Side(H)arm

by James E. Abel

  “Sounds like reincarnation to me.”

  “That’s because it is. I have taken the work of the ancient Indian religions, plus the work of Socrates and Plato, and advanced them with what we now know about quantum physics.”

  “Well then, how about we get back to the business of saving your soul, you know, fulfilling your destiny?”

  “Fair enough. Where were we?”

  “The last open item is my insistence that I am your only customer. I need to control the street price. Otherwise, I can’t afford to pay you two times the going rate.”

  “Hmmm. Perhaps I should just double my price for everyone. It seems that I am, after all, the only show in town.”

  “But consider this. If you start selling your product to anyone with a wallet, there could be a lot of dead bodies showing up on the streets of Savannah. Are you ready for that kind of attention?”

  Lucien nodded his head, stood up, extended his hand, and said, “Mr. James. We have a deal.”

  James shook his hand and said, “You are a wise man. I look forward to working with you.”

  Lucien smiled and headed toward the door when James said, “Oh, just one other thing. I hear that the Savannah police have been snooping around your operations. Is there any truth to that?”

  Lucien stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said, “I can assure you, Mr. James, the Savannah police will never be a problem. On that you have my word.”

  Chapter 19

  It was Christmas Eve. Jordan looked through the windshield at the oncoming traffic and said, “I guess you know what we need to talk about.”

  Molly looked across the center console and said, “Yes, sir.”

  “Would you like to do it now? You might feel better afterward.”

  Molly turned to look out the side window. She didn’t answer.

  Jordan let a few more minutes pass.

  “Molly?”

  Molly turned to Jordan and, with tears in her eyes, asked, “Can we wait until after Christmas?”

  Jordan nodded and said, “Sure, honey. I’m sorry.”

  They were in Jordan’s truck, on their way to the Westin. Jordan’s family had flown down for a quiet dinner to be followed by a visit to Casey’s gravesite where they would place a wreath, light candles, and sing one Christmas carol: “Silent Night.” That was to be the extent of the year’s Christmas celebration.

  Jordan parked along the side of the hotel, and he and Molly headed toward the lobby. As they turned the corner, Jordan looked up to see his entire family waiting outside. Barbara stood back and waved as Jenna ran to Molly, bent down, gave her a big hug, and said, “Merry Christmas!”

  Judge Jim approached Jordan, extended his hand, and said, “Merry Christmas, son.”

  Jordan nodded and reluctantly shook Jim’s hand.

  Jordan went to pull away, but Jim reached out with his free hand, grabbed onto Jordan’s forearm, and asked, “Could I have a minute of your time? Please, son.”

  Jordan started to pull away a second time until he noticed Molly watching. He gave a small nod of his head and said, “Okay.”

  Jenna jumped in and said, “Come on, Molly, let’s get out of the cold.” As his mother, sister, and daughter retreated inside, Jordan knew he had just been ambushed.

  The judge, waiting until the others went inside, looked at Jordan and said, “Jordan, you have every right to hate me for what I said to you…”

  Jordan interrupted, “Dad, do we have to do this now?”

  “Yes, we do. Look. What I’m trying to say is that, what I asked you to do all those years ago was wrong, and I’ve regretted it every second of every day since then. When I think…”

  He paused, glancing toward the hotel, before starting over.

  “When I think how we would never have been blessed with that beautiful little girl if you had listened to me, it breaks my heart. If I could take it all back, I would. Every word. But all I can say now is that I’m sorry and beg your forgiveness. Please, son?”

  Jordan didn’t answer. He dropped his eyes to the ground.

  The judge took a deep breath, exhaled, and said, “Okay. I guess we should join the others. I just wanted you to know how much I loved Casey, and how much I love you and Molly.”

  His shoulders dropped, and he turned his back to Jordan and started to walk toward the hotel entrance.

