Chasing Fire Part 36

"Uh-uh." He wrapped the towel around his waist and, still dripping, grabbed her in for a kiss. "You're getting me wet!"

"s.e.x, s.e.x, s.e.x. Fine, if that's what you want."

He managed to chase the blues away, make her laugh as she shoved him back. "I want ice cream." Since he'd already dampened her shirt, she grabbed his face, kissed him again. "First. Get dressed, big spender. I'll go check with Ops, make sure we're clear for a few hours."

PHOTOGRAPHS OF DOLLY BRAKEMAN, from birth to death, were grouped together in a smiling display. Pink roses softened with sprigs of baby's breath flanked them. The coffin, closed, bore a blanket of girlish pink and white mums over polished gloss.

As she'd helped Irene by ordering her choice of flowers, Ella sent pink and white lilies. She noted a couple other floral offerings, and even such a spa.r.s.e tribute overpowered the tiny room with scent.

Irene, pale and stark-eyed in unrelieved black, sat on the somber burgundy sofa with her sister, a woman Ella knew a little who'd come in from Billings with her husband. The man sat, stiff and grim, on a twin sofa across the narrow room with Leo. Sacred music played softly through the speakers.

No one spoke.

In her life, Ella thought, she'd never seen such a sad testament to a short life, violently ended. Ella crossed the room, took her friend's limp hands. "Irene."

"The flowers look nice." "They do."

"I appreciate you taking care of that for me, Ella." "It was no trouble at all."

Irene's sister nodded at Ella, then rose to sit with her husband. "The photographs are lovely. You made good choices."

"Dolly always liked having her picture taken. Even as a baby," she said as Ella sat down beside her, "she'd look right at the camera. I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to bury my girl."

Saying nothing-what was there to say?-Ella put her arms around Irene.

"I've got pictures. All I've got's a lot of pictures. That one there, of Dolly and the baby, is the last one I have. My sister Carrie's bringing the baby soon.

She's been a help to me, coming up from Billings. She's bringing Shiloh. I know Shiloh won't understand or remember, but I thought she should be here."

"Of course. You know you can call me, anytime, for anything." "I don't know what to do, with her things, with her clothes."

"I'll help you with that when you're ready. There's Reverend Meece now."

Irene's hand clutched at Ella's. "I don't know him. It's good you asked him to come do the service, but-" "He's kind, Irene. He'll be kind to Dolly."

"Leo didn't want any preacher. Not after what ..." Her eyes welled again. "I can't think about that now. I'll go crazy if I think about that now." "Don't.

Remember the pretty girl in the photographs. Let me bring Reverend Meece over. I think he'll be a comfort to you. I promise." Though she wasn't much of a churchgoer, Ella liked Meece, his gentle ways. Irene needed gentle now.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Robert."

"No need for thanks. It's a hard day," he said, looking at the coffin. "The kind of day that shakes a mother's faith. I hope I can help her."

As she led him to Irene, she saw a trio of staff from the school come in. Thank G.o.d, she thought. Someone came. Leaving Irene with Meece, she went over to take on greeter duties as Irene's older sister seemed unwilling or unable to shoulder the task.

She excused herself when Irene's younger sister arrived with the baby, her husband and her two children. "Carrie, would you like me to take the baby? I think Irene could use you."

As people formed their groups, quiet conversations began, Ella cuddled the chubby, bright-eyed orphan. And Leo surged to his feet. "You've got no business here. You've got no right to be here." The outraged tone had Shiloh's lip quivering with a whimper. Ella murmured rea.s.surance as she turned, saw the small contingent from the base.

"After what you did? The way you treated my girl? You get out. You get the h.e.l.l out!"

"Leo." Across the room, Irene sank back into the sofa. "Stop. Stop." Covering her face with her hands, she burst into harsh sobs.

Ignoring Leo, Marg marched straight to Irene, sat to embrace the woman, to let Irene cry on her shoulder.

"Mr. Brakeman." Irene watched a ruddy-faced, towheaded young man step forward-his jaw as clenched as Leo's fists. "That baby there is my blood as much as yours, and Dolly was her ma. Wasn't a year ago I buried my brother.

We both lost something, and Shiloh's what we've got left. We've come to pay Shiloh's ma our respects."

The livid color in Leo's cheeks only deepened. For one horrible moment, Ella imagined the worst. Fists, blood, chaos. Then Lieutenant Quinniock and a woman stepped in, and fear flickered briefly in Leo's eyes.

"Stay away from me," he told the young man. Matt, Ella realized. Matt Brayner.

