“Okay. Let’s keep this short. Check back on your departure.”
“Thanks, Peterson. See? The plan worked.”
“Don’t count your chickens just yet, Andy. That’s bad luck.”
Before Andy could give an answer, Peterson added, “But thanks. I appreciate the support. Just get down here safely. It feels like things are escalating and I’m in agreement, we need to make a move and get out.”
He padded Flora’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
Not halfway across the camp, he heard the sounds of several vehicles approaching. The dust was so heavy he couldn’t tell who they were, until he saw the huge, hulking form of Tucker jumping off the back of a small flatbed, carrying a pack that probably weighed as much as he did. On any normal man, the pack would have tipped him on his ass. But this was Tucker.
And Tucker, fresh from becoming a new father, was ready to get back in the fray.
God Bless America!
Chapter 19
Last night’s event with Sandy’s alert, while exactly what she should have done, left Aimee shaken, and she found it difficult to sleep afterwards. Hank Borges’ book was no comfort to her. In fact, she couldn’t even read any of her favorite go-to romance novels at all. She attempted to watch TV but found no interest in anything. She threw the device at the foot of her bed, and just lay back, staring at the ceiling, giving Sandy a light pet until sleep finally overtook her.
She should have been excited, she thought as she walked outside with the rear seat cover. Still at her toes, the shell lay perfect in its odd placement, a reminder, again, that things were not normal. Everything still seemed to be spinning out of control. The shell incident only underscored that, far from calming her nerves or making her look forward to some communication with Logan, she realized there was a danger that these little gifts were not his work at all, but someone else, messing with her mind.
Dr. Denby, Andy and Shelley were right. Every one of them were right.
She vowed that she’d give the Sheriff’s department a visit on the way home.
Sandy watched the passing traffic for a few minutes, then settled down into the seat, her paws outstretched, with her head resting atop them. The dog was quickly becoming the bright spot of her day. She could only imagine how tense she would have been without her companionship. The instant bond she made that day at the shelter was indeed something she could trust and gave her some small sense of protection.
The traffic was massive this morning, so when she arrived at Mr. Kornblum’s office, she was a whole ten minutes late. She grabbed the leash and she and Sandy jogged into the large modern building, darting into the third-floor elevator before someone downstairs told her the dog wouldn’t be allowed.
Jasper Kornblum’s office wasn’t as big or expansive as she’d imagined. He had a secretary seated in the tiny lobby and a conference room beyond with a beautiful view of downtown Tampa. There wasn’t the buzzing around of associates or customers waiting like she’d seen in some offices. No one offered her an espresso, or a glass of champagne, although today, she could use some alcohol.
Kornblum appeared and was interested in being introduced to Sandy, who gave him her paw.
“Nice pup. She’s got a lovely coat, too. How’s she with the housebreaking, or did she come already trained?”
“She’s good. She’s had a run with me. Bought her a dog bed, which I have to return because she prefers to sleep on my bed. So, I guess I’m going to cave on that one, until Andy comes home. He may not be so pleased.”
Kornblum had a thick file under his arm, directing her to the conference room. He asked his receptionist to bring a small bowl of water for the dog and two coffees.
“Cream for me. Lots of it,” instructed Aimee.
She showed Sandy a sunny corner and had her sit, then took a chair across the polished black conference table from Kornblum. He spread out two files, opening the first and pulling out documents clipped together in several batches, pink arrows affixed to some of the pages.
He lay a single sheet of paper in front of her and turned it around so she could read it.
“These are the very short instructions from Carmen I prepared about six months ago when she was diagnosed as terminal.” He slipped another piece of paper beneath it, while Aimee read the verbiage.
It was very short, indicating it was her desire to leave all her worldly goods to Aimee Greer. “But I’m Aimee Carr now.”
“The formal legal instructions and the documents you’ll sign take that into account. This was her notarized proof of her desire to leave everything to you.”
