{"id":6508,"date":"2014-05-04T12:10:42","date_gmt":"2014-05-04T16:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6508"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:18:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:18:28","slug":"one-step-closer-two-hearts-broken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6508","title":{"rendered":"One Step Closer #3 – Two Hearts Broken (by MissJudy)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary<\/strong>:\u00a0Adam is back in Boston after a 12 year absence. His career has taken off in a prestigious engineering firm; he\u2019s happily married to his college sweetheart, and he\u2019ll be a featured performer at an upcoming choral production. But the life he\u2019s made is destroyed in three weeks after a beautiful stranger hires him to build a wine cellar. He loses his job; his wife thinks he\u2019s having an affair with the stranger, and he\u2019s forced to participate in a federal crime, knowing that he won\u2019t live through it, but hopes to stay alive long enough to protect the people he loves.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a028,000<\/p>\n

One Step Closer Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Love’s Sake Only
\n<\/a>Til Death Do Us Part
\n<\/a>Two Hearts Broken
\n<\/a>In Search of Safety
\n<\/a>From Two to Three
\n<\/a>Changes in Fate<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author’s Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little recap of how Adam and Melinda ended up together and some of the people they know in Boston. Reading this is not necessary to figure out the story though and you can bypass it. This synopsis reviews information from two previous stories,\u00a0One Step Closer and One Step Closer, Til Death do us Part.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam met a young woman named Melinda when he fell out of a tree at Abel\u2019s while he was in Boston for college. The youngsters felt they were in love and wanted to marry when Adam finished school, but he felt he should go back home for a while and Melinda wanted to attend college in the East. Their frequent letters written to each other failed to arrive and each thought the other had gone their own way.<\/em><\/p>\n

While Adam was engaged, he went to Sacramento (the episode where he misses his own engagement party because he was held up by bad weather.) Melinda was in Sacramento promoting the teaching method she\u2019d designed to help teachers in outlying areas or where there were students who weren\u2019t used to traditional schooling. Adam and Melinda met outside the jewelry store where Adam was picking out the wedding ring for Laura.<\/em><\/p>\n

After spending a few hours together, it became clear that they\u2019d both remained in love and even though they\u2019d tried to move on, there was always something missing. Adam didn\u2019t feel he could break his engagement and headed home to marry Laura while Melinda headed back to Boston, hoping that someday they might still be together.<\/em><\/p>\n

Returning home, Adam began to observe his relationship with Laura, always comparing her to Melinda, and realized that neither of them would be happy in a marriage to each other. As things worked out, he was freed from his obligation with Laura, and after another year of struggling to fit into his life in Nevada, he headed back to Boston and reunited with Melinda.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shortly before their wedding, a brother-in-law used Melinda as collateral for a gambling debt, figuring her rich fianc\u00e9e could pay the tab for him. Ben was visiting Boston at the time and helped Adam find her.<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam met his roommate\u2019s family when he was in school, and they were so taken with the young Cartwright that they\u2019d made him one of their own. Frank and Marian Wadsworth are old money in Boston and own the most prestigious engineering firm in the state. Frank hired Adam when he returned and he, along with his security man, Les worked with Ben and Adam when Melinda was kidnapped.<\/em><\/p>\n

The man responsible for the kidnapping was Louis Castelletti, a Sicilian \u201cbusinessman\u201d who owned several gambling establishments and brothels that he staffed with the wives and girlfriends of those who owed money from gambling. One of those women was named Maxi. She had given up on life, but when Melinda was brought to her brothel to await the ransom, she got to know her and was so taken by her love story with Adam that she decided there was more to life than what she had.<\/em><\/p>\n

The kidnapping had left Adam miserable and wondering if his life would ever be normal. But with help from those who loved him, he was able to enter into his marriage with an open and thankful heart.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two Broken Hearts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Part 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Great Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n

One – Lessons from the Woods<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re lost!\u201d Melinda pointed to the object of her frustration.<\/strong> \u201cWe\u2019ve passed this same tree at least three times now. I know it\u2019s the same one, because it\u2019s got some sort of knotty growth coming out the side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda and Adam Cartwright had taken a buggy ride a few miles outside Boston to find the perfect picnic spot. Their jobs and life kept them busy and surrounded by people all week, so Adam had suggested they go somewhere that no one would find them for a couple of hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not lost.\u201d Adam put an arm around his wife\u2019s shoulder and pulled her close. \u201cThere\u2019s lot of trees that have similar shapes, but I guarantee it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve come upon this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pulled away as she let her lips fall into a pout. \u201cI\u2019m a city girl. What do I know about finding my way through a forest? I just wanted a spring picnic; you suggested that we find some secluded meadow by a stream to have it. But we\u2019ve been walking for hours and I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019re lost. You just won\u2019t admit it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re exaggerating, my love.\u201d He set their picnic basket down and pulled her near again, kissing the top of her head. \u201cWe\u2019ve been walking for ten minutes at the most. You love to walk at home. Sometimes we\u2019re out for hours and you don\u2019t complain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda wrapped her arms around Adam\u2019s waist and laid her head on his chest. \u201cAt home I know where I\u2019m going and how to get back. I can\u2019t see where we\u2019re headed here. Everything looks the same and the path seems to go in circles. I\u2019m uneasy, so it probably seems like we\u2019ve been walking longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cC\u2019mon.\u201d He took her hand and led her along the deer path they\u2019d been following for no more than another 100 feet where they broke free of the woods into a small lea bordered by a pool created in the turn of a meandering creek. Adam pointed toward the clearing and proclaimed, \u201cTada!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should have known that you had it all figured out.\u201d She saluted him. \u201cI keep forgetting that you\u2019re an expert in these sorts of things. There\u2019s so much of your life that I don\u2019t know about, Adam. I think we\u2019ll have to visit the Ponderosa soon so I can see how you lived during the years we were apart.\u201d After kissing his cheek she walked away to find the best place to lay their blankets.<\/p>\n

They had their lunch while listening to gurgle of the stream and the sounds of the woods. At first she tensed at every rustle or croak, receiving her husband\u2019s head shaking and chuckling for each terrified look or shiver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is nothing, honey.\u201d He tried to sound encouraging. \u201cHere it\u2019s just toads and gnats, and a few harmless critters off in the woods. Out west we had mountain lions and coyotes.\u201d Adam laughed as he thought back to his days sleeping around campfires under the stars. \u201cIt was always interesting to wake out of a dead sleep because a yapping coyote pack was celebrating a kill. Even better was to be walking in a canyon and hear the yowl of a cougar echoing from the outcropping just over your shoulder. Those were sounds that could make the bravest man\u2019s stomach\u2026and other body parts clench.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you ever get used to it?\u201d she asked as her eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Well, maybe not used to it, but over time you learn to distinguish whether it was just noise or meant danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYet you\u2019ve told me how much loved those times out in the wild. I don\u2019t understand how you could love something that had so much unknown danger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam put the remnants of their lunch back into the basket and then scooted next to his wife, wrapping her in his arms. \u201cThere\u2019s unknown threat everywhere when you think about it. Some dangerous things have fur, teeth and claws, while other dangerous things can look pretty ordinary\u2014like people. In the end they can both do a lot of damage if you aren\u2019t careful. If you\u2019re smart and stay out of its way, an animal will usually keep its distance. What you can\u2019t predict or control is what a person will do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being pretty philosophical, my dear. I like it.\u201d She reached up to stroke his cheek and smiled wickedly. \u201cI bet I can predict what you\u2019d do if given the right encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yeah? What sort of encouragement are you speaking of?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re alone out here, we have two perfectly fine blankets and I\u2019m getting warm and sleepy.\u201d She fanned herself with her hand. \u201cAren\u2019t you a little warm and sleepy too?\u201d<\/p>\n

His smile grew as he kicked off his boots. \u201cI am in fact very warm. Perhaps we could shed a bit of clothing and wade in the stream? It\u2019s too cold to swim yet, but sticking our feet in would be refreshing. If anything gets wet, it will dry quickly enough and while it does, we might take a nap wrapped up in our perfectly fine blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes rolled as she sighed. \u201cIf that\u2019s as creative as you can be, then I predict that a toe-dip and a nap are all you shall have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam winked as he took Melinda\u2019s foot to remove her shoe. His eyebrows rose and he grinned wickedly when he reached under her petticoats to caress her leg as he rolled her stocking down. \u201cPerhaps I forgot to mention what I intend to do between the wading and the nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

They awoke a few hours later as the arcing son left them shaded and chilly. Adam brushed back some wayward wisps of hair that had fallen onto Melinda\u2019s face and raised her chin to kiss her. \u201cWe should get going before the sun starts to set.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so,\u201d she said, snuggling in closer and finding a comfortable spot on his shoulder to nestle.<\/p>\n

He stroked her cheek as he said, \u201cAs long as we\u2019re not moving just yet, I\u2019d like to ask a question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda raised her head wondering why her husband\u2019s tone seemed uneasy. \u201cIs something bothering you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not bothering me. It\u2019s more that I\u2019m wondering…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, out with it,\u201d she teased. \u201cYou won\u2019t get the answer until you actually ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026well\u2026I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay it, Adam. You never stammer, so that fact that you are is making me think this is something awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d He took a deep breath. \u201cIs it possible that you\u2019re expecting a child?\u201d<\/p>\n

She bolted to a sitting position. \u201cDo you think I\u2019m getting fat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes formed distinct circles as his brows retreated toward his hairline. \u201cI ask if you might be carrying a child and you\u2019re first worry is that I think you\u2019re gaining weight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I?\u201d she asked as she struggled to control her tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you aren\u2019t. You\u2019re as beautiful and slim as you\u2019ve always been. It\u2019s just that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat what?\u201d she asked while eyeing him warily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026we\u2019ve been married for almost ten months. In that time, we\u2019ve been\u2026ah\u2026together<\/em>\u00a0every night except for a few days some months back\u2026and\u2026I\u2026ah\u2026was wondering if that might mean you\u2019re expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh!\u201d Melinda\u2019s mouth gaped as she thought through what he had said. \u201cOh my, I hadn\u2019t considered that. I suppose it\u2019s possible, but I\u2019m not like most women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh? What do you mean by that?\u201d Adam returned her wary look with a questioning one.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d she was stammering now, \u201cah\u2026biblically, like in Leviticus\u2026or maybe medically would describe it better. There\u2019s always been long gaps between\u2026you know\u2026so I didn\u2019t think about the fact that it might indicate something different\u2026something important now that I\u2019m married.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s, \u201cOh, I see,\u201d held a man\u2019s bewilderment over such topics. \u201cAt least I think I do. Maybe you should go see Sam and find out what he has to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lay back down next to him. \u201cWow. I consider myself to be a smart woman so imagine how foolish I feel right now for not considering that I could be\u2026\u201d Her eyes were bright as she looked up at her husband. \u201cIt would be wonderful if it was true.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hugged her tightly, \u201cYes it would be.\u201d They held each other for a little longer before Adam declared that it was time to go. \u201cC\u2019mon, love, I\u2019ll have no trouble finding the way back in daylight, but it gets harder at dusk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure you know the way?\u201d she asked as they donned their foot apparel. \u201cMaybe we should have left a trail of bread crumbs like in\u00a0Hansel and Gretel<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s laugh echoed in the quiet glade. \u201cYou know what happened to that trail. I could have run a string if I\u2019d known you had concerns.\u201d He folded the blankets and picked up the basket as he led Melinda toward the woods. \u201cYou\u2019ll just have to trust me. I know what I\u2019m doing and I won\u2019t let you come to harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

She tugged at his arm until he stopped. \u201cI do trust you in every way. But it\u2019s like you said earlier; it\u2019s what\u2019s out there that I don\u2019t know about that frightens me.\u201d She chuckled tightly. \u201cThere aren\u2019t coyotes in this part of the country, are there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah,\u201d he said, taking her hand while turning away to grin. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about coyotes\u2026it\u2019s the bears you have to watch for around here.<\/p>\n

Two – The Doctors are In<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melinda left work early on Monday to stop by Massachusetts General. Samuel Green, M.D., had cared for both her and Adam following a kidnapping that occurred just prior to their wedding, and they\u2019d formed a strong friendship with him since then. He\u2019d also become their personal physician.<\/p>\n

Dr. Green rose from his desk as she was led into his office. \u201cI was told that you were here to make an appointment, Melinda, but the nurse said she thought you seemed ill-at-ease so I had her squeeze you in.\u201d The change in his voice indicated his concern. \u201cAre you ill?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, Sam,\u201d she reassured, \u201cit\u2019s just that Adam brought something up that I had to admit I wasn\u2019t sure about.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled gently as he teased, \u201cNow what are you and Adam questioning? You two seem pretty sure about\u00a0everything<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked down at her hands as they twisted at the fabric of her dress. \u201cAdam asked me if I was expecting.\u201d She raised her eyes to meet his, \u201cAnd I honestly didn\u2019t have an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam nodded. \u201cI understand. Most women aren\u2019t sure the first time, and in your case it could be even harder to know. I\u2019m assuming that your monthly times are still irregular?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd the last one was\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver three months back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Green took a more detailed history and then suggested, \u201cI\u2019m going to have another doctor do your examination, Melinda. He\u2019s a specialist in this field and since you have a few factors that might make a pregnancy a little more difficult, I think it best to consult him right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam was working through a complicated set of chords on his guitar. He\u2019d come home to an empty house and had used the time alone to practice the fingering for an upcoming concert with the Boston Symphonic Choir. It would be his second performance since being accepted into the group a year ago when he\u2019d moved to Boston from Nevada, and this time they were doing a variety of folksongs. When the director had announced the theme he\u2019d also asked for volunteers who played the guitar to accompany the choir, feeling this would complement the songs better than a traditional orchestra. \u00a0Adam hadn\u2019t been sure that his skill level would be adequate, but after an audition and competitions between several hopefuls, Adam had been chosen along with four others.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d taught himself to play guitar when he\u2019d returned home after college and ordered his first instrument from New York. He\u2019d become a competent player, but he\u2019d gotten a little rusty since the height of his home-schooling efforts.\u00a0 Now that he was practicing again, he was able to keep up with the other guitarists chosen, and the numbers were coming together nicely. He enjoyed this sort of music since it reminded him of picking and singing with friends back home. The preparation was \u201ceasy\u201d when contrasted with the long hours of vocal strengthening he\u2019d had to do after he\u2019d been made a soloist for the difficult Mozart Requiem at the previous concert. This time his fingers were getting the workout instead of his voice.<\/p>\n

He looked up as he heard the front door open and smiled to greet his wife. He suspected what had made her late and those suspicions were strengthened as he realized that her cheeks held the color and dewiness of recently shed tears. Since those tears did not seem to be accompanied by a look of joy, he also assumed the import of news she\u2019d received. He wanted to run and put his arms around her, but something in the way she stood: her chin and shoulders raised with as much dignity as she could muster let him understand that she was not ready to be consoled or even to give voice to her thoughts just yet. He said only, \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re home. I missed you singing along with my fumbling attempts to play these songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawing a deep breath, she forced a smile and said, \u201cI heard you from outside and thought you sounded good. In fact you\u2019ve mastered the one you were working on.\u201d Her smile returned to the haunted look she\u2019d had when she\u2019d entered.<\/p>\n

A chuckle accompanied his reply. \u201cI thank you for the encouragement, my love, but you didn\u2019t hear the whole thing. I\u2019m afraid your assessment of my mastery is premature.\u201d He waited for her to say more. Instead, she removed her hat and walked to the table, flipped through the correspondence he\u2019d set there earlier, and finally sat down, letting her arms drop to her sides. Sensing that she was ready to talk, he moved quickly to kneel beside her and took her hands in his, gently prodding, \u201cWere you able to see Sam today?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded while offering nothing further.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her answer was given in a barely-visible shake of her head from left to right.<\/p>\n

He drew her close. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Melinda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears began to journey down her cheeks like the first trickle of rain moving down a parched hillside. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t grieve losing what wasn\u2019t there to begin with, but I feel so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t have brought it up. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.<\/p>\n

Resting her forehead on his, she said softly, \u201cDon\u2019t apologize. The fact that I\u2019m sad doesn\u2019t mean that it was a bad question. It was important to learn what I did today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you able to tell me about it?\u201d He pulled a chair close and sat knee to knee as he took her hands again.<\/p>\n

\u201cSam had me see Dr. Schmidt, an obstetrician\u2026a doctor who takes care of women who are having babies. He explained that while all doctors are trained to deliver babies, he\u2019s one of a few now who specialize in the process of having them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t heard about that, but it would seem a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither Sam nor Dr. Schmidt feels that it will become a thriving specialty in medicine, yet they think it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Easing her back to his concerns, he urged, \u201cWhat did he have to say about you?\u201d<\/p>\n

