Never Go Home

by L. T. Ryan

I called the facility to check on Dad’s status. The woman that answered told me that Sean had had him transported to the hotel last night.

  One less thing to worry about.

  I figured that the guy who killed Craig wouldn’t hang around, but couldn’t bank on it. The man was there for me. Someone could argue otherwise, but the fact that the guy showed up in three separate places at the same time as me left little doubt in my mind. One of those places had been Dad’s facility. Presumably, he had my father’s room number. I hoped that’s where it ended.

  I called my brother.

  “How’d last night go?” I said.

  “OK,” he said. “Kinda crowded in here, but other than that, we’re good. I slept with Dad. Deb and Kelly slept in the other bed. Dad’s got a pretty loose digestive system. Anything interesting on your end?”

  “Too much.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you later. You planning on going to the funeral today?”

  “Yeah.”

  “OK. I’ll pick you up in Deb’s Suburban. Cool?”

  “Sounds good, baby brother.”

  I hung up and headed for the kitchen. The tile felt cool on my bare feet. I found the coffee, popped the lid off the container and stuck my nose in the opening. Good start. Hot coffee would be better, though. I knew from before that it took ten minutes to brew. I opted to pour a cup once there was enough in the pot. The strongest possible cup of the morning. I needed it.

  My cell phone buzzed and skated across the island. I set my mug down and scooped the phone up. The country and city code combination indicated the call came from London. I didn’t recognize the rest of the number.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Jack, this is Marcia.”

  “Hello, Ms. Stanton.”

  “You can call me Marcia.”

  “OK.”

  She said nothing. Was she waiting for me to say her first name?

  “What can I do for you, Marcia?”

  “I need to know when you are going to be back.”

  “I don’t think you need to know that at all.”

  “I’m putting off important campaign duties at the request of your boss. I think I deserve to know when you’ll be here to take over my security.”

  “Listen to me, Marcia. I never agreed to anything like that. We’ve offered you an alternative solution more than once. I can’t help it if you keep turning us down. I’ve said multiple times now that I am not the one to handle your personal security. That’s not what I do. I’ve never been in charge of such a thing. You’re at greater risk if I’m out there with you.”

  “If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have survived in that cafe.”

  I said nothing. The only response that came to mind was that I wouldn’t have let her go to the cafe. That would only solidify her position.

  “Jack, if you ever tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it. But I’m scared for my life. Every time I step outside, I brace for a bullet to tear my head off. I study every face that passes. I don’t even trust my closest associates anymore. This has been going on so long, I don’t feel safe anymore.”

  Her words influenced me. I had to remind myself that she put herself in her current position.

  “You knew the risks when you started taking down corrupt officials. Did you think their associates would roll over and die?”

  She forced a laugh. “You think this is over a few bad cops and politicians?”

  I said nothing. I heard a door open in the background, close to Marcia. A woman said something. Marcia replied, but she must’ve had her hand over the mouthpiece.

  “Jack, I have to go. Please don’t tell Sasha I called.”

  “OK.”

  “And please consider this. OK? I’ll call you later.”

  The line disconnected. I dialed Sasha’s number.

  “Are you ready?” she said.

  “Not quite,” I said. “Funeral’s in a few hours. I have some things to take care of afterward. Maybe tonight. Probably tomorrow.”

  “Everything OK there?”

  “It’s a mess down here, Sasha. But that’s everywhere I go it seems.”

  She had no response.

  “I just got a call from Marcia Stanton.”

  There was a long pause. Sasha spoke slowly. “Why? What did she want?”

  “Me to hurry up and get home.”

  “I told her to let me handle you.”

  “I need you to level with me. What is it that you aren’t telling me about Marcia?”

  “I’m not following.”

