by T. Doyle
He placed his hand between my shoulder blades. “Breathe, baby. Head between your knees.” He rubbed my back.
I refused to faint. I was not some Victorian heroine that swooned. But somehow, I knew Oscar’s death, my car’s brakes, and Tyler’s suicide were related and I was now involved, drowning in suspicions and I needed facts to save myself.
The garage door opened and heavy footfalls headed toward us. “You told her about Tyler?” Ray’s voice rumbled barely discernible over the ringing in my ears.
“Yeah.”
I tried to sit up.
“Take it slow,” Joe cautioned.
I rolled up, one vertebra at a time. Color bled through my foggy vision and the ringing in my ears subsided.
“Sit for a minute. I’ll get you some juice.” Joe squeezed my shoulder.
Ray looked concerned, like I had a terminal disease.
“I’m fine. I just got a little light-headed.” I leaned back in the chair.
Joe gave me a glass of water. I’d drunk all the juice the other day.
The doorbell chimed.
“I’ll get it,” said Ray.
I heard Liz and Momma Sanders introducing themselves to Ray.
Momma rushed over and hugged me. “Are the kids in danger?”
“I don’t think so.” I looked at Ray for confirmation.
Ray shook his head. “No.” He gave Joe the side-eye.
Joe slipped his phone from his pocket and I was pretty sure he was texting the kids.
I held my head and my heart thumped a baseline to the ringing in my ears. If I’d put my children in danger…
“Hey,” Ray said.
I peeked up.
“Your kids are safe. This could be totally unrelated to the kidnappings.” Ray’s sincere tone slowed my thudding heart.
“The children were kidnapped?” Momma shrieked.
“No, Momma, our kids are fine,” Joe assured her. He slid a stink-eye to Ray.
“Sorry, ma’am. I meant the adoptions.” Ray took off his baseball cap and scrubbed his short hair.
His short hair.
Why was his hair short?
“What happened?” I looked him over. He wore a flannel shirt over a black t-shirt, his usual jeans and boots, but the haircut had transformed him from pirate to lumberjack.
He smirked. “Really? I think it’s obvious.”
“It’s not.” I pointed to his head. “Why and when did you get a haircut?”
He rolled his eyes and looked from Liz to Momma and back to me. His expression said, let’s talk about this later.
The doorbell rang again.
“It’s open,” Liz called out.
“That’s not safe,” Joe said. “Lock it.”
“Okay, Joe,” Anisa, Mike’s wife, said from the front hall.
“Ray?” I prodded.
He groaned. “Fine. After Kristi did a couple of age-progression photos and loaded them onto the National Website for Missing and Lost Children, the FBI called and said to stop what we were doing and they’d be right over. So, I went to Carole and explained that you went to Sam at Curl Up and Dye for information on an investigation that the FBI is now taking over and that she’s the first to know and she can’t tell anyone until it’s in the newspaper. She made me get a haircut.” He winced. “And she trimmed my eyebrows.”
“They look really good.” Liz tilted her chin up to inspect his eyebrows through her bifocals.
Momma grabbed Ray’s beard. “She should have shaved you, too.” She tugged and released, adding a disapproving eye twitch that I’d yet to master.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ray said.
“You look handsome, Ray.” I stood and hugged him. “Thank you for talking to Carole for me.”
“Yeah, well, thanks for talking to Sam for me.” He patted my back a couple of times and stepped back like too much hugging would give him cooties.
The doorbell rang again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to leave the door open?” Liz asked over her shoulder and headed to the foyer.
Tom came in a minute later, looking flushed. “Hello all.” He nodded his chin toward Ray. “Ray.”
“Let’s move into the dining room,” I suggested. I expected Ian and pizza any minute. “Can I get anyone a drink?”
Liz clucked. “I’ll get the iced-tea. You sit down.”
I was shepherded into the dining room by a deputy, a retired cop, and a worried husband.
“Is that the rest of Oscar’s stuff?” Ray asked.
“Yes.”
Ray pulled the box over and sat at the table, pulling out the notebooks, the photo envelopes and the birthday cards.
Tom sat next to him.
