Читать книгу Sins of the Flesh - Fern Michaels - Страница 8

The night was womblike with a dense, cloudy sky hanging overhead as if suspended. Threatening, low-rolling thunder grumbled from its midst, setting Daniel Bishop’s teeth on edge. All day he’d been jittery as he ambled aimlessly around his luxurious Fire Island summer home. He knew the condition of his nerves had nothing to do with the impending summer storm. His less than happy marriage was part of it, but not the only reason for his restlessness. There was something more, something lurking just out of reach, something intangible—his sixth sense issuing a dull warning. For as far back as he could remember, he’d had these feelings of foreboding, the inexplicable conviction that something was going to happen. These were free-floating, anxious feelings, ominous and hungry, as though wanting to be fed. Fed with…what was it this time?

Daniel opened the sliding doors impatiently. Although he could hear the ocean slapping rhythmically just a few yards away, the heat of the night was oppressive. His shirt clung to him, and everything he touched was damp. Maybe the heat had something to do with his feelings. He watched as if in a trance as lightning skittered across the sky. An appropriate end to a boring Fourth of July, he thought morosely. He was so keyed up right now, he was capable of creating his own fireworks. Rajean had cajoled him into coming to their summer place, insisting they both needed to get away from the bustle of Washington, D.C.

“Everyone leaves the city, darling,” she’d repeated at least a hundred times. “It will be good for Cornelia. We can spend time together and not even plan out our holiday. Sort of leave it all open, maybe even picnic.”

Daniel laughed to himself with disgust. Picnic was an alluring term—but forage was about as close as he could get to the reality. The only thing left in the kitchen remotely resembling food was a stale, damp bag of pretzels.

He peeled his shirt away from his chest. When he let go, it restuck itself to his skin with perverse tenacity. Maybe he should go for a swim. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of another split-second bolt of lightning racing down into the Atlantic. No, swimming is not an option, he told himself. A drink, then. Alcohol was the one thing they always had plenty of. He’d never been more than a social drinker, preferring to keep his wits about him. He supposed it was the lawyer in him. They were so different, he and Rajean. Like night and day, Reuben would say, and Reuben should know. Not only had they been best friends forever, but Reuben was married to someone just like Rajean. Reuben…Always the voice of authority and experience. Perhaps he should have paid more attention when Reuben had advised against his marrying Rajean—but then, Reuben had ignored him when he’d issued the same advice about Bebe Rosen. A pity neither of them had corrected their mistakes early. A divorce didn’t make one a pariah anymore, and he should know; in his day he’d handled plenty of top-drawer divorces, some full of scandal and all full of bullshit.

He’d seen his wife exactly twice during the past four days. Once she’d waltzed through the beach house to change her clothes for an afternoon cocktail party. The next time she’d put in an appearance, it was to replenish someone’s dwindling liquor supply. He hadn’t seen much of Cornelia, either, but at least his stepdaughter called and breezed through every few hours. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth at the thought of her…sweet Nellie with the sunstreaked golden hair and bottle green eyes.

In his thoughts Nellie was always the young innocent, shy and ever so considerate. He loved her as though she were his own, and the moment he’d signed the adoption papers she truly had become his own. She was eighteen now and in September would head for California and UCLA. He was going to miss her terribly. She was as pretty as a picture, he mused, and the one thing he could never understand was why she didn’t have more friends. Every so often a horde of young people would descend upon the household for a few weeks, and then they would disappear, to be replaced months later with new faces. Once he’d asked her why she didn’t seem to have any one-on-one friendships. She’d responded blithely that she didn’t need them; she was her own best friend, she said, and would never disappoint herself the way friends did. She dated, and boys called, but he never saw the same one more than three times. After a while he didn’t mention it. If Nellie was happy, that was all that mattered.

Nellie was late getting started in college because of an emergency appendectomy that had kept her out of school the better part of a semester. The nuns at Holy Cross felt it would be better if she stayed back a year, and he’d agreed. Now he frowned, trying to remember something one of the nuns had said about Nellie, something so totally out of character, he’d dismissed it—out of character for Nellie, that is. Nuns didn’t always know as much as they pretended to. Whatever it had been, it was so ridiculous that he’d shelved it, and now it wouldn’t surface.

Daniel raked unsteady fingers through his sandy hair, his deep brown eyes narrowing behind his horn-rimmed glasses. Jesus, he hated humidity. He’d been thinking about Rajean before Nellie popped into his thoughts, or was it after? Christ, he couldn’t get a clear thought in his head these days no matter what he did. When Nellie left for college he was going to have to decide what to do about his empty marriage.

He leaned on the terrace railing and gazed out toward the ocean. He could hear it, but it was shrouded by the night. The slight breeze was hot and stifling. Thunder growled. In the orphanage where he’d spent his youth, the nuns had called it God’s wrath. At an age when they were still convinced the world revolved around them, he and his friend Jake would always run and hide, certain they’d done something wrong for God to create such a tempest. He’d been fourteen before he realized, along with Jake, that it was all a trick by the nuns to get them to behave. He smiled, wondering where Jake could be now. Someday he’d run into him, he was sure of it. Hell, he had enough money to hire a detective to track him down if he wanted to. Someday…

The usual evening sounds silenced suddenly, as though they’d scrambled into hiding. It was an eerie feeling, one Daniel didn’t like. The sky, which seemed to be hovering just beyond his reach, grew as dark as his thoughts. Within a few steps he was at the door, sliding it surely on its track and stepping safely inside. From there he watched his own reflection in the glass as the first drops of rain splattered onto the flagstone terrace.

Daniel threw himself onto the sofa and tried to relax. It didn’t take him long to realize that the drumming rain wouldn’t lull him into the peace of mind he so desperately sought. Instead he felt even more tense, ready to burst. Somewhere, someplace, something was wrong. Reuben…he should call Reuben and see if all was well with Hollywood’s biggest mogul. And he should make the call now, before the telephone lines went down the way they usually did during a storm.

Daniel groped for the telephone and was relieved to hear the dial tone buzz in his ears. He could almost picture a little old lady crawling out of bed and cursing as she shuffled in bare feet to her switchboard. He rattled off Reuben’s number when the operator came on, then waited. Would Reuben be home at nine o’clock on the Fourth of July? It didn’t matter; he knew Reuben’s haunts and habits as well as his own. One way or another he’d find him.

