The Baby's Bodyguard

by Jacqueline Diamond

  After filling Casey in on the developments, he accompanied her to the line of people waiting their turn at the buffet. The variety and abundance of food amazed him. “I guess I’ve missed out by not going to potlucks before,” he told her.

  “You sure have.” When asked, she identified some unfamiliar dishes, including black-eyed peas, grits and chicken-fried steaks.

  Jack tried not to load his plate too high, since overeating could make him groggy. Even so, by the time he added a second, smaller dessert plate, he’d amassed a respectable amount of food.

  They ate with Mimi and her mother. Even as the conversation flowed, Jack remained aware of the Rawlinses shooting the occasional glare his way from a nearby table. He could tell Casey and Mimi noticed them too.

  “They’re consumed by resentment,” he observed as he finished his dessert. “Not a fun way to live.”

  Mimi swallowed a mouthful of lemonade. “I don’t see how Sandra’s going to get better with that attitude.”

  For once, Casey didn’t stick up for her former pal. “She can get better if she wants to. She’s been telling her parents I caused her problems. If she ever ‘fesses up that she made this mess all by herself, it ought to clear the air.”

  “I hope she does soon,” Mimi said. “She’s being a real pain.”

  The sound system issued a preparatory squawk. “Are they starting the dancing already?” Jean asked. “Mimi, if you’re interested in Royce, you should get moving.”

  “No one dances with the caller!” her daughter protested.

  “I mean, you should show him there’s other fellas interested in you.” Her mother pointed out an unaccompanied young farmer. “Leland Jackson’s a nice man.”

  “I hardly know him,” Mimi objected.

  “He’s still nice.”

  “It looks like Bonnie and Angie have partners,” Casey said. “You can tell Leland we need him to make up a square.”

  “Three couples isn’t a square, it’s a triangle!” her friend teased.

  “You think I’m sitting this one out? No way!” she said. “Come on, Jack.” She hoisted herself to her feet.

  “Whoa.” He raised his hands. “First, I have no idea how to square dance. Second…”

  His wife’s expression brooked no argument. “The first one’s always for beginners. Royce will explain everything. Besides, I thought we wanted to…” To his relief, she stopped short of admitting they were trying to call attention to themselves. “…to make a good impression,” she finished.

  Jack’s instincts urged him to head for the corridor and make another round of calls. But Roundtree was the incident commander, not him. And joining the square dance would make them highly visible.

  Besides, if he didn’t accompany his wife, she might grab the first guy she saw. Someone responsible needed to make sure she didn’t trip on the dance floor and injure herself.

  “I’m game.” He rose and took her arm.

  After greeting them cheerily, the Margolis sisters introduced their partners. By the time Mimi strolled over with Leland, Royce had seized a microphone and introduced himself, receiving scattered applause.

  “Some of y’all practice with me a couple of times a week, and we’ll have advanced patterns for you later, but right now I want to explain some basics for the beginners in our crowd.” He glanced at Mimi. “I could use a little help to demonstrate the moves.”

  “Oh!” With an apologetic glance at her partner, she scooted forward. “I volunteer!”

  “Don’t worry, Leland, I’ll have her back to you in a minute,” Royce said, and proceeded to demonstrate steps with names like do-si-do, promenade and swing-your-partner. As Jack tried to absorb the information, he regretted having to remove his attention from the comings and goings around the room, but at least Enid and Gail were on guard.

  At last Royce finished demonstrating. A flushed Mimi rejoined her friends and the four couples took their places. Jack, who’d never danced as part of a group before, wasn’t sure what to expect, but Casey bubbled with anticipation.

  When the dancers launched into their first maneuver, they set off so quickly he nearly got left behind. It took a while for him to catch the rhythm, to grow accustomed to Royce’s singsong voice and to feel comfortable shuffling between the ladies. He enjoyed a challenge, though.

  Despite the fact that Jack fluffed half the moves, nobody seemed to mind. Before the dance ended, almost all the couples had made at least one mistake, resulting in mass confusion and a lot of laughter.

