by Mike Slavin
A year ago, he had told Becky that he wanted to hire a PI to watch Wilson. He wasn’t surprised at how quickly Becky had agreed. Olivia’s rape had severely affected her, as it had the whole family. Case didn’t hesitate. He’d hired Pete, whom he’d met in person only once and whom he seldom heard from. Today had been the payoff. He knew that as soon as he got into the office, he’d have to tell Becky about what had gone down.
Case greeted everyone he passed as he headed for Becky’s office.
He caught her attention with a two-knuckle rap on the door and a smile.
“Hi, sweetheart. Love ya.” Case walked around her desk and kissed her on the cheek.
Becky didn’t smile. She gave him a half-angry look. She was clenching her teeth on the right side, a telltale sign he wasn’t in her good graces. Her first words came out slowly, one at a time. “You … hung … up … on … me.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. Forgive me. Please. I had to—”
“Why?” Becky asked.
Case went back to her office door and closed it.
“A closed-door conversation won’t get you out of this.” Becky raised an eyebrow with a smile. They both knew “closed-door conversations” usually meant romantic shenanigans. “I’m still mad.”
“Don’t you want to know about the meeting?” Case asked.
“Okay, tell me about the meeting.” She still had a questioning look with one eyebrow up.
“It went great! We pretty much got everything we wanted.”
“Okay, all that’s very good. I mean, that’s great. Seriously. But tell me all about that later. Now tell me, why did you hang up on me?”
Case took a seat in front of her desk and leaned forward.
“You’re starting to scare me,” she said.
“Remember how we hired a PI to follow Jessie Wilson?” Case asked.
“Yeah. What happened?” Her expression was a mixture of concern and excitement. Case had her full attention and he knew he needed to explain quickly.
“I got him.”
“Really? That’s incredible! Wait … is that why you hung up on me?” Becky stood up and walked around her desk. “You’re okay, right?”
“I’m fine.”
Becky sat in the chair beside him and turned it to face him. She held his hands and looked into his eyes. “What happened?”
Case took a shuddering breath, but was quiet. He was still full of adrenaline and trying to calm down.
“Start at the beginning and tell me everything,” Becky said.
They had long ago agreed to have no secrets between them. Case told her everything in detail. They sat quietly for a few minutes afterward.
“Do you think anyone knows it was you?” she asked.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“And the girl? Is she okay? Did he ...?”
Case reached out and squeezed her shoulder to soothe her. “I don’t think the bastard had time to do what he wanted to do. She’ll be traumatized, sure, but remember how Olivia bounced back? She’ll be fine.”
“Huh, maybe on the outside. But those scars will always be with her, and you’ll never know what she’s thinking behind her smile. You know it was terribly hard for Olivia for a while, and I guarantee it’s not over.”
“And I know you were there for her.”
“We all were. But back to today. This girl never saw you, right?” Becky asked.
“She was out of it the whole time. Hopefully, she won’t remember a thing.”
“Just like Olivia,” Becky murmured. “What about Wilson?”
“I was very careful. Don’t worry,” Case said, taking Becky’s face in his hands.
Becky leaned forward and kissed him.
“Should we call Steve and Michelle and tell them you got Wilson? They need to tell Olivia, too,” Becky said. Michelle was Olivia’s mom and Becky’s twin sister. Case had known them both since high school. He knew firsthand both were strong, independent, and protective of each other. Michelle’s husband of thirteen years, Pastor Steve Stefani, was a man liked by everyone.
While Case and Becky wanted children but couldn’t get pregnant, her sister had two girls—Olivia and Mia—a year apart, starting about nine months after the wedding vows. Becky and Michelle’s mother was very proud of her granddaughters. She was also happy her girls had found good husbands. She liked to joke that one could save your life and the other could save your soul.
