THE HOUSE REDOUX

(Direct continuation of Prelude)

By Atonia Walpole

(Picture creations also by Atonia)

Part 1

Toni was nearly running along beside Max, so caught up in his enthusiasm that she didn’t mind. He held onto her hand, weaving in and out of people. Customs was easy since they only had a small carryon apiece and then on to the car rental desk to pick up keys and sign a bit of paper. He turned, grinning, waving the keys at her and grabbed her hand again, leading her out of the airport to the parking area. Fully into the spirit, he’d rented a BMW 3 Series convertible. 

He popped the trunk and tossed their bags in. “Toni, we’re on holiday. Woe be to the one that interrupts our sojourn.”

“I honestly can’t remember when I’ve seen you this excited about anything, especially going to the House of Four Seasons.”

“Ah, but this time we aren’t carrying half-dead Terry. This time…it’s rest and relaxation with all our desires catered to. You may not realize it, love, just how stressful my life can be sometimes. Just when I think everything is going along according to plan, something happens, damn barrels spring a leak, corks come in suited for champagne which is not what we’re bottling at all. So, yes, I am excited about a real holiday…kids are all farmed out.” He smiled and flipped his sunglasses down.

Toni smiled back and found a clip in her bag for her hair. Truly it had been a long time since she’d had a holiday without children. They weren’t on a timetable and therefore could go home in two weeks or a month. Terry had Maxi in London with Jacky and Rose was at the chateau with Tuppy. It was summer and Max was in his season and his element, the wind, tossed his hair about as he breezed through the traffic in Boston.

Toni felt the excitement building inside her, too. Although they lived together their one on one time was limited. The prospect of spending an entire month with him and only him appealed to her in several ways. There was, of course, years of history behind them now. Would that come into play when they reached the house or would it all be fresh and new…renewed?

“Ah, civilizations worst is crawling toward the coastal towns,” he remarked as they drove into Salem.

“At least they seem to have put up a parameter around the downtown area, but not much has changed here. There’s the coffee shop, Max, where I had coffee with Andy the first time I came up here.”

“Would you like to stop? I could do with a bite to eat.”

“Okay.” Toni was remembering that cold blustery day, buying a cup of coffee and wondering about the guide. “I wonder if he still guides people to the house and if he still works in a restaurant in Australia? How strange all that was to me then.”

Max parked down a side street and walked with her into the coffee shop. They ordered coffee and BLT’s.

“He was sitting right back there…”

“Who?”

“Andy.”

Max looked up from his plate and swallowed. “Did you sleep with him?”

“Oh…well, um, yes, I did.”

“Toni, he was just a kid! Bloody hell!”

“He was my age. He just looked younger.”

“I only asked because you seemed nostalgic about him.”

“He was sweet.”

“Not one of my attributes,” he grinned and picked up his coffee cup.

“I wouldn’t say that. You can be very sweet. In fact you are most of the time.”

“Why all this Andy remembering today?” Max took another bite of his sandwich.

Toni played with her pickle. “I don’t know, honestly I don’t. It just came to mind. He liked my kitty, Millie.”

“Whatever happened to the cat anyway?”

“She wasn’t your favorite as I remember. She’s at the farm, in Virginia.”

“There’s another place we need to go to sometime. I know you have good managers there but still you ought to visit the place now and again.”

“Terry goes now and then when he’s in the States. It’s going to be Jacky’s someday. I think it’s only right. Maxi will have Chambord…”

“Hmm, and there’s little Rose without a prospect.”

“Her father’s bought her a cottage already.”

“Yes, but if I understand it properly, it doesn’t exist today.”

“I don’t know…I mean I don’t…I’ve only been there once.”

“I’ll make some provision for her. Are you about finished there?”

“Yes, want my pickle?” She watched him wince. He hated dill pickles.

They walked down to the wharf arm in arm before hopping back in the sport car and making the familiar drive up to Gloucester.

He paused at the gates. “We are about to leave the real world behind. Any last thoughts?” He raised a brow.

“Max, that sounds rather ominous, doesn’t it. My last thoughts...I love you, Max.”

He smiled, “I love you, Toni.” The gates opened and he drove onto the property of The House of Four Seasons.

It was the first of June and all the flowering shrubs were in bloom as were the roses. Toni was struck again at the beauty of the place. The air so fresh and clean with that tang of saltiness from the sea. She glanced at Max, who loved this place. He always had and he took her hand as they walked toward the doorway.

“I feel like I’m coming home, Max.”

“It has that feel about it and you know when the door opens you’re known here and loved.”

The door, adorned with a wreath of roses and violets, opened as they neared to welcome them home.

“It’s been freshened, hasn’t it?”

“Um, not sure what that means.” He followed her in, looking into the dining room and then back to the living room.

“Different flowers, not so many roses this time. I love the hydrangeas…a new rug?”

“Hmm.” Max hadn’t noticed the old one. “It all looks grand.”

Toni noticed the subtle changes. It had grown up a little…that was it…matured as they had. She walked through to the kitchen. Max stopped off in the library. A freshly baked cake rested on a stand and there was a tray of assorted goodies, sweets, salties and savories.  Drinks set out, a chilled white wine, iced tea, ice water with lemon and orange slices floating on top. How wonderful, she thought. Toni loved this kitchen with its modern appliances woven into timeless fitted cabinetry, an antique scrubbed table and comfortable chairs. So many meals around that table…but she wasn’t here to think about past meals.

“Max…there’s food and drink.”

“Lots of new books. Oh, this looks nice.” He picked up a salty. “Several books already waiting for me, ones I’ve been wanting to read and haven’t had the time.”

“Amazing, isn’t it.” She grinned and took a small plate and began to fill it. “And I can eat all this and not gain an ounce.”

They took the pitcher of water and plates of food out onto the terrace table to enjoy the afternoon. After a while Max went back for the bottle of wine and glasses.

“How nice not to be in a hurry, no interruptions, peace.” He lay his head back, looking up at the sky.

Toni took her glass of wine, walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down on the bench. The ocean was rolling down below. That’s where she’d first met Max, down there on the beach, and their first encounter was in no way an indication of what was to come. She turned and looked toward the terrace. He’d picked up his glass, too, and was walking toward the cliff.

“Want to go swimming?” he asked, taking a sip of his wine.

“Not especially, not right now…”

“Good,” he smiled and sat down beside her. “Let’s just be lazy today.”

He put an arm along the back of the bench and Toni leaned into his shoulder. “I can’t think why we haven’t done this before now.”

“Um, want me to list it out for you?”

“No…no lists here.” She looked up and received a soft kiss. “That’s where it all started down there on the beach.”

“Yes, it did. I wasn’t sure what to make of it all, except I thought you had the nicest bum.”

“It was your first time here but I’d been through two seasons. You were a little wild. I had to tame you, domesticate you.”

“You think you’ve accomplished that, do you?”

“Mm, to a certain extent I think I have or you have all by yourself.”

“It was all you, love. You did it. I was a cocky little prick when I came here and you were a wise woman.”

“Not so wise. A lot of the time I was confused and unsure, fascinated by this place and the seasons. No, I wouldn’t say I was a wise woman but I did know I was going to love you.”