“Reuben, is that you?” Daniel spoke rapidly into the phone as soon as he heard his friend’s voice. “I was hoping I’d catch you home. How’s it going, old buddy?”

Reuben’s voice boomed over the wire. “It’s going, but that’s about it. How are you?”

“Great,” Daniel said lightly.

“I was sort of hoping you’d make it out here in April. I know, I know, law and order and all that shit. Read about you in The Wall Street Journal. Big man in Washington,” Reuben teased. Then his voice turned serious. “I heard about the offer to serve on the White House legal staff. Why’d you turn it down?”

“Crooked politicians aren’t my cup of tea, Reuben. You know that. And I use the word crooked loosely. It’s all a game, anyhow. It’s called Cover Your Ass, and by that I mean if I took the position, that’s all I would be doing, covering someone else’s ass. That’s not why I went to law school, and I’ll cover my own ass, thank you.” Both men laughed. “I’m doing just fine,” Daniel continued, “two full partners, three junior partners, and six associates. We’re turning business away. But enough of that. How’s Bebe?”

“Off on a toot somewhere. She hasn’t been home in three weeks.”

Daniel digested his friend’s statement. Even though it was said with no real emotion, he wasn’t going to touch it. “And the boys?”

“Simon’s up at Big Sur working for the summer. Dillon’s in camp.” Daniel couldn’t help but hear the pride in Reuben’s voice.

“Jesus, I miss you, Dan’l”

“You know, Reuben,” Daniel admonished gently, “planes travel both ways. You could come east to see me. If I remember correctly, I made the last trip.”

“I know. I’ve been thinking about it and halfway promised myself I’d make the trip in August. How’s Nellie?” he asked fondly.

“All grown up. Starting college in September. She always tells me to send her regards when I speak to you. I’m going to hold you to it, Reuben.”

Reuben laughed. Christ, he loved Daniel! He loved him and knew him so well that he was aware something was wrong—something Daniel wasn’t telling him. “Why don’t you let me know the real reason for your call now, and let’s see if we can fix it together.” He heard Daniel’s sigh of relief. “Is it Rajean?” he asked.

“It’s a lot of things, Reuben. Today was…is…I have this feeling. This…I don’t know what it is, but something is wrong somewhere…you know how I get…”

Instantly Reuben became more attentive. Over the years Daniel’s hunches and gut feelings had been beacons of light, highlighting problems before they erupted fully. The Depression had been one of them. Without Daniel’s insight, Reuben and his close associates would have been wiped out like countless others during the crash of 1929.

“Jesus. Maybe it’s the war…I can’t put my finger on it.” Daniel heaved another sigh. “Anyway, I had to call to see if everything was all right with you.”

Reuben’s voice softened. “I appreciate that, buddy, but I’m okay and so is the family. The war is hanging over all of us….”

Daniel understood what Reuben meant without having to hear the words. Although they had talked about the war and how it was affecting France, they had never mentioned their time there, never spoken her name aloud—she was always synonymous with their worries about the war raging its way through Europe.

“I hear a storm in the background, maybe that’s what it is,” Reuben offered gently. “You always hated storms.” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Daniel, if there’s anything I can do…if you need me, I can be on the first plane tomorrow.”

“I know that, and it’s not necessary. I’m sure it’s a combination of a lot of things. As long as you’re all right, I’ll turn in now. It was good talking to you, Reuben. Let’s do it more often.”

“Daniel,” Reuben said simply, “I talk to you every day in my thoughts. Sleep well.”

“You, too. Take care, Reuben.”

When Daniel replaced the phone, the sound of the rain beating across the roof in windy spurts enclosed him. He made a mental note to get together with Reuben as soon as possible. It had been too long.

As he climbed the stairs to his bedroom, Daniel went over their conversation and acknowledged a certain amount of relief. He peeked into Nellie’s room and found her sleeping soundly. It wasn’t until he settled himself in bed that it occurred to him to wonder if his wife was all right. For all his nervousness and worry, he’d not once considered her as the possible cause of his uneasiness. Carefully he rearranged the pillow behind his head and turned on his side, toward his wife’s side of the bed. The sight of the tidy, unused space didn’t elicit any feeling at all in Daniel. Rajean could take care of herself, as she was fond of informing him.

Forty-five minutes later Daniel was still awake, the sheets and pillow damp with his perspiration. He couldn’t imagine staring at the shadowy ceiling much longer. Maybe if he got up and took a shower, he’d feel better. The storm was still battering the summer house, which meant Rajean would be out all night. Not that it mattered.

Daniel had one foot in the shower when the phone jangled. Perhaps it was Reuben, he thought, calling back to see if he had settled down. He picked up the phone, a snappy retort ready, then frowned when he heard the operator’s sleepy voice tell him there was an overseas call for Daniel Bishop. What the hell? No one knew where he was except his answering service and Reuben. “This is Daniel Bishop speaking….”

“Very good, sir, hold for the French operator….”

“Jesus Christ! Yes, hello…hello? Speak louder, I can barely hear you. There’s a storm here. Who’s calling, Operator?” A spurt of crackly French came over the wire. “Mickey! My God, Mickey, is that you?”

“Daniel, please, we may be cut off momentarily…Daniel, please, you must come…I need…” Daniel strained to distinguish Mickey’s desperate words from the relentless crackle of overseas static. “Urgent…please…I beg you…we…we need you…not for myself…for…Daniel…you have to get him out…not safe for him…Daniel…speak to me…”

“Mickey, what is it?” Daniel shouted. “I can hardly hear you. Take who? Are you all right?” Jesus Christ, of course she wasn’t all right! Germany had invaded France.

The telephone stabilized, and he heard Mickey’s remembered voice clearly. “You must get Philippe safely to his father….”

Daniel’s eyes grew wild when he realized the line he held in his hand had gone dead. Desperately he jiggled the hook and tried dialing the operator. But it was no use. “Son of a bitch!” he roared. He stomped around the room trying to make sense of the phone call. Mickey, after all these years…Memories flooded his brain—all the reasons this woman could still hold a special rock-steady place in his heart. She needed him; she wanted him to go to France. “Jesus Christ” he exploded. “How in hell am I going to get to Europe with a war going on?” Why had Mickey called him and not Reuben? The love they had shared had been remarkable. Reuben would move heaven and earth for Mickey, and she had to know that, but she’d called him instead. Why? And who the hell was Philippe? “Take Philippe to his father,” she’d said. Great. But who was Philippe’s father?

