UNKNOWN ALLIANCE

by Robin Lyons

  Brandi seemed close to Simone and Rae.

  Lara Simpkin gave off a loner vibe as did the rest of the kids. But Todd and Lara might have a secret only they knew about. They had exchanged looks numerous times during the hour-long meeting.

  Mr. Nash told everyone they could leave except the few who wanted speaker assignments.

  Kevin and Stu stayed. Mr. Nash gave Kevin a speech to the Brookfield City Council on the community benefits of an Independence Day Parade. And Stu was assigned a speech to the Brookfield Parks and Recreation on the residential benefits of a neighborhood park under consideration.

  Mac made a mental note to try to attend the meetings to see how much effort the two knuckleheads put into their speeches. He couldn’t imagine Kevin would have much to say about a Fourth of July parade.

  Chapter 36

  Thinking about her day, Joss looked at the clock, it was noon and remembered Rae had a Speaker Club meeting after school. She sat at the kitchen island chatting with her husband about nothing important when the house phone rang. She looked at Steffan, his hands were busy kneading bread dough.

  When she read the caller I.D., she whispered to her husband as if the caller could hear her, “It’s Lyla.”

  “Answer it.”

  “Hello.” She put the call on speaker mode.

  “Josslyn, it’s Lyla Blackstone. How are you dear?”

  “We’re good.” Joss always thought of herself as we. She and Steffan had been married for so long, it was hard to know when ‘she’ became ‘we.’ “How’re you?”

  “Still on the right side of the grass, even though Mark probably wishes I was dead and gone. I’m certain his gold-digging wife does.”

  “Oh Lyla, don’t say that. Mark and Stella don’t wish you were... ummm, gone.”

  Her longtime friend laughed. “Enough of that, how’s it going with the foster girl?”

  “Rae’s a delightful young lady. She’s easy to talk with, keeps her room clean and loves Steffan’s cooking.” She winked at her husband who in turn blew her a kiss. “She’s settling into her new life.”

  Steffan made hand gestures to ask if the caller had been drinking.

  Joss shook her head.

  “I’d like to meet her. May I come for tea this afternoon?”

  “Well. Ummm. Yes, Lyla, that would be lovely. How does three o’clock sound?”

  “Perfect. Thank you.” The phone call ended without a goodbye.

  “She’s coming for tea this afternoon.”

  “I’ll make cookies.” Steffan had the oven open to slide in his bread pans.

  “How did I get so lucky to find a wonderful husband like you?”

  “All these years I thought I was the lucky one.”

  Joss scooted off the bar chair and went to her husband.

  She kissed his cheek. “I have a Women’s Club meeting at one. I’ll be home before Lyla arrives.”

  As promised, Joss got home before Lyla graced them with her presence. She even had a few minutes to mentally prepare herself to socialize with her testy friend.

  Steffan had baked delicate lemon shortbread cookies and had everything set up in the sitting room for the ladies.

  At three o’clock sharp the doorbell chimed.

  Joss ushered Lyla inside from the cold weather and helped her out of her coat. They settled into the sitting room with the obligatory ‘how are yous’ while Steffan poured tea and handed each woman a small plate with two cookies.

  “What time will RaeAnn be home?”

  “She attends a Speaker Club meeting after school on Wednesdays. She’s usually home by three-twenty.”

  Lyla nodded and sipped her tea. “How’s the driver working out?”

  “He’s perfect. He and Rae—.”

  “RaeAnn.”

  “She prefers to be addressed as Rae.”

  “Hmmm.” Lyla arched an eyebrow. “Rae? Sounds like a boy’s name.”

  Joss could feel and hear her pulse throbbing in her ears. “I think her name’s beautiful. Anyway, as I was saying, they seem to get along well, he’s punctual, and he’s always available.” Joss told herself to breath deeper to calm down.

  Even though she’d known Lyla for many years and they lived a lavish lifestyle from Steffan’s investments, she always felt inferior to Lyla when in her company.

  The two women conversed about insignificant events happening around town and in their lives. At three-twenty, the front door opened. Rae and Nico entered the foyer. Rae peeked into the sitting room. When she saw Joss, she went to her. Nico followed.

