“What a beautiful table.” I ran my hand along the edge, it had the feel of silk.
“Booker built the table,” Sam said with pride. “He built most of the wooden pieces of furniture throughout the house.”
“You do good work, Book,” I said, walking over to the equally beautiful china hutch in the corner. The intricacies and details in the woodwork were fantastic. It had to have taken months to carve.
“Thanks, Jailbait. Come on, let’s eat,” Booker said, embarrassed by the attention. Who knew it was possible to embarrass Booker?
“I’m 18 today, you can’t call me that anymore,” I said, sitting down at the table.
“That’s what you think,” he smiled.
We ate and listened as Sam amused us with ’The Adventures of Booker and Seth,’ in which he chronicled the different assignments they’d been on over the past two years. A couple of the stories were hilarious, but way too many sounded dangerous. Seth reassured me Sam was exaggerating.
Somehow, I doubted it.
After lunch, Sam suggested Booker take me on a tour of the house. Booker’s place was wonderful, it reminded me of Seth’s home; beautiful, inviting and nothing like my trailer. Each room housed magnificent wood furniture that was mostly built by Booker. Sam and his wife had traveled extensively before she died, and he had tokens from all over the world, such as an African tribal mask from Ethiopia, wooden shoes from Holland, and a jade Buddha from China. It was fascinating.
Booker had an elaborate gun collection he kept locked up in a large wall safe, but the lock was broken so he couldn’t show them off to me. I was way okay with that! He also had the most sophisticated security system that I’d ever seen.
“You can even set a code that will send electrical currents through all the doors and windows. If anyone tries to break in, ZAP! They get shocked with a thousand amps of electricity,” Sam exaggerated. I think. Was that even legal?
Sam led us to an outside door and we walked down a small stone pathway to a separate garage behind the house. Sam opened the side door and we continued though a short hallway where two intimidating looking samurai swords hung on the wall.
“Are those things real?”
Seth nodded. “From Japan, and very sharp.”
We stopped at the end of the hall and Sam announced, “Now for my most prized possession.” He winked at Seth, who looked as if he was about to knock the door down. Sam slowly opened the door, and there sat the most gorgeous car I had ever seen. It was a dark smoky blue color with a black convertible top. I knew at once what it was.
29
“This would be the celebrated Roadster, correct?” I asked needlessly.
“Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster,” Sam informed.
“What a lovely shade of blue,” I said, stroking the front fender.
“Digenite Blue Metallic,” Seth and Sam corrected me simultaneously, their eyes glazed over.
I coughed over my laugh, Booker didn’t bother covering his snort. Evidently, he didn’t share the same obsession with the car as Seth and his grandfather.
At the far end of the garage sat Booker’s woodworking tools, along with large piles of wood neatly stacked against the wall. Between the tools and the false idol car sat a battered wreck of a car.
“What is that?” It was impossible not to sneer. Parked next to the Roadster, the poor old thing looked even worse.
“That’s Booker’s car, a 1983 POC, which means Piece of Crap, in case you couldn’t tell.” Sam scowled.
“I’m a simple man with simple tastes,” Booker said heroically.
“More like a simple man with a simple piece of junk,” Sam corrected.
“I don’t need a silly car to define my manhood.”
“It’s a good thing because that car screams wuss,” Seth said, giving Booker’s car a look of revulsion. Sam nodded in agreement before holding out a small black rectangular box to Seth and pointing at the Roadster. “No, Sam, I never intended to drive it, I just wanted Maggie to see it.”
“I haven’t driven it since my stroke, and as you know, sitting for long periods of time isn’t good on a car. Please, you’d be doing me a favor.”
Seth stood staring silently at the strange little box, I wasn’t sure but for a second I thought he was about to cry. Finally, Booker snatched it and walked over to the car. “Come on, I’ll take you for a spin.”
“No, I’ll take her.” Booker grinned at me as Seth promptly grabbed both the little box and my right hand, leading me to the car. He pushed a small rectangle on the side of the car and the door opened—vertically.