Part 2

They did manage to get down on the beach by late afternoon and go for a walk. The tide was out, leaving a wide stretch of sand perfect for shelling and wading. Toni thought it was so perfect, there was no urgency they were only a whisper away, each caught up in their own thoughts. So much of her life wrapped up in this place, this beach…so many memories threatened to take over her mind,, Jack, Terry and John, though they never spent much time on the beach. It was winter, always cold and snowy. She wrapped her arms around herself. That was the thing Max had feared and had voiced before. This place held so many memories for her and not all of them of him. She glanced back at him, his pockets wet and sandy from picking up shells. She loved this man.

He was looking for shells with a tiny hole, no particular reason, but having picked up a few he began looking for them. He loved the smell of salt air and sea, the way it left his skin sticky and gritty. He looked up for Toni. She was just there a few steps away, had taken her hat off, using it for a shell bag. He felt so much a part of her and she of him at that moment he could almost feel them flowing into each other. She’d stopped, waiting for him.

“You have bulging pockets. What have you got in there?” She stuck a hand in his sandy pocket and came out with some shells. “Oh, how pretty!”

“They all have a hole there, see.”

“Hmm, I see. Maybe we can string them up.”

“Why?”

“Because they have a string-me-up hole,” she fell into him and laughed.

“What have you got?” he wanted to know, taking her hat from her.

“Whorled ones. See, they’re all twisty.”

“How fitting. Yours are all twisty like you and mine are boring with a hole.”

“Yes, but that has nothing to do with the man who found them. You are not boring. Besides, they’re useful…with a hole.”

He met her eyes for a moment and grinned. “I’m not going there.”

Toni laughed and caught his hand.

“Useful with a hole!” They continued on down the beach for awhile until he caught her up in his arms and kissed her, tasting her saltiness.

“Umm, I like that!” She kissed him back. She felt a little shiver, a wave…wanting more…another kiss…more. It wasn’t practical. They were both covered in sand but his hands went up and down her back, settling on her bum, and he pulled her to him. He was aroused, too, and wanted her right now.

“What do you think?” He cast a glance around.

“Sand…could be painful. We could wash off first.”

“Water’s cold…it would all be over then. Little willy would retreat to higher ground.”

“Okay.” She kissed him again. He was tasting good. “Over there on the rocks.”

“Bruise your bum…” but he was already unsnapping her shorts and then his, letting them fall into the shallow water. The rocks weren’t going to work, height was wrong. He had picked her up with her legs wrapped around him. "Ah, Toni!” They went down in the sand and it didn’t take long. “God, I love you!”  He rolled her over on top of him.

“This is why we came here…to be free. You are so good.” She kissed his salty lips. “Ohhh!” she laughed as a little wave slapped over them. “We’re going to be caught in the dark…oh, Max.”

He lifted his head as the water came in again and struggled to sit up with her on top of him. “We have now christened the beach. You’re right about being free. Remember how we used to be here? It didn’t matter where or when. It was all about loving and having fun. We hadn’t a care in the world except to please each other.” He kissed her softly.

They found their shorts wedged in the rocks, wet and full of sand, and so they walked back to the house carrying them. Alone and invisible in their bubble of magic there was no one to see them.

After a long shower they wrapped up in terry robes and came down for dinner. The House had prepared sea bass in a citrus sauce, vegetables and rice.

It was the beginning of a carefree romp, sleeping when sleepy and eating when hungry, drinking and laughing together. The years seemed to fall away and they were as they used to be here at the House but with one difference Toni mentioned. It didn’t end when their time there was over. They would be leaving together.

They’d been into Gloucester several times and checked on the children by phone. Everything was perfect, the perfect vacation.

They were on his bike riding over the property, trying to find the end of it but the hills spread out ahead of them with paths wide enough to ride and one along the cliff was breathtaking for a couple of reasons. The view was spectacular and Max was playing, causing her to squeeze his waist and hide her face in his shirt, afraid they were going over the edge, but he was in control of the bike.

Rainy days saw them inside, Max catching up on his reading, Toni playing on the computer and watching old movie DVD’s. She had books, too, but couldn’t concentrate long enough to read. She went through the house and upstairs the bedrooms belonging to Terry, Jack and John were all locked up tight. Just as well. She didn’t need to be prowling around there. She went into Max’s room, though, and that’s where he found her napping across the bed. They’d been sleeping in both rooms, hers and his. It was the scent in his room that comforted her and put her to sleep.

He didn’t wake her. He sat in one of the comfortable chairs and watched her sleep, a man content, relaxed and in love. What he liked about the House was the absence of stress, absence of decision making, responsibility. Like being a child with adult tastes. There were no children, no vines, no taxes to pay, no house to repair. It was wonderful. He thought back to when he used to come here before he ever left his movie world, how he was totally unaware of anything until he was in a vehicle driving toward the house and then the anticipation of something wonderful about to happen to him. But then there was the emptiness when he knew it was time to leave, being wrenched away from something before he was through.

He was contented at La Siroque,too, or in London, wherever they happened to be. It was Toni that finished him. Without her he wasn’t…he just wasn’t. Quietly he moved over to the bed and lay down beside her.

The House was doing everything to make their stay perfect, favorite foods and a few they hadn’t had but knowing their tastes, it was all working out as it should. Yes, they had matured but still held that childlike fascination with each other and enjoyment  of each other’s company.

Soft music came from the walls, adding to the drowsy afternoon. Max rested on his side and gently touched the end of her nose. She moved slightly. He touched her lips and she took his finger in her mouth and opened her eyes. “Hey…”

She laced her fingers in his and moved closer to him, nuzzling his neck. Hands underneath his shirt, she kissed him and made love to him.

On a bright sunny day they went into Gloucester and had lunch, teasing about the amount of food they’d consumed and then ordered dessert, which Toni couldn’t finish. He asked for a to-go box for it, a particularly tasty cheesecake. However when they left the restaurant she left it on the table. It was only when he started the car that she remembered it, so he pulled around in front of the restaurant and dashed inside for the box.

They’d been hanging around on the sidewalks watching people, joking back and forth, high and drinking in and out of bars. They spotted the BMW with the woman inside, motor running. Fate was working with them. Walking fast they approached the car. She’d bent over to retrieve something from the floorboard, even better. One put his hand on the back of her neck and held her head down while he jumped into the seat. Two jumped in the driver’s seat and gunned the motor, drowning out Toni’s screams. The car sped down the street.

Max came out of the restaurant with the box and saw the tail end of his car dipping out of sight over a hill.

“Did you see it?” The man came running across the street. “Car theft, that’s what it was. I saw ‘em.”

The air moved around Max as he turned and looked at the man. “What did you see?”

“Two of ‘em jumped in the car and took off.”

“Toni…there was a woman in the car…” Max said, hardly able to breathe.

“I didn’t see no woman.”

Max dropped the box and turned, doing a 180. “Somebody call the police!”

But already sirens were coming around the bend and screeching to a halt in front of the restaurant. There were questions he had to answer and all the time his frustration was building and he was getting angrier. No one was chasing after the car.