  Joss introduced Rae and Nico to Lyla.

  “I wondered whose car and driver waited in the driveway,” Rae said.

  Joss patted the cushion next to her. “Rae, will you sit with us and have tea? Steffan made delicious lemon cookies.”

  Rae poured herself some tea and put a few cookies on a small plate. “Nico, would you like some tea and cookies?”

  Lyla spoke up, “I’m sure Nico has better things to do than have tea with the ladies. Don’t you, Nico?”

  He turned to Joss and Rae. “Will either of you need my services this evening?”

  “No, thank you, Nico.” Joss smiled.

  As Nico turned to leave, Rae blurted out, “Wait. Take some cookies with you. Steffan makes the best cookies you’ll ever taste.” She handed Nico a plate mounded with cookies.

  Lyla cleared her throat. “Now sit with us. Tell us about your day.”

  Rae sat next to Joss and talked about school, and the club meeting after. She rambled on about Steve Jobs and the video of the powerful speech they’d watched.

  Joss assumed if Rae didn’t previously know, she would have learned in class Steve Jobs had lost his battle with cancer. She avoided talking about death around Rae.

  Rae went on about competitive swimming and how she dreamed of making the U.S. Olympic swim team.

  “Do you swim in the DeSalvo’s pool often?” Lyla interrupted.

  “Every day. It’s not the same as swimming in an Olympic size pool, but it’s good enough.”

  “Where did you swim before your—”

  Joss stood. “Lyla, would you like more tea?”

  Rae responded to Lyla’s incomplete question, “I swam at the community center every morning before school. I have homework. Nice to meet you.” She took her teacup and cookie plate with her when she left the sitting room.

  “She doesn’t like to talk about her parents,” Joss said.

  “I didn’t mean to upset her. I was more interested in her swimming.”

  Joss and Lyla fell into a moment with nothing more to say to one another.

  “She’s a beautiful young lady. And she has good manners. Are you and Steffan prepared to remain her foster parents until she’s eighteen?”

  “We’re growing quite fond of her. She’s a delight to have around. I don’t see why we wouldn’t want to continue as her foster parents.”

  Lyla stayed at most ten minutes after Rae left the room. She said she had an appointment with her attorney. Lyla thanked Steffan and Joss for their hospitality. She bundled into her warm coat, gloves, and hat.

  At the front door, she turned to Joss, placed her hand on her arm and gave a little squeeze. “You’ll need to find a way to squelch her dream to swim in the Olympics.” Before opening the door, she pulled a small white envelope from her handbag and passed it to Joss. “Maybe this will help give you the strength you’ll need for the unpleasant conversation.”

  Chapter 37

  The day had been busy from the moment the tardy bell rang. Mac had been needed all over the campus. He welcomed the break to step away from the school and meet Michael Stromberg for lunch.

  A few minutes after one o’clock when Mac walked into Marlene’s office, he saw her at her desk intently staring at her computer monitor and chomping gum.

  “Hey”

  She jumped. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry. I’m leaving the campus for an hour or two. Roni’s going to fill
in for me.”

  “A lunch date?”

  “Something like that.” He smiled.

  She popped her gum. “Okay. Have fun.”

  The restaurant parking lot had several parking spaces available. Mac hoped that meant the lunch crowd had departed. He parked his truck next to Michael Stromberg’s white one-ton dually truck with the Stromberg Cattle Ranch signage on the doors. Hard to miss, thought Mac.

  After being outside in the bright sunshine, the darkness inside took Mac’s eyes a few seconds to adjust. The windows at the Brookfield Bar and Grill were covered in a dark tint.

  Mac saw Michael in a secluded corner booth waving an arm extended high above his head.

  The two men shook hands before Mac sat down. Michael’s half empty beer indicated he’d been there for a little while.

  “Would you like a beer?”

  “No thanks. I’m on duty.” Mac ordered iced tea, unsweetened, and the same cheeseburger and fries Michael had ordered.

  “So, how are things at Blackstone?” Michael checked the screen on his cell phone.

  “For the most part school seems to be operating smoothly.”