  The experience proved headier than Jack had expected. This might not be bad if you knew what you were doing.

  “Well, now, that was interesting,” Royce said as the music ended. “Some of you picked that up quicker than others, but we’re all having fun. Let’s try another one.”

  The second time around, Jack got the hang of it sooner and, despite a few mix-ups, ended beside Casey as he was supposed to. With everyone in the square laughing and cooperating, he felt as if they’d all become friends.

  He also noted the way the caller had smoothly choreographed their movements. It showed a sophisticated side of Royce that surprised Jack.

  Gazing at Casey’s lively face, he understood what she meant about belonging to a community. Sure, he and his police buddies had shared a kind of fellowship, but it had been tempered by the pressures of the job and the knowledge that anyone could be transferred with little notice to another division in L.A. It was a temporary comradeship at best.

  Mimi’s voice broke into his thoughts. “If y’all will excuse me, I’ve got to call my neighbor and make sure Dad’s okay. Leland, that sure was fun.” With a wave, she slipped away.

  The farmer wasted no time finding another partner. Noting how hard Casey was breathing, Jack drew her aside. “You’ve had enough.”

  “I’m afraid you’re right.” She accompanied him to their table and sank down beside Jean Godwin.

  The overhead clock indicated they’d been occupied for over a quarter of an hour. A scan of the room showed Enid at the crafts table examining a blanket and Gail talking to a pregnant woman who must be one of her clients. Neither appeared to be paying attention to the rest of the scene.

  Unease crept through Jack. He should have kept a closer watch on things. His discomfort intensified when he discovered that the Rawlinses had abandoned their table and were nowhere in sight.

  Heading for the corridor, he took out his phone. Before he could dial, however, Sandra emerged from the ladies’ room. Catching sight of him, she stopped short.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  She pressed her lips together and, for a moment, he thought she might walk off. Finally, she said, “My dad just went out. I have no idea where.”

  “How about your mother?”

  “She’s visiting with some friends.” Sandra thrust out her chin pugnaciously. “I know what you’re thinking, but you can tell Casey I didn’t rat on her, although maybe I should have. If Dad gets hurt out there, I’m holding you two responsible.”

  Jack had had enough of her selfishness. “We’ll do our best to see that nobody comes to harm. If he does, it’s no use trying to pin this on Casey or me. You want to know who’s at fault? Take a good hard look in the mirror.”

  Her face tight with anger, she stalked away. Jack rapid-dialed the number he’d programmed earlier and explained the situation to Roundtree.

  “I see him now, getting into his car,” the chief said. “In fact, I was debating whether to follow him.”

  It seemed more productive to tail their primary suspect than to keep the chief on guard duty. “Go for it.”

  “Let’s hope I remember how to conduct surveillance,” came the response. “Stay tuned.”

  After clicking off, Jack strode back into the main room. On the floor, square dancers swirled in a complicated maneuver. Mimi had rejoined her mother and Casey and the three sat talking earnestly.

  In his pocket, the phone rang. “Arnett,” he answered, watching the area a
round him to make sure no one approached close enough to overhear.

  It was Larry. “Matt and Bo found a rabbit trap on the edge of Pine Woods land. About a quarter of a mile away, they observed a parked camper truck with a guy sitting out front bold as you please, roasting something over a bonfire. I’m on my way to talk to him now.”

  Jack explained about Roundtree following Al. “Maybe you should stick around. They could be headed that way.”

  “No, the chief just called. They’re eastbound.”

  “East?” That was the opposite direction from Casey’s. “What’s out there?”

  “You got me,” Larry said. “I’ll call you back when I know anything.”

  “Thanks.” Jack signed off.

  He didn’t like the fact that no one was watching Casey’s house. However, it did make sense to check on the transient. As for the chief, he himself would have to decide whether to continue his surveillance or break it off.