  “Sasha, this woman has at least three groups targeting her. And that’s what you’re aware of. From what she told me, she’s not scared of anyone we know about. I mentioned corrupt politicians and cops, and she laughed. She’s not afraid of them getting to her. There’s a reason she wants me close by, but she won’t tell me what it is. There’s something else at work here. I’ve got a ton on my mind, and it’s making it difficult to piece this together. Can you dig a little deeper for me and find out who the hell else she pissed off?”

  Sasha sighed. “We’ve been through it a couple times already, Jack.” She paused a beat. “There’s nothing under the surface.”

  “I get the feeling you’re withholding something. Before I go holding hands on a walk through the park with her, I want to know who the hell has me in their sights.”

  I hung up without waiting for Sasha’s response. My phone lit up ten seconds later. I left it buzzing on the counter and walked out with my coffee. The floor transitioned from cool tile to plush carpet. I cut through the living room, past the couch I had slept on, and went out back.

  A wooden deck stretched twenty feet into the yard. It was at least forty feet wide. I dragged a seat to the far edge. The sun crested over the house and hit the back of my head. It was still cool out, and the humidity hadn’t started its steep climb. The rains the night before had left the ground wet. Water drops clung to blades of grass and sparkled in the morning light.

  I finished my coffee and remained outside for another fifteen minutes. I felt like a sitting duck out there, surrounded by woods on three sides. Maybe it wasn’t safe. I didn’t care. In fact, I closed my eyes for five minutes and dumped everything cluttering my head.

  Finally, I left the serenity of the porch and the sun and the sparkling grass and went back inside. My phone beeped from the kitchen. I left it there and went upstairs. I needed a suit to wear to the funeral.

  Sean’s room looked the same as it did the night before. Clothes and linens covered the floor. I stepped around them and went into Sean’s closet. I found a dark blue suit, white button up shirt, and a conservative blue tie hanging in his closet. I didn’t need to try them on first. They’d fit. The shoes would be a different story. Sean’s feet had always been a size and a half smaller than mine. I would have no choice but to curl my toes, or wear the beat up pair I owned.

  I chose comfort.

  I showered, shaved and got dressed. Unsure whether or not I’d return to the house, I grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and a pull-over shirt off the floor. They smelled clean. I headed downstairs and back to the kitchen. My phone continued to beep. I ignored it. I needed a boost. A second cup of coffee did the trick. After I drained the mug, I was ready to face the day.

  Chapter 30

  Leon’s cell phone buzzed inside the center console. He grabbed it and double-checked the incoming number. Blocked. Considering only one person blocked their number when calling, and that same person was the only one with this number, he answered.

  “You’re hot,” Vera said.

  Leon cursed under his breath as he glanced at the green sign on his right. It said he had twenty miles until he reached I-95. “I’m close to Fort Lauderdale. Twenty miles or so now.”

  “Get off the road. I’ll have someone meet you.”

  She hung up. Leon pulled into a shopping center. He drove around back and left the truck behind the Payless. He found a rag in the glove box and use
d it to wipe down the dash, seat, steering wheel, shifter, and the door handles.

  He glanced in the direction he had come from. The back lot was deserted. He turned and walked in the opposite direction.

  He tried calling Vera, but there was no answer.

  The strip mall stretched on for a half-mile before he found a covered walkway between two sections of a building. It led from the back lot to the front. The walkway was one big puddle. His shoes and socks became soaked. He saw a sporting goods store three doors down. It was early, though, and they might not be open. He jogged along the sidewalk. The sign said he had to wait thirty minutes.

  He found a bench nearby. It was in full view of the sun. Leon sat down. He pulled off his shoes and stripped his socks off.

  Half an hour later, Leon went into the store, barefoot. He found a pair of Teva’s that were fifty percent off. They were a size too big, but the adjustable straps meant they fit well enough. He made his way to the checkout line. The girl behind the register looked like she’d spent as much time sleeping last night as Leon had. Although, he figured she’d had more fun than he’d had.

  He handed her a fifty. She gave him five back. Leon exited the store with a new pair of sandals on his feet.

