ICE PRINCESS, page 21
"I thought human sacrifice went out with the pagans."
He looked at her then, his gaze shutting out further discussion. But he also couldn’t hide his discomfort. He didn’t like this any more than she did.
Dinner was wasted on her. Claudia could only pick at the pasta primavera. Zach didn’t do much better. When the band finally cued up, she was grateful for the excuse that put them as part of the crowd and away from forced socializing. In Zach’s arms, she had comfort from the turmoil in her soul. They also had a close up view of the Sinclair table.
Allison wore a sequined royal blue gown much too tight for her current condition. Her cheeks were pale, her smile forced, her hand firmly clenched by her husband’s. She didn’t speak to anyone, but every so often she allowed her gaze to wander to Janie Brighton sitting close to Cruz, and Helen Moore at the table next to them. Sinclair’s lapdog, Hanson, spent his time wandering from table to table, sucking up to the higher ranking officers. He didn’t seem to have an escort.
"I don’t know how much more of this I can stand," she told Zach.
"We’ll leave as soon as protocol allows. I want to be back in the room before the Sinclairs. He mustn’t know we’re in the room beside them."
"Who’s on the opposite side?"
"Cruz and Vic. Helen and Janie are across the hall. The general and Colonel Scott flank them."
"Surrounded on all sides."
He looked over her shoulder to the Sinclair table. "I sure hope so. We won’t get another chance like this."
It was another two hours before Zach and Claudia could slip away. Once in their room, they changed into slacks and shirts and waited.
We should be making love, not waiting for disaster. The tension was enough to make her cry.
At some point, she must have drifted off. A crash from the neighboring room jerked her upright. There was a muffled cry. Sinclair screaming. They heard him throw Allison against the adjoining wall with a dull thud.
Zach grabbed the phone and punched in the emergency number. Claudia raced from the room. Vic and Cruz were already at the Sinclair’s door. Helen and Janie hovered in the doorway of their room while the general and Colonel Scott hurried forward, hotel manager in tow.
The manager gave a warning knock. Silence descended. Seconds later Sinclair cracked open the door.
"Is there a problem?"
Cruz muscled his way forward. "I believe you know the answer to that, sir."
"I don’t have a clue."
"Open the door, Colonel," General Drummond said.
He stared at each man individually, ignoring the women. Finally, realizing he had no choice and wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of it, he let them in.
Claudia ran forward. Allison was doubled over on the floor between the two beds, her gown ripped down the front. A pool of blood stained the carpet beneath her.
"Oh my…Someone get a towel!"
Sinclair grabbed Claudia by the hair and pulled her to her feet. "Get this woman out of here. I have a restraining order against her."
Balling up a fist, Claudia slammed it into his gut, throwing her weight behind the blow. Sinclair fell back, gasping for breath and damning her with his eyes.
Claudia fell to her knees, and drew Allison into her arms. Helen and Janie darted in to help protect her.
"Go ahead, Colonel," Zach snapped. "Want to feed us that line again about her falling?"
"I don’t have to listen to this."
When Sinclair tried to stagger past them into the bathroom, General Drummond hauled him into the hallway. "I believe you do. You may have gotten away with this in the past. But I’m not a subordinate to be browbeaten into turning a blind eye. You’ve disgraced my Marine Corps, and I’ll see you finished."
Allison raised her bruised and bloodied face to Claudia. "A doctor…please get me a doctor. I think I’m losing my baby."
Claudia squeezed back her tears. The baby was already gone.
Chapter 17
* * *
Zach paced the length of the hospital corridor. It looked like a war zone in the waiting room. Claudia had managed to curl herself into a chair, using the arm of it as a pillow. Vic’s broad shoulders served as a cushion for Helen and Janie. General Drummond and his wife merely propped their heads against each other. And Cruz? He paced too, passing Zach on a parallel course.
No one had spoken since Allison was brought in. They just waited. Even Vic’s news that Colonel Scott had seen that Sinclair was arrested had been greeted with silence. What could they say?