  Jordan stood his ground and watched. For the first time in his life, he saw the walk of an old man. His father was no longer the alpha male he had known his entire life. He had heard the wavering in his voice and seen the tears in his eyes. Father time had finally taken its toll.

  “Dad?”

  Jim stopped and slowly turned around.

  “Yes?”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  Jim brushed away some tears.

  “Merry Christmas, son.”

  They exchanged a brief hug. It was a start.

  When father and son walked into the lobby together, Barbara took notice. She saw that something good, however small, had come out of the tragedy they were all trying to work their way through.

  Chapter 20

  Some define black as the absence of color. That winter, I learned that loneliness can be defined in much the same way. The only time I saw any color at all was when I was with Dr. Conley. That is, until Aunt Jenna showed up. That’s when things got a little better, at least for me.

  January was tough, especially for Molly. When she returned to school, kids who had been her friends avoided her, while others pointed at her in the halls and whispered. After school, she went home to an empty house. When Jordan got home, dinners were spent in silence or, worse yet, in tears with Jordan pushing her for details about the night Casey was murdered.

  One night, toward the end of the month, Jordan followed Molly into her room after dinner. He found her sitting on the end of her bed, looking at the picture of her and Casey on the beach. He kneeled down, set the picture aside, and said, “It’s time, Molly. It can’t wait any longer. You understand why, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. You want to find the man who killed Mom.”

  “That’s right. So, let’s start at the beginning. Tell me where you were that night. Were you up in your bedroom sleeping?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What happened next? Did you hear a noise maybe, one that woke you up?”

  “I guess. I just woke up, and we…we just wanted to surprise you.”

  “I know. So, when you woke up, did you get out of bed and leave your room?”

  She nodded.

  “Did you see Mom then?”

  “No. I called her and went to your bedroom, and she wasn’t there, so I turned around.”

  “Where was she? Downstairs?”

  “I walked back down the hall, and I called to her again, and…and then…Dad, I’m sorry.”

  Tears rolled down Molly’s cheeks, but Jordan pressed on.

  ”Just tell me what happened! Did you see who did it? Did you see his face?”

  Molly looked up, shouting through her tears, “No. I’m sorry. I just saw Mommy looking up at me. She…she smiled a little and then…”

  “Okay, honey. I know it’s hard. But what else did you see?”

  “You don’t understand. It was all my fault! I wanted to surprise you.”

  Molly closed her eyes and started sobbing.

  Jordan grabbed her arms, shook her, and said, “Look at me, Molly! You must have seen something, someone! Damn it, try to remember!”

  When Molly looked up, Jordan saw the fear in her eyes. She was afraid of her own father. It was a look he never wanted to see again.

  He said, “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just trying to find whoever did this, so they can’t hurt anyone else.”

  “I know. I did see someone. I remember now. He was near Mommy. He picked up the gun and ran out the door.”

  “I knew you could do it! What did he look like?”

  “It was really dark. And he had a
hood pulled down over his face. But now I remember, he had long hair. I remember because at first, I thought it was a girl.”

  “How long was it, and what color? Close your eyes and think.”

  Molly closed her eyes and tried to think. Then she opened them and said, “A little longer than Aunt Jenna’s, and I think it might have been brown.”

  “That’s really good, Molly. You’re doing great. Come here, give me a hug.”

  Molly leaned forward, and Jordan hugged her.

  He then pulled away and asked, “Is there anything else you can remember about him?”

  Molly’s memory had started to fill in the blanks, and she was anxious to please her father. She nodded her head and said, “I saw something on his arm, a tattoo, I think. It looked like a man’s face.”

  “But you said he was wearing a hoodie. Were the sleeves pulled up?”

  “No, I think they were cut off. And he said something to me.”

  “He said something?”

  “Yes. He said he was sorry, but please, Dad, that’s all I remember, so no more now, okay?”

  “Okay. No more questions. You did great, honey.”

  Jordan took Molly in his arms, and she started to sob.

