by Laina Turner
“So now what?” I asked, looking at Berklie.
“We follow him and see where he’s going.”
“Probably home to his wife. It’s ten o’clock,” I said, thinking this was a futile exercise.
“Well, then it will be a short trip, and we can come back and get more sangria,” Berklie retorted.
George pulled out of the parking lot, and Berklie waited a few seconds before following.
“You guys keep an eye on his car. I don’t want to get too close in case he notices us.”
I sighed. “This is crazy, Berklie.”
“Don’t judge. At the very least, it will be a waste of a little time and gas.”
We rode along for about ten minutes, no one saying anything. George had stayed on the main road, heading out of town, so following him hadn’t been too difficult.
“Is this the way to his house?” I asked, not sure where he lived but fairly certain Berklie knew.
“Yes, so far it is. We will know for certain if that is where he’s heading if he turns left up here at Cobblestone. He lives in Summerfield.”
“What are we going to do if he doesn’t go home?” Sophie asked.
“Keep following him so we see where he goes,” Berklie said.
“I hope it’s soon. I have to pee,” Sophie said.
“Look, he passed right by Cobblestone,” Berklie exclaimed. “See, he’s up to no good!”
“Don’t make that assumption yet. Maybe he just called Cathy, and she said to stop and pick up milk or something,” I said.
“Why do you always stick up for George?” Berklie asked.
“I’m not. I’m just a trying to be objective and rational.”
“Are you calling me irrational?” Berklie asked in mock anger. We had been friends for too long and I knew she wasn’t serious.
“Not at all.” I smiled. “Okay, maybe a little where George is concerned and maybe sometimes Tom.” I laughed as she took her right hand off the steering wheel to hit me in the arm.
“Hey, pay attention to the road,” I said.
Sophie interrupted our playful teasing to point out the window. “Look. He’s turning down State Road 121.”
“I need to slow down so we are farther behind him,” Berklie said, as she also made the turn. “There aren’t any cars between us now.”
“He probably isn’t paying attention to who is following him. Who does?” Macie said.
“What’s down here? I thought this was all farm land,” I said.
“Interesting that in a country with our population, there are still so many wide open spaces,” Macie commented off handedly, as she was taking in the scenery.
“In California this land would be worth billions,” Rachel said.
“I would imagine the land in California is much prettier,” Sophie said.
“Just more expensive mostly,” she replied.
“Where’s he going?” I wondered out loud as George turned down a dirt road that didn’t have a name or at least no road sign displaying a name.
“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone lives back here anymore, but there is an old abandoned farmhouse about a mile up the road, I think,” Berklie said.
“How is it we have both lived here all our lives and yet you know everything about everything, and I had no idea there was an old farmhouse out here?” I asked.
Berklie shrugged. “Maybe because Tom and I were always looking for secluded make out spots when we were in high school.”
“Seriously, though, Tom has always been interested in all the old farmhouses and buildings around here, and has worked with the historical society a lot in securing funds to save some of these old buildings from being demolished. You should see the old plot maps he has in his office. I’m not as interested as he is, but I do admit I enjoy hearing about the history of the families who built and lived in these places. It’s kind of fun to imagine how they might have lived.”
“Why would George be coming all the way back here if all there is, is basically nothing?” Sophie asked.
“Obviously he doesn’t want to be seen doing something he shouldn’t be doing, and if he were closer to town someone might spot him. Why else would someone drive out in the middle of nowhere?” said Berklie, slowing the car down as George was slowing down. Even if Macie was right and he was oblivious to who was behind him, we still didn’t want to get too close.
George turned into a driveway, which faced a run-down old barn looking ready to crumble any second. I could see farther down the road the old farmhouse Berklie had been talking about.
“There’s already a car here,” said Macie, pointing to a black Cadillac.
“I think that’s your dad, Rachel,” I said. “At least when we saw him talking to George the last time, he was driving a black Cadillac. Just then, a man stepped out of the car to meet George, who had stepped out of his.
“It is him,” Rachel said. “Pull in. I don’t care if they see us. I’m going to talk to him and find out what the hell is going on.”
“Okay,” Berklie said, pulling in and right up behind George’s vehicle. Rachel got out of the car, followed by the rest of us. There was no way we were going to miss this. Both men looked over. Surprised to see us would be an understatement.
Lewis recovered quickly and turned to Rachel to ask as she approached him, “What are you doing out here, honey?” as if he found nothing surprising about her being out here.
“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you three thousand miles from home meeting someone out in the middle of nowhere?” Rachel said angrily, hands on her hips.
“Honey, surely you remember George Parker, my buddy from college?”
“I remember seeing him one time at the house, but that doesn’t explain why you’re meeting out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I could ask you the same thing. What brings you out here?”
“Probably the same thing as you, Dad,” she said with a heavy emphasis on the dad.
“I doubt it, honey,” he chuckled.
