Chapter Nine Jack showed her where he�d found them, the remnants of every piece of clothing he�d brought with him in a tidy heap in the middle of the living room floor. She was chagrined to note strips of one sweater that had been her particular favourite. Marks had obviously intended for Jack to be left high and dry, for not only were his bags, footwear and wallet gone, the phone lines had been cut as well. Had he not been expecting a call from Serena about the Calladine case, Jack would never have discreetly turned on his cell phone and tucked it between the box spring and mattress on his side of the bed the previous night. Without it, he would�ve been without any outside contact unless he�d dared leave the condo wrapped only in a bath or bed sheet. �Or in curtains, like Scarlett O�Hara,� Nora commented wryly. �But Jack, how did she ever manage all this without you hearing? It must�ve taken her ages to cut up all your things.� Ruefully, �I slept like a log. I was exhausted.� He shrugged. �She was furious after having seen us in the kitchen. She harangued me all the way back here last night. Wanted to argue and I wouldn�t. I was asleep the minute my head finally hit the pillow. A bomb could�ve gone off and I probably wouldn�t have heard it.� �It would appear that you�re very fortunate she didn�t have one with her,� said Nora, brows raised. �And she took the rental. Was it hers or yours?� �Mine.� Jack made as though to sit on the sofa, then suddenly recalled being wrapped in a bath sheet. �God, I don�t even dare sit down!� he groaned in bitter frustration. Trying not to smile and pretending to ignore the logistics of the towel, �I presume that you�ve decided not to contact the authorities....� �Once I get back, I�ll take care of everything on my own. Neither of us wants the public to have a field day with this, Nora.� �True, but you�d seem to be the one with the most to lose; at least,� she grinned, �whatever you�ve not lost already.� Jack mustered up the ghost of a smile. Nora changed gears. �We�ll get you some clothes as quickly as possible.� She opened her purse to dig out a pen and paper. �Give me your sizes. I�ll pick up the minimum in Edgarton and hurry back here so that you can dress. Then we�ll pick up another change or two, if you�d like. What else would you like me to do for you?� �Money for another rental and a ticket for the ferry to Falmouth?� He hastened to add, �If you don�t mind? I�ll pay you back for everything as soon as I get back to New York. It�s just that if I leave right away, I should have a better chance of getting the other rental back before the agency starts wondering where it is. Things are bad enough without legal complications as well.� Nora nodded. �That�s what friends are for.� She paused. �What about the damage to the phone line, though?� Jack shrugged. �I�m not even going to worry about that. The place belongs to her parents.� �You know Jack, � Nora began hesitantly, � your lack of prudence in selecting companions aside, this is as much my fault as it is yours. I let her think that we were up to something. It seemed funny at the time, but it was unkind of me. It certainly doesn�t seem funny now. My turn to say I�m sorry. I truly am.� But Jack McCoy was no longer really listening. He glared at Nora Lewin; his face contorted, a livid red, as the latest realization struck him. But his anger was in no way directed towards her. �Damn!� he spat out in bitterly. �Damn! Damn! I�m not going ANYWHERE! My driver�s license is in my wallet!� And Jack�s wallet, as they both knew, could be just about anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard. R e v i e w H o m e Nothing could have prepared Nora for what awaited her. Nothing. Completely dry, yet with a bath sheet wrapped around him, a wide-eyed Jack stepped back to let he |