Tarnished Soul: A Nine Minutes Spin-Off Novel

by Beth Flynn

  Lucy patted the Doberman. “No crying, Chaos. Hobie is feeling good today. This is a day to celebrate, so no more whimpering.” She opened the windows and passed Hobie the Bible. “Hopefully, Jonas won’t spend too much time at the camp today. It’ll be nice for him to see you feeling better.” She kissed Hobie on his forehead before heading out to the hallway to adjust the thermostat.

  She returned less than sixty seconds later and smiled affectionately when she saw he’d fallen asleep with a smile on his face and his mother’s Bible opened and held tightly against his chest. Taking a seat next to his bed, Lucy let herself reflect on the past couple of months with the man she’d come to love as a father. They’d swapped stories that made each other laugh and cry. He shared why he’d left the ministry and how he fell in with one of the most notorious biker gangs on the west coast of South Florida. She told him about her very first meeting with Jonas at the hospital and all that had transpired since, including the dead hunters, her father’s disappearance, and every detail leading up to Jonas’ discovery of Mike Kelly. Hobie took her back to his childhood in rural West Virginia and how after leaving the town he’d been born and raised in, he began a journey on foot to seek what he’d thought had been lost.

  Lucy had found Hobie’s stories to be fascinating, especially one account about a woman he’d met in a little town called Pumpkin Rest. It was a small town situated in a then highly segregated rural South Carolina. It was the 1940s and Hobie had found temporary work on the Zachary farm. He’d developed a deep and meaningful friendship with Dicey Zachary, a widowed black woman who’d married young and was raising seven sons. Hobie had learned that before her husband’s death, she’d been engaged in a legal battle with the state of South Carolina to adopt her seventh son, an orphaned white boy. The boy and his father had been working on the Zachary farm in exchange for food and a place to sleep. When the father died unexpectantly, Dicey discovered how attached she’d become to the child and had no intention of giving him up. A legal battle ensued in which the couple had to mortgage their farm to pay the expenses required to legally adopt him. One of the most disturbing parts of the story was that complete strangers from surrounding townships were outraged the state would allow a black couple to adopt a white child. They bullied the authorities into blocking the adoption despite the fact the child wasn’t even wanted by any of the white folks who’d objected. Lucy’s anger turned to relief when Hobie confirmed that Dicey won the battle without losing her farm or the child she loved as her own.

  Lucy let out a sigh and tilted her head as she gazed at Hobie lovingly. She could listen to his tales all day long. They were filled with people like Dicey who overcame life’s unfair challenges to triumph. Chaos raised his head and looked at Lucy with sorrowful eyes. A sense of overwhelming grief slammed so hard into her chest, she gasped for air. She knew at that instant Hobie was no longer with them. She jumped up and ran to him, knowing without checking for a pulse that he was gone.

  Jonas found her hours later sitting in the chair and rocking back and forth. “Nine, nine, six, eight, four, four, six…”

  “Lucy, baby.” He gently touched her shoulder.

  Her voice came out as a squeak. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.” She looked up at Jonas while holding back the tears. “I didn’t know when he closed his eyes he wouldn’t be opening them again. I didn’t say goodbye, Jonas. I didn’t get to tell him one more time how much I loved him. How much he meant to me.”

  He gently pulled her up and then took her seat before tugging her back down to his lap. She cried into his shoulder while he lightly stroked her back. When her tears were spent, he walked her to the kitchen and settled her in a chair before calling the authorities and Anthony Bear. While they waited for them to arrive, he did his best to console her while she battled a fit of hiccups brought on by her earlier sobs. “He was smiling, Lucy. Hobie knew you loved him. I’m sure that smile was for you, sweetheart.” He handed her a glass of water. “Drink this. It’ll help with your hiccups.”