“Yeah, best that it comes from us,” Case said. “Before they see it in the news.” Steve and Michelle knew Case had hired a PI to watch Wilson right after he’d been found not guilty and released, but they’d never asked about it. They wanted to forget and try to help their daughter heal.
“I wonder if it’ll make Olivia feel more comfortable knowing he’s not out there walking around.”
“Probably. But I want to talk to Larry and see what he thinks before I call them.”
Houston PD Homicide Lieutenant Larry Marsh had been Case’s best friend since he’d gotten out of the Army. When Case called Larry, he asked Case to give him a little time to check the status on Wilson. Then, Case called his brother-in-law and explained to Steve what had happened so far. He told Steve that he was waiting for a call back from Larry.
“Well, nothing else to do right now,” Case said. He and Becky stood up, embraced, and shared a light kiss. Case loved to look into his wife’s eyes. “Love ya.”
“Me too, and I’m so proud of you,” Becky said.
“Wrap things up and let’s go home.” Case knew she wouldn’t just walk out. First, she’d put away everything she was working on.
“I need about thirty minutes.” Becky turned and started doing something on her computer.
“Let me know when you’re ready,” Case said. He turned and walked out of her office. Then he stuck his head around the corner of her door with a big, shit-eating grin. “Damn, that was exciting.”
Case was still half expecting the police to show up but, apparently, he had made a clean getaway. Larry called back, saying they had Wilson in custody and he’d talked to the officer in charge. “It looks like the evidence is strong and Wilson should go to jail. How’d you even know about this? It happened just a couple of hours ago.”
“Don’t ask for now, please,” Case said. “Based on your experience, will he get bail? Do you think they’ll convict him this time? How long until he’s convicted, and how long will he be in jail?”
“Hell, how do I know?” Larry asked.
“Seriously, give me your wild-ass guess. I won’t hold you to it.”
“Okay, well, he’ll probably get bail set. They might convict him based on what my friend told me, but who knows for sure? If he’s convicted, it’ll be up to the judge. I wouldn’t be surprised if he got ten years. But he could be out in a couple of years.”
“You gotta be kidding me.”
“Overcrowding. What can I say?”
It made Case wonder about the justice system. In his mind, death for child rapists was probably too good.
In the news report, Pete was hailed as a hero who’d been in the right place at the right time. Wilson was taken away in handcuffs and awaiting trial. It gave Case an extreme sense of pride knowing he’d removed a pedophile and saved at least this one child. Who knew how many more would be saved now that Wilson was off the street?
Part II
One Day to Never Forget
3
Two Years Later
Houston
May 1, 2018, Tuesday
“Daddy’s here!” Case danced into the kitchen, acting silly as his eyes fixed on his infant son. Little Jeff was nursing, but still smiled as he looked at his dad.
“Look, there’s Daddy.” Becky looked down at Little Jeff with an exaggerated expression of surprise and joy.
“I love that smile.” Case leaned over and kissed the top of his son’s head. His silky baby hair smelled so fresh. Case gave Becky a kiss before pulling up a chair beside his family and snuggling into them.
“We waited a long time for you, Little Jeffie. We were worried you’d never come, but here you are. And you’re perfect.” Case turned to his wife and looked deeply into her eyes. “I love you so much,” Case said to her. “Thank you for our wonderful baby boy.”
Case was set for life. He’d loved Becky since they were high school freshmen. Over the last few years, with many close calls, thousands of moving parts, and more than a little luck, it had all come together—success, money, and a baby.
They’d gotten married thirteen years ago, after Case graduated from West Point. Since they’d been going together since high school, they were ready to have a baby and had started trying as soon as they were married. Over a year later, Becky hadn’t gotten pregnant. That was when they’d started seeing fertility doctors. It took over a decade, but finally, Jeff and Becky had a beautiful baby boy, Little Jeff.
“Why are you so happy today?” Becky asked.
Case grinned at her. “I’m happy every day.” He jumped up and acted silly for little Jeff again. The baby laughed.