Ray handed a notebook to Tom. “He might have left a note to himself on one of these.”
The two men leafed through the notebooks.
“Did Tyler leave a note?” I asked.
Joe pulled out a chair for me. He sat next to me and rested his hand on my thigh.
Momma, Liz, and Anisa entered the dining room and served us iced-tea. Momma sat at the head of the table and Anisa took the other end. Liz sat next to Tom.
“Mike can’t make it, but he sends his love,” Anisa said.
“Thank you.” I turned to Tom. “Tyler’s note?”
“I can’t talk about an on-going investigation.” Tom’s cheeks got pinker.
I shot him talk-or-be-tormented glare.
The gals added their own versions of the glower.
He cracked like a small-town deputy should. “This doesn’t leave this room.”
We murmured our agreement.
“Tyler left a note. He confessed to buying babies off the dark web. He realized Oscar found out and over-dosed him with insulin. He said he put it into Tyler’s drink.” Tom pulled at his collar. “I’m sorry, Charlie. You were right about Oscar being murdered.”
I nodded. I’d suspected murder, even kidnapping, but I couldn’t see Tyler doing the actual killing himself. “I don’t believe Tyler was capable of murder. Or suicide.”
Joe squeezed my shoulder. “Maybe he couldn’t live with the guilt.”
The back door banged closed. “It’s me,” Ian called out and entered the dining room.
Ray threw up his hands and called out, “Lock the door.”
“Did Tyler say anything about my brakes?” I asked Tom.
“No,” Tom said.
Ian hitched his jeans up over his hips. “Tyler Rigby didn’t know how to change his oil. You think he could find a brake line?”
“I’m impressed he knew about the dark web,” Liz said.
Momma leaned closer to Liz. “What’s the dark web?”
“I’ll explain later,” Liz said.
“It doesn’t feel right,” I said. “Who cut my brake lines? How did Tyler find the dark web? Do you seriously think he was picking up the babies from the parking lot of the Pass-n-Gas?”
Tom held up his hands. “I know. We’re investigating and the FBI is involved regarding all of Tyler’s adoptions. It’ll take a while for it all to sink in but it’s over, Charlie.”
I looked at Ray.
He raised an eyebrow and shoulder as if to say, just go with it.
Joe squeezed my thigh like he seconded Ray’s suggestion.
“I’d like to read the note,” Ray said.
Tom shook his head. “Absolutely not. It’s evidence.”
“Just take a picture of it and send it to me.” Ray didn’t hide the exasperation from his tone.
The two men seemed to be having a cop-glare-off.
Tom pushed back from the table and stood. “I don’t know who cut Charlie’s brake line. We’re investigating that as a completely separate case. Have you made any recent enemies?”
The doorbell rang.
Ian held up his finger. “That’s the pizza. Hold that thought until I get back.”
Tom rolled his eyes but sat down. It was getting close to lunchtime. And it was free food. And he was a guy.
“Tom, did Oscar have a fake ID on him?” I asked.
“Why?” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“Because he wasn’t twenty-one but he was playing professional poker. Gwen at the Pickle said they’d checked his ID.”
Tom nodded. “Yeah, he did. And it was good. I’m guessing he made it a couple of years ago because the birth year made him twenty-three.” He smirked. “You may want to check Drew’s wallet.”
Joe sighed. “Yeah, we came to that conclusion too.”
Liz scurried into the kitchen and returned with a fresh pitcher of iced-tea and plates. She must have found my powdered iced-tea for such Southern hostess emergencies.
Ian returned with two large pizzas and placed them in the center of the table. He flipped open a box, grabbed two slices and jumped back.
The Sanders descended on the food like sea gulls surrounding a fishing boat.
Ray grinned and slapped Joe’s hand away from a slice and snagged it. He took a big bite and a strand of cheese hung from his bottom lip, down his beard, and onto his shirt. He fit right in with this family.
Tom managed to grab a skinny slice with only half a pepperoni on it. “Anyone threaten you lately, Charlie?”
“No.” I bit into my slice.
“Margarita and Felix have never threatened us, but they don’t like us,” Joe said.
