A Love That's Divine--Part Nine

"Hi there, are you sure you're up for the flight today?" she asked pleasantly.

"Oh, yeah," he said, opening the door for her, "I don't sleep well at night. Once I finish my coffee, I'll be in tip-top shape."

Cole was silent most of the way to Tisdale, which was about fifteen minutes from the hotel. Jennifer watched out her window at the changing leaves.

"What a beautiful day for a plane ride. How long have you been a pilot, Cole?"

"For about thirty years. I was a fighter pilot in the war," he answered, looking straight ahead.

"Oh…it must be nice to fly for pleasure now, especially around here. The scenery is breath-taking," Jennifer said, trying to keep the conversation light. Cole nodded and took a long gulp of his coffee.

"You know, your sculptures are wonderful. Jonathan and I were impressed with your talent. Have you ever thought to show them in a gallery?"

Cole took a deep breath. "No. I just do them for fun, I guess."

"They really are extraordinary. You should consider showing them," she pushed, noting his slight embarrassment. She smiled at him, as he looked over at her briefly. Don't look at her, he told himself, don't look at her.

The airport finally came into view. It was a small airstrip with about a dozen twin-engine planes in wait. Cole pulled up along the airfield and parked the truck. Jennifer stepped out, looking up at the clear, blue sky. "This is going to be wonderful," she exclaimed. Cole shook his head in agreement, and then walked to the plane.

"Wait here for a minute. I've just got to go through my checklist and make sure everything's all set," he said, walking over to the aircraft. Jennifer buttoned up her sweater. The brisk morning air gave her a slight chill. Several moments later, Cole emerged and motioned for her to come to the plane. He helped her into the cockpit, making sure to keep his eyes off her. She is too beautiful to hurt, he thought, but then Katherine's threats rang in his ears.

Jennifer settled into her seat and put on her seatbelt. Cole walked around and got into the pilot's seat. He radioed to the tower for clearance.

"Will we be able to see Carter's Ridge today?" Jennifer asked, hoping to get a glimpse of Gloria Cromwell's gravesite.

"Yes, I think I can get fairly close so that you can get a good look," he said, starting the engine and taxiing the plane out to the runway.

"You know, I really appreciate your taking me up today," she said, as the plane picked up speed and lifted off the ground.

Cole shrugged and clenched his jaw. "Do you and Sandy fly a lot?" she asked.

"Maybe once a week or so. We have friends in Vermont that we fly up to visit regularly," he answered, glancing at her briefly. He felt a churning in his gut. Why did I let Katherine talk me into this, he thought.

"Are you all right?" Jennifer asked, concerned. "Is something the matter?"

Cole ran his hand through his hair, concentrating on his plan. He had mapped out everything, timed the entire sequence of events. And now, with Jennifer sitting next to him, his conscience was wearing him down. He had to stay focused.

"I'm fine," he answered. "Look, we're coming around due east. You can see the Wallingford from here," he said pointing out her window.

Jennifer looked. "Oh, yes. It really is a splendid hotel. It looks magnificent up here. Tell me, Cole, Sandy says that you've known Katherine Belleveau for a long time."

Cole gripped the wheel tightly. "Yes…a long time."

Jonathan sat in the board meeting, listening to the members introduce themselves. He was puzzled as to the hastiness of the meeting, since most of the members had busy schedules that day and this meeting was clearly a last-minute decision. After an hour, they disbanded and Katherine thanked them all for coming on short notice. Jonathan shook hands with everyone on his way out.

"Jonathan, please join me for coffee," Katherine said smoothly.

"No, thank you…I've got some things to do, then I'm meeting Jennifer," he said curtly. Katherine nodded. "Very well...When can I expect to have your decision, Jonathan? I don't mean to pressure you, but I know that you and Jennifer will probably be leaving soon."

"I'm definitely interested. I'm going to have my attorneys draw up some of the legal papers, and then I'll sit down with you to look them over," he answered.