Philippe…He’d heard the name, and not that long ago. Something to do with Fairmont Studios…Of course! He owned 51 percent of Fairmont’s stock, and Reuben owned the other 49. Bouchet! Philippe Bouchet! That was the name. No one had ever met Bouchet, not even Sol Rosen, Reuben’s father-in-law and the former head of Fairmont Studios. Morgan Guaranty Trust in New York handled all Bouchet’s business. Philippe Bouchet wasn’t safe in France, and Mickey wanted him to get him out. But why not ask Reuben to help? Because…because…Daniel’s memory strained. Get him to his father…. Mickey had sounded…as if he, Daniel, should know who Philippe’s father was.

Suddenly Daniel stopped in his tracks. Oh, Jesus, Jesus…of course! Reuben was…Philippe was…had to be. All these years…it would explain so much. Bebe, Reuben, Mickey, himself. That magic time…France. He must be, how old now? Twenty, twenty-one, Reuben’s age when he…

Reuben didn’t know…had no idea…That’s why she called me, Daniel thought dizzily. Bebe must have given birth, and…Mickey kept the child. Yes, it made sense. Mickey would keep the child because he was Reuben’s son. She wouldn’t have allowed Bebe to abort or give away the child for adoption. That’s why she never answered…. All these years and we never knew!

Daniel wept then for his friend Reuben who had never known his son, and for the faceless Philippe who had never known his father.

Nellie stood in the doorway of the sunroom, watching her stepfather. She’d never seen a man cry before. Surely he wasn’t crying over her mother. When was he going to realize she wasn’t worth tears, or even consideration, for that matter? It was a pity he’d never learned how to play the game. How often she’d been tempted to tell him the rules, but for some reason she’d always changed her mind. She didn’t love her mother. Actually, she detested her. But she was fond of her stepfather because he genuinely seemed to care about her. Yet she didn’t love him, either. If she loved anything, it was money. Money. Jewels. Power. They all went together. When she was ten she’d wanted different colored bicycles. When she was twelve she’d wanted a stable of horses, all jumpers. When she was fourteen she’d wanted clothes and cosmetics and a magnificent bedroom and a swimming pool. When she was sixteen she’d wanted her own car, a fancy roadster that would turn heads. At seventeen she’d still wanted all those things and to be beautiful. Now that she was eighteen she wanted more; she wanted to be filthy rich and to be powerful at a very young age. She had two of the three ingredients she thought would make her happy—she had beauty and brains—but she didn’t have the money.

Sensing her presence, Daniel turned. He did his best to smile.

“Here,” Nellie said, handing him a tissue. “Blow your nose, that’s what you always tell me.” She smiled.

Daniel accepted the tissue. Lord, this stepdaughter of his was a vision of loveliness. The long golden braid hanging down her back and the wispy curls around her face made her look fifteen and so vulnerable. Lashes, thick and dark, complemented her soft gray-green eyes, eyes that were now full of concern for him.

She was nibbling on her full lower lip, her perfectly aligned teeth, thanks to an excellent orthodontist, reminding him suddenly of Rajean, whose sharp teeth were so white that they were suspect.

The long braid swished against her silk pajamas as she perched herself on her father’s knee and nuzzled his cheek. “Daddy, don’t worry about Mother, she’s like a pigeon, she always comes home. If you’re upset about her, or if there’s something you know…I wish you’d tell me.”

“I had an urgent call, and then the lines went down. I feel helpless. I should be making several calls right now, and I can’t.” Long, thin fingers raked at his sandy hair in a frenzy.

“For heaven’s sake, Daddy, if it’s that important, go down to the boat and use the ship-to-shore phone. Is it serious?” she asked.

Daniel slapped at his forehead. “Now, why didn’t I think of that? Yes, honey, it’s serious, but not for us, so don’t start worrying about things. It’s late, go back to bed, and I’ll go down to the boat.”

Nellie bent to kiss the top of her father’s head. “Wear your slicker,” she admonished him.

“Yes, ma’am,” Daniel drawled. How nice it was to know she cared about him. He took an extra moment to hug his daughter and tell her he loved her. He beamed his pleasure when she echoed his response.

Daniel slogged his way through the driving rain to the pier and climbed aboard his cabin cruiser, the Sugar Baby. When he had his thoughts under control and a cigarette in hand, he began to wonder if he was wrong about the identity of Philippe Bouchet. Should he call Reuben? No, why upset his friend’s world with wild assumptions? First he had to deal with Mickey’s request.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would do all in his power to help Mickey. He owed everything he had in life to two people: Reuben and Mickey. Without their help and encouragement, their love and support, he shuddered to think what might have happened to him. How he was going to fulfill Mickey’s request was another question. He had a certain amount of clout in D.C., but not enough to wangle transportation to war-torn Europe. And Reuben couldn’t help him with this one. Max, Reuben’s underworld friend, probably couldn’t help him, either. That left only his own influential friends from Harvard days. If there was any way at all to get to Europe, Rocky Rockefeller would find it and Jerry Vanderbilt would ease the path. They wouldn’t ask questions, either, which was all to the good.

The ship-to-shore operator took down both numbers Daniel gave her and said she would place the calls back to back. When Rocky’s groggy voice came over the static-filled wire, Daniel identified himself immediately. Rocky became alert instantly at the sound of his friend’s troubled voice. After he’d listened to the problem Daniel outlined to him, he didn’t hesitate. “Jesus, Daniel, right now your chances of getting to the moon are better than France. I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise—I’ll do my best. You okay, buddy?”

“Pretty much so. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t…Hey, I didn’t mention that transportation back includes someone else…a friend.” Daniel let that sink in. “I’m heading home first thing in the morning. You can reach me at the office if you need to.”

“Hell, I wasn’t in the mood for sleep anyway,” Rocky groused good-naturedly. “Did you get to Jerry yet?”

“No, I’ve got a call in to him, though.”

