Jack Beale 00 - Killer Run

before that, and on the radio there was an interview with a woman who, with her husband, has a B&B up north. It was pretty interesting. It’s called The Quilt House. Anyway, as I was running, it dawned on me that she wrote that book you’re reading. Then, as I was standing by the harbor, the idea came to me. I know how wiped out you are after Columbus Day, so I thought a getaway would be nice and you’d have a chance to meet a real live author.”
    Max was still looking at him, and he wasn’t sure how to read the expression on her face. Happy, shocked, puzzled, confused, he couldn’t decide which.
    Patti returned with her pocketbook, and Jack watched as the two women walked out of the bar and turned down the front hall. He heard the click of the lock being turned and the clingle of the bells that hung on the door as it was pushed open. Then it was quiet. Max didn’t return immediately, and he found himself listening really hard for any sound that would announce her return. As the seconds became minutes, his anxiety began to increase. Bad things always seemed to happen late at night, and he and Max had experienced more than their fair share of them.
    The minutes that Max and Patti had been gone suddenly seemed like hours. Leaving his half-finished beer on the bar, he headed for the door. His heart rate increased, as did his pace. When he reached the door, he saw that the keys were still in the lock, but there was no sign of Max or Patti. He opened the front door, stepped out onto the porch, and saw only an empty parking lot. Panic began to take over. He called out, “Max!” but there was no answer. Images of that winter night, not so long ago, when she had been kidnapped flashed through his head. His heart was pounding and his breathing became shorter as the panic grew. He leapt down the front stairs and began to run across the parking lot to the spot where Patti usually parked her car. It was gone and at that moment a dark sedan drove past Ben’s toward the boulevard. His panic was now full on and he sprinted back to the front door. He needed his keys and he had to call the police. Just as he picked up the telephone, the bells on the front door clingled again, and when he turned his head toward the sound, he saw Max pulling the door shut and turning the key.

CHAPTER 5
    “JACK, YOU ARE BEING SILLY.”
    “No, I’m not,” he replied. “You know how I worry, and when I went out to see what was taking you so long, and you weren’t there, and Patti’s car was gone, well … .”
    She started to say something, but he cut her off. “I panicked.”
    “Jack. There was nothing to worry about. I was only gone for a few minutes. All I did was walk Patti out to her car.”
    “But it wasn’t there.”
    “She got in a few minutes late and had to park further out back.”
    “I didn’t know.”
    “You wouldn’t. We were just talking for a few minutes before she drove off. Nothing was going to happen.”
    “You don’t know that.”
    “No. I do. Everything was fine.”
    Jack looked away from Max and remained silent. He knew that what she had said was true, that he didn’t have anything to worry about, but he couldn’t help himself. Now he was beginning to feel embarrassed for acting like a girl.
    “Jack, look at me.”
    He turned and looked into her face. There was a softness, a vulnerability in the look on her face, and her green eyes had a sparkle to them that made him blush. She put her hands on his cheeks. Her hands were warm and she gently pulled his face toward hers and kissed him softly on the lips. Then she whispered, “I love you Jack Beale,” Jack looked at her and saw the barest hint of a smile touch the corners of her mouth. In that moment, everything returned to normal. She giggled first. Then he cracked and began to chuckle too, and in a matter of seconds, they were both laughing uncontrollably.
    As they began to catch their breaths and the laughter subsided, Jack said to Max, “Thank you.”
    She looked at him. “You’re welcome.”
    * * *
    Later, at home, they talked for what seemed like hours, until Max asked, “Could we ask Patti and Dave to join us in the mountains?”
    Jack hadn’t considered that possibility. “Sure. Why not, I’ll ask him tomorrow.”
    With that settled, love and sleep overcame them.

CHAPTER 6
    “SO DAVE, … HOW WOULD YOU … and Patti like … to join Max and me … for a little trip to the mountains … after Columbus Day?” Jack squeezed the words out