Authors: D. T. Jones
They sat in chairs near the front of the house discussing the weather, the babies, the events surrounding the bodies found on their property and even marriage.
“Pity to hear about Mrs. Stone,” Jason said.
“Yes it was, I always liked her,” Creighton added in a sad tone. “She was really nice to all the kids around here.”
“I figured her husband had something to do with it, and now that he’s gone missing, it only goes to prove I was right.”
“What do you mean he’s gone missing?” Creighton frowned as the two continued to talk. Sandra sat listening, feeling very much like a lump on a log, but curious about the conversation.
“Didn’t you know?
Nobody heard a dicky-bird from him in days and his shop’s been closed for days. I guess he decided to sling his hook, especially after your brother learned he was lying about his past.”
“I haven’t heard from Andrew in a few days,” Creighton said with a frown.
“So you didn’t know Stone was really Ian Darby? He’s been wanted by Scotland Yard for years.”
“For what?”
“Assault, rape, forgery; twenty years ago he beat his old aunt half to death over a bloody argument. He’s a radge pot.”
Creighton was silent for several minutes before Jason cleared his throat, bringing him back to reality. Sandra knew he was angry, she could feel it, Andrew promised to keep him informed of any and all developments surrounding the deaths and it looked like he had failed. Somehow, she knew her husband would not accept failure under any circumstance; especially from the brother he had such a rocky relationship with.
“So, Crey, what brings you here?” Jason asked.
“
You know we’re trying to start our own farm,” he told the man. Sandra noticed the slight frown on the Jason’s weathered face. Grey streaked brown hair fell across a matching brow as a soft breeze caressed his face.
“Your dad said as much,” Jason answered.
“Well, to be honest, I’ve heard that you’re selling some of your inventory,” Creighton continued smoothly, hiding his recent irritation. “Sandra and I haven’t had a chance to go to market and fine our own and I know how well you care for yours. I was wondering if we could make a deal.”
“What did you have in mind?” the man asked, a soft pink tinting his prematurely aged face.
“There’s a new barn and corral, but nothing to put in them. Sandra comes from a farming family in America and knows as much about animals as I do. In fact, her grandparents will be moving over here in the next few days and once they are settled, they were thinking about returning to their roots and starting a farm. We are looking for a few sheep, cattle, some chickens, maybe even a goat or two and were hoping to start a garden, but we haven’t the equipment needed.
“
I’m willing to pay well for them, if I like what you are selling. I like the idea of not having to go outside the area to find our animals. They are already settled to the climate and the land, so buying local is a bonus. I’m not a patient man, Jason, and I hate shopping. This could be beneficial for both of us.”
“I am selling, and I have quite a few new piglets born this year. As for the planting, I have some machinery I want to get rid of. They aren’t new by any means, but they’ll get you started.”
“Can we take a look?” Creighton asked. “I’d like to see what you have available.”
Jason nodded and turned to his eldest son, yelling at him to get off the car’s bonnet and watch his siblings, then walked with Creighton and Sandra to the back of the property where his sheep were happily grazing.
They discussed the number of animals he had available and the price he was asking, which Creighton argued wasn’t fair market. He again admitted that buying local would be worth far more than the asking price and they began to discuss cost, delivery and the amount of animals willing to be sold.
Sandra fought the smile that threatened to reveal itself across her lips; she was proud of her husband and admired his dealings with their neighbor. He had a way of making a person feel comfortable with his ideas and excited to move forward. It was the same tactic he used when he convinced her to marry him; a decision she never regretted.
Creighton picked up a small piglet and inspected it as the two men spoke then handed it off to her. She looked at it with the eye of a farmer, inspecting it for health and size, though she knew it was pointless. Her husband had already decided on purchasing it, along with its siblings and parents.
By the time they left, with the promise that the livestock would be delivered the following day and the money would be transferred into Jason’s account within the hour,
Jason was seventy thousand euros richer and no longer at the mercy of the banks or the economy.
Sandra sat in the seat next to her husband, her heart full of admiration and love for the man who owned it. She mentally thought of her sister, eager to send her flowers and a thank you
card for filling out that entry form. Without it, she wasn’t certain where she would be, but she knew that with it her life was forever changed.
As the car pulled into the driveway of their property, she got a wicked idea. She reached for Creighton’s phone
poking out of the top of his pants pocket as he shut the car off and unfastened his belt. He looked at her with a deep frown while she played with the screen for a moment then handed it back to him with a broad smile.
“Ten minutes,” she told him, watching his expression change to one of excitement. “Then come find me.”
Sandra jumped out of the car and ran up the steps to the porch, not waiting for her husband to join her. He watched her go and smiled; he didn’t know what he had done to put her in the mood to play, but he was not going to argue with it.
“You promised to keep me abreast of what was happening and then I find out from a neighbor that Stone was hiding under an alias?” Creighton was angry as he paced the floor of the den. He had been yelling at his brother for the past five minutes over the phone. Sandra occupied herself with making supper, but the house was quiet enough that she could hear her husband’s one sided conversation clearly.
“Damn it, Andrew, I would never have brought Sandra back here if I had thought there was still a threat of danger. Where is the bugger now?”
“Crey, if you will calm down, we can discuss this,” Andrew told his brother. “I didn’t tell you about Stone because I was trying to verify the information first. What you heard was rumors, not the facts. I just learned today that he was using an alias and was wanted.”
“That doesn’t excuse the fact, I was not informed.”
