by Paul Watkins
“They used you, Bear. You’ve been had. They needed you to get to the boy, but they never meant to cut you in on the cash. They were probably going to kill you when it was over. Once they had Jeff-Jeff, you were a liability. At least one of you had to die… you or the boy. Think about it… you’re going to have plenty of time for that… plenty of time to think.”
Bear is so confused right now I’m sure he doesn’t know which end is up. He can’t keep his eyes off the dead man on the floor.
“Bear, I’m going to keep my word. I’m not going to hurt you, but I am going to tell you something.” Bear slowly turns and faces me. “You’re going to have a lawyer try to get you to say things about what happened here. If you try to involve me in any way, it will make me very angry. What you did today was wrong and you’re going to be punished for it. You not only took little Jeff, you tortured him… and then you were going to kill him. I’ll leave you out of that part if I can, but if you drag me into this mess by saying anything… anything at all… you will die. Believe it.”
“Jerry!” I call out while keeping an eye on Bear.
Jerry comes in the barn at a trot, gun raised in case of trouble.
“Call the police now.” I point to the man on the floor. “This one’s dead. He tried to come at me. I was lucky… I was able to get off three shots just in time.”
Jerry turns Bear away from the body and pulls his arms behind him to place the handcuffs on his wrists once again.
“Stay there, big boy,” he commands.
He turns again and looks at the body on the ground.
“You were very lucky, Philip, very lucky. You could have been killed.” He tosses the man’s gun on the ground near his outstretched hand. “You’d better be more careful in the future.”
He places his hand in the center of Bear’s back and shoves him forward.
“Let’s go, hotshot. I should tell you something though… I’m not softhearted like Philip. I’m still boiling over this whole thing… so please try something… anything. I’d love to off you right hereand now.”
***
The police arrive less than fifteen minutes after our call. I explain the killing as self-defense, describing the brief attack and making certain Bear is present when I talk to the sheriff. If he is going to cause any problems, this would be the time to do it, but he has no comment. The sheriff seems to accept the explanation at face value. He asks for my gun as evidence and I hand it over willingly. The silencer is in Hudson’s pocket.
If the sheriff was puzzled about anything, it was how we located the hideout so quickly. I decline to elaborate beyond saying that we decided to check abandoned buildings and just got lucky. Right now all I want to do is get out of here. The sheriff cautions me that he will want formal statements later on. I assure him he can reach us at the estate at any time. Whatever we do, let’s be certain we get the paperwork right.
CHAPTER 26
Arriving back at the estate, the first thing that catches my eye is the presence of Karen’s car. What in the world is she doing here? I park to the side of the portico and head for the steps. There’s still a lot to do, loose ends. The last thing I need is Karen getting involved with the family, or worse, trying for some sort of story. The door opens before I get there and A.J. and Sheri stand in the doorway, their faces beaming. Sheri has tears in her eyes… this time they are happy tears, I think. A.J. extends his hand as I approach and wraps his arm around my shoulders. We hug briefly.
“I don’t know what to say,” he whispers in a husky voice. “I can’t thank you enough. They hurt him… but it’s not too bad. He’ll be okay.”
A.J. is fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes. I don’t blame him. I would probably be in bed under some kind of sedation if the situation were turned my way.
A.J.’s eyes shine with all the extra water he’s holding back. One of the few times I’ve ever seen him at a loss for words… I’ll just enjoy the moment. Sheri pushes him aside and throws her arms around my neck.
“I know what to say,” she exclaims laughing. She follows up with a big kiss and a hug.
“You’re the best friend anyone could ever have. We owe you the world.”
“Easy, Sheri, honey,” A.J. says with a laugh, his voice gaining strength. “I don’t want to wind up sleeping in the guest room tonight. I’ve told you before, you can’t trust him.”
I smile, but it’s too soon for me to join in the gaiety. I have a lot on my mind and there are several things left to do. So far everything has worked out in the best possible way. Given the circumstances, they couldn’t be better. Little Jeff is back safely and that’s all that counts. That’s the bottom damn line. Mission accomplished.
“Look guys,” I say in a voice that only A.J. and Sheri can hear, “there are a few things that need clearing up. After that, let’s have a drink and celebrate.”
My request is accepted with understanding and smiles all around. It’s a special moment and we don’t want to break it up, but we finally walk inside. Karen is standing near the library door. I turn to walk in the other direction towards my office when she starts towards me.
“I came out as quickly as I could,” she says with urgency in her voice, while half running, half skipping to catch up. “I called Sheri just moments after you left. She sounded very upset over the telephone so I asked her what was wrong. She told me and here I am. I just arrived a few minutes before you came back.”
I listen without comment and I have none now.
“Is it okay?” she adds. “I don’t want to interfere.”
I shake my head.
“No, it’s okay. I’m glad you could make it. Sheri needs all the support she can get. I’m sorry, but I havea lot going on right now… don’t mind me. I just don’t have any time.” I pause momentarily but find I have nothing more to say. “I have to go now. I’ll see you in a few minutes… please excuse me.”
