“Almost instantaneously, although, as I said, processing may take a bit longer if the bank receiving the money requires verification.”
“Good. As soon as I know which bank I’m sending the money to, I’ll let you know so you can verify it if possible. Do you have a number I could text you with the info?”
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small business card. “Here is my personal cell phone number. Call or text me anytime.”
Kenny took the card and looked at it, noticing that it was a different design from the cards he had sitting in a mahogany business card holder on his desk. Well, don’t I feel special.
“Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Whitt?”
“I would like to make a withdrawal while I’m here. Five thousand should do it.”
“Very good. If you’ll give me one moment, I’ll have that brought to you.” He hit a button on his desk phone and made the arrangements. Less than five minutes later, his assistant rushed in with the money and the withdrawal slip. As Kenny signed the slip, the assistant painstakingly counted out the hundred dollar bills.
Note to self, next time just use your damn debit card.
As they walked back to their car, Chelsey asked, “Where to next?”
“Shopping!”
“No, I told you—”
“I’m going to Mace you, so get ready,” Kenny teased, sliding into the driver’s seat.
“Why does that sound sexual to me?” Chelsey asked lightheartedly.
“Then you’re going to love this. We’re going to a gun show.”
“Why does that scare me?”
“Guns and sex, baby. An age-old tradition,” Kenny quipped as she hit the gas and peeled out of the bank parking lot.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Arkansas State Fairgrounds was the place to go in the fall for the state fair, but this weekend, it was the place to be for guns. The largest display of guns and paraphernalia for sale in the state drew in the gun collectors, gun enthusiasts, and the curious. Aisles and aisles of guns with wide-eyed boys of all ages, doing their best Dirty Harry impersonation. Unlike just a few years ago, women were almost equal in numbers, buying guns more for protection than collection.
Kenny and Chelsey made their way to the pepper spray vendors tucked inconveniently in the back. Still, there were quite a few tables devoted just to the non-lethal self-defense weapons.
“See anything you like?” Kenny asked as they looked over the pepper spray canisters. There were some shaped like guns, cans the size of deodorant spray, and even rings you slip on your finger.
“Does it really matter? They all look alike to me,” Chelsey replied. She looked down the row and something sparkly caught her eye. “Oh, these are blingy.”
“The lady has a discerning eye,” the table owner, a muscled butch with a crew cut, said.
Kenny immediately went on the alert. Not because the vendor insinuated anything, but the way she was looking at Chelsey was like a tiger stalking its prey. “Do you have anything less cheesy?” she asked, wrapping her arm around Chelsey’s waist and kissing her lightly on the cheek. If the vendor caught the signal that Chelsey was not available, she gave no indication of it.
“How less cheesy were you thinking?” she asked, assessing the buyer by the clothes she wore.
“Anything over a thousand is not cheesy,” Kenny replied.
Chelsey stepped out of her arm and frowned. “Kenny, no.”
“I have just the thing,” the suddenly attentive vendor said. She pulled the keys from her jeans clip and unlocked a medium-sized box. “This model is guaranteed to knock them on their ass from a thousand feet.” She handed Kenny what looked like a lipstick tube initialed with a diamond-encrusted K. “If you like, I can have it monogrammed for you. It also comes with this diamond-stud holster.”
“Do you have one with a C on it?” Kenny asked, pulling off the lid and smelling the spray nozzle, making her eyes water. “We’re in kind of a hurry.” She turned to Chelsey. “Maybe I’ll get you a monogrammed one for Christmas, baby. One for each day, in fact.”
Chelsey laughed. “Uh, yeah, that’s okay.”
The vendor pulled out a canister with a diamond C on it and handed it to Chelsey. Then she looked under the table, unlocked another box, and stood up holding a clip-on holster, also with a diamond C on it. “This will look great on your hip,” she said, offering to show Chelsey how to clip it on.
Kenny grabbed it from her hand and clipped it on Chelsey’s belt, tucking her hand inside just low enough to be possessive but not offensive. She was right about one thing, anything looks good on Chelsey’s hip… or nothing at all.
Chelsey watched the two butches fawn over her and couldn’t help but smile at the attention. There’s nothing wrong with a little healthy competition as long as it doesn’t get out of hand. But if Kenny would only look, she’d see that Chelsey was gazing at her, not the vendor. Gazing at her with longing in her eyes, need in her heart, and heat in her loins. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out without kissing her.
Kenny paid for the items and also bought one for her grandmother. Then they moved on to the stun guns. It didn’t surprise them that there were all kinds of models for stun guns as well, including diamond-encrusted guns and holsters. But Chelsey drew the line at another outrageously expensive weapon that she would probably never use. She went with a simple, black stun gun that would fit in her purse.
Kenny made sure it had over four milliamps and could charge up to a million volts of electricity. That would have fried Harold’s balls for sure.
“What’s that look?” Chelsey asked, staring at the curious look on Kenny’s face.
“Sweet revenge,” Kenny quipped.
***
They arrived early at the River Market and decided to stroll along the river and take in the sights. Kenny grabbed her windbreaker from the back seat and put it on. Then she opened the trunk and retrieved her gun, strapping it onto her belt. She hooked the zipper and pulled it up enough to keep the jacket closed.
