by David Achord
“Has the timestamp been verified?” I asked the captain.
“I believe so,” she answered.
It wasn’t much of an answer. I had to assume the deputy who obtained this video verified the accuracy of the time.
“This is from the truck stop,” she added. “They said their cameras are monitored by corporate, so I would assume they make sure the time is accurate.”
I nodded. She made a good point.
“Alright, assuming that’s the correct time, this is after they’ve left Nashville. They go to the turnout while Tambourine Man continues down to exit 22 and gasses up. They were definitely planning on leaving immediately after the interaction with Stainback and Candy.”
“Why do you call him Tambourine Man?” the captain asked.
“He played a tambourine,” I said. “As far as I know, he has not yet been identified, so that’s what I call him.”
“Oh,” she said and pointed. “Well, he kept looking outside toward the truck the whole time he was waiting in line.”
“Probably watching to make sure a cop doesn’t drive through and spots the truck,” the agent said.
“Yeah, and Lorilee is probably hogtied and stuffed in the backseat at this point,” I added. The two of them nodded in agreement. We watched in silence as Tambourine Man got in the truck and drove away.
“We don’t have anything else,” the agent said. “What do you think? You seeing anything here?”
I watched it over and over, but I didn’t see anything new. I shook my head.
“Alright, thanks for showing it to me,” I said. The agent gave me a dutiful nod and then focused on something else.
After leaving the FBI office, I headed to the phone store. The same kid was working. When I dropped my phone on the counter, he frowned.
“What’d you do, drop it in the toilet?” he asked.
“Something like that. Is it repairable?”
He reached under the counter and pulled out a box of nitrile gloves. Putting on a pair, he grimaced as he daintily picked up my phone and inspected it with a magnifying glass. After only a few seconds, he frowned and shook his head.
“No, dude, it’s toast.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I bought that insurance, right?” I said cheerily. “Oh, and I want one of those Bluetooth things for when I drive.”
With a new phone in hand, I texted Hope and told her I had a functioning phone again and asked if there was anything new. She responded after a couple of minutes and advised there was nothing. Lorilee was under guard and asleep, so she was going to stop by the office before going home and catch a few hours of sleep.
I then called Dresden. The call went to voicemail, which told me he was too busy to talk, or perhaps he was catching some shuteye. I left a message, repeating that my phone was working again and I was available if he needed me for something.
I stopped by the auto parts store before heading home. I ate a sandwich for lunch before changing into some grungy clothes and lit a cigar before starting in on the old Cadillac. As I started working on rebuilding the brakes, I thought about how far I wanted to go with this car. It was actually in decent shape. Not much rust at all. But the car was old and parts were hard to come by. And, I had not even gotten into the engine yet. If I had plenty of free time, I could get it rebuilt and painted in a few months, but at the rate I was currently going, it was looking like a two-year project. I thought about simply cleaning it up and selling it, but for now, it was a hobby.
I thought about the Ironcutter Investigations caseload while I worked. The Reavis case was done. Ronald and Marti had culled twenty-one email chains that were so significant, I’d be surprised if the lawsuit went any further. And, even Ronald admitted Marti did a good job, so hiring her, at least on a part-time basis, was going to be doable. I decided to text Anna and say as much.
I was attempting to scrub my arms in the laundry sink when my phone pinged. Glancing at my phone, I saw a familiar car coming down my driveway. I grabbed a towel and walked outside. Al parked, saw me, and exited. It was only then that I remembered we were supposed to go out the night before.
“Dang it,” I muttered to myself. “This won’t be pleasant.”
Chapter 34
Watching her get out of the car, I had to admit, she looked good. Her blonde hair was freshly brushed and flowing freely across her shoulders. She had on a pair of jeans and a navy-blue Nike Polo shirt that seemed to accentuate her blue eyes.
“If you’re wondering how I know where you live, I Googled you, remember?” she said.
Her voice was even, but even so, she was staring daggers at me. She was not the first person to find out where I lived by doing a simple computer search. I wasn’t sorry she was interested in me, but I was a little concerned that she had no qualms about showing up uninvited. I mean, what if I had company?
That was a conversation for another day though. At the moment, I did not want this to be unpleasant. The best thing to do here was apologize for my shitty behavior toward her.
“I won’t even attempt to make an excuse, I totally forgot we had plans and I am terribly sorry,” I said.
“I tried calling you.”
“I jumped in a river with my phone in my pocket. It drowned.”
She did not seem fazed. “Did you get my text messages?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” I said.
“I sent you a few after I’d had a couple of drinks. They were pretty, hmm, I think scathing would be the appropriate word. That’s why I’m here; I was going to apologize in person.”
“No apology is necessary,” I said. “I never got them anyway. And besides, I’m the one who was in the wrong. I totally forgot. One would think that sometime during the day I would have remembered and called, but I didn’t. I’ve had a lot going on. I hope you can forgive me.”
She stood there a moment, frowning. “The last time I was stood up was back in high school. He was supposed to take me out after a basketball game, but they scored a victory in overtime and the team had their own little impromptu party afterward. I got payback though.”