  “I know how hard this was for you, honey. But now maybe I can find the man who did this. You understand, don’t you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  While Jordan held Molly, his mind drifted back to that night, and how he was sitting at the bar while Casey was killed with the gun he had forgotten to secure.

  Molly, it wasn’t your fault. It was mine.

  He thought it, but he didn’t say it out loud.

  After that night, father and daughter drifted apart. Jordan was obsessed with tracking down the man who killed his wife, and Molly went into a shell. Like a worn-out marriage, they had run out of new things to talk about, and neither was willing to waste the energy on meaningless social exchange.

  Then, one night in early March, Molly looked up from her plate and broke the silence.

  “Aunt Jenna’s new house looks nice.”

  Jordan closed the police file in front of him, looked up and asked, “Molly, what are you talking about?”

  “She bought a new house. I saw the pictures on my iPad.”

  “Where’s it at?”

  “Tybee Island.”

  “What the hell!”

  Jordan jumped up, pulled out his phone, and said, “Wait here.”

  He walked into the living room and called Jenna.

  “What in God’s name is this all about? Molly tells me you’re moving to Tybee!”

  “And a nice hello to you, too!”

  “Cut out the crap and tell me what’s going on. Is this another one of the judge’s manipulative little maneuvers?”

  “Hey! Settle down, or I’ll hang up! You have every right to be mad at me for not telling you sooner, but I had my reasons.”

  “Forget the damn timing, just tell me why you’re moving down here at all!”

  “The short answer is that I haven’t been able to find a good job up in New York, you’ve got much better weather down there, and I’m tired of living with Mom and Dad. Can you at least give me that last one?”

  “Yeah, sure, one point for you. But I’m still not buying it!”

  “Well, for now, you’re just gonna have to. I’ll fill you in on the gory details when I get there. In the meantime, look on the bright side. You’ll get to see your little sister more often. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Whatever. So, when are you getting here?”

  “Believe it or not, I’m getting up bright and early tomorrow and hope to get there by late tomorrow night. How about we meet on Saturday, and I’ll show you the house. It’s fully furnished.”

  “Yeah, sure. Look, I’m sorry I blew up at you. It just caught me by surprise. Take your time and drive safe.”

  “Wait! Can we keep my arrival a secret from Molly? I’d like to surprise her, you know, cheer her up a bit.”

  “Oh, you will. You’ve always been her hero for some strange reason. Tell you what, let’s meet at Tybee Pier, say 1:30? I can get her there without her suspecting anything. Once you get onto the Island, just take a left onto 15th Street and you can’t miss it. Then we’ll follow you to your, or should I say dad’s, new place.”

  “Perfect. See you then.”

  “Yup.”

  Jordan put his phone in his pocket and walked back into the kitchen where he found Molly anxiously waiting.

  “So, was I right? Is she moving to Tybee?”

  “You were right. She apparently forgot to tell me.”

  “When is she getting here?”

  “I don’t know. Sometime next week, I think. But I know where her house is, so maybe we can check it out on Saturday, that is if you want to.”

  “Yes. I’d like that. Thanks, Dad.”

  “No problem.”

  Saturday, Jordan drove Molly to Tybee and pulled into the parking lot at the town pier.

  Molly looked out the window and asked, “Why are we stopping here? I thought we were going to see Aunt Jenna’s house?”

  “We are. But let’s walk out to the end of the pier. I think we might be able to see it from there.”

  “Dad, I don’t think you can really see any houses from there.”

  “Just do as I say, young lady. Now let’s go.”

  Jordan and Molly unfastened their seatbelts and got out of the truck. When they reached the bottom of the steps leading up to the pier, Molly grabbed tight onto Jordan’s hand and he instantly realized his mistake.

  Idiot. Too many memories!

  Suddenly, Jenna appeared at the top of the steps, pulled off the Yankees cap she had on, and yelled, “Surprise!”

  “Aunt Jenna!”

