by Gregg Stutts
After an unsuccessful attempt at getting her to settle down, he realized she might just need to burp. He picked her up, patted her back a few times and heard a burp that no one would believe could have come from such a tiny human. He patted her a few more times and then felt something warm running down his neck and shoulder.
He put her down, took his shirt off and brought her to the bedroom to change her diaper and his shirt. Fifteen minutes later, he sat down at the table to try and get some work done. Holding her in one arm and trying to write with the other while she squirmed and cried in his ear wasn’t easy.
It finally dawned on him that maybe all she needed was her pacifier. After putting her back in the carrier, he went to the bedroom to look for it. Ten minutes of searching produced nothing. He’d looked in the basinet, on the bed, on the floor, under the bed and in the living room, the kitchen and the laundry room. He felt hopeful when he remembered to look in the diaper bag, but it wasn’t there either.
He thought about calling Michelle to ask for help, but was determined to do this on his own without bothering her. He looked again in all the places he’d already looked with the same results. Carrie’s cries were becoming louder the longer the search continued. Buying a new one was an option, but Michelle had taken the van with the only car seat.
He couldn’t remember if pacifiers went in the dishwasher, but it gave him a moment of hope to think he might find one there. He didn’t. He tried every kitchen drawer and cabinet. There were bottles and nipples, but not a single pacifier. Her cries were becoming shrieks, the kind that hurt his ears.
He’d looked everywhere a pacifier could possibly be with no luck. Then it hit him. He didn’t need to find the pacifier or buy a new one; he could make one. He got a clean nipple from the drawer, which looked just like a pacifier except without the handle. He was starting to put it in her mouth when he realized the holes were a problem. It probably wouldn’t be good for her to be sucking in all that air. He went to the bathroom, wadded up a little ball of toilet paper and shoved it tightly inside the nipple.
It didn’t seem like the best solution though. She might somehow choke on the nipple or tissue if she sucked either one into her mouth. He went to the junk drawer in the kitchen where he found the super glue. It would definitely seal the holes, but as he opened the tube, he thought it might not be a good idea for her to suck on glue.
The crying slowed somewhat, but was replaced by grunting sounds. When he picked her up, it was clear why she’d been grunting. Unfortunately, the contents of the diaper escaped up her back and all over her outfit he’d just put on her.
He removed the onesie and her diaper, got her cleaned up and put a fresh diaper on her. He searched the closet for a clean outfit, one Michelle would think was cute. After getting it on her, he realized it was for a baby twice her size, so he took it off and found something that was the correct size.
The crying started again, so he looked everywhere he’d already looked for the pacifier. Looking for something in places it couldn’t be was a sign of desperation, but he was desperate. The more he looked, the more the nipple and super glue were becoming a viable option. He was about to set her back in the baby carrier when he saw it. The pacifier was in the carrier. She’d been sitting on it. He put in her mouth and immediately she settled down. He held his breath, hoping it would last.
He checked the time the time on his phone. It was 3:02 p.m. It had to be wrong. Maybe it was 3:02 Mountain Time, but it couldn’t be 3:02 Central Time. He would have bet anything it was already after five o’clock.
“Siri, what time is it?” he said.
“It’s 3:02 p.m.”
“Alexa, what time is it?”
“It’s 3:02 p.m. Have a good afternoon.”
He looked at Carrie who was momentarily quiet as she sucked on her pacifier. “Okay, honey, just three more hours. Daddy can do this.”
Chapter 51
It wasn’t like Max was a celebrity, but in a town the size of Lakeside, a lot of people recognize the high school football coach, so it was always nice to get out of town when he and Michelle went on dates. And the thirty-minute drive to Eureka Springs was pretty during the summer and fall. So five minutes after Willy and Rose arrived to watch Carrie, Max and Michelle were out the door and in the van.
Fifteen minutes later, as they passed the “Eureka Springs 20 Miles” sign, Max said, “You’re quiet.”
“I was about to say the same about you,” she said.
They rode another few miles in silence. Each minute got a little more awkward.
“Max…”
He gave her a moment to continue, but she didn’t. “Yes?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
The last time he heard something like that, the next words out of her mouth were, “I’m pregnant.” Followed by, “It could be yours.” Suddenly, he felt numb and was aware of his pounding heartbeat.
“I asked the doctor to do a paternity test,” she said.
“Oh.”
“He said we’d have results in a week or so.”
“And?”
“I only did it on Monday.” After another minute of silence. “What are you thinking?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I told you I would raise her whether she was mine or not.”
