"So you are not considered a suspect?"

"No, not according to my lawyer. I have washed my hands of the whole thing, by coming forward to tell what I know."

"That's great, Mom! So what is the deal with Penelope? Are they going to charge her with murder?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard. I intend to watch the evening news to see what they say. The noon news said there had been some new leads in the case, but didn't give any details."

"So you did okay without calling Dad. Did he ever call you back?"

"No, not yet. He is going to be in so much trouble when he does, though! Here I was, needing to talk to him, and he hasn't returned my call yet! I know he got word to call me, because I left the message with his mother."

"Maybe he's been just too busy."

"He's going to think too busy, when I finally get to talk to him!"

"I bet he will be proud of you, for handling this whole thing without him."

"Maybe. But about that, Rebecca, we need to talk. You and I are the only ones who know about this. Even the boys don't know. So let's not tell your father, Okay?"

"Why?"

"Because he will fuss at me for getting involved with Penelope again, after he plainly told me not to. I would just rather that he not know about it at all."

But little did Janice know that this was not over. As they spoke, Penelope was being intensely questioned in the Sheriff's office, and she was singing like a canary. Her story did not quite match up with the story that Janice had told earlier. In Penelope's version, this whole thing was Janice's idea. Which meant that Janice would soon be getting a visit from Sheriff Smitherman's Deputies.

33.

Across the Great Pond, Travis was enduring the last two hours of his book signing in Manchester, and was literally watching the clock. At 9:45 they announced that the store was closing, and the line was being cut off where it presently stood. Finally I will get out of here, Travis thought. He was seriously considering telling Angel that the rest of the book signings were off. He was supposed to be on vacation, and so far, it had not been much fun, because the signings required so much time. Or if he did the remaining book signings, that they were to limit them to two hours only.

Angel Bagley stood behind him as he signed the last few books, and thanked the customers for coming. "Well, Travis, I know this was a long and tiring ordeal for you, but now it is over."

"Thank G.o.d!"

"And since there are no signings scheduled for tomorrow, you have a whole day free to spend on your vacation. Or, I can suggest another option."

"What's that?"

"You can call your group leader at the hotel in London, and tell him that we have decided to do a signing in Salisbury for tomorrow morning. That way, we don't have to be back in London until tomorrow night."

"Oh no! I plan to rest tomorrow, and not so much as pick up a pen, thank you very much!"

"Travis, you silly man! Let's finish up here, and I will explain in the car."

Travis suspected that she was cooking up a devious plan, but he was too tired to care. They finished their business with Mr. Dempsey, and the store owner, and headed out to her Mercedes. As he got into the pa.s.senger side (which would have been the driver's side back home), she laid out her plan.

"Travis, I have access to a friend's country cottage on the outskirts of Salisbury. Instead of making the long, tiring drive back to London tonight, how about stopping in Salisbury for the night?"

"No."

"But it is already past 10:30. By the time we reach London, it will be almost one in the morning. By calling your hotel, and telling them you have another book signing for tomorrow, no one will be expecting you back before tomorrow night."

"No. No more signings, other than the ones already scheduled!"

"Silly man! You are not being asked to do a signing in Salisbury! That is just a clever little excuse we will use to spend the night, and half the day tomorrow in Salisbury, in each other's arms!"

"No."

"No one will ever know the truth, unless we tell, and I will certainly not tell!"

"No, Angel!"

"It is an absolutely fool-proof plan! No one will ever know! We can enjoy a hot romantic night, then cool of in the private pool, and then romance again in the morning, as the sun is rising across the meadow!"

"I don't mind getting back to London at 1 am, or even 2."

"Travis, be practical! There is no reason not to take advantage of such an opportunity! I a.s.sure you that no one will ever know about it!"

"No."

"Do you not want to at least see my spectacular naked body stretched out on soft satin sheets, inviting you to come and make pa.s.sionate love to me? And not just once, but all night long? I dare say, that you cannot possibly outlast me in such an endeavor!"

"I'm not even going to try!"

"Could that be because you are not capable of such a thing? Could it be that you are less of a man than I took you for?"

"I don't care what you took me for!"

"I'll wager that you are either gay, or impotent, or probably both, if you don't want to at least see what I have to offer!"

"I'm sure what you have to offer is sufficient."

"Sufficient?"

"Yes, you will probably do, in a pinch, but I doubt it's worth me jeopardizing my marriage."

"Why, I have you know, Mr. Lee, that I have received the highest compliments from all my s.e.xual partners. Without exception, they all say I am the best they have ever had!"

"I also remember you saying that you cull none. Some of those 'culls' are probably used to intercourse with goats and sheep, so the 'best they ever had' might not being saying a whole lot!"