After a deep sigh, Melinda explained, \u201cFirst of all, he said I\u2019m not expecting\u2026at least there\u2019s no indication of it at this time. But there\u2019s good news too. Both doctors feel that there\u2019s no reason that we can\u2019t have children.\u201d She smiled as she remembered part of her conversation with the medical men. \u201cSam said to explain it to you in words you\u2019d understand. He said that statistically we are as able to conceive a child as any other married couple. Our opportunities may come less frequently, but the odds of conceiving a child when all parts of the equation are correct, are good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded and chuckled. \u201cThat makes sense. Did they say anything else?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s smile retreated again. \u201cDr. Schmidt said that most women start having children before they\u2019re 20 and the fact that I\u2019m already 34 might mean a more difficult time of it. Yet he was optimistic that all would go well. He\u2019ll watch me very carefully when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She placed her cheek against Adam\u2019s and wrapped her arms around his neck as she completed her story. \u201cSam took me aside before I left and said that if being in love was all it took, we should have a house full of kids. In the meantime, he said we should just keep doing what we have been and relax about becoming parents. His thinks that the more tense a couple gets about not having children, the more likely it becomes that they won\u2019t have them. He can\u2019t prove it scientifically, but it seems to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can see that. Being unduly nervous can be a detriment in most things.\u201d Adam pulled his wife onto his lap and sighed just as Melinda had done earlier. He found that he was experiencing the same sadness that she had described, yet was satisfied that life would have to run its course like always. \u201cDid they tell you what to look for\u2026I mean are there things that would give us a clue when it does happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Schmidt said that I would probably feel sick-to-my-stomach on a regular basis, but that doesn\u2019t always happen either. Eventually I\u2019ll notice changes in my body.\u201d Her tears began in earnest as she covered her face with her hands. \u201cI\u2019m sorry Adam. I know you want children. It never occurred to me that this \u2018condition\u2019 I\u2019ve had all my life would mean that we might not have them. You must be so disappointed in me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t even think such a thing!\u201d He turned her face and made her look at him. \u201cI married you because I couldn\u2019t live without you. Our children will come when they\u2019re supposed to. It will happen, Melinda.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held her until her tears stopped and she was able to smile weakly again before he asked, \u201cAre you hungry? I imagine Abel and Sadie are waiting on us for dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda had inherited the house next to Abel\u2019s from her aunt several years back, and she and Adam had lived there since their marriage. Around the time of the Cartwright wedding, Abel had surprised everyone by announcing his intention to marry his long-time housekeeper, Sadie McIntyre. Since Ben Cartwright had been in Boston for his son\u2019s wedding, the older couple had said their \u201cI dos\u201d a few days after Adam and Melinda so he could attend before heading home. The arrangement with the two generations of newlyweds being in close proximity had worked well in the months since their marriages. With both Adam and Melinda at their jobs all day, they joined the Stoddards for dinner on weeknights, and they reciprocated by hosting the meals at their home on the weekends.<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s brow wrinkled in concern. \u201cDo you think they\u2019d mind if we didn\u2019t go over tonight? They\u2019re wise enough to sense that something isn\u2019t right. I know they won\u2019t pry, but I don\u2019t want them to worry either.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had her stand, and then rose and replaced his chair at the table. \u201cI\u2019ll run over and tell them that we won\u2019t be coming. Then we\u2019ll make something here and have a quiet evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Adam returned from Abel\u2019s, Melinda had changed into a house dress and was reading a letter that had arrived with the day\u2019s post. She looked up as she heard the squeak of the back door hinges and saw that he was carrying a tray draped with a large cotton towel. \u201cLooks like we won\u2019t have to cook after all,\u201d she said appreciatively while inhaling the aroma that had entered along with her husband. \u201cIf my nose is working right, that\u2019s Sadie\u2019s fried chicken. I wasn\u2019t hungry before, but one whiff of that and my mouth is watering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed, \u201cHow do you think I felt carrying this over from their house. I almost had to stop at the bench in our yard and dig in.\u201d He noticed which letter she was holding as he set the tray on the table. \u201cDid you read the letter from my father?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d Melinda smiled as she pointed to a section of Ben\u2019s scrawl. \u201cThis story about your brothers was funny. Is Little Joe always able to get Hoss to do whatever he wants him to?\u201d<\/p>\n

Returning from the kitchen with silverware and glasses, Adam chuckled, \u201cPretty much. Hoss will always resist at first but he usually yields to Little Joe\u2019s way of thinking. This time Hoss just ended up with poison ivy in some very uncomfortable places for his efforts. That\u2019s not too bad when compared with some of the other predicaments he\u2019s gotten into at Joe\u2019s urging.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I get to meet those two soon.\u201d Melinda drew in a deep breath as she lifted the cloth from the tray and set out the plates of food. \u201cMmm. This does smell wonderful. Do you think Abel and Sadie were disappointed that we didn\u2019t go over?\u201d<\/p>\n

Surveying the table, Adam realized they still needed napkins and the water pitcher and went back for those before sitting down next to Melinda. \u201cYou do realize that Abel is always one step ahead of us. When I got there, he was slipping on his jacket to come over here and suggest that they send dinner over for us tonight.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dDo they have plans for the evening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Grandfather said he\u2019d been looking out the window when the cab dropped you off. He realized that you\u2019d gotten home later than usual and thought you looked spent. He suspected we\u2019d appreciate a quiet night in our own house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda reached over to touch Adam\u2019s arm. \u201cYour grandfather is a wise man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple dug into the mashed potatoes, green beans and chicken with gusto while saying little more than, \u201cplease pass the salt\u201d and exchanging a wing for a drumstick. When she could eat no more, Melinda leaned back against her chair and sighed. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like a good meal to raise a person\u2019s spirits.\u201d Adam\u2019s agreement was given in a satisfied grunt and nod as he chewed.<\/p>\n

While her husband continued to eat, she closed her eyes and replayed the events of the past few days. Her conclusions made her sit forward again as she turned to face Adam. \u201cI think it best if we just go on doing as we have been like Sam said, and I\u2019ll let you know when I think there might be news about any Cartwright offspring. If I keep thinking about it, I\u2019ll constantly be holding my breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled and said, \u201cThat sounds like the best plan,\u201d before inserting the last forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.<\/p>\n

Melinda eyed him oddly as her head tipped, and she finally remarked, \u201cI still can\u2019t believe I hadn\u2019t realized that ordinary occurrences before we were married might not be asordinary<\/em>\u00a0anymore. What made you ask about it? I didn\u2019t think men paid much attention to such things.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a swig of water he was able to say, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have asked about it except that Frank and I were talking the other day.\u201d He bit off a piece of thigh meat and began chewing as he looked at his wife. He suspected that something about his last comment had not pleased her and didn\u2019t have to wait long to confirm his theory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d The elongation of both the \u201cwh\u201d and \u201ct\u201d in her question left little need for interpretation. \u201cWhy were you and Frank talking about\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0fertility<\/em>? There is\u00a0no<\/em>\u00a0circumstance where that would be an appropriate conversation!\u201d<\/p>\n

A thought passed through Adam\u2019s mind as he saw his wife\u2019s face redden and her lips close to a tight pucker, that if he looked really closely, he might actually see steam exiting her ears. He had never seen her look this angry and he tried to swallow so he could explain. His rushed efforts resulted in a fit of choking as the chicken stuck in his throat. \u201cIt\u2019s not\u2026\u201d He coughed as he struggled to breathe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not what?\u201d Her tone was harsh. Melinda had no patience at that moment\u2014not even for a blocked windpipe.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s face was now as red as his wife\u2019s as he continued to choke out his explanation. \u201cNot a conversation\u2026just a question\u2026sort of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Frank came up to you, slapped your back, handed you a cigar and said, \u2018by the way, son, have you gotten Melinda in a family way yet?\u2019 That doesn\u2019t make me feel any better.\u201d<\/p>\n

After refilling his water glass twice and downing the contents, he was finally able to breathe without setting off a paroxysm. \u201cRelax, honey. It\u2019s not what you\u2019re imagining.\u201d He cleared his throat and tried to draw a deeper breath, while noticing that Melinda\u2019s foot was now tapping as her fingers drummed on the table. \u201cLate last week, Frank said that he\u2019d been mulling over a situation for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us?\u201d Her fingers drummed harder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and then he said that he\u2019d mentioned it to Marian and she\u2019d cautioned that it might not even be possible if we were planning to have a family soon.\u201d Adam\u2019s breathing settled into a regular pattern as Melinda\u2019s hand came to a rest on the tablecloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s when you told him I might have a bun in the oven as they say, but that I was probably too na\u00efve to realize it?\u201d Her fingers picked up the cadence again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d He considered her last statement again. \u201cNo! I didn\u2019t say a thing. Frank went on to explain that there was talk of a huge harbor construction project involving several English shipyards. If it\u2019s true, bids on the project should open in a month or so. Our London office sent the specifications and plans for us to look at, and Frank speculated that should things go well and we\u2019d win the contract, he\u2019d like to send me over to supervise the project since I have the most experience with that site type. He wondered if we might agree to move there for a year or two and he said I should mention the idea and see what you thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s anger dissolved as she considered Adam\u2019s explanation. \u201cWhat you\u2019re saying is that after Frank mentioned it, you began to wonder if there was a reason to think we\u00a0were<\/em>starting our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly!\u201d He raised his arms in emphasis. \u201cI would never discuss our private matters with anyone\u2014not even Frank or Marian. I mentioned it only because I didn\u2019t want to bring up the move with you until I knew whether you were\u2026ah\u2026we might be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She cut into his stammering, \u201cHow soon was he thinking we\u2019d have to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled with relief. \u201cRight now it\u2019s still supposition, but if we get the work, it would still be a couple of months before I\u2019d need to be on site.\u201d He reached for her hand. \u201cWould you be interested?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to travel to England. Perhaps we could even get across to France and Austria while we\u2019re there.\u201d She brought his hands to her lips and kissed them. \u201cI\u2019m sorry for my strong reaction, Adam. I suppose my feelings about this are still a little raw. Tell Frank that we\u2019d be interested in his proposition. If circumstances change we\u2019ll talk it over with Sam and Dr. Schmidt.\u201d Melinda grinned for the first time since arriving home. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019m pretty sure women can have babies in England too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three \u2013 When a Lovely Woman Comes a Calling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam rose from his office chair, leaned forward onto his desk to arch his back and finally stood up to thoroughly stretch. He\u2019d been hunched over a set of site plans for over an hour and his back was aching. He\u2019d taken a job with Wadsworth Engineering when he\u2019d come to Boston a little over a year ago. His original intent in returning was to help Abel after he\u2019d had a stroke,His but his grandfather had recovered quickly leaving Adam free to pursue a life that suited him. He\u2019d taken a job, reunited with Melinda, and they\u2019d married after a short courtship.<\/p>\n

His boss, Frank Wadsworth, was the father of Adam\u2019s college roommate. He and Frankie Jr. had become easy friends during school and the Wadsworth family had taken the young Cartwright into their fold as one of their own. They had welcomed him back to Boston with open arms and the offer of a job at the most prestigious firm in the city. The elder Wadsworths, both Frank and Marian, were from two of the oldest and wealthiest families in Boston, but they bucked societal boundaries, choosing instead to accept people based on their inherent qualities rather than their bloodlines.<\/p>\n

Adam had worried that his own father might be offended by the close ties his son held with the Wadsworths, but when Ben had visited Boston at the time of Adam\u2019s wedding, the two patriarchs had gotten along very well. They were both hard-working, strong-willed men who never took life\u2026or a dollar\u2026for granted. Each was building their empire and they\u2019d found much to commiserate about while sharing their ideas and goals.<\/p>\n

Adam had found himself embroiled in a predicament at that time and Frank and Ben had worked together so well in assisting him that they had experienced a great letdown when it was time for his father to return to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

As Frank\u2019s employee, Adam was cut no slack. Frank\u2019s own son was in San Francisco running the firm there, and since Adam was like a son to Frank, he expected both young men to do their jobs better than anyone else. It was expected that Adam\u2019s work ethic and skill would mean clients who hired Mr. Cartwright of Wadsworth Engineering, knew they had the best engineer in the city. In the office, Adam called Frank, Mr. Wadsworth, and treated him with the respect due him. Outside of work, Frank and Marian were his friends and the newlywed Cartwrights felt blessed to be part of the Wadsworth family.<\/p>\n

As his stretching produced a loosening in his muscles, Adam sat again, opened the bottom drawer of his desk, rested his feet there and leaned back into the comfortable padding of his overstuffed, leather chair. He\u2019d been working nonstop since his arrival some hours ago and he took a mental break to clear his mind of the information swirling there.<\/p>\n

His musings took him back to the prior evening. After getting off to a sad start with Melinda\u2019s news, and then the misunderstanding during their meal, the remainder of the evening had been spent pleasantly, rehearsing for the concert. He and Melinda had first fallen in love when he\u2019d been a student in Boston. They\u2019d lost track of each other when he\u2019d returned to Nevada and she\u2019d gone on to college, and had been separated for twelve years before meeting by accident in Sacramento. He\u2019d had to tamp down the feelings that seeing Melinda again had set to burning since he\u2019d been engaged to Laura Dayton at the time. When he\u2019d found himself freed from that commitment and on his way to help Abel, he\u2019d hoped that he might find Melinda still single, and be able to reignite the flame.<\/p>\n

While they\u2019d been married some months already, he was still finding out things that he\u2019d had no clue about before. One of those things was that his wife had a lovely singing voice.<\/p>\n

He knew she could carry a tune from hearing her singing softly next to him at church, but hadn\u2019t realized the quality of her voice until he\u2019d heard her singing alone as she straightened the kitchen one night. She\u2019d been shy when he commented about it, saying that she was uneasy singing in front of him because his voice was so good. He\u2019d encouraged her to sing with him and the shyness had dissipated. However, his initial hopes about having her join the choir with him were dashed when he realized that Melinda had never taken vocal training. She could read music enough to play the piano or sing at church, but she was unable to sight-read choral music so would easily lose track of her harmony in a song when other voices distracted her ear, and she lacked breath control through phrases. Those issues were improving as she sang more, yet he knew it would take formal lessons to prepare her for a choir audition.\u00a0 He had come to realize that she was not interested in this course, and contented himself to enjoy their times of singing together without pushing her toward performance.<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s good voice had proved a valuable asset after he had been selected as a guitarist for the Symphonic Choir\u2019s upcoming event. He\u2019d mostly picked chords when singing with friends back home, but he was now learning far more intricate fingering as accompaniment. In addition, the \u201cpickers,\u201d as they called themselves, were expected to sing as they played. He noticed early in his concert practice that an old problem had resurfaced. When he was learning back home, no one had seemed to notice or care that his mouth had stopped moving when he\u2019d struggled with positioning his fingers over the right frets while trying to sing along.* That had gotten better as he\u2019d become more proficient, but it had reappeared with a vengeance. With Melinda singing along, he\u2019d been able to practice the words along with the fingering, and his mouth and hands were working together again\u2026most of the time anyway.<\/p>\n

Singing together last night had allowed them to forget the tensions of the day, and they had headed for bed in a fine frame of mind, raising the roof a few inches\u2014their code for intimacy\u2014before drifting to sleep in each other\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

A gentle rap on his office door jarred Adam back into the present. He groused as he smacked the calf of his leg on the sharp corner of the open desk drawer while rushing to stand.<\/p>\n

A young drafting intern stuck his head inside and said, \u201cSorry to disturb you, Mr. Cartwright, but Jeanine asked me to tell you know that there\u2019s a client out front asking to speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam observed the young man\u2019s red cheeks and toothy smile and asked, \u201cWhy are you grinning like that, Harry? Is there something unusual about this client?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no, sir. Well not exactly.\u201d The boy\u2019s cheeks reddened further with his stuttering.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust tell me what\u2019s going on,\u201d Adam said as his brows formed a distinct V.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, sir, I reckon this client is just about the most beautiful woman I\u2019ve ever laid eyes on. You\u2019re about the only one here who hasn\u2019t made his way out to take a look, but I guess you were\u2026ah\u2026sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam now noticed the group of his peers gathering near the reception area as he growled, \u201cI wasn\u2019t sleeping. I was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry\u2019s grin deepened as he teased his superior, \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Mr. Cartwright, every\u00a0older<\/em>\u00a0engineer at Wadsworth takes a few moments to \u2018think\u2019 at some point in the day. Mr. Wadsworth clears his office, pulls the shades and \u2018thinks\u2019 for over an hour most afternoons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gathering the prints from his desk, Adam was able to turn towards his drawing board before chuckling quietly. Frank\u2019s naps were legendary and no one interrupted them. He appreciated the younger man\u2019s humor until the other part of his comment registered. \u201cOlder engineer, indeed,\u201d he muttered before turning back to ask, \u201cYou said this beauty wants to see me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir. The other guys all tried to sway her toward their services but she\u2019s holding fast. Should I show her in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMight as well, kid,\u201d Adam winked, \u201cas old as I am, I better not wait too much longer or I\u2019ll be dead before she gets in here.\u201d He saw Harry laughing at his comment while trotting toward Jeanine\u2019s desk, and then observed the crowd part as a young, dark-haired beauty walked toward his office.<\/p>\n

He came around the desk as the woman entered and extended her hand. Her voice was rich and velvety as she purred, \u201cGood morning, Mr. Cartwright. I am Lucille Castle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had to shoo Harry from the room after the young man had stood there with an awed-puppy look on his face. After shutting the office door, he escorted his client to one of the chairs in front of his desk and asked, \u201cMay I offer you coffee or tea before we start?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, please. I thank you, but I am anxious to discuss my project.\u201d<\/p>\n

