by J. L. Wilson
I turned. Drew's unmarked police car was pulling into my driveway and close behind it was a beige sedan which parked at the curb. Both Drew and Jack got out of their cars at the same time.
"Oh, for heaven's sake," I muttered. "What are they doing here? They didn't come because of the 9-1-1 call, did they?"
"That's the hot FBI guy, isn't it? I heard he's interested in you." Baby Dot's eyes assumed a wide, innocent expression. "Why didn't you tell me you were fingerprinted? I heard about it at school."
"It's routine." I watched the two men coming up my front sidewalk. Drew appeared harassed, his oval face drawn and tired. He had a large white pleated Tyvek envelope tucked under one arm. By contrast, Jack seemed rested and energetic in his denims and polo shirt, like a man on vacation and not a cop on the beat.
"Do they think you killed him? Killed Wade?" Baby Dot regarded me eagerly. "You're inheriting all his stuff, aren't you?'
I wasn't sure whether to be gratified or offended that she thought me capable of murder. I decided not to pursue the topic any further. "How did you know that?"
"Polly at the library said she heard you and Chief Strawn talking about it." Baby Dot's heavily made-up eyes were sharp and curious. "She said she heard you arguing."
Leo nodded. "Honey mentioned it, too. She came in while I was tipping Margie Filene's hair. Margie's husband Paul said Polly told him."
Baby Dot smiled brightly and I sensed Drew, or maybe Jack, behind me. "You're a celebrity, Auntie D."
Good heavens. The story was probably all over town. Leo's beauty salon was Gossip Central, a vibrating hub of town communication. "Go sit with K.K. and let me deal with this." Suddenly Baby Dot's earlier words soaked in. "Wait a minute. You can't go meet friends tomorrow. Tomorrow is the dog show."
"I'm not judging this year."
I stared at her, shocked. "What do you mean, you're not judging? Does your aunt know? Did you let Carl know? He's in charge of judges."
Baby Dot shrugged. "I'm going to tell her. And I was going to call Carl tonight."
Leo crossed his arms. "You can't just drop it on them. The show is tomorrow. They need all the volunteers they can get, you know that."
Drew came to a stop beside me on the stoop as I focused on Baby Dot, who shifted uneasily under my scrutiny. "You always handle the Baby Class. You can't back out now."
"Miss Gaylord." Jack's voice was frosty and cool. Apparently our little encounter in the library was a thing of the past. Either that or I was once against under suspicion. His thunderous gaze landed on Drew before shifting to me.
"K.K.'s friends are coming into town in the afternoon," Baby Dot said. "I promised I'd go with him and meet them."
"You also promised your aunt and several other people that you would help at the dog show." I was incensed and didn't care that she saw it. With the AMRAK riders coming into town this year, it meant we could expect huge crowds. We needed all the help we could get.
My view of Baby Dot was suddenly obliterated by an expanse of male chest as Jack stepped between us. "We need to talk. Now."
"About what?" I sidled to the right, only to be cut off by Drew, who blocked my exit on that side. "What's going on?"
"Did you know Wade had half-a-million dollars in a bank account in Chicago?" Drew asked, his voice deceptively mild.
"And another half-a-million in an account in Pensacola?" Jack accused.
"I didn't know. How would I know?" I squeaked.
"Wade's will," Baby Dot whispered. "Oh my God. They think you killed him for the money."
Chapter 12
"That's ridiculous," I snapped. "Go sit with your boyfriend. I'm not done with you yet, young lady. We have things to discuss."
Baby Dot glared at me rebelliously. "I don't want to help at the stupid dog show."
"Dorthea." Drew's quiet voice held more authority than any shouting I could do. He gestured toward the house. "Go sit down. This won't take long. And you're not going to hang out with a motorcycle gang for the weekend."
"How did you know?" Baby Dot's face reddened. "Honestly, can't anybody do anything in this town without everybody knowing about it? I hate living in a small town." She stomped back into the house, her black combat boots reverberating on the wood floors.
I smiled shakily at Drew. "Thanks." I stood to one side, almost knocking into Leo, who lurked protectively behind me. "Come on in."
