Suddenly Single

by Larry Brown

  Both men were nose to nose and breathing hard. The confrontation was broken by Ruth who was now openly crying, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Harry. Please forgive me. I wish I could take it back.”

  “Shut up, Ruth,” Roscoe shouted, “You have upset her, so she doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

  “Yes, I do! Please forgive me, Mr. Harry.”

  Harry stared at Ruth but did not speak. He simply stood and walked out the door. Harry’s mind was racing when he walked out of Roscoe’s building. He needed to think. He walked past Clay’s vehicle headed nowhere, just thinking. He turned the corner to the back of the building and saw a big SUV parked with two men in the front seat. The front windows were down and they were both smoking. As he got closer, he could see they were both Hispanic. He knew immediately the car was for Ruth and it had to belong to Freddy. They saw him walking toward the vehicle and they threw out their cigarettes and rolled up the front windows. Harry wanted to see their feet. He was looking for the black cowboy boots with the silver tips. He was almost to the front door when Clay rounded the corner and spoke, “Harry, what the hell are you doing?” He stopped and waited for Clay to join him. He told him he wanted to see if they were wearing boots. Clay insisted now is not the time, if the men realized the objective, then they would know we are looking for boots. “We’ve done enough for this trip. Let’s get you home and resting.”

  Harry called Betty and told her Clay was taking him home, and he wanted to spend some time with Millie. She told him Millie had gone back home. They had agreed that Betty would take care of him and provide daily updates on his status. She told him to have Clay drop him off at her office.

  Harry told Clay the new plan and leaned back, closed his eyes and thought, Millie and Betty.

  Chapter 68

  Betty transported Harry to his home and settled him in his big easy chair after he refused to go to bed. She sat down beside him and offered to get him food or something to drink, but he was just too tired and wanted to rest, maybe even sleep some.

  But before he closed his eyes, he wanted to know how in the world she had convinced Millie to leave him in her hands. She smiled and told him that she and Millie had never had a real conversation during the holidays. They had only talked about superficial things. She said when she called Millie to talk about her father’s condition, and what had happened, that the conversation had shifted to her relationship with her father. She told him she had been completely honest with Mille about how they had met and how their relationship had evolved. She admitted that for her seeing him on the floor that day with all the blood, the whole event took her a step forward in her feelings for him. She said she felt a bond developing between Millie and herself.

  Harry was amazed. He sat silently. Then he told her he needed to rest and he closed his eyes. She got up went to the kitchen and started planning their dinner.

  He had been asleep for a couple of hours when the phone rang. Betty answered on the first ring hoping it would not wake him.

  “Betty? I was expecting to talk to his daughter. Is she available?”

  “No, Andy, Millie has gone back home. I’m here taking care of Harry.”

  “Well, I called to say I have made my lamb stew which is one of his favorites. What time are you leaving now that dinner is taken care of?”

  “I’m not, my deal with Millie was that I would be staying and taking care of him.”

  “But Betty, you must be exhausted; you hardly had time to rest. Listen I’ll come over, take your place, handle dinner and you can get some rest. I’m sure Millie would not mind as long as someone is taking care of him.”

  “Absolutely not, I promised her, and if something were to happen, I would feel as if I had broken my promise.”

  “Nothing is going to happen.”

  “No, I’m not leaving, end of discussion.”

  “All right then, don’t worry about dinner. I’ve got stew and bread; the three of us will eat together. Everything is ready, I will be there by five,” and she hung up before Betty could reply.

  He was awake by now and had come to the kitchen where she met him and they started to embrace when he gently pushed her away telling her no squeezing. She told him about Andy’s phone call and what was going to happen for dinner. He decided he wanted a shower, fresh clothes, and a drink.

  Harry was now clean and refreshed. Even though he was in pain, he was starting to feel like a human being again. He put on some Ella Fitzgerald and headed for the bar. Betty stopped him, made him sit down at the island and started making him a drink when the doorbell rang. It was Andy loaded down with their dinner. They let her in, and she also had to be reminded of no squeezing. She put her stew on the stove on low and preheated the oven, so when they decided to eat, she could bake the bread.

  They had just settled on the stools at the kitchen island when the doorbell rang again. This time it was Clay who had come by to check on Harry, and to give Andy an update on his meeting with his DEA contact. He made himself a drink and gave Betty and Harry a brief summary on what had happened with Andy’s abduction and the two Tampa detectives. He told them the DEA had decided not to make arrests now. They wanted to put surveillance on the two men in hopes of landing more and hopefully bigger fish. Clay finished and had agreed to stay for dinner when the doorbell rang again. This time it was Johnny Blake, Harry’s oldest. He came in, saw his father, and said, “Dad, you are too damn old for fist fights, you need to stick to guns.”

  Harry grinned, “Now you tell me. Where were you a few days ago?” He wanted all the details, and Harry asked how long he was staying. He told him mid-morning, and he told his son he would fill him in later since everybody there had already heard the story.

  When everyone had finished their drinks, they were ready to eat. As Andy dished up the last bowl of stew, she looked at Harry and said, “Sorry no leftover or seconds.” They all laughed.

