us."
He rubbed his fingers across the back of her hand, wishing he could soothe away the worry lines from her face. "We’ll just have to see that they don’t."
"You don’t know these people, Jerome." She shook her hair away from her face, and her eyes were full of concern.
"You’re right, I don’t, but I’m beginning to. And as long as you continue to tell me the truth, I can handle anything that comes up."
Before he could react one way or another, she leaned toward him and kissed him, murmuring, "Thank you." Then she moved away, out of his reach. It had been a light, gentle kiss, but as their lips had touched, it had felt as if a thousand watts of power had jolted through him. Jerome fought the almost desperate need to pull her back to him.
"Jennifer," he said, his tone carefully neutral, "I want us to get away together, someplace where we’ll be out of the center of this pressure cooker that we’ve been living in for days. It’s Friday now. We could leave tomorrow morning and have a couple of days together while we wait for the bank to open Monday morning. Will you go with me?"
Without a moment’s hesitation she nodded. He relaxed the muscles he had been unconsciously tensing. But all he said was, "Good. Good."
Chapter Six
Saturday morning Jerome placed a call to the newsstand across the street. "Leo, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Mr. Mailer."
"I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and don’t think I should go out. Would you mind bringing me a morning paper up to my apartment?"
Leo hesitated only a second. "I’ll be right up with it." A few minutes later she was at his front door.
"Sorry I had to ask you to come up here, Leo," Jerome apologized as he let her in, "but I need your help and the paper was the only excuse I could think of to get you up here."
"That’s okay," she murmured, showing definite signs of being ill at ease. Wearing her usual many-layered attire, she shuffled into the expensively and handsomely decorated room, looking roughly majestic and as out of place as the antique rocking horse once had.
Jerome offered the older woman his hand. "I appreciate your coming."
With a stiff movement she took it. "I told you I’d help in any way I could."
"I appreciate that. Let’s sit down. Jennifer?" He held his hand out to her, indicating that she should join them. He waited until they were all three seated and then commenced. "I didn’t want to go into any details over the phone, but one of the reasons I asked you up was to find out if you’ve noticed any strangers around."
"Two men. They’ve sublet an apartment catty-cornered to your building. The one to the left of my stand."
"I wonder how they managed that? I thought this neighborhood was filled up and there was a waiting list."
"The story is that an older couple, the Jacobsons, came into some unexpected money and decided to travel for a while. They sublet their apartment to these men."
Without saying anything Jennifer got to her feet and walked to the window. With her arms wrapped around her waist she stared out into the growing light of the day.
Leo’s eyes followed Jennifer’s progress while she gave him the final piece of information. "The lease is in the name of Gardner Benjamin."
"That’s the name of the man Richard saw in Switzerland," Jennifer said dully.
Jerome looked at her worriedly, seeing the fear she was trying so hard to hide. He swiveled back to Leo. "This just underscores our problem. We need to get out of the city this morning without being seen. Can you help us?"
Leo didn’t miss a beat or waste time asking questions. "I’ll borrow a delivery truck from a friend of mine and back it up to the service entrance. We’ll open the doors and all you’ll have to do is step in. Then I’ll drive you to a place I know on the outskirts of town, where I’ll have a car waiting."
He grinned admiringly, but suggested, "Maybe it would be better if you didn’t drive us yourself.
He rubbed his fingers across the back of her hand, wishing he could soothe away the worry lines from her face. "We’ll just have to see that they don’t."
"You don’t know these people, Jerome." She shook her hair away from her face, and her eyes were full of concern.
"You’re right, I don’t, but I’m beginning to. And as long as you continue to tell me the truth, I can handle anything that comes up."
Before he could react one way or another, she leaned toward him and kissed him, murmuring, "Thank you." Then she moved away, out of his reach. It had been a light, gentle kiss, but as their lips had touched, it had felt as if a thousand watts of power had jolted through him. Jerome fought the almost desperate need to pull her back to him.
"Jennifer," he said, his tone carefully neutral, "I want us to get away together, someplace where we’ll be out of the center of this pressure cooker that we’ve been living in for days. It’s Friday now. We could leave tomorrow morning and have a couple of days together while we wait for the bank to open Monday morning. Will you go with me?"
Without a moment’s hesitation she nodded. He relaxed the muscles he had been unconsciously tensing. But all he said was, "Good. Good."
Chapter Six
Saturday morning Jerome placed a call to the newsstand across the street. "Leo, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Mr. Mailer."
"I’ve been feeling a little under the weather and don’t think I should go out. Would you mind bringing me a morning paper up to my apartment?"
Leo hesitated only a second. "I’ll be right up with it." A few minutes later she was at his front door.
"Sorry I had to ask you to come up here, Leo," Jerome apologized as he let her in, "but I need your help and the paper was the only excuse I could think of to get you up here."
"That’s okay," she murmured, showing definite signs of being ill at ease. Wearing her usual many-layered attire, she shuffled into the expensively and handsomely decorated room, looking roughly majestic and as out of place as the antique rocking horse once had.
Jerome offered the older woman his hand. "I appreciate your coming."
With a stiff movement she took it. "I told you I’d help in any way I could."
"I appreciate that. Let’s sit down. Jennifer?" He held his hand out to her, indicating that she should join them. He waited until they were all three seated and then commenced. "I didn’t want to go into any details over the phone, but one of the reasons I asked you up was to find out if you’ve noticed any strangers around."
"Two men. They’ve sublet an apartment catty-cornered to your building. The one to the left of my stand."
"I wonder how they managed that? I thought this neighborhood was filled up and there was a waiting list."
"The story is that an older couple, the Jacobsons, came into some unexpected money and decided to travel for a while. They sublet their apartment to these men."
Without saying anything Jennifer got to her feet and walked to the window. With her arms wrapped around her waist she stared out into the growing light of the day.
Leo’s eyes followed Jennifer’s progress while she gave him the final piece of information. "The lease is in the name of Gardner Benjamin."
"That’s the name of the man Richard saw in Switzerland," Jennifer said dully.
Jerome looked at her worriedly, seeing the fear she was trying so hard to hide. He swiveled back to Leo. "This just underscores our problem. We need to get out of the city this morning without being seen. Can you help us?"
Leo didn’t miss a beat or waste time asking questions. "I’ll borrow a delivery truck from a friend of mine and back it up to the service entrance. We’ll open the doors and all you’ll have to do is step in. Then I’ll drive you to a place I know on the outskirts of town, where I’ll have a car waiting."
He grinned admiringly, but suggested, "Maybe it would be better if you didn’t drive us yourself.
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