When we arrived, Rachel was sitting on the bed and holding Charlie's hand. It was truly amazing. Most of the tubes where missing, and when he saw us he extended his hand, a little weak, but there we were shaking hands when just a few days ago we thought he would no longer be with us.
It was time for rejoicing. I was wishing I'd brought the ring and had it in my pocket to give to Barcelona to complete this joyful day.
Chapter 50
Tuesday
When I got home I called the Chief and gave him the information on Charlie. He was as surprised as the rest of us. He wanted to know when we would be able to question Charlie about the hit-and-run that almost took his life. I told him I would call my sister later that afternoon. I knew by then she would be on duty.
"Just as soon as I find out anything, Chief, I'll call you back. Is there any time in the next few days you won't be available?"
"Yea, the next three mornings I'll be working on a new case with the family of the victim. Outside of that, if I know ahead I can schedule the time for Mr. Long."
I hung up the phone and called Kim Suzuki. Still no answer. Then I called the restaurant where I was taking Barcelona for the engagement thing, and made the arrangements for the next evening. When I was through I called the florist, ordering the bouquet of flowers to be sent to the restaurant with my special instructions.
Wednesday
I picked up Barcelona at around 11:30. We were going to spend all day together. I just loved those Wednesdays when we had the whole day to ourselves, to do whatever we wanted, with no time schedule.
We started out the day with a late breakfast, then went to see Charlie Long's movie that had just come out. It was playing at one of the new movie theaters, and because of the hit-and-run, and all the news about the murders and attempted murders, the movie house was packed. We both agreed that the movie would have been successful even if there was no publicity about Charlie.
It was a great movie and he was very good. We could see why his pictures were all money-makers. Apart from being so handsome he was also a remarkable actor. We left the theater admiring his talent, and Barcelona said she was still hoping that Charlie would be able to make the movie with her. It wasn't scheduled until the next year to begin shooting. And now with his amazing recovering, we both had high hopes that it would be possible.
We shopped at the big mall that was just a few blocks away, because Barcelona said there were some things she wanted to buy. After we were through, I told her of my dinner plans.
She was excited, and asked, "Why are we going to such a fancy place?" She knew I didn't like to get all dressed up. She added, "Sam, what is the special occasion. I'm getting very curious?"
"Well, I suppose I'm going to have to get used to it. After we get married I know there will be times I'll have to go to places like this with you. But for now I'm taking you home so you can rest for awhile, then you can do all the things women do when they're going out on the town. I'll pick you up at seven-thirty. Our reservations are at eight."
I completely ignored her question about the big occasion. I had made special arrangements for dinner at the Glace Restaurant. They specialized in steak and lobster, which was Barcelona's favorite, but they also had many other delicacies on the menu. It was very elegant: suits and ties for the men and evening apparel for the ladies. It was the place where movie stars and theater stars went while in New York. I had been there once, for my sister and her husband's five year anniversary. The food was great, but too fancy for me.
But for the night that I would become engaged, I thought it would be the perfect place. After all, the most famous person on Broadway at that time would be on my arm as we walked in.
I had taken my suit out of the closet on Monday to make sure it would still fit. It did, so I took it to the cleaners to be cleaned and pressed, along with my shirt, and then took my shoes to be polished. I was ready to go.
I tried to rest for awhile but was too anxious to leave, so I showered and shaved and just before I got dressed I called Kim Suzuki again. Still no answer.
The time had come for me to pick up Barcelona. She looked absolutely beautiful. I had to swallow hard from keeping the lump in my throat from coming out. Her blonde hair was tossed around her face very much like Rita Hayworth in the movie Gilda. The dress was deep purple and it looked like satin. It definitely showed off her figure. The top was off the shoulders, and glistened down to her waist. Her shoes matched the dress. She told me later she had them dyed.
When she came out of her building, the taxi driver gave out a long whistle and asked, "Is she waiting for you, or are you dreaming as I am?"
I said nothing. When the taxi stopped I got out and assisted Barcelona into the back of the cab. Then I ran over to the other side behind the driver's seat. As I did, I heard the cabbie say, "You are sure one lucky guy!"
His window was rolled down, and I whispered back to him, "I know."
I told Barcelona how beautiful she looked, and she responded with a thank you and a kiss, and said that I looked very handsome.
I had made plans with the maitre d' beforehand, and was praying all would work out as planned. While he led us to our table, I felt like the whole room was looking at who I thought was the most beautiful woman there. As we came in, the band was playing our song. Not that we had one, but it became our love song after that night. It was called Little Things Mean a Lot. Some of you may remember it.
We ordered our dinner and I ordered a bottle of champagne. Barcelona said that she didn't think I drank. I told her I didn't, but this was a very, very, special occasion.
She just smiled, but didn't ask any questions. By this time I was pretty sure she knew what was going on.
Right on time the waiter brought over a beautiful arrangement of one dozen white roses with a red rose in the middle. Tied to the red rose was the heart-shaped box with the red embossed rose and a short note I had written. My heart will always be yours . . . love you, Sam.
