Arrest of the Heart

by Judy Kentrus

  “The high school is a quarter mile away, and the older kids take advantage of the openings in the fence to cut across the field,” Jess said. “The surrounding streetlights aren’t enough to actually light up the area, so it’s the perfect place to get into mischief. As the property owner, you need to replace the broken fence.”

  “Just say the word, and I will have a crew here the next day.”

  They continued down a dirt path between the field of weeds and wildflowers. Linc paused and tapped the toe of his boot against the side of two empty vodka bottles. Next to them were hardened loaves of unsliced bread. The interiors had been hollowed out. “Someone had a party.”

  “I’ve seen the same thing just recently in the boathouse,” Jess remarked.

  “Let’s take them back with us. I’m sure Detective Catcher will be interested in your find. I don’t think they could get any prints off the bread, but there might be some on the bottles.”

  “Good idea.” Linc reached under the band of his white sweater and put his hands to the front of his jeans.

  Jessie’s eyes widened and quickly covered his hands with hers. “What are you doing? Don’t take off your jeans!”

  “You really can’t get your mind off my silk briefs,” he chuckled, and undid the silver buckle on his black leather belt. “I’m going to carefully wrap my belt around your evidence and secure it in a plastic bag I have in my truck. Are you going to tell the chief it was my underwear Price was wearing?”

  “I’ll have to, but in private. What I don’t understand is why they put your underwear on the body.”

  Linc had his own theory. The message said, “Get out of town or you are a dead man.” The next time they took a shot, they didn’t plan to miss. It was a theory he would keep to himself, for now.

  The sun was just going down beyond the mountain by the time they got home. She pushed the lock button on her keychain just as Linc got out of, as Edie would say, the Linc mobile. “Can I interest you in a glass of wine and something to eat?”

  “You don’t have to twist my arm.”

  They walked in the back door and discovered a note on the kitchen table from her mother. “Dinner for two, in the oven. Eat on the enclosed porch. Edie and I are next door. Will be home by 8:30.

  “Am I reading this correctly? My mother is giving us time to enjoy our dinner, alone?” Jessie opened the oven door. Two plates had been covered over with foil. She lifted the edge and the smell seduced her taste buds. Fried chicken, double baked potatoes with cheese, and fresh asparagus with hollandaise sauce. On a separate plate were buttermilk biscuits. “Wow, she outdid herself.” Jess’s stomach growled. “You grab some utensils and a couple of napkins while I carry these out to the porch.” She reached for the insulated mitts dangling on the hook next to the stove, but her hand never made it. A pair of strong arms turned her around and she found herself pressed against the pantry door.

  “I’ve been aching to do this since the moment you did your kiss-my-ass swagger across the parking lot this afternoon.”

  “My what?” she laughed, slowly guiding her hands up his chest. The rapid pulse from his heart beat against the palm of her hands. Oh, how she wanted him and this too.

  Link moved his lips across the smooth line of her jaw and headed for a soft earlobe. “You have this cocky, kiss-my-ass swagger when you walk. It turns me on.”

  Jess adjusted her hips to meet the unyielding hardness of his body. “Do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “Shut up and kiss me.”

  “You don’t have to ask twice.” He set her on the counter and stepped between her legs. “I am so hungry for you,” he groaned and relished the sumptuous taste of her mouth.

  It didn’t take long for heat to surge in her body, and she felt herself start to tremble with need. They had to stop before there was no turning back. “You are a tempting meal, but we better eat the food my mother prepared, or she’ll know there was hanky panky going on.”

  “We could always skip dinner and jump into dessert,” he suggested, and stole one more kiss. He set her on the floor and gave her butt a loving pat before he went out to the porch. “Jess, you better see this.”

  “What?” The words were barely out of her mouth and she almost dropped the food. The accent table in front of the couch had been set for two. A bottle of wine and two glasses flanked two woven placemats, utensils, and cloth napkins. The small eyeball ceiling lights created a soft, starry glow, and the dancing flames in the gas fireplace added cozy warmth.