  Lucy dutifully took the glass and between sips, she talked. She told Jonas some of the stories Hobie had shared with her. She told him about the wife and daughter Hobie had lost and the reason he’d left his ministry. “His daughter is one of the reasons he gravitated toward our home. Toward me. He said I reminded him of her.” She sniffled. “Hobie’s wife insisted they name her after her favorite star, Lucille Ball.” Her shoulders slightly drooped. “Maybe it was because we shared the same name and she wore thick glasses like mine,” she said while absentmindedly pushing her glasses up where they belonged. She went on to share Dicey Zachary’s story as well as another one about a child named Gabriel from Kansas. Hobie had explained to Lucy that Gabriel was a foster child with skin the color of caramel and eyes as green as the grass who’d been passed from family to family because nobody wanted to deal with a child who was going blind. That was until Gabriel found his forever home with a middle-aged woman named Clementine, affectionally referred to as Clemmy.

  Lucy informed Jonas that of all the stories Hobie’s biker friends had shared about him during their visits, she never heard one that alluded to Hobie’s participation in any of the sordid activities they were renowned for. “He didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke. He didn’t do drugs or have sex with the girls.” Lucy used her fingers as she continued to tick off all the things Hobie didn’t do before moving on to all the things that he did. “Hobie told me that early on, Anthony had approached him and said that if he wanted to stay with the group, he needed to contribute. When Hobie flat-out refused to be an active part of their criminal endeavors, Anthony said he was glad. He actually kept Hobie on his payroll to be the unofficial peacemaker for the group. And what did Hobie do with the money?” She didn’t give Jonas an opportunity to answer. “He gave it to people who needed it more than he did.”

  Jonas, who’d already seated himself beside her, reached over and gently massaged the back of her neck. “It’s true. All of it. Hobie was a generous man who was always the calm to be found in the chaos.”

  Lucy looked at her lap. “He never had so much as a parking ticket. And all those people I told you about touched his life as much as he touched theirs.” She gulped down another sip before saying, “That’s why I need to write it all down, Jonas.” She gave her husband a determined stare. “Those stories cannot die with Hobie. I’m going to write a book. I’m going to tell his story.” Jonas’ response caused Lucy to break down in heavy sobs.

  While lightly caressing the back of her neck, he replied, “And thanks to you, my beautiful wife, I’ll be able to read it.”

  Chapter 64

  Just like they’d slowly adjusted to married life, the same happened after losing Hobie. Despite their grief at such a tremendous loss, before they knew it, 1980 arrived. Lucy had written her book in record time but had tabled finding a publisher while she concentrated on entering the workforce full-time. She began working soon thereafter and found herself thrilled with how much she loved her career.

  She was especially pleased to learn they were cutting edge when it came to human resources and there had even been talk of opening up a day care center at the facility. Lucy brought up the subject with Jonas one evening over a late dinner.

  “I feel like we never really talked about whether or not we want children,” she told him as she spooned carrots onto her plate.

  “Yes, we have,” he corrected her. “It wasn’t a huge discussion. I think we were just talking about wanting kids in a general sense. I thought we both said we did.” He’d raised the fork to his mouth but paused. “Have you changed your mind?”

  “No, not at all. It’s just that with the recent day care rumor at work, it became more of a reality. Truthfully, I never really let myself think about what I would do if I got pregnant. Would I want to go back to work after maternity leave? Would I want to stay home for a few years?” She shrugged nonchalantly before looking at him bashfully. “I’m not saying I want to get pregnant right away, Jonas. I just wante
d to know where you stood on it. I guess I don’t remember how our earlier conversation ended.”

  He gave her a wide smile. “I want kids one day, Lucy. But I’d also be passing out cigars if you got pregnant tomorrow.”

  Returning his smile, she told him, “I’m not ready to start a family just yet. I’m just glad to know if and when it does happen, you’re obviously totally on board. Plus, my job might offer options by then that aren’t available now.”

