14

Twenty-Six

Nashville, Tennessee Saturday, December 20 2:00 p.m.

“H as anyone seen my freakin’ veil?”

Taylor was turning in circles, shaking her head in frustration. She scattered a stack of boxes, lifted magazines, opened drawers. No veil. There was so much white around, her dress, her train, the flowers, the chairs-she thought for a moment that a snowstorm had come indoors and piled up in her hotel room.

There was no answer to her question. Where in the hell could it be? She could hear the twins, Maddy and Matt, crying and Sam’s low voice trying to soothe them. Simon spoke, as well, but Taylor couldn’t make out the words. She looked at the clock on the mantel. She was due at the church to walk down the aisle in less than forty-five minutes.

She gave up the search and plopped to the floor, her dress bloating out around her like a mushroom cloud. She could only imagine what she must look like, sprawled on the carpet, but at this point, she couldn’t give a moment to care. She was bloody tired, and all the fuss was making her teeth clench.

The wail of one of the babies was getting louder, and Taylor looked up to see Sam come into the room, a single infant in her arms. Her floor-length white taffeta gown rustled as she moved. A large terry-cloth towel draped toga-style over her shoulder, shielding the dress from any extraneous waste that might appear from either end of her daughter at any inopportune moment. She gave Taylor a weak grin.

“Colic. Perfect timing, huh? God, I’m sorry, T. What are you doing on the floor? You’re going to mess up your dress.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to go.”

Sam ignored her. “Get up and let’s get you finished.”

“No. I’m tired of the commotion. I don’t want to get married in front of all these people. My hair is five miles high. That hairdresser was an idiot. I look like a meringue. I’d rather elope. And I can’t find my veil.”

Sam bit her lip, trying not to laugh. She didn’t succeed. After a moment of baleful glaring, Taylor joined in her mirth. Petulance was her first sign of stress.

Sam glided across the room and whipped the veil out of the plastic casing. “It’s right here, on the hanger that your dress was on. It was just in the back. Your hair has to have something for the combs to anchor in, and it looks lovely. Do you want to get the veil on now or at the church?”

Taylor rolled her eyes and got up off the floor. “I should wait until the church. I don’t want to mess it up in the limo. I just didn’t want to forget it.” She examined the folded tulle; it looked like a mile of fabric. “Damn, Sam, how long is this sucker?”

Maddy wailed, but Sam didn’t miss a beat. “Cathedral. Like your dress, but a little longer, so it will stretch out behind you and look glorious. Now, quit it, would you? I need to get this girl settled down.”

Another scream came, this one slightly lower pitched, and Sam’s face crumpled. Taylor patted her on the arm. “Go on and deal with them, Sam, I’ll be fine. I’m just nervous. You go do what you need to.” Sam nodded and disappeared.

So this was it. The moment she’d always dreaded and never thought she’d have. Her emotions were a bit more mixed than she’d expected. Giving herself, the most precious gift she could bestow, to Baldwin was undoubtedly a smart, sound move. But she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d agreed to this, why she hadn’t insisted on a quiet beach somewhere, which was what she preferred. It was too damn late to worry about that now. A big church wedding wasn’t exactly how she’d wanted to do the deed, but here she was. The twin cores of her psyche were both churning-one with nerves, the other with bliss.

Anxiousness wasn’t the only problem weighing on her mind, though.

She drew the folded piece of paper out of her bra. Despite it all, she’d wanted at least some part of her father there with her that day. She couldn’t put her finger on why-but instead of overanalyzing her feelings, she’d decided to accept that she had them and move on. The newspaper clipping was nearly two months old, worn and creased.

Missing Nashville Capitalist Feared Dead St. Barthelemy, French West Indies (AP) The search for a Nashville man who disappeared while sailing off St. Jean turned into a recovery mission after rescue teams found his empty yacht, THE SHIVER.

Search crews on Monday continued to seek Winthrop Jackson IV, 56, industrialist, entrepreneur, banker and convicted felon. Rescuers said it was unlikely that he was alive after two days missing. His abandoned yacht ran aground just south of Les ilets de la plage Hotel in St. Jean, the two motor diesel engines still running.

