Authors: Randi Cardoza
Chapter 13
By the time Kenzi woke up the next day Shawn was on his way to Memphis. Emma was wide-awake and was sitting by the bed staring at Sunshine, Shawn’s puppy.
“How did she get in here?” Kenzi asked knowing the dog wasn’t there the night before.
“I don’t know. She was lying at the bottom of the bed when I woke up. Is she yours?” Emma asked looking up at Kenzi as she tentatively petted Sunshine.
“No, she belongs to Shawn. Let’s go downstairs and see if there are any more surprises that he left for us,” Kenzi said getting up and heading toward the door. “Come on, Emma. I’ll make you pancakes and sausage for breakfast.”
“Can I have eggs instead of pancakes? They make my tummy hurt,” Emma asked as she and Sunshine followed Kenzi down the stairs.
“I guess so. You can sit at the table and watch while I make breakfast. Now let’s see if Shawn left us anything else,” Kenzi said as she pushed open the door to the kitchen.
Sitting on the table was an orchid in a vase along with a note and a bag of puppy food.
My Kenzi,
I’m sorry I had to leave so soon after we got back but you know what the job is like. I’m sorry to spring Sunshine on you like this but mom and dad took Mia and Tommy out on the boat right after I picked her up.
I contacted the police and they are going to be by to take Emma to a foster mother, surprisingly it’s Greta Blane. I know Emma will love her and you’ll probably be back here for a little while because of the Mortimer case.
I’ll call you if I can. I can’t wait to see you again, my love.
Love always,
Shawn
“What did Shawn say, Kenzi?” Emma asked as she climbed onto a chair by the kitchen table.
“He said that our friend Greta is going to be your foster mother. I’m sorry you can’t stay with me, Emma,” Kenzi said when Emma’s eyes turned a little sad.
“That’s okay. I like Sunshine, I wanted to play with her more,” Emma said putting up a façade.
“Well, I’ll tell you something. Our friend Greta has lots of money, is really
nice and loves kids
. You are going to be living with a real life fairy godmother, Emma. What do you think about that?”
“Does she have any kids?” Emma asked with intrigue dawning in her eyes.
“Greta isn’t married but she does have a brand new puppy that happens to be Sunshine’s sister. Now how about breakfast?” Kenzi asked as she turned to get the makings for breakfast out of the refrigerator.
A short while later, Emma was eating and the doorbell rang. Kenzi left Emma eating in the kitchen and went to get the door with Sunshine on her heels.
Jan Sullivan stood on the doorstep looking as bitchy as ever. She glared at Kenzi and then Sunshine when she growled at Jan.
“Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s no longer in your custody. She’s a ward of the state and will be living with a foster family. Now leave my house,” Kenzi said as she started to close the door.
“Please Kenzi, I just want my daughter. Jason left me and she’s all I have left,” Jan said in her whiny voice trying to convince Kenzi that she was an innocent by-stander.
“The police are on their way. They aren’t going to fall for your shit and neither am I. I suggest you leave my house before I have you arrested for trespassing, Jan,” Kenzi said pushing Jan out the door and closing it.
“Was that my mom?” Emma asked from behind Kenzi.
“Yes, it was. Did you want to go with her instead of staying here and then going to Greta’s?”
Emma cocked her head to the side for a moment and then said, “My mama didn’t love me enough to live with me after daddy left. She’s not going to love me now. I’ll go with Greta.”
“Okay. Well, why don’t we go call Greta and then see if I can take you to her rather than making you ride with the police to her house,” Kenzi said hugging Emma.
“Can I wear real clothes? I don’t like the ones I had on,” Emma asked looking at Kenzi as she sat down on the floor to pull up a large sock.
“I guess we can run to Farmington Place and buy you one new outfit and a pair of shoes before we go. I’m sure Greta will take you shopping as soon as she can, too.”
Kenzi quickly gave Emma her freshly washed clothes and then dressed herself in a pair of flare-leg jeans and a light blue tank top. In close to a half hour they were ready to go.
