“Sir?” Anthony was completely at sea.
“I understand you’re both acquainted with Kate Benedict?”
“Yes, sir.” Anthony blew out a breath. “I’ve known her and her family for some time now. Her oldest son is Caleb Benedict—Texas Ranger, retired.”
“I know Caleb.” Robb grinned. “Do you call her ‘Grandma Kate,’ too?”
Anthony couldn’t hold back his own smile. “Yes, sir.”
When Robb looked at Toby, his partner nodded. “I’ve been calling the lady ‘Grandma Kate’ for all of my life.”
“I figured. Knowing you were related—however vaguely—to the Kendalls of Benedict County did weigh some in your being hired for the opening we had, Lieutenant. We like our officers to have a local connection.”
Toby nodded. The two of them had talked about it, and Anthony knew that Toby was fine with that connection having played a part in his being hired.
“So, Kate Benedict has requested that the two of you be available to assist with a security matter for the next couple of weeks. Now, it isn’t usual for the WPD to necessarily grant such a request. But Mrs. Benedict and her family have been damn good friends not only to our department but the city of Waco, generally. They aren’t the kind of people, either, to grandstand or to take a political role of any kind. Their generosity is always without strings.
“So gentlemen, if you’re agreeable, I’m going to process the paperwork so that the two of you are on special assignment for the next little while.”
“I’m agreeable,” Anthony said. “We had supper last night with the Kendalls, and we were invited to a meeting of their town council—they call it the Town Trust—for four this afternoon. We accepted because it was after shift, but I have no idea why we were invited.”
“Neither do I,” Toby said. “Though I did sense a bit of tension with Aunt Samantha.”
“Your aunt is as formidable in her way as is Grandma Kate,” Chief Robb said. “And one hell of a courtroom lawyer. If she was giving you even a hint of tension, then I’d say whatever is going on is quite possibly a serious matter.”
“We’ll keep you in the loop,” Anthony said. “If there’s anything that we think you need to know, you’ll know it.”
“Good. Now write up your reports on the task force planning meeting and then head to Lusty. And don’t worry about that assignment, either. It’s just in the beginning stages. Blaine can hold your place while you’re gone. You don’t want to keep either the Benedicts or the Kendalls waiting.”
They had their reports written and turned in within the half-hour. Then, without saying a word, they headed back out.
“Any guess as to what’s going on?” Toby asked.
“Over the years, I’ve discovered that Grandma Kate has her fingers in a lot of pies, and that has always translated to her being on the side of the angels.” Anthony stopped for a red light and looked at Toby. “But I have no clue why she’d want to bring in a couple of cops when she has Adam Kendall and Matt Benedict right there, not to mention the number of feds and spooks who are members of the families and make their home within the town limits.”
“Well, I’ve never handled curiosity well, Anthony. So if you don’t mind, step on it. I’m eager to know what the hell is going on.”
Chapter Five
Mary adjusted the angle of her laptop slightly, just a minor change. She’d never once in her career to date brought her writing outside. It would have been impossible for her to do in her New York apartment. But this small house in this quiet town had a beautiful garden, and this wrought-iron table provided a wonderfully flat surface. Her ass nestled comfortably in the padded, matching chair, and the umbrella shaded her from the sun just enough.
Most important at the moment, this tidy back yard felt peaceful, and after that meeting of the Town Trust so recently past, peaceful was exactly what she needed. Because she was worrying, and distracted, she took a minute to open a new document on her computer.
She recorded what worried her, and then she listed what was being done about it. Aunt Samantha had assured her that her family back in New York State was being apprised of the situation. Everyone would be in the loop, and really, at this point in time, knowledge was the greatest weapon they had. With knowledge came meaningful action. She read over the page she’d just created and felt her tension begin to ease.
Then, because her mind still raced and her belly still churned, she opened another document and just wrote it all out.
Who could have imagined such a thing? Well, actually, I sincerely hope that the people who can do the most to defeat this disease not only imagined it. I hope they’ve planned for it and have sufficient contingency plans to handle any resulting problem that arises. But I don’t know them. I do know this family. I’m not a selfish person, but I need to focus on the here and now and on me and mine, for just this moment. Because I am worrying about things that are truly out of my control. So let me focus on the here and the now and what I can control.
Everything that needs to be done is being done. There is nothing at this moment for me to do about the approaching storm. The best thing I can do is to set it all aside and keep writing. In the days to come, people are going to need distraction. I’m not a doctor, and I’m not a scientist. I’m not, thank God, a politician. I have means, so I will send whatever dollars I can to the places that will do the most good, once I know what they are. In the meantime, I’ll continue to do my job. If one person can catch a break from whatever may be