The inside of the car was also stunning. The tan leather seats felt like silk against my skin as I climbed into the two-seater. Seth probably knew the exact name of the color; tan was good enough for me. There was a console nestled between the seats, with a myriad of intimidating buttons and a silver stick shift. The numbers on the speedometer read up to 220, and hopefully it meant kilometers. I half expected James Bond to jump out and demand his car back for some secret mission. Seth flipped open the top of the gear shift and pushed a button. The car roared to life. Whoa! The thing had some serious power behind it and we hadn’t even moved yet.
“Usually you don’t need a key,” he explained, “you just type in a code and it starts. Sam had them replace the key pad with this button, claiming he was too old to try and remember another number after memorizing Booker’s complicated security code.”
“Don’t you two be out late,” Booker teased Seth as he slowly backed it out of the garage. “I’ve heard through the grapevine Donald’s Pass was shut down for maintenance, which doesn’t begin until tomorrow.”
“What was the whole cryptic Donald’s Pass message about?”
“It’s where we can take this baby out, open her up, and see what she’s got.” He looked over at me and grinned. Oh boy!
Once we arrived at Donald’s Pass, he climbed out to make sure no one else was on the road. After double-checking, he sat back down and pressed a button, opening the convertible top, before buckling his seatbelt and flooring the gas pedal. My head pressed back into the seat, I don’t know how fast we were going, but it was definitely fast. The weeds and tall dead grass on the side of the road were mere blurs. Halfway down the road, he stopped the car and jumped out. Before I knew it, he was opening my door. “Your turn.
“Oh, no! Except for Drivers Ed, and the time I’d used Zack’s junkie car to take the road test last October, my driving experiences are nil.”
“Maggie, this is a once in a life time opportunity, besides, we’re on a deserted road. You can’t hurt anyone.”
“Only us,” I mumbled, reluctantly climbing out and going around to the driver’s seat. A sense of power pulsed through my body as I slid into the buttery leather seat. I felt like James Bond. I revved the engine twice before engaging the stick shift. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Seth struggling not to laugh. We took off fast and were at 60 miles an hour in less than five seconds. We were up over 100 mph without me realizing it.
“Maggie.” There was definite panic in Seth’s voice; he wasn’t laughing anymore. “Do you know how fast you’re going?” I immediately removed my foot from the accelerator.
“This car is incredible. I want one!” I drove for several more miles before Seth suggested we head back.
“We don’t want Sam thinking we skipped town. Do you know the way back?”
“I think so. Don’t you want to drive it again?”
“No, I want to watch you. You should see the look on your face.”
I turned the car around and headed back, driving a little too fast. “I have to admit it’s easy to understand your obsession with this car. It’s so fun to drive, it feels like you’re gliding along.” Who knew I could channel Richard Petty?
“You’re gliding along at 60 miles an hour, you probably should slow down.”
“Don’t worry, I know a cop.” All too soon, we were pulling back into Booker’s garage. I guess I should
have slowed down.
“He let you drive it? Must be love,” Booker quipped. As I climbed out, Seth and Sam were already wiping the car down. Sam wiped off the fingerprints from where I touched the front fender earlier, and Seth began wiping the road dust from the rear wheel wells.
“How long will this take?” I asked Booker.
“It shouldn’t be too long, Magpie. They have this little ritual down to a science.”
Magpie? Hmm, my new nickname, I could live with it, anything was better than Jailbait, besides, it was the name my grandfather used to call me.
I watched as Seth lovingly caressed the car with a yellow towel. “Do you always have a goofy smile on your face when you stare at him?” Booker reached over and messed up my hair.
“Bad kitty,” I said, trying to fix the mess. “Are you always this annoying whenever you talk to people, or am I just the lucky one?” I taunted back, arching an eyebrow.
Seth appeared at my side before he could answer. “If you’re done trying to steal my girl, I’d like to take her to the hospital to see her mother.”
