Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Julie Smith looked at her sister as she stumbled into the kitchen the next morning and grinned when she saw Sara’s eyes were barely open as she headed to the coffee pot. She didn’t pull her prank on her by moving the pot this morning. She waited until her sister finished at least her first cup, and when she poured her second and joined Julie at the table, she knew Sara was beginning to wake up.
“Rough night?”
“Yeah, but not like you think.”
“I know you don’t drink, or stay out partying all night, Sara.”
“Yeah, I was studying for the exam I have in three hours.”
“What happens after you take it?”
“I wait on pins and needles for the results.”
“Then?”
“That’s what I have to talk to you about.”
Julie stood and refilled her own cup, then got out items for breakfast, as she lifted them, she looked at Sara with raised brows. At her approval the two of them set out making bacon, eggs, and toast for their breakfast. They worked in a comfortable silence until they sat down to eat.
“First,” Sara began in a serious tone, and Julie paused to look at her. “I want to thank you for taking care of me after Mom and Dad died. You didn’t have to.”
“Sara, I was eighteen, you were fifteen, there was no way in hell I could allow you to go to another family member, or go into foster care. Thankfully, Mom and Dad had taken care of everything so all we had to do was to continue to live. The house was paid for, and the insurance money kept our heads above water.”
“Yes, but you didn’t have to pay for my education using both of our college funds.”
“Yes, I did. I never wanted to go to college, I wanted to go into the military since I was young. I was able to do that.”
“But at what cost? You went in at the age of twenty-one, and after six years, you were discharged because you lost part of your leg.”
“And I did it while serving my country proudly. Sara, I have absolutely no regrets for what I did in order to keep a roof over your head, you safe, and for you to get the education of your dreams.”
“I know,” Sara sighed heavily as she continued to eat.
“If you know that, then why are you bringing this up again?” Julie stared at her sister, and when she didn’t elaborate, Julie prompted her. “Sara? What’s going on?”
“Fine, I didn’t know how to bring this up, but I have an opportunity to take three classes this summer that will help me with my PhD. Oh, not getting it, because that’s what this final exam today is for, and I’ve already written my dissertation, and have the appointment to present it. No, these classes will further my education and especially my knowledge in my field of choice. They should also help me with my hiring when I seek employment.”
“Okay, by why are you so upset about it now?”
“Because the classes are in Denver and in three weeks, I’ll have to be there for six months. I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.”
“I know that, but I also know how much you hate your job, I don’t want to leave you by yourself for that reason alone.”
Julie put her fork down, and for a brief second, a piece of paper flashed in her mind, and she reached over to take Sara’s hand in hers. “What if I told you that I might go to Colorado for the summer?”
“Huh? When did this happen?” Sara asked in shock. “Not that it won’t be great having you closer, but I don’t understand.”
Julie waited until they both had finished their meal before she told her sister what had occurred the day before with the guy named Scott. She saw interest in Sara’s expression, but also caution. “Yeah, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but he said he’d be back in the restaurant for dinner on my late nights. I was hoping you could be there and question him while I finish out my shift.” Julie laughed at Sara’s expression of glee as she rubbed her hands together.
“Yeah, I can do that. Do you know anything about him?”
“Only that he’s former military, a SEAL, and he stated that his last mission wasn’t as successful as they hoped, and he ended up with scars on the inside and out.”
“Same as you.”
“Correct. I thought that with what you’re studying to be in college, you could question him. I want to know if there are other people I could contact to do research, and not just take his word on it.”
“Smart, I can understand that. Yeah, since today’s exam is my last one, then I would be happy to question this guy. I only have one question for you.”
“What’s that?”
“When I’m in Denver for the summer, and this job pans out for you, what do we do with this?” She waved her hand around to indicate the kitchen and house they sat in.
“I don’t know, it would depend on what happens after we both talk with Scott on Friday. I’m not being a coward, but I’m going to have to work, so I’ll be busy, I thought if you talked with him, you could see what he’s about and get information we can verify.”
“Oh, I like that, then on Saturday, we could make phone calls.”
“Correct, and if we still have questions on Saturday, we could ask them.”
“Would you invite him over here on your next day off?”
“That would all depend on what he has to say to you, what your gut tells you, and what our research tells the both of us. When do you have to be in Denver?”
“By the fifteenth of June.”
“That gives us three weeks.”
“Correct.” Sara nodded as she stood and took her dishes to the sink and began rinsing them. She quickly turned back and looked at her sister. “Why don’t we make up a list of pros and cons of both of us making a permanent move to Colorado? Who knows, maybe this Scott person is correct and maybe we can both end up with a job there. Not that I’m pushing myself onto a potential job you might have, but maybe I can use my new PhD to help those people with challenges.”
“Deal,” Julie said as she rose to her feet, then looked around with a grin. “But not before we do our weekly cleaning, and I take a run to the grocery store. I’ll do the housework while you get ready for your final exam. When you get back, we can tackle that list together.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea. We can even make a list of things we would have to do if we want to sell the house. Not that I don’t want to, but that would be extra money to pad our bank accounts.”
“We’ll make our list, Sara. I’m not promising anything. I don’t want to burn all our bridges and have no place to fall back on. I think for the time being, we could just shut it up for the summer and have Mrs. Willow from across the street to keep an eye on it for a couple of weeks.”
“Ah, that makes sense, yes, I didn’t think about that.”
They laughed as they cleaned up the kitchen, and because there was still time before Sara had to leave for school, they tackled the light dusting and vacuuming together. By the time she left, the last load of laundry was in the washer and Julie headed to the store at the same time Sara left for school, with a wave and a promise to be careful, they went in different directions as they pulled out of the driveway.
