“You’re married to Piper? Do you have any idea what sort of person she is?” Fisher looked at Piper. Jealousy ran over Louis’s body. He’d never felt that before, the feeling of being jealous of how a man looked at a woman. Louis didn’t think he’d ever had that look when staring at his wife. “You actually love her, don’t you?”
“I do. More with every beat of my heart.” Louis’s body took another jolt then. He’d never said those kinds of words to his wife. Not even his child. But this man said it freely. Louis would bet he meant every word of it too. “We’re here to tell you we’ve taken care of your children. They’ll be going to college as they should have been.”
As he droned on about what his and Mary’s family was going to get, Louis thought of his own life. What he’d gotten out of it. It occurred to him he had nothing to show for being on this earth for the last forty or so years. Even his home had been taken from him, according to the paperwork Bonny had left him. His daughter had also written him off. Not that it mattered, he supposed. He’d gotten himself into this mess, he was going to get himself out. He looked at the man when he realized he was no longer speaking.
“Boy, do I have an investment for you, buddy. Now that we’re family, I can even give you the family discount.” Fisher picked up his paperwork, and he and Piper walked out of the room. “You need time to think about it. That’s all right. I’ll talk to you later.”
When they put him in the back of a cruiser to take him who knew where, he thought of all the things he could do now that he realized Piper had money. As soon as they were wherever they were going, he was going to make sure he wrote all his new ideas down. Yes, he thought, he’d be out of this crap by the end of the week for sure.
Chapter 8
Piper made her way to the jail. She’d been summoned, for lack of a better term, by both Mary and Louis. Somehow they had tracked her to Ohio. She didn’t have any idea what they might want, but here she was to find out. Their lives had really turned to shit, it seemed to her. Having nothing to do with what got them here, she wasn’t upset to be demanded to come here.
The jail was a small town place. She knew in the morning, they would both be taken back to their home state. While she knew they’d both be going to jail, what sort of time they’d spend there wasn’t anything that she concerned herself with.
She sat down at the table she’d been led to. Looking around, she was charmed by the place. Piper doubted there were many small town jails left. There would be none like this one. It reminded her of the one that had been on television a long time ago. Her mom and dad had watched the repeats every evening when she’d been living at home.
The room she was in, a medium sized open room, had several tables around just like the one she was at, windows with curtains on them, and plants sitting on the sills. An old fashioned pop machine worked on the honor system. You paid for your drink from the big fridge by putting the money in the empty can on the top. The chairs were a mismatched bunch, comfortable but sturdy.
She saw Mary and Louis coming toward her. Louis was limping for some reason, but Mary was talking a mile a minute to the person with her. They were both in chains, wrists and ankles, but neither of them seemed to be talking to each other. She wondered at that until they sat down.
“Why is he here?” Piper didn’t answer Mary because she didn’t know the answer. Looking at the guard who had brought her here, she put to him the same question. “He’s a bad influence. I don’t want to be seen associating with him anymore.”
“You either do this now, Mary, or you go back to your cell until tomorrow. Your sister has come all the way here to talk to you at your request, so talk or not. It’s up to you.” The trip had taken her only fifteen minutes because she’d walked. Smiling to herself, Piper looked at Louis.
“Did you want something from me, Louis?” He looked at her, and she smiled. At that moment, he looked like the teenager she remembered when they were still living at home. “Louis, you wanted to speak to me. What is it you want me to do for you before you leave?”
“Did you know about the money?” She said she’d been the one to find it. “Then why did you make sure that Bonny knew about it? Mom put that away for me to have. Not my wife. I was going to invest it in things that might well have gotten me out of here.”
“I doubt that any amount of money would have gotten you out of here, Louis. You’re being sentenced on mail fraud. That’s a serious crime. Not to mention, you took all those people’s money and didn’t have it to return to them.” He said it was his money that Mom had wanted him to have. “I understand that. But your family is in need of it more than you’re going to be where you’re going. Just chalk it up to, since you didn’t know about it, they have a nice nest egg to start over with.”
He turned his back to her as well as he could, she supposed, being in chains.
Piper looked at Mary. Mary was glaring at her as if she’d done something terribly wrong, when in fact, Piper had had nothing at all to do with either of them being arrested or held.
“You have money, don’t you?” She nodded, not really wanting to get into any kind of discussion about how much money Fisher told her they both had now. “I don’t understand how you turned out to be the one with all the money, and Louis and I are ruined. You should have just given us what we wanted, and we wouldn’t be here. It’s not fair. You understand that, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean by saying it’s not fair. I met and fell in love with someone who just happened to have money. He’s a wonderful person. I’d like to have you meet him sometime.” Mary told her no. “Suit yourself. But you’re not going to drag me down with you in this. You’ve made your bed, and now you’re going to have to learn to lie in it.”
