Betrayal - Fern Michaels [69]
Kate heard the limo as it pulled into the driveway. She turned off the lights in the house, set the alarm that Alex insisted she have installed since he wasn’t there, and took her luggage outside.
The driver put her bag in the trunk, opened the rear passenger door, and waited until she was buckled in before he closed it. Impersonal and efficient. Just what she wanted. No small talk or polite conversation. Get her to the airport in time for her flight to Miami, and she would be a happy camper.
Kate arrived at the airport in time to catch her flight. She slept, knowing she needed to do whatever she could to lessen the dark circles beneath her eyes. Three hours later she was at the Hertz kiosk picking up her car. With instructions to the hotel in her purse, she found the Ford Taurus in the assigned parking slot. She drove to her hotel.
After a shower, Kate took a long nap. She dreamed of Alex. Sara was living with her while Alex served his term. Sara kept telling Kate that she’d lied because her mother asked her to. She said she was sorry. She begged Kate to let her go to the authorities with the truth. Kate kept telling her what was done was done.
What was done was done. What was done was done.
She bolted upright in the bed. It was pitch-black in the room. For a moment Kate forgot where she was. Then she remembered. She was going to see Alex in the morning. She’d had a nightmare, that was all. Tossing the covers aside, she went to the minibar. Two small bottles of Chablis later, she went back to sleep. This time there were no dark dreams. Just pure, deep sleep.
At six in the morning, Kate woke refreshed, without the slightest bit of a headache. Wine usually gave her a nasty hangover, but she hadn’t drunk all that much. She showered, then shaved her legs for the second time in twenty-four hours. She blew her hair dry and applied cover stick to hide the dark circles. Mascara, blush, and a swipe of coral lipstick. Coleman told her there was a strict dress code when visiting. If she didn’t adhere to it, she would be turned away for the day. Not wanting to take any chances, she’d packed a pair of camel-colored slacks that were too hot for Florida weather and a long-sleeved, plain white blouse. Beneath it she wore a cream-colored T-shirt so you couldn’t see any skin or bra lines. She’d sweat, but she’d do whatever she had to in order to see her husband.
She found her way to the Dade Correctional Facility without too much hassle. Once she parked in the designated visitor area, she had to walk about half a block to the entrance. She supposed this was for safety purposes; an inmate would have a distance to travel if he decided to leave through the main entrance. She couldn’t imagine someone ever being that brave, but then again, she never imagined she’d be visiting Alex in a prison.
She’d been issued a number once her name was placed on Alex’s visitation list. She brought the number with her. She entered what looked like a waiting room. There were dozens of other people. Young, old, male, female. Every race you could imagine. Small children raced around chasing one another. She would hate to think of a child of her own having to visit a place of this kind, but that wasn’t going to happen. Some of the younger women wore skirts so short and blouses so tight, Kate thought it a miracle they could move. If the dress code was as strict as Coleman said, then these gals were in for a surprise.
A few minutes later Kate heard her name called. She went to the officer at the visitors’ desk. She showed her ID, and they searched her purse. Once she went through this, she was sent to another room, where there weren’t that many people waiting. This was the clearance room. Kate supposed they were checking to make sure she was a true, bona-fide registered visitor. Another few minutes passed. She was escorted into an area that looked like a ten-by-twelve steel room. She was told she would have to undergo a body search,