Reggie sat out on the deck alone, taking a moment to calm herself before she called Alexis. Trees formed a protective barrier around Billy and Theresa’s property. Off to her right, dogs barked in the kennel near a small weathered barn. A breeze rustled the brown leaves on a broken corn stalk from the past summer’s garden.
Taking a deep breath, she drank in the serenity. No wonder Billy lived out here. In spite of all her tension, the quiet beauty soothed her soul. Dylan was right when he said nature drew one closer to God. She smiled. It had been a long time since she thought about God, but sitting here amidst the beauty she could almost feel Him.
Unfortunately, beyond the pine trees, someone wanted her dead.
Even with the assurances no one would be able to trace the call, Reggie’s hands shook as she dialed Alexis. As soon as Alexis heard Reggie’s voice, she started crying. Reggie joined her. When the tears finished, Reggie took control of the conversation.
“Did you find anything?”
“We did. Do you remember the Jordan case?”
The memory came rushing back. Several months before, the police arrested Danny Jordan on a simple case of drug possession, but an overzealous Reggie demanded a DNA test to prove Danny hadn’t touched the drugs. The DNA test did indeed prove a setup, but it also showed he’d committed a string of bank robberies in the area. Needless to say, Danny Jordan had been less than happy.
“Now I do.” How could she have forgotten Danny Jordan? She’d almost lost her job over him.
“He was released two weeks ago. The prosecutor failed to ask for a continuance. The defense didn’t waive the right of a speedy trial. The judge dismissed the case.”
Reggie shook her head. Things like this disillusioned the public with the criminal justice system, and who could blame them. “What an idiot.”
“I’ll say, but there’s more. His cellmate swears Danny told him he would get even with you.”
“Even with me? I informed him of my plan. He should have stopped me, but he knew he hadn’t touched those drugs. Not my fault he knew about the robberies and I didn’t.”
“Yeah, well no one ever said criminals were smart.”
Reggie stood and paced the deck. Finally, she understood. Ridiculous reasoning on Danny’s part, but she’d known the threat didn’t have anything to do with her father. It was time to get back to her life. Or at least she could, after they found Danny. “What are the police doing about it?”
“They’re looking for him, but haven’t been able to locate him yet. According to his mother, he left town a few days ago, but who knows?”
A few days ago, just when all her troubles started. It all made sense. Reggie’s foot tapped against the picnic table’s leg. “What do they want me to do?”
“As soon as he’s in custody, you can come back. They expect to find him sometime today. They have several leads, according to Ray.”
“Oh, you’ve been in contact with Officer Ray, have you?” It felt good to tease Alexis rather than dwell on her problems. .
“Don’t start it, Reg.” Alexis giggled. “And just so you know, as soon as they get him in custody, Officer Ray and I are going to celebrate his capture with an official first date.”
“Terrific. I’m so glad my troubles helped you get a date.” After they finished laughing, Reggie hung up. Her gaze turned towards the heavens. Maybe, God was out there after all, watching out for her. She’d never felt she had a Protector before.
Reggie walked back into the house, only to find Dylan and Billy hunched over a chessboard, arguing over a move. Theresa sat beside her husband with a book in her hand. She looked up and smiled at Reggie.
“I can go home.” Reggie announced. As she told them what she’d learned from Alexis, she saw the men exchange glances with each other.
“What?” she demanded. “What was that look about?”
“It just seems a little odd to me.” Dylan shrugged. “You think this Danny Jordan could access your information through Millennium Marketing, and that he had car bombs and bugging devices?”
Billy frowned, but nodded his agreement. He opened the laptop sitting beside the chessboard and started typing.
“I don’t know.” She didn’t want to agree with them. She wanted to go home and put this nightmare behind her. “I agree it sounds a bit farfetched, but then again, it’s ridiculous to think my father wants me killed. He would have no reason. And we don’t even know if he’s my father.” She sighed and sank into a nearby easy chair, her momentary jubilation gone.
“Mmm. Here’s an interesting coincidence.” Billy looked up from the notebook computer. “Millennium Marketing does have an office in Cleveland. So, it’s possible that Danny-boy might know someone who accessed the information for him.”
