Disclaimers - See Part 1 for disclaimers.

Chapter Five

Lee turned her pick-up into the driveway of Marika's condo tower and pulled into visitor parking beside a vaguely familiar battered old silver Toyota. Getting out, she saw Terry sitting on the brick edge of the raised flower gardens that bracketed the covered entrance way. As she walked towards the other woman, she noticed a despondent look on the normally cheerful face. Sighing, she guessed that Terry was here for much the same reason she was.

"Hey, Terry, how's it going," Lee asked as she got close.

Terry glanced up with a look of relief on her face. "Not bad, Lee. Are you here to see Marika, too?"

"Uh huh." Lee paused and studied the other woman. "I take it she's not answering her intercom?"

The tall young woman shook her head. "No, she's not. She didn't answer her phone this morning when I called either. Because of the stupid security, I can't get into the garage to check and see if her car's there. I even tried ringing through to the Superintendent, but no one answered." Terry stared up at Lee with a small frown. "What if she's really sick and can't get to her phone or something?"

Lee considered her soberly then said, "C'mon, I've got keys to get in. Let's go check."

The big woman opened the door and held it for her young friend to walk by. Quickly they crossed the lobby to the dual elevators and pressed the button. Making small talk while they waited, Lee asked, "So where's Jan this morning?"

An involuntary smile broke over Terry's face at the thought of her partner. "She and my Mom are brainstorming over coffee and doughnuts. They're both on the organizing committee for the summer food bank drive, and they have some big meeting tomorrow night that they're getting ready for."

The elevator arrived and the women entered. Terry pressed the button for the fifteenth floor and glanced at Lee. "Where's Dana this morning?"

Lee grinned. "She's monitoring Danny's grounding. She's got him picking up garbage and stuff in the back yard."

Smiling back Terry said, "It was a terrific party, Lee. Jan and I both had a great time."

"Glad you did," Lee said approvingly. "I wouldn't want to do it every week, but we had fun putting it on too. The turn-out was pretty impressive."

Terry chuckled at that. "I'll say. I ran into people there I haven't seen in ages. I don't know how you fit them all in your yard. I hope your neighbours weren't too bothered by our noise."

Shaking her head, Lee smiled. "No, we solved that problem by inviting them too. Did you see the man with the wild red Hawaiian shirt on?"

The young woman snorted. "You mean the guy that just about knocked Robyn's cake off the table when he was trying to limbo?"

Lee nodded, snickering. "Yeah, well that's the dentist who lives next door to us, and somehow I don't think he was in any shape to complain about anything."

Chuckling the two women stepped out of the elevator onto the fifteenth floor. Thick carpets muffled the sounds of their footsteps as they walked down the hall to Marika's door at the far end.

Tapping lightly on the door, Terry cocked her head as she listened for any sounds from within. When several repetitions failed to elicit any response, Lee used her key to let them in.

"Marika?" Terry called softly as she did a quick check of the living room and kitchen before walking down the hall to the bedrooms. Lee didn't bother to follow her, sure that their friend wasn't at home. Instead, she bent to stroke the gray cat that had come to greet them.

"Hey, Spook. Did your momma leave you alone again? Bet you're hungry aren't you?" Lee couldn't help a grin as the cat promptly padded over to the kitchen and stood looking at her expectantly. The big woman always cared for the cat when Marika had to go out of town on business and Spooky knew this human was a reliable source of food.

Grabbing a tin of food out of the pantry, Lee ran it under the electric can opener and spooned it out, trying to work around Spooky who had his nose right in the dish. Refilling the water dish, she set that down on the floor too and turned to see her companion standing in the doorway.

"She's not here, Lee," Terry said uncertainly. "Do you think she's all right? I mean, if she wasn't feeling well last night..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked to the big woman for reassurance.

Running a hand through her short hair, Lee sighed. "C'mon, Terry. Let's sit down."

Puzzled, the young woman trailed after her friend and took a seat on the couch. On the other end of the couch, Lee studied her hands and tried to decide how much to divulge. Looking up, she saw Terry studying her intently.

"What's going on, Lee? Do you know where Marika is? Is she okay?" The words had an angry edge, as if the younger woman suspected that secrets were being kept from her.

Lee leaned back and half-turned to face Terry. "I think I probably know where Marika is, and no, she's not okay." At the instant look of alarm on the other woman's face, Lee held up a hand. "No, I don't mean that she's in any immediate danger." She hesitated for a moment and then said, "I probably shouldn't say anything. I doubt very much that she'd want you to know, but God knows I haven't been able to reach her and maybe you can."

