Chapter 24

Wishes

He walked me up the stairs and into the bedroom. I climbed into bed as he put his cane down and sat on the bed. "You're cramping. It probably means that you're losing the baby.

My face must have expressed how shocked I was that he knew I was pregnant.

"I managed to get it out of Furey…lots of threats, bribes of computer games in the future. You know what I mean. You should probably put on a Kotex."

"I already did." I crumbled up from the cramping and started crying.

He sounded frustrated, "Oh, for God's sake, come here."

He pulled me into his lap and stroked my hair as I continued to sob uncontrollably. Furey came upstairs and felt for the baby, but couldn't feel a presence. I already knew that, but was hoping I was wrong. He went out and Greg continued to stroke my hair and head softly, calming me down. After awhile he slipped down on the bed still dressed and lying on top of the covers. Putting his arms around me, we fell asleep. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that having him there was comforting and made me feel safe. He didn't say much to make me feel better; but he stayed when I know he wanted to run.

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Contrary to popular belief, there's really very few serial killers that leave a "signature," a common, personal touch that is left at the scene of the crime. They don't usually paint a cross above the corpse or put bright lipstick on the victim or cut a sign into the abdomen. That's a myth. They may commit their crime in the same way each time, because they're comfortable with doing it that way or it gets them off. They may take a souvenir, but they don't usually advertise who they are. They would prefer that we not link their crimes together. The more commonality between the crimes, the easier it is to find them. They know this, so they usually don't leave us a "signature."

We had determined that our suspect would rape his victims, using a condom, and then have them put on their panties again. When they were dressed, believing that the worst was over, he strangled them with a cord, belt, pantyhose, anything that was available. There was no signature, just dead women with something wrapped around their neck or buried in ten inches of concrete or a creekbed.

At first they didn't want to believe that they had the wrong guy. But, the head honcho, Joseph Persichini stepped in and took over. He immediately notified the two teams that they needed to combine their efforts because they were dealing with the same perp.

"If Agent Ferrell says it's the same guy, it's the same guy." Persichini told them Philadelphia had never worked with me and still didn't trust my gifts. But Persichini knew them all too well.

It was good that I was busy; it helped me deal with the idea that I wasn't going to be a mom. I had been working four weeks straight, only taking off one day a week to be with Furey. He'd come over on a Friday or Saturday night and spend the next day with me and then I'd take him back to his father's.

One Saturday, Greg asked me to drop him off at the Wilsons'. I took them the gift I had bought the new (now over six weeks old) baby, a couple of cute twelve month dresses. Of course it was expected that I hold the baby. I sucked it up and oohed and ahhed. Sarah was a gorgeous baby with the deepest brown eyes and pretty smile. Furey took her from me, sensing my sadness at holding a baby that wasn't mine, and played with her. He really was good with Sarah. After another twenty minutes, I gave Furey a hug and a kiss and left him playing outside with the neighbor's kids. I had forgotten to ask why Greg needed for me to drop Furey at Jim's. But it didn't matter.

I drove down to Princeton to get a Starbucks. Parking the car, I ran in out of the rain. Standing in line was Greg House with a red head under his arm. I laughed to myself. Now I knew why I had to deliver Furey to the Wilsons. Good for him. It was the perfect opportunity for me to approach him about Furey's vacation. "Greg?"

He turned around and at first he winced and then blushed. He slowly took his arm from around the redhead. I almost laughed. When she turned around, I could see why he was with her. She was maybe late twenties and hot. What a 56 year old man wanted with such a young woman…well, it could only be one thing.

I smiled at the young woman, "Hi, I'm Auri Ferrell. Sorry to bother you." I looked back at Greg, "I dropped Furey off at the Wilsons. But, I was wondering if you would let me take him on vacation during his spring break?"

Greg was next to order, "Tricia, what would you like?"

The red head said in a rather odd, wobbly voice, "Mocha Frappachino."

