Gideon turned away. "It's a beautiful sunset," he said staring off into the distance.
Jenny got the impression Gideon was somewhere else. He was no longer standing next to her in a rural cemetery in upstate New York.
"It was a morning like this. The sun was rising over the jungle growth. We had been tortured all night." Gideon hesitated for a moment and then glanced down at the ground, at the headstone that seemed to grow among the grass.
Gideon shook his head. "I can't," he said, shutting his eyes as if to block out the pain of that memory.
Gideon turned away from Jenny and started walking back to the car at the end of the long narrow path. Jenny stood up and just watched him. His pace quickened. Then he ran until he reached the car and collapsed onto the ragtop, where he wept. Chills went through her thinking about what a horrible end it must have been for John, especially if it sent Gideon into such pain, even after all this time. Jenny took a deep breath and then started walking back to the car.
Gideon turned when he heard her approach. He did not say a word, just pushed himself up off the car and walked around to the driver’s side and got in.
Jenny was uncomfortable with Gideon and feared there was more to him than she originally thought. She reached over and touched him on the hand.
"I'm sorry it troubles you so."
"It's not that." Gideon turned and looked at her. "Actually it's only been recently that I've been able to remember that time."
"Does it bother you, not remembering what happened over there?"
"Up until now it didn't matter. But lately, everything has been coming back like it happened yesterday."
"Does it have anything to do with Delaney?"
"Part of it, I guess. He was there at the end. Whatever I was trying to hide from was somehow tied to what he was involved in."
"Sounds a little weird to me."
"All I see are faces of men. Delaney and John are the most prevalent. There was another man." Gideon turned away from Jenny. It was as if he was remembering more pain. Then slowly he glanced out the window at the rows of headstones and then continued. "He didn't speak English, but I understood what he was saying in my dreams."
"Are you sure it was just a dream?"
"That's what scares me. If it wasn't a dream, then what they did was so terrible, it must have sent me over the edge. That's why my mind blocked it out."
"Do you think it has anything to do with what happened to John?" Jenny wanted to know. She had a right to be told what his last moments were like.
Gideon shook his head. He could not tell her what he saw, fearing all too well that the visions coming back were real. Why else would the terror he felt inside be so intense if he had not actually lived the visions.
"You want me to drive?" Jenny asked.
"No. I'll be okay in a few minutes." Gideon took a couple of deep breaths. He looked up into the sky. It had been a routine he had done many times before. In a few moments the pain inside would subside and he would be okay.
They sat in the cemetery for another ten minutes until Gideon collected his thoughts. Once he put the car in gear, Jenny guided him the rest of the way. She knew her parents would be up already and wondered how receptive they would be to Gideon. After all, it had only been a few days since she told them John was dead.
They passed freshly cut fields while the sun rose higher in the sky. As they neared the old Morgan homestead, Jenny could see the light filtering through the trees from the back window. The tightening in her stomach was like a claw, and only grew worse the closer they got. Yet she could not ask Gideon to turn around. There was nothing for her to go back to in New York.
"Do they know you're coming?" Gideon asked.
"No. I didn't call."
"This could be touchy. But I'm not leaving you alone, I hope you understand?" Gideon parked the car near the back door.
Jenny regretted coming now, but last night it seemed like the right thing to do. She quickly got out of the car before changing her mind and walked up to the steps while the back door opened.
"Well, isn't this a surprise," the elderly lady in the pale blue housedress said, wiping her hands on her apron.
Carla ran up to Jenny and hugged her. It had been Christmas since she saw her daughter last. All the while she doted over her little girl. Her eyes never left the stranger getting out of the car.
"We've been driving all night," Jenny said, turning to Gideon, who grabbed the small duffle bag from back of the seat.
"Your father's out back in the pasture. He should be in for breakfast soon." Carla pulled Jenny into the house and then turned. "Are you Steve?" She asked with a naiveté Gideon knew was genuine.
Jenny did not wait for Gideon to answer, just turned to her mother and quickly added. "No, Mom, his name is Gideon LaMont. Gideon has been helping me sort out a few things lately." It was an understatement, but she did not know what else to say.
Carla glanced over at Gideon standing in the doorway. His suit was wrinkled. The strap from his shoulder holster clearly visible, and the morning stubble was not impressive to her in the least.
Gideon quickly adjusted his suit when he realized what Jenny's mother was staring at. He ran his hand across his face it felt like coarse sandpaper.
Carla turned and whispered to Jenny, "What's your father going to say?" It was loud enough for Gideon to hear. "You know it doesn't look right, you traveling with a man."
"Ma, it isn't like that." Jenny glanced at Gideon. She smiled while rolling her eyes. Then Jenny turned back to her mother. "It isn't as if I'm still a teenager."
"I know," Carla said sternly. "I guess I still think of you as being married."
"Gideon was with John over there. He's been helping me get this matter settled with the government." Jenny turned to Gideon, glared at him in a way that told him to go along with what she said. "Right, Gideon?"
"Yeah, right," Gideon agreed. He knew how mothers reacted when their children were in trouble, and he could tell Jenny did not want to say any more than she needed.
