Chapter Seventeen #3
He laughed.
“Thanks, Dad,” he said. “I can’t be alone right now.”
Timothy knew.
“Saying goodbye hurt, huh?” he asked.
Callen wiped his eyes.
“He’s gone now,” he said. “Ethan said his goodbye. He won’t be back. We’re on our own.”
Timothy saw everything in the smoke, and he gave his grandson a little reassurance.
“My boy, he will be back, but not for a while. When he does, everything will change. Then, you and he will heal and have each other back. Right now, he’s learning about himself, and finding a way to heal from being hurt all of those years ago.
I promise you that before I die, you will have your brother back, and it will be like he never left. ”
That helped.
“Really, Granddad?”
Oh, really.
“Yes, and both of you will have the love of your lives,” he said, not telling his grandson anymore. If he did, the man might not believe him.
In the smoke, he saw the Raven.
And their relationship.
He saw Ethan and Callen as a couple, along with the Raven bringing her own past with her to it.
He saw Ethan get exactly what he craved as he climbed the ladder, as he learned that with power came pain.
Then, he saw that the Raven would become so powerful that she would not only lead their family, but save the country from terrible things coming.
The Blackhawk Dynasty was just beginning in these humble beginning days.
“There will be joy, happiness, love, and children. Just give Ethan space. He loves you, and he will return.”
Well, he was glad they healed at some point.
“Now, call in tomorrow, and spend the day with me. We’re going to go hunting.”
Callen went to protest.
“Kaya Cheek is going to show up there and raise hell. It’s best you’re not there,” he said.
Oh, well, that was all Callen had to hear.
“Have your deputy arrest her. She’s about to vandalize your cabin. We’ll fix it, and she’ll get some jail time for her jackassery. That will give you some peace.”
While Callen hated the idea that his cabin got vandalized, he would rather not be anywhere near there.
“Can we get my clothes and things?” Callen asked.
Timothy would make sure they did.
“Yes, my boy. Hey, why don’t you stay with me for a few weeks?” he asked. “I could use some company.”
Callen was relieved.
“Thank you, Dad,” he said. “I would like that.”
Timothy reassured him.
“Me too, my boy. Me too,” he admitted.
And he would. After meddling, and doing what needed to be done, Timothy knew the truth. One day, they would all be angry with him. There would be times they hated him.
But it mattered.
All of this was important.
One day, they’d see.
And that was all that mattered. The Blackhawk bloodline had to continue.
No.
Matter.
What.
* * * Blackhawk & Cantrell * * *
The Tipsy Easel
Interview
Four P.M.
When they arrived at the painting studio, it was chaos outside. The media was there, and they were trying to get to the people INSIDE the place.
Well, so much for not being where they were. This was one hell of an annoyance since Gene had hoped to evade the media for most of today.
Now, that definitely wasn’t happening.
As they parked, Gene sighed.
“Okay, I’m going to get their attention, and I want you and Dannie to get into the place. I’ll make a break for it when I can give the vultures something to pick to death.”
Ethan didn’t like that idea.
He’d been shot at already once, and this was a problem for him. He liked his man without holes, and being out in the open gave the mad shooter a target.
HIS MAN.
“Gene.”
Because he knew where this was going, he put his hand on his thigh.
“I’m aware now, and I want you inside where it’s safe,” he stated. “I have this.”
The detective offered to buy them time.
“I can distract them.”
Gene shook his head.
“They won’t buy it. They want us to answer questions, and I will. Just get that place open for me in case I have to make a run for it,” he said, laughing.
Oh, trust and believe, Ethan was doing just that.
“Okay, handsome. I love you,” he said, not caring that the cop in the back was listening.
Gene picked up his hand and kissed his knuckles.
“Ditto, Baby,” he said.
Then, he threw himself to the wolves, getting out of the vehicle, and moving far enough away to distract the reporters to get Ethan and the cop away from them.
When he whistled, they all looked over, and then rushed toward him.
That’s when Ethan saw their chance to make a break for it.
“Let’s go, Detective.”
They got out and made a beeline for the building that had been surrounded by people. At the door, they held their badges against it so the people inside could see them.
Immediately, a man inside saw them and opened up.
Then, they got inside.
The whole time, Dannie handled them, and Ethan stayed at the door, watching his man. The reporters were peppering him with questions, and Gene handled it. When he looked at his watch, and then said something else, the reporters began breaking up.
And leaving.
What was this?
Was he a miracle worker?
