The dense rolling fog, enveloped
the Rover like a blanket, causing Kate to slow down. She leaned forward trying to see the road that edged up, like a
winding ribbon, taking her to some mystical place. Pulling over into a turnabout she got out,
and inhaled deeply, her lungs stinging for a moment as they filled with the
moist salty air. The view was hidden
behind the wall of clinging haze, yet Kate remembered the shoreline vista and
every rock and pinnacle that stood together like a fortress protecting the
shoreline from angry waves that swept away anything in their path.
She would soon be home
again. How time changed things. It
seemed like only yesterday that she and Aggie raced along this road on their
bicycles each daring the other to go as fast as the wind. Their sibling rivalry had been more intense
than most but the passing years had at last made them friends.
As she stretched to get the kinks
out of her weary body, her eyes shot skyward. Angry clouds made their presence
known through a break in the swirling fog, foretelling the coming of a storm.
Kate hurried to the Rover hoping to beat the squall home. She continued on up
the road. As she reached the point where it turned inland the fog began to
lighten. Up ahead was the entrance to the drive that would bring her home to
Myrtlewood. A deep yearning within reminded her how much she missed this place.
Sitting in the bar at the
Shoreline Hotel, Olsten absentmindedly drummed his fingers on the bar. Glancing
at the clock on the wall, he felt his irritation growing. He detested being
kept waiting for any reason. Tom Selvers was an efficient attorney, and in the
past had gotten him out of a lot of bad situations. Gazing around the room. Olsten was relieved
not to notice anyone he knew. The fan overhead circulated stale air that was
better left untouched. The Shoreline wasn't exactly the kind of hotel Olsten
would normally find himself in but he didn't want to run the risk of seeing
anyone this afternoon. The sooner they got this ugly business over with the
better. He went over the events of the last 24 hours and it all seemed like a
nightmare. He was tired of being jerked around by everyone. Picking up his drink he eyed the doorway
expectantly, 2:30, where the hell was he? He probably should have met Tom at
the yacht. But where to send Sara in the
meantime. It was too risky to have her in a public place right now, damn, he
just couldn't believe how the past two days had gone. You never could go home
again should have read, you never should go home again. He decided that after
this meeting with Tom he would call Sara
and arrange for her to leave town. After he left this place she could
join up with him in a few days. She certainly would understand his need to be extra
careful now. He couldn't stay at the cottage after giving Jennifer the
papers.
Reaching in his pocket he pulled
out the cigar that Paul Thompson had given to him yesterday. He didn't even
like the taste but he needed something to do. Looking at the wrapper he saw it
was a cheap brand that tasted like bull turd. Lighting it he wondered what a
person could do to keep his stress under control. Everything seemed to be in place except for
that unfortunate incident last night.
How the hell had he found him? Olsten couldn't imagine that Ted Walker
would have followed his career. A name change should have been sufficient to
make him anonymous. Since his father had moved the business to Houston there
really was no way that Ted could have traced him.
It was strange how old business
suddenly became new business. Blackmail at this late date was a serious
miscalculation on Walker's part.