The Complete Matt Jacob Series

by Klein, Zachary;

  I scurried back to the bedroom and perseverated in front of the closet. Running on repressed always walloped my go-get-’em. I finally grabbed a fresh pair of jeans and a clean tee. This wasn’t a day to dawdle. A tough decision, but I left my stash at home.

  And seriously regretted it when I was bombarded by a series of surprises. The first was the Hacienda’s new front door.

  “Alexis sent the door and someone to hang it,” Lou explained, breathing much better than the day before. “I could have done the job, but it was probably better this way. She and Lauren are out having lunch.”

  The second surprise. Despite my internal hell, fire, and brimstone, I heated at the mention of Alexis’s name.

  After we inspected the new oak, Lou led me into the comfortable kitchen while I body-blocked the image of the blonde flame. I wasn’t going to let a long distance hard-on sink my mood.

  Lou was in the middle of a Bill and Bob’s roast beef, so we sat at the kitchen counter. He glanced at me but I shook my head.

  “You’re sure you don’t want a bite? It’s a little early in the day, but I’ve gotten hooked.”

  “I have better ways to clog my arteries.”

  “You can’t find decent Chinese up here, but these guys make a good sandwich. Very lean.” He bit into the bun, some of the barbecue sauce squeezing out the sides.

  “That can’t be good for your sugar.”

  “Please, you’ll ruin my appetite.” Lou stuck the sandwich back down on its plastic wrapper. “Sometimes you make me feel too old to wipe my ass.”

  “I’m trying warn you about junk food and you’re giving me shit.”

  “Thank you. But not for your culinary recommendations. I know what you eat. Otherwise, you’ve been a real mensch.”

  I caught him peeking at the sandwich. “Eat the damn thing,” I ordered.

  “Are you sure you won’t have a taste? I zapped it in the microwave so it’s nice and warm.” Lou swallowed another large bite. “I tried something new last night,” he said, an amused, sly look crossing his face.

  I reined in my frustration. “I don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

  He grinned broadly, the sinkholes on his highway ignored. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on giving away my secrets. I ate sushi.”

  “Sushi?”

  “It’s raw fish.”

  “I know what sushi is, I just can’t believe you ate it.”

  “When you think about it, it’s not much different than herring.”

  “Pickled is different than raw,” I said, momentarily diverted.

  “That’s right, the alta cocker tried something different. Is that so terrible?”

  “That’s not what I mean.” I knew better than to continue, only I could never leave a fresh scab alone. “It’s just...” I waved at the plastic on the counter, “since you started coming up here, things are different. You’re... you’re eating raw food,” I finished, flummoxed.

  “You miss the whole point, Matty. Lauren once played a record by a Black preacher with a tune about how you do different things because of love. You drive home early or you don’t come home at all, things like that.”

  Lou’s struggle to quote Al Green would normally bring a smile. But today, Preacher Al’s song ran right up my guilty gut. I spun on the kitchen stool, “Do you have a beer?”

  “You hock me about a sandwich, but it’s not too early to drink?” he ribbed, oblivious to my discomfort.

  I hoped it wasn’t too late.

  Lou handed me an opened bottle and picked up right where he’d left off. “My time with Lauren is teaching me I don’t have to live the rest of my life following old habits. I’m learning age is an attitude. And I’ll tell you something Boychick, love shapes attitude.”

  The song said love shapes different attitudes. I felt something jar underneath my tight repression. Lou was running full bore toward something I might be fleeing. The realization rearranged pieces of my troubles with Boots and my night with Alexis, but now wasn’t the time to finish the puzzle.

  Lou took a deep breath. “So I’ve asked Lauren to marry me.”

  I looked at his happy face and felt my insides chill. “What did she say?” I asked, grinding into freeze.

  “She thinks we should wait.”

  I expected relief but didn’t find it. Didn’t find anything. “Wait for what?” The facts, goddammit, the facts. Maybe I did feel something, after all.

  “She has to finalize her divorce.”

  “Divorce? They haven’t been together for decades.”

