CHAPTER 56
Beth wondered why Garrett looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. She'd just put Cassie down for her nap and wondered if she would be allowed to go into the kitchen and prepare the evening meal herself. The inactivity during the times Cassie didn't need her was getting to her, and since Garrett usually insisted on hovering . she'd had to pretend even harder to be genuinely understanding and accepting of him or have the moments fall into uncomfortable silence and loose ground.
"Remember, you are doing this for a chance at freedom." She told herself as she set her jaw and let Garrett hug her and then linger with her in his arms as he buried his face in her hair and started to nuzzle her neck.
"We could be so happy Leandra." He whispered, pulling back to look into her face.
Beth forced her face into a half smile. "I am happy . when I'm with Cassie I am happy." She replied. It was only the thought of her daughter that let her smile reach her eyes and continue to deceive her captor.
"But is that all you want?" Garrett asked, his face hovering over hers. Beth knew what he was asking and she knew that everything she'd said or done around him for the past few weeks had been laying the groundwork for her ultimate deception. She had to make Garrett feel like she was falling for him and that they had a future if she ever hoped to have enough freedom to get word to Adam and her family.
Her mind screamed out in protest, while she remained completely motionless . allowing him to believe that by not moving away she wanted him to move closer. It was all she could do not to push him away when he closed the distance and his lips slanted over hers. To keep her hands from repelling him as they wanted, Beth fisted them in the material of his shirt, her knuckles white as she clenched them as tightly as she could in an effort to remain controlled and focused.
The feel of his lips against hers repulsed her to the core, but somehow she managed to accept it. However when his tongue traced the seam of her lips and beckoned her to open to him she had gone as far as her mind would let her go with this charade for now.
Pulling back and looking up at him with a shy smile she saw all the signs that said he had been completely fooled. "Would I be asking too much if we took this slow?" she asked hopefully. "I'm not saying no . but ."
"I understand." Garrett said, reaching to clasp one of her hands that now lay flat against his chest in his own and bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. "We should take it slow . there is plenty of time ."
"But I'd like to make it up to you a little if you'd let me." She began. "You remember that pork chop dish of my Mother's you liked so much?"
"The one with onions and tomatoes?" Garrett asked with a grin.
"When I took my plate to the kitchen this afternoon I did some snooping . and all the ingredients are there, plus what I'd need to make a side of potato puppies ." she added. "I didn't have a chance to see what else was in the cupboard, but I'm sure there's something I could whip up a desert with."
"You want to cook me dinner?" Garrett shook his head.
"Is that a problem?" Beth replied, hoping he would go for the idea and it would buy her more time to keep working on him but with some distance.
"How can I say no?" he replied. "But you have to let me help."
Beth smiled and let him lead the way downstairs to the kitchen.
-------------------------------------------
Duncan impatiently stood at the doors of the train, with Ellen on his heels when they opened. He was almost to the stairs that would lead up to the street when they both heard a commotion back near the tracks.
"Hey machen alter Mann, was Sie?" someone yelled as others began to gather near the tracks.
(translation: Hey old man, what are you doing?)
Duncan turned around, wondering what was causing such a stir. His eyes widened at the sight just a ways up the track from the platform.
"JOE!" Duncan yelled as he bounded from the stairs and across the platform, ignoring those around him as he jumped onto the ground beside the rails below. There, staggering on the tracks ahead of him was Joe. His back was to him and he seemed barely able to stand and maneuver the crutches that were attached to his forearms.
"Joe stop!" Duncan called out to him as he stepped carefully over the live cables and moved toward him.
But Joe didn't seem to hear. He kept walking . toward the lights from the train approaching on the 2nd rail, the rail he was straddling.
"For God sakes Joe. Look out!" Duncan yelled as he tried to reach his friend in time. But the train was too fast. A scream rose from the crowd that had gathered on the edge of the platform as they saw his body disappear under the train as it sped past. The driver had seen, but could not stop in time. Duncan's face contorted at the sight of his friend being literally sliced in half by the wheels on the rails.
