If that wasn’t enough, she winked at Kelly.
When Grant heard a soft giggle coming from his left, he turned toward Kelly and tried to smile at her only to have to turn back to Sybil when she spoke again.
“Okay, here is my solution, Grant. If you’re concerned about us being there alone, why don’t you just move in temporarily too? There’s plenty of room. You could stay in your old room and Sarah could stay in Alison’s old room.”
That comment brought Alison’s head around causing her long blond hair to go flying, but she didn’t say anything. She just stared at all of them intently.
Kelly, still holding Grant’s hand, squeezed it again and said, “I think that is a wonderful idea, Sybil, don’t you Sarah?” Before Grant could think of an objection, she continued, “And Sarah, it would also give you and Grant more time to get acquainted, don’t you think so Grant?”
Grant knew when he was outnumbered when he looked back at Sarah who had such a shy, pleading look on her face and it was directed at him.
He shook his head and said, “Okay, I know when I’m beat, but it’s not fair for all of you to gang up on me.”
Sarah’s face lit up and she said, “Thank you, Grant.” She turned to Sybil. “Then I’ll do it.”
Sybil lit out a hoop and said, “Great, I’ll come over tomorrow afternoon at about three and help you pack.”
Kelly said, “I can come then too and bring a van from the office to carry everything in.”
When Grant leaned back in his chair, he realized that he still had Kelly’s hand in his. He brought it up to his face and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. Immediately, he sensed movement across the table and when he looked he caught a glare from her brother.
He almost let go of Kelly’s hand, but she tightened her grip then he heard Harold clear his throat and looked up to see Kelly’s grandfather placing his hand on Wayne’s arm with a stern look on his face. When Wayne looked over at his grandfather, Harold glared at his grandson then looked directly at Grant and smiled.
Kelly, who had been watching all the looks going around the table, squeezed Grant’s hand again to get him to look at her. She leaned toward him and whispered in his ear again. “Grandfather just told Wayne to back off and then he gave you his approval to be with me.”
Wow! That was awesome. He never expected to get approval from Kelly’s grandfather so soon. He thought he’d have to do much more to earn it. He was happy, and from the look on Kelly’s face and especially in those blue, blue eyes looking up at him, she was too.
The almost perfect day ended with a fight between Alison and Stan in the back seat of Sybil’s car. When asked later, neither one of them could say what started the fight, or even what it was all about. They just began yelling at each other.
After Sybil calmed them down and separated them like two small children, Grant smiled to himself.
He knew what the problem had been. Alison had been a little too friendly with Wayne and Stan had spoken of Sonia Nordstrom a little too often.
Things just might be looking up for his sister and his best friend. He could hardly wait, but he also knew that it would probably be a rather slow stormy process.
Chapter Fourteen
On Monday morning, as had been the case so often lately, Kelly was having difficulty in concentrating. Her mind kept going over all that had happened over the weekend. Her second date with Grant had been simply wonderful. Yes, she was calling the first one a date now too. It felt so much better to call it that after all. She was so glad that she had finally consented to take that first step out of her self-imposed solitude. Of course, George wasn’t too happy with her being away from home so much lately. He not only liked for his mealtime to be punctual, but it was also his habit to use her lap for his pillow in the evenings.
As she thought more about it, going four-wheeling Saturday had probably been the biggest leap for her. She’d never done anything at all like that before, and she had thoroughly enjoyed it. She also thought that she may have a new friend now, in Alison. She liked Alison. Kelly thought that Alison was similar to her in many ways. They both found it difficult to trust others outside their immediate circle of family. They both had suffered by not having parents around to guide them in the ways they needed.
Kelly was rather surprised when her phone rang and it was Alison. She quickly cleared her mind of all the swirling thoughts that had been there, especially those about Alison.
“Kelly, I really appreciate all you did over the weekend for me and my family.”
Kelly could feel the “but” coming.
Alison continued and proved Kelly right. “And I really think you and I might become friends, but, right now, I just need some time and space to process everything and think through all the changes in my life in the past few weeks.”
Kelly thought that if she simply waited Alison out, she’d complete her thoughts out loud.
“Okay, I know it sounds like I’m being childish about the whole thing, but yesterday was just way too much for me to handle. What with Sarah looking so much like me, and Stan being there, not to mention your brother coming on to me too.”
“Alison, I can explain about Wayne. . .”
“No need, I can spot a habitual flirt a mile off. I know he’s harmless. It’s just that everything hit me so hard and so fast that I’ve just got to back off for a few days. Can you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, Alison, I know exactly what you are saying.” She took a deep breath and plunged in. “You see, until your brother came into my life, I’d never had anything to do with any boy or man.” She laughed. “And it’s still a little overwhelming to me with everything moving so quickly.”
Alison’s tone changed abruptly. “Is my brother coming on to you too strong? Is he bothering you, Kelly? Because, if he is I’ll make him back off right now.”
Kelly was surprised at the leap that Alison had taken. “No, no Alison, Grant has been a perfect gentleman and has also been very understanding and sweet with me.”
