“I’m taking off too,” Joe added, and after goodbyes were said, the two men left.
“When did this happen?” Conner asked, returning to their conversation. “The tampering with the model homes, I mean.”
“Monday,” Erik replied, and Conner shook his head.
“Then I don’t think Sherman is involved. Unless it’s for spite. Or else he forgot to inform Burns that he left town a couple of weeks ago, to begin construction on an office complex in Ranier.”
“Really,” Erik said with interest.
“Yes,” Conner confirmed. “I’m assuming you suspect Burns is in league with a contractor, and that they want you guys losing the contract, so they have a shot at stepping in.”
“That’s right,” Erik replied. “Especially since Burns seems to be involved. The only reason he would be, is if he thought he’d benefit in some way.”
“I agree,” Conner said. “Sherman doesn’t have what it takes to handle Pine Mountain, and another project at the same time. I’m not sure any of us do. So either he neglected to tell Burns to lay off, his motive is spite, or he isn’t involved.”
“I call C,” Amber said with certainty. “If Sherman skipped town and left Burns with all the risk of discovery and prosecution, and without recompense, Burns would turn on him.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Erik concurred. “That leaves Burns as our only suspect, at the moment.”
“We’ll prove he’s involved,” Amber said with confidence. “When we do, he’ll name his accomplices.”
“Good luck to you, and if I can help, let me know,” Conner replied. “I’ve got to admit, this has me a little shaken up. Whoever’s responsible might not stop with Pine Mountain. Especially once they realize they’ve failed. Sheila, make a note to hire security, once we begin construction on Oasis.”
“I’ll do that,” Sheila said, and did.
After devoting a few more minutes to catching up in areas that had nothing to do with their mystery, Erik and Amber went on their way.
The mid-afternoon sun reduced the morning’s ice and snow to slush. It rose in sheets of spray on each side the vehicle, as Erik navigated his SUV through the city streets.
“I really thought Sherman was our guy,” Erik admitted.
“If he is, then we’ll hear about it soon,” Amber reasoned. “Either that, or Sherman will pay Burns to keep quiet.”
“Or, they’ll blackmail each other,” Erik considered. “Neither wants to be caught. Burns wouldn’t gain much from a ‘he told me to’ defense.”
Amber laughed at the thought.
“You’re right. If that’s the case, we’re almost out of leads to follow.”
“We’re not likely to gain much by questioning Burns,” Erik pointed out.
“You’re right again,” Amber replied. “That means our best source of information, is the two guys your brother found.”
“Okay… I don’t know about you, but I’m not skilled in the art of interrogating dead people.”
“What a pity. But really, there’s no need to go to such extremes. Unless you’re on an episode of Ghost Trackers.”
“I’m not, and don’t intend to be. So what’s your plan? I know you have one. I can practically hear the gears turning,” Erik replied.
“Step one, call your brother. Step two, tell him not to call the sheriff office, until he hears from us. Step three, visit the address on Randall Jerome’s vehicle registration.”
“And then what?” Erik’s eyebrows knit.
“The ‘what,’ will depend on whether or not someone answers the door, and what we learn when they do. If they do.”
“What we won’t do, is tell them Randall Jerome died in the storm,” Erik pointed out.
“Wouldn’t that be awkward! For so many reasons. Not to mention cruel,” Amber agreed. She had her phone in her hand, her eyes moving rapidly across the screen. “Unless he recently acquired a girlfriend, didn’t bother to update his Facebook relationship status, and she moved in with him, chances are good that he lives alone.”
“What about a roommate?”
“In a one-bedroom?” she raised an eyebrow.
“How do you know how many bedrooms it has?” Erik wondered.
“I got the name of the complex from Google earth, and floor plans from their website.”
Amber caught the admiring glance Erik gave her, and smiled. He looked impressed.
“I’m so glad your parents convinced me to accept your offer to help. Otherwise, I think all I’d know, is that a guy picked up our counters, drove off with them on a flatbed trailer, and that his license plate contained the letters HUG.”
“Hardly,” Amber rolled her eyes. “You’re being way too modest. Everything we’ve accomplished, we accomplished together. We make a good team.”
“I think so too,” he smiled.
“Look—that’s it. On the right,” she said, and pointed to an apartment complex. “Look for building number three.”
Erik turned in at the Villa Vista sign, and slowly drove through the complex. He and Amber watched for building three.
“Is there another entrance?” he wondered. “Seems kind of strange to start with building ten…”
“And then jump to four,” Amber pointed. “They’re not in order.”
“How convenient. Let’s hope ten is as high as it goes,” he replied.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t go lower than one,” she said, and he laughed a little.
“A few negative numbers would make just as much sense as this does. But look, there it is.”
Amber followed his gaze to building three. The apartments on one side faced a grassy area and building seven. Those on the other, faced two rows of parking spaces, a fence, and a drop-off. Down below, a bank and a set of office buildings, occupied a distant portion of the large dirt lot.
Erik parked in one of the many vacant spaces.
“The place looks practically abandoned,” he commented.
