Suddenly Single
Page 26
Harry did not respond.
“And I’ve told you if that happens, I would like to try to start something with Betty.”
Harry still did not respond.
“Anyway, you know that’s on the table.”
Chapter 74
The black SUV pulled off the main road and onto a narrow dirt road and continued until it was out of sight. It was almost dark, but the man in the car had been there the day before and knew exactly where he was and where he was going.
The call had come two days earlier. Fortunately for him, he had been in Hilton Head playing golf with some of his old military buddies. The drive across the state was much easier than coming from Boca where he lived.
The man who he believed had called him was from South America, but he could not be exactly sure. It would be the sixth job he had done for the man. The man was the most generous of his clients. The fact that he did not know who he was, made it even better. The man said the woman had cost him dearly. He said, even though she had been warned, she still acted against him and now she must pay. He was very specific about pinning the note on her chest.
It was now dark enough for him to walk through the woods to the pasture fence. From there, he could see the cabin where the man lived. It wasn’t long before the cabin lights were out. He made his way across the pasture up a trial that led to the big barn. From there, another path led to the woman’s house. He stood in the trees and watched her house and waited for her lights to go out. He waited an hour and walked up onto the front porch and picked the lock and slowly opened the front door. The door, to his dismay, squeaked like crazy. Damn these old houses, he thought. He waited silently for a few minutes to see if he heard any sounds.
She heard the squeak of the front door. Juan had offered to put WD40 on it and make it quiet, but she said absolutely not. She wanted it to do what it just had done. She opened the drawer of her bedside table and removed a snub nose .38 revolver. She crept to her door and waited. Her heart was pounding, and her hands were shaking.
The man decided it was safe to move on. He walked into the hallway that led to her bedroom. She peered around the corner of her door and could see his silhouette in the hallway. She almost gasped out loud. Instead she turned into the doorway and fired two shots. The first she knew was high but the second found its mark and the man was down.
She flipped the switch to the hall light and saw the man dressed in all black lying on his side and not moving. She slowly walked to him and stood at his feet. She could see he had gray hair, but she could not see his face. She was thinking what she should do when he quickly rolled over and shot her in the forehead. He shot her with a .22 caliber pistol equipped with a silencer.
He was shot in the shoulder and he needed to stop the bleeding. He also knew the sound of her two shots would certainly arouse the man in the cabin. He didn’t have to wait long until he heard the man coming into the house calling, “Ms. Andy, Ms. Andy, are you all right?”
The man stepped into the doorway of one of the rooms off the hallway. The hall light was still on, and when Juan turned the corner and saw her on the floor, he ran towards her, shotgun in hand and bent over to check on her. He never heard or saw the .22 as it punctured the back of his skull.
The man found a bathroom and the items necessary to dress his wound. The last thing he did before leaving, was to pin the note on her gown.
“SHE WAS WARNED NOT TO TALK”
Chapter 75
It had been a never-ending night for Harry. He had paced. He had prayed. He was looking for peace. He was looking for closure. The tension just seemed to keep building. Andy was becoming relentless. The look on Betty’s face, the tone of her voice and the sincerity of the words she spoke grabbed his heart like a vice. As the sun started to peak over the horizon of the lake, he looked to the sky and said, “Thank you, Lord.” He waited until six and could wait no longer. He dialed the number. She answered with a sleepy “hello.”
“Harry, are you okay?”
“Yes, I think. I am sorry to wake you. I’ve been up all night.”
“What’s wrong, are you in pain?”
“Not anymore. I’ve got to go to L.A. for this mini-series event. They wanted to know if they should have an escort for me or would I be bringing one. Betty, will you be my escort? Before you answer, will you be my permanent escort?”
“Oh, Harry.”
Chapter 76
It was after five in the afternoon when Clay had gone to the farm to find out why both Andy and Juan’s phones deferred callers to voice mail. When he saw the crime scene, he broke down. He had dropped to his knees and cried as he had never before. It took ten minutes to regain his composure and call his office to report what had happened.
He was furious that the SOBs would take such vengeance. He remembered his conversation with Andy about just dropping the whole thing, and now his guilt felt like it was crushing his head. He could not collect his thoughts. When his team showed up, he wandered down to the barn and began to weep again. He was not an emotional man; therefore, fighting to get his emotions under control.
When the work at the house was completed, Deputy Canady found Clay at the barn to inform him the bodies had been removed and they were all ready to leave. Clay told him he would join them back at the office later.
Clay hung around the scene for about a half hour after before he finally left. He pulled into Harry’s driveway and parked next to Betty’s car. He rang the bell and Betty came to let him in. As soon as she saw him, she knew something was wrong.
As soon as he entered and saw her, he had to fight back the tears. She called Harry to join them. When Harry arrived, Clay choked, then set his jaw and told them Andy had been murdered. He explained the situation at the farm, including the note that was pinned to her gown. They were both in shock. Betty began to cry. Harry was stunned and sat silently. He told them he was pretty sure she had hit the intruder with her .38. They both told Clay they would be there for anything he needed and Clay left.
Betty and Harry embraced, and she whispered, “I hope this is not bad to say, but I am so glad you called me this morning and not after this happened. Is that bad of me?”
“No, I was thinking the same thing.”
Epilogue
It had been eighteen months since Andy’s murder. Clay’s feelings of guilt for not just dropping the DEA thing as Andy had suggested were subsiding. Her murder had shocked the little lakeside town, and old-timers said her funeral was the largest they could ever remember.
Jack Winstone had hired a team of lawyers and convinced the DEA and prosecutors that he had been duped and was innocent of any crime. He had ceased all operations in South America. Despite the pleas of his girls, neither Jack nor his two daughters attended the funeral.
Harry and Betty had attended the Hollywood mini-series premiere and came home via a stopover in Las Vegas as Mr. and Mrs. Harry Blake. His sons were ecstatic and even Millie and Sallie seemed to be happy for their father.
On this night the Blakes were entertaining the newly married Clay and Ruth Hardaway. Ruth had received a wedding gift from an undisclosed location south of the border, of a golden box of gold coins which she promptly passed on to Harry.
They dined on lamb stew in honor of an old friend. The gold coins were back on the table where they had always been, and where Harry said they belonged.