“Greta said she’d meet us at Farmington Place. She’s going to buy you lots of clothes and then you’re going to go home with her,” Kenzi explained as she pulled her car out of the garage.
“Will she let me come visit you and Shawn?”
“Of course she will. Shawn and I will take you out to get ice cream and to do some other stuff sometime.”
“But not right away?” Emma asked meeting Kenzi’s eyes in the rearview mirror from the backseat.
“Sweetheart, Shawn and I have a lot of stuff to work out between us and it may take a while.”
“Why?”
“Shawn and I used to be married. We had a little girl and someone took her away from us and that caused a lot of problems in our marriage. We’ve just started working it out and we’ve been divorced for three years.”
“Oh. Did you find your little girl?”
“No, but we are still hoping. Look, there’s Greta,” Kenzi said as she pointed out Greta waving at the car.
A short while later they were involved in a whirlwind of activity. There were so many clothes Greta had to have them sent to her house.
“Wow, Emma. You definitely know how to shop,” Greta said as she plopped down on a bench near the Coffee Bean Cafe.
Emma smiled and tugged at the purple ribbon in her hair. Princess Greta was a lot of fun and she knew they would get along great.
“Can I see your house?”
“Well, of course you can. You’re going to live there, aren’t you? Let’s eat lunch at here, first. What do you say Kenzi?” Greta asked looking around Emma to look at Kenzi.
“I think I’ll leave and let you two get acquainted,” Kenzi replied as she knelt down to look at Emma. “You call me anytime you want to, Greta has my phone number.”
“Yes I do. Maybe Emma can go to your house to play on Saturday after she starts school this week,” Greta said and smiled when Emma cheered the decision.
“I’ll see you on Saturday then,” Kenzi said as she waved good-bye and left Farmington Place.
When she got home there was a message from Shawn telling her that he’d arrived and would call her again later. There was also a message from the attorney handling the Wilson kidnapping needing her to go in and give her deposition.
“Geez. An agent’s work is never done,” Kenzi sighed as she plopped down on her couch to pet Sunshine and look through her mail.
Shawn sat in a motel room looking through the file that Mac had given him before he left that morning. How many more cases could he stand to go through thinking that it might possibly be Layla?
Running his fingers through his hair he conjured up Kenzi’s image in his mind. He wished she were in Memphis with him instead of in Farmington. The room phone rang and he pressed record on the machine before he answered.
“Hello?”
“Douglass, this is Agent John Stern. We need you to come down to Beale Street and meet with the rest of the team.”
“Why Beale Street?” Shawn asked.
“There’s a music festival going on right now…it won’t look unusual that four men are meeting for dinner during the festival.”
“Why would it look unusual anyway?”
“People down here are always suspicious of men meeting each other if it’s not in a sports bar. Remember this is the bible belt, any hint that we’re not just buddies and people will want to lynch us.”
“Then what about Mardi Gras? No one lynches anyone during Mardi Gras. I think you’re just paranoid, Stern,” Shawn replied.
“Maybe but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Wouldn’t you?”
“I guess. Will I have a hard time getting to Beale Street from my motel?” Shawn asked shoving his wallet in his back pocket.
“It’s about a mile from your motel. Just listen for the music and follow the crowds of people. We’ll be waiting at the Blue Suede Café. See you in half an hour,” said Stern and then the phone was dead.
Shawn muttered, “Well, I’ll call you later Kenzi. At least we’re still in the same time zone so I don’t have to worry about waking you up when I call you later.”
Chapter 14
Shawn walked to the meet with his temporary partners at the Blue Suede Café. The music was so loud on the streets he could hardly hear himself think but once he got inside, though it was crowded, it calmed down a little. Agent Stern waved him towards their table when Shawn walked in.
“I’d have known you anywhere,” Stern said with a slightly Cajun accent. “This is Agent Charles Brown and Agent Clark Kent.”
Shawn snorted at the obviously fake names until the two men looked at him with wry grins on their faces.
“Our parents just didn’t like us much,” said Brown who was like his name, brown hair balding on top, brown eyes, and a rotund body.