"Very good," she said, smiling. Yes, she thought, Plan A has been accomplished, and soon Plan B will be too.

The kitchen staff was bustling at 10:00 a.m. that morning, cleaning up from breakfast and preparing for the lunch crowd. Derby had returned to work that day, coaxed by Charles to return to his routine. He was glad he had followed his brother's advice. As he was finishing cleaning the grill, he turned to find Jonathan Hart standing at his side.

"Hello. I'm Jonathan Hart. You must be Derby…Derby Canfield?" Jonathan asked politely, extending a hand.

"Oh, yes," Derby stammered, quickly wiping his hands on his apron to shake Jonathan's hand.

"How are you feeling? We've heard you've been ill," Jonathan asked.

"Much better, thank you. Is there something I can help you with? Did you need anything special from the kitchen? I can put together a nice picnic basket, if you are heading out," Derby said.

"No, no," Jonathan said, smiling at Derby's graciousness. "Actually, I just wanted to ask you about the backpacks we had made up the other day. Do you remember making up four backpacks for Miss Belleveau, Cal Wingate, my wife, and myself on Monday morning?"

"Oh, yes, Mr. Hart, I remember them. I made them up myself. Was everything all right?" he asked, worried that he had forgotten to put a lunch in one of them.

"Ah, yes, the food was fine…. Actually, to be honest, we never ate them. It's a long story, but what I wanted to know was who picked the backpacks up from the kitchen," Jonathan said.

Derby scratched his head. "No one. I delivered them to Miss Belleveau's office personally," he said.

Jonathan looked off into the distance, trying to put together the pieces. "Are you absolutely sure? Cal didn't come to pick them up?"

"I'm positive, Mr. Hart. Miss Belleveau asked me specifically to bring them to her office that morning."

"Did that seem a little strange to you?"

"Well, sir," Derby said, nodding his head, "now that you ask, it was a little out of the ordinary. Usually, I just bring them to the front desk."

Jonathan patted Derby on the back, "Well, thank you for the information. I won't take up any more of your time…oh, by the way, my wife is eager to talk with you…about the history of the Wallingford. Will you be around later this afternoon?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, I'll be here," Derby said.

Jennifer studied the landscape below her, marveling at the vastness of the White Mountains. Cole pulled the plane in closer, coming around from the west. He began to shift in his seat, trying to concentrate on what he was going to do next.

"So, how long have you known Katherine?" Jennifer asked.

Cole squinted. "A long time." He maneuvered the plane closer, looking for the exact place where he wanted to eject. He figured he would track the coordinates and then circle around the mountain one final time.

"Since you were kids? I'm trying to picture the two of you in high school," Jennifer laughed. Cole grunted. His head began to ache. Her questions were distracting him.

"Sandy said you went to school together. It's interesting that you both ended up here in New Hampshire." Jennifer noticed that Cole had become preoccupied and tense.

"Is that Carter's Ridge?" she said, peering down.

"Yeah, that's it," he answered, wiping his brow. What am I doing, Cole thought to himself. This is madness.

Jennifer looked at him, her eyes full of compassion. "Are you all right, Cole? You look flushed. Maybe we should head back."

Cole looked into her eyes, unable to avoid her beseeching look. He swallowed nervously, wincing at a pain deep inside of him, somewhere deep in his soul. You're a murderer anyway, a voice inside his head called out to him.

"Really, Cole, you've shown me a lot today. We can turn around," she said sympathetically. Cole said nothing, again trying to focus on his plan and not get distracted by Jennifer - by the soft, feminine concern in her voice.

"Cole? Please, if you're not feeling well, certainly - " Jennifer was cut off.

"SHUT UP!" Cole burst out, sweat beginning to trickle down the side of his face.

Jennifer's mouth dropped open. She looked at him wide-eyed and swallowed hard. "Okay, okay," she whispered.