“That’s easy for you to say, sitting there in your beautiful clothes and your hair all pretty. While I’m sitting here in a jumpsuit that has been worn by god only knows how many other people, and awaiting trial for trying to get something that should have been mine in the first place.” Piper asked her if she meant the money. “Of course, I mean the money. Don’t be obtuse. Money is what makes the world go around. I don’t have any, so I’m stuck here. I want you to try and get me a good attorney. Paddy told me I’m on my own. He actually filed for divorce.”
“I would have too had I been married to you. You nearly made him lose his company by taking what you did from it. Have you no shame for even taking Peter’s scholarship from him?” Mary told her it wasn’t any of her business. “No, I guess it’s not. None of this is. But you asked to see me, and here I am. If all you wanted to do was to rehash the things you both did to put yourself here, then I’m going to go.”
“Will you come and see us?” Louis was still turned from her when he asked. She asked him to look at her. “I’m fine the way I am. I asked if you’d come see me. While I’m in jail. My daughter won’t. I don’t care if Bonny does or not. She took my money, but it hurts me that Rachel wrote me off. Will you come and see me while I’m in prison? Bring me things if I can have them?”
“I will. I don’t know how often, but yes, I’ll come and see you if you want.” He nodded. “What sort of things would you like me to bring you, Louis? I realize I haven’t any idea what your likes or dislikes are anymore.”
“I like to read—the classics. I used to have a whole collection of them that I would read over and over. They’re from a time I thought was prim and proper.” He looked at her then. “We did you wrong. I know that now. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while here. We should have given you a break or two. At least come to see Mom. She was a good mom. We couldn’t have done better if we’d got to pick her out for us. About the books, I had a reader, but I’m betting that Bonny threw it out when she did me.”
She didn’t say anything to him. As she’d told him, she didn’t know him well and didn’t know if he was baiting her or not. Writing down to ask Bonny for the reader, she made
another note to see if he could have one when he went to prison. Piper asked Mary if she wanted anything.
“Other than getting out of here, I can’t think of a single thing.” Mary turned to look around the now empty room. “I’d like for you to come and see me too. If you’ve a mind to, that is. Also, I really like to read too. When we was growing up, before you were born, Dad used to read to us every night. Not that him stopping had anything to do with you. He just stopped, I guess. I think it was because we’d both learned how to read on our own. I’d also like to have you bring me some pictures. Pretty ones. Flowers and stuff. I don’t imagine I’ll get much of a chance to see them where I’m going.”
“I’ll check to see if you can have a plant. Would you like that?” Mary nodded and said she liked pansies. “I do, as well. They’re happy looking. I put some on Mom’s grave, along with carnations on Dad’s when I was there last.”
Mary looked at her then. There was a sadness to her eyes like she was coming to terms with something and didn’t care for the outcome of it. Without a thought to the rules, Piper reached for her sister’s hand and held it. Mary leaned her head on it and sobbed hard about how much of a fool she’d been.
The guard didn’t say anything to either of them. When Louis took her other hand, he held it to his cheek as he too cried. Overwhelmed with emotions, Piper felt her own tears fall over her cheeks. She had not expected this in coming here today. It wasn’t something she would have thought she wanted either. But she did. Piper needed it too.
When they pulled away, she did as well, wiping at her tears so they’d not say something to ruin what they’d just shared. She asked them if there was anything else she could get for them when Louis nodded.
“Do you have any pictures of you? Also, some of Mom and Dad? I’d like a couple of them if you’d not mind. I don’t know the rules on such things, but I’d like to talk to the pictures every once in a while. Talk to Mom and Dad and tell them what an imbecile I’d been.” Piper wrote it down, hiding the tears that fell again. “Also, if it would be all right, maybe you could bring your husband next time. I mean, just if he’d like to come see us. I know I’d like to get to know him better. I promise you, I won’t talk about having him give me money for any more of my projects.”
By the time she’d been told her time was up, she had a list of things that she would bring them the next time she saw them. Her heart was so full she nearly didn’t ask on her way out if some of the things on the list could be taken to them. The lady at the desk was so sweet, she handed her a box of tissues as she went over the list.
“These things might be all right, I’m guessing. But they’ll also be things that could be stolen. Like that reader thing, you have on here. You’d be better off bringing books. There aren’t too many in prison that would read a classic. I’m not saying they won’t, but your brother might stand a better chance of keeping books than he would a reader.” Piper marked that off her list. “You could also bring them things they could trade with. I don’t know a lot about prison life, mind you, but there are things they might not be able to get without some help. Also, there is a commissary. There is an account for everyone that people put money in for them to get things they won’t be given—mostly personal things like deodorant and mouthwash. Also, letters and such. That can make them feel more connected to you and the ones they won’t be able to see.”
“How much money do you think they’d need?” She told her. “All right. I can do that. I’ll set that up with my husband so they can have a couple of hundred dollars a month in it. I guess they’d be using it for things they don’t usually get given to them.”