He didn’t know the address of the place where he was staying. He was on holiday. He fished out his driver’s license, English passport. English, residence? Bonnieux, France…time was speeding by and still they questioned. BMW, white, convertible…he exploded…

A crowd had gathered, some witnesses giving a sidewalk account. People from the restaurant had spilled out into the street. Those standing close to him felt a force and moved back uncertainly. The wind had picked up suddenly but it was Max out of control, now yelling at the policewoman trying to do her job. Another police car had arrived and a cop assured him the highway patrol was being alerted.

He’d never felt so helpless in his life. He wanted to hurt something, he wanted to cry, and he wanted to scream.

By the time the highway patrol were looking, the car had left the Cape Ann area and was coming up on the border with New Hampshire. The New Hampshire patrol was alerted about a possible carjacking. And then Maine was alerted. Max had been taken to the police department and they were doing what they could for him. People in the town were trying to be helpful, bringing him coffee and offering cigarettes. Outside he’d calmed down but inside he was lethal. It was 5:00 she’d been missing for four hours.

Toni fought her way out of the floorboard. The skinny crack head that held her down turned out to be no match for her. He tried other things and she fought him, scratching and biting and hitting him. The driver was laughing through the whole thing. They decided to get rid of her and drove off the main highway for a few miles, planning to throw her out of the car. She’d been in panic mode for two hours and the skinny guy finally knocked her out before they entered the state park and threw her down an embankment. She landed hard against a tree trunk hurting her back. When she came to she lay there, trying to take stock of herself. Gingerly she moved, rolling over on her side, nothing broken some nasty scratches on her legs and arms and she tasted blood where she’d bit her lip. She managed to get up on all fours and then to stand. She had no idea where she was but she faced a steep hillside in a green wood.

John Biebe poured himself a cup of coffee and wandered over to his computer. He’d just come on duty and he turned to his deputy, “Anything goin’ on?” Usually there wasn’t.

“Ah, no, nothing hereabouts. Carjacking down to Gloucester. Car was seen in Westchester county heading north. Here’s the, ah, info on it. Woman inside they say and two men.” He handed over the printed out information and moved toward the door.

John quickly scanned the sheet of paper. ”What the fuck! Wait a minute, George…wait up!” He was pulling out his own cell phone and punching Max’s number. It wasn’t connecting. He went over to his desk and called up Gloucester. “I know these people,” he said to his deputy.

Part 3

Max was beside himself, about to come unglued when they called him inside for a phone call.

“Max…”

“John! John, I don’t know what to do!” He felt himself choking up.

“Yeah, I know, man. Nothing I can say is gonna make it any better. I just came on duty and saw the alert. They ain’t found the damn car yet?”

“No…nothing…”

“Look, Max, you’ve got the power to find her. You know that, don’t you?”

“What? John, if I knew…”

“Think, man! Think! You know you can do this. You know how we always know, well…use it!” John moved to the other side of the office. George was listening in.

“I’m so scattered right now.”

“Jack can do it. Do you want him?”

“Fuck no! Let me get myself together. I can’t talk on this bloody phone.”

“Well, call me then. You’ve got my number. I tried to call your phone and went to fuckin’ France.”

“All right, I will.” Max hung up the phone and walked back outside, trying to get himself together. He could not fall apart. He lit another cigarette, guessing he owed somebody a pack of Marlboros. He was stuck. frustrated, without a vehicle and the problem was he couldn’t really ask one of the cops to take him to the House of Four Seasons, a place that didn’t exist. They would be letting him out in the middle of nowhere, no doubt with questions he couldn’t answer.

One of the restaurant patrons that was around when the carjacking happened was on his way back to the restaurant bar and saw Max out on the side walk. He pulled his Harley over to the side.

“Find her yet?”

“No…I need a ride. Would you mind? It’s only a few miles.”

“No, not at all.”

“I’ll just be a minute.” He popped back in the station and told the cops he was going home. They had his cell phone number and a local service provider had been set up for him. He thought they might wonder about him but right now he didn’t care; he needed wheels. His Harley friend dropped him off on a dark road next to a fence. He waited around until he heard Max’s Harley start up and then headed back to town.

He hadn’t gotten far up the road before his phone went off. He pulled over and answered it. They’d found the car just south of Kennebunkport, Maine. It was out of gas, no sign of anybody. Before he got started again he called John and let him know about the car.

“Yeah, I know. I just saw it. Look, um, she’s in the woods somewhere. I’m getting that, Max.”

“I got it, too. She’s okay but she’s lost. I’ve got my bike, got a ride to the House. I’m going north until something tells me different.”

“Good luck, Max, and I’m trying, too. Okay if I call Terry?”

“Oh, bloody hell, John!”

“Well, the more people trying to locate her, the better. Get your head out of your ass.”

“Sorry…I’m just…”

“I know. Hold on, Max. I’ll keep in touch mentally.”

“Thanks, John.”

Max stopped and filled the tank, bought a couple bottles of water and set off…somewhere between Cape Ann and Kennebunkport.

Toni had stopped trying. It was too dark and she had no idea which way she was going. She had climbed up the hill and found herself on some sort of service road. She remembered roads like this in national parks in Virginia. Wide enough for a vehicle, rough cut roads, some nearly impassable if not used regularly. This one had some traffic but not tonight.

She tried not to think about what might be in these woods, bears and snakes, her worst fear but snakes probably weren’t crawling at night…bears. She hunkered down next to a rock formation, wishing she had something besides a tank top to wrap up in. As she sat there in the dark she tried to contact Max, thinking hard and directing everything toward him. She wanted him to know she was okay but didn’t know where she was…woods on a service road. She tried to remember something about the car and the men who abducted her. They were young and local by the sound of their accents. Drunk or drugged and the one who had her in the passenger seat wasn’t much of a fighter. She’d been so absorbed in the fight she hadn’t noticed where they were going, only that they turned off I-95, but where? She shook her head.

Max was in New Hampshire. He’d pulled into a rest stop and bought some candy and a soft drink. He kept the candy for Toni but took the time to drink the soda. He had a feeling she was in New Hampshire, maybe not far from where he was. He leaned against a tree and concentrated. She was cold, it was dark, she hurt but she wasn’t injured. Toni…Toni, where are you… bears? He was getting snippets of what was in her mind.

Rocks, large rock formation…mountains. Max blinked. That came from Terry. Okay, a state park. Max walked over to a truck driver trying to decide on what brand of chips to buy and asked where the closest park was.

“About four miles up the highway there’s a turn off. Go about 8 miles and you’ll start seeing the signs for Allentown or Bear Brook State Park.”

“Thanks.” Max got back on his bike and headed out. Without realizing it, he told Terry where he was going. Terry was open tonight…unusual for him. John must have phoned him. What he didn’t know was that Terry was online using Google Earth. John woke him up in the middle of the night and there was no going back to sleep once he found out what was going on.

Max was following instinct. He turned off the road, following signs to the park. Service roads. Without lights he couldn’t’ even make them out if they were there. If he was going to dump somebody, how far would he go into the park? Not far, first likely place. Max slowed his bike, straining to make out markers, roads, anything. Morning…wait until daylight…he thought it and at the same time Terry sent it to him. Can’t see at night. Bear Brook State park, bears…

He spent the night sitting on a picnic table.

Toni spent it listening to everything that moved in the woods.

