Chapter 17
CHASE LAY in bed next to Jerrod, worried about him. He hadn’t slept and kept getting up in the night. More than once, Chase had found him in Peter’s room, sitting in the chair watching him sleep. Finally, Jerrod had dropped off and was now quiet and resting. At least that was what Chase hoped. Chase understood how worried Jerrod had been and that he just needed to see Peter and know that he was okay, but he still worried with everything piling on Jerrod that the weight of it would be too much.
He checked the time and slipped out of bed, grateful it was a Sunday morning. Chase was off shift, and most likely Jerrod didn’t have appointments, so he hoped they could have a day to relax and spend some time together. Quietly, he dressed and left the room, finding Peter in his room, playing. “You hungry?” Chase asked.
“Yes.” He left what he was playing and followed Chase down the stairs, still in his dinosaur PJs. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s sleeping, and he’s really tired,” Chase told him.
Peter nodded as though he understood. “He’s been grumpy a lot.”
“Your daddy has been really worried. He has to deal with the old house and then some other stuff with his work. So what we really need to do is be quiet and let him sleep some more. I was thinking that if you want, I could find some cartoons and you could watch them on my iPad after breakfast.”
“Okay.” Peter sat down at the table. “Can you make pancakes? I really want those. With blueberries in them.”
“I can do that.” Chase checked the cupboards until he found some mix and began following the instructions. He also found frozen blueberries and set to work.
“Will Daddy always be sad?” Peter asked.
“No. It’s just hard for him right now. But your daddy loves you very much, and I don’t think he’s going to be sad for very much longer. Maybe what he needs to be not sad is some pancakes. How about we take some to him later?”
“Yeah.” Peter seemed excited.
Chase got some small pancakes going in a pan and sprinkled in some blueberries. Once he had a few, he plated them for Peter and helped him butter them. He didn’t want syrup, and Chase let him eat as he made himself a stack.
“Are they good?”
“Yummy,” Peter said with a grin, shoving more pancake in his mouth.
Chase ate his breakfast before making some fresh pancakes and putting them on a plate. He was looking around for a tray when Jerrod came into the room.
“Daddy, we were going to bring you some.”
“Pancakes?” Jerrod asked as Chase set down the plate for him. They shared a smile, and then he dug right in. “These are so good.”
“You were tired, Daddy.”
“I was. But I’m not now, and maybe after we all get dressed we can go out and have some fun. Would you like that?”
“Yeah. Can we go to the zoo?”
“Lake Tobias?” Chase asked.
“Yay. I like the zoo,” Peter declared, and just like that it seemed they had picked their activity for the day. “They have lots of fun animals, and you can even pet some of them.” Peter got up and left the room, probably to dress so they could go.
“If you want to spend some time at home, we’ll understand,” Jerrod said.
“I like the zoo,” Chase told him. “But I do need to go home and get some fresh clothes.” He cleared the table and put the dishes in the sink. “Maybe you could take me to the Y to get my truck, and then I can run home, change quick, and we can go, if that’s okay. I’ll understand if you want this to be just you and Peter.” He had been spending a lot of time with Jerrod and his tiny family, and maybe they needed some space to themselves.
Peter raced back and slid to a stop. “Mr. Chase, you need to come too,” Peter said. “We can see the buck buck buck chickens and the moo moo moo cows.” He was so excited.
“Of course I want you to come,” Jerrod said. “Give us a few minutes to get dressed and we’ll take you over to get your truck.” Jerrod lifted Peter into his arms and flew him out of the room. At least some of his tension seemed to have slipped to the background.
AS JERROD drove them north of Halifax, Chase and Peter played a game. “What does a peacock say?” Peter asked with giggles. And Chase did his best to imitate their spine-curling cry. Beautiful birds, ugly sound.
“What does an alligator say?” Chase asked in return. Peter thought and then made a roar sound. “Actually, I don’t think they make a sound unless it’s chomp, chomp.” He tickled Peter’s belly and got more giggles.
“Daddy, what does a bunny say?” Peter asked.
“I don’t know. Do they squeal sometimes?” he asked.
“No. Bunnies are quiet. They eat carrots, so maybe they make noise when they eat. I don’t know.” That seemed like the definitive answer. “Are we almost there yet?”
