Chapter 16 #2
The sudden blast of the news alert silenced the entire dining room. They turned where they sat, saw Jacob’s sons, and then one by one, got up from their seats and moved closer to hear what was being said.
Asher felt Dylan and Gunner moving up behind him.
When Special Agent Alex Worth appeared on screen, they tensed.
But the moment he began, they knew he was good for his word.
The first words out of his mouth were about the recovery of the missing money, and then the story of how it came to be found.
He stated vehemently that had someone not tried to murder Jacob Kingston, and had his sons, two of whom were officers of the law in their own lives, not joined together to work with the local authorities in an effort to find who tried to kill their father, the money would not have been found.
He lauded the sons for solving a twenty-one-year-old cold case, as well as catching the attempted murderers and turning them over to the local authorities.
He also included the moral strength and honor it must have taken for Jacob’s sons, in realizing the depth of their mother’s involvement and still wanting the truth revealed.
The show returned to normal programming, but the room full of diners was silent, in awe of what they’d heard, but not sure how to react.
It wasn’t until Asher and his brothers high-fived each other that the room erupted in cheers, then the brothers swooped Pearl up into their arms and carried her through the dining room on their shoulders like the heroine she was.
“Pearl is the heroine! She’s the one who saved Dad’s life. We just butt-kicked the perps who tried to kill him,” Gunner said.
Pearl was laughing and crying and whopping all three of them on the head. “Something’s burning in the kitchen. Put me down!” she cried.
Davey the grill cook came running. “It was me, Pearl. It was me. It’s out. It’s okay,” then darted back into the kitchen.
More laughter erupted as they were putting her down. She was red-faced and giggling as she hurried back into the kitchen. Diners returned to their seats, and the brothers seated themselves at an empty table.
Asher looked out across the room at the faces of the diners, most of whom they’d known all their lives. Today had ended the last ugly whisper of gossip about them and their dad. It had been a long time coming, but the justice was sweet.
He wished with all his heart that Nora had been here to celebrate with him, but it gave him a sense of peace, knowing the family they made together would never be painted with a brush of suspicion.
As they ate the food that they’d ordered, Jacob Kingston was celebrating on his own. He, too, had been watching TV, hoping to catch the bulletin, but he was alone when it began airing, and it was just as well. He watched the entire press conference with tears rolling down his face.
For the first time since the day the Feds took Brenda away in cuffs, he felt clean again—no longer a shadowy suspect in the eyes of the public.
No more ugly gossip. He owed Pearl for saving his life, and he owed his sons for tracking down his killers, and for saving his reputation.
He wasn’t sure how the rest of his life would play out, but there wasn’t going to be another day he lived without gratitude for still breathing.
* * *
After the brothers got back to the house, they sat down at the kitchen table for one last meeting, totaled up shared costs, and Venmoed their share of cost to each brother they owed, right down to Gunner’s rental car that they’d all been using.
“Okay, we’re square with each other on money, but there are still a couple of things we need to do here. If Dad’s coming home tomorrow, then we need to clean house, shop for groceries for him, not what we’ve been eating, do the laundry, and basically give him his house back.”
“I’ll clean,” Dylan said.
“I’ll shop for the groceries,” Gunner said.
Asher nodded. “Then I’ll do all the laundry.
Also, if you two want to go home, get online and find flights that will get you home tomorrow.
I can drop both of you off at the airport before I pick Dad up, and once I get him home and settled, and the home health nurse shows up, then I’ll return the car rental and fly home in the chopper. ”
“I predict Dad is going to have a string of visitors once he gets home. He won’t be lonely, and after he’s well enough to open the bar again, he’ll have all kinds of company,” Dylan said.
“Get your flights figured out first, then we start in here,” Asher said.
“I have the name and number of the home health nurse who will be coming. I’m going to call him to make sure he has the right schedule.
Remember to put everything we dragged out back where you found it, so Dad doesn’t have to go looking for what he needs. ”
“The nurse is a guy?” Gunner said.