Drew brushed by me, followed closely by Jack. They paused in the foyer, glancing into the den where Baby Dot and K.K. huddled on the futon, ostentatiously ignoring us. "This way." I led the way into the living room, peeking into the adjacent sunroom. A pair of crossed blue eyes stared at me from the depths of the three-story kitty condo. Apparently SoSo had survived his encounter with Baby Dot's boyfriend.
"Have a seat." I sank into my rocking chair and watched Jack as he crossed the room to stand over the Perpetual Monopoly game positioned on the card table near the window. Leo sat in a nearby armchair while Drew paused in the entryway.
"We've been playing that game for years," I said as Jack examined the token shaped like a cyclone. "I've been bankrupt once or twice, but I always get a loan and make a comeback. I'm the Dorothy token. Leo's the lion, of course, and the Professor is the cyclone."
"Who's the Tin Man?" Jack nudged the small token sitting on the 'In Jail' square.
"That's for guests," I explained. "Leo, the Professor and I are regulars. Anyone who wants to sit in can be the Tin Man."
Jack peered into the cigar box bank, examining the currency. "Toto's worth a dollar?" He turned to me, his blue eyes snapping with laughter. "And Dorothy's worth the most, I see."
"Of course," Drew said quietly, brushing past Jack to stand near the fireplace. He put the lumpy white envelope on the mantel, balancing it so it didn't tip.
"Anyone who comes over can play. It's a rotating cast of characters." I smiled at Drew. "Remember that one weekend when..." My voice died away when Jack set down the cigar box and turned to face me. His eyes had lost any hint of humor and were now somber. I cleared my throat. "What do you mean, Wade had money tucked away?"
Jack eyed Leo, who crossed his left leg on his right knee and jiggled his left foot. "Ignore me. I'm Dorothy's temporary bodyguard. I leave town tomorrow and someone else will have to fill in." Leo blinked innocently at Drew, who smiled briefly at Leo's tactic. "Dorothy and I are old friends."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Leo waved away any innuendo. "We aren't friends like that. My gate doesn't swing that direction." He smiled but it didn't reach his dark brown eyes. For an instant he appeared as cold as Jack. "I'll think I'll stay put and help protect her interests just in case they need protecting."
Drew pulled a notepad from his shirt's breast pocket. "Wade had a million dollars stashed in various bank accounts plus almost a hundred thousand dollars in cash in his safe deposit box. Did you know anything about it?"
I shook my head. "Of course not. I told you that I haven't heard from him for years."
"Where did he get that kind of money?" Leo crossed his legs, picking at a fuzzy clump of white cat hair that adhered to his chocolate brown slacks.
I watched Jack, who was flipping through the Wicked Witch cards from the game board. "Here's a good one," he murmured. "Outsmart the Witch's Guards. Collect $20." His gaze shifted to me. "We think he got it from the drug gang."
"The Wickeds?" Leo asked.
Drew nodded. "It's an all-round bad group. They're into drugs, prostitution, and money laundering. We think Wade was involved in the money laundering side of things." He glanced at the lumpy envelope on the mantle.
"But how?" I shook my head at the insanity of it all. "Drew, you knew Wade. He's not a criminal mastermind. He is--he was--a schmuck like anybody else. How would he get involved with a group like that?"
"You knew he gambled?"
I blinked in surprise. "He did?"
"The wife is always the last to know," Leo murmured.
I shot him a squas
hing glare. "He didn't gamble when we were married."
"He did but Mina helped him financially. After he left, though, he was on his own." Drew said this with a surety that deflated me. Apparently the wife truly was the last to know. "He got into trouble with debts so he got a loan from a loan shark. Then he was set up with an underage prostitute."
I winced. "The scary thing is, I can well imagine that happening. Wade was such a jerk when it came to sex and things like that."
An uncomfortable silence from the men around me greeted my pronouncement. Jack cleared his throat. "An informant told us that Esterson was working with the gang, helping them find a route for drugs from Mexico through here before moving into the bigger cities up north."
