SHERIDAN'S SECRET

Chapter Sixteen

Hank Bennett was a happy man.  Sure there were still a few loose ends to tie up, but he had two key accomplishments that made him feel snug as a bug in a rug...the key to Sheridan's heart and the one to her apartment.   Things were moving right along down easy street, and he knew it wouldn't be long before he would able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.  For now he was busy double crossing each bridge as he came to it, and the next one would be getting Sheridan to follow through with her commitment to be his wife.  After that, he would have time to concentrate on how to deal with Julian's imposter and the others. 

 He was hoping to make the engagement official at the Thanksgiving feast which would take place at the Crane mansion.  The gathering would be small, but everyone who mattered would be there.  Sheridan had said she would lay the groundwork for having Pilar and her family there also, including Luis who would only be doing it as a favor considering his past run ins with the family.  Hank just wanted to be confident that Sheridan had plenty of people around her assuring her that she had made the right choice.  Meanwhile, he  was busy constantly shining up to Sheridan until he could polish off the others.  He made sure that he saw her every day and was constantly checking with Pilar and Julian to make sure they were doing their parts. 

Meanwhile, Luis was going through the paces of his everyday life on auto pilot, his senses numbed by the emptiness that grew with every passing day.  Nothing could fill the void left by knowing that the woman he loved would soon be the wife of his best friend.  "Why, oh why, couldn't he have seen it before. "  She had been right about him all along.  He was a hard headed jerk, and now all he could do was hope that in time he would learn to accept what had happened.  But for now, it was all he could do to  pull himself from the depths of depression, to face the world one day at a time hoping, praying that the pain would end.  He knew in his mind that some day he would be himself again, that he would be able to smile again, laugh again, maybe even love again.  He knew that the pain would subside little by little, day by day, and each morning as he woke, he checked his senses, but nothing ever seemed to change.  The pain was relentless. the regrets, tearing at his heart, reminding him of what he had been too stubborn to see. 

And people were beginning to worry about him, his family, his co- workers, Hank, Sheridan, all had commented on his sullen demeanor.  The spark was gone, and it took all his strength to carry on hiding the reason for his despair.  He told his family that it was the strain of his job, and he told his co-workers it had nothing to do with them, but he was running out of answers and the energy to formulate them.  He had thrown himself into a physical fitness program and was spending a lot of time at the youth center with the remainder spent trying to find out more on the man who was posing as Julian, Joel Bonnett'.  But having Sheridan there most of the time made it hard to concentrate on work or workouts.  He kept finding himself slipping into the daydream of that night , her face, her hair, the warmth of her body as he held her close .

Sheridan was having trouble forgetting that night herself.  Even though everyone told her she was making the right decision, she couldn't help thinking about the real passion she had felt in Luis' arms.  Would that ever be a part of her life again... she wondered.  Her family would have never accepted Luis, she told herself.  And he hated her family.  But what about the way they started out hating each other?  Things had changed; things could  change.  No matter what she was doing, the thoughts, the fantasies worked their way into her life, until finally she had decided to tell Hank that she wanted to wait a while to announce their engagement.  She just wasn't ready to be his wife. But she was afraid to tell him, afraid of how he would try to change her mind and afraid of how everyone would  pressure her into making the commitment.

 At least now she had some time to herself, even if it was very little.  But during that little bit of time she could dream, dream of the life she could have had, dream of the day in the locker room, the night on the dance floor.  Her head was spinning, but one thing was sure.  It wouldn't hurt to wait.  Why couldn't she wait?  Why was everyone pushing her into this? 

 She began to notice the subtle things like the way  Julian seemed to be so tense yet agreeable, and the same with Pilar.  Pilar seemed to like what was happening, said it was the best thing in the world for her, but the tension was there .  It was as if everyone knew something except for her, and of course, she was right on target.  Her senses, no longer under the influences of the drugs, were keen enough to perceive things she had never noticed before, and everyone had forgotten to think about that.

If only she could talk to Luis, get him alone without anyone knowing.  Then she could get a feel for what was going on with him.  She would start out telling him about her doubts about the decision to marry Hank and go from there.  Surely she would be able to see whether he felt the same way she did.  She knew that he was too good a friend to Hank to reveal  his true feelings about her to the world, but she hoped that in a private moment, he would pour his heart out to her the way she wanted to do with him.

