“If I can wade through all my work, I will. I made a plane reservation just in case. I'd like to take you out if I make it.”
“You mean like a date? I get dressed up, you get dressed up and we go somewhere and then, when we get back, you kiss me good night and then jump my bones?”
Dennis grinned. “If that's your idea of a plan, I think I could run with it.” He loved the gurgle of laughter he heard on the other end of the phone.
“How's Lily?”
“Lily is on top of the world. I have never seen her happier. When she came home earlier to see Buzz and to shower and change clothes, she was singing in the shower. She deserves all the happiness she can get. I worry, though, about that damn pendant. I wish I had never found it and given it to her. Lately it seems all I do is make empty wishes.”
“If you hadn't given her that thing, we might never have found Matt. Lily will handle it. I guess I better get back to work so I'll say good night, Sadie.”
“Night, Dennis.”
Five minutes later, Dennis was so engrossed in what he was doing he didn't hear the knock on his door until it opened and he heard his name called. “Andy, are you still here? Is something wrong?” Andy was his protégé, a young guy much like himself when he first started working with Matt. A young guy full of promise. Just possibly someone who would be able to fill Marcus's shoes in the not-too-distant future. He was shy, uncomfortable around people, but a whizbang in the computer room.
“I don't know. Maybe. It's Marcus. At least I think it's about Marcus. For some reason I went to the deli for lunch today. I don't know why, I just needed some fresh air. These guys were sitting behind me and I heard them talking. They were from Comlock. That's Savarone's company. He got screwed over for thirty million. And, get this, the guy that heads up BQWARE got stung, too, for the same amount. They didn't say who it was that did the stinging. But, I did hear them mention Digitech more than once. I came away thinking Marcus Collins did the stinging. I didn't hear that, and it's only my opinion. Marcus was here the night it supposedly happened. I know because I was here working late myself. He didn't know I saw him. Actually, Dennis, he was working in Matt's office. I thought that was kind of strange, but hey, I'm low man on the totem pole around here. I don't question people like Marcus Collins. Plus, the guy doesn't like me. I don't know any more than I've told you. If it means something to you, good. If not, that's okay, too. Sixty million bucks is a lot of money, Dennis. A lot of people would . . . do things they wouldn't normally do for that kind of money. I'm outta here. See ya tomorrow.”
His head spinning, Dennis could only nod. Sixty million dollars. Son of a bitch! No wonder Betsy couldn't find her husband. He'd taken his passport and split, sixty million richer. Maybe. Well, there was only one way to find out. Go directly to the source and ask.
The big question was, how did Marcus get Matt's password? Guesswork? Did Matt somehow let it slip? On purpose? In the end, did it really matter? The final phase was safe and secure, and only Matt knew where it was. The third and final phase still on Matt's computer was their second effort that had gone awry. Marcus should have known that if he'd taken the time to peruse it. The guy had balls, he had to give him that. When this little story got out, it would grow legs and take off. Comlock and BQWARE would be the laughingstock of the industry. Not to mention what it would do to their stock. Digitech, on the other hand, would soar.
Dennis looked at the phone. Even though it was an hour earlier in Natchez, Matt was probably asleep. The morning would be soon enough to tell him.
Time to go home. Time to go home and think about how damn lucky he was to have Matt Starr as a friend and boss and time to thank his parents for instilling honesty, pride, and integrity into his life. And while he was in this thanking mode, maybe he would offer up a little prayer of thanks for Sadie Lincoln. He knew that she was going to become a major force in his life. He knew it as sure as he knew he had to keep breathing if he wanted to stay alive.
Chapter Twelve
“This is one of the happiest days of my life,” Lily said as she hopped out of the Rover to help Matt out of the wheelchair. “I think it will be better if you sit in the back with Gracie.”
“Honey, this is definitely the best day of my life. All I want to do is go home, take a shower, wash my hair, put on some clean clothes, and eat some
real
food. Did you put those sheets on the bed with the little purple flowers on them? You know, for later.”
“That was the first thing I did this morning,” Lily giggled. “Matt, Dennis left all his computer equipment for you. I won't be able to help you with any of that. I thought I would leave you to do what you have to do while I take care of some errands. I hate leaving you alone, though.”
Matt frowned as a worm of fear wiggled around inside his stomach. He'd spent a lot of time thinking about this moment while he was in the hospital. How was he going to feel when he was alone for the first time? Locked apartment doors were just that. Anyone bound and determined to get in would get in. Dogs like Gracie and Buzz could be at someone else's mercy. He'd seen that for himself. An alarm system? Was he going to live his life in fear? How was that going to look to Lily?
He knew what he was feeling at the moment was normal. Just last night the doctor had stayed to talk for an extra fifteen minutes during his rounds. He'd said, “Don't give in to the fear, because if you do, your life will never be the same.” And the doctor was right. He knew he was going to have to suck it up and grit his teeth. He wasn't going to look over his shoulder every ten minutes either. He would be more alert, more cautious, and not do dumb things like stopping at ATM machines after dark. He could make it work for him. Still, an alarm system might help.