Chelsey clipped her diamond pepper spray to her belt and patted it reassuringly. She had to admit she did feel safer with that at her side.
They walked through the tunnel playground, dodging kids running wild, walked across the Arkansas River Trail, a path that joggers took along the river, and listened to a train blow its whistle as it crossed the Junction Bridge. Looking across the river to North Little Rock, they could see the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, home to the USS Razorback submarine. While most people associated the World War II submarine, the longest-serving battle sub in the world, with the Razorback football team, it was actually named for a type of whale in the Pacific Ocean.
As they strolled along the river bank, they didn’t talk, except to share an observance that interested them, like the kid with his head peeking through a pipe, or a squirrel doing battle with another one for a piece of candy. They daydreamed together as a paddlewheel made its way down river, while a towboat pulling a flat-bottomed boat carrying freight, chugged passed it going up river. They climbed down the rocks to the water and listened to the small waves lapping the shore. They stole a kiss under a hanging rock before making their way back up to the market area. It was the perfect time to say the important things.
Kenny wouldn’t have a better time, especially with Monday looming in the future. Just tell her. “Chelsey, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you… uh…”
Chelsey looked at her, an eyebrow arched in concern. She shook her head. “Not now, Kenny. I have things to say, also, but I think we should wait until things get back to normal.”
Kenny hesitated, then they both said at the same time, “Whatever that is.”
They continued walking up the small hill and made their way across the park to the restaurant section of the market.
“How will we know who to look for?” Chelsey asked.
“I said I’d be in this getup,” Kenny said, suddenly aware of the glar
es being shot her way.
“Yeah, you can’t miss that,” Chelsey gibed.
An older woman with gray hair and a pallid complexion, using a cane, walked up to her. “Are you… do you know Anna Reed?”
“Uh, she may be my sister,” Kenny replied. “I think I’m the one you’re looking for. My name is Kenny Whitt and this is my friend, Chelsey Kendrick.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. My name is Ruth Coleman. Thank you for meeting with me. Would you mind if we sit down? I’m not as agile as I used to be.”
“Of course,” Kenny said apologetically, following her to the nearest table. “Can I get you something to drink or eat?”
“Oh, that would be lovely. I’ve been craving the hamburgers they make here.” She opened her purse to pull out her wallet.
“No, my treat,” Kenny insisted, holding up her hand. She had locked up most of her money in the glove compartment of her car, after the gun show, but she’d kept some smaller bills. She pulled out a twenty and looked at her. “What would you like on that burger, Ruth?”
“I’d like everything, but unfortunately, my doctor says no, so how about just a plain burger with a dab of ketchup and a bottled water.”
“Kenny, you sit and talk, I’ll get this,” Chelsey offered. “What would you like?”
“A burger with all the… uh, I’ll have what she’s having,” Kenny replied, looking at Ruth. She turned to Chelsey. “But I want a soda instead, please.” She handed her the twenty. “Thanks.”
“Be right back,” Chelsey said and walked away.
Kenny sat down across from Ruth and cleared her throat. “So, um, tell me about Anna.”
“You first,” Ruth challenged. “It’s not every day I have lunch with a lottery winner.”
“Oh, you know about that?” Kenny looked around making sure no one overheard their conversation. She didn’t want to deal with the curious busybodies at the moment.
“I spend most of my time in my recliner watching television, especially the news. So, what does a multi-millionaire want with my daughter?”
“From what I read on the message board, she’s not your daughter,” Kenny countered.
“True, but I also explained it on the message board so you already know that.”
Man, she’s sharp as a tack. “Okay, I was adopted by my grandparents and only recently met my birth mother. She told me I had a sister but she didn’t know what her name was. I did some research and was able to find out her name, which was Anna Reed. If my mother didn’t name her before giving her up for adoption, and she wasn’t adopted by you, then who gave her that last name?”
Chelsey walked up with their food, and Kenny distributed it as she sat down.
“I was just explaining to Ruth about how I came to learn of my sister. I asked her how Anna got her surname.”
Ruth unfolded her napkin and then unwrapped her sandwich. “When Anna came to live with me she was only two years old. Her adoptive parents were killed in an automobile accident. Anna survived without a scratch.”
“Do you know what their names were?”
“Yes, her caseworker told me. It was Tom and Sissy Reed. From what they told me, the Reeds were hit head-on by a drunk driver. They were on their way to the hospital to have the baby’s foot fixed.”
“Oh, that is a shame,” Chelsey said sympathetically.
Kenny picked up her soda cup and held it in midair for a moment, then asked, “Is that when the state placed Anna with you?”
“Yes, she’s been with me since she was two years old.”
“Why didn’t you ever adopt her?” Kenny asked.
“If it’s not too personal,” Chelsey added.
“Honestly… it was cheaper not to adopt her or even be her legal guardian. If the state hadn’t paid me to take care of her, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the diapers, doctors’ visits and food. And then, of course, there was my age. I was forty-five when I took her in. She was an answer to a prayer.”
