by Dale Mayer
The detective studied Kurt. “They are right, you know? I didn’t take you at face value, and I didn’t see the value in even listening to what you had to say, and I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “And I allowed that to rule my judgment.” He looked over at Laurie Ann. “I’m really glad that you weren’t hurt in any of this.”
“Me too,” she said. “I’m exhausted. I’m worn out. I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep again.” She added, “All I’ve had is attacks and intruders. I want to know that this is over, Amos. I want to go home and hug my son and tell him what a great man he is.”
“Well, after this,” Amos said, “it should be over with. We have the younger two gang members from the B&E already in jail. They’ll be charged for the previous two attacks,” he said.
“And what about Reggie, the one in the vehicle down there?”
“He’ll be charged as well,” he said. “The problem now is cleaning up the mess. But that’s my problem, not yours.”
“Glad to hear that. So I can go back to my house?”
He nodded. “You can check outta here because we’ll have forensics in here and do a full investigation. We’ll get any other cameras that captured this latest attack, plus what we’ve got from those witnesses who were observing, and we’ll have to get yet more statements from you.”
She groaned at that. “Fine,” she said, “but I need more sleep, and I have a barbecue to plan.”
“Not a problem,” Amos said. “Head on home. We’ll contact you there.”
She looked at Kurt. “You ready to go home?”
He smiled, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and said, “Absolutely, I’m ready to go home.”
She realized just how much that word meant to both of them right now. Because they had spent a lifetime without each other, this was now a perfect time to go home. Together. After they packed up the last of their stuff, they walked down to the truck with Sabine. “Nobody’s mentioned the dog, huh?” Laurie Ann asked.
“No,” he said, “and I find that interesting too.”
“Me too. I mean, it’s a good thing. I don’t want anybody arguing about who has rights here.”
“No, and I’ll get something in writing to say that I have the right to keep her.”
She smiled. “Thank you for saving me again,” she whispered, reaching up to kiss his cheek. And then she walked around to the passenger side of the truck, opened it up, and Sabine immediately hopped in and took her spot between the two of them.
Laurie Ann gently scratched Sabine and said, “You two are saving me again.”
Sabine gave a bark that made them both laugh.
Chapter 13
“Before we go home,” Laurie Ann said, “we should stop at the pet store and get some food for her.”
“I don’t know if anything’s open, is it?”
She said, “News alert. All that mess with the cops took a lot of time. It’s almost ten.”
“Good Lord,” he said. He pulled into a pet food store, and they walked in with Sabine on her leash. They quickly bought what they needed and were shortly back in the truck and headed home.
“What about Jeremy?”
“I sent him a text and told him not to come home too early.” As they drove up, Jeremy and Frank sat on the front steps. She hopped out of the truck and went to him. She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. He looked at her and asked, “What happened, Mom?”
“All kinds of things happened,” she said, giving him a misty smile. “But I’m fine. Sabine’s fine, and Kurt’s fine,” she said. “So help us unload, will you? Then we’ll go inside and explain what happened.”
“Like what though?” he asked. “I haven’t been in the house because you told me not to.”
She nodded and let them in, pushing open the front door. “We had an intruder last night,” she said.
He looked at her in horror.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Kurt came. … I called him early in the afternoon when I saw somebody around the property. Kurt came and laid in wait for him. The guy came back last night, and Kurt caught him.”
“Jesus,” Jeremy said.
“Don’t swear,” she said automatically. He just rolled his eyes, and she sighed. “Given what we’ve been through,” she said, “that’s the least of my worries.”
She walked in, carrying a small bag of dog treats, put them down and then decided where she would put dog food. She opened the closet and motioned at the space on the floor and said, “Put her food in there.”
Jeremy dropped the twenty-pound bag, scooted it inside, and asked, “So does that mean we have a dog now?” He looked over at Sabine with interest.
She wandered around the house, looking at him from a distance.
Laurie Ann reached out a hand toward Sabine and explained. “Kids were tormenting Sabine. Those kids were all part of that same gang. She has to decide if you are on the good side or the bad side.”
“She’ll really think I’m on the bad side?”
“No, but she has to make that judgment on her own, and that depends if she ever has smelled you in the bush tormenting her,” she said lightly.
Jeremy looked down at her and said, “You know I love animals, Mom.”
She frowned, reached up, gave him a kiss and a big hug. As soon as she stepped back, Sabine was there with one paw up. Laurie Ann crouched and told her son, “Come say hi.”
He bent down and accepted the paw shake and said, “Hi, Sabine. How are you doing now?”
She gave a small bark of welcome, her tail wagging like crazy. “You see that?” she said, looking at her son. “That’s called acceptance.”
“Yeah, acceptance is big,” he said, as he looked sideways at Kurt, who leaned against the counter, somewhat close to Frank. Jeremy got up, walked over, reached out a hand, and said, “Hi, apparently you’re my father, and I’m really glad to hear that, and thank you very much for saving my mother’s life.”
“Twice,” she said, standing up, keeping a hand on Sabine. “And Sabine did too.”
