by Caleb Borne
Butch leaped from his chair. “Mr. Quinn. I spotted your wife’s car in the ditch and saw her walking toward the house. I offered her a ride and she asked me in.”
Michael nodded slowly, the fires of jealousy obvious on his face.
“Michael, you should have told me you hired Butch. We’re old friends.” I was smiling broadly, trying to ease the tension in the room.
“I’ll just bet ye are,” Colin contributed wryly.
Michael was staring at me. “Why did you invite him in? He is supposed to stay clear of the house.”
I got up and threw my arms around Michael’s neck. “I know, that’s what he said. I told him I would clear it with you.”
“You did, did you? Knight, get your shoes on and get back to the stables,” Michael said tersely. He saw Colin then, and it must have dawned on him why I’d asked Butch inside.
“Katie, come with me.”
I nodded, winked at Butch and said, “Thank you for your help.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get one of the boys to take the tractor down and pull your car out of that ditch. We’ll get you fixed up.”
I nodded and followed Michael who was striding up the staircase, ignoring Colin. He pulled me into our bedroom and locked the door. When he turned toward me, I thought the devil himself was in the room. “Would you like to tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Michael! Don’t talk to me like that! I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Where is Penny?”
“At my mother’s.”
“At your—why isn’t she with you?”
“Sit down before you explode, would you?” I took one of the wingbacks by the window and pulled my legs in beneath me. “You see, Penny and I came up with a plan to tempt Colin into tripping himself up. We sent Izzy and Shirley to do the shopping, Penny pretended to be leaving with me to go shopping but instead, she hid outside and stayed behind. That left Colin alone and she was going to surveil him.”
“To surveil him?”
“Yes! We thought if she could catch him red-handed, we could have him arrested and get this whole thing solved.”
“Oh, you did, did you? So, why aren’t you at your mother’s?”
“She was going to stay here for an hour and then meet me there. Only, I wasn’t feeling well this morning and didn’t want to make Mother and Daddy sick, so I shot down to see Dr. Groot, my old family doctor. He had a look at me, said I was fine, and I headed toward Mother’s. But the snow got so bad and I wasn’t a good driver, so I decided to come straight home. I slid, the brakes wouldn’t catch, and the car went into the ditch. I think you can figure out the rest.”
“And Colin?”
“He was sitting right where you saw him when we came in. Don’t be angry with Butch, Michael. He didn’t want to come in. I begged him. I was scared to be alone with Colin.”
“Never again, do you hear me? Penny will do you no good if she isn’t with you.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Above all, you stay away from Colin. Never be alone with him.”
I was nodding. “I understand.” I caught sight of a car coming around to the back of the house. “Oh, look! There’s Izzy’s car. I’m glad they made it home safely. I had no idea this storm was even coming. Michael, you’re not going to punish Butch, are you?”
“What is he to you?”
“A childhood friend. I think he had a crush on me, but we never dated. He needs this job, Michael. His parents are ailing. Promise?”
“Never again.”
“Yes, I know… I get it. You know, Michael, none of this is my doing. I didn’t have to be scared of anyone—not anyone—until I met you.”
He looked as though he was about to fly out of his chair. I realized I crossed the line.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Michael stood up, the tension in his neck making his veins stand out. He turned his back to me and left the room, slamming the door.
The worst thing was—I didn’t blame him.
Michael
I slept in another room that night. It wasn’t just because of what Katie had blurted. She was right and I knew it. I wasn’t giving her all I’d promised. My life to that point had been rough; full of poor planning, taking advantage of last- minute situations, and always having another option if things didn’t go as expected. All that took flexibility; something that couldn’t exist when you had a wife, her family, a staff of twenty and all the attachments I’d been building to drag along with you.
I lay atop the bedspread, fully dressed. An ashtray balanced on my chest, I smoked while staring toward the dark ceiling and summarized my position, as well as my options.
First and foremost, Katie wasn’t happy. There was nothing more important to me but keeping her safe was critical. I couldn’t do that alone. This security agent, Penny, talked a good game but she didn’t have the instincts to keep up with Katie and out-maneuver Colin and his crowd. For the time being, I’d let her stay on. I’d focus on digging out the cavity—my brother, first.
The farm manager, Butch, who I suspected was an old flame Katie was trying to minimize had done his job well. Despite the jealousy I was feeling, I knew he’d done exactly as he should have. He shielded her from being alone with Colin.
That brought me to Colin himself. I knew him well. I’d raised him. He was like a ferret; cuddling and looking cute until he got the next shiny thing and then he was off to his hideaway stacking it up. Easy come, easy go. He was mining my life and hiding it in cache. So, the only way to make him stop came down to two possibilities. The first was to turn him over to his debtors and let them handle it. I knew they’d kill him, and it wouldn’t stop there. They’d come after me for satisfaction. The second was to dangle an even bigger shiny thing before Colin, taking him out of my life and back onto the streets where he knew how to survive. It was obviously the preferred route, I just needed to come up with the right plan; one he wouldn’t wise up to. It was after three in the morning when I knew what I’d do; put out my cigarette, rolled over and wished I was sleeping in the other room with Katie. I vowed I’d never sleep without her ever again.
