Chapter 11: Just In The Line Of Duty
Chapter 11:
Tina and Sheridan arrived at the Crane Cabin. Sheridan glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed it was six ten. “Oh good, it only took us 20 minutes to get here, Sheridan announced. She took the packages she’d picked up from the Lobster Shack and brought them into the kitchen. She started frantically unpacking the boxes, when Tina stepped in to help. “Let me do this, Sheridan. You go get ready.” “Thank you Tina!” Sheridan said appreciatively. She started towards the shower and then doubled back and walked up to Tina. She gave her a hug and said, “Thank you Tina for everything. There have been so many people in my life that have gone out of their way to keep me away from Luis. You are really the first person who has supported our effort.”
Tina hugged Sheridan and smiled. “You are very welcome. I know we met under very trying circumstances, but I am very glad I met both you and Luis.” “I too am very glad we met,” Sheridan grinned. “I bet even Luis would agree with that, even though he was the one behind bars.” Right!” Tina said laughing. “Now go get ready, Sheridan!” Tina ordered jokingly. “Yes Ma’am!” Sheridan saluted, as she ran off to the other room to get ready.
Luis had just finished getting dressed (he was at home this time and not the Youth Center.) He wasn’t sure exactly what Sheridan had planned for this evening, so he decided he’d better look half way decent. He wore a pair of snug black pants, charcoal gray shirt and dark gray suit coat. He shoved a tie in his pocket; just in case, really hoping he wouldn’t have to wear it. He was pretty sure Sheridan would have warned him if they were going someplace formal, however.
Luis was checked his appearance in the mirror, once again, then looked at his watch. It was 6:45. Almost time to leave. ‘Not early and not late. Boy did she want a lot,’ he thought. Luis was trying to imagine where she would take him, hoping it wouldn’t be someplace too crowded. He’d really liked the idea of the secluded area on the beach, but had to agree, it was definitely to cold to stay there at night. Not in May anyhow. Luis walked downstairs and headed into the kitchen to leave a note for his mother, when he heard someone whistling at him. He turned around to see Theresa smiling at him in a way that made him blush.
Whoa, Luis! You look hot tonight! Going somewhere special?” She teased. “You don’t give up do you Theresa?” Luis answered trying to hide his grin. “Nope!” She announced proudly. “And I’m not going to either!” Luis gave her a dirty look, followed by a kiss on the forehead. “Is Sheridan coming home with you tonight?” Theresa asked pryingly. “Or maybe you aren’t coming home tonight?” “Theresa, look,” Luis said, “Sheridan’s cottage is still a crime scene so she can’t go back there. For some reason, she won’t stay in the mansion, so Mama and I invited her to stay here until her cottage is ready. That’s all.” “Whatever you say, Luis,” Theresa said with feigned sincerity.
Luis knew there was no way he would win this argument, so he decided to just let it be. “Theresa, tell Mama I went out with Sheridan tonight and I don’t know when I’ll be home. Heck, I don’t even know where we’re going!” He laughed. “Surprise date, huh?” Theresa asked grinning. “Yeah,” Luis answered nervously. “Now I have to meet Sheridan at the Book Cafe, so I’ll see you later.” Luis quickly left his house and headed for the Book Cafe. Antoine and Jake Stuart sat in the hospital room holding Roger and Pierre. Both were reading newspapers, occasionally glancing up at the prisoners. The nurses came and went, dispensing medications, changing dressings and over all caring for their patients. Roger and Pierre still had not uttered a sound since their capture. They made no attempt at escape or disrupting any form of the hospital routine.
Jake looked up from his newspaper and yawned. He stretched his arms and shook his head, trying to prevent sleep from taking over. This was not a good duty for someone who had not slept in 24 hours. “Why don’t you get a cup of coffee?” Antoine suggested. Jake, who was extremely fatigued, agreed. “I could use one,” he said. “Can I get you a cup as well?” “Oui,” Antoine answered. “Merci.” Jake left the room and headed to the nurses’ lounge where they were allowed to get coffee. Antoine checked the door to make sure Jake was gone. Once satisfied, he went over to Roger. “Roger, are you well enough to travel?”
