Disclaimer: I profiteth not from use of these characters. Their antics alone are mine. Sue not, fair ones of TNT or Tess Gerritsen; I have nothing but pen, paper, computer.
Chapter Ten
The next week went by very quickly for Maura. Now that Kelly was out of her life and most of the financial dealings had been completed for the foundation she was anxious to wrap up her trip to Australia and return home.
Home. Boston? Maura caught herself daydreaming about returning to Boston. Did she consider it her home? Or was she better off returning to San Francisco or exploring a new city?
Maura rose and walked over to the large window that overlooked Sydney harbor. The opera house was gorgeous; she'd been many times and was never disappointed in the outing. Is Boston my home? Shall I consider another city? Maura knew she could run the foundation from anywhere in the world; returning to Boston had been a concession to her parents and their frail health. They'll understand if I tell them I need to leave Boston, she thought. I'm just a phone call away. I can charter a plane from any airport if I need to return to Boston in an emergency.
She stood at the window and pondered her situation. She knew returning to Boston for the short-term was imperative, as the foundation offices were there. Maura could pack and leave Boston on short notice so she began thinking of other cities to call home.
Los Angeles? Chicago? New York City? The last one caught Maura's attention. New York City was an attractive option as it was three hours away from Boston yet close enough to her parents and the foundation's main office. She loved New York, its hustle and bustle, the arts, all of the various perks native New Yorkers loved to cite as the benefit of being from, or living in, New York City.
Then Maura's mind thought of the main reason to leave Boston permanently: Jane. I can't shake her from my mind. If I move to New York maybe I won't look for Jane on every street corner.
Jane sat up and looked around. She was momentarily disoriented and couldn't understand why her legs felt so cramped. Then she remembered. This was the second day on the plane headed to Australia, where she wanted to find out for herself if Maura married Kelly.
She couldn't wait to see if one of the newspapers ran an announcement. Jane didn't feel comfortable calling Maura's parents, and then realized that if Maura had gotten married they'd also be in Australia for the wedding.
Jane wondered how long Maura had been seeing Kelly. When they last talked on the phone, despite the short conversation, Jane was given the impression Maura ran into Kelly on the plane trip over and was just renewing their relationship. But Maura liked Kelly before, did love sneak in quickly and the two women decide to just go for it? Jane wondered.
She ran her mouth over her lips and cringed. God, she hated traveling. Feeling pressed into this tin can of compressed artificial air did nothing for a person. Jane's mouth felt like it was part of the Sahara desert. She sat up and signaled an attendant.
"May I have some water please?"
"Certainly, Detective. Care for juice or coffee?"
"Oh, coffee please," Jane perked up at the word. She smiled as the attendant left, realizing the airline took her seriously when she booked her seat. She remembered the phone call made on Frost's insistence. The man also told her what to say.
"Good afternoon, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli of the Boston Police Department Homicide Division. I need a seat on this evening's flight to Sydney Australia."
"I'm sorry, Detective but this flight is booked. Has been for weeks. I can get you a seat on the flight leaving a week from Thursday," the booking agent said.
"No, I'm sorry you don't understand. I need to arrive in Sydney for a police emergency. Our precinct is liasioning with Interpol and Scotland Yard on a case."
"Just a moment, please." Jane gripped the phone as if her life depended on the outcome of this phone call. If she could have sprouted wings overnight she'd flown herself. Instead she was at the mercy of a faceless agent to see her dilemma and help her out.
"Detective? Good news. I found a seat in business class. Please arrive at Logan Airport no later than 8:15 p.m."
Yeah, Maura, Jane thought, looking out of the window while she awaited her coffee. I'm coming for you.
Maura called her secretary into her office. "Please have a seat."
"After reviewing the remaining paperwork I need to leave. Please check me out of my hotel room and send my bags to the airport. I'd like to leave on the next plane to Logan Airport. Also, if you could look into some of the luxury hotels in New York and find out if they have any vacancies in their residency suites I'd appreciate it."
"Are you leaving Boston, Ms. Isles?" the secretary was surprised. Boston had been the hub of the Isles Family Foundation for over thirty years.
"Yes. I can work from anywhere. I need a change."
"Very good. I'll get to work and let you know what I find."
Maura returned to the last few remaining files on her desk. With luck she'd be out of there tonight.
Jane flashed her badge at the immigration clerk, got moved to the front of the line and opened her lone suitcase for inspection. Grabbing back her passport she ran out of the airport and flagged the first cab.