"Joe . what were ya thinkin'?" Duncan blinked back the tears as he slowly turned Joe's body over.
"Why? ." his words froze in his throat as he let out a gasp of relief. It wasn't Joe .
Ellen made her way along the rails. Behind her she could hear the P.A. system announce the station was closed pending an investigation. She saw the way Duncan was cradling the old man whose body lay mangled on the tracks.
"Duncan . is this Joe? Your friend Joe?" she asked as she reached him, laying her hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"No ." Duncan shook his head, tears of relief falling down his face. "Tis not him. It's not Joe . "
He looked down at the man whose body he held and wondered what was going on. The man looked like Joe . and upon closer inspection, he saw the man was wearing Joe's coat . and the crutches were his. He recognized the customizations Joe had made to them to make them fit better.
Duncan carefully laid the man back down as investigators started to come toward them. He answered their questions, telling them that he'd simply seen the man in harm's way and tried to save him . unfortunately his efforts had been too late.
The investigators took his name and where he was staying before letting he and Ellen walk back to the platform. A medic handed Duncan a damp towel to wipe the blood from his hands, and they were almost halfway up the stairs when he heard his name being called from below.
"MacLeod? Is there a Duncan MacLeod?" A woman in one of the ticket booths was calling the name and looking about.
"I'm Duncan MacLeod." Duncan answered.
"For you." The woman said as she handed the phone receiver through the tiny opening.
"This is MacLeod."
"Too late huh MacLeod." A voice that was distorted to conceal the identity of it's source taunted.
"Who is this?" Duncan demanded.
"Poor Joe. He counted on you so." The voice ignored his demand. "Ahhh but lucky for you it wasn't Joe at all that you let down, that you failed."
Duncan's blood began to boil when he realized the entire thing had been staged for his benefit.
"What kind of game are you playing? A man is dead." He raged into the phone, scaring the ticket mistress.
"A game you should become better at playing MacLeod." The voice encouraged. "Next time maybe the face won't be so unfamiliar. Next time ."
The line went dead.
Beth wondered why Garrett looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. She'd just put Cassie down for her nap and wondered if she would be allowed to go into the kitchen and prepare the evening meal herself. The inactivity during the times Cassie didn't need her was getting to her, and since Garrett usually insisted on hovering . she'd had to pretend even harder to be genuinely understanding and accepting of him or have the moments fall into uncomfortable silence and loose ground.
"Remember, you are doing this for a chance at freedom." She told herself as she set her jaw and let Garrett hug her and then linger with her in his arms as he buried his face in her hair and started to nuzzle her neck.
"We could be so happy Leandra." He whispered, pulling back to look into her face.
Beth forced her face into a half smile. "I am happy . when I'm with Cassie I am happy." She replied. It was only the thought of her daughter that let her smile reach her eyes and continue to deceive her captor.
"But is that all you want?" Garrett asked, his face hovering over hers. Beth knew what he was asking and she knew that everything she'd said or done around him for the past few weeks had been laying the groundwork for her ultimate deception. She had to make Garrett feel like she was falling for him and that they had a future if she ever hoped to have enough freedom to get word to Adam and her family.
Her mind screamed out in protest, while she remained completely motionless . allowing him to believe that by not moving away she wanted him to move closer. It was all she could do not to push him away when he closed the distance and his lips slanted over hers. To keep her hands from repelling him as they wanted, Beth fisted them in the material of his shirt, her knuckles white as she clenched them as tightly as she could in an effort to remain controlled and focused.
The feel of his lips against hers repulsed her to the core, but somehow she managed to accept it. However when his tongue traced the seam of her lips and beckoned her to open to him she had gone as far as her mind would let her go with this charade for now.
Pulling back and looking up at him with a shy smile she saw all the signs that said he had been completely fooled. "Would I be asking too much if we took this slow?" she asked hopefully. "I'm not saying no . but ."
"I understand." Garrett said, reaching to clasp one of her hands that now lay flat against his chest in his own and bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss. "We should take it slow . there is plenty of time ."
