Ghosts
Chapter 8
Sue Ellen dialed the hotel desk and asked for a cab to take her to the police station at Kensington and Chelsea. The cab waited for Sue Ellen while she went into the station. She asked to speak with someone regarding the suicide attempt Do Lockwood made. The desk Sargent told her to have a seat while he called the Inspector. Sue Ellen's eyes wandered around at all of the people in the station. She marveled at how one of London's smaller borough's police headquarters could be so busy this early in the morning. The Inspector greeted her a few minutes later. She identified herself as Mrs. Sue Ellen Lockwood, and explained to the inspector how Don and she were no longer married, but she came back to London after the phone call from Miranda Barrington. She went further, explaining that Miranda was Don's sister, and the bottle of pills Don had ingested, belonged to Miranda, not Don. The Inspector raised an eyebrow after hearing Sue Ellen's information. The Inspector asked her how she could be reached if necessary, and she informed him that she was staying at the Landmark, but that she would like to hurry and go back to Dallas as soon as possible. Sue Ellen thanked the Inspector, and walked out of the station into the waiting taxicab.
J.R. lay on his bed wearing a pair of dark-blue silk pajamas. The dark blue was a stark contrast to the silver coloring of his hair and the tan skin on his face and hands. He had his arms folded behind his head, his legs crossed at the ankle. He had so many thoughts racing through his head. He didn't know where to begin. He wanted to go and grab a cup of coffee, but instead, he simply thought about Sue Ellen, and it made him smile. He thought about how her voice would change its pitch when she told him how much she loved him. He remembered how good he felt waking up next to her. He felt a renewed sense of what he wanted to do for their future. J.R. sat up in bed and walked toward his shower. He hurriedly dried himself off and started to dress. He wore a dark grey suit, black cowboy boots, a white silk shirt with narrow, alternating maroon and charcoal stripes. He finished it off with a dark wine-colored tie and his black Stetson. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Bobby and Christopher had just finished eating breakfast and were going back into Braddock to the new indoor raceway. J.R. forgot about pouring a cup of coffee, he had other plans. The temperature outside of the house was overwhelming as he opened the door to his car. He kept the top up as he drove into Dallas. He parked the car in front of Tiffany and Co. J.R. grabbed his hat off the passenger seat and put it on his head as he walked into the jewelry store. He was greeted by an older saleswoman, and a smile. She asked him if she could help him with a jewelry selection, and he pointed to the diamond solitaire case. "I'd like to buy a ring for my wife, er, bride-to-be," amazed at how simple it was for him to refer to Sue Ellen as his wife. He asked if he could look at the same ten Carat diamond ring he saw when he was in the store a few weeks ago. The saleswoman handed him the ring and asked if he'd like to inspect it with her loop. J.R. took the loop and put it up to his eye. He was impressed to discover that the diamond was flawless. It was absolutely flawless. J.R. asked if he could have the stone remounted on platinum and sized to a perfect size seven. The saleswoman was taken aback as she took his check for the entire purchase amount, and apologized for not recognizing him sooner. She informed J.R that he would be notified by telephone, when the ring was ready. "Thank You, Darlin'." He said as he put his hat back on his head and walked out to his car.
Sue Ellen could feel her tension wane as the water washed over her. She closed her eyes and thought about the last time she was with J.R. God, how she missed him. She missed his smile. She missed the sound of his voice as he said her name aloud, his voice resonating as he spoke. She missed the feel of his arms wrapped around her, holding her protectively. She longed for his kiss against her lips. She touched her mouth as she sought to remember how his kiss had sent shivers coursing through her. Slowly, Sue Ellen opened her eyes, saddened by the harsh realization that she was alone. Why hadn't she invited J.R. to join her? The last person in the world J.R cared about was Don, she knew that much, but perhaps J.R. would have accompanied her, just to be with her? Her thoughts rapidly switched to what she had learned about Don and the sleeping pills he had ingested. A fiendish smile crept over her as she pictured Miranda being dragged away in handcuffs - no, shackles, for the attempted murder of Don Lockwood. For now, at least, it was attempted murder. If, God forbid, Dons were to die, Miranda would be the prime suspect, and eventually be tried for his murder. A fitting scenario for such a caustic woman, Sue Ellen concluded. She didn't want Don to die. She wouldn't want that at all. It was the simple fact that Miranda had treated Sue Ellen so poorly ever since the first time they had been introduced, shortly after Sue Ellen and Don returned to London from their Caribbean honeymoon. Sue Ellen finished bathing and dried her skin as the last of the bath water whirled around in the bottom of the tub before running down the drain.
