Once You'Ve Touched the Heart

by Iris Bolling

  JD jumped back. “Ouch, Mama, I planned on helping, but I got called away on a case.”

  “That is no excuse—don’t you put things before your home. You understand me?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” JD replied as he took a seat at the counter. “What’s all of this?”

  Martha turned around. “Oh! Those are some pictures I came across of your father.”

  JD picked up some of the pictures. “Man, look at this.” He smiled.

  “I was looking at that one; I don’t know the people in there with your dad.”

  “Yes, you do, Mom. I don’t know the woman, but that’s Senator Roth right there.”

  Martha came out of the kitchen and looked at the picture. “It sure is. Well, I’ll be.” She laughed.

  JD looked at the picture again. “The woman looks familiar, too, but I don’t know from where.”

  Martha looked at it. “I don’t think I know her.”

  JD smiled. “I’m going to show this picture to the Senator, and I’ll bet he will get a kick out of it.” JD put the picture in his briefcase.

  When Tracy got home, JD met her at the bottom of the stairs. “I had to find a quick way to say I’m sorry for leaving all of this on you. So I ran you a hot bath.”

  Tracy looked at him. “It’s going to take a lot more than a tub of hot water to get you off my list tonight.”

  “I thought it might.” He walked past her to lock the door. He turned off the lights, took her hand and led her upstairs. The table in the sitting room was set up with candles and the dinner Martha had cooked. Tracy looked up at him and smiled. “That’s for later,” he said and continued into the bathroom. Candles were placed around the tub with rose petals in the water. He had a magnum of champagne with two glasses and a bowl of strawberries on the side. Tracy hung her head down and smiled. She began taking her clothes off. JD joined in. They settled into the bath facing each other. JD poured a glass of champagne for each of them. He handed a glass to her. “This is to our wedding, our new home and our new life together as one.” He smiled.

  They both took a drink.

  Tracy set her glass on the side of the tub and then settled down into the water. “I think I might forgive you.”

  ♥

  The next morning, JD stopped by James’s office. “I appreciate you taking on this task for me, James. I need someone who is going to have Tracy’s best interests at heart.”

  James shook JD’s hand. “I’m happy to do this. Are you going to need opposition to anything we might find?”

  JD nodded. “Yes, we will.” He placed his briefcase on James’s desk and pulled out the folder Brian had given him on Tracy’s family. “This was just a quick glance, but we need to go deeper into her family history.”

  James saw a picture lying in the briefcase. “You missed this,” James said as he picked up the picture.

  “That doesn’t go with the file,” JD said. “That’s a picture my mother found of my dad and Senator Roth. I thought the Senator would get a kick out of seeing it.”

  James looked at the picture and then at JD. “What is your father doing in a picture with Lena Washington?”

  JD frowned and took the picture out of James’s hand. “What?”

  James raised both eyebrows. “That’s a young Lena Washington, but Lena Washington nonetheless.”

  JD looked at James with a puzzled stare. “Are you sure that’s her?”

  James shrugged his shoulders “Look at it closely, man. Isn’t that the woman we met a few months ago?”

  Looking at the picture closer, it did look like her. “Why would she be in a picture with my dad?” JD asked aloud.

  “I could be wrong, you know,” James offered. “Why don’t you let me ask some questions, since I have to go see her anyway?” James took the picture from JD. “I’ll let you know what I find.”

  James sensed JD was reluctant to let the picture out of his possession. “I will not let anything happen to it. I’m sure there is a very simple explanation.”

  “All right,” JD agreed as he closed his briefcase. As he started to leave, he stopped and looked at James. “My instincts are not usually wrong. This is not going to turn out good.”

  “Let’s not jump here, JD. Let’s ask questions; then react to the findings; not before.”

  JD nodded. “Thanks, James. Let me know what you find out.”

  “I will, JD. Don’t worry about this,” James said as JD walked out. James didn’t want to let on, but he had a bad feeling about the picture too.

  James put in a call to his investigators. He advised them of the confidential aspects of the case. James did not turn the picture over to the investigators. He felt that this part of the investigation needed to be handled very discreetly. He took down the address for Lena Washington—that visit he would have to make in person.

  James searched his calendar for a free day. His schedule was tight. This weekend he had promised Ashley his undivided attention. They were having difficulty getting together since the planning of the wedding had gotten intense. Next week was the week of Thanksgiving. James Jr. was supposed to arrive on Wednesday and stay until Sunday. That definitely meant no time with Ashley. James was not ready to introduce the two of them yet. He never liked the idea of James Jr. getting involved with any of his women friends. Not only was it confusing to the boy, but it would cause issues with his mother. James definitely did not want to deal with baby mama drama right now. The first weekend in December, tuxedo fittings were scheduled for the wedding. James was surprised JD had asked him to be a part of the wedding party. But he accepted with honor.

  James sat back and shook his head. He hit the intercom. “Karen, would you step into my office for a moment?” James did not want to put this on hold for days. This question needed to be put away with urgency. The wedding was only a month away; neither JD nor Tracy needed the question of this picture hanging over their heads.