“Maybe I can clear this up.” George broke in, seeming a little nervous, maybe, by the fact we had obviously followed him out here. “I asked your dad to help me plan a trip for mine and Cathy’s thirtieth wedding anniversary.”
“And planning an anniversary trip calls for meeting out here in the middle of nowhere?” she asked, spreading her arms wide.
“I don’t want anyone to see us and tell Cathy, which would spoil the surprise. That woman is smart, and I’ve never in over thirty years of being together been able to pull off a surprise. Maybe this is a little over the top, but I wanted to be safe. Everyone in town knows me, and it would get back to Cathy I was meeting someone she didn’t know. Then she would grill me.”
I looked at Berklie. What he said made sense, and I did know the anniversary was coming up. Avery told me she had been asked by George to make one of her special cakes for Cathy, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be cleared by Clive to open in time. Berklie shrugged, and I could tell she thought it made sense as well. Big, coming from her, since she was the one suspicious of him anyways.
“How are you helping him, Dad?” Rachel said, still suspicious I could tell.
“I am letting him use our time-share in Rome and helping him plan a trip through the Italian vineyards. Like the trip I took your mom on a few years back.”
Rachel paused in thought for a few minutes. Her dad then said, “So what brings you out here?”
“Stephen. That’s why I thought you were out here, too. Looking for him.”
“I thought you were done with that scum,” her dad said, obviously none too happy at her revelation.
“I am. Well, I was. I still am,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s complicated and not really any of your business.”
“You’re my daughter, Rachel. Everything you do is my business. Besides how do you know he’s even here?” Lewis asked.
“These ladies are the ones he had the run-in with a few months back, and he’s been
contacting them wanting the money back that he stole from you which got confiscated by the police due to Trixie here,” she said pointing to me.
“Nice to meet you, Trixie,” he said politely.
“Likewise, sir. These are my friends Berklie, Sophie, and Macie,” I said, making the rest of the introductions.
“Nice to meet all of you, ladies. So I assume you all know Rachel over this Stephen business?”
“Yes. I came here because I knew Stephen was in trouble and these ladies were involved. I am trying to help,” Rachel said.
“Are you going to get my money back?”
“No, Dad, the police have the money. This isn’t about you. It’s about making sure Stephen doesn’t do any more bad things.”
“How do you propose doing that?” Lewis asked.
“If I tell you, do you promise to stay out of things?”
“Yes, dear. That small amount of money Stephen took is not worth my time. I’ve moved on.”
That didn’t seem to gel with the mental picture I had of someone who dealt in illegal activities, but maybe Lewis was different. Or maybe I just didn’t have a realistic idea of mob types.
Rachel, of course, knew him much better than the rest of us, so I trusted her judgment with what she wanted to tell him, and it seemed as if she felt this was far- fetched as well.
“If you expect me to believe that, you underestimate how well I know you.”
“What do you mean, Rachel? I would never underestimate you, dear!”
“You want me to believe that you just are going to turn a blind eye to someone who stole from you? You’ve killed people for that!”
Lewis’s eyebrows shot up.
“You think I don’t know about all the things you have done?” Rachel said, her voice getting louder.
I could see this was turning into a family argument that had clearly been brewing for some time, at least on Rachel’s part. Lewis looked at us and at George before turning his attention back to Rachel.
“Let’s not air our dirty laundry here, sweetheart. No one wants to know about our family dysfunction.”
Rachel opened her mouth to say something and then paused a few seconds.
“Fine, but only if you promise to leave him alone”
“If that’s what you want, but why are you wasting time on him?”
“Let’s just say I am going to do my best to make sure Stephen does no more harm and that he goes to prison where he belongs. Prison is where all criminals belong,” she said pointedly.
Lewis just blithely ignored the comment and said, “Okay, I trust you know what you’re doing. Let me know if you need any help, honey.”
“You ladies won’t tell Cathy about this, will you?” George said to the three of us who knew Cathy.
Berklie spoke up first. “Your secret’s safe with us… at least your vacation secret.”
“Call me later, Rachel. Maybe we can head back to California together,” Lewis called out as we started walking back to the car. Rachel just nodded her acknowledgement that she heard what he had said without responding. We all got back into the car.
“That’s not what I expected.” Sophie was the first to say something as Berklie backed out of the driveway and headed back down the dirt road.
“Do you think they were telling the truth?” Berklie asked Rachel.
Rachel shook her head affirmatively. “I kind of hate to admit it, but I think so.”
“Then I guess we are just waiting for Stephen to call,” I said and leaned back into the seat while Berklie drove us into town.
We had traveled a few miles in silence and then I looked over my shoulder and saw Rachel was staring out the window.
“You okay, Rachel?” I asked. “That was quite an exchange you and your dad had.”
“Yeah. I’m okay. And you’re right, I’ve wanted to say that and more for a long time. I actually feel good. Opening that door to a future conversation feels good.”
