"Thank you, Davis," Price said to the escort and closed the office door. "Please have a seat, Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Sorry about the need of the cousin ruse we'd discussed on the phone."
"Charlie and Jenny works fine with us, Mr. Price," Charlie said. He and Jenny took seats in front of the large mahogany desk. The room seemed deftly quiet, even road noise from below was missing. The office was well lit by overhead lights and heavy blinds blocked any light from outside. A rich mahogany conference table and book shelves behind the desk were all matching the desk. The walls were oddly bare of adornments as the hallway had been.
"Then please, call me Walter, "he said sitting down behind his desk. "Thank you both for coming and again, I apologize for this mystique. Branson Systems is eighty percent into government defense projects, primarily missile guidance systems. I needed someone outside of our normal background and security investigative channels to do some snooping around."
"We certainly don't have government security clearances," Jenny said. "Where did Watson Investigations pop up?"
"Sam Baker, you know him as FBI Special Agent Baker from your Nelson Crown case. He and I went to Stanford together and he recommended you highly. I've personally done extensive background checks also, and I am convinced he was right about you two."
"Crown, that was awhile back. How can we help?" Charlie asked him.
"Everything we discuss is highly classified, but you will need a feel for what is in development here. In aerial combat our fighters use on-board cannons, heat and radar guided short range air to air missiles. Depending on the mission, they carry a variety of air to ground weapons as well. When the enemy breaks away from close range combat that's where we come in. Nestseeker is a long range weapon that will track and follow the enemy aircraft from an undetected distance back to the "nest", be it a ground military airfield or an aircraft carrier. Any questions so far?" he asked them.
"I get the idea. As long as you don't need us to help with its tracking ability," Jenny said.
"No, we have those resources, Cousin Jenny," he said grinning. "You only need to understand the idea or concept and the term 'Nestseeker'." Then Walter handed Charlie a single sheet of paper and Jenny moved over to view it beside him. "The first email address is for you to use and the second is mine. All contact between us needs to go through those addresses. No phone calls and if we need to meet, it will be off site. The ten names listed are the key engineers working on this project. What I want you to do is casually observe these engineers, off site, and report back to me anything that seems suspicious. Remember, even the idea of our weapon system is secret."
"Just rotate through the list and follow them around?" Jenny asked, puzzled.
"Ok, for example, Tom Masson on the list with a salary of one hundred and twenty five thousand. He wouldn't have a second home or a Ferrari in that garage. Living beyond his means or meeting those of obvious wealth," Walter said. "I realize this all sounds very paranoid, and I guess with the tremendous competition domestically as well as overseas, this technology is worth millions."
"Evenings and weekends?" Jenny asked.
"Primarily, but I'll email you sick and vacation days taken by those on the list. There is in addition to the twenty five percent already added to your fee, a fifteen thousand dollar bonus for any information leading to a conviction of espionage."
"Works for me," Charlie said folding the sheet of paper and concealing it in his coat pocket. Jenny gave him a confirming smile and nod. They all slipped back into the casual cousin mode as Walter followed them into the open hallway with verbal promises to share a meal before leaving town.
Chapter 3
I woke to the confirmation that this wasn't all a bad dream. I thought, nightmare maybe would have been a better fit and had a better understanding of the tragedy of Alzheimer's disease. Special moments, priceless memories and faces stirring love wiped clean from my mind. Yesterday was still there and I questioned, was all of yesterday captured or only segments? Would I be able to trust the images in my mind?
I needed to use the restroom and pushed the button as an extension of needing assistance in even the most basic functions. It wasn't panic I'd felt that morning when I noticed the chair in my room was again occupied; I felt pain in the loss of those moments that brought him by my side. Charlie, my husband, was still only a legal term to me as I drifted in a small boat in a massive ocean without sight of a known harbor. He stirred, attempting comfort in a chair lacking assistance for sleeping. It was a comfort, his being there, like a line tossed to pull me in, but why did grabbing hold of that tossed line escape me?