Greg turned to the clerk, "I'll have a Columbian with sugar and crème." He paused and I could feel he was unsure what to do, "Auri? What would you like?"

Greg is going to buy me coffee? "Whatever you're having."

I almost laughed; he was trying not to think about what was happening so that I couldn't read his thoughts.

Ben Franklin had gout…yeah, she's young…Franklin had a bastard son. She probably wants to know what a middle aged man is doing with a young babe. Well let her. Tricia's hot. She looks good on my arm. Nice body. It's a small world after all…it's a small world…Okay, she's not as good as Auri in bed. But she can learn…it's a small world after all. It's a small world after all…Oh good, here's her Columbian…maybe I can get her to leave.

I started sniggering at his indecision, he was so conflicted.

"Can we just sit for a minute?" I pointed to a table.

He nodded and guided the woman over to the table. As we walked I listened to her thoughts.

Who is this woman and who is furry? She's pretty. I'm hotter and younger. I wonder how he knows her? He's nervous though; she might be his boss. He said his boss was a woman and lived nearby. I don't know. Do I want to get involved with someone old enough to be my grandfather?

I laughed to myself. Greg wasn't quite old enough to be her grandfather, but she obviously didn't know how old he really was.

And that leg. He probably won't take me skiing. I wonder if he'd pay for me to go? He's odd, maybe too odd. Can't go dancing. He's cool in his own way, but that scar is a real turn-off. Hard to give head when you're staring at it.

I immediately felt protective of Greg. I hadn't had any problems because of the scar. It wasn't pretty, but it was part of him and you take the person warts and all. I turned and gave her a stern look. Greg caught it too.

I sat down, "Look, I won't stay long and you two can get back to planning your ski weekend."

Greg cocked his head and furred his brow at my non sequitur.

"The spring break is next month and I promised Furey," I turned to the redhead, "not furry, that I would take him camping. I thought I'd take him out to San Diego to see his grandmother and go camping the last four days of the break. I think it would be good for him." I shrugged my shoulders, "Heck, it would be good for me."

Tricia turned to Greg, "Who's Furey?"

"My son."

She motioned to me, "Is this your ex?"

He sputtered, "Good God, no. She's a friend of Furey's." He turned back to me. He had been thinking that if Furey was gone, he might take a short vacation somewhere himself.

I thought I'd yank his chain, "While I have Furey, you two could maybe plan a fun vacation in Aspen while Tricia goes skiing."

He looked at me, knowing something was up. He was desperate to find out what the red head thought of him.

He nodded, "Okay, he can go. My Mom will be in seventh heaven."

"I'll stay with friends while he stays with her." I got up, "Well, nice meeting you Tricia. Bye Greg. Thanks for the coffee."

He stood up too, "I'll walk you out to the car."

I knew he wanted to ask me what the red head was thinking. He was one of the most vain, self-conscious, guys I knew. I stepped outside and he grabbed my elbow. There was nothing psychic about it, but when I turned to look in his eyes, we exchanged something sensual, a longing. I didn't want him to think I had the hots for him, so I looked away.

"Okay, what does she think about me?"

"What makes you think that I know anything?"

"From the inferences in there. What's this ski trip?"

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure what to tell him, "Okay, I will tell you this. She wants you to send her on a ski trip. If you go, fine, if you don't, as long as you pay for it, she'll be happy."

His face dropped. I realized that I had just swung a huge blow at his ego. He was sure the woman was enamored with him, his wit and his blue eyes.

"Greg, she does think you're cool. But she doesn't appreciate you, not like I…" I realized what I was going to say. I thought quickly, "Like I think others appreciate you."

He smiled, knowing full well what I was going to say to him. I turned and walked off.

"Hey Auri!"

I turned and looked at him.

"I like the way you walk…you've got attitude."

"Yeah, well watch me walk away from you!"

I heard him laugh.