Jonathan stormed into Katherine's office, not bothering to knock. Katherine looked up from her desk, startled at Jonathan's sudden presence. He walked over to her desk and leaned forward, his eyes boring through her. "I want an explanation and I want it now," he said, trying to contain his anger.

"What are you talking about, Jonathan?" she said, keeping her composure.

"What did you do to Jennifer's water the day of the hike?" he said evenly, not taking his eyes from her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katherine said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Don't give me that!" he said, his anger rising. "You had those backpacks made up and delivered to your office that morning. I checked with payroll. According to Cal's timecard, he didn't get to work until ten minutes before we left for the hike. You were the only one with access to those water bottles!"

"Jonathan, it's true that I had the bags brought here, so I could make sure everything was all set. What on earth would make you think I'd do something with Jennifer's water bottle," Katherine said.

"I don't know what your game is, but you'd better come clean right now." he said, clenching his teeth.

Katherine closed the notebook in front of her and stood. She slowly walked around the desk and stood by the window, her mind racing. Jonathan was losing his patience. Finally, she turned to face him, her eyes filling with tears. "Jonathan," she said, her voice trembling, "I don't know what's going on. I don't how that drug got into her bottle."

Jonathan stepped closer to her. "I never said anything about a drug," he said, ignoring her tears. Katherine bit the side of her cheek.

"You put the benzodiazepine into her bottle. You wanted her to collapse on that mountain, didn't you?" Jonathan continued. "For some twisted reason, you planned all this. You even had someone drop Jennifer off the mountainside, hoping she would be injured or even killed, didn't you?" Jonathan said, his eyes wandering around the room, frantically searching for answers. Katherine shook her head, backing away from Jonathan.

"It wasn't Cal though. He was a decoy," he continued, putting the pieces together. "It was someone who knew the trail well…someone who could watch us from a distance and follow us…" Suddenly, Jonathan's face went white. "It was Cole…he could see the trail from his picture window...you got the medication from him," he said, his face full of panic. Within minutes, Jonathan was running out of the hotel and headed out onto the highway toward Tisdale.

Jennifer watched Cole, wanting to say something, but scared to open her mouth. Cole continued to wipe his brow. She noticed something harnessed to his chest, though she could not figure out what it was. Finally, she couldn't stand the uncertainty.

"Cole, what's happening? I'm scared," she said as quietly as she could.

Cole looked at her, his face softening a bit. "Listen, I never wanted to get involved, I swear to you," he said, pulling the plane up. He had missed his targeted position - the place where he was going to bail from the aircraft. Relax, he thought, I'll just circle around and come at it again.

"Get involved in what?" Jennifer asked, her eyes growing wider.

"I don't want to do this, but I have no choice," he said, trying to shake the guilt.

"Do what?" she said, terrified. Cole closed his eyes and shook his head.

Jennifer watched him closely, her whole body trembling. Cole pulled his jacket off and adjusted his parachute gear. "What are going to do?" Jennifer said, barely audible. He turned to her, just as the tears began to spill over her cheeks.

"I'm bailing out...I'm sorry," he said, looking away from her.

"Bailing out?," Jennifer paused, trying to think clearly. "You're going to let me crash in this plane?" she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Cole said nothing. "Oh, God," she whispered and closed her eyes tightly.

She turned to him and put her hand on his arm. "Please, Cole, I'm begging you, don't do this. What have I done? Why would you do this to me?" she beseeched him.

"It's Katherine...I have to do it. I have no choice."

"Katherine? This is her idea?" Jennifer said, bewildered. "She wants you to kill me?" Jennifer put her face into her hands, sobbing quietly. Finally, she looked over at Cole.

"Cole, you're not a murderer. Why are you doing this?"

Cole grunted and shook his head. "You don't know anything about me."

The Range Rover was just breaking eighty miles per hour when the New Hampshire State Police saw him race by. Officers Kent and Paulson threw on their lights and screeched out on the highway following Jonathan, as he headed for the Tisdale airfield. Jonathan looked back in his rear view mirror, relieved to have the backup. "C'mon, c'mon," Jonathan said to himself, his heart pounding. Finally, the airfield came into view. Jonathan pulled up to the small radio tower and jumped out of the Rover, his hands in the air.