Stacy walked into the room with a good morning smile and behind her, I saw a policeman glance over her shoulder for a moment and then he disappeared. "Good Morning, Jenny. Need the little girl's room?"
"Hello, Stacy. Yes very much, thank you." It was getting easier to get out of bed and with her extended arm, I didn’t need the walker. We were crossing the room when he woke up.
"I'm sorry, I could have helped you," he said, jumping out of the chair.
"That's my job, Charlie. Go get a cup of coffee," Stacy said and turned to me, "Jenny, coffee?"
"Please, that'd be great … Charlie," I told him as he'd left the room and I'd entered the restroom. "Stacy was that a policeman outside my room?" I asked her through the door.
"Routine. My boyfriend, Chief Rodney Walker is one of your close friends. They are still looking for the driver that hit you."
"The doctor told Charlie to take the night off also," I said and the question followed, "What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about. Rodney is an overprotective big brother type until he has all the answers, Jenny."
"They think maybe it wasn't an accident?" Another foggy layer of confusion invaded my thoughts.
"We have a surprise for you, Jenny. Your mom and Pete are waiting to see you."
A welcome image flashed in my head. "They drove here from Little Rock? No, I'm not in West Helena. California now, they flew in." I realized. Stacy helped me back to the bed and raised the back so I could sit up. Charlie set my coffee on the table and without a word left the room.
"Sweetheart! It's a blessing to see you awake," mom said rushing to the side of my bed.
"Mom, Pete! You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you both." Mom leaned over and kissed me.
"We're here as long as you need us, Pumpkin," Pete said from behind mom.
I was so thrilled there was a link that I recognized. "Pumpkin? I haven't heard that in a long time. If you don't mind, Pete, I think I'd like to call you Dad now."
"Nothing would please me more," Pete said returning my smile. He pulled the chair over so mom could sit down.
"My God, it is so good to have you here Mom and … Dad. It's all so confusing to me."
She took my hand, "Sweetheart, you just need time to heal and we're all so relieved you're doing so well."
"I've seen what I look like, doing so well?"
"Yes, you look fabulous, Pumpkin. We didn't know until yesterday how little was lost. Physically you have a clear road to full recovery!" Pete said.
"I know, and am very grateful."
Mom squeezed my hand. "Do you recall Lisa Addams?"
"Sure, she also teaches at my school … well, taught at West Helena Middle school." I followed mom's eyes to the door. "Wow, Lisa how are you?"
"Hey, Jenny. I'm in the best place I've ever been and couldn't be happier to see you," Lisa said and moved beside me on the other side of my bed.
I found myself glancing back and forth between them, grinning with the first real hope of reclaiming myself, my life. "Your being here, all of you, is my first ray of sunshine. Mom, Lisa always brought the most wonderful dishes to our teacher's lounge, and the reason I had to keep jogging to work them off my hips."
"Well, I followed that dream, Jenny. I'm the chef now that you pushed me to be."
"Here in California?" I asked her, excitedly.
"Yes," she said q
uickly and then paused.
Her face took on a puzzled expression and I knew there was more. "Lisa, please. I know there's a lot I'm missing, but I'll need all of your help back."
"Jenny," Lisa started again, "you've given me two positions at Watson Manor that I love. The chef, I'd always dreamed of being and," she paused again and looked to mom for a sign to continue. I glanced at mom, who returned an approving nod to Lisa. "When you and Charlie are working a case I also watch your daughter, Madison."
"Working a case? Yes, Madison. I don't want to scare her, but I really need to see her, Lisa, Mom."
"If you feel you're ready, Jenny? I'll bring her in," Lisa said, then added, "you typically call her Maddy."
"Thank you, Lisa. I know this all so awkward for everyone. I need to be ready, to fight my way back." Lisa turned and left the room. I looked at mom.
"Sweetheart, there won't be a fight. Maddy is a precious part of you," mom reassured me.
