“Yes. But I never thought of it until you told me about the sale. I should have remembered that. But we haven’t gotten any profits for—I don’t know, the last five years or so. It used to be five figures for doctors and less for nurses. I would usually split mine up with my operating room staff.” She told him that was nice. “Yes, but it’s hurt them the last few years. I think some of them were depending on that for things like Christmas and such.”
She sat back down at the computer and was still looking at what she could find when Thatcher started to rub her shoulders. She loved him for this. It wasn’t until he started to massage her that she realized how tense she was.
“How about we take your mom to the houses we have lined up, and then come back here and chase each other in the woods?” She moaned. “I have to tell you something. If we don’t have sex at least four times a day, I might just die.”
“You’re a goof.” She got up and turned to him. “I think, sir, that is an excellent idea. And after we chase each other around, how about we come in the house and have some major sex in our room?”
“Yes.” Thatcher kissed her then, working his mouth all the way down to her throat. There he bit her, and she could have sworn he’d shocked her with a high voltage wire. “If we keep this up, your poor mother is going to—”
Thatcher cursed like a man on leave. As he was pulling out his phone to answer it, she thought that their plans were done. It was the hospital calling, and he’d have to leave. And when he said he’d be right there, she knew it.
“I have to go.” She said she understood. “I know you do, but that doesn’t make me any less pissy about it. I tell you what. You take your mom to the house, and if I can, I’ll meet you at one of them and we can still have fun.”
She kissed him goodbye and hated to see him go. But after telling Mom that she was ready, they made their way to the car, both of them seemingly in a sour mood.
“I was so hoping that Thatcher could come with us.” She asked her mom why. “Well, this person is more than likely going to think that he can take us to the cleaners, and you’ll have to kill him. I just don’t want to have to explain how stupid the man was for underestimating my daughter.” Then she got into the car, like she’d not just made a huge joke.
Still laughing, Rogen got into the car and asked her if she’d like for a witness to come along with them. Mom told her that would be good, just to be sure their side was heard.
“I don’t know what got into you today, but you should be loosened up like that more often. I tell you what. We’ll go by and see if Thatch can go with us, and he’ll be a good source of entertainment for us too.” Mom said that was great. “You really are going to live close, right? I mean, you’re not going to decide to go back to your home?”
“Would that bother you if I did?” Rogen didn’t even hesitate but said it really would. “I’m not. But I do thank you. Besides, there is nothing left there. The house and the entire street was being torn down as we were leaving town. Nothing is there. Just memories that I’d just as soon not think about. I plan on making new ones. And happy ones.”
Thatch was more than happy to go with them. Maggie was fussing at him about the mess he’d made in the kitchen, and he wanted to avoid her for a bit. He asked if they could make one stop on the way home.
“I need to get her flowers. I messed up big time. But I had no idea how to make the coffee pot thing work. I had no idea it took poddlings, or whatever they’re called.” Mom corrected him. “Pods. Still. I thought the hole there was mighty small for coffee to make a pot.”
Rogen was still giggling about it when they pulled up in front of the first home. Immediately, she hated it. There was something very ugly about it. Flowers surrounded the porch and there were pretty trees in the yard, but Rogen hated it on sight.
“Do we have to go in?” Rogen looked at her mom. “I don’t want to live in a house that looks like the one we had before you left.”
Rogen looked at the house, and it dawned on her why she disliked the house so much. Mom was right. It was almost exactly like the one she’d grown up in. Thatch said he’d take care of it and went up to tell the realtor that they’d meet her at the next house. She was fine by that and led them to it.
Now this one, Rogen liked. The realtor was talking to Mom as Rogen walked around the living room. She could see her mom with a tree by the front window. A fire in the fireplace, as well as having her grandchildren over as she so desperately wanted. The big dining room would hold them if she were to have dinner, and the house had four bedrooms. All on one level so that Mom wouldn’t have to worry about stairs later in life.
“This is about perfect for her.” She told Thatch that she agreed. “I was thinking too that Maggie and I, we’d be more than happy to help her out with her new appliances and such. Just for her turning a corner, so to speak.”
Rogen kissed him on his head. Thatch was a wonderful man, and she loved Maggie to pieces. Thatcher had been very lucky growing up with them in his corner.
Her mom came around the corner with a look of absolute terror on her face. Before she could ask her what had happened, she was handed a paper. It told about the house, what was new and used, and how many acres it was. Rogen didn’t want to embarrass her mom. Thatch took the hint and asked the realtor if she’d come with him to see the yard. Give the ladies time to talk.
“It’s fine, Mom. I have it.” She asked her what it said. “It’s just a sheet telling about the house, when it was built, as well as all the appliances you’ll need to get. You have five acres, which means that Thatcher and I can come here on a run if we want. And there are the makings of a garden in the back. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“I love this house, Rogen. It’s within walking distance to your home if you need me. I can go to the store, too, in the other direction from the house. And I’d love to have a garden to play around in.” Rogen told her that she liked it too. “Do you mind if we go to the basement? She was nice and all, but she talked too fast for me. Just show me the furnace and stuff. I don’t know squat about it, but I’d like to see if it’s rusty or not.”