Kenny reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She tapped on the photos app and brought up a picture of Jaylen. It was her prison ID. “Ruth, do you recognize this woman?” She held the phone out across the table.
Ruth wiped her fingers, put on her glasses, and took the phone from Kenny. “Oh, my stars. She’s the spitting image of my Anna.”
Kenny and Chelsey looked at each other. Another piece of the puzzle and this time it proved that Jaylen was telling the truth. Kenny wasn’t sure she was happy about that.
“Who is she?” Ruth asked, handing the phone back.
“She is supposedly my mother, Jaylen Whitt, which may also make her Anna’s mother. I’m having her DNA tested to be sure but it will take a few weeks.”
“She was the reason Anna ended up in prison,” Ruth stated softly.
“I wondered if that was the reason,” Kenny said. “Anna provoked a fight in prison the second she saw Jaylen.”
“Do you think she intentionally had herself sent to prison, just to fight with Jaylen?” Chelsey asked skeptically.
“Well, that seems a bit extreme,” Ruth speculated, “But she did hate the woman.”
“Why? Because she’s a drug-addicted whore who gives her children away for her next fix?”
Chelsey put her hand on Kenny’s arm.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” Kenny grumbled. “Still a bit angry about that.”
“Perfectly all right,” Ruth assured her. “Anna became obsessed with finding her birth mother and the more she learned about her, the more her obsession turned to loathing. She thinks her mother gave her away because of her foot. She has always been angry and self-loathing about her foot, and when she learned her birth mother was a drug addict, she became very angry. I tried to raise her right.” Ruth sighed and leaned back in her chair, a woman defeated. “I tried to instill in her that she was worthy of so much more than how she looked and walked, but it was so very hard on her. You know, other kids teasing her, adults looking at her with pity. I think that learning about her mother was the breaking point.”
“Does Anna know about me?” Kenny asked. “Has she ever mentioned finding me?”
“No, I don’t believe she’s aware of you. She was concentrating on finding her mother.”
Kenny continued probing. “Does she know that she had a twin brother who died at birth?”
Ruth’s mouth fell open as she leaned forward. “I’m not sure. I mean, she never mentioned it to me, but then she was out on her own when she started looking for her mother. Did he… was it…?”
“The drugs. Yes. He died because Jaylen was on drugs. And I think Anna may have figured out that was the reason for her club foot. I think that may have been what sent her over the edge.”
“Oh, no, Kenny. Anna’s a good girl,” Ruth explained. “She just sort of lost her way when she found out about her birth mother.”
Kenny looked into Ruth’s eyes and saw the same loving and concerned look that her grandmother gave her just before she was kidnapped. Kenny sorted through her thoughts until she came up with a plan. “Ruth, Anna was released from prison and is out there, somewhere, looking for Jaylen. Would you be willing to help me find her?”
“Oh, yes. Yes. Thank you,” she replied excitedly. “What can I do?”
“I’d like to run some ads in the newspaper and billboards, magazines, that sort of thing, with your picture on them and my phone number to call.”
“What if she just comes home? Should I call you?”
“Yes, no matter what time it is. And if meeting me isn’t incentive enough, tell her that I’ll pay her for her time.”
“And you just want to talk with her, correct?”
“Yes. If we’re related, I’d like to know. If she’s hunting Jaylen, then I need to know what she intends to do when she finds her.”
“Oh, I can tell you that,” Ruth said. “It’s the reason I was desperate for help. I think she plans to kill her.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kenny walked in
to her mansion, thinking about what Ruth said. “I think she plans to kill her.” Kenny had felt the same way on several occasions but knew deep down that it was just a fantasy. It was hard finding out that her mother dumped her so she wouldn’t be a burden. So she could get high without guilt. And after Jaylen’s explanation, the desire for retribution was almost worth killing for.
Just as she closed the door behind Chelsey, her phone vibrated. Digging it out of her jeans pocket and tapping it awake, she gasped when the text popped up. “Oh, God. This is it, Chels!”
“What?”
“They’re not waiting until Monday. They want me to transfer the money now. Gave me a bank number to wire the money to Montenegro.”
“Something doesn’t feel right about this, Kenny.”
“I agree, Chelsey, but what can I do? I have to send the money. I have to get Grandma back.”
“I know you do. It just gives me a queasy feeling. First, they demand almost all your money, now they only want twenty million? What’s wrong with that picture?”
“It’s fifty million now,” Kenny said, showing her the text. “They went back to the original amount when they started this game.”
“And that’s what all this has been about, isn’t it? A game,” Chelsey deduced. “It’s like a hide and seek game with no possible way to win.”
“I agree. They never meant for me to find Grandma on my own. Setting you free and moving her proves that. They only kidnapped you to keep me running around in circles. And when I figured out where you and Grandma were being held, they reneged on the deal and moved Grandma.”
“Smoke and mirrors.”
“Exactly,” Kenny agreed. “I’m going to go downstairs and wire the money. I’ll meet you in the kitchen, okay?”
“How long will it be before you know where to find Deidre?”
“I don’t know, but I hope not long. I’m ready for this to be over with.”
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