  Outside, he called Vera again. This time he got through. She let him know that she already had his location and a man was on the way to pick him up. He’d be there in fifteen minutes, no later.

  Traffic in the strip mall’s parking lot picked up. Every car that drove by increased Leon’s adrenaline level. A cop car came flying down the highway. Leon’s heart nearly stopped. But no one paid any attention to him. Lulled into a state of relaxation, he stretched his arms along the back of the bench. Head leaned back. Eyes closed. The sun beat down on him and warmed his face.

  A car pulled up and stopped. The passenger window rolled down. Leon looked at the man in the driver’s seat. He had shoulder length brown hair and a full beard.

  “Vera sent me,” the guy said. “Get in.”

  Leon hopped up. He looked left and right, taking in the scene along the walkway. The few people out there paid no attention to him. He walked to the car and pulled the door open. His hand went to his pistol.

  “You won’t need that in here,” the guy said.

  Leon pulled his hand away. He didn’t know this guy. His faith in Vera was the only thing he had to go on.

  “All right, man,” he said as he slid into the seat. “No problem. You got a name?”

  “Sure do.” The guy grabbed the shifter, slammed it into first and peeled away without saying another word.

  Chapter 31

  I pulled into the hotel parking lot and found a spot close to Sean’s room. His door was open. I couldn’t see inside. My heart skipped a beat. Every possible worst case scenario ran through my mind. They all ended with Sean, Deb, Kelly and Dad dead.

  I swung the Suburban’s door open, hopped down and ran to Sean’s room.

  Kelly stepped through the doorway, her back to me. My footsteps echoed through the covered walkway. She looked over her shoulder, and said, “He’s here.”

  I stopped, pulled in a deep breath and held it.

  “Hey, Uncle Jack,” she said.

  “Hey, kiddo,” I said as I exhaled. “Your mom and dad inside?”

  She nodded. “Grandpa, too.”

  I tousled her hair as I passed her on my way toward the door. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room. Sean stood in the hallway, on the other side of the closet and bathroom door.

  He said, “You look good in my suit.”

  Deb stepped out of the bathroom, said, “He looks better than you do, Sean.”

  “I always have.”

  “He takes after his mother,” Dad said. “Sean’s ugly like me.”

  Everyone smiled. No one laughed. The gravity of the day pressed down on us all. I wondered if we’d escape it.

  We left the room and piled in the Suburban. Deb drove, Dad sat up front with her. Sean and I sat next to each other in the middle row Captain’s chairs. Kelly sat on the bench seat behind us.

  I decided to drop the bomb on them.

  “I’ve got something to tell you,” I said, reaching for my wallet.

  “What is it?” Sean said.

  I pulled out a picture of Mia and handed it to him. I watched his expression as he studied the blue-eyed girl with a slight gap between her two top front teeth. She had pale freckles on her nose. Her hair was pulled back. Blond strands hung down on the sides and across her forehead.

  “She looks like mom,” Sean said. “What? When?”

  “About eight years ago, I guess.”

  “Where is she?”

  “London.”

  He looked at me, looked up, back at me. “Erin?”

  I nodded.

  “How come you never said anything?”

  “I only found out recently. We’re still getting to know one another. Erin and I are on friendly terms, but there’s nothing between us, so I see the kid every other weekend and take her to dinner during the week if I can.”

  “So that’s where you’re living now? London?”

  I nodded. “For now.”

  “I have a cousin?” Kelly said.

  “Sure do,” I said. “Her name’s Mia. She’s a little younger than you, but not by much. Maybe you’ll get to meet her soon. Christmas, perhaps.”

  “You’re gonna come back for Christmas?” Sean said. “Two visits in one year?”

  “I was thinking you guys could come out to visit.”

  “What are you doing out there?”

  I looked away.

  “Right, right,” he said. “Can’t say.”

  I looked up at the rear-view mirror. Deb glanced back. She smiled.

