Home to Stay by Maryann Jordan
19
“She’s clean, at least from the initial investigation.”
John frowned at Josh’s news. Sitting at the large round table in the LSI headquarters, he was already more comfortable in his new work setting. He looked forward to his first in-the-field assignment but having a job he was proud of as well as being with Gramps and now having Lucy in his life made being home worthwhile.
Now, focusing on Josh’s pronouncement, he shook his head. “How can Paula be that squeaky clean?”
Josh chuckled, looking up from his computer screen. “Well, I didn’t say squeaky. No priors. No arrests. A couple of parking and speeding tickets. Her credit is good. She pays her rent on time. Her car was a college graduation gift from her parents so she has no vehicle debt. Her outstanding student loans are low. She lives in a modest townhouse, one that you’d expect from a twenty-four-year-old teacher. Not a great neighborhood but not a dump. And so far, our surveillance on her house has shown no visits from any of the Minotaurs.”
“Sounds pretty squeaky, if you ask me.” John tapped his pen on the table, hating to grouse but he’d hoped they could find something about Paula that they could turn over to the authorities.
“Yes, but I didn’t mention her bank account.”
John stopped the movement of his pen. A hasty glance around proved the others in the room were paying close attention as well.
Josh continued, “In the past month, she’s had four cash deposits into her savings account. All less than six thousand dollars, well under the limit so it doesn’t tip off anyone’s radar at the bank, but there’s no evidence of where the money comes from. Then, a week or so after the deposit, she withdraws it.”
“Payoffs?” John asked, leaning forward, his forearms resting on the table.
“That’d be my guess,” Bray said, drawing John’s attention over to him. “According to what Lucy told you, Paula has been going to Canada for several months, ostensibly under the guise of music festivals and concerts.
“Hell, this is like déjà vu,” Clay said. When John tilted his head in silent question, Clay explained. “My fiancée is a musician—a violinist. She not only plays in an orchestra but also in a Celtic band that travels to some festivals locally and in Canada. That’s where we first got involved with the International Drug Task Force and the Minotaurs.”
“Fuckin’ hell, so this really isn’t anything new for you all?” John shook his head before turning to Mace. “I’m not stupid enough to think that we’re going to shut down an entire network of outlaw biker gangs, but how do we keep this out of our backyard? I mean, Paula works at a local elementary school!”
Mace held his gaze for a long moment then slowly nodded. “And that right there is what lets me know you fit with us as a Keeper.”
John’s brow furrowed but he remained silent, feeling the heavy weight of Mace’s stare while the smiles were coming from the others. Not knowing what Mace was referring to, he waited.
Mace leaned forward, now mimicking John’s posture. “You want Lucy safe. We get that. We do, too. But I wondered if this was only about a woman you care for. But with that statement about our backyard and the elementary school, that tells me that your concern goes beyond just you. That it extends to a broader scope of protection.”
John slowly let the held air from his lungs out, feeling as though he’d just passed a major test but hadn’t realized he was being quizzed.
Mace continued as though he hadn’t just laid a world of good onto John. “Drugs? Can she get them across the border without being sniffed out?”
“What about guns?” Bray asked. “Lucy said there were guns on the table beside the drugs.”
“The amount of drugs she saw could have been for the Minotaurs’ recreational use instead of for Paula to transport,” Tate said. “But the guns she observed also seem to be what they would have carried for their own use as well.”
“What if she just provides an account to run money through?” John asked. “I’ve been thinking about what Lucy said about Paula. That she’s not wild but likes to act like she is. That she gets off on the idea of going out with a bad boy. Lucy’s even intimated that Paula is nice but not always smart. From what I’ve seen, I’d say that assessment is right.”
“Would she be dumb enough to let someone give her cash to deposit and take it back out for them when they needed it?” Walker asked.
Mace turned to Josh. “Dig deeper into her accounts.” Looking at John, he added, “Keep Lucy safe. You can let her know we’re still investigating Paula, but you can’t discuss this with her. I know it’s hard, but we don’t want her unwittingly getting in harm’s way.”
He nodded, wondering how he was going to be involved while investigating. The sound of chuckles met his ears, and his gaze shot to the others at the table.
“Most of us met our significant others while investigating. It’s not easy, but we’ve been where you are.” Mace’s lips quirked upward. “You make it to the other side, you’ll know you’ve got someone worth keeping.”
As the others left their chairs at the table to move to their stations, he sat for a moment, taking it all in. His mind filled with Lucy, and he knew one thing for sure—she was worth everything.
On his way to her house after work, he dialed a number he’d programmed into his phone but hadn’t used yet. As soon as the line connected, he wondered if the person would even remember him.
“Um… Cam? This is John Roster. I’m not sure if you’ll remember, but we met and talked at the—”
“John! Yes, of course, I remember you. We met at the USO in Atlanta. How are you?”
“I’m doing good, really good. I have a new job and wanted to thank you for your encouragement. It turns out my grandfather has a friend who works for a security company. I wasn’t too sure they’d want me, but I took the chance and got the job.”
“John, that’s amazing. I’m really happy for you, man.”
“So, how are things with you?”
“Couldn’t be better. Made it to Hope City and got a job as an investigator for the Hope City District Attorney. I’m finally out from behind a desk every day.”
“Congratulations, Cam. That’s wonderful.” He hesitated for a few seconds, then added, “Believe it or not, I’m dating someone. Lucy. She’s a teacher.”