Kelly knew Alison’s mood had changed totally when she said, “Sweet? My brother? You’re kidding, right? You have got to be talking about somebody else’s brother, not mine.”
They laughed together and soon said their good byes.
Kelly took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She wondered if talking to Alison was always this intense. But the more she thought about it though, the more she just knew she and Alison were going to be good friends.
She was just getting her mind back on her work when Darla buzzed her that Grant was here to see her.”
“Send him right back, Darla.”
* * *
When Grant walked into Kelly’s office, she was, as before, standing next to one of the chairs in front of her desk.
He was surprised when she reached out and took his hand in both of hers in more of a personal way than a mere handshake. He couldn’t keep from staring into her eyes as they lit up when she smiled at him.
They both started to talk at once, so when they both stopped, Grant said, “Sorry! You first.”
They both laughed and Kelly said, “I just wanted to say again how much I enjoyed the whole weekend.”
Grant laughed. “That’s exactly what I was going to say, too.”
They laughed together again.
Grant decided that he needed to get right to the point, so he leaned forward in his chair. “Kelly, I want to ask you to do something for me, and I hope you won’t think I’m taking advantage of you by doing so.”
“What is it you want me to do, Grant?”
Grant was shocked to see that Kelly was blushing now. He wanted to reassure her quickly.
“First, I must ask you not to tell anyone except Sybil and Sarah and maybe your grandparents.” When she nodded, her face grew more puzzled.
“Well, when General Walker came to the police station to talk to us last week, he told us that what he was looking for in Harry’s things was a thumb drive with some data on it that
would implicate those involved in a black market ring operating through Air Force bases in Europe and here in the U.S. as well.”
He paused to let her digest that, hoping to reassure her soon. “So, what I’m asking you to do is to get Sarah, Sybil, and your grandmother to help you look for that thumb drive this afternoon when you help Sarah pack her things at your grandparents’ home and later unpack it all at Sybil’s house. You might tell Sarah that it could be in something personal that Harry gave her recently.”
For some reason, Kelly looked relieved. He could see now that she must have expected something drastic, but finally realized it wasn’t so bad after all. Man, he had really blown that one. He just wasn’t used to talking to normal sensitive women like Kelly.
“Yes, Grant, I’ll be glad to do that for you, and I’m sure the others will be willing as well.”
“Great.” He swallowed, took a deep breath and said, “Kelly, I’m sorry about the way I just said all that.” When she started to protest, he said, “No, let me explain. You see, I’m so used to talking to women who are totally different from you. They’re usually hard and often even mean, and I don’t ever want to talk to you that way again. I’ve got to learn how to do better.”
She was smiling at him now. “Will you help me, Kelly? If I get to talking to you like that again, just tell me, please?”
“Yes, Grant, I will.”
Suddenly Kelly got a strange, thoughtful look on her face. She started to say something then stopped. She opened her mouth a second time then closed it again.
Grant was getting concerned now. What was wrong with her? “Kelly, is something wrong?”
She shook her head and said, “No, I’m fine. I just thought of something I’d like to ask you, but frankly I’m afraid to do so.”
Grant didn’t know what to think now. “Kelly, you must know by now that I care a great deal about you.” She blushed. “And because of that, you can ask me anything you want to ask.”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly and began. “Please don’t be offended, Grant, but I would like to know what your relationship with the Lord is.”
Having said that, she almost collapsed in her chair.
Grant’s first thought was, ‘Was that all that was bothering her.’ Then he thought about it for a moment. He’d always felt that was a question no one had a right to ask except maybe Sybil. Then he thought about what he had just said to Kelly about caring for her. If he ever wanted her to return his feelings, he’d have to be open and honest with her about everything in his life.
Kelly blushed again. “It’s okay, if you don’t want to answer that question Grant.”
Grant finally found his voice. “No, Kelly, it’s all right. I just wasn’t prepared for that kind of question.”
He paused, thinking desperately about how to answer her without sounding trite or vain. “Okay, here goes.” Did he say that aloud? He certainly didn’t mean to do so.
“Sybil brought Alison and me up in church and we both accepted the Lord and were baptized when we were ten or eleven.”
He had hoped that would be enough for her, but the way she was leaning toward him with an expectant look on her face told him that it wasn’t going to be.
“So, I guess, once I left her house and went out on my own, I haven’t really gone to church much.” At the disappointed look on her face, he added, “But, I do read my Bible some and pray, and I try to be a good Christian. But sometimes I don’t do as well as I should. Being a cop makes it hard.”
She was smiling again and Grant didn’t even want to analyze why that made him feel terrific.
“Thank you Grant. I’m so happy to hear that.”
He knew there was something else she wanted to ask him. It was written all over her face.
He reached out to her and she clasped his hand. “Go ahead, Kelly. Remember, I just said you can ask me anything.”
“Okay, will you go to church with me Sunday?”
He felt the effects of her smile down to his toes. “Yes, Kelly, I’d be happy to.”