"What has to be settled?" Carla asked.
"I'd rather not go into it, besides you wouldn't understand."
"Try me and we'll see if I understand," Carla snapped.
"It's just too complicated."
Gideon stepped back and watched as Jenny talked in circles while saying nothing. He leaned on the door and smiled. It occurred to him how easily Jenny could fabricate stories at will.
Jenny dropped her overnight bag on the kitchen floor. Gideon was too busy glancing around the room to notice the envelope peeking out. Jenny reached down slowly and zipped the flap so the envelope was out of view.
"Could we go upstairs and freshen up?" Jenny asked.
Carla looked at Jenny and then turned her attention to Gideon. "Be my guest, but I don't think it wise you wear the gun when Joe comes in."
Gideon glanced at Jenny then said, "All I brought was this suit."
"Paddy was about your size, you can help yourself," Carla said as she glanced at Gideon in a way to assess his build.
Jenny guided Gideon up the stairs and down the hall. She opened the door to Paddy's room. She stood there for a moment and then turned to Gideon. "Don't disturb anything."
Jenny could not stand to be there any longer. She quickly turned and walked off to her own room, but before entering she looked back down the hall at Gideon. "For my mother's sake, would you leave the gun up here?"
"I don't want to cause any problems." He stared at Jenny for a moment then asked. "Do you think they'll mind me making a few calls?"
"No. Just reverse the charges." Jenny stared at Gideon. "I wish you hadn't followed me."
"Until you start being upfront with me, count on me sticking to you like glue."
Jenny shut the door, and then leaned up against it while listening. She heard Gideon walk down the hall to the bathroom. Slowly Jenny walked over to the window. In the distance she could see her father working on the old John Deere tractor in the p
asture. Things never changed on the farm, it was like going back in time. The old rooster called in the distance, the cows were grazing in the meadow, and the milking was already done for the morning. Jenny wondered now why she had been so anxious to leave it.
Jenny walked over to the bed and sat down. After a few minutes of just sitting there, she lay back and shut her eyes. It felt good to be back. She wanted to stay and forget everything that happened. But she knew she could not. She would have to face the fact that someone brutally attacked Trish and hurt Benjamin because of her. She knew it was the same person she saw at the hospital. Jenny rolled over. She could hear the tractor getting closer. She would have to face whatever it was that loomed out there.
CHAPTER 22
When Jenny heard the back screen door open, she got up off the bed and ran down the stairs. The elderly Morgan had his back to Jenny and was talking to his wife when she walked into the room. Jenny quickly ran up and hugged her father. She’d avoided coming home because of memories from a time in her life she could never go back too, but now regretted that decision.
"Nice little car you're driving."
"It's not mine. A friend drove me up," Jenny said, and then turned to her mother. She guessed her father already knew about Gideon and was waiting for an explanation. But she did not know what to tell him or how much would be safe to divulge.
"He's a little old for you, isn't he?"
"Dad, it isn't like that," Jenny replied. It hadn't even occurred to Jenny they would think Gideon was more than just a friend.
"Men aren't to be trusted," the elder Morgan lectured.
Jenny turned her head and laughed. "Are we speaking from experience?"
"I'll have no talk like that in this house."
"Well then, treat me like an adult."
Jenny quickly turned away from her father before an argument ensued. She walked over to the stove and poured herself a cup of coffee. Jenny sat down at the large table in the corner. She could hardly wait for Gideon to come down and meet her father.
Jenny's parents joined her at the table. It was not long till she heard footsteps descend the stairs. Jenny turned to face the door. She wanted to see Gideon's face when her father started giving him the third degree.
She did not have to wait long before Gideon emerged and even she caught her breath. The oversized NYU sweatshirt hung loose over the bell-bottom jeans. Even the penny loafers looked like they were made for him. Jenny turned to her mother and saw the expression on her face, but said nothing.
"I hope you don't mind," Gideon said as he turned to Carla.
Carla glanced up at Gideon, "I told you to make yourself at home." But it still bothered her to see this stranger in her son's clothes.
Joe Morgan tapped his fingers lightly on the table while assessing Gideon for a moment. And he then bluntly asked, "So, you work for the government?"
Gideon glanced at Jenny. He could see by the look in her eyes that she did not tell her parents everything and just nodded.
"Gideon's been helping me have John declared dead. Haven't you, Gideon?"
"Yeah?" Gideon replied.
Gideon saw the suspicion on the elder Morgan's face. He swallowed hard, and for a moment did not know what else to say.
Jenny coughed, trying to get Gideon's attention. Finally, it was the movement of her hand under the table that caused him to look her way as she pointed to his feet.
Gideon glanced down quickly. The bottom part of the pistol he strapped to his ankle was visible. He quickly shook his leg. The whole incident went unobserved by either of Jenny's parents.
"What kind of work do you do for the government?" Joe Morgan was curious about the man with his daughter, and was not buying into the little charade either of them was playing out.
All three at the table looked up at Gideon and waited for his reply. Jenny put her hands around the cup of coffee avoiding Gideon's pleas for help. She wanted to see how good he was under fire.
"Security matters," was all Gideon said.
