Split Second

King finished his beer and sat back. "Well, I might have to pick another spot."

Joan glanced over at him. "Let's hope not. A person shouldn't have to re-create himself more than once in a lifetime."

"How about you? You said you wanted out."

"To go to some island with my millions?" She smiled in a resigned way. "Dreams more often than not don't come true. Particularly at my stage of life."

"But if you find Bruno, you get the big payoff."

"The money was only part of the dream."

When King shot her a glance, she quickly looked away.

"Do you sail much?" she asked.

"In the fall when the powerboats are gone and the winds pick up."

"Well, it is the fall. So maybe now would be a good time."

King looked at the clear sky and felt the nice breeze against his skin. They had a couple hours of daylight left. He stared at Joan intently for a few moments. "Yeah, now would be a good time."

King showed Joan how to manage the sailboat's tiller. He'd attached a five-horsepower motor on the stern just in case the wind died down. They steered a course out into the main channel and then drifted.

Joan admired the spread of mountains encircling the lake, the green still vibrant, although the nip of fall was clearly in the air.

"Did you ever think you'd end up in a place like this after all those years of hotels and airplanes and pushing till dawn?" she asked.

King shrugged. "To tell the truth, no. I never thought that far ahead. I was always more of a live-in-the-present sort of person." He added thoughtfully, "I'm more of a long-range thinker now."

"And where do your long-range thoughts lead you?"

"Nowhere until this mystery is cleared up. The problem is, even if we solve this thing, the damage has been done. I really might have to move from here."

"Running away? That doesn't sound like you, Sean."

"Sometimes it's just best to strike the tent poles and move on. You sort of get tired of fighting, Joan."

He sat next to her and took over the tiller. "Wind's changing. I'm going to tack back into it. The boom's going to come across. I'll tell you when to duck."

After he completed this maneuver, he let her take the tiller back, but he stayed next to her. She wore a pantsuit but had taken off her shoes and rolled her pant legs over her knees. Her feet were small and her toenails were painted red.

"You favored purple toenail polish eight years ago, didn't you?"

She laughed. "Red is always in but purple may mount a comeback. I'm actually flattered you remembered."

"Purple toenails and packing a.357."

"Come on, fess up, it was a wicked, irresistible combination."

He sat back and gazed off.

They were silent for some minutes, Joan looking at him nervously and King doing his best to avoid eye contact. "Did you ever think about asking me to marry you?" she asked.

He glanced at her with an astonished expression. "I was married back then, Joan."

"I know that. But you were separated and your marriage was really over."

He looked down. "Okay, maybe I did know my marriage was over,but I wasn't sure I wanted to attempt another one. And I guess I never really believed two Secret Service agents could ever make a marriage work. That life is just too crazy."

"I thought about asking you."

"Asking me what?"

"To marry me."

"You really are amazing. You were going to ask me to marry you?"

"Is there a rule somewhere that says the man has to propose?"

"Well, if there is, I'm sure you'd have no problem smashing it to pieces."

"I'm serious, Sean. I was in love with you. So much so that I'd wake up in the middle of the night with the shakes, terrified it would somehow all go away, that you and your wife would get back together."

"I didn't know that," he said quietly.

"How did you feel about me? I mean really feel about me?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Honestly? I was amazed you'd let me have you. You were on this pedestal, professionally and personally."

"So I was what, a trophy to be mounted on the wall?"

"No, I actually thought I was."

"I didn't sleep around, Sean. I didn't have that reputation."

"No, you didn't. Your reputation was the iron lady. There wasn't one agent I knew who wasn't intimidated by you. You scared the shit out of a lot of tough guys."

Joan looked down. "Didn't you know, prom queens tend to be very lonely creatures. When I joined the Service, women were still an anomaly. To succeed, I had to be more ‘guy' than all the other guys. I had to make the rules up as I went along. It's a little different now, but back then I really didn't have a choice."

He touched her cheek and turned her face to his. "So why didn't you?"

"Why didn't I what?"

"Ask me to marry you?"

"I was planning to but something happened."

"What was that?"

"Clyde Ritter's getting killed."

Now King looked away. "Damaged goods?"

She touched his arm. "I guess you really don't know me very well. It was a lot more than that."

He looked back at her. "What do you mean by that?"