  “It’s just a formality. A lot of people wait until they need it.”

  “And now Lauren needs it.”

  “I hope so.” Lou actually blushed.

  “This makes you happy, doesn’t it?”

  “I feel things I haven’t felt in ages.”

  “Any other reasons for this wait?

  “We want to put all these events behind us—Ian’s accident, the car, the door. But to tell you the truth, I think the waiting will be over when the divorce becomes final.”

  “What about your apartment, the buildings?”

  “What about them?”

  “I don’t see Lauren leaving the Hacienda, do you?”

  “I’ll keep the apartment and we’ll use it for a place in the city. Lauren calls it something French...”

  “Pied a terre,” I supplied, increasingly annoyed with Lou’s constant references to his personal Guru. Christ, now I was thinking like a leftover from the seventies. Well, maybe I was.

  “The real question, Matty, is what will happen with the buildings when you live with Shoes.”

  “When, not if?” Took the hit and counterpunched with my chin.

  “The way you lovebirds have been together during the past year makes it look like when to me.”

  This wasn’t why I’d come north. “I’m really happy for you, Lou, but I’m not here for an engagement party.” I saw his surprised hurt and added hastily, “I’m still worried about the shooting. Afraid you and Lauren are in danger.”

  Conflict crossed his face but he rubbed it away with his hand. “I appreciate your concern, Matty, I really do.”

  “But?”

  “The Police Chief is working on identifying the gang. He tells us this sort of prank has never been repeated at the same location.”

  “A drive-by is a hell of a “prank.” What about the stalking, the car?”

  Lou shook his head helplessly. “If it were up to me I’d have you involved, looking into it.”

  “Who is it up to?”

  Before he could answer the brand new front door opened then slammed shut. “Goddamn that child,” Lauren steamed, her energy rocking the kitchen. “Goddamn all children.” Then, noticing me, “Sons-in-law don’t count. I’ll be right back, I want to hang up my jacket. No, I really want to hang Alexis, I’m settling for the jacket.” She turned on her heels and stomped out of the kitchen leaving a palpable void.

  “Matty, don’t say anything about the proposal, please,” Lou whispered. “No one is supposed to know.” He seemed relieved to be out from under my drive-by questions.

  Lou had nothing to worry about; I had no interest in playing Hallmark.

  “So, Alexis stuck you with the check?” Lou teased when Lauren returned to the kitchen.

  “The girl makes me furious!” Lauren exclaimed, clapping her hands. “She had the cheek to turn the shooting into another pitch for the Hacienda. All the same old arguments then, “Ma, why take unnecessary chances? Sure Teddy knows what he’s doing, but combine the shooting with the place falling apart, well, face it, it’s the right time to make a move.”

  Lauren’s impersonation was remarkable. Slap on some long blonde curls, or maybe just take her clothes off and Mom would be her daughter. I flashed on the lighthouse, curled my toes, and felt the devil’s breath on my neck.

  “She’s just trying to look out for you, Lauren,” Lou suggested.

  “Like a fox looks out for a chicken.�
� Lauren grimaced, “Alexis looks out for herself. And for Paul.”

  “Why is she so persistent?” I asked, forcing myself back into the room.

  Lauren eyed me suspiciously. “What? You didn’t hear about the heartbreak poor Alexis goes through every time she sets foot in the Hacienda? How her childhood home is crumbling before her very eyes? The lawsuits that are right around the corner? What exactly did you talk about on your ride?”

  “She mentioned a few things needed fixing,” I sidestepped. Me and my fucking mouth.

  “Nothing we won’t take care of,” Lou assured me.

  “It’s not the repairs,” Lauren said glumly, forgetting, I fervently hoped, the ride.

  “I don’t even think it’s about money, though Lord knows, money is something Alexis is particularly fond of,” she added.

  She hesitated. “Lou and I talk about this a lot,” Lauren said looking at me, her decision made. “I think Alexis wants to wrangle a deal to get the house for Paul and Anne. I also believe she wants me out of town.

