by Hope White
“No, I’ll do it.” Julie went upstairs and found the bathroom door open, Dane’s dirty clothes on the floor, but no Dane. Panic flooded her chest. “Dane?”
“In here.”
She followed the sound of his voice into Morgan’s room. Dane sat in the corner, freshly showered and dressed in the clothes Morgan had bought him, knees pulled to his chest. Julie sat on the bed a few inches from him.
“What’s up, buddy?” she asked.
“I like this room.”
She figured he would. “This was Morgan’s room.”
“He’s got a lot of plaques and stuff.”
“He had some good years in high school.” She paused. “And some bad. Come on downstairs for dinner. You have to be starving.”
Dane shrugged. “It sounds like there’s a lotta people down there.”
“Just family. Morgan, my mom, my sister, Lana, her assistant, Ashley, and Ashley’s boyfriend, Sketch. He’s seventeen. Like you.”
“And he’s probably a brain or jock or something.”
“Actually, he’s a high-school dropout. But yeah, he’s kind of a computer brain. Come on.” Julie stood and motioned for him to join her.
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
“I wouldn’t wait too long. My mom’s shepherd’s pie is a favorite.”
“I don’t even know what that is.”
“It’s like hamburger meat, flavored with veggies and baked with mashed potatoes on top. She also made Jell-O salad, Christmas cookies and caramel-apple pie for dessert.” She paused. “À la mode.”
Dane absently licked his lips, but didn’t move.
“Okay, well, I don’t want to keep them waiting. See you in a few minutes.” Julie headed downstairs, hoping she’d enticed him to join the family.
The family. A surge of contentment filled her chest. Yes, this was a family, everyone gathering to celebrate a meal and their love for one another.
She breezed into the kitchen and sat next to Morgan.
“Is he joining us?” Morgan asked.
“He will, when he’s ready.” She glanced around the table. “He’ll be skittish, so don’t ask him a lot of questions. Offer as much unconditional love as possible.”
Mom reached for Julie’s and Lana’s hands on either side of her. “A prayer,” Mom said. “Lord, thank You for the blessing of family, friends and the bounty before us. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone repeated.
Plates were passed to Mom and she dished out delicious shepherd’s pie. Conversation centered around the fender bender in town, and whether the Waddinghams’ dog should be locked up at the county pound for biting the Kingston kid.
“Tommy Kingston was probably asking for it,” Sketch said.
“Why do you say that?” Morgan challenged.
“That kid is a menace. He rides his scooter like he’s in the Indy 500, and teases the dog that lives behind them. It was about time a dog put him in his place.”
“Sketch, that isn’t nice,” Mom said, then glanced up at the doorway. Julie guessed Dane had come down, but she knew he’d bolt if they made a big deal out of it.
“Mom,” Julie said, hoping to distract her mother from saying something that would spook Dane, something as innocent as “we’re happy to have you for dinner.”
Edith glanced at Julie.
“Was there gravy to go along with the pie?” Julie asked.
“Oh, my land. Gravy.” Mom popped up from her seat and poured gravy from a pot on the stove into a gravy boat. “Where is my head today?”
“Probably pickled from paint fumes,” Morgan joked, following Julie’s lead.
Ashley stared across the room at Dane.
“Ashley, how are the hotel-management classes going?” Julie asked.
Sketch must have nudged her under the table, because Ashley jerked her attention to Julie.
“Boring, beyond boring.”
“She’s stuck in geckers,” Sketch said.
“What’s a gecker?” Julie asked.
“General Education Course Curriculum Requirements, blah, blah,” Sketch said.
“So, like—”
“Math, ugh.” Ashley rolled her eyes. “Psychology, double ugh. History. Depressing.”
“I don’t know, I kinda liked history,” Lana offered.
As the conversation continued, Julie shifted closer to Morgan to make room for Dane. Sure, Dane would be sitting next to her mom, and perhaps that terrified him considering his mother abused him, forcing him to run away, but he had to sense the goodness of Julie’s mom.
Mom passed the gravy. “My favorite class was literature. The classics—Brontë, Hemingway, Jane Austen.”
Sketch made quotation marks with his fingers. “Love stories.”
“Not all of them,” Morgan piped up. “Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea. Not exactly a romance.”
“I think the dude was secretly in love with the marlin.”
The table burst out laughing as Mom grabbed Dane’s plate and scooped a healthy portion of pie. She placed it in front of him and asked, “Gravy?”
He nodded, but didn’t speak. At least he hadn’t rushed out of the room.
As Mom poured gravy onto his pie, Julie continued the conversation about Ashley’s classes, and Lana contributed by saying she hoped Ashley could earn extra credit by working at Stone Soup.
“She’s getting a hotel-restaurant management degree, so I’d think they’d credit her for all the time she’s spent helping me with the business,” Lana said.
“I worked at a pizza place,” Dane offered, eyes focused on his meal.
“The best pizza in Seattle,” Julie added.