Closing the book, Theresa looked up at her husband. “So, what are you saying, hon? You don’t think it was a professional hit? Just some scumbag trying to get revenge?”
“It’s a possibility. I’d feel a lot better if they had Danny-boy in custody.”
“Same here.” Dylan agreed.
“It does seem like an odd coincidence, doesn’t it?” Reggie shrugged. “But stranger things have happened.”
Theresa stood and walked towards the kitchen. “Reggie, why don’t you call the Cleveland Police? Maybe they’ll convince you that it was this guy, or that it wasn’t. Not to mention they might want to know about what happened at the motel.”
“Good idea. Let me go find the card Officer Ray gave me.”
****
After a long discussion with Officer Davis, Reggie walked outside. Dylan, Theresa, and Billy had congregated on the deck to watch the sunset. She pinched her coat closely against her neck as the wind blew through her hair. Dylan grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap.
Theresa and Billy held hands. Theresa hummed a song Reggie didn’t recognize. The last remnants of the sun slipped into darkness. The tall, thin trees stuck up from the ground like match sticks from the glow of the moon and the twinkling of the stars.
Leaning back against Dylan, she stared up at the twinkling stars, savoring the moment.
“What’s the verdict?” Dylan broke the silence.
“He’s in custody and they’re convinced it was him even though he’s denying everything.”
“Now, that’s a big surprise.” Theresa said.
“Just to be on the safe side, they’re going to do some checking into the motel break-in, but I’ve been given a green light to go back home.” Reaching past Dylan, Reggie set the cell phone on the table. “They were very curious about why your phone number didn’t register on their system.”
“I’m sure they were.” Billy chuckled. “What did you tell them?”
“What do you think? I told them that I could tell them, but then I’d have to kill them.”
“I’ve taught you well.” Billy gave her a thumbs up.
Dylan hooted.
“Actually, I told them I had no idea. I suggested maybe they should have a technician look at their system.”
That made the men laugh even harder.
Theresa looked over at Reggie and rolled her eyes. “Men are such strange creatures, aren’t they? So, what happens now?”
Dylan looked at Reggie. “Ready to go home?”
“Absolutely. I can stay with Alexis until I get new furniture.” She pressed her hands into a praying position. “Finally, the whole ugly nightmare’s over.”
“I hope.” Dylan sounded doubtful. “I’m just not as sure about this Danny Jordan character as the police. It seems a bit too convenient to me.”
“If they look hard enough, they’ll probably find a connection between him and Millennium Marketing,” Billy said. He smiled at Reggie. “I’m glad you’ll be able to put this behind you.”
Looking around the table, it sounded to Reggie as if all of them were trying to convince themselves everything was fine. For just a moment, she had an uneasy feeling, but quickly dismissed it. She wanted to go home.
“What are you going to do about Stanley Federer?” Theresa asked.
“Nothing. What’s there to do?” Reggie got a little flustered.
“You know he paid for your college education. That should count for something. It shows he cares about you.” Dylan stood and moved to the edge of the deck. “He might be thrilled if you contacted him.”
“You can explain that you found out about the college money and you wanted to call to thank him.” Billy said.
“It could break the ice between the two of you,” Dylan added.
Reggie looked at the group and shook her head. “You are all hopeless romantics or hopeless optimists. Either way, it’s not going to happen. I’m sure he paid for my college to ease his conscience.” She thought for a moment. “He’s known where I was all along. He could have contacted me any time he wanted to.”
“True.” Billy nodded. “Back to the issue at hand, it would be prudent to be careful for the next few weeks.”
“Stop looking for trouble.” Reggie told him. “With your imagination, maybe you should write murder mysteries.”
“Sure, why not? It’s not like he’s all that busy, working for the government and everything.” Dylan laughed.
“Don’t forget, to add business owner to the list.”
Reggie stared at her host. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I was tired of hearing my kids complain about the lack of good software for their children so I started up a little company in my spare time.”
Reggie walked over to where the big man stood. She crooked her finger and he bent down. She hugged him. “Thanks for all your help. I just want to go home and forget any of this ever happened.”