Lawrence said, “That’s Captain Valentine’s dock by Stevie’s Ridge, where Quaid took me to look at the meteor shower. The dock’s overgrown but it’s there.”
Cynthia patted Lawerence’s head and said to Preston, “You’re still groggy. Stay with Jett. Get up to Hastings House and have someone patch you through on the VHF to Quaid, and tell him what’s going on. Lawrence stays with you.”
“But Mom!”
Preston protested, “What are you going to do?”
Cynthia gave him a half grin. “I don’t know, we’ll make it up when we get there, but if Quaid doesn’t get to the dock in time we’re Bonnie and Mimi’s only hope. Once they get on the river and duck back in some tributary we’ll never find them.”
Ida handed Preston her gun, which looked like a small cannon. “I’m sorry I chose Beau over you. It’s the Landon curse, you know. We never seem to get it right.” She smiled at Cynthia. “Till lately.”
Everyone piled back into the Bomb, Cynthia smacked the dash and they tore up the road. “This is a mighty fine riding car,” Sister Ginger said. “I so appreciate a nice ride, don’t you Sister Candy?”
“There’s Valentine’s house,” Ida said, pointing to the left. “And there’s the overgrown dock across the road.”
Cynthia made a sharp right, the Buick bottoming out, making her slow down. More rain dotted the windshield and they spotted an SUV. “That’s Beau’s car,” Ida said. “The dirty rotten jackass.” The women scrambled from the car and raced toward the dock.
“Hold it right there,” came Beau’s voice from behind. They stopped dead and faced him, toting a gun, now pointing it at Ida. “Drop your purses. I know you all have enough fire power to arm a small country.”
Ida huffed, “If I ever get my hands on you, Beau Fontaine of the Charleston Fontaines, I will stomp you flatter than a bug on a windshield.”
He waved his gun toward the dock. “Walk slowly to the end. We have Bonnie so don’t try to be cute. You don’t want anything to happen to that baby, now do you?”
Quaid had the Sea Ray wide open, tearing through the water that looked more gray than blue, reflecting the clouds overhead. Rory said into the mike, “This here is Rory O’Fallon on the—” He glanced at Quaid.
“Cynthia.”
Rory grinned and continued, “The Cynthia. We’re in pursuit of my baby and fiancée who have been kidnapped onboard the cruiser Pay Day. Over.”
“Rory,” came a reply. “This here is River Rat. We just passed Valentine’s old place. The boat you’re looking for is there. Seems to be quite a commotion on the docks. A bunch of women.”
The five men exchanged looks as Rory said, “Christ in a sidecar. What the hell’s going on?”
Quaid ran his hand over his face. “Just a guess but I’d say the women weren’t sitting home and holding tight.”
“There,” Demar said, pointing to the shore up ahead, Quaid turning the boat in that direction.
Keefe used the binoculars. “I see Sally, Cynthia, Effie, Callie, Ida and those two sisters. Do women ever listen?”
“To each other,” Ryan offered as Keefe added, “Mimi’s got Bonnie in her arms and they’re on the back deck. There are two guys with them and Beau’s holding a gun on the girls.”
Rory’s face tightened and he whispered, “Daddy’s coming, Sweet Pea.”
A minute later that seemed more like a million, Quaid cut back the engine and the Cynthia glided up to the stern of Pay Day, the boat dipping and rolling in the mounting waves. Rory said, “We can’t risk gunplay with Little Bit there.” He climbed onto the bow followed by Ryan and Keefe, all surefooted from a lifetime on the water. Looking a little green, Demar said to Quaid, “I’ll take the wheel, you go on deck. I’m not the river man, I’m the barbecue man.”
Quaid grinned and slapped Demar on the back, then joined his brothers and his dad. Rory yelled over the building storm and rumble of the engines, “You can’t kill everyone. It’s over.”
Beau yelled back from the dock, “All we need are those disks. We’ll keep the baby till we get them.” He nodded to Mimi on the boat, struggling to keep her balance as were the two men, the boat pitching one way then the other. “Hand the kid over to my partner.”
Mimi’s auburn hair tangled in the breeze, her face white as the foam on the water. She clutched Bonnie closer.