“I’ll call him for you. Sit tight and one of us will get back to you.”

“Rocky—thanks,” Daniel said.

Rocky laughed. “I always wondered how you were going to call in your favor.”

“What favor?”

“You told me I owed you my life for all the clean underwear I used to borrow from you. Remember?”

“Yeah! And I also remember the pile of dirty underwear…. Listen, seriously now, I’ll owe you my life if you pull this off.”

“I’ll talk to you in the morning. Try to get some sleep.”

Daniel canceled his call to Jerry and made himself a stiff drink. The rain had stopped, and a low fog hung over the ocean. The sound of a far-off foghorn nuzzled itself into the surrounding air while the lighthouse searchlight swooped overhead at regular intervals, brazenly passing through the swirling mists. Daniel sat in his spacious cabin and allowed the swaying of the boat to calm his nerves. There was no way in hell he would sleep, so why pretend.

Paybacks always rolled around, and they could be a bitch. Had he ever given any thought to his and Reuben’s payback? Yes, hundreds of times, but that’s all they were—thoughts. He wasn’t even thinking of financial payback; that one was easy, that one was over and done with. This one, as they said, was the real McCoy. He was piss-assed scared. Not for himself, but for Reuben. And for Mickey, too. Dear, wonderful Mickey.

It was all so long ago. Maybe he should just sit here and go over everything, clear the air, clear his mind. Get everything in order. What really went on in France after the Great War? He realized now that he might not have all the answers, but he was determined to try to search for them. Reuben and Mickey, Mickey and Reuben. Mickey and Reuben and himself. She’d dubbed them the Three Musketeers…He was getting ahead of himself. He drained his drink and made another. What came first? Reuben and himself…

The war. He remembered the long lines of recruits, and himself in one of them, finally reaching the desk and getting his equipment for boot camp. The long journey overseas, wide-eyed and full of adventure and shaking in his new army-issued shoes and leg wraps. And then the trenches and the bitter realities of war—death and death. There didn’t seem to be anything else but a thousand ways to die. He’d been reduced to a trembling mass of raw, exposed nerves until Reuben Tarz had entered his life and taken him under his citified, knowing wing like a big, kindly, loving brother. The brother he’d never had. They’d shared rations and fears, the pain of an emotional past and then almost identical physical pain—gassed and blinded in the same overwhelming moment. Recovery at Soissons; the makeshift hospital was like a double-edged sword. Will I be blind forever, and if I recover, will that mean that I’ll be sent back to the front again? To die this time? Reuben had been just as green, just as scared as he’d been underneath that swaggering, city-boy arrogance. He remembered one night in particular when he and Reuben, both scared out of their wits, sat through an unusually fearful blitz. Daniel almost laughed now at the memory. How could you distinguish one night from another? Then he remembered how the body of a young boy had been thrown at him, bleeding open and steaming at the same time, the mingled stench of gunpowder and burning flesh. When Reuben had extricated him from the mutilated corpse, they had stared at each other and voiced the same overpowering fear—that they would die on strange soil with no one but the other to care. They’d shared their youth, their dreams, and their innocence over the next few hours, looking deeply into each other’s souls. When the sun came up they shook hands in open acknowledgement of their friendship. Who could ever forget the unbreakable bond they’d formed that fearful night? It was Reuben who put his ass on the line—or was it his body?—to get them out of the tail end of the war.

Michelene Fonsard was benefactress to half the United States Army, or so they said. It didn’t take Daniel long to discover that the insinuations concerning her sexual prowess were half-truths. Yes, she was generous; and yes, she was vital; but he could never think of her as promiscuous. That simply was not the way he knew her. Beautiful, kind, wonderful Mickey had taken a shine to Reuben and worked her special brand of magic to get both of them mustered out before the Armistice was signed. They would never have to face the dreaded front again with its death and destruction. She’d taken them to her château and nursed them back to health. She’d royally fed and clothed them as they had never been fed and clothed before. She’d educated them, turned them into gentlemen, and shared her life with them, and she never asked for anything in return except Reuben’s love—and that he had given freely. Daniel knew now, as he had known then, that Reuben had insisted on a package deal before accepting Mickey’s offer. She had told him early on that Reuben had refused to go anywhere without his best friend.

Daniel loved Mickey, but not the way Reuben loved her. She’d provided them with everything they could have dreamed of needing in those days and months after the war. Incredibly wealthy thanks to her late husband’s lucrative wine business, she shared and gave as though money were no object. She had provided a tutor…an old man with a mind so sharp that by the time they’d been well enough to travel to Mickey’s Paris town house, Daniel had learned enough to study at the Sorbonne, which Mickey and Reuben insisted he do. Orphan that he was, the knowledge that two such wonderful people cared about him, about his future and his well-being, was overwhelming. He’d have done anything they’d asked, but of course, they’d asked nothing in return, except his love. That was the true friendship that existed between them.

Things changed when Mickey’s niece Bebe Rosen arrived on the scene. Daniel’s eyes clouded at the thought. He almost didn’t want to continue his musings. Get another drink, he urged himself. While he fixed it, he realized it took all the pieces to finish the puzzle. He decided he had to go on.

Sixteen years old, beautiful, spoiled, and hot to trot, Bebe Rosen set her cap for Reuben the minute she laid eyes on him. But she was just a precocious adolescent! Daniel laughed at the realization that he still tried to defend Bebe, some twenty years later. From what he could remember Mickey felt the same way, but she also felt maternal and jealous at the same time. But he remembered Reuben handling Bebe roughly, refusing to dance to her whims and outrageous demands. Instead he’d paddled her and made her toe the line. After finding himself manipulated by her on several occasions, Daniel had grown to have mixed feelings about Bebe. But, above all, it was Bebe’s determination to have Reuben at all costs that shadowed the end of their days with Mickey.

Daniel strained his memory to figure out what had actually happened. Before Bebe had arrived, the relationship between Reuben and Mickey had seemed to nourish them heart and soul. Daniel was sure Reuben had asked her not once but several times to marry him, but Mickey had refused. In the hope of changing her mind, Reuben had begun to learn the wine business while he, Daniel, studied at the Sorbonne. According to Reuben, she had refused his offer of marriage to secure his freedom; his whole life loomed ahead of him, she’d explained, and she wanted him to return to America to make something of himself. But never would Daniel forget the joy-filled delight they took in each other, their secret overflowing glances, the way their hands always seemed to meet, and how their eyes always seemed to dance when they were together.

