COGLXI

Cathy sat on the side of the bed fighting the tears which threatened to overwhelm her. The effort of keeping calm was taking a toll. She was desperately worried about Jacob. The deceptively smiling fool hovering around, invading her privacy left her feeling defenseless. Still, she maintained a brave front hoping that something would happen to change the course of events. Standing up, she pulled on the pants of her suit completing the lightweight summer ensemble. It's gray colour matched her darkening mood.

She did not want to wear anything provocative. The idea brought a derisive chuckle to her lips. Cathy suppressed it. 'Why didn't I think of this before?' she thought. As much as Merindia needed to be a virgin, so did her husband. Clearly Virgil was not about to give up his celibacy if he thought there was still had a chance with her. According to legend it was more important for him to be virtuous. It wasn't a weakness she could exploit but his threat of rape could be considered as a threat only.

Cathy had her own fears born out of the life and vulnerability of living with her mother. She had been trampled on once. She didn't want it to happen again. If she knew she was safe, then the fight for Jacob's life would be easier. She left her room head high, not sure if she was scared or angry or both.

The plan was that she would go downstairs first and engage the girls and Sue. Virgil would sneak out of the house on the pretext of an ongoing headache making him unsociable. She made her way slowly listening for the voices of the girls. It was nearly noon. The trio sat in the kitchen getting ready for lunch. Plastering yet another false smile on her face, she entered the room.

Small talk and lies came easy. 'Jacob wasn't sure if he was coming down with something' she said. 'Better not to risk the girls, especially Mea, getting any bugs.'

Sue agreed. Closest to the entrance to the kitchen, Cathy hardly heard the footsteps. Only the front door closing let her know that her tormentor was safely out of sight. Cathy longed to confide in Sue but could not bring herself to betray her tormentor. If any risk to Jacob was realized, she would never forgive herself.

'I'm not sure what time we will be back Sue. Probably, Jacob and I will be at the hospital. If you need me, call on my cell.'

'Thanks, we're fine. Rosalinda called. She's on her way.'

Cathy hesitated again. She looked at Sue, pleading with her eyes for some psychic connection. There was none. She nodded and turned to leave. Cilla's unsolicited words stopped her.

'Cub's sick Catty.' Her little face was solemn.

'Yes he is but he will be well soon.'

She leaned over to kiss the little girl, thankful that no one else understood her to mean anything other than the contrived headache. Cilla proudly displayed the bracelet, given to her by Merindia. Cathy wondered if it had magical powers.

Virgil waited for her outside the door. He was irritated. 'What took you so long?'

'I didn't create this situation. You did!' she shouted hating his tone.

Cathy stormed off and headed for the park. She was no longer scared. Anger rose in her like a white heat banishing all nervousness. The blonde oaf called after her but she hurried her pace and crossed the road to the park before he realized that she did not plan to come back at his bidding. She was quite a few steps into the park before she stopped abruptly and turned to face him eyes blazing.

'You son of a b*****!. How dare you come into my home and tell me what to do as if I am your servant. I don't know who you are and I don't even know whether my husband is actually alive. Why should I trust or believe you. You have done nothing but intimidate me and coerce me into lying to people I love, forcing me to do things I don't want to. When you get what you want, what then? What about my husband? I am not going to follow you or do anything else until I know where he is and that he is safe.'

'I understand your anger Cathy. I only take exception to one thing. My mother was not a b****. She was a goddess and I am her son, a prince of the family.'

'Goddess? Then where is the goodness which should have been handed down to you because the two go hand in hand.'

'Don't bait me and don't talk to me about mothers. Your own mother was a tramp and a streetwalker. Who are you to judge me?'

'Those words don't hurt me. I heard them all when I was growing up but I would never take something that doesn't belong to me or force someone to do anything against their will. At least my mother taught me respect for others. You are a bully and a coward.'

Virgil grabbed her arm and dragged her along the path further into the park. 'Let me show you something'. He pulled Jacob's phone out of his pocket and pressed a button. 'Look at your beloved husband, then tell me you don't want to help me.'

