Mr. Bailey

by Taylor DeBolt

  Mr. Bailey

  Taylor DeBolt

  CONTENTS

  Copyrights

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  The Real Mr. Bailey

  Copyrights

  Mr. Bailey Copyright © 2018 by Taylor DeBolt. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by GermanCreative

  Editing by C.L. Cannon

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  As the morning light was beginning to creep its way into her room, Anne Hartford awoke to the screech of her alarm clock ringing out for the first time in months. She fumbled around with the alarm for a moment, then let out a sigh before forcing herself out of bed. She then spent most of the morning dragging herself along as she got ready for the first day of the new school year.

  On her way to school, Anne was glancing over her class list and trying to make a mental map of where everything was when she rounded the corner and bumped into her neighbor, Jeff Bailey.

  "Whoa there, I see you're eager to get to school," joked Mr. Bailey as he bent down to pick up a book Anne had dropped.

  "Sorry about that. I'm not used to these early mornings yet," she said with a yawn.

  "That makes two of us," he replied as they started to walk together.

  Mr. Bailey was a man in his mid-twenties, though, he was often mistaken for a college student due to his baby face. Being close friends with Anne and her parents for five years now, he would occasionally have dinner with them; and more often than not, walk the few blocks to school with Anne.

  Along the way, Mr. Bailey turned to Anne and said, "So, how was your summer?"

  "I did a little traveling with my parents, and I got to sleep in a lot, so I'm not complaining," she replied.

  "Where'd you go?"

  "We went to New York a couple times. Even though it was work related, we still got to go out and have fun while we were there."

  "That's good to hear. By the way, did you see you're going to be my teacher's assistant this year?"

  "Yeah, I did. I'm looking forward to it."

  "No, you're looking forward to a blow off class," he said jokingly.

  "I am not," she replied with a smirk.

  "Please, that's the only reason people sign up for T.A. classes."

  "Okay, you got me."

  "You're not the only one. I had about ten other students that asked, but I picked you because you were my best student last year."

  "And I picked you because you're a fun teacher. So even if you do give me a lot of work, I won't complain too much."

  "Aside from helping me grade papers and making a few copies here and there, I won't have much for you to do, so you might as well bring homework from your other classes to work on."

  After arriving at school, Anne and Mr. Bailey went their separate ways for their first couple classes. Once it was third period, Mr. Bailey welcomed his anatomy students and cracked a few jokes to lighten everyone’s mood. He then pointed toward Anne, who was playing with some of the lab equipment in the back of the room and said, "For those of you who don't know her, that's Anne Hartford in back of the lab. She's my T.A. this year, so treat her as you would me." Anne looked up and gave a quick wave before going back to what she was doing.

  Mr. Bailey then announced it was time for the first test of the year and was immediately met with groans. "Yeah, I know,” he replied sounding equally unhappy. “I hate giving these pretests out, but I don't have a choice. It's fifty multiple choice questions to see how much you know. It's not graded but try your best. You have until the end of class to complete it."

  While the other students were busy taking the test, Mr. Bailey went to the back of the room and told Anne to pick up a few papers from the office. When she came back, he was smirking at her as he asked, "Did you laugh?"

  "Laugh at what?" she asked.

  "The secretary's hair."

  "No, but it was hard not to." Anne giggled.

  "You know what it reminds me of, those troll dolls."

  "What's a troll doll?"

  "You don't know what a…" Mr. Bailey paused and pulled up a picture on his phone. When he showed it to her, Anne clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing aloud.

  After calming down enough to speak, but still laughing a little, she said, "You're so mean. Now that's all I'll think about whenever I see her."

  Grinning from ear to ear, he said, "I'm not wrong though."

  Anne simply shook her head at him as they continued to joke back and forth until the bell rang. He then told her he'd see her in class later before leaving for lunch. The next few weeks continued in this same manner, with Anne and Mr. Bailey settling into their routines and joking around in class whenever they could.

  Near the end of September, Mr. Bailey was visited by Anne's father. The two men talked for several minutes before Mr. Hartford said, "Do you have anything planned this weekend Jeff?"

  "No, why?" asked Mr. Bailey.

  "Well, Linda and I have a meeting with our law firm this weekend; and because of school starting back up, we can't bring Anne along with us. So, do you think maybe you could watch her while we're gone?"

  "You mean like… babysit?"

  "If it's not too much trouble."

  Seeming a bit confused by the request, Mr. Bailey said, "No offense, but don't you think she's old enough to watch herself; she is sixteen after all."

  "I know, but just for peace of mind, we'd like someone to keep an eye on her."

  Mr. Bailey thought for a moment, "How about I just stop in once or twice a day to check up on her, that way it won't be so awkward?"

  "Yeah, that'd be fine," Mr. Hartford replied quickly.

  On their way to school the next day, Mr. Bailey turned to Anne and said, "Did your parents tell you about me watching you this weekend?"

  "Yeah, they told me this morning before they left," she replied.

