Short Fuse
© 1992/2016 by K Pelle
Chapter 15
I was feeling a bit lost and a little bit worried. The morning hadn't started out the way I wanted it to go, not at all. Admittedly part of that was because we'd been disturbed by the telephone when I was in an amorous mood, but that wasn't the only thing. I'd watched Dave's mood shift in an instant and that worried me.
I had been seeing Dave change and become more of a relaxed and reasonable person, but I could tell that he was still holding back. Yet when I thought about it, that wasn't really all that surprising. After all he'd had a lot thrown at him and I admired his ability to still function as well as he did. He'd been gaining ground on once more becoming the man I had first met, but the happenings of this morning had set him back for some reason.
When Mom had suggested that we go to my uncle's cabin for a few days, I instantly realized that it was a great idea and set out to convince Dave. Then that stupid photographer had shown up and had set off Dave's fears of publicity again. There had to be a reason for that fear and the only thing I could think of is that somehow Dave must have been really hurt by publicity in the past.
I decided it was up to me to find some way to get him away from the chance of publicity and I had a bit of a chat with Mom about it, then when Dick Fairchild showed up to talk to Dave, I set out to see what I could do.
While the girls packed up enough clothes to last a few days, I went outside and moved my car. I'd parked it facing inward on the drive and I wanted it backed in. As I backed out into the street, a photographer popped out from behind a car across the street and took my picture. When I backed the car back into the drive, he took several more, then I stepped out of the car and walked toward him.
"You do realize that since I am a plain clothes police officer who works undercover at times, you will need to clear each and every one of those photos with my superiors before you use them or try to sell them, don't you?"
"I do not!" he argued.
"Oh, but you should or else the police will make sure you are never able to afford to take another photograph," I smiled. "On top of that, as a private citizen, I am refusing permission for you to use my photo at any time and in any way, shape or form."
"This is public property, I can take pictures and use them if I . . ."
"My driveway is private property and so is my car. As a private citizen with no public persona of any kind, other than my police work, I can refuse to allow my picture to be used and I do," I snarled. "On top of that, do you really want a member of the local police force to be on the lookout for the next time you break a law?"
"Now wait a minute. I obey the law."
"Oh yeah? You never speed? You never trespass on anyone's private property,not even by walking on their lawn? You never miss a stop sign? You always signal all turns when you're driving? You never go through a traffic signal on orange? You never jaywalk? You never interfere with anyone's life or liberty, even by making them avoid you?" I paused to draw breath and then snarled a vicious smile, showing my teeth. "Do you want me to continue?"
"No, I get it," he snapped.
"I don't think you do," I snapped back. "This is my neighbourhood and that house you are facing is my home. You're harassing me and it's in my power to legally stop you. I've already had one photographer arrested this morning. Now before I ask for police assistance to have you removed, I'm suggesting quietly that you leave and that you take your press friends with you."
"But what about Dave Gamble and his daughter?"
"Huh, him? I think he left town or at least the last I heard he was planning on it. Why don't you check at the airport or even with the police chief? He probably knows where Gamble is."
"But his rented car is parked in front of your house and we know he's been staying with you."
"Well, I admit that Mr. Gamble's daughter was staying here while he was in hospital, but that's because she's my daughter's friend," I sighed. "I'll even admit he did come around yesterday, but that was because his daughter was upset, so he was here yesterday trying to calm her down. Not only is Mr. Gamble and his daughter upset about the death of her mother, but having you bastards chase after them is terrorizing them. You paparazzi are all acting as if you're thieves and thugs.
"He's calling us thieves and thugs?"
"No, I'm using those names as an example of how you and all the other paparazzi have been acting. He told me about the cheap stunt you dolts pulled when you bribed his insurance agent in an attempt to get him to drive into an ambush. You slimy S-O-B's cost that poor insurance agent his job and you cost the insurance company thousands of dollars, but you don't give a damn about that, do you? I wouldn't be at all surprised if you aren't going one of the next to be sued though, because the insurance comany is going to want to recover the money you cost them."
"But, that wasn't me, I was just along for the ride."
"Didn't you know there's a law about that? In a court of law, all participants in a felony are considered to be guilty of the crime."