While returning to his own chair, Adam considered the woman\u2019s voice. In itself it was not familiar, but there was familiarity in the way she spoke. He had heard others speak with this sort of phrasing in the past, but he couldn\u2019t pin this particular cadence to a face. \u201cThank you for choosing Wadsworth Engineering, Mrs\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is Miss Castle, not Mrs.\u201d she quickly interjected. \u201cI hope this fact makes no difference to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not.\u201d Adam\u2019s mind raced, trying to establish the familiarity he was feeling. Having no luck, he pushed it from his mind and concentrated on his client. \u201cI was told that you asked for me. Is there a reason for that, Miss Castle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, Mr. Cartwright. This is a project of my father\u2019s and he has done his research. You have the qualifications we need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI assume I will meet your father?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile was slight, turning only the farthest corners of her mouth while giving her an air of mystery. \u201cMy father has entrusted the start of this project to me. He has been\u2026away\u2026for a time, but will return shortly. You have actually met him in the past. He was most anxious to use your services and even more excited once your firm provided your references showing that you have experience with underground projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s interest was piqued even as he was again left wondering. \u201cI\u2019m sorry to say I don\u2019t recall meeting your father. I haven\u2019t had any clients named Castle. Perhaps we met socially?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a business affair. Yet it does not matter that your memory has abandoned you at this moment. You will remember soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em>\u00a0sounded almost menacing,<\/em>\u00a0he thought,\u00a0yet I think it\u2019s just the way she speaks.\u00a0<\/em>It struck him then that she spoke with the syntax of one who learns to speak English rather than having it as their mother-tongue. There was a hint of accent in some words, and he assumed it was more the formality of her speech that lent it an edge of superiority rather than being intentionally so. As he considered this, a shadow moved through his mind that he couldn\u2019t capture. \u201cWhat sort of job do you have in mind? I haven\u2019t worked with an underground project in some years so I assume you\u2019re speaking of my association with Phillip Dedisheimer and work on the Sacramento Embarcadero?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the ones we took great interest in. You see we purchased a building that housed a restaurant and we plan to open a caf\u00e9 there. But there is no place to store our wine properly. We would like to add a large cellar beneath the existing structure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have to see the building and then check the city regulations to make sure it\u2019s possible. If there are no legal deterrents and the foundation can withstand the undermining, I\u2019ll design something. If that isn\u2019t possible, I may be able to suggest alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it is set. Will I need to sign a contract before you visit the building?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pulled a fresh folder from his desk and labeled it, Castle Wine Cellar. \u201cThat won\u2019t be necessary. If you\u2019ll give me the address, I\u2019ll stop by. We won\u2019t discuss terms until I\u2019m sure the project can be done.\u201d He jotted the address she gave him on the folder and nodded. \u201cI\u2019m familiar with that building. I belong to a choir that rehearses in the concert hall across the street and I noticed recently that the building had sold. Congratulations on the inauguration of your new enterprise. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re anxious to complete your renovations and open. Would it help get things rolling if I met you there at three today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hoping you would be available soon.\u201d Her smile grew slightly. \u201cI\u2019ll wait out front for you at three.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Adam rounded the desk to escort his client out, he saw Frank heading toward his office under a full head of steam. There was no doubt in his mind that his boss had heard the chattering about the attractive client and was coming to check for himself.<\/p>\n

Frank entered without knocking and stood there smiling and rocking on his heels. Adam made the introductions, \u201cMiss Lucille Castle, this is the owner of Wadsworth Engineering, Frank Wadsworth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bowing slightly, Frank reached for her hand and bestowed it with a kiss. \u201cMy pleasure, Miss Castle. Was Adam able to assist you today? I note that your appointment seems to be coming to an end rather quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re meeting at the site of her restaurant this afternoon, Frank,\u201d Adam explained. \u201cShe and her father would like to add a wine cellar and I\u2019m going over to see if that\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miss Castle removed her hand from Franks as she offered, \u201cI assure you that Mr. Cartwright has been most helpful. My father asked for him after verifying his credentials and he is anxious to begin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good,\u201d Frank smiled again at their prospective client and then turned to Adam. \u201cYou\u2019ll keep me apprised of developments.\u201d After receiving Adam\u2019s assurances, Frank bid a farewell and watched as they walked toward the front doors. The office rumors about the client had been correct. Frank agreed that she was lovely in an exotic way. He assumed her to be of Mediterranean descent judging by her skin tone, facial features and hair color: Italian would be his guess. She was young; he\u2019d put her at no more than her mid-twenties, but she carried herself with the bearing of someone raised in wealth. \u201cCastle,\u201d he muttered. \u201cI\u2019m not aware of anyone with money in this town with that name. Maybe they\u2019re new to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shivered. He hadn\u2019t expected that, and yet he\u2019d felt the hair rise on the nape of his neck when he\u2019d kissed the woman\u2019s hand. It wasn\u2019t like him to make snap judgments, but this woman made him uneasy. Her manner of speaking seemed familiar, but he couldn\u2019t place it; she looked familiar too, but again, he wasn\u2019t sure why. What he\u2019d found oddest about her was that her lovely face had seemed shrouded with a veil of sourness as she\u2019d spoken to them. It made him feel as though she knew something about them that she didn\u2019t like, or perhaps held something over\u2026or against them. He decided he would have to wait until Adam had more information about the project before drawing any conclusions. Still, a niggling at the base of his brain and a swirling in his stomach made him hope that this business opportunity would not develop.<\/p>\n

Frank shook off his thoughts when he saw his security chief, Les, walking through the main workroom. He stepped from Adam\u2019s door and called to him, motioning toward his own office. \u201cCome see me before you leave, Les.\u201d<\/p>\n

Les detoured from his destination and made a beeline for his boss. When Frank Wadsworth said he needed a minute, Les gave it to him. He\u2019d been hired years ago after there had been an attempt to kidnap Frank\u2019s son from his dormitory room. Adam had prevented that from happening back then and Frank had taken measures to insure that his son\u2019s roommate wouldn\u2019t have to risk his life again. The boys had been under surveillance the rest of their college years, but Adam had only heard about the security team recently. Since its inception, Les had gathered a group of highly skilled men to work for Wadsworth Security. Many had come from criminal backgrounds, including Les. But a good salary and their boss\u2019s trust kept them on the right side of the law. They kept their eyes and ears open and their mouths shut, and Les was pretty sure he knew just about everything that was happening on the darker streets of Boston. What he didn\u2019t know didn\u2019t remain that way for long. \u00a0His expertise on the criminal element and their movements kept him one step ahead of what was going on\u2026at least most of the time.<\/p>\n

Once inside Frank\u2019s lair with the door shut, he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Boss?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam resumed his calculations and made billing notes on two of his projects that were near completion while mulling over the Castle project. The meeting had been brief, but there wasn\u2019t much to talk about until he was sure that the project was doable.<\/p>\n

Shortly after one, he placed a standard billing contract into the Castle folder along with graph and note paper, gathered his invoicing and headed toward the accounting office. \u201cHi Jim,\u201d He greeted their finance expert, \u201cI\u2019ve finished last week\u2019s billing hours.\u201d He laid a few forms on the corner of the accountant\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

Without looking up from his ledger, Jim waved as he grunted, \u201cThanks, Adam. I\u2019ll get to them in a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s next stop was Frank\u2019s office, where he stuck his head in to say, \u201cI\u2019ll be gone for the rest of the day, Boss. I\u2019m heading home to change and then I\u2019ll be with Miss Castle. I\u2019ll have to do some crawling around under the building to see if we can do what they have in mind. If all looks good, I\u2019ll make a proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank looked up from the report he was reading. \u201cDon\u2019t rush this, son. Let\u2019s go over your thoughts tomorrow before you have her sign anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shot Frank a questioning look. \u201cSomething bothering you? You usually want a signature as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The chill from earlier breathed down Frank\u2019s back again, but he decided against infecting Adam with his concern. He took a different tack in his reply. \u201cMiss Castle seems very businesslike, yet she\u2019s still quite young. I have reservations about working with clients who are tackling their first construction project. They continually second-guess their decisions and then want revisions and a lot of hand-holding along the way. Sometimes we lose more money than we make on those endeavors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had noticed several emotions play across Frank\u2019s face as he\u2019d spoken. The one that surprised him most was fear. He didn\u2019t understand, yet he knew that his boss wouldn\u2019t explain it even if asked, and replied, \u201cThat makes sense. I\u2019ll let you know what I find out and we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d He squinted as he forced himself to remember what else he wanted to tell his boss. \u201cBy the way, Melinda and I spoke about your offer, and we\u2019d be interested in London if it becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good news.\u201d The older man noted Adam\u2019s resigned smile and asked no questions. \u201cYou\u2019ll enjoy your time there. I\u2019ll let you know as soon as there\u2019s word.\u201d \u00a0Adam saluted his boss and had begun walking away when he heard Frank call, \u201cHey, come back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he made a U-turn and was once again at the door, Frank continued, \u201cI forgot to tell you something. Les and Maxine are getting married. He just told me a few minutes ago. I\u2019ll speak to Marian about this, but we\u2019re all going to your concert in a couple of weeks, and I think it would work out well for us to head to our house for a little celebration afterward. \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great news,\u201d Adam said as he smiled broadly. \u201cIt\u2019s an early matinee performance so the timing should work. I\u2019ll mention it to Melinda and she can make arrangements with Marian. I was going to ask if you could stop for her at the house anyway. I have to be at the hall in the morning for rehearsal and she\u2019d much rather be getting all the news from the ladies than sitting alone in an empty auditorium if she has to go early with me.\u201d He waved as he turned back a final time while walking away. His mind was whirling with images of Maxine and Les as he weaved his way between the desks.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met them both just before his own wedding.\u00a0 At that time, Melinda\u2019s sister was married to an investment broker who\u2019d unwisely decided that he could make more for his clients by playing poker with their funds rather than by finding actual venture opportunities. In the months before Adam came back to Boston and reunited with Melinda, Lloyd had gotten himself in deep trouble playing in illegal games run by a Sicilian \u201cbusinessman.\u201d He\u2019d not only lost the money entrusted to him, but had borrowed from the house and couldn\u2019t repay his debts. By the time Adam had met Lloyd, the man was being threatened with death, and he still hadn\u2019t confided his problems to his wife or her family. When Lloyd found out that Adam came from a family of some wealth, it gave the gambling fool a glimmer of hope in finding a way out of his money dilemma. He\u2019d first tried to broker a bogus business deal with Adam, and when that didn\u2019t work, he allowed the Sicilian named, Castelletti, to kidnap Melinda in hopes he\u2019d get the $25,000 that way.<\/p>\n

Lloyd had been na\u00efve about the viciousness of the men he owed the money to, and while he thought his sister-in-law was being held at a nice hotel until the money was exchanged, Melinda was actually held captive in a brothel owned by the same group. Ben had been visiting at the time and while Adam and his father had quickly surmised why Melinda had been kidnapped, they hadn\u2019t been sure how they should handle it, and had gone to Frank Wadsworth for help. That\u2019s when Adam found out that Frank had a security team and he\u2019d met Les for the first time. The man\u2019s skill and knowledge had helped them plan Melinda\u2019s rescue. \u00a0Les\u2019s new fianc\u00e9e, Maxine, or Maxi, as she\u2019d been called back then, had worked in the brothel where Melinda had been held and she had protected her and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Maxi had met Les when he and Adam had raided the brothel to free Melinda.**<\/p>\n

It had been obvious that Les was drawn to Maxine immediately. The security man had admired her bravery and spunk especially after he found out that Maxi had been given to the Sicilian to pay the debt owed by the man she thought had wanted to marry her. She\u2019d pretty much resigned herself to her hellish life until she\u2019d gotten to know Melinda and decided that she could still hope for better. Helping to save Adam\u2019s Fianc\u00e9e had almost resulted in her own death.<\/p>\n

In the months since the kidnapping, Les had managed to get Maxine hired as a member of the Wadsworth security team. He\u2019d convinced Frank by reasoning that when used wisely, a pretty face on someone with good instincts could usually get more information than a hulk of a man with a drawn weapon. Les and Maxine had quickly become a team outside of work as well.<\/p>\n

Adam found himself smiling widely as he reached the front entrance of Wadsworth Engineering. He realized again what an interesting couple of weeks had led up to his own nuptials. He had learned a great deal as he\u2019d struggled to make sense of the kidnapping and aftermath. But with time and some assistance from those who loved him, he\u2019d been encouraged to look at life from all perspectives to be able to find light where there might seem only darkness. That truth had been reliable when applied to Melinda\u2019s kidnapping. Much good had come from it even though he\u2019d had trouble seeing it at first. And now it seemed the good would continue to manifest itself in a marriage between two people who had been essential in bringing a positive outcome to that episode. It left him wondering how those who didn\u2019t grasp a mindset of hope, or refused to look beyond their frustration and anger could handle the disappointments that were the only sure promises in life.<\/p>\n

Stopping at the front desk, he told the clerk, \u201cI\u2019ll be out the rest of the day, Jeanine. See you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

She returned his smile. \u201cThe good Lord willing, I\u2019ll be here, Mr. Cartwright. You take care of yourself until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned back as he opened the door. \u201cThank you, Jeanine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four \u2013 When Auld Acquaintance Should be Forgot<\/strong><\/p>\n

Abel waved to his grandson as he saw him approaching in the buggy and called out, \u201cWhat are you doing home so early? Did Frank finally realize what a slacker you are and fire you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed as he pulled to stop in front of his house. \u201cNo, I\u2019m still gainfully employed. I have to change clothes and get out to a jobsite for an estimate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t hold you up, son. I have to admit you look in fine fettle today. Maybe it was Sadie\u2019s chicken that perked you up last night. I thought it was particularly good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is was. Sadie performs miracles in the kitchen.\u201d Adam grinned as Abel blushed with the compliment to his wife. \u201cI hope you weren\u2019t upset that we didn\u2019t join you. With the extra time, I think I finally perfected the song I\u2019ll be performing with the other guitarists as the finale of the upcoming concert.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abel\u2019s blush returned as he admitted, \u201cI actually stood out on the porch for a while to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have come over. It would have been nice to have an audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might have on another night, but you seemed to have something on your mind when we spoke and I didn\u2019t want to intrude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed. \u201cYou always could read me. There was just some news that lay heavy on our hearts for a bit, but it passed and we would have enjoyed your company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Melinda\u2019s tears when she exited the cab yesterday,\u201d the older man confided. \u201cShe stood on the walk for a moment regaining her composer before heading toward the house. I suspected that she had received some bad news to upset her so.\u201d He raised his hand as Adam attempted to speak. \u201cThere\u2019s no need to explain. I\u2019m aware of only a few things that make a young woman look so forlorn. We will not speak further of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled kindly as he registered his grandson\u2019s face break in a moment of melancholy, and pushed both of them onto a different track of conversation. \u201cBack to your concert preparation, I noted there were some quiet parts when you played only single notes or chords, so I\u2019m assuming that there are times when you carry the melody, and times when you are supporting what the others are playing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam regained his animation, \u201cYou have a good ear. The number we\u2019re doing is Pachelbel\u2019s\u00a0Canon in D<\/em>. He\u2019s a German composer from the Baroque period1 that you\u2019ve probably not heard of. He based the composition on a series of eight notes that form the bass line with the rest of its voices, as the parts are called, reworking those notes in various melodies. It builds slowly, but powerfully and then recedes again to a quiet ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t find much classical music written for guitars,\u201d Abel remarked as he scratched at his beard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was actually written for violins and a cello. One of the men I\u2019m performing with heard it when he studied music in Germany and thought it would sound wonderful with guitars. He scored it for us using a handwritten copy of the piece that he made years ago.\u201d Adam chuckled as he completed his thought. \u201cI figure it will either leave the audience amazed or scratching their heads. Then again, a lot depends on how well we perform it. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t always pull it together as well as we should.\u201d His lips puckered in thought. \u201cSay, has Sadie started supper yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, she\u2019s busy cleaning. Will you and Melinda be late again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI shouldn\u2019t think so. In fact I wanted to suggest that Sadie not cook tonight and we\u2019ll all walk to the pub for dinner and a pint or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure Sadie would appreciate not having to cook,\u201d Abel winked at his grandson, \u201cand I\u2019ll appreciate the pint or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam placed his arm around his grandfather\u2019s shoulders in a quick hug. \u201cI\u2019ll like that too, but I better get moving or I\u2019ll be late for my appointment. I\u2019ll leave a note for Melinda telling her of our plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Lucille was waiting in front of the large front window of her restaurant when Adam pulled up in his buggy. She stepped forward to greet him as he grabbed his folder and jumped from the rig. \u201cYou are timely, Mr. Cartwright. I appreciate that.\u201d As he made it to her side, she pointed and inquired, \u201cThat large hall on the opposite side of the street is where you are holding your concert?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right. It\u2019s still about three weeks away, and believe me, we need the rehearsal time.\u201d He gave the building behind his client a once over. \u201cI see you\u2019ve papered the windows. Are you doing some redecorating in the dining room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are observant; that will serve you well. We are only cleaning and organizing now, but since the building was sold, passers-by have begun to get curious and we have grown weary of finding noses pressed up against the glass.\u201d She gave a ladylike chuckle. \u201cI can assure you that being peered at and waved to, gets monotonous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can imagine. He looked up to see that the windows above the main floor were clean and curtained. \u201cDo you have rooms to let upstairs? I don\u2019t recall this building housing a hotel, but it may have. Until we started rehearsing here I was not much acquainted with this part of Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were residential rooms, not a hotel, and were vacated when the building went up for sale. It has proven propitious for our purposes as we have taken occupancy while we work on the restaurant. There is room enough for our workmen to stay here, as well as for myself and my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHas he made it back then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she said, giving him a mysterious half-smile. \u201cYou will meet him shortly. But before we go inside, we should walk the exterior areas. Please pay special attention to the building to our east as we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re speaking of the bank, of course. I do suppose that might be a factor in whether excavation is allowed in this area, but I\u2019ll check on that with the city. Let\u2019s take a look around.\u201d<\/p>\n