J.R. and John Ross were in the family room when they heard the phone ring. Teresa told J.R. that he had a long-distance call. John Ross smiled, maybe it was Mamma? He thought. J.R. eagerly accepted the telephone from Teresa and spoke, "Hello, J.R. Ewin' here." His Texas drawl was allowing him to leave off the last letter of the family name. "Darlin', I've been waitin' all day for you to call," he said upon hearing Sue Ellen's voice. He asked her, "How are your doin'? Has there been any change?" Sue Ellen knew that J.R didn't really care about Don, but the sound of compassion and concern in his voice were the only things that mattered at the moment. "Not much has changed. I miss you terribly," she said to J.R. "I'll be leavin' in a couple of days, after Don's physician gets the results from some tests they've been givin' to Don," she said. The mixture of a Texas accent and a British accent gave a melodic lilt to Sue Ellen's voice. Sue Ellen asked J.R. if she could speak to John Ross. J.R handed his son the phone. "Mamma, I'm so glad it's you. I miss you a lot," he excitedly told her. Sue Ellen could scarcely contain her emotions. She told John Ross that she missed him, too and she'd call again, very soon. Sue Ellen asked John Ross if she could speak with his daddy, again. John Ross said, "okay, bye Mamma. I love you." "I Love you, too, Sweetheart," Sue Ellen gushed. "Darlin', I've been doin' some thinkin', and I've got somethin' I'd like to ask you when you get home, " J.R continued, "I love you, Sue Ellen. Sue Ellen closed her eyes to the tears slowly escaping them. "I love you, too, J.R.," she softly whispered. "I'll call tomorrow," she said. J.R sat the phone down on the table.
J.R. and john Ross walked upstairs to change for bed. J.R. hugged John Ross and said, "'Night, son. I'll see ya in the Mornin'." John Ross said, "'Night, Daddy," as he hugged J.R. and then went into his room, closing the door behind him. J.R. stretched his arms up over his head as he opened his bedroom door and walked inside. He loosened and removed his tie and draped it over the back of the chair. He unbuttoned his sleeves, and reached to unbutton the front of his shirt when he stopped. He remembered something Sue Ellen had said to him the night before she left for London, and it struck him, hard. How was it possible that Miranda What'shername had been tryin' to contact Sue Ellen days before Don had tried to kill himself? J.R. reached for the phone to call Sue Ellen and, tell her about his insight. "Hello," a voice groggy with sleep answered. "Darlin', I hate to wake you, but I just thought of somethin', and it might be of some help," J.R. told her. "How was it that Miranda had been tryin' to reach you before she told you about Don's attempted suicide?" A look of utter shock washed over Sue Ellen's face as she understood the implications of what J.R had asked. "Oh my God . . . " her voice fading as she sat upright in bed.
Sue Ellen told J.R. what she had learned about the sleeping pills, and that they belonged to Miranda, not Don. "I'm worried, Sue Ellen," he told her. "I don't like the idea of your bein' so far away, while Don's lunatic for a sister is on the loose," he said. Sue Ellen smiled and said, "J.R., I'll be fine. I've already told the London police about my suspicions." J.R. felt somewhat relieved when he'd heard about her talking to the police, but he was still worried. "If anything happens to you, Sue Ellen," he continued, "I'll never forgive myself for lettin' you leave me." Sue Ellen was touched by what J.R had said; would he ever forgive himself for letting her leave of for allowing her to leave him? She wondered if he meant this time or any time? Not wanting to upset him, she simply said, "I'll call you later on, J.R. I love you." J.R. hung up the phone as his look of worry turned to anger. "If that crazy Englishwoman so much as disturbs a hair on Sue Ellen's head . . . I swear, there won't be a single place on this planet big enough, or isolated enough for her to hide from me," J.R. vowed. Grabbing the phone from his night stand, he dialed the reservation desk at the Dallas airport and purchased a round trip ticket for the next departure to London, England.