“Hey, I'm a big boy. I'll be fine. Gracie and Buzz will keep me company. Don't worry about me. Do what you have to do. You and I have the rest of our lives to be together.”
“Matt, will you have an extra hour or so this afternoon? I want to take you somewhere to show you something. It's nothing strenuous. Do you think you'll be finished with your work?”
“The hell with the work. Dennis can handle all that. I just want to get a bead on the bastards that abducted me and took my money. I'll probably exhaust all my leads in ten minutes, so the answer is yes, I would love to go with you to see whatever it is you want me to see. By the way, Lily, I never asked you before, but what did you do with that million bucks I put into your account?”
“I moved it. I had this vision, so I moved it. It's safe and secure. Do you need it?”
“No. I'm glad you did that. If you hadn't transferred the money, it would be gone by now. I'm going to find those guys, Lily. It might take me a while, but I will find them.”
“I know you will, Matt. I'll help you in any way I can. I still think it was the Laroux brothers. I'm going to go to the
Natchez Democrat
and see if they have a picture of them. Their father was very well-known. I'm sure there's something on file somewhere. Maybe I can even call them. You're the only one who can identify them, though. Okay, we're here.”
“I shouldn't be feeling this weak,” Matt grumbled.
Lily laughed. “So you won't be moving at the speed of light for a while. The doctor said it would take two weeks before you were back to normal. Think of it as a vacation with nothing to do but sit around and hold my hand.”
“I'm up to more than holding your hand, Lily.”
“I'll just bet you are.”
Sadie welcomed Matt with open arms. He grinned from ear to ear.
“We're going to leave you now. Lock the door behind us. I'm not sure when we'll be back. At least by four this afternoon, maybe a little later. I'm going to cook you a really great dinner, with wine and candles and fresh flowers. Hold that thought, okay,” Lily said, standing on tiptoes to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I bought you new clothes and washed them a couple of times to take away the newness. Everything's on the bed. See you later.”
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“This is going to be the fastest shopping expedition in history,” Lily said as she parked the truck behind Webb Furniture. “I'm buying everything off the floor and asking for immediate delivery. I suppose this is an ass-backwards way of doing things, since I haven't been inside the house since Mr. Sonner finished it. Hey, Sadie, maybe the little guesthouse is done. Damn, we should have checked that first.”
“It's done, Lily. I took Buzz over to run in the yard yesterday. I thought I could stay there if you plan to move into the big house. I don't want to cramp your style with Matt.”
“Really! That's perfect. Now you can pick out your own stuff. That's going to be all yours, Sadie. Forever and ever. For some reason I think you're going to end up in Oregon in this big fancy house nestled in a mountain with all kinds of evergreens surrounding it. I didn't see it, but I do feel it.” She laughed when Sadie blushed a rosy pink.
From the depths of her oversize canvas tote bag, Lily withdrew her furniture list. She was a salesman's dream as she walked up and down the aisles pointing or saying, this and this, and I want that and that and those two pieces over there and that armoire over there. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sadie doing the same thing.
Lily wrote out a check the moment the store manager agreed to delivery for one o'clock.
“That gives us time to shop for bedding, dishes, and all the other things we need, and if we have time, we're going to the
Natchez Democrat
to see if they have any pictures of the Laroux sons. I read the paper every day while Matt was in the hospital, and there wasn't one word about the family house being broken into. I even read the back issues that came out when we were searching for Matt. I wish I knew how Matt planned to handle all of this. He's so worried if word gets out, the stock will go down. Here this guy was abducted, robbed blind, left to die, and he's worried about his investors.”
“If he wasn't like that, you probably wouldn't love him. Do you really think I'll end up in Oregon?”
“Absolutely. You blew Dennis's socks off. He's about as smitten as a man can be. He called you, didn't he? You have a date. You don't need to be a love guru to figure out where it's all going. I'm so happy for you, Sadie. I didn't much care for Tom, but if he was what you wanted, I was okay with it. I just want you to be happy. You are better than a sister could ever be. Friendship is the most wonderful thing on this earth. I think, Sadie, you are the only person in the whole world I would trust with my children, my dogs, and my money.”
“Lily, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I feel the same way. That's how Dennis feels about Matt. My gosh, I almost forgot to tell you what Dennis told me last night about Marcus's wife. Wait till you hear this!”
They talked as they walked through the department store choosing pillows, comforters, sheets, and other household items. An hour later the Rover was packed to the roof. “That was fun, wasn't it?” Lily giggled as she got behind the wheel. “Last stop, the newspaper. If we have to do the microfilm thing, I'm going to leave you there and pick you up later. Better yet, if you don't mind, I will leave you there. Is that okay, Sadie? As it is, we're cutting it pretty close. My fingers are crossed that the delivery truck will be a little late.”
“Sure, don't worry about me. I can walk to the house from here. I need the exercise.”