Rory’s jaw tightened, his hands fisted at his sides. Then suddenly he relaxed, a slight sly smile on his lips. What the hell?
He said, “If that’s the way you want this to go down, fine by me.” Mimi’s gaze fused with Rory’s across the distance. He peered hard at Mimi. “Give him Bonnie.”
Her eyes bulged, her expression suggesting Rory was out of his freaking mind. She held Bonnie tighter still.
Rory continued, “We’ve been through so much together, Mimi. Please trust me one more time. We need to end this. I bet Bonnie’s real hungry.”
Mimi swallowed then her eyes suddenly cleared and she gave a barely discernable nod. She faced the man beside her and he pocketed the weapon, now leaving two guns. Mimi handed the baby to him. Even from where Quaid stood, he could see Bonnie scrunch up her face, turn red, stiffen every little muscle of her body let out with the most god-awful scream Quaid had ever heard.
Startled, Beau and his buddies stared at Bonnie, giving Rory, Keefe, Ryan and Quaid the split second they needed to jump to the Pay Day. Mimi snatched Bonnie, Rory grabbed the gun, Keefe tackled one guy to the deck, Quaid and Ryan body-slammed the other.
Quaid saw Beau grab Cynthia and aim his gun toward her and his heart stopped, till Ida whacked Beau over the head with a chunk of driftwood, crumpling him to the ground in a groaning heap. She peered down at him. “No one messes with southern women and their families, Beau Fontaine. No one. If you were really from Charleston you’d know that.”
Chapter 18
Demar got out of his car, the town just starting to come awake, the sky blue, the morning air fresh. He stared at Slim’s. He’d been with the Memphis police all night giving statements and getting the guys from River Environs squared away. And of course there was Jett to deal with. She’d been a good cop till her uncle convinced her to make some money the easy way. Five to seven in a Tennessee lockup was not the easy way especially for an ex-cop.
Sally’s car was parked in front, trunk open, boxes inside. Damn. He ran his hand over his jaw. How could he make this right? How could he convince her he really did love her?
Well, he better damn-well think of something. He stepped onto the porch and zeroed in on Sally inside, boxes piled to her eyes. “Well, as I live and breathe if it isn’t—”
“I’m sorry.” He held out his hands to stop her so he could get this all out. “I’m sorry I lied to you, that I led you on, that I hurt you in any way—and I did, in so many ways. I know right now it looks like I love my job more than you and that’s not true. I was afraid if we didn’t crack this case soon, Bonnie, Mimi and Rory could wind up dead. I couldn’t put our happiness above that. I couldn’t live with myself if I did, and truth be told, you’d hate my guts if I made that decision and let anything happen to the people you love. Sally, I want to be one of those people you love.”
“Well—”
“I know this is the second time I deceived you and that sucks. But the good times, when I told you I loved you, I swear I meant every word. I’m staying on the Landing, running for sheriff. I think folks trust me to do a good job and keep them safe. I want to date you, court you, treat you like a queen, but if you go I won’t get a chance to do that. Stay. Give me one more chance. I’ll make it right.”
She put the boxes on the bar and smoothed back the hair that had fallen across her lovely face. “Are you finished?”
“Yes.”
“I was going to say—before I was so rudely interrupted—if it isn’t Demar Thacker, the man I’m going to marry.” She nodded at the boxes. “I’m bringing them back inside.”
She smiled at him and he sat on a stool bef
ore he collapsed on the floor. “Well dang, girl.”
“That’s all I get? Well dang?” She sashayed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Rory stopped over here earlier to make sure I understood what you were up to with Jett and that without you he wouldn’t have his family back with him now.” She brushed her lips across Demar’s, and he was sure he’d never experienced a more wonderful sensation.
Her lips smiled against his. “I love you. I want to be your wife. I want to have my own investment firm here in town and with the new construction and houses going up I’ll have clients. And, I want to work here on the weekends and sing the blues with Ryan, and have you in the audience so I can sing to you.”
“A dance pole?”
“No dance pole.”
“Think Ryan would design us a house here in town? Your office on the first floor, an apartment for us on the second?”
“And what if us becomes more than two?”
