A Carol for Kent

by Hallee Bridgeman

  She laughed with him, then said softly, “You have the gift I always wished I had.” She felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, so she stood and stretched, then said, “I need to go to bed. What time are the movers supposed to come?”

  Bobby stood next to her and drained his glass. “Nine.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I’d like to pick Lisa up in the morning and take her with me while I go shopping for furniture. Would that be okay with you, Carol?” he asked, handing her his empty glass.

  “She has a birthday party to go to at two. As long as she’s back here in time to eat lunch and get ready to go, I don’t mind.”

  He started to turn, but stopped himself. “By the way, thanks for everything. I want to say something to you right now.”

  He put his hands in his pockets and leaned back on his heels a little bit. “I’ve been thinking about how to say this so don’t take it wrong if it doesn’t come out right, okay? What I want to say is that I know this is all new for you. It’s new for me, too. But I just want you to know that I don’t have any expectations or preconceived notions. I don’t. I’m not here to complicate your life or hers. I just want to get to know her. I want to let her get to know me. But that will only happen with your blessing and your permission, Carol.”

  He stepped off the porch and started to leave, but turned back. “So that’s all informal and that’s how I really feel. But I have to go to Nashville on Monday to meet with my accountant and lawyer about taking my parents off some things. So I’m asking you. Do you want me to do anything official about when I get to see Lisa and that sort of thing?”

  “Bobby, I’m exhausted.” Carol rubbed the back of her neck. “This really is neither the time nor place. I don’t have any intention of standing between you two. I never have. And obviously, neither did you. That was all your folks.” She turned to go inside, but he stopped her by speaking quickly.

  “I know you had a long day, but please don’t misjudge me. I was only asking because I know my attorney well enough to know he’s having a litter of kittens and will want to create six inches of paperwork. You know how lawyers are.”

  Despite her fatigue, she laughed at his teasing tone. “Present company excluded, of course.”

  Carol agreed, “Oh, of course.”

  Bobby cleared his throat. “Anyhow, I want to go into that office Monday afternoon prepared to head that off. I never wanted to deal with the court system, either. I never would have wanted to be away from you or my child. Like you said, that was all my folks. I would have done the right thing by you, Carol. I hope you believe that.”

  “I’m sorry,” Carol said. She rubbed her eyes. “In my professional opinion, it’s always best to have some sort of protection, especially when dealing with a child as it pertains to visitation and child support. However, personally, I have every intention of working with you, and since we aren’t dealing with hostile and or bitter feelings between the two of us, the paperwork will probably be unnecessary.”

  “And what about child support? Do you want something in writing?”

  “For everyone’s protection, it should be legal. The amount is something we can agree upon. I can tell you how much I need to be able to stay in this house and to pay for Lisa’s school. Any excess money I’ve gotten has been put into a trust for Lisa. Truly, all I want from you is that little extra to make my mortgage and her tuition. Anything more you want to give, I would prefer it to go into the trust account or that you set up one for her on your own.”

  “That sounds fair. Thanks.” He stepped back onto the steps and walked up two until they were eye level. “Now, how bad is it, this case you’re working on?”

  With the sharp sting of tears in her eyes, she stepped backward so that she couldn’t actually feel his body heat. “I can’t discuss it.”

  “You’ve had three murders in just a few weeks, Carol. The news is saying words like ‘serial killer.’ Is that what’s happening, here?”

  Rubbing her eyes, she shook her head. “I can’t talk about it, Bobby. This doesn’t concern you. Go back to your hotel, now. I’m tired.”

  His eyes flared, but he grinned and nodded. “Sorry I brought it up.”

  He turned and walked back down the steps and down the driveway. He had his hand on the door handle of his car when he looked back at her. “I’ll pick Lisa up at eight tomorrow morning,” he said, then slid behind the wheel and started the car without waiting for a response from her.