“It’s Thanksgiving week. These are one-bedrooms. This is a college town. Just about everyone who has a home to go home to, has,” she reasoned.
“Good point,” he conceded. “We’re not likely to find anything here.”
“You never know,” she shrugged. “Call your brother.”
“Yes, dear,” he said tolerantly. “Has anyone ever told you you’re kind of bossy?”
“Never,” she said, with a toss of her head. “Now hurry up, and call!”
Erik laughed, and did.
ROB glanced at his ringing phone. It was a welcome distraction from his and Samantha’s conversation. As desperate as he was to have her back, the kid thing threw him for a loop. He needed time to think. And pray, he needed to do that, before they talked about this anymore. Judging by the look on her face, he wasn’t the only one glad to have a reprieve.
“It’s Erik,” Rob said, and tapped the screen to answer.
“Rob. Have you called the sheriff?”
“No.”
“Then hold off on that, until you hear from me.”
“Why?” Rob wondered.
“Because Amber says so.”
“Because—Amber says so? What for?”
“I have no idea. Amber, why don’t you want Rob calling the sheriff?”
Rob heard Amber’s voice in the background.
“What do you mean, in case no one’s there?” he heard Erik say. He couldn’t make out Amber’s reply.
“We’re going to what?” Erik exclaimed.
“Am I interrupting something?” Rob asked.
“What? Yes. I mean, no. Don’t call the sheriff, until you hear from me! Amber, wait up!”
Rob heard two doors slam shut, then the soft tone told him their call was disconnected.
Samantha looked at him curiously.
“What was that all about?” she wondered.
“I have no idea… but I think it’s safe to say, your little sister has my little brother wrapped around her finger.”
ERIK locked his vehicle with the press of a button, as he hurried after Amber. She smiled to herself as he caught up with her.
“Hello, stranger. What took you so long?”
Erik rolled his eyes a little.
“Logic, reason, common sense, self-preservation… You can’t seriously mean what you said. I hope,” he retorted.
“The first thing to do, is see if someone answers. If they do, then no,” she replied.
“Amber, you’re starting to scare me,” Erik said quietly. “I’m having flashbacks of last night.”
Amber stopped in her tracks, and turned to face him. He nearly plowed her over, in the process. She clutched the front of his coat, and looked up at him seriously.
“Erik, here’s what I’m thinking. This is our only lead. This is our last chance at finding out who’s behind this. The people who tried to blow up your house are dangerous. Well… I guess that’s not true. Not anymore. But whoever is behind this, is. It stands to reason it isn’t Burns. He’s following orders, like Jerome and Stilton. If we don’t figure out who’s giving those orders, then is it reasonable to think they’ll stop? That they’ll go mind their own business, after this? We need to catch the bad guy. To do that, we need to follow the only lead we have. We’ll be careful. It’ll be fine. My cousin does this all the time.”
“Yes, and buys drinks for strange guys in bars,” Erik reminded her. “I’m not sure your cousin is who you should be trying to emulate.”
“I’m not—exactly. And… We’re a team, Erik. If you don’t think we should do this, then… we won’t,” she replied. She also looked up at him mournfully. A puppy dog had nothing on her, he thought wryly.
“I don’t feel comfortable—at all—with breaking and entering, even if the guy who lived here is deceased,” Erik pointed out.
“Of course not!” she said, as if that was the furthest thing from her mind. “We would never break. We’d merely enter. If no one answered the door, of course.”
“Of course,” he said dryly.
“And, if you’re willing,” she added seriously. Erik looked back at her soberly, and sighed.
“I’m not. I don’t feel right about this. And I’m not convinced this is our only lead. There’s also Burns. That’s who we need to focus on. I’m sorry, Amber, but I’m not your cousin.”
Amber looked back at him briefly, then hugged him.
“Don’t be sorry. Most of the family thinks he’s a sociopath, anyway.”
“Okay… that would explain a lot,” Erik laughed in surprise, as he returned her hug. He couldn’t tell if she was serious, or not.
“No one could think you’re anything but honest and sincere, and… I don’t want you to be anything else,” she said earnestly. What she said, the way she said it, and the look in her eyes, resulted in a wave of affection for her, that almost overwhelmed him. Amber hugged him tighter for a moment, then released him. “So, come on. We’ve got a couple of hours before it’s time for Thanksgiving dinner at Meadowbrook Church. We’ll go hang out with Caleb, and come up with a strategy for investigating Burns.”
“You’ve matured a lot, since last night,” Erik smiled, as they turned and walked back to his vehicle.
“Really? So… how old am I now? In Erik-years,” she teased.
He laughed, and glanced at her.
“I’d say you’re catching up to me.”
Amber smiled.
Chapter 17
ROB waited until he heard the water running in the bathtub, then took his phone out of his pocket. He selected Erik’s number on his way into the bedroom, then closed and locked the door behind him.
“Hi, Rob. What’s going on?” Erik answered.
“Is Amber with you?”
“No. I dropped her off at her apartment so she could get ready for church, then came back to our place so I could do the same thing. I’m picking her up in about fifteen minutes. So what’s going on?”
“How’s the investigation?” Rob asked.
