Pieces of the Puzzle
Page 21
“Sleep,” Scott told her.
Cynthia closed her eyes. Scott waited until she was asleep before he left the room. As soon as he was in the hall, his calm slipped away. He slammed his fists into the wall, tried to control his anger but couldn’t. “Why?” he screamed at deaf walls.
“Why?”
The nurse rushed into the hall to see what was wrong. Scott waved her away.
“Quiet,” the nurse said as she backed away. “She needs her rest, for her sake as much as the baby’s.”
Scott’s eyes went wide. “Baby?”
The nurse looked at him like he was dimwitted. “Baby James, or so I’m told. She’s a fighter, that one, baby going to be strong just like the mom. Don’t rightly know if it’s a boy. The other one was a boy. We know that, but this one could be a girl. She won’t let us check, says she already knows.”
“Other one?”
“The baby she miscarried. What, he didn’t tell you it was twins? I can understand, ‘nough trauma already for everybody.”
“He?”
“The granddaddy, Mr. Simons, such a nice man.”
Scott changed his mind about letting Cynthia rest and waiting any longer. He asked the nurse, “How much is he paying you?”
Before she could answer, Scott said, “I’ll double it.”
“Double?”
Scott eyes went to the duffle bag on the floor near the foyer.
“Hell, if you’ll help pack and come with us, you can set the price.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere tropical, warm. How does that sound?”
“My Toby, what about my Toby? Can’t rightly leave ‘im behind.”
“Write him a letter. Tell him you’ll be back in a few months.”
“My Toby can’t read, Mr. Evers. Dogs don’t read.”
“Dog?”
“Rottweiler, hates everybody but me.”
“Good, we’ll bring him along. How long will it take you to pack everything you need?”
“Few minutes I reckon. Doctor said the machines could go.
Just the meds mostly.”
Smiling, Scott clapped his hands together, said, “Well, let’s get to it.”
Minutes later Scott was staring at Cynthia through the rearview mirror and nodding to the butler who was standing on the lawn as he pulled away from the front of the house. He turned on the headlights, continued around the circle drive.
The front gate moved slowly outward and just as the car started toward the gates, Cynthia opened her eyes and looked up.
Scott, still looking at her through the rearview mirror, smiled.
“Rest,” he said, “Everything’s going to be okay now,” and then he drove away into the night.
Look for these
Scott Evers Thrillers…
The Cards in the Deck
The Pawns on the Board
The Players in the Game
About the Author
Robert Stanek is the author of many previously published books, including several bestsellers. Currently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children. Robert is proud to have served in the Persian Gulf War as a combat crewmember on an electronic warfare aircraft. During the war, he flew numerous combat and combat support missions, logging over two hundred combat flight hours. His distinguished accomplishments during the Persian Gulf War earned him nine medals, including the United States of America’s highest flying honor, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.
As a boy, he dreamed of being a writer. In elementary school, he was a junior editor for the school newspaper. Although he has written many books for professionals since 1994, his works of fiction have quickly become his most popular books. His first novel was Keeper Martin’s Tale, which was simultaneously released in adult and children’s editions. He describes the book as “a story of mystery, intrigue, magic, and adventure.” Many of his other works of fiction are also fantasies, set in incredibly fantastic worlds.
Learn more at
www.reagentpress.com