Max couldn’t remember the last time he sat up all night. He watched the moon move across the sky, counted stars and thought about Toni and how much he loved her. Okay, he wasn’t a big macho guy like Terry and Jack…'not macho’ came into his mind and he knew it was Terry connecting with him. ‘Good guy, strong’, from Terry.

 Max sent back, “Stupid...left her in the car, motor running.”

Terry: “You live and learn. She’s okay.”

“I’ll find her in the morning.”

“I’ll help”

“Thanks.” He found himself welcoming help now. At first it kind of pissed him off to think he couldn’t handle anything on his own. At least they hadn’t jumped in planes and headed over.

“Sun’s coming up,” Terry told him.

“Not here.” Max ran a hand over his face, lying down on the table had been a mistake. He’d dozed for awhile. “Boys?”

“Good.”

“Why don’t we communicate like this all the time?”

“I don’t want you in my head,” Terry replied, sipping his morning tea.

“Have you talked to John?”

“On his way to you.”

“No… bollocks! Oh, fuck no…!”

“Sorry, I tried…”

“She must be cold, frightened, hurt…”

“Yes…”

“I can’t believe this has happened. We’ve been having such a great time. It’s been perfect.”

“Don’t beat yourself up. I’ll get back in a few hours. Got to get the boys fed.”

And with that Terry switched off, closed down the line of communication he had going with Max. Max felt very alone now without Terry’s presence in his mind but then John was on his way. He sighed. There was no need for that…none at all.

Toni was cramping up. She’d sat in one position in such a tensed state for so long her legs were beginning to cramp and the cold was bringing out all her aches and pains. She tried to guess what time it was. How long could a night be?  She needed to move but in the dark she was afraid. It was a dark like she didn’t often experience, no man-made lights anywhere, only the moonlight and from time to time clouds obscured that. She stood up slowly and moved around her rock, the warmth it held from the day long since evaporated.

She wasn’t blessed with the special ability the men had. She could only get a random thought or sensation. They all seemed to have a homing device somewhere in their makeup that let them know where she was at all times. Why was it taking so long? But then if she didn’t know where she was, how could they? Max…Max, I need you!

Terry kept a close eye on his computer screen. He’d found the state park but it was too dark yet to see anything.

John waited while his go-cup of coffee was poured. He’d stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. He needed the extra cup of coffee. It was 4:30 now. He’d worked his shift and set off for Kennebunkport to have a look at the car and see what the locals had come up with. He looked up at the sky before slipping into his vehicle.

For something to do Toni climbed to the top of her rock and as the sky slowly almost lightened she got up on her knees to have a look. What she saw scared her. On the other side of the rock, just inches from where she perched, was a straight drop off down a hillside peppered with rocks. She flattened out and lay still on her stomach for awhile. Somewhere a bird announced dawn.

Max rubbed his eyes, got off his picnic table bed and walked around. He took a sip of water and put the bottle back in the saddlebags. Toni would need that. He walked out of the picnic area he’d pulled into and had a look up and down the road he’d come in on the night before. It was hard now to remember which way he’d come in. It all looked the same and in the semi-darkness the night before he hadn’t noticed anything. He stood beside his bike, listening to the silence, and then yelled out as loud as he could, "TONI…TONI!"

Toni had moved down from the rock and looked at herself. She was very sore and something was wrong with her right ankle.  Her side hurt from where she hit the tree and she imagined broken ribs. But it was thirst that was beginning to worry her the most. She hobbled out to the service road again…up or down? Down, water would be down.

Max gunned his motor and pulled out of the picnic area, turning left. It wasn’t long before a park ranger was following him. Motorcycles were not allowed in the park.

Toni thought she heard the motorcycle echoing through the valley. Max...”MAX, I’M HERE…MAX…MAX?”

Max stared into the man’s face. “I don’t have any other means of transportation right now. My wife is lost somewhere in this park and I mean to find her.”

“What do you mean lost? We’ve haven’t had a report of anyone missing.”

Down in his common sense Max knew the man’s situation. He was a park ranger doing his job, totally unaware of what had transpired outside of his little world but he was beyond caring about what some official thought or what rules were laid down for the safety and preservation of Bear Brook State Park. He tried to explain, but the man wanted him to come back to the guard shack where he would be assuming his duties within the next 30 minutes and he’d check with the highway patrol.

Max started the motor as if he was going to follow him and he took off. He turned down the first road he came to, thinking it was a service road. However it was one of the many hiking and biking trails that snake through the park. Had he been paying closer attention back at the road he would have seen the sign, but soon it was too late anyway. He saw the washout and the mud oozing down the side and tried to stop. He laid the bike down and slid into the muck. The spring mudslides had not all dried up.

The park ranger was intent on getting back to his post and checking in to make sure he began his job on time. He lost Max but he intended to report him. He’d made note of the bike.

Part 4

“BOLLOCKS…OOWWW MUTHAFUCKA…..!!” echoed along the closed trail. Max pulled himself out from under the bike and watched it sink and slide and then he realized he was bleeding and his left leg wouldn’t move on command. He called up every curse word he knew but none helped his situation. So he dragged himself from the mud inch by inch, very aware of his leg now. Grabbing at tree limbs and trunks, he managed to get himself out of the mudslide.

Terry, back from cereal and toast duty ,settled in front of his laptop. It was light enough to see the roads in the park now.

“Max...” and then, “what the fuck, Max?”

“Oh, Terry! I’ve bollixed it up. Laid the bike down and lost it in a mudslide and my left leg as well.”

“You lost a leg?” Terry sat up straight.

“It’s useless, just lying there giving me a pain issue.”

“Where are you?”

“How the bloody hell should I know? I turned off the road because I was being chased by a bloody park policeman. About a mile or so into the woods I hit a mudslide…lost the bike. I’m bloody useless now!”

Terry zoomed in using his satellite map. “Stay with me. Did you come in on Hwy 28?”

“28…yeah, I think so. The park was closed so I skirted around the gates. There are campsites out here. I stopped in one last night…damn…!" He took a breath.

Terry tried to get him to give him some idea of the turns he took the night before. He was trying to pinpoint where he was in the park so he could get some help for him. It wasn’t easy. Max was so angry and frustrated at himself and experiencing a good deal of pain, Terry had a hard time with him. And still out there somewhere was Toni.

John finished with the local police in Kennebunkport. Another cup of coffee and he walked outside the station. He probed Terry and Max to see if they had any answers. He dropped his coffee in a trash receptacle and climbed into his vehicle. He didn’t get anything from Max except pain. Terry told him to get his ass to Bear Brook State Park.

Meantime, John notified the park office of an accident and a missing woman. He was aggravated at Max for not contacting the police before he went off on his own. Damn, they had people out looking for Toni, too.

By the time John crossed the state line Terry pretty much had Max pinpointed. He told John where to look.

“Okay, so where the fuck is Toni?” John was on his cell now, talking to Terry.

“I don’t have her yet. You’re there. Work on it!”

“She’s here somewhere…so fuckin’ frustrating! You wouldn’t believe the terrain and it’s summer, all the trees leafed out.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m looking at it…”

“What…how?”

“Google Earth. Max thought she was on a service road of some sort but it could be a hiking trail.”

“I’m pulling off onto hwy 4 now looking for 28.”

“Go about 8 miles.”

