He continued making short work of the beef jerky while she scanned the cell. A cot and an upended crate used as a table were the only furnishings. Luke insisted she and Gray sit on the cot while he sat on the floor.
“Did you like the artichokes?” Luke asked as he settled against the wall, resting an arm over his bent knee. His amusement felt as natural as if they were loitering in the garden of their townhouse.
“I did indeed,” she replied. “How on earth did you smuggle them into the White House? The head of security is still annoyed about it.”
“Who said I had anything to do with it?”
“Because Gray didn’t do it, and neither did Philip the Meek nor anyone else we know in Washington.”
“Maybe some things should simply remain a mystery,” Luke said with a maddening grin. “Enough about artichokes. Tell me everything that’s going on at home.”
He listened eagerly as she recounted her work for the first lady and the recent inauguration. Gray spoke about thePelican’soverseas adventures in Madagascar and Ceylon, and to her amazement, he even described his wedding to Annabelle. It was a dangerous topic, for this entire mess was Annabelle’s fault. Caroline watched Luke while Gray spoke, searching for a scintilla of resentment, but there was none. Gray swore that Luke harbored no animosity toward Annabelle, but she couldn’t quite believe it, even as Luke nodded and teased while listening to details of the wedding.
“You weren’t kidding about the Hebrew,” she said with a nod to the book with foreign lettering on its spine. It sat alongside a Bible, some novels by Mark Twain, and books in languages she couldn’t begin to understand.
Luke noticed and tugged the top book off the stack. “This one is in Arawak. It’s one of the native languages in the Caribbean. The guards give me stuff like this because they think it annoys me.” He smiled. “It doesn’t. I like trying to sound out the words. It’s a challenge and a glimpse into a part of the world I knew nothing about. Plus, it has pictures. Look at these.” He flipped through the pages until he landed on an old Spanish woodcut depicting Indians harvesting tobacco.
It might not annoy Luke, but it annoyed her. Gray sent good money to bribe the guards into supplying Luke with something to read, andthiswas what they brought?
Luke showed her some of the other books. He seemed especially pleased with the Hebrew Bible and even took a stab at reading aloud to them. She couldn’t help giggling, for the exotic words and cadence sounded impressive.
“I’ve read the Bible cover to cover every month since I’ve been here,” he said. “Now I’m going line by line with it against the Hebrew version. I’m fumbling in the dark, and my biggest regret is not having a rabbi here to help me with it, but I like the challenge. Say, could you send me an English–Hebrew dictionary? It would be easier than using the Hebrew–Latin primer in the back of the book.”
“I’ll send one as soon as possible,” Gray said.
They only had an hour left, and it was time to broach the subject. She looked through the narrow slit in the door and didn’t see a guard, but that didn’t mean one couldn’t be lurking nearby, listening to every word.
She turned back to Luke and spoke quietly. “I’ve been working with a lawyer back home who has a suggestion for how to get you out of here.”
Luke stilled, fully alert as he locked gazes with her. “How?” A world of hope was contained in that single syllable.
She began carefully, for he wasn’t going to like her answer. She outlined how easy it would be to hire a Cuban lawyer to change his plea. The only tricky part would be getting the Cuban authorities to grant bail, but in this Gray could help. He had powerful connections throughout the Cuban planting class.
Given the way Luke crossed his arms over his chest, he didn’t like the idea. “The problem is that I’m guilty,” he said. “I did everything they accused me of, so what good would getting me bail do?”
“We could smuggle you onto thePelicanand send you overseas,” Gray said quietly.
Luke stood and began pacing the tight confines of the cell. “Absolutely not. Don’t you dare ask me to participate in something like this.”
“It’s the only surefire way to get you out,” Gray said.
Luke whirled to face him as he pointed at her. “You’re going to drag Caroline into this mess as well?”
“I’m here of my own accord,” she defended. “I’m willing to run the risk.”
“I’m not.” Luke’s voice was definitive. In a swift move, he flung his Bible, and it smacked her in the chest. “Maybe you scoff at that, but I don’t. Honor and dignity mean something to me, and I’m not going to swear to the conditions of bail if my next move will be sneaking onto a ship and out of the country.”
“What honor is there in rotting in a jail cell?” Gray demanded.
Luke opened and closed his mouth several times. It looked like an explanation was trying to claw its way out of him, but he clamped his mouth shut and went back to pacing. Two steps, pivot, then two steps back. Was this the limit of his ability to move for the past seven months? Anguish welled up, threatening to swamp her.
“Luke, please ... I can’t bear the thought of you in this cell forever. It’s such a pointless waste when we can get you out.”
He leaned against the cell door, arms crossed. “Don’t cry over me, Caroline. I’ve had a lot of time to read and think while I’ve been locked up. There can be honor and dignity here. Paul the Apostle was imprisoned, and he found dignity in it.”
“You’re comparing yourself to Paul the Apostle?” Gray asked in disbelief.
Luke’s face darkened. “Use your head, Gray! I’m trying to save her from getting implicated in a felony. You shouldn’t have even brought her here.”