The article went on, the dry, impersonal tones of an anonymous young reporter doing his job. Taylor folded the square and slipped it back into her bra. Win would be with her, whether he was alive or dead. Two months of no word, his body never found…it was easy to believe he was gone. That he’d simply imbibed a few too many Boodles and tonic and fallen overboard. The French authorities made it clear that they felt that was exactly what happened. With a Gallic flair all their own, they had patted her shoulder and left her to wonder. She didn’t buy it. He was much too experienced a sailor to get drunk and fall off his boat. But if he’d had a few and been pushed over…

She glanced at the clock again. Shit. They had to go.

“Sam?” she yelled. “We’ve got to get out of here. Are you ready to hit the limo?” As she spoke, Taylor made her way into the connecting room of the suite. Babies were crying; Sam was changing a diaper while Simon tried to get a pacifier into Matt’s mouth. The scene was mayhem. Sam looked up and Taylor saw the flash of panic in her eyes. The twins’ attack couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Simon was stunned into uncharacteristic silence at the sight of Taylor in her wedding dress. Matt screamed louder while his father held the pacifier just a fraction away from his eager mouth. Taylor raised an eyebrow at him, and he blushed, realizing the teasing he was giving his cranky son. One entreating screech discharged, he nodded at Taylor.

“Nice dress, babe. You’re going to be a hit.”

“Thank you, kind sir. But we’ve got to get out of here. I don’t want Baldwin to be waiting on me. Let’s go do this.”

They gathered everything they could, tucked crying babies into car seats and left the suite. They made their way down the hall to the elevator, Simon lagging a few steps behind. Taylor looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. He needed help. She put a hand on Sam’s arm.

“I tell you what. Do you want to ride over with Simon? Help calm the babies down? I’ll be perfectly fine by myself in the limo.”

Sam shook her head. “No, I couldn’t let you do that.”

Taylor could feel the wave of relief the suggestion offered. “Yes, you could. It would probably do me good to have a few minutes to myself, anyway. Gear up for all this. Get my head in the game. Choose whichever sports analogy suits you. A little alone time would be good. And it’s only a ten-minute ride. Seriously, Sam, you go on with Simon.”

They hit the ground floor and spilled out of the elevator-white satin and silk flowed into the vast openness of the hotel lobby like a river of ice. Several heads turned, faces filled with delight. Who wouldn’t smile at the sight of a bride on her wedding day?

By the time they hit the doors, it was settled. Sam gave Taylor a grateful hug and tucked her into the limousine waiting at the front door. As the door slammed behind her, Taylor drew in what she thought had to be the first full breath she’d had all day. The back of the limo was creamy soft and dead quiet. Bliss. She sank back into the seat and shut her eyes, barely noticing the car leave the curb and start toward the church.

Alone at last.

Taylor felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins. This was it, then, the point of no return. She just hoped she wouldn’t pass out at the altar. Good grief, her hands were shaking. Tough girl, falling apart at the mere idea of standing in front of all those people. The beginnings of a stream of panic made her heart start to beat a little harder. Stop! she told herself as sternly as she could muster. He’ll be standing there with you. A few deep breaths, and the trepidation was momentarily quelled.

She opened her eyes and took in the sights as the limo cruised through downtown Nashville.

They were on Sixth Avenue, and the driver turned west on Church Street. They came to a stop at the light in front of the downtown library. To her right, a group of homeless people caroused the park nestled between the buildings, seeking shelter from the chill day. A jogger passed across the street, glancing fearfully over his shoulder, as if the homeless would take him down like a pack of rabid dogs.

They were past Morton’s now. Down to her left on Eighth was the Nashville Sporting Goods store, the scene of her first armed robbery. The owner had been shot, but lived, thanks to her quick efforts to save his life. The suspect had never been arrested; the case was still open after twelve years. The owner was dead now, of natural causes. New victims manned the counters.

The YMCA appeared on her right, and she was struck by just how much crime occurred on this strip of road, how much of her history as a police officer could be traced to this route. She’d chased a man right there, up McLemore Street, dodging bullets as he shot at her in an attempt to get away. That one she’d caught, and seen him convicted for stabbing a twelve-year-old boy at the entrance to the Y.

The industrial grit of the city spilled before her, naked in the winter air.

As they passed the NES building, the scene improved. The old and the new sections of the city kissed and made up, working into the medical district, dominated by Baptist Hospital. They flew up Church onto Elliston Place before the limo turned onto West End Avenue and started out of town, toward the church. Taylor was tempted to thank the driver for the tour through her past life, but balked, instead thinking ahead to the moments to come.

