Chapter 29 Chapter Twenty Eight

Kelly stared at Diana, dumbfounded: "It's wonderful. I wish I could think about it." Diana said dryly, "You will." "What are you going to do now?" "Get out of Manhattan." "How?" Kelly asked. "They monitor all the train stations, airports, bus stations, taxi stands..." Diana thought for a moment. "We could go to Brooklyn. They won't be looking there." "That's right," Kelly said, "go ahead." "how?" "I'm not going with you." Diana got to the tip of her tongue and swallowed again: "Are you sure?"

"Sure, Mrs. Stevens." Diana said, "Well, we—bye." "goodbye." Kelly watched as Diana hailed a cab and got in.Kelly stood where he was, hesitating, trying to make a decision.She was alone, standing alone on an unfamiliar street, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.The taxi doors closed and the car began to move. "Wait!" Kelly yelled. The taxi stopped.Kelly hurried over.Diana opened the door and Kelly got in and settled in the seat. "What made you change your mind?" "I just realized I've never been to Brooklyn." Diana looked at Kelly and shook her head.

The driver asked, "Where are you going?" "Please take us to Brooklyn," Diana said. The taxi starts: "What specific place?" "Go around." Kelly looked at Diana in surprise. "You have no idea where we're going?" "I'll find out when I get there." What am I doing back?Kelly asked himself. Along the way, the two sat side by side in silence.Twenty minutes later they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. "We're looking for a hotel," Diane told the driver, "I don't know which—" "You want a nice hotel, miss? I know one. It's called Adams. You'll like it."

The Adams Hotel was a five-story building with a canopy at the front door and a doorman standing there. When the taxi pulled up on the side of the road, the driver said, "Does this look okay?" Diana said, "It's pretty good." Kelly didn't say a word. When they got out of the car, the doorman greeted them: "Hello, miss. Would you like to check in?" Diana nodded, "Yes." "Do you have any luggage?" Diane said tactfully, "The airline lost our luggage. Is there anywhere around where we can do some shopping, some clothes?" "There's a really nice women's store at the end of the block. Maybe you'd like to check in first. Then we can have your stuff delivered straight to your room."

"Good. Are you sure you have a room available?" "This time of year, no problem." The receptionist behind the main desk of the hotel handed over the registration form. As Kelly signed, he said out loud, "Emily Bronte." Diana glanced at the receptionist to see if his face showed any knowledge of the name.No. Diana writes: Mary Cassatt. The receptionist took their forms. "Would you like to pay with a credit card?" "to us--" "No," Diana interrupted quickly. Kelly looked at her and nodded reluctantly. "luggage?"

"It'll be there soon. We'll be back." "You live in No. 515." The receptionist watched them walk out the gate.Two real beauties.And it's single.What a pity. Ladies' stores are a treasure trove.There is a wide range of women's clothing, as well as a fur department selling handbags and cases. Kelly looked around: "Looks like we got lucky." A female shopping guide came forward: "Can I help you?" "We're just walking," Diana told her. They began to tour the entire store under the eyes of shopping guides. "Look!" Kelly said. "Socks." She grabbed half a dozen.Diana did the same.

"Pantyhose..." "Bra." "Briefs." Soon their arms were filled with all kinds of underwear. The shopping guide ran over: "Let me do it." "Thank you." Shopping guides lighten their burden. Diana and Kelly started walking down the aisles. Kelly was searching through a row of slacks.She picked four and turned to Diana: "Don't know when we'll be able to shop again." Diana picked out some long trousers and a summery striped floral dress. "You can't wear this," Kelly said, "the stripes will make you look fat."

Diana was about to put it back, she glanced at Kelly, then handed it to the shopping guide: "I want this." The shopping guide watched in amazement as Kelly and Diana walked among the rest of the hangers.When it was over, they filled four big boxes with their shopping. Kelly looked at the things he bought and grinned: "It's enough for us for a while." When they came to the cashier, the cashier asked, "Cash or credit card?" "credit card--" "Cash," Diana said. Kelly and Diana opened their purses and split the bill.Both of them had the same thought: less and less cash.

Kelly to the cashier: "We live in Adams, I don't know if you can—" "Send your things over there? Of course. Your names?" Kelly hesitated. "Charlotte Bronte." Diana looked at her and said quickly, "Emily. Emily Bronte." Kelly remembered: "Yes." The cashier looked at them with a puzzled look on his face.She turned to Diana. "And your name?" "I—uh—" Diana's mind raced.What did she sign?Georgia Okeeff...Frida Kahlo...Joan Mitchell? "Her name is Mary Cassatt," Kelly said. The cashier swallowed: "Of course."