As she reached for the box, moisture began to blur her eyes, and as she read the note a tear rolled down each side of her face. She untied the box from the red rose's stem and handed it to me as she wiped away the tears that were now coming out profusely. I opened the box facing her, and said, "Barcelona Jones, love of my life, will you marry me and become my wife?"
I felt like the whole room was not only watching us, but was waiting for her reply. Then because of the tears and little sobs that were coming from her, all she could do was nod her head. I took the ring out of the box and walked around the table where I took her hand, knelt down on one knee and placed the ring on her left hand ring finger. I looked up at her and she finally said, "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
I stood up, leaned over, kissed her, and said, "Thank you."
With that, the dinner guests began to applaud. The orchestra started to play and I led Barcelona Jones, soon to be my wife, to the dance floor.
Chapter 51
The evening could not have been more perfect. Many people came by our table and congratulated us. We laughed, talked about our future together and had a great time. Barcelona even started to plan the wedding, and wondered if my parents would consent to having the wedding and the reception at their home. She said while she was there at their going-away party, she thought how beautiful the house and grounds were, and that it would be a perfect place for a wedding. I assured her that Mom and Dad would be honored to have it there, if that was what she wanted.
Just before we left, Barcelona said she'd call for a news conference in the morning to give the details to the press. She said she was happy to hold it, because it meant we didn't have to keep our relationship a secret any longer. She also mentioned that there might be someone who was there that night in the restaurant, who had witness my proposal, who might tell the press before she could, but that was all right with her. She would give the press the true information on our wedding plans and our engagement when she met with them.
On the way home I asked her if
she had seen Kim Suzuki. She said she hadn't seen him since Sunday night's performance. The understudy had taken over for the last two performances. It wasn't too unusual, as the part was very small and the director didn't seem to mind.
"Why do you ask, Sam?"
"I've been trying to get a hold of him. I called him a few times but got no answer, so I was just curious."
"You don't think anything has happened to him?"
I told her no, but I did wonder: not that something might have happened to Kim Suzuki but maybe he was involved somehow with the murders. And because he'd disappeared after our interview, I thought maybe we were getting too close.
I made a mental note to call the law firm he had been working for in the morning, to see if they had seen him or knew of his whereabouts.
I hated to see our evening come to a close, but like all good things it had to happen. I asked Barcelona if she wanted me to go to the press conference with her. She said, "Yes, that would be nice, Sam. That way, everyone can see how handsome my future husband is!"
Barcelona warned me that there would be many pictures taken for the papers and magazines. She told me she'd call in the morning to let me know the time. She admitted she wasn't looking forward to all the questions, especially the personal ones.
We walked for awhile and then hailed a taxi. When we arrived at Barcelona's place we said our goodbyes. She looked at the ring and again said how beautiful it was and that she couldn't have been more happy with anything else. She was surprised that I had designed it, saying it made it more special and that through the years she would probably find out more specials things about me.
We again told each other of our love, and as I walked away to get into the cab I looked back at her. She was smiling and looking down at her left-hand ring finger. We waved to each other, and as I got into the taxi the lump in my throat got bigger and the tears rolled down my face. I didn't care if the driver saw me or not. My thoughts were on Barcelona and how much I loved her.
Chapter 52
Thursday
The next morning when I woke up I was thinking about Kim Suzuki. I would have bet my life on his innocence in the Broadway murders. The thought came to me again to call the firm of lawyers, Bradley and Sons, and see if they had heard from him. Before I did that I called Kim Suzuki at home one more time, but still no answer.
I looked up the phone number of the law firm and they answered immediately.
"Hi, this is Sam Jones. I'm wondering if I could speak to one of the Bradleys?"
"Certainly. Are you Sam Jones, the detective?"
I smiled to myself and said, "Yes I am."
"One moment please, Mr. Jones."
"Mr. Sam Jones, this is Bradley Senior. I'm so glad you called. Our firm has been wanting to contact you to see if you would be available work on some of our cases. We might need someone like you to help us investigate on behalf of our clients. How can I help you?"
"Well, thanks. Just give us a call anytime, and if I'm available I'd be happy to help anyway I can. The reason I'm calling is to see if you know the whereabouts of Kim Suzuki? He told us that he was helping you out on a case of some kind, although of course he never told us what it was. I'm trying to locate him."
"Kim is a great go-getter and does an excellent job for us. This is the second time we've used him. Right now he's on an assignment for us in California. He checks back every evening, so I know he's okay. Would you like to have him call you? He'll be returning early this afternoon."
"No, that won't be necessary. In fact, I'd prefer that you didn't mention this call to him."
"Of course. He's not in any kind of trouble is he? If so, our firm would represent him free of charge. That's how much we think of him."
"No, no trouble. I might have a job for him when he's through working for you. He said something about finishing the assignment you gave him by the tenth of next month. I can wait."
"You'll enjoy working with him. I recommend him highly. Our personal investigator is doing a job for us in Tokyo, which is why we needed Kim."
