Gotcha! (21 page)

C
harles Martin lowered the awning on the terrace and plopped down on one of the padded chairs. He felt so alone, even though the dogs were with him. He rarely, if ever, took a break like this, a sure sign that something was troubling him and he needed to think it through. He was worried about Myra and Annie, and that was the bottom line.

He knew he was going to be in a boatload of trouble once the boys arrived in Rosemont, Alabama, in the morning. He didn’t even want to think about the tales they were going to be telling their wives and girlfriends about where they were going. He had been insistent on that little detail, knowing the Sisters would want to rush to Myra and Annie’s side to
help,
something he knew Myra and Annie didn’t want. Well, he’d just have to soak up the punishing silence Myra would dole out on her return. He cringed when he thought about the cold shoulder his wife would give him. Once, she’d gone
weeks
without speaking to him. And then it had been months before she would allow him back into their bed. His wonderful, lovely, independent wife was so good at holding a grudge. He shivered in the warm sunshine.

Charles wished he’d made coffee instead of iced tea as he shivered despite the warmth of the day. With nothing else to do at the moment, he went back into the house to make coffee. He nibbled on a sugar cookie while he waited for the coffee to drip into the pot. He purposely made his mind a blank as he waited. That was the whole reason for going out to the terrace to think. Terraces were for thinking, not kitchens.

The moment he heard the last little gurgle from the pot, he poured and walked back out to the terrace so fast, he spilled half the coffee. A loud sigh, so loud the dogs raised their heads, escaped his lips. He’d clean up the spill later. He needed to
think
about all the things Myra had told him yesterday afternoon. There had been so much he wanted to say, but he’d kept quiet. When it came to children, especially little girls, Myra wouldn’t have listened anyway. Not that he had any words of wisdom at that point.

He had to admit, though, so far those two ladies had it going on. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he pictured Darlene Wyatt finally realizing she didn’t exist, thanks to Abner Tookus. The man was a pure genius. And now it was coming down to the wire. He couldn’t decide if he was angry, miffed, or plain old pissed off that his two ladies wouldn’t give him details of their plan to, as Myra said,
take out
Darlene. In the covert world, he knew what the term meant, but with Annie and Myra, that same term could have a whole other meaning. That’s why he was sending the boys to Rosemont, and now he had to call Avery Snowden so he would be at the ready for
disposal purposes.
There was no way on Earth that Darlene Wyatt and her boyfriend could be left behind when Myra and Annie were through with them.

Charles gulped at the hot coffee and burned his tongue. He barely noticed. His mind wandered to the little girl and all the things Myra had told him. His eyes burned at the memory. Then he started to think about Julie Wyatt and the bond Myra and Annie had forged with her. He smiled at the way Myra had described all the money she had suddenly come into. According to Myra, the amazing part was that Julie Wyatt was totally not interested in the money. All she wanted was that little girl, peace, and contentment. The money was just that, money. Myra had said she felt confident that Julie was going to give it all away. Myra was usually on the money—no pun intended—when it came to things like that. It was Annie who had suggested Julie start up a movement for grandparents’ rights and take it all the way to Capitol Hill. There was not one shred of doubt in Charles’s mind that it was exactly what Julie Wyatt would do, with Annie and Myra leading the charge.

The phone in his breast pocket chirped. The dogs didn’t stir as he flipped it open and listened to Avery Snowden say his ETA in Rosemont, Alabama, would be in three hours. He went on to say he had everything in place, and that nighttime was best to do reconnaissance work. They spoke for a few more minutes. When Charles ended the call, he felt much better, so much better that he poured the ice-cold tea into his glass and scrapped the hot coffee. He’d stopped shivering somewhere along the way. He gulped at the tart drink until it was gone.

Then it was time to go out into the yard and throw sticks for the dogs so they would get their daily exercise. He whistled for the dogs. A moment later, they were all in the yard, whooping and barking, as Charles did what he did best. He laughed out loud when he remembered how Myra had said she was going to start throwing sticks for him so he could run and lose some weight. She’d added insult to injury and poked at his midsection to make her point. Then, she’d added a further insult and said that she was still the same size eight she’d been when he’d first met her all those years ago.