  Jess set the plates on the table. “Why has my mother suddenly decided not to keep us apart?”

  Linc shrugged his shoulders and reached for the bottle of wine. He knew the answer, but couldn’t tell her, not yet. She’d figure it out for herself, eventually. “I learned long ago, never to try and figure out a woman, because whatever you think you understand is the total opposite.”

  “That is a very sane observation for a man, and you are correct. Before we start, I want to put my gun belt away and visit the necessary. We’ve only got an hour before our chaperones come home.”

  Linc was hungry for two things, Jessie and then food. The kiss had barely satisfied his appetite for her. Their time would come, he hoped, but remembered what Margaret had said earlier, things were going to get worse before they got better. He decided to savor and enjoy every intimate moment he had with Jessie. They’d just finished dinner and were having a second glass of wine, when Jessie hit him broadside with a question.

  “Did you have a meeting with my mother and the chief this afternoon?”

  Knowing his life was an open book, he wasn’t surprised by Jessie’s question. Linc tread very carefully with his reply. “Since you are asking that question, you already know the answer.”

  Jess relaxed against the back of the spongy soft cushion on the wicker couch. “Why?”

  He could confess part of the truth. “It had to do with my inheritance. What I’m about to tell you has to be kept between us.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Buford divided his estate between me and the town of Laurel Heights. If I don’t live here for a year, the entire amount goes to charity. The inheritance includes a great deal of farm acreage that is already leased to farmers. Your mother and the town council are negotiating with a company to drill for natural gas, just like they’re doing in Stevensville. It would mean a great deal of revenue for the town.”

  “You have to live here for a year?” Her brain was crying yes, yes, yes. More bubble baths, more hugs, more kisses! Right now, she’d love to suckle the dimple on his ass. Down girl. “My mother mentioned something about the drilling for natural gas, but asked that I keep it to myself. What was so important that you had to include the chief in this private meeting?”

  Linc knew he’d fallen in love with a smart woman and tried to come up with a half truth. Edie and Margaret coming home saved his immediate dilemma.

  “Mommy, wait until you see the cute kitten at Lisa Kay’s house,” Edie said, running into the room. “His name is Lucifer and he likes to play with Abbie Lincoln and Xavier Cugat.” Edie wedged her way between her mother and Lincoln before giving him a no-nonsense stare.

  “Are you going to marry my mother?”

  Margaret and Jessie spoke up at the same time. “Edie!”

  Lincoln presented the palm of his hand to the women and continued to give his full attention to the inquisitive nine-year-old. “Why would you ask that?”

  Edie took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap. “Lisa Kay has a boyfriend, and he gave her a cool ring. It looks like a bat. She said she’s been lonely for a long time, but she’s found her soul mate.” Edie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what a soul mate is, but it makes Lisa Kay happy.”

  “What does that have to do with your mom?”

  “I wish my mom had one.”

  Jessie went to say something, but Linc squeezed her hand and shook his head.

  “Why?”

  Edie con
centrated on playing with the bushy end of one of her braids. “I think Mommy is lonely. At night, after we have our quiet time and she leaves the room, I go over to my window and watch for the first star. Then I say, ‘star light, star bright, the first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.’ I wish for a husband for my mom. Then, I would have a dad. I never had one. We could play basketball, go fishing, and do cool stuff.”

  Jessie’s heart was crying silent tears. The mother’s love she felt for her daughter had never been greater or more heartbreaking. She’d never suspected Edith missed having a father. They never talked about it. The only father figure she’d ever known was her grandfather. Jessie put an arm around Edie’s shoulder and drew her close. “That is so beautiful and thoughtful of you to make a wish for me every night. Why didn’t you ever talk to me about your wish?”

  “I thought it would make you sad.”