Next door to the women's store was a pharmacy. "We're lucky again." Diana beamed. They hurried in and started their second shopping spree. "mascara." "rouge." "toothbrush." "toothpaste." "Tampons and panty liners." "Lipstick." "Hairpins." "pink." When Diana and Kelly returned to the hotel, four suitcases had been sent to their room. Kelly stared at the box: "I don't know which is yours and which is mine?" "It's all right," Diana reassured her, "we're going to be here for a week or more, and we might as well get everything in order."

"I think so." They began to hang up skirts and trousers, put underwear in drawers, and sanitary products in bathrooms. The suitcase was empty and everything was in its proper place, and Diana took off her shoes and lay down on a bed, relieved. "It's so good." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know about you. I'm going to have dinner in bed anyway. Then I take my time and take a good hot shower. I'm not going to move out of here." A genial, uniformed maid knocked on the door, and she entered the suite with a pile of clean towels in her arms. Two minutes later, she came out of the bathroom: "If you need anything, please call me. Good night." "Thank you." Kelly watched her go. Diana was flipping through a hotel magazine she had picked up from the bedside table: "Do you know what year this hotel was built?" "Put on your clothes," Kelly said, "we'll be leaving in a minute." "It's—" "Get dressed. Let's get out of here." Diana looked at her: "Is it a joke?" "No. Something terrible is about to happen." There was panic in her voice. Diana sat up, startled: "What's the matter?" "I don't know. But we have to get out of here, or we're both going to die." Her fear is contagious, but unwarranted. "Kelly, you're being unreasonable. If—" "Please, Diana." In hindsight, Diana could never be sure whether she gave in because of Kelly's urgent tone, or because Kelly called her Diana for the first time. "Okay." Diana got up. "Let's pack some clothes and—" "No! Nothing." Diana looked at Kelly inexplicably. "Nothing? We just bought—" "Quick! Now!" "Okay," thought Diana as she dressed reluctantly, and I hope she knows what she's doing.if-- "Quick!" A scream of terror was suppressed. Diana hurriedly finished dressing. "Hurry up!" They grabbed their purses and rushed out the door. I must be as bewitched as she is, Diana thought bitterly. Arriving in the lobby, Diana found herself running to keep up with Kelly: "Can you tell me where we're going?" Out of the gate, Kelly looked around: "There's a park across the road. I—I have to sit down." Angrily, Diana followed Kelly into the park.Sitting down on a bench. Diana said, "What are we doing?" At that moment, a huge explosion sounded from inside the hotel. From where they were sitting, they could see that even the windows of the room they had stayed in were blown out, and fragments were flying in the air. Stunned, Diana watched what had happened in a daze. "It was—it was a bomb"—her voice trembled with fear—"our room." She turned to Kelly. "You—how did you know?" "Maid." Diana looked at her in bewilderment. "What's up with her?" Kelly said quietly, "A hotel maid doesn't wear four hundred-dollar Manolo Blahniks." Diana found it increasingly difficult to breathe: "How—how did they find us?" "I don't know," Kelly said, "but remember who we're dealing with." The two of them sat, filled with fear. "Did he give you anything when you were in Kingsley's office?" Diane asked. Kelly shook his head. "No. Did he give you anything?" "No." They realized it at the same time. "His business card!" They opened their purses and took out the business cards Tanner Kingsley had given them. Diana wanted to break hers in half.The cards kept folding. "There's a chip in there," she said, furious. Kelly twisted her card. "I have mine too. That's how the bastard stalks us." Diana took Kelly's card and said angrily, "It's useless." Kelly watched Diana go outside and toss the card in the middle of the street.Within minutes the card was crushed by dozens of cars and trucks. In the distance, the sound of sirens was getting closer and closer, echoing in the air. Kelly stood up. "We'd better get out of here, Diane. Now they can't follow us, we're fine. I'm going back to Paris. What are you doing?" "Find a way to find out why these things happen." "must be careful." "You too." Diana hesitated for a moment. "Kelly—thank you. You saved my life." Kelly was a little embarrassed: "I feel sorry for you for something. I lied to you." "yes?" "You know what I can say about your paintings?" "Know." "I really like it—very much. You draw very well." Diana smiled. "Thank you. I'm afraid I wasn't too kind to you either." "Diana?" "what?" "I have never been served by a servant since I was a child." Diana laughed and the two embraced. "I'm glad we got to know each other," said Diana enthusiastically. "I'm glad too." They stood, looked at each other, and found it difficult to say goodbye. "I have an idea," Diane said, "if you need me, here is my phone number." She wrote it on a piece of paper. "It's mine," Kelly replied, handing it to Diane. "Well, goodbye then." Diana choked out, "Yes. I—bye, Kelly." Diana watches Kelly go.At the corner she turned her head and waved.Diana waved to her too. After Kelly's back disappeared, Diana looked up at the dark cave where they were buried, and felt a biting chill.