"Ms. Isles, I have your information," the secretary said over the intercom. "You're booked on the 11 p.m. flight out of Sydney, arriving Logan Airport, Boston, the day after tomorrow, seven p.m. EST. Your luggage is en route to the airport and your hotel bill has been settled."
"New York accommodations?"
"Still getting estimates and availability but I should have that for you right after your luncheon meeting."
"Very good, thanks."
Jane gave the cabbie the address of the Isles Family Foundation office and sat back. Ordinarily she was very observant of her surroundings, being a top homicide detective, but now her thoughts were solely about Maura. Jane hoped Maura and Kelly weren't married but knew she would have to find some way to deal with it. And, other than just showing up at the Isles office, she had no way of finding Maura.
"Beautiful day, mate," the cabbie said. Jane almost didn't hear him she was so absorbed in her own thoughts.
"Huh? Oh yeah, it is," she answered.
"First time in Australia?"
"Yeah."
"Traveling light for a vacation. Or do you fancy purchasing your own Crocodile Dundee outfit for sightseeing?" the cabbie enjoyed his fares from the airport. He knew from experience most Americans would say almost anything to a stranger, especially when in a different country. He teased almost all of them about enjoying the Crocodile Dundee movie franchise.
"No, I'm not on vacation, and buddy can we go faster? I have a feeling I have very little time left to accomplish what I came here for."
"And what might that be?"
"To get back the girl I stupidly threw away eight years ago."
The cabbie smiled. This one was a straight shooter.
"Yes, ma'am," he said and sped up the taxi.
Maura returned to her office after lunch. She grabbed the latest financial figures off the printer and perused them. Something was wrong; the figures did not match her projections. She started to walk out to her secretary's desk when she heard a shouting match.
"Listen, buddy, take your hands off me. I'm here to see Dr. Maura Isles," she heard a voice say. Funny, but that voice sounds familiar.
"You don't have an appointment, ma'am, and Ms. Isles is very busy," the security guard at the front desk spoke. Maura stepped out of her office to see what was going on.
She couldn't get the idea that the voice belonged to-
"Jane," she said.
"That's Detective to you, not ma'am. And she is Dr. Maura Isles, she has a professional title," Jane was in the process of spouting back at the guard. She flashed her BPD detective's badge at him but he didn't budge.
"It's okay, James, she's here to see me," Maura replied. Jane looked up and saw Maura standing outside an executive style office. Relief flooded through her. Maybe they haven't left yet for their honeymoon, she thought. Damn, she's gorgeous, was Jane's second thought.
"Hi, Maura. May I see you?" Jane faced her and asked. Maura nodded and led the way into her office. They settled on opposite ends of the sofa Maura used for late nights when she didn't want to leave for her hotel room.
"What are you doing here, Jane?" she asked. Maura couldn't believe Jane Rizzoli flew to Australia. "Is this a vacation trip? Are Joey and the kids at the hotel?"
"Maura, did you marry Kelly?" Jane asked. Maura was shocked.
"No, Jane. Where did you, wait, that's why you're here?" Maura didn't know what to say.
"When we last spoke our reception was bad and I heard the words 'Kelly, wedding' and not much else. I didn't know what to do so I came here to ask you in person."
Maura sat back, looking amused. "If we'd gotten married, Jane, wouldn't we be on our honeymoon now? So I wouldn't be here, would I?"
"Well, no, but I didn't know what else to do."
"You could have called me."
"Damn it, Maura, cut me some slack please. I feel like a teenage boy asking his girl out for the prom. I'm a little out of practice."
"That's what being married for the past eight years will do for you, Jane. As I recall you're an excellent interrogator."
"You're not exactly a suspect in a homicide, Maura."
"No, you're right about that, Jane. What am I to you, anyway? A friend, ex-girlfriend, acquaintance?"
Jane studied Maura for a moment. With the exception of feeling sleep deprived due to the long flight Jane felt like they could be back in her apartment, sitting on the sofa. The only difference would be their seating arrangements. On Jane's sofa the two women curled up together. If Jane had her way about it most of the time they'd be making out like two teenagers while watching a movie or one of her sports channels.
"You're right, Maura, I have no business being here under the circumstances. I asked Joey for a divorce."
Maura sat back against the arm of the sofa and regarded Jane with a shocked expression on her face.
"Jane, you did what?"
"I asked Joey for a divorce. He's been deceiving me recently but more than that, I realized how unhappy I was with him. I don't love him, Maura, I don't think I ever did."
Jane took a deep breath and continued.
"I love you, Maura."
TBC