  Andy thought at least Harry will not be alone with Betty tonight.

  Betty wondered if Millie had solicited Johnny so her dad would not be left with her. She also knew at some point something had to give between Andy and her.

  Dinner was over, the kitchen was clean and Clay spoke. “Okay, ladies it’s time we let the Blake men have some time together. So let’s get out of their hair.”

  Betty didn’t hesitate, she walked over to Harry, kissed him and whispered in his ear, she would see him at lunchtime after Johnny was gone. She told everyone good night and walked out to her car where she waited to make sure Andy followed.

  Andy also went to Harry, gave him a kiss and told him to enjoy his son.

  Clay had watched both women say goodnight and as he left, he just walked out shaking his head saying, “Harry, Harry.”

  Harry went to his easy chair to recline and finish the last of his dinner wine. He then gave a detailed picture of what had happened including the meeting in Roscoe’s office. He concluded by saying he felt between he and Clay they would get the perpetrators.

  “Dad, the redhead is a real looker. What are you going to do? There was so much undercurrent in that room between those two women we could have all been sucked out to sea. Are you ready to break somebody’s heart? How will you choose? On the one hand I don’t envy you having to decide but, on the other hand, you sure can’t lose.”

  Johnny waited, but his father didn’t respond. He just sipped his wine and stared at the fire that had been started earlier in the evening.

  Chapter 69

  It was almost noon the next day. Johnny had left mid-morning after a late breakfast with his father. The older he got, the more he enjoyed spending time with his children especially when it was one on one. Andy had called an insisted on making dinner for him. She wanted them to spend some private time together.

  Betty arrived just after noon with a batch of chili from the local diner. The place was a greasy spoon, but their chili was thick, meaty, and spicy, just perfect for a cold winter day. They ate at the kitchen island, and he assured her he was making
progress in his recovery. He had taken no pain pills since the day before. His headaches were gone. The side of his face now only hurt when touched. His ribs were still sore and tender when he moved. They were going to take a while to heal. She told him again, she had promised Millie that she would see to it that he was taken care of, until he had healed and she intended to keep her promise and she would not be passing that responsibility on to anyone else, and they both knew to whom she was referring.

  She poured him another cup of coffee and told him she needed to have a serious conversation with him, “I didn’t sleep very well last night. I was trying to sort out my thoughts about my present situation. I decided I needed to talk to you and be as open an honest as I could. Yesterday evening was very uncomfortable for me. Andy and I have been friends for a long time, and all I felt was tension between us. It was like, okay, we both know we are competing with each other.”

  He tried to interrupt, but she stopped him, "Let me finish before you say anything. Let me say one of the things I know for sure is, I do not want to be in a competition. And here’s where I was unsure of saying this, not because I wasn’t sure of what I said, but whether I should say it. Our relationship has been growing, and for me, it has been great. I truly had not thought too much about where it was going, or if it was going anywhere. It’s just been great. But, when I saw you down in your office and the blood, it broke my heart. At that moment I realized how much I cared for you. It wasn’t feeling sorry for a hurt friend; it was the emotion of caring so much for you, I hurt.

  “Having said that, I also know that you and Andy had a special relationship because you told me so. You said that you were ready to take a next step in the relationship when she bailed. I know she is back and it is very clear she wants to pick back up where you left off. I understand, and that’s where I am going. I can’t, I mean, I will not be in a competition, at least not willingly. You now know how I feel about you, but if you still have strong feelings for Andy, it would never work. I will keep my promise to Millie, but I will not fight with Andy for your time.”

  They sat silently staring at each other for a few minutes, and he broke the ice, “Thank you for your honesty and sharing with me. I agree, there should be no competition. By the way, she has called and is bringing dinner for two again tonight.”

  She did not respond but only again stared at him.

  He continued, “I have a lot going on. I want to help Clay catch the bastards who did this to me. I want to get my coins back. I want to have a private conversation with Ruth and hire her back if it goes well.”

  She looked surprised, “Are you sure that’s wise? Can you ever trust her again?”

  “After seeing her face to face, I think I can, depending on how she responds. I would like for you to be here when I call, as a witness. I’ll do it on the speakerphone.”

  “When do you want to do it?”

  “Now.”

  They went into his office, set the phone on speaker, and he called Ruth. She answered and was shocked that he had called her. Before he could start, she spoke, “Mr. Harry, how are you? How do you feel? I am so sorry, Mr. Harry.”

  “I am improving every day. Ruth, I have questions for you, but I must know you will be totally truthful with your answers.”

  “Of course, yes, I will.”

  “Would you like to continue working for me?”

  She was silent for a moment, “You would let me? Oh yes, yes, of course.”

  “I must know you will always be truthful and never deceive or betray me again.”

  “Never, never again is my promise.”

  “I know it was your brother, but I must know that if he asks you to do anything involving, me you must say no.”

  “Yes, yes, it was a bad mistake by me, never again.”

  “Okay, can we keep our same schedule?”

  “Oh yes, thank you, thank you.”

  “One other question. Do you know a Mexican man who wears black cowboy boots with silver tips?”