"That's your uncle," Ella whispered. "That's Uncle Matt. It's okay now."

Leo turned his back, moved as far away as the narrow confines of the room allowed, folded his arms over his chest. Ella stepped to Matt. "Would you hold her? I'd like to take Irene out for a minute or two, get her some fresh air."

"I'd be pleased." Matt's eyes watered up when the baby reached a chubby hand to his face. "She favors Jim a little." Lynn spoke quietly. "Don't you think, Matt? She favors Jim?"

Matt's throat worked as he nodded, as he bent his head to press his cheek to Shiloh's. "Come on with us, Irene." With Marg's help, Ella got Irene to her feet. "Come on with us for a bit."

As they led the sobbing woman out, Ella heard Meece's gentle voice coat over the ugly tension in the room.

ROWAN LICKED her strawberry swirl, enjoying the buzz of pedestrian and street traffic as she strolled with Gull. "That's not really ice cream," she told him.

"Maple walnut is not only really ice cream, it's macho ice cream."

"Maple's for syrup. It's like a condiment. It's like mustard. Would you eat mustard ice cream?" "I'm open to all flavors, even your girlie strawberry parfait."

"This is refreshing." As the drive had been, she thought. A long, aimless drive on winding roads, and now a slow, purposeless stroll along the green shade of boulevard trees toward one of the city's parks.

With two of the four-hour breaks ahead of them, she could let go, relax. Unless the phones in their pockets signaled a call back to base. For now she'd just appreciate the respite, the ice cream, the company and the blissful rarity of a free summer afternoon.

"I'll ignore your syrup ice cream because you had a really good idea. Twenty- four hours ago, we're in the belly of the beast, and here we are poking along like a couple of tourists."

"One makes the other all the more worthwhile."

"You know what, if we're not catching fire, we should complete our tequila shot compet.i.tion tonight. We can pick up a bottle of the good stuff before we head back."

"You just want to get me drunk and take advantage of me." "I don't have to get you drunk for that."

"Suddenly I feel cheap and easy. I like it."

"Maybe we can get Cards into it. He could use the distraction."

She'd told Gull the situation on the drive in. "The letter's a good idea. He should follow through." "Maybe you could help him."

"Me?"

"You've got good words."

"I don't think Cards wants me playing Cyrano for his Roxanne."

"See?" She drilled a finger into his arm, and put on a b.u.mpkin accent. "You got all that there book-larning." "Rowan?"

She glanced over at the sound of her name. Feeling awkward, mildly annoyed and uncertain what came next, Rowan lowered her ice cream. "Ah, yeah. Hi."

Ella stayed seated on the bench. "It's nice to see you. I heard you got back this morning." Ella mustered up a smile for Gull. "I'm Ella Frazier, a friend of Rowan's father."

"Gulliver Curry." He stepped over, offered his free hand. "How're you doing?"

"Honestly? Not very well. I've just come from Dolly's funeral, which was as bad as you can imagine. I wanted to walk it off, then I thought I could sit it off. It's so pretty here. But it's not working."

"Why were you ... Mrs. Brakeman works at your school," Rowan remembered.

"Yes. We've gotten to be friends the last year or so."

"How is she ... It's stupid to ask how she's doing, if she's okay. She couldn't be okay." "She's not, and I think it may be worse yet. The police were there, too, and took Leo in for questioning after the service. Irene's in the middle of a nightmare. It's hard to watch a friend going through all this, knowing there's little to nothing you can do to help. And I'm sorry." She caught herself, shook her head. "Here you are on what I'm sure is very rare and precious free time, and I'm full of gloom."

"You need ice cream," Gull decided. "What flavor?" "Oh, no, I-"

"Ice cream," he repeated, "is guaranteed to cut the gloom. What would you like?"

"You might as well pick something," Rowan told her. "He'll just keep at you otherwise." "Mint chocolate chip. Thank you."

"I'll be back in a minute."

Only more awkward now, Rowan thought as Gull jogged back in the direction of the ice-cream parlor. "I guess you saw the group from the base." "Yes. Leo started to cause a scene, which might have escalated. But between Matt, then the police coming in, it died off into awful tension, resentment, grief, smothered rage. And, enough." She closed her eyes. "Just enough of all that. Will you sit? You know your delightful man took off not only to get me ice cream but to give us a few minutes on our own."

"Probably. He likes to put things in motion."

"He's gorgeous, and strikes me as tough and sweet. That's an appealing blend in a man." Ella angled on the bench, putting them face-to-face. "You're uncomfortable with me, with my relationship with your father."