They’d stayed for two full years, two wonderful years Daniel wouldn’t have traded for anything on earth. Besides molding lifelong friendships out of sincere caring, the time he’d spent in France had formed the bedrock that enabled him to build a life for himself—solid, secure, enduring. But whenever things are too perfect, something is bound to go wrong, and that something was Bebe Rosen.

Daniel frowned. Maybe he wasn’t being fair to Bebe; it was, after all, Reuben who had raped her. This was where it always got sticky in his mind, and to this day he’d never pressed Reuben for details. He supposed when he got to France, if he got there at all, Mickey would tell him the rest of the story.

Philippe must be the child born of that rape; nothing else made sense, and even that didn’t make sense to Daniel. Maybe Mickey had had a child after he and Reuben returned to America. He groaned aloud. That was preposterous. He knew Mickey too well; she’d never do such an insane thing. It made more sense that she would take in Reuben’s flesh and blood. But why remain silent? And now, after all these years…

“Goddamit to hell!” Daniel barked. His lawyer’s mind ground to a halt. How can you come to a concrete conclusion without concrete facts? Impossible. Especially when you haven’t slept for an eternity. Daniel looked at his watch—an hour until dawn. He hunkered down, but his muddled thoughts gave him no peace.

The moment the first gray streaks appeared on the galley steps, he was off the bunk and up on deck. He leapt onto the pier and sprinted for the house, tearing at the yellow slicker as he ran. In the hallway he dropped the thick oilskin on the floor and raced for the steps leading to the second floor. He stopped short when he saw his wife at her dressing table, marveling, as he always did, at her appearance. She’d been out all night and most of the day before and still looked as perky as a fresh mint. Not a hair was out of place; her makeup was superb, her lips glossy and perfect. Gold winked at her ears and on her neck. The sea-green sheath with the slender straps was sleek and unwrinkled. Even the matching shoes were dry. As always, Daniel wondered how this was possible. For the life of him he couldn’t remember if she’d been wearing the same dress yesterday when she’d left the house. He nodded curtly as he headed for the bathroom.

“What were you doing out so early this morning, darling?” Rajean asked with idle unconcern.

“I spent the night on the boat,” he answered. He knew she wasn’t really interested; this was an old game between them.

“Oh…Darling, I think Cornelia and I will stay on a few extra days if you don’t mind. The city is so beastly hot right now, and everyone, but everyone, is gone. Maybe we should think about staying on here for the summer and you could come on weekends…. Daniel? Answer me….”

Daniel turned on the shower and walked naked into the bedroom, ignoring the look of distaste on his wife’s face. They were married, for Christ’s sake. “I think you should discuss it with Nellie. Do what you like, Rajean. I’ll leave the car at the ferry. I really don’t have time to talk now. Look…there’s every chance I’ll be…I might have to go out of town…it’s not definite…I’ll call you.”

“You do that, Daniel,” Rajean said coolly. “Then there’s no rush for Cornelia and me to go back, is there?”

Daniel stared into his wife’s glittering eyes. They emanated ice-cold nothingness. He tried to remember the last time they’d been in bed together. “No rush and no reason,” he said just as coolly. God. Had he really loved this woman once, this cold, chiseled beauty who could easily pose in the wax museum? “I’ve said this before, and I’m going to say it again, it’s not good for Nellie to see you coming in at dawn. Do you know what she said to me last night? She said you always come home, like a pigeon. Your daughter said that! Jesus, Rajean, can’t you at least be discreet?”

“Don’t preach, darling, unless you’re above reproach. But you are above reproach, aren’t you?” she said contemptuously. “Faithful and loyal to this ancient marriage. Yes, Daniel, you are a paragon of virtue. You think I’m an alley cat, don’t you, darling?”

“Stop with the darling bit, Rajean,” he said, trying to dead-end the conversation. They’d had it too often, and it only bored him now.

“You are just too damn stuffy, my love. All you think about is your clients and those goddamn law books of yours.” Rajean kicked off one of her shoes and sent it flying across the room. The other followed. “We really should think about divorce,” she said sourly.

“Yes, we should. I know I’m thinking about it very seriously.” Daniel had already turned to step into the shower.

Rajean’s eyes widened. She’d made references to a divorce hundreds of times before, but this was the first time Daniel had had a ready comeback. Her fingers trembled as she pulled at the gold globes at her ears. He would fight for Nellie, not that she really cared. A teenager whose eyes were always full of questions irritated her. But she knew it was out of the question anyway. She would never be able to get as much money as she’d need if she didn’t have custody, even if it was just for three years. And she knew how it would look if she gave in. Women weren’t supposed to give up their children without a struggle.

Damn! Daniel was so respectable…. It always brought her to the same conclusion—she needed that respectability and his stability. And since her own trust fund was depleted, she needed his money, too. There was no way she could dip into Nellie’s. Daniel had seen to that. Damn her parents for their double suicide during the stock market crash! Her lips curled into a sneer. A paltry fifty thousand dollars they’d left her, plus an apartment on Park Avenue and a place on the social register. Big deal. Four good seasonal parties, a little redecorating, and it was all gone. She did thank God, in her own way, every day, for not having brothers and sisters she’d have had to share it with.

Daniel had come along when she was down to her last two thousand dollars. He’d shared so much with her on their wedding night, but his bank balance was the only thing she remembered in any detail. She’d never really loved him the way a woman is supposed to love her husband. Daniel was so naive; he thought passion was something you uncorked from a bottle between the hours of midnight and one in the morning. Sex was something you did between the sheets with the lights out and your eyes closed—which suited her just fine. He’d been happy as a pig in clover when she’d agreed to his adopting Nellie, and that’s when he’d started the damned trust fund. Motherhood was not among her strong points. Sometimes she didn’t think she had any strong points except perhaps throwing a hell of a party and socializing. But that was enough for her: she’d gone to the best schools and been introduced into society in the most accepted of ways, and she took the privilege of being a DAR very seriously. It was something she was very proud of.