Max lay back on the ground, looking up at the sky. He could hear sirens now, supposed they might be for him or maybe Toni. He hoped they were for Toni. He was cold and sleepy, first stages of shock settling in. He didn’t know what else to do so he’d taken his belt off and tied it around his thigh. His leg was a muddy, bloody mess and he couldn’t tell what was what with it other than it hurt like hell and was turning bluish.

John arrived at the gate and jumped from his vehicle. Two ranger trucks and an EMS vehicle were parked around the entrance to the park.

“Are you the one who called?” a ranger wanted to know.

“Yeah, what the fuck are ya doin’ sittin’ here?”

“I saw the motorcycle early this morning. Feller took off around the bend. I figured he’d left like I told him to.”

“Well, he didn’t. His wife is out here somewhere lost. She was carjacked back in Gloucester and dumped out here. We found the vehicle in Kennebunkport. He’s had an accident with his bike on one of the damn hiking trails…lost his bike in a mudslide.”

“Oh, I know where that’s at.” A ranger pushed his hat back.

“Well, God dammit, get the ambulance up there!” John was getting a little upset.

“You say there was a carjacking and a woman brought up here?”

“Yeah, two guys dumped her out and ditched the car in Maine. It was a white BMW convertible. Have any of ya seen a car like that around here?”

“Ah, no, don’t believe so. You, Arthur?”

“Nope, not me but Harley might have. He’s not on duty today, you know.”

“Look, I don’t have any jurisdiction down here, okay, but I know these people, I know them well and I need some help here. Find out if anybody saw that car up here yesterday all right? I’m going in with the EMS crew. You come with me.” John pointed out the ranger who was familiar with the mud slide.

“Happens every spring, a little bit of the mountain  slides down. Came late this year and we had to close down a trail…right here, turn right here.”

John bounced his 4-wheel drive vehicle down the trail. “Ah, Jesus…”

Max turned toward the siren and thought he saw John and then he was sure of it. John was bending over him.

“Hey, Max, you gonna be all right. The medics are here.”

“Good to see you,” he said weakly. “Find Toni…I bollixed it…”

“Don’t worry, man, we’ll find her.” John moved back so the medics could get to Max.

Toni heard the sirens and began yelling but her throat was so dry she ended up coughing until she was nauseated. It was hard for her to tell which direction they were coming from but it sounded close. She’d walked and slid and fallen down the hillside following a trail. It was summer. It occurred to her once that there should have been other people about, campers, hikers, the weather was perfect for it…if you were dressed right. She had on a pair of shorts, tee shirt and sandals.

There were other people about and they were gathering around the entrance to the closed trail, wanting to know what was going on. A ranger was trying to explain about the motorcycle wreck.

Max was loaded into the ambulance once his leg had been stabilized. He was past caring about anything now except Toni. He kept asking them to look for her. She was close…near…look for her.

John picked up on that, too, and once again he turned to his ranger. “Okay, where would you dump somebody? You know this area.”

“Wha…me?” His hand held radio began to squawk. The car had been seen the day before with two men and a woman, man paid the five dollars and passed through the gates.  Didn’t stay long, maybe twenty minutes or so…didn’t notice whether the woman was in the car or not when they came out of the park.

John was busy using the ranger instead of his own instincts. Terry was trying to figure out a scenario. Car goes up the road into the park with a woman, where do they go? Not near the campsites. He could see them on the screen in front of him…off a trail, something wide enough for a car and that car would have to turn around.

“John…Bear Brook Road to One Mile Road, all right turns off Hwy 28. Check out Catamount Trail or Short Cut Trail. Both look likely…John?”

“I’m with ya, Terry.”

“I think Short Cut Trail…I got a feeling.” Terry was mentally communicating with John.

“Short Cut Trail…how do I get there?” John asked the ranger.

For Toni the trail was misnamed. She’d walked up it the evening before and down it this morning once she got her bearings. Down was the way to go…down…down she fell, sliding on loose stones into a clump of wildflowers. She lay there so tired, so thirsty…

John had to abandon his vehicle. The trail was too narrow. He began walking up while the ranger kept walking on One Mile Road, checking the embankments he was familiar with. John walked within ten feet of her. She was hidden in the undergrowth but he knew she was there. "Toni…TONI?”

She made some kind of sound that stopped him. "Toni?”

The voice…”Max?” she mumbled.

John slid down the hill and saw her feet. He got to her and picked her up. “Toni, honey, sweetheart!” He was almost in tears.

“John…” She opened her eyes and her arms went around his neck. He got his footing and climbed out with her.

“Got her!” he transmitted to Terry.

“Thank God! She okay?”

“Banged up a bit, talking.”

Terry sat back in his chair and let out a breath.

John called the highway patrol as soon as he got to his vehicle and let them know he had her and was taking her to the hospital.

She was admitted and her cuts and scrapes tended to. X-rays were taken of her ankle and right arm. She had a couple of cracked ribs and a sprained ankle. John had told her about Max and she burst into tears. He was somewhere in the same hospital and he promised to find him and let him know she was there.

“Are we in Maine?” she asked John.

“No, baby, New Hampshire.”

“What…why are you here?”

“Looking for you and Max. Terry told me to get my ass down here and I did.”

“Terry?”

“Yeah, we’ve all been looking for you.”

“I love you…all of you.”

Part 5

Max was in recovery. He’d broken his leg just below the knee and had surgery and some skin grafts. He was coming out of the fog and heard John talking to someone. “John?”

“Yeah, Max, I’m right here. Toni’s here, too. She’s on the fourth floor. Once we get you in a room I’m sure you’ll see her. She’ll come to you.”

“Toni’s here…oh…God! She okay?”

“Yeah, bruised and scratched up pretty good. She’ll be in as soon as they get her patched up. When you’re, ah, lucid I’d like to talk to ya.”

“I am ludicrous…”

“Right!” John grinned. "I’m going back to Toni now. I’ll, uh, give her a big ole kiss for ya.”

Toni was in bed with her ankle wrapped, iced and propped up. “Did you find him?”

“Yeah, he’s had surgery on his left leg. Broke it just below the knee and scraped the skin off his calf. They’ve patched it with a few skin grafts but the worry is infection. He had a few bruises, too, from the fall. He laid his bike down and skidded into a mudslide. Going too fast, I suspect.”

“Oh, dear, bless his heart. I’ve never known him to be hurt. John, what is becoming of us all?”

“I don’t know, babe. We’re out here in the world, exposed like everybody else. I’ll hang around until they release the two of you and take you back to the House.”

“We’ve not got any transportation now. The car was stolen and his bike drowned in mud.”

“Oh, they’ll pull that bike out and the car will be released eventually. You’ll have to make a statement, you know, and the sooner the better. We’ve had descriptions of the two carjackers from three different people in Gloucester but your statement is going to cement it in.”

“Statement to whom? Can’t I just tell you?”

“Well, the crime was committed in Gloucester. They’ve got it and the Highway Patrol, too, are involved. I wish it was mine. I’d love to get them two before they’re brought in.”

“One of them is probably pretty scratched up. I fought him good, John, for miles and miles I fought him. He finally got the best of me. I suppose right before we went into the state park because I don’t remember anything until I was bodily thrown out of the car and down a hill. They were on drugs. The driver’s name was Gustav and he laughed all the time, everything was funny. I don’t know what the little guy who was trying to subdue me was named. I don’t think it was ever mentioned.”