  The mention of cigars had ignited a memory and Jonas found himself digging one out that he’d tucked away. He enjoyed it on the back patio while Chaos romped in the yard. Lucy opted for a long bubble bath. She slowly immersed herself in her signature scent and reflected on the relief she’d found when Jonas reassured her he was definitely on board for having a family in the future. She was telling the truth when she said she didn’t remember the outcome of a conversation they’d once had about having children. She was grateful that his apparent lack of a family hadn’t subconsciously swayed him from wanting one, especially after learning why Jonas may have held a grudge against his stepmother. During one of their many talks, Hobie had shared a possible reason. She’d learned how Jonas’ stepmother occasionally helped out at the Bait & Tackle, and at the end of one particularly long day, she headed home in a rush to make dinner for her husband, stepson, and father-in-law. Upon her arrival, she was grateful to find her three men had stepped in and prepared the meal but realized that in her haste to get there, she’d left her purse at the shop. She volunteered to put the finishing touches on dinner, if her husband didn’t mind running back to the bait store to retrieve her bag. It was less than a five-minute drive from their home, and Jonas and his grandfather asked to ride along. And it was after they’d fetched her purse and were pulling back onto the street that the deadly crash occurred. Jonas lost the two most important people in his life that night. Lucy could understand why a ten-year-old might hold on to that kind of resentment. She’d never pried deeply into Jonas’ feelings concerning his stepmother and could only hope that maybe one day, having children of his own might give him a change of heart concerning the nameless and faceless woman Lucy had yet to meet.

  She was drying off when Jonas came into the bathroom. “I’m going to work in the garage for a few hours. I know you had a long day at work, baby. Don’t wait up for me if you get tired.”

  “Have fun,” she replied with a smirk. She didn’t know what he’d been doing for the past couple of weeks in their garage, but she thought it might be a surprise of some sort. He’d told her the garage was strictly off-limits until he was finished. She’d been too busy with her new job to pester him about it.

  She put on her pajamas and headed for the front room where she settled herself on the couch with a book and cup of herbal tea. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but feel a rush of dreaded adrenaline when she noticed two police officers walking up to the front door.

  Chapter 65

  Closing her book, Lucy jumped up from her seat and hastily made her way to the door that separated the kitchen from the garage. Jonas had it bolted shut from the inside. Her knocks matched those of the two men at the front door as she whisper-yelled, “Jonas!” When he didn’t answer, she banged louder and raised her voice, “Jonas!”

  She took a step back as the door swung open and Jonas’ massive size blocked her view. He stepped into the kitchen, and after closing the door behind him, asked, “What’s up, baby? Are you okay?”

  Lucy heaved out a breath that coincided with two more raps on the front door. “The police are here. I didn’t answer it yet.”

  He appeared unconcerned. “Let’s go find out what they want.” Jonas strolled to the front door like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Lucy followed behind him while tightening the sash on her bathrobe. Months ago, and only two days after they’d buried Hobie, Officer Bruce Miller had been on the evening news. It was reported he’d been the victim of a homicide. The news report had suggested he’d been shot while unknowingly walking up on a drug deal. Almost every member of Anthony’s crew, including Jonas, had been questioned by detectives. There’d been an undercurrent of tension emanating from the station concerning the possibility that Officer Miller might’ve been involved in illicit dealings with known criminals. Lucy had asked Jonas if he knew anything about it, and she’d believed his answer.

  “No. And if I do find out who’s responsible, they better hide,” he’d told her in no uncertain terms. “Bruce may have been a dirty cop, but he was one of my dirty cops. And I don’t appreciate someone taking out one of my best assets.”

  Lucy tried not to hold her breath while Jonas opened the door, and without inviting the men inside, asked, “What can I do for you?”

  “We’re investigating a motorcycle theft,” the oldest officer informed them. He was the taller of the two and had broad shoulders. He wore his salt-and-pepper hair in a crew cut and had a dragon tattoo on his left forearm. “It’s a vintage Harley-Davidson that the owner…”

  He was cut off by the younger cop who was shorter and wore his black hair cropped close to his head. He had a nervous energy that caused him to shuffle from foot to foot. “We know who you are and what you do,” he said in a haughty tone. “You’re the obvious…”

  Jonas stapled his lips closed with one fierce glance. The man’s false bravado shrank as Jonas stepped onto the porch and towering over him, asked, “And what is it that I do?”