  James arranged for Karen to handle the office while he was out. He called Clair from the car and asked her to pack an overnight bag for him. James left instructions with his secretary to contact the organizers of the meetings to let them know Karen would be sitting in for him. He asked her to make reservations at a hotel near the address on the paper he gave her and to call him with the details. He also advised her he would be out for the remainder of the week.

  Afterwards, he called Ashley. “What are you up to today?” he asked.

  “We are trying to get Tracy’s house furnished by next Friday.”

  James frowned. “Shouldn’t Tracy and JD be doing that?”

  “Yeah, but JD is working on a case in Roanoke and handling the DA’s office here. His time is very limited.”

  “Is his credit card limited, too?” James laughed.

  “Excuse you!”

  “Hey, I have experienced your shopping. I think I better call JD and warn him.”

  Ashley laughed. “Don’t you dare. Where are you? You sound like you are in traffic.”

  “I am,” James replied, “that’s why I’m calling. I’m on my way out of town for a day or two. Something I need to work on. If all goes well I should be back by Friday.”

  Ashley sighed. “You are not going to miss our weekend, are you?”

  “No, I will be back in time for our rendezvous.”

  Ashley smiled. “Well I hope so. It’s been a week or so and I’m feeling a little horny here.”

  James laughed. “I promise to return soon, just to take care of that situation for you.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Brooks; I truly look forward to you doing just that.”

  James smiled. “I’ll call you later tonight.” He hung up the phone.

  He missed being with Ashley this week. James smiled to himself. When did she get under my skin? This was supposed to be an uncommitted relationship, but he found it difficult to go days without speaking with her. He thought about the recent argument regarding James Jr.

  He told Ashley that James Jr. would be with him during Thanksg
iving, so she automatically invited them to dinner with her family. James declined the invitation and told her why. She was not very receptive to his reasoning.

  “Okay, I get that we are not really in a relationship here. But, you are talking about Thanksgiving. What are you guys going to do, stay here and twiddle your thumbs?”

  “Actually, we plan to spend some quality time together.”

  “Just you and him; no family, no turkey, no football!” Ashley exclaimed.

  James walked away from Ashley. She followed him. “James, what could the harm be? We don’t have to touch each other. Or do anything to make him think something is happening with us. Hell, that’s going to be easy right now.”

  “Ashley,” James yelled, “this is not up for discussion. I don’t remember asking for your approval on my plans with my son.”

  That statement hit Ashley hard. She picked up her things and headed to the door. Ashley turned back to him. “You know I have a good family; a huge family with lots of kids. I thought you both would enjoy a good meal, nice people and some kids for James Jr. to play with. I had no intentions of infringing on your time with your son.” She slammed the door as she left.

  James didn’t bother to call Ashley for a day or so, because he felt she had crossed the line. He alone made decisions for his son. When he did call, Ashley wasn’t ready to talk to him.

  “James, I understand your position. I will not interfere again. But right now I need to step back and get myself in check. So give me a day or two to do that.” She hung up the telephone.

  James remembered how he missed Ashley during those days. At this point, he was not ready to concede he was in love with her, but damn if she was not making him think twice about things.

  ♥

  James was formulating a plan in his head on how to get the information he needed out of Lena Washington without raising suspicion or causing any further problems for Tracy. As he entered the highway to Norfolk, he thought about the meeting with Lena and JD. The first thing he noticed was that Lena’s first priority was to herself. She recognized JD the moment she came to the door. Lena took a moment to read JD to see just how into Tracy he was. Then she took time to determine if he could be played and how. Once she realized JD truly loved Tracy, she knew when and how to approach JD’s pocket. James had sat back and observed the entire process. He knew 10 minutes into the visit how it was going to end. JD was very experienced with women; however, he was not experienced with vultures, and James was.

  James placed a call to his bank, and asked them to make $10,000.00 available to him for immediate withdrawal if needed, at a local bank in Norfolk. James wanted to be sure there would be no limitations on his efforts to extract information from Lena. He checked into the hotel, and then placed a call to his secretary thanking her, as the accommodations were perfect. He had access to the internet, which meant he did not have to go out to do any research. The investigator who his secretary had contacted had already left information on Tracy’s family. The hotel concierge had made reservations at the most exclusive restaurant in the area. He also requested that a car and driver be available as needed. James had more than his share of experience on how to get the attention of women like Lena Washington. He had been married to one for five years.

  As he settled in his room, James pulled out the two reports, one from Brian’s investigation and one from his investigator, and began to compare notes. After he reviewed the information and had dinner he made his move and called Lena. “Ms. Washington, this is James Brooks. We met a few weeks ago.”

  Lena was surprised to receive the call. She had been wondering how she would go about opening that door. When JD and James left her house that day, Lena made some inquiries. She knew what Tracy’s company was worth and she had a good idea where Tracy and JD were heading. “Mr. Brooks, I remember you. What can I do for you?”

  “I am in town for a day or two on business. I was wondering if you were free for dinner at Rhonda’s tomorrow.”