"But, all I wanted was a picture or two."
"Oh, I've already warned you about that, so if I hear that you're using photos of an innocent victim without their permission you'll have no excuse if they ask me to charge you with invasion of privacy."
"Okay, okay, I'll ask permission from now on, but what about that rental car? Why is that here if Dave Gamble isn't?"
"All I know is that my mother is returning the car to the rental company for Mr. Gamble. I suppose he and his daughter don't need it any longer, but I didn't ask them why. Right now though, I'm not exactly sure where either one of them might be."
I had the urge to cross my fingers, but I wasn't really telling a lie, just stretching the truth a mite. I thought that Shannon was probably packing her clothes and Dave was probably still in the back yard but I didn't really know that, not for sure.
"But . . ."
"Sorry, I have things to do and I really don't need you wasting my time asking stupid questions that I can't answer. I'm supposed to be on holiday right now and I want to go to Vancouver during my holiday, because later in the year my daughter and I want to go over and see Expo," I turned on my heel.
I walked back down the driveway without looking back, then I went around to the rear of the car and opened the trunk. Using it as a shield, I looked through the space between the trunk lid and the back deck to see if I could see the photographer. He was still there, but now he was talking to another man, then both of them wandered off down the street. I closed the trunk lightly, carefully not allowing it to latch, and went inside through the side door, once more being careful to ignore the two men on the street.
Mom and the girls were there to meet me.
"What was that all about?" Mom asked. "I was watching you talk to the photographer through the livingroom window."
I paused long enough to explain a little of what I'd said, emphasising that I'd been very careful to use words that implied that Dave and Shannon had left for parts unknown.
"Well, I just spoke to Noreen. She's going to meet me down at the car rental agency to give me a ride home. I think that ties in quite well, don't you?" Mom said with an impish grin.
"That sounds great," I gave her the thumbs up sign and then looked at Cindy who was looking antsy. "Yes, what would you like to say?"
"We've got our stuff packed and we laid out some clothes for you, but we didn't pack them. Besides, we weren't sure just what else to pack."
"I packed up Dad's stuff. Even his tooth brush," Shannon added with a grin. "And we made sure we packed lots of towels and stuff."
"I'll need a camera, some sketch pads, pencils, and my charcoals," I smiled. "Actually, I'll pack that and my make-up. Want to help?"
Greeted by nodding heads, I found that I had three helpers and I don't think I've ever gotten packed so fast. Then Cindy and Mom started ferrying things out to the trunk of the car, meanwhile Shannon and I quickly checked to make sure we hadn't forgotten any essentials. As we got things done, we worked out a plan to try to get away without drawing attention to Dave and Shannon. Then steeling myself to the possibility of an argument, I went out to talk to Dave.
Dick Fairchild looked at me and smiled as Arlene called me, then he chuckled. "You're being paged."
"I noticed," I sighed as we both stood and turned to go inside.
Arlene instantly took Dick Fairchild aside, but I was busy as well. Emily hugged me, then smiled. "I'm going to take that rented car back now, so have a good trip and remember to enjoy yourself for a while."
"Unh, okay," I managed to say, but she was quickly hugging Shannon, then Cindy, and finally Arlene.
"Daddy, we're all packed and ready to go too," Shannon said as she sidled up beside me, grabbing my hand. "When Mrs. Banks gets into the rented car and Detective Fairchild walks toward his car, we should get into the back seat of Miss Banks' car and sort of hunch down, if we can."
"Hunch down?" I questioned.
"Unh huh. We're supposed to duck down low," she grinned. "Cindy's granny is gonna try to draw a bit of attention to herself and Cindy's mom is asking Detective Fairchild if he can do that too. Cindy, her mom, and her granny are going to walk out to the rented car together, then sort of spread around and do things to draw attention. That way we might have a few seconds when no one is looking our way."
I suppose Arlene saw my frown and she came over to see what was wrong.
"You don't look happy," she said quietly.
"I'm not!" I growled.
"So, do you have a better suggestion?"
"No, it's just that I feel that I need to confront them all some way. I hate the fact that I'm running from them and yet I don't want to give them the satisfaction of actually splashing my picture across the front of the newspaper."
