“Okay. Where.”
“Know the old farm with the big red barn on Haverford?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Meet me there at six-thirty tonight.”
“How will I know you?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll know you. Bring cash.”
She didn’t know whether to call Mac or not. She suspected he would probably tell her not to do it. She got the money, and made sure her cell phone was charged. At five-fifteen, she called Dave Williams.
“Dave. I’m going to trust you.”
* * * *
At six o’clock, Callie pulled out of her driveway, heading toward Haverford. She didn’t see the dark car pull in behind her. She arrived at the barn early, parked by the side of the road and got her camera phone ready. The dark car parked down the road. Audrey got out and walked until she saw Callie.
“You! You’re the drug dealer?” Callie asked.
“No, stupid. I’m not the drug dealer. I found out Sid is smuggling drugs. I don’t know who is selling them, but I do know they are coming here to kill you,” Audrey said.
“What? How do you know?”
“Never mind. You’ve got to get out of here,” Audrey said, pushing Callie towards her car.
“Why are you here?”
“I don’t like you, but I don’t want you dead! Besides, Mac loves you, and I still have a little something for that guy so I couldn’t let this happen,” Audrey said.
While they were talking the white van crept closer. The lights were off and the driver looked at the two women and said, “Oh boy. A two-fer.”
Then he stepped on the gas. When he got closer, he turned on the brights, temporarily blinding the women. They started to run, but the van was closing in. Callie was right in front of the van with Audrey on her left, out of the path of the van. She turned as the driver floored the gas pedal and shot out, directly at Callie. Audrey shoved Callie hard toward the bushes, then tripped and fell. The van barely missed Callie and spun around.
Callie crawled through a wall of shrubs, brambles scratching her arms and legs and hid behind the wall of bushes, but Audrey was still on the road. The van got her in its headlights and took off. It struck Audrey head-on and sent her flying into a telephone pole. She fell into the street, bleeding. The van sped away.
Then the police car, siren wailing, arrived. Callie ran to Audrey while Dave Williams hollered to call for an ambulance.
“Dave. Give Mac his kid. Jason’s with Sid Marrow at the Carleton Apartments. 11G. Sid ordered Callie killed…a white van,” Audrey said, gasping for breath.
“Ok, Audrey. Rest now,” Dave said, patting her arm.
Dave moved away. Callie came over, crying. Audrey saved her life.
“Callie. Get the paper. The DNA test. Sid knows about it. He’ll get it and take Jason. I want you to have him,” Audrey said.
“Where is the paper?”
“On Stapleton…little white house...red shutters. It’s there,” Audrey said, handing the keys to Callie. Then she passed out.
The ambulance came and took her away.
Mac arrived shortly after Dave. He ran over to Callie.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, her eyes filled with tears. She trembled a little, wanting a hug from Mac in the worst way, but there was no time.
“Mac, come with me,” Dave Williams said. “get Jason.”
“Jason? Where is Jason?” he asked, confused.
“Jason is at Sid’s. Go with Dave, Mac. I’ve got something I’ve got to do. I’ll leave my cell phone on.”
She climbed into the car and raced to Stapleton.
* * * *
“Saturn, I got her….I got somebody.”
“You idiot! You hit Audrey! I heard it on the police band.”
“She pushed the bitch out of the way. I couldn’t stop.”
“We can take the kid. Get over to Audrey’s place. There’s a paper there, a DNA test. Get it!” Saturn said.
“Where is it?” Mars asked.
“How the hell do I know? Get over there,” Saturn said.
Callie slowed down when she got to Stapleton. The white house with red shutters was the fourth house down. She parked across the street and went in. She found Audrey’s name on room 301, on the top floor. She locked the door behind her and dialed Mac on her cell phone.
“Mac, I’m at number 7 on Stapleton. Top floor,” Callie said, putting the cell phone on a table by the door so Mac could hear her from anywhere in the room. She emptied drawers, tore books from the bookshelf and looked under the mattress. She found a small metal box under the sink.