  That caught Lena’s attention—Rhonda’s was the restaurant in town, and you could easily drop $500 before you hit the main course. Knowing she didn’t have plans, she still said, “I’m afraid I have plans tomorrow evening.”

  James knew the game. “Maybe another time,” he said.

  Lena was not going to let this opportunity slip away. “How long will you be in town, Mr. Brooks?”

  “I’ll be pulling out Friday.”

  Lena knew that did not allow a lot of time for her to play. “Since your time seems to be limited, I may be able to adjust my appointments for tomorrow. What time did you have in mind?”

  James expected that response. “I’ll have a car to pick you up around 6:30.”

  Lena was impressed; he was sending a car. “That is very generous of you, Mr. Brooks. Thank you.”

  “You’ll find me to be a very generous man, Ms. Washington. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow,” James said as he disconnected the call.

  Now that he had set things in motion, James decided it was time to handle some of his own business. First he called James Jr. He missed being with his son. At one time, James considered staying with his son’s mother just to be a daily part of James Jr.’s life. But the constant arguing was not good for their child. But as much as they fought, the one thing that was consistent was their love for their son. Talking with James Jr. always left James in a good mood. Tonight was no different. James took his shower and lay across the bed. He missed Ashley. He closed his eyes; if he could only find a way to have Ashley and James Jr. in his life.

  The next day, James spent the morning meeting with the investigators. He learned Tracy had a good-sized family. There was her sister Valerie, who had three children, two girls and a boy. Tracy’s brother Al had two daughters. James also found out that Tracy sent gifts to all of her nieces and nephews every birthday and Christmas. For some reason, that information did not surprise James. Tracy was a very generous person. She may not have a relationship with them, but she would never ignore them. For the most part, Tracy’s family was doing okay. There were, of course, as in every family, one or two who were struggling. James read the information surrounding the death of Tracy’s sister. The most interesting information came from the interview with Tracy’s aunt on her father’s side.

  The aunt indicated there was a possibility that her brother, Billy, was not really Tracy’s father. According to the aunt, that was what caused her brother to start drinking. Lena had not, as far as she knew, admitted it to anyone. But she was sure her brother knew he was not Tracy’s father. When Billy disappeared, Lena blamed the little girl. Lena did not want to have the child, but when her brother found out Lena was pregnant he was thrilled and convinced her to have the baby. He had loved that little girl and Lena for giving her to him. When he found out Tracy was not his, it cut him deeply and he was never the same after that. He started drinking and no longer had any respect for Lena. He could never look at Tracy the same either. The aunt felt bad about the way the little girl was caught up in the middle of things. From what the aunt remembered, Tracy was a sweet little girl with a quiet demeanor about her. After her brother disappeared, Lena treated the little girl as if she did not exist. Lena believed if she’d never had Tracy her life would have been different. Lena was never the type to take responsibility for her own actions. She always had to blame someone else. There was no one else around, so Lena blamed Tracy.

  James closed the report. He looked at the picture of Senator Roth, James Harrison and Lena Washington. Wondering when and where the picture was taken, he turned it over and looked at the date. The picture was taken in the month of January, 25 years ago. It looked like they were at some type of party. All three were seated at a table with several drinks on it. James thought, It may not be a party; it could be a nightclub. James looked at the date again. Then he pulled the file apart looking for Tracy’s information. It wasn’t in there.

  “Shit.” James was getting a little flustered as he looked for something on Tracy. He
went over to the computer and pulled up Next Level Consulting firm’s web site. He pulled up Tracy’s bio.

  When James saw the information he was searching for he was furious. He could not believe what was happening here. He leaned against the table, trying to catch his breath.

  “Damn!” he exclaimed aloud. He picked up the glass on the table and started to throw it against the wall he was so frustrated. James stopped himself. “You are jumping to conclusions here. Just calm down: get the facts; all the facts,” he said to himself. He set the glass back down on the table. He picked up the telephone to dial a number, but changed his mind. What if he was wrong? He did not want to discuss it with anyone yet, not until he was sure of what the truth really was. James went to the bar and poured a drink. He swallowed the first one straight down. He poured the second, and held it.

  “Lord, I don’t come to you often. I promise to change if you would grant this one prayer. Please Lord, don’t let this be. Make me wrong on this, Lord. Please, make me wrong on this.” James looked at the date on the picture: January 25 years ago; and then Tracy’s birthday, September 16, 25 years ago; exactly nine months later.

  Chapter 36

  James was at the restaurant when Lena Washington walked in. James stood as she was escorted to the table. “Ms. Washington, you look stunning tonight,” James said. And she did, but he could not care less. What they had to discuss could affect not only JD’s and Tracy’s lives, but his and Ashley’s as well.

  Lena smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Brooks,” she responded as she took a seat. “I must say I was a little surprised to receive your call. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She smiled.

  Damn if Tracy didn’t have Lena’s smile and her eyes. James smiled. “Your daughter has your smile. It’s one of my favorite things about Tracy.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, Mr. Brooks. Is that the reason we’re here tonight, to talk about Tracy?”