* * *
Kelly was in a great mood on her way over to her grandparents’ estate driving a full-size van that was usually used for picking up parts from other dealerships and auto parts stores. She was going to help move Sarah in with her sister, Sybil.
Kelly just thought of a side benefit of this. Since Grant was going to stay there for a while too, she would probably see him when she visited Sarah, And she really did want to visit with Sarah. As she thought about it though, she included her sister, Sybil too. Kelly really liked Sybil even though she was almost the opposite of Sarah in personality. She seemed like a fun person to be with.
When Kelly entered the parking court, she backed the van up to the garage that held all of Harry’s things and some of Sarah’s non-essential things. Sybil’s car was there, but there was no sign of the others so she went inside and on up to the bedroom suite where Sarah had been staying.
When she walked into Sarah’s sitting room, the three women, her grandmother, Sarah, and Sybil were sitting there drinking iced tea and talking.
Beth smiled and said, “Ah, here is Kelly now. We were just saying that you should be here soon, and here you are. Won’t you sit for a moment and have an iced tea with us.”
She motioned to the small table next to her where an extra glass of iced tea was sitting.
Kelly picked up the glass and sat on a love seat next to her grandmother.
Sybil, who was sitting next to her sister on another love seat, turned toward Kelly and said, “We were just saying that it sure would be nice when they get these murders solved and we can all return to our normal lives.” She groaned and said, “Sorry Sarah, I don’t imagine anything will seem normal to you for quite a while.”
They all nodded or made affirmative comments.
Kelly took a deep breath and began. “Grant has asked us if we would look for something while we are packing and unpacking today.”
They all leaned toward her and Sarah said, “But not only have we, but also the police, have already looked through all of Harry’s and my things.”
“Yes, but that was when we didn’t know what we were looking for, now we do.” She held up a thumb drive that she had brought from her office. “This is what we’re looking for. General Walker told the police that Harry had a thumb drive just like this that he had given to Harry to keep for him. General Walker said it had some incriminating evidence on it about some black market activity going on in the Air Force.”
When that had settled, Kelly continued. Looking at Sarah, she said, “Sarah, Grant said to tell you that it could be inside of something of yours, maybe even something that Harry had recently given you.”
Sybil jumped up and clapped her hands. “Well, that certainly changes things. Now we know what we’re looking for.” She looked around at the others. “Ladies, let’s get started.”
Everyone but Sarah came to their feet and started to go into Sarah’s bedroom. Kelly noticed first and turned back to Sarah. “Are you okay, Sarah?”
Sarah continued staring at her iced tea glass without saying anything. Finally, she got to her feet and walked past the others into her bedroom still without speaking. She walked to the side of the bed and reached across to where several stuffed dogs were positioned between the two pillows. She picked up a white poodle and held it at arm’s length just staring at it.
Finally, she looked at the others gathered in the doorway. “Years ago, Harry began the habit of giving me a stuffed dog just before he left on some sort of assignment or deployment. He said it would help me think of him. He gave me this one shortly before he left for Afghanistan that last time.”
Tears came to her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. She swiped at them with a hand then began to poke and squeeze the toy until her head jerked back and she said, “I think there is something inside it.”
She continued to just hold the dog in hands that had gone limp. So Kelly stepped up next to her and took it w
hen Sarah held it out to her. She began an inspection of the seams of the stuffed toy. Immediately, she found a tiny zipper that was virtually hidden by the seam on both sides of it. She unzipped it and reached inside with her index finger and pulled out a thumb drive very similar to the one she had placed on the table in the sitting room.
“That must be it.” Sybil said when no one else seemed able to talk.
They all went back into the other room and sat back down. All eyes were on Sarah who was looking at the thumb drive that Kelly had handed her. Then she placed it on the table a few inches from Kelly’s thumb drive.
Beth looked at her granddaughter and said, “What do we do now?”
Kelly placed her right hand in her purse to grab her cell phone. As she was doing so, there was a commotion in the hallway outside the room. “We need to call Grant and tell him.”
Two men with ski masks over their heads and faces came through the doorway with guns in their hands. The one in the lead said, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
He motioned with his gun. “All of you stand over there against that wall.”
There were scuffling sounds coming from the hallway then a soft thud followed by a loud thud as if something big hit the floor.
Another masked man stepped into the doorway. “I found Cochran. He’ll be out for a while.”
The first man said, “Tie and gag him.”
While everyone’s attention was on the third man in the doorway, Kelly looked down long enough to be able to hit the speed dial number for Grant’s cell phone. Then she took her hand out of her purse and left the purse open hoping that when Grant answered, he would not only figure out what was going on but that the others wouldn’t hear his voice before he did.
Her next thought was about the thumb drive. Could she somehow hide the real one and let them take the blank one? She stole a glance down at the table and Harry’s thumb drive which had been on the side next to Sarah was gone and the one next to Kelly which had to be hers was still there. She didn’t dare look at Sarah, but she knew that somehow Sarah had hidden it.
Lost Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 1) Page 23