  Linc saw how hard this was for Jessie and spoke up. “That is a very beautiful poem. You never know. If you wish hard enough, it might come true.”

  “Do you really think so?” Edie brightened, and slowly came out of her melancholy.

  “If I looked for the first star every night and wished the same thing, you would get two wishes.”

  “But you would have to say the same poem.”

  “You’ll just have to teach it to me.”

  Edie threw her arms around Lincoln’s neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you. I love you, Mr. Lincoln.”

  He hugged her tight. “I love you too, Short Stop.” The warmth of Edie’s love spread throughout his body and filled the hole of emptiness he’d wallowed in since his parents and sister had died. She went to pull away, but stopped to whisper a question in his ear. He smiled and nodded.

  “Great!” She grabbed his hand, urging him to stand up. “Come into the living room. I have a surprise.”

  “What’s going on?” Margaret asked. If Lincoln didn’t fulfill her granddaughter’s wish, she’d personally castrate him.

  “You got me,” Jessie replied, watching her daughter take a seat behind the piano.

  “This is for Mr. Lincoln.” Edie’s small hands settled on the ivory piano keys and started to play Billy Joel’s Piano Man. Her soft voice filled the room. “It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday, regular crowd shuffles in. There’s an old man sitting next to me makin’ love to his tonic and gin.” She stopped singing, played a few more measures, and nodded at Lincoln before she started singing again. “Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody, and you’ve got us feelin’ alright.” Linc’s heart swelled with pride and unbounded love for this beautiful child as he sat beside her on the piano bench. A feeling of déjà vu clutched his heart. His hands shook slightly when he brought the harmonica to his lips and picked up at the appropriate measure. The musicians blended their musical souls and their combined cadence filled the high-ceilinged room with slow, mellow sounds. Both played from the heart.

  Jessie had never heard anything so beautiful in her life. Where had this wonderful child come from? Oh, she knew. But it was the man who filled her heart. The teenage love she’d felt for Lincoln Adams lay dormant all these years, but it had always been there, waiting. Without realizing, it had reawakened to into a deeper, mature love. Would her new love be strong enough to withstand the heartbreak when she told him the truth? Sorrowful tears were running down her cheeks, and she became aware of the motherly arms that had drawn her close. She pulled back and stared at her mother through her watery haze. “What am I going to do? I love them both, so much,” she quietly confessed. “It’s killing me.”

  Margaret kissed her daughter on the forehead, feeling closer to Jessie than she had in a very long time. She deserved every bit of happiness. “Love will find a way.” Margaret wiped her daughter’s cheeks with a soft handkerchief and offered her own teary eyed smile. “We’d better stop crying, or they’ll think we didn’t like their performance.”

  When the last measure was played, they both stood up and accepted the enthusiastic clapping from their two-person audience.

  “Mommy, wasn’t that great! Mr. Lincoln plays Billy Joel soooo good!”

  Margaret held out her arms. “This is a special occasion and deserves a family hug.”

  When Linc hesitated, Edie tugged on his hand. “Come on, Mr. Lincoln, you’re part of our family.” Jessie nodded and he drew all the women in, savoring the closeness of being held.

  “Linc, you are a man of many talents,” Jess complimented. She was still shaking inside and put some distance between them. “Too bad the bandstand isn’t in good shape, or you two could put on a show.”

  Edie’s eyes widened. “Mr. Lincoln, how about tonight we change our wish to having the bandstand fixed? Then we can go back to wishing for a husband for my mom and a dad for me.”

  “That is a great idea,” Lincoln agreed, wondering what had made Jessie sob. He needed to have a few private moments and was about to suggest they take a walk, but she said a hurried good night and went upstairs with Edie to get ready for bed and have their private time together.

  “What was that all about?”

  Margaret kissed him on the cheek. “It was a mother-daughter thing. Just don’t wait too long to talk to her.”

