by Lora Lindy
“I agree.” She sat there and watched Mike work, and he was diligent, organized, and efficient.
After a few minutes he said to Raymond. “Would you mind going to the store and picking up the biggest cork board you can find and get some pins? When Ken gets here it will make it easier for us to back up and look at the situation. This board is full.”
“I’m on my way and I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”
She watched Mike work when she heard a car come down the road. She could tell vehicle was one of the guys. It was Joe with an armload of food. She ran out to help him.
Within just a few seconds Mike stood at her side. “Lana if you go out let me know. I would like to come out with you,” he said as he reached for dinner bags.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know I had to ask permission before coming out to help.”
“We are all trained to look for suspicious behavior and you’re not. We just want to keep you safe, isn’t that right Joe?”
“Absolutely, who else can make lasagna like you,” he answered with a smile and a wink.
“Okay guys, quite ganging up on me. You win. The next time I come outside I’ll ask your permission. I’m starving lets go in and eat. Joe, I made you some sweet tea.”
Mike asked. “You didn’t make any tea for me?”
“I’ll think about it, you scolded me,” she said as she winked at Joe.
He caught on quickly. “You know Mike, Lana likes me better. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
Mike raised his eyebrow at her. “Is that true?”
“What can I say, Joe is adorable.”
They were debating her affection when Raymond drove up and got out of the SUV with a cork board. “I see I made it in time for dinner, I’m starved. Hey Lana you shouldn’t come outside until we patrol.”
The three of them laughed, and Raymond looked at them bewildered.
Everyone fixed their plates and sat down at the kitchen table, all the men got spicy Chinese. Mike got generals chicken extra spicy, Joe go broccoli beef in spicy brown sauce, and Raymond got Kung Pao shrimp. Lana got sweet and sour chicken.
Mike looked over at her dish. “I see you got the sissy dish.”
Raymond and Joe tried not to laugh. “Well, I am a girl so I guess it’s okay if you call me a sissy. Guys, I know this is an inside joke, but I don’t get it. What is it with you guys and sissy stuff? Mike thinks I’m a sissy because I drink cream in my coffee.”
Joe and Raymond said at the same time. “We noticed Mike has started to use cream too.”
Mike ignored them and answered her.“To relieve tension sometimes we order Chinese and get the hottest Chinese we can stand. If one of the agents gets sweet and sour anything, it’s considered the sissy dish. And babe even though you are not an agent, we will make you an honorary agent.”
“Well, I’m not going to be the one with a stomach ache tonight. And I’ll pass on being the honorary agent if it means I have to drink my coffee black or get extra spicy anything. You all are so mean.” Thank goodness she was rescued by a car pulling up in the drive.
Mike was the first one who stood. “You all finish, I know it’s Ken and I’ll get the door.” He pushed his chair in and winked at her as he left. “Hey Ken I’m glad you made it safe. How was your trip?”
“Bumpy, but we made it in one piece. Where do you want us to set up my computer?” He grunted as he was lifting his heavy suitcase.
Mike picked it up with no effort and sat it on the coffee table. “Right over here, we have a table set up and we have a cork board we bought for you. I thought we could set it up together and hash over the case. In the meantime I’ll make a pot of coffee.”
“Sounds great and we’ll need that for sure. While you do that I’ll get everything out of the car.”
Joe heard him and immediately jumped up and met Ken at the door to offer his assistance.
She could see Mike smiling. He was proud of Joe.
That was her cue as well. “I’ll make the coffee.” She walked over to Ken and introduced herself. “Hi Ken I’m Lana and it is so nice of you to come help.”
He extended his hand and smiled. He was shocked at how beautiful and friendly she appeared. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Many times when I get called in on a case and I don’t get to meet the victims. So this is a rare treat to be able to confer with you about the situation and be able to hear firsthand how all this unfolded. Besides, it’s nice to meet such a pretty lady who captured Mike’s heart. Mike didn’t tell me how beautiful you are.”
“That hurts my feelings,” said Lana while puckering up her lips in sadness.
Mike was not going to let that statement pass him by without a rebuttal. “I haven’t had the time to discuss Lana. But your right she is beautiful.” He couldn’t help himself and he reached over to give her a hug.
“How did you know about me and Mike?”
“I can just tell. It’s written all over Mikes’ face and in his voice. I’ve know Mike for many years, and I knew him when his wife died and I’ve even introduced him to a few ladies. Never has he looked at any of them like he does you. And I must admit he has great taste, and I’m so glad he found someone so nice.”
She gave him a hug and whispered. “Thanks.”
About that time Joe walked in toting a suitcase and that was Lana’s cue. “I need to get busy and make you guys some coffee.”
The men finished setting up their boards and they were discussing many different angles.
Exhaustion had set in and she knew she couldn’t be any help. She walked into the living room and watched them work for a few minutes. “Mike if you all don’t think you need me, I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day.”
“I don’t think we need you right now.” Mike looked at the guys for a yes answer.
Ken spoke first. “I think we have everything under control. But if you don’t mind, we might wake you up if we have an epiphany. Sometimes the answer can come only from you.”