  “Glad to see you’ve grown up, Jack.”

  Dad said nothing. I figured he was off in another world at the moment. I hoped things worked out so that I could introduce him to his granddaughter.

  A couple minutes later we reached the small church. It was on the western edge of town and sat on a hill. The cemetery was set off to the side. You could see the gulf from both spots.

  A line of people stretched from the front door to the street. We exited the Suburban, made our way to the line. Someone passing by said that the service would be standing room only. I offered to stay back with Kelly so Deb and Sean could go in. I had a past with Jessie. Deb had talked to her weekly, if not daily. She deserved to be in there, and Sean needed to be at her side, supporting her.

  People stepped aside and let her go through. Generous, considering.

  I stood amazed at the throng of people who showed up to offer their respects to Jessie. Was it the result of living in a small town? Or was it the impact that Jess had on their lives? A little of both, I supposed.

  Kelly and I walked around the back of the church. We spotted three cranes. They flew off as we approached. When we reached the front of the church again, three sheriff’s department cruisers pulled in. Skagen got out of one. A guy I didn’t recognize out of another. April was already walking toward me.

  She hadn’t pulled her hair back yet. The wind kicked it off her shoulders, and the sunlight shone through from behind, turning brown into gold.

  “Get any sleep?” she said.

  I shook my head. “You?”

  “A bit.” She looked down and smiled at Kelly. “I see I’ve got competition for your attention.”

  Kelly giggled. “I’ll be finished with him soon. You can have him then.”

  It was a light moment set against a heavy backdrop.

  Behind me, Jessie’s lifeless body lay in a casket in the middle of the church. The blood on her body had been washed off. Her wounds had been concealed. Someone would have put her in a pretty dress, did her hair, and covered her face with makeup. All this in the attempt to make it appears as though she were only sleeping peacefully.

  Everyone does at the end.

  So Kelly, April and I waited off to the side, near the church
entrance, for thirty minutes. We hardly spoke. When we did, it was small talk. Neither of us wanted to say anything important with Kelly around.

  Skagen and the other guy were positioned near the parking lot exit. I didn’t need April to tell me why. Glenn and those two drunks weren’t getting out.

  Most of the line had made it inside. Two dozen people were left on the front steps. The doors had been propped open. The congregation sung in unison, louder than they had all morning.

  “That’s the final hymn,” April said. “They’ll be coming out soon.”

  The crowd out front stepped down off the steps. The doors were no longer blocked by flesh, unleashing the sound of a couple hundred feet shuffling along the old, weathered hardwood floor of the church. Six men I didn’t recognize held Jessie’s casket, three to a side. Her parents followed behind. A couple kids were with them. I recognized them from the family photos in her house. Glenn followed behind. Matt and Jed were at his side. No reason for them to be so close unless Glenn had expected company.

  Matt saw me. He reached out and slapped Jed in the gut. They both walked toward me.

  I ignored them for the moment and kept my focus on Glenn. He touched Jessie’s dad on the shoulder, said something, and broke free from the line. Matt and Jed stopped about twenty feet away and waited for him.

  “Kelly,” I said. “Go find your parents.”

  She ran toward the church, avoiding the oncoming men.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Noble?” Glenn said. “I oughta lay you out right here, man.”

  I said nothing.

  April stepped forward. “Just keep it down, Glenn.” She waved a finger at the other two. “And you two keep back.”

  “Get lost, little girl.” Matt headed right for her. “You ain’t fit to be a cop. I don’t recognize your authority.”

  April reached for her belt, pulled out a black jack. One flick of her wrist was all it took to drive the club into Matt’s stomach and knock him to the ground. His hollow gasps for air were overruled by a collective gasp from the crowd.

  I looked past Glenn and Jed. My dad stared at me. He nodded once, clenched his fist and held it out in front of him.

  I stepped in between April and the men. They’d killed Jessie. I knew they’d have no issues attacking April.