“Want me to wait for Gene?” Dannie asked, after telling the owners that they needed to talk to them.
Ethan pointed.
“Somehow, he dispatched them.”
Dannie laughed.
“Is he a witch?”
That amused Ethan.
“Well, he is magical in bed,” he joked back, just overly excited Gene hadn’t been shot again, and that they’d managed to put space between themselves and the media frenzy.
Dannie didn’t have a comment for that, so he let it slide. Who was he to go there?
When Gene reached the door, Ethan opened it and then locked it behind him.
They watched the reporters get into their vehicles and head out, leaving the area outside of the building clear of riffraff.
“How did you get them to leave?” Ethan asked.
Gene grinned.
“I told them we were going to be doing a press junket after the memorial at the school when it was done. The one reporter said so around six? I just nodded and let them come up with the whole thing. Guess where we WON’T be at six?” he asked.
Ethan laughed.
His partner was damn good at evading the media. It was surprising they bought that.
Dannie shook his head.
“When you guys don’t show up, they are absolutely mobbing the police station. Hopefully, my boss doesn’t feel like a press interview if he’s there.”
Hopefully, not.
“You haven’t updated him yet, have you?” Ethan asked. “You know, for today?”
He shook his head.
“No. He’s rarely at the office on a Saturday. He was only there today to talk to you guys. We’re good.”
That worked for them.
“Let’s talk to the owners,” Gene said. “Oh, and Detective, add them to your list of research while we’re apart tonight.”
He made a note.
“On it.”
They headed toward the counter, where there were two people standing there. One was an older man around fifty, and the woman was young, as in barely twenty—if that.
In fact, she could have been his daughter.
“Are you the owners?” Gene asked.
The two of them nodded.
“We are. I’m Johnny Wilderman, and this is my partner, Sarah Beth Jackleman,” he offered.
Gene made the official introductions before diving right into the questioning.
“We have questions regarding Phylis Lizney. She was here the other night, Thursday, with a bunch of girlfriends,” he stated, using the notes from when Dannie interviewed the husband.
Johnny nodded.
“She was. Phylis and her friends are regulars. Every Thursday, they come in and paint. They BYOB their wine, and they have a good time.”
Gene was ready to go.
“Walk us through what happened. The detectives tried to interview you guys Friday, after she went missing, and you were closed.”
The man explained.
“If we don’t have a painting party scheduled, we don’t open up. No one randomly comes in to paint. We mostly deal with parties like for birthdays, or girls’ nights out,” Johnny admitted.
That made sense.
“Again, start at the beginning.”
The man did.
“Phylis and her girlfriends showed up at their normal time, after eight, and they began working on some ceramics. This week they wanted to do something different. Easter is coming, so they wanted to paint bunnies.”
Ethan made notes, but he was also looking around as he did, taking it all in. You couldn’t see the studio from the front windows. You saw counter, and where you’d check in and pay, but the painting area had to be in the back.
So, no one was watching Phylis while she worked.
“Okay, and?”
“They started wrapping up around ten thirty. After they cleaned up their areas, they headed out.”
Sarah Beth agreed.
“I was here that night, not Johnny. He was upstairs in our apartment, and I closed up. The ladies paid, scheduled a painting night for next week, and headed out.”
Gene was curious.
“Where was Phylis?” he asked.
Sarah Beth pointed.
“She was across the street under that light, waiting for a cab. She called one before they checked out.”
Gene was curious.
“Was anyone hassling her?” he asked.
Both people shook their heads.
“No. We have these party nights for the ladies who don’t like bars or to be bothered by anyone. It’s a safe, inclusive space where they can get tipsy and have fun,” Sarah Beth admitted. “When they left, she waved to her friends and crossed the street. That’s her norm.”
Gene kept pushing.
“And when did you notice she was gone?” he asked.
Sarah Beth considered it.
“When I came out to double-check the doors at about eleven fifteen. I had headed back to put their bunnies in the kiln and turned it on. I came up front to double-check the lock and then head up.”
She pointed at a door not far away.
Johnny agreed.
“We ate a late dinner at eleven thirty and went to bed afterward. It was a normal night for us.”
Gene kept pushing.
“And you didn’t hear a scream or…?”
They both shook their heads.
“We absolutely would have gone out and seen what happened if we heard a woman screaming,” Johnny offered. “We saw on the news that she went missing, and we feel terrible about it. We should have let her stand inside until the cab pulled up, but Phylis had a routine.”