Convicted (Consequences)

said, “Do you know what this reminds me of?”
    “Sardines?”
    She heard his laugh in the dark cabin. “No, I was thinking of our trip to Europe—the yacht on the Mediterranean.”
    Her mind went back in time. It seemed like two other people in a different life. “I suppose if I pretend this four inch foam mattress is really a king sized bed and the ceiling is six feet above my head instead of two—”
    Tony’s lips found hers, stopping her words. “Yes, there are a few differences.” Trailing the tips of his fingers along her shoulder and down her midsection as Claire lay on her side facing him, he continued, “Perhaps it’s the rocking of the waves, or the sweet sound of your breathing in my ear; regardless, it reminds me of then.”
    “I suppose I can see a few similarities.”
    “One day—one day we’ll go back, and the yacht we rent will have enough room for all of our children.”
    Fighting, once again, to relieve the pressure in her lower back, Claire replied, “Children? I’m pretty sure the ultrasounds have only shown one baby.”
    His voice fought the exhaustion to which his body had already surrendered. “Oh, but think how much fun it will be to create more...”
    When his words turned to breathing, Claire kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “Good night, Tony.”
    He may have said it was her breathing that reminded him of the past, but it was his breathing that gave her hope for their future. Only hours earlier, the world turned gray—color was gone—now in the darkness of the boat’s cabin, Claire remembered the colors of the flowers Tony had picked. She saw the blue of the sunlit ocean and the greens of the plants. It didn’t matter that they weren’t in their bed or their room, all that mattered was that he was safe—she was safe—and they were together.

 
     
     
    Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.
    —Jonas Salk
     
     
     
    Harry conferred again with the Boston field office. Since their face-to-face meeting almost a month ago, Agent Baldwin was, again, fully assigned to the Sherman Nichols/Anthony Rawlings case; however, now it had the added dimension of Catherine Marie London Rawls. As much as Harry personally hated to admit that Rawlings’ cooperation and confessions fit perfectly into the Harry’s timeline, gaps still existed.
    During his confessions, Rawlings recalled the death of his parents. He claimed an irrational commitment to his grandfather, as his reason for protecting Catherine London Rawls. His parents were gone; therefore, as a tribute to his grandfather, he did what he could do to save London from a life in prison. At the time, he believed his parents’ deaths were the result of an accident— a discussion that became heated and grew out of control. He knew at the time, there was a history of bad blood between Catherine and his parents. After his father, Samuel, had successfully voided Nathaniel and Catherine’s marriage, she’d been pushed to her limit. Rawlings tried to reach his parents first, hoping to utilize his stellar negotiation skills. He failed—not in the negotiation—in reaching his parents before Catherine.
    Rawlings recounted personal knowledge of his grandfather’s mission—to make the people responsible for his incarceration and their families pay. The first person on their list was Sherman Nichols ; however, by the time Rawlings had the money to fulfill Nathaniel’s vendetta, Sherman and his wife had already passed. The next person was Jordon Nichols— Sherman’s son. According to Rawlings, there was a network of connections which when utilized, and well compensated, would provide any target with an untraceable deadly accident. He didn’t know the details, didn’t have time for them, but agreed to supply the money. Rawlings and Catherine discussed the plan ad nauseam. Rawlings willingly admitted a sense of obligation to fulfill his grandfather’s agenda. As an entrepreneur and businessman, he would and could affect the lives of others; however, giving the order to take a life was significant—even for him. Rawlings claimed to have procrastinated with that order, making London wait—even though she protested.
    According to his confession, Rawlings claimed there were other parts to the plan which he told Catherine needed to be confirmed before he’d authorize the Nichols’ demise. One such task was securing the scholarship for Valparaiso University. Before Rawlings finally agreed to the