He let her complete the paragraph, and then flipped the page over to reveal a list of items that filled most the page.
“And this is an inventory of what you have inherited.”
At first, she focused on the pink arrow at the bottom, but then she began to read. There was a list of four accounts, two with a savings bank and two with a brokerage firm in Sarasota. The total of the stock value, dated today, and bank accounts amounted to over two million dollars.
Her first reaction was to cover her mouth, since her jaw had dropped to nearly touch her chest. Kornblum’s amused expression made her think at first, he was playing a cruel trick on her.
“This can’t be,” she mumbled. “I’m—”
The receptionist brought in two mugs of coffee and lay a glass bowl in front of Sandy, who immediately and very sloppily slurped her way to emptying it.
“I’ll get more,” the receptionist chuckled.
“I think we’re fine, Hailey.”
Aimee was in shock and kept reading over the first few lines of assets over and over again, making sure she hadn’t misunderstood a decimal point or two.
“She’s leaving all this to me? She has no family, no one else she wants to leave money to? I mean, I’m not interfering with some family member’s inheritance plans, am I?”
“She had no offspring or siblings. Her parents are gone. Hank left her the house and the bulk of his last twenty-five books sales to her. And, she had some success on her own. Quite a bit of success. She was a shrewd investor, lived a very simple life, and saved like there was no tomorrow. I think in many ways, she was a lot like you, Aimee. Her needs were small, and she really didn’t enjoy spending money. She liked saving it.”
“I thought maybe when you told me, that perhaps we could get a new car or pay for some of the construction we’ve been saving for to complete on the house, but this—this is nowhere near what I thought it could be. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say thank you. Say it to her.”
Aimee teared up immediately. Kornblum slid the tissues over to her and waited, his hands folded in front of him. Sandy had been alerted to Aimee’s tears and walked over to sit next to her. It made her laugh that the dog had already developed the sense that she was emotional.
“So, how does this work, then?”
“Well, I have several papers you will need to sign, and we’ll have Hailey notarize. You’ll want to meet with the bank representatives so they can explain what has to happen on their end, their paperwork. You’ll be given access to her jewelry in a safe deposit box. The contents are listed here.” He tapped a list of contents, which included two gold bands, two cocktail rings, a tennis bracelet, and a child’s heart-shaped locket.
“What’s this?”
“Apparently, there’s a letter of explanation in the box. I wasn’t given any information about it.”
“But did she have a daughter?”
“No, she’s signed affidavits that she had no children of her own. That’s stipulated in the will and all the estate documents. I’m afraid that mystery you’re going to have to work out on your own.”
“I don’t know what to do.” Aimee was wondering how Andy would take the news and wondering if she should wait to tell him after he got home. She didn’t want to distract him from the importance of his mission.
“Why don’t we start by signing the paperwork. Then I can file
the proper notices and give you authorization to have access. It will take about thirty days to complete everything, but after that time, you’ll be able to access everything and do what you like with it. I do suggest you meet with the managers and the portfolio managers at the two brokerage houses. I usually tell people to just leave things where they are at, until you decide what your plans are for the money. They can help you strategize an exit plan, if you need it. This is also a good time to interview them and figure out for yourself whom you want to continue working with. Maybe wait until Andy returns, but you’re not required to. This is your money, Aimee. She knew about your wedding plans, but it’s your sole separate property.”
“I wouldn’t think of doing anything without Andy’s input.”
“Of course, I would be the same way, Aimee.”
“Do I have to decide anything now?”
“Well, you can decide to refuse the money. You can do that. But all we need today is your signature.” He handed her a pen. “And tell you face to smile. Trust me, this is a good thing. She’d want to see you happy.”
Suddenly an idea popped into her head. “Her funeral? Can I pay for her funeral?”
“No, that’s already been taken care of. It wasn’t anticipated there would be many in attendance, so she prepaid for a small service and asked that her ashes be spread at the beach. I can have them released to you, if you like.”