I watched the door feeling more nervous than I'd ever felt in my life. I saw the pain in Charlie's face when my mind went blank and I would not put that on my daughters face. I kept saying her name in my mind to pull an image from the darkness and was only able to increase the frustration. "Mom, I can't hurt her. Maybe it's too soon…," I whispered when my daughter called from the door, cutting me off.
"Mommy! Not nap time!" she squealed delightedly.
I turned from mom to see her in Lisa's arms. I wasn't prepared for the emotional blow that hit me. This beautiful smiling face was my daughter. The smile on my face was automatic and my vision blurred in tears with this most wonderful surprise. I patted the right side of my bed and Lisa brought her beside me. I struggled for words as Maddy snuggled in beside me for a hug.
"Don't be sad, Mommy," she said with her head on my chest. My free arm wrapped around her and thankfully mom wiped my face with a tissue.
"Mommy's so happy, Maddy. Not sad," I was able to tell her. I laughed as the honesty of my words hit home. "I'm so happy you came to see me." It was strangely enough for now to put her cheerful face in that void and feel her hugging me. I prayed I'd recall all of those firsts in her life, steps and words, but this moment promised so many moments ahead to see and feel. I pulled her closer and then let her sit beside me.
"Daddy said we can take you home."
"Soon Maddy, I want to go home. I think it's time for mommy and daddy to have a talk. Mom, can you take Maddy so I can talk with Lisa a moment?"
"Sure, sweetheart," mom said and moved to the other side of the bed for Maddy. "Maddy come with grandma and grandpa, we'll see mommy again later."
"I want to stay," Maddy said as her little face was frowning.
"I know, Maddy. I'll see you again this afternoon. I promise," I told her.
"We're going to have pancakes, Maddy. How does that sound?"
"Yummy," Madison said reaching for mom. Mom and Pete took Madison out of the room and Lisa sat in the chair next to my bed.
"Lisa, I don't know what you've been told, but for me, I just moved into my apartment on Pine Street to get away from Paul. Nobody knows if I'll get those three plus years back, but I've got to move forward from today."
"I can't even imagine what you're going through, Jenny."
"What I need is brutal honesty. I know who I was then, you knew me then. I don't have a clue to who I am now."
"Jenny, you are today who you were then, the most open hearted, loving person I've ever known. Paul couldn't take that away and with Charlie you are magnified." Her face lit up and drove her comment home for me.
"Charlie and I?"
"Let me put it this way, Jenny. You two are so in sync with each other it took less than a week to fall hopelessly in love, and that bond hasn't lost any luster."
"So we did find something special?"
"Oh yeah. It’s the place you need to be, and I'm still hoping to find." I could see as her whole face smiled at me, that it was the truth. I felt so comforted. Maddy was already pulling me back, a lifeline I could reach for. A week ago, Lisa assured me, I'd become a better version of whom I remembered being. The accident stole three years of memories. Who I am is the result of how messages are processed through my bruised mind. Has the accident changed connections? Lisa reached for my hand. "Jenny, you drifted off into concern and worry. I wanted to plant hope and happiness."
"I'm sorry, Lisa. You did. You'll tell me, won't you, if I've become a different person than I was a week ago?"
"I'm relieved actually. My dear friend, Jenny, is on her way home. I'll go get that other half of your winning team," she said and walked out the door.
Chapter 4
Charlie was sitting alone in the hospital waiting room. His hands clasped and his head looking down when Lisa approached him. "Prayer or frustration, Charlie?"
"A little of both, I guess. How did it go with Maddy?"
"They connected. How or why is probably tied to being a mother. Teresa and Pete took Maddy for pancakes."
"She'll love that! Their being here has helped so much."
"Jenny wants to see you, Charlie. She asked me, as a friend she recognized, about her life before this. About the quality between you two," Lisa said sitting down beside him.
"And I'll need to show her those again. Thank you, Lisa for everything." He hugged her and stood up.
"She wants it straight, no candy coating. That will allow her trust to return."
Charlie greeted Officer Marks outside of Jenny's room without slowing down to go inside.