“Oui,” Roger answered. “They are scheduled to come in at nine o’clock to give us sleeping pills. Pierre and I will make sure we do not swallow them. They will come and change my dressing at 10:00 and the change of shift is at 11:00. The night nurse will come in at 11:30 to check us and then we will not be disturbed for several hours. “You will check our shackles when the dressing change is complete. We will give you the sleeping pills at that time. At 11:00 you will go get coffee and slip the pills into the Interpol agents coffee. He will become very sleepy when the night nurse makes rounds, but still awake. We will wait until he is sleeping soundly and then make our escape through the window. The double dose of sleeping pills should knock him out for several hours. If everything goes as I plan, we will have a very good start before we are discovered missing.” Roger finished explaining the plan just as the door opened. Antoine jumped back from the bed and bolted toward the door to help Jake open it.
“Thanks,” Jake said, handing Antoine a cup of coffee. “No, thank you,” Antoine answered with a smile. Luis nervously grabbed the small package on the seat next to him and stuffed it in his pocket. He then climbed out of his car and walked into the Book Cafe. He looked around for Sheridan, but didn’t see her anywhere. He looked at his watch. It was exactly 7:00. He was just about to grab a seat and wait, when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.
Luis turned around and was a little surprised to see Tina standing there. “Tina?” He said in surprise, “Where’s Sheridan?” “It seems as if I am to play chauffeur tonight. Sheridan asked me if I could bring you to the cabin.” “Cabin?” Luis asked inquisitively. “Yes. Cabin. A nice cozy cabin secluded in the woods,” Tina grinned. “Now if you will follow me, sir?” Tina said jokingly. Luis laughed as he followed Tina to her car. “What on earth were you two up to today?” Luis asked as he got into Tina’s car. “Nothing much. We did some shopping, had some lunch, a little girl talk,” she said as she started driving towards the cabin. “You know, Luis, I really like Sheridan. She’s a lot of fun to be around.” Tina said.
“She is fun, isn’t she?” Luis grinned. “It is ironic though,” Tina said thoughtfully. “What’s ironic?” Luis questioned. “Just that she never seems to have trouble putting you in your place, but she can’t seem to do it with other people,” Tina explained. Luis laughed. “You’re right about that. Who needed to be put in their place anyway?” He asked after thinking for a minute. “Your friend Hank,” Tina told him. “Hank was bothering Sheridan?” Luis asked angrily. “What happened? What did he say?”
“Oh he was saying things like ‘I forgive you Sheridan for lying to me last night. I know why you did it. I know what you really want and don’t worry, I ’ll be the one to give it to you.’ Stuff like that,” Tina explained. “Sheridan was completely unnerved by the whole ordeal. I can’t say that I blame her though. He was acting like a man obsessed. He had a very eerie look about him.” Luis was furious. “Did he hurt her?” He asked.
“No, I stopped that from happening,” Tina said proudly. “Just as we were about to leave, Hank grabbed her arm as if he wasn’t going to let her leave, so I did the same thing. I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He didn’t like that too much.” Luis laughed. “I bet he didn’t! Thanks Tina. I owe you.” “Don’t worry about it, Luis,” Tina said. “It’s over.” “Maybe for tonight, but I doubt it’s over for long,” Luis said glumly. “How so?” Tina asked.
“Hank and I have been best friends since we’ve been kids, but we are very different people. We want different things in life. We also have always been highly competitive in everything. Unfortunately for Hank, I usually win and he can’t stand to lose. Especially to me. “Anyway, Hank set his sights on Sheridan when she first came into town. She’s beautiful and she’s a Crane, which means she’s loaded. Hank likes the high life and he saw Sheridan as his ticket. Sheridan went out with him a few times, but was never interested in him as anything but a friend. Last night, Hank found out that two of their dates were mix-ups. Sheridan wanted to be going out with me, not Hank, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she didn’t tell him. He overheard her telling me. I was very glad to hear it, but Hank was furious.” Luis finished his story. He then added, “Hank has changed since he’s been back in Harmony this time. He’s a much angrier person and to tell you the truth, nothing he does would surprise me.”