Jeremy frowned, then said, “Okay, sounds like you haven’t told us an awful lot of important information here.”
“Let me put on some coffee, and also I need food,” she said, “and then, yeah, there’s a lot to tell you.”
By the time they’d all had a small belated breakfast and coffee, the telling took a couple hours. Everyone was getting hungry again, so it was time to fire up the barbecue. About an hour later, when she put the big burgers on the grill, Jeremy looked at her and said, “I’m really glad you’re okay, Mom.”
She walked over, gave him another big hug, and said, “Me too.” She took a deep breath. “And you should also know that your father and I are getting back together again.”
He stared at her in shock, looked over at his father, who looked at Jeremy as if waiting for the boom to come down on top of him. “Well, I’m really glad to hear that.”
She stopped, stared, and said, “What?”
“Well, as you know, I’m a freshman next year, and I’m thinking of college, and I was afraid—if I picked an out-of-state college and I moved there—that nobody would be here for you. I’ve still got four years of school before college, but it’s been a bit of a worry,” he said. “Now he’ll be here to look after you.”
“News flash. I don’t need anybody to look after me,” she said, staring at her son in surprise.
“I know, but, Mom, you’re lonely,” he said, “and I didn’t want to leave you all by yourself.”
Immediately she felt the tears clogging her throat. She wrapped her arms around Jeremy and held him close. “You’ve been the best son anybody could ever have,” she said, “so thank you for that.”
He looked over at his dad and said, “And I hope you’ll look after her this time.”
“If I had known last time, I would have as well,” he said. “But honestly—I know it’s hard to understand—but it was a good thing that I left.”
Jeremy said, “I
understand a little bit. I don’t know the whole story, and maybe over time we’ll get there,” he said, “but she didn’t have it easy.”
Kurt nodded and reached out a hand to Laurie Ann, and she immediately put her hand in Kurt’s. He tugged her close, wrapping an arm around her, and said, “She’ll have a much easier time from now on.” He added, “Your mother and Sabine.”
“Yeah, but do you have a job? Can you look after her? Does she have to work so hard all the time?” Jeremy complained. “And I sure as hell don’t want a deadbeat dad,” he said. “You need a viable paycheck to support yourself and the dog and Mom.”
Laurie Ann stared at her son in shock.
“Not a problem,” Kurt said. “I have a phone interview with the governor this morning.”
“The governor?” She looked at Kurt in surprise, still amazed at the change in her son.
“Yeah, they seem to think that I should be a watchdog for law enforcement.”
She looked at him, and then she started to laugh. “Oh, my God,” she said, “you would be absolutely fantastic at it.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s one of those suits-and-desks jobs. Not really my style.”
“Does it come with a paycheck?” his son asked suspiciously.
Kurt looked over at Jeremy and gave him a bright smile and said, “A big one.”
“Okay then, in that case, maybe it’s okay.” Then he stopped and said, “But don’t you have a record?”
“I had some interactions with the police in my youth, yes. But no convictions, no arrests, or I could have possibly been ineligible for the military,” he said. “That’s what your mother means when she says I’d be perfect for this position. I know both sides of the law, when it comes to how the law treats people,” he said. “I also spent a fair bit of time doing this kind of investigative work in the navy. Not to mention doing missions for and against governments all over the world.”
“Maybe you would be good at it,” Jeremy said in surprise, looking at his father with newfound respect. “The fact is, you saved the dog, and you saved my mom, and that’s good enough for me.” And, with that, Jeremy held out his hand once more and said, in a very adult voice, “Welcome to the family.”
Kurt looked at the proffered hand in shock, surprise, and admiration. Instantly his hand went out, and he shook his son’s hand. “Just so you know, I never stopped loving her.”
“Good,” he said. “And I hope you suffered for it, just like she did.”
Laurie Ann immediately admonished him. “That’s enough of that,” she said. “We both knew what had to happen. I’m just grateful that we’ve come back together again.”
“I am too, if he makes you happy.” His son slanted Kurt a hard gaze. “And if you ever make her unhappy, you know you’ll answer to me.”
It was all Kurt could do to withhold a smile. He admired his son more in that moment than he ever thought possible. “Got it,” he said, “and likewise.”
“I’m not the one who’ll break her heart.”
“There are a lot of ways to break a mother’s heart,” he said gently, “including bad behavior, … pregnant girlfriends, getting caught by the law for doing something you weren’t supposed to, and that’s a short list.” He shrugged. “I was a pro with all that.”
“Well, that’s your life. I’ve chosen a different path,” he said. “I’ll be an engineer.”
“That’s right,” Laurie Ann said with a bright smile. “I hadn’t told Kurt that. It’s been your dream since forever.”
“It’s more than a dream, Mom. Frank and I will both apply to the same universities.”
“And, if you want to get in, you will,” she said. “You’re no slouch in the brains department.”
He reached out, gently hugging her. “I got that from you, my mom, the doctor.” He looked over at his father, making Kurt smile. “And she did it while raising me.”
“I get it,” he said. “She’s done a phenomenal job.”
Frank had been a silent onlooker during all this familial exchange. Frank turned toward Kurt and asked, “But do you have an education?”