  Again she was silent for a moment and then spoke, “Yes, I do.”

  “Do you know more than one man who wears boots like this?”

  “No, only one.”

  “What is his name?”

  “Henry Delgado.”

  “Does he work for your brother?”

  “Sometimes he does, yes. Can I ask why you ask about him?”

  “No, and I need to trust you will not mention my inquiry to anybody. Can I trust you on this?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll see you in a few days, everything as before.”

  “Yes, and thank you again, Mr. Blake.”

  He immediately dialed Clay.

  “Clay, Henry Delgado is the man in the silver tip boots, and he works for Freddy. I want this to be an anonymous tip. I want to protect my source.”

  “Is it Ruth?”

  “Keep me posted, Clay.”

  He thanked Betty for everything, and they promised to stay in touch. She kissed him on the cheek and left.

  Chapter 70

  Clay wasn’t happy that Harry would not confide in him, but that was outweighed by his excitement of having a concrete lead in the case. He contacted his favorite judge, Felton Henry and explained the details and was told to come immediately and get his warrant to search the home and auto of Henry Delgado.

  With warrant in hand, Clay and Morris Canady went directly to Delgado’s home. They finally had caught a break. The low rider that had been identified by the DMV as to belonging to Delgado was parked in his driveway.

  Clay sent Morris to the rear of the house, and he knocked on the front door. At first, no one answered and then finally a voice from inside answered, “Go away, I’m busy.”

  Clay knocked again and said, “Open up, it’s the sheriff.”

  There was no response and Clay spoke again, “If you don’t open the door, I will knock it down.”

  “Hold on, just wait a minute. I ain’t done nothing,” Delgado said this as he led his half-dressed girlfriend to the back door where they were met by Deputy Morris Canady. With handgun drawn Canady led them back through the house to the front door where they opened the door for the sheriff.

  Delgado was wearing only blue jeans. It was obvious that they had interrupted their afternoon delight.

  “Hey man, why you here? I ain’t done nothing, I told you.”

  “Mr. Delgado, you have been listed as a suspect in the attempted murder of Mr. Harry Blake.”

  “I ain’t tried to murder nobody.”

  “We have a warrant to search the premises and your automobile. Why don’t you get dressed and we will begin our search.”

  Canady smiled at Clay as he realized he wanted him to put on the boots as confirmation of ownership. They began looking around the house for any weapons and especially the weighted hose Harry had described. After a few minutes, Delgado joined them fully dressed and wearing the black cowboy boots with the silver tips.

  “Hey, nice boots,” Morris said.

  Delgado answered, “Yeah, expensive, and the only pair like them in these parts.”

  Canady leaned over and said, “Let me look closer.”

  “Oh, too bad, looks like you have a cut on the sole of the right boot.”

  “Yeah, happened a while back.”

  Without saying anything else they went to the bedroom and began to search. The bed was unmade and a mess. Canady spoke, “Mr. Delgado, are there any firearms in the house?”

  “Oh, no.”

  About then Clay lifted the mattress and discovered a .357 magnum handgun and a .12-gauge shotgun.

  “Oh yeah, I’m sorry, I just forgot.”

  They finished searching the bedroom, and the deputy went to check out Delgado’s car. In less than five minutes he was back inside where Delgado and his girlfriend were sitting on the living room couch. The deputy was carrying a black rubber hose full of lead weights on one end.

  “Hey man, I keep that for protection. There are some bad dudes around, you k
now.”

  Clay looked at Morris then turned, faced Delgado and said, “Mr. Delgado, I am arresting you and charging you with the attempted murder of Mr. Harry Blake. Cuff him, Morris.”

  “Hey man, you can’t do this. I ain’t tried to kill nobody. This ain’t right.” He looked at his girlfriend and told her to call Freddy.

  “Freddy can’t save you from this one. Only you can save yourself by telling me who put you up to the robbery and murder attempt.”

  Henry Delgado was in a state of shock. How could this be happening?

  Chapter 71

  After Betty left, Harry tried to work on his book, which had gotten little attention during the holidays and all the other confusion going on in his life. It was not just the book he wanted to avoid thinking about, this whole thing with the two women was invading his thoughts as well. Betty’s confession had not made things any easier, and then tonight he would have to deal with Andy alone for the evening.

  After a few hours in his office on the book, he was tired, and he moved to his recliner to close his eyes and rest for a while. In less than a minute he was asleep. He went into a deep sleep and now was awakened by his doorbell. Had he slept so long that Andy was already here? He hoped not. He came out of his sleep stupor, straightened up, exited his chair, and realized, to his amazement, it was Ruth Lopez at his door. He let her in, “Ruth what a surprise.”

  It was more than just her presence that amazed him, she was wearing makeup, and her hair was different. She was carrying a big wicker basket which was filled with food. He took the basket and led her into the house and headed toward the kitchen. When she removed her long winter coat, he was surprised again. She wore perfectly fitting grey slacks and a maroon silk blouse. It was the first time he had ever seen her made up. She always wore no makeup, frumpy clothes and hair when she came to work. This was quite a change, a pleasant one at that.

  He wasn’t speaking, just staring.