“Anyone threaten you?” Tom asked Joe.
“No. And I don’t have any pending malpractice suits, either.” Joe grabbed the last two slices from the box and dropped one onto my plate.
“Thanks, honey.” It was a ruse. I knew Joe planned on eating the second slice too, but he didn’t want Momma to tell him to slow down.
“Whoever cut the line did it while you were working.” Ian leaned over the table, opened the second pizza box, and grabbed a slice. “The first time you pressed the brakes you pushed the fluid out making the pedal feel squishy, right?” Ian asked me.
“Yes. I braked going down the hill at the first curve and it was okay, but then the pedal went all the way to the floor and the car didn’t slow down at all.” My heart fluttered, reliving the fear.
“Yeah, so the guy had to cut the line while you were at work because otherwise you’d have noticed it when you drove to work,” Ian said.
“We’ve got security cameras now,” I said to Tom.
Tom stared at the untouched slice sitting on my plate that was soon to be in Joe’s belly.
Liz took pity on Tom. “Momma, slide the other box this way so Tom can get a slice.”
Momma pushed the box toward Tom.
Ray intercepted, took the largest slice and then handed the box to Tom.
Tom grabbed a slice and settled the box on top of the empty one. “I’ll call Sunnyview and ask them to save the video.” He stood, took his slice of pizza and walked into the kitchen.
“A guy would have to lie down next to your car to cut the brake line. The camera might not catch that if another car blocked the view,” Ian said.
“But hopefully we’d see someone walking near my car. Unless the camera isn’t pointed in the right direction.” I looked at Ray. “How did Tyler supposedly overdose Oscar? I can’t see Oscar letting Tyler inject him with anything.”
Ray wiped his face, finally removing the cheese. “Let’s talk about that later,” he said behind his napkin.
Tom returned. “Thank you for the pizza. I’ll head over to Sunnyview and review the video. What time did you get there yesterday?”
“I worked from two-to-ten,” I said.
He pulled a card out from his front pocket. “Call me if you notice anyone suspicious hanging around or think of any new information.” He put the card on the table and tapped it.
Anisa passed it down the table to me.
“Thank you, Tom,” I said.
Ray stood. “I’ll go with you. We can stop by and visit my mom.” He tucked Oscar’s notebooks under his arm.
“Sounds good.” Tom sounded sincere.
Joe showed the guys out and returned a moment later.
Liz cleared her throat. “What’s your work schedule, Charlie?”
“I’m off today. Next week I’m working Monday, Wednesday, Friday from six-to-two,” I said.
“You can borrow my car, if you want,” Momma offered.
“That’d be great. Thank you.” I loved her little Jetta with the sunroof.
“Momma, we’re supposed to be keeping her company just in case the bad guy shows up,” Liz said.
“That’s a really bad idea.” I sent Joe a fix-this look and picked up the empty pizza boxes.
“Liz, we appreciate the offer but none of you are trained in self-defense and being Charlie’s bodyguard could put you in danger,” Joe said.
I finagled the pizza boxes into the garbage and returned for the plates and glasses.
Anisa stacked the plates and handed them to me. She followed with the glasses and helped me load the dishwasher. “If you want me to go grocery shopping for you or with you or anything, just call me, okay?” she whispered.
“I will.” I closed the dishwasher door.
Liz’s voice overpowered Joe’s and Ian’s in the dining room. Liz was an amazing sister-in-law and a natural leader. We let her organize because her OCD and anxiety needed to, and we loved her even if she was a tad overbearing at times.
Anisa and I returned to the dining room. Everyone stood, now fed, and ready to leave.
“I don’t think getting out of town for a few weeks is unreasonable,” Liz said.
Joe’s scowl disagreed.
Liz pointed at me. “Come on, you can’t feel safe here.”
“I feel safe,” I said.
Liz rolled her eyes. “There’s a madman trying to kill you.”
“I don’t like it.” Momma stood. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and placed them on the dining room table. “Anisa, will you give me a ride home?”
“Sure.” Anisa hugged me. “Call me anytime.”