“What’d you do?” I asked.
“I married him,” she answered.
“I bet he learned his lesson,” I quipped, and then realized that may not have been an appropriate response. “I mean, you know.”
She tried to glare, but ended up cracking a smile. “Okay, I admit, that’s funny.”
“I hope you’ll let me make it up to you,” I suggested.
She folded her arms. “What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know if you’ve eaten yet, but I just put a pasta casserole in the oven. It should be ready in about thirty minutes. I don’t have any salad or sides though. Even so, would that interest you?”
“I like wine with pasta,” she replied.
“Well then, you’re in luck. I have an eclectic variety of wines in my cellar. Actually, it’s the kitchen closet, but that doesn’t sound quite as impressive.”
She smiled again, which was a positive sign. “Alright, you’ve sold me, but only if you get cleaned up first.”
I thanked her, got her seated on the couch with a fresh glass of tea, and hurried into the restroom. I consciously spent a few extra minutes scrubbing myself down from head to toe. Exiting the shower, I opted for some cologne, put on a fresh pair of jeans and a Polo shirt similar to Al’s, and hurried out of the bedroom. Al had set the table and poured us glasses of chardonnay. When I walked in, she gave me an appraising stare.
“You clean up pretty good,” she said.
The oven’s timer went off as I walked into the kitchen. Donning a pair of mitts, I removed the casserole and put it on the stovetop. Al helped me put portions into our plates. Seated, I held up my glass.
“I have a toast. Here’s to second chances.”
She clicked my glass without comment. After taking a drink, she tried a small forkful of the casserole.
“Oh, this is delicious. It might need a touch more salt, b
ut I’m not complaining.”
“Thanks,” I said and slid the salt shaker over to her. “I’ll never be a gourmet chef, but I can cook pasta.”
“Did your mother teach you to cook?” she asked.
I shook my head. “My Uncle Mike did. He was a great cook.” I wasn’t ready to discuss Uncle Mike with someone I hardly knew, so I changed the subject. “So, how angry did you get?”
“Pretty mad. I alternated between thoughts of something must have happened to you to thoughts of you found someone else to spend the evening with. So, tell me what happened that was so important that you forgot all about me,” she said.
I told her the entire story as we ate and finished up with the river rescue.
“Wait, I saw that on the news. You were involved in that?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s how I ruined my phone. My wallet and clothes aren’t in much better shape.”
She frowned. “The noon news didn’t mention you. They said a woman FBI agent found and rescued her.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, she was there.”
She glanced at the clock on the microwave. “It’s five o’clock. Turn the news on.”
I’m not sure if she was trying to verify my story, but I didn’t care. I found the remote stuffed in the couch cushions and turned on my TV.
The live press conference was held at noon, so this was merely a replay. I offhandedly listened to Reuben give his speech as I fixed myself a second helping.
“Is that your partner?” Al asked while pointing at the TV. Hope was standing in the background. She was wearing a conservative business suit, and although it hid her figure, she still looked nice. She also looked fatigued. I wondered how much sleep she’d gotten last night.
“That’s Special Agent Delmonico. She was there at the river, but I wouldn’t call us partners.”
“That older man said she’s the one who found and rescued the girl. He didn’t say anything about you.”
When she said it, she was eyeing me with a little bit of suspicion. The news report changed to some video footage at the side of the interstate. Suddenly, Al gasped and pointed.
“There you are.”
She was right. The cameraman had panned over to me where I was sitting on the guardrail. There was a three-second shot where a fireman draped that survival blanket over my shoulders. I was muddy and looked exhausted.
“I’ve looked better,” I said and poured us some more wine. “Be honest though, you were doubting me.”
She offered a tight smile. “Maybe.”
I wasn’t mad, or even a little irked. I know it sounded like a tall tale conceived by one of the blowhards that hung out at Mick’s, but in my case, it was true. We chatted as we ate.
“You look like you work out a lot,” I mentioned.
“Yes, I do. I’ve always been health conscious. You wouldn’t believe the types of people we get called out on. They get winded and fall down when they walk to the mailbox. I swore I’d never let myself be like that. Hank was Special Forces, so he was in phenomenal shape. We’d work out together. You’re no slouch, from what I can see.”
“When I was younger, I stayed in shape. I got a little lazy there for a while, but I’ve been doing better.”
“I bet I have better stamina,” she said with a flirtatious smile and a gleam in her eye.
I smiled back. I’d like to think I was making headway. “I have no doubt about that. Hank was the love of your life, I take it.”
“He was,” she agreed. “His death hit me hard. He wasn’t perfect, far from it, but he was the father of my kids. The boys are a spitting image of him.”
“Has there been anybody since?” I asked.
“I didn’t even consider dating the first year after he died. Then I started seeing a co-worker named Vincent. I thought it was good until I walked in on him with another woman.”
“Oh, damn,” I said. “He didn’t do the old, this isn’t what it looks like spiel, did he?”