John’s lips formed a thin line, the thought of somebody throwing her out of a vehicle or fighting with her made his blood boil.

“I’m sorry, love, so sorry…I was coming to save you.”

“Darling,” Toni kissed Max.

“How are you, a crutch?" He looked up at her.

“Only temporary. Not supposed to put any weight on my foot for a couple of days, keep it elevated and iced …that sort of thing.” Toni looked down the bed at his foot propped up and a cast on his leg. “They should put us together, a matched pair. Does it hurt, honey?”

“No, I’ve got this button to push and drugs are automatically injected into my body. I want out of here. Toni, we’ve got to get out of here…get to the House.”

“I know, sweetie, but we can’t very well walk out, either of us. I’ve got to make a statement to the law this afternoon. John’s going to be with me, thank goodness.”

There was a rather wild and reckless look in his eyes. “Do your thing for the law and then let’s get out of here.”

“You can’t walk…”

“No, but I can ride…there’s my chair, you on my lap, and John pushing. We can make it.”

“Max…”

“I’m serious. If I stay here I’m going to end up with some sort of infection in my leg that spreads to your bloodstream and then it can bloody well kill you. I heard them talking about it. I am at great risk. They keep taking my temperature.”

“You are serious. Okay, I’m with you. We’ve got to get John to help. You know he plays by the book. He won’t like it.”

“Didn’t you break him out of hospital in Salem once?”

“Oh, yes, the wreck but he was still a magical season at the time. You and Terry got us over the gates.”

“Didn’t we break Terry out of an asylum in London?”

“Ye-es…”

“Jack out of prison in Paris?”

She nodded.

“All right then…it’s my turn.”

“You’re fuckin’ crazy, you know that? He’s just had surgery on his leg today and you, you can’t even walk or take a deep breath, still getting fluids. It ain’t on, Toni.”

“Why? Are you afraid?”

“I’m afraid for your health and well being. Give it a day or two.”

“No, the longer we wait the more danger Max is in from infection. You know how that is. He had the skin scraped off and lay in mud. They’ve already got him on antibiotics and it’s not even shown up yet. All you have to do is drive, John. I can check myself out of here and tell them we’re taking Max to a private hospital or something.”

“Toni, I live here, honey. It’s like we can pull this off, you go away and I’m back in the neighborhood a week from now and people want to know what the fuck is going on. I’ve involved myself in this…I’m known around here…”

“I’ve satisfied the police. There‘s nothing else I owe them. I just want to get away from here with Max. He’d do it for you. I’ll call a taxi. How much does a taxi cost from New Hampshire to Gloucester…do they take credit cards?”

“Toni…damn it!”

Max scrambled for the bedside phone. “Hey…”

“Hey, yourself. John’s going to do it. I had to twist his arm and make promises.”

“What kind of promises?” Max raised up a bit.

Toni laughed a little, “He’s cool. Really, I did have to twist his arm. He’s as straight as an arrow, doesn’t like bending rules even for us. In the morning before 9:00. He’ll take me down first, then you. You’ll have to sign yourself out. He insists on that.”

“What a bloody little stickler he is! No problem.”

At 9:00 John parked in the patient pick up area and went up to get Toni. Her doctor had already been by and released her to go home. She had a few prescriptions and a boot on her right foot. She came down in a wheelchair. John got her settled and went up for Max.

Max’s doctor had been by, too, but instead of releasing him to go home he’d scheduled him for more surgery. Max was in a state, nurses in and out trying to pump stuff into his IV. There were three people in the room when John poked his head in.

“I’ll sign anything to get out of here. I don’t care. I’m going to see my own physician, I will be taken care of and will absolve this hospital from any wrong doing. Just show me something to sign.”

Max ranted all the way down to the car about hospitals and the helpless victims they harbored.

“Darling…” Toni moved over in the back seat so Max could get in and prop up his leg. ”I forgot you didn’t have any pants.”

“I’ve shown my ass in more ways than one this morning. Let’s get the hell out of here!”

John threw him a glance over his shoulder and started the vehicle. “He’s supposed to be down in surgery right now. Did you know that?”

“No…why?”

“Something to do with skin grafts. It doesn’t matter.” Max lay his head back on the seat. Toni had his foot in her lap. He didn’t take his pain meds and it was beginning to tell on him. Sweat was beading on his forehead. Toni reached for his hand.

The drive back to Gloucester was quick and uneventful. John took them straight to the house. It was just as they’d left it the day they went into Gloucester for lunch. Hard to believe what can happen in 48 hours. He pulled straight up to the door and helped Toni inside to the living room sofa and then came back for Max. He had Toni’s crutches but still it was tough going for him. He collapsed just inside the door into a chair.

“You can’t sit here, man. Come on over to the sofa so you can lie down.”

“I can’t move, damn muthafucka.”

John slipped his arms underneath Max’s and lifted him up, taking his weight, got him to the sofa. “Should have taken your pain pills. You are one stubborn, hard-headed asshole.”

Max looked up at him with his pain-filled eyes. “I’m a quivering mass of hurt right now. Leave me alone.”

John moved his vehicle and came back inside, heading for the kitchen for a drink and something to eat. A tray of sandwiches and assorted chips was out. He had a glass of iced tea and stepped back into the living room to see what was what. They were in each other’s arms on the sofa, not paying him any mind so he went back to the kitchen.

“Terry, I’ve got them to the house, to the sofa to be exact. I got word his bike has been taken to a Harley dealership in Allenton, NH. They called me, guess my name’s all over the place now. Anyhow they’re going to clean it up and get it going for him. His car’s been impounded. I can’t stay here with them and they’ve got no way to go if I leave.”

Terry sat back down at his desk. He hadn’t gone into the office at all and the boys were down in the den with Anna. He had John’s message in his head. “So what is it you want me to do? I’m about 3,000 miles away.”

“Not a fuckin’ thing, Terry.” John took a drink of his tea.

“Don’t get testy with me!”

“Sorry, it’s been a morning. I really can’t stay. I took two days off work but I gotta go back to Belfast.”

“Can you stay long enough for them to be up and mobile?”

“Ah, yeah, I can do that. I can take Max to pick up a vehicle somewhere around here, gotta be a rental place. Toni’s lost her purse with her driver’s license and passport… the works.”

“I don’t give a damn what you do but don’t leave them stranded. That ain’t cool, mate.”

“No…no, I’m not…I won’t.”

It frustrated Terry that he was 3000 miles away. There was nothing he could do to help now and it bothered him that John was worried about his name being bandied about. He thought his worry should be with Toni and Max.

“Let me tell you something, Terry. I’m out here living and working in the world with my family. My kids are in school here in Maine. I’ve already had people ask me about Mystery Alaska, okay? I’m trying to keep a low profile. My name’s gonna be in the newspaper here because I found Toni, probably already on the evening news. So yeah…I worry. I don’t want to appear on the 7:00 news. There are some people who buy DVD’s and watch movies.”

