Spyder Web

Epilogue

Sean Kilkenny leaned back against his Ford Explorer, crossed his arms, and shook his head the way fathers do when their children get out of line. ‘I see you just couldn’t stay out of trouble.’

Nolan reached the curb and dropped his carry-on bag at his father’s feet. ‘You know me, once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker. Mom always said it had something to do with the Kilkenny side of the family.’

‘And she was probably right. Welcome home.’ Sean embraced Nolan warmly, his fatherly concern eased with Nolan’s safe return.

Nolan ran through the events in London during the half-hour drive to the family farm west of Ann Arbor, omitting only those details that Cal Mosley had asked him to ‘forget.’ As they approached the road leading to the Kilkenny farm, they saw a Chrysler New Yorker limousine heading toward them.

‘Must be a prom tonight,’ Sean commented as he eased his Explorer onto the shoulder of the narrow road, letting the long, dark car move past.

They thought nothing more of the limo until they pulled up beside the barn and saw Martin Kilkenny standing beside a gleaming red Dodge Viper.

‘New toy, Dad?’ Nolan asked as he got out of the truck.

‘Not mine. Let’s see what your grandfather has to say about this.’

Martin Kilkenny stood next to the car with a devious grin on his face as Sean and Nolan approached. The car bore manufacturer’s plates, and, with a careful look at the body, Nolan realized that this car’s styling was different from the production Vipers of the past few years.

‘Grandpa, whose car is this?’

Martin Kilkenny’s smile widened as he dangled a key from his hand. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the key toward his grandson. ‘It’s yours — at least that’s what the man said.’

Nolan glanced at the key in his hand and then stared for a long moment at the sleek red sports car. ‘You’re joking.’

‘I know how you and your father are about cars, so I wouldn’t joke about something like this.’ Martin’s thick Irish brogue was filled with sincerity. ‘Did you pass a long, dark car on your way up the road?’

‘Yes?’

‘Well, the gentleman riding in the back of that fine automobile left this car for you, along with a note.’ Martin pulled an envelope from the pocket of his overalls. ‘He said it would explain everything.’

Nolan tore open the envelope with the edge of the Viper key and extracted the letter inside. The stationery bore the embossed penta-star emblem of the Chrysler Corporation. Nolan unfolded the sheet and read the handwritten letter aloud.

Nolan stared at the signature of Chrysler’s chairman emeritus boldly scrawled across the bottom of the letter, still not believing what he’d read. ‘You mean that was…’

Martin grinned from ear to ear now that the surprise was out. ‘Aye, big as life, cigar and all. Drove this little beauty out here himself, he did. He hopes that you’ll like it.’

After only a few years of production, the Viper had already earned an honored place in the American musclecar pantheon.

‘I think I can live with it,’ Nolan replied. ‘You want to try her out, Dad?’

Sean was already opening the passenger door. ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

Nolan and his father put the Viper through a rigorous test-drive on the highways and side roads between Dexter and Chelsea, turning heads and gathering envious looks wherever they went. Almost two hours later, they returned to the Kilkenny farm grinning like a pair of juvenile delinquents. It was the kind of car that made a definite impression.

‘Should we set a plate for you?’ Sean asked as they pulled up to the farm’s main house.

‘No. Kelsey got out of the hospital yesterday, and I’m taking her out to dinner to celebrate her recovery.’ Nolan noticed a slightly arched eyebrow on his father’s face. ‘What?’

‘Nothing.’ Sean’s voice lowered to a sly tone. ‘I was just thinking about the bounty.’

The Newton and Kilkenny families had been close even before Nolan and Kelsey had been born. Once their combined children reached marrying age, the parents began thinking about grandchildren. To encourage those who were already married to have kids, the respective fathers offered a one-thousand-dollar bounty for the first grandchild in each family.

In an effort to create a marital bond between the two families, Meghan Kilkenny and Anna Newton had upped the ante with a five-thousand-dollar prize for the first child from a Kilkenny-Newton union. With most of the Kilkenny and Newton children now married, Nolan and Kelsey were the only candidates left for the big prize.

‘For the moment, Dad, your money’s still safe.’

Nolan parked the Viper beside the old Egan barn, where he now lived. It wasn’t until the hot water struck his body that he realized how gritty he felt from the long flight. As he showered, he went over his plans for the evening, preparing himself as if he was going on a mission. He realized that in many ways, he was on the most critical mission of his life. The water refreshed him and brought clarity to his mind. The events of the past few days were forgotten and only the next few hours were important.

Once out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and studied the fading scars on his face. The gash on his forehead was healing nicely and was mostly hidden by his thick red hair. Nolan wasn’t an unusually vain person, but pride in one’s appearance was a virtue drilled in by the military, and Nolan felt that tonight required attention to every detail.

He completed the shaving ritual with a light splash of a cologne.With his grooming preparations complete, Nolan dressed in the medium weight blue-gray wool suit he’d bought from a reputable London tailor. From the outside, Nolan was as ready as he would ever be. Inside, it was a completely different story. He felt as nervous as a high school boy on his first date.

Nolan rang the bell and Kelsey’s father welcomed him inside and offered him a drink, which he declined. He stood in the foyer making polite small talk while waiting for Kelsey to appear. Kelsey was with her mother upstairs and still getting dressed. Both men waited, half-listening to the evening news while talking about Nolan’s new car.