“Wow,” Tina said. “You and Sheridan do have quite a few hurdles to get over, don’t you?” Tina asked. “We do at that!” Luis grinned. “Well, here we are,” Tina said as she pulled up in front of the cabin. “Thanks, Tina,” Luis said. He started to get out of the car when a thought occurred to him. “Hey, if you drop me off here, how are we going to get home?” “Tina laughed and then gave Luis a raised eyebrow and knowing glance. “Sheridan said there’s a car left here all the time for emergencies. Don’t worry. She’s not planning on holding you “Good night Tina,” Luis grinned, trying to ignore her last remark. “See you tomorrow, Luis,” Tina said. She then drove off as Luis walked to the door of the cabin.
Hank Bennett was sitting in his room at the B&B. He was listening to the radio, thinking about how he would get Sheridan back from Luis. He was totally lost in thought when his cell phone rang, causing him to jump slightly. Hank picked up the phone. “Hello?... Yes, I meant it last night... 12:30?... You want me to meet you where?... I understand... Don’t worry...I’ll be there...yes...Tonight...” Hank shut his phone off. He stood up and began pacing the length of his room. “I wonder what they are up to?” He said. “I guess I’ll find out tonight. I’ve done this before. It’s not like it’s new to me. I just have to get used to the idea that I’m going to become Jack Gallagher again. No one will ever have to know.”
Hank was talking out loud to himself, trying to convince himself he had no other choice. His mouth was saying the words, but there was a major conflict going on within. Sheridan heard the knock on the door and was suddenly very nervous. She checked herself in the mirror, then walked over to the door and opened it to find Luis standing there with his killer smile on his face. Sheridan smiled back as she felt her cheeks begin to get hot. “Hi Luis,” she said as she opened the door inviting him in. Luis stood there for a minute, surveying her body. She was wearing a simple black dress with spaghetti straps that looked like it was made just for her. The dress fell just above her knees, which suited Luis just fine.
“Sheridan, you look fabulous!” Luis said, unable to take his eyes off her. “Thank you,” Sheridan said demurely. “You look pretty good yourself,” she added as she admired him. She could smell his cologne (Passion for Men) and found it intoxicating. Luis walked in and looked around at the rustic cabin. He saw a fire burning in the fireplace and a table nearby elegantly set for a romantic dinner. “When did you have time to set this up, Sheridan?” Luis asked in amazement.
“I have a confession to make,” Sheridan said slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t do it. Tina did. She tossed me into the shower and when I came back, the cabin had been transformed into a restaurant. She is unreal Luis,” Sheridan grinned appreciatively. “She is at that,” he returned. “So Luis, Can I get you a glass of wine?” She asked. “Sounds great,” he smiled. Sheridan walked into the kitchen and was about to unscrew the cork in the bottle when she felt a hand touch her own. “Let me,” he offered. “Thank you,” she said as her body tingled from his touch.
Luis expertly opened the wine and poured two glasses, handing one to Sheridan. Sheridan smiled sweetly in acknowledgement. Luis looked at Sheridan. His eyes staring into her very soul. “Here’s to us Sheridan,” he grinned. “A new beginning.” He gently touched his glass to hers.
“I’ll definitely drink to that,” Sheridan agreed quietly. The both took a sip of their wine. “So is there anything I can do to help?” Luis asked. “Actually, there is, Luis,” Sheridan said becoming quite flustered. “Sure, what is it?” He asked noticing her demeanor. “Please don’t laugh when I ask you to do this,” She implored, her face red and eyes downcast. Luis curiosity was in full gear now. He found himself wanting to laugh now and he didn’t even know what was supposed to be funny. He then saw the seriousness on Sheridan’s face. He gently took her chin in his hand and lifted her face, so their eyes met. “I will never laugh at you, Sheridan,” he said softly.