Shaking her head in bewilderment, Terry demanded, "What are you talking about, Lee? If Marika's in trouble, we have to help her!"

With a sad smile, Lee shook her head. "She doesn't want any help and frankly other than hogtying her to keep her here, I'm not sure what we can do."

Terry stood up and paced restlessly. "Damnit, Lee! Stop being deliberately obtuse and tell me what the hell is going on!"

Lee regarded the agitated woman and said softly, "You do care about her, don't you?"

That stopped Terry in her tracks and spinning around, she glared at the big woman. "Of course I do. I may not have known her as long as you, Lee, but she's my friend too."

Holding up a placating hand, Lee gestured to the couch. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll tell you what I know."

Still perturbed, Terry flung herself onto the couch and fixed worried eyes on her companion.

Rubbing her temple to ease an incipient headache, Lee tried to decide where to start and how much to reveal. Choosing her words carefully, she began, "Terry, Marika's gotten herself into a bad relationship and for some reason, either doesn't want to or can't break free."

Reading the startled look on her friend's face, Lee grimaced. "Look, let me start from the beginning. About two months ago, on a Sunday morning, Dana and I dropped by unexpectedly. Danny was with his Dad and we were going out for brunch, so we thought we'd see if Marika wanted to come with us."

Terry nodded encouragingly but kept silent.

"I never bother with the intercom 'cause I just use my keys to let myself in. Anyway, Dana and I get up to 'Rika's floor and we're walking down the hall when we see a woman leaving her apartment. No big deal right? I mean she's a big girl and if she's had overnight company, it's none of our business."

"Did you recognize the woman?" Terry asked curiously.

"No, I didn't. She really wasn't anything out of the ordinary," Lee said in a troubled voice. "But there was something about her, Ter."

She was silent for a moment recalling that morning. Finally, Terry blurted, "What? What was there about her?"

Biting her lip, Lee tried to put into words the disturbing impression the stranger had made. "I'm not sure if I can describe it, but it was her eyes. They were dead cold, kinda like that picture of Karla Homolka, you know the one I mean?"

Terry nodded. "Yeah, the one when she was going into court and her eyes were so flat you wondered if she even had a soul."

The two women shuddered in mutual repugnance at the thought of the infamous sex killer, and then Lee went on, "That's exactly what they were like, but it was also the way she sauntered down the hall as if she owned the world and it existed only to serve her. Not to mention the triumphant smirk on her lips when she saw us watching her. She wasn't in the least bit fazed, even though we met her just as she was coming out of the apartment. She just slung this backpack over her shoulder and walked right past us like we were nothing. Not even a nod of acknowledgement."

The younger woman had edged closer during the narrative. Concerned she asked, "Did you go in?"

"Oh yeah," Lee snorted. "We did, and we found Marika huddled in a corner of her bedroom, just staring into space. Damn, Terry, I've never seen her like that before. She was totally unresponsive. Didn't even blink when I waved my hand in front of her face."

Lee felt her throat close as she remembered the lost, desolate look in her friend's gray eyes. "I was just about freaking out, ready to call 911 if she didn't snap out of it, but Dana took over. She sent me to run a hot bath and sat on the floor, cuddling Marika and talking to her like she talks to Danny when he's hurt."

Glancing up, the big woman saw the horrified look on her companion's face and nodded grimly. "I was ready to go after the bitch who did that to her, but the thing was, when we got her into the tub, there wasn't a mark on her except for a small bruise at the base of her throat."

"So she wasn't abused?" Terry expelled the words with relief.

"Oh no, Ter, she was definitely abused," Lee stated angrily. "But not physically, as far as I could see. No, this was almost worse because the damage that bitch did was all internal."

"Not...?"

Lee could see that Terry was virtually holding her breath. "I can't say for sure. I do know she cried out when I lowered her into the water but she wouldn't let us check her out or take her to the hospital so I can't say for sure. No, what I mean is the damage that bitch has done to her heart and spirit."

"Jesus, Lee!" Terry had gone pale. "I had no idea this was going on." Apprehensively, she stared at the big woman. "Is it still going on?"

Sadly Lee nodded. "Yeah. At least, I know that she was with her last weekend. Her name is Cass, by the way, but that's all I know about her. Marika won't talk about her. Won't even say how long ago they met, or how or where the bitch lives. After that time we found her, Marika swore she wouldn't have anything more to do with her and I really think she tried, but this woman's got some weird hold over her."