"I don't want to see your picture on display in the news either," Arlene smiled. "However I can't think of any way to get you out of here without them snapping off one or two shots of you. The fact is that I don't like them sticking their nose in my business either."
"Mom?" Cindy interrupted. "Shannon and I have a question."
"Yes, what is it?"
"We just looked at the way the car is parked and the back door of the car lines up with the door into the house."
"So?"
"So, if we opened the door of the house, then the car door, it would hide anyone from the street."
"Well, yes, it would, except for the windows in the car."
"So what if we made it look like we were loading something big into the car. Meanwhile Shannon could slip inside carefully and scrunch down behind the front seat on the passenger's side, then Mr. Gamble could lay across the seat with his legs tucked down behind the driver's seat. We could toss a blanket over them to make it look like the back seat was packed full of stuff."
Arlene looked at me with a question in her eyes and I simply shrugged. At that point, I didn't really care. I just wanted to get out and away. Then to totally screw things up, my cellphone rang.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled it out and answered it. "Hello!"
"Santos here and I'm sorry to disturb you, Dave, but I have to ask you again. How much money did you say Claire had tucked away in her accounts?"
"Unm, I think the detective said over half a million, did you want me to ask him? He's still here."
"Please."
I pulled the phone away from my face and looked at Dick Fairchild. "How much money did you mention was involved?"
"Oh, it was just under a quarter million. Something like a hundred and eighty thousand," he frowned.
"Oops, I told my lawyer it was over half a mil," I sighed, then lifted the phone again. "Jaro, I screwed up, it was only a hundred and eighty thou."
"Well, perhaps that's what the bank books said," Jaro said flatly. "Could I talk to the detective?"
"Sure, after you tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Claire's accounts were all cleared out and closed yesterday," he said flatly. "Someone transferred the money to an account in Hong Kong. The banks were instructed to freeze those accounts by the lawyers, yet someone beat them to it and cleaned out her accounts."
"Is that a big deal?" I frowned. "I mean it doesn't matter to me."
"Well, it does to me. Something illegal is going on," Jaro snapped. "Let me talk to the cop!"
I simply handed the phone to Dick Fairchild and shook my head as he took it and stepped away a few paces.
"What's going on?" Arlene asked quietly.
"It sounds like someone cleared out Claire's bank accounts," I shrugged my shoulders. "I thought that bank accounts were automatically frozen when someone died, but it seems they weren't this time."
"You're taking this awfully calmly."
"Why not? It didn't affect me before. Why should it upset me now? Shannon and I will be just fine without any inheritance from Claire."
Suddenly Dick was handing me my cell phone.
"I have to get going right now," he announced. "This case just became exceptionally strange and I need to get back to the station. I'll see everyone later."
"Keep us posted, please?" Arlene called to his back as he hurried toward the door.
"If I can," he called back, then he was gone.
That left the five of us staring at the open door and the side of the car.
The next few moments were a blur to me. Somehow Arlene and Cindy herded Shannon and me into the back seat of the car while we ducked as low as we could. It was tight and uncomfortable, in fact if Arlene hadn't had the driver's seat so far forward, I would never have been able to fit. After we managed to get inside, they tossed blankets and sleeping bags on top of us and slammed the door closed. Seconds later, we heard them saying their goodbyes to Arlene's mother, then they got into the car and I felt it begin to move.
"Don't say anything," Arlene muttered, then I felt the car stop.
"Just so you know, we're going to be gone for a few days and with Cindy away, there's no reason for Shannon to come around. Of course that means that Mr. Gamble probably won't be here either," she called out the window.
I could hear a man's voice, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.
"Detective Fairchild got a call and had to rush back to the station," Arlene answered him. "And as far as I'm concerned, my sympathies are with Dave Gamble. I hope you never get a picture of him, so if I did know where he was, I'd send you in the other direction."
The guy said something else which made Arlene laugh, then I heard her tell him goodbye and we were on our way again.
"Dave, I hope you're comfortable because you and Shannon are going to have to stay down for a while," Arlene said quietly. "I'm sure they checked out the car and that back seat does look a bit suspicious."
"So why stay hidden if we got away?" I asked.
