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We watched on the news as the case at CAA unfolded. Artie Masters was arrested in Germany. He was extradited to Grand Cayman, where he was sentenced to prison.
No one really knew what happened to Dr. Knightly. But Jim Jennings called me, after a while, to tell me that she’d recovered from her gunshot wound and was being transferred to a different kind of hospital altogether until she was deemed fit to stand trial for kidnapping and attempted murder. Restraining orders had already been issued against her so she wasn’t allowed within twenty miles of me, Sam, Jake, or CAA HQ. I felt sorry for her, strangely enough. And now I empathized with her predicament, being left alone to carry a child through heartbreak, through loss. I understood how her life had gone wrong. I hoped she would recover and be able to live somewhere far away from the world which had hurt her.
Tom McLaughlin was indicted on federal charges of corporate misconduct and shareholder fraud. The evidence Jim had amassed was considerable, so much so that he was denied bail by the judge. Until his trial began in the fall, Tom would have plenty of time to think about his future in an L.A. County jail. He’d be lucky to get away with an enormous fine. But the likelihood was that it would be years before he’d see freedom again.
Karen Grappler, being disgraced, left the company. No one knew where she was or what she was doing. No one much cared, either.
I read newspaper articles and watched them on TV. But somehow the whole business of CAA had faded away into the background of my life. It was like a part of me I no longer cared to examine. A past life, one quickly being swept away as my body changed. As I changed.
But my tears never stopped.
AttheendofMay, the seasons changed, and it was now hot in Chicago. Well, as hot as it gets up here, anyway. The blossoms on the trees had been carried away, and the streets in Gold Coast looked leafy green. Lincoln Park looked as nice as it ever did. I took a walk there one afternoon, by the lake. I didn’t stop when I passed the Grant monument. Nor did I look over to the western side of the park, where, on Lincoln Avenue, they were busy renovating the apartment complex where Jake’s offices had once been.
I felt a little heavier, but aside from that and the occasional morning spent with my head over the toilet bowl, I felt no different. I started wondering when I’d feel the baby kick. I looked it up and, sadly, realized that I still had a few more months to wait. I was happy, and yet beneath the surface of happiness was so much sadness.
I got home to find Sam in the kitchen. “You’re back!” I said.
“Yep!” he laughed, grinning. “It was a hell of a trip. Turbulence over Lake Eerie.”
“How are you?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” There seemed to be something he wasn’t telling me.
“You always think you’re so mysterious,” I said. “But deep down, I know how you’re feeling.”
“That cuts both ways,” he retorted.
Sam was quiet then. We both knew what he meant.
“I’m doing fine,” I said. “Just fine.”
“Can I ask you something?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Do you miss him?” he asked.
It was like a shot to the heart. I looked at Sam, and within seconds I was fighting back tears. I nodded and sat down. My head was swimming with all kinds of feelings running around.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go for a drive.”
“Where?” I asked.
“You’ll see, it’s a surprise.”
“Well. Sure, I’m up for a surprise.”
IrealizedSamwasdriving me north, to the place where my journey with CAA had started, three and a half months ago.
“Are we going to the airfield?” I asked.
“Yup,” I said.
“Sam,” I said bitterly. “Why there?”
The airfield had been closed now that Jake’s private jet no longer flew out from there. It was a deserted scrap of land, with a well-maintained runway surrounded by a field of overgrown grass.
At the gate, Sam got out and took a key from his pocket. He got back into the car, and we drove through, down a bumpy track to the runway.
