One Murder Too Many Page 19

  Jason’s last night in the valley had consisted of dinner out with Reggie, his aunt Sally and Kari. The conversation had been light, other than for Sally asking how it had felt being locked in a panic room and actually being in a panic. After the meal, Jason and Kari had returned to her apartment and spent a final night together.

  Now, as Kari sat next to Jason in the airport terminal, she hated each minute that ticked away on the clock, knowing each passing second brought them closer to a long separation. Tears welled up in her eyes and she ducked her head.

  ‘I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.’

  ‘Me too,’ he replied. ‘It’s so unmanly.’

  The statement caused Kari to laugh. ‘Yes,’ she sniffed at her tears. ‘But I’m about to bawl like a baby.’

  Jason grinned. ‘Being a proper Englishman, I am bound by my heritage to display a more equable demeanor.’

  Kari smiled at his amusing effort. ‘I’ll have some vacation time built up in about four months,’ she told him gently. ‘If you don’t mind tending after a Yank, I’d love to come visit.’

  Jason studied her for a long moment, drinking in her every feature, dreading the thought of leaving her again. He reached into his pocket and removed a small case.

  ‘Kari, I want you to know how special you are to me,’ he began. ‘With our current situations, there is little hope we can be together for more than a few weeks during the year.’ He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ‘Even so, I wanted to give you something.’

  Kari took the small case and opened it. She gasped in surprise, seeing a gold ring with a teardrop diamond setting.

  ‘An engagement ring?’ She was breathless. ‘Are you asking me to marry you?’

  ‘I’m offering you this ring as a testament of my love for you,’ he replied carefully, avoiding any binding obligation. ‘If you wish to accept it as an engagement ring, I give it to you as one. If you prefer it to only be a token of devotion, I can live with that too.’

  Kari leaned over and kissed him soundly. When she pulled back her eyes were brightly misted with tears.

  ‘I accept this as your proposal, Jason,’ she murmured tenderly. ‘Although we will be separated by an ocean, I want to be your only love from this day forward.’

  ‘Then I’m asking you to marry me.’

  ‘Yes, I want to marry you,’ she said softly. ‘Even though I know it might be a very long engagement.’

  He removed the ring from the case and slipped it on to the appropriate finger. ‘With this ring, I promise you my heart and my love,’ he vowed.

  Kari was equally sincere. ‘Accepting your ring, I promise you my heart and all my love forever.’

  Jason kissed her and rose to his feet. ‘I must pass through security and find the appropriate gate or I’ll miss my flight.’

  ‘Call me once you get home, so I know you made it all right.’

  With a final squeezing of her hand, Jason turned away and entered the security station. He took time to wave and snap one more mental photograph of Kari to store in his memory. Then he pivoted about and hurried towards his assigned gate. London was a dozen hours away.

  By the Same Author

  Heads I Win … Tails You Die

  Copyright

  © Terrell Bowers 2013

  First published in Great Britain 2013

  This edition 2013

  ISBN 978 0 7198 1202 6 (epub)

  ISBN 978 0 7198 1203 3 (mobi)

  ISBN 978 0 7198 1204 0 (pdf)

  ISBN 978 0 7198 0869 2 (print)

  Robert Hale Limited

  Clerkenwell House

  Clerkenwell Green

  London EC1R 0HT

  www.halebooks.com

  The right of Terrell Bowers to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988