They spent the next 15 minutes going over the outside of the building, as well as walking the plot of grass separating the restaurant from the bank. \u201cI think we can go in now,\u201d Adam suggested, \u201cI\u2019m anxious to see what\u2019s underneath.\u201d<\/p>\n

The change from the bright light outside to the dim interior of the building made Adam stop for a moment to let his eyes adjust. He thought he heard movement from the direction of a dark corner, but had no time to investigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way,\u201d his client said as she tugged him toward a lighted lamp hanging near an open door. \u201cThere is a small cellar under the building already. I will have you go down to see what is there. Come up when you have finished and we will answer any questions you may have, and then we shall make our proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t!\u201d Melinda giggled. \u201cLes got down on one knee and proposed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe really did.\u201d Maxine avowed while blushing. \u201cHe stopped by last night and asked me to join him on the porch and had me sit on the top step. He knelt below me and said he loved me and wanted me as his wife if I was willing to have him.\u201d Maxine had stopped to visit Melinda at the publishing house where she worked to tell her of the engagement. \u201cI was so surprised I didn\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda gave her friend a hug. \u201cWhy were you surprised? Are you the only person who didn\u2019t think Les would propose? Adam and I figured he was ready to ask you a few weeks after he met you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blush deepened. \u201cI knew he would do it at some point, but he\u2019s been so sweet. He said he wanted to court and woo me like a proper gentleman so I\u2019d know that my life was different now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLes is a good man, and he\u2019s getting a fine wife.\u201d Melinda led Maxine to an empty office where they could speak more privately. \u201cDid you set a date for your wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to wait a couple of months. Les has been living on the Wadsworth estate and we\u2019ll need to find a house or cottage near there. And he\u2019ll have to train someone to take his place so we can visit his parents. They\u2019re not able to travel here so we\u2019re taking a trip to New York and will stop to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds wonderful.\u201d Melinda\u2019s face registered her surprise as she thought about something her friend had shared. \u201cDoesn\u2019t Les have a second-in-charge already? Someone must take over for him when he goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n

A knowing giggle accompanied Maxine\u2019s reply. \u201cLes has never been gone before. This will be the first time he\u2019s taken off\u2026in 15 years!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t that something?\u201d Melinda winked. \u201cMaybe this is the first time he\u2019s had a good reason to want to be away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine sighed as she became wistful. \u201cI truly hope our marriage goes as well as yours. You and Adam seem so happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work to be happy, Maxine. Don\u2019t let anyone tell you differently. Adam and I promised that we\u2019ll always be honest and sometimes that\u2019s not easy. There are times when we have to remind each other to talk about what\u2019s making us irritable or edgy. And once we do, we both have to be able to separate our feelings from the facts.\u201d Seeing Maxine\u2019s questioning look, she elaborated. \u201cSometimes there\u2019s an issue at work that\u2019s bothering us. I can\u2019t always tell Adam the specifics about the book I\u2019m working on nor can he tell me the details of a contract. But once we know that\u2019s what it is, we can move on without thinking that there\u2019s a problem between\u00a0us<\/em>.\u201d Melinda grinned as she leaned forward and lowered her voice. \u201cBut at other times we have to let each other know when there is a personal complaint. It\u2019s not always enjoyable to hear that we\u2019ve said or done something hurtful or thoughtless, but it does clear the air. And making up is always the best part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine nodded thoughtfully as Melinda\u2019s face clouded and her voice grew sad, \u201cEvery now and then, I find myself haunted by what happened between my sister and her husband, and for an instant I wonder how I\u2019d go on if I thought Adam was keeping things from me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

With her eyes bulging into round circles, the other woman asked in horror, \u201cYou don\u2019t think that\u2019s happening, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d Melinda laughed as she regained a happier frame of mind. \u201cIt\u2019s just that my sister\u2019s divorce is so recent and I still try to make sense of what happened to them. I would never have married a man like my brother-in-law, but figured that if Miranda loved him then I should keep my opinions to myself. And their life did\u00a0seem<\/em>\u00a0happy and normal\u2026until we found out that Lloyd had lived a double life. I can\u2019t comprehend how he could lie to Miranda, pretend that everything was all right, and not even share that he was in trouble when it became life-threatening. She would have been shocked and hurt, but I know she would have helped him. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s hardest about situations like that. When someone in a marriage won\u2019t share what\u2019s going on, it leaves the other helpless to do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRelax, Melinda.\u201d Maxine took her friend\u2019s hands into hers. \u201cAdam is not Lloyd. He\u2019s given you his word, and he\u2019ll honor it.\u201d She smiled broadly, \u201cAnd I\u2019m stealing your secret to a happy marriage. Since Les and I work together, we\u2019ll really be able to share everything!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds perfect, Maxine.\u201d Melinda swung their clasped hands to and fro like two young girls as she asked, \u201cI\u2019m going to be your bridesmaid, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine was suddenly serious. \u201cWho else would I even think to ask? It\u2019s only because of you and your faith in Adam that I ever came to believe that I could trust someone again. I want a happy ending too.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Adam brushed dirt and cobwebs from his hair and shoulders as he exited the basement and hung the lamp back on the hook. \u201cYou actually have a pretty good-sized space already,\u201d he said as he smiled at Lucille who was waiting for him near the doorway. \u201cI can square the corners and set grades for you to excavate a few feet deeper so you can stand up straight. Those two changes should allow you to place a number of racks down there. It should only take a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n

His steps came to an abrupt halt as he heard a familiar voice speak to him from a deeply shadowed corner of the room. \u201cThat\u2019s not quite what we had in mind, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d The smell of phosphorous and sulfur wafted through the darkness as a match sputtered and brought a lamp\u2019s wick to flame. The familiar voice continued over the clink of the lamp\u2019s chimney glass being set, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit down and we\u2019ll discuss our plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remained frozen looking from father to daughter as everything Adam had tried to pull together earlier came crashing to mind in one sickening tumble. Facing the man at the table, he said, \u201cLouis Castelletti,\u201d with more bravado than he was feeling. \u201cI thought you were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn prison?\u201d the older man interjected. \u201cI was. But I was recently paroled thanks to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to me?\u201d Adam scoffed. \u201cI wasn\u2019t consulted in the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was no need. After our first business dealings, you found it more honorable to keep your soon-to-be family out of the legalities. As I recall, you sent away the two main witnesses against me in the worst of the charges. That allowed the city to try me only for running illegal gambling parlors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought back to the events surrounding Melinda\u2019s kidnapping and knew that what Castelletti had said was true. By sending Lloyd away to avoid embarrassment to Melinda\u2019s sister and family, and not reporting the kidnapping, he had lessened the seriousness of the offenses Castelletti was linked to. He had felt it a good decision at the time. Now he wondered if it was wise. \u201cWhat about the testimony of the women at the brothels? Their statements added to the charges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did,\u201d the big man laughed, \u201cat first. But in the end, my attorney was able to discredit the women\u2019s lies. None of them had ever worked for me; they had worked for a man named George Salvatore\u2026and he was conveniently dead. In the end, I was sentenced to a few years in prison.\u201d He laughed again, \u201cAnd that was reduced to months after the goodwill and advocacy generated by a few well-placed gifts to campaign funds. As you can see, I\u2019ve been returned to the life of a law-abiding citizen who has paid his debt to society.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning toward Castelletti\u2019s daughter, Adam said, \u201cI thought there was something familiar about you. You speak like your father. It\u2019s the lingering effect of your governess\u2019s English lessons; I should have put two-and-two together.\u201d He shook his head and sighed deeply. \u201cLucille Castle. I imagine your name is actually Lucia Castelletti?\u201d Receiving her confirmation, he added, \u201cYou may be a beautiful woman, but I see that your heart must be as cold and empty as your father\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia\u2019s intake of breath at the insult was overshadowed by her father\u2019s outrage. \u201cYou will keep a civil tongue regarding my daughter! Her only role in this was to bring you to hear of my engineering proposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman found her voice. \u201cMy father has told me how you ruined him, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes popped open in surprise. \u201cRuined\u00a0him<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d the young woman spat at him, \u201cYou chose to send the police to arrest him rather than pay him the money you owed. In Sicily we pay our debts, we don\u2019t destroy people\u2019s lives to get out of doing so!\u201d<\/p>\n

A sad chuckle accompanied Adam\u2019s sigh. \u201cDid your father perhaps mention that it was not I who owed him the debt or that he kidnapped my fianc\u00e9e to extort money from me when the person who had actually borrowed it couldn\u2019t pay it back? I\u2019m also assuming he didn\u2019t tell you how my fianc\u00e9e was held at a brothel and then shot and left for dead by one of his underlings when she tried to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

She lifted her head imperiously and replied with honed arrogance. \u201cI will not listen to this. Father told me that you are a quick and clever liar and I shouldn\u2019t believe anything you say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father pointed to the stairway. \u201cGo to your room now. You have done an excellent job in getting Mr. Cartwright here. We will now speak of business and there is no need for you to be present for our negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded in obedience to her father, and then locked Adam in a hateful stare. \u201cMy father intends to make you pay for what you have done to our family. I hope you get all that you deserve for being a spineless liar.\u201d She swung around, her skirt nearly toppling a chair that had been turned onto a nearby table, and strode from the room with a regal comportment.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome sit with me, Mr. Cartwright. We have much to discuss.\u201d Castelletti waited until he heard the door to his daughter\u2019s room latch shut. \u201cMy daughter grew up in Sicily and only came to Boston after I was arrested, hoping to be of assistance. She knows that I engage in gambling, but none of the rest. I trust that you will try to tell her what I am really like as you do my bidding, but I warn you now that she is very loyal to her family. It is our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted as he stood behind the chair across from his nemesis. \u201cThen you\u2019ll understand when I say that it is\u00a0my way<\/em>\u00a0to refuse to associate with you. Yet, I imagine that if I headed for the door now, I would be dead before I crossed the threshold?\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man laughed loudly. \u201cWe are not quite so barbaric as to shoot you in the back, but you are right in supposing that you would regret leaving. You really must relax and let me explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he sat, Adam threw the work folder from Wadsworth Engineering onto the table. \u201cStart talking, Castelletti. I don\u2019t have a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that you are right about,\u201d Castelletti chuckled knowingly. \u201cI\u2019d say you have less than three weeks.\u201d He held his hand up to stop any questions as he saw Adam\u2019s brows dip. \u201cLet us begin. My daughter spoke truthfully; this involves my desire that you repay for what you did to my little empire here in Boston. My business is in tatters, yet I have a few loyal men who are willing to do this project with me before we move out of this confounded city.\u201d He gave Adam a sour look to seal his opinion of the Boston area. \u201cI know Lucia told you to pay careful attention to the building to our east when you were outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026the bank. Am I to assume you wish to tunnel toward the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are astute. I was able to find out that a huge number of counterfeit bills are coming through the First National Bank of Boston on the third Sunday from now. You may remember that there was so much bogus currency circulating during the Civil War that your President Lincoln formed a group to find the bills and destroy the plates. Such money collected in the eastern states has been sitting in various banks and is being brought to Boston. A Secret Service cadre will escort the transfer of this money to the Philadelphia mint and see to its destruction. For that one weekend though, it will all be in the basement of the bank next door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s face contorted with disbelief. \u201cWhat do you want with counterfeit money? Hasn\u2019t it been marked in some way?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey marked it at first, but since it\u2019s scheduled for destruction, I heard that they didn\u2019t continue the practice. I suspect they feel as you do\u2014that no one will want what they consider unusable. But we already have interested customers in other countries and from the far side of the United States where it will take longer to identify the phony bills and recover them again. Those who purchase from me will recover good money as they make change with the forgeries. By the time anyone realizes there\u2019s a problem, those who put the bad cash back into the money chain will be long gone. We\u2019ve also heard that there are many foreign coins included in the transfer. As you know they are not legal tender in the States any longer, but could prove profitable for a family who does business in Europe. I envision harvesting enough legal tender to help me buy my way back into the gambling business in New York.\u201d2<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the saying is true,\u201d Adam paused as Castelletti gave a questioning grunt, \u201cIf there\u2019s an opportunity to do something, even if that something is illegal and murderous, there\u2019ll be someone who will find the way to do it.\u201d Receiving no comment other than a disgusted glare, he continued, \u201cWon\u2019t the Secret Service agents be watching over the cache while it\u2019s next door?\u201d<\/p>\n

Castelletti waved his hand dismissively. \u201cThey are paid to give their lives in service to their country. I will simply guarantee a medal for their families to cherish after they\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stood abruptly, sending his chair flying as he did so. \u201cI can\u2019t be part of this,\u201d he hissed as he leaned forward on the table, bringing his face within inches of Castelletti\u2019s. \u201cYou obviously found out that I did tunneling work in the past and figured you could force me into helping you as some sort of twisted attempt to harm me for hastening the decline of your business. But I won\u2019t do it. Kill me if you must, but I will not assist in the death of others to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sly, ugly smile crept across Luis Castelletti\u2019s face. \u201cStrange that you should put it that way. That is precisely the reason you will help me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t if I\u2019m dead,\u201d Adam said with eerie calm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no intention of killing you; you are free to go for now.\u201d He watched as Adam looked toward the front door. \u201cHowever, your comment about not wanting harm to come to others was most prophetic. You see, I know that you are a principled man and it would hurt you far more to cause pain to an innocent than it would for you to sacrifice your own life. It is in this light that I will offer you a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam righted his chair and sat back down. \u201cSay what you need to.\u201d His mind raced as he considered what this monster might have in mind. Yet he held his face emotionless as he prepared to hear the details.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I ask of you is to be a good engineer, just as your reputation indicates you are. I want you to work as you normally do when given a job for your company. In fact, I will pay Wadsworth engineering the going rate for your services. In the next days, you will go to the city and pull the plans for this building and the nearby structures, and file for the proper permits for us to build a wine cellar. That way there will be no questions asked when we bring timbering into the building, a little blasting is heard or a pile of dirt accumulates out back. We don\u2019t need a fancy tunnel; it just needs to withstand blowing through the foundation of the bank without blocking our exit or killing those of us inside it at the time. This should be a simple thing. We are working with a short amount of time but I have enough men that we can work around the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castelletti\u2019s toothy smile as he finished speaking made his face look ghoulish. \u201cYou look unsettled Mr. Cartwright. What don\u2019t you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand just fine. But I still won\u2019t help you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d the chilling smile returned, \u201cyou still don\u2019t see it, do you?\u201d The older man clamped his hand securely around Adam\u2019s wrist as he continued to smirk. \u201cWhen I was in prison, I spent much time figuring out how to hurt you the most. I considered who you are and how you handle yourself. You\u2019re one of those fine men we read about; the ones who freely give their service and life to others regardless of the personal cost. What matters most to you are your ideals, your reputation and your family. In some respects we are alike in this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He released his hold on Adam\u2019s arm and stood to pace the room while he continued to speak. \u201cYou are an honest man. The men who were with you when we last met\u2014your father and Wadsworth\u2014are honest men as well, so I appreciate that you were molded into who you are by principled people. What makes you more difficult to get around is that you are a powerful and respected man as well. With the power you wield you could easily lean toward the side of graft; turn a blind eye to a bribe or bully others to get what you need. Yet I could imagine no situation where you would do that. You see, you are not only an honorable man, but a noble one as well. If you weren\u2019t, you would have figured out where your fianc\u00e9e was, rescued her, and then come to kill me for what I had done. Instead, you took down my operation, freed those you thought had been unfairly treated and then protected those you loved from gossip. A man such as that cannot be swayed into doing wrong unless the stakes are too high to do otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