* * *
Penny showed up and I asked her to join me in my office. She wore a sheepish look as she sat down. “Sir, I know what you’re going to say and you’re absolutely correct. I was derelict in my number one duty, to protect Mrs. Quinn.”
“You’re right. I should discharge you.”
“Yes, sir, and no one would argue the point. You have my sincere apology. It will not happen again. I’m very pleased nothing happened to her.”
“You mean other than as an inexperienced driver she slid off the road and into a ditch, or the fact that she was forced to walk to the house in heels, or perhaps it’s that she was required to enter this house, unchaperoned while the very person who is most dangerous to her sat here waiting for her?”
She stood up and turned toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To compose my letter of resignation, sir. It was a complete dereliction of duty and I let my personal background with Mrs. Quinn over-ride my sense of caution. I played detective in trying to gain control over Colin Quinn rather than maintain my station beside your wife. It is… unforgiveable.”
“Sit down,” I barked, pointing to the chair. First of all, my wife is a grown woman and should never have left this house without you. That said, she was raised in a sheltered, privileged life and has no perception of the grittier side of life, shall we say. That’s one of the reasons you were hired. I understood you were experienced and would know what to watch for.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Second, perhaps you weren’t properly briefed on the inherent danger of her being alone with my brother. That is something for which I’m responsible.”
She said nothing. To acknowledge would have been a slap in my face.
“Third, and perhaps the more important quality that will keep you your job is t
hat Katie knows you and I won’t be able to replicate that with a replacement. So, I believe you understand the gravity of what transpired and will not permit it to happen again.”
“Absolutely not, sir.”
“Miss Miller, do you carry a weapon.”
“No, sir.”
“Begin. Immediately. Furthermore, I will be keeping one in the master bedroom. My brother is rather unprincipled in his choice of leisure activities and friends. He will charm you and you won’t be the first person. Carry a weapon, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Thank you. You’re excused and I trust we won’t be having this conversation again.”
“Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”
Watching her leave, I knew that an employee who’d been called on the carpet once, legitimately, but given a second chance proved far more effective and loyal than one who believed everything they’d done was perfection.
The next part would be tougher and would require a little acting on my part. I heard the door to the master bedroom close and before she could pass by, I opened my office door and called to her softly.
She looked at me, eyes red and I knew she’d been crying. I pulled her into my arms, pulling her head against my chest. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “All this is getting to me. Come in and talk to me?”
She nodded without look me in the eye, but it was enough. I shut the door. Sitting in a wingback, I pulled her onto my lap. “I think you know me well enough to know I don’t apologize easily. None of this is your fault. Part of the fault lies with me but obviously Colin has brought the bulk of it onto our heads. I was awake most of the night. I didn’t come to bed with you because I needed to think clearly and sleeping next to you makes that virtually impossible.”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and I knew we were okay again. I sighed internally and my sun came back out. “Colin has to go. I mentioned briefly while we were still in California that he was keeping company with some bad people—dangerous people. I know he owes them money and I believe he’s holding me out as bait, promising them a bonus if they give him time to get it from me. He knows I won’t give it to him outright, so he’s been lurking around, looking for ways to fleece me.”
She nodded. “And me.”
I stiffened. “What does that mean?”
She squirmed on my lap, burying her mouth in my neck so she could lower her voice and speak directly into my ear. “I didn’t want to tell you before because I knew you’d have a kneejerk reaction and that’s what Colin wanted. I think he’s trying to force a confrontation with you, with witnesses. Maybe he even thinks that you’ll do something stupid and…”
“Go on.”
“I think he wants you dead, Michael. He’s pathological. I learned about his in college. His focus on what he wants is so compelling he can’t allow himself to think about the consequences; even if it means his own brother dies.”
I was silent, contemplating her words and suddenly, what she said made perfect sense. She understood him perfectly. “So, what did you not tell me?”
“Remember the day you left me the money to pay the butcher when he came to deliver?”
I nodded but said nothing.
“Well, he waited until you were gone and then came up here. I was taking a nap and had asked Izzy to wake me with a knock on our door. He must have overheard me because when the knock came, I opened the door and it was Colin. He’d come up early. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. Penny hadn’t arrived yet. He had his foot in the doorway, so I could shut the door. He wanted to borrow money. He said he was taking Della out on the town, but of course, we both knew he was lying. He said something about having already spent his allowance but that he’d pay me back. He looked at me like he was flirting—always has. I know you don’t see it, but a girl understands that look. I’ve seen it often enough.”
“What did you do?”
“What could I do? I go my billfold out of my bag in the drawer and ran back to the door before he followed me in. I pulled those folded bills you gave me out and before I could ask how much he needed, he snatched the whole thing. Gave me some kind of phony thank you and then went downstairs.”