The idea of sprinkling the contents of Carmen’s life into the bay filled her with sadness. “I couldn’t—” she broke down in tears again, resting her head on her forearms. Kornblum grabbed one of her hands and squeezed.
“It’s going to take time to get used to this. This is a gift, Aimee. Nothing you need to feel guilty of, or sad about. It was her way of celebrating her life by sharing it with you, you and Andy, and whomever else you want to. In time, that’s the way you’ll see it, I’m sure.”
“When? When is the funeral?”
“In three days.”
“I want to go,” she mumbled, wiping the streaks of tears from her cheeks with his Kleenex.
“I’ll be there too. I’m bringing my wife as well. I think we’ll be the only ones, but you never know.”
“Can we wait for Andy?”
“No. But you can have another service, if you like. Maybe he could help you spread the ashes. I think he’d want to help you with that.”
He was right, of course. She stared at the pen, still clutched in her fingers, and began to look for pages with pink arrows at the bottom.
She’d been right all along. That house at Sunset Beach was magic. Everything that flowed from it was magic. Her life had been forever altered the day she found it and fell in love with it, and the man who gave her the confidence to go after it. What if Andy had said no? What if her mother hadn’t left her the money to purchase it? What if she’d decided it was too old and in too much need of repair and should be torn down? What if she had never come to the Florida Gulf Coast and walked the beach? That’s where her life had begun. That’s when it all started.
Magic. Pure magic!
Chapter 20
Sven was the first on the team to greet Tucker. The two men had an extreme bear hug. Tucker towered over Sven by several inches and was probably double his body size, but it made no difference, Sven tried to pick him up anyway.
They’d arrived in brand new white four-door pickups, which left room in the back for backpacks and equipment. Tucker had ridden there with the equipment. Kelly Fieldling made her way out of the passenger’s seat of the first truck. Fredo, Danny Begay, Armando, T.J. Talbot, Jake Green all exited the second vehicle. T.J. and Danny approached Andy.
“How’s it going, kid?” T.J. was grinning, carrying a large backpack with a red cross on it. “I understand from the Headshed that you are short on antibiotics. I got y’all fixed up kid, and some painkillers too.” He shoved the backpack into Andy’s belly.
“Cool.” Andy slipped the pack over his shoulder. “Okay, I got mine. Where’s all the rest for you guys?”
Fredo punched him in the arm. “Nice one, bro. You holding up okay?”
“Of course. Got good mentors,” Andy answered.
The new team members were still getting unloaded. They had brought along two extra guards, plus the drivers. Diku greeted the Africacorps troops warmly, as did several of the compound guards under his command.
Their temporary meet and greet was halted as Sven drew the SEALs into a circle and explained their dire situation.
“Look, guys. I’m not going to sugarcoat it at all. We’re in kind of a shitstorm here. I’m sure you know that Peterson and the rest of the team, Andy’s team, are holed up down south with the UNESCO project and Gunner Larssen’s men. They’re okay, but probably not very secure. That’s why you guys are here.”
Tucker was the first to respond. “Just lay it out, Sven. Please just tell us what you want us to do and we’re here for you.”
“Well, Andy and I have come back here to double check the compound, and it appears that the site partially abandoned, and some of the medical was used by unknowns. We really aren’t sure—still trying to figure that out. These guys have worked pretty hard,” he pointed to Diku, who was having his own private conversation with his colleagues.
“I think they’re honest, and half this team headed south to investigate the kidnapping of the European businessman, and I guess everyone here thought it was us. We need to get south quickly before they figure out they got the wrong guys, and if the whole area thinks that one of us on this ambushed team was murdered by this militia group, then good for us. But they won’t take long to figure out who they really got. We need to get to safety and to Peterson and his group, before they get cut off. We think the militia group that murdered the businessman is the same group that has the hostages.”
