Jack leaned across the table. “Tell us everything and don’t leave anything out, no matter how unimportant you think it might be.”
Myra and Annie did as instructed, as a sideshow started to unfold where Harry was sitting. Cooper sat on his haunches, eyeing Harry with adoration. Harry stroked the retriever’s head as he listened to Annie and Myra and the plans they had come up with to take care of Darlene Wyatt. Suddenly, Cooper bolted from the room, only to return with one of his toys. He laid it at Harry’s feet, then raced off for another. All told, he made eleven round-trips, to everyone’s amusement. When the little pile of stuffed toys was up to his ankles, Harry looked to Julie, his gaze questioning.
“I don’t know what it means other than I think he suddenly loves and adores you. Cooper doesn’t share his toys with anyone. What’s his is his. Seems to me like he’s giving them to you. Cooper has separation anxiety, which we are working on. I have to say, though, I’ve never seen him interact with anyone like this. You should be flattered.”
“I am,” Harry said softly as he slid off his chair and dropped to his knees until he was eye level with Cooper.
“I think this is some kind of Zen thing or something. Harry can communicate in ways we only dream about,” Jack whispered.
Man and dog stared at one another, neither blinking. Time passed, with neither moving, and the others went back to their discussion at the table. It was Cooper who made the first move. He placed both paws on Harry’s shoulders, bent forward, and licked at his cheek before he moved off to join Gracie and Lola, who were waiting for him at the doggie door. Harry watched until Cooper was out of sight before he sat back on his chair. He looked around at the faces staring at him. “We are as one,” he said by way of explanation.
Julie felt a chill wash over her. She didn’t like the way that sounded, but she didn’t say anything.
The discussion continued as she poured coffee, her gaze never far from Harry Wong.
Bert held up his hand for silence. “If I understand this correctly, we have the balance of today and all day tomorrow, until Monday, when you plan to strike. You chose Monday because the little girl starts school and will not be in the house, is that right?”
“Yes,” Myra said.
“You said Darlene has webcams set up all over, so she can see anyone approaching her property from any angle, is that right?” Jack asked.
“That’s right,” Annie said.
“So how do you plan on getting in there?”
“We thought Julie would just go over and knock on the door. Darlene might or might not invite her in. We think she’s going to want to make a deal with her, so more likely than not, she will invite her in. Once that garage door goes up, we all hotfoot it and follow her in. There’s an entrance to the main house inside the garage. It leads down a hallway into the kitchen. Her webcams are set up in that hallway. We have been toying with the idea of calling Abner to see if he can disrupt the power in some way. If he can’t do that, Julie will have to go to the front door. Same deal, but we can go in from the side because there is heavy foliage. Julie said none of Darlene’s neighbors will do a thing to intervene. How does that sound?” Myra asked.
“Iffy,” Ted said. “The lady has a cell phone, right? She could call the police.”
Annie laughed. “I don’t think so. She’s already gone a few rounds with the local police, to her own detriment. Julie thinks this is the best way, unless you guys have a better idea. Do you?” Annie asked pointedly.
“Daylight is never good for infiltration. Darkness is your friend,” Espinosa said.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Ted said, jumping up. “I have an idea! Sometimes I am so smart I can’t stand myself. How about this? Espinosa and I are here to cover the summer festival. You know, small-town America, that kind of thing. The woman at the car-rental kiosk told me all about it. While we were here, we got downwind of this woman whose identity was stolen. As you all know, the Post has done numerous stories and articles on that very thing. It’s all verifiable if Darlene wants to check. If she was as pissed as you say she was when that all went down, she’s going to jump at a chance to spout off and get her jabs in about Julie, and blame her. Once she lets us in, I think Espinosa and I are capable of getting the rest of you in. Party time!”
“You know what? I think that might work, and I like it better than Julie’s going in there cold turkey. From all you’ve said about this woman and her boyfriend, I wouldn’t trust either one of them around her, since they have a bigger-than-life hate on for Julie. But I would like to go in Espinosa’s place. Darlene won’t know the difference,” Harry said.