I would like to know more about my reaction to Karen, but right now I’m devoid of any feelings. Thereis still some business to attend to.
***
The entire security staff is jammed into the hallway outside my office. Approaching the group I motion the shift leaders inside and quickly address the rest.
“Let me brief these guys for a minute and then we can talk. I want you to know you all did a great job out there today. It couldn’t have turned out any better. We’ll be out in a minute.”
Our meeting takes only a few moments and I instruct the men to reassemble in the foyer where there’s more room. The Jacksons stand off to the side with their children while Mary and Karen remain near the door to the library. Martha and Ned are farther down the hall by the kitchen door. Martha smiles and waves and then immediately returns to a rather sullen, angry look. I’m sure she has found nothing amusing in any of this. These children are part of her family as well and she would defend them with her life. I acknowledge her stern countenance with a slight nod and a smile. Looks like I’m going to get extra dessert tonight whether I want it or not.
I walk up a couple steps on the stairway to have a better view of the men. This is one happy group and the look of pride and accomplishment is evident by the looks on their faces.
“As I indicated earlier, I want to thank you all for a job well done. Tomorrow we’ll take a little time off to celebrate… you’ve earned it. You men who have come in from other shifts have had a little tougher time of it and I want you to know we appreciate the extra effort. I think things are finally under control now, so we can all knock off for today.
“This has taken a lot out of all of us. I want everyone, including the current shift, to take the rest of the day off. We’ll return to our normal rotation the day after tomorrow. Your shift leaders will brief you in that regard as soon as I finish. That meeting will take place outside. I want the house to be quiet for the remainder of the
day.
“Any questions or comments?” No hands are raised and after a brief pause, “Okay, that’s it. See you in a couple of days. Thanks again.”
There’s general backslapping and good-natured shoving as the men shuffle towards the door and theirmeeting outside.
***
The conversation stops as I enter the library. A.J. is the first to speak.
“Everything under control?”
“Yeah, I think so,” I respond. “It’s been a tough day. Tougher on you guys, of course.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” A.J. replies. “I know how much this has affected you, Phil. Sheri and I have talked about it. We know this goes way beyond your assignment… you and your guys did one hell of a job.”
“Look, A.J., I want you to understand something… and this isn’t false modesty or any of that psycobabble crap… what happened today was mostly the result of the efforts of the fine people who work here. And it didn’t go beyond our assignment… it’s what we’re here for… to protect you and your family. You hired the best and you got the results you hoped for. For once you got your money’s worth… right? These people are very good at what they do… I’m a part of that team and proud of it.”
“Karen,” Sheri interrupts, “I want you to realize something. We are standing between the most modest man in the world and the biggest bullshitter in the universe. I’ll let you guess which one is which. The truth is always somewhere in between when it comes to these two. If A.J.’s talking, the truth is way, way, way over towards Phil. If Phil’s talking, the truth is way over towards A.J.”
“Hey, hold on a minute!” A.J. exclaims. “How come I get a couple of extra ‘ways’ thrown in there? You know what the problem is with you, Sheri? You haven’t figured that liar out yet. When he lies, which is most of the time, you think he’s telling the truth. When he’s telling the truth, which is seldom, you think he’s lying. He’s got you so twisted around you don’t know which end is which. That’s why, whenever I say anything, you get it so mixed up. Right, Phil? Back me up on this.”
“Right, A.J. Whatever you say, boss.”
“Now there’s a man who knows when it’s important to tell the truth,” A.J. exclaims.
Sheri looks at Karen and then at A.J. and shakes her head with a look of resignation.
“You know, A.J., I used to think I married a man of color. Now, for the first time, I realize you are probably just another white man. Your skin is brown because you are so full of crap.” A.J. leans back as though hit with a shovel. “Please excuse me, Karen, but sometimes I have to use highly technical language when dealing with my husband.”
Then brightening, “Anyway, right now I don’t want to talk about anything other than the fact that I am so grateful we have our son back safe and sound. Regardless of what Phil says, I know he is responsible for making all this come out right… and nothing A.J. says is going to change my thinking on that score.
A.J. and I were completely devastated this morning when everything started happening. Phil took charge and all of a sudden so many things were happening I couldn’t keep track of it all. And they had thought about so many things ahead of time. I couldn’t believe it… they had actually planned for a kidnapping. They knew everything they were going to do… and I’m sure I don’t know the half of it.”
A brief silence ensues and I decide this a good time to bring everyone up to date.
“Okay, Sheri, thanks for your kind comments, but let’s not get carried away. But before we have a drink, I would like to add a few things and then I think we can drop the subject for the evening. I think you should know that this business is not quite over. Bear told me there are two more men involved.” I look directly at A.J. “Your former manager, Monte, and some other mutt he hired to help him out. both are still on the loose. There were no signs of them when we found Bear and the other man with little Jeff, but Bear confirmed they were in on it from the beginning. It stands to reason… Bear would never start a deal like this on his own.”