  Jack’s earlier edgy feeling returned in full force. He didn’t exactly believe his men were being manipulated away from the Pine Woods, but things seemed to be working out that way. He had a strong urge to drive back there himself, if only Casey would agree to remain here, out of danger.

  Wondering how to phrase this so he neither alarmed her nor aroused her innate stubbornness, he returned to the table. Three anxious faces tilted toward him. Something else was going on, he saw.

  “Mimi’s neighbor says her father isn’t home,” Casey informed him. “She went inside with a key and he’s gone.”

  “So is our other car,” Jean told him. “I don’t like to think about Owen driving alone in the dark, considering how forgetful he’s been.”

  A senile old man out for a drive might merit calling the chief off his surveillance, although Jack hadn’t ruled out the possibility of Al’s doubling back. But another thought tickled the back of his mind.

  Owen had tried to buy the Pine Woods, but Casey’s parents had succeeded where he’d failed. A grudge had seemed unlikely, since it had occurred long ago and hadn’t involved her directly.

  But Mimi had mentioned her father quarreling with the mayor over a long-ago issue. “Has he mentioned anything lately about the McNaughts?” That was Casey’s maiden name.

  Jean twisted her hands together. “He’s been going on about all sorts of old grievances, real and imagined. Their names did come up a few times.”

  “In what context?”

  “As Casey knows, the former owner of the Pine Woods discussed selling it to Owen, but he got tired of dickering and sold it to them instead,” she explained. “Owen always felt he’d been robbed.”

  “You didn’t tell me that!” Mimi said.

  “I didn’t think it meant anything. Does it?”

  A thin line creased Casey’s forehead. “I can’t believe he’d do anything to hurt us!”

  “Owen’s not himself,” Jean replied. “Please, Jack, don’t let anything bad happen to him. Underneath, he’s a good person.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “There’s one more thing,” she added.

  “Yes?” He swung back.

  “My husband has a gun. I tried to take it away but he got so upset about the possibility of burglars that I…I just couldn’t leave him unarmed.”

  “Thanks for the warning.” Jack dialed Larry’s number to alert him to the new developments. However, the call didn’t go through. Two additional tries netted the same error message, and he couldn’t get through on Bo’s phone, either.

  Silently, he cursed the poor reception. There was no way to contact them at a distance.

  At least he managed to reach the chief. “I’m outside the cemetery,” Roundtree said when asked his location. “I’d forgotten it was the night of the Spring Fling eight years ago that Al’s boy wrapped his car around a tree. I guess that’s what’s been eating him. Looks like he’s out here visiting the grave.”

  Jack told him about Owen. “How far away are you?”

  Roundtree whistled. “A lot farther than you are.”

  “I’ll meet you there.” Jack signed off and closed the phone. “I’m going to the Pine Woods. Casey, you stay here.”

  “I’m coming, and you can’t stop me,” she shot back.

  “We’re all coming,” Jean put in. “You might need me to talk sense to my husband.”

  “You three can drive together. I’m going ahead.” This time, Jack refused to compromise. And he had a key advantage over Casey in her current condition: speed.

  Without waiting for the eruption he knew would follow, he sprinted out of the room.

  * * *

  IF CASEY’S STRONG WILL HAD been able to move mountains the way her mother used to claim, it would certainly have found a way to loft Mimi’s car into flight. Instead, it took ages for them to maneuver out of the jammed lot, while, with his usual finesse, Jack had already vanished.

  The distance along Old Richfield Road seemed to stretch forever. She had to force herself not to nag Mimi to drive faster, reminding herself that the Godwins had as much at stake as she did.

  Jean had chosen to sit in back, leaving the two younger women side by side. From the rear, she said, “I should have seen this coming. A couple of times Owen disappeared for an hour or so, but I was just glad when he came back safely. It never occurred to me he’d been up to mischief.”

  Mischief wasn’t exactly how Casey would have described what had happened, but she declined to say so. “Did you happen to note the dates? It would help if we could compare them to the prowler’s activities.”