“Harry, you are so loquacious, and I am loving it. That is an absolutely brilliant idea. Let’s all vote on Harry’s idea,” Jack said, happiness ringing in his voice.
All of them, even Julie, raised their hands in the air.
“Done!” Myra said happily. Harry beamed his pleasure.
“Then it’s a go. What about the little girl?” Jack asked.
“The minute we get in the house, we have to have Darlene call the school and tell them my daughters will be picking Ollie up from now on,” Julie said. “That child is going to be so happy. In fact, my girls are coming over shortly so that we can get Ollie’s old room all ready. Actually, I think they’re here now; the dogs are barking. I suspect you all want to . . . you know, get down to business. I will be okay with anything you all decide. It was nice meeting you all. Oh, where are my manners? Myra, Annie, when you’re all finished with your business, will you show the gentlemen the bedrooms upstairs and let them pick out their rooms. I have more than enough room for you all to stay here. And I will be cooking dinner.”
The beloved words, Hey Mom, we’re here, made everyone smile as Julie scurried from the room to greet her daughters.
“More coffee, boys? A sandwich?”
“I’ll take the coffee, but we stopped to eat before we got here,” Bert said.
Annie walked over to the coffeepot. She listened as Harry voiced a concern. “Are we sure there will be no repercussions where the little girl is concerned? Like, all of a sudden, her aunts are picking her up. Won’t the school ask questions about her mother? How are you prepared to handle that?”
Myra frowned. “We were discussing that before you got here. Darlene will have to write a letter, and it will have to be notarized. She’s going to be signing off on everything. Going out of town for an extended period of time, going back to help her ailing parents, wherever they live. Something like that. Julie did say she knows someone who is a notary who will agree to stop over and witness Darlene’s signing the papers. That’s going to be really tricky, though. That’s what we’re all worried about.”
“Then I suggest we talk it to death and come up with a solution that will work so that Julie will be able to live with no blowback,” Jack said.
They fell to it, all of them starting to talk at once. Bert whistled through his teeth, an ear-piercing sound that silenced the group. “One at a time! Remember now, we’re talking about a little girl’s future life.”
Annie rummaged through a pile of folders. “These came via fax last evening. Myra and I were on the phone with Lizzie till all hours. Here’s the contract where Darlene gives Julie her power of attorney. This one is a release to the school for Julie and her authorized representatives to pick up the child from school. This blue folder is where Darlene signs off on custody of Olivia. This one is where she signs off on the house, and it is to be put into a trust for Ollie, with Julie and her daughters as trustees. This yellow folder is the one that will give us the most trouble. This says she admits to cheating and carrying on an affair with Adam Fortune while she was married to Julie’s son. She also admits to negligence in her husband’s death. She’s going to balk at signing that.”
“No she won’t,” Harry said quietly.
“And the guy, Adam?” Espinosa asked.
Myra smiled. “Annie and I will take care of Adam Fortune. He will pay for every mean-spirited
thing he’s ever done to Ollie, every abuse, every unkind word he ever uttered to that poor child.”
Jack swallowed hard. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such evil looks as he was seeing on Myra’s and Annie’s faces. He almost felt sorry for Darlene Wyatt and her boyfriend. Almost.
“Avery and some of his crew are flying in to Huntsville this evening. That’s a lot of strangers in a small town all of a sudden, don’t you think? Do these people keep up with things like that?” Jack asked, his tone worried.
“They do, according to Julie, but these people are Julie’s friends. Once word gets out she has guests, there won’t be any blowback, as Jack put it. I think we’re okay,” Annie said confidently.
“Did any of you tell the child what you’re planning?” Jack asked.
“Julie said she told Ollie that in a few days everything would be okay. She said Ollie is very good at keeping secrets. If she told her anything else, she didn’t tell us,” Myra said.
“A lot can happen in a day and a half until the child goes off to school on Monday,” Harry said glumly.
“You just had to go ahead and say that, didn’t you?” Ted groused.