“Sure.”
The furnace, according to the paper that she had, was brand new. There was a bit of water damage on one wall, but that could be fixed. The roof was only three years old, and there was a ceiling fan in each bedroom. Mom fell in love with the master suite.
“I’ve never had my own bathroom before.” She squealed in delight when she saw the deep garden tub. “Why, I could soak in here for hours and watch the animals in the back yard.”
Rogen made a mental note to ask some of the other shifters in the area to come by here once in a while so that Mom could have a nice view. They were headed back to the kitchen when Thatch came in with the realtor.
“I’ve been working her down on the price, Lisha. I told her how your husband recently died and you’re going to be moving here to be close to your daughter and son. She liked that.” The woman, Rogen thought her name was Sally, agreed it was a lovely thing. “Sally here said that she’d take ten grand off the price, and throw in one of them homeowner’s insurance packages.”
Rogen looked at her mom and asked her what she wanted to do. There was one more house to see. Mom asked if she could walk around once more alone. When they all agreed to wait for her, Mom took a long tour of the house. Rogen told Thatcher what was going on.
That’s wonderful, Rogen. And you told her that we’re buying the house, didn’t you? She told him not yet, but she would. I’m glad she found something that she liked. And someplace where she could live by us. But, honey, I might be a little longer than I thought. There’s been another shooting on one of the families from the pack. Have you found out anything yet?
Yes. I’ll talk to Shane and the police when we’re done here. You’re not going to believe who it is. He said he had to go but would talk to her later.
Rogen told Thatch what was going on. “I have to contact Shane and let him know so that
he can tell me if he wants to take care of it himself or let the police handle it.”
“Is it pack?” She shook her head and told him it was a human, as they’d thought. “Then telling Shane will be good, but he won’t be able to take care of it himself. He’ll want to, don’t get me wrong, but he won’t. Not with it being a human. You sure? Never mind. I know you are. You don’t do a thing unless you’re sure. All right. How about I call him to us. That way he can sniff out anything we might not see. Also, you might want to tell your mom that so long as you guys visit her often, she won’t have any trouble with rodents.”
Her mom told her that she really wanted this house. So, before Sally could tell her about financing and such, Rogen interrupted her. She had dealt with this sort of thing before.
“My husband and I will be paying cash for the house. But before we close, we’d like to have the carpets all cleaned and the garage out back to have the floors power washed. That way my mom won’t have to worry about getting dirty when she uses it, all right?” Dollar signs were all she could see in Sally’s eyes. “Also, and this is important for the sale to go through, my mom will need for you to make sure that the homeowner’s insurance is up to date. A house this old, she might have a few issues.”
“Yes, we can do that. I can get started on the carpets right away. When will you be moving in, Mrs. Hall?” Mom said as soon as possible. “Then I’ll call my boss now and have him get a start on this. I’m probably not supposed to tell you this, but you are my first home buyer. Thank you so much. I can’t believe it. Thank you.”
She and her mom stopped by the furniture store on the way home. Rogen had a list of things she would need, as well as a list of things that she and Jamie had had in the rental. When she saw her mom looking longingly at the new bedroom set, she tossed the used list away, and they had a wonderful time buying for her new home.
Chapter 11
Thatcher wanted to be in on both the meetings that Rogen had set up. One of them was with the Feds, who were at the hospital with Rogen, and he was here with the local police taking care of the person who had, so far, murdered three people. All of them pack.
“Mrs. Bundy, we have a warrant for your arrest.” The mayor, her husband, looked at them and laughed. He asked if Tommy had sent them. “No, sir. We’re here to arrest one April Bundy for the attempted murder of the Conrad family, and for the murder of Phil Jenkins and his wife, Patty Jenkins.”
“This is absurd. What is this really about? You there, Robinson? Is this your idea? Coming here at election time to make sure that I lose? Is that it?” Thatcher had been warned to keep his mouth shut. “You can’t be accusing my wife of killing anyone. Just look at her. She’d not hurt a fly.”
He was here for Rogen and that was all. However, he was not only armed, but he was also wearing a vest that had Police written on it to keep his upper body safe. So he stood there, keeping his mouth shut, but wondering about why Mayor Bundy would think this had anything to do with him.
“Your wife, sir, has been seen carrying out the murder of Mr. Jenkins and his wife. She had them pull over, and then she pulled a gun on Mr. Jenkins. After making sure he was dead, checking his pulse to make sure, April then shot and killed his wife, Patty.”
“There isn’t any way anyone saw me do anything.” Thatcher tensed up. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that she’d just admitted that she’d kill them. “Besides, this world would be a much better place if not for those monsters that shift into other beings. Why, you would think that I’d done something wrong by killing them. It’s my duty as a Christian to make sure that the world is clean of such things.”
“Mrs. Bundy, are you admitting that you killed these people? I want to warn you, we have on body cameras, and they’re recording every word you say. Don’t you want an attorney?” April waved him off and asked the maid to get some tea for everyone. “No, thank you, ma’am. I’d like for you to come down to the station, please. We have some questions that we need to ask.”
