by Matt Lincoln
“Okay, okay, I deserve this.” I had been putting off naming the place for way too long. But I loved it. The fact that the people closest to me had gotten together, even with everything going on, and had done this to brighten my day made me happier than I could express in words. As the night went on, I was pleased with all the smiling, friendly faces surrounding me. The marina was filled with laughter and lots of beer, and some awful music to round out the evening. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate the end of that case. Or to start the next phase of my life here in Miami.
Epilogue
I looked out over the table to see how Nory, and his bandmates Urias, Soha, and Pagano, had reacted and related to the story I had just told them. Nory was sitting there, wide-eyed and awestruck by the true and eventful story of how his father, LaShawn, and his mother, Cecily, had met. And then also how he’d helped me and my team stop the Yabut from spreading their designer drug in Miami or beyond.
“Dad never really spoke about the matter with the Yabut. He hated to hear about anyone he knew getting into drugs.” Nory smiled as he thought back to those days with his father. I could see the same grin that LaShawn had on his son’s face now. “I always assumed it was because of his career, you know, and seeing individuals around him like that. But I guess there was more to it than I ever realized before.”
I was glad to see that Nory could understand a deeper meaning behind LaShawn’s character and rationale. “Your dad was kindness personified, Nory. He never met a person he wasn’t willing to help out in some way or another. Even when he was getting sick or having his treatments, he still tried to be available for the people in and around the Edler Community Center. That’s just who he was.”
That was probably his most lasting legacy, other than his two impressive children. The table of musicians all sat in various states of reflection and admiration to what I had told them. Soha, the young woman, said what the rest were thinking. “We should write a song about that. About your dad, Nory. He should be immortalized in song and verse for all time.”
I liked her idea, but it wasn’t my place to suggest anything like that. I smiled at it and hoped that something I had shared with them would inspire them in the future. Urias took another drink and then looked right at me. “So, whatever happened to those two kids? The witness ones. Jozie and… Nohemi. Did everything work out okay for them in the end? Or did you get to find out?”
“I did, actually.” I was glad to relay their information to someone new, to another generation that could appreciate the bravery and determination that it took for those two young people and the many others that would eventually stand up against the Yabut and the drug peddlers trying to control their city. “Jozie did go to Oklahoma and got adopted by her aunt and uncle. She finished high school, a little later than some, but she did it. That’s what mattered.”
LaShawn had kept in touch with her through the aunt, emailing each other for a few years. I guessed that maybe he couldn’t explain the young woman to his kids unless he told them about all the stuff that went with it. LaShawn must have had his reasons, and I was in no position to question them now.
I continued. “She went to dentistry school, met her husband, and last I heard, they had a couple of kids, too. Her aunt was a dentist. I forgot to mention that, so she took over the family business years ago.” I grinned, thinking about how that young woman had turned her life around and how her family had never given up on her. It was one of the better things to have happened during my time in Miami.
“As for Nohemi, well, Rosa and I checked in on him from time to time. His grandmother lived for a few years after we’d met her, and she kept that guy on the straight and narrow, let me tell you. He opened a shop that repaired marine engines and speed boats, the kind that so many people used around there. I think that he did rather good for himself.” Thinking back, I had wanted to hire him for my marina years ago, but by then, he and his wife had a baby on the way, and they didn’t want to move. I accepted that, but I told him that the offer was always open if he ever changed his mind.
Pagano had been waiting patiently for a chance to ask his question about the tale I’d just told them. I wondered what he’d made of it, overall.
“The warehouse fire,” he said finally. “Did one of those guys get out alive or what? I need to know, man.” He was seriously interested in it, and I grinned to know that I’d done my job for Cecily and LaShawn’s sake.
