CHAPTER 26
C HAPTER 26
T he suite’s kitchenette held a chromed-out Nespresso machine, and Rae found single serving–sized containers of fresh milk in the fridge. She didn’t ask if Amiya wanted a coffee. It wasn’t so much about having a beverage as offering comfort. The woman did her best to smile her thanks when Rae handed her a mug and a moist hand towel. Rae cleared her own face as she made a second cup.
When she was ready, she texted Blythe and apologized for not being able to accompany her and Emma on this afternoon’s shopping expedition. Emma knew her tastes and size. Her aunt would just have to shop for her.
The text to Emma was even shorter. Rae basically just begged her aunt to find her something that would both fit and suit the occasion. And not to forget shoes.
Rae then phoned the office of Judge Jodi Dwyer, her closest friend on the state bench. Thankfully, the woman was available. Rae’s request took less than three minutes. Even so, she had to stop twice and clear her throat. That done, she finished her coffee and placed the call to Dana Bowen.
Describing her conversation and the ideas Curtis had put forward silenced the Raleigh attorney. Dana needed a long moment before she finally said, “That makes perfect sense.”
“I agree.”
“Actually, I should have thought of this myself.”
“That makes two of us.”
“So.” Another moment. “You’ve had time to think this through. How do you want to handle the next steps?”
“Judge Dwyer is a friend on the regional bench.”
“I know her. Not well. But we’ve met.”
“She’s agreed to review the client files. On the record.”
“When?”
“Eight-thirty tomorrow morning. I’d appreciate it if you’d call the DEA agents yourself and act as my attorney of record. Tell them we’re volunteering this assistance in discovering what role, if any, my client played in a major drug-trafficking case. I’ve spent hours going through Landon Barrett’s files. They’re totally clean. I’d like one or both of them to be present so the judge can confirm this.”
“Sounds good.” A silence; then, “They’ll probably want confirmation that the judge had access to Barrett’s bank records.”
“No problem. Everything related to his Cape Fortune acquisition and all related payments were handled through Wells Fargo accounts. I’ll have those with me.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Yes. Judge Dwyer might be a friend. But she still has hoops of her own to jump through. She required extenuating circumstances to justify her involvement. A simple request, without a warrant to back it up, wasn’t enough. I suggested we use this as the starting point to have the court declare Barrett legally dead. He’s been gone four and a half years. Vanished off the face of the earth. No living relatives. I know because I’ve checked thoroughly.” She hesitated, then added, “I’ve wondered about that. You know, asking myself if maybe that wasn’t his real name. It would be great if you set that as a condition to their participation. If they discover anything about who this guy really is, they request clearance from Washington to tell us.”
“On the record.”
“Right. We need them to keep thinking our focus is totally on their original request. Everything comes down to their interest in the files. As if we have no idea what their real motives might have been.”
“That definitely works.” A breath; then, “This is excellent work, Rae.”
“All because Curtis pointed us in the right direction.”
“You’re the one doing what’s required to protect your clients’ interests. It’s a pleasure working with you, counselor.”
* * *
She and Amiya were silent as they left the suite and settled into Rae’s car and left the hotel. It was the quiet of two friends with no need for small talk. Rae felt increasingly comfortable in the woman’s company. As if they had known each other for a substantial portion of their lives. Long enough to have endured the sort of memories that forge unbreakable ties. Which, in a sense, was already the case.
Rae turned north onto the island’s main highway, then took the next left into Landon Barrett’s former property. She had the same thought she always did when entering Cape Fortune. Tall imperial palms had been planted either side of the long drive, accompanied by blooming shrubs and head-high ornamental lights. But the trees were canted now, as if a giant’s hand had swept haphazardly down the rows, tilting them at drunken angles. Most of the light stands were snapped, their lantern tops dangling from exposed wiring.
“This place could be so lovely,” Rae remarked.
“It will be,” Amiya replied. “If Curtis has anything to do about it.”
“He places a lot of importance on locating the marina in this particular cove.” Rae gestured to her right. “Which is kind of strange, since the resort already has over half a mile of intracoastal frontage.”
“The marina is only a small part of his vision,” Amiya said. “But he doesn’t want to discuss it with anyone until my father has a chance to see and decide.” She pointed ahead. “The marina will go to the right, along with a small secondary clubhouse. Curtis wants the major portion to become a family compound. My father loves his privacy, and he loves people. Since he was injured, his mobility has become very limited. Curtis wants a main house with a large rear deck, where Daddy can sit and watch people enjoy his development. Happy families doing happy things.”
Rae was about to say how much she loved the idea, when the house in all its ruined splendor came into view. Three dump trucks and a full-sized bulldozer were already stationed by the home’s northeastern corner. But the only person in sight was Curtis. He made no sign he even noticed as Rae pulled up and parked. Rae thought he looked a thousand years old.
Amiya asked, “Would you mind giving us a minute?”
“Of course.” Rae rose from the car and headed for the house. The glass wall fronting the ground-floor foyer had been utterly demolished. She did not remember seeing that the last time she had been here; but just then, she could scarcely think beyond the man rooted in the home’s ruined garden. As she started to make her way up concrete steps jammed with storm clutter, Rae glanced back. Amiya approached Curtis and started to reach out, then stopped, her hand an inch or so from his shoulder.
Rae climbed, feeling like a child who had glimpsed an adult world that frightened her terribly. She thought of John, her strong and handsome would-be fiancé. The word echoed with every careful step.
Safe.
* * *
Curtis stared at the house, but all he could see was his own ruined life.
He knew Amiya was standing beside him. Waiting. Planted by choice in the same muddy earth that held him fast. Because she wanted to be there for him.
He had always admired the way Amiya used her regal calm and astonishing beauty to hide an incredible mind. How she had allowed him and Lorna to witness her at her weakest, when the world shattered her image and her life. How it had been a genuine honor to help her recover and reknit her fractured world. How he had felt a deep kinship to Kurien as well, being there for his only child. How there was no one in his world who meant more to him. How it would be so easy, so natural, to . . .
Coming face-to-face with the raw truth forced the words out. Not much louder than the warm breeze drifting through the trees. But she was close enough to hear him say, “I can’t handle losing another love.”
Now that the words had emerged, they sounded so lame. So feeble. He hung his head, feeling the old pain clawing at his heart. The fear. The shadows.
Amiya swept him up in an embrace as gentle as it was complete. She kissed his neck, stroked his hair, sang to his ear, “ ‘To have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and health, till death do us part.’ I can’t promise you more than that.”
It was enough to fill his world. The feel of her arms and breath and body was a soothing unguent that silenced his fears. For the moment, it was enough.
They might have stood there for hours, Amiya embracing and Curtis doing his feeble best to respond. But Rae called through the shattered window overhead, “Sorry to break up your tryst. But you both need to get up here.”