 

 

Ted Robinson marched up to the Avis car-rental kiosk and gave his name to a chipper young woman with flaming red hair. He handed over a credit card from the
Post
and signed his name. The pert young thing smiled up at Ted and said, “Mercy, I didn’t know our little summer festival was known all the way in Washington, D.C.”

Ted floundered for a moment and then just smiled. Well, at least they now had a cover story of sorts. Small-town America is what readers want to know about.

Walking away from the counter, Ted said, “Hey, guys, we now have a cover story. There’s some kind of summer festival here in town. Not that we need a cover story, but it’s there if we want it. I got us a Ford Explorer. We can all fit in with comfort. We got a map, and the GPS will do the rest. Let’s get something to eat before we descend on the ladies. I’m thinking we’re going to get a blast of real heat from our two favorite people. Hell, Annie will probably fire me on the spot.”

The boys trailed through the parking lot of the airport till they came to their rental. They all piled in, with Bert driving. He fiddled with the GPS, made sure everyone was buckled up, and suggested a sing-along, in which everyone declined to participate.

“What’s our plan?” Jack asked.

“We don’t have a plan,” Espinosa barked. “And we aren’t making one, either. Every time you mention the word
plan,
something goes haywire. I say we leave it to the ladies and their plan, whatever that may be, and we just do what they say unless they boot our asses all the way back to D.C., which is probably what is going to happen anyway. And if that’s the case, we won’t have to worry about our plan, their plan, or no plan.”

“Well, damn, Espinosa, that little speech was like a dissertation, something I never heard from you before. I might add, you are a little snippy today, aren’t you?” Jack exploded.

“Yeah,” was Harry’s contribution to the conversation.

“It needed to be said,” Espinosa pointed out defiantly.

“He has a point,” Harry volunteered again. “I have a very clear recollection of a pumpkin plan awhile back.”

“Yeah, well, in the end it worked. You know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men, don’t you?” Jack grumbled.

“No, I don’t know that one. Why don’t you enlighten us, Jack,” Bert guffawed.

“I would, but I can’t remember what it is,” Jack grumbled again.

Ten minutes later, Bert pulled off the interstate, followed a road, and then another, which took them to the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel.

“You guys are going to love this place. Down-home cooking at its finest,” Espinosa said, gleefully rubbing his hands together. “Just order one of everything on the menu, and you can’t go wrong.”

Inside the restaurant, the boys, who, with the exception of Espinosa, had never been to a Cracker Barrel, stood still and gawked at the sight that greeted their eyes.

“Told you!” Espinosa chortled in glee. “What a concept, huh? You shop while you wait for your table. I’ll sign us in, then we have to wait till they call our names. Shop it up, boys! There’s something here for everyone!”

Jack looked at Harry, whose eyes were glazed over as he took in the mountains of merchandise. Jack had a fearful moment until he saw Harry start to shop. By the time the hostess called their names, each of the boys had a shopping bag filled to the top. Between the five of them, Bert estimated they’d dropped over $400 on stuff no one needed and probably wouldn’t want when it was given out. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Harry this happy over mere shopping. In fact, to his knowledge, Harry had never seen the inside of a store, much less shopped. He wondered if he was looking at a miracle named Harry Wong.

Ninety minutes later, stuffed to the gills, and carrying takeout bags, the boys trotted out to the Explorer, packed their shopping bags in the back, and climbed aboard. “Now, wasn’t that a pleasant way to do lunch?” Espinosa cackled.

“I loved every minute of it, Espinosa,” Harry said sincerely. “I am so glad you had the foresight to bring us all here. You should be commended. The food was . . . well, the food was not too much to my liking, but I did eat it. Do not pay attention to these clods. They don’t know a thing about what’s good and what isn’t.”

The silence in the Explorer was louder than thunder.

Ten minutes later, Bert said, “We’re two miles from our destination. We are driving through the main part of town now. Nice town. People milling about on a nice summer day. Lots of trees and flowers. Bet there are bumblebees in those flowers. Buildings look kept up. Yep, I’d say this is a nice place to live and raise a family. The flip side is this place just went through a hurricane. And yet it’s like it never happened. Guess people care about their town and their neighbors. I don’t know if I could live in a small town like this, though. But it is nice.”

“And thank you for that little speech,” Ted said. “Come on, we’re all city boys, we’d stagnate here. But I agree, it appears to be a nice little town.”

The robotic voice on the GPS came to life just as Bert shouted for all of them to pipe down so he could hear the directions.