She imagined herself alone with Luis sitting on the rocks along Harmony Bay  at the tip of a little peninsula, surrounded by cool, green waters and sudsy waves crashing at their toes as they held hands and silently beheld the world at their feet.  Just the two of them, no words, no cares, no one to tell them how crazy it was, two people from two different worlds too much in love to have anything else matter.  And it didn't matter .  Hank was a wonderful person, a great friend, and if he loved her the way everyone said he did, he would have to wait.  She knew that, in time, things would work out.  Everything would be the way it should and everyone would understand. 

Still, she dreaded telling him, and decided to postpone it as long as possible.  She could see that Luis wasn't himself, and knew in her heart that he was troubled over what had happened between them.  She just wondered whether he wanted her for himself or  it was just a guilt thing for the way he had let himself get carried away on the dance floor and was embarrassed about it.  Every time she tried to get him alone, he avoided it.  She finally decided that she would have to come up with a plan to trick him into seeing her, and that it would be better that way anyhow since she would make sure they had plenty of time and privacy to fully discuss the issue.

 Maybe after Thanksgiving dinner, she could sneak away from Hank and find out what Luis was doing with his family later that day.  Then she could waylay him somewhere along the path, maybe even block his car, she laughed to herself remembering how she'd wrecked his police car that first night they met.  It seemed like a good plan, and she could tell Hank that she wanted to wait and announce their engagement at a bigger, better party. 

 She was beginning to notice his affinity for the finer things in life, so  she knew he was sure to like that idea. He and Julian were thicker than thieves and seeing Hank become more and more like the typical Crane businessman left something to be desired   when it came to being the perfect mate.  Still she cared for him very much and was appreciative of the friendship they had shared.  

She was really glad that she had not taken the relationship to the physical level that he had wanted, that she had stuck to her guns and let him know that she was an old fashioned girl in that respect.  She assumed that getting her into the bedroom was the reason he was in such a rush to get married.  It never entered her mind that he was just like all the other men who had tried to push their way into the Crane family, love at purse sight!  While she was busy looking for someone to take her away from it all, he was looking for someone to take it all away from.  Luckily, her plans to put things on hold would mean a chance for her to turn things around and avoid being Hank's Jane Dough or Julian's Jane Doe.  Poor Sheridan didn't know how right she was in putting a stop to their plans. 

Chapter Seventeen

Luis was sick of everyone asking him what was wrong.  With Thanksgiving just around the corner, he wanted to give his family on the island all the news he could gather on the man who was posing as Julian Crane.   He was trying to concentrate on  what he was doing, but it was difficult.  He was still having problems keeping his mind off of Sheridan and accepting the fact that he had to forget about her and his feelings. 

 It was after hours at the police station, so he was able to use the computer for the work he needed to do without anyone bothering him, he thought.  He could hear Sam Bennett, his boss, in the other room with Hank talking about something, and he knew that Hank would be around soon to say hi and probably hang around bragging about his new life.  As he called up the name of John Bonnett' on the missing persons screen  of the computer FBI file, he was distracted by the idea that he would  soon be listening to something he would rather not hear.  Why did everything have to remind him of what a fool he'd been?  With any luck, Hank would strike up a conversation on a subject like the latest muggings in Lighthouse Park or something else less depressing than Sheridan Crane and how he was about to marry her.  "Isn't it great, Luis! Isn't she gorgeous, Luis," he could hear it now.  He pictured himself rolling over Hank's toes with his desk chair as he closed in  to make his point, then Yeowch! "Oh sorry, Buddy," he would say, laughing.  "That must have really hurt, huh!" 

"Yeah, hurt.  I know about that, don't I"  he mumbled to himself, putting his daydream aside to check the computer screen and the picture.  Suddenly Luis' pencil hit the floor, and his jaw dropped almost as far.  There on the screen, under FBI missing persons was the name Bennett.  With all the distraction, he had mistyped the name Bonnett' and hit the "e" instead of the "o" key, and now a  picture of Hank Bennett was there before him, bigger than life with story even bigger.  

Luis couldn't believe his eyes as he read the report of a man he thought he knew.  Hank Bennett, missing since early this summer and married to a prominent woman old enough to be his mother and rich enough to be his victim, was a wanted man.  He had married this woman, then disappeared with practically everything she owned after tricking her into liquidating most of her assets.  Actually what he had taken was perfectly legal which is why he was only reported as missing, but what he had done was obviously devious. 

"What's up Buddy? Working late?"  Hank peeked around the corner.  "How about a little dinner, whadayasay?" 

Luis cleared the screen and closed the computer hoping that he hadn't looked like he was hiding what he had discovered.  He was lost for words.  Was Hank still married to this woman?  He had to find out what was going on.  His head was swimming  with possibilities about what could have happened and what he should do about it.  He sat silently.