“Yes. Just a little longer,” Jerrod answered as Chase tried to think of another animal.
“I know. What does a camel sound like?” Chase asked, turning back to Peter, who shrugged. “They make a grunty sound, and if you get them angry, they spit.” As the game wound down, they turned into the entrance. Jerrod parked the car, and they climbed out.
“Can we go on the safari?” Peter asked. “I wanna see the giraffes and the lions. Roar….” He bounded away and then came right back, giving them a “what are you waiting for?” look.
“We’ll be right there,” Jerrod said and then pressed Chase against the side of the truck, kissing him quickly. “Thanks for coming. I think this is going to be fun, and we all deserve some of that.”
He smiled, and Chase did the same. Damn, Jerrod could get his motor revved in one hell of a hurry. But this was so not the place for that. Then Jerrod backed away and walked over to take Peter’s hand. “Let’s go see everything.” He had almost as much energy as Peter.
Jerrod paid their admission, and they stepped through the gate, Peter running toward the first enclosure. “Damn.” He instantly tensed, his smile fading fast. “That’s Steve Wilson with his family.” He ground his teeth.
“Okay.” In that moment, Chase saw when Steve noticed Jerrod, as a cloud descended over his expression. “Go talk to him a minute. Maybe make sure he’s okay after what’s come out. I’ll take Peter to the lion enclosure, and we’ll meet you there.” Chase joined Peter, and they headed off to look at the lions, though Chase kept turning back just to make sure Jerrod was okay.
“ISN’T HE pretty?” Peter asked as they stood outside the enclosure. The male lion rested on a rock, sunning himself. “I wish we could get one.”
“Lions and big cats like that aren’t pets. They’re wild animals, and they need to be out in big spaces, hunting and being around other lions.”
“Then why is this one in there? Should they take it back?” Peter was such an observant kid, his mind always working.
“You see, he was born in captivity, in a zoo of some sort, and he isn’t able to take care of himself in the wild. That’s why he’s here. But other lions, baby ones, they have a chance to live free.” Chase hoped he explained it to Peter in a way he could understand. “Besides, when lions are small, they’re about as big as a cat, but they grow to be that big. Do you want to have to feed him out of your allowance?”
Peter shook his head. “Maybe I can get a kitty cat instead.”
“Good thinking,” Chase said as Jerrod approached, his expression thunderous. “We were just talking about the lions, and Peter has decided he doesn’t want one.”
Jerrod seemed to snap back to the present. “Well, that’s a relief.” He took Peter’s hand, and they continued down the path, his walk rigid. “It seems our friend has been very worried and watching his back. But he thinks that another friend is behind all this.”
“The other guy you fired?” Chase asked.
“Gary, and he isn’t sure. But he says that he thinks he’s being followed sometimes, and he’s been getting strange phone calls—not nice ones.” Chase figured Jerrod was talking vaguely so Peter wouldn’t get upset.
“Daddy, look,” Peter said, pointing to a huge lollipop, his eyes wide with wonder. “Can I have one?”
“Maybe a smaller one,” Jerrod said just as Peter bounced with excitement.
“Peter, I’ll buy you one that size,” Chase said, pointing to one that wasn’t too huge. “You go decide what flavor you want, and your daddy and I will help you get one. Okay?” Peter hurried to the cart to look, and Chase turned to Jerrod. “We have about two minutes.”
“Steve is really scared. He’s seen Gary around a few times with a woman. It’s all he was able to tell me. But Steve said that Gary always had an interest in devices and building things. He didn’t have time to go into anything more, but I think when we get back, we need to tell Red. Though I’m sure he’s aware of the guy.”
“Yeah. But each piece of information might help. We’ve looked at just about everyone at this point, and maybe all it will take is one bit of information for the pieces to fit together.” Chase pulled out his phone and sent the info they had gotten to Red. He got an almost immediate acknowledgment saying that they were looking into it. “Okay. Let’s leave them to do their job, and we can have some fun.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“I want a cherry one,” Peter said as he raced back to them. Chase went to the cart and helped him get his treat. “Can I eat it now?”
“How about I take it to the truck and we put it aside until you get home? We don’t want to get dirt on it.”
