Reggie sat in Theresa and Billy’s living room once again. Dylan stood behind her rubbing her shoulders. It felt heavenly. Why had she tried to chase Dylan away just the day before? Now, she couldn’t imagine life without him.
When he’d shown up at Jeffrey’s after she’d told him they didn’t have a future, she knew she could count on him. That he would take care of her. Until she met him, she’d never had anyone she trusted completely.
“The only place you’re safe is right here in this house with us.” Billy paced the floor while the others watched him. “No one knows you’re here or can connect you to us. And even if they could, they’d have a devil of a time finding this house.”
Theresa nodded. “Or getting in once they did find it.”
“That’s for sure.” Dylan said.
“I can’t spend the rest of my life here.” Realizing how ungrateful she sounded, she smiled. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company.”
“I guess we could give you a new identity and then you could go be free as a butterfly.” Billy Clyde intertwined his massive thumbs and signed ‘butterfly.’
Reggie looked at Theresa. “He’s joking, right?”
Theresa shrugged and glanced at her husband, then back at Reggie. “If you say so.”
“I definitely don’t want to know what you do for the government.”
“I could tell you, but…”
Theresa walked over and punched her husband in the arm before he could finish the sentence.
“We’re back at square one, I guess. I have no idea why someone feels it’s so important to have me dead.” Reggie reached behind her and grabbed Dylan’s hand.
“It has to be about your father’s money. Nothing else makes sense.” Dylan moved from behind her chair and sat on the arm, letting his wrist rest on her shoulder.
Reggie opened her mouth to protest, but Dylan held up a hand. “I know you don’t want to believe it but it really is the only thing that makes sense. There’s no way Danny Jordan paid a professional hit man to kill you even if he had the money. His would have been a crime of passion. He would have done it himself.”
“What should I do? Just call him up and ask why he wants me dead?”
“I think we need to be a bit more subtle than that. In fact, I have an idea.” Billy Clyde cleared his throat dramatically. “Keep quiet and watch a master at work.”
After punching numbers on his cell phone, he waited. “Yes, I’d like to speak to Stanley Federer. This is William Addams from It’s Child Play.”
When he hung up, Reggie shook a finger at him.
“Billy, I’m surprised that you would lie.”
“Who said I was lying? I told you I owned a small business.”
“That’s the company?” It’s Child Play games and software were among the most popular games for preschool children, according to the computer expert who’d helped her pick out Christmas gifts she’d donated to children in the Giving Tree program last year.
“I needed a diversion from my serious work and my grandbabies needed some fun games that were educational. I never expected it to take off the way it has. We’ve been very blessed.”
“Some diversion.”
Dylan said, “I told you he was a—”
The phone rang. Billy handed it to Theresa. She answered using a professional secretary voice. She put the caller on hold, and then handed the phone to her husband.
After waiting a few moments, he clicked on the button. “Hello.” He paused. “I wanted to talk with Mr. Federer, not one of his employees…I understand, but I’m interested in talking with him about selling my company. I could just put it on the market and let what happens happen, but I like your company and I’m going to be in Philadelphia this week. It would be a good time to explore my options with Mr. Federer.” Billy gestured a thumbs up. “That would be wonderful. Let me give you my email address and you can send a confirmation along with directions.”
After he snapped the cell phone shut, he stood up and took a bow. “Easy as pie.”
Reggie stared at Billy Clyde then at Dylan. How had she managed to meet these amazing people? She knew they would say God arranged it. Maybe He had, but whatever it was, she was grateful.
“Now we need to make a plan.” Dylan’s expression turned serious. “And contact the FBI.”
Billy Clyde walked over to the candy dish but before he could grab a handful, Theresa slid the dish from under his hand. He shook his head sadly and looked at Dylan. “We’ll let them keep working their own angle, while we see if we get a hit on the hook we baited.”
For the next hour, they brainstormed ideas about the face-to-face meeting with Reggie’s biological father.