Chapter 17
I was waiting on customers the next morning. Happy it was pretty busy. Lots of people wanting coffee and boy, I knew the feeling. I had stayed up way too late last night and had way too many sangrias. We went back to the bar after leaving George and Lewis, since that’s where everyone’s cars were. Once there, we decided it would be a good idea to go back inside and have just one more round of sangria. This turned out to be not such a good idea after all, because one round turned into a few and Sophie ending up driving everyone home. Because of her pregnancy, not only did she not get to have any sangria, but she also had to play chauffeur. She was good-natured about it and teased us unmercifully this morning as she was bright eyed, and Berklie and I were sadly dragging. I was too old for all-night drinking, especially when I had to work the next day.
I heard the phone ringing and Berklie answered it. A few seconds later she called out to me, “Trix, it’s for you.”
“Tell whoever it is I will call them back.”
“I think you better take it,” she said, walking to me. “I’ll finish making the lattes. It’s Katherine, and it sounds like something is wrong.”
My heart started racing. Katherine never called me here at work. I could only imagine something horrible happened. I told Berklie what kind of coffee I was making and ran over to the phone.
“Hello?”
“Trixie, I’m sorry to bother you at work, but there’s been an incident.”
“Katherine, is everything okay?”
“Yes, everyone is fine, but we’ve had quite a scare here, especially Phyllis. I hate to ask, but can you come over here now? She’s asking for you.”
“Yes, of course. I will leave right now and be there as soon as I can.” I quickly hung up the phone and untied my apron.
“Berklie, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get to the shelter. I’ll call Barbara and see if she can get over here to cover me.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just go. Call me and let me know if there’s anything we can do.”
“Okay.” I ran to the back, grabbed my purse, and hurried out the front door to the parking lot. I was driving too fast but not so far over the limit that I worried about getting pulled over. About fifteen minutes later I pulled into the shelter, and my stomach dropped even further when I saw two police cars there. I just hoped nothing bad had happened to Phyllis. I would never forgive myself.
I saw Katherine as soon as I walked through the door. “What happened?”
“Phyllis’s husband showed up here and caused a ruckus. The cops have him in the office and are getting ready to take him to county. As you can imagine, she’s a wreck. I hated to bother you, but I thought maybe you could reassure her.”
I waved away her concerns. “Don’t worry about it, Katherine. I’m glad you called. Where is she?”
“In her room.”
“Okay. Thanks.” I headed down the hall. I caught a glimpse of the police talking to a man in Katherine’s office. I assumed that was the husband. Clive wasn’t one of the police in there with him, but I knew both of them slightly. Clive had a good team. They would do their best to make sure this didn’t happen again.
“Phyllis, I got here as soon as I could. How are you?” I said as I walked into her room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, and I could tell she had been crying. She seemed somewhat composed now, though she still had those hiccuppy breaths of someone who had just finished crying. She jumped up and hugged me. I could feel her trembling. I felt so bad she was going through this.
“Trixie, I don’t know how he found me. Someone I trusted must have told him.”
“Sshh. It’s okay,” I said hugging her tightly and rubbing her back. “Katherine and the police will make sure he goes away somewhere that he can’t hurt you.”
“I knew he would find me. He won’t ever stop until he kills me. He told me he wouldn’t let me leave alive.” She cried. “This is never going to end.”
“Phyllis, listen to me, you can’t let him get to you. I know it’s hard, and yes he did find
you here, but you can’t let this incident undo all the progress you’ve made. You don’t need him, and you can’t let him in your mind. He wants to intimidate you so you’re miserable without him. Don’t let him take up that space in your head.” It was much easier for me to say than I know it was for her to do in actuality. But what I was saying was true. She needed to break free emotionally and physically.
“I know, Trixie, and I felt I was making such progress. I had really started to think maybe I could get free and then he shows up here. I thought this was a safe place. If I’m not safe here I won’t be safe anywhere,” she started crying again.
I didn’t really know what to say. She was right in a sense, but she had to work through this, as there was no other option. In the short time I had been working at the shelter I had learned that much. I was so thankful that, for all the issues I may have with Cody’s dad, abuse of any kind was not one of them. Really put things in perspective. I just held her, trying to give her some comfort in the only way I knew how, and finally her tears subsided again. She started breathing more calmly.
“Let’s sit down,” I suggested, and we both moved to the small table and chairs in the corner of her room. “Why don’t we try one of the exercises I know you’ve been doing in group, where you look at everything from the positive angle and try to work your way back to feeling positive. Can we try that?”
She nodded, and we spent the next hour talking about what had happened since she had been at the shelter and the positive aspect of each event. God knows it was hard, but by the time we talked it through, she was feeling a little better. I left her with a promise that I would come back tomorrow and check on how she was doing.
I stopped in at Katherine’s office on my way out. She looked up as I came to stand in her doorway.
“How is she?” Katherine asked, looking worried.
“Actually better than I expected. We worked on some of those positivity exercises and they seemed to help. She is still scared he will come back, but that is just going to take time for her to get over. How did he get in here?”