“You can wake me up any time. I’m not as hard to wake up as Mike. Maybe in the morning you will have all the answers.” She waved good night to everyone.
Mike followed her in the bedroom. He looked over his shoulder and told the guys. “Let’s take a few minutes.” Mike shut the bedroom door behind him.
“I guess I’m never going to get that back rub,” she said.
He grinned. “Yes you will, and you will get a lifetime of back rubs. I sure wish I could crawl in bed with you.”
“Me too, it will be lonely tonight.”
“We can only work so long, so in a few hours we will call it a night, and I’ll come snuggle with you.”
“Mike have you ever not solved a case?”
He thought about it for a few minutes. “Off the top of my head I can’t think of any, maybe a few, why do you ask?”
“I just hope this is added to your solved cases. But what if you don’t solve it, will I have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life?” She looked down thinking about how horrible that would be. That’s no life at all.
“We are putting in extra effort into this case, and we will solve it. We have already made a lot of headway in the other room and by morning we will have accomplished a lot. Not only that, Ken brought his special computer. He’s going to stay up all night entering data. After that, we wait on the miracle.”
“I sure hope so, that would be great.” She did hate to say this, but it did not surprise her that Ken had a special computer. He seemed like the nerdy computer type. He was a smaller man, about five-eight. His stature was small, especially compared to the other men. He wore glasses, and she noticed he squint his nose trying to hold the glasses in place. His ears stuck out a lot and he was going bald.
Mike took her head with both hands and kissed her. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Okay. I love you.”
Before he opened the door he whispered. “I love you infinite.” Then he stepped into the living room and closed
the door behind him.
Lana laid in the dark and for some reason she was extremely nervous. Not so much nervous, but more of a feeling. Her granny always told her Indians had a six sense. She hoped her feeling went away by morning. She brushed it off as being tired. She snuggled up to Mike’s pillow and fell asleep.
Chapter 32
Day 10
7:34 a.m.
Finally a day that was clear and sunny. Lana peeked out and the light nearly blinded her it was so bright. The ocean and lighthouse were clear and lucid. Other than a few gulls balking and flying, everything was calm and surreal. The brightness made it look warm outside, and that excited her. She looked at Mike with exuberance. “Do you realize this is the first day since I’ve been here that it’s been sunny?”
“You’re right, but it’s still cold.” He needed to remind her.
“Who cares about the cold, I’m getting cabin fever. I want to sit on the back porch and look at the ocean. The guys could use the fresh air too. Please Mike will you go outside and sit with me?” She leaned over and sweetly asked by whispering in his ear. “Mike I haven’t been outside since the grocery store and I need the fresh air and so do the men. Come on baby.”
“Yes we could use the fresh air, and you’ll stay on the back porch?” Under normal circumstances Mike did not allow anyone under protective custody to go anywhere without securing the place. Even though she wasn’t officially under his custody, she emotionally was under his care. He would love to go out and sit with Lana. And he couldn’t wait until summer so they could lie in the hammock that Mike puts on the porch every spring.
For the time being, her safety was greatest concern. He could send the guys out to check out everything. He thought she would be safe if she stayed on the porch. Ninety percent surrounding the house was water and it would be difficult to maneuver around the house without an agent seeing him. If any boats were spotted, Lana could be rushed in immediately. Mike knew the routine of the marshals like the back of his hand, but his gut instinct knew not to let her out of his sight.
“Of course I will stay on the porch, and there’s only ocean around me so I feel I’d be safe.” She didn’t want to stay on the porch, but she must listen to Mike.
All the men gathered in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking about their day and she wanted to go outside and take in the scenery. “Okay guys who all want to go outside with me?” She bundled up and walked out on the back porch. Joe stayed on the porch with her and the rest of the men walked around the back. They took in deep breaths and blew out smoke. Mike was right the cold froze her to the bone. The temperature gage hooked on a nail hovered around five degrees. It’s so cold her first breath burned her lungs.
The lighthouse across the cove stood bold. It had its own peninsula and had well manicured lawn around it. “Hey Mike can we go through the lighthouse?”
“I believe so. It might be open during certain hours of the day. I have seen people picnic over there during the summer. Do you want to take a tour?”
“I would like to go through many of the lighthouses around here, even the haunted ones.”
“I think that can be arranged,” he said as he looked around the bay to see if there were any boats or people on the water. She didn’t see any boats but he could see more with his binoculars. Mike scanned the lighthouse and viewed the only door. He noticed the door had a heavy padlock on it, and it looked isolated, not a soul around for miles.
Next to Mike were a couple of agents who were carrying big guns. They were camouflaged dressed and even their hats covered their faces.
Joe walked around on the porch and finally leaned on the post closest to Lana. He looked around and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Lana sat right next to him and he could quickly get to her. Her back leaned against the wall, and she was only a few feet from the door. That would give him plenty of time to rush her back into the house if he needed to move her. He was quick and could respond accordingly.