As Daniel stepped out of the shower and into their bedroom, Rajean watched her husband surreptitiously. He was handsome, she had to give him that. And in his characteristic white shirt and striped tie, with those horn-rimmed glasses as the classic accent, he was every inch the successful businessman. Her friends were fond of pointing out Daniel’s good looks and understated conservatism. To herself she admitted that she didn’t really want him, but she’d fight to the death to make sure no one else took him away from her. Besides, he needed her, too. How would he be able to function in Washington without a wife?

His wife was beautiful. Everyone said so, and he agreed. Beautiful in a hard, glinting kind of way. Her hair was always perfectly coiffed in the latest upswept fashion with little tendrils curling about her ears. Her eyebrows were a fine, thin line above her lustrous green eyes, which she filled with drops twice a day to make them sparkle and glow. And those high cheekbones! Haunting, irresistible…and always emphasized with coral rouge and matching lipstick. He remembered the way she used to flutter her eyelashes at him, a coy little signal he thought endearing for years until he saw her remove them one night. Rajean did turn heads, but she no longer turned his.

Daniel shrugged into his jacket. His words were so low, Rajean had to strain to hear them. “One of these days I’m going to ask you point-blank where you spend your nights. Or,” he said slowly, “I’m simply going to have you followed. I’m giving you fair warning. And I meant what I said about Nellie.”

“Daniel, Daniel, what’s gotten into you?” Rajean pursed her lips into a pout as she sauntered over to him. “You know I was just teasing you. For heaven’s sake, we’ve been married for so many years, I’ve lost count. Why, we’re like two old shoes growing old together. You know,” she gushed while straightening his tie, “we were meant for each other. I know we haven’t exactly been bed buddies these past months, but that was out of concern for you, sweetheart. You come home so tired and fretful, I can’t bear to tire you out still more. Come now, give me a big kiss before you leave.”

Daniel listened to the empty words slipping smoothly from her lips. They didn’t affect him one way or the other. Whatever feelings he’d had for Rajean were gone now. Love was what he wanted, the kind of feeling Reuben and Mickey had, and he was smart enough to know he and Rajean had never even come close. Without a word he lifted her hands from his neck and turned his back on her. After stuffing his billfold and car keys into his pocket, he looked back at his wife and said, “I meant what I said, Rajean. I’ve learned to do without your kisses, you’ve seen to that. Enjoy your stay here on the island. Tell Nellie I’ll call her.”

And then he was gone. Just like that. Rajean stared at the open bedroom door, her eyes glittering speculatively. She had to call Teddie, right now. “The hell with you, Daniel!” she muttered as she snatched the phone and dialed a New York City number.

Rajean felt herself glow all over when she heard the answering click at the other end of the line. She listened to the contented, sleep-filled voice mumble a response. “It’s Rajean, Teddie. I’m sorry I woke you, but I have the most marvelous news. I think—now understand, this is just my opinion—I think Daniel wants a divorce! Can you believe that!”

Rajean caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, and she smiled. It was always like this when she talked to Teddie—a warm feeling stole through every part of her being, and she could barely contain her joy. When she was with Teddie she was a simpering, whimpering mass of gelatin, and she would do anything her lover wanted. Now she waited for what she hoped would be Teddie’s enthusiastic response. And after a moment she heard it: the unmistakable gargle of her lover’s light snoring. “Damn you, Teddie!” she yelled into the phone before slamming it back on its receiver. “Damn everyone!”

The day was just as miserable as the evening before, but at least there was no thunder and lightning. Daniel particularly hated driving over bridges in storms, and driving now onto the Robert Moses Bridge in the beating rain, he felt enveloped by his squeamishness. Such times always made him feel helpless, as if he were dangling in a cloth bag he could just barely see through. Why he’d ever allowed Rajean to talk him into buying a place way out in the middle of nowhere was beyond him. In those early days he’d tried to please her whenever he could, thinking that if he gave in to her, he’d get back at least a token of affection. But it hadn’t worked that way. The realization that Rajean just didn’t know how to give had really undone him. For ages he’d felt defeated and sad, until at last he’d resigned himself to the reality: he gave and Rajean took. Cut and dried—that’s how the relationship worked.

As the wipers swept across the rain-whipped windshield, Daniel thought he could hear the words—get out, get out, get out. His stomach began to knot up, and he shook his head at the thought. Get out of the marriage? Now was not a good time to be contemplating divorce. No, he had to stop thinking about Rajean now and concentrate on what he was going to do to help Mickey. The inadequacies of his marriage would simply have to be endured for the time being. Nervously he wiped the sweat from his forehead. The storm wasn’t doing much to alleviate the oppressive heat and early morning humidity.

The rain began to pound down around him; the wiper blades worked harder and harder, barely clearing the windshield. Beyond his headlights, visibility was so poor that he found himself holding tight to the wheel and leaning into the glass to see his way. To take his mind off the storm, he began to ruminate about Mickey’s circumstances but found he couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going on with her in France. He knew the newspapers reported only what they wanted to. Terrible thoughts began to surface in Daniel’s mind…. War…the rumblings had become louder and louder until—his own memories, which had lain dormant for so many years, flashed before his eyes. No matter what, he would help Mickey in any way he could—she had done exactly the same for him twenty years before.

Suddenly the rain stopped, as though he’d personally commanded it to cease. One last splatter ricocheted across the windshield, and then as if by magic all was silent. Steam spiraled upward from the bridge like the gray fog that had rolled in from the ocean the night before.

Daniel started to sweat when he caught sight of the Fire Island ferry and heard the blast of its warning horn. It was about ready to leave the slip. He pressed his foot on the gas and roared into the parking area. Without bothering to lock the car, he sprinted toward the ferry, briefcase in hand, his trousers sticking to his legs, his collar and tie askew. He made it on board without a second to spare, then checked his watch as he tried to pull himself together. By the time he got back to Washington he’d look like something the cat dragged in.

An hour later Daniel boarded the train that would take him to Union Station in downtown Washington just blocks away from his office on K Street. Now his rushing was over, and he had a four-and-a-half-hour ride ahead with nothing to do but think. He deliberately ignored the pressing legal work packed neatly away in his bulging briefcase. The two corporate mergers he had been working on could wait. If the corporation heads themselves were to issue him an ultimatum to get to work, he’d hand over the briefcase and thank them for their consideration. But that wouldn’t happen, of course, because they’d waited patiently until his calendar was free. Apparently he was in demand.