The sound of squealing brakes broke the silence of the night. Out the window she could see the white van park across the street. She knew she should get out of there, but she had been waiting months to see who was driving the phantom van.
It was Blaine Tremont. So he was behind this! She went to her cell phone.
“Mac. It’s Blaine Tremont in the white van. He ran down Audrey and he’s here now,” Callie said.
“Get out of there, Callie,” Dave Williams grabbed the phone. “Now! You’re in danger.”
Callie couldn’t leave without the DNA paper. She opened the metal box. There it was. But Blaine was coming toward the house. She turned on the stove and lit the paper from the gas burner and left it burning in the sink.
Blaine was on the stairs, then at the door, trying to get in. There was no time for Callie to run. She opened the closet, but it was stuffed with clothes. Damn Audrey!
In the meantime, the police picked up Sid and Mac rescued Jason. He held the little boy in his arms and tears streamed down his face.
“Hi, Daddy,” Jason said.
* * * *
Callie looked for a weapon. She found a knife and a hammer under the sink then she locked herself in the bathroom and held her breath. Blaine, frustrated, kicked in the front door. He saw someone searched the room and smelled the fire. Blaine turned on the water in the sink, putting out the fire, but it was too late, the paper was destroyed. He looked around and listened.
“Callie. I know you’re here. I got the paper. It didn’t burn completely,” he lied.
“Why don’t you come out? I’ll give you the paper. What good is it to me? Then maybe we can talk.”
Callie listened to his footsteps coming closer to her then going farther away. She heard him opening closet doors. She figured he was looking for her and it scared her silly.
“I know you’re here, Callie. I can outwait you. You can’t hide forever.”
She stood still, holding her breath when Blaine got to the bathroom. He tried the door. Callie’s heart seemed to beat out of her chest.
“So there you are? Fine,” he said as he began to work on the door. Callie raised the hammer over her head and stood behind the door. She pulled the knife out and held it firmly in her shaking hand. She thought briefly of Kyle then of Mac and knew she had to remain strong though her knees shook.
Blaine worked on the door with a screwdriver, unsuccessfully. In his frustration, he kicked in the door with so much force it smacked Callie in the head, hard. She saw stars, dropped the hammer and the knife and went down on her knees.
“There you are, you little bitch,” Blaine sneered.
He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the bathroom, threw her on the floor and pointed a gun at her.
“Where’s the paper, Blaine,” Callie asked.
“In the sink. Don’t worry, it’s destroyed. Now I’m going to destroy you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re in the way. You’re ruining our business,” Blaine said as he pointed the gun at her.
“I mean why are you selling drugs?”
“For the money, stupid. Do you have any idea how much money we’re making? Soon I’ll have enough to leave here and live the life I want,” Blaine said.
“The life of a drug dealer?”
“So what? Shut up. Not everyone has the perfect little life you and Mac have, y
ou snotty little bitch. You wouldn’t even look at me—I’m not good enough for you? No, you want to fuck the guy in charge. You could have a great life with me, but you prefer the geek. Your pretty little life is over. I’m going to enjoy destroying you more than I would have fucking you.”
“You put the note under Josh’s door, didn’t you?”
“Genius, wasn’t it? Rocked your world, didn’t it? I bet Mr. Perfect got shook up, too. I bet he thought his perfect little wife wasn’t so perfect, fucking the football team, hah! Now shut up, bitch. You’re stalling for time. I need to eliminate you,” Blaine said still aiming the gun at her.
“Wait! I hear something!” Callie said, trying to distract him.
“What?” When Blaine turned his head to look at the door, Callie threw a magazine at him, knocking the gun out of his hand. She jumped up and ran for the door. He chased after her and caught her before she could pull the broken door open. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her back. She screamed and went down on the floor. Blaine punched her in the face, Callie fell back, hitting her head on the floor and went out like a light.