Kurt was so impressed with these two teenagers who already had their focus on college. So much suspicion was in Frank’s gaze and his tone of voice that Kurt stifled a laugh. “I do, indeed,” he said in all seriousness. “I have my master’s in political science and law enforcement and negotiation tactics. It’s all about the law, from both sides.” He watched Laurie Ann’s jaw drop. “That’s another reason why the watchdog job’s being offered to me.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said. “I know you always wanted to get a college education.”
“I just never could handle all that blood, guts, and gore that you seemed to thrive on in the medical world.”
“No,” she said with a dry tone. “You just like inflicting it.”
At that, he burst out laughing. “Well, you’ve got a point, when it comes to the gang in town,” he said. “However, it was their bad decision to come after you.” He added, “I told you, if they tried to hurt you, they would have to go through me.”
At that, the teens just grinned. Kurt looked at the two young men and said, “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry.”
“Yeah, let’s go check the burgers on the barbecue,” Jeremy said, “I never could figure out how to make this thing work properly.”
Kurt laughed and said, “Let me tell you the intricacies of barbecuing,” he said. “That’s one of my specialties—and the smoker.”
“Cool,” his son said. “I’d love to have a smoker here.”
Chapter 14
Laurie Ann watched as Kurt and the two young teens, who so badly needed a strong male role model, walked out on the deck and studied the barbecue, as if it held the answers to the universe. And maybe it did. Her world had flipped completely in the last few days. And she couldn’t be happier. When the phone rang, and she saw it was her sister, she answered the call.
Sally said, “Hey, sis. Are you okay?”
“Never better,” Laurie Ann said. “There’s been a ton of changes and a ton of some really unpleasant stuff,” she said, “but I do want to tell you that Jeremy and I are fine, that we’re okay, and that it’s all due to Kurt and to Sabine that we’re alive and well right now.” She added, “They’re here for a barbecue, and everything’s going really well.”
“And I’m sorry for what I said earlier,” her sister said in a small voice. “I’m trying to be open-minded. I guess I’m just scared. I’m scared to lose you.”
“You’re scared for yourself, and you’re scared for me and Jeremy, and I get that. We’re not trying to replace you in the family. We would just like to expand the family and bring Jeremy’s dad back home again.”
“I got it,” her sister said, her voice warming up.
“Well, if you got that much,” she said, “we have extra burgers on the barbecue. Why don’t you come and join us?”
There was a moment’s hesitation, then her sister said, “Are you sure?”
And Laurie Ann realized deep down that she’d never been more sure of anything. “Come and meet him,” she said. “I promise you’ll like him.”
“If you’re sure?”
“Absolutely,” she said, “that’s what family is all about.”
When she hung up, she walked to the fridge, popped a beer for herself and one for Kurt, and stepped outside to hear the guys talking about the best kinds of smokers. “Make sure we have room for an extra burger on there,” she said. “Your aunt’s coming over too.”
“Oh, perfect. She can meet Dad too.”
She looked up at Kurt and caught the big smile on his face at being called Dad. “I think that’s a very good idea.” She handed him a beer.
He looked at it, then her, still smiling hugely. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“You’re welcome.” She looked at the two teens and said, “No, you’re not old enough yet.”
Both boys just groaned and rolled the
ir eyes.
“I started drinking at fourteen,” Kurt said.
“No, you didn’t,” she said, staring at Kurt. “I think you probably started drinking at twelve.”
At that, the younger boys protested, wondering why they couldn’t have beers too. Kurt burst out laughing and held out a hand. She placed hers in his and let herself be pulled toward him. “To us,” he said, tapping their beer bottles together.
“I’ll drink to that,” she said and reached up and kissed him gently. Life had never looked brighter. For the first time in a very long time she knew exactly where she wanted to go and who she wanted at her side when she got there.
She lifted her beer bottle and chimed it against his once more. “To all of us. Job well done.”
Epilogue
Tucker Wilson walked across the property and stared up at the building, then gave a long whistle. “Man, you guys have worked fast,” he said. “The new house had gone up like a dream.” He looked over at Badger, who stood there with a clipboard, wearing a hardhat. “I didn’t think this was your deal?”
“Until all seven of us have houses,” Badger said, “it’s our deal.” He glanced at Tucker, noting the lifelike leg under his shorts, and asked, “How’s that prosthetic working for you?”
“Well, it’s one of Kat’s newest prototypes,” he said, stretching it out and twisting the ankle. “A waterproof model while on, apparently. I haven’t had a chance to try out that part. And, of course, I’ve got titanium knees and titanium hip joints now,” he said. “I’m almost a rebuilt bionic man,” he said with a laugh.
“Join the rest of us,” Badger said.
“I’ve got a hankering for heading home though,” Tucker said, looking at Badger sideways. “I didn’t say anything about it because I didn’t want to slow down your progress, and you’ve been such a great help getting me back on my feet.”
“That’s what we’re here for,” he said, “and, if it’s time to go home, then it’s time to go home. Nobody can tell you when and where, except for yourself.”