“Why do you think the authorities already know?”
“Just a feeling which is why I don’t want to be hanging around that house any longer. I like your idea of Australia.” He held up his check. “We have the money. Let’s go straight to the airport.”
I looked at him in alarm. “Good grief. I have to pack, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “All I got is back at the mansion, and it ain’t much. I can buy what I need. I’m ready.”
“I’m not. I have to pack the right clothes, and we have to buy tickets and get the checks cashed.”
“That will take too much time. Use a credit card.”
“How about drive to my bank, cash the checks, go to my condo so I can pack and make reservations on an evening flight to Sydney.”
Jake rolled his eyes but started the car, and I directed him to the bank. We ended up depositing both checks to my account and each taking a nice wad of cash, since Jake didn’t have an account. He was a trusting soul.
At my apartment I packed while Jake got on the computer and found an available flight to Sydney through Los Angeles leaving Dulles airport that night. Our getaway preparations were going smoothly until the phone rang.
“Hello, Miss Marlowe, this is Hudson.”
“Hudson? Are you all right?”
“Considering my circumstances, I am relatively fine, thank you. But I’m afraid Miss Opal is in trouble. I wondered if you and Mr. Manyhorses might help.”
Not again.
I covered the receiver. “It’s Hudson. You better pick up on the extension in the bedroom.”
“Jake is getting on the other phone. I’m not sure what I can do. Opal has a lot of relatives that should be willing to help.”
“It’s a bit of chaos here, Miss Marlowe. The relatives are exiting at a rapid pace. Cody is doing battle with them right now. Ordering everyone out. Going around banging on doors and yelling. He’s in a wicked bad mood. Says he has a terrible headache. His face is red as a tomato. I’m rather afraid for Miss Opal. She’s been awfully confused lately. It isn’t like her.”
I heard heavy breathing. Jake was on the other line.
“Isn’t there someone else who can help?” I asked. “We are rather reluctant to get involved, even though you were most generous in payment.”
The light bulb went on. The money was for bribery, not silence. Hudson was bribing us into helping.
“I was particularly interested in Mr. Manyhorses helping. He knows what goes on in the family. Someone might be drugging Miss Opal. The stories she’s been making up are not like her. Could Mr. Manyhorses come and take her back to the ranch in Oregon?” He lowered his voice. “I think Mr. Cody is behind all this.”
“Are you on a cell phone?” I asked.
“No, a house phone.”
“What do you say, Jake?”
“Who’s left in the house?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. I’d have to check all the rooms. Miss Opal is resting in her room, but she doesn’t look well. Might we get her to hospital?”
Jake said, “Why don’t you take her?”
Hudson said, “I don’t believe Cody wants her to leave the house. He’s quite agitated. I would have to go against his wishes. As a long time butler, that is difficult for me to do.”
“You could call a doctor.”
“There are so few these days who make house calls.”
“True.”
“Excuse me,” said Hudson, “but someone is coming along the hallway. I would be so grateful for your help, and I’m sure Miss Opal would be if you came to her rescue. You are the only one I can think who could help.”
He hung up.
I went to the bedroom. Jake was lying on the bed, one foot on the floor, arm over his eyes.
“What are we going to do?” I said.
“I don’t know. I was hoping I had extricated myself from that mess. I don’t think Opal is in imminent danger. I could be wrong, but I need to think. Mind if I take a shower? I could use one, and it helps me think.”
I gestured toward the bathroom. “Be my guest. I’ll get you some fresh towels.”
I did a quick check of the bath to make sure I didn’t have dirty underwear lying about. It was in reasonable shape. I pulled out a stack of fresh, white towels and placed them on the counter. I glanced in the mirror and gasped. I looked a fright. I desperately needed a shower, too.
“Jake, use the guest bath. I need to freshen up. Follow me.”
I lead the way down the hall to the other bath, placed fresh towels on the counter and stepped back so Jake could enter.
“Do you have a change of clothes?” I asked.
“Not on me. These will be okay.”
“Too bad I don’t have any men’s clothes lying about. I’ll run out and pick up a pair of jeans and T-shirt.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll wear this. No big deal. I’ll pick some things up at the airport.” He wore a T-shirt and jeans. Cowboys didn’t make fashion statements.
I looked him over. “You really need a fresh T-shirt. Maybe I have something in the back of one of my drawers.”
I hustled to my room which was to the back of the condo and large enough for a small sitting area by the window that looked toward Rosslyn. I dug through a stack of T-shirts in a remote section of the walk-in closet. They were from conferences and other forgettable events that I’ve attended. I had in mind an extra large maroon T-shirt from a Romance Writers conference to which Olympia drug me. As fortune would have it I found it at the bottom of the stack. I shook it and held it up. Across the front was blazoned, I’d Rather Be Writing. He might not like it but it was double X size and a lot fresher than the one he had on. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the writing. I hung it on the doorknob of the guest bath.
Back in my room I dropped my sleuthing outfit on the floor and succumbed to a long, hot shower. It gave me time to think. I dreaded going back. There was no way to stage the rescue without Cody finding out. One rescue was my quota for the day. I still had the key to the front door, believe it or not. We could let ourselves in after dark. But that would give us little time to make the red eye flight to Los Angeles that we had booked. I guess if we could get Opal out we could take her to the airport and put her on a plane. But Hudson had said take her to Oregon. I guess that meant Jake would accompany her so he’d carry on the rest of the caper alone.
I heard Jake leave the bathroom. I yelled down the hall. “Help yourself to whatever you find in the kitchen.”
“Thanks. I could use a beer.”
“In the frig.”
I leafed through my clothes looking for my favorite travelling outfit, a causal, comfortable navy no-iron slacks and sweater outfit. After I had my clothes in place, my hair blow-dried and makeup applied, I searched my top dresser drawer for my passport where I always kept it. Not there. I commenced a thorough search of all the drawers. The passport was nowhere to be found. What a time to misplace it. I wondered whether Jake had a passport.
“Jake,” I said, as I walked to the kitchen, “I can’t find my passport. Do you have one?”
Jake had a bottle of microbrew in hand and wore the maroon T-shirt that was tight across the chest. Maroon was his color though.
“Passport?” he said.
“Yes, you’ll need a passport to travel to Australia.”
“I never thought of that.”
“Does that mean you don’t have one?”
“Never had cause to leave the country.”
“We might not be going to Australia, since you don’t have one, and I can’t find mine.”
I pulled a brew from the frig and poured it into a glass. I never drink beer from a bottle. It is so uncivilized. Leaning against the counter I savored a sip. Jake and I looked at each other.
“You look nice. Smell nice, too,” he said.