Bert reduced the speed on the Explorer to a crawl. He pointed to the electronic keypad. “You guys got any bright ideas on how to get into this place?”

Harry craned his neck. He looked at the iron spikes on the six-foot-high fence and said, “I could vault over it, but that still won’t help me to open the gate from inside. I say you blow the horn, lean on it, and see if you can rouse someone. If not, I’ll tackle the fence and knock on the door.”

Bert leaned on the horn for a full thirty seconds. They could all hear the dogs barking frantically inside the house. The moment Bert released his hand from the horn, they heard a voice asking them to identify themselves.

“Bert Navarro. I’m here to see Ms. Rutledge and Ms. de Silva.” He rolled his eyes for the guys’ benefit just as the gate swung open.

“Man, I am not looking forward to this meeting,” Ted said. “Annie is going to hand me my walking papers. I just know it. How in the hell did I let you guys talk me into this gig in the first place?”

“We didn’t talk you into anything. This was all your idea,” Jack said.

“Oh, yeah? Well that’s not how I remember it. Oh, shit! Look at them standing up there on the porch—excuse me,
veranda
. And they look meaner than cat shit,” Ted groaned.

Jack hopped out of the Explorer and, with as much cheerfulness as he could muster, said, “Well, hi there, ladies! It’s really very good to see you. Charles sent us.”

T
he boys trooped up the steps to the veranda, bright smiles on their faces, not sure what to expect from the two steely-eyed women standing next to another woman they had yet to meet.

Introductions were made with more bright smiles and a slight quiver to the voices of the newcomers. Julie looked at the five men and said, “Let me see if I can guess which one is which. Myra and Annie told me all about you.” As she went down the line, she had each one pegged. She laughed, a sound of pure mirth. “Please, come in. We were just talking about you all, if you can believe that.”

And then they were inside and headed to the kitchen, the dogs yipping and yapping for attention. “I’m sorry for their bad manners. They love company. While you all get acquainted, I’ll make coffee,” Julie said as she bustled around the coffeepot.

An uneasy silence followed as Myra and Annie stared across the table at the five men both women considered the sons they’d never had. “Speaking strictly for myself, I’m glad you’re here,” Annie blurted. Annie’s outburst was so unexpected, the boys could only gape at her.

“I feel the same way,” Myra said. “Having said that, I’ll deal with Charles on my return. He should have let us know you were coming. Neither Annie nor I deal with surprises very well.”

Jack leaned across the table. “Tell us everything and don’t leave anything out, no matter how unimportant you think it might be.”

Myra and Annie did as instructed, as a sideshow started to unfold where Harry was sitting. Cooper sat on his haunches, eyeing Harry with adoration. Harry stroked the retriever’s head as he listened to Annie and Myra and the plans they had come up with to take care of Darlene Wyatt. Suddenly, Cooper bolted from the room, only to return with one of his toys. He laid it at Harry’s feet, then raced off for another. All told, he made eleven round-trips, to everyone’s amusement. When the little pile of stuffed toys was up to his ankles, Harry looked to Julie, his gaze questioning.

“I don’t know what it means other than I think he suddenly loves and adores you. Cooper doesn’t share his toys with anyone. What’s his is his. Seems to me like he’s giving them to you. Cooper has separation anxiety, which we are working on. I have to say, though, I’ve never seen him interact with anyone like this. You should be flattered.”

“I am,” Harry said softly as he slid off his chair and dropped to his knees until he was eye level with Cooper.

“I think this is some kind of Zen thing or something. Harry can communicate in ways we only dream about,” Jack whispered.

Man and dog stared at one another, neither blinking. Time passed, with neither moving, and the others went back to their discussion at the table. It was Cooper who made the first move. He placed both paws on Harry’s shoulders, bent forward, and licked at his cheek before he moved off to join Gracie and Lola, who were waiting for him at the doggie door. Harry watched until Cooper was out of sight before he sat back on his chair. He looked around at the faces staring at him. “We are as one,” he said by way of explanation.

Julie felt a chill wash over her. She didn’t like the way that sounded, but she didn’t say anything.

The discussion continued as she poured coffee, her gaze never far from Harry Wong.

Bert held up his hand for silence. “If I understand this correctly, we have the balance of today and all day tomorrow, until Monday, when you plan to strike. You chose Monday because the little girl starts school and will not be in the house, is that right?”