Momma hugged me next. “You stay safe and don’t let anybody run you out of your own home.”
Ian kissed my cheek. “Do you want me to give you my gun?”
“No,” I said.
“Absolutely not.” Joe slapped Ian on the back of his head.
Liz opened her purse and pulled out a black stun-gun. “Take this. There’s fresh batteries in it.”
I took the stun gun and put it on the table. “Thank you, Liz.”
She hugged me tight. “Be careful.”
“I will. Thank y’all for coming over.” I grabbed Joe’s hand and we walked to the front door and swung that sucker open and herded the clan out.
We waved as they got into their cars.
Joe closed the door and hugged me close. “Are you really okay?”
I nodded, my hair getting caught in one of his shirt buttons. I carefully detached myself. “I don’t believe Tyler committed suicide. I think he had a partner who kidnapped the babies, overdosed Oscar, cut my brake lines, and killed him and probably drives an SUV.” I pulled Joe toward our bedroom.
“I think you’re right.” Joe grabbed a bath towel from the clean-laundry pile and folded. “Babe, it would make me feel better if you let me and Ray drive you to and from work.”
“Seriously? You want Ray to babysit me?” I tossed his sock to his side of the bed.
“More like bodyguard. Just until Tyler’s murderer is caught.” He tossed a face cloth at me. “Honey, I need you. Life’s not fun without you.”
The man melted my heart. “I love you, too. Are you sure Ray’s okay with it?”
“He offered. With his mom at Sunnyview, he can visit her and then drive you home. He said he’d stay until I got off work. I may have offered him a nightly dinner.” Joe waggled his eyebrows. “It’s either that or Liz sends you away to an undisclosed location for a few weeks. Or Ian offered to let you stay in his shop all day until I get off work.”
“Fine. Unless the undisclosed location is a Caribbean Island and you come t
oo.”
Joe gathered me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. “Babe, I really need you to be careful. The FBI will catch Tyler’s partner.” His certainty was exactly what I needed to hear.
“I bet he was caught on tape and they’ll arrest him tonight.” I picked up the folded towels. “Until then, I guess I get to be a domestic goddess.”
“Nah, let’s Netflix and chill.” This time his eyebrows waggled for an entirely different reason.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Empty-nest meant Joe and I didn’t have to worry about locking the bedroom door or children wondering why we are napping at two in the afternoon. Joe’s concern about my safety and the knowledge someone intentionally cut my brake lines shadowed the perfect afternoon.
My stomach growled, requesting dinner, so I pulled myself out of bed, showered and dressed. Joe and I stood in front of the opened fridge door and stared at the contents.
“We could order out,” he suggested.
“That’s cheating. You have to decide on a menu.” I leaned against him. “I don’t mind cooking, it’s the menu planning I hate.”
Joe closed the fridge door. “Fine. Pasta and salad.”
I turned and hugged him, nuzzling into my favorite part of his chest. “Okay. What kind of pasta? What kind of sauce? Do you want meat or shrimp or…” I kissed his jaw.
“So many choices.” He kissed my forehead and then playfully patted my bottom. “I declare chicken, asparagus, and penne with olive oil.”
“Excellent choice. We have those ingredients.” I nudged him out of the kitchen.
Joe’s phone beeped and he went into our bedroom to retrieve it. “Ian’s on his way over. Your car’s fixed.”
I grabbed Momma’s keys from the dining room table and the stun gun. “Will he take Momma’s car or do we need to drop it off?”
Joe eyed the stun gun. “He said he’d drop off the Jetta. Liz is meeting him at Momma’s for dinner.”
I put the Jetta keys and Liz’s stun gun down on the kitchen table.
Joe hit the garage door opener so Ian could park my car inside. “You’re not going to keep the stun gun?” he asked.
“Nah. I can’t take it to work and if you and Ray are driving me to and from work, there’s really no need.” I grabbed a head of iceberg lettuce from the fridge.
I recognized the sound of my car’s engine as it pulled into the garage. Joe grabbed Momma’s keys and the stun gun and met Ian outside. He returned five minutes later and put my keys on the kitchen counter. “Ian thinks you should get a gun.”