asked Georgie coldly.

“Kathryn!” Barbara scolded.

Kate held a finger up in her mother’s face.  Continuing
to glare at her sister, Kate asked again.  “Where’s Mary?”

The cops separated.  One to Kate’s side and the other
to Georgie’s side.

“Kate!” Georgie exclaimed.  “I have no idea.”

Shaking her head, Kate advanced on her sister. 
Stopping directly in front of Georgie, Kate placed her hands flat on the
table.  In a low voice, Kate threatened Georgie.  “You have five
seconds to tell me where she is, or I will come across this table and…”

Barbara flew across the room and grabbed Kate’s arm. 
“Kate!  This is insane, what are you doing?”

Kate shrugged off her mother.  Still glaring at
Georgie, Kate answered her mother.  “Georgie knows where she is
mother.  Don’t let her fool you.  She almost got away with it but
while I was in Mary’s room ‘blaming Edward’, I put it all together.”

“Georgie would never do what you’re suggesting, Kate,”
Barbara said.  “She’s always been there for you.  You’ll ruin your
relationship if you continue with this.”

“It’s already ruined, isn’t it Georgie?”

“You were going to take her away,” Georgie said quietly.

Barbara gasped and sunk into one of the kitchen
chairs.  “Oh Georgina,” she whispered.

“Where’s Mary?” Kate asked calmly.

Georgie stared out the kitchen window.  Sighing, she
began her tale.  “Of course I knew who he was from the first second I saw
him.  I couldn’t believe you’d snagged the biggest star in England. 
And even more unbelievable you didn’t even know who he was!  But even then
I could see how much he adored you and Mary.  And I knew eventually you’d
make it permanent.  You love London and have since your first trip over
there.  And now you’ve met someone from London, it wasn’t a far stretch to
think you’d move there when you married.”

“But Georgie, he just asked her tonight.  There’s no
way you could have known in time to set this up!” Barbara said.

Still staring out the kitchen window, Georgie
continued.  “True, and I didn’t know he’d propose tonight.  This
whole thing worked out better than I could have planned.  Well, except for
little miss know-it-all figuring it out.  But he proposed, she gave the
ring back and now it’s well and truly over.  They aren’t going anywhere,”
Georgie laughed.

Barbara gasped at Georgie’s cavalier attitude. 
“Georgina, what’s happened to you?”

Georgie ignored her and continued.  “That reporter has
been camped downstairs and it wasn’t any trouble to talk him into my
plan.  He needed a story and I was going to hand him one on a silver
platter, if he helped me.  When Edward arrived this afternoon and told him
off, well Brent was even more happy to help me than before.  He called me
and we cemented the plan.”

“The reporter!” Kate exclaimed.  “I knew you had to be
working with someone.”

“Of course,” Georgie said.  “I needed an alibi and what
was better than to be seen screaming for my ‘missing’ niece?  Brent
watched from the top of the stairs.  When Tim and Mary headed down to
center stage, I waved to him to let him know it was time.”