Chapter 17 #2
Asher sat down on the side of the bed. “Yes, I will, I promise. I’m already packed, and the chopper is serviced and waiting. I wish I didn’t have to leave you like this, but you’re in good hands. I checked him out twenty ways to Sunday before I even called to see if he was free.”
“I would have expected nothing less,” Jacob said.
“I am calling Pearl to let her know that you are home, and who’s taking care of you, so be prepared for her to show up unannounced to inspect him on her own,” Ash said.
“And if you ever get a chance, you need to come clean with her, if for no other reason than to clear your conscience there, too. As you once told me, what happened between Nora and me was a shame. A damn shame. The same goes for you and Pearl. Love you, Dad. Be good. Get well, and expect many calls to get updates on your recovery.” Then he leaned over and kissed the top of Jacob’s head and ruffled his hair.
Jacob grinned. “Safe flight, Asher. I’m going to be fine.”
Asher straightened the covers on Jacob’s bed, and walked out.
Benny was sitting at the kitchen table reading the doctor’s instruction sheets. “I see there were two prescriptions called in.”
“I’ll pick them up and drop them off before I leave,” Ash said. “Now let me run through the rest of the stuff with you and anything you don’t know, ask Dad. He raised all three of us in this house. He knows it inside out.”
A few minutes later, Asher was out the door and headed to Belker’s to get the meds, and when he went in to pick them up, found them ready and waiting.
“Does this mean Jacob is home?” the pharmacist asked.
“Yes, and for the time being, with a home health nurse on-site. My brothers have already gone home and I’m flying home this afternoon. I have to get home before bad weather sets in, or my chopper will wind up spending the winter at the Amarillo airport.”
The man behind Asher overheard, and curiosity got the better of him. “You have a helicopter?” he asked.
“Yep,” Asher said, and headed out the door with the meds.
But instead of calling Pearl, he made a knee-jerk decision and stopped at the Rose to tell her goodbye.
Cheryl was at a nearby table when he walked in.
“Hey, Cheryl, is Pearl in the kitchen?”
“Where else?” Cheryl said.
“Would I get in trouble if I popped my head in to say goodbye?”
Cheryl winked. “You’d be in more trouble if you didn’t.”
Asher gave her a thumbs-up and walked through the dining room and into the kitchen.
The surprise on Pearl’s face was obvious. “Everything okay?”
“It’s all good, honey,” Asher said. “I just brought Dad home. There’s a home health nurse on-site with him for a while. His name is Benny Armstrong. I’m dropping off some meds for Dad and then I’m going home.”
Pearl wiped her hands and hugged him tight. “Don’t you worry about Jacob. There’s a whole town full of people who will have his back. All he has to do is ask and it will be done. Take care of you. We’ll take care of your dad.”
Asher kissed her on the cheek, got a swat on his backside for his trouble and laughed all the way out the door. He drove back to the house long enough to hand the meds to Benny, and then he was gone.
* * *
Three hours later, he was at the hangar in Austin, transferring his bags into his car, and finally heading to his house in rush-hour traffic. The perfect way to be welcomed home.
Walking into his residence was a relief and a letdown.
He began by turning up the thermostat, hanging up his coat and Stetson, and leaving his bags in his bedroom to deal with later.
After kicking off his boots, he walked sock-footed into the kitchen, got a cold beer out of his fridge, then sent texts to his dad and brothers, letting them know he was back in Austin, and a separate one to Nora.
I’m home, darlin’. Wish you were here.
Love, Ash
When Nora got the text, she sent a two-word reply.
Me, too.
He went to sleep that night with his alarm set for work the next day. He didn’t know what his next assignment would be, but he was going to miss working it with his brothers.
* * *
Asher’s drive to work was hectic as usual, but as he was walking into the building, he felt the pull of the badge and what it stood for—for the power it gave him to sort through the lies people told, and find a truth that either sets someone free or puts them behind bars where they belong.
He rode the elevator up, walked into the Office of Special Investigation, only to find all the people he worked with gathered, and applauding him as he entered.
He paused. “I take it you missed me?”
They laughed as his boss, Steven Watts, stepped forward. “Come on, Kingston… Big kudos from the FBI? Solved a twenty-one-year-old cold case for them? Caught the perps who tried to kill your father? Way to go!”
