Guarding the Babies

by Sandra Robbins

  She wondered if he was thinking about the days when he’d played with her in Ilex, and they traveled all over the South, trying to break into the music world. And it had happened one night in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when a record producer caught their act in a bar and expressed interest in having them send some of their songs to him.

  At first, Cole had been all for it, but she realized later it was only because he didn’t think it would go anywhere. When the producer had offered them a contract, things changed abruptly. In the end, he dropped out of the band, and she went to Music City to pursue her dream while he stayed behind in Jackson Springs. She’d wanted him to keep his partnership in Ilex, the botanical name for Holly that he’d given the group, but he refused. Their parting had not been a cordial one, and she’d wondered many times over the years since if there was something else she could have done to make him stay in the group. That didn’t matter now, though. They both had their lives, and they’d outgrown that closeness they’d once shared.

  She sensed movement at the computer-controlled console where Tim, the audio technician, and Ben, the light technician, were working. Glancing over at Ben, Tim said, “Ready to bring the lights up,” and Holly directed her attention back to the stage.

  The lights slowly lit up the stage to reveal Jason and his band, The Mavericks, poised and ready to play. She leaned forward in her chair and watched as Jason gave the downbeat, and the bass player began a repetitive rhythmic pattern that blared from the stage. The crowd went wild. As Jason and the other members joined the bass, Holly knew from the looks on their faces that they were experiencing the thrill of connecting with their audience. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes as she let the music speak to her soul. Jason had really found the sound that roots rock had become known for. A sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she opened her eyes and turned to Cole. His eyes were locked on the stage.

  Then he turned to her and smiled. “He’s really nailed it, hasn’t he? He’s got the twelve bar forty-eight beat structure, and those syncopated rhythms are off the charts. I can’t believe the way he’s flattened those notes and combined them with breakdowns from bluegrass. I think I have underestimated the boy.”

  With that said, he directed his attention back to the stage, but Holly couldn’t take her eyes off him. When he had tried to convince her to stay, he’d told her that he didn’t care anything about music, that he’d only gone along with the band idea because she’d wanted it. But she’d known even then that he was lying—to himself if not to her. Music used to light him up. Apparently, it still did. The rapt attention he was giving the performance told her that he still had the love that filled you with the greatest joy when performing. So why had he been so willing to give it up? Even years later, she still didn’t understand. After a few minutes, she shook her head and directed her attention back to Jason and his band. She supposed she would never have the answer to that question.

  There was only one group left to perform after The Mavericks, but Holly and Cole had decided they would leave before the concert ended in hopes of getting away from the building before anyone saw them. As soon as Jason left the stage, Cole leaned over. “Are you ready to go?”

  She nodded, grabbed her jacket that she’d taken off earlier and pulled the cap back down on her head. “Yes. Let’s go.”

  She shook hands with Tim and Ben and thanked them for letting her and Cole sit with them. Then they were out the door and headed to the elevator. Holly was glad that this floor was closed to concertgoers, as they reached the doors without seeing anyone. Once on the ground floor, they walked toward the exit where Cole had parked the car.

  The minute they stepped outside the building, a swarm of people converged from out of nowhere and surrounded them. She gasped in shock as her gaze darted over the group. Some she could tell were reporters due to their cameras with telescopic lenses. Others appeared to be attendees armed with cell phones in video mode, and they were recording every move she made. By morning, she and Cole would be pasted all over social media. But worst of all were the questions reporters were screaming at her.

  “Is it true that there have been two attempts to kidnap your niece and nephew since you’ve been in Jackson Springs?”

  “Have you increased your security because of these threats?”

  “Has this changed your plans for your scheduled tour?”

  She wanted to cover her ears, close her eyes and wait for the noise and chaos and badgering to just go away...but years of experience had taught her better. She couldn’t bring herself to respond to the insensitive questioning that hit her right where her heart was most vulnerable, but she could—and did—keep her head up and her expression fixed and calm as she looked for any opening through the converging crowd.

  Suddenly Cole’s voice roared above all the noise. “Get away from her!”

  He wrapped his arm around her and shoved a reporter out of their way as he tried to make a path to the car. “Get out of our way,” he snarled as he guided her through the crowd.

  She relaxed against him and let him pull her forward until they reached the car. Then he jerked the door open, pushed her inside and closed it. Before she had her seat belt on, he was in the driver’s seat, and they were pulling onto the street that ran in front of the convention center. Once they were safely away from the clamor that had surrounded them, she exhaled and straightened. “Thank you, Cole, for helping me back there.”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror, checking to see if they were being followed, and shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Holly. Someone must have leaked the word that you’d be there tonight.”

  “It’s not your fault. I’m just thankful you were with me.” She was quiet for a minute before she spoke again. “I shouldn’t have gone.”

  He glanced over at her, a surprised expression on his face. “I thought you had a good time.”

  “I did while I was there, and I’m glad I got to hear Jason’s band play. They’re really good.”

