“He just wants to thank you,” Jean said, listening to the heartfelt appreciation the officer expressed, his face swollen and discolored.
“He does.” Nick grinned over at Jean. “You should have heard the poor victim’s relatives. They want to sue. They want me drawn and quartered. How dare I take a hand in a private altercation when I knew nothing of the victim’s side? My help was a hideous overreaction. The victim nearly beat the cop to death because he’s a misunderstood youth and has unresolved issues with police authority. Blah…blah…blah…boo hoo.”
Both Rachel and Jean were laughing by the time he reached the end of his soliloquy.
“Since we have the Cad, are we still okay?”
“I don’t know. Everyone knows we were headed East. It will point people in our direction. We’ve already had a taste of how thoroughly people check out rumors lately.” Nick laughed suddenly, shaking his head. “On the other hand, no one who knew me would ever consider I’d stop to help a cop at the risk of betraying where I was headed.”
“You’re a little sick, Nick,” Jean rhymed with a giggle for emphasis.
“Yes I am, Danger. I’m also part psychic as well as psycho. I believe there’s more to Suzan and her husband than meets the eye. Her recognizing you and your mom was no coincidence. I’m hoping her run-in with death yesterday steered her in our direction. The cops visiting us this morning gave me hope she’s come to a decision.”
“Her two kids aren’t part of this game, Nick. You don’t -”
“I’m not going to harm Suzan, Rachel,” he stopped her, waving his hand with some degree of impatience and winking at Jean. “Let’s not go any further with this for now. Loose ends will either fall in place for us…or not. We’ll know soon enough.”
“You’re too much of a fatalist,” Rachel retorted.
“Or not enough of one,” he argued.
“Are you leaning toward cutting our stay short?”
“Not unless Suzan says something I don’t want to hear. There’s nothing on the news about Brewster and his buddies yet. No news is good news on that front.”
“Would it be okay if Jean and I go shopping?”
“What, bathing suits aren’t enough for you two? Oh, all right,” he joked. “I put the stun gun and pepper spray back in the Cad glove compartment. Put them in your purse within easy reach wherever you go. Buy a few of those throwaway cell-phones too. I don’t want you using your cell-phone for anything.”
“About the buying part, we need money.”
“There goes the college fund, Danger,” Nick complained, as he stood up. “I’ll go pick some off the tree. Be right back.”
“I guess you’ll be writing?” Rachel asked, bumping Jean, who had immediately laughed at Nick’s money references.
“Yes,” Nick answered, on his way upstairs. “I think I’ll finally give Diego a steady love interest, who turns his life upside down, and bleeds him dry.”
“Mom sent me up,” Jean announced from Nick’s open bedroom doorway, fighting off Deke. “She says it’s almost five, so Suzan, Kelly and Garth will be here soon. You’ve been writing all day. Is it really that much fun?”
Nick saved his file, and closed up the notebook computer. He pushed away from his desk and stretched before joining Jean and Deke at the doorway.
“Writing is an escape to a different world where I make things happen the way I want them to.”
“Cool.” Jean led him toward the stairs. “You’re like king of the world.”
“Exactly. If something bothers me in real life that I can’t do anything about, I use my fantasy world to make everything work out the way I want it to.”
“Maybe I can be a writer. How did you get started? Did you write stuff when you were my age?” Jean looked back at him questioningly as they went down the stairs, with Deke leaping the last few steps.
“No, not for quite a while, but I read a lot. Reading gave me an idea of what kind of fiction I liked to read. I loved action/adventure type fiction, so when I started writing, I wrote what I liked reading.”
“Mom says you write novels about an assassin.” Jean turned at the bottom of the stairs to face him with a smile forming. “I thought you said you write fiction.”
“You’re beginning to annoy me, Danger.”
Jean giggled. She ran off to the kitchen with Nick following her.
“We’re all set, Nick,” Rachel told him as he walked in the kitchen. “Corn is on the boil. The baked potatoes are in the microwave, and I’ve coated the steaks with barbeque sauce. Did you want to wait to start the coals?”
“No, I’ll do it now,” he said, making pantomime gestures at Jean of him choking her.
“Why are you threatening by daughter, you brute?”
“She started it.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Nick, go start the coals. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Yeah Nick,” Jean added, joining Rachel near the stove with folded arms.
“I…” Nick began. Deke streaked out just as the doorbell interrupted Nick’s intended rejoinder. He shook a finger comically at Rachel on his way out of the kitchen. “This isn’t over.”
At the door, Nick checked through the security eyelet. He opened the door, gesturing Suzan and her kids inside with a smile while keeping an arm around the excited Deke.
“Hi, Ross,” Suzan said.
“C’mon in. I’m starting the coals now. This is Deke. He likes everybody.”
“Hey, my mom bought me some new card games,” Jean chimed in as she hurried over to greet Kelly and Garth. “We can play cards until dinner, and then watch movies if you want.”
“Sure.” Garth crouched down to pet Deke. “We don’t play many card games.”
“Can we play in your room?” Kelly looked up at Nick apprehensively.
“Absolutely,” Jean replied, parroting Nick, and giving him a little wave. “We’ll be upstairs, Dad.”
“I’ll call you when we’re ready to eat,” Nick agreed.
“Okay,” Jean acknowledged. She led Kelly and Garth toward the stairs.
“Why don’t you go on in the kitchen, Suzan? Rachel’s already there. I’ll start the coals and join you both in a couple minutes,” Nick suggested, patting his leg to get Deke to follow him.
“Thank you.”
Suzan entered the kitchen, waving at Rachel. “I like your outfit. I see you and Jean did a dual hair coloring. The eye color change is a nice touch too.”
“We were overdue for the color change.” Rachel gestured at her black short shorts, and pink sleeveless top. “Jean and I went shopping for clothes this morning. How are you holding up?”
“I was hoping you and Ross could tell me that,” Suzan answered, sitting down at the table. “How are we all doing?”
“I better let Ross handle that question. How about a drink? I bought some Berringer White Zin.”
“Are you having some?”
“Sure, I’ve only been waiting for you.” Rachel went to the refrigerator for the already-opened wine, which she poured some into two wine glasses on the counter. Rachel set a glass in front of Suzan and sat down opposite her.
Nick walked into the kitchen, having left Deke out back. He sat down next to Rachel with his own beverage. Suzan took a gulp of wine nervously.
“Who are you really, Ross? I know you’re no US Marshall.”