“Yes,” Myra said.

“You said Darlene has webcams set up all over, so she can see anyone approaching her property from any angle, is that right?” Jack asked.

“That’s right,” Annie said.

“So how do you plan on getting in there?”

“We thought Julie would just go over and knock on the door. Darlene might or might not invite her in. We think she’s going to want to make a deal with her, so more likely than not, she will invite her in. Once that garage door goes up, we all hotfoot it and follow her in. There’s an entrance to the main house inside the garage. It leads down a hallway into the kitchen. Her webcams are set up in that hallway. We have been toying with the idea of calling Abner to see if he can disrupt the power in some way. If he can’t do that, Julie will have to go to the front door. Same deal, but we can go in from the side because there is heavy foliage. Julie said none of Darlene’s neighbors will do a thing to intervene. How does that sound?” Myra asked.

“Iffy,” Ted said. “The lady has a cell phone, right? She could call the police.”

Annie laughed. “I don’t think so. She’s already gone a few rounds with the local police, to her own detriment. Julie thinks this is the best way, unless you guys have a better idea. Do you?” Annie asked pointedly.

“Daylight is never good for infiltration. Darkness is your friend,” Espinosa said.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Ted said, jumping up. “I have an idea! Sometimes I am so smart I can’t stand myself. How about this? Espinosa and I are here to cover the summer festival. You know, small-town America, that kind of thing. The woman at the car-rental kiosk told me all about it. While we were here, we got downwind of this woman whose identity was stolen. As you all know, the
Post
has done numerous stories and articles on that very thing. It’s all verifiable if Darlene wants to check. If she was as pissed as you say she was when that all went down, she’s going to jump at a chance to spout off and get her jabs in about Julie, and blame her. Once she lets us in, I think Espinosa and I are capable of getting the rest of you in. Party time!”

“You know what? I think that might work, and I like it better than Julie’s going in there cold turkey. From all you’ve said about this woman and her boyfriend, I wouldn’t trust either one of them around her, since they have a bigger-than-life hate on for Julie. But I would like to go in Espinosa’s place. Darlene won’t know the difference,” Harry said.

“Harry, you are so loquacious, and I am loving it. That is an absolutely brilliant idea. Let’s all vote on Harry’s idea,” Jack said, happiness ringing in his voice.

All of them, even Julie, raised their hands in the air.

“Done!” Myra said happily. Harry beamed his pleasure.

“Then it’s a go. What about the little girl?” Jack asked.

“The minute we get in the house, we have to have Darlene call the school and tell them my daughters will be picking Ollie up from now on,” Julie said. “That child is going to be so happy. In fact, my girls are coming over shortly so that we can get Ollie’s old room all ready. Actually, I think they’re here now; the dogs are barking. I suspect you all want to . . . you know, get down to business. I will be okay with anything you all decide. It was nice meeting you all. Oh, where are my manners? Myra, Annie, when you’re all finished with your business, will you show the gentlemen the bedrooms upstairs and let them pick out their rooms. I have more than enough room for you all to stay here. And I will be cooking dinner.”

The beloved words,
Hey Mom
,
we’re here,
made everyone smile as Julie scurried from the room to greet her daughters.

“More coffee, boys? A sandwich?”

“I’ll take the coffee, but we stopped to eat before we got here,” Bert said.

Annie walked over to the coffeepot. She listened as Harry voiced a concern. “Are we sure there will be no repercussions where the little girl is concerned? Like, all of a sudden, her aunts are picking her up. Won’t the school ask questions about her mother? How are you prepared to handle that?”

Myra frowned. “We were discussing that before you got here. Darlene will have to write a letter, and it will have to be notarized. She’s going to be signing off on everything. Going out of town for an extended period of time, going back to help her ailing parents, wherever they live. Something like that. Julie did say she knows someone who is a notary who will agree to stop over and witness Darlene’s signing the papers. That’s going to be really tricky, though. That’s what we’re all worried about.”

“Then I suggest we talk it to death and come up with a solution that will work so that Julie will be able to live with no blowback,” Jack said.

They fell to it, all of them starting to talk at once. Bert whistled through his teeth, an ear-piercing sound that silenced the group. “One at a time! Remember now, we’re talking about a little girl’s future life.”