“A teacher? Is it the teacher? The one with the kids’ letters?”
Now it was John’s turn to laugh. “Yeah. I followed your and Blessing’s advice and visited them. It was great, and I’ll help out with their field day coming up soon. And best of all, I fell for the teacher.”
“I couldn’t be happier for you, John. I’m glad you called.”
As they said their goodbyes with promises to keep in touch, John's mind wandered back to the hurricane and the USO. He hoped the others were doing well also, but worried in particular about Jaxson. I need to call him, too. But what if my life is coming together and his is crap? Blowing out a breath, he decided he’d check in with him soon. Maybe that’s what he needs, to hear that there can be life after the service is jerked away. And maybe, just maybe, there’ll be someone for him like Lucy.
* * *
“Mighty fine eating, Linda.” Gramps had just finished swallowing a bite of his corn-on-the-cob and smiled over at Lucy’s mom.
“Thank you, Rupert. Mitchell and I are just so glad to finally meet you and John.”
John sat at the wooden table under a large tree in Lucy’s parents’ backyard. As soon as Lucy had invited him and Gramps to their family’s picnic, Gramps had talked about nothing else. He’s been alone, and I’d never realized how alone until I came home. Gramps had a few old buddies but many of them had died or moved to be with family in their older years. His grandfather would meet some, like Horace, for a beer, but most of the time, his arthritis made getting around harder, and his weakening eyesight made him more afraid to drive.
So, with the invitation extended, Gramps had marked the date on the calendar and looked forward to the simple event. When John came downstairs, ready to leave, he’d grinned at the sight of his grandfather already sitting at the kitchen table, a large watermelon he’d taken out of the refrigerator sitting in front of him, impatiently hurrying John along.
John, on the other hand, had been nervous. He wanted to make a good impression and for her family to like him because if he had his way, he and Lucy would be spending many years together.
By the time they swung by Lucy’s house to pick her up, he was a bundle of nerves and wishing he’d brought an extra shirt since he was convinced that he’d sweat through the one he was wearing by the time they arrived. Plus, with Lucy in shorts and a tank-top, his thoughts kept moving to what she looked like naked. Christ, I’ll show up with a boner. That’ll make an impression!
He thanked God that by the time they arrived at the Carringtons’ house he’d laughed at the banter between Lucy and Gramps over who was going to have the biggest watermelon. Once there, he discovered Lucy’s parents were as calm and laid back as she was.
Quick observation gave evidence that Lucy had gained her chestnut hair, petite frame, and ready smile from her mother. Her dad gave her his dark eyes and his penchant for home projects, although, after a home tour, he’d observed that her dad finished his projects before moving on to the next one.
Her brother, Marty, was two years older than Lucy, worked for a logging company, and was easygoing with an obvious affection for his sister but shared the same frustrations that her father had with her house.
“So, sis, did you ever get those shutters up?”
“Yes, they’re up.” She grinned widely. “I finally decided on deep hunter green. Oh, and John helped me screw the porch boards in place as well so I won’t stub my toes on the loose nails that pop up.”
Not wanting to take the credit, John added, “Actually, I showed her how, and she did almost all the work herself.”
“That’s my girl,” Mitchell said. “Once she finally decides on a project, then she learns what she needs to do.” He leaned toward John and lowered his voice. “But we’re happy she’s got someone to share in the tasks. She gets a bit distracted.”
“I heard that, Dad.”
John wrapped his arm around her shoulders, glad that she had a family that could tease while their affection was obvious.
“John’s been working around my house,” Gramps added, nodding toward Linda as she slid another piece of pie onto his plate. He looked over at Lucy and grinned, waving his fork in the air. “You ever get finished with your place, you can come over and work on mine with him.”
“Oh, I’d like that.” Lucy smiled, twisting around to look at John. “Just let me know when.”
“Why don’t you just hire someone to do it? Why would you want to do it yourself?”
All eyes turned toward Marty’s date. He’d brought someone with him to their Memorial Day picnic, but it was easy to see that while he was attentive, the woman meant nothing special to him. Lucy did her best to include Joanne, but it also appeared that Joanne was more interested in the bar she and Marty had talked about hitting after the family picnic.
“I like knowing that I made my house my own,” Lucy explained. “I do hire out what I can’t handle, but I love to paint and have taught myself how to refinish floors and cabinets, how to tile and grout, and now the porch is perfect.”
Joanne twirled her hair and shrugged. “Seems boring to me.” Marty shot his date a glare as the others hid their smiles.
John thought about years past when he’d been in Marty’s shoes. Granted, he never went to a woman’s house to be with their family, but he’d had plenty of dates where the most interesting thing was knowing what would happen when they were alone.
His fingers trailed small circles on Lucy’s shoulder while turning his attention to her dad and brother’s animated discussion with Gramps about the county’s plans for new neighborhoods on land that should remain forested. Since Mitchell, Marty, and Gramps were on the same side of the issue, he didn’t have to worry. Instead, he leaned back and enjoyed his surroundings. His belly was full of good food, the conversation flowed easily amongst the gathering, the sun was shining, and the woman he loved was tucked into his side.
Loved?He blinked at the word, his heart skipping a beat as he heard her gentle laughter and watched her eyes twinkle. The scent of her shampoo wafted past, and the feel of her head on his shoulder was a weight he wanted to carry always. Fighting the urge to shout and smile, he remained still while acknowledging what he knew was true. Hell, yeah… I love her!
