James Patterson - Honeymoon

“That won’t happen. I asked her to look at the furniture for her consignment store. Just hang out; I’ll make sure we stay clear of this room. It won’t take long.”

John O’Hara didn’t really have a problem with that; Craig Reynolds, on the other hand, had a job to get to. “Nora, I’m already late for work as it is,” I said. “There’s got to be a way I can slip out a back door, or something.”

“She’s already seen your car. If it’s gone when she’s leaving, she’ll ask me about it. Neither of us wants that.”

I took a deep breath and let it out. “How long is this going to take?”

“I told you, it won’t take long.” She unlocked the window and opened it. “Sorry, Harriet, I’ll be right there,” she called down. “Great hat, sweetie.”

Nora spun and, with a running start, jumped back into bed with me. “Now about your going to work today, you,” she said, her hand reaching beneath the sheet. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Oh, you don’t, do you?”

“Absolutely not. I think you should play hooky so we can have some fun. What do you think?”

It didn’t matter what I said. Nora’s hand under the sheet could already tell what I thought.

“I suppose I could take a day off.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“What should we do?”

Nora glanced down at the sheet covering me. “Well, I’ll tell you. It looks like someone wants to go camping.”

She hopped back out of the bed. Very limber. Must work out a lot.

“Wait, you can’t leave me now, ” I said.

“I have to. Harriet’s waiting and I’ve got to go put some clothes on.” She glanced down at the sheet again, the same frisky grin on her face. “Hold that thought,” she said.

Chapter 75

I LAY IN BED, staring up at the ceiling, holding the thought, as it were. This was probably a maid’s or nanny’s bedroom, and it was still a lot nicer than mine. I finally began plotting out the rest of the day, like where Nora and I might go. More important, how I’d navigate our budding relationship, or whatever was going on between us.

She certainly knew how to get what she wanted. The question remained: Was it me she wanted? And what did I want out of this? To prove Nora innocent?

I told myself to snap the hell out of it. The only question that really mattered was whether she had anything to do with the death of Connor Brown—and the disappearance of his money. That was my job, getting the answer.

I closed my eyes. Seconds later they popped open.

I jumped out of bed and ran to my suit hanging over a chair. I grabbed the ringing phone out of my pants pocket and checked the number to see what I already knew. It was Susan!

I couldn’t blow her off twice, could I? She knew that I always kept the phone with me and that I would never be out of range.

Be yourself, O’Hara.

“Hello?”

“Why are you whispering?” she asked.

“I’m at a golf tournament.”

“Ha-ha. Where are you really?”

“The Briarcliff Manor library.”

“I believe that even less.”

“Except it happens to be true,” I said. “I’m brushing up on my life insurance jargon.”

“Why?”

“Nora’s been asking a lot of questions. She’s very sharp. I don’t know if she’s testing me or just curious. Either way, I need to know what I’m talking about.”

“When’s the last time you had contact with her?”

Something told me “all night long” wasn’t the best answer to that question.

“Yesterday,” I said. “Craig Reynolds took her to lunch to apologize for all the hassles John O’Hara put her through.”

“Good move, slick. You obviously told her about the payout coming, right?”

“Yes, and she seemed relieved. That’s when she started to ask some of the questions, though.”

“You think she suspects you?”

“It’s hard to tell with her.”

“You’ve got to get her to open up to you.”

I swallowed hard on that one. “Here’s a thought: what if Craig Reynolds follows up on the lunch by asking her out to dinner?”

“You mean, like a date? ”

“I wouldn’t pose it quite that way. Her fiancé just died. But, yes, like a date. You said you wanted her to open up more.”

“I don’t know,” said Susan.

“Right, neither do I. I’m running out of options, though, not to mention time.”

“What if she says no?”

I laughed. “You underestimate the O’Hara charm.”

“Hardly. It’s why you’re working this case, pal. But as you said yourself, Nora doesn’t seem like the type to fall for an insurance man.”

I bit my tongue. “Personally, I’d thought you’d be more concerned about Nora saying yes.”

“Trust me, I am,” she said. “But I think you have a point. It’s probably our best shot.”

I was about to agree when outside the bedroom I could hear voices. Nora and Harriet coming up the stairs, talking.

“Damn.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve got to hang up,” I said. “I’m getting the evil eye from a librarian.”

“All right, get going. But listen—be careful, O’Hara.”

“You’re right. This looks like a really bad-ass librarian.”

“Very funny.”

I hung up, got back into bed, and resumed staring at the ceiling. I hated having to lie to Susan, but I hardly had a choice. She wanted to know if I thought Nora suspected something. Now I was wondering the same thing about her. Could she tell I was lying?

Susan was one of the least gullible people I’d ever known. That’s why she was the boss.

Chapter 76

NORA RETURNED, all bright smiles and full of pep. Hard to resist. She jumped up on the bed and kissed my chest, my cheek, my lips. She rolled her eyes and made a funny face that could have won my heart under normal circumstances, which these certainly weren’t.

“Did you miss me?”

“Terribly,” I said. “How’d things go with Harriet?”

“Wonderfully. I told you it wouldn’t take long. I’m good. You wouldn’t believe how good I am.”

“Yes, only you weren’t the one stuck in this room.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, teasing me. “You need some fresh air. All the more reason why you can’t go to work today.”

“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“As a matter of fact… no.”

I nodded at my coat and trousers draped on the chair. “Okay, but are you sure you want to spend two days in a row with me in those clothes?”

She shrugged. “I’ve taken them off you once. I won’t mind doing it again.”

We showered, dressed, and took her car out for a spin. The Benz.

“So, where are we going?” I asked.

Nora slid on her sunglasses. “I’ve got it under control.”

She drove first to a gourmet market in town called Villarina’s. I, naturally, acted as if I’d been there before. As we walked in she asked me whether there was anything I didn’t eat. “Besides my omelets.”

“I’m not a big fan of sardines,” I said. “Other than that, go for it.”

She ordered a small feast. Various cheeses, roasted peppers, a pasta salad, olives, dried meats, some French bread. I offered to pay. Reaching for her purse, she said she’d hear nothing of it.

Next stop was a liquor store.

“How about we go with white today? I prefer pinot grigio, myself,” she said.

She checked to see what was already chilled and pulled out a bottle of Tieffenbrunner. We were all set for our picnic.

More so when Nora showed me the blanket in the trunk. Cashmere, with a Polo logo. She’d packed it while I was in the shower.