  “Brooks.” The first officer pushed out a long, tired breath. “We’re not here to accuse you. Your name was suggested by the owner as someone who knew about it and may be involved in the theft of his motorcycle. Do you know a Dr. Samuel Hyatt?”

  Jonas appeared to seriously contemplate the question. “If it’s the guy I’m thinking of, I met him once last year at a dinner he attended for my wife.”

  Lucy stepped out onto the porch and glanced at the officer’s name tag. “Dr. Hyatt actually thought my husband might be responsible, Officer…ummm?” She scrunched her nose while moving her face closer. “Officer Denton?”

  The man nodded. “Yes. Dr. Hyatt suggested Brooks as a person of interest. He took his wife on a month-long vacation and just got back. He can’t say for sure how long it’s been missing. Just that it was in the garage before he left and now it’s gone.” He glanced up at Jonas warily. “Did you have anything to do with the theft of Dr. Hyatt’s motorcycle?”

  Jonas quirked a brow. “Did he tell you that I offered him a substantial amount of money for the bike?”

  “No, he didn’t.” Officer Denton appeared weary when he asked for the second time, “Did you have anything to do with the theft of Dr. Hyatt’s motorcycle?”

  “No,” Jonas stated firmly.

  “Would you be willing to let us take a look inside your garage?”

  Lucy could tell by the man’s tired expression he already knew the answer.

  Jonas crossed his arms. “Do you have a search warrant?”

  “You know I don’t, Brooks, or I would’ve already shown it to you. Do you think you might save us the time of coming back here and imposing on you by just opening the garage door?”

  Lucy had already gnawed the inside of her cheek raw and was stunned when her husband nodded his head and said, “Wait here.”

  Jonas left them all standing there as he stalked toward the kitchen. Lucy heard him go through the door that led into the garage. She then followed the officers down the porch steps and waited in the driveway beside her car. Moments later, the double garage door slowly opened and Lucy’s apprehension gave way to immediate relief. Jonas had not been hiding a stolen motorcycle behind the locked doors of their garage. She was almost moved to tears when she saw the project that had been keeping him busy. It was a canoe. She instantly remembered him telling her last year when he’d gone gator hunting how his boat had floated away years earlier. She’d suggested during their honeymoon that maybe they should get a small boat for future visits so they could e
njoy the nearby river. Jonas had been restoring an old canoe in their garage. And she knew it was for an upcoming visit they’d planned to celebrate their first time at the cabin. She’d teasingly referred to it as their cabinversary and suggested she was a trendsetter and should get credit for combining words to celebrate special anniversaries. He’d rolled his eyes and said it was a silly trend that would never come to fruition.

  Lucy smugly watched the younger officer stomp off toward the squad car. She started walking up the front steps when she heard Jonas say to Officer Denton, “Carl, you better make sure he keeps his ass in line. I’m not in the mood for his shitty attitude and misplaced rookie energy.”

  “Yeah, I know, Brooks,” the older cop said with a sigh. “He is one royal pain in my ass.”

  Lucy could hear the aggravation in Jonas’ reply. “Just don’t let him become a pain in mine. If he so much as looks at me sideways again, I’ll kick his ass so hard he’ll end up choking on his asshole after it gets lodged in his throat. I mean it, Carl.”

  Office Carl Denton had already headed toward his squad car. Calling over his shoulder, he replied, “I know you do, Brooks.”

  Later that night, Jonas couldn’t help but revisit the irritation brought on by the law ruining his surprise for Lucy. They’d just finished making love when Jonas rolled onto his back and said, “It pisses me off that your shitbag doctor friend offered me right up. It completely ruined my surprise.”

  “Jonas,” Lucy answered lovingly. “Life with you is already a surprise. Don’t be mad at Dr. Hyatt. I’m sure you showed enough of an interest in his motorcycle that night to trigger his memory of you. Plus, you’re kind of hard to forget.” A moment passed before she spoke again in a sleepy voice. “I was nervous for a few minutes, but deep down I knew you hadn’t stolen it. I know you always hear things on the street though. Do you happen to know who might’ve taken his motorcycle?”