  Jenna ran down the steps, gave Molly a hug, and said, “Hey there! I missed you so much!”

  “I missed you, too.”

  Jordan yanked the Yankees cap out of Jenna’s hand, used the brim to pull it down over her face, and said, “Hi, sis.”

  Jenna fixed the hat, smiled, and asked, “So, guys, wanna see the house?”

  Jordan said, “Sure. You lead the way. I’ll follow.”

  Molly rode with Jenna, and Jordan followed. When Jenna pulled up in front of a well-kept cottage with light grey siding and blue shutters sitting within 150 yards of the ocean, Jordan was impressed, but also jealous.

  By the time he got out of the truck, Molly had already run around the side of the house to check out the ocean view.

  Jenna walked over to Jordan and asked, “Isn’t it sweet?”

  “That it is.”

  “Come on. Let’s find Molly and then I’ll show you the whole place. After that, I can make some burgers. I went to the local IGA this morning. Seems to be the only store around here!”

  “Oh, there are a few others, but not many.”

  “Well, I love it! It’s a welcome change from what I’m used to.”

  They walked around the right side of the house and found Molly waiting for them at the far corner, standing on a small wooden deck by the side door.

  “Aunt Jenna, come here! I want to show you something.”

  Jenna smiled as she walked up the two steps to where Molly was waiting, Jordan following behind. Molly took Jenna’s hand, led her around the back of the house to a larger deck, pointed and said, “Look. You can see the ocean, right there between the dunes!”

  Jenna smiled and said, “Wow! You just discovered something I didn’t know. Now, wanna go inside so I can show you the rest of the house?”

  Molly nodded and they all headed inside for the grand tour.

  Chapter 21

  Two and a half hours later, Jenna was clearing dishes from the kitchen table when Jordan looked up from his beer he was cradling in his hand and asked, “So tell me, what’s the deal here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you certainly can’t afford this place, so I know Dad has something to do with it.”r />
  “Come on, Jordan. Not now. How about some ice cream?”

  “No. I’d like to know. What’s in it for Dad?”

  Jenna ignored him and turned to Molly.

  “Molly, feel like some ice cream?”

  “Sure.”

  Jordan gave Molly a stern look and said, “It’s please, Molly.”

  “I’m sorry. Please, Aunt Jenna?”

  Jenna opened the freezer, pulled out some ice cream, scooped it out into a bowl, and set it down in front of Molly.

  “Here ya go. Do you like vanilla?”

  Molly stared down at the ice cream, then slowly pushed it away as Jordan watched.

  “Molly! That’s rude. Apologize to your Aunt Jenna.”

  Jenna said, “It’s cool. I mean, vanilla? What was I thinking?”

  Jenna reached for the bowl, but Jordan grabbed her arm.

  “Jenna. Don’t touch that. Molly, pick up your spoon.”

  “But I only like chocolate.”

  “Then apologize. Now!”

  Molly looked down, her lips trembling.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Jordan threw down his napkin, grabbed the bowl, and scraped the ice cream into the sink with the bowl following close behind. He walked to the door and stormed outside, the door slamming behind him.

  Jenna looked at Molly and said, “It’s okay, honey. It’ll be fine. Why don’t you go into the living room and see if the TV works? I’ll go talk to your dad.”

  Molly got up and walked into the living room while Jenna grabbed two beers out of the fridge and headed outside to the deck. It was a pleasant night for early March, and she found Jordan around back, looking out past the sand dunes toward the ocean.

  Jenna held out one of the beers and said, “And here, for the father of the year!”

  Jordan took the beer and smiled at his shit-talking sister.

  “That wasn’t me in there, you know.”

  “What the hell. You’re doing better than most of us would. But it doesn’t mean you’re doing great, either.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  “Jordan, please promise you won’t get mad at me for what I’m about to say. Okay?’

  “Okay.”

  “You know that I call Molly at least once a week, right?”