“I told you, my friend, I’m not into jailbait. Maybe if she were 10 years older,’ he said, adding, “You’ll have to let me go, Magpie.”
I purred and rubbed behind his ears one last time before we left.
“What do you think about the car? Isn’t it something?”
“It has no match.”
“I wanted the roadster, but the waiting list at the time was eight months so I bought the Lexus instead.”
“Seth, this is a really nice car too,” I pointed out.
“It’s a great car, don’t get me wrong, I just wished I’d waited. Some things are worth the wait,” he said, kissing my hand.
My mom was in bad shape. Her skin had yellowed dramatically, and they were pumping copious amounts of drugs into her thin body to try and build up her strength for the liver transplant. She looked frail, and we weren’t allowed to stay very long.
“Are you okay?” Seth asked when we got back to his place.
“I guess.” He handed me a hankie. I dried my face and tucked it into my pocket. The way my tears were flowing lately, there was little doubt I would need it again soon. “Would you like to read the letters she wrote to me?”
“I’d love to.”
I busied myself preparing dinner while he sat at the bar and read the letters. He blinked back tears more than once as he went through them. Coming up next to me, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind. I pressed my head back against him.
“I know she never said she loved me out loud, but at least she wrote it down. Although I do wish…”
“I wish you could’ve heard her say the words too.”
“I’m going to tell our children I love them all the time. I don’t want them ever to doubt it.”
“Our children? Does that mean you plan to spend the rest of your life with me?”
“Of course.” As if I wanted to survive without him.
"I love you, Mags." He pressed a kiss to my head and held me tight as our dinner grew cold.
30
“How do you think you did on the test?” Seth asked, taking the books out of my arms as we walked toward my biology class.
“I don’t know, I wish it all made more sense. It feels like I’m just writing down numbers and formulas without understanding why.”
“Don’t worry, sometime soon a little bell will go off in your head, and you’ll see the big picture.”
“You’ve been promising me that for a while, if it were true it would’ve happened by now. Besides, you’ve never shown me how all this intense math applies to my everyday life, it’s totally useless.”
“I could use it right this minute to figure out the slope of your very kissable neck if you’d like.”
“I’d much rather you kiss the slope of my very kissable neck.”
“It’s a date. Today after school, you, me, and the slope.” I watched him walk away as the last bell rang, not caring that I was late for class. It was a nice view indeed.
Out of nowhere, a hand slapped down roughly over my mouth, and suddenly I was being dragged down the hall. The sickening laugh in my ear made it all too clear who it was. Zack shoved me into a nearby janitor’s closet and shut the door behind us. The overwhelming smell of ammonia and dust permeated the small space, gagging me.
“What are you doing? Let me out of here.” Despite my fearless tone, my body was trembling.
“You’re not so brave without your cop boyfriend here to protect you.”
“What are you talking about?” I lied, and I did it poorly.
“Save your breath, Maggot, I know all about him. I’ve made a couple of new friends of my own since being kicked off the ball team.” His voice frothed with hate, all targeted at me. “Just so you know, your boyfriend is only after one thing from you, and it’s not what I wanted either,” he said with an evil grin. “He’s bucking for some big promotion and busting up this drug ring is just the feather in his cap he needs to get it. You’re being used Maggot. He’s also on the take. How else do you suppose he can drive that expensive car of his on a cop’s salary?”
“You’re w–.”
“But Alan and Bill have some plans of their own for your beloved.” He ran a slimy finger over my cheek. I jerked my head away. “They also promised me I could have first dibs on you after it’s over if I helped.”
“Who are Alan and Bill?” I asked, swallowing down the bile in my throat.
“The Dreser brothers, stupid! Don’t tell me Seth didn’t tell you about them. Bill said your precious lover doubled-crossed their brother Jeffery, and then shot him in the back! You really know how to pick’em,” he said, seizing my jacket and jerking me next to him. He was going to kiss me. I did what any normal girl shut up in a closet with a nut job would do; I screamed at the top of my lungs. The door flew open and there stood Mrs. Gianchi.