Zach saw movement from the corner of his eye and looked up to find the doctor coming toward them. He looked weary, sad. Zach tapped Cruz on the arm to get his attention. The two of them met the doctor halfway. He stopped and motioned them to a lounge nearby.
"Coffee, gentlemen?"
"No, thanks," they replied together.
"How’s Allison?" Cruz asked.
The doctor took his time pouring himself a cup before giving them his attention. "I’m afraid there was nothing I could do to save the baby. She was hemorrhaging too badly. It was a girl. She was sixteen plus weeks into her term."
"Allison will want to know," Cruz said.
The doctor glanced away. "She already knows. It was the first thing she asked about when the anesthetic started to wear off."
"Can I see her?" Cruz asked.
Dark eyes glared up at him. "Are you the husband?"
Cruz’s jaw tightened. "No. The bastard is in jail. I’m just a friend."
Zach positioned himself between the two men. "We’re all just friends and very concerned."
Sighing, the doctor rubbed his eyes. "You should be. He messed her up pretty bad. Poor little thing has bruises all over her body. She has a hairline fracture on one of her ribs and a broken wrist. There is evidence of old fractures, old scar tissue. She’s been suffering for a long time."
Zach heard Cruz’s sharp intake of breath seconds before the other man darted from the room. His instincts screamed at him to follow. The need for more information kept him in place.
Still staring at the door, he asked, "Is there anything else? When can she have visitors?"
"Those are the immediate problems. X-rays will probably reveal other damage, but her emotional scars are what will be the hardest to heal. As for visitors…she said she’ll only see Claudia."
Zach nodded. "That’s my wife."
"Ask her to wait until Mrs. Sinclair’s less groggy. She needs the rest."
He left the doctor to his rounds and went in search of Cruz. He didn’t have to look far. Cruz sat in the garden courtyard, tucked away on one of the wrought iron benches. His shoulders were bent, shaking. Zach faltered. This was too much emotion to deal with. He was intruding on another man’s pain, his secret, his heart. Where were the words to understand?
Squashing his feeling of ineptitude, Zach stepped forward, sat down, and curled his fingers over Cruz’s shoulder.
"How could he do that?" Cruz demanded to know. "She’s so tiny, so delicate, so beautiful. How could he hurt her like that? How could he crush her? How?"
He buried his face in his hands. Zach wanted to do the same. There were no answers, only questions.
"Does Allison know you’re in love with her?"
Cruz jerked up. "Of course not. Do you think I’m crazy? I’m supposed to go to the wife of another man, my commanding officer, and tell her I love her? Where’s the honor in that?"
"How long?"
He sagged into his former position. "From the moment I first met her. I told myself I was insane, and just tried to be her friend. So many times I wanted to hold her. Once I even got to dance with her…once. You can imagine how helpless I felt when Sunline told me his suspicions. All that mattered was to make her safe. But I can’t tell you how many times I longed to put a bullet in that cruel bastard’s head. Right now I wish I had."
Zach squeezed his shoulder. "It’s over. Time for a new beginning. Maybe one day soon, you can tell her how you really feel, and the two of you can—"
"That will take a small miracle, my friend. I could never make up for the hurt she’s been through."
"No, you can’t, but you can show her life doesn’t have to be like that. Patience and time. Trust me."
"I’d like to believe that, but I just keep asking myself one question. What would a woman like Allison want with a man like me? I’m just a reminder of her years of torture."
Depression settled over Zach. Again, no answers, for Cruz or himself.
* * *
A gentle shake pulled Claudia from a fitful sleep. She forced her tired eyes to focus on the culprit—Zach.
"Sorry, honey. Allison is awake and asking to see you."
She unfolded herself from the chair, stretching out the kinks in her muscles slowly to avoid cramping. It was a wonder she had managed to ball herself into the position in the first place.
A strand of hair fell in front of her eyes. Rather than brush it back, Claudia removed the rest of the pins and let it down. Finger combing put it in place, but there was nothing she could do about the cotton taste in her mouth.