Morgan put his fork down and reached for his phone. He eyed the caller ID. “Excuse me.” He went into the living room and took the call.
“What’s your favorite?” Sketch asked Dane.
Dane glanced at him in question.
“Pizza?”
“Hawaiian. Ham and pineapple.”
“Now there’s an interesting combination,” Mom said.
Dane took a hearty bite of shepherd’s pie, then another, and a third.
“Don’t forget to leave room for dessert,” Mom said with a smile. “We have apple pie and Christmas cookies.”
Morgan returned, worry creasing his forehead.
“Morgan?” Julie questioned.
“That was Scott.” He glanced past Julie to Mom. “Apparently someone broke into your house.”
FIFTEEN
“I knew they’d find me. It’s my fault,” Dane said.
“None of this is your fault,” Julie said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t talk that way.”
“It could be a coincidence,” Morgan offered. “At any rate, I’m headed over there to check things out.”
Julie stood. “I’m coming with you.”
Morgan touched her shoulder. “No, you’re staying here, where it’s safe. Sketch, Dane, I’m relying on you to watch over the ladies. Can you do that?”
“Absolutely,” Sketch said.
Dane nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Morgan gave Julie a hug. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
As he walked out the back door, Julie gathered her strength and knew it was up to her to keep the faith and stay positive. She would not let these bullies terrorize her or her family any longer, and she wouldn’t be punished for getting into a line of work that she knew in her heart was a worthy cause. As Dane had said in the car, he would have been dead by now if he hadn’t met Julie.
Taking a deep breath, Julie turned to face the group at the table. “Who’s ready for dessert?”
“I’ll clear,” Lana offered, picking up on Julie’s cue.
“I’ll cut the pie,” Mom said. “Dane, take your time and finish your dinner. We’ll make sure there’s dessert for you.”
“What can I do?” Ashley asked.
“Actually, I’m going to get my files,” Julie said. “Sketch, I want you to go throu
gh them and see if any red flags pop up.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Julie went upstairs and grabbed her files. Even though the threat felt closer than ever, a renewed sense of determination flooded her body. She’d said she wasn’t going to be afraid anymore, that she wasn’t going to let them terrorize her. Yet she was still running from her stalker, hiding out and waiting for the attack.
No more.
As she came downstairs, Dane was waiting for her.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“The chief asked me to watch out for you, so I am.”
“Thanks, but perhaps Sketch could use your help.”
She led him back into the kitchen.
“What can I do?” Dane asked.
“Tell him everything you know about Henson, when you met and where, what kind of car he drives, what he looks like. Give Sketch specifics about Andy, things he told you that might help us figure out who Henson is working for.”
“Whoa, you’re sounding like the chief,” Sketch joked.
“Thanks,” Julie said. “I’m going to make a timeline of everything that’s happened since Andy disappeared and you were kidnapped. If we put everything out there, Sketch might be able to make some connections.”
“If there’s anything to connect, I’ll figure it out,” Sketch said.
Dane sat across from Sketch, and Sketch fired off questions. Julie pulled out a pad of paper and wrote everything down, while Lana and Mom made tea and coffee, sliced pie and served it to the group.
Julie realized that although she was taking the offense, she was also distracting herself from what Morgan was doing. She worried that whoever had broken into Mom’s house might have done so to flush Julie out of hiding. They could be waiting for Morgan, hiding out in the bushes or behind the garage.
She stopped her head from spinning in that direction. Morgan was a professional; he knew how to handle potentially dangerous situations. And his deputy chief was on-site, so no one would risk attacking two cops. Would they?
She had to believe Morgan and Scott would be okay. Mom slid the apple pie in front of Julie. “I’m very proud of you,” Mom said.
“What? Why?”
“For being strong and not blaming yourself.”
“Don’t be too proud. I was running away, remember? That’s how I ended up back in Port Whisper.”
“Sweetie, I think something else brought you back. You let your heart lead you back where you’d be safe and grounded, where you could deal with your challenge with the support of family and friends.” Mom shifted next to her, cradling a cup of tea. “Look at you now, my little detective.”
“I don’t know about little,” Lana joked.
“Leave it to my little sister not to let me get a big head.”
“What other companies or donors do you work with at Teen Life?” Sketch asked.
Julie rattled off a few companies that generously donated time or money. “Why do you ask?”
“The chief asked me to do a comprehensive search of anyone affiliated with your place. What about this Helen lady?”
“She’s harmless. Resentful, but harmless.”
“And some guy named William?”
“What are you doing, going down our staff list?”
“Yep.”
“William did a few years in the private sector and didn’t feel like he was having the impact he wanted, so he joined our team.
“Speaking of William, I need to check on him.” She pulled out her cell.
“Check this out,” Sketch said to Dane, who looked over his shoulder. “I can find out the history of the five major companies that donate to Teen Life, who owns them, how many employees they have, if they’ve turned a profit in the last five years.”
Julie called William’s cell number. It rang four times before he picked up. “This is William.”
“It’s Julie. How are you?”