The men who stood a distance away smiled at Lana’s coat. She decided to wear Mike’s coat, and it’s a little big and she looked like the little brother on the movie A Christmas Story. They couldn’t help smiling a little when she attempted to sit in the rocking chair, she could hardly bend at the waist.
Joe certainly understood what Mike saw in her she’s a breath of fresh air, so full of energy and fun. “Lana what brings you to this part of the country?”
“My cousin died a few weeks ago, and I needed to get away for awhile.” She was amazed she didn’t get upset and cry when she mentioned James’ death. That was a first for her. She remembered her first night standing on this same porch, and she cried for James. That seemed like years ago.
“I’m sorry to hear that, has the trip helped?”
Lana loved Joe, but she did wish he would move to the other side of the post because he blocked her view of the ocean. “The trip has helped tremendously, and Mike has helped most of all. Don’t tell him this but when I first talked with him I pictured him as a short squatty fellow. When I first met him I was shocked by his appearance. And I noticed he would answer my questions with one or two words.”
They both laughed. “Yea Mike is very much to the point kind of guy. But we have seen a big change in him the last couple of weeks. You have made a big difference in him. He’s an overall happier person.”
Joe couldn’t look her in the eye and she knew he was keeping a secret. If he played poker, he would definitely lose. He did not have a poker face. “Okay, you have to tell me the scoop. What did Mike say about me?” A woman always likes to hear what her man thinks of her.
“You know he’ll have my head if I talk about him, but I will tell you some things he said. The day after you arrived he came by the office and finished up some paper work about the shooting, and he mentioned you.”
“How did he mention me?” She had to know.
“Well, he commented that he had rented his beach house to a lady he thought was very attractive. Of course we all asked your name, and he said Lana Andrews. We joked with him about your name and how you probably gave him a fake one. We teased him and told him you were probably the black widow, and you’ve had seven husbands and you’ve killed them all and cut off their heads.”
“What did he do?”
“At first he got embarrassed then he teased back.”
“Go on,” she said.
“We looked you up on the computer to make sure you didn’t have a criminal record, and you were as clean as a whistle. I also think Mike looked you up to see if you were married. I can tell you when he found out you were married only once, his demeanor changed. He seemed so happy.”
“Shame on you all,” she said as she slowly and with difficultly moved forward in her seat. “Then what happened?”
“We were shocked that Mike met someone. He never, I mean never, talked about any women at work. We would always ask him, but he always changed the subject or told us it was none of our business. If we knew he had a date we asked him how it went. He would not talk about it, until you.”
James told her one day the right man would come along, he was right. He had. And at this very moment she stared right at him. Love filled her heart and passion filled her soul. Never in a million years did she think she could love so much that happiness oozed out her being. Everyone around them noticed, they could tell her happiness by listening to her voice on the phone. That’s the way love should be. It may have taken her nearly fifty years to find it, but this love was worth the wait.
Suddenly, she was distracted. In the distance the corner of her eye caught something shiny, or a glare. Maybe it came from the lighthouse, but she wasn’t sure. She stood up, and she squint her eyes trying to focus toward the glare. Then she realized it was a window opening at the top of the lighthouse as the sun reflected off it. She saw something sticking out of the window, something long and black. Oh my God! A gun! “Run, Joe.” She immediately pushed Joe to the side a split second before the shot was fired. Joe tumbled
to the porch floor. Everything happened so fast.
The bullet hit her in the left kidney and the force knocked her back into the rocking chair, and then she slid down onto the porch floor. The pain was unbearable. She wanted to stand. Instinctively she thought if she could stand up she would be alright, she couldn’t. The pain, she moaned! Blood gushed out everywhere, all over her hands and in her eyes, she could hardly see, she tried to blink it away. The gray siding had streaks of blood running down it. She closed her eyes, she didn’t want to see. Why couldn’t she breathe? If I catch my breath I can get up, she thought. Please God help me with the pain, help me breath, help me stand.
Joe rushed to her side first and he was covered in her blood. She could hear Mike yelling something as he ran up to her. Come help me Mike, help me stand, help me breath, thoughts raced through her mind. She moaned.
She reached her hand to him, and she knew he could help. He would know what to do. He would take care of her. “Joe?” She said as she point to him, he’s hurt, help Joe. She could stand if they would help her. She would feel better if she could stand. Tears rolled down her cheek causing blood to streak down her face. Splotches of blood sprayed everywhere; all over her, all over the porch, all over Joe. Mike help me breath. Someone please help me. They didn’t listen. Didn’t they hear her?
Mike yelled.“Someone get an ambulance! Baby Joe is fine.” As he put pressure on her kidney the pain was horrible, excruciating! Mike pushing on her side felt like being underneath the blade of a lawn mower, every time the blade turned caused more throbbing pain.
She moaned in agony.
Oh God! Help me help her, he thought. He worked feverishly to get all the jackets off her, blood gushed out every opening of the coat and that made the task slippery. He knew if he didn’t stop the bleeding, she would bleed out, so he worked frantically. When he couldn’t get them off fast enough he just starts ripping everything off as quick as he could. “Damn it Joe, help me get this shit off her.”