  CHAPTER 11

  Personal Journal Entry

  April 28

  Her overdose ruined everything. I tolerated the fact that I had to fix the hair. I knew I’d have time. I had no idea that she’d be dead even before the first rinse. Thankfully, we were in her apartment so I didn’t have to try to transport her empty headed blonde dead weight around.

  I made her look pretty but it just didn’t work for me. The need in me is nearly overwhelming now. It’s agonizing to constantly battle this clawing need. I don’t know how much longer I can keep it at bay. I keep telling her these cheap tawdry weak substitutes aren’t going to work. She says they have to be enough because she’s in love.

  In love in love in love.

  As if she knows what love is. “Oh, I love her. Oh, she’s so precious to me. She is too precious to me.” Stupid cow.

  Saturday, April 28th

  BOBBY pulled into Carol’s driveway and saw Carol and Lisa sitting on the porch. A wave of love washed over him at the sight of Lisa waving frantically at him, and he felt as excited as she looked for the day they would spend together.

  Carol smiled at him as he walked up the drive. He started to return the smile when he heard her cell phone ring and watched her frown as she answered it.

  “Hey, Sugar,” he said, bending down to catch Lisa as she ran toward him. He walked up to the porch and sat in the chair next to Carol, keeping Lisa on his lap.

  “I don’t have an official comment, Larry, you know that,” Carol said into her phone.

  Bobby cupped his hand around Lisa’s ear and whispered, “Who’s your mama talking to?”

  Lisa shrugged. “Work.”

  “I can’t help you with information you have from unnamed sources, Larry. I can’t comment. This is an ongoing investigation. Call Mitch Carpenter and he’ll give you what information he can.”

  Bobby watched Carol pinch the bridge of her nose, and filed the gesture away for future hints of frustration. “Then use what he gave you and run with it.” She paused for a moment, then smiled and added, “Well, if he gave you Jack, run with Jack. Or Jill. Don’t care. I can give you unofficial, but it will have to be Monday at my office.” She hung up, put away the phone, then smiled and looked at him. “You guys ready to go?”

  “Yep,” Lisa said. She snuggled herself closer to his chest, and he put an arm around her.

  Bobby watched Carol’s face for some sign that might reveal some better clue about her emotional state, but she had apparently placed the phone call in the background. He marveled at her ability to deal with what she dealt with on a daily basis and still come home and provide a normal life for her child. Or rather, their child.

  “We’ll be back around lunch,” he said. “I’ll bring something back with us.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Bobby,” Carol said. “I’m making lunch for the Westbury’s.” She looked up when she heard another car pulling into the drive, and Bobby saw surprise and pleasure flash in her eyes. He turned to see who was in the car, lifting his eyebrow at the sight of the new Mercedes-Benz, just as Lisa jumped off his lap and ran in the direction of the car.

  “Henry! Henry!” she yelled, and he watched as Lisa threw herself into the man’s arms before he even had time to get his car door shut. He kissed Lisa then set her down and pulled a wrapped package out of his back seat and handed it to her. He followed her back to the porch, bending his head down so he could hear what she said. He stood tall and was well dressed with strong Hispanic features. The dislike for this man p
assed swiftly through Bobby, surprising him. He wondered if it was because Lisa had greeted Henry with the same enthusiasm she’d shown for him, or if it was because Carol looked so happy to see him.

  “Mom! Look what Henry brought me!” she said, running the last few feet to the porch. “Can I open it now?”

  “Sure, babe,” Carol answered. She stood to greet Henry while Lisa ran into the house. “We missed you last week at the party,” she said as she took his hand. Bobby watched Henry’s lips graze Carol’s cheek, and felt another surge of dislike for him.

  “That plane crash at the airport last Friday tied me up for a couple of days,” he said.

  “Henry, this is Bobby Kent, Lisa’s father. Bobby, Dr. Henry Suarez, a dear friend of the family,” Carol introduced. “Henry and I went to high school together. His sister is my best friend.”

  Bobby stood and saw a mirror of his own feelings of dislike and mistrust in Henry’s eyes.

