Jack lay back on his bed and rubbed his eyes. Could Dailey have the answers? He glanced at his watch, which read midnight. He doubted that Dailey would talk to him. “You’re not trying hard enough, Rudly.” He rolled onto his stomach to continue studying his notes.
Where to go next? Jack wondered with a yawn. As he lay on his bed, he heard a light tapping on his hotel room door. At first, Jack thought he was imagining it and ignored the sound, but then he heard it again. Cautiously he stood. He silently slid to the door and checked the peephole. There in the late night shadows of the hallway stood Katherine.
Jack threw the door open.
“We need to talk.” Katherine said, entering his room.
Jack stepped aside, afraid to crowd her, and not wanting to scare her away.
“I need to apologize.”
“No, you don’t.”
She held up her hand. “Please. I need to finish. I’m moving to Washington to work with Carolyn, and I don’t want to leave without clearing this up.”
Jack nodded.
“I’ve been going over our time together, and I realized that you never once asked me about my job or Carolyn. I accepted your explanation of what happened before, and it’s unfair for me to drag that up again. I know you have an impeccable reputation in journalism, and I believe that you’ve never had to lie, cheat, or steal to get a story. It’s just that I got so stung the last time we were together that I lost it this morning. It was wrong of me to think the worst of you. I’m sorry. I believe that we can balance professional discretion with a personal life. So, what do you think? Can you forgive me?”
He pulled her to him. “Can I forgive you?” He put his hand under her chin, tilting her face upward and looking into her eyes. “It’s my fault. I’ve been over this a million times in my mind, and I know I should have told you immediately. I’m the one who’s sorry. Kate.”
“Can we start over? Again?”
Jack kissed her lips. “We already have.”
They spent the night together in his room. It was a reunion that fed both of their hearts.
Jack was the first to wake up, and he sat contemplating the news Katherine had given him. She was moving to Washington to work for Carolyn. He should have guessed that it was the natural next step for her. And he’d love having her in D.C., but he feared that his investigation would somehow compromise her safety. It appeared that she worked for some very dangerous people. Jack decided to broach the subject as Katherine awoke.
He nuzzled her neck, and she rolled over to kiss him. His intentions of speaking to her immediately about his concerns were good, but he found himself distracted as she snuggled close to him, kissed him passionately, and began stroking him.
After they made love, they enjoyed a hot shower together.
“Kate, are you sure you want to take this job in Washington?” Jack sat back on the bed, watching her brush her hair.
“Why would you ask such a question? You should be happy for me. Besides. I’ll be closer to you.” She met his gaze in the mirror and smiled.
“I know, but I doubt if your employer is going to be very happy about our relationship.”
“Why would she mind? Carolyn and I are close friends. She knows she can trust me.”
“I’d be careful about that,” he cautioned. “Don’t tell her about me right away, wait and get a feel for Washington first.”
“You look so serious, Jack. What’s wrong?”
He knew he couldn’t accuse Carolyn of anything illegal without proof. It would only jeopardize his relationship with Katherine. “I just don’t think Carolyn would be happy about you dating a journalist, particularly me.”
“What do you mean?”
Jack told her about the meeting at the Golden Gate Bridge with the drunk.
“Jack, these people are my friends and you’ve got them all wrong,” Katherine stated, turning to face him. “I can understand that having someone tell you that your father was murdered would upset you, but this doesn’t make any sense. I’m sure the police investigated everything thoroughly. The guy you met in San Francisco was probably a disgruntled drunk with an overactive imagination. You probably know better than I do that the world is full of them.”
“I also know the Lanes,” she added, setting her hair brush down. She walked over to him. “Carolyn is like the big sister I never had. She’s a wonderful, caring person. I’ve worked with her for years, and yes, she’s an intensely driven, very focused person, but that’s only because she believes so strongly in what she’s fighting for.”
“Just be careful.” Jack reached out and took her hand, pulling her into his lap. He could tell there was no changing Katherine’s mind. “And for now, don’t tell them about me. Not at first. I don’t want our relationship to adversely affect your career.”
“I think you’re being overly protective.” She kissed him. “But I won’t say anything about our relationship if it’ll make you happy. The bad news is that Carolyn expects me immediately, which means I leave the day after tomorrow, and I have a ton of packing to do.”
Jack frowned. He loved having her in Missouri with him. “I guess I’ll get more done with you in Washington, but I’m sure going to miss you.” He kissed her nose.
The next two days with Katherine were frantic as he helped her pack and prepare to move. Most of her things she put into storage.
On the last morning, Jack drove Katherine to the airport. He held her tight and kissed her as she was about to board the plane. “I’ll be back in Washington soon. Take care of yourself,” he whispered. Jack felt a profound sense of loss, and he didn’t understand why.
“Hurry,” she said. “I like having you around.” Katherine kissed him once more, then turned and, without looking back, boarded the plane.
Jack struggled to focus on the investigation, but Katherine’s image intruded on his every thought. How could he have fallen so hard? he wondered, smiling as he walked to a nearby drugstore to buy more three-by-five index cards.
Not for the first time, he felt as if someone was watching him. Looking over his shoulder, he recognized a man he’d seen repeatedly. Jack scolded himself for being paranoid, and reasoned that Jefferson City was a small place with a population of about thirty-five thousand. It wasn’t unusual to see the same people in the same neighborhoods.
Jack returned to his hotel room, knowing he was overdue to call Maureen. He’d now been out of touch with the magazine for over a week and knew there’d be hell to pay. Hopefully, they weren’t being too tough on Maureen.
He placed the call from his room, and Maureen picked up immediately.
“Jack, why haven’t you called?” Maureen asked.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. Have you heard from the office?” Jack asked.
“Have I heard from the office? Are you kidding? They’ve been ringing my phone off the hook for the last three days. Pat is convinced you’re in Missouri. I keep telling him I have no idea where you are and that you haven’t called. He doesn’t believe me, though.”
“Did he say what was so urgent?”
“No, but he sounded very stressed.” Maureen’s voice took on a worrisome tone. “And the last phone call was rather unpleasant.”
“What do you mean, ‘unpleasant’?” Jack asked.
Maureen hesitated a moment before speaking. “He said you were… fired.”
“Son of a bitch.” Jack muttered. “Are they going to let me out of my contract?”
Maureen paused, then said. “I’m sorry. Jack. You know I don’t know much about these things, but he did say that if you so much as tried to publish an article in a high school newspaper, they’d sue the shit out of you. Forgive my language, but that’s what he said.”