“Kids?” A bubble of sheer happiness slid up his throat. “We’ll make it a really big apartment. You can be close to your work and your family. I want you to be happy, Sally. Whatever you want is fine with me.”
“You know what I want right now? Breakfast. I am starved.”
“Eggs? Bacon? Cornbread? A real Tennessee breakfast.”
She patted her hip. “Fat Fighters would not approve.”
He scooped her into his arms. “I love you just the way you are, every delicious inch of you. We can think healthy tomorrow, today we splurge.” He kissed her, feeling better then he’d felt in a really long time.
She tossed her hair and gave him a wicked wink. “You know, I think we need something in that storage room for our breakfast. Wanna come take a look with me?” She held him a little tighter. “You are my hero, Demar. You are the best.”
“The best what is the question,” Quaid said as he came inside.
Demar laughed deep in his throat. “Guess that’s between us.”
Quaid said to Sally, “I came to welcome you home…again. And from the look on your faces I’m thinking there’s going to be another wedding. Congratulations?”
Sally snuggled into Demar’s arms. “I think that’s a safe bet. But the real reason you’re on my doorstep this morning, Quaid O’Fallon, is to make sure I’m staying, and that means so is Cynthia.” She shooed him away like a bug. “Go find your lady and Demar and I will meet up with you later.”
Demar carried Sally off toward the kitchen and Quaid poured coffee into a Styrofoam cup, then headed for the dock. He was settling into a pattern, one that he loved, but without Cynthia in his life he felt empty inside.
Hank gave him a little salute as he untied the mooring lines for River Runner. Her engines engaged and she headed upriver to Rockton to pick up a string of barges. Hank whistled as he swept the dock and Rory drew up beside Quaid, their eyes following the tow.
“Good worker you got there,” Rory said.
“Another kid without a home finds one.” Quaid watched as Hank hauled a coil of new line onto the Annabelle Lee. “He’s staying in a backroom in the office. He needs better, a room of his own—and he’s not the only one.”
Rory’s brow rose. “Sounds like you’re going somewhere with that.”
“How’s Mimi?”
Rory laughed, a full rich sound without a hint of worry for a change. “Clucking around the kitchen fixing Bonnie breakfast, deciding if she wants to paint the kitchen something called mauve rose or touch-me-not lilac. Said she thought about redecorating the place all those months she was hiding out. Planning for the future kept her going and not lose hope.”
He patted Quaid on the back. “I think your room’s slated for buttercup yellow, if it’s okay with you of course.”
“Ryan and Effie are building a house in town, Keefe and Callie have plans for a house on the next bluff. I saw the blueprints. I think you’re going to be a granddaddy real soon. And I’m going to buy Valentine’s old place.”
“It’s a derelict, boy. You’ll have your work cut out for you.” He laughed. “But Captain Valentine sure threw some hellacious parties there in his time.” He looked to Hank. “It’s got a few outbuildings, if I remember right. Nice place for someone needing a place to stay.” He looked Quaid dead in the eyes. “How does Cynthia fit into all this?”
“Wish the hell I knew.” Quaid stuck his hands in his pockets. “That woman is a complete mystery. She loves me, I love her, Lawrence is terrific, blah, blah, blah. And then nothing. All I know is when Beau put that gun to her, I nearly had a heart attack. I want to marry her but she says I have to love myself. What am I supposed to do, buy myself a fancy car? Dress in expensive clothes? Hell, I already did plaid, what more does the woman want? I don’t get it.”
“I’m looking at touch-me-not lilac and something yellow, and have no idea what’s wrong with the paint already on the walls. But all I can tell you is that having the woman you love beside you is worth walking through the fires of hell. Tomorrow we’re going to Nashville and turn over the disks, then all we’ll have to worry about is each other, Bonnie and paint chips.”
“There is a string of barges needing pickup down at Greenville. Think I’ll take the run and bring Hank along. Maybe some river time will clear my head. When are you and Mimi tying the knot?”
“Next week. We’ve wasted enough time. Cynthia’s making Mimi’s dress.” He put his hand on Quaid’s shoulder. “You have a good trip now, you hear. Nothing like the river to set things right.”