Annie rummaged through a pile of folders. “These came via fax last evening. Myra and I were on the phone with Lizzie till all hours. Here’s the contract where Darlene gives Julie her power of attorney. This one is a release to the school for Julie and her authorized representatives to pick up the child from school. This blue folder is where Darlene signs off on custody of Olivia. This one is where she signs off on the house, and it is to be put into a trust for Ollie, with Julie and her daughters as trustees. This yellow folder is the one that will give us the most trouble. This says she admits to cheating and carrying on an affair with Adam Fortune while she was married to Julie’s son. She also admits to negligence in her husband’s death. She’s going to balk at signing that.”

“No she won’t,” Harry said quietly.

“And the guy, Adam?” Espinosa asked.

Myra smiled. “Annie and I will take care of Adam Fortune. He will pay for every mean-spirited thing he’s ever done to Ollie, every abuse, every unkind word he ever uttered to that poor child.”

Jack swallowed hard. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such evil looks as he was seeing on Myra’s and Annie’s faces. He almost felt sorry for Darlene Wyatt and her boyfriend. Almost.

“Avery and some of his crew are flying in to Huntsville this evening. That’s a lot of strangers in a small town all of a sudden, don’t you think? Do these people keep up with things like that?” Jack asked, his tone worried.

“They do, according to Julie, but these people are Julie’s friends. Once word gets out she has guests, there won’t be any blowback, as Jack put it. I think we’re okay,” Annie said confidently.

“Did any of you tell the child what you’re planning?” Jack asked.

“Julie said she told Ollie that in a few days everything would be okay. She said Ollie is very good at keeping secrets. If she told her anything else, she didn’t tell us,” Myra said.

“A lot can happen in a day and a half until the child goes off to school on Monday,” Harry said glumly.

“You just had to go ahead and say that, didn’t you?” Ted groused.

“I did have to say it. And if the rest of you aren’t thinking the same thing, then there is something wrong with you.”

Myra held up her hand for silence. “Even though she didn’t like it, Julie was comfortable letting Ollie go back to the house. Ollie, according to Julie, knows how to make herself invisible. What that means is she hides out in her room. The twins, along with Julie, bought her a lot of stuff, so she’ll have something to occupy her until school starts on Monday. It is a concern, Harry, but nothing major at this point.” She hated the concern she was seeing on the others’ faces, but she had to rely on Julie’s opinion, since Julie knew the players and the situation better than all of them put together.

Harry’s big toe poked around Cooper’s pile of toys. “If you say so,” was Harry’s only comment.

Jack was so uneasy that he sidled up to Harry. “Talk to me, Harry. Tell me what is really bothering you. What are you feeling or seeing that we aren’t?”

“She’s just a kid, Jack. A little girl. She shouldn’t have to make herself invisible. She should be with people who will love and take care of her. Thirty-six hours is a long time. I’m worried about that crazy-ass woman living in the house, a woman who seems to have that Fortune guy wrapped around her little finger and is calling the shots. The kid is a thorn in her side. She’s blaming her, the kid, according to what Myra and Annie tell us they learned from Julie, for all their bad luck. And she kicked Fortune’s kids out of the house. Didn’t someone say one of the neighbors called Julie to tell her when that all went down? His kids versus Olivia. Do you want me to paint you a picture, Jack?”

“Hell no! What do you want to do, Harry? You want to go in tomorrow? I’m okay with advancing it a day, but the girl will be there. How do we handle that?”

“I need to think about this. I’m going outside for a little while. You don’t need me in here to beat this thing to death.”

When the kitchen door closed behind Harry, the room went silent. “Harry pretty much goes along with the flow. He’s feeling really strongly about this, as you can all tell. I’m okay with moving this gig up to tomorrow, but first I want to make sure that the kid is safe, and we can get her out of the house with nothing that will bite any of us on the butt. So, let’s run it all up the flagpole and see if we can make tomorrow work for us.”

“Shouldn’t Julie and her girls be in on this, or at least Julie, before we make any major decisions?” Annie asked.

“Absolutely,” Bert said. “You want to ask her? While you’re doing that, we’ll try and figure something out.”

“The child comes first. Just remember that,” Annie huffed as she made her way out of the kitchen and upstairs.

Jack smacked his hands together. “We need a plan.”

The others groaned.