Ten minutes after Nolan arrived, Kelsey appeared on the balcony overlooking the foyer. Her hair was drawn back in a French braid accented with her new gold and lapis hair clasp, and she seemed to glow as she slowly descended the staircase, carefully taking each step one at a time. The shimmering lapis silk dress looked more stunning on her than Nolan ever imagined, flattering every sensuous curve of her body. Nolan’s heart began to race as Kelsey approached; she was a radiant vision. In his mind’s eye, Kelsey Newton had completely evolved from longtime friend and confidante into something more profound. She now held a place in Nolan’s heart that no one had ever occupied before, a vague, empty space that he’d dismissed until the day he thought he’d lost her. The transformation of Kelsey in Nolan’s mind, of how he thought and felt about her, was now complete.

‘Kelsey,’ Nolan stammered, finding himself at a loss for words, ‘you look incredible.’

‘This is the dress I told you about, Nolan, the one I bought in Chicago. Thanks for giving me a reason to wear it.’

‘Kelsey, the dress is nice, but you’re the one who makes it look special.’

Nolan offered a hand and helped Kelsey negotiate the last steps. She was taking the stairs carefully, as if each step threatened to send a jolt of pain through her wounded ribs should she take one too hard. Nolan had suffered rib injuries before and could empathize with her condition. It would take some time before she was fully healed from the accident.When Kelsey reached the last step, she leaned over and kissed him.Her lips lingered on his for a moment and her warmth glowed like a welcome fire.

‘Are you ready for a night out on the town?’

‘You wouldn’t believe how ready I am, Nolan. I’m tired of recuperating. If I don’t get out and do something fun, I’m going to lose my mind.’

‘That’s the truth, Nolan,’ Kelsey’s mother commented from the living room. ‘She’s not one to just sit around. For her to be cooped up here is a lot like caging a wild animal.’

‘Well, I’ll take her out for a little fresh air,’ Nolan volunteered graciously. ‘We’ll probably be out late, so don’t wait up for us.’

Kelsey’s father put a firm hand on Nolan’s shoulder. ‘You two are adults responsible for your own actions. Kelsey has a key, and I expect we’ll be fast asleep when you return.’

Nolan nodded, accepting the trust that Kelsey and her parents placed in him. He smiled at Kelsey. ‘Very well, my lady, your chariot awaits.’

Nolan carefully helped Kelsey to the door, which her father held open as they both passed through. Arm in arm with Nolan, she already seemed noticeably better. Only when they stopped beside the Viper’s passenger door did Kelsey look away from her date and notice the bright red car.

‘Nolan, where did you get this car?’

Nolan acted nonchalantly about the Viper. ‘It’s just a car, Kelsey, four wheels, an engine. Something to get you from point A to point B.’

‘At the speed of light, from the looks of it. It’s so cute.’ Kelsey gave Nolan a stern look; she wanted the truth and not one of his stories. ‘Is it your dad’s?’

‘No, it’s mine,’ he answered casually.

Kelsey studied him skeptically, but she sensed he was telling the truth.

‘Kelsey, it’s a long story, but I’ll tell you on the way.’

With one arm supported on Nolan’s shoulder, she lowered herself gingerly into the passenger seat. The supple black leather interior seemed to wrap around her like a cocoon. Once settled, Nolan closed her door and took his place on the driver’s side.

Nolan handed her a pair of Wayfarer sunglasses from the glove compartment and started up the Viper’s V-10 engine. The deep-throated growl made promises that only a car like this could deliver. Kelsey waved to her parents as they drove off down the street.

Nolan eased the gleaming red sports car into an open parking space along Main Street, in front of BD’s Mongolian Barbeque. Just as the car reached the curb, the owner of the restaurant, an old high school classmate of Kilkenny’s, appeared and opened the passenger door for Kelsey.

‘Hey, guys,’ the owner said, pleased to see his old friends. Kelsey accepted his offered arm and gingerly extracted herself from the Viper’s low-slung passenger seat. ‘I’ve got your table waiting.’

‘Thanks, Billy,’ Nolan replied as he followed the restaurateur and Kelsey inside.

The restaurant’s interior was decorated in what could only be described as ‘Ann Arbor eclectic,’ a mix of whatever struck the owner’s fancy. Large black umbrellas were suspended from the metal-pan ceiling and photographs of native Mongolians lined the walls.

Nolan stopped to study a picture of a young man in scuba gear floating beside a coral reef. The diver proudly displayed the restaurant’s T-shirt to a colorful school of fish.

‘Anyone you know?’ Kelsey asked as she glanced at the picture.

‘No, probably just some SEAL wanna-be.’

They were seated at a table for two near a window, and a waitress took their drink order. There was no dinner menu, the bill of fare being the guest’s choice from a varied offering of meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, sauces, and seasonings. In the center of the restaurant, a pair of chefs rapidly cooked several patrons’ concoctions in a haze of steam and smoke over a circular cast-steel grill. The effect was a lighthearted and casual dining atmosphere.

After chatting briefly with the owner, they made their way to the buffet and began designing their dinner.Nolan carried bowls for both Kelsey and himself, filling hers as directed while telling her of the afternoon’s events.

‘So, just as I drop my father off, he brings up the bounty again,’ Nolan explained as he scattered a few sliced mushrooms into their bowls.

Kelsey laughed lightly and pointed at the tofu. The Kilkenny-Newton grandchild bounty was a running joke for them both. ‘He’s just teasing you. He knows that you won’t marry until you find the right person.’

Nolan looked over his shoulder at her; a devilish spark lingered in her iridescent blue eyes. He smiled, picked up their bowls, and moved down to the seasonings. The same spark smoldered in his eyes, as well; the right person had been found.

‘So, Kelsey, how do you like it?’

She let the question hang for just a moment, then smiled and whispered in his ear, ‘Hot and spicy.’