by Lynn, JB
“Anyway,” she continued. “They wanted me to sell the land to them, and when I refused, I ended up here.” Her voice shook at the end, her lip quivered, and tears shimmered in her eyes. “I lost everything,” she said. “I lost my son.”
Having come so close to losing Katie, I had a pretty good idea of how she felt. I had to swallow the lump that rose in my throat as my heart broke for her.
I wanted to tell her that it was all going to be okay, that I was going to fix it, that I would reunite her with Boy… I mean, Boyd. But that wouldn’t have been fair. Life doesn’t always work out that way, and I wasn’t in a position where I could make that kind of promise, even with the power of Ms. Whitehat behind me.
“Tell me about Boscov,” I said.
She frowned a little. “He was in on framing me,” she said.
“And do you know who else was?” I asked, remembering my conversation with Boscov.
She shook her head. “I let my boyfriend keep my son,” she confessed. “I didn’t have anybody else.”
“I understand.”
She nodded, looking ashamed. “He’s not the best kind of guy.”
“He wasn’t,” I told her. I didn’t bother to keep my dislike for the man out of my tone.
She jerked her chin up and looked at me. “Wasn’t?”
“Let’s just say that your son is no longer in his company,” I told her as I reached across the table and covered her hands with mine. “But he’s safe. I promise you that.”
She nodded. “Frank would never bring him to see me,” she said. “Maybe you could?”
Seeing the desperation in her eyes, I nodded. I might not be able to spring her from this place, but I should be able to arrange a visit between her and her son.
“Why didn’t you sell to the Concords?” I asked.
“Because I was pretty sure they were responsible for my grandmother’s death,” she said, lifting her chin. “I just can’t let them get away with it.”
I wondered if the price of spending time in prison away from her child was worth justice for her grandmother.
“You wouldn’t understand,” she said. “People don’t understand what they’re willing to do for their family.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “Actually,” I told her, “I’m one of the few people who understands exactly the extent somebody’s willing to go for their family.”
She looked at me, a mixture of confusion and hope warring in her gaze. “Are you going to help me?”
I released her hands and sat back in my seat. I shrugged noncommitally. “I’m not sure how much I can do,” I told her.
“But Boyd is safe?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’m going to do what I can,” I promised her.
Even as the words left my lips, I was wondering what the hell that was.
28
Immediately after we left the prison, having rescued no farm animals, Zeke took me to see Ms. Whitehat. As he pulled the car off the road, I surreptitiously slipped God, who’d been hiding in the well of the door pocket, into my bra.
We didn’t even bother with a defined meeting place this time, she just met me by the side of a road.
“Walk with me,” she said.
So, there I was in my jeans and t-shirt, and there she was in her impeccable ivory pants suit, and we were strolling along the road, discussing the most powerful family in the county.
I filled her in on what Rhonda Pelly had told me, and she frowned.
“Not the easiest adversaries to go up against,” she murmured.
I gave her a sidelong look but kept my mouth shut.
“You believed her?” Whitehat asked.
I nodded.
“Then what are we going to do about it?” she asked.
“I guess I could see if I could try to find the proof that she was framed,” I said. “But honestly, I don’t know how effective that would be, and I suspect it would take quite a while to get through the legal system, especially with the Concords’ powerful connections.”
Whitehat nodded. “I’m going to have to give this some thought.”
“But he’s okay, right?” I asked.
“Boyd?”
I nodded. “Yes, she was very worried about him. I told her that I might be able to bring him to visit.”
Whitehat shook her head. “You do have a tendency to over-promise, Miss Lee.”
I walked alongside her for another few steps, waiting for her to declare that I under-delivered, but she did not add that.
Instead, she surprised me by saying, “Your sister left town.”
“Are you asking or telling me?” I asked carefully.
Whitehat grimaced. “It’s a shame that you don’t trust me after all this time, Miss Lee.”
I shrugged. “Trusting isn’t something I’m terribly good at.”
She nodded. “I was remarking that your sister had left town.”
Still, I kept my thoughts to myself and waited for her to drive the direction of the conversation.
“Do you know where she went?” the woman asked.
“She didn’t say,” I said. “We weren’t on the best of terms.”
Whitehat glanced at me sharply. “Why not?”
I shrugged, not really wanting to bring her into our family business, but also knowing it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep too many secrets from her. I’d already discussed my problems with Darlene with Zeke. I didn’t want him to end up in the position of trying to keep my confidences while dealing with his boss. “We disagreed about the direction of my niece’s care.”
“Katie,” Whitehat said.
I nodded, surprised that she remembered her name.
“In what way?” she asked.
“She wanted to leave and take Katie with her, I didn’t want her taking her.” I let out a heavy sigh.
Whitehat stopped in her tracks. I halted, too, wondering why her reaction was so strong.
“And what happened?” Whitehat demanded to know.
“She left without taking her,” I said.