"Don't move!" Officer Paulson shouted. The two officers slowly approached Jonathan.

"Listen, I'm not armed. My wife is in danger. She's in an airplane right now with a possible murderer. We've got to get her down," Jonathan said, pleadingly.

"Hold on now, buddy," Officer Kent said, as he searched Jonathan. "Now, what's the story?"

"There's a man, Cole Jackson, flying a plane with my wife. I have good reason to believe she is in danger. I think he's going to try to kill her. We need to get him down," Jonathan said, emphatically.

"Cole Jackson? Aw, c'mon, Cole wouldn't do that. I know Cole," Officer Paulson said.

"Please...just radio to him to come back here, and I'll explain the whole story, I swear," he said.

"Well," Officer Kent said to his colleague, "it wouldn't hurt to check it out." Jonathan exhaled.

Officer Kent went to his car to radio the control tower, as Jonathan stood waiting with Officer Paulson. Finally, the officer returned. "They've got him on the screen, but he's not responding to the radio calls."

Jonathan banged his fist on the hood of the Rover. "Damn!"

"Cole, listen to me. I don't know what kind of hold Katherine has over you, but I can't imagine that it's worth murdering me for," Jennifer said, looking Cole in the eyes. "You'll be in jail for the rest of your life. You won't get away with it."

Cole's hands were shaking. "You listen to me. I am a murderer... I deserve to die," he said, forcing down the emotion that was choking him. He pulled the plane up and began circling back towards Carter's Ridge.

"You murdered someone?" Jennifer asked in a whisper, not wanting to hear his answer.

Cole nodded his head, slowly at first and then more vigorously. "Yeah, that's right. You're looking at a murderer. I killed Samantha Phelan, my high school sweetheart..." he said, his face tightening with grief.

Jennifer watched him wide-eyed, waiting for him to continue. She didn't dare open her mouth.

"I didn't mean to," he began to sob. "We were diving off the tower...just having fun...she was afraid to jump...I pushed her...I didn't know that she didn't know how to swim..."

Jennifer looked at him, her eyes full of compassion. "Cole, it was an accident...Katherine saw you do this, didn't she?"

Cole nodded. "She helped me cover up the truth. No one ever knew I pushed her," he said, his voice choking on the words. Jennifer shook her head, now fully understanding his pain.

Suddenly, Cole took off his parachute. "Here put this on."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Just do it. I'm going to pull the plane up just past that clearing," he said pointing out the window, "and then I want you to jump. Count four seconds in your head and then pull this cord...you'll be okay."

"Cole! I can't do that...please, just bring the plane back. Everything will be all right, I promise," Jennifer pleaded.

"Do it...do it or you'll die with me in this plane," he said, looking at her directly for the first time. His manner had changed dramatically. He was suddenly calm.

Jennifer slipped on the parachute gear. "Please, Cole..."

"We're coming up to the clearing...Get over by the door. Don't forget to count to four...Go, for God's sake!" he demanded.

Jennifer got out of her seat and stood by the door, her hands trembling. She reached for the cord and held it tightly. Cole got up out of his seat and pulled the door. Jennifer looked at him one last time. "Please, Cole," she cried, "don't do this..." Cole jerked open the door and pushed Jennifer out into the cold autumn air. He watched her body fall slowly down, and then looked away. "God forgive me. I hope we're even," he muttered.

Jonathan was pacing back and forth, while Officer Kent continued to speak with the control tower. There was still no response from Cole's radio.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion. Jonathan looked out towards Carter's Ridge and saw a cloud of smoke billow into the air. "No!" he yelled.

"Officer Kent? Officer Kent? Over," the controller's voice came over the police radio. Officer Kent picked up.

"Officer Kent. What is it? Over."

"Cole's plane went down ten miles due west, sir."