“You seem extra happy today.” Becky stood up and bounced Little Jeff.
“I’m excited about Hawaii.” Case grabbed the baby’s toes. Becky and Case were glancing at each other as they talked, but with constant smiles directed at the baby.
“Really? It seems like all you want to do lately is work. You’ve hardly been here the past couple of weeks.” Becky stopped making faces at the baby. Case walked around to the other side of the kitchen island so he was nearer to the garage door. He picked up his coffee.
“Sweetheart, I had an oil well in trouble during drilling. Plus, if we can pull off that field acquisition—well, it’ll be unbelievable. It could be huge.”
“We miss you.”
“Sorry. Be patient. I can’t wait to have a whole week with my two favorite people in the world, right in the middle of paradise. Just a couple of days and we’re off.” Case sipped his coffee.
“Will we ever see you before we go to Hawaii?”
“Yes, yes, I should be home at a decent time tonight, but probably back to the field tomorrow.”
“In the field again? Sometimes you just need to delegate. You know they can do things without you. Then you can spend a little more time with your new son.” Becky was no longer smiling. She was clenching her teeth on the right side.
“I know, I know. Just a little more. It should lighten up.”
“I should come into the office before we go, just to make sure everything is okay with payroll. I feel like I haven’t done much work in the last few months.” Case noticed that Becky’s jaw had loosened up and she was smiling again.
“You just had a baby. You shouldn’t come to the office at all. Plus, you won’t see me much. I’m swamped and on a deadline.”
“I’ll go crazy if I don’t leave the house,” Becky said. “Besides, Little Jeff will be just fine in the bassinet in my office.”
“I don’t want you coming into the office. Not until we get back from Hawaii.”
“Why don’t you want me in the office?” Becky asked, giving him a mock-suspicious frown.
“Please. Just stay home with the baby.”
Becky’s jaw clenched again. “Fine. Just go.”
Case sighed, but too loudly.
“Really, the sigh? You just don’t get it. How do you think it felt waiting for you while you were in combat, wondering if you were dead or alive? Now you’re out of the Army, we have a new baby, and you still can’t stay home. Just go.” Becky picked up Little Jeff, who’d started crying from the yelling, and left the kitchen.
Wow, where did that come from?
Case really wanted to chase her and try to be sweet, but he didn’t have time. He knew this wouldn’t be a quick fix. He understood why Becky was mad, to a degree. Things had been very busy for the last month and he hadn’t been home much, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her this mad.
“Bye!” Case yelled into the house. He intentionally said it a little harshly, and he intentionally didn’t add “Love ya.” He knew he’d probably regret it. He’d learned the best thing to do when arguing was to just suck it up and say he was wrong, even if he didn’t think he was, and let it pass. But sometimes he had to dig it in a little. He waited a few seconds, but there was no response. With another sigh, he walked out the door and to the garage.
He hated it when he left without a smile from his wife. It sucked.
What did I do to make her that mad?
Halfway to work, Case felt so bad that he called Becky. It rang a few times and went to voicemail.
He didn’t leave a message.
Becky stormed down the hallway toward the master bedroom, holding her screaming baby. She felt so much pent-up anger, she was ready to explode. She heard Jeff yell, “Bye!” She didn’t answer him. Then the door alarm beeped as he opened the door and again as he shut it.
She’d felt like scratching Jeff’s face. Hitting his chest over and over as hard as she could. Instead, she’d taken the baby and walked out of the kitchen. She just didn’t understand why she felt that way.
Am I crazy? What’s wrong with me?
She loved Jeff. She’d never hurt him.
Even though she felt like she was going to explode with all these emotions and with a headache pulling at the back of her head, she knew she had to calm down her baby. Becky sat in the rocking chair in the baby’s room. She lifted her nightshirt to expose her bosom. Little Jeff had no trouble finding her nipple and calmed down as soon as he started to nurse. After a few more whimpers, he relaxed and snuggled into his mom.