“I did have to say it. And if the rest of you aren’t thinking the same thing, then there is something wrong with you.”
Myra held up her hand for silence. “Even though she didn’t like it, Julie was comfortable letting Ollie go back to the house. Ollie, according to Julie, knows how to make herself invisible. What that means is she hides out in her room. The twins, along with Julie, bought her a lot of stuff, so she’ll have something to occupy her until school starts on Monday. It is a concern, Harry, but nothing major at this point.” She hated the concern she was seeing on the others’ faces, but she had to rely on Julie’s opinion, since Julie knew the players and the situation better than all of them put together.
Harry’s big toe poked around Cooper’s pile of toys. “If you say so,” was Harry’s only comment.
Jack was so uneasy that he sidled up to Harry. “Talk to me, Harry. Tell me what is really bothering you. What are you feeling or seeing that we aren’t?”
“She’s just a kid, Jack. A little girl. She shouldn’t have to make herself invisible. She should be with people who will love and take care of her. Thirty-six hours is a long time. I’m worried about that crazy-ass woman living in the house, a woman who seems to have that Fortune guy wrapped around her little finger and is calling the shots. The kid is a thorn in her side. She’s blaming her, the kid, according to what Myra and Annie tell us they learned from Julie, for all their bad luck. And she kicked Fortune’s kids out of the house. Didn’t someone say one of the neighbors called Julie to tell her when that all went down? His kids versus Olivia. Do you want me to paint you a picture, Jack?”
“Hell no! What do you want to do, Harry? You want to go in tomorrow? I’m okay with advancing it a day, but the girl will be there. How do we handle that?”
“I need to think about this. I’m going outside for a little while. You don’t need me in here to beat this thing to death.”
When the kitchen door closed behind Harry, the room went silent. “Harry pretty much goes along with the flow. He’s feeling really strongly about this, as you can all tell. I’m okay with moving this gig up to tomorrow, but first I want to make sure that the kid is safe, and we can get her out of the house with nothing that will bite any of us on the butt. So, let’s run it all up the flagpole and see if we can make tomorrow work for us.”
“Shouldn’t Julie and her girls be in on this, or at least Julie, before we make any major decisions?” Annie asked.
“Absolutely,” Bert said. “You want to ask her? While you’re doing that, we’ll try and figure something out.”
“The child comes first. Just remember that,” Annie huffed as she made her way out of the kitchen and upstairs.
Jack smacked his hands together. “We need a plan.”
The others groaned.
Chapter 23
Annie stood in the doorway, staring at two miniversions of Julie Wyatt. They were all bustling about as they worked at turning their old bedroom into a little girl’s fantasy room. Gossamer pastel butterflies hung from the ceiling, swaying in the draft from the air-conditioner vents. The twin beds the sisters had grown up with were gone, replaced with a double bed that had a lacy canopy matching the bedcovers. Sheer curtains, white as snow, covered the windows, which overlooked the backyard and the playhouse, where the twins and even Ollie had played for endless hours. The names on the colorful toy chest had been replaced with Ollie’s name in bright gold script.
Bookshelves lined one whole wall and were filled with Ollie’s old toys, the ones she had left behind when Darlene stopped allowing her to visit. Books, some belonging to the twins, others Ollie’s books, which her real mother had read to her when she was little, filled the top two shelves. A white clothes rack stood in the corner, with brightly colored animals clinging to the spokes, which jutted out. A bright red jacket hung from the lowest spoke, along with shiny yellow rain gear. A pair of ladybug boots stood underneath.
The closet door was open, revealing ice skates, roller skates, and a skateboard just waiting for Ollie.
In the far corner was a pink nylon tent that was perfect for two giggling little girls to hide out in. Ollie and a friend on a sleepover. How wonderful.
Annie’s eyes were wet as she stared around the room and at the happy faces of Julie and her daughters.
Julie cleared her throat. “We had all this stuff, we just didn’t know when we would be able to . . . to fix the room for Ollie. I think she’s going to like it, don’t you, Annie?”
