Embrace Me by Roberta Latow

flashing before Harry through the hypnotic to and fro of the windscreen wipers. She would appear from the blackness and vanish under a cascade of water into the night. The sadness in her face when he’d made no reply to her request was something he would remember all his life.
    She had asked him to do something that was impossible. Had she not realised that such a demand would set them at odds? Could she not see that making such a request placed them both in an untenable position? Harry’s love for September had struck him like a bolt of lightning. He was aware that it would continue to affect him all the days of his life. Had it not been exactly the same for her?
    She must love Olivia beyond measure or why would September risk her newfound happiness for her friend? Olivia … What was this power she had over people? He could feel her seductive charm in the depths of his soul. Harry was smitten by this most unusual woman who manifested herself as a shining star everyone wanted to touch, be a part of, and was now coming between him and love on a grand scale, an erotic coupling that was unimaginably thrilling. September was already a part of Harry’s life, but then again so was finding Lady Olivia Cinders whose dark side it seemed must always be forgiven. Why?
    He was wet through when he entered the pub. Much to his surprise it was still filled with people. He went to the bar and asked Hannah Brite for a double whisky. The kitchen was closed but Jethroe offered to cook him a fillet steak. Harry wentupstairs to change into dry clothes, then to the sitting-room where he saw Sixsmith pondering some papers. Harry liked Joe Sixsmith, had high hopes for him. He was quick of mind, often too quick and inclined to rush to judgement. But that was mostly inexperience and not being as cautious as Harry would like him to be. Sixsmith listened and learned from his mistakes and he was conscientious. They made a good team.
    ‘What are you mulling over?’ Harry asked.
    ‘I had the Yard fax us all the information on flight plans registered by both English and French air traffic controllers, to see if we had missed anything now we have a clearer idea where Lady Olivia might have taken off from. I spoke at length with Paris Information, a radio contact point for aircraft, but they had nothing to help us. If a plane flew from the airstrip here I can tell you the pilot took a terrific chance because he failed to ‘activate’ his flight plan as pilots are legally required to do.’
    ‘She could have flown herself or been flown from here, taken the dangerous chance of not activating her flight plan and not headed direct for the Channel. She could have headed for somewhere else in England and crossed the Channel by boat,’ suggested Harry.
    ‘No, I don’t think so, sir. She’d choose to get out of England as fast and as far as she could. That’s what I’m sure she did. With her network of friends maybe she changed planes several times. I’m following several possibilities but I have little hope. It took me three hours to get the authorities to mount an investigation of every private landing field along the coast of the south of France.’
    ‘Every lead must be followed, Joe, but I’d bet that whoever flew Lady Olivia out of the country, a flight plan was never issued by the authorities either here or in France. If we do establish that she used the Sefton Park airstrip to get away we will pursue it to the end, you can be sure of that.’
    Harry offered Joe a drink and the two men went down to the bar. Jethroe had laid a place for Harry at the end of it since all the tables were still taken, which suited him very well as it set him apart from the hustle and bustle of the patrons. Someone moved from the bar stool next to him down one without beingasked and Joe took it. Harry was distracted by the extent of The Fox’s wine list which gave him another insight into the pub’s clientele. He ignored the several reds and whites in the lower