“The bastard!” I was shaking with anger.
“There’s more, Michael. I’ve been meaning to tell you, but with everything that’s happened, the right time never came. You see, then I had no money to give the butcher, so I needed to run to the bank and draw some from my account. When I got there, I saw Colin coming out of our bank; heard his whistle. I ducked so he didn’t see me and when I went in, I asked Mr. Whitley about him, pretending that I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him before. Michael, Colin is using an assumed name—Devon Craig. He deposited the money I gave him and I think he’s been in there many times before. I don’t know where he’s getting the money. He only hit me up the one time. I tried not to let Mr. Whitley see the shock I was feeling, but that’s when I left to come home, to tell you about it, but you were upset about something when you came in.”
I nodded. “Yes, I was. Apparently, after you left the bank, I went in because I got a call from Butch saying the farm account was overdrawn. To make it short, Colin has gotten hold of some of my checks, forged my signature and has cleaned out the account.”
“Oh, my gosh! But Michael, he knows you’ll catch him at it.”
“That’s the point. He knows I can’t do anything about it, or he’ll call in his friends. He’s holding us hostage, Katie.”
Her head pulled backward; her eyes wide. “What are we going to do?”
“I want you to go out now and into our bedroom, like you forgot something. Then come back and begin speaking to me while in the doorway. I’ll put up a little argument and you step in, forgetting and leaving the door open to make your point. Just follow my lead from there.”
She nodded and gave me the “OK” sign.
“I’m sorry to make you a part of this, Katie.”
“You didn’t. Collin did.”
Katie went down the hall to the bedroom calling, “I’ll be right back,” in a louder, but not suspiciously loud voice. She came back and stood in my office doorway.
“I think you need driving lessons,” I told her.
“What? Just because the roads got bad and I was new at it? I’ll get my practice the way everyone does, including you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.
“You know what that means.”
“It won’t matter soon anyway,” I threw in.
“And why won’t it matter. Do you control the weather, too, Michael Quinn?”
She was doing a great job. Loud enough that anyone in the house who stopped what they were doing would be able to hear. I knew Colin must be at his bedroom door, just down the hallway in the opposite wing. Surely, he’d be listening. “The weather won’t be an issue once we move.”
“Move? We just got here!”
“What are you, a mommy’s girl? I’ve been given an opportunity to buy into aerospace in Florida. We’re moving down there so I can supervise my involvement.”
“Michael! I hate Florida. Snakes, cock roaches, old people playing gin rummy and I’m not going.”
“Oh, yes, you are. We may be down there just a few years and we may not come back at all.”
“What about The Hill?”
“I’m selling it. Costs too much to sit empty.”
“I’m not going. Divorce me if you want to, but I’m not moving to Florida and that’s final!” She slammed my office door and I could hear her stomping down the staircase and then the television came on loudly in the living area.
I leaned over the railing and shouted, “Turn that down!”
“Make me!” I slammed my own office door for good measure. Soon, there was the expected knock.
“Leave me be!”
“No, Michael, ‘tis me, Colin.”
I got up and opened the door, a mask of fury carefully affixed to my face. “What is it?”
/>
“Sounds as if ye might like an ear?”
I grabbed my office chair and fell into it, a sigh of disgust displayed my irritation. “Women!”
“Aye, I know,” he sympathized with all the smarmy opportunism of a Dicken’s character. “They can be tryin’. Remember our mother, God rest her soul.”
“You try to make money to keep them happy, but it’s got to be done their way only. Just how many damned horses do I have to sell to make this kind of money?”
He came in for the kill quickly. “She did sound like she had her heart set on stayin’, she did. Might I be of some help?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, at the moment I’m not employed. Perhaps I could be yer advance man? Scout things out and report back? I don’t think I’d be missed ere, if ye want the truth.”
“I don’t know, Colin. What do you know about the aerospace industry?”
“Probably about the same as ye. A business is a business, me brother. At least I won’t be uprooting a whole family and all these lives. Then, if ye find that it warrants yer attention, ye can come down and I’ll have everything waitin’.”
“It’s too much to ask. I’m not in a position to take in partners; it would have to be a salary-only arrangement.”
“I understand.”
“You’d really be willing to do that for me, even after our… disagreements?”
“Aye. I need a change of pace, I do. Florida over the winter sounds perfect.”
“That’s for sure. Well, maybe just for a while. It would give me a chance to fix things with Katie and keep at her until she agrees to move down.”
“Aye, that it may.”
I pretended to consider it for long moment. “Consider it done. I’ll prepare the necessary items. Can you fly out tomorrow? They wanted me there for the ground-breaking ceremony, but it was too soon for me.”
“Aye, aye, I can do it.”
“I’ll be down after some phone calls. This changes things but it might be the only way to save my financial future and my marriage at the same time.”