"I don't know you." "No, you don't. I feel like I know you, at least a little, because Lucas talks about you all the time. He loves you so much, is so proud of you. You have to know there's nothing he wouldn't do for you."

"It's mutual."

"I know it. Just as I know if you made it a choice between you and me, I wouldn't stand a chance." "I'm not going to-"

"Just let me finish, because you don't know me and, at this point, don't particularly like me. Why should you? But since we have this opportunity I'm going to tell you your father is the most wonderful, the most endearing, the most exciting man I've ever known. I made the first move, he was so shy. Oh, G.o.d." She pressed a hand to her heart, her face lighting up in the dappled sunlight. "I'd hoped we'd get to know each other, date, enjoy each other's company. And we did. What I never expected was I'd fall in love with him."

Battling a dozen conflicting emotions, Rowan stared at her melting ice cream.

"You're so young. And I know you don't think you are. But you're so young, and it has to be impossible to understand how someone my age can fall just as hard, as deep and terrifyingly as someone yours. But I have, and I know where the power is, Rowan. I hope you'll give me a chance."

"He's never ... He hasn't been involved with anyone since my mother."

"I know. That makes me very, very lucky. Here comes Gull. From where I'm sitting, we're both very lucky." Gull skimmed his gaze over Rowan's face before shifting to Ella. "Here you go."

"That was quick."

"We call him Fast Feet." Not sure what to think, Rowan attacked the drips running down her cone. "Thank you." After the first taste, Ella smiled, tasted again. "You were right, this cuts the gloom. Take my seat," she said as she got up. "I think I can walk this off now. It was nice to talk to you, Rowan."

"Yeah. You too." Sort of, Rowan thought, as Ella walked away. Gull sat, looked after her. "She's hot."

"Jesus Christ. She's old enough to be your mother."

"My aunt's also hot. A guy doesn't have to want to sleep with a woman to acknowledge the hotness."

"She said she's in love with my father. What am I supposed to say to that? Do about that? Feel about that?"

"Maybe that she has good taste in men." He patted her thigh. "You've got to let these crazy kids work these things out on their own. Anyway, my first-if brief-impression. I liked her."

"Because she's hot."

"Hot is a separate issue. She was sitting here grieving for a friend's loss, worried for that friend and what she might still have to face. Empathy and compa.s.sion. She's p.i.s.sed off at Leo Brakeman, which shows good sense and a lack of hypocrisy. She told you how she felt about your father, when it's pretty clear you're not too crazy about the whole matchup. That took guts, and honesty." "Maybe you could be her campaign manager." Rowan sat back. "She dropped it in my court, and that was smart. I have the power. So you can add smart to her list of virtues."

"Would you rather see your dad with somebody dumb, selfish, coldhearted and hypocritical?" "You're no dummy, either. h.e.l.l, let's buy two bottles of tequila. I could use a good drunk tonight." "Who says I'm a good drunk?"

ROWAN CHECKED in on Matt when they got back to base, and found him sitting on the side of his bed tying his running shoes. "I heard it was pretty bad."

"It was, but it could've been worse. Why he wants to blame me and L.B. and, jeez, Marg and Lynn for Dolly getting fired? She brought that on herself."

Good, she thought, he was p.i.s.sed off, not broody. "Because people suck and generally want anything c.r.a.ppy to be somebody else's fault." "At the d.a.m.n funeral? He starts yelling and threatening us at his daughter's funeral?"

"At my mother's funeral, her parents wouldn't even speak to me. They wouldn't speak to me really loud." "You're right. People suck."

"We're going to have a tequila shooter contest in the lounge later. You're on third load, too. I'll float your entry fee."

That got a smile. "You know I can't compete with you there. I'm going for a run. It's cooled off a little." He fixed on his cap. "I got to see the baby anyway, and even held her a few minutes. I'm thinking my parents ought to talk to a lawyer, about custody or rights and all that."

"That's a tough call, Matt." He gave the bill of his cap a quick jerk into place as he frowned at Rowan.

"She's their blood, too. I don't want to screw with Mrs. Brakeman. I think she's a good person. But if that d.i.c.khead she's married to goes to jail, how is she supposed to take care of Shiloh all alone? How's she supposed to pay for all the stuff Shiloh needs on her salary cooking in the school cafeteria?"

"It's a hard situation, and, well, I know you already gave Dolly money for the baby." Those faded blue eyes flattened out. "It's my money, and my blood."