“I never found out for certain, but the main theory was that the woman wasn’t as ‘passed out’ as we’d thought that she was. The fire started by the vans, which they confirmed. Xavier and I also thought that she was trying to cover their tracks because she knew that they were all going to get caught. And instead of talking and getting arrested and whatever came after that, she just torched the place. It was terrible, but at least that had taken care of the Yabut for the time being.” There was more to that story, but I had never shared it with anyone just yet. I wasn’t sure that I ever would.
Nory shook his head in disbelief at how little he’d been told about his dad’s past. “I should have pressed Dad on it when I had the chance. I would have loved to hear any of this directly from him.” He looked up at me with a new kind of resolve in his eyes. Then he grinned. “I think I need to go home and see my mom for a while. I bet she’d appreciate a little visit this time of year.”
Pagano jumped at this chance. “Can we come along? I’d love to hear more about your mom and dad and their time in Miami.” He looked like he’d be heartbroken if Nory said no.
“Oh, me too!” Soha jumped in and clapped her hands like a little kid getting excited about a trip to see a favorite relative. “A road trip will allow us to work on a song for him, or them, even. A love song!” She cried out happily at the mere thought of it. I could see her mind already working on it.
They all turned to Urias to get his input. He shrugged at them and responded with, “Hey, if your sister’s there, I’m game.” This brought a round of jeering and cheering from the table. That made me grin in appreciation of their humor.
Nory was watching me as Soha and Urias stood up from the table to start cleaning up. “So, you’ll hang around to see the show tomorrow night?” His tone was quite sincere, and almost nervous to hear my answer.
“I did promise that,” I stated teasingly. “And I will. I’ll just go find a room here in town, sleep in for a change, and enjoy a day when I’m not behind the wheel on my way to the next stop.”
“Speaking of which, where is your next stop taking you? Mom said that you were on a type of lone-wolf mission, traveling from here to there, and weaving tales of wonder and splendor.” Nory’s way with words made me laugh.
“That’s poetic, but a bit too much drama,” I chuckled. “I’m just visiting some old friends, catching up, and making sure that everyone is doing okay. Emails and texts are so impersonal, and phone calls… sometimes people need a little more interaction, you know?” I knew that Nory understood me perfectly.
“That’s not really an answer, Mr. Header,” Nory pressed, but not rudely. It seemed he just wanted to know what I was up to. He may have even been worried about me. That was kind of endearing.
“No, it is not,” I smirked. “But the truth is, I don’t really have one. I just want to check up on the people I care about before I settle on a new, next adventure.” I had an exceptionally good reason for doing what I was doing, but that was between me and the next stop on the map, and beyond that one, probably.
“Now that,” Nory exclaimed, “I could believe!”
The rest of the band were getting ready to call it a night, and they weren’t the only ones that needed a good night’s sleep. They were hanging out, trying to give Nory and me extra time together. But I could tell that this night was just about done.
I stood up, placed my chair how it should go, and reached out to shake Nory’s hand. “I’ll be here tomorrow night. Save me a front-row seat, understand?” I smiled, just thinking about it.
And about how proud LaShawn would have been that his son was working on his own dreams.
“Not a problem.” Nory nodded at me, and I could see that he, too, was starting to feel the pull of turning in for the night. “Thanks for coming, Jake. We all appreciate it, especially me. And thanks for the story about my dad.” His eyes got a little glossy, so he blinked a couple of times to stop himself.
“Anytime, Nory.” I reached out to hug him, knowing how much a gesture like this could help even if you didn’t expect it to. “Until tomorrow.” Then I waved goodnight to the rest of them and headed out the door and into the starry aura of a cool Kentucky night.
It felt good to add another piece of LaShawn’s history to his son’s memory. And the day after tomorrow, I was on my way back to Florida, where I knew that Lael was waiting for me to go fishing with him.
Author’s Note
Hey, if you got here, I just want you to know that you’re awesome! I wrote this book just for someone like you, and if you want another one, it is super important that you leave a review.
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Special thanks and credit to Moonstruck Covers Design & Photography, the studio responsible for all my Coastal Vigilante covers!