A.J. sits quietly while I offer this information.
“I should have known that bastard, Monte, was behind this,” A.J. observes. “Hell, all I’ve been thinking about was getting Jeff-Jeff back. When you found him I thought it was over. I never thought about how it all got started.”
He stands and walks to the fireplace.
“What now… is there anything we should do?”
“I’m not sure,” I reply. “The next move, if there is one, is up to them. In the meantime, I think they’ll be using all their energy to stay away from the police.”
The room grows quiet as each person pursues his or her own thoughts. Sheri is the first to break the silence.
“I think we all could use that drink now.”
There’s a general muttering of agreement in response.
Walking to the bar, Karen touches my arm and asks, “Are you okay? All this talk has been about everyone else, how about you? You must have had a pretty tough day, too.”
I am still struck by her beauty as I look at her. She invokes a strange emotional tug of war whenever I see her. I know it can never work for us, but something in me says I should not give up… followed immediately by cold reason. Life with Karen would always be crazy. There would always be issues I didn’t understand, problems I didn’t know existed, and incredible highs separating the confusion and the lows that would follow each collision. I cannot and will not live my life on an emotional roller coaster. I won’t do it for Karen or anyone else. It’s simply not worth it. In the meantime I guess I want to remain friends. Just because we don’t seem to be able to get along as lovers is no reason not to have a friendship.
I pat her lightly on the shoulder and smile.
“Karen, this is my job. It would have been a tough day had it turned out differently. But everything worked out okay. Hell it’s better than okay… everything’s great, so it has been a fine day for me. As I said earlier, I’m just sorry it had to happen at all. Kids are my soft spot… these kids in particular.”
Catching a part of our conversation, A.J. and Sheri move closer.
A.J. directs his comments to Karen, “Sheri and I have decided to take Phil on a trip for an extended vacation. Maybe we’ll go to Florida and spend a little time on the beach… look around a bit. With enoughtime in the sun we might get him to pass for a member of the family.”
Sheri punctuates this with a solid smack to the back of A.J.’s head. It’s obvious, with the right kind of reward system he might come up with fewer good ideas like this in the future. The telephone rings. I’m close, so I’m the answer man. It’s Jennifer.
“Jennifer’s on the way over,” I inform the group. “She probably heard about all the commotion on the radio or TV.”
“Oh good!” Sheri exclaims. “I’m glad she’s coming here. This way she won’t worry. We can tell her everything.”
It seems like only a few moments pass before Jennifer arrives. She walks in the door and goes immediately to Sheri.
“I heard about little Jeff on the car radio and I came directly here. They said everything is okay. Is it really?”
Sheri smiles and nods her head as tears again well in her eyes.
“Everything is fine, Jennifer, but I really appreciate you being here. We’ve had quite a day.”
Jennifer looks at Karen and then focuses again on Sheri. She displays absolutely no reaction to Karen’s presence.
“They said one of the men who did it was killed. How did that happen?”
Sheri’s eyes grow wide. “I don’t know anything about that.” She turns to me. “A man was killed? There was shooting?”
“I was going to tell you later,” I respond. “There just wasn’t a good time to do it and I didn’t want you to worry needlessly. It happened after we sent Jeff-Jeff home. He was the one who hurt lit
tle Jeff… he got a little frisky and then managed to die for his trouble, occupational hazard. Those things can happen when you go into his line of work. I wouldn’t spend too much time worrying about it.”
Sheri looks at me intently. “How did it happen? Did you do it?
“It happened, Sheri. There’s not much I can tell you. He was a player in a game he shouldn’t have been playing.” I pause momentarily. “If you want sorrow or contrition on my part, I’m going to disappoint you. As for details, I won’t give them to you, but I am the one who did it… and that’s all I’m going to say for the time being.”
I can tell Sheri has mixed emotions about this particular subject, but she’s wise enough to know that now is not the time to pursue it.
No matter how hard we try, no topic can occupy our minds for long before we return to the kidnapping. I tell them briefly how we located the hiding place so quickly. Everyone seems impressed that so much training and preparation went into the mere possibility that something like this might happen.
Why is it so unusual that a group charged with the responsibility for the safety and protection of this family was up to the task? It’s bad enough we allowed them to take little Jeff in the first place. The least we could do was to bring him back safely. I’m still havingtrouble with the fact that we seem to be in a constant state of warfare in this family. What the hell is going on? I’m not going to bring it up to A.J. and Sheri, of course, but it’s bothering the hell out of me.
It’s not long before A.J. begins to take credit for everything that went right today. It started with minor implications that are now growing to full-fledged claims. Basically, his logic seems to be that anyone can come up with a good idea, but it takes a great man to allow that idea to go forward… he being the great man in case anyone missed his meaning.
Well into the second drink my stomach reminds me I haven’t eaten since breakfast.
“I’m hungry,” I announce to anyone who will listen.