  Cole chuckled. “Yeah, they are. I know they have quite a following in this area, but I’ve kidded him about how it hurts my ears. It’s different from the country music we used to make.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “It sure is.” A tear formed in the corner of her eye and trickled down the side of her face.

  “I just wanted to be normal for one night.”

  He jerked his head around and stared at her. “What do you mean?”

  She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat before she spoke. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for how God has blessed me with my music, but sometimes I wish I had my old life back.”

  “Holly, I...” He stopped as if he didn’t know how to finish his sentence.

  She reached over and squeezed his arm. “It’s okay. It’s just that every time I go out, there are people there snapping my picture and yelling questions at me. I just want to go to a restaurant or a movie and blend in with the crowd. I don’t want to be singled out all the time. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded. “Perfectly. That must be very hard on you.”

  A sudden thought hit her, and she squeezed his arm tighter. “Is that why you didn’t come with me? Because you didn’t want to take a chance that success would take over your life?”

  He didn’t take his eyes off the road as they drove through the night toward her house. He gripped the steering wheel harder, and his teeth clenched. “That’s part of it, I guess. But I knew I didn’t have the drive to succeed like you did. I didn’t want to be there when you figured out that I was just dead weight you were having to carry around.”

  His words shocked her, and she gasped. “Cole, I would never have thought that. I loved you.”

  “And I loved you, too. I thought you deserved better than a guy whose big ambition had always been to become a cop.”

  “Cole, please don’t say...”

 
; “I came after you, you know.”

  His words washed over her like she’d just been hit with a bucket of ice water, and she turned to stare at him. “What did you say?”

  He didn’t look at her as he spoke. “About a year after you left, I couldn’t stand being parted from you any longer, and I came to Nashville to find you. I wanted to tell you I’d do anything if you’d give me one more chance.”

  “B-but I never saw you.”

  “I saw you, though,” he said. “You were performing at a little bar down on Broadway close to Ryman Auditorium, and I stood in the back of the room and watched you. I saw how the crowd connected with you and how you were right where you needed to be. I knew that night you were right on the verge of making it big, and I decided I’d been right to let you go. So I turned around and walked out.”

  Another tear ran down her cheek, and she wiped it away. “Oh, Cole, things might have been so different if I’d known you were there.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No. Everything worked out just the way it was supposed to.”

  She started to protest, but he turned into the driveway of her house. He pulled to a stop, came around the car and opened her door. When he took her arm and guided her up the front steps, she knew their conversation had ended. Todd stood on the front porch with his arms crossed in front of him.

  “Good evening, Miss Lee. Detective Jackson,” he said.

  “Hello, Todd,” she said. “How have things been around here tonight?”

  “Very quiet. Did you have a good time?”

  She sighed. “Up until we ran into a swarm of reporters. Somehow, they’ve gotten wind of the attempts on the twins, so I imagine they’ll be camped on our front yard by morning.”

  “We’ll be prepared for them, ma’am.”

  She smiled and turned back to Cole. “Thank you again for taking me tonight. I had a really good time.”

  “I enjoyed it, too.” He turned to leave but suddenly froze and walked over to where she stood. “On second thought, why don’t we all go inside for a few minutes?”

  The tone of his voice sent chills down her spine. “What’s the matter, Cole?”

  “Inside. Now, Holly,” he ordered as he raised his eyebrows at Todd.

  She opened the door, and the three of them filed into the entryway. Once inside, Cole shut the door and turned back to them. “I saw movement in the trees to the right of the house. It could have been an animal, but it looked too big. Todd, you stay here with Holly. I’ll go out the back door and circle around to see if there’s somebody out there watching the house.”

  Holly’s heart pounded, and she reached out for Cole. “Be careful.”

  “I will be.” He glanced at Todd. “Are any of your men out back?”

  “Ray’s on the back porch. I’ll text him and tell him you’re coming by.”

  “Cole...” she said, but it was too late. He was already striding toward the rear of the house.

  * * *

  Ray raised his hand in greeting but didn’t say anything as Cole prowled past him and out into the dark night. Evidently, he had gotten the message. Cole gave a slight nod and eased out into the shadows that covered the backyard.

  The tree line of a forest that started next to the property and spread up the mountain sat to the right of the house, and Cole crept to it. A cloud covering the moon had blocked out what little light he’d had before. Now all he could see was the black void beyond the trees. Maybe he’d only thought he saw movement. It could have been a tree branch blowing in the breeze.

  He stopped and listened for anything that seemed out of place. At first, he heard nothing, but then the snap of a twig jerked his attention to the right of where he stood. He pulled his gun from the shoulder holster and eased forward.

  With his gun clutched in his hand and his finger on the trigger, he inched closer to the spot where he thought the sound had come from. He’d only gone a few feet when he spotted the outline of a figure hunched behind a tree. From where he stood, he couldn’t tell if the person had a weapon or not, and he braced himself for what he was about to encounter.