"Well, if I were one of them, I'd have the license number of this car and if I saw it show up anywhere, I'd check to see if you were around," she chuckled. "So, we're off to meet Noreen at a parking garage."
"Okay, I'll play dumb, why are we meeting Noreen?"
"We're swapping cars with her," Arlene laughed. "Then she's going to go pick up Mom and go back home."
I chuckled and Shannon giggled.
"When did you arrange this?" I asked after a moment.
"Mom did it, while you and Dick were talking to your lawyer," Arlene laughed softly. "And just in case you're interested, we're being followed."
"So what are you going to do about that?"
"Nothing, we're going to park in a multi-level parkade and wave at the camera guys as we head down to a store for a few minutes."
Only a short time later we pulled into a parking garage and went around and around the floors. It actually made me feel queasy as we turned at the end of each level. Finally we slowed to a stop and Cindy giggled as her mom backed into a parking spot.
"We're parked right beside Aunt Noreen's car," She snickered, "and there aren't any more parking spots on this level."
"Okay, Smarty. That's enough," Arlene said as she opened her door. "Noreen is laying back in the front seat of her car and we're going to take the elevator to the bottom floor exit. As soon as we get into the elevator and she sees things are clear, Noreen will tap her horn. It's up to you two to scramble over to her back seat as quickly as you can. Okay?"
"Okay, I guess," I mumbled.
"Look, just dive into the back seat as best you can, and then once we're down on the street we'll sort things out," Arlene laughed. "Oh, there go the news guys, and I don't think they even saw us. That means a change of plans. Cindy, unlatch both our back door and Noreen's, then Shannon and her dad can just slip across."
I heard the door in front of me open and suddenly Shannon was moving. I followed, scrambling as fast as I could and managed to get across, then I heard both doors close behind us.
"Lay still guys," Noreen said quietly from the front seat. "Cindy and Arlene need a few minutes to get downstairs."
"Have you guys done this sort of thing before?" I asked.
"Nope. Oops, be quiet now," she suddenly whispered.
Listening closely I could hear a car drive by, then a moment later another one did. We sat there quietly for several minutes, then I could hear Noreen sit up.
"Okay, we're out of here," she said quietly. "Just a few minutes and you guys should be home free."
"Good," Shannon grunted. "This is really uncomfortable."
"Sorry about that, but this car is a little smaller than Arlene's," Noreen said quietly
"Say, what about all the luggage that's packed in the back of the other car?" Shannon asked.
"Oops, we forgot that. Oh, here come Arlene and Cindy, and they're coming back on the run," Noreen said quietly, then her door opened. "Hi guys, is something wrong?"
"Those idiots drove right out the exit," Arlene laughed. "They must have cruised through the levels without seeing us, so I suppose they thought we just drove in and out again."
"It's a good thing they did. We forgot the luggage in your car."
"Can we get up, please?" I grouched. "I'm getting kinks all over the place and I'm not in the mood for this crap."
For some reason everyone, but Shannon and I thought that was funny. That did it, I didn't care who saw me, I was getting out of that stupid back seat. I managed to reach back and open the door, then I unfolded myself to stand upright and stretch.
"All right, that's it," I growled. "I've had it. Arlene, give me the keys to your car."
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm driving, I've had enough of this shit," I was frowning down at her. "I refuse to hide from anyone anymore. If they want to take my picture, they can, but I'll make sure that they suffer the consequences if they do."
I was astounded to see a touch of a grin on her face as she handed me her keys. Then I turned to the others.
"Shannon and Cindy, get in the back seat of Arlene's car. Noreen, thanks for your help. Arlene, get in the front seat on the passenger side, we're going."
Arlene moved right away and the others took their cue from her. In a minute I was adjusting the driver's seat so I could drive Arlene's car and then we were out of there. Noreen was still standing by her car, staring at us as Arlene and the girls waved goodbye. Instead of heading left as we drove out of the downtown area, I drove off to the right, then back the way we had come.
"Shannon and Cindy, could you keep an eye out behind us to see if we're being followed?" I asked. "In a few minutes we'll hit a spot where anyone behind us will show up clearly."