“Better, although I look like I went five rounds with George Foreman.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not. I needed the time off. How are things on your end?”
“Okay. Dane found us. He was terrified, William. Someone’s been testing drugs on these kids.”
“What! Who?”
“I have no idea. We’re still trying to piece that together.”
“I hope you do it quick.”
“Me, too.” She considered his comment. “William? What’s going on at work?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“Try again.”
“I didn’t want to worry you, what with everything you have going on.”
“I can handle it.”
“Dynacorp is determined to have a meeting tomorrow and Helen doesn’t think she’s ready. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to walk in looking like I was hit by a truck, and Andrea’s mother is sick, so she’s distracted. There’s no one to present tomorrow. I’m afraid…”
“We’re going to lose their funding?”
Dynacorp was Teen Life’s biggest donor. She hated to consider what would happen if they pulled their support.
“Maybe I’ll call them, explain the situation,” she said.
“What will you say?”
“Good question. Wish I had an answer.”
“How’s Dane?”
She glanced across the room at Dane and Sketch, who seemed to be getting along just fine. “Better than last night. He was dehydrated, and they found an odd substance in his bloodstream.”
“Do they know what it was?”
“They’re not sure.”
“May I speak with Dane?”
“Sure.” She handed Dane the phone.
“William wants to say hi.”
“Hello?” Dane got up and wandered into the living room.
Julie went to help Mom and Lana finish the dinner dishes, but Mom’s hip bumped her out of the way. “You relax,” Mom said.
“Mom, you’re spoiling me.”
“It’s about time someone did. Go on, help Sketch do that computer stuff.”
Julie sat beside Sketch and eyed the computer. A few minutes later Dane came into the kitchen and handed Julie the phone.
“Wait, did William—”
“He had to go,” Dane said, not making eye contact.
Julie sensed he was still blaming himself for Andy’s death. She wanted to say something to help him release his angst, but Julie knew better than anyone that the only person who would give Dane peace was Dane himself.
Wasn’t that what Julie had learned this past week? That it was about time she forgave herself?
She considered that there was an upside to this disastrous week. It forced her to face her own dark places, her guilt over things she truly had no control over.
A sense of peace eased into her heart and she closed her eyes. She liked the feeling and opened her heart to God. Thank You, Lord, for showing me the way. And thank You for bringing Morgan back into my life.
When this was all over, and she hoped it would be soon, Julie would have a heart-to-heart with Morgan. She’d thank him for showing her the path of forgiveness, for being so patient with her and being her rock through all this.
“Hey, you asleep?” Sketch teased.
Julie opened her eyes. “Just thinking.”
“Well, think about this.” He pointed to his computer screen. “Two deposits were made into Helen’s account over the last six months. Five grand each.”
“Wow, where’d that come from?” Julie said.
“It was cash, so there’s no way to trace it. But the government’s going to be all over her for that.”
Dane leaned against the kitchen counter, eating his pie.
“Dane, you can sit down,” Julie encouraged.
Dane swallowed his last bite of pie and handed the plate to Julie’s mom. “I’m gonna go lie down.”
“Take Morgan’s room,” Julie said.
“Okay.” Dane wandered out of the kitchen and went upstairs.
&nb
sp; “Is he going to be okay?” Lana asked.
“We’ll make sure he is.”
They spent the next three hours poring over documentation about Teen Life’s five major donors. Nothing odd or suspicious popped up. The strangest thing was Helen’s deposits.
Morgan called to let Julie know he’d be home soon, that he was checking out a lead about the break-in. Lana gave Ashley and Sketch a ride home. Edith finished wiping down the kitchen counter and had gone upstairs.
But Julie couldn’t relax until Morgan came home. She read a book in the kitchen, getting up every twenty minutes or so to glance out the window. Where was he?
She turned around and spotted Dane in the doorway.
“Whoa,” she said, “you startled me.”
“I’m sorry,” Dane said.
“Stop, you have nothing to be sorry about.”
Dane walked into the kitchen and pulled a knife from the butcher block.
“You hungry again?” she said.
He turned and pointed the knife at her. “Dane?”
“Give me your necklace.”
She automatically touched the locket Andy had given her. “What? Why?”
“I need it!” he shouted.
“Shh,” she put out her hand. She didn’t want him waking Mom and terrifying her.
“What’s this about? Talk to me.”
“Just give it to me,” he cried, his eyes tearing.
He didn’t want to be doing this, but something compelled him to threaten Julie with a knife.
“Give it or I’ll take it from you.”
But he didn’t take a step toward her. He was frozen in place, hoping that she’d give him what he’d asked for.
“Why do you need it?”
“Does it matter?”
“It does to me.”
“I need it to buy drugs.”
She knew it was a lie, she could read it in his green eyes.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Don’t make me hurt you!”
“I don’t believe you will.”
“Why won’t you just give it to me?” he challenged.
“Because you’re not a thief or a drug addict. You’re a good kid who’s in a bad place.” She extended her hand. “Let me help you out.”
“You can’t!”