Alan Cook - Run into Trouble

Drake had to phrase this carefully. “I have a concern. The accident…may not have been an accident.”

“I get your drift. You’re under my protection. As long as you’re part of Running California, you have nothing to fear.”

Big words. Confident words, but, somehow, Drake almost believed them.

“I’m not really going to be in shape to run tomorrow.”

“That’s all right. The first day is ceremonial. Everybody will run together in a group and be given the same time. It doesn’t matter how fast you go.”

Drake hadn’t gathered that from the information about the race. He guessed that the Golden Rule came into play here-he who owns the gold makes the rules.

“May I ask you one more question?”

“Anything.”

“Why are you doing this? Not just the race, itself, but the million dollar prize. I’m sure you could have offered much less-”

“We think big at Giganticorp. This will be great publicity for the company and for the state of California. And for the runners. I know that in the past you’ve avoided the spotlight, but you might get to like it.”

Drake wondered. “I almost forgot. Who’s my partner?”

“Wait here.”

Casey gave Drake an enigmatic smile and left the room.

“You look terrible.”

Drake stumbled backward from the doorway. His headache suddenly doubled in intensity. He would recognize that face and musical English accent anywhere, even though the words were far from musical. It was Melody. Or her ghost.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Come…come in.”

She was approximately the last person in the world he had expected to see, this apparition that walked lightly into the room, almost without leaving footprints, and closed the door behind her.

“If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you weren’t killed today.”

She still looked the same, her slim body hidden inside a warm-up suit, belying not only her curves but the strength within, both physical and mental. The sandy hair caught in a ponytail, ready for a run; the pert nose framed by a sprinkling of freckles on the small face.

“Do I have to carry this conversation all by myself?”

“Sorry.” Drake sat down hard on the bed. His legs would no longer support him. “I…I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, as you yanks would say. They didn’t tell me about you, either, until they were forced to by the accident. All the other runners had partners, except me. When they finally divulged the secret, I almost walked out, just the way you did six years ago. For some reason that I can’t attribute, I waited around to see whether you were alive or dead. I must say, you look more dead than alive.”

“I’ll recover.” At least from the collision. “I guess I owe you an apology.”

“You owe me a lifetime of apologies. Let’s see. You leave me with no message and no explanation. I’m frantic, thinking that you’re dead, or at the very least a prisoner in a Soviet Gulag camp. Finally, after months of searching and talking to everybody I can think of, a sympathetic bloke at your embassy does some checking and lets me know that you’re all right but doesn’t know where you are. I wait for word-and wait. For six years I’ve waited. In vain.”

“I had no choice.” Drake felt miserable. “I was ordered to secrecy.”

“Yeah, I remember bloody government secrets. Your government and mine. Don’t let the right hand know what the left hand is doing. But I take it you’ve been out for several years. Why did you quit?”

“It got to the point where I had a hard time telling the good guys from the bad guys.”

“I know the feeling. Would it have hurt you to drop me a line?”

“I didn’t think you wanted to hear from me. And I didn’t know where you were.”

“Poor excuses for excuses. You could have written my mum in Rotherfield.”

“How long have you been in the U.S.?”

Melody sat on the edge of the bed beside Drake and appeared to deflate, like a balloon.

“Two years. Our little island became too small for me. I knew where too many bodies were buried, literally and figuratively. So I came to the land of the free and the home of the brave. I may even become a citizen someday.”

“Where are you living?”

“Denver. Running at high altitude is great conditioning for running at sea level. I’m working at a Jack LaLanne health club as a fitness instructor and running the occasional marathon, when I can find one that accepts women. What about you? Tell me your recent history in two sentences or less.”

Nonstop physical activity. That sounded like the Melody he knew. If anybody were in shape for this race, she was.

“I resigned four years ago. I’ve been living with my sister and brother-in-law in Idyllwild, which is about a hundred miles from here. It’s also in the mountains, a mile high, same as Denver. I’ve been selling real estate and working out. I ran Boston last spring.”

“Fancy that. We’re both running marathons. I’m planning to run Boston next year. We might have run into each other, sometime, if you’ll excuse the little joke. Except for your face, you look fit. Well, I guess the first thing we have to decide is whether we’re going to quit while we’re behind or have a go at this.”

“What did they tell you about the collision?”

“That it was an accident. Your taxi was rear-ended, I believe.”

“It was no accident. The truck driver hit us deliberately.”

Melody caught her breath. “What else do you have to tell me?”

“Actually, that’s it. I haven’t had any contact with the agency for four years. I don’t know why anybody would want to eliminate me. I doubt that any of our Russian friends care about me any longer. I don’t want to expose you to any more danger. The one thing I was happy about when I left you was that you would be safe. You were, weren’t you?”

“I didn’t suffer any physical repercussions, if that’s what you mean. Only emotional. I was reassigned. But we were in it together, Drake. We were both professionals. I knew what I was doing.”

“Okay, but this is different. You’re a civilian now.”

Melody turned and looked into his bloodshot eyes with her green ones. When she did that, Drake was sure she could penetrate his brain and his very soul. Slowly her expression changed, and a smile lit up her face.

“To tell you the truth, life has been a bit boring since you left. The year I spent with you was a lot of things, but it was never dull. I don’t know what chance we have of winning the million, but it might be a lovely adventure.”

“Then the first thing we have to do is get me in shape to run.”

Melody’s manner became brisk. “Tell me about your injuries. I assume your nose won’t be a problem, except that it may spoil your pretty-boy looks if it ends up misshapen. That may be a good thing. I won’t be tempted to shag you.”

“I have a few minor cuts, as you can see. Other than that, I have a bruise on my chest…”

Melody began unbuttoning his shirt. When Drake protested, she said, “I’m a certified fitness instructor. Hold still. I’m not going to rape you.”

She pronounced his chest satisfactory. He told her about his back.

“Take off your belt and lie on the bed on your stomach.”

That was easier said than done because the act of lying down was painful to Drake. When he finally got comfortable, she pulled his shirt up and examined his back. She also pulled his pants down a little. His back hurt when she touched it.

“I prescribe an ice pack. You can put ice cubes in a towel. I’ll get you some. Have you got any aspirin?”

“The doctor gave me morphine, but I flushed it down the toilet.”