“May I ask what is going on in here?” she said, glowering directly at Zack.
“Lover’s spat, no big deal. I’m trying to break up with her, and she is coming unglued.”
“I find that difficult to believe given the history here, Mr. Finkle. Is he telling the truth, Miss Brown?”
“No, he and some of his friends are planning on kill Seth Prescott.”
“Is that right, Mr. Finkle,” she said. “Go to Mrs. Volkel's office, immediately!” He bolted out of the closet and ran down the hall. Mrs. Gianchi took out her cell phone.
“Seth, we have a problem.” She quickly told him where we were, and he appeared within moments.
“Maggie!” He grabbed my arm. I looked wide-eyed at Mrs. Gianchi.
“H-how did you know about…?”
“I’m helping MET with their assignment here at the high school,” she said. My mouth dropped. “Never mind about that, explain to us what happened with Zack.” I quickly told them what Zack had said, although a small part of my mind was trying to figure out who else at school might be MET.
“If he’s hooked up with the dealers, this isn’t good,” Mrs. Gianchi said, rubbing her forehead. “You had better take her to your place. I’ll give Booker a call to let him know.” Seth nodded. “Be careful, something tells me Zack didn't go to Emily Volkel's office. He’s probably out there somewhere, watching and waiting.”
“Thanks, Holly.”
Seth hustled me inside and set the alarm as soon as we got home. I hung up our coats as he began pacing around the living room. More than once, he stopped and turned toward me as if he wanted to say something, before changing his mind and resuming his pacing.
I knew what troubled him, and it wasn’t just Zack’s newly acquired knowledge about him either. Forcing him to sit on the couch, I cuddled up next to him. He looked apprehensive as I stretched up to kiss him. I could feel the tension easing from his body as he twisted his arms around my waist. “I love you, and yes, I know Zack’s lying about you.”
He sighed. “Thank you.”
“Holly? So,
Mrs. Gianchi’s working for you too. All those times in cooking class we were mysteriously teamed up together for an assignment weren’t just coincidences, were they?”
“I called in a lot of favors to win you, I wasn’t taking any chances.” He grinned. “Holly does drug and rehab counseling in the evenings, and she volunteered to help out with this case. Her husband’s a retired MET agent.”
“No wonder we won the cooking contest back in January with Maggie’s Kiss. The contest was rigged!”
“Rigged? Are you implying I’m not a master chief?” He began tickling me, and we ended up on the floor with me in a hysterical laughing fit. The doorbell rang, and before we could get up to answer it, in walked Booker.
“Glad to see you two are taking this so well,” he said frowning. “Would you like me to leave?”
“Yes,” we both answered as Seth pulled me to my feet.
“We can’t find the little weasel.” Booker dropped heavily into the oversized green chair. “I’ve looked everywhere. His parents said he’s out of town for the entire week attending a baseball tournament, apparently they didn’t know he’s been kicked off the team.
“Seth, he’s a fool if he thinks those dealers will show him any allegiance. They’ll kill him as soon as he does whatever it is they need him to do.” There was a foreboding look on his face.
“I have some bad news of my own. I’ve been subpoenaed to testify tomorrow in the Biden trial. I have a six A.M. flight to Albany.” This was the first I heard of Seth’s plan. Certainly, he wasn’t planning on going alone and leaving me here.
“And no, you are not going. The safest place for you is here.” He braced himself for my reaction. I was definitely in love with a very smart guy, because a reaction was exactly what he was going to get.
“I’m not staying here, so you can forget it.” I pinned my arms tight across my chest. “Who’s Biden anyway?”
“He was running a drug and prostitution ring in the Albany area. I was the arresting agent.”
He sank down next to me. “Maggie, this is MET business. You can’t come. I’m sorry, you know I’d take you if I could.”