His pacing brought him behind Adam where he placed his hands on the younger man\u2019s shoulders and leaned to speak into his ear. \u201cI took great pains figuring out how to bring down a nobly honest man and came to realize that I would need to make you\u00a0seem<\/em>\u00a0dishonorable with no way for you to counteract the deceit. How better to do that than by involving you in a crime against the United States Government. You\u2019ll be discredited as an engineer, pinpointed as unscrupulous in your dealings, and for a final touch, I\u2019ll make sure that lovely wife of yours think you are unfaithful. You will be hated and abandoned by everyone you\u2019re trying to protect.\u201d His laughter echoed in the mostly empty room and he clapped as he concluded, \u201cWhen I\u2019m through with you, Cartwright, you will be glad to die!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castelletti\u2019s smile turned to a mask of rage as he shook Adam\u2019s chair. His voice was a snarl as he spit out his reply within inches of Adam\u2019s face. \u201cYou will do it, because if you don\u2019t, I will see to it that your family dies, starting with your grandfather. I will kill your wife myself, and maybe I\u2019ll do what George Salvatore only threatened to do to her before I choke the life out of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought he would vomit, but breathed deeply to stem the rising bile. He was convinced that Castelletti\u2019s threats were real and yet he knew that he couldn\u2019t just acquiesce to the demands. Although he was trembling, his voice didn\u2019t betray him as he asked brusquely. \u201cSo what\u2019s in this for me? I assume you aren\u2019t going to let me live even if I do help you. Mynoble nature<\/em>\u00a0might convince others that I was coerced into helping. I\u2019m guessing I\u2019ll die once my work is done, so either way I\u2019m dead and I have no guarantee that you won\u2019t kill my family after I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBravo!\u201d Castelletti stepped back and bowed. Placing his hand beside his lips, he spoke an aside to the seemingly empty room. \u201cHe finally sees the point, even if all that righteousness makes him a little slow.\u201d Turning again to Adam, he grabbed him by his collar and lifted him until they were nose to nose. \u201cThis is the deal, so listen carefully. You will engineer a tunnel for me to get at the money in the bank. You will be involved in its construction so that I know it is done right. And just so you know, if\u00a0anything<\/em>\u00a0happens to me while the tunnel is being built, I\u2019ve left orders for your wife and grandfather to be killed immediately. In fact we might even go after everyone you hold dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man breathed heavily from the exertion of his fanfare and released his hold. His words were softer but no less menacing as he continued, \u201cYou will do whatever I ask of you without letting anyone know what\u2019s happening. I intend to make your life hell in the days you have left, Cartwright, but at the end I will allow you to die in the knowledge that your family is safe. Remember: if at any time I suspect that you\u2019ve talked to anyone about this, I will make sure you only wish you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Adam grabbed at the lapels of Castelletti\u2019s coat and roughly drew him near again, he heard rustling from the darkest corners of the room. He instinctively released his right hand\u2019s grip and grabbed at his side, realizing in agony that he no longer carried his pistol. Although Castelletti was a broader man, Adam was able to leverage him around and force him into the chair and grab him by the throat. \u201cTell your men to stand down or I\u2019ll break your neck.\u201d He waited until Castelletti hollered for those watching to mind their manners. \u201cHere\u2019s my deal. I\u2019ll give you one chance to clear out of town and head back to Sicily. Let\u2019s say I\u2019m doing this for your daughter\u2019s sake. If you don\u2019t leave, I\u2019ll take you down again. This time you won\u2019t get back up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grabbed his folder from the table, turned and walked toward the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked you last time if you had the fortitude to stand behind your words and you proved to me that you are a man to be taken seriously. But this time I hold the winning hand. Youare<\/em>\u00a0an honorable man, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Castelletti shouted at him, \u201cand your honor will bring you back. You best pray you have not lost too much by then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

One – A Marriage Down<\/strong><\/p>\n

Numb. That\u2019s how Melinda felt as she ascended the steps in her house. Her hand was on the stair rail, but she couldn\u2019t feel it beneath her fingers. She could hear her shoe scrape against each step, yet she had no physical attachment to the movement. She was floating, and imagined herself a black storm cloud moving on a current of wind.<\/p>\n

She collapsed on the edge of the bed when she finally made it to her room and turned to caress the sheets, resting her head on Adam\u2019s pillow. It was unreasonable to think that his warmth remained, but she willed herself to feel it. They had made love on this bed just hours before and she shivered when she thought of all that happened since then. She now realized that this crazy, unpredictable, and confusing day had been the finale to the craziest, most unpredictable and unbelievable three weeks of her life. In that short time she had lost everything.<\/p>\n

She heard Maxine holler from downstairs that she would be up to help with the packing as soon as she finished cleaning out the kitchen. Her friend ended with the admonition for Melinda to \u201churry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hurry? How can I hurry?<\/em>\u00a0Her mind was as numb as her body and she had to take a moment to think through all that had happened. Maybe there was some sense in it after all\u2026something she\u2019d missed as she\u2019d lived through it\u2026something that would help her understand it now. She thought back to her conversation with Maxine on the day her life began falling to shreds\u2026the day when she\u2019d proclaimed that the secret to marriage was honesty.<\/p>\n

There had been little of that recently and she was left to wonder how so much could go wrong so fast.\u00a0Is this what Miranda felt like the night she found out that her husband had been lying to her?<\/em>\u00a0Did my sister feel a clamp tightening around her heart until there wasn\u2019t enough blood circulating to allow her mind and body to work correctly?<\/em>\u00a0How did she live through what was happening to her? How do I face the truth that the man I love and trusted with my entire being has been lying to me? How do I go on now that the man I adore has taken a lover and left me?<\/em><\/p>\n

Melinda thought back and realized again that there had been no warning or sign that things were going wrong. It just happened! Nearly three weeks ago Adam had come home one night seeming distracted. She\u2019d seen him try to be interested as they\u2019d gone to dinner with Sadie and Abel, but he\u2019d drifted away until she had said something to force him back into their conversation again. While they\u2019d walked home from the pub, an out-of-control wagon had careened down the street toward them, nearly hitting Abel and Sadie, and making them jump for cover. \u00a0There were no injuries, and although Adam had been shaken by the incident, he\u2019d left as soon as he got the older couple settled back at home, saying he had to see a client.<\/p>\n

She had her first chilled inkling that something was amiss when he\u2019d come home hours later, a different man. He\u2019d spent the next week pacing at night instead of sleeping and when she\u2019d questioned him, he\u2019d said that he had a tricky project at work he was thinking through. By the second week, he\u2019d moved out of their home to stay at the jobsite. He\u2019d told her, \u201cThey\u2019re working 24 hours a day and they encountered difficulties that caused them to stop work until I arrived the next morning. I need to be there to deal with the problems when they happen or they won\u2019t finish on time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda had been heartbroken with his pronouncement, but at the time it had seemed reasonable for him to leave physically since he\u2019d already seemed to have left her behind in every other way. She had seen him try to act normally, but he\u2019d been distracted, distant and irritable. She\u2019d coaxed and cajoled, hoping to get him to tell her what was wrong. She had finally resorted to begging him for answers as to \u201cwhat was wrong\u201d or \u201cwhat she had done.\u201d She cringed as she envisioned how pitiful she must have seemed.<\/p>\n

But the eye-opening, heart-numbing answer hadn\u2019t come from Adam. It had come as she had lunched with Maxine a few days after Adam\u2019s leave-taking when she had heard a lovely woman at the table behind them tell her companion that she had fallen in love with the engineer who was constructing the wine cellar at her new restaurant\u2026and that the feeling was mutual. The woman had sighed heavily as she\u2019d reported sadly, \u201cThe man I\u2019m in love with is Adam Cartwright and he\u2019s married.\u201d Her tone had brightened as she\u2019d continued, \u201cBut he\u2019s already moved out of his home and has promised me that he\u2019ll take care of the inconvenient detail of his marriage very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda jumped now as she had at the restaurant when her fork had slipped from her numb fingers and crashed onto her plate. The impact had splintered the china just as the woman\u2019s avowal had splintered Melinda\u2019s life. Maxine had warned her not to believe what she\u2019d heard\u2026that it all seemed a little too suspicious and convenient a way to hear about this supposed affair. She\u2019d advised waiting and hearing what Adam had to say first.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t been easy, but Melinda had waited, impatiently, until Adam returned home to pick up clean clothes and check on her later that day as he had promised he would. She\u2019d confronted him with the woman\u2019s statement and he\u2019d asked, \u201cDo you believe what you heard?\u201d She\u2019d said, \u201cOf course not,\u201d and he asked that she trust him. Yet he hadn\u2019t really \u201cdenied\u201d it, and wouldn\u2019t discuss it further or speculate on why the woman would spread lies about him.<\/p>\n

During that same visit he\u2019d added to her utter bewilderment when he\u2019d told her that he\u2019d been fired from Wadsworth Engineering. \u201cFrank and I had an argument about the way he thinks I\u2019ve handled some things, including this job.\u201d he\u2019d said and quickly added a promise that he would work things out with Frank once he cooled down a bit.\u00a0 His final thought before leaving had been that his dismissal would not affect the Sunday plans for the concert and party afterwards. \u201cFrank and I can overlook our personal disputes for a few hours to celebrate,\u201d he\u2019d said as he\u2019d stood with his hand on the door.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d asked why he was going back to the jobsite after being fired, and he\u2019d answered, \u201cI always finish what I start.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d left then and her mind had swirled in endless supposition ever since. She wondered why he would continue a project that had cost him his position and kept him in proximity to a woman who spread lies about him. Why would he risk losing everything for\u00a0this<\/em>\u00a0job?<\/p>\n

Her questions had no answers other than the thought that haunted her since the day she\u2019d come home saying that she wasn\u2019t pregnant. Was her inability to conceive a child forcing her husband to find someone else who could give him what he wanted so desperately? She knew this wasn\u2019t true, but she\u2019d inflicted a wound in her own heart and it had begun to fester into a soul-deep insecurity.<\/p>\n

Maxine brought her back to the present when she appeared in the bedroom doorway. \u201cYou haven\u2019t done anything?\u201d she asked. \u201cC\u2019mon, Melinda, we need to get going.\u201d Her voice held the tone of restrained alarm as she asked where Melinda kept her traveling bags.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re in the storeroom off the kitchen,\u201d she replied dully while continuing to rest on Adam\u2019s pillow. She finally sat up and looked at her friend. \u201cWhat\u2019s this all about, Maxine? I\u2019m so confused. I thought we were supposed to be going to Frank and Marian\u2019s for your party. Why are you rushing me; where am I going\u2026and why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me grab your bags and I\u2019ll explain while we pack.\u201d She walked to the bed and touched Melinda\u2019s shoulder and shook it gently. \u201cStart getting things together while I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alone again, Melinda replayed the events of the current day rather than doing as Maxine had instructed.<\/p>\n

Adam had returned early that morning to change for the concert. She hadn\u2019t even considered that he\u2019d continued to attend rehearsals. After all, he\u2019d been \u201ctoo busy\u201d with the work project to come home. \u00a0He\u2019d explained, \u201cThe concert hall is directly across the street from where I\u2019m working and they could have found me if there\u2019d been trouble. I attended practice to get away from the pressure of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n

It could have made perfect sense if it hadn\u2019t been just another layer of mystery in the weeks of inexplicable behavior on his part.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d determined to try one last time to find out what was going on and embraced him as he\u2019d started to change. She\u2019d led him to their bed where they\u2019d made love.<\/p>\n

She moaned deeply as she sensed the touch of hands moving over her body as they\u2019d done earlier, almost as if he\u2019d been committing each inch of her to memory. The gentleness had been replaced by intense passion that had left them breathless and spent. Afterwards, while they lay side-by-side, she\u2019d asked him to tell her what was going on. He\u2019d reached for her hand but remained silent. They were two hearts broken from the one they had become. He had finally turned to her and touched her face, saying, \u201cYou\u2019ll have to trust me. That\u2019s all I can tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d answered, \u201cI want to trust you, Adam, but why should I when you\u2019ve stopped trusting me. I know you have other things on your mind right now and need to go. But tonight there will be no more secrets or excuses. You will return home with me after the party, and you will tell me\u00a0everything<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d risen without speaking as she\u2019d completed her thought. \u201cIf you can\u2019t do that\u2026\u201d Her voice had faltered but she\u2019d finished, \u201cIf you can\u2019t be honest, then don\u2019t come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her words had sickened her then as now, but she couldn\u2019t go on as she had been. She needed to know how he felt about their marriage, and her ultimatum would force him to answer\u2014either in words or actions. He had kissed her as he\u2019d left, and promised, \u201cYou\u2019ll know everything tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d gone to the concert and sat close enough to the stage that she and Adam had been able to exchange shy smiles between numbers, making her believe all would be well soon. The guitars were wonderful accompaniment to the folksongs, but in one of the difficult number in which Adam had to play and sing, he\u2019d lost his concentration and had gone silent while still managing to strum. He had sought her out as a grimace shot across his face, and she\u2019d mouthed the words as she had when they\u2019d practiced together. She\u2019d seen him sigh and smile as he picked up the lyrics again and finished without further problems. He\u2019d even winked and given a small salute at the end of the song. The Pachelbel finale had brought the house to its feet as the last chords echoed in the hall. Adam had given her a wistful smile during the ovation and sent her a kiss as he exited the stage\u2026<\/p>\n

Melinda looked around her room, wishing she could stop the memories there. But she couldn\u2019t. She glanced down at her empty ring finger as the final images of the night assaulted her. During the performance she\u2019d rethought her ultimatum and decided to find Adam afterwards to tell him that he should come home\u2026that he could tell her what was bothering him when he was comfortable doing so.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d known that she had to catch him outside the concert hall before he got across the street to the job site. He\u2019d told her earlier that he had to go there immediately after the performance to check on the final details of the project since they were completing it that evening. She\u2019d hurried out the side door, and had seen his hat bobbing ahead of her in the exiting crowd. The late afternoon sun created a glare and she\u2019d had difficulty seeing where he was while she\u2019d pushed her way through the knot of people. Finally breaking free, she\u2019d caught sight of him near the street and had closed the distance between them in an unladylike trot. But when she\u2019d made it to within spitting distance, she\u2019d seen that he wasn\u2019t alone. The woman who\u2019d professed herself as Adam\u2019s lover at the restaurant was walking next to him, holding his arm and leaning into his shoulder as she spoke to him. The sight had stopped Melinda dead in her tracks. The woman had glanced back at the same time, and then had stopped as well and had drawn Adam to her in a long, deep kiss.<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s gasp had made Adam turn. He\u2019d quickly moved the other woman away and come to her, trying to hold her. But she\u2019d cried, \u201cDon\u2019t touch me,\u201d as she batted his hands away and worked her wedding ring from her finger. Maxine had caught up to her, and was standing directly behind her as Melinda reached for Adam\u2019s hand and deposited the ring in it, saying, \u201cWhen you gave this to me on our wedding day, you said it was to remind me that real love was worth the wait.\u201d She\u2019d used every bit of her strength to keep from sobbing as she\u2019d added, \u201cPerhaps one day you will realize that something so worth waiting for\u2026should have been worth keeping.\u201d He\u2019d looked down, making no response, and she\u2019d finished by asking, \u201cHow did stop loving me so quickly, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d met her eyes then and touched her cheek as he\u2019d spoken softly. \u201cI do love you, Melinda, and will till the moment I die.\u201d He had leaned closer, kissing her forehead. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry for the sadness I\u2019ve caused you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that you love me and that you\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0sorry,\u201d she\u2019d groaned, \u201cbut something is so wrong here and I can\u2019t figure it out. Earlier\u2026when we were together,\u201d she\u2019d blushed even as her eyes had flooded with heated tears, \u201cyou couldn\u2019t have pretended to love me that much. I know you love me,\u201d she said again, \u201cand yet\u2026\u201d she had sobbed then and struggled to finish. \u201cAnd yet, I also know that you\u2019re leaving me!\u201d<\/p>\n

The other woman had taken Adam\u2019s arm then and pulled him away as she\u2019d told him that they were keeping the others waiting\u2026<\/p>\n

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as Melinda heard Maxine struggling to get the valises through the bedroom door, as the final memory from earlier seared her heart.<\/p>\n

She had watched Maxine\u2019s reaction to Adam\u2019s betrayal as they\u2019d all stood outside the concert hall, and something had bothered her then about the visual exchange between her friend and her husband. She replayed it in her mind now, and realizing what it was, she glared at the woman in the doorway as she cried out in horror, \u201cYou\u00a0knew<\/em>\u00a0that Adam was leaving me, didn\u2019t you Maxine?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine set the bags down and said tightly, \u201cThat\u2019s not quite true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda rose to face her eye-to-eye. \u201cI think it is. Tonight you saw me give my wedding ring back, and you saw my husband leave with another woman. But the look I saw you exchange with him was not surprise; it was apologetic. You looked at him as though you felt badly for the scene he\u2019d just been through\u2026kind of like, \u2018poor Adam, you don\u2019t deserve this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda\u2019s emotions were building to volcanic proportions as she shouted, \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be\u00a0my friend<\/em>, Maxine. Why weren\u2019t you angry for me, and telling him you thought he was making a big mistake? All I can suppose is that you already knew who he had chosen to be with. Has he told you why he\u2019s doing this and do you agree with him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda dropped to the floor keening for the death of her marriage. Everything she believed in dissolved around her like pools of emotional quicksand, sucking her deeper\u2014taking her breath away. She gasped deeply as she grabbed Adam\u2019s pillow from the bed and held it to her. \u201cHow can he leave me? He promised to love me forever.\u201d Her eyes widened as she looked up and confessed, \u201cI\u2019m terrified, Maxine. Adam\u2019s love gave me courage, but it\u2019s gone now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda refused to be comforted as Maxine knelt next to her. She whispered to the air, \u201cI\u2019m so alone. My mother and Miranda have gone to help my sister, my father is in Atlanta training for his new job, and Sadie and Abel are off tending to a sick relative\u2026\u201d Her eyes spilled her newest tears as she pushed Maxine away and ordered, \u201cI want you to leave now. I think you\u2019re rushing me to pack so I\u2019ll be out of here before Adam gets home. But this is my house too and I won\u2019t leave. He owes me an explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine sat on the edge of the bed, pulled a folded paper from her dress pocket and handed it down to Melinda, saying, \u201cYou need to read this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two – The Soon to be Late Adam Cartwright<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adam jumped, and swung around to see who had tapped his shoulder. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he snarled as he saw Lucia Castelletti standing there. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be down here. I\u2019m finishing the last of the dynamite fusing so we can blow the bank wall. Any spark could set it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to see you privately\u2026to tell you how sorry I am for what I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

