Sleeping on a lightweight mattress on wood flooring was not conducive to restful sleep, causing Mike to wake up earlier than usual. Without switching on the lamp, he got up and tried to be quiet, but stubbed his toe against the dresser. He gritted his teeth and waited for the pain to subside.
The noise woke Jillian, and her eyes squinted open. “I’ll be up in a few minutes,” she assured him.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. It’s still early, so take your time.”
Mike showered and came out of the bathroom dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt. When he stepped out into the hallway, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled his nostrils. He found Jim at the kitchen table holding a mug of coffee. Jim clearly hadn’t bothered to comb his hair. Mike refrained from laughing at the way sprigs stuck straight up on top, even with Jim’s short haircut. Instead, he just said, “You may want to do something with your hair; it’s kind of wild looking this morning. By the way, thanks for making coffee.”
Jim ignored the comment about his hair and took another sip from the cup. Sometimes it took two cups of coffee to get him going in the mornings.
***
When Jim left to shave, Mike started preparing breakfast, and a few minutes later, Jillian was up and dressed. She sat at the table watching him dunk slices of bread into the egg batter and transfer them to a frying pan.
“Mike, where did you learn the culinary skills? You make it look easy.”
Jim walked back into the kitchen and chimed in on the conversation. “You mean when he’s not burning something.” He had taken Mike’s suggestion and combed his hair before coming to breakfast.
“I’ll make certain the bacon is extra crispy, and the over easy eggs you like so much will be hard as rocks, and…”
“Just kidding, and you’re right, Jillian, he’s a heck of a good cook.”
“Much better.” Mike set plates of food on the table and spooned the scrambled egg he made especially for Marcus into the food bowl. “Over time, I picked up pointers from my Aunt Ellie.”
Jillian watched her cat gobble his food. Marcus is getting spoiled by Mike’s cooking, and so am I.
***
After breakfast, Jim said, “I need to run an errand, but won’t be long.”
Mike smirked. “He’s good at cutting out when there’s kitchen work to be done.”
“OK, I guess the criticism is deserved after giving you a hard time over your cooking, but you started it. I wanted to get even with you for making fun of my hair this morning. Tell you what, I’ll clean up next time.”
“You have a deal,” Mike replied.
After Jim left, Jillian asked, “What was wrong with Jim’s hair this morning?”
Mike chuckled. “It stuck straight up like a clown’s hair.”
Jillian grinned. In spite of everything going on in her life, Mike and Jim’s interactions with each other provided comic relief.
“Seriously, though, I need to discuss something with you. Jim and I want to relocate you to my Uncle Ron’s farm today. You’ll be well protected at Ravenwood, even more so than in a safe house.”
“I trust your judgment, so whatever you think is best. When do we leave?”
“Later this afternoon, but the drive only takes two and a half hours. I contacted my uncle this morning, and he and my aunt are looking forward to meeting you. Ellie is a regular homebody, but Ron is eccentric and a nonconformist—and big hearted. When the Vietnam War ended, they moved to the hills of West Virginia with a group of army buddies, bought a large parcel of acreage, and built homesteads. Ravenwood is self-sustaining like the old hippie settlements, and no one enters without permission.”
“Ravenwood is an uncommon name. I’m assuming they named it after the bird species?”
“They grew tired of calling their home ‘the compound’ and wanted a formal name. Greta Thomas, an elder, suggested the name in memory of her pet raven that lived for over twenty-five years. The residents liked it and adopted Ravenwood as the official name for their settlement.”
“Greta sounds like a very interesting woman; I’d like to meet her.”
The ringing of Mike’s cell phone interrupted their conversation.
***
When Jim returned an hour later, he found Mike and Jillian still sitting at the kitchen table.
Mike saw the grocery bags Jim carried and said, “My partner is a junk food addict.”
Jillian laughed at the remark, and Jim said, “In that case I won’t share and that means more for me.”
The conversation turned serious. “Jim, while you were out, Sheriff Cooper called about a hotline message. A woman reported a strange man in a neighbor’s yard around seven this morning, but he left on foot before the patrol car arrived. The caller described the man to be around forty, with dark hair, and heavyset. Nothing unusual about the man’s appearance, but the neighbor is a young, attractive female like the murder victims and lives alone. After speaking with the patrol officers, the young woman wisely decided to stay with her family until the park murder is solved.”
"The man’s description is fairly generic, with no distinguishing features, but at least people are calling the hotline. We can search the database for suspects who fit his description and have a history of stalking and committing violent crimes,’’ Jim said.
Mike agreed. “That was my thought also.”