  “Lisa’s dad?” Henry asked. Bobby nodded, then had to grit his teeth when the other man added, “Nice of you to show up.”

  “I would have been here sooner if someone would have had the courtesy of telling me the happy news,” Bobby bit out, surprised by the level of resentment and anger he still felt. He knew he had to get a grip on this. He resolved that he would not let it affect him for at least the rest of the day.

  “What are you talking about?” Henry asked, leaning against the railing of the porch and crossing his arms over his chest.

  “Henry, Harriet lied to me. Robert, too. They never told Bobby,” Carol said. She hadn’t sat back down yet, and it amused Bobby when he realized that she could read their feelings and was probably going to step between the two of them if it proved necessary.

  Henry stared Bobby down for a moment, then straightened and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I never listen to your music.”

  From his new perspective of calm detachment, Bobby didn’t rise to take the bait. He knew he wouldn’t have acted any differently if the situation were reversed. He took the offered hand, still feeling a twinge of jealousy at the love and acceptance Carol and Lisa seemed to naturally have for Henry. He had missed so much. Bitterness rolled in his stomach.

  “Mom! Look what Henry got me,” Lisa announced as she threw open the door and ran across the porch. She had on a pair of black leather cowboy boots with girly hot pink swirls running through the design. “Look! They have the Melody Montgomery logo on the side!”

  “How exciting!” Carol smiled.

  “I can wear them when I’m at grandma’s riding horses,” she declared.

  “Sure you can,” her mother agreed. “Make sure you tell Henry thank you.”

  “Thank you, Henry,” she said, throwing her arms around him, then turned to Bobby. “Can I wear them today when we go shopping?” Lisa asked, gripping his leg.

  Bobby knelt down to eye level with her. “Not today, sugar. Brand new boots will hurt your feet if you have to walk in them too much and we have a lot of walking ahead of us today. Put your sandals back on and, next time, you can wear them when they’re more broke in.”

  “You’re wearing boots,” Lisa accused with a pout, her head bowed. Carol rolled her eyes behind her back, and Bobby had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smiling. He could see Lisa was learning feminine wiles early.

  “Mine aren’t brand spankin’ new, Darlin’. They’re good and broke in. Now go change, or I’ll have to find some other little girl to help me decorate your room.” Lisa looked like she wanted to resist, but the threat of not being able to go was enough to dissuade her, so she ran back into the house, her boots stomping on the wooden floor of the porch. Bobby stood back up and rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s hard to resist,” he admitted to Carol.

  Carol laughed and sat down. “You remember that when you’re out shopping today. Lisa knows how to play people.” She looked at Henry. “Last week, Jen told me she was stopping here to visit on her way down to Atlanta to see your brother. Have you heard from her?”

  Bobby watched Henry’s lips thin. “She’s in DC. They broke up again.”

  “What happened this time?” Carol asked. Bobby pulled a list out of his pocket and reviewed it, looking at store names and purchase items, only listening with half an ear to a conversation about people he didn’t know.

  Henry shrugged. “Pretty simple. She doesn’t want to get married and have kids. He does.”

  “I hate that. How’s John dealing with it?” Carol asked.

  “Yeah, well, she’s not exactly an easy person to love. John will be okay.” He leaned back against the railing.

  “I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk with her and see if she could help me with a profile,” Carol said.

  “I’ve seen the speculation in the papers,” Henry began, but Lisa threw open the door and ran back on the porch.

  “I’m ready to go now,” she said.

  Bobby stood and held out his hand. “Well then, let’s hit the road.” Lisa grabbed his hand and the two stepped off the porch. “We’ll be back around lunch time, Carol. It was nice to meet you, Henry,” he said for Lisa’s sake, then the two walked to his car where he helped Lisa get strapped in.

  Bobby looked back at the porch as he got into his car, and definitely didn’t like the feeling that went through him at the sight of Henry Suarez sitting down in the place he had vacated and turning his chair to face Carol. He was going to have to explore that feeling later, figure out what it was exactly.