  “Terrible news about the missing boy. I hear the news media has camped out in front of the grandparents’ home since the boy went missing. I also hear you’ve been helping search for him.”

  Mac nodded. “A parent’s and grandparent’s worst nightmare. After school, there’s about an hour of daylight. I take my dog and walk the grid looking for signs of the boy.”

  Michael surprised Mac with his lunch invitation. Michael had been instrumental in getting him hired. One of the first lessons he’d learned when the School Board President called and asked you to lunch there was only one response. “What time and where?”

  Michael nodded. “Thank you for helping. The more people searching, I’m sure increases the chance of finding something.”

  “For most of my air force career, we extracted wounded soldiers from combat areas and treated soldiers’ injuries.” Mac drank some iced tea. “Anyway, as soon as I heard the news, I knew I needed to help.”

  “Define, ‘school seems to be operating smoothly for the most part.’”

  “Kevin Jackson hates me and makes no secret of it. The only reason that concerns me is other students see him being disrespectful.”

  “He’s a punk and insignificant. What else?”

  “The Interim Superintendent appears to be in a relationship with the Chief Business Official, Nena.”

  “Hmmm.” Michael paused to take a long draw on his bottled beer. “Are you certain?”

  “Pretty sure. I saw them in a hot and heavy make-out session on the security camera just before the last board meeting.”

  “Is she married?”

  “Nena’s single.”

  “Does anyone else know?”

  “Marlene told me she suspected something because Nena has spent a lot of time in his office with the door shut.”

  “How’s he doing otherwise?”

  “I’m not sure what he does. He stays out my hair and seems nice enough.”

  The server arrived with their lunch. They waited to continue the conversation until after she left the area.

  Michael took a bite of his cheeseburger, wiped his mouth. “Damn that’s good beef.”

  “Yours, I assume?”

  “You bet. We provide the beef to all the restaurants in town.”

  They settled into a few quiet moments. Mac savored his burger, admittedly one of the best he’d had in some time.

  “What else’s going on?” Michael dipped a couple of fries in ketchup.

  “I saw the tattooed kid Stu Collins was associated with last semester. I still believe he was a player in the drug ring. He picked up Stu from school yesterday.”

  “That’s troublesome. Keep your ears and eyes open.”

  “Are you okay with an occasional canine drug search?”

  “You bet. I’ll let Dr. Zita know you’re in charge of scheduling and he’s on a ‘need to know’ basis.”

  Mac reflected on the resistance he’d had from Dr. Sawyer.

  “Will Dr. Sawyer be returning to her position?”

  “Nope. Never. We’re negotiating her exit package. How’s the new PE guy?”

  “Seems good.”

  Michael drained his beer.

  Mac enjoyed the last few bites of his burger when the server returned to refill his iced tea and gave Michael another beer.

  “How’s the new student doing? The one who lost her parents in the car accident.”

  “RaeAnn. She’s okay. She’s palling around with another girl. Seems odd to me she was placed with a foster family who’d never had foster kids before. They appear to be super rich. Why would they take on a foster kid?”

  “Not sure, but lucky her. Is the girl she’s palling around with a good kid?”

  “Yes, Brandi Welch.”

  Michael shrugged and didn’t appear to recognize the name.

  “She even has a personal driver,” Mac added.

  “Hmmm.” Michael looked at his cell phone again. “Anything else?”

  Mac considered whether or not he should let Michael know about what happened to Brandi and what her father asked Mac to do for him. “Nothing at this time.”

  “Keep me posted on anything happening at the academy. Call anytime. Also, keep on top of the tattooed guy and the Collins boy. Lunch is on me.”

  Michael chugged his almost full beer and was out of his seat, making his way to the door faster than Mac could shake his hand.

  Mac didn’t see Michael pay for lunch. He wondered if they had an agreement he could eat there at no cost because he gave them a good deal on beef. Mac waited a minute or two to allow time for Michael to leave the parking lot before he ventured back into the bright sunshine.

  Chapter 38

  A cloudy day and Brandi’s mood matched it. She’d finished her homework quickly and now watched TV in her bedroom. Relaxed with her head against the headboard, she heard her laptop chime. Someone in DayJabber had included her in a conversation.

