Father Figure (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 3)

by Richard C. Hale

  “I’m not afraid,” he said. “Not with you.”

  “Say it,” she breathed.

  “I love you.”

  She crushed her lips to his, her passion a different thing than before. She kissed him with deep tenderness, her hands holding his face. She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

  “I love you too.”

  Her smile was a thing of beauty, her bottom lip quivering, and he put his thumb to it, caressing its velvety softness. She kissed his hand, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She was holding her breath and when she let it out, she laughed.

  “I’m so happy,” she said. “I don’t care about anything but you right now. How could this have happened?”

  Her eyes shone in the low light of the evening and her cheeks were flushed, making her skin glow with the sunset. She held his eyes with hers and kissed him.

  “Say it, again,” she said. “I want to hear you say it again.”

  He smiled.

  “I love you. I’ve fallen hard for you Miss Hawks and there’s no going back now.”

  They stayed in each other’s arms, the world moving around them, people staring and whispering, but all Ray could think was that the world was theirs and it had aligned itself just for them. The world had given them to each other and nothing could take her away. Nothing.

  * * *

  At Jaxon’s house Ray introduced her to Victoria.

  She and Laurelyn seemed to hit it off right away.

  After the small talk, they sat at the kitchen table and Jaxon put beers in front of them all except Vick. He sat down and took a sip.

  “Show me what you have,” Laurelyn said, and Jaxon started with the medals.

  Ray didn’t know anything about Jaxon’s mysterious package and as he told them all that had happened, the circumstances of his father’s death, and the discovery of the woman who sent the package, Ray began to understand why Jaxon was concerned.

  Jaxon pulled out the photo album from his dad’s Naval Academy fiftieth reunion and showed them all the picture of his dad with William Rothstein. Laurelyn saw it last and Ray watched her study it, her features betraying her concern as she saw something in the picture that Ray missed.

  She ran her finger along the outline of Jaxon’s father and listened to him explain what he knew.

  “My father loved flying,” Jaxon said. “He would talk for hours about what it felt like and how the freedom of it made life that much more worthwhile. The power under his control and the feeling that the world was his and nothing could stand in his way. But if you brought up the war, he would clam up. It was like a switch. He hated the killing and something else I could never get out of him.”

  “Your father looks afraid, Jaxon,” Laurelyn said. “But afraid of what?”

  Jaxon shared a look with Vick.

  “I think he’s afraid of Rothstein,” Jaxon said. “Something happened between them and they were never the same. Remember, even Rothstein said they had a falling out, but he didn’t say what about. He did say my dad was a great man and that he saved his life.”

  “And your dad never said anything about it?” Ray asked.

  “The last time I spoke with him, he was about to tell me something big. I could see in his eyes it was something he knew would upset me, but he never got the chance. My stepmother came in the room and he stopped talking. He died before he could tell me what it was.”

  “How did he die?” Laurelyn asked.

  “He became confused, then he started hallucinating and became combative. My stepmother thought he was just sick, but he died in the middle of the night.”

  Laurelyn looked at Ray and he could see something in her eyes. She wasn’t smiling.

  “Did you have an autopsy done?” She asked.

  Jaxon shook his head. “She wouldn’t allow it. Said, she couldn’t stand the thought of someone cutting him up. I was able to get a tox screen but it was negative.”

  “Jaxon, his symptoms sound like something that doesn’t make sense,” Laurelyn said.

  Jaxon nodded, his eyes boring into Laurelyn’s trying to find some verification that he wasn’t crazy. That what he suspected was not something his mind grasped feebly in an attempt to create something from nothing.

  “It almost sounds like he overdosed on crayons,” she said.

  Jaxon turned to Vick who nodded her head once.

  “Why didn’t the toxicology report show he had the drug in his system?” Jaxon asked.

  “The drug is so new that the labs aren’t regularly checking for it. You have to ask for it specifically,” Laurelyn said.

  “But where did he get it?” Ray asked.

  “That’s the question of the day, isn’t it?” Jaxon said and drank his beer.

  “I think you know who to ask,” she said.

  Jaxon nodded his head and put the empty beer bottle down in front of him.

  “Too bad he’s disappeared.”

  * * *

  On the ride home, Laurelyn leaned over and wrapped her arms around Ray’s neck, snuggling against his shoulder as they drove. Every time he glanced her way, he would find her looking up at him, a smile on her lips.

  “You’re staring at me,” he said. “Do I have a booger in my nose or something?”

  She laughed. “No. I like to look at you.”

  “That’s my job.”

  “You look at yourself?”

  He smiled. “Smartass.”

  “You know,” she said. “I think you’re beautiful too.”

  “Now that’s gay.”

  “Men can be beautiful in their own way. Your profile is very nice. I like your jawline. It’s very rugged.”

  “Now there’s a word I can deal with.”

  “How about beautifully rugged.”

  “Gay.”

  “Handsomely pretty.”

  “Gay.”

  “Provocatively gorgeous.”

  “Super gay.”