“I just told you that I’m a Christian and that I was doing right by the city. My goodness, man, have you seen how they are in our schools? In our churches? It’s an abomination to have them around. No, I’m not going anywhere. And if you were half the policeman that you should be, then you’d agree with me in having them all murdered in their beds. All the women are breeding more of those little creatures to grow up and become the same monsters that their parents are. Sucking all the life out of our God fearing community like they have a right to.” She thanked the maid politely and took a sip of tea. “Come sit down. We’ll discuss the next round of genocide for these people. If we could gather them all in one place, all of them at once, we can poison the food that they have at their meetings and be done with the lot of them. Come, have a tart. They’re very good.”
Her maid, Lillian, was still standing behind her and Mrs. Bundy turned to look at her. When she asked her what she was wanting, April turned back to them, sipping her tea, eating a tart like nothing was insanely wrong.
“Mrs. Bundy, I’m a shifter too. Do you wish me dead?”
Instead of answering her, April Bundy pulled out a gun from the side of her chair and shot her maid right in the head. As she fell to the floor, brain and other matter spraying out behind her, April turned to her husband.
“You’ll have to put an ad in the paper, dear. I need a maid that can be trusted, and one that isn’t one of those shifter monsters.” No one moved. Mayor Bundy finally slid to the floor, his face as white as the snowy covered blanket that rested on the back of the couch. “Why are you all just standing around? We need to plan. We need to get busy. My God, gentlemen, do I have to do this all on my own?”
“Mrs. Bundy, you are under arrest for the murder of Lillian Parker. There are other charges too, but right now I’m so shocked that I can barely believe you just did that. And in front of the police.” She asked him what was it he felt like she’d done. “You pulled out a gun and murdered her. No reason at all, you just killed her.”
“So I did. And you should be thanking me, not treating me like I’m some sort of—I don’t know—criminal. Once I get this mess taken care of, we’ll talk. Let me call Lillian— No, no, can’t do that. She’s moved on. How about I just throw something over her for now and we’ll plan?”
Andrew moved forward slowly, telling April her rights as he did so. Mayor Bundy stood up but stayed out of the way. Nothing like having your own wife kill someone in front of you to make you aware of what she’d been doing. April pulled out her gun again and fired.
“Are you all right?” Thatcher looked up, and it took him a moment to realize it was his mom. He leapt to his feet and hugged her tightly. The morning hadn’t gone well, he told her, and she held him while he poured out the entire story.
“She pulled out her gun the second time and fired at Andrew. Just like it was her duty to do so. And had the mayor not moved in front of her gun, she would have killed him. As it was, she shot her husband in the head and he just dropped to the floor with Lillian. She had two children, Mom. Who is going to look after them now?”
“There, there, son. It’s all right. I have you now.” He nodded, watching the first body bag coming out of the house. He didn’t know who it was—it could have been any of the three of them. “Where is April now, son? I do hope she’s getting taken care of too.”
“She’s dead as well. When she shot her husband, she simply put the gun to her head and killed herself. It was a bloody nightmare. All that death over a group of beings that meant her no harm.” Mom looked him in the face. He knew that he was covered in blood, and she asked him if he’d been hurt too. “No, this is from the mayor. When he stood in front of Andrew.”
“I want you to listen to me. I’ve spoken to Andrew too. You clean yourself up and then get to the hospital with your mate. She knows that you’re upset, and she can’t reach you.” He said he’d talk to her. “It won’t do her a bit of good just to hear from you, Thatcher. You get to her. Do you hear me, Thatche
r? She’ll need to know that you are physically all right. Clean up. Dad has clothing in the car for you. I’m sorry it’s not a suit, but you go now.”
He did. Cleaning up was harder than he thought it would be, and he had to be hosed down with the coldest water he could stand. Then after dressing in a pair of tear-away pants and a shirt, Dad gave him his jacket and Thatcher got a police escort to the hospital where Rogen was. Running up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, he met her on the stairs.
“You bastard.” She hit him between kisses. “You said you’d not get hurt if you went with them. You promised me that.”
“I didn’t get hurt, honey. I promise. But I did scare you, and for that I’m so sorry. And I’m going to do some things to make it up to you. As soon as possible. I’ve decided that I’m taking a long vacation with you. Just us three going to places unknown for a month.” He kissed her again. “I’m so sorry, love. I’ve been gone more than here in the last few weeks. I was late coming home last night, then had to go out early this morning for another surgery. Then this. I need some downtime with you and Jamie.”
“Yes, all right. Anything. But not with Jamie. He’s decided to live with Mom for a while. The two of them are going to take a trip. But not in a camper. This is to get to know her, help her with her studies.” Thatcher knew that Jamie was going to ask his mom if he could; he was just surprised that Lisha was going to want it. “I think they’ll be all right, don’t you?”
“Yes, more than all right. Not just for him, but for her too. I think—no, I believe that she’s changed since driving here. Her and your father both. It’s only too bad that you didn’t get to hear it from him. Did you read the letter yet?”
Thatcher: Robinson Destruction – Paranormal Tiger Shifter Romance Page 13