I knew where we were and roughly where we were going, so I used a few of my favourite cross-town short cuts as I headed for a secondary access to the Island Highway. For once, no one spoke for several minutes and soon we were driving along a road that crossed a long open valley.
"Is anyone following us, Shannon?" I asked as we climbed a grade on the far side of that valley.
"Well, just that pickup truck loaded with bales of hay that you passed a minute ago," she giggled. "I kinda doubt that the news guys would be in that."
"Good enough, you can relax now," I sighed softly. "I'm almost positive that we're clear."
For the next while the only sounds from anyone were coming from Shannon and Cindy as they discussed the scenery, but both Arlene and I were quiet. However, as we drove through a twisty stretch of road in an almost park-like area, Arlene finally spoke.
"So do you have any idea where you're going?" she asked.
"Yep, the Kokisilah river, near Duncan," I said shortly.
"But we need to go up the highway," she protested.
"That's where we're headed," I answered.
"Dad's using one of his shortcuts," Shannon interjected.
Arlene was quiet for a few minutes, but I could see she wanted to say something and I was stubborn enough not to ask her what was wrong. Just about then we came to a section of road that headed steeply downhill. It ran downhill so steeply that it made both Arlene and Cindy gasp. Below us we could see a small river, on the other side of the river was the Island Highway and the bottom end of the Malahat drive.
"That's Goldstream Park," Arlene gasped.
"Yep, we came in the back way."
"But that cuts off miles of traffic," she looked around as if she was surprised.
"Yep, that's why I come that way."
Shannon was giggling in the back seat and Arlene turned to look back at her.
"All right, what's so funny?"
"It's just that Daddy does that to people," Shannon snickered.
"I'm glad we came that way, I thought it was really pretty," Cindy spoke up. "Didn't you think so, Mom?"
"I suppose so, but I thought we were lost," Arlene sighed.
"With Daddy? Naw, never! He has a compass built into his head," Shannon giggled.
When Arlene asked about it, Shannon began to tell stories about being out with me and how I seemed to have a knack for find my way to new places without using a map. Her tales lasted all the way over the Malahat drive and as we approached Millstream, I had to ask Arlene where I would need to turn off.
"We need to buy groceries, so let's hit the Tru-Value store," she answered
I sighed, expecting an hour long wait as I turned off of the highway into the Tru-Value parking lot. To my surprise, half an hour later, we were not only done shopping, but we were driving down a back road past small farms. Not long afterward we came to a gate in a chain link fence, a gate that was held closed with a chain and a lock.
Arlene hopped out to unlock the gate, then carefully closed it behind us as I waited for her. A doe and her fawn bounded across the road in front of us only a few yards inside the gate, so I took my time and drove very slowly as we coasted down a narrow tree lined drive for a few hundred yards.
"There are almost twenty acres of trees and bush here, and another twenty acres of grassy meadowland," Arlene said quietly as we drove slowly forward. "If you like fishing, the Kokisilah runs across the bottom end of the land, so you can catch trout almost any time of the year and there's a salmon run every fall."
I finally felt relaxed and I smiled. "I think I'm going to like this place."
"I love it here," Arlene sighed. "Unfortunately I think Uncle Charlie is going to have to sell out. The taxes are starting to get too steep for him, since the only profit he earns is from the crop of hay he cuts from the meadow once a year."
Just then we entered a clearing and I saw the cabin for the first time. Made of logs, that cabin looked as if it had been there for a century. It fit the scene perfectly, the silvered wood of the old cedar logs and the shakes on the roof almost made the cabin blend into the forest background, yet the flowers growing in front of the long front porch showed that the whole place was carefully maintained.
"Wow!" Shannon sighed. "This is it?"
"Unh huh," Cindy answered. "Pretty isn't it?"
"And how!" Shannon enthused.
I pulled to a stop not far from the front step and we all got out of the car.
"We'll empty our things from the car in a short while. I want to show you around a little bit first," Arlene grabbed my hand and guided me to the steps leading up to the covered front deck.
Then we crossed that front deck and she opened the door.
That cabin was great.