Cathy stared at a photo. It had been taken by Virgil and showed Jacob lying naked on the interrogation room floor. She gasped before tears filled her eyes.

'You animal! How could you?'

'I expected a little resistance from you, even anger but I am single minded and will not be moved by your hysteria. We will make our way to the Memorial gardens to wait for my bride to come to me. I don't want to hear anymore words of anger and reproach from you. I hope that's clear.' He literally hissed the words but Cathy scarcely heard them. To see her husband in such a vulnerable position weakened her, just as Virgil knew it would.


Vincent could feel his anxiety mounting. He paced the room, certain that Jacob was in mortal danger. Caught between his promise to Catherine and an intuitive knowledge that his son was in trouble, he paced, ready to explode, unable to think. He felt impotent and stymied by his inability to make use of even the simplest tools. The phone beckoned him but the only number he knew for sure was his home number. Cathy had been there in the morning. Jacob was sleeping she said. Was she lying and why would she have to lie? He lifted the receiver and punched in the number. It didn't work. He tried over and over without success to place the call, convinced that it took some magical power to make the instrument work. In his frustration, he was about to pull it from the wall when the door opened. A young male nurse entered the room.

'Can I help you sir?'

Vincent's hands beneath the confining gloves clenched and unclenched. He felt hot. Resisting the temptation to reveal his feelings, he bit down on his anger.

'I am simply trying to make a call.'

'Did you press 9 first Sir?'

'9?'

'Yes you have to dial 9 first to access an outside line. 9, then the number you want. Ok?'

Vincent nodded and waited for the young man to leave.

'Sir your driver is waiting downstairs and wondered if you needed him for anything.'

'Yes, please ask him to come up.'

As soon as the door closed, Vincent dialed the phone and reached Sue right away. She quickly gave him an update on the girls. He halted her detailed commentary with a question.

'Did you see Jacob this morning?'

'Yes he left with Cathy not too long ago.'

Vincent felt deflated, wondering what had happened to his senses. His awareness of both Catherine and Jacob was infallible. Was he overwrought? He thanked Sue, gave her an update on Catherine and hung up the phone.

Within minutes, Rob appeared at the door. He had sensed some disquiet, knew what a challenge it was for Vincent to cope with these external situations and made himself available.

'Rob, go home and stay inside with Sue and the girls. I feel very uncertain. I must remain here with Catherine. I am hopeless with the phone and very worried about Jacob….and yet, Sue says he was fine this morning.'

'Why do you think he is not fine Sir?'

'Something in me says no. What I saw in my head was unimaginable.'

'I can call him on his cell phone.'

Rob could see the relief and pulled out his own cell, dialing the number deftly and quickly, much to Vincent's amazement.

The phone rang quite a few times. There was no answer.

'He might be in the subway Sir. I'll keep trying.'

Rob left, but his inability to reach Jacob by phone did nothing to ease the tension.


The two guards watching the jail cells, were worried about the guy in cell 12. He had been sleeping steadily since his meeting with the lawyer yesterday. At times he even looked dead. They could hardly tell if he was breathing but occasionally his chest would rise and fall. He didn't seem quite the same on their previous shift. Then he had been animated and smiling all the time as if he had some great secret. They figured that he either came down off his unnatural high or got drugs smuggled into him from somewhere. They laughed when he began to twitch. Before long he started itching from time to time until the need to scratch his skin consumed him.

He rolled over off the bed onto the floor. Soon his face was red, eyes bloodshot. The guards became concerned wondering if the guy was ill and not just on drugs. They called for the medic to come down. By then, 'John Smith' was acting like a raving lunatic. His dark hair flew around his head. With one yank, he tugged at the strands and pulled off what had been a wig, to reveal a head of golden hair. They were shocked.

It took quite a few of them to subdue him. He was secured in a brace and transported off to another area where he could be watched closely.

It wasn't unusual for prisoners to have beauty aids which hid their identities. Male prostitutes and transvestites came into jail wearing anything, including the most outrageous outfits. 'John Smith' continued to rail against his captivity, his itching skin and his inability to make anyone understand that he did not belong there. The guards were becoming concerned and wondered if a cold shower might help. They moved the inmate into a smaller single cell and subdued him again. Before long, as if by magic, the prisoner became quiet, lapsing into a stupor.