An eye-roll punctuated his sarcasm. \u201cWell, that makes everything fine then.\u201d He blew away the dust that had settled on his lips as he\u2019d bored holes into the dirt and stone and asked, \u201cWhat exactly are you sorry about, Lucia: bringing me here in the first place, lying about an affair or torturing my wife outside the concert hall today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking mostly about what happened earlier. I had expected she would be angry, but she looked terrified and hurt. I had not expected that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what happens when you play games with people\u2019s lives, Lucia. Someone will always get hurt.\u201d He watched as Louis Castelletti\u2019s daughter bit her lips and picked at her nails. \u201cAre you perhaps beginning to see the truth in what I\u2019ve been telling you about your father? Unlike you, he actually takes delight in hurting others. I\u2019ve known men like him before but he\u2019ll be the last one since he means to see me dead as soon as that wall is blown and he can make off with the treasure that he thinks lies beyond it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are so dramatic, Adam.\u201d She said sternly as she checked behind her to make sure no one was coming through the tunnel. \u201cMy father has no intention of blowing up that wall. It has all been a test. He wanted to push you to the verge of losing everything to make you understand how much damage\u00a0your<\/em>\u00a0interference cost\u00a0him<\/em>. This will end soon and you will be on your way while we use the tunnel and this chamber as a root cellar for our restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s jaw dropped. \u201cYou believe that?\u201d He saw her nod in the affirmative. \u201cHow can he let me go, Lucia? I\u2019ll tell others about what\u2019s been going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

She returned his look of disgusted impatience with one of practiced arrogance. \u201cWhat have you to tell? We hired you to do a job and you did it. During that time it will appear that you made a few questionable choices that your employer didn\u2019t agree with, resulting in your firing. And while working here, you developed a fondness for the owner\u2019s daughter, leaving your wife to suspect your infidelity. My father will pay Wadsworth for your services and I will even ease your wife\u2019s concerns as you go forward repenting and repairing the damage your peccadillos have caused.\u201d<\/p>\n

The arrogance fractured a bit as she admitted, \u201cThere have been times in this process when I\u2019ve wondered why my father has such hatred for you. You seem a man above reproach in how you\u2019ve handled all that has happened. I must believe that my father\u2019s reasons are just\u2026and yet\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet?\u201d he repeated sadly. \u201cI\u2019ve told you the true circumstances behind your father\u2019s hatred of me. I\u2019ve explained how your father preyed on the weakest of men and when they couldn\u2019t repay their gambling debts, they were \u2018encouraged\u2019 to convince the women who loved them into working it off. I\u2019ve even let you read the stories from my wife\u2019s manuscript about the women from the brothel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia covered her ears and looked down. \u201cStop it. I don\u2019t want to hear this again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you need to, Lucia,\u201d he said gently while lifting her chin to make her look at him. \u201cYou have to realize that your father isn\u2019t going to let me walk away from this. I\u2019m expendable like everyone else who threatens him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father didn\u2019t run brothels!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. He didn\u2019t dirty his hands with their operation, but he owned them and his gambling organization ensured a steady supply of new flesh for them. Those women were usually poor, but they weren\u2019t prostitutes, Lucia. Most of them thought they would work as maids or waitresses and ended up on their backs having their dignity stripped further by every man who walked in and molested them. Recall that image next the time you wonder why your father is going to kill me. I helped expose your father for what he really is and he didn\u2019t like that. He needs to destroy me so he can pretend he isn\u2019t a monster. But he is; he\u2019s evil and petty and can\u2019t abide anyone who stands up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The hands that had been covering Lucia\u2019s ears now flew to her mouth as she cried out before running away. Adam shook his head as he watched her go and then finished the last fuse junction. He couldn\u2019t worry any more about Lucia. She had all the evidence she would need to make a decision: the rest was up to her.<\/p>\n

He gave the set up a final check, and headed upstairs. He prayed as he made his way through the tunnel, asking God\u2019s mercy for what he was about to do, and that should he die, his death might serve to put Louis Castelletti away forever.<\/p>\n

Lucia was making her way into the dining room with her father in tow as Adam exited the stairway. \u201cTell him, Papa!\u201d she commanded. \u201cTell him that he is free to go now. He has done everything you asked. You know that he has not told anyone what was going on and I can vouch that his wife knows nothing either. He has lived up to his promise and took his punishment with dignity, so you must do as you promised me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man\u2019s chuckle was deep and humorless. \u201cYou always were a fool, Lucia, and much like your mother in this. You live in fairy tales and liked the little drama I set out for you to star in. Mr. Cartwright saw no guile in you or he never would have come. You were perfect in your role, my dear.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cried out, \u201cStop, Papa. I will have no part in a man\u2019s death. I\u2019m ashamed of you for even teasing me about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louis grabbed his daughter\u2019s arm roughly and yanked her close. \u201cSo you have fallen for the man\u2019s charm. I should have known as much and kept you away from him. His death is on my hands alone. That should make you feel less guilty for your part. He will die tonight and I will be done with him so that he no longer haunts my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice rose in pitch as she asked. \u201cBut why? What is it you need from him that would make you murder him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRespect,\u201d he spat at Lucia. \u201cSee, even now he looks at me with disdain. I hold the key to his life and yet he refuses to even show me a glimpse of submission or fear. I cannot allow his disrespect to continue. He made me into a laughing stock among my friends. It is fortunate that before his death he will make it possible for me to get at the money next door. It will benefit me in my plans, and obtaining it through this\u00a0honorable<\/em>\u00a0man\u2019s efforts will make it all the sweeter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMoney?\u201d she scoffed. \u201cMother has all the money you could ever need. Why do you steal what you could simply ask for?\u201d<\/p>\n

The slap he laid across her face echoed in the empty room. \u201cShut up, Lucia. You prove your ignorance with every word you utter. I would not take your mother\u2019s money. She always held it over me that her family had money while mine lost theirs. She never gave me anything without making me grovel for it and then laughed when I would run into business troubles. I will never\u00a0ask<\/em>\u00a0for anything again. I am Louis Castelletti and I take what I want.\u201d He shook her, \u201cAnd if people cower in fear as I take it, all the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia pulled from his grasp and looked at Adam, confessing, \u201cEverything you told me is true,\u201d before running from the room.<\/p>\n

Castelletti\u2019s men moved to stop her departure, but he waved them off. \u201cLet her be. She will wail a bit, but she\u2019s of no danger to us. We must go down now and finish.\u201d He looked back in the direction his daughter had run and motioned a young man in his group over. \u201cStay up here and make sure she doesn\u2019t go into the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cTell us again how this will work, Cartwright,\u201d Castelletti ordered as he and his men crowded into the small chamber bordering the bank\u2019s exposed stone foundation.<\/p>\n

Adam spoke in a strong voice, giving no evidence of the dread he was feeling inside. \u201cI sent word to the bank and neighborhood police that there would be blasting today, so I doubt the agents over there will question what\u2019s happening until the wall collapses. Expect them to be armed and curious by the time you get in there, but you will have surprise on your side. I\u2019d imagine they\u2019ll think that something went terribly wrong over here rather than that they\u2019re being robbed, and you know what to say to put them at ease as you enter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Castelletti reminded his men, \u201cOnce they lower their weapons you\u2019re going to have to disarm them or shoot them quickly and secure the basement before we can start to transfer the cash.\u201d He turned again to Adam. \u201cGo on now; tell us again how the blast will affect us and what we\u2019ll do after the smoke clears.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blast won\u2019t eliminate the wall, but should dislodge enough rocks to send men through. The area in front of the exposed portion of wall is shored up and should hold well, but we\u2019ll have to stand in the tunnel to avoid the barrage of stone and mortar. I can\u2019t guarantee that the far sides of this chamber will hold, so again, everyone needs to be in the tunnel during detonation.\u201d He looked at the men, \u201cMr. Castelletti has already assigned two of you to go through first and the rest will stay here to form a transfer line through the tunnel. Trying to run back and forth in that limited space would only hold things up. The men upstairs will transfer the bags to the wagon in the alley. Once enough money is transferred to suit Castelletti, you\u2019ll all exit the tunnel and join the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d Castelletti clapped his hands and rubbed them together. \u201cA pity you can\u2019t be turned from your honorable ways. You are exceptionally intelligent and would be invaluable in future endeavors.\u201d He hooked his thumbs in his coat and surveyed the chamber and tunnel with pride. \u201cI said we could get this done in two weeks, but I seriously didn\u2019t believe it possible. All has gone better than expected. Lucia is right, you did live up to your end of the bargain, and you may rest in peace knowing that your wife and family won\u2019t be harmed. In fact I will be out of Boston for good by midnight if all goes as planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam refused to acknowledge the promise and said only, \u201cIf you\u2019ll all head into the tunnel, I\u2019ll light the fuse.\u201d When the chamber was cleared he took a lamp, raised the chimney and lit the fuse before heading toward the shelter of the tunnel as well.<\/p>\n

Castelletti barred his entrance. \u201cYour usefulness has ended. You will stay in your little chamber and experience the blast first hand. If the explosion doesn\u2019t kill you, I will have pity and order a bullet to your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the death sentence pronounced, the heavy wooden barrier Adam had fashioned to protect the tunnel during the explosion was pulled into place, isolating him from those safely on the other side. He barely had time to utter, \u201cGod have mercy on my soul,\u201d as he dove to the far side of the chamber.<\/p>\n

The blast shattered the silence with a roar. Shrapnel flew as the chamber\u2019s timbering failed, burying Adam in a tomb of stone, dirt and wood.<\/p>\n

Three \u2013 The Letter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melinda scanned the sheet of paper Maxine had handed her, recognizing Adam\u2019s writing. \u201cWhere did this come from?\u201d she asked her friend in a voice heavy with the fatigue of grief.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was in the program Frank was handed at the concert tonight. Adam must have arranged it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0get it? I never saw Frank hand you anything.\u201d Her eyes lit with a spark of interest.<\/p>\n

Maxine laid her arm around Melinda\u2019s shoulders as she explained. \u201cYou remember how Marian took you over to examine those tapestries?\u201d She received Melinda\u2019s nod. \u201cFrank had asked her to distract you for a bit so he could talk to Les and me and afterwards gave me the note to have you read when I thought it would be of most use.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d she whispered as she wiped at her tears and tried to focus on the writing. \u201cWould you read it to me? My eyes are blurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking Melinda\u2019s hand, Maxine began, \u201cFrank. I suspect you already know most of what I\u2019m writing about. I do wonder how soon you figured it out. My guess is that you knew some of it before I did. You have of course found out that Louis Castelletti is out of prison and that it was his daughter who came to the office. He sees me as the root of all the misfortune he has endured since dealing with us last time. As you must suspect, he threatened to kill Melinda and Abel if I didn\u2019t cooperate. I had walked away after my first encounter with him, and the near miss with the wagon almost hitting Abel was my warning to come back to the table. Since my grandfather and Sadie are off visiting a sick relative that I don\u2019t believe exists, I\u2019m assuming you figured that out too and got them out of town. I admit that having two less people to worry about was a godsend. I thank you for that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou might not be sure of what I\u2019m doing for Castelletti, although Les wouldn\u2019t be the man you trust if he didn\u2019t check into what\u2019s happening at the bank next door. The plan is to take counterfeit and foreign currency being stored there. It will take place tonight after the concert. I\u2019ve gone along with it only because he told me that if anything happened to him, or I tried to alert anyone to what I was doing, Melinda would be killed immediately. I\u2019m sorry this whole thing dragged out so long, but I needed to put things in place to make sure Castelletti won\u2019t walk away from it this time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is greatest in my favor is that Castelletti has made a deadly error by underestimating us again\u2014it is his greatest shortcoming. When I went over the originals drawings for the bank, I found an old foundation along the edge of Castelletti\u2019s property that was never removed. The bank\u2019s foundation is beyond that. I built a tunnel and anteroom up to this redundant wall and I\u2019ll set the charge to blow only through that tonight rather than both. The tunnel will survive the blast, but the chamber will not. I engineered that room to collapse as a way to expose the plan. I\u2019d ask that you not interfere with the proceedings until after the blast when the rats can be collected as they scurry out through the restaurant or the remains of the room. Castelletti might have been able to bribe local officials in the past to support his cause, but trying to rob a national bank makes this a federal crime and he\u2019ll be dealing with a very formidable and unforgiving Secret Service this time.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy greatest sadness in all of this is what my actions have done to Melinda. It wasn\u2019t enough for Castelletti to ruin my career; he wants those left behind to loathe my memory. Since Maxine was with Melinda when Lucia made her avowals at the restaurant, you must be aware of my \u2018affair.\u2019 Melinda has been strong throughout this ordeal, and while I\u2019m sure she has no idea why I\u2019m acting as I have been, she continues to trust that there must be a reasonable explanation.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI know you didn\u2019t believe that city planning clerk\u2019s claim that I\u2019ve been bribing him for permits without doing the proper paperwork. However, I do appreciate your indignity over the matter in the loud argument and the call for my resignation. It helped to convince Castelletti that I was playing his game.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know that Castelletti will not allow me to live. I\u2019ll try to prevent this eventuality, but if I don\u2019t make it, Frank, I need you to send Melinda away tonight. You know where she\u2019ll be safest. After that, I trust that you\u2019ll follow through and eradicate Castelletti\u2019s influence so that Melinda can come home again. I put her life your hands, certain that you will honor me by caring for her and keeping an eye on Abel.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if I haven\u2019t already asked too much of you, I would ask that you help Melinda to understand why I couldn\u2019t tell her what was going on. My beloved is a gentle and honest soul, and I knew that if she had any suspicion that I was being threatened, her reaction would have endangered her. I know this sounds dramatic, but I believe Castelletti\u2019s threats. He\u2019s hardened even further since last we saw him. He\u2019s become desperate and has convicted me of besting him when no one else had been able to do that. He\u2019s dangerous and most probably losing his mind as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI thank you for all that you have ever done for me and appreciate that you will take care of what I cannot. Give my love to Marian and thank her too.<\/em><\/p>\n

With Sincerity and Gratitude,<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Melinda was pacing the room by the time Maxine finished. \u201cDid Frank really know what was happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had Les check into that Lucille Castle after she came to the office.\u00a0 Something about her bothered Frank, but by the time Les figured out that Castelletti was free and the one behind Adam\u2019s \u2018job\u2019 it was too late to intervene without making things worse. He and Frank had to wait until Adam could let them know what he needed them to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that about a clerk and bribery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome sleazy guy that doesn\u2019t even work for the city any longer, told Frank that Adam had paid him to falsify documents for several jobs recently. Frank knew it was a lie but figured it was part of whatever was going on and had a loud argument with Adam at work and dismissed him. He made it look good so if there were any moles in the office they\u2019d report the incident to Castelletti.\u201d<\/p>\n

The magnitude of what was going on finally broke through Melinda\u2019s fog and she hurriedly began gathering items to pack. \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Adam just tell someone what was going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe felt that Castelletti\u2019s threats to kill you and Abel were real. You told me that Adam changed the night that the horse cart nearly hit his grandfather. I don\u2019t think you made the connection of that particular incident, but that\u2019s when he sold his soul to Castelletti. When Les told us what he\u2019d found out, he was adamant that no one could attempt to intervene. He spoke privately to me and said that if I\u2019d try to make this easier for you or give you hints of what was happening, I would ensure a horrible outcome. He trusted that Adam knew what he was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda hesitated while moving a pile of Adam\u2019s shirts to the bed for Maxine to pack. \u201cI should take things for Adam too, shouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine didn\u2019t have the heart to tell Melinda that Adam might not be making any trips if what he assumed to be his final outcome proved true. \u201cOf course, honey,\u201d she said instead, \u201cwe\u2019ll put enough clothing in these bags for a week and I\u2019ll send anything else you need after I know where you\u2019ll be. I\u2019ll come back and close out the house once you\u2019re safe too. I\u2019ve already cleaned out the kitchen so you won\u2019t find any critters living there when you return.\u201d She didn\u2019t say that she\u2019d been checking the yard to make sure they hadn\u2019t been followed at the same time.<\/p>\n

A knock from below sent Maxine running with an admonition for Melinda to stay put. She returned quickly with a note and a concerned frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour face tells me that something\u2019s wrong, Maxi. What\u2019s in that note?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s from Les. We\u2019re to complete the packing and then go with the men waiting for us downstairs. He wants us at that restaurant where Adam\u2019s been working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it all over then?\u201d Melinda asked hopefully. \u201cAdam\u2019s safe and Castelletti\u2019s been arrested?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s over. Frank and Les waited around after the concert and saw the whole thing. Les had notified the police to be ready to move and Castelletti\u2019s men were rounded up right after the chamber collapsed, just as Adam planned.\u201d Maxine gulped and bit her cheeks to keep from crying, \u201cBut Castelletti was able to escape out the crater, and they haven\u2019t found Adam. Castelletti\u2019s men said that Adam was pushed into the area where the dynamite exploded, and they figure he must be\u2026um\u2026under the rubble.\u201d<\/p>\n

The numbness returned as Melinda realized the meaning of Maxine\u2019s well-chosen words. \u201cYou\u2019re saying that Adam is presumed dead?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine crammed clothing into carpet bags. \u201cLet\u2019s get this done and head over there. Les wants you to be ready to move out and while he feels he should send you away without stopping, he knows you won\u2019t go anywhere until they\u2026ah\u2026find Adam.\u201d She stopped and embraced Melinda. \u201cLet\u2019s not assume anything yet, all right? Knowing your husband, he had something up his sleeve and if anyone could figure out a way to stay alive, it\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four \u2013 The Wonders of Good Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n