  "I honestly don't see why they need me, but I won't bug you too much. I'll just stop by once a day, probably in the evening.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “So if you're going to do something you shouldn't, wait until after I leave."

  "Okay, I'll remember that," she said with a smirk.

  That evening, Mr. Bailey stopped by to check on Anne and see if there was anything she needed. After staying to talk with her for a few minutes, he told her to enjoy herself, then returned home for the night.

  By Saturday evening, Mr. Bailey looked over at the clock and saw it was going on ten. "I guess I should go check on her," he said to himself as he stood up and slipped on his coat. As he came around the corner, he noticed a black pickup parked in front of Anne's house. The front door was wide open.

  Mr. Bailey walked over to one of the nearby windows and peeked inside. When he focused in, he saw three armed men looting the house. In the corner of the room he could see Anne who was tied to a chair with a gag stuffed in her mouth. Without hesitation, Mr. Bailey raced home, threw open his nightstand, and took out a small gun case bearing the Marine Corps logo. Upon opening the case, his hand began to shake. A sudden feeling of nausea hit him as he reached down and picked up the revolver. Almost instantly, the
memory of the gun’s last use came rushing back to him. Feeling like he was on the verge of vomiting, Mr. Bailey put the gun down. However, it was at that moment that he glanced out his window and saw the truck outside of the Hartford’s house. He then looked back down at the gun before taking a deep breath and loading it.

  With gun in hand, Mr. Bailey crept his way back over to Anne’s house, then ducked down behind the bushes and waited. After a few minutes, one of the men emerged from the house carrying a TV and loaded it into the pickup. As the man started back toward the house, he spotted Mr. Bailey and reached for his gun. Already having the man in his sights, Mr. Bailey picked off the first robber, then proceeded to change his location.

  When the men in the house heard the shot, one of them glanced out the window to see their friend lying dead on the sidewalk. He then turned and yelled at the other robber to lock down the house. As the second man raced to the back to lock the other door, a bullet pierced through one of the glass panes and struck him in the chest, killing him instantly. The final robber now rushed over to Anne and put his gun to her head.

  Mr. Bailey, who was waiting by the back door, called the police. Rather than wasting precious time talking with the dispatcher, he rattled off the address and informed them of the armed robbers, then hung up. He then stepped into the house, alerting the last man of his presence. "If you come any closer I'll shoot her," yelled the robber.

  In a panic, Mr. Bailey yelled back, "Don't shoot, I'll stay where I am!" There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “What do you want?"

  "What do you think I want? I want to get out of here without getting shot," shouted the robber sarcastically.

  "All right I'll make a deal with you then. If you untie her and let her come back to me, the two of us will wait in the kitchen until you leave."

  "I'm not an idiot,” exclaimed the robber, “the second you have her, you'll gun me down. No, if you want her, then give me your gun first."

  Mr. Bailey thought for a moment, then glanced down at the dead robber lying next to him and picked up the man’s gun. He then said, "All right, I'm sliding it down to you." A second later, a handgun skidded down the hallway and popped out in the middle of living room as Mr. Bailey said, "There, you have my gun, now let her go."

  As Mr. Bailey waited for a response, the house fell dead silent. After a minute, the sound of the robber's feet thumping against the floor filled Mr. Bailey's ears. Next came his own heartbeat, pounding so loudly that it was almost deafening. Then came the sound of the gun scraping against the floor as the robber picked it up. This was his signal. It was now or never. Mr. Bailey jumped out and shot.

  The bullet struck the robber in the neck, causing him to drop both guns and clasp his hands to his throat. After stumbling back a few feet, the robber collapsed against the wall, gurgling as he choked on his own blood.

  When Mr. Bailey stepped into the room, he turned to Anne and said, "Anne, I want you to close your eyes and keep them closed." She gave a nod, then squeezed her eyes shut. A second later, she heard the crack of one final gunshot; then tears began to spill down her face as she waited to be untied.

  The second Anne was freed, she wrapped her arms around Mr. Bailey and cried into his chest. "It's okay…it's okay," he repeated to her for a moment. Although he appeared to be cool and collected, his heart was practically beating out of his chest.

  Once the two of them exited the house, they were blinded by the flash of police lights as a pair of officers ordered them not to move. Mr. Bailey was immediately cuffed and questioned by the officers, while Anne was check on by the paramedics. Mr. Bailey explained about him watching Anne for the weekend and provided several text messages as proof. He then told the officers about the robbery before they went to question Anne.

  After speaking with the officers, Anne reaffirmed Mr. Bailey’s statements. The officer then spent several minutes calling different numbers in an attempt to get ahold of Anne’s parents, but couldn’t get through and was forced to leave a message. Anne now spoke to the officer in a low voice as she said, “Can we go now? I really need to lay down.”

  The officer seemed a bit unsure of what to do, so he told her to wait while he called the station. After explaining the situation to his boss, the officer was told to bring the two of them down to the station for further questioning.