"Thanks. I can tell you're very happy with him and his work."
We said our goodbyes and I knew for sure I wanted Kim Suzuki working for me . . . exclusively.
I waited for the afternoon to call my sister as I knew by then Erica would be through with her rounds with her patients. I checked to see if the Chief and I could come in and ask Charlie Long some questions about the hit-and-run accident.
She said she'd check with him to see if he was okay about seeing us, and call back and let me know. She also congratulated me on my engagement. She said she was so happy after reading the letter that I had sent to our folks. I told her that tomorrow afternoon, or Saturday, would be good for the Chief, if it was all right with Charlie.
About an hour later Erica called saying that Saturday afternoon around 1:30 at the hospital would be good. I called Marty and he said he'd be there.
I picked the phone back up and dialed Barcelona. I was curious to know what was happening with the media interview. She said she was just going to call me and tell me she decided not to do it that way and make such a big deal out of it. She called Photoplay Magazine and spoke to a reporter there who had always been good to her, and told him about our engagement. He was coming by to pick up a picture of the two of us that had been taken the night before at the restaurant. She was delighted that she didn't have to worry about all the questions that would have been asked by all the news reporters. "After all, I'm not one of those famous movies stars from Hollywood."
I said, "Not yet, my love. Not yet."
Chapter 53
Friday
Another day had gone by without seeing Barcelona, and I wanted to see her on Friday. The weekend was coming upon us, and that meant I wouldn't get to see much of her then. So before I went to bed on Thursday night I called her and we made arrangements to have breakfast and spend the rest of the day together. The two choices were the zoo or Coney Island. Since the zoo was a little closer we decided to go there.
On the way to breakfast, Barcelona brought up the subject of Brenda Summers and asked what my feelings were about her. I mentioned her strange entry into the office and her acting ability and how she had the Chief and me fooled, and how he wasn't too happy about the whole thing.
"You mean she really did that, Sam? We joked about it and I said I thought you might find it humorous, but I didn't think she'd really do it. I told you she was a strange bird, but I love her anyway."
I wondered if Brenda thought the little episode in my office would change our minds about her, by trying to make us think that she was a special friend of the Star.
I reminded Barcelona again that friends do commit murder, especially jealous ones. Barcelona was not biting it, and said, "Come on, Sam, Brenda may be capable of doing many strange things . . . but not murder. I still think you're barking up the wrong tree."
"I hope so, for your sake. But being in this business for as long as I have, nothing surprises me anymore. Please don't say anything to anyone, but Brenda is one of our prime suspects. Be careful and always be on guard when you're with her. It's best not to tell her things like where you're going and what time you'll be somewhere, especially telling her when you'll be alone. For instance, she made the Chief and me believe that you were the one who suggested the acting bit she did. And another thing. We're wondering why no one else has come forward to say that they saw this mysterious man that Brenda claims she saw."
"Sorry, Sam, I still can't believe Brenda's involved in the killings and that she's the one who pushed me into the bus. But for your peace of mind I promise I'll be very careful."
The day went much too quickly, and when I returned home there was a message for me on the machine. I played it.
"Hi, Mr. Jones, this is Kim Suzuki. I was wondering if you located my job application, and if so, what your thoughts on it were. If I don't hear from you in a couple of days I'll call back and bring you a new one if you like."
Since
it was still early I gave Kim a call back. I made arrangements for him to come into the office the next morning and told him I had an assignment for him if he was interested. He must have thanked me a least a dozen times and asked if it was just a onetime offer. I said "We'll talk about it tomorrow when you get here."
By his voice and the many thanks I could tell he was elated to have the opportunity to show me what he could do.
When I made the appointment I also remembered that the Chief and I were going to the hospital to talk to Charlie Long at 1:30. We were hoping he could tell us if the driver of the car that hit him was male or female. Maybe he saw the mysterious man who might or might not be the figment of Brenda Summers' mind.
By now it was getting late so I went to bed and replayed the day in my mind with my now-fiancée, Barcelona Jones, stage actress and soon to be a famous Hollywood movie star.
Chapter 54
Saturday
Kim Suzuki arrived fifteen minutes early, which was something else I liked about him. He was very excited and thanked me yet again for giving him a chance to show what he could do. He asked me what I thought of his qualifications and his job request. I told him I was impressed by it. A big smile came over his face: not an overly proud smile but a happy one.
"Mr. Jones, what are my chances of coming and working for you permanently?"
"I'd say the chances are pretty good, Kim. Of course, we need to come to some kind of a salary agreement and what kind of hours you can put into any assignments I give you. I was thinking when you get through with the Bradley job, I believe in about two more weeks--"
Before I could finish, he said, "I'm through with that job. I gave them my final report yesterday, two weeks ahead of time. And my time with the play can also be terminated at short notice. So I could work for you full time immediately, Mr. Jones. My salary doesn't have to be big at the start, and my time is yours at least for the next eight months. Then I'll be getting married and would like some time off for our honeymoon. After that, I would need more stable hours. Until then, I'm all yours."