Daniel settled back in the scratchy seat and closed his eyes, but his questioning thoughts still tripped over one another in his head. God, what if Rocky couldn’t help? What if he couldn’t get to France? Mickey was depending on him, counting on him to come through for her. And the faceless Philippe, he was waiting, too. A white knight, a savior…What if…what if…Think positive, Daniel, he told himself. If anyone can get you to Europe, it’s Rocky and Jerry.

He took a moment to savor his long-standing friendship with two of the finest men he’d ever met. Of course, their friendship was nothing like the one he had with Reuben, but it was damn close. Eventually his thoughts drifted and he slept, an uneasy, restless sleep, but one that would allow for a clear head on his arrival.

Some instinct, or maybe it was the shuffle of the passengers gathering their belongings together, woke him as the train slowed and pulled into Union Station. With only his briefcase to worry about, he elbowed his way off the train and headed for the row of phone booths on the concourse. With dismay he stared at the line of weary travelers waiting to use the phones, and then he ran, tie flapping and coattails swooshing, leaving behind him the stale, urine-smelling air.

Swinging through the revolving door of the office building he owned, Daniel raced up to the fourth floor, for once preferring not to wait for the elevator. Breathing heavily, he opened the plate-glass door with his firm’s name emblazoned in gold lettering and dashed to his mahogany-paneled office, calling over his shoulder to his wide-eyed secretary, “Get Rocky on the phone and bring me an ice-cold soda.”

His chair, a deep burgundy Morris and a gift from Jerry Vanderbilt, welcomed him with a resounding, comforting swoosh, like a well-worn slipper. He drained the Coca-Cola when it was brought to him and set the green bottle to dancing on his desk. Then he bellowed to Irene, his secretary, to bring him two more from the small compact kitchen. He was working on the second bottle when Irene buzzed him. “Mr. Rockefeller is on the line, Mr. Bishop.”

Daniel gagged on a mouthful of soda, the fizz bubbling in his nose. He cleared his throat before reaching for the phone. “Daniel here, Rocky.”

The voice on the other end was low and filled with subdued excitement. “We did it! Don’t ask any questions, but if you can be at Dulles Airport at five-thirty, we have a Red Cross plane that will take you in. Actually, it’s one of Jerry’s planes, his grandfather’s. Vintage, to say the least, but in tiptop shape. It will set down at Heathrow in London, and the Red Cross insignia will see you through. My daddy called F.D.R. and got clearance.”

Daniel had put all his faith in his friends, and they had come through again. He couldn’t speak.

“Say something, you son of a bitch!” Rocky urged with a hearty laugh. “A small show of excitement will do.”

“I…I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to…” Daniel sat up and tried to pull his thoughts together. “Listen, Rocky, I have to talk to you. Where the hell are you?”

“You called me and you don’t know where I am?…Some lawyer you are. I’m at Dulles. Your secretary called my office, and they told her where to reach me. Jerry’s here now seeing to the outfitting of the plane. You know, goodies and that sort of thing. Oh, and don’t worry about clothes, we’ve got that covered, too.”

Rocky paused to temper his natural exuberance with the gravity generally reserved for his courtroom monologues. “We want to help, Daniel, and if you need us to go with you—and Jerry is hoping you do, you should see him scrambling around this plane—we can say good-bye to jurisprudence at the drop of a hat. Whatever you need, you know it’s yours.”

Daniel’s eyes misted. “There are a couple of things I’ve got to handle first. I shouldn’t be too long. We’ll talk when I get there, okay?”

“You bet.” The exuberance was back. Daniel smiled and shook his head. Rocky and Jerry were doing for him what he was trying to do for Mickey. Friends…that said it all. Somehow he’d find a way to thank these two men, but for now he’d have to push ahead.

Richard Rockefeller, Rocky to his intimate friends, was a tall, imposing man with crisp golden-brown hair that curled about his ears and forehead. Shrewd gray-green eyes gazed benevolently from beneath thick, fringed lashes that women would have killed for. A chiseled jaw, complete with cleft, and strong, even white teeth completed the saintly look Rocky strived for. He had worked on “the look” for years to get it just right. But Daniel knew Rocky’s boyish, innocent look was a facade. His friend was the toughest, meanest, nastiest courtroom lawyer on the East Coast, and proud of the fact that he’d never lost a case. Oh, he’d settled out of court at the eleventh hour, but he’d never let any arbitration be construed as an admission of guilt on the part of his client. Daniel knew that if he was ever in legal trouble, Rocky would be the man he’d turn to.

As he hurried across the busy airfield, Daniel tried to hide his smile when he caught his first glimpse of Rocky. His friend was standing just outside the plane’s open hatch dressed in what he called clam diggers and deck shoes, absorbed in arguing about something to one of the crew. When Rocky turned to him and Daniel saw the noticeable hole gaping near the armpit of his friend’s stretched-out T-shirt, he lost the battle. Grinning openly, he climbed the steps to join Rocky and slapped him on the back as they shook hands.

“Where’s Jerry?” Daniel yelled over the noise of the hubbub surrounding the plane.

Rocky cocked a thumb over his shoulder toward the inside of the waiting plane. “Believe it or not, he’s outfitting a bed for you back there—complete with satin quilt,” he joked. “It’s a long flight.” Daniel couldn’t help thinking Rocky was the one who really wanted to get on that plane with him.

“Come on, I have a bottle of the best waiting for us inside,” Rocky said with a wink, “and I think we’re all in need of a stiff drink.”

Daniel held back. “Rock, I don’t know how I can…”

The two friends looked into each other’s eyes as the wind began to whip across the tarmac. “What?” said Rocky, grinning. “Thank me? Forget it. If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have gotten through law school, and I don’t mean just your tutoring. You’re a damn good friend, Daniel, and I hope you consider me one. Hey, Jerry,” he bellowed, sauntering off, “Crusader Bishop is here.”

Daniel followed him into the cool, damp belly of the plane, his eyes quickly adjusting to the dimness. When they found Jerry, the men shook hands all around again, vigorously thumping one another on the back the way they’d done in college. With smirks and self-conscious grins, the three of them hunkered down together, hands jammed into their pockets. The display of emotion and friendship was over, now it was time for business.