“Great. We got a lot done today, and have pretty much ruled out Whitman and Sherman. We also discovered that Burns has been telling people we’re behind, which he’d only believe, if he was in on it. Our plan is to focus on him, since he’s all that’s left on our suspect list.”
“He’s working for someone,” Rob said.
“He couldn’t benefit, otherwise,” Erik agreed. “But who he’s working for, we don’t know. How are you doing?”
“The storm is still going strong. The wind stopped for a while, but the snow was falling so thick, it was impossible to see. Now it’s raging again. Is Samantha seeing someone?”
“What? No, I don’t think so…. Amber would know, if she was. They share an apartment. She’s praying you guys get back together, which she wouldn’t, if Samantha was seeing a guy Amber liked. And if she didn’t like him, he wouldn’t stand a chance. Their parents haven’t said anything… and besides, I don’t think that’s something Samantha would do. Do you?”
“No,” Rob admitted, as relief flooded him. “She wouldn’t.”
“Okay… then I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. So, why are you?” Erik wondered.
“We’re so close to getting back together. I’m afraid something will get in the way. She wants kids, and I don’t know if I can do that.”
Erik bit his tongue to keep from saying Rob already had.
“Why do you think that?” he asked, instead.
“I don’t want that, I never have. Kids should have a dad that wants them, not one that doesn’t.”
“No one knows that better than we do, but do you really not want kids? Or are you afraid?”
“Yes, I’m afraid! Aren’t you?”
“I never thought about it much, until this week. But no, I’m not. Kids can be really great,” Erik said. Especially Rob’s son. If his older brother just knew… but he didn’t, and it wasn’t Erik’s place to tell him. “I do want kids, someday.”
“Wow. You must really like Amber,” Rob said in amazement.
“I do,” Erik replied, wondering what prompted that abrupt change in subject.
“Aren’t you afraid of turning out like our father?” Rob wondered.
“No. I don’t have to be like him, any more than he had to be like Grampa. I have a choice. You do, too.”
Rob digested that in silence for a moment.
“Earlier today, Samantha was asleep on the couch. She talks in her sleep, and what she said, made me think she was seeing someone. And… I felt such intense anger.”
“And then what?” Erik prompted. Even though the event was passed, he found himself praying.
“I got up and went in the bedroom, and asked God to help me, over and over. And… it was really hard. But eventually I calmed down, and those feelings went away. And then, after that, Samantha came in and we talked. She said she doesn’t love anyone else. She said she loves me. But she wants kids. I don’t think that’s negotiable.”
“Accept that, and don’t try,” Erik promptly replied. “But listen, this is important. You turned to God, instead of turning into a raging monster. The Holy Spirit is working in you.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Rob said. The thought cheered him.
“I want you to realize something else. You’re going to be tested. The devil doesn’t want you following God. The devil’s goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. Now that you’re a believer, expect to be under attack, like you were today. Stand firm, like you did today. Turn to God, instead of turning to anger, or anything else. No matter what.”
“Great, I have something else to worry about,” Rob said wryly.
“‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus,’” Erik replied.
“Where is that?” Rob asked, reaching for his notepad.
“Philippians f
our, verses six and seven. Don’t forget the part about thanking Him for all He has done. Without that, your focus will remain on what you need, instead of on His faithfulness to provide. So remember what He’s done, and thank Him for it. Then you’ll have that peace. Remember also, Jesus prayed in John chapter seventeen, that we who believe will be protected from the evil one. He’s at God’s right hand, interceding for us right now. You’ve got backup, like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Thanks. I needed to hear that,” Rob admitted.
“No matter what you face, trust God. Stay focused on Jesus. Think of every obstacle in life as a test. The right answer, every time, is to stay focused on Jesus, on becoming Christ-like, and on the big picture, which is eternity with Him.”
“Stay focused,” Rob said, as he wrote down his brother’s words. “Got it.”
“Have you shared your concerns with Samantha? About being a dad?” Erik wondered.
“No,” Rob answered.
“You should. Maybe she can help you work through some of that. At least she’ll understand where you’re coming from. Your reluctance isn’t based on a dislike of kids. I think she needs to know that.”
“Okay… I will, then. I told her I needed some time to think, and that we’d talk about this again later.”
“Good. I need to pick up Amber, now… is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
“No, that does it. Thanks, Erik.”
“No problem. Call anytime, and know I’m praying for you.”
AMBER smoothed her blond curls with her fingers, then applied lip gloss. After taking a turn in front of the bathroom mirror, she glanced at her watch, and headed for the door of her apartment.
She heard the buzzer, and smiled.
“You’re right on time,” she said, as she pressed the intercom button.
“A wise man once told me never to keep a lady waiting,” Erik replied.
“And who was this wise man?” she smiled.
“My grandfather, of course. Anything worth knowing, I learned from him,” Erik answered.
“Then he truly is wise. Come up if you want, I’m almost ready,” Amber said, pressing the button to allow him entrance.
“I’m on my way,” he replied.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door, and Amber opened it.
Disengaged (Terms of Engagement Book 3) Page 28