  She laughed.

  “I have so much fun with you. Don’t ever stop being fun.”

  “I’m all about the sex.”

  She grinned wickedly and traced her finger along the edge of his ear down to the nape of his neck. She leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

  “Do you believe what I told you earlier?”

  “I’ve had a raging hard-on since you told me,” he said.

  “Want to find out?”

  He nodded.

  She took his hand and put it on her thigh just below the hemline of her dress.

  “Do you know what to do?”

  “Oh, I think I can figure it out.”

  He teased her the rest of the way home and when he pulled into the parking space, she jumped from the car and pulled him inside by the hand. They were naked in thirty seconds.

  Afterward, they lay in his bed wrapped around each other with a beer in their hands.

  “My perfect girl here with me in my bed, naked, and drinking beer. Life doesn’t get any better.”

  “I love you too.”

  “You do, don’t you? Pretty damn cool.”

  “Are you drunk?”

  “On you.”

  She groaned. “Oh God. Here comes the corn again.” But she giggled.

  “You bring it out in me.”

  “I guess things could be worse.”

  “Yeah. I could have three nipples,” he said.

  She burst out laughing and spilled some of the beer on herself.

  “Would you still love me if I had three nipples?” she asked after she stopped laughing.

  “What if I had an extra testicle?”

  “Walking might be difficult.”

  She started laughing and he laughed with her.

  “Are you drunk?” He asked.

  “On you.”

  He pulled her on top of him, spilling some more cold beer over them and she squealed.

  “It’s cold!”

  He kissed her as she laughed and she put the beer down on the table next to the bed. She finall
y stopped giggling and kissed him back. He ran his hands down her bare back to the curve of her rear and back up.

  “How can you make me want to make love to you over and over? I should be broken by now.”

  She wriggled on top of him, pressing against him.

  “I guess we were made for each other.”

  “You do fit perfectly to me. Right here pressed up against me. Like we’re one.”

  “Like we’re one,” she repeated and kissed him.

  She laid her head to his chest and sighed. He stroked her hair and he could feel her relax in his arms.

  “Before I fall asleep,” she said, “tell me one more time.”

  “I love you.”

  He felt her smile against his skin and soon she was fast asleep. He joined her a few minutes later and dreamt of her.

  Chapter 19

  Ray woke to the sound of knocking.

  He sat up and saw Laurelyn next to him asleep and then the knocking came again. He got up, slipped some pants on and went to the front door. When he opened it, he stood in shock not knowing what to think.

  “Hi, Ray,” Michelle said, standing in his doorway.

  His mouth hung open and he forced it closed.

  “Michelle. What are you doing here?”

  “Are you going to invite me in?”

  Ray opened the door wider and let her enter.

  He suddenly realized he was not wearing very much clothing and he felt self-conscious. Not that she hadn’t seen him completely naked before, but it just felt different. Not right.

  She walked right in and wrapped her arms around him, drawing him in tight to her. She put her mouth close to his ear and said, “I’ve missed you. I didn’t really see it until now.”

  She pulled back and then she kissed him square on the lips. It was then he heard another noise and pulled away.

  Laurelyn was standing in the doorway of his room wearing his t-shirt and nothing else. The sound he heard was her gasping.

  He moved away from Michelle who now studied Laurelyn with something akin to amusement. Ray didn’t like that look, but it was nothing compared to the look on Laurelyn’s face. He thought his heart would break if he had to see her that way again. She quickly composed herself and took a step into the room.

  “You must be Michelle,” she said. “I’m Laurelyn.”

  Michelle turned to Ray and said, “Should I come back?”

  Ray was about to tell her no, she should not come back. Ever. And would she please get the hell out of here. Right, the fuck, now.

  Laurelyn beat him to it.

  “No,” Laurelyn said. “I’ll be out of here in a second. I’ve got to get to work.”

  Laurelyn glanced at him and he couldn’t read her.

  He felt like he knew her so well, even after the short time they had been together, but he was either so shocked he refused to admit that she was pissed or she was covering very well. She turned and disappeared back into his room.

  “Give me a sec,” he said to Michelle and followed Laurelyn, closing the door behind him.

  He heard Michelle say with an edge to her voice, “I’ll be right here.”

  Laurelyn was in the bathroom and he walked in as she stood in front of the mirror staring at herself. She realized he was there and turned away.

  “I need to get out of here, Ray. Can you give me a minute to get ready?”

  He went to her.

  “No. I don’t want you to go.”

  She looked up at him, a pain he could clearly see in her eyes boring into him. He wanted to throw-up.

  “I’ll let you two be alone. I can’t stay here,” she said.

  “I didn’t know she was coming.”

  She bent to her dress and slipped it on, pulling off his t-shirt at the same time. He touched her arm, but she drew away.

  “Laurelyn, please stay. I’ll get rid of her.”

  She stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

  “You were kissing her. I saw you.”

  “She kissed me. You didn’t see that? I opened the door and she barged right in and took me by surprise.”