Gideon walked over to the stove. He took a mug off the wooden tree that was on the cupboard and poured a cup, then turned and walked over to the table. He sat down next to Jenny. Under the table he poked her for help. But there was no response to his pleas, only an indifferent smile as Jenny watched him flounder under her father’s questioning.
"That covers a lot of territory: What branch are you with?"
Finally, after an intense moment of silence, Jenny came to his rescue. She reached over, patting her father's hand. "Pa, Gideon, didn't come up here to talk shop."
"Why did he come then?"
Jenny looked up at Gideon. "You want to answer that, or should I?"
Gideon took a sip of the coffee and then set the cup gently on the table as he searched for the right words that would not alarm Jenny's parents. "Your daughter has some information I want and need. I've been trying to convince her to turn it over to me."
"Jenny, what do you have of his?" Carla asked.
Jenny shook her head, "It isn't as if what I have belongs to him. I don't know who it belongs to and I want to be careful that the right person gets the information." She turned to Gideon. "You understand what I'm saying."
"Sounds like you could get yourself in a heap of trouble with the government," Joe cut in.
"That's what I've been telling her, Mr. Morgan. As soon as I get what she has, I'll be on my merry little way."
"Promise me," Jenny snapped, and then glared at Gideon.
"So when are you going to turn over whatever it is he wants?" Carla asked.
Jenny turned to her mother. "I don't know. That's why I'm here. To sort out what I plan to do next."
"Would you like breakfast?" Carla got up and walked over to the stove in hopes of changing the subject.
"No, coffee is fine," Gideon replied.
Gideon had a smile on his face that irritated Jenny. It was clear her parents were on his side without even knowing the specific details.
Jenny got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen through the living room and onto the front porch. She walked over to the swing and sat down as it swayed with her weight. In her wildest dreams she never would have suspected Gideon of telling her parents what he did or why he was following her. Now it was clear they were on his side. No one really cared about what happened to the man in the hospital room or why he died trying to pass information on to her.
The front door opened, and she glanced up half-expecting her father, but saw Gideon instead. Jenny laughed at how out of place he looked in the sweatshirt and jeans.
"How many guns do you carry?" Jenny asked.
"I'm here to protect you."
"From the cows? Get real, Gideon, why do you think I came up here?"
"I'm sorry about your friend."
"What's going to happen?" Jenny asked. She watched as Gideon walked over to the swing and sat next to her.
"I made arrangements last night to have them moved this morning. They're in protective custody until this is over."
"Do you think it had anything to do with Delaney?"
"Whoever did that to your friend wanted information. I got that much out of her last night."
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Jenny, I know that now. But the fact remains you're in over your head."
"Delaney said not to trust anyone. I figured that included you."
"I was working with him after he contacted the agency. Somehow there was a leak and that was why he didn't trust anyone. He was shot in the park and then they finished the job at the hospital before he could give me the information he had."
Jenny leaned forward and put her head in her hands while Gideon rubbed her neck. She felt his hands work their way down the small of her back all the while making small circular motions. It felt good and it melted away the tension that had encompassed her.
"I didn't know," she whispered turning to Gideon.
"You didn't give me a chance to tell you."
Jenny looked away for a moment before turning back to Gideon. "Did you take John's letters?"
"No. I didn't know about them until the night of the burglary. I wanted to read them to get a feel for what happened over there at the end."
"You're still trying to put the puzzle together."
"Jenny, I wasn't lying when I told you I don't remember." Gideon sat there for a few minutes. Finally he slapped his hand on his knee and got up. "I have to make a few calls now."
"Don't forget, reverse the charges."
Jenny followed Gideon into the living room. She showed him where the phone was, and then walked into the kitchen to see what her mother was up to. As Jenny entered the room, Carla was getting ready to knead a big ball of dough.
"Could I do that? It's been a while since I've worked bread dough."
"Sure," Carla said as she dumped the bowl of dough onto the floured cutting board.
Jenny walked over to the counter. The warm gooey feel of the mixture between her fingers felt good. Slowly she rolled the dough, adding more flour, and then flipped it over and over. Looking around the room, a feeling of warmth surrounded her until she saw a movement at the door. She looked up and saw Gideon standing there watching her.
"Looks like fun," Gideon raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Jenny was covered in flour, all the way up her arms to the tip of her nose. "You want to take over?"
"No, you're doing okay."
"Joseph is out back," Carla said, looking up at Gideon.
In the way she said it, Gideon could hardly stand around the kitchen with the women. Gideon turned to Jenny and asked, "Will you be okay?"
"She's our daughter, what do you think is going to happen to her?"
"He didn't mean anything by the remark, Mom. Did you Gideon?"
"No. I guess I've just been on the job too long."
Gideon turned and walked out of the kitchen. He glanced around the farmyard. In the distance he could hear the diesel engine. Gideon followed the sound until he found where the elderly Morgan was busy working.
The morning flew by for the two. Neither Gideon nor Jenny had time to think about national security or what brought them up there. Jenny's overnight bag remained on the kitchen floor where she had dropped it earlier.
The Twelfth Of Never: A suspense mystery romantic thriller Page 20