  She pulled the laptop toward her and checked who was online. Stu had commented.

  Stu to Brandi: Hi Brandi. Wassup? The Winter Ball on Saturday should be fun.

  Brandi to Stu: Yeah it’ll be fun. (smiley face Emoji)

  Brandi did a quick search for ‘CJ.’ He wasn’t online.

  Stu to Brandi: It’s cool Rae’s driver is going to drive us. So cool to have a personal driver.

  Brandi to Stu: Yeah. He’s cool. Is Kevin going to behave himself?

  Stu to Brandi: If Rae’s there, he’ll do whatever she says. LOL!

  Brandi to Stu: He’s a jerk most the time.

  CJ to Brandi: Hi beautiful.

  She felt tingly and enjoyed his flattery.

  Brandi to CJ: Hi.

  CJ to Brandi: You busy talking with someone else?

  Brandi to CJ: Nope. Waiting for you.

  CJ to Brandi: Nice. I’ve been thinking about you a lot today. Are you going to the Winter Ball?

  Brandi to CJ: Yes. Are you?

  CJ to Brandi: Maybe.

  Brandi to CJ: Come on, tell me.

  CJ to Brandi: If a guy you don’t know asks you to dance it might be me.

  Brandi to CJ: Who are you going with? Do you have a girlfriend? Does she know you flirt with other girls?

  CJ to Brandi: No, I don’t have a girlfriend. And I don’t flirt with girls, I only flirt with you.

  Brandi’s cheeks radiated heat, and she had a moment of speechlessness. She tuned into the commercial with a lonely dog exercising so he could lose weight and be able to chase a car. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was close to nine o’clock.

  Stu to Brandi: Are you still there?

  Brandi to Stu: Yeah.

  Stu to Brandi: Gotta do my homework. See ya tomorrow.

  Brandi to Stu: Okay. Bye.

  Rae to Brandi: Hey girl, what’re you doing?

  Brandi to Rae: Talking with ‘the
’ guy.

  Rae to Brandi: The stalker guy?

  CJ to Brandi: Helllooo. Where’d you go?

  Brandi to Rae: Yes, the stalker guy. She smiled.

  Brandi to CJ: I’m here.

  CJ to Brandi: Who else are you talking with?

  Brandi to CJ: My friend Rae. Do you know her?

  CJ to Brandi: I know who she is.

  CJ to Brandi: Bummer about her parents.

  Brandi to CJ: She doesn’t like to talk about what happened.

  Rae to Brandi: Is he flirting again?

  Brandi to Rae: Kind of. I found out he doesn’t have a girlfriend.

  Rae to Brandi: I hope not if he’s stalking you.

  Brandi to Rae: He’s not stalking me. He doesn’t even know where I live.

  Rae to Brandi: How do you know he doesn’t know where you live? He could be watching you from across the street. Maybe he lives across the street.

  Brandi to Rae: No guys my age live in my neighborhood.

  Brandi bolted from her bed to the bedroom window and leaned on the window seat to pull the drapes shut.

  CJ to Brandi: So you were waiting for me? What else are you doing besides chatting online?

  Brandi to CJ: Watching TV.

  CJ to Brandi: What’re you watching?

  Brandi to CJ: Nothing really. It’s just on.

  Rae to Brandi: He gets way too personal from what you’ve told me.

  Brandi to Rae: He’s harmless.

  Rae to Brandi: Don’t be naive, Brandi.

  Brandi to Rae: Really, He’s fine.

  CJ to Brandi: Are you in your pajamas?

  Brandi to CJ: Yup. What else are you doing?

  CJ to Brandi: I only have you on my mind.

  Brandi blushed again.

  CJ to Brandi: What color are your pjs?

  Brandi to CJ: Teal t-shirt and same color chevron pattern shorts.

  CJ to Brandi: Is teal your fav color?

  Brandi to CJ: Pink.

  CJ to Brandi: You wear shorts in the winter? Send me a pic of you in your jammies.

  Brandi to CJ: I have a heavy down comforter on my bed, so it gets hot under the covers.