Case was gone and the baby was quiet. Little Jeff’s nursing helped to calm her down, too. In the now-quiet house, Becky put back her head, rocked Little Jeff, and started to analyze what had just happened.
She knew how the argument had started—with his telling her he was going back out into the field. She just missed him, and that upset her. Then he’d insisted that she not come in to work until after their vacation. Her anger had already been sparked and that had made it worse. She was ready to go back to work. What made Case think he could make that decision for her?
But she also knew he was right. She didn’t have to go in, and it was better to spend all the time she could with Little Jeff. But when Case had rolled his eyes and sighed, she’d lost it.
Anger, rage, and her whole body felt wired to attack. It all felt very strange to her. She was ready to lose her temper, right on the edge, and that sigh was the last straw.
A woman possessed.
Why did she get so mad at the man she loved, who had really done nothing wrong? She hadn’t lost her temper over nothing in a long time. She felt guilty for acting like this. At times like this, she remembered their promise to not keep secrets from each other, but there was one secret she’d never told Case. She didn’t want to worry him while he was on deployment in Afghanistan. She knew distractions in combat could get a person killed. But she didn’t tell him as soon as he returned, either—too much time had passed. It was too big of a secret and she’d waited too long. That had made her feel even guiltier.
As she rocked in the chair, holding her baby, Becky began to feel better. She vowed to make it up to her husband later that day by apologizing. But the day was young. She texted her twin sister.
Becky held her phone on her lap as she typed a text. Let’s go shopping. She pushed send and went back to rocking Little Jeff.
Sounds good, Michelle replied. The girls are out of school today. Olivia is at home. Mia is gone for the day with friends.
Bring Olivia too.
Great! When and where?
10 AM at the coffee shop by the mall.
See you there, gotta get ready. See you soon. Love you, Sis.
Case walked into the lobby of his company. The first thing he or anyone always saw was the picture he and Becky had bought when they took over the company. Right behind the receptionist, sitting on a rich blue wallpaper background, was a big G. Harvey numbered and signed pr
int. It was framed with six inches of matting and a reddish-brown cherrywood frame. The focused lighting directed everyone’s eyes right to the print. Centered in the painting were three western riders and a pack horse on a cold, dark, stormy day in the mountains. Surrounded by pine trees, they rode down the center of a swollen creek, the water coming up to their thighs in the pouring rain. They wore full-length yellow rain slickers and had pulled down their soaked hats to help shield their eyes from the rain. The riders were no doubt miserable. It was titled, Gotta Get Better. When Case and Becky saw the print a few days after Case took over his oil company, he felt that the piece of art summed up their experience.
In his mind, no matter how bad things got, they would always get better. Always. He loved that picture. He’d bought it. Put it up on the wall. It inspired him. He would never forget the night they’d found the picture and gotten it framed.
Case’s oil and gas exploration company could be more than demanding at times, and when he’d started, he sometimes wondered if it would get better. The business was challenging, but it gave Case time to relax now and then. Being in the oil business was fun, but he just could not get enough of Becky and Little Jeff. Most of Case’s days were taken up with meetings about different prospects, ongoing drilling, and production with his chief geologist, Buster Moore.
Buster was his number two in the oil company—a Texas A & M grad who had grown up in the oil patch. He knew his shit. A big black man, Buster stood well over six feet and weighed in at about two hundred and fifty pounds. His constant smile made it seem like he never had a bad day.
Buster had a full schedule for him that day—looking at some new potential drilling locations that had been generated in-house. The newest well, the Jailhouse Prospect, had started drilling the day before, and it was at about fifteen hundred feet and setting surface casing. The Blue Rock prospect would drill in about six weeks. It would be a shallow well, at thirty-six hundred feet. However, Case felt horrible the way he had left Becky that day. He planned to leave early and grab a couple of things on the way home to help cheer her up.