"But why?" Terry asked plaintively. "Why would she go with someone like that? She's got so much to offer someone, and she sure as hell deserves a lot better than that."

"Exactly what I keep telling her!" Lee stated, jabbing her finger in the air for emphasis. "But she won't listen to me. Hell, she won't even allow Dana or I to mention that day except to say that she appreciated our concern but she was fine."

"Doesn't sound like she was fine to me," Terry mumbled.

"No, she wasn't, but she's too damned proud to admit she might need some help."

The women were silent for a long time, lost in contemplation. Finally Terry shook her head in confusion. "I still don't get it, Lee. I mean she's beautiful. She could have anyone she wants."

"Not anyone," Lee responded before grimacing at her unguarded words. "Um, I mean yeah, but she's never had much luck with relationships, in case you haven't noticed."

Terry had glanced up sharply and was studying the big woman intently. Lee shifted uneasily, hoping that her companion wouldn't pick up on unvoiced truths. Quickly, she shifted the conversation onto another track.

"You know, I think the answer to why she'd go with Cass might be in her past," Lee offered and exhaled in relief when Terry took the bait.

"Her past? What do you mean?" Terry asked curiously.

"Has she told you much about her family, about her youth?" Lee inquired.

"Not really. She's never been one for reminiscing, that's for sure. I know that her parents split up because her mother was an alcoholic. I know her father remarried, and that he's a prominent, wealthy lawyer in Toronto. And I know that she's estranged from her family because of some scandal when she was a teenager, and she hasn't seen them in years. That's about the sum of what I know." Terry looked at Lee with anticipation. "Why? What do you know?"

"Pretty much the whole story, I think, but we'd been friends for about four years before 'Rika opened up enough to tell me." Lee paused and looked seriously at her companion. "Terry, she's a very private woman, and I'm only telling you because I know you care about her and frankly, I'm bloody well at my wit's end."

The young woman nodded solemnly. "I would never hurt her, Lee. And anything you tell me, I'll keep in strict confidence. She was there for me through some pretty hard times. I want to be here for her too, if I can."

Lee nodded. "Well, I know you'll tell Jan 'cause I tell Dana everything too, but keep it just between the two of you, okay?" When Terry assented, Lee launched into her story.

"You were right about her folks splitting up, and because her mother was an alcoholic who could barely look after herself, Marika's father took custody. I got the impression the relationship between them was okay up until her dad remarried, and then he got wrapped up in his new family. I guess there were a couple new babies in quick order, and Marika sorta got shuffled off to the side."

Lee glanced up to see that Terry was paying rapt attention. "I don't think she was neglected or mistreated or anything," she assured the younger woman who nodded her understanding. "I just think she was a lonely kid that felt like a fifth wheel although she was pretty taken with her baby brother and sister."

Terry raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Marika and kids? I kinda got the impression that was like mixing oil and water."

Sighing, Lee shook her head. "Well, when you hear the full story I think you'll understand why she shies away from kids now, but actually Marika's pretty darned good with Danny. He loves the way she talks to him like another adult and, to tell you the truth, I think he has a little crush on her."

They both chuckled at that and then Lee picked up the tale. "Anyway, so her father is this legal big shot, and they live pretty high off the hog. I mean they had a cook, a driver, a nanny and a part-time maid."

Frowning at the ceiling, Lee racked her memory. "What the hell was her name? Rosanna...Rosalie...I dunno, I can't remember exactly, but the maid is really nice to Marika all the time. She talks to her, encourages the kid, tells her how wonderful her piano playing is, but most of all, she listens to Marika."

"Bet she didn't get much of that," Terry said sadly.

"No, I don't think so. Inevitably, Marika starts regarding this woman, who's probably twice her age, as a friend."

"Oh shit," Terry groaned. "I know where this is going."

"Yeah, you got it. Our sixteen-year-old girl falls head over heels in love for the first time in her life, and when Rosie seduces her, she's all too willing. Hell, she just handed over her innocent heart and body lock, stock and barrel."

"Tell me that Svengali got what was coming to her?" Terry asked hopefully.

"Don't I wish! Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale, and the wicked witch doesn't eat the poisoned apple," Lee said sadly. "Marika starts meeting Rosie outside of the house, even cutting classes to go to the woman's apartment."

"Wait a minute," Terry said frowning. "I think I do remember Marika saying something about this. She got caught in bed with her, didn't she?"