He picked up the gun, taking aim at Callie’s head. A commotion on the stairs stopped him. Dave Williams burst in, gun pointed at Blaine.
“Drop the gun. Drop it now or I’ll shoot,” Dave warned.
Blaine looked up to see two policemen next to Dave.
Mac gasped, when he saw Callie lying on the floor, unconscious.
“Mac, stay where you are!” ordered Dave. “Blaine, put the gun down now!”
The other two policemen pointed their raised guns at Blaine too. Killing Callie wasn’t worth losing his life, so Blaine put down the gun.
The policemen got Blaine down on the ground and handcuffed him. Mac ran over to Callie. She was coming to, dizzy with a swollen angry bruise on her cheek. Mac hugged her to him.
“An ambulance is on the way,” one of the officers said.
“I don’t need it. I’m fine,” Callie said. But it was too late as the medics came upstairs.
“I think we need to take you for a CT scan, Mrs. Caldwell.”
“I’m fine,” Callie protested.
“Go, Callie,” Mac advised.
“You can ride with us, Dean,” the medic said.
Dave and the two deputies took Blaine into custody.
“Look at this Sgt. His contact list has the names of planets in it. That must be how they communicated. What was your name, Tremont, “your anus”?” The policemen laughed as they shoved the sullen drug dealer in the car.
At the hospital, Mac went to see Audrey while Callie was examined. Audrey had serious head injuries and was on life support.
“Audrey, it’s me,” Mac said, quietly.
“Mac,” she breathed. “Come closer.”
Mac got close enough to hear her and took her hand.
“Take Jason, keep him. He’s yours now.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”
“I know you will,” she said, “don’t let him forget me. Please?”
“I promise.”
“Forgive me, Mac? I’m sorry. For everything.”
“You’re a hero, Audrey, you saved Callie’s life…I’ll always be grateful to you,” Mac said and bent down to kiss her.
Audrey squeezed his hand just before lapsing into unconsciousness. Mac stayed awhile, holding her hand until an alarm went off and doctors and nurses came running in. Mac waited outside while the medical team worked feverishly on her, to no avail.
“I’m sorry, we couldn’t save her. We couldn’t stop the bleeding in her brain,” said Dr. Cho.
No matter what she did, she was Jason’s mother and in the end, she did the right thing. Mac shielded his eyes with his hand as a few tears ran down his cheek.
* * * *
Even with the mild concussion, Callie tested out okay. Mac told her about Audrey and she cried. After all, Audrey saved her life.
On the ride home, Mac questioned Callie.
“Was this another sting operation I asked you not to do?”
“But I called Dave ahead and he said he’d be there.”
“He was almost too late. You could have been killed. Twice!”
“But I wasn’t.”
“What were you doing at Audrey’s?” Mac asked.
“Getting the paper.”
“What paper?”
“The DNA test results. Audrey told me it was there, but she didn’t tell me where so I had to search for it. That’s when Blaine caught up with me, but I burned the paper in the sink before he got there, now no one will ever know. And Jason is ours.”
Even though it was 2 o’clock in the morning, Mac pulled into a deserted campus parking lot and turned off the car. He put his forehead on the steering wheel.
“You risked your life for Jason and me,” Mac choked out.
“I’m no hero, Mac. I didn’t know Blaine was going to try to kill me. I did what was right for us, its Audrey who was the hero,” she said, putting her arm around him.
“By saving you, Audrey saved Jason, too.”
“Let’s get home. I need some sleep. Don’t we have a toddler who will be up in four hours?”
Mac looked at her and smiled, “Damn right we do.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
When the bruise on Callie’s face got purple, everyone in the office tried a new way to cover it up. First it was Eliza, then Jonesy. Even Dale got into the act with a concoction she made with food coloring! None of them worked, but Callie felt good to have all the attention, except when some called her a hero.