“That’s right. Luxury items mostly. Candy if they wish. You could give them a nice warmer blanket—put their names on them. Comb, toothpaste, and such. A razor too, for both males and females. Pen and paper as well. When my uncle was in prison a very long time ago, he wanted pretty paper to write to his wife. He also sprayed some of his cologne on it. I don’t know why I’ve told you that, but there you have it.”
Armed with her list of things she could make sure they had now, she went to the local store to pick things up. She didn’t know many of the townspeople, but they seemed to know who she was. Fisher, apparently, was friends with just about all the town. Then Buck joined her as she was looking at the blankets for her brother and sister. She told him what she was doing here.
“That’s not going to be something they might need out in Nevada where they’re going to be spending time, do you think? The blankets, I mean.” Piper told Buck she’d not thought of that. “I mean, you should get them one. Just on the off chance, they might need a snuggle or two. Here, honey, let me help you with your brother’s things. That razor you have there, it’s not fit for a man unless pulling out his beard is what you want.”
With Buck’s help, she was able to get just what she needed. He made suggestions on several of the things she was getting for her sister too. He told her to buy the large candy bars so the treat would last longer. She knew then that he had a sweet tooth for all things sweet.
“How about you have dinner with this old man?” Piper laughed and told him he could pass for a brother to his sons. “Yes, well, that’s the thing about being immortal. You don’t age past a certain time in your life. You’ll see it too as the years go by. I’m an old man. I have no problem with that. But if I was a sickly man, I might be upset about having to be sick and old too.”
Telling Fisher what she was up to, he asked if he could join them. Buck was excited to have just the two of them to himself and agreed. However, it turned out to be a large family reunion as more and more of the Prince family came by to grab a bite too.
Piper loved this family. They were loud and loved to argue. Mostly she could understand what was going on but really didn’t care what the conversation was about. So long as they were good natured about it, she laughed right along with them. Sara sat down next to her.
“I wanted to thank you for hanging out with Buck today. He was feeling sorry for himself.” Piper asked her what had happened. “Nothing. Not really. He just was feeling down, and I was a little busy when he wanted me to coddle him. He doesn’t need it often, but today he did.”
“Is there anything he needs? Besides a kick in the butt?” Sara laughed and told her she thought he needed something to do. “A job? I can help him with that. Yes, I think I might have the perfect job for him.”
~*~
Fisher loved seeing Piper and his dad get their heads together. It had only been one day since she’d asked Dad for his help, and the two of them were making great strides in getting the supplies they needed to take to prisons.
“You see? Right there is what I’m talking about.” He looked at what Dad was talking about as he pointed to the computer. “The more you buy, the bigger discount you can get. Not as big as I’d like, mind you, but we can put the rest of what we get into storage. Maybe we can get the faeries to build us something bigger.”
“No.” Both he and Piper answered Dad at the same time. “Dad, if you get them to build you something bigger, you might not be able to walk from one end of it to the other. You should see Piper’s camper. I swear to you, they must have been on some sort of catnip or something when they were ‘enlarging’ it for her.”
“What do you mean?” He nodded and asked Dad to come with him. Piper was still laughing as they made their way out to the camper, which was serving as her computer office. Dad walked in first. “Oh my. Yes, oh, my goodness. You’d never tell it was this big from the outside, would you?”
Not only was there a very large working area, but the bedroom she’d had in here was as big if not bigger than the one they slept in. The bathroom had a sauna, a shower, as well as a double sink and tub. The kitchen had a double refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a table big enough to serve twelve people. Dad was laughing as he looked at the monster-sized television that took up one entire wall.
“I have five computers here too.” Piper showed Dad the computers and the monitors that were in the room. The camper had only been twenty-four feet long when it was brought here. But now it was large enough on the inside, with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a playroom, to have a family of five living there. “They’ve come in handy, I won’t lie about that, but it’s just too much for one person to work in out here. I thought we might just have someone live out here that works for us instead of me working here. I’ve not done it yet because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. They’re very proud of what they’ve done for me.”
“Yes, I can see where having them do something like this would be a bit overwhelming.” Dad opened up the fridge and handed them each a bottle of cold water. “I’m betting there isn’t an electrical outlet anywhere in here, is there? This whole thing, it’s running on magic.”
“I did ask them about that, as well as the Internet. They told me that no one would ever be able to trace anything about my computers because it’s a special connection. I didn’t ask what that meant.” They looked around for a few more minutes, laughing at some of the things that were put in. “Do you suppose they think this is larger than life, or that they’re tinier for the size? That sounded so much better in my head.”
Laughing again, they made their way back to the house. Dad was ticking off things that he needed to take care of but wasn’t going to worry over. Dad and Piper went back to the dining room table where they’d been working, and Fisher made his way to his office. There were things he had to do to get ready for later tonight.
The police had come by earlier this morning and asked him to help them find a lost child. He had expected them to be over several hours ago, but they called and told him they’d be around about four. It was going on three now. He didn’t know what they were expecting with this, but he had to mentally prepare himself for what he might find when looking for children.
Fisher: Prince of Tigers – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 11