California Schemin' Read Online Free PDF Page A

another dead body? Why I thought California
would be safe for you, I’ll never know.”
    We cleared the checkpoint, pulled my carry-on
off the conveyor, and he pulled me aside.
    “Remember, when you get to Virginia you need
to leave the airport in a taxi. Do you remember where to have him
drop you? Did you bring money for the Metro?”
    “Yeah, I remember. I’m not twelve you know. I
can keep instructions in my head for longer than an hour.” I knew
he was worried and trying to protect me, but I was getting annoyed.
The elaborate ruse of sending me to Virginia seemed like a waste of
time. I knew from experience that paranoid people do strange things
to protect themselves, but give them credit. If the sheriff was
letting me leave the state, then it stood to reason that I didn’t
have any information. Beau was over-reacting, and the sheriff was
going along for the ride. Or maybe it was the other way around.
    My flight was announced over the PA, and we
hurried toward the gate. My carry-on tipped off its rollers, and I
dragged it behind me. Beau looked back and rolled his eyes. He took
it from me, collapsed the handle and carried it the rest of the
way. We reached the gate, and Beau set my case on the floor,
grabbed the open front of my jacket and pulled me to him. The kiss
he gave me about stopped my heart. The kind of kiss that shuts down
brain function.
    “What was that for?” I asked as he released
me. My face was hot and I felt like I should be checking to make
sure I still had all my clothes on.
    “Making sure you don’t forget me between here
and Virginia. Now get on the plane. I’ll be waiting here until it
takes off.” He kissed me again, this time on the top of the head
and sent me down the jet way. Halfway down I remembered my
toothpaste and ran back.
    “I need my toothpaste and moisturizer.”
    “What?”
    “My stuff.” I rummaged in his pocket for the
bottle and tube. “Where are they?”
    “I left them at the check point. The officer
said he’d hold them for me.”
    “Damn. I need them. I’m not going to do
anything bad with them; I just forgot to put them in my
suitcase.”
    “I’ll mail them to you. Get on the
plane.”
    “Jeez, when did you get to be so hard line?”
I was still trying to work out how to get him to let me have my
stuff back. “I don’t want to have to buy that stuff in DC.”
    “And here I thought you were jogging back up
the jet way because you already missed me.” He planted another kiss
on my head. “Go.”
    I dragged my bag onto the plane, wishing I
could stay or that Beau was coming with me and wondering if this
was really necessary. I settled into my seat. A small red-haired
woman with clear blue eyes sat next to me, smiling tentatively. I
smiled back, thinking she looked like a pleasant traveling
companion, but I fell asleep after take-off and never found
out.
    I woke up briefly when we stopped to take on
passengers in Las Vegas but fell asleep again when we took off for
Virginia.
    I woke as the plane landed and my usual
disembarking debate started in my head. I thought the smart thing
was to stay in my seat until everyone else got off. The other
option was to stand up and be squeezed out like toothpaste. I
decided I could be calm and wait, but when the plane stopped and
the air stopped flowing, I started to get hot. I sat taking deep
breaths, waiting for the doors to open. The cabin started to close
in on me, and the air seemed hot. I was pretty sure they were
filtering the oxygen out of it. I shot a look at the red head in
the aisle seat, but she seemed calm. She certainly wasn’t shoving
her way into the horde between the seats, which is what I wanted to
do. I wondered if I’d get arrested if I climbed over the other
passengers and clawed my way out of the door.
    I managed to keep my impulses in check and
emerged from the plane hoping for a blast of cool air to soothe my
overheated synapses. Unfortunately, the airport was hot and damp.
It was raining