"Uh huh. It was a weekend and Marika was just waking up when Rosie came into her room. She told 'Rika that her folks had gone out and promptly strips down and crawls into the kid's bed for a little early mornin' lovin'. Except that her parents hadn't gone out, which Rosie damned well knew, and they were just getting into it when Marika's father came in to wake his daughter. It was a pretty ugly scene from what I understand, and he ordered both of them to get dressed and meet him in his den. 'Rika's terrified, but Rosie keeps telling her every thing is going to be fine and to trust her."

"Why do I get the feeling it'd be safer to trust a snake?" Terry asked, wincing with apprehension.

"Oh yeah! Got that right. Anyway, they get down there, Daddy's reading them the riot act, threatening to send Rosie back to wherever she came from and 'Rika starts screaming at him that she'll go with her. I guess Rosie's just standing back while they yell at each other, but finally she hauls a big envelope out of her purse and throws it on the desk. Pictures spill out, and they're all of Marika and Rosie in bed at the bitch's apartment. Turns out she had her boyfriend taking pictures every time they met."

"God!" Terry exhaled. "That must have devastated Marika!"

"She told me that she just stood and stared. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was so shattered that she never said a word while her father brusquely paid the woman off, threatened her if copies ever turned up and banished her. Dear old Dad then proceeded to inform 'Rika that she was a fool and that he couldn't allow her indiscretions to taint his name or influence her little brother and sister. He told her that arrangements would be made for her to go to a boarding school overseas, and in the mean time, she was to remain in the house."

Lee saw tears well up in her companion's eyes and smiled grimly. "Oh, it gets better. She said that only thing she remembers from the next few days was that she went to the nursery one time to see her little brother and baby sister. Her brother was napping and the baby was fussing a bit, so she picked her up to cuddle her and settle her down. Her father's wife came in and freaked out on her. She grabbed the baby and summoned the nanny to give her strict instructions not to leave the children alone. Then she ordered 'Rika out of the nursery. She said after that it was all sort of a blur until she was on a plane for Geneva. They wouldn't even let her go find her mother to say good-bye. She tried to call but couldn't get hold of her, and she never knew if her mother even realized that she'd gone."

Terry rubbed at her wet eyes. "Didn't she try to talk her Dad out of it or anything?"

"I think she was in such a state of shock at Rosie's betrayal that she just accepted her exile without protest. And you know how 'Rika is, she probably wanted to get away and hide anyway. When she hurts, she retreats."

The younger woman was quiet for long moments and then she looked at Lee quizzically. "It was a terrible thing to happen, but how do you figure it relates to Cass?"

Lee frowned. "Think about it, Ter. The first time she falls in love, her whole world collapses around her. The object of her affection betrays her in the worst manner possible, so what lesson does she take from that?"

"Love sucks?" Terry asked wryly.

With a small snort, Lee corrected, "Not exactly. I think she longs for love as much as any of us, maybe more, but I don't think she trusts love. God knows she's yet to have one long-term successful romance, and it's always because she sabotages herself. Hell, you and I can attest to that."

Terry nodded. "Yeah, we can. So you think she goes to Cass because she doesn't trust anyone enough to have a normal relationship?"

Shaking her head, Lee said, "No. I think at some level, she believes someone like Cass is all she's worth."

Gaping at her, Terry protested, "But that's just dumb!"

"I agree," Lee said ruefully. "You and I know that, but I haven't been successful in getting 'Rika to know that."

***************************************************

Marika tugged her jeans on and took her shirt off the hanger. Looking around, she spotted her purse dropped by a large suitcase leaning against the wall by the bedroom door. She winced as she recalled the harsh words that luggage had caused last night when she'd arrived.

Following Cass into the bedroom, Marika stumbled slightly over an overnight bag jutting into her path. She nudged it back by its larger counterpart and looked up to see the other woman frowning at her.

Picking up her purse, she glanced back to the bed to see cold, half-lidded eyes watching her insolently. Without a word, Cass rolled over, away from Marika. The blonde stared at the woman's naked back for a moment and then silently left, pulling the bedroom door closed behind her. Padding on socked feet to the kitchen, she opened a cupboard looking for a clean glass. The shelves were virtually bare, but Marika found a glass for water.

As she drank, she contemplated the empty state of the entire apartment. It hardly seemed like anyone lived here. There were no dishes, few towels or amenities, and only bare bones furniture except for the bedroom. When she'd once worked up the nerve to question Cass on her decorating tastes, the woman had sneered at her and told Marika that she had no intention of wasting money on a trick pad.