"Charlie, please come sit beside me. In all of my self pity, I do realize this is hardest on you. I want to apologize for that most of all, and for all of the mistakes I'll make."
Crossing the room to the chair, he smiled and said, "Let me get this straight. You figure this little bump on your head and that general apology clears the way for forever forgiveness?" He held his grin and watched her closely as puzzlement on her face faded to a smile. He took her hand and sat down.
"So you're thinking, Charlie, I won't smack you if you're holding that hand?"
"Just helping you avoid mistakes." They both laughed.
"If you ever had doubts about us, this would be the time," she told him. "I'm scared that I won't be who you remember."
"Hello, Jenny. I'm Charlie. We are the very definition of team. It's always been my understanding that looking back is facing the wrong direction. Besides, you have a misconception that you were not a mystery to me before this."
"I understood we have a B&B, not a comedy club," she said still smiling and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for removing some of the frustration. I want to know everything, Charlie, but I'll need it going backwards. Why is there a policeman outside my door?"
"On the ground floor of our B&B is an office for Watson Investigations that we opened six months ago. We are private investigators also, Jenny. I'll fill you in more on our current case, but for now, there are questions about the accident we don't have answers for yet."
"Like, maybe it was intentional?" She looked toward the door. "I've missed the transition in my career path from teacher to someone with a death wish?"
"No, Jenny, that's not you at all. You've never deviated from your heart driven need to help others. That quest hasn't always been smooth sailing."
"I thought discovering that I, no, that we, have a daughter was overwhelming enough. OK, forward now. Do you have a clue who wants me … distracted?"
"We typically investigate together, but in this case, we have ten people we're watching and split the list. We don't know if you were following someone or were given an address that took you to that intersection. Jenny, it's all still very much circumstantial, but we hold to, its better to be safe than sorry, until we do know."
"Do I keep notes? Something on my computer?"
"We were smart enough to use a common password. I've searched everything, Jenny, and draw a blank to which of your five names might be involved."
"Are we following known criminals? I feel pretty useless in
our team effort."
Charlie turned away from her and found it difficult to retain the emotions choking him. He took a deep breath and wiped his face of the moisture building under his eyes. "Later, Jenny. I'm sorry, I seem to be losing it here," he managed to say and looked at her again.
"What is it? What dangers are you holding back, Charlie?"
"You misunderstand. I'm still overwhelmed with my answered prayers. We're talking. You can see and hear me, and can walk. Now you're pulling your investigator hat over that beautiful, but bruised head and … "
A knock on the door pulled their attention to it. "Sorry to interrupt, "Officer Marks said from the doorway.
"Come in, Ron. Jenny, this is Officer Ron Marks."
"Hello Officer Marks," she greeted.
"Good news. I just spoke with the Chief. We have a Ted Wilson in custody. Prints match a partial on the bottle in the Suburban that hit you, Jenny. Long rap sheet for auto theft and looks like wrong place and time, not … well, not the other possibility we feared."
"Thanks, Ron, for that great news and being here," Charlie told him.
"My pleasure, Charlie. I'm outta' here then. Jenny, we are all so pleased to get you back," Officer Marks said and left.
Jenny turned back toward Charlie. "Saved by the knock … with good news. Charlie, how do I say this? Knowing, and I do know it. Your loving me doesn't frustrate me, it actually removes some of the pressure I feel to reconnect the emotional dots in my head. Does that make sense to you?"
"Ron said it best, we are all so pleased to get you back." He kissed her hand.
"That was nice, thank you, Charlie. Is there something else I normally call you? Chas or Chuck?"
"Yes, but we're on a new path here."
"Ok, mister. I'll bite at that grin that you're egging me on with. Stud, hunk, or is it superhero?"
"You're intuitive mind is clearly engaged, but it's just Charlie."
"Until, I let you help me pick one of those pet names further down our new path … I suppose."
Watson Manor My Journey Home (Watson Manor Mystery Series Book 4) Page 2