Al choked on her wine and wiped her mouth. “That’s exactly what he said,” she said with a rueful laugh. “Not very original, is it?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Did you ever cheat?” she asked.
“Not on my wife. And not on Simone, but after she died, I had a casual fling with a woman. Even though Simone was long gone, I still felt guilty. I don’t know how to explain it, but I kind of felt like I was cheating.”
“So, whatever happened with this other woman?”
“Oh, it’s over and she’s long gone,” I said. Telling her about Lilith’s death was a story for another time.
“What about Debbie?” she asked.
I smiled. “You already asked me about her.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“Nope.”
“Are you sure? I heard she’s very friendly.”
“That sounds like your friend talking. What was his name, Eddie?”
“Yeah, Eddie Barker. His father had a popcorn business. Made millions. Eddie lives off of the trust fund.”
“It must be nice.”
She scoffed. “Hardly. He’s been married four times and cheated on all of them. The only thing that saved his ass was the prenuptial agreements. But he’s always been nice to me and we’re good friends. Do you like what you do?”
“For the most part, yes, I do,” I said. “What about you?”
“Absolutely. It can be a stressful job, but I don’t think I’d ever consider doing anything else.”
We chatted while we ate, and the first bottle of wine was empty before I knew it. After dinner, we agreed to open another and moved to the couch. She made the first move by thanking me for dinner and then kissing me. It was a wonderful kiss and I responded in kind. It wasn’t long before we were getting hot and heavy, but my pinging phone quickly brought us to a halt.
“What’s that, a text message?” Al asked.
“No, if it were a text message, I’d ignore it. It’s an alert. Someone’s coming down the driveway.” I went to the kitchen table where my phone was lying and looked at the screen.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“My roommate, Anna. She has lousy timing,” I grumbled.
We had ourselves straightened and reasonably normal looking when Anna walked in.
Anna was slightly surprised at the sight of Al, but recovered quickly and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Anna.”
The two women chatted amicably for a few minutes before Al stretched and announced she needed to go home. I walked her to her car and was going to try for a kiss, but I sensed a coolness in her demeanor. When we reached her car, she stopped and turned to me.
“I’m really glad you didn’t give up on me,” I said and stepped a smidgeon closer.
“How old is Anna?” she asked.
“Um, twenty-three,” I said, wondering why she asked.
“So, you have a drop-dead gorgeous twenty-something sex kitten living with you and there is no blood relation? Thomas, the more I get to know you, the more I sense you’re a good guy, but come on, really? The guys I work with would be stumbling over themselves trying to get in bed with her and you expect me to believe the two of you are platonic?”
“Yes, I do,” I said, growing a little irritated. “During the short time we’ve known each other, we’ve become close friends, but that’s it. She looks at me like a father-figure. And, for the record, she’s currently seeing a friend of mine.”
Al paused and looked down at my feet. “I’m sorry,” she said in a quiet voice. “I have trust issues. After Hank’s funeral, a young woman walked up to me and said she was Hank’s lover and she wanted to offer her condolences and perhaps we could get together sometime and share our good memories of Hank.”
“Ouch. How did you respond?” I asked.
“His friends had to pull me off of her,” she said.
I laughed before I could help myself.
“Yeah, and when I’m finally ready to date again, I had that incident with Vincent
. By the way, the woman he was cheating with was about the same age as Anna.”
I slowly nodded. “I guess I can certainly understand your apprehensions with me. Personally, I don’t see why a man who was with you would find it necessary to be unfaithful.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Look at you, you’re beautiful. You have a beautiful face, sexy eyes, and I’m betting underneath that shirt you have six-pack abs.”
She almost smiled. “I do, but apparently, that’s not enough,” she lamented.
“I wasn’t finished. Your two sons are living proof you’re a good mom, and I’ve seen you in action at work. You’re a hell of a paramedic.”
She smiled now. “Actually, I’m still an EMT. I still have a ton of training before I’m eligible to become a paramedic.”
“Are you going to do it?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Something is always getting in the way, but I’d like to. It’ll be a long four years.” She then reached out and grabbed my hands. “I admit, I’m attracted to you, Thomas. Very attracted. You’re a handsome, interesting man.”
“I sense a but in there somewhere,” I said.
“My kids and my career take up a lot of my time. I’m not necessarily looking for a husband, but I’d like to keep that option open and I’m wondering if you’ll ever even consider getting married again.”
Wait, did I just hear her saying those dreaded H and M words? We had not even been on a single real date yet and she was already talking about husbands and marriages.
She reached up and kissed me lightly. “Thank you for the dinner and wine, Thomas.”
I watched her drive away and walked back inside.
“She’s new,” Anna said when I’d sat down.
“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that one.”
“Too bad. She seems like she likes you,” Anna said.
I scoffed and resumed my seat on the couch. “Don’t think I don’t notice you’re drinking the rest of the wine,” I observed.
She gestured at the two glasses on the coffee table. “I refilled yours.”
“How did you know which glass is mine?” I asked.
“Because I don’t think you wear lipstick, but I could be wrong,” she said with a grin. “So, you said her name was Al.”