"Luis?" Hank asked again joking, "I know where we can get donuts, officer, fresh, squishy donuts, just the way you like them," he laughed trying to get Luis' attention.

"No, I don't think so, Hank."  Luis spoke up finally.  "I 've got a lot of work to do here still, but thanks, anyway, okay."

"What, an officer turning down a donut!  Hank kept on, "I know you haven't been yourself lately,  but this is serious."  Hank sat down across from Luis.  "What's up man, seriously.  What's been eating you.  Everybody's noticed it, me ,Sheridan, Sam, even the kids at the center. Word is you're starting to slip."

"Slip, huh,"  Luis snapped.  "What's that supposed to mean!  That I can't do my job!  That I did something wrong!  I guess you would be the guy to know about screw ups, wouldn't you Hank?"  The more Hank spoke the more Luis knew he had to say something about what he knew.   " But you would never slip, would you, Hank." 

"I don't know what you're talking about, Luis"  Hank stood up.

Luis opened his computer and pulled up the file he had seen, "I'm talking about this, Hank.  Maybe the fact that you're already married slipped your mind, is that it.? 

Luis glared at Hank waiting for an answer, and Hank hung his head for a minute before saying anything, then sat back down as he spoke. "I can explain all of that, and it's already taken care of.  My divorce will be over and Sheridan and I will be married, period, end of story.  The rest is history, ancient history,"  Hank laughed pointing to the report, and a picture of him and the wife who was looking for him.  "I mean, Luis, buddy, wouldn't you call that ancient.  Sure, I married her for her money, but she wanted me to."

"And I guess she wanted you to take all her money with you when you left too, is that it Hank, Buddy," Luis said sarcastically, making the word Buddy sound more like an insult than a term of endearment. "Is that what you want with Sheridan?  I should have known when you said you had an interest in her that it was the kind that compounds annually you were interested in.  I was wrong when I said you weren't that kind of guy.  You're worse, aren't you!  You're an ordinary thief, hitting up little old ladies for their money, then running the other way hoping you won't get caught with your hand in their purse.  Well, it's over, Hank.  I don't want Sheridan to know any more than you do, but you'd better take care of it or I will.  I don't think she'd be interested in marrying a gold digger, do you."

"I see your point, Luis, but you've got it all wrong, seriously, man.  I love Sheridan.  Who wouldn't, well I guess you would be the exception to that, but even you guys are getting along now, and she's a great girl, you can see that.  It's not just her money, I swear.    The other was a stupid mistake.  I plan to pay her back every cent I lost.  It wasn't like I meant to do it, anyhow.  I thought I'd be happy with her, you know, get to liking her more, but she drove me crazy, Luis.  You don't know the half of it.  I thought I was making a good investment with the money I took, but it just fell through." 

"So you met a bigger, smarter crook than you were, you mean?"  Luis was listening.

"Yeah, sort of, I don't know.  It's a long story, but the bottom line is it's not what you think.   I'll admit I married her for her money, but I'm no crook.  You know, me Luis."  Hank appealed to his friend.

"Do I, do I really Hank?"  Luis questioned him, "I thought I did, but now I'm not so sure.  Just tell  me one thing, Hank.  How could you propose to Sheridan when you already have a wife who's looking for you?  Don't you know what the Cranes will do to you if they get wind of any of this?  Let's just say, you might be somebody's husband, but you'd never be anyone's dad! "

"I thought it was all over with.  I thought she'd divorce me for sure when I left, but she didn't.  I know it was stupid, but what Sheridan doesn't know won't hurt her."  Hank seemed so sure of himself.

"Look, all I'm saying is don't do anything illegal.  You know how I feel about that.  Don't make me do my job."  Luis didn't know what to do at this point, but he knew he was ready to call it a day and go home where he could clear his mind and think this thing out.  Just then, Sam Bennett peeked around the corner.

"I'm locking up, You guys coming?" he asked.

Luis and Hank got up to leave with Sam, and the conversation was minimal with Sam joking around and the other two barely speaking.  Luis was happy to get home but wanted to keep what he knew a secret for the time being.  Now he really felt sorry for Sheridan.  He had to come up with a plan to get her away from Hank, but how.  Telling her about Hank's past would surely throw her into a state where she was unlikely to trust anyone, but he couldn't stand by and see her hurt any more.  The passion was building inside him as he thought about everything that had happened, the disgust he felt about Hank and his past, the hate he felt toward the Crane family and the imposter, and the  burning desire he felt for Sheridan Crane.

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