"But I'd like to make it up to you a little if you'd let me." She began. "You remember that pork chop dish of my Mother's you liked so much?"
"The one with onions and tomatoes?" Garrett asked with a grin.
"When I took my plate to the kitchen this afternoon I did some snooping . and all the ingredients are there, plus what I'd need to make a side of potato puppies ." she added. "I didn't have a chance to see what else was in the cupboard, but I'm sure there's something I could whip up a desert with."
"You want to cook me dinner?" Garrett shook his head.
"Is that a problem?" Beth replied, hoping he would go for the idea and it would buy her more time to keep working on him but with some distance.
"How can I say no?" he replied. "But you have to let me help."
Beth smiled and let him lead the way downstairs to the kitchen.
-------------------------------------------
Duncan impatiently stood at the doors of the train, with Ellen on his heels when they opened. He was almost to the stairs that would lead up to the street when they both heard a commotion back near the tracks.
"Hey machen alter Mann, was Sie?" someone yelled as others began to gather near the tracks.
(translation: Hey old man, what are you doing?)
Duncan turned around, wondering what was causing such a stir. His eyes widened at the sight just a ways up the track from the platform.
"JOE!" Duncan yelled as he bounded from the stairs and across the platform, ignoring those around him as he jumped onto the ground beside the rails below. There, staggering on the tracks ahead of him was Joe. His back was to him and he seemed barely able to stand and maneuver the crutches that were attached to his forearms.
"Joe stop!" Duncan called out to him as he stepped carefully over the live cables and moved toward him.
But Joe didn't seem to hear. He kept walking . toward the lights from the train approaching on the 2nd rail, the rail he was straddling.
"For God sakes Joe. Look out!" Duncan yelled as he tried to reach his friend in time. But the train was too fast. A scream rose from the crowd that had gathered on the edge of the platform as they saw his body disappear under the train as it sped past. The driver had seen, but could not stop in time. Duncan's face contorted at the sight of his friend being literally sliced in half by the wheels on the rails.
"Joe . what were ya thinkin'?" Duncan blinked back the tears as he slowly turned Joe's body over.
"Why? ." his words froze in his throat as he let out a gasp of relief. It wasn't Joe .
Ellen made her way along the rails. Behind her she could hear the P.A. system announce the station was closed pending an investigation. She saw the way Duncan was cradling the old man whose body lay mangled on the tracks.
"Duncan . is this Joe? Your friend Joe?" she asked as she reached him, laying her hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"No ." Duncan shook his head, tears of relief falling down his face. "Tis not him. It's not Joe . "
He looked down at the man whose body he held and wondered what was going on. The man looked like Joe . and upon closer inspection, he saw the man was wearing Joe's coat . and the crutches were his. He recognized the customizations Joe had made to them to make them fit better.
Duncan carefully laid the man back down as investigators started to come toward them. He answered their questions, telling them that he'd simply seen the man in harm's way and tried to save him . unfortunately his efforts had been too late.
The investigators took his name and where he was staying before letting he and Ellen walk back to the platform. A medic handed Duncan a damp towel to wipe the blood from his hands, and they were almost halfway up the stairs when he heard his name being called from below.
"MacLeod? Is there a Duncan MacLeod?" A woman in one of the ticket booths was calling the name and looking about.
"I'm Duncan MacLeod." Duncan answered.
"For you." The woman said as she handed the phone receiver through the tiny opening.
"This is MacLeod."
"Too late huh MacLeod." A voice that was distorted to conceal the identity of it's source taunted.
"Who is this?" Duncan demanded.
"Poor Joe. He counted on you so." The voice ignored his demand. "Ahhh but lucky for you it wasn't Joe at all that you let down, that you failed."
Duncan's blood began to boil when he realized the entire thing had been staged for his benefit.
"What kind of game are you playing? A man is dead." He raged into the phone, scaring the ticket mistress.
"A game you should become better at playing MacLeod." The voice encouraged. "Next time maybe the face won't be so unfamiliar. Next time ."
The line went dead.