“Can I help you?” An older man, who looked like he’d spent too much time in the sun, squinted at Scott as he looked through the screen door of the small house.
“Patrick Clemmons?” Scott asked, then held up his hands when he saw fear enter the other man’s eyes. “I’m the good guy, Cole Mercury and Naomi Alcott sent me.” When he saw the other man didn’t believe him, with his eyes still on the other man, Scott pulled out his phone, dialed and put it on speaker. He didn’t waste any time getting to the point.
“Naomi, it’s Scott. I’m here with a man I believe to be Patrick Clemmons, and when I asked him if it was him, he got scared. I think he might think the Big Pig sent me.” He looked up at Patrick’s snort, and held his phone out when Naomi started talking.
“Clem, it’s me, Noomi, please listen to Scott. He has all the information for you, but I want to tell you that Benson, Biggins, and the woman calling herself Wyonna are all behind bars. They were denied bail, and have to stay there until their trial. According to the person Cole and I are working with, it might be two years before the case goes before a judge and jury.”
“Damn, what about the Double A?”
“The structures are still there, but I was able to secretly remove the horses, their tack, the farm equipment, and all the hay stored in the barn to a safe location. That’s the location I’ve been for the last five years. It’s time for you to come home, Clem.” She paused for a couple of heartbeats. “I miss you, Clem. Come home, that’s why Scott’s there, to bring you back. You can trust him.”
Scott looked at the older man and had to open the door and quickly reach out to catch him as his knees buckled beneath him. When he started sobbing, in what Scott could only think was relief, Scott said he or Clem would call back, then hung up the phone. It was several minutes before the man got himself under control, then he stood, and invited Scott inside.
On the way to the back of the house, Scott looked around and realized the furnishings were so bare, that Clem could have picked up and moved anytime without fear of leaving anything behind. There were no personal photos, no pictures on the wall, nothing to really indicate that someone actually lived there. The only furniture he saw was one chair, and a very small TV on a stand. However, when he entered the kitchen, he saw a little more personality in the room.
“Have a seat,” Clem said as he went to the counter and poured them both a cup of coffee. As he settled at the rickety table, the older man looked at Scott. “What’s your name again?”
“Scott Gould, I know you don’t know these people, but Clark Riceman was my team leader while I was in the Navy.”
“Is he the gentleman dating Noomi?”
“He is. He’s the one that sent me to find you. Well, actually, friends of a guy named Jake Cogburn sent me.” Scott took a sip of the coffee and nodded when he realized it was strong, just like he liked it. “I have to ask, why do you call Naomi, Noomi?”
“I know him, I gave him, your Clark, and my Noomi the information I had that Benson Alcott was out to get his own daughter.” He shook his sadly, and stared, unseeingly at the center of the table. “I only believed you when Noomi said her name. Yes, her name is Naomi, however, when she was little, she’d zoom around the ranch on a horse, her bicycle, a three-wheeler, or whatever she got around on. It was a standing joke between Cole and I that we would look at each other and laugh when we saw her coming. We would say, ‘Here comes Naomi, always zooming around, and somehow her name was changed to Noomi. I believe that only Cole and I called her that.”
“And we all thank you for reaching out to find Naomi and tell her about her father. If it wasn’t for that information, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we did.”
“What did you do?”
“My buddy, Manny, and I went to Yellowstone to talk to friends of Cogburn’s. These people do the exact same thing as Jake. Hell, they work for the same guy, do the same thing, just in different locations. Hank, the founder of Brotherhood Protectors had an operative that he didn’t have a job for them to do. It was decided she would go to the Double A and protect Cole against Benson, Biggins, and his woman. Long story short, Carter, up in Yellowstone worked with my brother-in-law, who is an FBI agent, and they were able to get the papers together to get the horses from Wyoming to where they are now.”
“They’re safe?”
“They are, so is Cole Mercury. It’s hard to explain, but Clark and his buddies are converting a former chicken farm into a horse ranch. It’s my understanding that it worked, and now Naomi wants you home.” Scott stopped talking when the older man had to wipe the corner of his eyes.
“You don’t know what those words mean to me. ‘Home’. I thought I would never be able to go home again.”
“You can, just not to Wyoming, not if you want to be working with Naomi and Cole again.”
“The others are really in jail?”
“From what I heard, I wasn’t there, I was driving to come find you, and bring you home.”
“When do you think we can leave?”
“I have something to do this weekend, but come Sunday, or Monday, we can leave for home.”
“Will you tell me where home is?”
“If you don’t mind, not that I don’t trust you, oh what the hell. We’ll be going to Colorado. I won’t get into minute details, but it will take me a week to get there, and I want to go through New Mexico.”
“It’s only like an eighteen-hour drive. Should take a day and a half at the most.”
“I know, but I’m still healing from an ordeal I went through, and I have a hard time sitting for any length of time.”
“Got it. I have a few things I need to do before I can leave this area permanently.” Clem looked at Scott and smiled. “Nothing bad, I have several bank accounts I’d like to close out, get things out of storage, pay that bill off, then go to the utility companies and pay them off. Thankfully, my landlord knows that I may be leaving whenever, and I’d like to contact him and let him know I’m leaving on Monday.” Clem cranked his neck around and nodded as he turned back around. “I have to sign the next month’s rent on Wednesday, so I’ll just tell him I’m leaving on Monday.”
“Good, there’s someone I want to see on Friday night,” Scott said, and told Clem where to meet him, and he’d buy the other guy dinner. They made plans, and by the time Scott left Clem’s home, he felt that he had accomplished his mission. Now, he only needed to talk with Julie, and he could leave for home to finally settle into a new life he had planned for himself. Hopefully, Julie would factor into his plans.