The Four Corners of the Sky_ A Novel - Michael Malone [125]
“Sure you can.” His eyes took on a little of the old glimmer. “I’m serious about La Reina Coronada del Mar. The little jewels are in your hat. Most of the big ones are in Cuba.”
Annie watched the pink moon float past on baby blue clouds. “The big jewels meaning your stories about the seven emeralds and that huge ruby heart.”
He nodded. “That’s right. It’s a solid gold statue. These emeralds go in the crown.” He held up the green gem on the gold chain. “We’ve got three now. There are four more even larger, and the ruby, in the bank in Cuba—”
Leaping to her feet, Annie slapped the bed cover. “Stop. Stop!” Her shout brought Raffy back through the door. “Do you ever listen to yourself? You’re dying and you’re still trying to pull off some fraud about a bogus treasure hunt in Cuba! Do you get it that a cop from Miami Vice is going to arrest you and throw you in jail, that he has been hounding me to give you up, threatening to arrest me for harboring you?”
Her father raised himself wincing. “Daniel Hart?”
“Yes! Sgt. Daniel Hart, Miami Police.”
Raffy called from the doorway. “He nabbed me at the Dorado.”
Jack squeezed the bed sheet with his taped fingers. “Hart’s after me because of the Queen.”
“Dad, don’t insult me. That statue is not real!”
But his face was stubborn, just as Sam had often told her her own face would tighten. “My great-grandfather Boss Peregrine carried the Queen out of Havana and brought her back to North Carolina in a burlap bag.”
“I’m not listening to this craziness. And I’m not flying you to Cuba, or anywhere else till I talk to your doctor. Where’d you get this photo?” She slid out the picture of them at The Breakers from his wallet and palmed it while pretending to put it back. “Daniel Hart raided your room and got my cell number off the back of this.”
“Doesn’t surprise me. He must have put it back. You know what? I like Dan Hart. He won’t quit. But tell him from me, I’m not going to jail, not for a day, not for an hour.”
Suddenly Raffy waved his arms for them to be quiet. Then he hurried to the bed, grabbed the emeralds off the tray, yanking on Annie’s arm. “We gotta go,” he whispered. “Right now!”
Footsteps grew louder, passed the doorway, moved toward the other end of the hall. Raffy tugged at her. “We gotta go! We’ll come back and see Jack in the morning.”
Jack urged her to listen to Raffy, to leave now. He’d make sure his doctor was here at 8 a.m. “Raffy, watch out for her.”
The Cuban ran to look out the crack of the door.
She couldn’t resist raising her ironic eyebrow at her father. “It’s a little late to start taking care of me now, Dad.”
He blew a soft kiss with his bandaged hand. “I really was coming back for you.” His fingers reached for hers. “Somehow the years got away.”
She remembered how he’d left his wristwatch once in a motel room and although he’d loved that watch, thirty miles later he’d refused to turn around to go back for it. Upset that it had taken her so long to notice that he’d forgotten it, she’d been in tears, blaming herself for the loss.
She told him now, “You always cared more about what was ahead than what we’d left behind.”
“Did I, darlin’?”
“Don’t you know yourself by now?”
He smiled his old silly smile.
Slipping her fingers away from his, she pointed to his bedside monitors. “I guess it wouldn’t be so easy for you to run off this time, would it?”
“Nope.” He let his hands lift, then softly fall. “You’re the flyer now, Annie.”
Raffy flung back through the door. “It’s Ms. Skippings! Quick!” He grabbed Annie and pushed her out into the hall.
Chapter 37
Flight for Freedom
Raffy hurried Annie to the elevator bank. An attractive tall silvery blonde woman, sharp-edged and too thin, with a tag identifying her as “M. R. Skippings, Chief Hospital Administrator,” stepped around the corner and blocked their path. “Stop!” she ordered. She was Annie’s age and wore a remarkable platinum and diamond engagement ring that looked like a piece of modern sculpture.