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I had managed to identify the murderer as much as I could. I would get an image of him and then he'd change his appearance, drastically. He was truly talented at morphing into someone else. I had given a sketch to the various law enforcement agencies each time I picked up an image. They were beginning to think I was nuts because the sketches kept changing. I had one name, Ed Oslow, but I knew this was an alias. We found that the name had been used in Reston. Things had gone quiet which wasn't unusual. The killer frequently killed one or two women and then went dormant for months. I wasn't getting any feelings that he was active, so I thought it was safe to take Furey to San Diego.

I had a feeling that Furey needed something, a connection to his talent, a connection to his roots. And it was clear that I was the only one who seemed to know that. Greg was oblivious.

I saw Greg around town a few times with the redhead and once with a blonde. When we would greet each other, I always felt this strange sensual exchange. I have to admit I reciprocated. It was as if we could jump each other right there in the street. But, of course, we didn't. And of course, we ignored the feelings and each other, except to exchange pleasantries or information about Furey.

I drove over to their townhouse a week before we left on spring break and gave Greg a list of things to pack for Furey, who was excited beyond belief. His father gave me $500 and told me to use it on, "whatever."

I shook my head quickly, "I plan to pay for the trip."

"Take it. Use it to have fun."

I nodded, "Fine. You have my cell phone. Thanks for offering to give us a ride to the airport."

"No problem."

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Leaving Trenton for San Diego was interesting. House gave his son a nice, fatherly hug and waved as we went through security. I thought he'd take off, but he just stood there watching until we were out of sight. I had the distinct impression that he was already lonely.

"Have you met any of the women your Dad is dating?"

He wrinkled his nose and frowned. "I met Tricia. Dad's weird."

I laughed, "Why is your Dad weird?"

"He's only dating her because he says she looks good on his arm"

I chuckled, "Well, she certainly does."

"Yeah, but she annoys him. He still keeps asking her out though. I think he's lonely."

"Well, I can understand that. We all like the company of others. Your Dad is just human after all."

He grinned, "I did catch him comparing her to you."

I didn't want to seem too curious. "Really?"

"She may be better looking, but she could take some pointers in the bedroom from Auri."

I blushed.

"He also thought she only had half your brain cells." He smiled, "At least he doesn't think about that lady in the mall."

"Lady in the mall?"

"A long time ago he ran into this woman in the mall and I could feel that they really cared about each other. He used to think about her on occasion when he wasn't thinking about Mom. Now he just thinks about you and Mom…and sometimes these other women, but usually he just thinks about them being naked."

I shook my head, "We really have to work on you and boundaries. Your Dad is entitled to his mental privacy."

We were met at the San Diego International Airport by Blythe House. She gave me a ride to my friend's house and then whisked Furey up to her home in Del Mar. I told them I would pick Furey up on Monday morning to go camping.

I spent two nights with Thadeus. It was rather exciting since we both knew it was pure lust we were interested in, nothing more, nothing less. We stayed in his apartment, barely getting out of bed to go potty or take a shower. It was hilarious when I did get up on Monday and dressed to go. I was bowlegged. I had been ridden hard and put away wet. But, boy, it had been fun. As I was leaving we were both giggling.

He gave me a pinch on my butt, "Next time you're in town, warn me a few weeks before so I can do some training."

I kissed him hard, "Sounds like a deal." I gave him a big, wet kiss. He played with my breasts.

"You know what? Maybe we could just have a quick one for the road?"

I slapped his arm, "I have a nine year old to pick up. I can't very well go pick him up smelling like I just had sex. You're just going to have to wait for the next time I fly out or you come out to see me."

He smiled, "I think I'm going to make a trip back to see you one of these weekends."

I rubbed his cheek, "That sounds good to me."

I drove to Del Mar and found an excited Furey waiting at the window for me. Blythe House was waiting too, with a fresh pot of coffee, eggs and bacon.

I really wanted to just get on the road, but she needed to know more about me, know that I was okay to take her grandson.