  He crept a few steps farther and then circled to the right so that he was close enough to see the back of the person standing behind the tree. The moon emerged from the cloud where it had been hiding and cast a faint glow to the forest below. In the dim light, he could make out the figure a little better. As he watched, the body shifted so that one hand rested on the tree trunk and his head tilted up as he stared at the house.

  Cole followed the intruder’s gaze to the window in a lit room on the second floor. As he watched, he saw Mandy, Holly’s assistant, come into view as she walked past. As she did, she laughed and looked down at Ethan, who was nestled in her arms. It was only a glimpse, but he knew that brief look had triggered something in the person in front of him. He heard a slight groan, and then the person’s body sagged against the tree.

  Gripping his gun tighter, Cole stepped forward. “Turn around slowly, and don’t try anything stupid!”

  He was prepared for the man to turn and fire a gun of his own or charge at him in anger, but he wasn’t prepared for the sound of the hysterical crying that greeted his command. What rocked him even more was the frightened feminine voice that answered him. “P-please, m-mister, don’t kill me. I won’t tell anybody if you’ll just let me go. I promise to leave and never come back.”

  Frowning at the strange words the woman spoke, Cole eased closer. “Nobody’s going to kill you. I’m Detective Cole Jackson. Who are you, and what are you doing outside Holly Lee’s house?”

  The woman’s crying stopped immediately, and she gave a relieved sigh. “Oh, Detective Jackson. I’m so glad it’s you. I thought he’d found me. He said he would, and he said he would kill me.”

  Cole eased toward the woman but stopped when he was close enough to make out the woman’s features. Right away, he recognized her. She was the woman Holly had described to Jason, the one who’d been watching her at the supermarket. On top of that, something about her voice sounded familiar, and he wondered if she could be the woman who’d called him, the one he’d gone to Sturgis Road Mall to find.

  “Did you call me yesterday at the station?”

  She nodded and sniffed. “Yes, sir. I had to end the call in a hurry because he’d seen me, and I had to get away. So I ran into the supermarket.”

  “You were watching Holly Lee inside that store, and now tonight I find you outside her home. What’s this all about? Why are you stalking Holly, and what do you mean someone’s trying to kill you?”

  “I’m not stalking her. I just want to talk to her.”

  “You want to talk to her about what?”

  She shook her head. “I need to tell Miss Lee. Will you let me talk to her?”

  “Look, Miss...” He paused. “What is your name?”

  “Sarah Palmer.”

  Cole slipped his gun back in its holster. “Well then, Miss Palmer. Suppose you tell me what’s so important that you have people trying to kill you and you need to talk to Holly.”

  “I’ll tell you, but I have to tell her, too.”

  He shook his head. “Tell me first, and I’ll decide if it’s important enough for us to involve Holly.”

  “Oh, it’s important enough. Believe me.”

  Cole snorted in disgust. “Don’t be so dramatic. Just tell me, and we’ll go from there.”

  Sarah crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “No.”

  He stared at the determined look on her face, and he knew from her body language that he was fighting a losing battle. After a moment, he exhaled. “Okay, but I’m going to be right beside you. If you make a move to hurt Holly, I’ll stop you and arrest you on the spot.”

  “That’s fine with me. Just give me the chance to talk with her.”

  Cole let his gaze drift over her b
efore he let it settle on her face. “I need to make sure you don’t have any hidden weapons before we go inside. Take off your jacket and hand it to me.”

  She did as he asked and then held her arms straight out to her sides. She wore a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a fitted T-shirt. He could tell at first glance she’d have to be a magician to hide a weapon in those clothes. There wasn’t a gun or a knife in the jacket, but he decided to hold on to it until after they’d had their talk with Holly.

  “Okay,” he said, “let’s go. But remember, I’ll be watching you.”

  She didn’t say anything as he led her back to the house and up to the front door. When they entered, Holly and Todd rushed out of the den but came to a halt when they saw the woman accompanying him.

  Holly gasped and put her hand to her throat. “You’re the woman I saw at the supermarket yesterday.”

  Sarah nodded. “Yes.”

  Holly turned a questioning glance to Cole, and he shrugged. “Holly, this is Sarah Palmer. She says she needs to talk to you, and she’ll only tell me why she’s been following you if you are present when she does.”

  A small frown wrinkled Holly’s brow, and she looked from Cole to Sarah. “Okay,” she said. “I’m listening. What do you want to tell me?”

  Sarah’s throat constricted as she swallowed before speaking. “I’ve practiced this so many times, but I didn’t really think I’d ever get the chance to tell you.”

  Holly tilted her head to one side and frowned. “I’d never seen you before until yesterday, and I have no idea what connection you think you have to me, but you need to tell me now.”

  Sarah took a deep breath before she cut her eyes to Cole and then back to Holly. “The airplane crash that killed your sister and brother-in-law wasn’t an accident. They were murdered.”

  SIX

  Of all the things Sarah could have said, that was the last thing Holly would have expected. Her statement was so shocking that Holly could only stare at her in stunned silence. Then she shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “Why are you doing this? How could you come into my house and make a statement like that? Are you on drugs or something?”