  “Could she pull it off?” Despite all my last rites, the moth kept fluttering.

  “Alexis can pull a rabbit out of a hat. When the floor dropped out of the housing market I thought her real estate business was dead and buried. Somehow she survived and brought it back stronger than ever. There’s not too much that girl can’t do when she puts her mind to it.”

  “Why would she want you out of town?”

  “I embarrass her. I’ve always embarrassed her.” Then Lauren nodded toward Lou. “I think our relationship is the last straw. I also know living here keeps Paul wrapped up and Alexis believes it hurts his marriage.”

  “This is where Lauren and I disagree,” Lou interjected. “Perhaps Alexis wants the house for her father, I don’t know. Kids get funny ideas when they come from broken homes. But Alexis has always been friendly toward me and very supportive of us,” he said, glancing at Lauren. “She didn’t have to fix the door.”

  “Resale value,” Lauren instantly rebutted.

  “Shainele,” Lou gently remonstrated, “Alexis might be mistaken, but she really believes it’s in your interest to sell.”

  “Alexis knows I’ll never sell the Hacienda.”

  “So the girl is stubborn, like other people we know.”

  “You’re talking about me,” Lauren grumbled, losing some steam. “Maybe I see too much of myself in her.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to treat both you and Alexis with a little more charity,” Lou said.

  “Maybe,” Lauren said, a smile softening her features, “but everyone isn’t as forgiving as you.”

  Lauren turned to me, “Anyhow, I want to thank you for yesterday’s offer to guard the house. You really are going above and beyond.”

  “Tell you the truth, I want to stay here for a little while.”

  “Don’t be silly, we don’t expect any more trouble,” Lauren said tossing her head.

  I pushed my stomach shudder aside and tried soft. “You seem pretty relaxed about having your front door blown away.” Something about that old door still picked at me but I couldn’t make it.

  Lauren shrugged. “You don’t have to exaggerate, it was bad enough as it was. Ted will keep a tight watch until he’s absolutely sure about our safety. Believe me Matthew, Teddy Biancho is not going to let anything happen. The boy has his reputation to protect, and he’s a bear about protecting it. Anyway, he’s certain it was drunken joyriders.”

  I tried hard. “But I’m not. Especially when I add it to your car and your uncomfortable feelings. It might be exactly what Biancho thinks it is, but I’ve begun to distrust all these coincidences.”

  Lou frowned, but Lauren shook her shoulders in a mock shiver. “You can be scary, you know?”

  “I’m not trying to frighten you, I’m just being careful.”

  “I really haven’t been feeling stalked. And you yourself said my car was destroyed by gay bashers. Right now we want a little peace and quiet. I think we deserve that much, don’t you?”

  I looked toward Lou for assistance. “I think the worst is over, Matty,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

  So much for help. “I don’t see any harm in keeping my eyes open.”

  “That’s Teddy’s job and I’m confident he’ll do it,” Lauren said.

  “But not confident enough to talk to him about feeling stalked?”

  Lauren tossed her thick hair again. “That was something he could say was in my head. It was something you said, remember?”

  “I’m not saying it now.”

  “Thank you,” she replied sarcastically. Then, as quickly as her sarcasm surfaced, it slipped into weariness. “I can’t deal with another argument today. You mean well and I’m sure you’d make a fine houseguest, but not now. Too much has happened in too short a time. Anyway, the police are protecting us.”

  “For how long, Lauren?”

  “How long could you stay? I’m sorry Matthew, I appreciate the offer, but the only person I want with me now is your father-in-law.”

  “I understand your need for privacy, but how about giving me the names and addresses of people at the party?”

  “What for, Matty?” Lou asked.

  “Shake some trees, see what falls.”

  “That’s outrageous,” Lauren snapped.

  “Take it easy,” Lou intervened. “Matt only wants to make sure we’re not in danger.”

  “I’m sorry Lou, but I won’t allow him to do anything of the sort. There’s been enough “tree shaking” to last a lifetime. The police are positive the shooting was the work of a gang and there’s no reason to doubt them.”