  He started the car and backed out of the driveway. “Have any ideas for your room, Sugar?’ he asked Lisa.

  “Oh, yes, I do. I know exactly everything I want,” she said enthusiastically, making Bobby laugh as they drove away.

  “I can’t comment on it. You know that,” Carol said as she came out of the house carrying two cups of coffee.

  “Then listen to me without feeling like you need to share the details of the case. I’m merely concerned that the lead attorney on this case looks enough like all three of the victims to make me worry that you’ll become a target simply because of your high exposure. You’re all Lisa has besides Bibbity-Bobbity Kent, there,” Henry said, nodding his thanks for the drink.

  She wondered about defending Bobby’s honor, but let it slide. Henry felt protective of Lisa and Carol, and the words were born out of love and not malice. She had a feeling that Bobby would prove himself in time, and Henry would come to accept him. “That isn’t something I’m allowing myself to think about right now.” She sat back down in the chair she’d left a few moments before. “I’ll become very paranoid and go out of my mind with worry and fear before I ship Lisa off to California to my parents or something.”

  The telephone beside her on the chair rang, and she answered it. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Carol,” Lori Bradford, Amy’s mom, greeted.

  “Hello, Lori. I heard you were saying something about midnight feedings and dirty diapers, then rumor had it you threw up,” Carol offered in an ironic tone.

  “Heaven help me. There is a reason I waited so long between children,” Lori said. “Listen. I was wondering if Amy could spend the morning over there. I can’t even get out of bed.”

  “She’s welcome to come over, but Lisa isn’t here.” Carol bit her lip and decided that Lisa would tell the second she had the opportunity. “She’s out shopping with her dad.”

  There was a long pause. “I see.”

  “Do you remember last weekend Lisa and Amy babbling excitedly about Bobby Kent?” Carol asked.

  There was another long pause. “Well, honey, you just shattered the hopes and dreams of about fifty million women,” Lori observed. “I think I may be one of them.”

  Carol laughed, glad she had good friends. “I didn’t know you were a country music fan.”

  “Honey, one need not be a fan of country music to appreciate everything about that man. So do you mind if she comes over?”

  “Of course not. I’ll go watch for her now.”

 
; “Thank you. By the way, I’m a little upset with you for not telling me, but I’ll get over it quickly if you tell me the whole story and then let me meet him.”

  “You’re about to throw up again from the second pregnancy in your ten year marriage,” Carol observed.

  “Don’t take the fun out of it.” Carol could hear Lori talk to Amy. “She’s on her way down. Thanks, Carol. I owe you one.”

  “Not a problem, Lori,” Carol said, and hung up the phone.

  “I’m going to go. I have to be at the hospital by nine,” Henry said. He set his coffee cup on the ground next to his chair and stood. “You let me know if you need anything, Carol. I’m going to worry about this until it’s over with.”

  “Just don’t tell your sister anything,” Carol said, referring to her best friend, Aria. She walked down the driveway with him so she could watch for Amy. “Hopefully, the national news will stay out of it.”

  “You probably want to tell her about Bobby Kent. That’s rather friend-worthy news. You don’t want her reading about it in a tabloid.”

  “I called her last weekend.”

  He grinned. “Did she tell you about Adam’s award?”

  Carol chuckled. “Yes. I wish I’d been there to see that.”

  “I recorded it. I cracked up when I watched it. It’s on the internet. Check it out.” He kissed her cheek, then walked to his car. “Go ahead and call Jen, Carol. She probably wouldn’t mind helping you out.”

  “I’ll think about it. Thanks, Henry,” Carol said as she saw Amy turn the corner.

  CHAPTER 12

  “YOU know, dear, this whole time Ed has been talking about getting a pool, he’s said it was for the grandchildren. But he was on the phone all morning with pool services trying to get someone who would come out this afternoon to clean it and what have you,” Gloria Westbury said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he took himself a little swim tonight.”