Peter sighed. “Okay.”
Chase paid for it and ran out to the truck. He put the lollipop where it would stay cool and then returned, showing his ticket for reentry. “Are you ready to go?” It seemed by their smiles that they both were.
PETER WAS half asleep by the time they got him into the house. They had had hot dogs, seen everything, ridden the safari tour, and practiced animal sounds until Chase’s throat hurt. Jerrod put Peter on the sofa, and he dozed off almost immediately. “Where does he get all that energy?”
Jerrod chuckled. “Just wait. He’ll rest for half an hour and then he’ll be raring to go again.” He went to the kitchen, and Chase followed him. “I’m going to brew some coffee. Do you want some too?”
“That would be nice.” Chase sat at the table. “It was a fun day today.”
“It was, and I think I needed that.” Jerrod started the pot and sat down across from him. “I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed these past few days. And I keep wondering what’s going to happen next. Though if I can survive Gizelle deciding to take Peter to the movies, I suppose I can live through anything.” The coffee hissed as it brewed, the room filling with the roasted scent. Jerrod took Chase’s hand, and they sat quietly until a knock on the door made them jump.
“Do you want me to get it?” Chase offered.
“Every time that happens, I wonder what’s going to happen next,” Jerrod admitted, and Chase went to answer the knock.
He opened the door partway. “Can I help you?”
“I need to speak to Jerrod,” the man said breathlessly. Chase had no idea who it was, and he stayed in the doorway as Jerrod came up behind him.
“What do you want?” Jerrod asked harshly. “You need to leave.”
The man’s expression shifted from harried to threatening in a split second. “You need to listen to what I have to say.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Chase added. “But you need to leave.” Who in the hell was this guy anyway? He turned toward Jerrod, and as he did, the man pushed at Chase, nearly knocking him down, but he recovered and blocked the guy from getting inside. “Call the police,” Chase snapped without taking his eyes off the potential intruder.
“I am,” Jerrod said from behind him, and the guy turned and ran off down the sidewalk.
“Who was that?”
“Gary Lutz.”
Chase hurried to the door and outside, pulling out his phone as he went. The call to Red went to voicemail. He left a message with the license plate and make of the car he was driving. He also relayed that he seemed to have threatened Jerrod. Once the black Toyota was gone, he returned and closed the door, locking it behind him.
“What the hell was he thinking?” Chase asked as he held Jerrod tightly. “Oh God. That guy tried to get in here.”
“I know.” Jerrod held Chase in return. “Damn, I’m glad you’re strong and fast.” Jerrod pulled away and lightly stroked Peter’s head, which woke him. “Why can’t anything just settle down? I’m an electrician, but lately every bit of drama in this town seems to center on me.”
“And your sister-in-law,” Chase said to himself. “Do you have this Steve’s number? If not, get it. I have a question to ask him.”
“Huh…?”
“You said that Steve saw Gary around town with a woman.” He approached Jerrod, whose eyes widened.
“No way.” But Chase nodded slowly. “Holy crap. You think Gizelle is involved in all of this?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. I’d like to see what he has to say.”
Jerrod left the room and returned with a number. Chase dialed it and waited. “Hello.”
“This is a friend of Jerrod’s,” Chase said.
“I’m going to hang up.”
“Don’t. I think we may be able to help each other end this… all of it. Gary just paid us a visit and tried to get inside. The guy seemed a little crazy.”
Steve breathed deeply enough the phone hummed. “He is.”
Chase figured he’d take his shot. “You said you saw him with a woman. What did she look like?”
“I don’t know. Middle height, with straight blond hair that was probably colored at one time. She looked kind of ragged. I guess if I think about it, her clothes were ruffled, and she carried this huge old-lady handbag.” Chase found himself nodding, but Steve didn’t stop there. “She had this mark on her neck, like a pink smudge.” He paused. “Why is this important?”
“Because I think I might know who she is,” Chase answered. “Thank you. Maybe we can bring this thing to an end for all of us.” He ended the call.
“It was her?”
Chase nodded. “I’m sure of it.”
“Do you think she really knows anything?” Jerrod asked.
“I don’t know. But I think we might be finally unraveling all of this.” At least he sure as hell hoped so.