Cynthia sat at the kitchen table stirring peppermint tea, staring off into nothingness, listening to the afternoon drone of insects outside the window. Ida sat down beside her and let out a deep sigh. “Now aren’t we a pretty picture, you mooning over Quaid, me in a tizzy over how to get Preston back.”
Cynthia cut her eyes to Ida and grinned, and she hadn’t felt like doing that all day. “Well bless my stars, my mama’s in love.”
Ida chuckled. “And to add to it, I get sass from my daughter. Truth is, I’ve been pining for that man for a bit now, even with Beau around. Just didn’t know how to set things right, and I still don’t.” She picked up a sheet of paper in front of Cynthia. “What in the world is raison d’être?”
“Fall out from sending Lawrence to French lessons. It’s fifteen reasons why I shouldn’t send him to boarding school. Found it tacked to my door when I woke up this morning. It’s not that I want to send him away, but he’s really smart. I can’t just ignore that.”
“No more than you can ignore he’s a little boy and likes being with you here on the Landing.”
“Then I propose a compromise,” came Lawrence’s voice as he walked into the room, hair ruffled and sun-streaked, his cheeks rosy. “I got some ideas. I’ll do summer camps for eggheads. That’s what Katelyn’s parents do. The high school teachers tutor her outside of class and there are enrichment classes at the colleges in Memphis. The choir director gives Katelyn piano lessons, the teller at the bank teaches her accounting, Sally’s teaching her economics. I thought Ryan O’Fallon could teach me how to play the sax. He sure can make that baby wail.”
“Wail?” Cynthia swallowed a moan. “I’m being outmaneuvered by an eight-year-old.”
“Who has thought this out very well,” Ida added, with a wink at Lawrence.
“Katelyn and I instant messaged till midnight to get this together,” Lawrence said with a sheepish twinkle in his eyes.
“Well,” Cynthia sighed. “I suppose we can try and see how it works out. I’d hate sending you away, I’d miss you and—”
“Yes!” Lawrence yelped. “I’m going to tell Quaid before he heads out to pick up a payload and then I’m going to stop over at Katelyn’s.”
“Math problems?”
“She’s teaching me how to fish.” Lawrence shot out the front door as Sister Candy and Sister Ginger came down the stairs, suitcases in hand. Ida stood. “Oh, my goodness. You’re leaving us?”
Sister Ginger gave her a hug. “The house is painted, your
lovely bed and breakfast has guests, you have a job that’s doing well, and the other sisters want us home.”
“So many needs to tend to,” Cynthia offered, then hugged Sister Candy. “You’ve been a wonderful help with everything. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
Sister Ginger said, “That’s the way he would have wanted it. You know where to find us if you need us.” Sister Candy winked at Ida. “And Sister Ginger and I have been discussing your getting Preston back. Perhaps a love letter read on the radio, a little something theatrical since we’re dealing with Magnum. Always good to give a man what he wants.”
The door closed behind them and Cynthia said to Ida, “I hate to see them go. But I don’t get the letter on the radio”
“I hate to see them go, too. They’re wonderful girls. Perhaps you should have some more tea, dear.” Ida led her back to the dining room table then pulled a flask from behind a pot of white gardenias sitting on the windowsill. She poured the contents into Cynthia’s tea. “Take a drink, a big drink.”
Cynthia pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. “Now what? I think that’s getting to be my mantra.”
“Well, dear, you see, Sister Candy and Sister Ginger aren’t really nuns, they’re like sisters of the night. They were the other women in your father’s life and felt bad that he left us in dire straits, so they came here to help out. They’re—”
“Call girls.”
“The sister act was a cover. The he they kept referring to is your dad. He treated the girls nice, and truth be told he did the same to me. He simply didn’t get the forsaking all others part of the wedding vows. I didn’t know who Candy and Ginger were either, till they came up with the radio idea.”
Ida took Cynthia’s hand. “‘Southern Spice’ is my radio show. I’m Tennessee Tess. Candy and Ginger thought about doing it themselves but simply don’t have the time. One of their clients is a producer of a radio station in Memphis and—Well, you get the picture.”
“Everyone listens to ‘Southern Spice,’ Mother. Everyone.”
I’ll Be Seeing U Page 23