Sheridan was touched at his sincerity. She gave him a warm smile. “Thank you Luis,” she said. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Now if you would be so kind as to put the lobsters in the pot? I’ll leave the room and you can get me when the screaming is over.” He didn’t know what to expect, but this wasn’t it. He fought hard to stifle a grin. “You don’t want to hear the lobsters scream?” He asked with as serious a face as he could find.
“I know this will sound silly to you Luis, but when I was a child, Ethan and I would often hang around in the kitchen. Whenever we had lobster, Ethan and cook would have lobster races on the floor. Then they’d tease the lobsters, making them suffer. They’d put them in the boiling water, pull them out and then put them back in again. Then Ethan would yell over at me, ‘Hey Sheridan, did you hear that? Listen to that screaming!’ He would laugh uncontrollably, as he knew it drove me insane. I couldn’t eat lobster for years after.” Sheridan paused for a minute, noting Luis’ expression was one of interest and slight amusement, but he was by no means laughing. She continued. “Any way, many years later, my taste for lobster returned as long as I didn’t have to pick it out of a tank or watch it succumb to its death. I forgot when I ordered these dinners in advance, the lobsters weren’t cooked, or I would have ordered something else.”
“I’ll put the lobsters in the pot Sheridan,” Luis assured her. “I’m sorry Ethan traumatized you like that as a child, he said sympathetically. “Thank you Luis,” Sheridan said with a grateful smile. She turned and walked away. She opened the front door and walked out side, making sure she was far away from the cabin, not wanting to even hear the sound in her mind.
After a moment, Sheridan realized how chilly it really was outside. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked up towards the sky. It always amazed her how many more stars there seemed to be when she was away from town. She was just about to start walking again to warm up, when she felt a warm body wrap itself around her. She closed her eyes and smiled instinctively as she leaned into Luis. “Oh, this feels nice,” she murmured. “I agree,” he said, as he gently swayed with Sheridan in his arms. “Not that I want to spoil this moment he said, “but the screaming is over and it’s cold out here.”
“Not anymore it’s not,” Sheridan said as she turned around to face Luis. Her eyes were dancing as she gazed at him in the starlit sky. The mere site of him in the moonlight staring back at her caused her body to feel warm all over despite the 40-degree weather. “But I’ll go in anyway,” she grinned. By the time Luis and Sheridan were back in the cabin, the lobsters were finished. While Sheridan started to fix their plates, Luis asked, “Do you mind if I put on some music?” “Of course not Luis,” she answered. “Actually I’d love it if you did.” Luis walked over to the stereo and thumbed through some cd’s. “Look like someone was planning a wedding or something here,” Luis grinned as he looked through the selections on the table. “Ethan was probably up here with Gwen going through music for the wedding,” Sheridan offered, not having a clue as to what really went on.
Luis nodded in agreement. He selected several cd’s, placed them in their trays and hit the button. The first song came on and Luis walked back to the kitchen to see if he could do something for Sheridan. He heard ‘Crazy for You’ start to play and said under his breath, “I’m crazy for you all right,” Sheridan.” “What was that Luis?” Sheridan asked. “I just wanted to know what I can do to help?” He smiled. “Everything’s all set,” she said. “You can bring the wine to the table if you like?”
Luis happily obliged as he picked up the bottle of wine and brought it to the table. Sheridan lit the candles on the table and Luis walked over to the light switch and dimmed the lights. Sheridan smiled softly as she noticed the lights dimming. ‘This will truly be a romantic dinner,’ she thought to herself.
They both seated themselves at the table, finding it hard to take their eyes off one another. “I can’t believe you did all this Sheridan,” Luis said. “Well, it may not be as much fun as a picnic at the beach, but it will certainly be much warmer,” she said with amusement. “I don’t know about that. We may have more fun here,” he suggested with a glint in his eye. Sheridan blushed at the thought. Suddenly Luis’ face became somewhat solemn. He smiled nervously as he reached into his coat pocket. “I almost forgot,” he said with a faint laugh. “This is for you.” Luis handed Sheridan a small gift-wrapped box.”
To Be Continued…