She led me into the kitchen, "Just a few minutes, eggs and bacon. Coffee, orange juice?"

"Sure."

I sat down and looked around; the house was too new to be Greg's childhood home. It was a beautiful home, worth a fortune where it was located. I waited patiently even though I really wanted to get going.

"Mrs. House…"

"Blythe."

"Blythe. I want you to know that I was Teagan's friend and knew her quite well. Your grandson has her talent."

She chuckled, "You mean, he's intuitive? That's the word for it, right? Well, he's been reading my mind since he was four."

"Yes, like his mother. I'm intuitive too, which is why I was able to save Furey when he was kidnapped."

"You were the agent that was shot? The one that saved Furey?"

I nodded, "Didn't Greg tell you?"

She shook her head, "I was sick and couldn't fly back. He didn't want to upset me. I read about the kidnapping in the newspaper a month later. I…I don't know what to say, except thank you." She hugged her Grandson to her, "He means the world to me."

Furey rolled his eyes.

I nodded. I could feel the love in her for Furey."He's lucky to have so many people in his life who love him."

"Yes. Greg's a good father isn't he?"

I chuckled, "He's different, but effective. They do well together and Furey adores his father."

"Greg has always been different, hard to manage. As a child, he would be happy go lucky and then mean and angry. He was never one that could tolerate the grease that makes the wheels turn in society. He found it false. Unfortunately, the thing he hated wasn't a problem when he was deceitful or manipulative. He just hated it when someone was dumb and tried to manipulate him, thinking they were getting away with it."

I drank my orange juice. I blurted out, "He's frustrating."

"Yes, but I saw the way he was around you when you were all here. You're good for him."

I shook my head, "Sorry Blythe, but we tried each other out and it wasn't a good fit."

Furey looked up from his eggs, "I told Dad he should get you pregnant and then things would work out. You'd stay with us and we'd be a family."

I turned bright red, "Furey, you didn't say that, did you?"

"I sure did. He didn't want you to be pregnant by Thad, the one night stand. So I told him after you lost the baby that he should get you pregnant and make you happy."

I jumped up and backed up. Blythe was as shocked as I was.

"Blythe, I think we need to get on the road. Furey and I have a lot to talk about."

Blythe wasn't sure she wanted her grandson to go with me. Not after all the talk about her son getting me pregnant. But I steam rolled right out of there.

"Good bye Blythe. Here's my cell phone number if you should need it." I grabbed up Furey's things and ran to the car. We quickly piled into the rental and took off. When we were on the road I tried to think of what to say.

"I know, you're afraid my grandmother thinks you're a bad influence. She'll be okay. After all, you risked your life for me. That says a lot, doesn't it?"

"Furey, you need to stop telling your father things to get him to like me or make us all a family. I'll always think of you as my family. But …"

He blew out air and droned, "But you and Dad are never going to get together."

"Right."

He blew more air out, as if he was terribly frustrated. "Auri, where are we going?"

"Some place very special, very special. But it's going to be a very long ride…a whole day."

"Ah man! A whole day?" He moaned and grimaced.

I nodded and chuckled, he wanted to get wherever we were going fast. But, it took two fill ups, one lunch and two pit stops to pee before we made the last leg of the trip.

"Okay, are you going to tell me now?" He asked.

"Not yet, but we're almost there."

We stopped at the lodge and I went up to the door and retrieved the key, making promises to return soon. I drove to the intersection, took a left and then drove a quarter of a mile. It all looked so familiar, one of the few places that hadn't changed much. I pulled into the drive.

Furey looked over at me, puzzled. "It feels familiar, looks familiar. Like I've seen it in photos."

We got out and went up the steps of the cabin. I turned to Furey, tears spilling over from my eyes and smiled, "Furey, welcome to Aspen Valley. This was your Mom's cabin." I looked around. I could feel her all around me and I knew Furey was feeling her too, "Baby, this was where you were born."