Taylor could only imagine the bedlam that was ensuing at St. George’s. She was in the midst of an idyllic vision of Baldwin rushing to greet her at the door, telling her he’d decided they should just skip this part and head directly to Italy, when she noticed the limo turn off West End. The idiot driver had taken the exit for 440, the short beltway surrounding the west and south sides of the city. They were headed north; this road led most decidedly away from St. George’s. While Nashville had the quaint ability of allowing a driver to get anywhere quickly with fifteen equally amenable routes, this detour was going to make her late.

Scooting forward, she tapped on the divider, signaling for the driver to drop the opaque glass. He ignored her. Laughing now, she realized that this was a fun little trick that was being played on her. Oh, funny, funny. Now she understood why they wouldn’t let her in her office. Wrapping presents, my ass. They were planning this little escapade with the limo driver. Imagining each member of her team’s gloating faces, she vowed to get them back. The limo was exiting 440 onto I-40 West. Good timing. She knocked on the glass again.

“Okay, very funny. I’m sure they told you to make me sweat. You can tell them mission accomplished. I’m going to kill the bastards, but they got me. So how’s about you take this exit for Forty-sixth Avenue and cut across Charlotte through Sylvan Park to West End?”

Nothing. She banged harder.

“Hey! Hey, I’m talking to you. Put this divider down right now. The joke’s a good one, but it’s over. Either put the divider down or pull over.”

At last, the driver complied. He pulled to the side of the road, safely off on the shoulder. Traffic whizzed by on their left. The glass partition didn’t budge, and Taylor felt a wave of fury pass through her. The game was amusing, but enough was enough.

She was a cop, for God’s sake. She would force the damn driver to put the partition down. She reached for the door handle. The door was locked. She pulled on the handle again and again, with no result. Sliding across the capacious seat, she tried the other door. Also locked.

What the fuck was happening? A vanload of children passed them by, all their happy faces stuck to the windows on the right side of the van, contemplating and waving to the solitary limo on the side of the road. Taylor had a moment of sickening clarity, realized that this wasn’t a joke. Calmly, she slid back to the right and knocked on the glass again. There was no response.

She cursed, loudly and extensively. The string of oaths was impressive even to her, and made her feel a little bit better. There wasn’t a lot she could do locked in the backseat of a limousine. There was a wet bar packed with champagne, but a drink didn’t seem like the best idea. But to the left of the bar was a small green light. A speaker.

“I’ll be damned,” she muttered. He must have heard everything she’d said. Scooting forward in the seat, she pushed the talk button, trying hard for a more reasonable tone.

“Would you mind telling me what’s going on?”

There was still no answer. Fine. If he wanted to play it that way, she was more than willing. She knew the divider wouldn’t be bulletproof.

She reached into her satin handbag, a brief moment of thankfulness overwhelming her as she remembered the argument she’d had with Sam over carrying the stupid thing. Purses just weren’t Taylor’s style. Sam had assured her that she’d need somewhere to stash a few items. Taylor had relented, deciding that she didn’t want to strap a gun to her leg for her walk down the aisle. A diminutive pearl-handled. 22 that she’d bought at a collectors’ gun show a few years back fit perfectly into the tiny bag. Thanking whatever unseen force that influenced her decision to carry on her wedding day, she snapped open the bag and palmed the gun. She drew her fingers out, trying not to draw attention to the fact that she was now armed. It didn’t matter. The panel between them dropped.

The driver turned and smiled, and Taylor had a brief moment when she thought, no, I’ve been wrong, this is all a joke.

A flash of black caught her eye and she focused on the object in the driver’s hand. Her heart skipped a beat and she sucked in her breath involuntarily. Her brain registered the situation. It took only a fragment of a second, but when the smile widened, she knew absolutely that she had to get her weapon up, now.

The motion was smooth, graceful, lightning quick. Such close quarters, there was no need to aim, just cock the hammer and pull. A full squeeze, the roaring boom. But her body convulsed. Pain shot through her. She dropped her weapon, dropped the bag, her eyes rolled back in her head. Her last thought tore through her like an electrical impulse-Baldwin is going to kill me. Then all was dark.

The driver grinned at his handiwork. Everything was going according to plan. All he had to do now was make the body disappear. He turned back in his seat, turned the key with his gloved right hand and glided back onto the highway. He went a short way, then exited onto the huge flying overpass that led to Briley Parkway. A few miles ahead was an airport and a plane. All he needed to do was reach it, and he would be home free. All the missions accomplished. His boss would be very happy.