“Yeah, all right, John. I forget sometimes…”

Toni was holding Max. He was in such pain but eventually his grip on her slackened and he drifted off to sleep. She could feel the weight above her, that healing spirit of love wanting to get busy and work on them. She was having a hard time going to sleep, so many things out there to think about. She kissed his soft hair resting on her breast. He felt warm in her arms and she hoped that was the House’s healing and not a fever.

Part 6

John left the house and went for a walk, feeling a little strange out of season. It all looked different in the summer. He went down to the beach and walked for awhile, coming up by the field behind the paddocks. There were no horses in the stables. Who rode? Oh yeah, Jack and Terry. Max rode his Harley…or did. How would they ever get that back here? He walked up the road a little, looking over the fields planted in wheat…magic and hard to believe. Like Terry, sometimes he forgot, too, where they came from. That brought his mind back to the present and his new notoriety. It was different for the others. Jack could disappear back into his world. Terry and Max could pretty much lose themselves in Europe but he had his family all from the movie, all recognizable if you were sharp.

He would decline all interviews and try not to have his picture taken. It was a risk they all took but it seemed to weigh heavier on him. In the back of his mind was the knowledge that if it ever came to it, he could come here and live at the House. It was something they had all discussed and not something any of them ever wanted to do. He paused and looked down toward the House. It really was a nice place, beautiful in all seasons, but he didn’t want to live there. He liked being around other people, having friends and feeling useful. He liked the feeling that he was making a difference in other people’s lives.

Right now the other people were Toni and Max. He headed back to the House.

Toni was sitting up on the sofa with Max’s head in her lap. He was still out of it. She looked okay.

“How are ya?’ he whispered.

She nodded 'okay' and made a drinking motion. John brought her a glass of tea. He noticed the boot was gone from her right foot and the bruises and scratches from her face and arms and made a thumbs up sign. Carefully she eased Max's head onto a cushion and moved from the sofa. She took John’s arm and they went down the hall to the kitchen.

“I’m fine now. A slight headache but that’s all from my ordeal. Max’s is a little more complicated so I guess it’s taking longer. Did I thank you for bringing me out of the woods?”

“I think you did. I’m so glad you’re okay, Toni.”

“What a mess this is! I can’t even go home until I get a new passport and they can’t send it here.”

“Have it sent to my place.”

“Are you sure…sure you don’t want to be rid of us?”

“You…never,” he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, “him…ahh maybe.” He kissed her.

Toni leaned into him. “We’re known in Gloucester now, well known…”

“Yeah…we probably all need to go to ground for awhile. Somebody is gonna Google up Max Skinner and John Biebe and put two and two together.”

“It’s a shame…really it is, about Gloucester, because we like to slip down there, all of us do. Cape Ann is…is home.”

“Just lay low for awhile, honey. You know New Englander’s are pretty close-mouthed and quiet. They won’t bother you. It’s the outside people that worry me. If this story hits the AP then it’s on NBC, ABC, all over the news. Our names will be household words and our secret will be out.”

“I was just wondering how Russell Crowe would handle it if he knew that characters he created on screen were walking around the streets. How could anyone explain it…magic…right…everybody would want a piece of you.”

“I used to think we had a magic blanket thrown over us to protect us but I know that’s not so anymore. I had a guy I stopped for speeding ask me if I’d ever lived in Alaska. I said yeah and he said Mystery, Alaska? And laughed. I’ve had tourists stare at me and ask to take my picture. People think I look familiar.”

“All that protection ended when we left the magical world. I remember you being recognized when you were playing hockey in Gloucester. I had to use a bit of magic myself to erase that idea from a woman’s head. You are familiar. He’s a popular actor with two movies out this year. That’s why we don’t open La Siroque for wine tasting and tours. People come looking for A Good Year. They want the experience…they want Max. We hide behind the gates. Aubrey Duncan has a tasting room and it’s scary sometimes if Max goes over there, you know.”

“Terry seems to be safe.”

“Well, he’s not tied to a particular place and London is a big city, easy to get lost there.”

“Are there any others from the House that you know of?”

“Out in the world? There’s one about to be brought out. A young woman rented the house for a year and fell in love in summer, must be something about that season. She’s about to take Alex Ross out.”

“He’s younger…”

“Yeah, but not much… three years between you and him. He may have problems. He comes in right after WWII.”

“Is she bringing out all four or just him?”

“Just him but you know I didn’t start out to bring out four of you. It just happened along the way.”

“You brought out three, not four. Jack’s still locked in.”

“He wants that, though. I think the sooner we get out of here, out of this area, the better. Maybe we can go up to Bar Harbor?”

“Yeah, that’s full of tourists. You should be able to lose yourself there.”

“Or maybe just go home. I think the fun’s been had here. I’ll leave it up to Max.”

 Part 7

Max was waking up. He glanced down at his leg and the cast was gone. He moved his toes and sat up to have a look. It seemed to work. It was all there. He checked his elbow which had also suffered a bad scrape. Nothing there. Upon standing, he had a headache and felt a little woozy. He looked down at his attire, a hospital gown with the back out. He desperately wanted a shower and a meal. The last thing he remembered eating was a candy bar.

“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Toni hovered over him.

He’d been up and had a shower and, wrapped up in a robe and his underwear, he came back down to the kitchen to a big brunch.

“I’m starved, love, and I feel fine. The headache is drifting away now…I’m okay.” He received her kiss and picked up his knife and fork.

John looked him over and let him in on what he and Toni had been discussing.

“I agree,” he said through a mouthful of sausages. “We need to get out of this area. Problem is, we’re without a way to travel.”

“We could rent you something.”

“Right, would you rent me a car? Toni can’t. She’s lost all her ID. I don’t suppose any of that turned up anywhere?”

“I cancelled all my credit cards, and two of them were yours, love.”

“Oh, nice! Here we are then…no ID, no passport…no money. We won’t get far, will we? The cards are not a problem. I can go into any bank and have some money wired to us.”

“You’ve still got all your stuff, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do, but if you think for one minute that I’m leaving you anywhere, think again. You and I are going to be like Siamese twins, joined for eternity.”

Toni grinned, thinking of the possibilities of that statement.

“I can get you a vehicle but…why not just come home with me? We can put you up in one of the cottages and Bar Harbor is just a short drive away if you want to do the tourist thing. Once you get your passport you’re good to go anywhere then.”

“Oh…I had an American passport and it had me as Toni Stanley with my aunt’s address in Boston. The house is sold now. I’m legally Toni Thorne and going by Toni Skinner so…I live in France and England…I don’t know what to do.”

“You’re gonna need proof of identity to get your license, too. What did you have on it?” John asked

“Toni Thorne with the Virginia address.”

“Well, there you go then.” Max buttered a scone.

Toni rested her head in her hands. “We need to go to Virginia. I can get my license straightened out there and Washington DC is only a short hop by plane. I can get a passport there, I’m sure, without having to wait. After all it’s only a renewal.”

Max took a drink from his coffee cup. “And we’ve got three whole weeks…”

“Oh.”

“Yes…oh, I mean it’s not a problem for Tuppy to keep Rose but I’m not so sure about Terry and Maxi.”

“Why would that be a problem?" John asked. “Just one more boy in the tub?”

“It’s a problem if he has to go somewhere, if he’s out in the field.”

“I thought he wasn’t doing that any more.” Toni looked up over her fingers.