Catherine seemed to be a long time down in the surgery. Vincent's state of mind was dangerously close to violence. When the door opened, his disappointment at the figure of the doctor rather than his wife on a stretcher sent his heart into his boots.

'Mr. Wells, your wife has come through surgery alright but she had a little excess bleeding during the procedure. I have kept her in recovery for an extended period just to ensure that the bleeding has stopped and she is stable. If there is any concern, we'll keep her in ICU overnight, just as a precaution.'

'Is she going to be ok?' Vincent could hardly frame the words. His heart was in his throat.

'Yes. This is just a precaution. You have to remember that she had a tube in her stomach for so many years. There has been a lot of scarring. The tissue was badly damaged. I will discuss the results of the surgery and tests when she is fully awake.'

Vincent had no rejoinder. This was a part of the world above which he didn't understand. Rather than try to figure out what the doctor meant he just nodded and sat in a chair, head in hands. His wife and son, both troubled. He was unable to help either one.

The doctor sensing that he could not comfort the husband of his patient, left quietly. How long Vincent sat, he couldn't be sure. When the door opened again, he didn't look up, knowing that the absence of the sound of wheels meant that someone else had come in. He was in no mood to engage in small talk. He did look up at the sound of his name, surprised to see the tall tanned figure standing in the doorway.

'Patrick? When did you get back?'

'Vincent, my friend! I got back last night. When I called the house, Sue told me you were here. Is Catherine alright?'

Vincent got up to greet his wife's childhood friend. He had to admit that this was one person whose presence seemed to ease the worry in his heart. If nothing else, he would understand Vincent's anguish, perhaps simplify the messages. The two men stood at the hospital room window talking. At the end of the story, Ronan patted Vincent's shoulder and expressed confidence that the Doctor was probably certain that Catherine would recover.

'In this day and age of litigation in health care, no one wants to take a chance. I am sure he is just being exceedingly careful.'

'I hope you're right. To lose Catherine again would….'

'I understand. Tell me about Jacob. I was really looking for him.'

'I have this empathic connection with both my wife and son. I am very worried about Jacob. I sense he is in trouble… in my heart,' he said thumping his chest, ' but there is no indication of that from anyone else. Cathy told me he was sleeping in this morning and when I called home earlier, Sue said they had just left the house around noon. And yet, I feel that he is held captive and his body betrays him.'

Ronan knew better than to dismiss Vincent's words. He had seen Jacob work miracles with his intuition. Clearly the ability to see into the future and sense the unknown was a trait both father and son carried.

'Has Jacob done anything in the last 24 hours which would be out of character for him?'

'We are aware of some stirrings in a family who are distant relatives on my side. We have been poised to expect an attack. Both he and I have been troubled by dreams. Last night he came home quite late, did not come to see his mother before her admission to hospital this morning and…..he didn't lock the front door to our house last night. I find that strange knowing we are at risk.'

'Is he at work?'

'I don't know. He has not answered his phone.'

'Vincent, I can see that you need to stay here with Catherine. Let me do a little investigating and see if I can track him down. I will call here as soon as I know something.'

'Thank you, my friend.'

'No thanks needed. After what Jacob did for me…..this is small thanks.'

Breathing a sigh of relief for action after inaction, he resumed his seat, hoping that concerns about either his wife or son would overcome the increasing anxiety simmering on a slow boil beneath the surface of his skin.


Patrick DelCassian strode out of the hospital. His trip to Brazil had given him a new lease on life. After the loss of his wife, he wondered if life would ever be whole again. At the ranch, which had been her childhood home, he found a brother, sister in law, nieces and nephews and a salvation which had eluded him most of his life. He owed a great debt to Jacob. If Vincent was worried about his son, he was too. Patrick would do everything in his power to find out what was going on. For once, the privilege of his office would be used, perhaps inappropriately, but he hoped effectively.

He got in his car instructing his driver to take him to the Public Defender's office.