“My parents liked me just fine,” said Agent Kent, who was just the opposite of his given name. His stomach was starting to sag over his belt and his wheat-colored blond hair was thick and stick straight.
“So what’s new on this kidnapping?” Shawn asked after ordering a double cheeseburger and a coke from the waitress.
“You know the history right? She was taken four years ago from her backyard. Well, she was right 'bout six at the time and had learned her name, address, and telephone number,” Agent Stern said as he stirred the ice in his water glass.
“Let me guess, the kidnapper got a little hostile one night and she ran away from him and back to her old address. Why didn’t she do that before? Shawn asked.
“The girl was six when she was taken. She was terrified of her kidnapper and didn’t know she could get back home if she really wanted,” Agent Kent replied.
“Kicker of it was that she was only about five miles from home the entire four years she was gone,” Agent Brown added.
“Has her picture been updated?” Shawn asked.
Agent Stern handed him a new Polaroid of a frail girl with mahogany hair and turbulent gray eyes. Her hair was kept short probably so people wouldn’t notice the color so much.
“Has she talked to anybody since she’s been with her family?”
“Yep, she told us everything. Guess she figured she’s finally safe now. We even got his name,” Stern said sipping his water for effect.
“Well, what is his name?” Shawn asked and was starting to get annoyed.
“Scum of the earth should be it but it’s Leroy Garret. He’s also wanted on drug smuggling and possibly murder. Wanna hunt him down like the animal he is with us tomorrow?” asked Agent Kent.
Shawn didn’t like the hunting analogy but nodded his head. They formulated a plan, ate their meals, and all went their separate ways.
Kenzi sat in her bedroom staring at the phone. She’d taken a shower, painted her nails, and read a book but he hadn’t called back yet. What if something had happened to Shawn?
The phone rang loudly startling her out of her worry. She stumbled out of the bed, tripping over blankets, to get to the phone.
“Hello, Shawn?” she asked in frustration.
“Yep. I tried calling earlier but you weren’t home. Why do you sound all out of breath? What have you been doing while I’ve been gone?” Shawn teased.
“I’ve been worried sick since you’ve been gone. I actually read the first time in a long time.
AND
I think I can control myself until you get home,” Kenzi said her tone warning Shawn that she was upset.
“Oh, Kenzi, you know how this job works. I had to meet with the other agents on the case. I couldn’t think about anybody but you,” Shawn said his voice dropping a couple octaves.
“I miss you, Shawn. So does Sunshine,” Kenzi said as Sunshine jumped up on her bed and snuggled with her.
“What’s that scamp up to?”
“Oh she’s just sitting here snuggling up to me.”
“Tell her to stay away from my girl,” Shawn teased.
“She doesn’t care if I’m yours or not. She’s still gonna be sleeping with me while you sleep all
alone
.”
“So what are you wearing?” Shawn asked.
“Oh that nightgown you used to
hate
when we were married because you could see right through it. I remember that’s the way Layla was conceived,” Kenzi teased.
“Yeah, ”Shawn replied in a husky voice. “You are such a tease.”
“Well, you know. Maybe you can come visit one night and I’ll show you some new additions to my collection,” Kenzi replied with a chuckle.
Kenzi could hear someone knocking on the door and switched over to her cordless phone and put on her robe so she could answer the door.
“Hold on a sec, Shawn. Someone’s at the door.”
Kenzi opened the door with the phone in her hand to see Jan Spears standing there for the second time that day.
“What do you want Jan?” Kenzi asked coldly.
Tears began to roll down Jan’s cheeks and she said, “I want my baby back.”
She walked right past Kenzi not bothering to wait for Kenzi to invite her inside and sat down on the couch.
“I already told you Jan, Emma is with her foster family. She’s no longer your concern. Furthermore, she didn’t want to go back to you anyway, she told me herself,” Kenzi said standing in front of Jan.
“You’re lying,” Jan said as anger started to burn bright in her eyes.
“Please leave, Jan. There’s nothing here for you,” Kenzi said walking towards the door.
“The hell I will,” Jan said and grabbed Kenzi’s hair yanking her back into the living room.