I considered what he said. It made sense. Broomfield was near Kansas City but far enough away to still be its own town, not a suburb. We had no claim to fame except as a town halfway between the World's Biggest Ball of Twine and south of Home on the Range, two notable tourist spots on the map of Kansas. "But where would they hide the stuff? Broomfield is so small anyone would notice strangers in town."
Jack and Drew exchanged a look. Leo nodded toward the foyer. I suddenly noticed that Baby Dot and K.K., whose voices had been a soft background noise for the last few minutes, were now silent.
"We're working on that," Drew said.
Working on it my ass, I thought. They knew something and they weren't saying anything in front of the teenagers. Good heavens. Baby Dot wasn't involved, was she? I started to ask Drew but he shook his head slightly.
"Does Dorothy inherit the money or is it confiscated?" Leo asked.
Drew tapped the envelope resting on the mantel. "These are the copies of the papers that were in the box as well as some small memorabilia. We've made copies of them so you can have them now. As to the money, that's part of an ongoing investigation, so it can't be released. I don't know what will come of it."
"I don't want the money if it came from drugs and prostitution. Is there anything in there that's important?"
"We're not sure." Drew pulled a folded slip of paper from his breast pocket and handed it to me. Our fingers touched and my stomach lurched at the contact, a rush of excitement racing through me. He straightened, his pale green eyes intent on me. "Wade left you that in the box."
I took the note and opened it with trembling fingers. I recognized Wade's scrawled, untidy handwriting.
Dorothy: Don't forget my Glory Days. I want you to have that memento. And the documents here are important, to you and to people in Hamilton Hills. Follow the yellow brick road and you'll see what I mean. Be careful. Wade.
"Follow the yellow brick road?" I handed the note to Leo. "What's that supposed to mean? What's all that about Glory Days?"
"Maybe he means the Professor's path," Leo said, refolding the paper and putting it on the table between us. "Professor Franke put a path in his back yard that leads into the woods overlooking the flood plain," he explained for Jack's benefit.
"I doubt it means that. Wade and I didn't live in this house when we were married. I don't think he knew about the professor's house. It was being built when I moved in. He probably didn't know about any of the houses here, for that matter." I rubbed tiredly at my forehead where a headache was forming. "I don't understand this." I raised my head, intercepting Drew's speculative gaze. I dragged my eyes away from him only to encounter a similar expression in Jack's eyes. In desperation I turned to Leo, who watched both of them with an assessing gaze.
"Auntie D, we have to leave." Baby Dot stood in the living room doorway, K.K. behind her and viewing us over her head.
I leapt to my feet, happy to get away from the testosterone-laden atmosphere. Of course, I was sitting in a rocking chair so leaping to my feet was a problematic experience. I staggered, tripped and found myself in Drew's arms. For an instant I relaxed, happy to be there. Then I remembered my audience.
"Sorry," I babbled. "I'm a klutz today, I guess." I tore myself away from him and went to join Baby Dot, my face red with embarrassment. I sensed frosty air following me as I left.
Baby Dot quirked a smile at me. "I didn't know you were such a babe magnet," she whispered.
"Oh, hush." I put an arm around her thin shoulders and went with her to the front door. "You have to help at the dog show tomorrow night, honey. We're counting on you."
"I can't. You don't understand. K.K.'s friends are coming."
"What time do they get to town?" Drew asked from behind me.
"Late afternoon," a voice said from my right. I turned and saw K.K. standing in the open doorway. His dark coat was a startling contrast to the brightly lit day beyond him. He seemed bored with the whole discussion, as though something as trivial as the dog show was beneath his notice.
Drew moved forward to stand beside me. "Why don't you change the Baby Class judging so it's early in the evening? Dot can finish the judging and leave by six or seven at the latest. That would give her time to be with her friends and fulfill her obligations." He smiled at Baby Dot as he spoke but I saw the firm resolve in his eyes.
Baby Dot saw it, too. "I suppose that will work," she said reluctantly. She turned to K.K., who shrugged.
"Whatever," he mumbled. "I'll come get you at the show. Tell me when." He left, not waiting for her.
I eyed his departing back. "Politeness is a lost art."
Baby Dot straightened but any comment she started to make was quelled when Jack moved forward to stand at my left. "I'll talk to you later, Auntie D." She whirled and hurried down the sidewalk, catching up to K.K. near the curb.