She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “I know…but…it feels like you’ve been…pulling away.”
He didn’t brake as they rounded a sharp turn. The tires squealed slightly. “I don’t mean to.”
“I know the first few months are hard anyway when there’s a newborn.” She reached over and touched his shoulder. “And I’ve made this even harder than normal.”
The car in front of them was going well below the speed limit. Even for a winding country road, it was ridiculously slow. “GO!” he yelled. Oblivious, the slower driver continued to block him.
It wasn’t a passing zone, but Max stomped on the accelerator anyway. The RPM’s raced to over seven thousand as he steered into the other lane and passed the slow-moving car. He made a point of giving the, “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!” stare, but the elderly woman who could barely see above her steering wheel didn’t turn to look at him.
He got back in his lane and slowed down. After another deep breath, he said, “I wish you would have talked to me.” He tried to relax his grip on the steering wheel.
“I should have. You’re right. Then I tried to find a time this week, but it got so crazy and never worked out.”
“I guess it’s good you did it.” The car he’d passed was barely visible in the mirror now. “I thought it would be okay. I mean, either way. But to be honest…sometimes when I’m holding her…”
“I understand,” she said.
He wanted to say, Do you? But fortunately, he held it in. “So I guess we’ll know soon?”
“We should,” she said.
“It’s okay, Shelle.”
“Not to me,” she said. “I need you to be able to trust me. And I didn’t make that easy.”
“I do trust you, Shelle.” He said it as much to convince himself as her.
Chapter 52
They parked a block walk away from DeVito’s, one of their favorite Italian restaurants. As they walked across the street, Michelle said, “The last time I was here, I broke a guy’s nose in this parking lot.” The couple passing them on the sidewalk studied her carefully. Michelle winked at them.
“I wouldn’t mess with her,” Max said.
They passed the Basin Park Hotel where Dante’s mother hid out before they took her to the Touchdown Club luncheon almost a year ago. “Too bad we can’t stay overnight,” he said.
“Thinking of our stay in Eureka Springs last year?” she said.
“That was a good time, wasn’t it?”
“Well, I think we can find a way to take care of you tonight,” Michelle said, then squeezed his butt.
“Okay, I’m ready to go,” he said, pretending to turn around.
“Slow down,�
� she said. “Let’s enjoy a nice dinner and a glass of wine. Then let’s just say you won’t need to order dessert.”
A few minutes later, they were seated at a table in the corner near the window. It was cozy and private. They ordered their meals and a bottle of wine. After the server left, Max said, “I didn’t think our lives could get crazier than last year,” Max said, “but I’m in an even bigger mess.”
“We’ll get through this just like we did last time,” she said. “We made a pretty good team then and we can do it again.”
He smiled. “Shelle, you’re the…”
“Max, what’s wrong?”
He held his hand up to shield his face. “Shelle, look at the man and woman across the street heading this way.”
She turned to look. “So?”
“Isn’t that Blair Morgan?” he said.
“Is it?” she said. “I can’t tell.”
“Don’t stare,” he whispered, still hiding his face.
She watched as the man and woman crossed the street. A moment later, the door to the restaurant opened.
“They just came in,” he said.
She leaned across the table and whispered, “Why are you hiding your face?”
“What?” he whispered.
“I asked you why you’re hiding your face,” she said.
He thought for a moment. “I don’t know,” then lowered his hand.
“Oh, okay, just checking.” Michelle buttered a thick slice of bread and took a bite.
He watched as Blair Morgan and the man she was with were seated at a table around the corner from them. He couldn’t see the man, but could see Blair’s back. “Do you think that’s her husband?” he said.
“I don’t know if she’s even married,” Michelle said. “They didn’t look very affectionate if they are.”
The server brought the bottle of wine followed by their food a few minutes later. As they ate, he tried to listen in on the conversation Blair and the other man were having, but could only pick up a word here or there over the noise from other tables. “I feel like I know the guy she’s with, Shelle, but I don’t know from where.”
“Is he another council member?” she asked.
He took a bite of lasagna and tried to figure out how he knew him. “Yeah, I guess maybe that’s it.” After another bite, he said, “No, I don’t think that’s it. But I feel like I know him.”
A table of four seated nearby finished their meal, paid the check and left. A few minutes later, another table of four left as well. The volume in the room dropped significantly. And a moment later, Max dropped his fork. It clanked loudly on his plate.
“Max, what’s wrong? Tell me. What is it? Are you choking?”
He shook his head, stood up, opened his wallet, pulled out a hundred dollars in cash and dropped it on the table. “We have to go.”