Melinda exited the carriage feeling overwhelmed by the events of the day. Her coat weighed her down as surely as if it had been woven of lead fibers, and each step she made required monumental effort as she moved across the street toward the building where Adam had been working. There was no moonlight illuminating the early deep darkness of night, but a number of torches burned at the edge of a small crater in the lot near the bank. She stared at the display wondering if she was looking at her husband\u2019s grave. Yet, while the torches kept vigil, Melinda noted that there was no activity at the hole and made the assumption that whatever had happed to Adam, it was a\u00a0fait accompli<\/em>. With what strength she could muster, she squared her shoulders, steeled her spine, and breathed deeply to supply her rattled mind with enough oxygen to make it through the next few minutes.<\/p>\n

She allowed Maxine to assist her to the building as she concentrated on the simple task of getting one foot to follow the other. When they met Les near the door, she tried to ask what had happened, but her words dissolved into clouds of vapor in the cool, spring-night air.<\/p>\n

Melinda came to an abrupt halt inside as she noticed several men sitting across the room at a table in what had once been a large dining area, and drew a sharp breath when she noticed the dark-haired head and back of the very dirty and tattered center of the group\u2019s attention. She looked to Les who smiled and leaned over to say quietly, \u201cThat husband of yours is quite an engineer. He dug himself out of a little bunker shortly after I sent the note to your house. From what he\u2019s told those Secret Service men, he figured Castelletti would prevent his leaving during the detonation and had engineered a safe haven at the edge of the chamber.\u201d Les chuckled softly. \u201cHe put in a number of air vents along the tunnel and made sure there was one in that area too.\u00a0 He also placed a lamp hook there so he had fresh air and light in his cozy tomb for the time it took him to get out. I\u2019ll never know how he did that without anyone else catching on, but he is ingenious.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is that,\u201d she sighed and blinked back her joyful tears before asking, \u201cI don\u2019t think he knows I\u2019m here so should I wait until he\u2019s done before going to him? I don\u2019t know how much trouble he\u2019s in and would hate to disturb them or interfere and make it worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s talking with the police and the Secret Service agents and they should be done soon. All he could talk about at first was seeing you. They finally got him calmed down and talking after I told him you were on the way. Castelletti\u2019s daughter has already told them the whole story, and absolved Adam of any wrongdoing so I don\u2019t think he\u2019s in \u2018trouble\u2019 as such. Yet, you might want to allow him to finish and then let him know you\u2019ve arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought of the young woman who had kissed Adam and led him away earlier and a sour look crossed her face. \u201cWhy would Castelletti\u2019s daughter help him? Wasn\u2019t she the one who got Adam into this mess in the first place? Like father, like daughter, I\u2019d presume.\u201d<\/p>\n

Les shook his head as he pulled Melinda farther into the shadows of a hallway where he could speak without whispering. \u201cI haven\u2019t been able to get the whole story, but it seems that Castelletti lied to her about the circumstances behind what Adam had done, and during the time Lucia spent with Adam, he convinced her of the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda peeked around the edge of the door at her husband again as she said, \u201cI guess I may have to rethink my opinion of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Les eased her back into the shadows again so he could tell her more. \u201cThe one loose end to this is that Castelletti got away. I don\u2019t think he could have gone far, but we\u2019re still searching for him and I need you to be careful until he\u2019s found. Maxine went into the kitchen to check with Marian and Frank about some arrangements for later.\u201d He pointed toward a door further back in the building. \u201cMaybe you could stay with them until Adam finishes up. I need to find out what\u2019s happening with the search for the old man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam happened to look around and caught sight of Les and Melinda as they spoke. A wide smile broke through the dirt and blood that had dried into a mask on his cheeks.<\/p>\n

The young Secret Service agent grasped Adam\u2019s arm when he shoved his chair back and stood. \u201cPlease sit down, Mr. Cartwright. I saw her too, but the sooner we get your side of this story, the sooner we can get you both to safety. Your reunion can wait a bit longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned to him, \u201cThis one can\u2019t wait, Mr. West. I won\u2019t be long.\u201d<\/p>\n

James West3 smiled appreciatively as the couple met in the middle of the room. He saw that the woman was in tears as she touched Adam\u2019s bloody cheek and he silenced her scolding with a kiss.\u00a0Must be the one he was trying to protect through all this<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For West, marriage was out of the question right now. He had been recruited into the Secret Service in recognition of his meritorious actions in the Civil War and he was scheduled to enter a training program for an elite branch of the department as soon as the mission to get all the counterfeit money to Philadelphia was completed. Yet as he watched the Cartwrights in their display of obvious deep affection, he found himself hoping that if he settled down, he and his bride would be as devoted as this couple seemed to be.<\/p>\n

He looked back at his notes, reviewing the information he\u2019d received so far. \u00a0It struck him again what a skilled engineer Adam must be to have constructed an underground system to collapse only where he wanted it to.\u00a0Maybe I should talk to Cartwright about joining the Secret Service,<\/em>\u00a0he considered thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

Beyond Adam\u2019s obvious intellect, West had been even more impressed by the answer he\u2019d been given when he\u2019d asked why Adam didn\u2019t just figure a way to drop the entire system on Castelletti and his gang. The explanation was that it would have put others in the same position he was in and to Adam\u2019s way of thinking, he would have had to stoop to the same level of depravity as Castelletti to do that.\u00a0 And despite all that had happened, Cartwright still believed it was the duty of the justice system to impose sentencing rather than for him to make that decision.<\/p>\n

After allowing for a few minutes of conversation between the Cartwrights, West called out, \u201cIf you\u2019ll come back now, we can get this report completed and you can leave. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re anxious to get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Five \u2013 Evil\u2019s Last Stand<\/strong><\/p>\n

It had felt so good to hold Adam, especially since there\u2019d been doubt that she would ever feel his arms around her again. He\u2019d asked her if she\u2019d seen the note he\u2019d gotten out to Frank, saying that he\u2019d explain it all later, and then expressed his sorrow that they had been drawn into Castelletti\u2019s web again. She\u2019d given her great thanks that he was alive, even if he was filthy and banged up. She\u2019d tasted blood and dirt as she\u2019d kissed him and realized that in this case it was the taste of life, and kissed him again and again, and then they\u2019d simply held each other until he was called back to finish with the man called, West.<\/p>\n

Les was speaking to someone else when she completed her reunion, so she made her way back to the kitchen, finding only Maxine and a young man. \u201cI thought Frank and Marian were here,\u201d she said as she entered.<\/p>\n

Maxine ran to her with a huge smile. \u201cWhat a wonderful outcome!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes it was. But how did you know he was all right before I did? You must have known since you left me as soon as we walked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could tell by Les\u2019s expression that all was well.\u201d She blushed, \u201cThe two of us can communicate with a look as well as words already. I left because I figured you\u2019d want to be alone with Adam, and I heard Frank talking back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda nodded. \u201cSo where is Frank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to stay and see you, but he felt it was better to get moving to finalize some arrangements. He had a job for Marian to do as well and took her along. But they promised they\u2019ll see you later.\u201d Maxine took Melinda\u2019s hand. \u201cI\u2019m sorry about all the mystery. It was hard to decide how to handle things when my job overlapped my friendship. In the end, I had to do what was best for you, even if it meant letting you think the worst.\u201d She breathed easier as Melinda nodded and smiled. \u201cDid Les have any idea how much longer they\u2019d be speaking with Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot long,\u201d Melinda replied as she looked around the room, \u201cbut you never know how long it will take once a group of men get talking.\u201d She nodded toward the young man standing by the cupboards. \u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe worked for Castelletti, but wasn\u2019t involved in the attempted robbery tonight. He was left to watch Miss Castelletti and helped the police round up the gang when he figured out what was going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young man\u2019s voice was thickly accented as he spoke out. \u201cMy name is Antonio, Miss. I come from Sicily with Miss Castelletti\u2026her mother hire me to make sure she was safe on the trip, and her father hire me here to help build a wine cellar. I heard talk of it being used for some other purpose, but believed Lucia,\u201d his cheeks turned pink, \u201cI mean Miss Castelletti, when she say it was all some sort of foolery between Mr. Cartwright and her father.\u201d He tipped his hat. \u201cI\u2019m relieved to know that all is well, and was most happy to help the police. I will have to talk to them again to give a full account, but now I must go look for Mr. Castelletti.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both women expressed their pleasure at meeting him as he left out the back door. Melinda spoke first once they were alone. \u201cAnd where is Miss Castelletti?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAntonio said she went up in her room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d she said while peering out the window. When Maxine left the room to check on what Les wanted her to do next, Melinda slipped out the back door and took a better look towards the crater\u2019s edge confirming that she\u00a0had<\/em>\u00a0seen a woman\u2019s silhouette highlighted by torchlight. Her steps in the thick dewy grass made little noise as she neared the other woman, but her stealth was ruined as she exclaimed, \u201cOh my goodness!\u201d at seeing the depth and destruction within the pit.<\/p>\n

Lucia Castelletti turned to Melinda wearing a similar expression of awe. \u201cIt does make you wonder how he survived, does it not, Mrs. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda nodded as she regained her composure. \u201cWhen I heard that there was a collapse, I never envisioned anything this deep or ragged.\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger woman removed her shawl and placed it around Melinda\u2019s shoulders. \u201cYou\u2019re shivering. I think they call it shock when you begin to shiver after experiencing something that\u2026\u201d she thought for a moment and chuckled, \u201cI guess the phrase I am looking for is, shocks you.\u201d She smiled kindly. \u201cAll I know is that you are to keep warm when that happens or it can have bad effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard something like that myself. Thank you.\u201d Melinda drew the fabric tightly around her to stop the tremors. \u201cI really don\u2019t understand what was going on here the last three weeks, but I do thank you for clearing Adam\u2019s name from the mess. I heard that you told the police what actually happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not know how to tell you how sorry I am.\u201d Lucia bowed her head for a moment before addressing Melinda again. \u201cIt was all to be a joke\u2026\u201d She bit her lip as she thought. \u201cNo, that is not right. Father said it was a repayment for bad deeds done by your husband. He said that Adam owed him money and turned him over to the police instead of paying it.\u201d Hearing Melinda\u2019s gasp and seeing the look of fierce anger in her eyes, Lucia quickly continued, \u201cDo not worry, I learned the truth along the way. I know my father had you kidnapped back then and that you nearly died during the ordeal. I\u2019ve come to accept that my father is a consummate liar and he used my affection to help him with his dirty work. \u00a0Please believe that it was only tonight that I realized that he meant to kill Adam or I would have intervened sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda had to assume that Lucia was being truthful, even though the young woman\u2019s features held an odd sort of imperiousness that belied her words. \u201cWhat changed your mind about your father? Was it only the lie about allowing Adam to live?\u201d<\/p>\n

The haughtiness was replaced by a knowing smile. \u201cYou must know how persuasive your husband can be. Adam and I would talk when I came down to see how the construction was coming along or when I found him in the dining room working over his schematics late into the night. He explained what that place you were held was like, and how you and your family helped the women who were rescued. He even brought pages from a book you are writing so that I could read their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was wondering where those pages went. Did that help to convince you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and yet Papa had warned me to be ready to hear lies about him. It was not until tonight that the scales irrevocably tipped against my father. I realized that he was the liar and began to believe that Adam was as sincere as he had always seemed.\u201d Lucia touched Melinda\u2019s shoulder. \u201cYou write beautifully. You made me feel that these women just want a chance to tell the world what they went through and that they will use their fresh starts wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you really did read it,\u201d Melinda said with a tone indicating her surprise. She stepped closer and took the young woman\u2019s hand. \u201cYou must be feeling confused right now. It is never easy to have to face the truth when it\u2019s not what you\u2019ve believed it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was confused the entire time the tunnel was being built, but tonight I had a moment of pure clarity. I saw that my father had kidnapped you again, only this time your husband was going to pay the ransom with his life. Papa used the love and the strong bond between you and your husband to his advantage. I always thought that he loved my mother and me but I was wrong. He said ugly and hurtful things about both of us tonight and I saw that there was no love for anyone left in him. His heart is ruled by hate.\u201d She squeezed Melinda\u2019s hand. \u201cI am sorry that I tried to make you think that Adam was unfaithful. Papa had men following you and they came to get me when you went to that restaurant so you would overhear me. The truth is that Adam never stopped talking about you the entire time he was here. And each time he did, his eyes would light up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda was impressed with Lucia\u2019s words, while still feeling wary about the entire conversation. \u201cIf you were feeling uneasy about the charade, then why the kiss outside the concert hall earlier? Surely that was meant to hurt me and sever the bond you speak so highly of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia\u2019s lips pulled to thin line before she laughed tightly. \u201cYou should know that kissing him was like kissing a rock. There was no response. Since your husband has too much fire to be so unresponsive, I must assume he withheld his warmth because it was I who kissed him. As to the reason; it is simple. I turned and saw you following us and had to stop you. If you had made it to the restaurant or my father had seen you, he would have assumed that Adam had broken his agreement to not alert anyone to his predicament.\u201d She saw Melinda\u2019s look of chagrin. \u201cI think it worked well, did it not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Nodding her agreement, Melinda admitted soberly, \u201cIt not only stopped me from following you, it caused me to truly fear for Adam. I misunderstood the kind of danger he was in but not the fact of it.\u201d A moment of silence lay between the two women until Melinda said, \u201cWe should head back inside. It\u2019s chilly and I notice that now you\u2019re shivering too.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the two women turned, they found their way being blocked by Louis Castelletti. \u201cMy, my, this is an interesting tea party. Here is my daughter and Mrs. Cartwright having a little chat while I am forced to hide like a rabbit pursued by the hounds.\u201d He reached to touch Melinda\u2019s face but she pulled back and he slapped her instead. \u201cYou are a beautiful but taxing woman,\u201d he growled. \u201cThe last time I saw you, I\u00a0thought<\/em>\u00a0you were dead. If I\u2019d known you\u2019d be this much trouble, I would have assured it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda remained silent as she stood tall and looked directly into his eyes. She had learned that from Adam. It didn\u2019t matter that she felt like vomiting or that her knees were knocking under her petticoats. What mattered was that Castelletti didn\u2019t know it.<\/p>\n

The big man pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at her chest. \u201cI have had a belly full of Cartwrights. I snuck past the building on the way over here and saw your husband inside so it does appear that he cheated death too. Oh, well,\u201d he laughed, \u201cI told your husband that you would die if he betrayed me in any way. It will haunt him more to be alive if you are\u2026not. So it is a perfect ending to an imperfect plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Castelletti pulled the hammer back on his pistol, his daughter stepped in front of Melinda. \u201cYou will not kill anyone tonight, Father. You have caused this woman enough grief and it was not Mr. Cartwright who alerted the authorities, it was I. After you insulted mother and called me stupid I went to the local precinct.\u201d<\/p>\n

He groaned loudly. \u201cWhy is it my bane in life to deal with disrespectful idiots? It does not matter. Your body won\u2019t stop the bullet and I will simply take two dreadful women down with one pull of the trigger.\u201d He moaned again as he leveled the gun at his daughter\u2019s heart. \u201cWhy do you make me do this, Lucia?\u201d<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have all that we need for now, Mr. Cartwright and I know that the security agent from your company is anxious to get you somewhere safe.\u201d James West shook Adam\u2019s hand. \u201cThank you for all the help. I can\u2019t imagine how long it would have taken to round up all that counterfeit money again if Castelletti\u2019s plan had succeeded. Having foreign connections would have given him a wide market for distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought as well,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cAll I know for certain is that I\u2019d really like to get cleaned up and then sleep for a couple of weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ever decide that you\u2019d like to chase down criminals on a regular basis, you can get in touch with me and I\u2019ll put a good word in for you. We could use someone with your skills and grit.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were all still talking when they were startled by the sound of gunshots from outside. Adam looked around the room. His face paled as he shouted, \u201cWhere\u2019s Melinda?\u201d<\/p>\n

Maxine ran to the kitchen and hollered back, \u201cShe was in here. She didn\u2019t come this way, so she must have gone out the back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The room cleared as Adam led the agents and police through the back door. They all stopped abruptly as they saw a man with a gun standing over what appeared to be three bodies lying in the grass. The young Antonio was straddling the largest mound and he tossed his gun to the side as he saw the drawn weapons of the group before of him. His face was washed in orange from the nearby torch as he spoke. \u201cI shot Castelletti. He is quite dead. He tried to kill Miss Lucia and the other lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ran to Melinda who was struggling to sit up. \u201cAre you in one piece?\u201d he asked with a shaky voice, and assisted her to stand with shakier hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she replied as she dusted herself off, \u201cthanks to Lucia. Castelletti was about to shoot both of us when she pushed me down and fell on top of me. His shot went over our heads and that young man got him before he could shoot again. \u00a0The old fool dropped on top of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached down to assist Lucia. \u201cThank you,\u201d he whispered in her ear as he helped her to her feet.<\/p>\n

Five \u2013 On a Rail Car Bound for Somewhere<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOuch!\u201d Adam crabbed as he sat in a sloshing tub of hot water and suds. \u201cYou\u2019re taking skin off with the dirt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda lathered the washcloth and began scrubbing again. \u201cSo sorry, my love, it seems there are abrasions under all that grime. I\u2019ll use more soap and less muscle.\u201d She looked at her surroundings as she went back to bathing her dirty husband. \u201cI still can\u2019t believe how beautiful this rail car is. It\u2019s like we\u2019re in a fine hotel on wheels.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn essence we are. Frank told me that this car was bought and decked-out by a wealthy Boston family. After riding in it only once, the wife declared it a leviathan and wouldn\u2019t step foot in it again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarian told me that the poor woman suffered from something like seasickness with the swaying.\u201d She rinsed her cloth and finished wiping down Adam\u2019s neck. \u201cHer loss is our gain, I suppose,\u201d she chuckled, \u201cand it was generous of Frank to rent it for us. But I don\u2019t know why we still had to leave after Castelletti was killed. Didn\u2019t his death end the threat against us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam yawned loudly. \u201cYes, but Castelletti said that he had given orders for us to be killed if anything happened to him, and it\u2019s possible that he gave those orders to someone outside his immediate minions. Les and Lucia are going to work with the police to figure out who else might still have ties to Castelletti and ensure that we\u2019re safe for good.\u201d He reached up to grasp her wet hand. \u201cWe should be able to return in a few weeks, and by that time we\u2019ll be heading to London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda took another look around and avowed, \u201cWell, if one has to scurry from town in the middle of the night, this is certainly the way to do it!\u201d<\/p>\n