  “It didn’t look like you were resisting.”

  She sat on the toilet seat and slipped her shoes on with angry hands.

  “It took me by surprise. I didn’t see it coming. I froze and that’s what you saw.”

  She stood and tried to walk past him but he stopped her, grabbing her arm gently.

  “Please stay. I told you I love you and that hasn’t changed. She’s nothing to me now.”

  She looked up into his eyes and he could see the pain there. She was not going to listen. His ex-fiancée had stepped back into his life and made it all come crashing down around him.

  Laurelyn pulled her arm free and walked out of the apartment without another word. He followed as far as the living room and stopped when the door slammed behind her. He turned to Michelle who stood there in his living room looking somewhat pleased with herself.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “She’s a beauty, Ray.”

  “But now she’s gone.”

  “You’ll get over it.”

  The anger came suddenly and he wanted to throw her out of his place and scream for her to never return. He took a deep breath and did the next best thing.

  “Fuck you,” he said.

  Her mouth fell open, and then she got herself under control. She went to the door and pulled it open.

  “I came because you called. I thought you said you needed me. I guess I was a fool. Goodbye, Ray.”

  She slammed the door behind her and the silence struck him like hammers to his body.

  Laurelyn was gone and it had all happened so fast. How the hell was he going to fix this? He couldn’t lose her. Not now.

  In all his life, he had never felt like the world was on his side. But with Laurelyn, he had known differently. Now, she was gone and the whole world seemed against him again. A deep panic that bore into him and squeezed. Squeezed until he couldn’t catch his breath.

  He picked up the object closest to him and threw it across the room. The glass shattered against the wall, but it did little to relieve the pain. He sat at the table and put his head in his hands.

  She was gone.

  * * *

  Jaxon knocked on the door and it was opened by a woman who looked to be in her seventies; short, slightly overweight, hair long and dentures that he knew were cheap. She smiled after a moment, apparently recognizing him.

  “Jaxon. My God. I haven’t seen you since you were a wee tike, but the resemblance is uncanny.”

  “I don’t know you,” he said, his usual candor seeming to have little effect on her demeanor. She continued to grin at him.

  Finally she said, “Come in. Come in. I’m sure you have so many questions.”

  “Who are you?”

  She stepped back and opened the door wider.

  “I’m your Aunt Tami. Tami Crooks.”

  Jaxon looked the woman up and down and though he didn’t know immediately whose side of the family she was claiming to be on, he did see a familiarity about her that made him trust her. Maybe it was the eyes, or the set of her mouth, but his subconscious mind approved and that was all that Jaxon required. He had learned to trust his hunches years ago and he wasn’t going to stop trusting them now.

  He stepped into the small house and smelled coffee brewing. It reminded him of his home.

  “Would you like some coffee?” She asked.

  “Yes. That would be great.”

  She led the way into the kitchen and indicated a chair at a small table, so he sat and watched her move around the room.

  “I’m sorry if I don’t remember, but have we met before?”

  “It was a long time ago, but yes, I visited you once when you were quite small.”

  “And whose sister are you?”

  “Your mother’s, of course. I’m her older sister. She didn’t talk about me?”

  “She might have, but I don’t recall it.
As a youngster, I was usually all about myself as most kids are.”

  She placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of him and then put a sugar container and a small glass of milk at the center of the table. Jaxon picked up the coffee and took a sip. It was good.

  She watched him for a moment and then said, “I’m sure you want to know about the box.”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  “What do you know already?”

  “I’m not sure I’m following you. I know all the medals and memorabilia are part of my father’s legacy, but I don’t know why you sent them to me.”

  “Your father came to visit me a few years after your mother died and asked me to hold it for you. He said for me to get it to you when the time was right. He’s gone, so the time must be now. Did he tell you anything?”

  “About what?” Jaxon asked, a warning bell going off in his head.

  It was that same feeling he had the last time he had seen his father. When he had tried to tell him something. He suddenly felt as if he was going to hear that revelation now and the same feeling of dread was pressing on his chest. He didn’t know if he wanted to hear what this woman had to say.

  “Your mother. He told me he would tell you one day and I assumed he did. Am I wrong?”

  “I think he started to but he never got the chance. Tell me.”

  She frowned. And in doing so, he could see his mother in her. That was the familiarity he had seen a moment ago, but he had not recognized it for what it was.

  She sighed.

  “I was hoping that he had been the one to tell you since it would have been easier coming from him. I don’t want to be the woman you remember only as the bearer of bad news.”

  “It will be all right. I need to know.”

  She nodded and took a sip of her coffee.

  “Your mother was a nurse. I remember it was the only thing she wanted to do with her life. Our family was not wealthy, my father a factory worker, but she was determined and the Army was an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. Nurses were in short supply and when they offered to train her in exchange for a few years of service she jumped at the chance. She was so happy. I remember her coming home and showing our father the paperwork, him frowning and concerned about her safety, our mother crying at the prospect of her going to war, but she would let none of that deter her.