Asher shrugged. “It seemed like a choice that would make Dad more comfortable in his own home.”
“Good call,” Gunner said.
“I know one thing he needs,” Dylan said. “He didn’t get to winterize the place before this happened. I’ll get the covers put on all of the outside faucets, and put up the storm shutters on the windows in the spare rooms. It will keep the house warmer when snowstorms hit.”
“I’ll take his truck when I go get groceries,” Gunner said. “That way I can take it by the garage, refill the fuel and get the oil changed, and make sure the antifreeze level is safe.”
Satisfied with their decisions, Dylan and Gunner got online to book their flights, while Asher went in another room to call the nurse. Everything was finally falling back into place.
* * *
The Brandt brothers were in a different situation.
Everett and Freddie were in separate cells, with separate court-ordered lawyers, and Freddie, being Freddie, didn’t know enough to lie about even one aspect of what they’d done.
It soon became clear that his limited ability to understand and his devotion to his brother was what put him where he was.
And Everett, knowing Freddie, was prepared for the attempted murder charge he saw looming, and mentally preparing himself for the guilt of knowing, by his absence alone, he’d just thrown Freddie to the wolves.
As he was staring through the bars of the holding cell and waiting for his arraignment, he had to admit Freddie had been right about one thing. They should never have gone looking for that money.
* * *
Nora’s shoulders were tired from the long drive, and her hand with the stitches was throbbing from gripping the steering wheel for so long.
The good news was, she was more or less home. She still had to weave her way through the massive infrastructure of the streets and bypasses of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but she knew where she was, and how to get where she needed to be, even though that would take at least another hour.
As she’d been driving, a thought about the house she’d just sold occurred to her.
Without a bank involved, and with Sonny and Maggie buying the place as is, and once the contract was signed, there was no reason to delay Chris and Ellen Jackson’s move.
The sooner they could get into the property before hard winter set in, the better for everyone all around.
She made a mental note to call Patty and tell her, and then give Sonny a heads-up that his offer was accepted. It was also a reminder about getting herself relocated for the same reason.
Even the thought of the ivory tower was enticing right now.
She was going for a bath in her Jacuzzi with jasmine-scented bath salts, and DoorDash for sustenance.
Whatever she’d left in her refrigerator was ready to be tossed, and buying up a bunch of groceries would defeat her plan to exit to Austin ASAP.
She had a running list in her head of things to do, and the first was letting Ash know she was home.
The second was notifying her boss she was back on the job full-time and would be moving residence to Austin within the month.
The third was getting out of her lease and setting a moving date with Asher, then selling her furniture to a staging company.
They were always on the lookout for nice things to stage homes for sale.
It was exciting, and nerve-wracking, and every damn bit worth it just to be Asher Kingston’s wife.
And when she finally pulled off the city street into the attached parking garage to her high-rise, she was exhausted. She pulled into her private parking space and killed the engine, then leaned her forehead for a few moments out of relief.
A security guard recognized her car, and when he saw her, came knocking on her window.
“Miss Borden, Miss Borden, are you okay?”
Nora looked up, then nodded and opened the door. “I’m fine, Howie. Just exhausted from a very long drive.”
“Can I help you get your luggage out of the car?” he asked.
“Yes, with gratitude,” she said, and unlocked the doors for him to get her luggage from the back seat, while she gathered up the things from the front.
“I’ll pull it to the elevator for you. I heard of your father’s passing. I’m sorry for your loss,” he said as they were walking.
“Thank you, but as you know, it was also his blessing. Alzheimer’s is a cruel, cruel way to die.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Howie said, and when they reached the elevator, he pressed the button for her, then rolled her suitcases inside before stepping out of the car. “Welcome home.”
The doors slid shut. She pressed the button to her floor, knowing it would take her straight to the penthouse floor without stopping, and when the doors opened again, the long walk down the hallway to her door awaited her.
She began unlocking the first of three locks, then slipped in fast enough to disarm security before it began to sound, but she was home.