  He reluctantly went home and took a quick shower before crawling into bed naked. He brought the pillow Jessie had used to his nose and breathed in her sweet scent. For a day that had started out like shit, it had turned into something beautiful. Jessie still loved him. He’d seen it when she watched him play the duet with Edie. It was in her eyes and the loving tears that streamed down her cheeks, until she started to sob and her face went deathly pale. Would her love be strong enough to withstand the hurt he was going to inflict when he told her the truth?

  The following morning, Lincoln tried to put off the most important thing he had to do, go to his grandfather’s house. He’d called the chief about getting off-duty patrolmen to stake out the field next to the school as a safety measure until the new fence could be erected. Lincoln would foot the bill. As far as the chief was concerned, they could start as soon as possible. He contacted Northrup about the new fence, and he volunteered to contact a very reliable contractor who could use the business. He’d also heard from Brandon Kelly. An industrial-sized dumpster had been delivered to the location, and the men would start working on the bandstand today.

  Now, here he sat, parked in front of Buford’s residence. He wasn’t alone. The gardening service who maintained the grass and landscaping, had parked their work truck and extra long box trailer in the driveway. The sound of a lawn mower being run at full throttle broke the silence in the neighborhood of well-tended Victorian and Tudor homes. Buford’s was the most elaborate, with its overlapping gables and parapets. Slender half-timbers created intricate patterns over the white stucco siding, defining the Tudor appearance.

  Every spring, the ornate flower boxes that lined the bottom of every window would be filled with colorful flowers and lovingly tended until the fall. Now, they were vacant. Despite the rich green lawn and neatly trimmed hedges and shrubs, the house appeared to be sad.

  “Enough! Time to bite the bullet and face the ghostly devil himself.” He could do this, for Jessie.

  Linc walked up the slight incline of the blacktop driveway, skirting around the side of the gardener’s box trailer and read the name on the side. “Clyde’s Gardening and Lawn Maintenance, Clyde Thornton, owner. Above the name, was a colorful decal depicting a team of Clydesdale horses pulling a beer wagon. Linc wondered if he was related to Harvey and continued to the back of the house. The ride-on mower was there, without the operator. Linc was surprised to see that the door to the basement was open. Why did the gardener have access to the interior of the house?

  The basement gave off a musty smell and was poorly lit with just a single ceiling light. He walked a little farther and approached the open wooden door to the area that housed the furnace and water heater. Beyond was the section very few people entered. Bufor
d had forbidden Lincoln and Jenny to enter the secret room and connecting tunnel protected by a solid steel door. “Anyone there?” he called.

  “Just a minute,” returned a deep male voice, coming out from behind the ancient heating unit, wiping his hands with a blue mechanic’s rag smelling of fuel oil. “I was checking the level on the oil tank. Clyde Thornton,” he said, introducing himself. “How can I help you?”

  The gardener was built like a Mack truck and was as bald as an eagle. He appeared to be in his late thirties. The Nordic ruin tats on the first digits and knuckles of his large hands were the type one might acquire in prison. Half of a skull and cross bones tattoo on his thick neck was visible above his puke brown shirt, covered by well-worn black coveralls. His black, heavy work boots were grass stained. A unique black and silver earring in the shape of a Celtic cross dangled from his right ear. Just because a guy had been in prison didn’t mean he was up to no good, Linc told himself. He decided to take a friendly approach, better the devil you know.

  “I’m Lincoln Adams, owner of the property.” He was surprised he didn’t choke on his own words. “You’re doing a great job maintaining the grounds.” The compliment drew a slight smile from the gardener. “Is it part of your responsibility to check the furnace?”

  “During the spring and winter months when things are slow, I work for Humperdinck Realty, the building management company that oversees vacant and seasonal homes. I’ve been taking care of your grandfather’s property for over a year. I also work at the elementary school in the evenings, collecting the garbage and doing the floors.”

  “You really get around. I appreciate you looking after everything.”

  “Glad to be of service. Are you planning to move in?”