  “No. It didn’t seem important at the time,” Jean replied.

  “We don’t know for sure that Dad’s headed to the Pine Woods,” Mimi reminded them. “This might be a false alarm. And it just occurred to me, I don’t think he went anywhere Sunday night, when Enid’s place caught fire.”

  “He did go out,” her mother put in. “While you were at the movies with Bonnie.”

  “You never mentioned that!”

  “We’d turned in early. The thunder woke me and he wasn’t in bed,” Jean said. “I found him sitting in the kitchen, all wet. He said he’d been looking for our little girl, as if you were still a child. I completely forgot about it until now.”

  Outside, lights shone in some of the scattered houses they passed. Mimi pressed their speed to well over the limit. At least there weren’t any cops around to give them a ticket.

  “Can’t you go faster?” Jean asked.

  “I’m trying,” her daughter replied. “You’re always the one who tells me to slow down.”

  “This is different.”

  Casey understood completely. “If it is Owen, I’m sure Jack will do his best not to hurt him.”

  “Your husband’s great,” Mimi said. “I hope you two can make it work.”

  “So do I.” Casey hesitated, not wanting to share too much, and yet she needed to talk. Before she could stop herself, the words spilled out. “He had a terrible early life. He got hurt so often that he built up a protective wall. I think he’s afraid to care too much about anyone, including me.”

  “Are you and I talking about the same man?” Mimi asked. “You have got to be kidding! That man’s love shines like a searchlight every time he looks at you.”

  “I’ll vouch for that,” Jean added. “It makes my heart feel young just watching the two of you.”

  Earlier, sharing the community event with Jack, Casey had imagined she saw tenderness in him. Maybe it hadn’t been wishful thinking, after all.

  “He may not be in touch with what he feels,” she admitted. “Hardly anything scares Jack except facing what’s inside.”

  “If that man wasn’t crazy for you, why would he risk his life?” Mimi said. “And then there’s your baby. I know you told me he didn’t want kids, but that was theoretical. I’ve never seen a guy more suited to being a family man.”

  “Amen to that.” The change of subject appeared to have calmed Jean. It made Casey feel better about bringing u
p such a personal topic.

  “I’m still not sure he’s going to stay,” she confided.

  “All you have to do is make him see what’s already there.” Mimi turned onto Pine Woods Avenue. Only a few miles to go. “Which is exactly what I intend to do with Royce. There’s another fellow ripe for the taking, although he isn’t in love with me yet.”

  Casey provided appropriate encouragement as she listened, but her mind raced ahead to Jack. Was it possible he’d decide to stay? Did he love her enough to accept her way of life and become a real father to Diane?

  Her fists tightened with determination. She didn’t care what it took, she was going to help him see the truth. If she had to stay up all night and ravage that man right down to his socks, she was going to change his mind.

  Maybe she’d get lucky. Maybe his mind no longer needed changing.

  “What is that?” Mimi said.

  Yanked from her reverie, Casey stared ahead. Above the trees, she saw a bright and deadly corona gleaming through the darkness.

  Just like before. Just like at Enid’s.

  “Oh, dear heaven,” Jean said from behind her. “It looks like your house is on fire.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  As she listened to Jean on the phone calling the dispatcher about the fire, Casey’s greatest fear wasn’t for the house. It was for Jack.

  She’d always known his work involved physical risk, but his expertise and apparent lack of fear had reassured her. Even on Sunday night when fire threatened Enid’s cabin, her worry about him had been tempered by the belief that he could control the circumstances.

  Tonight, the fact that their entire futures hung in the balance gave her a greater sense of vulnerability. What if Owen had brought his gun?

  When they turned into the driveway, she noticed how high above the ground the flames leaped. Her thoughts flew to the nursery she’d spent so much time decorating and the baby items that Diane would need. And her precious books.

  She pushed those concerns aside. “Do you see Jack?’ she asked.

  “Not yet,” Mimi said. “Hang on.”