  Lauren glared at me. “I’m not dragging anyone else into this and that’s final. Don’t make me do some rattling of my own, Matthew.”

  I knew who she expected to fall. I looked at Lou but he refused to meet my gaze. Whatever his inclination, Lou was marching to Lauren’s drum. Whatever my misgivings, I was headed home. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded, Lauren.”

  “Please don’t think I’m ungrateful but Lou and I need time together. Time to give everything a chance to return to normal.”

  Not what I wanted for myself, but liked having my pants pulled about Alexis even less. “I’ll back off, but I want your word on something.”

  “What is that?”

  “If your discomfort returns, or any other kind of trouble for that matter, you call. And you call immediately. I’m even keeping the cell phone on and charged, I said staring at Lou.

  “I promise.” A wry smile replaced her frown. “This is what’s meant by role reversal.”

  But just outside town I postponed the ride back into my life. I was annoyed at letting myself be blackmailed by Lauren’s Alexis threat. Well, fuck her. If Biancho was in charge of Lou and Lauren’s safety, I was going to lock and load about his competence. And I was going to give him everything I had.

  The Chief immediately made time. “I expected your call yesterday.” He wore an amused expression but his eyes were cold.

  “Yesterday was Sunday and you never gave me your home number.”

  “It’s listed.”

  If he intended to make me feel foolish, he succeeded. “I had a lot to think about.”

  “Now you’re here to tell me about it.”

  “What’s eating you?” I asked, trying to hide my embarrassment. “Does it really surprise you I’m concerned about the drive-by?”

  Biancho frowned. “No, it doesn’t surprise me. It makes me uncomfortable when people look over my shoulder. Let me tell you what I’ve told Lauren and, uh...”

  “Lou. I know what you told them.”

  “So what’s the beef?”

  “No beef. I have information for you.”

  He nodded, so I took it from the top. Explained the real reason for tailing Lauren and told him about the car trashing. Even threw in Ian’s suicide attempt, but the only time I got a response was when I mentioned Alexis’ desire to market the Hacienda. And that only a brief t
wist of his body.

  By the time I finished, Biancho looked disinterested. Worse, I understood why. There were no concrete connects between any of the events.

  “Fascinating Jacob, but it doesn’t change a damn thing. We’ve seen these drive-bys in other towns, all with the same M.O. All with the same weapons and ammunition, all in the same early hours. Police departments up here believe it’s an initiation ritual.”

  “A strange sort of initiation.”

  “Stranger than killing for sneakers? Let me assure you, I won’t allow this to happen again in my town.” The Chief’s eyes were blazing, his lips drawn tight.

  This was more than a reputation protect; Biancho took the shooting as a personal affront. Still, I was reluctant to stop my pitch. “I appreciate your confidence and dedication but...”

  “But what? Vibrations and trampled grass in the woods? You know how ridiculous you sound? Nobody was following her.”

  “I said nobody was following her when I was there. That doesn’t exactly...”

  “Spare me, Jacob. The car was a typical example of city life, and frankly, Lauren Rowe’s intuition doesn’t make for fact. Especially when I’m looking at something that’s happened before.”

  I hadn’t the conviction to shake him. Or the logic. “Well,” I conceded, “let me help with the gang angle.”

  He barely restrained his contempt. “What makes you think I’d let a private cop work a police case? They do that in Boston?” Impatience piggybacked onto Biancho’s scorn. “It’s time to drop this. I’ll see that Lauren and your father-in-law are safe.”

  “You told me there are people in town who would be happy to see Lauren move,” I tried weakly, struck with the irony of the situation. I’d spent my entire life crossing the street to avoid a cop. Here I was pleading to work with them only to be unceremoniously rejected.

  Before I could mourn my loss, Biancho turned nasty. “Don’t even think about it, Jacob. If I see you here for any reason other than a family visit, you’re going to have a problem. A big problem.”

  “Chief,” I asked in a very respectful tone once he finished, “there’s only one thing that still bothers me.”

  “You’re getting on my nerves.”