Max pushed his plate back. “I’m thinking this…let’s fly to Richmond, call somebody from the farm to pick us up and just stay there until we get the necessary documents to go home. That gets us out of the limelight here. All we need is to go into town and find some reporter to follow us back here.”

“He’s right, Toni.”

Toni sighed. They’d had two weeks of perfection, no worries, no pressures, no outside world crowding in on them. Was that all they could expect? "I guess so. Can you get us to Boston?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” John looked from one to the other. He felt a little sorry for them losing out their vacation like that. "Are we doing this today or what?”

“I’m all for moving quickly, John, and I think the sooner the better for you, too.”

“Yeah, Max, but then I gotta go home to Belfast. It ain’t going away for me for awhile.”

“Why not go to Virginia with us? I mean, Donna and the kids could fly down. It’s a great place for the boys.”

“Oh, wait a minute here! I’m not running from this. I’ll go home and face it, dispel rumors, etc…lie, whatever I have to do to get past it. Like I say, I live here. It will die down after awhile.”

“We’re talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. It may not even come up.” Toni picked up a cup of coffee.

“That’s true, love, but you have to be prepared for it. Every summer in the Luberon Valley tourists descend like locusts. They eat our markets up so that you can’t even go and find a decent cheese. They drive around like crazy people and think every vineyard is a public domain. Duflot has had to run them out of our vineyard. I would hate to think we’d end up like this country, all fenced in, but it’s a problem we have to deal with. I go about in sunglasses and try not to go into the villages where A Good Year was filmed, which limits me because they filmed in most of them. I speak French and stay to myself.”

“We had to install new gates. The old ones hadn’t been closed in a century. The property is recognizable from the film. We even changed the stone at the entrance to disguise the place. Honestly, John, we do live in some fear, not from locals but from tourists because they come to do A Good Year, some even have special tours that come right to our drive,” Toni added.

“We’ve been lucky, all of us, considering where all we’ve been. All right then, I’m ready when you are.”

“I’d like to take a shower…and….”

“Take your time. Today is fucked anyway.” John stepped out on the back terrace.

Max went upstairs with Toni and caught her as she headed for her tub. “Toni…I’m sorry, love, sorry for leaving you in that car. It’s ruined everything.”

“It wasn’t your fault and it’s been perfect here with you. I wish we could stay.”

Max ran a hand over her shoulder and down her front. “We could. We’d have to stay here at the house, no running into town, no way to leave.”

“Stranded with you…”

“Sounds awful, doesn’t it?”

“No…no, it doesn’t. We came here for that, didn’t we, and then got sidetracked going into town, trying to be tourists. We were becoming those people…” His hands had moved up underneath her breasts, giving her an uplift.

“So… we should send John home…shouldn’t we?” He tasted the tips.

“Ye-es.s.s.s, oooohhh!”

“Let him deal with passports, driver’s license…”

“Oh…I forgot…” She held on to the back of his neck. “I should….”

“Not right now…” He closed in.

An hour and a half later Max came down the stairs. John was watching TV in the living room.

“Inside on a day like this?”

John looked up, knowing full well where and what Max had been doing for the last hour or so. “Yeah, well…”

“Um, slight change of plans. If you could take us down to Salem to the post office where we could obtain forms for Toni to fill out.”

John looked at him for a moment. “And then what?”

“She could, um, fill them out quickly and snag a photo and mail it off right away and then you could bring us back here,” he smiled.

John ran a hand over his face and through his hair. “Forever?”

“What?”

“Just leave you here forever? Because I’ll tell you right now, Max, I’m not running a damn taxi service up and down the coast road. My deputy has given up his day off today so I can be down here with you. Now, I don’t mind it because you’re in a jam and need help, but there’s a limit. Belfast ain’t next door.”

“Hmm, so I guess the answer is …no?”

“Fuck you, Skinner!”

“Right…”

“I’ll give you a ride to Salem. Maybe you can pick up a ride there. Could be a rental place around or a used car lot…get you a set of wheels anyway.”

Max was buckling on a watch he found upstairs and glanced at John. “That would work. Look, um, I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful for what you’ve done. If it wasn’t for you we’d still be rotting in the state park. You’ve saved both of us and I owe you for that. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

John raised a brow. Was he sincere or not? “Just to see the two of you walking around now is thanks enough.” He glanced at his watch.  “When do ya think we might set off for Salem?”

“She’s drying her hair now…soon.” Max stepped outside and lit a cigarette.

“Thought you’d given them up.”

“Thoughts sure travel fast. Just because Terry did…I am…working on it…now is, um, not the…”

“I gotcha.”

Toni came down the stairs, feeling absolutely wonderful. One would never know a day before she’d been lost and injured on a mountain. She saw Max outside smoking, a resting a hand on his hip. She took a breath. They’d almost lost each other and being together right now was very important to both of them. She hoped John wouldn’t be too upset.

“Hey, John, did, um, Max….”

“Yeah, I think we’ll see if we can find you a rental car in Salem.
 

Max kissed her briefly. “He’s reminded me he’s not a coastal taxi service.”

“Oh, no…no, he most certainly isn’t.”

John took them to Salem and found a small rental agency. Max paid for three weeks in advance for the 2000 Ford Focus, not what he was used to driving but, what the hell, it was transportation and it’s not like he’d be driving it much anyway. They went to the post office and took care of her passport request, giving the address in Virginia.  John said his goodbyes and left them to figure out the rest.

Max stopped and filled up the gas tank then slid into the driver’s seat. “We are finally alone…again. What should we do?”

“Buy lobster rolls and have them down on the wharf, wash them down with a cold beer and then go back to the House.”

“You have the best ideas…”

Later they were at the washing down part, sitting at an outdoor bar. “I feel kind of bad about John. I don’t think we treated him very well.”

Max emptied his bottle and set it down. “I don’t feel bad. He was beginning to feel very much like a 5^th wheel, and there was the suppressed sexual desire for you, his nearly nauseating devotion to his job in Belfast, the fact that Terry was on his ass about leaving us stranded and he’d done all the important things like saving your life. There are just so many words that say thank you. He knows.”

“He saved your life, too, and that’s pretty important to me. It’s been a long day…”

“Are you getting tired, love?”

“Yes, not much sleep last night. You don’t in a hospital even when they drug you. I’m so glad you’re okay. It scares me so. After what happened with Terry I don’t trust the house to fix everything.”

“I feel fine, love, and you saw my leg…my arm…I almost lost you.”

“And I you. It was nobody’s fault. Just one of those crazy things, but how close…Max.”

“I know…believe me, I know.” He drove them to the House.

He kissed her on the bottom step and the House, sensing their mood, had lowered the lights. Up two steps and they stopped again…lips barely touching, she pulled his shirttail from his slacks, wanting to touch his warm smooth skin.

Her knit top came over her head. Up three more steps their shoes came off and a kiss...lingering.

His shirt followed hers, left on the staircase. They reached the landing. He fumbled at the back of her lacy bra. It was a front loader and she smiled and guided his hands. He grinned, trapping her against the wall and kissing her, fondling her breasts. She caught his belt and released his slacks, sending them sliding over his hips to the floor where he stepped out of them. He turned her twice around and they were at her bedroom door. It swung open for them to enter.

And closed.

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