First off, the walls were all varnished logs and the floor was varnished wood with oriental style rugs scattered around. One end of the main room had several overstuffed chairs, a love seat and a huge coffee table made from a tree burl. As well there was a tall bookshelf that was crammed with books and boxes of games, then there was a big old chest under one of the windows. The end wall was dominated by a huge stone fireplace, but squeezed into the remaining space was a single door, which stood partway open, hinting that there was at least one other room beyond that wall.
At the other end of the main room there was an old wood-burning kitchen range, a refrigerator that looked fifty years old, and a free standing enamelled cast-iron sink under a small window that faced toward the meadow. Two old farm-style cupboards, with curtains instead of doors, flanked the sink, then an old wooden table and several mismatched chairs filled out the rest of the kitchen area.
"There's a bathroom and a small bedroom through that doorway," Arlene pointed toward an opening leading off of the kitchen area. "And up that ladder beside the back door there's a loft that's been set up as another bedroom."
She turned and pointed at the last doorway, the one near the fireplace. "The master bedroom is back there and . . ."
"Can Shannon and I sleep in the loft tonight, please Mom?" Cindy interrupted.
"Mmm, I guess," Arlene smiled at her. "First of all, let's empty the stuff out of the car though, okay?"
So for the next few minutes we hauled things inside. For some reason it seemed that I was designated as the kitchen help and I spent most of my time putting food away while the others carried in the bags, boxes and other things. I was thinking about making a pot of coffee when Arlene came and snuggled against me, then suddenly the girls were standing and grinning at us.
"Why don't you take Shannon outside and show her around the place and . . ." Arlene started to say.
"Great, but it'll take a while to show her everything," Cindy crowed.
"Alright, don't go down too close to the river though, because it's probably still running fast and that's dangerous," Arlene warned.
"Unh uh, we won't. I promise," Cindy grabbed Shannon's hand and they wheeled to hurry out the door.
"There, that's better. We're going to be alone for a while. They'll be gone for at least an hour," Arlene grinned at me, then shifted so she was facing me. "Which means that we might have time . . . And I have a fantasy you could fulfill."
"What's that?" I grinned at her as I scooped her into my arms and lifted her body upward to kiss her lightly, then tilted my head back to look into her eyes.
"See that doorway in the far wall, beside the fireplace?"
"Yeah."
"Well, through that door is the master bedroom with a huge bed."
"And?"
"Well, since I was a little girl, I've wanted a man to carry me through that door, then make love to me in that big bed," she whispered.
A moment later we were laying on the bed and she was giggling like a school girl as I peeled off the blouse she was wearing.
"Hey, what's the rush?" she managed to say, even though her fingers were flying as she undid the buttons of my shirt and the fly of my pants.
"We got disturbed this morning and I want a bit of nookie," I growled.
Then I couldn't speak, since I was too busy suckling a soft breast and making a nipple swell and harden. Still, we were both so aroused that it wasn't long before we were both nude and I was starting to kiss my way down her body. She grabbed my shoulders and yanked me back upward.
"No," she growled. "I want you inside me, deep inside me. And I want you now, not later."
What man could resist that request? I didn't even try. Instead I covered her smaller body with mine and I did my best to grant her wish. She felt so wonderful that I almost forgot the fact that we'd only made love once before and that she'd had some trouble taking my size then.
Fortunately I did remember, but I'm not sure I needed to worry about it, she was wild and demanding, and because of that I was a lot more energetic than the night before. It felt fantastic. I'd never been with a woman who had been so wanton, so willing, so wonderful.
That afternoon our tryst seemed to start out wonderfully and it just seemed to improve exponentially, until I was moving along with her in sheer delight. She matched my motions and improved on them, while I seemed to be able to read her desires and fulfill them to her joyous elation. Like fireworks, our desires rose, heightened, surmounted themselves and then suddenly in an explosion that engulfed us both, they burst forth into a wonderful satiation that enveloped us in complete satisfaction.
I remember shifting so I wouldn't crush her under me while still holding her close. Then I recall her whispering something, but I was suddenly enervated and exhausted. I fell into a doze and simply hugged her body to mine, wanting her near. She seemed to realize what I needed and she snuggled tightly, her body melding itself against mine.
For the first time in several days, I felt both comfortable and completely safe.