“Max, what is it? Why do we…”
“Now, Shelle.” He took her hand, helped her up and practically dragged her from the restaurant. On the way out, their server asked if everything was okay, but Max didn’t stop to answer. Once outside, he led them quickly away from the restaurant.
“Max, tell me what’s going on. You’re scaring me.”
“That guy with Blair…” he said as he continued to pull Michelle down the street.
“Yes? That guy with Blair?” she said. “What about him?”
“I know how I know him.”
“Max, can we slow down, please? I can’t go any faster in heels.”
But he didn’t slow down. He couldn’t get them to the van fast enough. “After those other tables left and it wasn’t so noisy, I could finally hear his voice.”
“So?” she said.
“It was him. The guy on the dock. The guy who shot the cop.”
Chapter 53
The man watched a couple at the table near the window get up suddenly and head for the exit. They hurried past the window. The man, who was dragging a woman behind him, looked as if he’d seen a ghost. The server and busboy exchanged a puzzled look before picking up the cash the man had left and clearing the dishes from the table.
“The polls are still tight,” the man said. “We can’t let this get away.” The man finished his beer.
“Give it a few days,” she said. “After what happened at the marina and the shooting at the park, they’ll come around. These people are sheep. They’re going to believe what we tell them to believe.”
The server asked if they needed anything else, then left the check. He waited until she left. “Blair, I’m telling you, don’t underestimate these people. They’re not as dumb as you think. And when it comes to guns and religion…well, expect to have a fight on your hands.”
“So why don’t you and your boys create one more incident? The election will be a lock then,” she said. “There’s no way they’ll vote to overturn it.”
“Lower your voice.” He looked around the room. “You get loud when you’ve had a few drinks. You also get…”
“I get what? Go ahead. Say it?”
“Let’s just say you get…less professional.”
“Meaning what exactly?” Although it came out sounding more like, “azackly.”
“Meaning it wasn’t your best decision to sleep with Dan Jenkins.”
“It was just some harmless fun,” she said.
“You told me you did it so he’d vote the way you told him to.”
“Well, that too.” She took a sip of wine. “Vote how I wanted...and harmless fun.”
The man’s eyes flashed around the room then settled on her. “Harmless fun? He’s dead, Blair. And besides, he didn’t vote the way you wanted.”
“Now who nee’s to keep their voice down?” she said.
He reached across the table and held her wrist. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. “Listen very, very carefully to what I’m about to tell you.” She winced when he squeezed even tighter. “You do not want to make another mistake. Trust me.”
She started to speak, but he cut her off, “I’m telling you this for your own good, Blair. You do not want to get on the wrong side of this.”
“And um tellin’ you,” she said, yanking her arm from him, “I’ll make sure the law stays the law. It’s not gonna get overturn’. And then...I’m...free as a bird.”
“Don’t screw this up,” he said. “Or you won’t be leaving.”
She finished her wine and stared at him. “And if a few lives are lost in the process, then so be it.” She put her glass down and wiped her mouth. “I’m tellin’ you I did what I was sent here to do.”
“And I’m telling you, I’m tired of cleaning up after you. And if I have to do it again…” he stopped.
“If you have to do it again, what?” she reached across the table and punched his chest. “What are you gonna do, tough guy?”
The man looked around again. Taking her out in public was a mistake. “I’ll be talking to him tonight, Blair. I’ll tell him we understand each other and that everything is under control.”
Chapter 54
They weren’t being followed, but Max couldn’t help checking the rearview mirror every few seconds on the thirty-minute drive back to Lakeside.
“Max, honey, it’s okay. Keep something in mind—they never saw you at the marina. They have no idea who you are or that you were even there.”
“I didn’t tell you about Willy. He got questioned again today by the police.”
“And what did he tell them?”
“Nothing really. They wanted to know what business he had with Dan Jenkins.”
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. The police are not looking for you. And when the time is right, you can step forward with what you know.”
Max lowered the visor and put his sunglasses on. The setting sun was low on the horizon and shining directly in his eyes.
“So Blair is somehow connected to the guy who killed the policemen that night?” Michelle said, more thinking out loud than asking a question.
/> “Looks that way…” he said, lost in his own thoughts. There it was again. What was he not piecing together? He thought back to the boat. What was it?
“I think we missed our calling, Max. We should have been spies or something,” she said. “How do you think I’d do undercover?”
“I think you’d make a very sexy spy,” he said. “And you’re definitely good under the covers.” He was proud of himself for being so clever.
