Detective Danny Cavanaugh 01 - The Brink

House’s South Lawn. When the name Carlos Zabien flashed across the screen under a head shot of Stefan Taber, and the story of how he was linked to an Iranian terrorist sleeper cell was broadcast, surprise barely registered in Sydney’s mind. “ Just keeping the world in balance .” She could almost hear Howard Fielding saying those exact words.
    As far as Danny went, although he hadn’t been charged with any crimes, authorities said that he remained a person of interest in the strange turn of events that had gripped Washington, D.C. for several days back in March, a time period reporters had dubbed “March Madness” and “The Ides of March, Part II.” Danny’s unknown whereabouts only increased the speculation that he was involved in Butcher’s assassination somehow.
    Sydney missed Danny horribly, which shocked her. She missed his friend Chip, a man without whom this world was truly worse off. But most of all, after everything had finally come full circle, after his predictions and his stories had finally come true, she missed Knobby most of all.
    Sydney sat down on the lounge chair and tucked her head in hands. She felt like weeping. Soon, she sensed someone standing over her. She looked up and saw a woman with short gray hair holding a towel. She offered it to Sydney.
    “Merci,” Sydney said, wiping the tears from her face. As she wrapped the towel around herself, she noticed that the woman wasn’t wearing the same outfit of other hotel employees. Sydney looked closer at the woman, studying her face as she spoke in a proper British accent.
    “I’ve watched you come here over the years to work things out. The water is my favorite place, too.”
    Impossible , Sydney thought. But simply staring into the woman’s face, a face her own would resemble one day, there was no denying it. This woman was Sydney’s biological mother.
    “After all that has happened, I thought it was finally okay to come out of hiding and meet you.”
    Sydney’s words barely came. “But Knobby told me you were killed with my father.”
    The woman nodded. “I was in the car with your father when it plunged into the Thames. But I was able to get out and swim away under the water. I tried to save him, but he was trapped inside.” A tear fell from the woman’s glistening eyes. “Colin thought it would be best for all of us if you thought I was dead until a time when we could be safe together.”
    Sydney’s natural inclination was not to trust this woman, not to believe her words. But she made a decision to fight her instincts. She said no words, letting her actions speak for her. They embraced for an eternity, as they both cried all over each other’s shoulder. Then, Sydney’s mother began her life story. She started by telling Sydney how much she adored Sydney’s father and how fond he was of his newborn baby.
    Soon, a spotless hotel porter clipped toward them with a cordless phone in his hand. “Ms. Dumas, I have a phone call for you.”
    Sydney took the phone from him and put it to her ear. “Hello?”
    “Enjoying your swim?”
    “Danny?” Sydney looked in all directions, hoping against hope. “Are you here?”
    “Not quite. Only a few thousand miles away.”
    “How did you find me?”
    “Before being your knight in shining armor, I was—I am—a detective, remember?”
    Sydney chuckled. “I seem to recall saving you as much as you saved me.”
    She could practically feel the warmth of Danny’s easy laugh. “Touché, Ms. Dumas.”

    THE END