After Melinda and Lucia had given their statements about the last moments of Louis Castelletti\u2019s life, Les and Maxine had rushed Adam and Melinda to the rail yards where the private car was in wait. Frank thought it the best means of travel since the car could be nestled between two others containing security men to make sure there were no further attempts on the couple\u2019s lives as they got away from Boston.<\/p>\n

Marian had arranged for the car to be stocked with an abundance of food and drink and had sent word ahead to various stations to provide meals as the train passed through. The car had a bedroom with a tub and commode behind a screen, as well as a separate sitting room. The space was tight, but not cramped.<\/p>\n

The couple had been given a sendoff by Les and Maxine, and both Wadsworths. Even the Secret Service agent, West, had come along to make sure the Cartwrights got off safely. They were on their way now but a tense aura lingered as the couple was getting things done.<\/p>\n

His voice was husky with exhaustion as Adam remarked on something he\u2019d noticed when the group had been there earlier. \u201cDid you see Agent West looking around? He mentioned that with a few modifications a similar car might work well to transport teams of Secret Service to places they need to be. I think it makes great sense, but I doubt the government will want to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMhmm,\u201d Melinda muttered as she helped him step out of the sloshing tub and dried him off. \u201cLucky this bathtub has a lip on it,\u201d she laughed as she pulled the plug, releasing the soapy water out onto the tracks below the car, \u201cor we\u2019d have a tidal wave going through the middle of the sitting area.\u201d Once dry, she presented Adam with a set of blue satin pajamas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019d these come from?\u201d he laughed. \u201cThey\u2019re kind of dandyish for my tastes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA gift from Marian,\u201d she replied as she slid the top up his arms and turned him to close the buttons. \u201cThere\u2019s a beautiful nightgown for me too. Marian said that by having these handy we wouldn\u2019t have to unpack anything until tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our Marian, always thinking ahead.\u201d He ran his hand down the smooth surface of the sleeve and chuckled. \u201cDo you suppose this is what Frank wears?\u201d His chuckling became giggling as his fatigue and the brandy he\u2019d consumed with Frank\u2019s encouragement to \u201ctake the chill off\u201d took effect. \u201cHold on tight to me tonight, sweetheart, or I\u2019ll slide right out the side of the bed when we go around a curve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stepped into the satin bottoms and moved gingerly toward the bed after receiving Melinda\u2019s admonition to \u201cbehave himself.\u201d The pain and stiffness brought on by his tumble and the crush of the cave-in had been at bay while his adrenalin had been pumping, but now his joints and back were tight and unyielding. \u201cThat bath felt good, but now I\u2019m feeling as Methuselah must have at age 899 or so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda assisted him onto the soft mattress and tucked him in. \u201cA good night\u2019s sleep will do wonders. You\u2019ll feel 500 years younger in the morning,\u201d she teased, and then kissed his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re angry with me,\u201d he said without preamble as he took at her arm to keep her from walking away. \u201cYou were relieved and loving toward me at the restaurant when you found out I was alive, but since then you\u2019ve been perfunctory and cool. I can see you battling your feelings, but you\u2019re hurt and upset, and I know I\u2019m to blame. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes widened in surprise until she sighed and slumped forward, burying her face in her hands for a moment. She sighed again and smiled wryly, \u201cI thought I was doing a pretty good job of pretending that everything was fine. That pretty much confirms what you said to Frank about not being able to trust me to hide my feelings. And I\u2019m not mad at you, I\u2019m mad and disgusted with myself. Everyone else we know had a sense of what was happening, but I was clueless, and you couldn\u2019t trust me enough to say anything because I would have gotten us killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brows rose and fell as he tried to decipher her comment. \u201cI never said I didn\u2019t trust you, Melinda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her glare was filled with a soul-deep hurt. \u201cYes you did! You wrote Frank that you couldn\u2019t tell me. You couldn\u2019t trust me with the truth!\u201d She turned away after her confession, but stayed put where she\u2019d sat on the bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will have to believe that what I\u2019m going to say now is the truth.\u201d He touched her hand but she would not look at him. \u201cI love your passion, Melinda. I love that you fight for what you believe in with fierceness. But because you are who you are, you\u2019re unable to pretend or disguise that you feel otherwise. In what we just went through, everyone, including Castelletti would have known if you had suspected that I was in danger. I had to let you be mad\u00a0at<\/em>\u00a0me instead of\u00a0for<\/em>\u00a0me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grimaced and groaned quietly as he pushed himself to a sitting position. \u201cI have always been accused of being poker-faced and too serious. The truth is that my life was always pretty serious and I learned to trust myself more than anyone else.\u201d He rolled his head back onto the headboard and closed his eyes as memories of his early life crushed around him like the stones and dirt had earlier. \u201cThe world couldn\u2019t hurt me as much after I learned how to do that. I reasoned problems out in my own mind and acted, and because of that I\u2019ve been called block-headed, cool, and uncaring. Some even claimed I had no feelings. But I always cared; I simply chose not to share\u2026or show what was inside me. That worked well again for me during these weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He noticed that Melinda\u2019s eyes had lost their haunted look as she turned back to him and took his hands. He still didn\u2019t like speaking of feelings but he knew he had to complete his thoughts if he wanted to make Melinda understand his reasons for not confiding in her. \u201cBut there\u2019s a new truth now in my life. I\u2019ve let you see into my heart and you know that I do feel things far more deeply than I let on.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wiped away a tear that had trickled down her cheek. \u201cLove can do that, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes it can, and because of that, two things were true. First, I had to move out of the house or you would have figured it out and put yourself in harm\u2019s way. Secondly, I trusted you without question. I had to write that note to Frank so that he and Les wouldn\u2019t come barging in before I was ready. I assumed that they knew a great deal but I also assumed that they were getting impatient to act. While I wasn\u2019t sure what to expect from Frank, I trusted that you would be willing to wait for explanations. Even your ultimatum this morning gave me the time I needed to get the job done.\u201d He looked down. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure the timbering would work as I intended it tonight, so I did leave a note for you in my guitar case. It had to be somewhere you\u2019d find it after\u2026rather than before it was over. I think it explained all this too, but I\u2019m really glad I could tell you instead of having you read it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am too, and I do understand your predicament.\u201d She placed her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. \u201cThe worst moment was when I thought about that apologetic look Maxine gave you and I began to fear that everyone had decided that you were right to leave me. I had the circumstances wrong, but I was right about her knowing the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so sorry,\u201d he said again, \u201cand I understand if it takes a little time for you to forgive me.\u201d He thought a bit and added, \u201cAnd while Maxine is getting good at her job, she has a ways to go in maintaining\u00a0her<\/em>\u00a0poker-face. I\u2019m lucky that Lucia didn\u2019t see that look or she would have known that others were aware of what was going on. Maxi will get there though; Les will teach her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melinda gave him a strong hug and said softly, \u201cI forgave you the moment I saw you standing there, alive. I always knew there had to be good reasons for your actions. I let fear overtake my reasoning, and for that, I owe\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0an apology. I should never have doubted you.\u201d The fatigue of the day began to set in as she yawned before adding, \u201cI guess we\u2019re fortunate that Lucia is a better person than her father or you would be in custody now and I\u2019d be dead. It\u2019s interesting how wrong we can be about people sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grimaced as he leaned forward and made Melinda release her hold so that he could see her face. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen the real Lucia Castelletti yet. We\u2019ve only gotten a glimpse of a very complicated person. I think her actions tonight were done so that she would look like the heroine and save her own skin, rather than to save us. In the end it doesn\u2019t matter; I\u2019m just glad we\u2019re both alive, and we won\u2019t have further dealings with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you feel that way about her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLucia \u2018appeared\u2019 sincere, but I could never see the truth of her convictions. I also have a hard time believing that she was as na\u00efve about what was happening as she claimed she was. \u00a0She spoke strongly at times, but her eyes were emotionless. Her father\u2019s eyes had that same emptiness. Most time I felt that she was saying lines\u2014like she was playing a part in a play\u2014adjusting her expressions to fit the scene. The only time I saw a flash of true emotion was when her father slapped her and called her, and her mother fools earlier tonight. I saw a deadly look cross her face and I think that\u2019s when she made the decision to betray him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll admit I noticed something odd when I spoke with her tonight, but it was a brief encounter and I wasn\u2019t sure that I was interpreting what I saw correctly. We were having a very serious conversation, yet she seemed detached from what she was saying. Now it makes sense; she was giving a performance.\u201d Melinda thought back to the exchange and added, \u201cShe did look truly upset when she began describing how her father didn\u2019t love her and had used her, so I think you\u2019re right about that part too. Telling the police what her father had planned, even before he was dead, and then saving my life was probably the best way she could get back at him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shiver overtook Adam as he considered the whole ordeal. \u201cLouis Castelletti took great pride in his daughter\u2019s \u2018loyalty.\u2019 Betraying her father to those he hated most was the optimal way to hurt him. Overall, I think Lucia possesses many of the same questionable traits as her father. I hope I\u2019m wrong, but time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow,\u201d Melinda breathed, \u201cI guess I\u00a0am<\/em>\u00a0glad we\u2019re going away for a little while. Lucia said she was going to New Orleans after she cleared things in Boston, so she should be gone by the time we return. I know I owe her my life, but from now on, I want to stay far away from anyone named Castelletti.\u201d She stretched and yawned again. \u201cSpeaking of going away, I never heard where this train is headed.\u201d<\/p>\n

His laugh ended in a groan. \u201cIt\u2019s taking us someplace safe: the Ponderosa.\u201d He brought her hands to his lips, and then examined the left one, saying, \u201cOh, oh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, oh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem to be missing something.\u201d He gently pushed her aside as he inched his way out of bed and retrieved his pants from the back of a chair. \u201cI usually have the fob pockets removed from the waistbands of my pants,\u201d he said seriously. \u201cThey irritate that scar I got from one of Cochise\u2019s braves. But this pair still has one and tonight it came in handy.\u201d He slipped his fingers into the small flap of material and withdrew Melinda\u2019s wedding ring. Dropping ungracefully and heavily to one satin-clad knee, he took her hand and said, \u201cWill you, Melinda Hayworth Cartwright, do me the honor of remaining my wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly if you\u2019ll do me the honor of remaining my husband,\u201d she replied as he slid the ring onto her finger.<\/p>\n

He attempted to rise, but returned to his knee, dropped his head, and sighed into a chuckle before looking up again with a sheepish grin, \u201cI have one last favor to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me up?\u201d<\/p>\n

The End<\/strong>\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026. The next story in this series, In Search of Safety. It will follow Adam and Melinda\u2019s trip to the Ponderosa and contains a few surprises too.<\/p>\n

Nest Story in the One Step Closer Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Search of Safety
\n<\/a>From Two to Three
\n<\/a>Changes in Fate<\/a><\/p>\n

Notes:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

*In the Quality of Mercy episode, you see the four Cartwright\u2019s singing Sweet Betsy from Pike while Adam accompanies them on the guitar. If you watch his lips, they often stop moving for a couple of beats until the final word or 2 of the phrase, like \u201cplat\u201d and \u201cflat.\u201d Of course he comes in strong at the end. I always imagined that his guitar-playing skill was rather recently acquired when he did that, and he was more concerned about the fingering than the words of the song.<\/em><\/p>\n

**This is background taken from my story, One Step Closer: \u2018Til Death Do Us Part. It is the story of Adam returning to Boston, reuniting with Melinda, facing the tragedy of a kidnapping, and finally marrying his college sweetheart.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 \u00a0Johann Pachelbel was a Baroque composer and while we\u2019re all familiar with his Canon in D, people in Adam\u2019s time had never heard it. As the Baroque style went out of fashion during the 18th century, the majority of Baroque and pre-Baroque composers were virtually forgotten. Local organists in Nuremberg and Erfurt knew Pachelbel’s music and occasionally performed it, but the public and the majority of composers and performers did not pay much attention to Pachelbel\u2019s work. In the first half of the 19th century, some organ works by Pachelbel were published and several musicologists started considering him an important composer. Much of Pachelbel’s work was published in the early 20th century, but it was not until the rise of interest in early Baroque music in the middle of the 20th century that Pachelbel’s works began to be studied extensively and again performed more frequently.<\/em><\/p>\n

To hear Canon in D played by a guitar, here\u2019s a link: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jXC9tuumjiA<\/em><\/p>\n

2 With a reported one third of the currency in circulation being counterfeit at the time, the Secret Service was created by President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, the day of his assassination, five days after Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. It was commissioned on July 5, 1865, in Washington, D.C. as the “Secret Service Division” of the Department of the Treasury with the mission of suppressing counterfeiting. The legislation creating the agency was on Abraham Lincoln’s desk the night he was assassinated. (Taken from Wikipedia-United States Secret Service) In 1867 Secret Service responsibilities were broadened to include “detecting persons perpetrating frauds against the government.” This appropriation resulted in investigations into the Ku Klux Klan, non-conforming distillers, smugglers, mail robbers, land frauds, and a number of other infractions against the federal laws.<\/em><\/p>\n

3 Of course James West is a fictional character from the television series, The Wild, Wild West. In that show, he and Artemis Gordon served in the Secret Service under Ulysses S. Grant who became president in 1869. Background for that show states that West and Gordon were chosen for their meritorious service in the Civil War, and I figured James West had to start somewhere before becoming one of the elite of the Secret Service.<\/em><\/p>\n

End Notes:<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

My thanks to Sandspur for her beta read and suggestions that always make my stories better.<\/em><\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

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Summary:\u00a0Adam is back in Boston after a 12 year absence. His career has taken off in a prestigious engineering firm; he\u2019s happily married to his college sweetheart, and he\u2019ll be a featured performer at an upcoming choral production. But the life he\u2019s made is destroyed in three weeks after a beautiful stranger hires him to build a wine cellar. He loses his job; his wife thinks he\u2019s having an affair with the stranger, and he\u2019s forced to participate in a federal crime, knowing that he won\u2019t live through it, but hopes to stay alive long enough to protect the people he loves.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0T \u00a0WC \u00a028,000<\/p>\n

One Step Closer Series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":5758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1005,7,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-a-u","category-drama","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1684,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adams-English-Scenic2.jpg?fit=450%2C436&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13792,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13792","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":0},"title":"One Step Closer #6 – Changes in Fate (by MissJudy)","author":"missjudy","date":"February 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Ben, Hoss and Little Joe head to Boston to be with Adam after receiving the devastating news\u00a0that the entire Wadsworth family had perished at sea. \u00a0The Wadsworths had adopted Adam into their family when he'd been a student, and they'd renewed their support and friendship when he'd returned to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/WoF-37Edengirl.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6525,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6525","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":1},"title":"One Step Closer #5 – From Two to Three a Family (by MissJudy)","author":"missjudy","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Adam and his wife, Melinda, are living in England, and getting\u00a0ready to welcome their first child. After\u00a0a fall\u00a0on the stairs, Adam must face the fear of losing his wife and child,\u00a0and he\u00a0comes to terms with his own\u00a0lingering grief over his mother's death.\u00a0We also see\u00a0the family back on the Ponderosa\u00a0waiting impatiently\u00a0for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adams-English-Scenic2.jpg?fit=450%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6493,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6493","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":2},"title":"We Dance (by MissJudy)","author":"missjudy","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0This was a poem I wrote shortly after Pernell Roberts death, remembering his accomplishments and wonderful character. It's not sad! Those who love Adam or Pernell or any of his other characters will understand exactly what I'm writing about. Sweet dreams! \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC \u00a0200","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/the-friendship3.png?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12750,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12750","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":3},"title":"A Modern Cartwrights Story #3 – A Quarter\u2019s Worth of Glory: Joe in the Infernal Machine (by Robin)","author":"profrobinw","date":"January 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Headlines ripped from the daily newspaper in this modern era tale of the Cartwrights. Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (775 word) A Modern Cartwright Story Series, links to stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6503,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=6503","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":4},"title":"One Step Closer #2 – Til Death Do We Part (by MissJudy)","author":"missjudy","date":"May 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Adam's getting married! He's moved\u00a0to Boston to help his grandfather, and has\u00a0begun to build\u00a0a good life there, including\u00a0an engagement to the girl he fell in love with during college.\u00a0Their wedding is set to coincide with a unexpected visit from Ben Cartwright. All is well until Adam's fiancee disappears and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adams-English-Scenic2.jpg?fit=450%2C436&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11347,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=11347","url_meta":{"origin":6508,"position":5},"title":"Boston Correspondence (by JoanS)","author":"JoanS","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Vignettes of life on the Ponderosa as well as Boston during Adam's college years. Rating:\u00a0 K (10,835 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/4Cartwrights.jpg?fit=849%2C541&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}