“Good on you, Andy. You guys risked your butts to get up here,” T.J. barked.
“So, you’re saying we got to get out of Dodge then. Is that right?” asked Fredo.
“That’s what we’re saying Fredo.” Andy was sure everyone got the message.
“So how do we do this? You got any thoughts on whose trucks we take and when we leave?” asked Tucker.
Andy stepped forward and answered him, “I think we need three trucks, we got two, we may need one of yours. Or we can take a third here. But we got to go right away. As in now.”
“Okay then, so no need to unload.” Armando set his bag down and headed back to the truck.
“T.J., you and I need to meet with a couple of nurses who showed up this afternoon. I want to make sure they’ve got some meds for our return trip. And I need to give them instructions. So, let’s go on up there and then we’ll all meet you back here, but get ready to roll out of here like in 10 minutes, okay?”
The team was used to these sorts of excursions where they had little time to decompress, rest up or refresh themselves after a long flight and trip over. But this is what it was all about. And if it was urgent, it was urgent.
On the way across the courtyard to the nurses’ room, Andy whispered to T.J., “Truth is T.J., I got to call Peterson, and I need to do it where no one will see me. What you can do is introduce yourself to the nurses, have Flora and her assistant meet you in the surgery center we set up, and you can unload some of your vials of antibiotics and maybe three or four pain meds, some morphine, whatever you brought.”
“Sure thing. How did these ladies show up?”
“You know, T.J., this is Africa. I have no fucking clue who sent them, but they were sent by someone in the Archdiocese in Nigeria. They work for a Catholic charities group. Their coordinator over there is a Frenchman, we don’t have any contact with him, but Sven knows Flora, and he trusts her. So, the bottom line is someone knows we might need medical assistance, which is a whole other problem.”
“I got ya. So, they’re staying here?”
“Yeah, unfortunately. I can’t really take these women into combat. They’re not trained, and I’d be afraid we’d spend a
lot of resources protecting them. But we have a couple of extra guards on their way over, or at least I requested it, to protect them. We’re going to take some of these guys, but we have to leave some behind obviously to man the compound. This will be where we come back to after our mission, and then we’ll head up north to get the transport out of Niger. But somebody’s got to stay here and protect the camp site, and the nurses. And I need a little bit of medical supplies here, just for giggles.”
“Giggles?”
“God T.J., I’m running out of words here. It’s just a big clusterfuck. But we’re doing the best we can.”
“I’d say, my man, you’re doing pretty damn good.”
He knocked on the outside of the building and called through the blue plastic sheet to the nurses. Flora pulled aside the screen and invited them in.
“Flora, this is T.J. Talbot, he’s a medic from Team 3, and I’ve served with him. He’s going to take you over to the surgery and help restock some antibiotics and a little bit of other stuff too, so you tell him what you think we are going to need. Okay?”
“Sure thing, Andy.” She looked up at the tall medic and curtsied in front of him, which Andy thought was funny. T.J. tried to cover his smile with his hand, but both ladies were embarrassed and giggled like schoolgirls.
“Nice to meet you.” Flora pushed her assistant in front who also curtsied and greeted T.J. with a very soft handshake.
The two nurses left, and T.J. followed behind carrying the medic pack. Andy retrieved his sat phone and dialed Peterson.
“Tell me they got there safely, Andy.” Peterson barked.
“Yes sir, they did. We didn’t get any of Collin’s guys, but we got seven, including Kelly Fieldling. We got Fredo and Danny, we got Armando, of course Tucker, and we have T.J. and Jake Green as well, so we got a good group. I’m grateful for the medical supplies that T.J. brought.”
“That’s good. I’m glad they got that together. So, when are you leaving?”
“We’re going to go now, even though it’s dark. Any intel to say that the roads are not passable or there’s some kind of hazard ahead?” Andy asked.
The House At Sunset: SEALed At Sunset - The Beach Renovation (Sunset SEALs Book 5) Page 15