I watched them cut across my lawn and head for the path leading to the farmhouse on the hill. I wished I could go with them. Instead I was stuck with two men who appeared to be warring about something. I avoided looking at either Jack or Drew, focusing instead on Leo.
He, thank God, took the hint. "Do you need me for bodyguard duty tonight?"
Before I could answer Drew said, "I need to talk to Dorothy. I'll bring her over to your house when we're done." He paused. "Later."
I started to point out that I was hungry and thinking about dinner when Jack said, "Chief Strawn, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk with you briefly." He didn't wait for an answer but strode toward the beige sedan parked behind the squad car.
"Oh, oh," Leo murmured. "Trouble with the law."
Drew's eyes sparkled with laughter. "I think I can handle it." He touched my shoulder. "You don't mind me inviting myself in for dinner, do you?"
"Of course not." I regarded Jack, who leaned against the sedan, his arms crossed. "I think he's pissed off."
"I know he's pissed off. Why don't you fix us something to eat and I'll deal with the prima donna?" Drew waited for Leo to precede him through the door. "I'll make sure she's safe tonight, don't worry."
"Good. With that gang coming to town and..." Their voices faded as they moved away.
I closed the door and hurried into the kitchen. My stomach was doing flip flops again and I didn't know what to do. Drew, here? Why? Was this It? Was this going to be our big Love Scene? I paused by the mirror in the hall and groaned when I saw myself. My legs were liberally scratched and red, my hair was a flyaway mess, and my T-shirt was blood-stained and wrinkled. Good heavens, what a sight! I considered dashing upstairs and changing, but decided against it. Why tempt fate?
I pulled a package of deli ham from the fridge along with condiments and potato salad and put it all on the kitchen counter. I busied myself slicing bread, almost cutting myself with the knife when I heard the front door close. "In here," I called out. "I'm in the kitchen."
I heard Drew's footsteps in the hall then he was in the room with me, pausing in the doorway as I put the bread onto a plate. "I wasn't sure what you'd want," I said breathlessly. "There's ham and--"
Somehow he was across the room and in front of me before the words were even out of my mouth. "I want you, Dorothy." His arms went around me and swept me into a passionate embrace that almost lifted me off my feet.
/>
"Drew, I'm not sure--" I lost the words in his kiss. My arms went around his neck of their own volition and I pressed hungrily against him. I was adrift, floating on the euphoria of sensation. His hands were moving over me, cupping my bottom, molding me to him.
I pulled away from his questing mouth. "Why are you doing this?" I gasped as his hands awakened a fever in me.
"Doing what?" His voice was low and breathless with desire.
"You're seducing me."
"Am I?" He peered into my eyes. "Good. I wasn't sure if I could. It's been a long time since I held a woman like you. I wasn't sure if I still knew what to do." His breath was hot as his lips trailed down my throat, tickling that little dent below my Adam's apple.
"A woman like me? What's that supposed to mean?" I ran my hands up his sides and around his back, feeling the tight muscles under the warm dark brown fabric of his shirt.
Drew straightened. "You're a woman I can love, Dorothy. For the rest of my life." I saw hope, promise, and anxiety in his gaze.
"Drew, I'm not sure."
"Shh." He kissed me quickly as he moved, fitting his hips to mine. "It hasn't been that long, has it?" He smiled slowly, a mischievous gleam making his eyes sparkle. "You still remember some things, don't you?"
I took a deep breath, conflicting emotions warring in me. Commit? Not? Take a chance? What was he asking? Was this for a day, a month, a year...a life? I stared deeply into the eyes I remembered so well from my youth. This was the man I always thought I would marry. This was the man I had loved with all my heart. Was it still the same man?
"I haven't forgotten," I murmured, throwing caution to the winds.
And you know what?
I hadn't forgotten at all.
o0o
I stirred an hour later, luxuriating in the feeling of a sweaty man next to me in my bed. "I can't believe you're here," I mumbled, running my hand over Drew's bare back. I gently touched the puckered flesh on his left shoulder where the fire scars stood out in white relief against his golden skin. "Does it hurt all the time?"