Whitehat nodded tightly, and I thought I saw a gleam of approval in her eyes. She pivoted and began walking back toward Zeke’s car. “Did she tell you why she was leaving town?”
I shook my head. “She said something about not fitting in with the family.”
Whitehat gave me a sidelong look. “And you didn’t believe her?”
I didn’t reply. It wasn’t like I could tell her that I thought Darlene was working on some sort of selfish agenda that I didn’t understand. She’d told Zeke she had unfinished business.
“We walk fine lines, Miss Lee,” Whitehat said with a tinge of sadness.
I wondered what kind of fine lines she walked.
“Zeke will take you home now,” she said. “I’ll come up with a plan for what to do about Rhonda Pelly.”
“I can look into her case,” I said. “Now that I know what the motivation behind sending her to prison is.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
I shrugged. “You never know what you’re going to uncover unless you turn over some rocks.”
Whitehat nodded. “I do appreciate that you have a sense of initiative, Miss Lee.”
I kind of thought that might be the only thing she appreciated about me.
“And I appreciate that you’re taking care of Boyd,” I told her.
She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s the right thing to do.”
We fell silent as we walked another few steps.
“We’re more similar than you might think. That’s all I’m about,” she confided. “I’m all about doing the right thing.”
“Laws be damned?” I asked.
She threw back her head and laughed. It was the first time I’d ever heard her do so, and as she let out a hearty guffaw, I found myself smiling.
“It’s not like you’re the poster child for obeying the law, Miss Lee,” she teased with an easy smile.
I chuckled. “Touché. But I guess we ha
ve in common that we both believe in doing what’s right.”
Whitehat nodded, growing solemn.
“Like I said, the Concords will be challenging adversaries,” she said slowly. “But I believe together, we can do the right thing and reunite Rhonda Pelly with her son.” She extended her hand to me, and I stared at it for a long moment, not quite sure what she wanted. Then, I shook it and was surprised that she wasn’t icy cold as I’d always imagined, but warm and firm.
“Go home, Miss Lee. Spoil your niece for a little while,” she ordered. “I’ll be in touch when we’ve got a plan to move forward.”
She turned and walked away as I walked back to Zeke’s car.
“She seemed different,” God remarked from his hiding place.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that she had her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stalked away on her high heels. I wondered what that was about. In my estimation, the meeting had gone pretty well.
I got back into the car and looked at Zeke. He looked tired.
“Do you want to come to dinner?” I asked, wanting to make things better between us.
He nodded slowly. “I’d like that.”
I smiled at him. “Everyone will be happy to see you.”
That was true. Mostly.
29
“Who goes there?” screeched Percy, the blind peacock, as I took Zeke on the grand tour of Herschel’s place.
Zeke flinched and threw his arms up defensively as a bundle of outstretched feathers advanced on him aggressively.
“It’s me, Maggie,” I told the bird. “And my friend Zeke.”
Zeke gave me a look that said he considered it strange that I was standing there having a one-sided conversation with the brightly plumed bird.
“Friend or foe?” the peacock screeched.
“He’s my friend,” I told the bird.
Apparently, Percy did not believe me because, tail feathers on display, wings outstretched, he charged toward us.
I pushed Zeke out of the bird’s way. Because the peacock can’t see, he just continued on past.
I placed my finger on my lips, shh-ing Zeke, grabbed his hand, and led him to the barn, hoping that his meeting with Irma would go more smoothly. “Hi, Irma,” I said, strolling into the barn.
“Maggie,” she brayed excitedly.
“This is my friend Zeke,” I told her.
“Zeke!” she brayed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“She’s very vocal, isn’t she,” Zeke remarked.
He had no idea.
“I think that Katie was riding Irma earlier today,” I said.
“She was,” the donkey confirmed with joy. “We had such a good time, I even pranced.”
I didn’t even know donkeys were able to prance, but I reached out and patted the side of her neck. “Thank you for taking good care of her.”
“You talk to them like they all understand you,” Zeke said, shaking his head.
“Non-believer,” Irma complained. But it wasn’t a bitter complaint, just an amused one. I couldn’t believe the change in the donkey’s personality.
I led Zeke out of the barn and toward the main house.
We ran into Armani, who was staring up at the sky.
“Hey, beautiful,” Zeke called.
My friend turned and her face lit up with a huge smile. “Zeke!” She limped over to him and threw her arms around him. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too, gorgeous,” he said, kissing her cheek.
She gently shoved him away. “None of that now,” she said. “I’m in a serious relationship and cannot flirt with anyone.”
“I’m sorry,” Zeke said quickly. “I didn’t realize.”
Armani laughed and punched his shoulder. “I am in a relationship, but you know I’d never stop flirting with you, handsome.”
They laughed together, and their camaraderie felt like a balm to my soul. I felt like myself, smiling along with them.
“Is that our Zeke?” Marlene called from the doorway of the house.
Zeke smiled and waved at her.