“I didn’t do it by myself, and you know it. With one brother working homicide for the Dallas PD, and the other owning a construction company threatening to bury the perps in cement for free, they drop at our feet.”
The room erupted in laughter.
“Joking aside,” Watts said, “we hope your father is okay.”
“Brought him home yesterday morning with a home health nurse to attend for a bit. He’s on the mend. Enough about me. What’s cooking?”
“The case is on your desk, tied up with a pretty bow and a deadline,” Watts said.
“Thank you, sir. Just how I like it,” Asher said, and headed for his desk.
* * *
Gunner’s arrival at work was an echo of what Asher experienced.
He walked into the homicide division to applause and big thumps on the back, and two wolf whistles from a couple of female detectives.
He was all smiles until their lieutenant, Moe Daily, walked in.
“Kingston, good to have you back in one piece. Clearly, you have wreaked your usual havoc to the point of embarrassing the Feds, which puts you back on my Christmas list. I hope your father is recovering nicely?”
“Yes, sir. He is,” Gunner said.
Moe Daily shifted into a more serious mode. “Although your work was done outside the division, a commendation will still be added to your file. You and your brothers are a force of nature, are they not?”
“Overcompensation for living down the woman who birthed us,” he said. “Are there any caramel Long Johns left?”
One of the female detectives who’d whistled at him was waving a little white flag from the back of the room. “I saved one for you. It’s on your desk. What do I get in return?”
“Never mind then. You eat it,” Gunner said.
She laughed, and the rest laughed with her. They already knew Gunner Kingston took no prisoners when it came to office teasing. He was off-limits on the job, and tight-lipped about what went on when he went home.
Moe Daily saw past the jokes to the shadows in Gunner’s eyes, and he had nothing but respect for men who sought justice for their father, and still honorable enough to get the goods on their own mother, and let it be known.
“At any rate, welcome back,” Daily said.
Gunner nodded. “Good to be back,” he said.
* * *
For Dylan, waking up at sunrise with Angie in his arms was a blessing and a relief. She was his heart, and all that home meant to him.
She mumbled something in her sleep, and he leaned over, whispering in her ear. “Shush, baby, sleep. You’ve held the fort so faithfully. You stay in bed.”
“Tired,” she mumbled.
He pulled the covers up over her shoulders and slipped into the bathroom to shower and shave.
She was still asleep as he dressed for work, then moved into the kitchen.
After a cup of coffee and a couple of pieces of toast, he made a to-go thermos of coffee, left her a note on the counter, and headed out the door.
A couple of hours later, Angie woke up to an empty bed and the faint scent of coffee, and smiled. Dylan’s homecoming had shortened their sleep time, but she was thoroughly caught up on all the loving she’d been missing.
She vaguely remembered him telling her to stay in bed, which she had. Now she wanted coffee. She got the coffee, and she got a note that made her laugh.
Morning, pretty girl,
You sure know how to put a smile on a man’s face.
Take the day off. See you this evening.
Love, love, love you.
D
* * *
Nora was in high gear.
She’d just had a video call with her boss, explaining her plans. She hadn’t expected any issues with her job, or having it be impacted by moving to another location. It was one of the perks of working online.
She was congratulated on the news of her upcoming wedding, received sympathy for the stitches in her hand, and compliments on the quick sale of the family home, and then a quick end to the call.
It was an eye-opening conversation. It wasn’t real sympathy. It was just what one stranger said to another when faced with the need to comment. There was no way to compare it to the love and kindness she’d received when she went home to Crossroads.
She got up and walked to the windows of her office overlooking the city. It was a long way down to the street below. Past time to come down from this ivory tower. Way past time to start life over again with Ash.
That’s when she remembered she needed to call Patty about the Jacksons moving into the house early, quickly pulled up the number, and waited for the call to be answered.
“Thomas Realty, Lee speaking.”
“Good morning, Lee, this is Nora Borden. Is Patty in?”
“Yes, just a moment while I transfer the call.”
Nora heard a few clicks, and then Patty picked up.
“Good morning, Nora!”
“Hi, Patty. Has Sonny signed the contract yet?”
“Yes, he was in before closing yesterday and left escrow money until the deed search has been completed and we can do the final signing. Darndest thing. He didn’t just leave the usual percent… He left the entire amount of the house purchase. I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he insisted.”