Marika knew better than to press the matter, and she wasn't really surprised by Cass' reference to the apartment. If she called, she got the answering machine far more often than the woman herself. She was never certain when she dropped by whether Cass would be there or not, and frequently the windows were dark. They'd been dark when she'd come last night, not even sure why she'd driven there from Lee and Dana's. She'd parked on the street and stared up at the unlit windows, not particularly disappointed that Cass was apparently not home.

She was about to start the car to drive away when her door suddenly opened. She gasped with fright, only to look up and see Cass eyeing her speculatively. After long moments, the woman jerked her head at Marika and strode away, leaving the door open and never looking back to see if the blonde followed.

Disturbed at the memory of how she'd obediently locked her car and trailed after Cass, Marika quickly rinsed the glass and returned it to the cupboard. She'd learned early that the other woman wouldn't tolerate slovenly habits.

Quickly making her way to the front door to retrieve her jacket and shoes, she noted that Cass' duster was the only other garment hanging in the closet. Eager to leave, Marika didn't pause to contemplate the mystery any longer, exiting the apartment swiftly.

Driving home, the blonde resolutely kept her mind off the activities of the previous night and focused instead on the long hot bath she planned to take as soon as she got back to her condo.

Once her car was parked in the underground garage, she jogged quickly to the elevators and sighed with relief when one of the doors opened promptly for her. Grateful that the lift was empty, she leaned against a wall and closed her eyes, wanting only to reach her sanctuary as soon as possible.

Long legs carried her rapidly down the hall to her door and she fumbled with her keys, almost desperate to get inside. Only when the door closed behind her did she relax, sighing with relief. Tossing her jacket and purse on the hallway chair, she walked down the short corridor to the living room only to start in astonishment at the sight of Lee and Terry staring at her.

Groaning inwardly and unwilling to endure any confrontations, her voice came out more harshly than she'd intended. "What are you two doing here?"

She saw the look of surprise on Terry's face and the resignation on Lee's. It was the older woman who spoke first. "We were concerned when you didn't answer your phone and thought we'd check and make sure you're all right."

Gruffly, Marika stated, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get cleaned up."

Terry stood and walked toward her holding out a conciliatory hand. "Marika, Lee told me what's going on and we want to help."

The blonde whirled to stare angrily at her old friend. "God-damnit, Lee! Just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Who asked you to stick your nose in anyway? Last time I checked, I was well over the age of consent and didn't need to check with Mommy whenever I want to go out!"

Terry froze as Lee jumped to her feet. "Jesus, Marika, you know we're just worried about you," the big woman half shouted as she strode over to Terry's side.

"Well, don't bother. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself." Marika felt exhaustion wash over her. She just wanted the women to leave and to let her alone. She couldn't deal with their concern right now.

Lee regarded her intently. "Yeah, you're doing a helluva fine job looking after yourself. You look like something Spooky dragged in from the bush."

"I'm just tired," the blonde mumbled a feeble protest. "I just need some sleep, and I'll be fine."

"What you need," Lee informed her sharply, "is to stay a million miles away from that parasite. She's eating you alive and you don't even see it!"

"What I need," Marika parroted, her anger rising rapidly, "is for you to stop lecturing me."

When both Lee and Terry began to speak at once, her temper boiled over. "Stop it!" she yelled, distantly aware of the shock on their faces as she backed away from them. She only stopped when she hit the wall, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "I don't need your approval. You're both so bloody smug because you've found True Love." She practically spat the words. "Well guess what, ladies? Some of us never do and never will, but we'd get along just fine if you'd stop gloating and crowing."

Lee and Terry looked at each other in dismay. When Terry tried to speak, Marika shook her head. "Just leave...please, just leave."

Without staying to see if they acquiesced to her plea, she turned and walked steadily down the hall to her bedroom, closing the door firmly to shut them out.

***************************************************

Lee carefully locked Marika's front door behind them and then the two women walked silently to the elevators. As they waited, Lee said ruefully, "Well, that went well, don't you think?"

Terry gave a little groan and asked, "Do you really think we should have left her alone?"

"I don't think that was up to us, Ter," Lee answered sadly. "She made it pretty clear she didn't want us there."

"So what do we do now?"

The big woman sighed and shook her head. "Dunno, Terry. 'Rika will want to withdraw for a while now, and I think it might be best to let her. Give her some time to cool down. It won't take her long to realize that whatever we did, we did because we love her. Then it'll just be a matter of breaking through her damned pride to get things back to normal, because she'll isolate herself for the next ten years before she'll admit that she needs us."

The elevator arrived and both women entered, both now lost in their own thoughts as they left their troubled friend behind.

Continued in Chapter 6