Sadie watched Lily drive away. She felt lost suddenly. Her best friend didn't need her anymore. Maybe that wasn't totally true, but now that Lily had Matt, she would want to spend all her time with him, which was the way it was supposed to be. She needed to move on now and get her own life. She eyed the phone in the lobby of the
Democrat
and made a mental note to call Ozzie when she finished what she'd come here to do. Maybe by then the lump in her throat wouldn't be so big. If it dissolved, there was less chance that she would cry.
She thought about the little cottage she'd stopped by to see yesterday. She could be happy living there. No, she could visit from time to time, but she couldn't live there. She needed to get on with her own life, forge new paths, meet new people, swim a couple of oceans. Meet some nice guy and eventually get married and have a couple of kids. She'd ask Lily and Matt to be the godparents. She wasn't going to count on Dennis, and she wasn't going to sit around and wait for him either. If he was seriously interested, he could find her in Wyoming. It was called taking charge of her life.
She eyed the phone again. Maybe she should call Ozzie now and get it out of the way since she had all afternoon to herself. She fumbled in her purse for change. Satisfied that she had enough money for a short conversation, she dialed the number before she could change her mind.
“Lulu, this is Sadie. Listen, I'm calling you from a phone booth, and I don't have much change on me. I wanted to ask if you could use some help. I can leave on Sunday if that's okay with you. Thanks, Lulu. Lily's fine. They're going to reschedule the wedding. Probably sometime soon. Tell Ozzie I said hello. I'll see you Sunday night.”
Damn, the lump was back in her throat. And her eyes were burning, too. Only weak-kneed females cried, and she was not one of those. She squared her shoulders and walked up to the information desk to make her request known. She waited patiently until the Lifestyle weekend editor could be found.
She was an older woman, well past retirement age. She was lively, though, with a spring in her step and a twinkle in her eyes. “I'm Jolene Abernathy, and you must be Sadie Lincoln. I understand you would like to see a picture of Calumet's boys. Well, honey, you are in luck. I have one sitting right on my desk. I miss that old codger. I used to pick him up every Saturday night to play bingo at St. Mary's Basilica. It's the Catholic church Calumet belonged to. That man did have the luck. He won most every time we played. He'd laugh for hours because you see, I never won. It gave him such pleasure. We were friends all our lives. Now, tell me, why do you want to see a picture of the boys?”
Why indeed. “It's like this, Miss Abenathy. I'm a survival guide in Wyoming. I came here for a friend's wedding. It's the darnedest thing, ma'am, those young men sent in a deposit to take our survival course and forgot to complete the most important part of the forms. I thought as long as I was here, I'd look them up and ask them to complete it. I'm going back to Wyoming on Sunday night.” At least one part of her bald-faced lie was true.
“I went by the electronics store Under-the-Hill, and the shop is closed due to a death in the family. You wouldn't happen to know when they'll be back, would you?”
“I'm sorry, I don't know. A survival course you say? Mercy. Those boys are forever traipsing off somewhere. Cal was so indulgent with them. Now, don't get me wrong, they did work in the store, and they did take it over when Cal had his last stroke. They took mighty good care of their daddy. They had nurses round the clock. Course, Cal could afford that. He made his money early on when cotton was king, as they say around here. Now, here it is. Striking-looking young men, wouldn't you say?” Miss Abernathy held out a framed photograph.
“They do look . . . sturdy. You have to be sturdy to take our course,” Sadie said solemnly. “Is there anyone who might know where I can locate them since time is of the essence? I'd hate to see them lose their reservation since the deposit was quite substantial. You know, close personal friends, relatives, neighbors?”
“I can't say that I do, sweetheart. Did you try any of the other merchants Under-the-Hill? You could try Minnie Figgins. She kept house for Cal and stayed on to work for the boys after he passed on. I think she goes home at night now, though. When Cal was alive, she slept in the maid's quarters. As for neighbors, I doubt the boys have much to do with them. They're as old as Cal was and have live-in caregivers. I suppose you could stop by and ask. I think Minnie is your best bet. I'm sorry I'm not more help.
Sadie stared down at the picture in her hands, wondering how she could possibly get a copy of it when the woman said, “You're welcome to take the picture if you promise to return it. It has sentimental value.”
“That's very kind of you. Yes, I would like to take it with me. I'll be sure to return it.”
“What exactly will you be doing with the picture?”
“You did say they were bachelors, didn't you?” Sadie twinkled.
“Did I? Yes, they are. Oh, I see, you're single and available. Yes, of course.”
Sadie forced a laugh. “Uh-huh.”
“Well, I have to get back to work. Take as much time as you need, but be sure to bring the picture back.”
“Thank you very much. I'll get it back to you as soon as I can. I hope you win at bingo tomorrow, Miss Abernathy.”
“I don't go anymore, child. When Cal passed on all the fun went out of it.”
“I'm sorry. Thanks again,” Sadie said as she made her way down the hall and out to the lobby where she stared at the picture in her hands. “Bastards,” she muttered under her breath.