  When they arrived at the police station, Anne spoke with an older female officer and reiterated what she had already told the previous officer, while Mr. Bailey was taken back to interrogation room. Like Anne, Mr. Bailey retold all the events to the interrogator. The interrogator then asked him why didn’t wait for the police to arrive, to which Mr. Bailey explained he was trained to deal with similar circumstances in the military. He then went on to say he was fearful of Anne’s safety and acted in order to protect her.

  Following the interrogation, Mr. Bailey was released. After which, he and Anne were given a ride home. When they arrived, Mr. Bailey led Anne inside, then turned to her and said, “Can I get you anything?”

  “Just some water please,” replied Anne in a meek voice. Mr. Bailey gave a quick nod, then made his way into the kitchen. While he was gone, Anne glanced around for a moment, taking in all the changes since the last time she and her parents had been invited over. Unlike her parents, whose home was done up in a more traditional sense, Mr. Bailey had a unique approach to decorating. Unconcerned with sticking to a single décor standard, he simply bought what he liked and found a way to make it work. This resulted in a hodgepodge of styles, all seemingly interwoven with one another.

  After Mr. Bailey returned with the water for Anne, he quickly realized that she wasn't in the mood for talking, so he showed her to the guest room and told her to ask if she needed anything else. She thanked him, then they both went to lay down for the night.

  After a couple hours of lying awake, Mr. Bailey heard Anne's voice as she said, "Mr. Bailey, are you still awake?"

  "Yeah. Why, what's the matter?" he asked.

  "I can't sleep."

  "Neither can I."

  Anne was now glancing down and squeezing at her shirt as she said, "Mr. Bailey, would it be all right if I slept in here with you?"

  "Sure, I don't mind," he replied calmly as edged himself over to make room for her. Anne then crawled into bed beside him and began shaking uncontrollably. “Are you okay,” he asked as he turned towards her.

  Even her voice shook as she answered him. "I just can't believe that happened. If you hadn't shown up when you did, they said they were going to…"

  Anne was now bawling as Mr. Bailey pulled her into his arms and said, "It's all right, I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

  "Thank you," she cried as she buried her face into his chest.

  After laying in his arms for a while, Anne stopped shaking and was beginning to relax. Then, out of nowhere, Mr. Bailey started laughing to himself, prompting Anne to say, "What's so funny?"

  "Oh, nothing,” he chuckled, “just thinking about how I'm going to explain this to your parents. Knowing your mother, she'll probably make me pay for the damage."

  Anne giggled at his joke, then said, "I wouldn't put it past her."

  "Well, we should both try and get some sleep." Anne, who was still resting in his arms, nestled up to him before they both nodded off.

  Chapter 2

  The next day, Mr. Bailey awoke to find Anne sleeping soundly on top of him. Several strands of her long, light brown hair were resting across his neck and covering her face. Very carefully, he brushed her hair aside to reveal her soft, smiling face.

  Mr. Bailey glanced over at the clock before lightly tapping Anne and saying her name a few times. When she started to come around, he greeted her. "Good afternoon."

  "What time is it," she replied groggily as she glanced up at him.

  "Two."

  "I've never slept this late before," she laughed. She then realized she was lying on top of him and said, "Oh, I'm sorry; looks like I've been keeping you here."

/>   "Don't worry about it. I'm used to sleeping in on the weekends." Anne now laid her head back down on him for a few more minutes until he said, "I'll go make breakfast for us. You can lay down for a little bit longer if you want."

  Taking a moment to stretch, Anne said, "No, I should get up."

  Anne now climbed off him and went to the bathroom to get ready, while Mr. Bailey went to the kitchen and started cooking. Once the food was almost ready, Anne joined him and lent a hand until a frantic knocking came at the door. Since his hands were full, Mr. Bailey asked her to go see who it was, while he finished dishing up their plates.

  When Anne opened the door, she found herself face to face with her parents. They immediately wrapped their arms around her and asked if she was all right. Out of surprise, all Anne could say was, "I thought you were still in New York. What are you doing back already?"

  "We got a message from the police saying there was a break-in. They said you were okay, but we wanted to get home as quick as we could," explained her father.

  "We've been trying to call you all day, what have you been doing?" asked Mrs. Hartford.

  Fumbling with her words, Anne said, "Well, I was…"

  "Brad, Linda, I didn't expect you to be back yet," interjected Mr. Bailey as he entered the room and handed Anne her plate.

  Giving a sigh of relief, Mr. Hartford said, "Jeff, I'm glad to see you and Anne are both all right. Could you tell us what happened? We tried talking to the police, but they didn't tell us much."

  "Sure. Come sit down."

  After explaining everything that happened, without going into too much detail, Anne's parents were at a loss for words. Mr. Bailey then changed the subject by saying, "So, do you need a place to stay until everything gets sorted out?"

  "No, the insurance company said they'd put us up at a hotel for a few days," replied Mr. Hartford.

  "Are you sure? I could sleep on the couch and let you guys take the beds."