She ran her tongue over her teeth, hoping to alleviate some of the morning breath. To her relief, Zach gave her a stick of gum. After popping it in her mouth, she dropped a kiss to his cheek. His smile, his thoughtfulness fortified her for the ordeal to come.
Claudia pushed open the door to Allison’s private room, expecting to find her waiting for visitors. Instead, Allison lay there like a broken doll, staring out the window at the palm trees rustling in the dawn breeze. The hospital gown hid little. Bruises dotted her arms, ringed her throat, a cast weighed down her left wrist.
"My baby’s dead. A little girl. I never even got to feel her move."
Allison broke down into sobs so full of anguish and despair, all Claudia could do was hold her and cry with her. Allison held on until she was spent. Hands shaking, Claudia poured them each a glass of water.
"He’s in jail now, Allison. He can’t hurt you anymore."
"I guarantee he won’t stay there for long." There was no emotion in her voice, only resignation.
"And what will you do?" When she didn’t answer, Claudia pressed on. "Allison, how much longer? The next time he could kill you."
She glanced to the window where birds wiggled among the palm fronds. "I can’t stay with him. I won’t stay with him. I’ve been holding on, hoping I could find happiness like Linda Hanson…like you. But I’m so afraid, I don’t know what to do."
"We’ll help you. We’ll all help you."
"The last person who tried to help me is dead."
"Did you see what happened?" Again, silence. Had she not been so battered, Claudia might have grabbed her shoulders and given her a little shake. "Allison…did you see what happened?"
"Yes."
The response was barely audible.
"Are you willing to make a statement?"
"Yes."
Firmer, more sure. At least she was showing some willingness to fight. She squared her petite shoulders and focused determined eyes on Claudia.
"I want this over with. I want Eric Hanson behind bars. I want Martin Sinclair out of my life. And by the fastest means possible. And, still, I’ve never been more frightened in my life."
Claudia laced her fingers through Allison’s. "Zach will help you file for divorce and get a restraining order against Martin. The Marine Corps will prosecute him for abuse…murder too, if we can prove his involvement. You’ll probably have to testify. In the meantime, there is a women’s shelter up in the mountains near Big Bear. I believe that’s where Teddy was going to take you. You’ll be safe and can take the time you need to strengthen yourself."
She clutched Claudia’s hand like a lifeline. "He’s very clever. He mustn’t suspect I’ve gone there. He’ll try to find me."
"We’ll find a way. I’ll get Vic so you can make that statement."
Allison refused to let go. "Not without you. Don’t leave me, Claudia. I’m so afraid."
* * *
Vic pressed the button on his recorder and placed it on the food tray before Allison. "This statement is made by Allison Sinclair. The case is the investigation into the death of Gunnery Sergeant Theodore Sunline. Mrs. Sinclair, you may begin. Tell us everything you can."
Her hand firmly in Claudia’s, Allison started. The words came slowly at first. She detailed her first meeting with Teddy, their friendship, how he suspected her abuse based on his own history with his deceased sister, and finally, the plan to get her away.
"He told me how Julieanne was killed by her own husband while their children slept in the other room. I was scared to death to leave, but frightened even more to stay. I couldn’t put my child through that. I didn’t care if it was taking Marty’s child away from him, I had to go.
"We made plans to meet out in the desert. Cruz was to keep Marty occupied that night so I could slip away. I met Teddy and we had driven a short distance when a car cut across our path. Teddy told me to get in the backseat on the floor. Then he got out.
"I heard Eric Hanson ask Teddy what the hell he thought he was doing. Eric said, ‘You don’t actually think the colonel is going to let you get away with fu…with screwing his wife?’ Teddy tried to tell him the truth. Eric didn’t want to listen. He said it was all lies and he’d be damned if he let someone like Teddy ruin Marty’s life like he had ruined his. Teddy said, ‘You ruined your life, Captain.’ He told him that he was going to make sure I was safe and that Marty never hurt me again.