"Are you saying that I am a cheap wh.o.r.e?"

"I think you told me that, in so many words! A woman who brags about the men she has screwed, can hardly be considered anything else!"

"Well! I can see where this is going! I attack your manhood, and you, in retaliation, attack my womanly morals, as though yours are any better! Such a childish game! I have never met a grown man who is so childish!"

"And you are a spoiled little brat! Your Dad gave you everything you ever wanted, regardless of whether you needed it, and now you think you are ent.i.tled to have everything you want, just by snapping your fingers!"

"That is correct! I always get what I want, whether it is an expensive porcelain doll, or a hot, sweaty man-toy, I always get what I want!"

They glared at one another in the darkness, their eyes shining in the dim glow of a street light. She put her hand on the seat between she and Travis, and leaned over toward him.

"Kiss me, you naughty man!"

He gave her a peck of a kiss on her lips, them withdrew, leaving her disappointed.

"Now start your engine, and get this car headed toward London."

"Salisbury is on the way to London, my love"

"It may be, but we are going to London, my love!"

"Are you sure? I detect a bit of hesitation in your voice."

"We are going to London."

"We need to stop in Salisbury to rest for the night, before going on to London."

"If we stop in Salisbury, I don't think it will be to rest!"

"But it makes a good excuse. You had a long, long day, so we stopped in Salisbury to rest! That makes sense! No one has to know that we are resting in each other's arms!"

"Because we won't be!"

"Oh, so now you are conceding that we will be stopping in Salisbury? Do I detect a weakness in your armor?"

"I just said if we stop there! I in no way implied that we would be! I can sleep in this seat just fine, while you drive."

Angel had started the car and turned down a back alley and reached the main street through town. As she turned east and gained speed, she said, "I am not even supposed to be driving at night, you know! I have a restriction on my driver's license that limits me to daylight driving only. At night, bright lights cause my eyes to blur!" As though to ill.u.s.trate this point, a pa.s.sing car blared its horn in pa.s.sing, because she had come over the line on him. "See what I mean?"

"You're just acting like you can't see."

"I am not!"

"Then pull it over, and I'll drive!"

"Do you have a UK driver's license?"

"No, but I have an Alabama license, that's got to be just as good!"

"Oh, do you drive on the left side of the road in Alabama as well?"

"No, but everything else should be the same!"

"Not hardly! You would be arrested if you were caught trying to drive without a UK license! And my main job is to look after you, and if possible, keep you out of jail! So I cannot let you drive, my love!"

Another car horn blared, as she eased over the line on them as well. She jerked the car back in time to avoid loosing a side mirror.

"That was close! You are doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

"On purpose? Why in G.o.d's Name would I risk certain death, by intentionally swerving into the next lane? No, I am doing the best I can! Bright headlights disorient me, and cause me to veer off, sometimes crossing into their path. I really should not attempt to drive at night, but you insist on pushing forward to London tonight, then that is what we will do!"

"Why did you come to drive me back to London, knowing that you couldn't drive at night?"

"The book signing was originally supposed to end at 6:00. From 6:00 until 8:00 there is sufficient light to drive by. By exceeding the posted limits, which I am notorious for doing, I could have had you back in London by sundown. But then Mr. Dempsey authorized the signing to go on until 10 p.m., and that ended my plan of getting you back to London before darkness fell."

"So that was when you decided to make it back as far as Salisbury?"

"Yes, I don't know anyone with accommodations in Manchester, so we must make it to Salisbury, which is not but 30 minutes from Manchester, if traffic is light."

Another car approached on the narrow country road, and Travis held his breath. "Veer away from the light, Angel! Veer away! A little more!" They pa.s.sed the car okay, but in veering away, she veered too far, and hit the shoulder of the road, throwing gravel and narrowly missing a road sign.

"What was that? A pedestrian?"

"No, it was a road sign."

"As long as I missed it, we are doing fine."

"Yeah, at least this time. Are you sure you don't want me to drive?"

"If anyone damages my car, it will be me!"

"I'm not worried about your car! I'm worried about us! Why don't you at least slow down? You don't have to drive the speed limit. Instead of taking 30 minutes to get to Salisbury, slow down a little. I don't mind it taking 45 minutes, as long as we get there in one piece!"

"I drive the way I drive!"

"We will spend the night in Salisbury, but only if you pull over and let me drive!"

In the darkness, Angel smiled. "But if the police should stop us, you would be arrested!"

"I've been arrested before."

"Whatever for?"

"Just over a month ago, I was arrested twice in Canada. Once for public intoxication, and once on suspicion of murder."

"Murder! Who did you supposedly kill?"

"A hard-headed woman who wouldn't pull over and let me drive!"

Her mouth fell open.