The case wasn’t closed. After examining Blaine’s cell phone, the police discovered there were four conspirators, involved in the drug ring. The police apprehended Blaine, who was Mars and Sid, who was Saturn. But neither one was talking about who Venus and Jupiter were. Without catching them, the ring could resurface any time they found a new delivery man and a new student to distribute.
John Lawrence disbanded the task force. He and Mac believed the rest of the problem belonged to the police, not the university. Drug sales stopped and students were safe, so they wanted to let it go.
Mac got back to his normal work schedule. He came home earlier and now Jason lived with them, he was happy again. Dinners for three every night were an adventure with a two-year-old at the table. Sometimes more food ended up on the floor than in Jason’s mouth, but Callie and Mac were patient. Jason showed some signs of missing Audrey by calling for “Mama” from time to time, but he seemed to be happy with Mac and Callie, in their peaceful home.
* * * *
Callie was more patient than Mac on some things and on others, he was the patient one. She adjusted to having Jason full time. When he wasn’t testing her, he was funny and affectionate. It wasn’t long before she felt he was her child, too.
Life was settling down. It was the middle of March and spring break was approaching. But first, she had to face the spring dance. One Saturday morning, unannounced, Eliza dragged Callie out shopping for the big event.
“Mac, give her your credit card and let’s go, Callie. I’m buying lunch,” Eliza said.
“She already has a credit card of her own on our account,” he said.
“Great! Let’s go, girlfriend. We’ve got shopping to do!”
Eliza bounced Callie out the door under protest and took her to Franklyn’s to find a dress and shoes. Then they went to Benedicts for a fancy jacket. Since Mac gave her the necklace, all she needed were earrings to match. Eliza took her to Willow Falls Jewelry.
“We’ve spent a fortune!” Callie said, feeling guilty.
“You are the dean’s wife, it’s time you starting dressing like it. It’s one thing to be a grad student in the office, but at this dance you have to look great. Not only will all the faculty be there, but the president, the provost, board of directors, major contributors to the school as well as the mayor of Willow Falls and other important people. You are beautiful, let’s show it off. Make them all jeal
ous of Mac,” Eliza said.
Callie teared up and hugged Eliza.
“I’m so lucky to have a friend like you!”
“I want you to be Cinderella at the ball on Saturday,” she said, returning Callie’s hug.
When they got home, Mac’s eyes got wide when he looked at the receipts Eliza handed him. She cocked an eyebrow at him and he smiled.
“Beautiful wives don’t come cheap, Mac,” Eliza said.
He laughed and stuffed the receipts in his pocket.
Callie was happy hiding the boxes and bags in the closet, so she could surprise him the night of the dance. He heard the girlish giggles between the two women and saw the glow on Callie’s face. This hasn’t happened for her for a long time. It’s not like she spends money like this every day. She was careful with money, watching for sales and avoiding unnecessary expenses. He was pleased he could make her happy.
* * * *
Exhausted from being at the playground with Mac, Jason fell asleep by seven pm. Mac settled down on the sofa with a glass of wine and the TV guide.
“The strangest thing is happening,” Callie said.
“What?” he said, only half-listening.
“My boobs are growing. I’m gaining weight in my chest.”
Mac picked his head up and looked at her chest.
“Are you sure?”
“See.” She lifted her tee shirt over her head. Sure enough, her breasts were popping out of the top of her bra.
“How did you…?” Mac asked, giving her chest his full attention.
“I don’t know. Do you like it?” she asked.
“Are you kidding?”
“You mean they were too small before?”
“Not at all,” Mac said, embarrassed, “when it comes to a woman’s chest, bigger is often better. But they were perfect before. Now they are…more perfect.”
Callie laughed.
“Do you want me to check them, to see if they actually are bigger?” Mac asked, his eyes lighting up, staring at her chest.
“The final test. Your hands will remember what size they were, no? This bra is tight,” she said, struggling with the hooks.
A Love Story Page 16