“Absolutely. Ah, Julie, I wonder if you could spare a few minutes; the boys and I need to talk to you about something.”
“You girls can finish here, can’t you?” The twins nodded.
“I was just about to come downstairs to start dinner. I was wondering, Annie, if I get it all ready, can you and Myra serve? Mr. Goldfeld called and wants to meet with me. He suggested dinner, and I agreed. I feel so terrible about Mace, and I’ve purposely put his . . . death and my . . . his will out of my mind with all this going on with Ollie. I have to go and meet with him. There are just some things in life you can’t put off. You understand, don’t you, Annie?”
Julie’s voice was so sad, Annie wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “Of course I understand. You have to do what you have to do. We can take care of things while you do whatever it is that you need to do. Come along, dear, we need to talk. There’s been a change in plans. Harry is not happy with our current plan. Harry is . . .”
“Different? I already sensed that. Cooper did, too. I guess we should pay attention to what he thinks and says, then,” Julie said. “Oh, look, Annie!” Julie said as she peered out the window on the landing of the stairway.
Annie looked down into the yard and smiled. Harry was sitting in the middle of the yard in the bright sun, in a lotus position. Cooper was sitting next to him, still as a statue. Gracie and Lola were busy chasing squirrels at the far end of the yard, completely oblivious to Harry and Cooper.
Annie could feel Julie suddenly tense up. She reached for her hand, and together they walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the boys and Myra were standing by the sliding doors in the sunroom, their eyes on Harry and Cooper.
“I know that means something. I just don’t know what,” Jack said fretfully.
“Figure it out later, boys. Julie is here, and she has to go out, so we need to cut to the chase and let her be on her way,” Annie said.
They all gathered around the kitchen table again. Bert took the floor. “Harry seems to think waiting till Monday would be a mistake. He says thirty-six hours is too long to wait, and he believes—at least, I think he believes—that the child might be in danger. Do you think we could pull this off tomorrow morning, Julie? I know it’s Sunday, and everyone in the neighborhood will be home, so that might pose a problem.”
&n
bsp; Julie drew a deep breath. “On the contrary. Everyone will be at church. Tomorrow morning should work fine. I know all of Darlene’s neighbors, and they all belong to Saint Ann’s Church. Services start at eight, Bible school is at nine, then there’s a brunch at ten thirty. Everyone goes and helps out. The neighborhood will be pretty much empty.”
Julie moved over to the kitchen counter, where she set to work preparing the dinner she’d promised. She could still hear and talk as she bustled about preparing a stew in her pressure cooker. Within twenty minutes, she had everything ready. She wiped her hands and looked at her guests. “I’m for whatever will work for Ollie. You don’t need my approval. Just, please, make it work for us. I don’t know how to thank you. Last week at this time, all of this was just a dream. Cooking dinner for you hardly seems enough.”
“It’s enough,” Jack said. “We’re good here. We’ll fine-tune our plan, and by the time you get home, we should have all the kinks worked out.”
Julie nodded, then raced off to her room, where she quickly washed her face, combed her hair, put on lipstick, and changed into a clean blouse. She was out the door in ten minutes flat, her thoughts all over the map. Cooper and Harry. Mace’s death, her inheritance, Oliver Goldfeld. Darlene Wyatt and her punk boyfriend. Ollie and her new room. Her world was suddenly moving at the speed of light. She hoped she was up to all these changes in her life. Well, if she wasn’t, she damned well better get on the stick and get ready for the blizzard that was heading her way. She was wired too tight just then and didn’t like the feeling.
Fifteen minutes later, Julie stopped in front of the property that now belonged to Oliver Goldfeld. She stared up the slight incline to where the old house rested. She sighed. In real-estate terms, the house was a fixer-upper. All it would need, a cheerful broker would tell you, was a boatload of money, patience, and a dedicated construction crew working twenty-four/ seven, and even then the outcome would be iffy. In Julie’s opinion, a wrecking ball was what was required. But if this was what Mace had wanted and Oliver Goldfeld was prepared to do, who was she to even offer an opinion?
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