"I heard a car door slam, Teddy cry out, then a horrible thud. I peeked over the seat and saw him sprawled in the desert fifty feet away with Eric standing over him. I crawled out of the car and hid in the desert. I watched from behind a bush. Eric pulled a sleeping bag from the trunk of Teddy’s car, put him in it, then dragged him in the back seat and drove away.
"Once they were gone, I walked the two miles back to my car and went home. I didn’t know what to do. I knew Marty was responsible. I just couldn’t prove it, and I was so afraid I would be killed next. When he came home that night, he…he…well, he hinted as much. Told me to clean the car spotless or he would see that I was the one in jail for Teddy Sunline’s murder."
Vic clicked off the recorder and tucked it in his pocket. "I’ll have the statement typed up for you to sign by the end of the day."
Claudia showed him to the door. "You can bring them up when Zach brings up the other legal papers for her to sign. She’ll be released tomorrow and we’ll be going to court from there. Just make sure Hanson is locked up before then."
He gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma’am. By the way, your friend, Kiki, is in the waiting room."
"Good. Send her in."
Panic shadowed Allison’s face. She had been very specific—no one must come in without her approval. Claudia merely smiled.
"It’ll be all right. Trust me."
Kiki breezed in a few minutes later in a subdued fifties retro-dress. Somehow she made it look contemporary.
"You called and here I am."
Allison eyed her suspiciously.
"Kiki, I have a task for you." Claudia pushed her to the vacant chair.
"Anything for you, darling."
"Thank you." She pointed to Allison. "Can you make her look like a man?"
She gave the other woman the once over. "A boy, yes. But a man? No, sweets. She’s much too small."
"Then a boy will have to do." Claudia strode to the door and called to Helen and Janie. Their entrance earned her another look of betrayal from Allison. Claudia merely smiled.
"What about these two, Kiki? Boys or men?"
"Older boys, I think. Girlfriend, what are you up to?"
"Take whatever measurements you need, Kiki. I want you to make Boy Scouts out of these women by tomorrow afternoon."
She grabbed up the bedside phone and called her brother. "Phillip, how would you like to take a bunch of Boy Scouts camping to Big Bear tomorrow afternoon?"
She glanced down at Allison. Gratitude brought tears to the battered woman’s eyes.
* * *
It was inevitable that something would go wrong. However, Zach wasn’t expecting all his plans to go awry at the same time.
Sinclair had used his one phone call to contact Hanson. Hanson took the time to hire a civilian attorney, then took off for parts unknown. Now it looked like Sinclair would be released on his own recognizance before the day was out. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be in time for the Monday morning hearing to issue a restraining order against him.
One thing they had agreed upon was that Allison mustn’t know he was on the loose. She was still frightened, but her inner strength had allowed her to rise above it and push on. Once the hearing was complete, they could whisk her safely off to the mountain town of Big Bear.
Allison stayed close to Claudia, but her need to constantly clutch her hand had disappeared. Even Allison knew that help only went so far, that she had to help herself at some point. This hearing was one of those situations. Zach filed all the necessary paperwork, but it was Allison who would have to speak with the judge. Although, had it been up to Cruz, she would not have to do so.
He sat in the back of the courtroom with Claudia and Zach, ready to leap to Allison’s aid if necessary. It wasn’t. She stated her case in a strong, yet quivering voice. In the end, the judge awarded a permanent restraining order against Martin Sinclair.
She withheld her joy until they stepped into the corridor, then gave Claudia a hug. "Thank you."
"Any time. Now, let’s get you out of here."
Another elaborate scheme that spelled disaster. Zach kept his mouth shut. At this time, he couldn’t come up with anything better.
Back at Phillip’s house, he watched the transformation. Under Kiki’s direction, three attractive women became Boy Scouts of varying ages. Using young Ian as a model, she even managed to give them that not quite clean look of an active boy.
Kiki stood back to admire her handy work. "Well, what do you think?"
"Helen’s breasts still stick out too much," Vic said.
"Oh, you would notice that," Helen shot back. For extra measure, she stuck out her tongue.