Jerry was the shortest of the three, but what he lacked in height he made up in pure, hard muscle. He had bright, inquisitive eyes and curly red hair that stood out like a fire bush around his ears. Daniel always thought he looked like a precocious squirrel. But he was a good buddy, the kind of guy you wanted on your side no matter what. Well, they were on his side now and hadn’t asked why.

“Okay, fella, let’s hear it,” Rocky said, uncorking a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. He offered it to Jerry, who took a swig and then passed it on to Daniel. Daniel took a good pull, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and passed it on to Rocky.

Thirty minutes later two pairs of eyes stared back at Daniel in wonder. “This has the makings of an Academy Award film,” Jerry said quietly, trying to wring one last drop from the now-empty bottle. “Daniel, this could be…hell, it’s…” Jerry turned to Rocky. “I think we should go along, Rock. This turkey could get caught by the Germans and he’d try and talk his way out of it.” He sounded worried, which surprised Daniel. When he replied, Rocky sounded just as worried.

“So you’re intending to pull off something much bigger than a reconnaissance tour to size up the situation,” Rocky said flatly. He took in and let out a great breath before continuing. “You could get stuck there, Daniel. Just because we get you in doesn’t mean you’re going to get out.”

Daniel placed a hand on each of his friends’ shoulders. “I know. And that’s why you two are staying here. If there’s one thing you two are good at, it’s covering your asses. Now I need you to cover mine. I’m simply out of town on business, emergency business. Check with my secretary, she’ll be expecting you. Return whatever calls look like trouble. Especially from Reuben. I wouldn’t put it past him to fly East if he gets an urge to. I think I rattled him last night. He’ll be able to get through on the phone to the island now, and Rajean will have him call the office. Reuben has this…this sixth sense when it comes to me, and he’ll act on it. He’s not to know, and neither is my secretary.”

“Daniel, what if something goes wrong?” asked Rocky. “What if you do get stuck; what do you want us to do?”

“Whatever you have to. The Red Cross will be our go-between, right, Jerry?”

“That’s the ticket,” Jerry said, patting the curving wall of the Red Cross transport plane.

The men talked then of details, coming up with solutions to potential problems. When they had finished their conversation, Daniel spoke. “Then I guess I’m in the hands of the angels, as the saying goes. You know, you guys are the greatest—Jesus, there’s a war going on; France is full of Germans; my world is upside down, and you…I didn’t know where to turn…and I know this is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done, but I have to do it. You have to understand, I am what I am because of Mickey and Reuben. I can’t turn my back; I just can’t. If you hadn’t come through, I’d probably…”

“Be swimming your way over,” Rocky said, finishing Daniel’s sentence. “We thought of that,” he continued cheerfully. “Look, Daniel, we understand, and both of us feel you’re doing the right thing. We’re worried, and that’s natural and normal. We’re here for you for whatever that means, and don’t give another thought to things here. We’ll handle that.”

When the last round of backslapping and handshakes was over, the three men walked to the plane’s open door.

“Anytime you’re ready, this bird is cleared for take-off. Top priority and all that shit.” Jerry grinned. “Here,” he said, holding out a small velvet sack.

“What’s this?” Daniel asked, feeling the weight of the bag in his hands.

“It’s a bag full of goddamned diamonds. In case you have to pay for…you know…anything…” Jerry said, and cleared his throat.

Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. “I hope these aren’t the family jewels,” he said lightly. His throat was so constricted, he thought he would cry.

Rocky was next, dangling a money belt in front of him stuffed full of French francs. “You never know,” he said, shrugging. “I had my father tap a line of credit for you at the Paris bank. I don’t know if it will do you any good, but it’s there. The franc is…by the time you need it, it might be worthless. All of this is just a precaution, Daniel.”

There was nothing for Daniel to say, and he didn’t try. Jerry’s and Rocky’s eyes were as misty as his own as the three men stood and walked to the yawning opening of the transport. “I guess I’ll be seeing you…whenever,” Daniel said, his voice faltering.

“You better have some good French wine with you when you get back,” Rocky called as he and Jerry climbed down the stairs.

“I’ll take a real French maid, one with…” Jerry put his hands in front of his chest and drew them out as far as they would go, his eyes twinkling.

“You wouldn’t know what the hell to do with her, who are you kidding?” Daniel shouted back. He could hear both men whooping as the plane’s engines began to sputter. With a last wave Daniel turned to settle himself safely for the long journey.

Jerry and Rocky watched as the huge big-bellied plane taxied down the runway. As the wind swirled about them, they stood and waited until the plane was a speck in the now-clearing sky. “If he’s who he is because of this Mickey and Reuben, then we’re who we are because of him. Do you agree, Jerry?”

“All the way.”

They walked back to Rocky’s waiting car in silence, both of them fighting the urge to cross their fingers and pray.

“Do you think it’ll be okay?” Jerry asked. “I don’t know if I could do what he’s about to do. That loyalty, where the fuck does he get it? We have it all, Rock—the money, the power, the mainline families…You know what he comes from….”

“Daniel’s special. And we’re doing what we have to do just the way Daniel is. He rubbed off on us, and I’m glad. Look, there’s nothing else we can do for now. Should we camp out at his office, or what?”

They clambered into Rocky’s gleaming roadster, the last of the day’s raindrops beaded on its highly polished surface. “I closed my office,” Jerry said sheepishly. “I gave everyone a month’s vacation. My old man is probably drawing up my commitment papers as we speak.”

Rocky grinned. “You’re bonkers, but you aren’t the only one. I did the same thing.”

Both men looked longingly toward the western horizon. If Daniel had given the word, they would have leapt into what they were now considering an adventure.

At last Jerry reached over and patted the steering wheel. “Start this baby up,” he said resignedly. “I think we should head for the nearest bar and tie one on. We’ll be more than sober by the time Daniel gets to France.”

“In that outfit?” Jerry said, pointing to Rocky’s hairy calves. “There isn’t a place in town that’ll let you in.”

Rocky shrugged. “Then I’ll buy the fucking place! And you can hold the mortgage.”

“I know this tailor on Fourteenth Street…”