“Listen to me,” Andrew said with a deep sigh. “I didn’t tell you because I honestly didn’t think there
were any dangers. Stone, or Darby as it is, has been a law abiding citizen for over twenty years. He may not have many friends, but he has never done anything to make us suspicious until now. After his trouble in Swansea, he changed his name and joined the military and fought in Viet Nam. He simply disappeared into the background, never contacted his family again and just created a new life for himself. If it wasn’t for finding Lynette’s body, he would still be the grouchy old man who ran the store in Northallerton.”
“He’s on the run now though; doesn’t that make him look a bit more suspicious?” Creighton asked, his ire a bit less heated.
“Yes it does, but we’ll find him. He’s an old man who suffers from diabetes and gout; he can’t run far.”
Creighton was silent for several moments as he ran his hand through his hair, thinking about what his brother said. He wasn’t afraid of Harry Stone, or Ian Darby, but it did explain why he refused a lie detector.
“Just keep me informed, no matter how insignificant you may think it may be.” Andrew laughed through the receiver as he listened to his younger brother’s frustration.
“
If you were anyone other than my little brother, I’d tell you to bugger off,” Andrew said. “I’ll let you know when we have any more information. Until then, try and enjoy your wife and her charms and stop worrying about this. Bachmeier is dead – both of them, Stone will be caught and the world will return to a normal, chaotic pace, just the way you like it.” Creighton couldn’t help but smile as he bid his brother good-night and hung up the phone.
He knew he was over reacting, but he had a pregnant wife, a new home and now a farm full of animals to be concerned with, not to mention his parents and soon enough, Sandra’s grandparents. Chaotic lifestyle didn’t even come close to the weight he carried on his shoulders. As much as it was self-inflicted, he knew he wouldn’t change a thing. He was happy and more content and settled than he had ever felt before. He just couldn’t help but worry; what else was going to come up to jeopardize all of it?
Sandra leaned against the railing of the corral, watching their sheep explore their
new surroundings. She had to admit, they had made a good investment in the animals, though probably not seventy thousand euros worth. They had purchased nearly the entire load of Jason’s inventory, leaving a Noah’s Ark sampling for the family to rebuild their surplus.
All in all, they had over a hundred chickens, forty sheep and twenty two
hogs, seven of which were currently pregnant and two with piglets born that spring. With nine cows, one bull and a female puppy for Max, their farm was complete and they had already begun the normal routine of chores that morning.
Creighton had
awakened at three that morning to milk the cows and tend to the larger animals while she struggled to open her eyes. He left the house with a whistle and if she wasn’t mistaken, a bounce in his step. He loved living on a farm and felt more useful than sitting behind a desk all day.
Sandra gathered the eggs and slopped the hogs, fed the chickens and had breakfast all but finished by the time her husband came in through the back door, carrying a bucket of milk. He sat it on the counter, kissed his wife on the cheek then hurried up the stairs to take a shower.
The day progressed with the usual amount of teasing, tempting and occasional romps while they went about their daily business. They explored and
initiated
the hayloft and Creighton told her it was better than anything he had ever done with Miriam.
He was an amazing, talented man who always seemed to find use in whatever was around him; including the stand for the saddles and the new whip purchased for when their horses they had purchased from his uncle arrived.
Emma’s brother, Fenton called the day before yesterday to say he was sending them a present; two thoroughbreds, a male and a female, to start their own ranch. He was eager to see if his nephew was as good with breeding as he was with lemons.
Life was good; she had the man of her dreams and the life she loved, only on a different continent.
She had started writing and found herself completely engrossed in it. While she wrote Creighton worked; if she was in the living room, he was on the sofa next to her, laptop in hand; if she was in the den with the new laptop he had purchased for her, he was at the desk across from her. They never seemed to be far apart and that was exactly as she liked it. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and smiled; she was certain at that particular moment in time, nothing could go wrong.
The sun had nearly set over the fields and the world was slowly beginning to wind down. The sounds of crickets chirping could be heard across the fields and the laughter
and shouts of Derek’s children playing in their grandparents’ front yard echoed through the stillness. Emma and William had stopped by earlier that afternoon to give them a dish of something they called
chicken tikka masala
for their supper, insisting that the couple be left alone for a quiet evening. The truth was, Emma had suggested more than once, that the house was far too large for a couple without a family.
Sandra smiled as she thought about the following few days. Once her grandparents were settled, she and Creighton would be telling his family she was pregnant. Kristen was already insisting the small room next to theirs would make a wonderful nursery and Irena was telling everyone she would be an aunt by next spring. Without a doubt, her in-laws would be thrilled when they learn about the baby. Since their visit to the doctor in Kansas, both new parents were content that all was well, but making the announcement just didn’t seem right without everyone present, though
daddy
was getting very anxious to start telling people.
“What are you doing out here alone?” Creighton asked, joining her by the fence.
“I was just thinking about my husband,” she said with a smile. “I love him for so many reasons; not just because he has a nice body and knows how to use it.”
“He’s not that great. I hear he’s rather odd; has a weird sexual appetite from what I understand.”
“Really? I never noticed, but then again, I haven’t seen him very much today. I suppose things could have changed since the last I knew.”
“
What a pity, someone as beautiful as you should be showered with constant praise and admiration.”
“Since my very neglectful husband isn’t home, would you be interested in the position of showering and praising?”
“Without a doubt,” he smiled, taking her hand and leading her toward the back door of their house. “I must warn you though; I have a tendency to be rather passionate in my duties.”