My sister came out with an answering smile. I was glad to see the lightness in her step. It didn’t look like Darlene’s departure was having as much of an effect on her as I worried about. “You’re going to stay for dinner, right?” Marlene said. “Aunt Susan made pot roast.”
“I would never miss your Aunt Susan’s pot roast,” he told her seriously.
She beamed. “I’ll go set another place at the table.” She disappeared back inside.
“Thanks,” Zeke called after her.
“Foe!” Percy screeched, racing toward us.
“Whoa,” Armani yelled. The blind bird skidded to a halt a few feet in front of us.
“She does know that’s for horses, not bird brains, doesn’t she?” God quipped.
“What is going on?” Armani asked.
“Foe!” Percy insisted.
“I told you,” I told the peacock. “Zeke is a friend.”
Armani looked from the bird to Zeke, totally confused.
“Maybe we should go inside,” I said, making a shooing motion toward the front door. Zeke and Armani linked arms, and he led the way indoors. I followed behind.
“Percy, you can’t attack my friends,” I told him once they were out of earshot.
“I don’t trust him,” the peacock told me haughtily.
“Well, you’re the only one who doesn’t,” I told him dryly. Then, I stepped inside and closed the door, effectively ending the conversation. I followed the sound of laughter to the living room and found Zeke trapped in Loretta’s embrace.
“Our boy is here,” she said.
I looked to Ian, who was sitting on the couch awkwardly, hands clasped between his knees, watching the wholehearted greeting that Zeke was receiving.
“Ian,” I called with false cheeriness, wanting to make him feel better. “You’re here.”
He shrugged. “It’s really hard to resist an invitation from Susan,” he said slowly. “I thought she might do me some sort of harm if I didn’t show up.”
Ian and Zeke shook hands, sizing each other up, but didn’t get to say a word because Leslie flew in.
“Zeke,” she said. “You have to see the plans for my grow room.”
Loretta shook her head at her twin. “Not now,” she said. “Remember, we had decided we were not going to discuss any of that when Griswald is on the premises.”
“Griswald is here?” I asked.
Zeke shot me a nervous look and I gave him a brief shake of my head, letting him know that he had nothing to worry about.
“He’s helping Susan in the kitchen,” Loretta explained. “The only three allowed in there are Susan, Griswald, and Templeton.”
Katie was next to come flying into the room, calling out, “Zeke!” She threw herself at his knees, and he bent and picked her up, holding her over his head, making her giggle.
“You look beautiful, princess,” he said with an easy smile. He placed her back on the floor.
“Have you ever ridden a donkey?” she asked, bubbling with enthusiasm.
He chuckled. “I must admit that I’ve never had that particular pleasure.”
“It is so much fun,” Katie told him. “It makes you really high up in the air.”
He nodded indulgently.
Katie turned her attention to me. “Grandpa says that you have to bring her an apple.”
“Archie’s here?” Zeke asked, his eyes growing wide.
“No,” I told him hurriedly. “She calls Herschel, Grandpa.”
“If Archie were here, it wouldn’t be safe to eat the meal,” Loretta said darkly.
I chuckled, but I knew what she said had some truth. Susan was holding a pretty big grudge against my father, bigger than usual. But despite that little blip, everything in my household seemed calm and pleasant. It was an unusual feeling for this family, and I decided to just enjoy it for a long moment.
Because I knew i
t wouldn’t last.
30
It was easy to get lulled into a sense of complacency when everything was going right, and I must admit that’s exactly what happened to me over the family dinner.
There was no tension as we all just laughed and shared stories.
Sometimes we had to make little adjustments to make sure Herschel, Templeton, Griswald and Ian knew what we were talking about, but for the most part, everyone contributed.
When the meal was over, I went up behind Aunt Susan and gave her a hug.
She jumped, startled, but then leaned back into me.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said.
“We needed to do something to celebrate Katie’s return to the fold,” she said.
“Is it terrible that I’m sort of relieved that Darlene is gone?” I whispered so that only she could hear.
She shook her head. “She was right,” she said. “She never fit back in here.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t think I got to say that.” Letting her go, I stepped around her so that I could look in her eyes. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for defending me when she said…”
Susan raised a hand and placed it gently against my cheek, the absolute opposite gesture of when she’d slapped Darlene. She spoke with love as she told me, “You are not perfect, but you try harder than anyone else I’ve ever known, Margaret.”
She leaned forward and kissed my other cheek. “Now, you’re on cleanup duty.”
I chuckled and began to clear the table as she walked out into the living room with Templeton and Griswald.
Even the cleanup was fun, as Marlene, Ian, Zeke, and me took it over.
“It’s too bad Doc couldn’t be here,” I said to Marlene.
She nodded. “He wanted to be, but he was already scheduled to work a shift.” I didn’t ask her if that was a shift as a paramedic or as a dancer.
Once everything was cleaned up, but before dessert was served, Zeke announced, “This has been great, but I have to go.”
I gave him a questioning look, but he looked away. I didn’t know whether he had been summoned by Whitehat, or if he had something else going on.
